When we first arrived we
were looking for community service opportunities. Part of our effort as Senior
Missionaries is to do what we can to help the community gain a positive view of
the Church. We had contacted the Elementary School here in town and they
mentioned they would likely have a need for 3rd grade reading
buddies. Which means the students would read to us. Well school started and we
never heard back from them. We contacted them again several times and each time
they said they would get back to us. Last week we finally heard back from them
and got our assignments to serve as reading buddies on Thursday mornings. We
each listen to four students for about 20 minutes each.
It was interesting one of my
reading buddies was the great granddaughter of one of the less active members
we have been visiting. Her great granddaughter lives with her so we had already
met this reading buddy. Each of the students bring in whatever book they happen
to be reading at the time. So on that day we each got exposed to four books.
The bad part is they might be reading in the middle of the book so we don’t always
know what has already transpired in the book. I told the less active member
that her great granddaughter was kind enough to bring me up to speed of what
had already taken place in her book. She did that of her own volition and the
only student to do that.
So now we visit two
different retirement centers each week and the elementary school once a week. This
gives us the opportunity to visit those on both ends of the age spectrum each
week. And you know what? I don’t think I want to be in 3rd grade
again, but I also don’t want to become as incapacitated as some of the elderly
we visit. I think I would like to be translated or twinkled when the time is
right. And being as cheap as I am, I believe that would save on funeral costs.
