On Sunday we held an additional ward Council to discuss what returning to church would look like. Our stake decided that each ward would have one assigned sacrament meeting each Sunday. The ward was divided into thirds and families were assigned a week to attend. There are many precautions in place such as having families sit in every other row and six feet apart. Someone in our stake also made separators for the bread trays so it will be easier to not touch multiple pieces of bread. We’ll wear masks and sanitize the building before and after our meeting.
We were scheduled to begin sacrament meetings on the 14, but throughout the week the number of virus cases skyrocketed. There are now more than 700 cases in the county. Many of the new cases came from a meat processing plant that didn’t follow important precautions. This is so sad because the people working there likely are really in need of income, and now many of them are home sick. On Saturday we received news that we will postpone the start date for church. I’m so grateful we can still have the sacrament each week at home.
June marks my third year working for VIPKID and my first year working for WebAIM. When I renewed my contract for VIPKID on Monday I was excited to see i got a raise! The requirements for raises are difficult to meet and I wasn’t sure if I had made it this year. I’m especially grateful I earned a raise because VIPKID is rolling out a new payment system which means no more opportunities for raises. It also decreases the incentive money I can earn. I’ll be making less than I was before which is disappointing, but at least my raise helps a little bit.
This week my supervisor at WebAIM called to see how things are going. He said he’s very pleased with my work and wanted to give me a raise, but the department had said COVID-19 meant no raises. He worked hard and was able to get me approved for a raise because I’m not a contracted employee! It was so exciting to get good news from both companies I work for this week, and we’re grateful for a little extra income. We’re also discussing the possibility of me working from home even after the virus settles down. I love working from home and I’m able to do all my work here the same (if not better) than I can in the office. I hope that will work out!
Mark spent most of his days in the heat at the bird refuge again. They’re finding more duck nests and have even seen some baby ducks! He’s continuing to try to tighten up his statistics so his proposal can be approved.
We’re still cautious about visiting people but we decided to have another distancing picnic with some friends. Mark made Dutch oven potatoes and chicken. It was delicious!
Our garden continues to grow! We have a few small peppers and green tomatoes. We’re also have twenty cucumber plants!! We replanted one zucchini plant but have another that is growing well. We’ve also been enjoying the strawberries from our garden.
I gave Flynn a haircut on my own this week. I definitely missed a few patches but considering how much he moves (and even nips at times) I think my grooming skills getting better!
Our Story: The Bell Family 