Boy does time fly when you are having fun(???) Christine seems to have been back at school for 5 minutes and in 2 weeks time she will be on her half term! I last saw her at Easter, so for her birthday, I told her that i would pay for 2 weekends away with me. That way I get to spend time with her where she cannot moan to her Mom that it is not 5 Star treatment! I did however warn her that the weekends away gift does not include booking into a 5 star hotel, that her mom can afford to put her up in! Kind of bugs me that her ex step father has seen her twice since Mom went to Canada, and I have not seen her - at all! I know that the advice that I would be given is that I am welcome to go and stay in the Midlands and see her, but it is not quite the same thing! Admittedly the hotel that I like to stay at there is rather upmarket, but I cannot afford to stay there that often! Anyway, she has a school friend whose grandparents run a Bed and Breakfast around 5 minutes from the Pinetown Chapel in Cowies Hill. I even know where that is, since that is where I was married. 6 years later, I was declared divorced just down the slope in the High Court! You could say that for me marriage was a downhill journey! :-)
Apparently her Mom decided that whilst she was in Canada, Christine should have nothing to do with me, but a toyboy whom she divorced was good enough. That really creeps me out - but then, what am I? Just a man who happens to be the biological father! I know that one day, my ex will have to answer for her actions, but that can seem sometimes to be really far removed! I do know that Christine is sealed to me for Eternity, and think that her Mom thinks that she is sealed likewise! News is, who holds the Priesthood here? Not Mom! Still that is not exactly comforting, since I barely know her in mortality.
I have seen a Bone China dinner service in the Gateway mall, that I should have bought when I saw it! Now I get a chance to spoil myself when I am nearby! I also want to get a set of crystal glasses as a gift for when a friend gets married. He maintains he is not ready yet, but things are looking hopeful that he will tie the knot soon!
When I married Michele, we could not be sealed straight away, since I was unable to attend the Temple until I had been a member a year! I just knew from when we first met - in a bar at Mtubatuba of all placers! - that she was one of "the ones" - mother to my child! I was a member for a year when we were sealed in the Temple, and that weekend, I was nearly killed! I look at it that BC (Before Crash) I existed, but my life only really started AD (After Damage). If I had not been laid out by a truck, Michele would not have had such an easy excuse to divorce me - at least she threatened, demanded vocally and moved out! It was only after a year when I gave her what she said she wanted! Just before the hearing, she said that she did not actually want this, but I was kind of hurt by her infidelity, and since I was in control, I went through with the action! I think that she has yet to forgive me for giving her what she demanded - long and loud! I think she rather regrets throwing me away, but she does have her agency! This is not free, since she will have to bear the consequences of her choices! Dont get me wrong, I may not be the easiest to live with, but I do know that I am not guilty of mistreating her!
You hear of so many cases of spousal abuse, but the worst that I am guilty of, is not earning huge amounts, or giving her what she insisted on! I am grateful to her for giving me my daughter, and for showing me what sort of woman I dont want to be married to
Di amazed me the other day! I had downloaded the sound tracks of the recent General Conference, and she was enjoying the discs on the CD player in my Landrover. She seemed really inerested in the talks. When President Monson was talking of Senior Couples, I said that I would like to serve a Senior Couples Mission, and she said "We must talk about that!" I think she must realise that I can only do this when I am a "couple" again!
I was also intrigued when there was a talk on Pride in the Priesthood session! There is a member locally who is convinced that all pride is a sin! I wonder what President Uchtdorf of the First Presidency would say if he knew that a member of Richards Bay considers him a sinner for admitting pride in his children! I can see however that it does not cost him much sleep.
I am proud of Christine, but does that make me a sinner? If it does, President Uchtdorf will have great company in the afterlife - even if I do say so myself! I am proud of my 2 cars - not because they are better than anyone elses - but because they are - better - and not by just a little bit! There goes my wicked sense of humour again! They are better because I am priviledged to have them in my personal garage! I honestly dont care enough.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Technology
Far from being a child of the New Age, using technology to my benefit (fun? amuzement?) I find that using new technology can be daunting - to say the least! I was in Durban 3 days ago, but the photos that I took on my camera seem to have vanished! I must have done something to delete them! Still, I am thinking of going back down! I found a store in the Gateway where I saw a bone china dinner service, that thinking about it, I should have bought! I did buy a set of imported Beer glasses! Shock - Horror! How can a Mormon buy Beer Glasses, if he does not drink alcohol?
