February 18th
Last night was family home evening and we held it at the Lyneham church so they could play games. And they played the games! Joseph and Lexi were in charge and there were 36 wonderful young people playing "European handball" and board games. We stopped at the Woolies and bought ice cream treats and Dani brought a bunch of food. That "game" was hilarious. They scatter obstacles, tables, chairs and carpet pieces throughout the gym and then taped a goal on each wall. They divided into teams and there were about 8 people on each team. You can't take more than three steps and you have to throw the ball within 5 seconds. They use a ball that is a little smaller than a volleyball so you can grip it. It wasn't a full contact sport until later in the evening. There is a goalie for each team and he has free reign on the court if he wants to leave the goal unattended. Keep in mind that about 15 of these young people are very strong, and stout, Polynesians. We left before the games were completely finished and I can report that, up to that point, there were no broken bones or significant blood flow.
Sunday we went to church in Goulburn with Elders Midgley and Leishman. Elder Midgley was one of the speakers and he did a fine job. Bishop Loney was the concluding speaker and his son Jacob was the youth speaker. It was the smallest attendance we've seen since we have been attending. Evelyn brought a big bowl of watermelon and a chicken casserole so we ate well. After we dropped the Elders off at their flat we had a meeting with the Stake YSA leadership. They are a dedicated group and I can see good things happening from their efforts.
The weather has been quite pleasant this past week and we've had a few drops of rain so everything continues to look better.
There was an online article today about the church's finances. It has been a few weeks since the "news" of the church having a savings account but I was sickened by the falsehoods and misrepresentations of writers. I remember my journalism classes for 45 years ago and being taught what the difference was between actual facts and opinions. You can "spin" information to tell any story and it was disheartening to think of how many people will read that story and not see the actuality of the direction of the Lord's church.
I woke up early this morning and thinking about my father. He was such a significant example in my life and I was reflecting on how patient he was, even in the face of adversity. I rarely heard him make a judgmental statement about someone, in our family, or beyond, but rather a sense of understanding that the individual was in a state of progression. What a great blessing to be slow to condemn and quick to provide sufficient space to improve. Isn't that why we do temple work for people, even if we knew that their mortal pathway had been in a direction that wasn't Celestial? Maybe that's why they call it "eternal progression". No, I'm not excusing a person's choice to reject gospel principles or practices but I am hoping to develop an eternal perspective when I see a child of God.
Sunday we went to church in Goulburn with Elders Midgley and Leishman. Elder Midgley was one of the speakers and he did a fine job. Bishop Loney was the concluding speaker and his son Jacob was the youth speaker. It was the smallest attendance we've seen since we have been attending. Evelyn brought a big bowl of watermelon and a chicken casserole so we ate well. After we dropped the Elders off at their flat we had a meeting with the Stake YSA leadership. They are a dedicated group and I can see good things happening from their efforts.
The weather has been quite pleasant this past week and we've had a few drops of rain so everything continues to look better.
There was an online article today about the church's finances. It has been a few weeks since the "news" of the church having a savings account but I was sickened by the falsehoods and misrepresentations of writers. I remember my journalism classes for 45 years ago and being taught what the difference was between actual facts and opinions. You can "spin" information to tell any story and it was disheartening to think of how many people will read that story and not see the actuality of the direction of the Lord's church.
I woke up early this morning and thinking about my father. He was such a significant example in my life and I was reflecting on how patient he was, even in the face of adversity. I rarely heard him make a judgmental statement about someone, in our family, or beyond, but rather a sense of understanding that the individual was in a state of progression. What a great blessing to be slow to condemn and quick to provide sufficient space to improve. Isn't that why we do temple work for people, even if we knew that their mortal pathway had been in a direction that wasn't Celestial? Maybe that's why they call it "eternal progression". No, I'm not excusing a person's choice to reject gospel principles or practices but I am hoping to develop an eternal perspective when I see a child of God.
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