Self-Reliance...

Nothing like serving in the Church. It can fill your time and bring lots of good feelings and lots of blessings.

Claude has been called as the Stake Director of Self-Reliance Services. This is a combination of the Perpetual Education Fund and Employment Services in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lots of training involved. 

Sunday, July 23rd found us in Owingsville. We would train their Ward Council and then stay to speak in Sacrament Meeting. In the evening we went to Richmond, Kentucky to observe their first Devotional. 

Sunday, July 30th we spoke in the Georgetown Ward Sacrament Meeting, then we stayed to speak in the Elkhorn Creek Ward Sacrament Meeting and then train the Relief Society and the Priesthood in Elkhorn Creek Ward. This was also my birthday. No one would have know had Claude not mentioned it at the end of his talk in Georgetown Ward, which is our home ward. This announcement netted us a bag of chocolate candies from the Relief Society and a container of delicious brownies from our Bishop's wife. Yum!!

Thursday, August 10th, we held a facilitator training session. The facilitator's will run the groups that will meet for 12 weeks. 

Sunday August 13th, we went to Winchester to train the Ward Council there. Claude then held a make-up training session for the facilitators that couldn't be at the Thursday session in Lexington. This was followed by our very first Self-Reliance MyPath Devotional. 

This was very well attended. There were 12 tables with 8 people at each table. The room was filled. By the end of the Devotional, the participants self-select one of four areas of training, they go to the corner of the cultural hall with a big poster for their area of training. Facilitators are there and help the people group geographically and then pick a place and time for their group meetings. They commit to a 12-week set of 2 hour classes each week with assignments to follow-up through the week. We are so pleased with the number of groups we were able to create, the number of people willing to be facilitators, and the stake Self-Reliance committee for supporting the effort to have the first devotional and then follow up with each of the groups. 

Sunday, August 20th we provided training to the Camino Branch Council. This is a Spanish speaking unit and we were able to give them Spanish materials and offer to train their facilitator and speak in their Sacrament meetings if desired.

Last night, Thursday, August 31st, we listened to a live broadcast from Salt Lake City. It was for all of the United States and Canada. I believe they had 600 people call in to participate. There were a few bugs to be worked out with that many people and the sound. After we all turned the sound off on our phones and only used our laptops, that helped a bit. 

So, there is lots to be done with the Self-Reliance Initiative. But for our first round, it seems to be going very well.