News to all out there is that Fruit Juice DOES taste way better from imported crystal glassware than it does from an ordinary tumbler glass - the cheapies from the local Spar store! Food tastes better off of Bone China than it does off of cheap earthernware plates! Besides, Bone China and Crystal Glassware takes a lot more of a beating than does the average cheapie glasses/plates etc! Spending R 15 on a quartz crystal beer glass that lasts, is more financially economical than buying cheap mass produced suff, that chips and cracks at the slightest excuse - like the wind outside is blowing too strongly!
True enough, plastic plates survive the best, but they are generally cheap and nasty stuff! Maybe I'm a snob, believing that juice tastes better out of Quartz Crystal than out of ordinary tumblers. At some stages of life, quality does pay!
I suppose that the same can be said of my cars! A 1984 Porsche runs far better than do most cars built in 1991 - if these are still on the road!
On Tuesday when Di and I were down in Durban, there were plenty of chances to laugh! At the end of the day, she was stressing a bit that to get home was rather more urgent! In a cafe, she had ordered a coffee for herself (she is not yet a Mormon, so it is not discouraged!)
The service was kind of unusually slow - for a Tuesday when they were not rushed off of their feet! Anyway she was looking around moaning at our waiter being so slow because we had to leave! She was moaning, and I was trying to attract her attention! The waiter was standing behind her, so close that he could have spilled her Skinny Latte on her! I nearly collapsed laughing! Anyway, he saw the funny side too - and so did she!
We had been to Cinema Nuveau, to see an art movie, where a chinese boy of around 8 was starting his training as a ballet dancer "Mao's Last Dance" (I think) This film started off where the talking was all subtitled, being in Mandarin! Anyway it was not too long before it was only flashbacks in Mandarin. The story was incredibly gripping, and it turned out that it is based on true life! Goes to show why the Chinese and Russians are so good! They start training early on, and are single minded at what they do! That makes me agog at how Native Africans can think that they can do well (Soccer World Cup) when they start training only at age 20! How can they beat athletes/artists who started training at age 8 - or even before, and know nothing else! For SA Soccer players, they start age 20, and by then, have the influences of the world to distract them - money, booze, girls etc! Then they think that they have the chance of winning things like the SWC, or even the Olympics! Sure, they may be good, but not like someone who has been 100% focussed on the sport from age 5 or so, and likely has known nothing else!
A change of thoughts!
If Man had started off his existance in Africa (Cradle of Humanity outside of Johannesburg) why were most nations clothed? It was only the darker races who went about with loin cloths, or nothing! The nations from the Americas and Europe are traditionally clothed, the further north, the more layers they wore! The native Africans, the Aborigine tribes etc, wore next to nothing! If we "evolved" from native Africa, why do we bother with clothes? I know that Adam was clothed after he ate of the fruit, and I dont think that this was necessarily to keep out the cold!
I am also highly amuzed at some statements made by the "learned men" of the world. I know that the current monster in the cupboard is "Global Warming!" There are theories out there, that all of the bodies circling the sun are cooling! The moon is tiny compared to the earth, so that is the reason it has cooled so fast, and why life there is unsustainable! If we are destined to cool to such an extent as to make life impossible, how does this compare to the idea that we have Global Warming! Either we are getting warmer, or we are getting cooler.
In any event, I think that someone is creating different viewpoints, to scare us! If we were once in an Ice Age, why did the globe warm up enough to melt the ice! Then we are warming up - until someone propounds a theory that we are cooling down! I think that this is mainly a "the grass is greener elsewhere" type of mentality - never satisfied with where you are! That reminds me of the Jedi Master - Yoda - in the Star Wars films! It would be in his character to tell men off, because their minds are on a better life - anywhere but here!
