With All Our Love

Dear Tanner,

How was your week? I'll be sending your SSN# and BYUid in a separate email. Let us know what else we can do to help. Hopefully you have some pictures of you and your new companion? I expect you'll tell us all about your wonderful training with Elder Costa?

The missionaries are still teaching Hunter's friend and his father. He wrote the sweetest note to the missionaries that he asked Hunter to pass along. "Thank you for sharing your faith and listening to mine as we all seek to better conform ourselves to our Lord...and if you haven't already been invited, please come over for Thanksgiving." And the best part? He signed the card, "Bro. Shiner."

This is the first year I've had seniors who have asked me to fill out the seminary teacher recommendation for their college application. Wish I could have done yours! "Hunter is a seminary teacher's dream student. He reads the lesson the night before and comes prepared to share and discuss. He tries to involve other less active students. He's extremely kind and considerate to the students and teacher. He loves the gospel, and sets the highest example to those around him. He studiously prepares to go on a mission, and truly LIVES the gospel in his day to day activities and in the choices he makes. Hunter understands gospel commitment, sacrifice, and integrity." Speaking of seniors, here is your beautiful cousin Kayla's senior picture: 

I heard from your former companion's mother, Sis. Carrell. She said, "You know what my Sunday night activity usually has been and it seems weird not to be writing that email! I wanted to let you know that Josh loved your son and was so happy to have him as a companion! He said he is an excellent missionary. I'm so glad they were able to serve together. It is wonderful having him home. He is so kind, loving and spiritual. The transition to home is hard, he really misses being in a Brazil and being a missionary. Each day has gotten a bit easier for him. He has yet to watch tv or listen to non religious music although he did get on FB a few minutes today and yesterday, but mostly it was to delete unsuitable people and to make connections with former missionaries and friends in a Brazil." (When I posted your pictures from last week, Elder Carrell helped his mother in identifying all the elders for me ;-)

We wrote a little note to Elder Carneiro, as we had his email address after he sent us a picture of you, and shared the one or two lines you wrote about him. He wrote back and said, "I so glad for working with Elder Schenewark, he is a good missionary and so smart also. I don't no writing in English language, but I just want be thank for him and for you. I hope see E.Schenewark again in the mission. Sorry through English, I'll learning more." 

And of course we've heard a lot from Breyer.;-) Your little sister continues to be such a joy in our lives. She keeps me running every day all day long. I don't know what I was expecting after six boys, but I don't think it was this. This week's adventures? She found more paint and was trying to paint Ranger's toenails pink. I get this. But then she painted his fur. He looks like a zebra as she put some silver stripes on his back. Then she ran and dripped paint all over the house while we were chasing her. Blue and silver. Most of it came out with the vacuum carpet cleaner. Make-up adventures? Sure! This week she found the clear nail polish and painted her stomach. So it would be sparkly. I stand corrected. Dad just came and told me she used lipstick on my toilet cover. Poor Ranger. His water bowl took another hit this week, this time with salt and pepper. I noticed them awry on the table, and would never have noticed if not for the many pepper flakes floating. And last, my favorite conversation of the week. After spending a little bit of time in her car seat, taking Cooper to physical therapy and back, she was done. "Mom, I need to scream." Breyer, we don't do that! "But I need to." Princesses don't scream. "I am not a princess."

Porter, Dad and Cooper traveled to Kansas City, MO Friday-Saturday for Porter's second stage Jeopardy try-out for teen Jeopardy. He spent many hours working with Sis. Parrish throughout this month, and while driving on the way, reading trivia cards. What an adventure! In the telling of their adventures, Porter found that the Willy Wonka contestants analogy worked best. Charlie was happy to be there, and his family was excited. Everyone else was cut-throat, and it was "all about the prize." Let's just say that in Kansas City there were a LOT of personalities. Some had parents who had been on Jeopardy, one on "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?", others who had siblings who had been on Jeopardy, and even more who had already been to this stage before. There were two brothers that Porter enjoyed. All but five were from private schools. Some families had flown out for the interview, at their own expense, and had arrived Monday! And the intimidation faces were on! Your Dad said that there were 30,000 individuals who tried the computer try-out. Out of those 30K, 260 teens were chosen to be retested, in four locations across the United States. There were only forty something in Kansas City, most in New York and L.A. Atlanta was the other host city. While Porter was competing, Dad had a few speeches given to him, mostly filled with stories of contestants whose on-line tests had been completed by parents, and when asked, the kids turned their parents in. Hence, the need for second stage testing, a fifty question paper-pen test on site. Porter knew of at least three he got wrong in that stage. In the Jeopardy buzz-in portion of the interview, they were standing up, holding a buzzer, and being filmed. They only had three questions in each category, 200, 400 and 600. He cleaned out the Africa category. One question he remembers was, What is the capital of Swaziland? Dad They will finish regional testing in January, and be contacted in February if they want him. Only fifteen will go on.

The rest of the week pales in comparison. Sawyer and Miller had basketball practices during the week, and games Saturday morning. Eight o'clock sharp Sawyer was running up and down the court, and I was wishing I had grabbed breakfast on the way out. Who makes those early morning Saturday schedules? That's my sleep-in day! And I don't mean sleep in, I mean to lay around for a little while since it's a no school or seminary day! Sawyer played well. He has a good coach, a few big boys, and they'll probably dominate his league, winning today 45-11. Miller's league changed the format for the younger boys, and Miller plays half court games, three-on-three. I'm not sure how I like it, but it definitely gets everybody playing all the time. Which is the point at this age. He's funny to watch. He's not a smooth operator yet. He chucks the ball up to the net, kind of like a baseball throw. But he dribbles well, and runs circles around the boys. He's much more comfortable on the floor, though as he knows so many more boys since he's started school.

Cooper had his last quiz bowl meet. His team finished 7-0, and he gives all the credit to his weekly cape. They're going on to the OVC tournament next month. Hunter and Porter had their first home meet this week. They won handily, and played together.

These are pictures of your grandparents. Due to a retirement, there were four Boston temple mission presidents together at one time. Next to your grandfather is Bob Woods, then Bruce Sorensen, then the current President Bowen. Don't they look great?

In the outside world, this week was the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg address. It is also the 50th anniversary of the death of President J.F. Kennedy, and the author C.S. Lewis.

There's a touching story I read this weekend about a Romanian pastor whom the Communists "tortured with red-hot iron pokers and with knives. He was beaten very badly. Then starving rats were driven into his cell. He could not sleep as if he rested the rats would attack him. He was forced to stand for two weeks night and day. The Communists wished to compel him to betray his brethren in the underground church but he resisted steadfastly. Finally they brought his fourteen year old son and began to whip the boy in front of his father, saying they would continue to beat him until the father said what they wished him to say. When he could stand it no longer, he cried to his son, "Alexander, I must say what they want! I can't bear your beating any more!" The son answered, "Father, don't do me the injustice to have a traitor as a parent. Withstand!" Heavenly Father asks us to do hard things! And sometimes we're not very old. You're not old yet, and are doing things that are hard, and away from your home and family. Withstand! Continue the faith. You've made us so proud.

We love you!

Mom and Dad