Saturday, September 30, 2017
Friday, September 29, 2017
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Homecoming Parade
Cooper walking with the tennis team
Sawyer walking with the 8th grade football team
(purple #83)
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Showered with Love
Baby shower for Schenewark #1
Although we couldn't be there in person,
our gift made it!
Monday, September 25, 2017
Letter #7
Harro family, friends, Jordan Webster and Girlfriend person,
I didn´t bring the book that has new emails so I´m guessing. Also if you're reading this and have no idea who I am, email me, let´s be friends.
So, Mom, you stole my theme but I´m still bouncing with it
A WEEK OF FIRSTS
The First First
Yes, I got a new companion but he´s not my first
Second First: The Great Car Crash
This one, wow. It´s a known fact that Brazilian women are pretty free and easy with the way they dress (many stories to come I´m sure). What you may not know is that Brazilian men love to look at said Brazilian women on the street. So there´s this woman, walking down the street, and this man on a motercycle. Said man is watching said woman. While driving. For a while. He ends up almost completely turned around to be able to see this woman. Doesn´t see the Onibus. Hits the Onibus. Not a pretty sight.
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Alma 39:9 "Now my son, I would that ye should repent and forsake your sins, and go no more after the lusts of your eyes, but cross yourself in all these things; for except ye do this ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."
g
Ye will only inherit the back of an onibus
Lesson learned
THE THIRD FIRST
This one´s a big one. This is the first one. Been drinking a lot of juice, rice and beans yeah yeah. First meal, at a member´s house. I look down. Chicken spine, full spine, right in the middle of my plate. Later that week, we´re back in her house. Pigs feet. I think she´s just out to test my limits. Downed them both easy. Iron stomach. What really killed though was her beans. She doesn't serve whole beans. She purees them. A lot. Bean juice. As if beans didn't come out easy enough.
"Eat your fiber, fiber, fiber" -Priscilla Hutchins
and that leads tooooo
FIRST THE FOURTH
Those who have any respect for hygiene may wish to skip ahead. FIRST WEEK WITHOUT TOILET PAPER. This one was rough. I have suffered though weeks at scout camps, countless nights in the woods. This is worse. And isn't stopping anytime soon. Apparently we´re in a no flush zone, don´t flush toilet paper, throw it in the garbage. Still gross. Everyone takes that to mean, No Wipe Zone. I promise, I find a way. It´s hard, but I find a way. However, I don´t know what I´ll do when then ever foreboding Montezuma´s Revenge arrives.
First #5
First time being sprayed down with a water hose by a random woman on the side of the street. At least it was some decent water pressure though.
Sixth First
First time I saw a dog fly
There was this dog. More of a rat really. Just the mangiest, most annoying, most disgusting, loudest piece of trash on a string you've ever seen. Never have I wanted so bad to just be rid of an animal. Apparently the owner felt the same. Owner walks on kitchen, dog follows, yapping its tiny little garbage disposal of a mouth. *YELP* Dog, followed briefly by foot, makes a glorious but brief Wright brother´s style flight out of the kitchen, across the living room, out the front door, into Kitty Hawk and the history books.
We go to our celebrity judge, Nastia Lukin
"Thank you Elder, yeah it would seem our contestant did in fact NOT stick the landing"
I know I shouldn't have found it funny but I just kept thinking about the song from Dumbo
"Did you ever see an elephant fly
Well I seen a horse fly
I seen a dragon fly
I seen a house fly"
And now I've seen a dog fly
Numma the Seventh First (This one´s for you Dad)
Lady in our ward, fantastic lady, love her, does so much.
She can´t control her left hand from the shoulder down. Probably the after effect of a stroke. But she doesn't let that stop her from using it. Oh no. If you, or her neighbor in this case, are sitting on her left side, look out. She wants to put her hand on your thigh, she slings it into your thigh. She wants to put her hand on your shoulder...."It´s the bottom of the ninth, Bobby Thompson is being removed from the line-up, pinch hitter Katiana Ribeiro steps up to the plate. The pitch.....
