But I think as far as coats go, I should be okay, because I can wear
coats on top of coats. It would be awesome to get a pair of nice gloves,
and maybe another scarf or something. Also, some thermal garments would
be awesome. In the apartment I found a pair of ankle length ones that
are pretty great, we're trying to figure out how to keep our legs warm.
Also, this is random, but remember the blue striped tie that I wore when
I left? It was a Stacy Adams tie. You can trade one of those ties for
like 5 ties up in the mission. If possible for Christmas or something,
you should send some of those because I traded both of mine away,
unfortunately. And they are awesome. Love you mother! Thanks for all of
you help!
Elder Blotter
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
Coat?..... Boots?
Josh, I am in SLC right now. Should I stop and get you a good warm coat
and maybe boots? Josie tells me there are good places right around here.
I know you will be on the computer any minute. What are your
thoughts?? :)
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Happy 20th!
It really doesn't seem that
long ago when one Friday night my water broke 3 weeks early and you made
your big arrival at 1212 Medical Plaza in Salt Lake City. Now 20 years
later you are a missionary in Burns Lake, Canada. Please know that we'll
be thinking of you on Wednesday and Jenessa requested we have your
favorite Peaches and Cream cake in honor of Jooooooooossssshhhhh. Your
not a bad kid. I really hope you have a great day and that someone will
let you in on one of those 9....Oh, excuse me, 10 avenues in Burns Lake
and they will listen and be kind to you. :) Oh, I am assuming you are
indeed still in Burns Lake. :)
I just returned from a Stake YW training meeting. I am so excited for
the new program for the youth beginning in January! Have you heard about
it? It's called "Come, Follow Me" and there will be no more manuals for
Sunday lessons. We are encouraged to teach like the Savior. And
spiritually prepare throughout the week and just go with the spirit and
let the girls teach each other and we will be facilitators. The website
is AMAZING with lots of videos to help, etc. I think it is very inspired
and will be really a good thing and will help the youth be more
prepared to serve a mission at 18 or 19. And make it essential that
leaders (me) are more prepared spiritually. :)
Please let me know WHAT I can send you to help you be more warm. I will
send you whatever you need....today. A big super warm coat with a
hood? Better boots? Gloves? I really don't like the though of my
firstborn chilly. We love you so much and are proud of the young man you
have become. We are all well and can't wait to hear about your week.
Have a very Happy
Birthday!!!!!!! Tell Elder Epperson to give you 20 spankings and a
pinch to grow an inch. (Well, maybe not) Love, Mom
 |
| We made you this sign at our 1st annual Girls Night at the cabby. |
Monday, November 5, 2012
Burns Lake
Well!
It's been another great week up in the North! It's like 3 degrees outside right now, and after the past couple weeks it's feeling really warm! As far as winter clothes go, I actually found a pair of boots up here, left up in the house up here from previous missionaries. They aren't too warm, but they are doing the job, so no complaints! If I stay up in the North, I might need to get my hands on some winter gloves, but that's about it. In January, the members say that when you walk outside, you have to break yourself into the air. If you just take a big breath outside at -40 it feels like you got stabbed in the lungs. Oh the things to be excited for! :)
Transfer calls are today! Everybody is assuming that I am leaving... we'll have to see. I might be, I might not be! It would be a good note to end on if I was leaving, but Burns Lake is a great place to be, and so I certainly wouldn't mind staying. Elder Epperson predicts that I am going to go somewhere in the lower mainland. I think I would be going to Nanaimo on the island. Wherever you are, in this mission in the winter, you have to pick between always freezing or always getting soaked! It will also be really exciting to see where Amelia is going! I figure that with all of the friends that I have putting in papers, somebody is going to be sent to BC! There are already 3 people from Sky View up here, but the more the merrier!
Sounds like life at home is pretty good! Hopefully grandpa got some screamin' deals on some bulls and that everything at the ranch is doing well. We have a former investigator family that we are going to drop by to hear the results of the election. They are kind of biased against Romney and just tell us dumb things that he has done, but it's a good excuse to go and teach them. It will be quite interesting to hear the results of the election. Americans driving through town always tell us that one of "your people" is running for President in "our country" and want to know if we have heard of Romney before. As a missionary I know that Romney's running has already created a tremendous amount of interest in the church, and so as far as his purpose, he may have already fulfilled it. I guess we'll find out later this week.
