Here is an interesting communication from one of our inmates who was released.

Tonight during High Counsel Meeting the Soledad Prison Branch will be officially organized. President is Art Romero, 1st Counselor David Shipley(I was called Sunday evening by President Steven Locke), 2nd counselor Ed Fischer and Secretary Ron Vitzian from the Greenfield Ward. The main advantage of organizing a Branch is that President Romero will now be able to hear and judge confessions. We will also be able to receive church curriculum materials much easier so that the inmates may receive further light and knowledge. It will be an honor to serve with President Romero, as I have done so now for almost 3 years. He, of course, was given the original assignment to organize the entire operation 13 years ago and has done so magnificently! The fruits have been apparent with several inmates being released and moving on with their spiritual lives.

Brother Ofa Nau has also been recently cleared to work with us and has already had an impact on the 'Islanders' who are incarcerated. With all the new helping Brethren, It looks like my Sundays will not be as demanding and I will be able to more regularly attend my Ward.

As a soon-to-be Presidency, we attended a Coordinating Counsel meeting this past Sunday at the Saratoga Stake Center. Elder Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve presided!! Also in attendance were: Elder Clayton of the 70's Presidency, Elder's Hinckley and Allan of the 70, Brother Packer of the Area 70 and President Jackson of the San Jose Mission. Each oversees some aspect of missionary work in the church, so it was not difficult to surmise the subject matter of the meeting. Starting yesterday, tracting or knocking on doors has been discontinued for all missionaries in the San Jose Mission!!!! This is a pilot program that involves this mission only and the 11 Stakes so affected, of which we, the Monterey Stake, are one. The impetus behind the change is to improve and maximize time efficiency for the missionaries. Evidently, the hours between 10am and 5pm have become increasingly difficult for missionaries to fill with meaningful and productive activities, so...each Ward Counsel and full-time Elder in the affected Stakes will focus coordinating efforts upon part-member and less active families and widows. The hoped for outcome is simple, 'rescuing' and reactivation. As Elder Ballard stated, this is not a new program, but rather a shift in emphasis on what the Prophets have already outlined regarding member-driven missionary work. The various Ward Counsel's will need to 'step up to the plate' to make this happen. In what was simply a sublime spiritual moment, Elder Ballard, in conclusion, pronounced an Apostolic blessing upon all in attendance for this to be so. I, among many others, could not contain the tears as he blessed us(me) with peace in the home and peace in the spirit and called down the powers of heaven to help us in this new endeavor. I have been the recipient of several group Apostolic blessings, but this one was remarkable in it's simplicity and clarity. So now I must become a better home teacher and friend to those who are to be rescued, member and non alike.