MINISTERING...A HOW-TO

This is How it Started
Monday's lesson in Seminary talked about goal-setting, planning, and being guided by the Spirit. Here's the quote from President Dallin H. Oaks:

“Faith and trust in the Lord give us the strength to accept and persist, whatever happens in our lives. …

“… Do not rely on planning every event of your life—even every important event. Stand ready to accept the Lord’s planning and the agency of others in matters that inevitably affect you. Plan, of course, but fix your planning on personal commitments that will carry you through no matter what happens. Anchor your life to eternal principles, and act upon those principles whatever the circumstances and whatever the actions of others. Then you can await the Lord’s timing and be sure of the outcome in eternity” (“Timing,” Ensign, Oct. 2003, 17).

Good and sage advice. Jonathan even used the quote (when I gave it to him) for a writing assignment for his online class. I'm always telling everybody (I am sure this is literal) that all the quotes, counsel, principles and doctrine do little good if they are not applied. And, I am no exception.

Figuring Out This "Ministering" Thing

Sunday, I finally got my list of sisters to minister to. (BTW, I did not find out who is supposed to minister to me. I am very curious.) Three sisters, two of whom I'd been getting to know already, one of whom I was lightly acquainted but, now...

I had a plan to visit one Tuesday; I'd planned it before I even knew I was to minister to her. She'd recently had surgery. I went to cheer up and keep her company. We did a lot of chatting, ran through some things she needed addressing, and just generally had a good time. Then her husband came home.

He's great, that wasn't the problem. The problem was him going out to their garage (they moved recently to a new home) and finding one of their freezers totally off and everything in it (it was full) completely defrosted. New problem!

I'd already been there a couple of hours and needed to go home and check on Analiese. So I told them to look through things, decide what they wanted done with it all, and let me know what they needed me to do. I hadn't been home long when I got the call to go back. I took Analiese with me; it was time to spring into ministerial action!

Three Sisters, One Freezer, a Whole Lot of Pork

Analiese and I loaded our van with four big boxes full of previously-frozen meat and vegetables. The meat, in particular had to be handled NOW. It couldn't be put back into a freezer without cooking it first. And Sister #1 asked: who could use it?

Guess what? Sisters #2 and #3 have big families. Was it okay to deliver some to them? Yes, as long as I kept some for myself. Sister #1 already kind of knows me; she was pretty sure I'd give it all away and not keep it, just to be nice.

I call Sister #2, she's home. Analiese & I go to her house and ask her to give us an empty laundry basket and come out to the van. Analiese held the basket while #2 picked out what she wanted for her family. She's pregnant with numero six, so I had Analiese take it into her home for her.

I called Sister #3, left a message, and went home. I sorted out the remains - threw away a few things gone back (no food poisoning, please!) and made up a big box for #3 when she called. I told her I'd bring her box by on the way to pick up my son from work.

She, too, is pregnant (with numero ???), but gratefully her husband was there to take the box off of my hands, since Analiese wasn't with me. They have a VERY big family and I was sure this would be a big help to them. As well as to Sister #1. And to me. The current meat truck.

All Porked Out

Suffice it to say, there was a lot of pig meat. A few things of veggies, but mostly pork roasts and such. And I had to figure out what to do with it.

Monday, we'd already had Ken's Creamy Potato Soup...with bacon. That was pork of our own choosing. Tuesday, I had actually planned on grilled ham steaks and homemade rolls. (See the Pres. Oaks' quote above: it didn't happen.) Instead, we had oven-baked BBQ pork ribs (from #1), oven-roasted broccoli (ditto), and baked potatoes. Actually, my kids raved over it! The ribs were huge and plentiful (seven) and Jonathan only had one!

Wednesday, I switched gears. There was a bag of defrosted hash browns now in my fridge. What to do? I made a breakfast casserole with the hash browns, eggs, and...pork sausage. Look, it was that or bacon and I had both in my fridge. It was still good! (Add a little green onions, top with some salsa...)

Thursday was defrosted sausages on hoagie rolls...bangers, in our parlance. They might not have been pork. I may have used beef ones. I know there were both.

It was Friday that I went to town. I had four (4) pork roasts in the fridge to deal with. Three went in the big crockpot to roast in the way Ken loves - garlic, rosemary and other yummies. The fourth went into a smaller crockpot, all chopped up, to become Pork Carnitas. Please feel free to drool. They are so drool-worthy!

The sisters came to dinner so we had roast pork with potatoes and gravy and green beans (and chocolate cake - I took a "few" moments to bake one). The rest of the pork was shredded for pork sandwiches at a later date and placed in the freezer. The carnitas were shredded and put in the oven for their final roasting in juices and then cooled and frozen as well. Three meals...at least. There's enough pork there for probably twice that!

Saturday...was the Branch Fall Festival. The menu was chili. I assumed, generally, that most chili contains beef. Though, I've had venison, and a white one with chicken (yum). And I have a great pork chili recipe. but no! Let's take a pork break for a little bit, shall we?

Nope, it was hot dogs and brats, with the canned chili to go on top. Never mind. Pork Pork PORK!

Analiese as the White Rabbit

Make-up Close-Up

Analiese & friends at Branch Party

Other Non-pork Related Incidents This Week

I was on "opioids" this weekend for the extreme pain in my jaw. I only took them at night before bed; I am too busy during the day to be "under the influence." They seemed to help, though, and by Monday, the pain was minimal and I could go to the dentist and endure the fairly quick placing of my permanent crown on the right.

The pain really gob-smacked (Gosh! I love English) and worried my dentist a bit. He looked at the new and old x-rays; he probed and prodded. There was no evidence of TMJ damage, but something was going on. By the end of the appointment his best guess was that the TMJ ligament in my jaw had been sprained by our appointment the month before to do the filling on the right and prep for the new crown. It had been a horrific experience and my mouth (unbelievably) is too small. I've been having issues of jaws dislocating or really hurting after these appointments. If I could afford it, I'd be knocked out for all of them. I can't even do a basic cleaning without a bite block.

I now teach SIX lessons for Seminary each week. Five in the classroom and the sixth for a student I have who is struggling with MS. She really wants to come, but it is so hard for her in the mornings. She can't move very quickly. So, I encourage to come when she can and, if not, to study and home and we'll have our own little lesson on Friday afternoon. She's a great student, she just has a great struggle right now. I want her to graduate and have the other blessings of the in-depth study of the scriptures that comes from Seminary. So, this I do! I really enjoyed being with her, though, she's so receptive and earnest and sweet!