With All Our Love

Dear Tanner,

What a week! I've been excited all week to learn what your new area is like, how is your companion, are you living with another companionship, how's the ward, have you seen the President? __________

While we're awaiting your news, I've gathered a few tidbits to share with you:

I loved this quote from your companion Elder Bennett: "I've realized that some of my greatest heroes in my life are actually the elders and sisters that I serve with here in brazil. All my companions are my heroes, they're all such great examples to me in everything. After every transfer you take a little bit of everyone with you. I'm very thankful for the elders that the Lord selected just for me before this world ever began, and the great examples they have been to me."

A bit of exciting news from your other companion, Elder Cummings: "Yes, transfers are this week. I will stay here and get a missionary from Rio who just finished being trained, so I will be the senior companion!"

From Elder Beaudoin's parents upon learning of your split: "Thanks so much for sending all these pictures.  I guess the superheros were separated this week.  They must have been having too much fun together, so your son got to go to the big city now.  We'll keep following him on his blog, and I'm sure they will be lifelong friends after the great time they had serving together."

It’s also been a busy week in the news. Last week a giant tornado rated F5 tore through Moore, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City. It flattened well over 1,000 homes, and totally destroyed a hospital, middle school, two elementary schools, and many other businesses and buildings. 24 people died, including 7 children in one of the elementary schools. The tornado was 2 miles wide. Entire subdivisions are just gone. The mission office for the Oklahoma City mission is in Moore...the missionaries are safe and helping in the cleanup effort.

Also last week, the Boy Scouts of America held their vote on whether or not to allow gay Scouts and leaders. "Today, following this review, the most comprehensive listening exercise in Scouting’s history the approximate 1,400 voting members of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Council approved a resolution to remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone. The resolution also reinforces that Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting. A change to the current membership policy for adult leaders was not under consideration; thus, the policy for adults remains in place. The BSA thanks all the national voting members who participated in this process and vote."

Finally, this week,  "The Church transferred 110 missionaries from its Missionary Training Center in Provo to converted student apartments a mile away, where they were joined Wednesday by the first 40 missionaries to report directly from home to the temporary facilities. The temporary extension site is necessary to relieve pressure on the MTC as unprecedented numbers of young members enter the mission field. By fall, the church expects the number of missionaries serving worldwide will have jumped 47 percent in one year. In recent years, the number of missionaries has been increasing about 6 percent annually. "We estimate more than 85,000 full-time missionaries serving by Fall 2013," church spokeswoman Ruth Todd told the Deseret News on Wednesday. The church had 58,000 missionaries last October, when church President Thomas S. Monson's announced the minimum age for full-time missionary service would be 18 for LDS young men and 19 for women. The most missionaries the church has had at the end of any year, which is the number it reports annually, was 61,638 at the end of 2002. That record was surpassed sometime early this year. On Wednesday, Todd said the church now has 68,700 full-time missionaries. More than 22,500 additional men and women have received their mission calls but are not yet in the MTC. Another 6,200 have begun the process to obtain mission calls."

In our little portion of the world we completed our first official full week of summer. We began this week by celebrating Memorial Day at the Spring Hill Cemetery. This is the cemetery in Huntington, WV where the Marshall University plane crash victims are memorialized. We went in the morning and participated with other scouts in placing flags on the graves of war veterans. We specifically got to do the gravesites for the Union Civil War soldiers, and spent time wandering through the cemetery looking for other veterans on which to place our flags we had been given. The favorite name was found by Hunter, Albert Einstein Davis. We've all decided this is a must do activity next year, and might even consider using it for Cooper's eagle scout project - holding fundraisers to purchase flags for cemeteries, and providing volunteers to place them. And we will be posting more pictures for next week's perusal ;-)

After a quick lunch, wherein Cooper repeated his too-much-in-the-gut performance and ran to the bathroom, the Bachs were on the road, and arrived home very early Tuesday morning. They spent more time in their car driving to and fro than they did at our house! 

Tuesday Sawyer had his first appointment with a neurosurgeon. We agreed to wait and do nothing for six months to see if the size changes, or if his symptoms become worse, and rescan. We took advantage of Bro. Bach being here, and Sawyer received a priesthood blessing from Dad.

This week we had five baseball games and two practices. Honestly, by the end of the week they kind of all blur together. But I do remember Miller had two "earn the game ball" moments, my favorite being when he threw the ball from center field to home and got the runner out. Cooper tweaked his pitching, while pitching, and went from mediocre to strike-outs, six in a row from the mound. The practices were for Porter whose baseball season is beginning again. And Sawyer hit a line drive over first, and earned his first in-the-park homerun. 

Cooper began summer with a bang, and was sleeping in the tent every night. He's missed a few days due to passing thunderstorms...but one night no one else was interested in tenting, so I asked him to take Ranger for the night. He was less than enthusiastic, afraid that the tent would quickly fill with dog breath. But Dad woke up in the morning and caught the tent buddies in action with the camera. Cooper was also asked to take care of a few cats for a week or so while the owners are at the beach. He's very faithful about remembering to go, which is better than I have been.

Miller made me smile at lunch this week. He had been rollerblading outside and skated up to the table when called for house. When he found out he was being served macaroni and cheese, he said, "This is the life!" Too funny! And today, after receiving a few M&Ms from Larry, accidentally dropped a few on the ground. This didn't bother him, as he brushed them off and popped them in his mouth until he realized there might have been an ant or two still attached, and spit them all over Larry's granddaughter. She was not very happy, and thought he was "disgusting!" In his defense, he was reacting, and not thinking ;-)

And Sawyer came through, while speaking with Dad about not needing any exercise. "Dad, I'm like two Flat Stanleys! There's nothing here!"

Dad and I had to help at a funeral Saturday. It was also the day Hunter took the SAT for the first time, in awe at how much harder it was compared to the ACT. I went straight to Sawyer and Cooper's game, dressed in black, and finally came home five hours later! Remind me never to be dropped off, without a phone, all while having to wait two hours for the prior game to finish, keep the book in a dugout full of ten boys, endure two lightning delays, wearing heels and polyester. The good thing that came out of that long game was Dad preparing food and then serving the missionaries for dinner, so I came home and got to eat - quietly! And then did six haircuts. I thought this photo of the Dad you love would make you smile. He has lots of hair!

We just came home from seminary graduation. Only one senior this year from our ward. Hunter and Porter earned the rigorous stake president's award, and I officially have one year under my belt. I have the month of June off, and then begin again in July.

Breyer says hello. I told her I was going to take a picture of her for you...she was very interested in how that was happening. Anyway, while reading in the conference edition of the Ensign I loved this thought because it helped me remember you. Elder Cardon said that, ""Preach My Gospel speaks of the difficulty in overcoming addictive behavior and encourages priesthood leaders and members to “not be shocked or discouraged” if investigators or new members continue to struggle with such problems. Rather, we are counseled to “show confidence in the individual and not be judgmental … [treating] it as a temporary and understandable setback.” The Lord looks upon the light we have received, the desires of our hearts, and our actions, and when we repent and seek His forgiveness, He forgives. As we consider our own lives and the lives of our loved ones and acquaintances, we should be equally willing to forgive ourselves and others." Hopefully this will help when you're discouraged about folks not able to get up for church. But you're teaching the younger generation a new pattern to their lives, and they will be blessed. You've even taught your parents a thing or two that has blessed our lives ;-) Have a wonderful week! Know that we love you dearly - still.

Love, Mom and Dad