The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is now in the phone book! Ashlyn you would love my PR skills!

The statistical report of the British Mission reading June 1, 1850, stated that the Channel Islands Conference had 5 branches with a total membership of 253. In 1861 there were two branches with 80 members. In 1862, 13 were baptized  and 14 emigrated to Zion for a -1. The June 30, 1863 account says 10 had emigrated to Zion and December 31, 19 had emigrated to Zion. We currently have 45 on  our records and we get about 20-25 at Sacrament meeting, of which 6 are us and the four missionaries. But, the church has been on the island since at least 1850 and we just got our name in the telephone directory. Yahoooooooo! We are recognized! President Hewlett and I also visited the Guernsey Food Bank  to see if we or the missionaries could help sort or pick up food. The food bank is only the size of a walk in closet but last year they served and handed out  L19,000 in vouchers. Not much to do, but we became an official food bank drop off location and now we have our name on the website with other churches in the area. I was teaching the lesson in Relief Society using Elder Holland's talk "Songs Sung and Unsung."  Elder Holland states, The chorus, ,"blessings which God gives me now and joys laid up above," cannot be fully, faithfully sung until we have honorably cared for the poor.  Economic deprivation is a curse that keeps on cursing, year after year and generation after generation ." We can all do more, even here on Guernsey.

We also went to the Information Centre to see if they had our name and address on their list there.  People  who  are on  cruises and have come off the ships checking in the Port for the church have said there was  no information at the centre. I went there and checked. They only have a spiral notebook and the last time it  had been  updated was 2013. Our meeting times were not even correct. Updated! They were wonderful about it. There is now information at the Visitor's Centre, including cards with our  name and phone number on them and a picture of our church. Sometimes people have ended up at the church with a picture of the church on their phone or on a piece of paper. There are no street numbers or house numbers, only names, so if you do not have a satellite device it makes  it a little difficult to find us and we do not want difficult to find. There was a church pamphlet at the centre (NOTE: that is not a spelling mistake, that is how center is spelled here) that lists all the churches on Guernsey. Our little island has 52 churches, not including our church. That is about 5 churches per little parish. But, we are not on the flyer and the flyer doesn't say who publishes it with no number to call to be added to the list. I will figure this out!

I am  still working on some press and radio coverage for a former missionary who served on the island 50 years ago and is coming again in September ....  I have sent emails and messages and next week I will visit those places.

Brother Hewlett now belongs to Rotary and is on the Community Service committee, and I belong to both a spinning and weaving group that meets twice a month and in the fall I will volunteer with an organization that works with youth with emotional, intellectual and social issues. In addition we are going to be volunteering with the Red Cross and another church that needs help with a fete, and anything else we can find to do.  I would really like to put on a interfaith Live Nativity similar to one that is done is Salt Lake, but it is a big task and I am not sure if we have time to pull it off.

I also just composed a letter to some of those friends that we do not see at church and won't let us into their homes. There is a great article in this month's Ensign that is titled, "Please Come Back ... We open our arms to you. We need your help." We will include a copy of it with the letter and a card as we inserted above. Even if one person moves a little closer it will be worth it. Normally, we work at finding a few people each week. Some of them have moved and we have to contact a number of people to find out where they are, if we can find out. We obviously also use messenger and other electronic means to find and communicate with them.

Well, I want to make sure that this small branch, with members who have been faithful for many, many years is recognized and that everyone knows who we are and where we are, and I am fiercely protective of the missionaries. They work hard and need all the help we can give them, even though I know the Lord is their source of strength and help. "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of  Jesus Christ!"