There's a long drive ... it's gonna be, I believe ... The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! Katiana Ribeiro hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant and they're going crazy! They're going crazy!
Instant concussion
And the final First,
First time solo-ing in Church. Twice
I´m not a great singer, I know this, chances are you know this. Two times, I´m asked to lead the music. Of course I say yes. I go up, get ready, Sister Cataracs starts playing on the piano. I wave my arm, start singing, nobody joins. That´s alright, sometimes it takes a minute for people to join. Right about the end of the first verse, I kinda realize, yeah, nobody is joining in. And this isn't a "I can´t hear anyone because I´m nervous and facing the other way." This is a "nobody has even bothered opening the book" moment. Two songs, four verses each. The second one was the Spirit of God. Yah
If A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief is chosen next week.........
I dare them
That´s about it. Everything else has just kinda been going. But it´s all good stuff. This is just the stuff I have time for.
Last thoughts, turns out I don´t have a camera cord. Am on the lookout. Sorry. I need addresses sent to me, I have a stack of letters with only names here. This is going to be my normal time emailing now. Sorry for the longness of the letter. If you don´t have time to read it all, that´s alright, I forgive you.
Weekly scripture, Alma 17:13
And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.
This is a great work, I know this and I have been able to see this, even it it has only been a week. The light of Christ is bright but it needs to be shared.
Go forth and share
Love you all,
Elder Skid Marks
I didn´t bring the book that has new emails so I´m guessing. Also if you're reading this and have no idea who I am, email me, let´s be friends.
So, Mom, you stole my theme but I´m still bouncing with it
A WEEK OF FIRSTS
The First First
Yes, I got a new companion but he´s not my first
Second First: The Great Car Crash
This one, wow. It´s a known fact that Brazilian women are pretty free and easy with the way they dress (many stories to come I´m sure). What you may not know is that Brazilian men love to look at said Brazilian women on the street. So there´s this woman, walking down the street, and this man on a motercycle. Said man is watching said woman. While driving. For a while. He ends up almost completely turned around to be able to see this woman. Doesn´t see the Onibus. Hits the Onibus. Not a pretty sight.
g
Ye will only inherit the back of an onibus
Lesson learned
THE THIRD FIRST
This one´s a big one. This is the first one. Been drinking a lot of juice, rice and beans yeah yeah. First meal, at a member´s house. I look down. Chicken spine, full spine, right in the middle of my plate. Later that week, we´re back in her house. Pigs feet. I think she´s just out to test my limits. Downed them both easy. Iron stomach. What really killed though was her beans. She doesn't serve whole beans. She purees them. A lot. Bean juice. As if beans didn't come out easy enough.
"Eat your fiber, fiber, fiber" -Priscilla Hutchins
and that leads tooooo
FIRST THE FOURTH
Those who have any respect for hygiene may wish to skip ahead. FIRST WEEK WITHOUT TOILET PAPER. This one was rough. I have suffered though weeks at scout camps, countless nights in the woods. This is worse. And isn't stopping anytime soon. Apparently we´re in a no flush zone, don´t flush toilet paper, throw it in the garbage. Still gross. Everyone takes that to mean, No Wipe Zone. I promise, I find a way. It´s hard, but I find a way. However, I don´t know what I´ll do when then ever foreboding Montezuma´s Revenge arrives.
First #5
First time being sprayed down with a water hose by a random woman on the side of the street. At least it was some decent water pressure though.
Sixth First
First time I saw a dog fly
There was this dog. More of a rat really. Just the mangiest, most annoying, most disgusting, loudest piece of trash on a string you've ever seen. Never have I wanted so bad to just be rid of an animal. Apparently the owner felt the same. Owner walks on kitchen, dog follows, yapping its tiny little garbage disposal of a mouth. *YELP* Dog, followed briefly by foot, makes a glorious but brief Wright brother´s style flight out of the kitchen, across the living room, out the front door, into Kitty Hawk and the history books.