Another thought is, if the Ice Age melted, where is all of the melted ice now? Surely not in my pool? It cannot be in the seas, because that water there is salty, and ice does not contain salt! Why can Man not just be happy with the way things are? Why invest huge sums in spreading panic that life is not as it should be, but we can magically influence things to our benefit - or detriment! I am convinced that it is Satan trying to make us believe that:-
1. Man has become more powerful than our Creator!
2. We need to spend our time panicking - not praying to our Heavenly Father.
3. We can influence the end of the World! Whichever way it "ends" Satan is hedging his bets, so
that he can say "I told you so!" I truly think that the scolars of the World are also hedging
their bets. Either we are cooling down, or we are warming - or, here's a new thought, we
are not changeing! In any event Man is here to have Joy, not to worry himself silly about
Global Warming, Global Cooling or scientific proof that there is some sort of cosmic
conspiracy to make life impossible on our planet - or at least, better elsewhere
News to all out there is that Fruit Juice DOES taste way better from imported crystal glassware than it does from an ordinary tumbler glass - the cheapies from the local Spar store! Food tastes better off of Bone China than it does off of cheap earthernware plates! Besides, Bone China and Crystal Glassware takes a lot more of a beating than does the average cheapie glasses/plates etc! Spending R 15 on a quartz crystal beer glass that lasts, is more financially economical than buying cheap mass produced suff, that chips and cracks at the slightest excuse - like the wind outside is blowing too strongly!
True enough, plastic plates survive the best, but they are generally cheap and nasty stuff! Maybe I'm a snob, believing that juice tastes better out of Quartz Crystal than out of ordinary tumblers. At some stages of life, quality does pay!
I suppose that the same can be said of my cars! A 1984 Porsche runs far better than do most cars built in 1991 - if these are still on the road!
On Tuesday when Di and I were down in Durban, there were plenty of chances to laugh! At the end of the day, she was stressing a bit that to get home was rather more urgent! In a cafe, she had ordered a coffee for herself (she is not yet a Mormon, so it is not discouraged!)
The service was kind of unusually slow - for a Tuesday when they were not rushed off of their feet! Anyway she was looking around moaning at our waiter being so slow because we had to leave! She was moaning, and I was trying to attract her attention! The waiter was standing behind her, so close that he could have spilled her Skinny Latte on her! I nearly collapsed laughing! Anyway, he saw the funny side too - and so did she!
We had been to Cinema Nuveau, to see an art movie, where a chinese boy of around 8 was starting his training as a ballet dancer "Mao's Last Dance" (I think) This film started off where the talking was all subtitled, being in Mandarin! Anyway it was not too long before it was only flashbacks in Mandarin. The story was incredibly gripping, and it turned out that it is based on true life! Goes to show why the Chinese and Russians are so good! They start training early on, and are single minded at what they do! That makes me agog at how Native Africans can think that they can do well (Soccer World Cup) when they start training only at age 20! How can they beat athletes/artists who started training at age 8 - or even before, and know nothing else! For SA Soccer players, they start age 20, and by then, have the influences of the world to distract them - money, booze, girls etc! Then they think that they have the chance of winning things like the SWC, or even the Olympics! Sure, they may be good, but not like someone who has been 100% focussed on the sport from age 5 or so, and likely has known nothing else!
A change of thoughts!
If Man had started off his existance in Africa (Cradle of Humanity outside of Johannesburg) why were most nations clothed? It was only the darker races who went about with loin cloths, or nothing! The nations from the Americas and Europe are traditionally clothed, the further north, the more layers they wore! The native Africans, the Aborigine tribes etc, wore next to nothing! If we "evolved" from native Africa, why do we bother with clothes? I know that Adam was clothed after he ate of the fruit, and I dont think that this was necessarily to keep out the cold!
I am also highly amuzed at some statements made by the "learned men" of the world. I know that the current monster in the cupboard is "Global Warming!" There are theories out there, that all of the bodies circling the sun are cooling! The moon is tiny compared to the earth, so that is the reason it has cooled so fast, and why life there is unsustainable! If we are destined to cool to such an extent as to make life impossible, how does this compare to the idea that we have Global Warming! Either we are getting warmer, or we are getting cooler.
