A new(?) idea!

As a member of the branch Elders Quorum Presidency, I have the shared responsibility for the Hometeaching efforts of the local branch! I have had inspiration(?) as to what to do to improve the results achieved.

What worries me is that the Elders in the Quorum are behaving typically of the entire church - they either do 100% consistently, or they do their expected 0%! On average, half of the members who should be seen are not seen!

I have had the idea that if we - as the EQ Presidency - change the deadline date from the 4th week in the month, reported in the first week of the new month, to the 2nd week of the month. For those who do their hometeaching it means that it will frantically be done in week 2 instead of week 4. Then as a Presidency have week 3 to interview them and encourage the slackers to go out in week 4. If we have a week 5 in the month, maybe we can use it to get ahead!

Sure month 1 will be a strain, but it really does not make a difference if Hometeaching is frantically done in week 2 or week 4! Then we have a chance to interview in week 3 and have week 4 before month end to sort out the stragglers/slackers! It will only be a strain in that we have a 2 week month, but then we will be back to a 4 week month, cycle! That way, maybe we can encourage better hometeaching. I still think that we will not achieve 100%, but we can probably change the current 50% into a 75% Anyway, I think that it is worth a try. We can only succeed if we try it out! It will probably take a few months to pull the branch straight, but after that we should have no additional trouble in maintaining - and improving - it!

I was out with my single returned missionery elder Hometeaching Companion doing Hometeaching, last night. He is searching for a girlfriend and was stunned to find out that I am a divorcee. He introduced the EQ President to his current target (love sick is not really a pretty sight on a farmer!) and I think he was worried that he had found a potential rival for affections - with a huge benefit to me of a paid for Porsche AND a V8 Land Rover - but we are definitely searching for different generations! Michele was too young for me, and she was only 6 years younger than me! The standard of lady they are looking for is some 20 - 30 years my junior, and that is WAY too young for me!

I believe that the Branch President resents me - to this day - for marrying the only unmarried female member of Richards Bay - whilst he was on mission. He wanted to come off mission and get engaged to Michele, but I "snapped" her up before he came off mission. I am still convinced thar he kind of resents me for this! He should actually be grateful, as she has divorced from me, divorced my replacement and married for the third time! I know that Michele would never have married the BP, and actually saved him from a fate worse than death - Divorce! I have realised that my disastrous marriage was NOT a mistake! If I had never married Michele, Christine would not exist!

Still, he found a way more suitable member to marry - AND she will not divorce him at the drop of a hat! I am kind of concerned for the current husband for Michele. She has not taken his name (not a sign of committment) and he is 2 things that I know she wanted divorce from me for:-
he is not slim (by a L-O-N-G way) AND
he is currently without a job! No money in means that she cannot spend money out! How he will cope with that is anyones guess, as she will start to complain?