Dear Grandchildren,
Tuesday morning I walked to one of our front room windows and began to draw up the window shade, one that rolls up as I pull on a plastic chain. The mechanism did not work and, worse, had become detached from one of its moorings. I could not tell whether I was looking at a break and a needed replacement for a twenty-year-old device, or at a slight repair. Because I am not especially handy with my hands (no secret here) and because I know nothing about window screen pulleys, I feared the worst. I climbed onto a chair and tried to survey the damage. I shoved and pulled on a part of the roller. It didn’t move. I decided to stop playing around. I lowered the shade and left it in that condition. A couple of days later, a pair of YVs were in the apartment to give a lesson by Skype. I asked them to help me find a repairman.
We first went to an electrical shop where a young fellow has helped with three repairs in our apartment. With the YVs’ help, I asked where we could find a repairman. He didn’t know. But he knew of two window shade shops on a nearby street. We went to visit. The first owner had no clue where to find a person who could repair a rolling shade. We walked across the street. The second owner did not know of anyone but promised to come the next day to have a look. Instead, a fellow showed up with a tool box. Clearly, the second owner had found a repairman and asked him to come at the appointed time. He walked into the apartment, I showed him the problem, he climbed onto a chair, and popped a piece into its proper place. Voila! It worked as good as new. He climbed down and headed for our entry door, not asking for anything. The deed had taken less than two minutes. But I stopped him before he escaped and got him to agree to accept 20 Turkish Lira, about $12. He seemed to be happy. I was deliriously relieved. I don’t want to leave anything like that for our replacements to deal with.
Wednesday was our day to travel to Ayvalik, a town about two and a quarter hours north of here by bus. We met with a sister whom we have known for more than a year. She is one who has never told any family member of her affiliation with the Church. We enjoyed a nice fish lunch together. She has been a delight to meet on occasion. After closing her therapy practice five months ago, she is thinking of moving to Istanbul or Izmir and resuming her practice. If she does, she will surely have to bring her aging mother with her. In that situation, she may not be able to openly affiliate with the Church again. It would be tense.
Friday afternoon we flew to Istanbul where I went through a branch audit, Grandma interviewed the American wife of the branch president there, and I gave a fireside on the trek of Lehi and Sariah. Talk about packing a lot into a single day trip. There was a crowd of about 35 persons, including a less active fellow who was the guide to a BYU faculty group, of which I was a member, who came to Turkey twenty years ago. It was nice to remake acquaintance with Emin again. He surely looks older, as do I of course. In the fireside, I intended to convince the audience that the journey chronicled in the book of First Nephi fits into ancient Arabia and not into Joseph Smith’s world of Upstate New York. I surprised myself a bit about how passionate I am about this subject. My passionate sense evaporates as soon as the party of Lehi and Sariah board the boat and head for the New World. I am mainly an Old World person when it comes to topography and specific locations.
During the week, in the apartment Grandma and I hosted fifteen lessons that the YVs gave either in person or by Skype. Almost all by Skype. The number tied for the highest weekly total from the past few months. We are surely happy that the MP authorized the branch to purchase its own laptop, the instrument that all those Skype lessons connect through. For the first year, the YVs were using my personal laptop. And that meant that I had to find some other work station or another task to do. Even though for the Farsi lessons I don’t understand one word, except the initial greetings, I am glad that the lessons are across the room from me and not in my lap. I should add that the YVs do a tremendous job in their teaching. They enjoy and a major command of information and doctrine.
After almost boasting last week, I thought that our numbers would plunge this week and I would have to eat my words. Gratefully, it didn’t happen. Instead, thirty-one joined us for our services, twenty in the hotel and eleven via Skype. In fact, for the Relief Society lesson, the one who presented it was 120 miles away, talking to the sisters here by Skype. Further, the fellow who taught our priesthood lesson was baptized only seven weeks ago. He is a keeper and did a commendable job. He has introduced his good friend to the Church and he was baptized today. I did the honors. I worked and worked to memorize the baptismal prayer in Turkish. I was very tempted to go to my default English prayer. But I held to my resolve and, in the hotel pool, repeated it in Turkish. After the baptismal service, I interviewed him for the Aaronic Priesthood. We shall present his name next week and ordain him on the same day. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see this branch gaining some priesthood members. Now we need a bunch more sisters who live nearby.
Next Sunday brings not only a branch conference but also my release as the branch president. To be honest, I worry about the branch during the six weeks that will pass until our replacements arrive. Not that branch members won't get along without us. They will. But when I set up the hotel room on Sunday mornings, for example, I take great care to put the sacrament table just so, and the rows of chairs just so, and the sacrament instruments just so. I try to maximize our small space for those of us who meet in it. If the rows of chairs are too close to the front, the space for speakers shrinks and competes with those who are sitting at the front of the room to conduct the meeting. If the rows of chairs are too close to the back of the room, there is precious little space for people to visit during our breaks as we partake of a few treats that Grandma always brings. And so forth. And so on. Our YVs usually arrive early for our branch presidency meetings. They are the people to coach. I just hope that they remember each week to bring things like the sacrament trays and white cloth. You know, the basics. I just need to step away graciously and let others do the needed deeds. I have done it before. I need to do it again. Any other micro managers out there when it comes to Sunday set up?
I love you and pray for all of you.
Grandpa Brown
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