We go to our celebrity judge, Nastia Lukin
"Thank you Elder, yeah it would seem our contestant did in fact NOT stick the landing"
I know I shouldn't have found it funny but I just kept thinking about the song from Dumbo
"Did you ever see an elephant fly
Well I seen a horse fly
I seen a dragon fly
I seen a house fly"
And now I've seen a dog fly
Numma the Seventh First (This one´s for you Dad)
Lady in our ward, fantastic lady, love her, does so much.
She can´t control her left hand from the shoulder down. Probably the after effect of a stroke. But she doesn't let that stop her from using it. Oh no. If you, or her neighbor in this case, are sitting on her left side, look out. She wants to put her hand on your thigh, she slings it into your thigh. She wants to put her hand on your shoulder...."It´s the bottom of the ninth, Bobby Thompson is being removed from the line-up, pinch hitter Katiana Ribeiro steps up to the plate. The pitch.....
There's a long drive ... it's gonna be, I believe ... The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! Katiana Ribeiro hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant and they're going crazy! They're going crazy!
Instant concussion
And the final First,
First time solo-ing in Church. Twice
I´m not a great singer, I know this, chances are you know this. Two times, I´m asked to lead the music. Of course I say yes. I go up, get ready, Sister Cataracs starts playing on the piano. I wave my arm, start singing, nobody joins. That´s alright, sometimes it takes a minute for people to join. Right about the end of the first verse, I kinda realize, yeah, nobody is joining in. And this isn't a "I can´t hear anyone because I´m nervous and facing the other way." This is a "nobody has even bothered opening the book" moment. Two songs, four verses each. The second one was the Spirit of God. Yah
If A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief is chosen next week.........
I dare them
That´s about it. Everything else has just kinda been going. But it´s all good stuff. This is just the stuff I have time for.
Last thoughts, turns out I don´t have a camera cord. Am on the lookout. Sorry. I need addresses sent to me, I have a stack of letters with only names here. This is going to be my normal time emailing now. Sorry for the longness of the letter. If you don´t have time to read it all, that´s alright, I forgive you.
Weekly scripture, Alma 17:13
And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.
This is a great work, I know this and I have been able to see this, even it it has only been a week. The light of Christ is bright but it needs to be shared.
Go forth and share
Love you all,
Elder Skid Marks
Sunday, September 24, 2017
With All My Love
Dear Elder Schenewark,
Your letter was just wonderful. I was saddened by the cruel incidents. It's never fun. Being strong is tough, but it can still hurt. My favorite part of your letter was by far this: "Elder Webster and I were able to talk with a man who very clearly needed the gospel, and very clearly wanted it. The Holy Ghost was standing there, I can say without a doubt, looking over us and helping us help this man." That's what your mission is all about. Doctrine and Covenants 107:18-19 states, "The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church—To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them...and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus." As missionaries you need this power. And that you have experienced it brings me great joy.
Cooper came home last Sunday night from Houston, weary, kind of dirty, carrying a trash bag of shoes and clothes that he put in the trash. And he had hours of homework left to do. I went to bed at midnight, and he wasn't done. But I know the efforts he extended on behalf of others will make up for any shortcomings he may have playing catch up.
His weekly tennis match was at an away location, so we missed out seeing his net smashes.
I happened to hear on the radio that Fort Worth stockyard had a first of sort with a bull big enough to be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records, because of his 101 inch rack. First time such a length has been recorded.
I had a first of sort, in a more unpleasant manner. Three fatalities in one shift. Makes coming home all the more sweeter.
For BYU a first ever is that they began selling caffeinated soft drinks this week on campus.
Another first for me were literal ants in the pants. Two times this week I've taken pants out of my closet, lower right side, and had my pants covered in ants. It's been unseasonably warm these last two weeks, and we haven't had rain for over a month. Needless to say, I'll be addressing this itchy issue on my days off. Sawyer helped by spraying the outside of the house.
You were my first and only baby born two weeks early, precipitated by a snowstorm high pressure moving in. You were my first C-section. I could go on. You are unique.
