We moved in nearly 2.5 years ago and still don't know most of our neighbors. Many of them are elderly or shut-in. Our lots are 1 to 1.5 acre lots so we are a bit spread out and we don't see much of each other. We had a Stake Conference dedicated to missionary work recently. We had been thinking of having people on our street over for an informal get-to-know-you potluck, but also to initiate a dialogue regarding emergency preparedness. We made invites for about 12 households and handed them out. Although we only had 4 households show up, it was a great success. People were eager to have a plan and even have quarterly meetings. I don't know if down the road we will be baptizing anyone but we definitely have built some relationships that we can lean on during a disaster or emergency.
We should do something like that, although we are renting. The land we bought, where we will build in the next year, was one of the areas worst hit by the Colorado flooding. But the community up there pulled together just great. The house we were renting was not hit by the floods, we just could drive anywhere for a few days because so many streets were closed due to flooding.
It was interesting to see how things worked out. We can't get to our church building anymore, but another ward is letting us meet in their chapel. And there is lots of service work.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
