February 26,
2012 Lane and Cheryl Johnson--First
update on our mission in Christmas Valley:
We’ve been
attending church at Christmas Valley for a little over a month now. At first it seemed strange. Lane, as a Stake High Council member, has
spoken there a number of times, and I (Cheryl) have visited there with him
three or four times.
Lane and I
were called personally by President Rau to serve this mission. The North Lake Branch (the name of the branch
in Christmas Valley, named this because it’s in the north of Lake County) had
suffered a number of losses of key members, through death, moving, and
inactivity. The numbers had become so
depleted that it was very difficult to find people to carry on the work of the
branch. All the active members were carrying
heavy leadership loads. Under such
conditions, those members who are called on for everything get to the point
where they feel they are just going through the motions. The Stake Presidency had debated what could
be done; they were to the point of the branch possibly being discontinued, but
some of the faithful members didn’t want that, because they would have had to
travel to LaPine to church then (about 70 miles). Only a few would do that, and the rest would
become inactive. So, the Stake Presidency
prayed about it, then came up with the idea of sending us as missionaries, to
see what we could do.
There is
another excellent couple serving a mission in LaPine--the Wymans. They have taught a young woman here in
Christmas Valley for about a year, and she was baptized two weeks ago,
confirmed today. She is exceptional, and
the branch have opened their arms to her.
We have gone
about in company with the branch president to visit the many inactive members
of the branch. This has sparked interest
in some of them, who have subsequently attended church for the first time in a
while.
Brother
Reed-Nickerson and his wife Joan have generously given us the use of their
motor home, and it is set up at one of the two RV parks in Christmas
Valley. We travel there on Friday
morning, spending Friday and Saturday visiting and doing whatever is needed in
our calling, then attending church on Sunday, where Lane teaches gospel
doctrine. The branch members have warmly
welcomed us. Please pray for them, us,
and the missionary work in Christmas Valley.
Visitors are
welcome. Meetings begin at 10:00, the
same as the meetings in Burns. The
branch members are very happy to have visitors who will speak in Sacrament
Meeting; you understand that, in a small branch like this, the same people are
called on to speak frequently. It is
very fine to have a change.
The church in Christmas Valley is a small house. There is a living room, a small kitchen, a utility room, a bathroom (enlarged for wheelchair access), a hall closet, and two bedrooms. Sacrament Meeting is held in the living room area. The building off to the side is an addition of a few years ago; in it is one large room for the Primary, three small classrooms (and I mean small), and another bathroom which is wheelchair-accessible. The quarters are somewhat tight at times, but not at others, and the hope that the numbers will grow is balanced by the fear of the discomfort of being packed in too tightly, and how long that will have to be put up with until an addition to the building--or another building--is approved. The branch members are praying for it.
At any rate, we're fitting in pretty well now, and feel quite comfortable.
