Missionaries Headed to TX

[MustardSeed]

I’m doing some reading about Texas and the governors opening of churches right now.  It seems he is extremely not concerned about COVID and is making aggressive decisions that many are concerned about.  
My sweet niece is being redirected to TX as a missionary.  I’m concerned about her safety- she was probably safer in her little village before she was sent home!  I’m concerned that the church will simply follow laws around the country and while LA is quarantined til September, tx is business as usual.  
Venting here, thanks. 

[Tacenda]

2 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

I’m doing some reading about Texas and the governors opening of churches right now.  It seems he is extremely not concerned about COVID and is making aggressive decisions that many are concerned about.  
My sweet niece is being redirected to TX as a missionary.  I’m concerned about her safety- she was probably safer in her little village before she was sent home!  I’m concerned that the church will simply follow laws around the country and while LA is quarantined til September, tx is business as usual.  
Venting here, thanks. 

I agree, I'm shocked to see the many missionaries in my old neighborhood returning to missions in the US only. They had previously been in different countries, and I'll bet those countries were trying harder to be safe than say Texas, etc. 

[JamesBYoung]

I am worried for your niece, and would be for mine if that were the case.

[bluebell]

So far, it doesn't seem like the church is allowing state governments to impact its decision making.  Even in places where churches are allowed to meet the church still isn't allowing any meetings, for example.  Hopefully your niece will stay safe.

[Robert F. Smith]

29 minutes ago, bluebell said:

So far, it doesn't seem like the church is allowing state governments to impact its decision making.  Even in places where churches are allowed to meet the church still isn't allowing any meetings, for example.  Hopefully your niece will stay safe.

A lot of our missionaries are conducting business via Skype or Zoom.  I know of one baptism, in Springville, Utah, last month.  Just four people present.

[strappinglad]

I hereby predict that if LA stays locked down until September, there will be rioting in the streets. 

[Rain]

My son in the states can now do street contacting as long as they are standing away from those they talk to, but cannot tract or go into homes yet.  

Just texted my SIL.  My nephew is in THE.  She is not sure if they can street contact or tract yet, but they are now allowed into member's homes in TX, but not LA.

Edited May 13, 2020 by Rain

[Rain]

5 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

I’m doing some reading about Texas and the governors opening of churches right now.  It seems he is extremely not concerned about COVID and is making aggressive decisions that many are concerned about.  
My sweet niece is being redirected to TX as a missionary.  I’m concerned about her safety- she was probably safer in her little village before she was sent home!  I’m concerned that the church will simply follow laws around the country and while LA is quarantined til September, tx is business as usual.  
Venting here, thanks. 

Read this a little wrong lol.  Houston East is in both Texas and Louisiana.  You said both TX and LA so I was thinking your niece might be in the THE mission.

[rpn]

Social distancing, and masks (if you take them off correctly and don't touch the side facing the world and immediate wash your hands after removing it, and the mask before you use it again) and 20 second soap and water handwashing provides a significant measure of protection.   If she is asked to teach inside a home, I might ask to move it outside or in a larger building.   But otherwise I think one can safely be a missionary even when others are not.

[MustardSeed]

Sorry Rain, I can see how easily that would be understood to mean Lousiana!  

Yes I meant LA.  My niece will be headed to Fort Worth in two weeks.

[Meadowchik]

16 hours ago, bluebell said:

So far, it doesn't seem like the church is allowing state governments to impact its decision making.  Even in places where churches are allowed to meet the church still isn't allowing any meetings, for example.  Hopefully your niece will stay safe.

My parents are in a state that is opening up and they have voluntarily decided to remain in self-isolation and using masks and gloves in public for necessities. They plan to do this for the long haul, until there is something more reliable like a vaccine. They were working weekly in the temple and very active in their ward until the pandemic.

So, I think that if we extend their type of caution to other individual members, will we see some church units making individual decisions about when to re-open meetings? 

Lots of unchartered territory here!

[Meadowchik]

8 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

Sorry Rain, I can see how easily that would be understood to mean Lousiana!  

Yes I meant LA.  My niece will be headed to Fort Worth in two weeks.

We used to live there.  Lots of good people in the ward where we were. I hope she stays safe!

[bluebell]

2 hours ago, Meadowchik said:

My parents are in a state that is opening up and they have voluntarily decided to remain in self-isolation and using masks and gloves in public for necessities. They plan to do this for the long haul, until there is something more reliable like a vaccine. They were working weekly in the temple and very active in their ward until the pandemic.

