Nov 13 07

November 13, 2007

This morning we got another e-mail from Brandon. Ronnie Bauer is doing worse and not expected to live more than a few more days. We will send flowers from the whole family, but know Linda would love to receive a card from any of you. Her address is:
248 East 2nd North
St Anthony ID 83445 (Dad said I should add that…doesn’t have much confidence in the psychosibs’ intellectual functioning, does he?)

We called Maxine and she said they were up to 1:30 AM putting the beds together. She seemed almost a bit disgruntled that they had to spend so much time doing that. Guess she thought that after Robert with one hand carried the beds into the house he should have assembled the beds and put the bedding on so they’d be all ready to sleep in with no effort at all on the part of the family. They probably would have like the clothing put away in the dresser, too, and the 3rd bed delivered to the aunt’s house across town. It’s really sad to have to report that we’re shirking our duties here so shamelessly. It must be getting close to the end of the mission because we’re starting to lose our perspective.

Thelma called this morning. She’s been very sick and neglected to pay her light bill. She said the company was on its way to shut off their electricity unless she could pay the bill. They have $70 and needed $20 more, so guess where they got it? If we don’t get out of here soon you’ll have no inheritance at all left.

When Robert went over to take them the money he saw the new bed we brought them for Jared a couple of months ago sitting outside on the ground. When we get these beds we get the supreme mattresses, so these are the very best, brand new mattresses DI has. And it was on the ground. He asked Alfred why, and Alfred reasonably and patiently explained that they had bed bugs in it. So Jared is back sleeping on the floor. Robert suggested perhaps they could treat the bed bugs fairly rapidly before more bugs get into the mattress while it’s laying on the ground outside, but that didn’t seem to compute. Alfred said he keeps telling Jared he needs to clean the mattress, but Jared hasn’t done it. No surpise. We’ve never seen any kid around here do anything. It’s very discouraging when we work so hard to improve their lives and the best members we have can’t seem to step up and attain a higher standard.

We did some visiting to find out who will be going to the temple on Saturday. We are so pleased with their enthusiasm, and weren’t disappointed today with the response. Our biggest concern is that we have to go early with Byron and Juliet and Alfred and Thelma (she is being sealed to her deceased parents) and so someone else has to provide rides for the rest of our group.

At 3:30 President Bonito called and said there was a junior high basketball game at 4:00, so we went to that. Five of the boy scouts play on the team. After the game President Bonito came over and needed help again with his housing report. We worked on that until 8:30. As he was leaving President informed us that he might not make it to the branch dinner tomorrow night. It’s his school board meeting. He couldn’t have thought of that when we picked this night?

Finally we went over to Thelma’s to get their Coleman jug to hold our drink for tomorrow’s dinner. She has an appointment for her shot for her back tomorrow at 11:00 in Show Low. Her cousin borrowed her car and she’s afraid he won’t bring it back in time for her to get to her appointment, so she asked Robert to take her if she doesn’t get the car back. These are indeed the times that try men’s (and women’s) souls. I guess if the Lord wants the branch dinner to happen he’ll have to be sure the cousin gets the car back, because without Robert here I’m not sure we can pull it all off.