Welfare concerns

At present, the weather in Zululand is REALLY COLD -at around 16 degrees celsius at mid day! In a fridge, the temperature is generally only around 5 degrees celsius, so that means practically that outside is only 3 times as warm as it gets in the fridge. In summer, it gets so much warmer - up to 38 degrees - much hotter if you add in the humiture index!

If it gets colder here than 20 degrees celsius (I dont think in farenheight!) it is painful to move around, especially lately when I strained the ligament in my foot! After my MVA, I have technically spastic muscles. Unlike kids who say "Dont be so spastic!" I actually have spastic muscles. Dont worry, this is not contagious, but means that your brain does not connect correctly with your muscles. They cramp up when told by my brain to do so, but as soon as they are told to relax, they dont fully. The effect can end up fairly painful to say the least! Anyway my foot was AGONY - enough for me to seek medical treatment! The muscles are still tight, but are relaxed a bit. Next step is for the GP to give me a really painful injection in the ligament (Plantar Fasciatus? - I think) of cortizone.

The doctor is not happy to do this, but if it eases the pain that I felt - even if it is painful to start with - it is worth the agony! Nothing can be as painful as:-
A truck landing on you
Being stabbed 8 times
Being stung by thousands of bees!
Pain is really kind of relative!

At Church, the Branch President has a serious problem at the moment. He has 2 counsellors, one of whom has gone less active and the other who lives in the back of beyond on a farm. I feel that maybe the BP needs to shake up his Presidency. The BP is taking strain, and is starting to realise that he can call on me - as First Counsellor on the Branch Elders Quorum - to help him out! I am so grateful that I can be there to provide assistance!

As a District Council member, this last week, I was assigned to give the members at Port Durnford branch a talk. I felt inspired at our last Council meeting to recommend that we talk on the concept of "sustain your leaders" since I have noted on several occasions where the members fail to sustain their called leaders. I spoke easily for 20 minutes and was heard - and understood - by the congregation. Unfortunately because it is cold for now, not all of the usual members were there! If it rains, or is cold, then they seem to have difficulty in getting their acts into gear! The Branch President really appreciates me as a District Speaker, and he announced me that "now we will be entertained by the Brother Killick!" When I talk, I introduce humour into my talk as that suits my personality, and I think makes the message that I deliver, more acceptable! Anyway, it works for me and I it seems to work for the congregations! I intend to educate, not entertain, but if looking at a concept with humour helps to get the point across, then I feel that it is not inappropriate! Sure it is not "Knock knock jokes" but if what I say is heard by the congregation, then it has a better chance of sinking in! At least when I am speaking, if I can see smiles on faces, I know that what I have said has been heard - even if it is not immediately understood!

Something we had to pass onto the Branch Presidents is that the Branch has been donated a number of blankets, to be distributed. I see that the BPs have the divine authority to decide which - if any - of their members need food assistance. Surely a warm blanket is just as much a welfare need as is a packet of maize meal to cook and eat? If someone is worried about an empty - or cold - stomach, then Church Attendance is really low on their list of priorities! That is easy to say when I have 3 cars in my garage and 1 more for sale, and I have a full freezer and 2 fridges! If I buy soup, it is generally pre-cooked soup from Woolworths, and not powdered soup. I know what I like and luckily I can afford the best! That makes me more sensative to some members whose ONLY meal of the day is the lunch provided by the school.

Kind of makes me feel really spoilt because last week, I was sleeping terribly. I decided that this was as a result of my mattrass being old (and had lost its spring!) so I went out and bought a new bed and mattrass - no turn variety! Since then, I have had no disturbed nights. All I need to do now is to repaint the walls of my bedroom. In my one lounge I have bought a lounge suite that comes from Indonesia! Sad fact with South Africa is it is cheaper to import furniture from Indonesia than it is to produce it locally! And the workers that are employed, still strike for higher than inflation increases? What of the 1 in 4 people out there who dont have jobs, but 1 of the other 3 who do have jobs, dont actually want them! Someone has their priorities really skewed!