So, I think that if we extend their type of caution to other individual members, will we see some church units making individual decisions about when to re-open meetings? 

Lots of unchartered territory here!

From what I’ve heard, individual churches don’t have the ability to decide that. They have to follow the directions of the stake, which follows the direction given by SLC. But I suppose we’ll have to see how it all plays out. 

[Meadowchik]

2 hours ago, bluebell said:

From what I’ve heard, individual churches don’t have the ability to decide that. They have to follow the directions of the stake, which follows the direction given by SLC. But I suppose we’ll have to see how it all plays out. 

Right. Yet if there are just a few families like my parents in some units, they may not have the ability to provide services. That might be where some missionaries will be needed for the coming years.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

23 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

I’m doing some reading about Texas and the governors opening of churches right now.  It seems he is extremely not concerned about COVID and is making aggressive decisions that many are concerned about.  
My sweet niece is being redirected to TX as a missionary.  I’m concerned about her safety- she was probably safer in her little village before she was sent home!  I’m concerned that the church will simply follow laws around the country and while LA is quarantined til September, tx is business as usual.  
Venting here, thanks. 

I hope they reopen all soon. I fear all of this,  “Social Distancing”, is going to rob too many of the ability to build natural antibodies, and cause many to go inactive for far too long. Not to mention so many, who have not been able to enjoy the blessings of the Sacrament, and feel even more isolated than ever before. We are a social people by nature, thus being social also helps us be more Spiritual, and will be able to fulfill the goal, spelled out in the Baptismal goals listed in Mosiah 18, “...“to mourn with those that mourn, to rejoice with those that rejoice, and to stand as witnesses of God, at all times and in all places, that we may be in, even unto death”. Forgive any misquotes, as I am in a doctor’s office writing this response, and cannot look it up right now. To put it simply, we need one another, and to draw strength from one another. 

[The Nehor]

I am in Texas. Cases will spike in about a week and deaths about a week and a half after that. I can say that most of the Texas missions are taking it seriously. We had some idiot members in my stake annoyed that the missionaries were were “not doing enough”. The stake and the mission politely but firmly slapped them down.

[mnn727]

The Church in Texas is not opening yet and I kind of doubt it will for a while.

Yes, some Churches are open, but not ours. Texas is starting to allow more and more businesses to open - as they should.

If you remove: NYC, Prisons and Nursing home numbers, you'll see there are actually very few deaths from Covid19

[The Nehor]

1 hour ago, mnn727 said:

The Church in Texas is not opening yet and I kind of doubt it will for a while.

Yes, some Churches are open, but not ours. Texas is starting to allow more and more businesses to open - as they should.

If you remove: NYC, Prisons and Nursing home numbers, you'll see there are actually very few deaths from Covid19

A 9/11 death count roughly every two days and we have not seen what will happen due to the opening up yet. I do not count that as a few.

It take about 2 to 3 weeks from someone getting the disease to ending up in the hospital and another week or two to die assuming they are hospitalized and/or die so the we are always on a delay to see the results of changes. I point this out because I have heard people insist the numbers are not increasing with the end of lockdown and they are right as the numbers are generally stable but the full effects will take time to manifest.

[Meadowchik]

19 hours ago, Bill “Papa” Lee said:

I hope they reopen all soon. I fear all of this,  “Social Distancing”, is going to rob too many of the ability to build natural antibodies, and cause many to go inactive for far too long. Not to mention so many, who have not been able to enjoy the blessings of the Sacrament, and feel even more isolated than ever before. We are a social people by nature, thus being social also helps us be more Spiritual, and will be able to fulfill the goal, spelled out in the Baptismal goals listed in Mosiah 18, “...“to mourn with those that mourn, to rejoice with those that rejoice, and to stand as witnesses of God, at all times and in all places, that we may be in, even unto death”. Forgive any misquotes, as I am in a doctor’s office writing this response, and cannot look it up right now. To put it simply, we need one another, and to draw strength from one another. 

Human beings really do need each other, not just LDS and not just religious people. This is such an important point and it affects me personally and is a crucial mental health issue for members of my family under my care. It is very hard and concerning. I am very thankful for the digital age in which we can connect to family and other loved ones while still social distancing. We also have so many other advantages that help us live in relative comfort under otherwise dangerous conditions. I'm trying to think of this sort of like a hibernation period. I live in a city and I am happy that it seems like the vast majority of people are also concerned and doing their best. Sometimes I'll be out for essential and see another face, albeit a stranger, and there are friendlier greetings than usual, because it seems we both know something, we both understand the scarcity of human contact and how precious it is and are eager to experience positive human connection, even with just a smile and hello.