In any event, I think that someone is creating different viewpoints, to scare us! If we were once in an Ice Age, why did the globe warm up enough to melt the ice! Then we are warming up - until someone propounds a theory that we are cooling down! I think that this is mainly a "the grass is greener elsewhere" type of mentality - never satisfied with where you are! That reminds me of the Jedi Master - Yoda - in the Star Wars films! It would be in his character to tell men off, because their minds are on a better life - anywhere but here!
Another thought is, if the Ice Age melted, where is all of the melted ice now? Surely not in my pool? It cannot be in the seas, because that water there is salty, and ice does not contain salt! Why can Man not just be happy with the way things are? Why invest huge sums in spreading panic that life is not as it should be, but we can magically influence things to our benefit - or detriment! I am convinced that it is Satan trying to make us believe that:-
1. Man has become more powerful than our Creator!
2. We need to spend our time panicking - not praying to our Heavenly Father.
3. We can influence the end of the World! Whichever way it "ends" Satan is hedging his bets, so
that he can say "I told you so!" I truly think that the scolars of the World are also hedging
their bets. Either we are cooling down, or we are warming - or, here's a new thought, we
are not changeing! In any event Man is here to have Joy, not to worry himself silly about
Global Warming, Global Cooling or scientific proof that there is some sort of cosmic
conspiracy to make life impossible on our planet - or at least, better elsewhere
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Roadworks
This is the John Ross, just outside of Richards Bay, moving towards Empangeni. This road is currently being widened with 2 more lanes on the Mtuba side of the road, the right as you head towards Empangeni,
This project has needed to be done ever since I was baptised, now 19 years, and it looks like it will take another 5 years before they open the road to traffic!
What is frightening is that they have been hard at work on this for at least the last 10 years, and it is not yet any where near complete. I suppose that this has to do with the contract having been awarded to a Black Empowerment group.
What is amazing is that between the Esikhawini turnoff and pretty well Empangeni - at least 10 kilometers, they have been building up a bridge over the ex sugarcane fields! This is because they have had to sink piles into the seasand that most of Richards Bay is comprised of!
On the left are cane fields where they want to dredge the soil and flood it, creating a much larger harbour!
What amazes me is that Esikhawini started off as a staff housing estate for Alusaf Bayside smelter when that was first built - early to mid 1970's. If - and when - the fields are flooded, it will mean that the way to get to Esikhawini from Richards Bay, will be to drive nearly to Empangeni, then take the N2 freeway towards Durban, and turn off at the University of Zululand offramp!
As you drive past Esikhawini (Durban side of the John Ross Highway) you get to Port Durnford, then Mtunzini. What I have learned is that in 1879, Port Durnford was actually used as a port before they built a port at Richards Bay.
Something that I am battling to do is to convince members that they do trap - by speed camera - on the John Ross Highway between Empangeni and Richards Bay. With my luck, the once that I was doing 70 km/h down this road was the one time that I was bust for speeding! I was seriously convinced that the limit was 80 - hence I was crawling along at 70! Anyway, I had to cough up R 800 because I did not know the limit, and even at 70 in a 60 zone, I was the slowest vehicle on the road!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Poverty
As with anything, poverty is relative! Just near the University of Zululand (where they instal tar speed humps, then dig them out leaving a trench, then retar the resulting mess!) there is this mansion (the white dwelling) and you have to notice the DSTV Satellite dish - between the door and the window.
I subscribe to DSTV and it is not exactly cheap - but is well worth the cost! How anyone with a 1 room house (no bathroom usually) can pay the fees, then claim poverty, but they do! You can guarantee though that they have a huge balance at the nearest OK Furniture, or at a local finance house! Then they are super amazed when the wheels fall off, and the most common cry is "I am previously disadvantaged!" as if this gives them the right to spend extravagantly! Then we have problems where they stike for higher pay, to afford the lifestyle they desperately want to become accustomed!
A point that I only noticed today (Thursday) is that this mansion actually has Cebtral Airconditioning, and not just a wall mounted airconditioner!
