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Show fi rlfTiM iTi fJ teiitf frl mT rf qgifir dXi laaifarfa rt Family Plans I CH0WCH1LLA, CALIF. Three LDS children escaped being among the victims of a mass kidnapping incident July 15 when family plans prevented them from being on their summer school bus that was hijacked at gunpoint. Debbie Eye, 10, and her brother, Michael, and Von Hansen, 7, usually rode the bus that was hijacked as the driver, Frank E. Ray Jr., was returning students to their homes after an outing. On that day, Von rode another bus to the home of i nsbt; . ' i P . ? 3 ,x an LDS friend, Ritchie Moore. His parents, the Alfred W. Hansens, had made arrangements for him to stay overnight with his friends family since they were leaving to attend the Oakland Temple. Some last minute plans of Mrs. James Eye prevented her children, Debbie and Michael, from being on the bus. Sister Eye had left home shortly before the kidnapping incident to do the weekend shopping for the family. However, she changed her mind about shopping and drove to the school instead, where she picked up the children. After the bus driver and 26 children had been kidnapped, Debbie reported to police authorities that as a passenger she had observed a white van following the school bus on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, the day of the kidnapping. Several other people from the area also reported that they had seen the van, which was the only clue the authorities had during the early stages of their investigation. ,000 Bread Loaves Given to Community 1 I By SUSAN AYLWORTH WILLOWS, CALIF. More than 1,000 loaves of fresh, homemade bread were passed out to people in this small community as a fellowshipping and missionary effort of the Chico California Stake. An industrious group of 375 stake members baked the bread for the project, which was also designed as a thank you gesture to the community, according to Bishop Douglas Memmott of the Willows Ward. We didn't want it to look like a publicity stunt, he said. We're just trying to become a real part of the community. Forty full-tim- e missionaries from the Chico and Gridley zones of the California Sacramento Mission, aided by the mission staff, leaders and members of the Chico stake converged on the little town of 5,000 for the massive delivery effort. Pres, and Sister E. LaMar Buckner of the Sacramento mission participated in the project along with Chico stake Pres. Lloyd Cope and high councilors Alonzo Plumb and Boyd Cherry. The support from the stake was super, said Bishop Memmott. The missionaries paired off with members of the Willows Ward, sending 34 pairs of missionaries into the community. At each door, they introduced themselves, gave a loaf of homemade bread and a small card with a picture of the Savior, the address and meeting times of the Willow s Ward, and a list of Bicentennial family home evening themes. On the back of the card was a meeting schedule for other denominations in Willows. We had planned to reach 1,500 We homes, said Bishop Memmott. home would we reach every thought where someone was at home. Only 75 percent of the homes wo traded had someone at home and that was a smaller percentage than we had expected, but the response was almost 100 liorccnt. J.if "The people couldn't believe that we were doing this for the community, the Most people kept bishop continued. saying, 'Are you sure you don't want a donation? They couldn't believe we would do something like this and not ask money for it. Church News Correspondent the bishop said. "We really feel the results were positive. Bishop Memmott was one of the Willows Ward members who went missionary trading with a We had a higher percencompanion. than other pairs in tage of the project, he said. But of the 16 homes we visited, seven asked us to call back to teach them this week. Every pair who went out had at least one person or family who asked to know more about the Church. He continued, It will be months before the results are felt, but we had a good time and the ward members had a great missionary experience. An appropriate foliow-uprogram from the project has also been planned. Sacrament meetings for the next several weeks in the Willows Ward will focus on member missionary work and with presentations to be made e and stake missionaries. by the full-tim- e 'not-hom- p fellow-shippin- full-tim- This project has helped us to become known in the community and gain a positive impression' among people w ho didnt know we were here before. It w ill make it easier for ward members to fellowship their friends and neighbors," the bishop said. The idea began when Bishop Memmott and the two sister missionaries in the ward started talking about ways to become known in the community. Two other communities in the Sacramento mission had been mass tracted earlier this year, he said, but we didnt want to do the same thing. The bread distribution program evolved under the suggestion of Pres. Cole and other stake leaders. Now the Willows Ward has all it can on the project. According do to follow-uto Bishop Memmott, there are two sisters and two stake missionaries assigned to Willows and the stake has committed as many missionaries as we need to meet all the teaching opportunities." He added that this may require some ward mission calls and will definitely a quire more member participation. full-tim- e HMwanm rI 7 p full-tim- e The effect mi the community was The results of the program are still he said. We didn't want it to 34 of great, With iair being tabulated. look like a disguised proselyting effort. missionaries out. it's going to take us We made it clear we were missionaries. some time to tabulate all the figures, I 1 4 'ciiuRCH'0 Week ending joly 54, $76 W g Susan Ahlstrom, 1 8, and Mrs. Ned Kirkham, Relief Society bread. president of Chico 3rd Ward, collect fresh-bake- d but we didnt try to push the Church on anybody. Twice I told mothers with young children about the Primary program and the Primary president will be following up with them this week. Other times oople asked to teach them more, but we werent out there just to get referrals." When the bread distribution was over and the members had come back to the meetinghouse, Bishop Memmott received a telephone from a woman who said she had heard of the project and was sdrry they had missed her. She asked if she could have tire missionaries bring ht-- a loaf of bread and teach her more about the Church. r |
