A Very Small Twig

A friend of mine went on vacation back East over the summer and went to the local LDS meeting house on Sunday for church services with his wife.  However, when they got there they discovered the building was closed because it was stake conference weekend.  A note on the door gave the address and time, but as it was being held in a neighboring city, they were unable to go.  To their surprise, there were several other vacationing couples there, too, from various parts of America, all similarly disapointed to have missed services.

My friend said it made him feel good to think of LDS folks all over the world seeking out church services, even on their holidays.

But what happens when you live in a far away place, with few Latter-day Saints and no LDS meeting houses?  I've been asking my nephew what he and his family do for church in Shenyang, China, and he has responded by posting these photos.

The Saints of Shenyang

There aren't enough LDS folks in Shenyang to even have a branch organization of the church.  Here are the Saints of Shenyang.  As you can see, it's a very small twig.

Church was held at Daniel and Holly's apartment last week.  I guess they take turns amongst the group.  They are able to meet together with other similar tiny groups of saints across China via Skype.  (God Bless Skype and the wonders of modern technology!) 

It seems a strange way to attend church, but how great to be able to share fellowship with the saints, partake of the sacrament, and worship God - even far away from the comforting structure of a branch or a ward in a proper ward building.

It makes me more thankful for the comfortable, new church building where I attend services every week, with fully functioning auxiliaries that bless my life.