The Hokey Pokey

Over the past 15 or more years this area in North Jordan has had a couple missionary presence.  The senior couples have done an amazing great work and some hard lessons have been learned.  It's been a time of growth similar to the early days of the Church in Kirtland and Nauvoo--persecutions, hurt feelings and misunderstandings.  All along the members were "carried on the shoulders" of the missionaries. (both feet in).

Now is the time for the missionaries to back off.  (both feet out).

This is a good idea, but has to be done in the right way and won't be done overnight.  We are doing our best to train and mentor in a way that will help the members grow--not drive them away.  Here are some of the things we are doing:

The Relief Society is grouping sisters together to "team teach" the lessons.  Hopefully this will build the ability and confidence of members who have been in the Church for years but haven't ever had a calling. The "cat lady" who is a hoarder will help teach the lesson on home storage along with the Relief Society president whose husband only has seasonal work.  A mother and less active daughter will teach a lesson on teachings of the prophets.  Another young woman who reads the scriptures every day will teach a lesson about the Book of Mormon with one of the members of the presidency.  A non-member who has been coming to church for a long time will be asked to teach along with her young daughter who is a member.

The new first-counselor in the Branch Presidency is a less-active older man.  He will conduct the meeting tomorrow and then will go to the hospital afterward to take the sacrament to Ban.  He can do it because Lynn will help him.

This is a good plan, but we know things don't always go like we want or expect.  We know that "stepping out" will take time and patience.  May the Lord bless us all.