Connected

 SK got up in the middle of the night to watch Matthew's (our grandson) live football game from Gilbert.  He went back to bed at 6:30.  I got up at the beginning of the game, and then watched the special tribute to the seniors at half-time.  I didn't invest so much of my sleep in the game, but SK thoroughly enjoyed it....the entire game.  I think we have both been looking forward to bed tonight.

In the afternoon, the elders brought Grace here.  She is a lovely young woman from Ghana (she has lived in England most of her life) and was baptized with Veer last December.  Her family have given her the full-court press about leaving the church.  I feel so genuinely sorry for people who have to choose between church and family.  Grace has a wonderful testimony and she loves the Savior.  

The small miracle of it all is that our new elder, Elder Okuaku is from Ghana, and the family is warming up to him (who wouldn't....he is one of the nicest young elders we have met here), so the conflict may be waning.

You may not have experienced this yet, but we are amazed at how many zoom conferences we are having.  Not just zoom conferences, but zoom meetings, zoom firesides, zoom inspirational talks, zoom Sunday School, zoom Relief Society and on and on.  We have had two today, and will have the sacrament meeting zoom meeting tomorrow, and two zoom devotionals.  There are probably so many more out there if we were aware of them, and we could probably find them with very little searching.

I think I could get used to living like this....you hardly ever have to dress up, you can keep makeup to a minimum, you can pad around in your bare feet, and you never have to go out in the rain.  (even though I love it!)

But there is also something about being with another living breathing person.  It must be so very difficult for those who live alone from day to day to day.  I can see why this COVID is getting to people.  We have heard that tomorrow's live Sacrament Meeting may be the last for awhile, because numbers are rising again, and we may soon go into another - not quite so stringent lockdown.

There have been times throughout history where disease has devastated a society.  This is certainly not the first widespread disease to maraud through the population.  But this is the first that finds us uniquely positioned to stay connected through our many electronic devices.  Connected and entertained.  It is also an unprecedented time for missionary work.  Our sweet little granddaughter in Orem Utah (detoured there from Paraguay because of the virus) is teaching people all over the world about the gospel.  Our missionaries here are doing the same thing. 

All this technology which can be overwhelming, frustrating, and entirely too much with us, is also a blessing in so many ways.


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