The work is still carrying on in Burns Lake! Even though this town is small, I am still learning more about it. For example, yesterday, I found out that there is a 10th Avenue. It's pretty much a dirt driveway with no houses on it, behind the youth center on the Reserve, but after almost 4 and a half months of thinking that Burns Lake only had 9 avenues, it was kind of a shock. The next baptism for Burns Lake will probably happen at the end of November, if we can work out some family situations. Brooklyn Johnson is a very smart 9 year old who really wants to be baptized. Her dad, Ray, is a less active Catholic with a really, really, really angsty mom. Ray says that he is more scared of his mom than the Lord. He knows the church is true, but he is too scared to rock the boat by letting his kids or himself be baptized. One time I tracted into his mom with Elder Neher. She's pretty beastly, but I think that eternal salvation would be worth it. We're going to do what we can, but it is an interesting challenge.
This week we had a lot of miracles working with less active members. We finally managed to drop by one less-active family when the wife, who is pretty cold towards missionaries, wasn't home. We were talking with the dad and he was saying that his testimony is stronger now than it was when he was active because "he's felt the difference" between having peace versus contention in his home, and how hard it is for him to pay his bills since he has stopped paying tithing. He gave us the numbers of his 17 and 20 year old kids living in Prince George, and we referred them to the sister missionaries there, and they are now becoming active, which is a miracle. We are going to be working closely with that family. On the reserve, there is one less active woman who has completely apostatized since she hasn't been to church since she was 12, and we felt prompted to visit her. She was really unreceptive to the spirit, and not too interested in meeting with us, but as we were leaving the subject switched to winter tires, and she told us she had a set that she didn't need anymore. One of the families in the branch that is a little less well off had been looking for tires that exact size, and we were able to get the tires for them. It was cool to be able to answer the prayers of a family in the branch. Finally, there is an excommunicated member who has a really solid testimony, but, in short, is currently living in sin and lets Satan make excuses for him. Elder Epperson had some experiences in the past with his dad that really related to him, and as he was talking, this 58 year old "tough guy" just started crying. It was pretty awesome.
I feel really blessed to be up here serving the Lord. I hope all is well at home. Have a great week!
Elder Blotter
It's been another great week up in the North! It's like 3 degrees outside right now, and after the past couple weeks it's feeling really warm! As far as winter clothes go, I actually found a pair of boots up here, left up in the house up here from previous missionaries. They aren't too warm, but they are doing the job, so no complaints! If I stay up in the North, I might need to get my hands on some winter gloves, but that's about it. In January, the members say that when you walk outside, you have to break yourself into the air. If you just take a big breath outside at -40 it feels like you got stabbed in the lungs. Oh the things to be excited for! :)
Transfer calls are today! Everybody is assuming that I am leaving... we'll have to see. I might be, I might not be! It would be a good note to end on if I was leaving, but Burns Lake is a great place to be, and so I certainly wouldn't mind staying. Elder Epperson predicts that I am going to go somewhere in the lower mainland. I think I would be going to Nanaimo on the island. Wherever you are, in this mission in the winter, you have to pick between always freezing or always getting soaked! It will also be really exciting to see where Amelia is going! I figure that with all of the friends that I have putting in papers, somebody is going to be sent to BC! There are already 3 people from Sky View up here, but the more the merrier!
Sounds like life at home is pretty good! Hopefully grandpa got some screamin' deals on some bulls and that everything at the ranch is doing well. We have a former investigator family that we are going to drop by to hear the results of the election. They are kind of biased against Romney and just tell us dumb things that he has done, but it's a good excuse to go and teach them. It will be quite interesting to hear the results of the election. Americans driving through town always tell us that one of "your people" is running for President in "our country" and want to know if we have heard of Romney before. As a missionary I know that Romney's running has already created a tremendous amount of interest in the church, and so as far as his purpose, he may have already fulfilled it. I guess we'll find out later this week.