I sympathise with Church leaders who have to listen to members who live well beyond their means, then expect - nay demand - Church handouts when (not "if"!) the wheels fall off! They dont pay Fast offerings - or even tithing - and expect sympathy when they dont get to share in the Church wealth! The saying "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day! Teach him to fish and he eats for life!" comes to mind! Trouble is that some members think "But you are rich! Gimmee, gimmee, gimmee!" and they want to hear nothing like "You need to start inputting something, to get something out!" Try getting them to accept that they need to pay tithing, and they resist ferociously. Then try to get them to introduce the concept of budgetting, and they throw their hands up in the air!
I know that it must be really difficult to handle members who live well beyond their means, and still be a popular leader! I cannot say things like, "you need to budget!" when their first reaction is "You drive some really expensive cars - You must be loaded! What relevance is there in what you have to say to me! How can you possibly understand poverty?"
Today I looked around the whole (not literally) of Empangeni, looking for "Wing mirror socks" ( rear view mirror covers that are the SA flag!). These tie onto the wing mirrors to show some patriotism. They were first (that I know of) introduced as a patriotism thing for the Soccer World Cup. The current Missionery Couple saw the ones on my Landrover, and want some! I wanted to buy them some, but no luck until I went into the last spares shop before you leave Empangeni. I bought some a few months before the Soccer World Cup, and paid R 150 for them! Sure I was ripped off, but the gentleman who sold them to me, looked like he needed a square meal!
Anyway, I found the last pair available in Empangeni and they would accept no cash for them! If you see a car around Salt Lake City with strange color wing mirrors, chances are that the owner will have been in SA! Sure the Soccer World Cup is over (Bafana Bafana did not get past the first round!) but I am still happy to live in SA - where the sun shines! I am still proud of my country - and a talk from the recent Priesthood session confirms to me that "Pride" is not always a sin! Sure puffed up pride in yourself is a sin, but pride in where you live, or your family, cannot surely be a sin?
I am proud of my membership, and I defy anyone to tell me that this pride is a sin? Maybe the puffed up pride is what the Gospel refers to as a sin, and "righteous pride" actually has another name! I defy one of the members to say to me that all pride is a sin! I am proud of the Gospel, and that cannot be a sin - surely!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Reserve - again
Africa at its prime!
Half of a herd of BuffaloI have to laugh every time a missionery refers to these animals as "Water Buffalo" because they are NOT! Water Buffalo live in Asia, not in Africa!
Reminds me of when I told an Elder when we saw an Elephant that it was an AFRICAN elephant! In complete wonder and awe, he asked "How can you tell?" Duh! Where are we?
Still it is fun to see them enjoying Africa! I even got to show off a bit (maybe a lot!) by taking the couple right offroad in my Landy, to get close up photos of Rhino lying in the bush! I could get them up close and personal with some rhino that were too far from the road to photograph easily!
I had fun, even though it was a really long day!
On DSTV, I am watching a documentary series on how Ewan Mcgreggor and friend motorcycled from London to New York east! I would like to see how they got from Russia across the Bering Straits to Alaska. I know that the out-of-shape (although round IS a shape) presenters of Top Gear on BBC, drove to the North Pole! Sure it would not be easy, but surely it is possible to get from Cape Horn to Cape Town other than by flying or going by sea! The Garden of Eden is in North America - not africa, so man MUST have crossed these straits either by boat (rafts are surely not that difficult to make!) or by walking across the ice when the sea freezes! Uncomfortable sure, but not impossible!
When the soldiers arrived in Africa from England, they had firearms that killed from a distance - developed from Bows and Arrows! From Africa, they had no idea of bows and arrows, or even gunpowder. For heavens sake, they did not even have the most basic of inventions that the west had - namely the wheel! If Man started off in Africa, why were they so backward? Even wars were won, by shouting down the enemy! In the west and Europe - and in Asia - wars were won by the last man standing, not by he with the worst insults! Still, is killing your enemy a better way of living, than throwing insults? Is he with a big mouth better than he with a firearm? Historically, who is victorius - The Indians had bows and arrows, but the firearms of the opposing forces defeated them! The Zulus had assegais to throw, but these too bit the dust!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Conference attendance
Being on the Elders Quorum Presidency, I was horrified that at the meeting broadcast today, there were 12 males in attendance - including 2 investigators, 3 Missionary Elders and 1 young man! That means that at least of the quorum views General Conference as an unexpected day off Church.
