Learning building

Behind the old part of the Church buildings, is the satellite dish - inside the green fence above. As an Elders Quorum (EQ), the EQ Presidency has initiated a project where we have started to build a braai - inclusive of enough space to have a spit at the end!

This started about 3 weeks ago, when as an EQ, we started to make the blocks from cement, sand and water. We created foundations. As an EQ Presidency, we are concerned about a few things:-

We have a braai (barbeque) unit that can accommodate fires to cook meat for starving hoardes (nohing can touch a Mormon Missionery Elder when it comes to eating!)

We have learned how to mix cement and "stuff" to create workeable concrete.

The blocks we made from the raw material, are enough to build the braai

We are going to have a unit that can give us entertainment as a branch (branch unity)

The Elders Quorum has developed a sense of togetherness and a sense of pride that we have crafted - and are busy crafting - something worthwhile!

I know that there are members who say that Pride is a sin, but how sinful can it be to stand around a braai that we created from the dust (literally)

I know that one member was completely against the creation of the braai, as it was enough to ruin the grass that she is proud to say is her creation. She freaked that when we held a braai the one evening, the fire burnt the grass. Now we are busy building a unit to contain the fires, and she is not happy! To build the braai, we have dug up the foundations and poured concrete., replacing grass with concrete.

I had a wicked (unvoiced) thought that as an EQ we need to wind her up a bit (or a lot) bu digging in her precious flower beds in front of the chapel and building Koi Ponds! Maybe that will teach her not to create a fuss when the Elders of the Church do something useful.

The Physical Facilities guy in Durban knows what we want to do, and as no-one has ever done this in Natal before, he has no guideline to give his consent! We - as an EQ - kind of feel that we need this, and even if he does not like it, it is kind of too late to prevent it! If he objects, we can trot out the excuses of:-

We are learning

We have somewhere that can enhance branch and quorum unity

We have done it all ourselves. No-where else in the Church have they done this, and we can use the braai to burn meat (cooking meat over an open fire is tricky at the best of times)

We can use the Church facilities in the chapel to show suitable films (there are a lot of suitable films out on DVD) on the screen in the chapel, using the projector and sound system. It is kind of crazy to have these at our disposal and not to create branch unity by holding evenings where we watch a DVD and cook our food! Richards Bay can be kind of an entertainment desert unless you take the initiative and DO SOMETHING!

If the world out there sees that we are normal people, burning steak like any other red blooded citizen - and having fun whilst we do this! - maybe the general opinion of the crazy Mormons will be moderated. We have some unusual beliefs, but we are still citizens. We are in fact, no less strange than some crazies out there!