The work is still carrying on in Burns Lake! Even though this town is small, I am still learning more about it. For example, yesterday, I found out that there is a 10th Avenue. It's pretty much a dirt driveway with no houses on it, behind the youth center on the Reserve, but after almost 4 and a half months of thinking that Burns Lake only had 9 avenues, it was kind of a shock. The next baptism for Burns Lake will probably happen at the end of November, if we can work out some family situations. Brooklyn Johnson is a very smart 9 year old who really wants to be baptized. Her dad, Ray, is a less active Catholic with a really, really, really angsty mom. Ray says that he is more scared of his mom than the Lord. He knows the church is true, but he is too scared to rock the boat by letting his kids or himself be baptized. One time I tracted into his mom with Elder Neher. She's pretty beastly, but I think that eternal salvation would be worth it. We're going to do what we can, but it is an interesting challenge.
This week we had a lot of miracles working with less active members. We finally managed to drop by one less-active family when the wife, who is pretty cold towards missionaries, wasn't home. We were talking with the dad and he was saying that his testimony is stronger now than it was when he was active because "he's felt the difference" between having peace versus contention in his home, and how hard it is for him to pay his bills since he has stopped paying tithing. He gave us the numbers of his 17 and 20 year old kids living in Prince George, and we referred them to the sister missionaries there, and they are now becoming active, which is a miracle. We are going to be working closely with that family. On the reserve, there is one less active woman who has completely apostatized since she hasn't been to church since she was 12, and we felt prompted to visit her. She was really unreceptive to the spirit, and not too interested in meeting with us, but as we were leaving the subject switched to winter tires, and she told us she had a set that she didn't need anymore. One of the families in the branch that is a little less well off had been looking for tires that exact size, and we were able to get the tires for them. It was cool to be able to answer the prayers of a family in the branch. Finally, there is an excommunicated member who has a really solid testimony, but, in short, is currently living in sin and lets Satan make excuses for him. Elder Epperson had some experiences in the past with his dad that really related to him, and as he was talking, this 58 year old "tough guy" just started crying. It was pretty awesome.
I feel really blessed to be up here serving the Lord. I hope all is well at home. Have a great week!
Elder Blotter
Monday, October 29, 2012
From Pres. Tilleman
We are not supposed to forward President Tilleman's weekly letter, so I am just going to copy and paste part of it!
President and Sister
Tilleman
Second, you may have heard (or felt!), there was a
major earthquake (7.7) on Haida Gwaii on Saturday evening, with numerous
after-shocks since then. If your parents or anyone asks, all the
missionaries that could have been affected (Haida
Gwaii, North Island, and Prince Rupert, in particular) are doing fine.
There were no deaths, or even injuries, in Haida Gwaii or anywhere
else. This is a miracle given how big this earthquake was (third
largest recorded in Canadian history, in fact).
II. Spiritual Thoughts for the Week
What a remarkable
mission presidents’ and wives’ seminar Sister Tilleman and I had. We
are humbled and feel very blessed. Elder Maynes called it
“extraordinary and historic.” I would have to say the theme was
“the time to hasten the work is now; the Prophet has spoken.” Three
members of the Seventy (Richard J. Mayes, Presidency of the Seventy),
Elder Schwitzer (First Quorum), and Elder Aidukaitis (First Quorum)
instructed us. They were joined by Richard Heaton,
the MTC’s top administrative advisor. It truly was an amazing
conference. And the theme came back, over and over again, to how the
Lord, through his Prophet, has called on each of us to hasten the work,
right now. If we were called by Brigham Young to cross
the plains, would we jump right in and do so? In terms of missionary
work, this is that type of revelation from the Lord. Truly historic and
extraordinary.
Elder Maynes reminded
us that the Lord has already declared: “Behold, I will hasten
my work in its time.” D&C 88:73 (emphasis added).
Elder Maynes explained that President Monson has declared that time to
be now. The Church normally receives about 300 missionary applications
per week. Since the Prophet’s announcement, as
of Wednesday of last week, the Church has received more than 10,000
applications in two and a half weeks– that is more than 10x the normal
number applications. The missionary department will be holding at least
twice as many assignment meetings each week,
with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve presiding over each of these
meetings. Our leaders are truly leading us by example. With all they
have to do, the Quorum of the Twelve will be spending significantly more
time to make each of the significantly greater
number of missionary assignments that will have to be made. The
hastening of the work is starting at the top of our leadership in the
Church!
Missionaries’ time at
the MTC will have to shorten to accommodate this surge of missionaries.
Soon the English speaking missionaries will not even be spending three
weeks in the MTC. We will therefore have to
be exponentially more prepared to train missionaries as they arrive
into the field. Do we see, now, why the Lord implemented the 12-week
program? The Lord has been preparing us for this time of hastening.
