What it's like

The little branch of our church here in Dayton is now up to 5 active families plus 4 couples (including Russ and me) that officially live within the branch boundaries. We have a family and 3 couples from other wards that have been assigned to participate here in order to keep things going. We have 6 single older men and 6 older women who regularly attend as well. Often when we have a branch activity(about 4 or 5 times a year), we get quite a few people to show up who don't regularly attend church meetings. We have 4 missionaries assigned here, 2 of which are Spanish speaking. Sacrament meeting attendance generally runs about 50 but that often includes people who are visiting from the stake or who have been invited here to speak. There are 3 active young men (one in the family that was assigned to attend here) and 2 young women who are sisters. Most of the members have major health issues that interfere with their regular attendance so we are often juggling people around to cover for absentees. Since I'm not in the ward council, I don't know what our actual budget is but I'm sure it can't be much. It is definitely VERY different from the ward we just left in North Logan, Utah. We are doing what we can to help and support but try not to have expectations that are high enough to make us discouraged. The active members here are real troupers. There is rarely much of a silent pause in fast and testimony meetings. Programs here are pretty simple and basic. It's enough. But Russ and I are really looking forward to watching conference and plan to see all sessions on our computer. What a great blessing technology can be!