It says in the Doctrine and Covenants 136:4, "And this shall be our covenant - that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord." Your walk is and will be unique. As you journey through your mission in Brazil, walk in all the ordinances of the Lord.
This week the weather was the main story, with Hurricane Maria, and the earthquake in Mexico. All missionaries in Puerto Rico and neighboring islands were evacuated to the United States due to power outages and short supplies of food and water. Stephen Welch, in Mexico, was incommunicado for two days. "As of yet, we haven't heard from him, and pray he is safe." He's fine. The church also is engaged in relief efforts in Sierra Leone after a recent mudslide, in Texas after Hurricane Harvey, and in Montana due to wildfires.
Your siblings are home tomorrow, a teacher work day. We have a busy day planned, but not with the kinds of activities that kids home from school want to do. Ortho appointments, piano lessons, hair cuts, picking up book cases, unloading firewood, food shopping, Eagle scout visits to the home improvement stores. That kind of stuff. Kind of a preparation day for the week. Enjoy your first one in your new area. We look forward to hearing about your new companion, your new area, your traveling adventures, your remaining MTC heroics. Anything from you is wonderful.
Have a wonderful week, and know of our love for you.
Come Home To Me.
Love,
Mom
Your letter was just wonderful. I was saddened by the cruel incidents. It's never fun. Being strong is tough, but it can still hurt. My favorite part of your letter was by far this: "Elder Webster and I were able to talk with a man who very clearly needed the gospel, and very clearly wanted it. The Holy Ghost was standing there, I can say without a doubt, looking over us and helping us help this man." That's what your mission is all about. Doctrine and Covenants 107:18-19 states, "The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church—To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them...and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus." As missionaries you need this power. And that you have experienced it brings me great joy.
Your cousin, back on his Vietmanese speaking Minnesota mission
Cooper came home last Sunday night from Houston, weary, kind of dirty, carrying a trash bag of shoes and clothes that he put in the trash. And he had hours of homework left to do. I went to bed at midnight, and he wasn't done. But I know the efforts he extended on behalf of others will make up for any shortcomings he may have playing catch up.
His weekly tennis match was at an away location, so we missed out seeing his net smashes.
Hunter with Rebecca and Emily
Sawyer had his first home football game Tuesday. There are three teams, A, B and C. He asked to be on the C team as he's never played football before. This was the second game of the season, and he got in four times. He had a 15 yard pass for an 80 yard run for a touch down. Needless to say I was one excited mother in the stands. He had the kick off at the beginning of the game. It was long, just a bit low, which is normal for a middle school kid. He also came in after the touch down, and squib kicked the ball beautifully, and had a tackle on the ball carrier. He was psyched. I'm happy for him. He knows this is the only year he'll even try to play, due to his brain cysts, but by this game's standards, it will be a great year.
Hannah, Greg and Uncle Rich having an adventure!
I was thinking of your first week in the mission. The first time you met your President. The first time you met your companion. The first time you went to your new area, saw your new living quarters, and conditions. It's been a week of firsts for you.
I happened to hear on the radio that Fort Worth stockyard had a first of sort with a bull big enough to be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records, because of his 101 inch rack. First time such a length has been recorded.
I had a first of sort, in a more unpleasant manner. Three fatalities in one shift. Makes coming home all the more sweeter.
For BYU a first ever is that they began selling caffeinated soft drinks this week on campus.
Another first for me were literal ants in the pants. Two times this week I've taken pants out of my closet, lower right side, and had my pants covered in ants. It's been unseasonably warm these last two weeks, and we haven't had rain for over a month. Needless to say, I'll be addressing this itchy issue on my days off. Sawyer helped by spraying the outside of the house.
You were my first and only baby born two weeks early, precipitated by a snowstorm high pressure moving in. You were my first C-section. I could go on. You are unique.
It says in the Doctrine and Covenants 136:4, "And this shall be our covenant - that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord." Your walk is and will be unique. As you journey through your mission in Brazil, walk in all the ordinances of the Lord.