In our mission, right
now, we must prepare ourselves, and our areas, for many more
missionaries. We must be better teachers, and more of us will have to
be prepared to take on the highest honor that the Lord can
give a missionary – to train. Right now, we must have more truth
seekers in our teaching pool and improve or “hasten” the work in each of
our areas; some of the areas in our mission that currently have two
missionaries will soon have four. We must prepare
our areas and our wards and branches to receive and put these new
missionaries right to work. Right now, we must respond to the clarion
call from Elder Haleck to have each companionship averaging one baptism
per month. We can do this!
One of the Keys to
Hastening the Work – Serving With Zeal Toward God and To All Mankind
(Alma 27:27)
Elders and Sisters, to
answer the call of the Prophet, I feel we can and should truly become
like the sons of Mosiah. After the sons of Mosiah were converted to the
Lord, or as Alma the Younger said, after they
were “born again,” (Mosiah 27:25-26), these young men “zealously”
strived to repair all the wrongs they had done. Mosiah 27:35. These
fantastic young men became their era’s examples of Preach My Gospel
missionaries – they became “instruments in the hands
of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the
knowledge of their Redeemer.” Mosiah 27:36.
What was their reward
for doing so? “And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace;
they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the
people that the Lord reigneth.” Mosiah 27:37.
What was their desire
after being born again? They became so immersed in the Savior’s work of
salvation that “they were desirous that salvation should be declared to
every creature, for they could not bear that
any human soul should perish; yea even the very thoughts that any soul
should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.”
Mosiah 28:3.
How were these
missionaries received by those they taught? After Ammon and his
brethren first experienced much “long-suffering” and “many afflictions”
(Alma 18:11), the Lord guided them to those who were truly
searching for the truth, even though at first they did not know they
were. The Lord guided the missionaries’ thoughts and actions, and
touched the hearts of those they were teaching. The Lord blessed them
with much success. See Alma Chapter 26.
And what type of
converts did the sons of Mosiah have? The Ammonites were noted for
their “zeal in keeping commandments”. Alma 21:23
(emphasis added). Later, after they had moved to live with the
Nephites, they were again “distinguished for their zeal towards
God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly upright in
all things; and they were firm in their faith of Christ, even unto the
end.” Alma 27:27 (emphasis added).
May each of us
individually continue to become that type of missionary, and may we
collectively continue to become that type of mission. May we serve our
Heavenly Father, our Saviour, and our brothers and sisters,
with zeal, or with “enthusiastic dedication” and “eager desire.” As we
serve with enthusiasm and eagerness, our lights will shine and those we
teach will, in turn, feel of our enthusiastic love for God and all
mankind, such that they will come to believe
and then emulate these same qualities. Elder Schwitzer taught this
perfectly at our mission president’s seminar, when he said, “it is not
so much what our missionaries teach, as who they become. As they become
more like the Savior, their teachings will naturally
become more like His teachings.”
The Church is true.
God lives. Jesus Christ, His only Begotten son, is our Savior and
Redeemer. Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, who through the power of
God translated the most correct Book of any on earth,
the Book of Mormon, which will bring us closer to Christ than any other
Book on earth. Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God; He is God’s
mouthpiece on the earth today. This Church is guided by true Apostles
and Prophets, just as we learn Christ’s Church
should be governed from Acts Chapter 1 (calling another Apostle to the
Quorum of the Twelve after Judas Iscariot had died), and Paul’s great
teachings in Ephesians, Chapters 2 and 4 (Christ’s Church is founded
upon Apostles and Prophets, with the Savior Himself
being the chief cornerstone). You and I have the privilege of being
full-time witnesses of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I testify to
you of these things, and am pleased to join with you in doing so.
This is the Savior’s
work of salvation in which we are engaged. It is so marvelous and
wonderful. Sister Tilleman and I love it, and we love to serve with you
in this glorious labor of love. We love you, respect
you, and are so grateful for you!
Have an incredible
week. Bundle up, stay warm, and serve like there is no tomorrow – with
great zeal and haste! Also, a reminder to get your flu shots if you
have not already done so. And finally, as always,
I anxiously await each of your emails this week.
Love,
Burns Lake
Family!
