The Depressing Ward

[Chet]

Boy, do I miss so many of the gang from the old Zion-L group. I miss so many friends from all the friendly wards we've been a part of for the past 21 years. We're having the most depressing time in our new ward...I say "new ward," but we've been here since the first Sunday in April. It's a student ward, and I guess we folks over 50 aren't that important. Cherie has even begged for a calling or something but -- well, today the 1st counselor just looked at her with a "Who are you?" sort of look. 

Maybe it's just me being depressed. My Meniere's had me reeling with vertigo most of the time, and I was about to barf while staggering out of the men's room. Grasping at the nearest couch in the foyer, I was all but pushed out of the way by a guy who came running out of the chapel to sit in that particular spot. (The couch was empty, and this was the furthest spot from the chapel door -- I don't know why he had to have the spot I was starting to fall into.) Even during Gospel Doctrine, when we were all asked to introduce ourselves to people around us, people kept turning their backs as soon as I stuck my hand out and began to speak.

Before you ask, Jonathan - nope, we don't have home teachers. 

*sigh* It's not that I'm super-hungry for a calling. Cherie defines herself by her callings, so this is more important to her than to me. I just don't like being treated as so unimportant. We're a student ward, so it may just be that we who are over 50 are unimportant. I dunno. We've stayed away several weeks because we get so depressed going to church. We're talking about moving -- our daughter's ward down in Sugar Land/Rosenberg would love to have us, and I'd happily take the "calling" of watching our grandkids during sacrament and taking them to class!

If the Zion-L list hadn't self-destructed, this would be the sort of thing that John would have had the perfect answer to. I do remember, Grandpa Slowsky, that you cheered me up when I went a lonnnnnng time without anyone noticing I existed, back in Indiana. Glad you're still around.

Well, we've moved around so much since March 2002 (that travelling job of Cherie's) that it wouldn't hurt us to move again. Starting tomorrow, we'll start asking around about apartments and such in Sugar Land. Heck, if we'd had $250,000 the house right next door to our daughter's family was for sale until a couple weeks ago!
-
*jeep! and God Bless
  --Grandpa Chet, MM, DM 

"Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul."

--Mind Over Matter, mentalism and developing your hunches, from Richard Osterlind at http://osterlindpublications.com/

[Jonathan Scott]

For the record, I have six callings right now.

Home Teacher

Primary Teacher

Seminary Teacher

Ward Mission Leader

1st Counselor to the Branch President

Temple Worker

Hmmm...  You'd think in a ward filled with kids that the leadership would value it's stable/mature members a little more.

When I was in a student ward at BYU it just seemed like everything was so transitory that there was no way for the ward to feel like a home.  When Bishops were released, they disappeared entirely.  People were called from the surrounding community to be the bishop and when they were let go, they returned to their home ward.  It felt a lot more like a train station than a ward.  I didn't hate it, but it is a completely different situation than a normal ward.

Well, I don't know about you, but my patriarchal blessing tells me that everything that happens to me will relate somehow to either my mission or my salvation here.  It's the main reason why I've been capable of remaining here for, eeek, approaching the neighborhood of twenty years now.

Why did God lead you there?  What is it that you're supposed to be doing right now?  I think once you figure those out, you still might not be happy about being there, but at least you'll know it's where you're supposed to be.  Inconvenient places need people who are willing to work...and you can certainly help out without a calling.

I would have gone nuts a long time ago if I hadn't figured out that I was supposed to be here.  I don't hate it here, but it is so completely far away from where I want to be my brain feels like popping sometimes from the agony of it.  Talk to Cousin Bill about it.  I'm sure he'll be more than happy to tell you all about the trials of being in places you don't personally feel like being in. 

I'm not scolding you...I'm sorry if I'm coming across that way.  I'm just trying to tell you how I cope with it.  Maybe it'll work for you, too.

Thanks for the message.  I really miss the lists as well.  I used to put on these lists everything I was writing about.  I'm working on a new book again, but it isn't actually gospel related.  It's the old Japanese Missionary Textbook.  I'm condensing it.  The old textbook was 500+ pages.  This one will be just over 100 and it will have all of the same content.  It's fun and cool...but isn't really anything I can put on this list.

Somebody please get up the enthusiasm to do some writing here.  I'll try to find some as well.  I think we all need a place to gab.

Hang in there!

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[Chet]

Thanks, Jonathan. I really wish I did know why God led us here -- to this particular ward, that is. I certainly know why we were led to the Houston area. But despite all our prayers for this knowledge, we've received no insight to this. So I've just finished and sent an e-mail to the stake presidency, asking if we might transfer to another ward within the stake, one which wouldn't -- I guess I mean "unwanted." A ward which wouldn't unwant us so much. Haven't written the half of it. Such as when in Gospel Doctrine, everyone was to reach out and introduce ourselves to each other -- and every person to whom I began to speak and to whom I held out my hand, turned their back. Brrr, cold!

If you and Cousin Bill have been as miserable the past 20 years in Japan as we've been these past months in this ward, I don't see how you've survived. Unlike you guys, however, we do have the option of moving, and we're looking into it.

-
*jeep! and God Bless
  --Grandpa Chet, MM, DM 

"Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul."

--Mind Over Matter, mentalism and developing your hunches, from Richard Osterlind at http://osterlindpublications.com/

[Jonathan Scott]

On Aug 1, 2011, at 9:19 AM, Chet wrote:

Thanks, Jonathan. I really wish I did know why God led us here -- to this particular ward, that is. I certainly know why we were led to the Houston area. But despite all our prayers for this knowledge, we've received no insight to this. So I've just finished and sent an e-mail to the stake presidency, asking if we might transfer to another ward within the stake, one which wouldn't -- I guess I mean "unwanted." A ward which wouldn't unwant us so much. Haven't written the half of it. Such as when in Gospel Doctrine, everyone was to reach out and introduce ourselves to each other -- and every person to whom I began to speak and to whom I held out my hand, turned their back. Brrr, cold!

If you and Cousin Bill have been as miserable the past 20 years in Japan as we've been these past months in this ward, I don't see how you've survived. Unlike you guys, however, we do have the option of moving, and we're looking into it.

Like I said, knowing that God wants me to be here is the only thing that's kept me sane.  That advice that Pres. Hinckley got from his Dad on his mission applies to pretty much everyone, I think.

"Forget yourself and get to work."

It really does make things go better...but I'm sure you know all about it.  :)