Some Boom, Mostly Bust

The title refers to both the week and to the New Year's celebration at our place.

Shortly after the last post went to press, Olivia came down with the cold that I had fought the previous week. We got to the end of this week and realized we hadn't taken any pictures. In fact, we had done not very much at all. For the people we deal with, the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve was occupied by family, friends, parties, and lots of things other than dealing with the local Self Reliance missionaries. 

We did attend a Zoom meeting to train us about various details that make a résumé stand out, but Olivia slept through it, having taken an antihistamine prior to the call, so she will take it again this week. We will also take other courses in our attempt to become fully credentialed to assist the employment missionaries in the Mission.

I had to unlock the gate into
the church. I went alone.

It's true, I went to the District Council meeting alone. Olivia was not well enough to go to the meeting and normally, I would have stayed with her, but this time we had agreed to give a brief presentation about Self Reliance to the district and inform them about how it can be a significant aid to help their converts remain active. It was well received and their stake specialist is setting up courses, so they can invite their "friends" to join.

We managed to stay busy preparing our budget for the coming year based on what we did the last 3+ months, shopping (once Olivia was well enough), and other small matters. We also set  up meetings for the coming week/month/year ahead, so that was positive.

Every year we ask each other if we really need to stay up to see in the new year and every year we say it is not necessary; then every year we do it anyway. We did it again this year, which turned out to be a good thing as we got a couple of calls from kids who knew when it was midnight in New York.

Thankfully, Grandma's happy!

According to the clock, it is officially
the new year. Jordan's family called
right on the dot.

Also on the stroke of midnight, it sounded like cannons were protecting the city. We could hear fireworks just outside, and even smell them, but with apartment buildings on every side, we could see nothing. In an email my brother asked why we wouldn't go to Times Square. As a young man of say 60, I might have been tempted, but it just didn't seem worth the hassle to get a train and shoehorn our way through a crowd and wait for hours to see the ball drop. Besides, it was raining. Maybe (not) next year. 

We have the schedules for all the ward meetings from 2022, but were not certain that with the new year, every building's wards changed times. We took a chance on the Jamaica 1st Ward. It is fairly close, but the Church website says that both the English and Spanish wards meet at 9:00 AM. That was a change for the English speaking ward, so we took the chance. We were right. We managed to get in just in time for the meeting to start and heard a talk about baptism and covenant making by young woman who is attending at local college and a second by the bishop's first counselor. We stayed for the Sunday School class, where they had an opening  prayer (nice to have it back). It was a great opportunity. The ward is mostly Black and the proceedings are translated into French Creole. We were invited to speak in sacrament meeting there on the fourth Sunday, so that is also a good result.

Like most of the chapels we have
visited, this is located near the
main street and public transportation
hubs. Parking is a challenge.

The doors remain locked,
so we had to ring the bell
to have someone let us in.

The weather has turned rather warm of late (40s and 50s), so it has made for some nice walks around the neighborhoods and into the park. A little rain every week, but no snow. I am personally happy about that. I do not look forward to snow with this traffic. Everywhere we go we see signs telling the snow plows to lift their blades for obstacles that might be hidden under snow. So far, they haven't been called out.

Well, next week should be full of activities. Everyday is scheduled with something we have to do, and/or places we have to be. Now, if we can just remember to take pictures.

Happy 2023 to everyone. It is certain to be a year of successes, joys, disappointments, sorrows, and as a result, growth. We wish you, each and all, the best the year has to offer.