There was definitely an earthquake up here, but at the time, we were on the ferry, so we didn't feel anything. We only heard about it when the assistants to the president called us to ask us if we were okay. Apparently it shook quite a bit for about a minute, particularly members who live in trailer parks and things like that. Burns Lake was pretty unaffected as far as damage goes, but Haida Gwaii had an evacuation order because they were pretty worried about a tsunami. Winter does seem to be in full swing, though! It's snowing right now and there's somewhere between eighteen inches and 2 feet already. (I'm not sure exactly because everybody tells us the height in centimeters) It's supposed to get warmer in a couple days, and so it might melt, but... whew. It's not even Halloween yet! Since we have a house in Burns Lake, we bought a bunch of packets of skittles and taped them to pass-along cards. We aren't allowed to leave the house past 6:00 on Halloween, so we are just going to do our weekly planning and let people tract into us, for once. :)
Elder Epperson thought he had a bad sinus infection because he felt congested and was getting pretty bad headaches, and so we went to a walk-in clinic because he wanted antibiotics. The doctor walked through his symptoms and told him that he didn't have an infection, they were probably just tension headaches. Elder Epperson was not happy about that. He really just wanted some antibiotics. He went to a pharmacy and got some Neilmed sinus rinse stuff and he uses it 4 times a day now. I imagine that when patients think they have sinus infections, it's kind of a pain to convince them that they don't. It's probably a pretty busy time in medicine. It's good to hear that the trip was awesome and that you got back in one piece! Some of those pictures looked very cool. I got a postcard in the mail today that came when you were at the Vatican, I think!
The mission is really revving up to get ready for all of the new missionaries! It is a super exciting time to be in the field. I might sent part of President Tilleman's email that talks about all of it. It sounds like they are going to be shortening the amount of time missionaries are spending in the MTC, and putting missionaries all over the place up here. Next transfer we are already putting another set of missionaries one area away in Vanderhoof, and they are opening an area called "100 Mile House", and that's only in the Prince George Zone, and this is before the wave of missionaries from the announcement has started to pour in.
The work in Burns Lake is doing awesome! I feel like I might be leaving next week, which honestly is a little heart wrenching. This branch is filled with a bunch of characters, and I love them all. When I first got here the members really weren't very excited about missionary work, and now they give us almost too much time in PEC and branch council to talk about the work, and President Lambert now always talks about missionary work when he bears his testimony every fast Sunday (because in a branch this size... almost everybody bears their testimony every time) and always thank us. When the members find out things that we need, like that we don't have winter tires on, they always figure it out for us. about I think some summer I am going to have to come back and "portage," which is like backpacking, but you carry a canoe on your shoulders and canoe whenever you hit a lake or river. They all complain about doing it, but since I've been here, they've gone on 3 portage excursions, so it can't be all that bad!
Vanessa is doing well! This Sunday she was called as a Primary teacher. That will be really good for her! When on exchanges, me and the new missionary in Smithers, Elder Marshall, tracted into a new investigator, which is a miracle because Smithers rolled their truck, and so without a vehicle, they have had to knock nothing but the streets in walking distance many many times over the past couple weeks. The guy said that the last time the missionaries came to his door he cussed them out and kicked them off his porch. He got in a crazy car accident a couple days earlier, however, and that in combination with us coming to his door, he took to be a sign as God reaching out to him. It is amazing how people's hearts change. Tracting is never a waste of time. Many miracles happen up here in the North! It is such a blessing to be here serving the Lord.
Elder Blotter
PS - A 17 year old member from the branch, Jace, left with some program to go teach English in China about a month ago, and I heard that he ended up in the same group that Justine Larsen is in! Justine passed some inside joke through him to a member in the branch to me, but I have no idea what she was talking about. How crazy is that?