Of the 2 investigators, the one bought himself some chips for lunch! Poor guy did not know that a member does not spend cash on a day reserved for the Lord! It did not help that one member picked him out about this - no name, no pack drill, but most of you will know who this was! It took some convincing of the investigator that he had not done anything wrong - he did not know better. I think that this - officious - member needs to heed the warning from the First Presidency, that it is not our place to judge anyone - especially non members! Thank heavens, this investigator still wants to be baptised next week, even though there are some members who think these investigators need to be torn off a strip!
I did not want to say anything, because about 2 weeks ago, I pointed out a late arriving member outside of the chapel who needed the Sacrament! This member was really upset that I pointed out this member and she complained to the Branch President!
I still am of the opinion that when Michele was seperated from me, she co-habited with this member, and started to insist on divorce! I just wonder how much this member influenced Michele into insisting on Divorce?
Still, maybe it was for the best, in that I have experience (albeit bitter) of Divorce! Maybe this experience is for my education for the future leadership of the local unit - knowlege that I would not have otherwise! I can honestly advise desperate members that almost anything is better than divorce, although this does not happen to include murder!
Tomorrow, I am on my way up to the Game Reserve! I am taking the "new" senior couple up with me, to show them some of what Zululand is all about! I should have some photos to attach to my blog!
Something that really amuzes me is to see what are basically mud type huts (Rondavels, or one room built in a circular design - hence the name) with DSTV Satellite dishes on the wall! Something else that amuzes me hugely is that you can see who is more affluent than they started out as - small homes that have been extended. They dont bother to tie the roof of the extension into the original roofline! They just add new bits to the roofline!
Of the 2 investigators, the one bought himself some chips for lunch! Poor guy did not know that a member does not spend cash on a day reserved for the Lord! It did not help that one member picked him out about this - no name, no pack drill, but most of you will know who this was! It took some convincing of the investigator that he had not done anything wrong - he did not know better. I think that this - officious - member needs to heed the warning from the First Presidency, that it is not our place to judge anyone - especially non members! Thank heavens, this investigator still wants to be baptised next week, even though there are some members who think these investigators need to be torn off a strip!
I did not want to say anything, because about 2 weeks ago, I pointed out a late arriving member outside of the chapel who needed the Sacrament! This member was really upset that I pointed out this member and she complained to the Branch President!
I still am of the opinion that when Michele was seperated from me, she co-habited with this member, and started to insist on divorce! I just wonder how much this member influenced Michele into insisting on Divorce?
Still, maybe it was for the best, in that I have experience (albeit bitter) of Divorce! Maybe this experience is for my education for the future leadership of the local unit - knowlege that I would not have otherwise! I can honestly advise desperate members that almost anything is better than divorce, although this does not happen to include murder!
Tomorrow, I am on my way up to the Game Reserve! I am taking the "new" senior couple up with me, to show them some of what Zululand is all about! I should have some photos to attach to my blog!
Something that really amuzes me is to see what are basically mud type huts (Rondavels, or one room built in a circular design - hence the name) with DSTV Satellite dishes on the wall! Something else that amuzes me hugely is that you can see who is more affluent than they started out as - small homes that have been extended. They dont bother to tie the roof of the extension into the original roofline! They just add new bits to the roofline!
Friday, October 1, 2010
The first of another new month
Time DOES fly! It seems like yesterday that I turned a glorious 21! Thinking back that far, does strain the brain slightly, but luckily, I dont need to strain my CPU too much, and time retired is way better than having to rush into a job at rush hour! For me, Rush Hour is pretty well any time of the day, any day of the week. I tend to live from Sunday to Sunday, as that is the day when I go to Sacrament meeting at Church. I have been pretty well active since I joined 18+ years ago, and have missed very few Sunday meetings since I was baptised.
Finally I can see some benefits! I am - for my sins (WHAT sins?) - the District Executive Secretary, and as such (on the local District Presidency), I get to be invited to attend the meeting presided over by Elder Jeoffrey R Holland when he visits the Hillcrest Stake in October. Even as the First Counsellor, or the senior District Council Member, I would not ordinarily qualify for this privilege. I have heard Elder Holland speak before, and it was a brilliant session. I respect that he is a brilliant speaker and I am looking forward to the meeting!
