Ogden Mission Blog: Noah, Where's Your Ark?!

We didn't expect to need a boat to get around our kitchen, but this week was surprising. An incredible deluge hit us one day, and our kitchen flooded. We were just going to leave for District Meeting and walked straight into a huge puddle by the stove. The water was gushing down the hill, which is our backyard, and into our back door. The Sisters, the Elders, and the Zone Leaders were helping us mop up and attempt to stop the river. Lynn was outside in his Sunday clothes trying to not get washed away while digging a trench for the water to follow. Eventually we all succeeded and went onto District Meeting. Of course, I'm exaggerating the severity of the flood waters, but not the storm. A river ran off our hill for the entire day.

The apartment we arranged for the Elders has also been flooding. We couldn't figure out the source of the water, but each time we went over the floor was in standing water. Finally, the landlord came up from Georgia and discovered a hole in the roof over an inside stairway beside the apartment. The water would dump in through the hole, run down the stairs and under the wall of the apartment. Now we have the problem solved and the apartment ready to receive the new Elders this week. I'm so glad, because we are tired of mopping! Everyone in the Branch is excited to have the young missionaries come. What does that say about us? ;}

Last Sunday the Smiths from Kingsport, TN drove 3 1/2 hours to come and train us on leading the Addiction Recovery Program. We are beginning classes this week (if somebody comes). There are so many people who have compulsive eating, smoking, chewing, or drinking habits, among others. We hope some will want to rid their lives of these demons and decide to receive help.

We also are starting several more FHE groups in various locations throughout the Branch. Some key people will host them in their homes, although they won't fill all the assignments. Those will rotate among the participants, just like in a family. There are quite a few single, empty-nester, and less-active members that could benefit from such a group. We hope they will become as successful as the one we already have going.

Each Saturday we call less-active members and/or investigators and re-invite them to Church. Sometimes they come, sometimes not. At least, they will know that they are not forgotten. We hope perhaps some of them will come take a Church tour with us.

We are doing more in the community as time goes on. We now work in the Food Pantry two full days a month, the local Soup Kitchen eight times a year, the House Raising Committee (like Habitat for Humanity), and we are participating in a fundraiser to care for the River Trail and a 5K to raise money for hospital equipment. Lynn is also good to carry garbage bags on his walks to collect trash. Our Mission President encourages us to do as much as we can with/for the community. Good PR is always helpful, because certain religions here openly preach against us. One church even withdrew its support from the House Raising fundraiser because we Mormons get to participate. The House Raising committee was outraged! We appreciate that they, at least, are more fair-minded.

It is disheartening to find quite a number of families living in less than desirable conditions, often by their own choice. We hope to help them learn better ways, but "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." We mortals sometimes just don't get what the Lord is trying to teach us. Sure hope I get it sooner rather than later.

We seem to have dinner company at least once a week now. I suppose we may need to feed the Elders more than that, and maybe let them use our laundry facilities if they run out of money for the laundromat. We will also be their transportation to other towns or out-of-the-way places, since the roads are too dangerous for bicycles. They can bike around the towns within city limits though.