This week the weather was the main story, with Hurricane Maria, and the earthquake in Mexico. All missionaries in Puerto Rico and neighboring islands were evacuated to the United States due to power outages and short supplies of food and water. Stephen Welch, in Mexico, was incommunicado for two days. "As of yet, we haven't heard from him, and pray he is safe." He's fine. The church also is engaged in relief efforts in Sierra Leone after a recent mudslide, in Texas after Hurricane Harvey, and in Montana due to wildfires.
Your siblings are home tomorrow, a teacher work day. We have a busy day planned, but not with the kinds of activities that kids home from school want to do. Ortho appointments, piano lessons, hair cuts, picking up book cases, unloading firewood, food shopping, Eagle scout visits to the home improvement stores. That kind of stuff. Kind of a preparation day for the week. Enjoy your first one in your new area. We look forward to hearing about your new companion, your new area, your traveling adventures, your remaining MTC heroics. Anything from you is wonderful.
Have a wonderful week, and know of our love for you.
Come Home To Me.
Love,
Mom
Friday, September 22, 2017
Rio de Janeiro to Campinas
Hello,
I won't be able to email until next Monday, but I do need to let yous guys know that I've arrived in the field, safe and sound. My companion is Elder Santos, I'll meet him tonight. I'm getting tossed right in, first area is hitting the favelas. Should be fun. And awesome. Love you all, talk to you in just under a week.
Love,
Elder Sketchy Area
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
College Correspondent
Coming to you one day late,
Uncle Aaron was at the BYU game. He chose the wrong year to attend. It was nevertheless nice to see Anna and him there. I do hope he appreciates my leniency. He came in not once, but twice before we officially let people in. To put that into perspective, and how seriously I take my gatekeeping responsibilities, later this guy with his family comes over. He asks to go in, as he is needed at the media tent.
"Okay, where's your pass?"
"We weren't given any." (Then shows me their tickets,)
"We start taking tickets at 12."
"You don't understand, I am Luke Staley."
"Nice to meet you." (If I had really been quick, I would have said, "I am Groot!")
"I need to go in, they're retiring my number today!"
Of course, once that card is played, its out of my league. He went by with his family. And I admittedly felt bad for not knowing who he was, nor that he was being honored this game.
I recieved my calling: Family History Specialist! Never will a YSA have done so much family history after this...........
I went again to the temple Friday, but am now committed to bringing family names from here on out. Tanner and AnneMarie then came over where we three along with a ward friend shared an apple pie.
We spent Sunday evening with the fam, TanMarie taking me over to Uncle Ben and Aunt Joy's where we feasted on delicious pasta and then played sushi-go. Not seeing dessert, Uncle Aaron impressively whipped up some delicious chocolate chip cookies.
Not in the highlight reel: this week, I was rejected for a date. Surprised, I nevertheless decided to put into action my own field of dreams and acquired tickets for BYU's "Instrumental Showcase" next Tuesday, the 26th. If you have tickets, a date will come.
My job at GPS Capital Markets started on Wednesday, and I took the train up Wednesday and Friday for half-day training. So far, I've learned way more than I could have imagined, even receiving a nice econ refresher. Today started the carpool for me, so it was a full day, us leaving at 6:30 and returning at 4:00. We had the areas of Georgia, North Carolina, and Chicago to choose from. The other two interns flipped a coin for Chicago, but for me I was set on N. Carolina. Wednesday we start our work, and I am excited!
After returning, I called Mom, who after hearing my plans for the rest of the night, urged me to go to FHE. I did not want to. I was looking forward to a workout, then a relaxing evening. I headed to BYU for this purpose; I practiced playing the organ, but on my way to the gym, felt compelled to turn around and go to FHE. Its so easy to leave behind lessons learned on the mission. It was easier then to be obedient, as I was 100% committed. Knowing that that is what brings miracles, I figured being obedient, and 100% committed now will also bring miracles. So, it was off to FHE. And I think my biceps grew a little just for that sacrifice. But if they didn't, thats ok too. Of course it helps to remember that David Bednar met his wife at FHE at BYU. (And talking about Apostle courtship trivia, do you know which one married a cougarette?)