Because I have not been to the Hillcrest Chapel before, I will go down on the Friday evening and stay over in an hotel for the night - either the Road Lodge or the City Lodge in Durban - and drive up the N13 freeway to Hillcrest before the meeting! I understand that I need then to take the Hillcrest offramp, and the chapel is then easily found! If I cannot get a reservation (not that likely!) I will need to leave home at around 6am, and drive down. I do not particularly enjoy getting up so close to sunrise, but if I need to, I will do that!
When we had to go down to meetings at Stake Headquarters in Durban, Richards Bay always had the furthest to go, but every month, they were amongst the first to arrive there - without fail! Maybe it was something to do with the fact that if you were early, you parked straight outside the chapel, and if you were later, you had to park quite a walk from the chapel! Same thing in Sacrament meetings - those who live in spitting distance are ALWAYS the last to arrive! That seems to be the way the world works though!
Even so, it is preferrable to getting up that early every week just to get to Sacrament meeting. I know that the EQ President, his parents and brother get up early enough to leave home by 6am to get to Church every week - and I thought that I had far to go - at 55 kilometers to Church! It kind of amazed me in Mormon Central (Salt Lake City) there is a chapel on pretty well every street corner! Even then, no doubt, less active members use distance from the chapel as an excuse for not attending - or worse still doing their hometeaching - People dont seem to grasp when they are well off!
I used to think that in Priesthood hour on a Sunday, that the Elders Quorum Presidency was kind of unimaginative - anywhere in the world - in going on about hometeaching. I knew it was important, but only grasped how passionate the EQ Presidency feel about Hometeaching, once I was called to the EQ Presidency. Suddenly it concerns me when respected members admit shamefacedly that they have not done their visits! Last night one of the District Presidency stated that it was the last week to attend to their HT duties, and it was on the tip of my tongue to say "And have you done yours for this month?" but it was not the correct place to raise this sort of comment! I was there as a Council - and Presidency - member, not representing the EQ!
I know that there are members of the District who complain because there MUST be better things to do on a Sunday than to go to Church! However, they are the first in line for Church handouts when there are dark clouds on the horizon. Just goes to show how a change in viewpoints can change the way you see things! I do my duties (or try to!), even though the nearest I live to my "families" is 35 kilometers.
Typically, this view of "there are better things to do on a Sunday" is not exactly different to any other branch in the Church - worldwide - with the possible exception of places that need to hold Sacrament meeting on Friday or Saturday, for fear of offending those in power! I bet that even there, the most common uses for not doing their duties, is either "I forgot!" or "I ran out of time!" For goodness sake, a month is pretty well the same length every month, without fail - 28 - 31 days - and it has pretty well not changed since time began! No-one alive now, fits into the category of "It is a new thing - this 28 (30 or 31) days in a month, and I am still getting used to it!"
I want to encourage the EQ that they do their duties by the end of the second week in a month, and report back to us in week 3. Then we have week 4 to ensure that what we commit to, we actually do! I know that changeing the emphasis from week 4 to week2 will be a shock to their systems - in month one - but if we can recognise problems in week 3, we still have a week to correct things! I can only see that we MUST improve our results if we actively chase up the offenders who dont do their HT! I see that this has to be more effective than attempting to do your Hometeaching at the last minute - every month! Surely it makes no difference if "last minute" is in week 2 rather than week 4? Currently we only know of problems in the second week of the new month, and by then, it is way too late to do anything to correct things! If we - as the EQ Presidency - are more hands on, it must surely rub off on the "slackers!"
Sad thing is that when you interview the Elders, you know pretty well before they open their mouths, what excuses they will use to explain why they have not done their Hometeaching! Luckily, those who do theirs 100% regularly, are the ones who boost the monthly figures to 50% hometeaching! Strange thing is those with a longer list of families than most, are the ones who do their Hometeaching, 100% every month. Proves what is said "If you want something done, give it to a busy man!"
