Another Refreshing Sabbath Day

I look forward to the Sabbath day. It gives me a chance to recharge my batteries and catch up on my journal. I tried to Skype with my family right after getting up, but I couldn't get them, so I just wrote in my journal. My driver arrived at 8:30 as instructed, but no one was ready to go to church on time. I had just eaten a light breakfast in my room, but the others who were trying to get breakfast in the restaurant were experiencing a long wait, as usual. Finally, at 9:00, Lloyd, Evan, Mark Brown and I headed to church. Teddy told our driver how to get there, so with our help, he was finally able to find the chapel.

We arrived just after they had finished passing the sacrament, and the others arrived about 20 minutes later. After the talks were over, the Branch President instructed that the sacrament be passed to those of us who had arrived late. That was something I'd never experienced before, but I was glad he suggested it. After the sacrament was re-passed, the Branch President asked if some of us would take a few minutes and speak. Wally and I each took about five minutes to speak to the members about our testimonies and the blessings of being members of the Church.

I really enjoyed meeting with these wonderful people again, and seeing how they were doing. I talked to Amanuel for quite a while. He is finishing his high school exams and preparing for the University. They have wonderful youth in this branch. I gave my tie to one of the young men who didn't have one. There is a very good spirit in the branch. Their meetings are simple, but they focus on the core of why we have Church. We go to worship our Savior Jesus Christ, and to recommit ourselves to following His example.

This evening we drove over to the Village of Hope and gave the cow a shot of PGF and took out the CIDR. She should come into estrus on Tuesday, so I will be able to put an embryo in her next Tuesday. We then walked around, looking at the building, orchard, gardens, and toilet facilities. There is a lot of work that could still be done. The children are far better off than they would have been without the Village of Hope, it has been a huge labor of love from those who started it and continue to run it. I am hopeful that we can spend time to love them and help them continue to improve their conditions.

This evening Mark Ure told us about pack trips that he had been on. He had some great stories about people and animals that didn't want to cooperate. We had some really good laughs. It was a refreshing day. I look forward to our trip to Kokosa tomorrow to evaluate the property.