Love ya,
Hunter Schenewark
Uncle Aaron was at the BYU game. He chose the wrong year to attend. It was nevertheless nice to see Anna and him there. I do hope he appreciates my leniency. He came in not once, but twice before we officially let people in. To put that into perspective, and how seriously I take my gatekeeping responsibilities, later this guy with his family comes over. He asks to go in, as he is needed at the media tent.
"Okay, where's your pass?"
"We weren't given any." (Then shows me their tickets,)
"We start taking tickets at 12."
"You don't understand, I am Luke Staley."
"Nice to meet you." (If I had really been quick, I would have said, "I am Groot!")
"I need to go in, they're retiring my number today!"
Of course, once that card is played, its out of my league. He went by with his family. And I admittedly felt bad for not knowing who he was, nor that he was being honored this game.
I recieved my calling: Family History Specialist! Never will a YSA have done so much family history after this...........
I went again to the temple Friday, but am now committed to bringing family names from here on out. Tanner and AnneMarie then came over where we three along with a ward friend shared an apple pie.
We spent Sunday evening with the fam, TanMarie taking me over to Uncle Ben and Aunt Joy's where we feasted on delicious pasta and then played sushi-go. Not seeing dessert, Uncle Aaron impressively whipped up some delicious chocolate chip cookies.
Not in the highlight reel: this week, I was rejected for a date. Surprised, I nevertheless decided to put into action my own field of dreams and acquired tickets for BYU's "Instrumental Showcase" next Tuesday, the 26th. If you have tickets, a date will come.
My job at GPS Capital Markets started on Wednesday, and I took the train up Wednesday and Friday for half-day training. So far, I've learned way more than I could have imagined, even receiving a nice econ refresher. Today started the carpool for me, so it was a full day, us leaving at 6:30 and returning at 4:00. We had the areas of Georgia, North Carolina, and Chicago to choose from. The other two interns flipped a coin for Chicago, but for me I was set on N. Carolina. Wednesday we start our work, and I am excited!
After returning, I called Mom, who after hearing my plans for the rest of the night, urged me to go to FHE. I did not want to. I was looking forward to a workout, then a relaxing evening. I headed to BYU for this purpose; I practiced playing the organ, but on my way to the gym, felt compelled to turn around and go to FHE. Its so easy to leave behind lessons learned on the mission. It was easier then to be obedient, as I was 100% committed. Knowing that that is what brings miracles, I figured being obedient, and 100% committed now will also bring miracles. So, it was off to FHE. And I think my biceps grew a little just for that sacrifice. But if they didn't, thats ok too. Of course it helps to remember that David Bednar met his wife at FHE at BYU. (And talking about Apostle courtship trivia, do you know which one married a cougarette?)
Love ya,
Hunter Schenewark
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Monday, September 18, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Mormon Helping Hands
Cooper left early Saturday morning for Sour Lake,
a residential community in Houston,
for flood debris removal.
Wall boards, carpet, pads, furniture, appliances...
President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, visited with government officials and ministered to local Mormons and residents in the Caribbean Friday, September 15, 2017, in the wake of destructive Hurricane Irma, which battered the islands a week ago
Sunday morning church services
Workers from the New York Fire Department joined his group
DESERET NEWS Sept. 9-10 marked the beginning of the anticipated influx of Church volunteers to Houston from areas not affected by flooding. Hurricane Harvey, possibly the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history, had a large impact on much of the Texas Gulf Coast.
Harvey actually created two floods for many residents. The torrential rain inundated many homes with up to 50 inches falling in a three to four-day time span. Shortly after, the massive amounts of runoff flowing into area rivers and reservoirs caused even more damage as they overflowed their banks.
The Church structure, however, allows quick response on the part of local units. According to Elder J. Devn Cornish, a General Authority Seventy on the scene, “By the time headquarters could make contact with people, they were well into the process of ministering and rescuing and recovering.”
Over the weekend of Sept. 9-10, large scale recovery efforts organized by stakes in Austin and Dallas headed to Houston. Additionally, stakes from San Antonio went to Corpus Christi and others from Southern Louisiana traveled to the Beaumont area.
