Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Church on the Edge

Sunday was our first experience living in a small branch on the edge of the Grand Canyon. We meet in the Shrine of the Ages church building which is shared by many different religions. Since it is such a small group each Sunday, we only meet for two hours and cut Sunday School and Relief Society in half. Our branch seems so great and very excited we are here. There were about 40 people at Sacrament meeting and President Heil said that was a very large group. There are about 70 people on record and each Sunday there are about half members of the branch and half visitors stopping in for church while coming to the Canyon. The only other two families with children are moving in a month or so and that will leave the Bishop boys as the only Primary children attending each week unless someone comes to visit. It is a total change from the 100 kids in our last ward. They just keep them all together in the same room and have lesson/sharing time/singing time combined and given by the entire primary staff - the Primary President. Since there isn't a nursery, Dylan is welcome to go with us to class or stay with his brothers for Primary even though he's only two.

Everyone was incredibly welcoming and we are excited to become more and more involved. Little by little we are settling in and the pile of boxes are getting smaller. Our stash of band-aids are also getting smaller since the boys live outside and our yard resembles a campsite with rock and dirt and sagebrush and ponderosa pine trees. There is one other family with kids in the neighborhood and they are moving in a couple months to Vegas but maybe someone with kids will replace them. Their two oldest boys and our three oldest have hit it off and become instant friends. They ride bikes around our loop, play volleyball on the central volleyball court, play army hiding behind all the trees, and just enjoy being boys. It has really helped the boys to adjust to our new surroundings. Kids are so adaptable. It amazes me how they are taking things in stride. Everyone except Dylan, that is. It must be incredibly hard to move when you are two. He is starting to come out of the, "with you, with you, with you," phase that he entered the week the movers showed up. Today he even played in the back yard by himself for a while by himself.

1 comment:

Dani said...

Good 'ol branch life! It's crazy how different it is from a ward, yet the purpose and reason everyone is there is the same...I had to just remember that. You guys are even smaller than us! We had a nursery for the one little girl that would come! At least it makes getting to know names and faces easier---you probably already got most of them down, right?!
Glad to hear that your boys are adjusting well. It sounds like it is going to be a really fun place for ya, just different. But if anyone can deal with changes...it's you! I'm too sissy of a girl and cry too much!! :)
Thanks for taking the time to keep the blog going.....it's going to be fun to continue hearing updates from ya!