Finally I can see some benefits! I am - for my sins (WHAT sins?) - the District Executive Secretary, and as such (on the local District Presidency), I get to be invited to attend the meeting presided over by Elder Jeoffrey R Holland when he visits the Hillcrest Stake in October. Even as the First Counsellor, or the senior District Council Member, I would not ordinarily qualify for this privilege. I have heard Elder Holland speak before, and it was a brilliant session. I respect that he is a brilliant speaker and I am looking forward to the meeting!
Because I have not been to the Hillcrest Chapel before, I will go down on the Friday evening and stay over in an hotel for the night - either the Road Lodge or the City Lodge in Durban - and drive up the N13 freeway to Hillcrest before the meeting! I understand that I need then to take the Hillcrest offramp, and the chapel is then easily found! If I cannot get a reservation (not that likely!) I will need to leave home at around 6am, and drive down. I do not particularly enjoy getting up so close to sunrise, but if I need to, I will do that!
When we had to go down to meetings at Stake Headquarters in Durban, Richards Bay always had the furthest to go, but every month, they were amongst the first to arrive there - without fail! Maybe it was something to do with the fact that if you were early, you parked straight outside the chapel, and if you were later, you had to park quite a walk from the chapel! Same thing in Sacrament meetings - those who live in spitting distance are ALWAYS the last to arrive! That seems to be the way the world works though!
Even so, it is preferrable to getting up that early every week just to get to Sacrament meeting. I know that the EQ President, his parents and brother get up early enough to leave home by 6am to get to Church every week - and I thought that I had far to go - at 55 kilometers to Church! It kind of amazed me in Mormon Central (Salt Lake City) there is a chapel on pretty well every street corner! Even then, no doubt, less active members use distance from the chapel as an excuse for not attending - or worse still doing their hometeaching - People dont seem to grasp when they are well off!
I used to think that in Priesthood hour on a Sunday, that the Elders Quorum Presidency was kind of unimaginative - anywhere in the world - in going on about hometeaching. I knew it was important, but only grasped how passionate the EQ Presidency feel about Hometeaching, once I was called to the EQ Presidency. Suddenly it concerns me when respected members admit shamefacedly that they have not done their visits! Last night one of the District Presidency stated that it was the last week to attend to their HT duties, and it was on the tip of my tongue to say "And have you done yours for this month?" but it was not the correct place to raise this sort of comment! I was there as a Council - and Presidency - member, not representing the EQ!
I know that there are members of the District who complain because there MUST be better things to do on a Sunday than to go to Church! However, they are the first in line for Church handouts when there are dark clouds on the horizon. Just goes to show how a change in viewpoints can change the way you see things! I do my duties (or try to!), even though the nearest I live to my "families" is 35 kilometers.
Typically, this view of "there are better things to do on a Sunday" is not exactly different to any other branch in the Church - worldwide - with the possible exception of places that need to hold Sacrament meeting on Friday or Saturday, for fear of offending those in power! I bet that even there, the most common uses for not doing their duties, is either "I forgot!" or "I ran out of time!" For goodness sake, a month is pretty well the same length every month, without fail - 28 - 31 days - and it has pretty well not changed since time began! No-one alive now, fits into the category of "It is a new thing - this 28 (30 or 31) days in a month, and I am still getting used to it!"
I want to encourage the EQ that they do their duties by the end of the second week in a month, and report back to us in week 3. Then we have week 4 to ensure that what we commit to, we actually do! I know that changeing the emphasis from week 4 to week2 will be a shock to their systems - in month one - but if we can recognise problems in week 3, we still have a week to correct things! I can only see that we MUST improve our results if we actively chase up the offenders who dont do their HT! I see that this has to be more effective than attempting to do your Hometeaching at the last minute - every month! Surely it makes no difference if "last minute" is in week 2 rather than week 4? Currently we only know of problems in the second week of the new month, and by then, it is way too late to do anything to correct things! If we - as the EQ Presidency - are more hands on, it must surely rub off on the "slackers!"
Sad thing is that when you interview the Elders, you know pretty well before they open their mouths, what excuses they will use to explain why they have not done their Hometeaching! Luckily, those who do theirs 100% regularly, are the ones who boost the monthly figures to 50% hometeaching! Strange thing is those with a longer list of families than most, are the ones who do their Hometeaching, 100% every month. Proves what is said "If you want something done, give it to a busy man!"
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