With All Our Love

Dear Tanner,

Our internet is down, and does not look like the repairman will be coming until Friday, so I’m typing this on a word document that your father will help me then send. Sometimes in small ways I’ve become so dependent on technology, your letter, for instance, and am in a bind when it doesn’t work!

So I can’t look up your last week’s letter, but I seem to remember your closing with a question: Who are you going to baptize?”

So let me begin by answering. He’s a ten year old boy that’s friends with Sawyer. His mother has been in my cub scout group for three years, we’re beginning our fourth. She called me up this week and told me she is a member of our church. She wanted to know how to come back to church, where the church met, and how she could get her son taught. I about died on the phone. In a good way. Apparently last year, when we were working on our religious requirements for the Bear rank, I had a father that’s working on his theology degree speak, and when he was listing off a bunch of religions, I said, “That’s me!” to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons. I have no recollection of this, but she tucked that little thought away until she was ready. So her son will be joining the church, and will have Sawyer and Ethan Israelsen ready to assist him in those endeavors. Perhaps her husband will even listen as well. We’ll be sure to have them over for family home evening. She came today like she said she would, and arranged to have her son taught by the missionaries. Her father has come down from Teays Valley and done all our wood projects, and last week’s auto maintenance requirements. I love him! I’m so happy to hear he’s an active member of his ward, and has been telling her to talk to me for a long time.

The missionaries told us that tracting 1000 individuals might produce 1 baptism. Visiting 68 referrals also brings 1 baptism, so I’ve decided that I’ll provide the missionaries with 68 names, and hopefully they’ll get a baptism. .... But I have given them 29 names, so I’m almost halfway there!

Greg had some interesting thoughts on what he’s eating: “Dogs, rice and chicken every day and what makes it all worth it (although the rice and chicken are pretty good) – a flood of gospel doctrine. I love the amount of opportunities that we have to learn.”

Naomi once again made me laugh. Your dad and I read an article that talked about a study where participants lowered their blood pressure by seven points with hour-long laugh sessions every other week. That could add up to a fifteen percent reduced risk of death from heart disease or stroke! Not that you need to worry about that, but I was reminded of the study when reading your cousin’s letter. She said, “We actually went and did some touring at some old hospital called Hotel Dieu. It was pretty cool, but I was just itching to contact people inside of there. I’m not really into the tours of old things. Show me the castle, show me the moat, let me try on a suit of armor and have a sword fight!” (So unlike your father!) She also said, “We had a lunch with a wood nymph named Nelly. She’s not really a wood nymph but she sure looks like one! She is a super spiritual bus driver!” And I saw the picture. I wouldn’t have thought of her as a wood nymph, but once Naomi described her as such, the description fits!

There is a website created by mission doctors that has good information for missionaries. It is at www.Missionarymedicine.com. One of the reasons they allowed missionaries to email missionary friends in other missions is that communication is very important in helping missionaries cope with depression, anxiety and stress. Have you heard about this website? I would preview it first but I have no internet!

Our home teacher came over tonight in his car he created as a replica of the Barney Fife car for the town of Mayberry. The old Andy Griffith show. Dad thought it looked like Grampy’s police car, so we took a picture, and then found one of Grampy, August 1964. It’s pretty close!

Speaking of Grampy, his doctor is trying to put him on a pill developed by Pfizer that has a high cure rate for his type of cancer. She’s waiting for approval from his insurance company. I told him to stuff that. He’ll take the pill with or without approval. I said we’d all buy a pill, and buy a pill again, to get him on that medicine. Maybe Uncle Rich has some strings to pull that would get him the medicine no matter what the insurance company says. I’m still waiting to hear from Uncle Rich about his other medicine that is still in trials and reduces spleen size. It would be good to get Grampy on that as well.

Dad found an article that described the world’s ugliest fish, and it’s actually an endangered species. We so thought you needed to see this fish, also one of Heavenly Father’s creations ;-)

Hunter’s golf match this week was at Gallipolis. He placed third overall with his 43. The season is quickly wrapping up, and the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is this week at Shawnee State. Dad and Hunter went their Saturday, and Hunter played 18 holes in preparation for Tuesday. He would really love for his school to win! Dad even took notes and pictures on each hole to help him remember.

Cooper so enjoyed your comments on the squid he made, he was inspired to make more! He created an eight banded armadillo (no room for the ninth), a probiscus monkey, and a spider. He actually told me because of his sewing he’s thinking about doing something for children in a children’s hospital for his eagle scout project. He also has a cemetery / flag fundraising idea for his project as well. He just had his board of review for star rank, and can begin officially working on it in six months.

Your two youngest brothers, Sawyer and Miller, played soccer during the week at their practices, and again at their games on Saturday. You would enjoy watching them both play. They hustle, they trick and turn, steal, stop and slide. Sawyer scored 3 out of 4 goals, and one when he was on defense, to rest. He saw a clear shot all the way down the field and went on a run. Miller scored the only goal when he ran his Miller special, which is to kick the opening kick, and barrel straight through for the goal. It only works once in the game, but he’s been very successful making goals on the first kick-off.

Porter and Cooper have been gradually improving their running scores. It’s amazing how that can happen when you don’t have knee pain or asthma to deal with! But they both thoroughly enjoy the social aspects of the cross country team, especially the weekly dinner, of which they only let me bring cinnamon rolls! And there’s never enough, and they go fast and first!

Ranger continues to defy all odds and is aging in reverse. He’s growing hair where he never did before, has increased his speed in the dash out the door, and has built up his testosterone levels so his bark is even more fierce than before!

Aunt Shirley is coming to Ohio next week for Uncle David’s ship reunion, and I was so tempted to make the drive! Although she found out her cousin is able to attend, I still was going to visit, until the budget decided otherwise. Seven hours of gas is just a bit too much. How sad to have family so close and be unable to go!

Your father was finally approved to be an assistant football for Fairland high school by the school board. So he went to a few practices this week, and traveled on the bus to his first away game. They lost. He did say he enjoyed being back on the side lines, had a good chat with the head coach on the way home. 

Well, that’s the weekly wrap up! We love you. We’re looking forward to your letter, and hope that you’re well, feel loved, and happy.

Love,

Mom and Dad