Enough For All

We had a combined ward today for church.
Since it's now Christmas break, everyone has basically disappeared in college town to spend the holiday with their parents.
So instead of meeting as one ward with a handful of people.
We combined together....I think it might have been the whole stake.

And it so happened that me and my friends,
Arrived at church at exactly the right moment,
To be directed to sit in the choir seats on the stand.

Luckily, it wasn't a sneaky conscription tactic to get us into the choir, they were just letting us use those seats for the meeting.
As....a whole lot more people showed up than they had been expecting.
One of the speakers mentioned how last year, they had only like 60 people show up.
Well today... I'm guessing it was closer to 400 people. I can't be sure, but I do know that they had to open up two further areas in order to fit everyone in, and there were still people standing at the very back.

In any case, me and my friends, sat in the nice comfy choir seats.
Which had another benefit as well.
As you see, being on the stand, means that one doesn't have to worry about there not being enough bread and water for the sacrament.
But out in the audience?
An audience that was much bigger than everyone had been expecting to show up?
:S

Every one was able to get the bread and water.
But there were a few tense minutes (it was like 10 minutes really)
Where all the cups in the trays had been used for water.
And there was a long delay in which I'm sure there were a couple of guys scrambling about trying to find more cups to use, and get water into them before the rest of the audience could partake of the water.

I bring this up, because sitting on the stand in the choir chairs,
I had a different perspective than those seated in the audience.

 I watched as one of the bearers came back up to the stand with an empty water tray.
At that point, there was no water cups available. (the guys were still searching I suppose)
So the men on the stand took the tray, and the bearer went back up the aisle empty handed to help out where he could.
As there were still seven other guys who had water cups in their trays.
But then another guy came up, with an empty tray.
And then, a few minutes later, everyone else came up, their trays empty.
Yet, there still were no water cups to be found.
So they all stood there, with empty trays, while a third of the audience appeared to not have yet gotten any water.
Finally, a single tray was brought out, and the lone bearer went back out to serve the water.
A few minutes later, two more trays were brought out,
and a few minutes later, one more tray was brought out to be passed around.

Finally, after taking like ten or so minutes longer than it should have, everyone had gotten the bread and water.

What caught my attention though, was that whole scenario.
Bearers went out to the audience to give of the water they carried, yet, they did not have enough for everyone.
There were the audience members, faithful people who had come to partake of the sacrament, thinking that they would be able to, yet, suddenly faced with uncertainty as first one, then the rest went up, with empty trays, and none came back.

Would they get the water?

It almost felt like a parable of sorts. Like unto the story of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. Who all had their lamps, but when the time came, there wasn't enough oil to go around.
Those who had sat towards the back because they preferred it there, or they had come in late enough that those were the only ones available....were suddenly faced with the concept that there might not be 'enough.'
(Never have had that happen in my experience btw.)
Those closer did not have to fear about running out.
Yet those in the back?

How would it feel, to have one lone bearer come back because he had no more to give.
None would remark on it, as there were still others out there, other chances to partake of the water,
Yet, how quickly would the hope fade, when the others would all return back to the front, all without water.
With none ready to come back out?
How would hope spark and flare when a lone bearer manages to gather water and go back out to the mass to serve as many as he could with what he had?
How eagerly would they reach for the cup then? Grateful that there was still was yet some water to give?

Yah, something about that whole scenario, definitely struck a cord with me today.
Where there is the thought....that maybe good isn't good enough, we have to be better.
We have to sit closer to the front, be more active,
So that we do not need to fear that the water would not come, that there would not be enough for us to partake, even though we were there.
It seemed like a little call to me, to try a little harder, be a little better, and sit a little closer.

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I was with my sister, and we were getting KFC for dinner. I was going to buy for the both of us, so I went up to the counter (which had a set up more like an ice cream shop than a KFC) to get our meal. Because it was both Kikay and I, I chose to go for the 6 piece chicken strips instead of the normal 3. Which meant that the price was $7.99 for those, but then I also decided to get a cup for soda as well. Which would cost me a dollar or two more, plus tax. Which meant that I should be paying about $10 for the whole meal. But as I was ordering, a noisy Spanish speaking family came up next to me, wanting to order their food as well, and the girl behind the counter, apparently was new, or was confused or something, because when she finally rang up my order, she told me the price was something like $31.32. I stopped right as I was handing her my card, pulling it back. No, that wasn't the right price. I had checked the prices of everything, so I asked her. "Are you certain you didn't place my order with theirs?" I gestured to the family next to me. "We're separate." She stared at me, nodded that the order was correct, but I knew it wasn't, yet she seemed to think it was a normal price. Somehow or another, I turned away for a few minutes and turned back to see a gangster looking boy (buzzed dark hair, baggy pants) take one of my chicken strips and eat it! It got me angry and I chased after him, stepping on his shoes, and slapped his face. "Those are mine! Do you have no manners? Did you learn nothing about not stealing! Do not steal!" and I attempted to slap his face again. Somehow, more of the others stole my chicken stripes, and I got into a rolling fight with one of the boys (maybe the same one) where I would throw myself backwards to send them into a roll, to make them hit the ground, yet we would pop back up onto our feet, only for me to throw them backwards again...

Then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)

-S.N.D