There was definitely an earthquake up here, but at the time, we were on the ferry, so we didn't feel anything. We only heard about it when the assistants to the president called us to ask us if we were okay. Apparently it shook quite a bit for about a minute, particularly members who live in trailer parks and things like that. Burns Lake was pretty unaffected as far as damage goes, but Haida Gwaii had an evacuation order because they were pretty worried about a tsunami. Winter does seem to be in full swing, though! It's snowing right now and there's somewhere between eighteen inches and 2 feet already. (I'm not sure exactly because everybody tells us the height in centimeters) It's supposed to get warmer in a couple days, and so it might melt, but... whew. It's not even Halloween yet! Since we have a house in Burns Lake, we bought a bunch of packets of skittles and taped them to pass-along cards. We aren't allowed to leave the house past 6:00 on Halloween, so we are just going to do our weekly planning and let people tract into us, for once. :)
Elder Epperson thought he had a bad sinus infection because he felt congested and was getting pretty bad headaches, and so we went to a walk-in clinic because he wanted antibiotics. The doctor walked through his symptoms and told him that he didn't have an infection, they were probably just tension headaches. Elder Epperson was not happy about that. He really just wanted some antibiotics. He went to a pharmacy and got some Neilmed sinus rinse stuff and he uses it 4 times a day now. I imagine that when patients think they have sinus infections, it's kind of a pain to convince them that they don't. It's probably a pretty busy time in medicine. It's good to hear that the trip was awesome and that you got back in one piece! Some of those pictures looked very cool. I got a postcard in the mail today that came when you were at the Vatican, I think!
The mission is really revving up to get ready for all of the new missionaries! It is a super exciting time to be in the field. I might sent part of President Tilleman's email that talks about all of it. It sounds like they are going to be shortening the amount of time missionaries are spending in the MTC, and putting missionaries all over the place up here. Next transfer we are already putting another set of missionaries one area away in Vanderhoof, and they are opening an area called "100 Mile House", and that's only in the Prince George Zone, and this is before the wave of missionaries from the announcement has started to pour in.
The work in Burns Lake is doing awesome! I feel like I might be leaving next week, which honestly is a little heart wrenching. This branch is filled with a bunch of characters, and I love them all. When I first got here the members really weren't very excited about missionary work, and now they give us almost too much time in PEC and branch council to talk about the work, and President Lambert now always talks about missionary work when he bears his testimony every fast Sunday (because in a branch this size... almost everybody bears their testimony every time) and always thank us. When the members find out things that we need, like that we don't have winter tires on, they always figure it out for us. about I think some summer I am going to have to come back and "portage," which is like backpacking, but you carry a canoe on your shoulders and canoe whenever you hit a lake or river. They all complain about doing it, but since I've been here, they've gone on 3 portage excursions, so it can't be all that bad!
Vanessa is doing well! This Sunday she was called as a Primary teacher. That will be really good for her! When on exchanges, me and the new missionary in Smithers, Elder Marshall, tracted into a new investigator, which is a miracle because Smithers rolled their truck, and so without a vehicle, they have had to knock nothing but the streets in walking distance many many times over the past couple weeks. The guy said that the last time the missionaries came to his door he cussed them out and kicked them off his porch. He got in a crazy car accident a couple days earlier, however, and that in combination with us coming to his door, he took to be a sign as God reaching out to him. It is amazing how people's hearts change. Tracting is never a waste of time. Many miracles happen up here in the North! It is such a blessing to be here serving the Lord.
Elder Blotter
PS - A 17 year old member from the branch, Jace, left with some program to go teach English in China about a month ago, and I heard that he ended up in the same group that Justine Larsen is in! Justine passed some inside joke through him to a member in the branch to me, but I have no idea what she was talking about. How crazy is that?
Monday, October 22, 2012
Re: Things are getting chilly in Burns Lake (From Mom)
My dearest firstborn, Elder Blotter,
I can't believe we missed you AGAIN. But I think it will be easier now that we know it will always be on Mondays now. I was comatose last night by 8:00 with jet lag. Jacey and Jed actually put me to bed and tucked me in and said a prayer with me. There was a 10 hour difference on our trip. I can't even tell you all that I experienced and learned on our journey. It was pretty epic and a trip of a lifetime. We saw the Colleseum, the Vatican, the Pyramids, mummies of Ramses and other, the Holy Land, Greece, and the beautiful Amalfi Coast in Naples, the lost city of Pompei and many other amazing things. But by far my favorite thing I got to experience was the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. I want one day to have all my kids be able to experience it. The Spirit was so strong. Dad and I both just really felt it. Tears just streamed down our faces and you just KNEW that Jesus Christ lived and died for us and it happened right there. I can't even explain it. It was just amazing.
