Sunday, January 26, 2025

Sunday, January 26, 2025

• Donna Israel missing
• Our first Zoom branch council meeting
• Benjamin Joseph bless the sacrament today for the first time

Every Sunday when we get to the church Donna Israel is the first one there and waiting for us. I always try to get there an hour early to try and get a few things done and be ready for sac comedian. You have to do things like make sure the water is on cuz sometimes it isn't. 

When we got to the church Donna wasn't there which is very unusual. She had only missed once since she has been baptized and that's because the water is off and she couldn't shower and she didn't want to come without showering. After church Tina went over to find out why she didn't make it and I guess Donna got mad and left the facility and they didn't know where she went. They said she said she wasn't coming back but she has nowhere to go. Anyway, we were quite concerned about that, especially since she has no money and she can stay at cornerstone for free. 

We had our first Branch council meeting over Zoom tonight and I thought it went pretty well. Better than I expected. Actually. It is very difficult to get them to engage in conversations about things, so you really have to have pointed questions to get them to talk about anything. I made one assignment to read a little out of the church handbook. I gave that assignment to Sister Celena. We did get a few things accomplished. We planned a branch party for February 22nd which is their Independence Day. That is a Saturday. 

We talked about how there's a lot of new converts that don't have calling and for them to look at how they could use some of the new members. 

Lambert got on and went on one of his usual rants about how we're not organized. Anyway, I tried to get that shut down so overall I thought the meeting was somewhat productive. We'll get better at it as I learn what everybody needs to be doing and ask them specifically things related to their callings. 

Oh I forgot to say that our newest convert. Benjamin was made a priest in the aaronic priesthood last week. I told him to prepare to pass the sacrament this week as part of his priesthood duties. I also told him to study the sacrament prayers but I wasn't planning on him. Blessing the Sacrament quite quite yet. I called president Lambert and told him about Benjamin and asking if he would Orient him in passing the sacrament. He said he would. Well when he got to church he ended up assigning him to bless the sacrament which was okay. I just didn't know if he was ready but he said he was and he gave the prayer good. There was one port. I couldn't hear if he said the word or not but I don't hear so good and he went through it like it was said so I assume that he did. Sometimes the elders say words really quiet that I'm pretty sure they said it but I didn't hear it. Most the time when they make a mistake they correct it themselves either by backing up a sentence or just starting over. The prayer has to be said word perfect.