[Tacenda]

18 hours ago, The Nehor said:

I am in Texas. Cases will spike in about a week and deaths about a week and a half after that. I can say that most of the Texas missions are taking it seriously. We had some idiot members in my stake annoyed that the missionaries were were “not doing enough”. The stake and the mission politely but firmly slapped them down.

Utah is going yellow in most places. In-house dining, groups of 50 allowed. Pools opening, sports allowed, like soccer teams for example. It feels nice to be getting back to some normalcy, but it might be a false sense of security. My former town mayor, goes out of her way to show people they don't need masks. She put up a public post about our rights and stuff. It's crazy! Why would she go all out to disregard the safety measures with it opening up, right when we need to show the most precaution! https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/05/14/kaysvilles-mayor-utah/

I'll c/p in case you can't pull up the article.

Republican Kaysville Mayor Katie Witt — who is running for Congress in Utah’s 1st District — is openly defying the state’s COVID-19 restrictions by allowing a protest group to hold an outdoor concert by country music star Collin Raye on May 30 in a city park.

“It does violate state directives,” she said in an interview. “I believe I need to support people’s First Amendment Rights. I am clearing space for them and allowing them to exercise their First Amendment rights in a safe and responsible way.”

The state is shifting its directives in Davis County from moderate “orange” to low risk “yellow,” but that still bans public gatherings of more than 50 people. Witt said the outdoor concert with a big-name star — Raye has had 16 No. 1 country hits — will easily exceed that.

But she said the concert’s sponsor, Utah Business Revival, a group that has sponsored other events and protests calling for the state to lift COVID-19 restrictions, is asking people to wear masks and exercise proper social distancing, so she believes it will be safe.

“People are planning to socially distance themselves just like they would at Costco, so I will be there with a mask on,” she said.

“We have to start making steps toward normalcy. Yes, it violates the directive of the governor. It’s a protest, and we are allowing them the space to do that,” Witt said. “I’m willing to be uncomfortable to stand up for our First Amendment rights.”

Brian Hatch, director of the Davis County Health Department, said Witt and Kaysville would need a variance from the governor to proceed legally — and said she had not approached his department specifically to seek that.

Witt is in a four-way race for the GOP nomination in the race to replace retiring nine-term Rep. Rob Bishop. Others are Davis County Commissioner Bob Stevenson, businessman Blake Moore and former state commissioner of agriculture and food and ex-Weber County Commissioner Kerry Gibson.

One of the Democrats in the race, Jamie Cheek, tweeted, “Wow, it’s unfortunate that a candidate for #UT01 would so openly violate restrictions on public events. Just another example of why #UtahDeservesBetter and needs representatives that care about the people here in #Utah.”

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by Tacenda

[The Nehor]

How I wish I could mock those that treat the safety of others with contempt:

[The Nehor]

In lighter news:

 

Yes......less awkward.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

8 hours ago, Meadowchik said:

Human beings really do need each other, not just LDS and not just religious people. This is such an important point and it affects me personally and is a crucial mental health issue for members of my family under my care. It is very hard and concerning. I am very thankful for the digital age in which we can connect to family and other loved ones while still social distancing. We also have so many other advantages that help us live in relative comfort under otherwise dangerous conditions. I'm trying to think of this sort of like a hibernation period. I live in a city and I am happy that it seems like the vast majority of people are also concerned and doing their best. Sometimes I'll be out for essential and see another face, albeit a stranger, and there are friendlier greetings than usual, because it seems we both know something, we both understand the scarcity of human contact and how precious it is and are eager to experience positive human connection, even with just a smile and hello.

I was not trying to address every perspective, just my own under the narrowly defined purpose of this website. So, I hope you understand, it was not a slight upon anyone or anything else. It was just an opinion, are just my own. 

[Meadowchik]

46 minutes ago, Bill “Papa” Lee said:

I was not trying to address every perspective, just my own under the narrowly defined purpose of this website. So, I hope you understand, it was not a slight upon anyone or anything else. It was just an opinion, are just my own. 

Of course. I was trying to be friendly and connect! I apologize if I sounded defensive.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

7 hours ago, Meadowchik said:

Of course. I was trying to be friendly and connect! I apologize if I sounded defensive.

No worries.