Do you know how much I love your letters? I mean really. They are awesome and a highlight of our week. All day Saturday as we were traveling home I thought of you on your trek home from Vancouver and rushing home to fill the font. And then I thought of you about the time of the baptism and I just WISH I could have been there! And sweet tender mercy happened. We had been traveling about 20 hours and were just arriving in Hyde Park I got a text. It was from Sis. Lambert in Burn's Lake with a photo of you just minutes after the baptism with Vanessa. I couldn't believe it!! It was such a blessing after having thought of you all day and wondering how it went. I would love to give that woman a hug. And how adorable is Vanessa and her sweet little one! Can you believe how her life has changed with the gospel as a part of it? I hope to be able to meet her one day. (And I loved that Gemma said you're name)
Well, we got a new Stake Presidency on Sunday. The new Stake President is named Mario Durrant, from Amelia's ward. We don't know that much about him, just that he has really great kids. Then Scott Erickson (Pres. Erickson's son) is one counselor and Mitch Gatherum's dad is the other. They were all bishops in our Stake. They are all pretty young! About Dad's age, I guess.
Poor Chester is most likely dead. The word on the street (from Preston Whitteker) is that animal control was scraping something white off the road in front of our driveway. He told Jacey at school while we were gone so she cried all day! Not sure how to break the news to Amelia. :o
Jacey LOVED the Canadian candy. That was a huge hit with her. She shows it to everyone and lets them try a little. Well, I wish you a very successful and happy week! Know your fam prays for you many times a day. During our family prayer tonight after Family Home, Dad was saying the prayer and when he started to pray for you he couldn't say anything for like 25 seconds. We love you and are so blessed to have you as our son. Forgive us for not writing last week. But did you start to get any of the post cards yet? :) I will send you a couple pics from the trip. Have a great week. Love, Mom
I can't believe we missed you AGAIN. But I think it will be easier now that we know it will always be on Mondays now. I was comatose last night by 8:00 with jet lag. Jacey and Jed actually put me to bed and tucked me in and said a prayer with me. There was a 10 hour difference on our trip. I can't even tell you all that I experienced and learned on our journey. It was pretty epic and a trip of a lifetime. We saw the Colleseum, the Vatican, the Pyramids, mummies of Ramses and other, the Holy Land, Greece, and the beautiful Amalfi Coast in Naples, the lost city of Pompei and many other amazing things. But by far my favorite thing I got to experience was the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. I want one day to have all my kids be able to experience it. The Spirit was so strong. Dad and I both just really felt it. Tears just streamed down our faces and you just KNEW that Jesus Christ lived and died for us and it happened right there. I can't even explain it. It was just amazing.
Do you know how much I love your letters? I mean really. They are awesome and a highlight of our week. All day Saturday as we were traveling home I thought of you on your trek home from Vancouver and rushing home to fill the font. And then I thought of you about the time of the baptism and I just WISH I could have been there! And sweet tender mercy happened. We had been traveling about 20 hours and were just arriving in Hyde Park I got a text. It was from Sis. Lambert in Burn's Lake with a photo of you just minutes after the baptism with Vanessa. I couldn't believe it!! It was such a blessing after having thought of you all day and wondering how it went. I would love to give that woman a hug. And how adorable is Vanessa and her sweet little one! Can you believe how her life has changed with the gospel as a part of it? I hope to be able to meet her one day. (And I loved that Gemma said you're name)
Well, we got a new Stake Presidency on Sunday. The new Stake President is named Mario Durrant, from Amelia's ward. We don't know that much about him, just that he has really great kids. Then Scott Erickson (Pres. Erickson's son) is one counselor and Mitch Gatherum's dad is the other. They were all bishops in our Stake. They are all pretty young! About Dad's age, I guess.
Poor Chester is most likely dead. The word on the street (from Preston Whitteker) is that animal control was scraping something white off the road in front of our driveway. He told Jacey at school while we were gone so she cried all day! Not sure how to break the news to Amelia. :o
Jacey LOVED the Canadian candy. That was a huge hit with her. She shows it to everyone and lets them try a little. Well, I wish you a very successful and happy week! Know your fam prays for you many times a day. During our family prayer tonight after Family Home, Dad was saying the prayer and when he started to pray for you he couldn't say anything for like 25 seconds. We love you and are so blessed to have you as our son. Forgive us for not writing last week. But did you start to get any of the post cards yet? :) I will send you a couple pics from the trip. Have a great week. Love, Mom
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| Here we are at the Sea of Galilee. It was awesome. |
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