Approximately 1,300 volunteers came from 5 stakes in Austin and an additional 2,300 came from the Dallas area to work in Houston. These combined with the local Houston area members already engaged in clean-up work totaled approximately 10,000 Mormon Helping Hands volunteers in service in one weekend. Houston Church members have been working continuously to alleviate local needs since the flood took place.
The City of Houston is no stranger to the work of Mormon Helping Hands. In 2015, Church members rendered such valuable service to the community that then-mayor Annise Parker proclaimed June 24 as Mormon Helping Hands Day in the City of Houston.
Typically, out-of-town volunteers leave their homes early Saturday morning and upon arrival immediately go to work for the remainder of the day. They eat, sleep, have a brief sacrament meeting Sunday morning in their work clothes, go back to work and later in the afternoon return to their homes.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Letter #6
Hello, my beautiful wonderful glorious family and friends,
Why, you may be wondering am I this excited? Because stuff happened. Stuff went down in Brazil this week.
The most recent first
1- Baptizing in a bathtub
It´s no secret that Brazilians are rather small people. I am a rather large person. Went to baptize a fellow elder in the temple this week, Elder Johnson hi, who is 6´6´´. How´d it go down? Rough. We walk in. The water is literally scraping our knee caps. Instead of the normal dunking, it ended up being something along the lines of, he lays down horizontal, I push his body down under the water, and then have to drag him out. The font was also stainless steel which led to some slipping around. The font in the Sao Paulo temple is probably the prettiest I've seen.
2- Pineapples
Everyone who I have any sort of inside joke with, somehow it ends up being about a pineapple. The district thought they would be funny this week, and stole the pineapple that I took from lunch. Why am I so angry, it´s just pineapple? Don´t say that until you´ve had Brazilian pineapple. I´m now on a one on one loving revenge game with the instigator. Love you Elder Clifford.
3- Lula Molusca
Another well known fact, I don´t have cartalage in my nose. This coupled with the natives love for Spongebob, or Bob Sponja as he´s known here, led to my teacher giving my the nickname Lula Malusca, which means squidward. Now, that´s all he calls me. He thinks it´s hilarious, the district laughs, I´m too busy learning to care.
4- Jehovah´s Witness
Little gross but it happened. Apparently the Jehovah´s Witness peoples hate us. Elder Webster and I passed some on the street, some angry Portuguese words we didn't understand were thrown at us so we just smiled and kept walking. Felt something hit my shirt, didn't look back, didn't acknowledge it. What t'was it? I´ll tell you what it t'was. T'was a massive, thick, slimy, very, very, very yellow luuuuugggie. Smile and wave boys.
5-Proselyting
This was probably the best experience I've in Brazil so far. I loved it. The second time proselyting went so much better (also a little worse, see #6). We met and talked to, in Portuguese yuh, with quite a handful of natives who understood what we were saying and we got most of what they said as well.
6- The weekly crazy experience that somehow only seems to happen to Elder Webster and I
This is a good one. Most people go their whole missions without an experience like this. We were proselyting and this man, clearly homeless grabbed Elder Webster by the shoulder and started talking. He was so nice, and honestly such a great person to talk to, if not a little scary to talk to. We probably spent a good half hour talking to him and he told us he´d met missionaries earlier in his life but never went to church with them. He´s going on Sunday by the way, we hope. This is where the real crazy begins though.
WARNING: CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 16 SHOULD ONLY READ THE FOLLOWING SECTION IF APPROVED BY AN ADULT
I don´t actually know how bad this is just reading it, but we lived it so enjoy. While we´re talking to this man, there is another homeless man, this one a little crazy about ten feet away. At random points, he would run up, slander us up a little, and the take off, so we were not paying him tooo much attention. The man would wave him off and then we´d go back to talking. Anyways, after a pause in the insults, he stood about ten feet behind the man, so only we could see him. And he ripped off his shirt. And then his pants. Leaving us with a pair of grey briefs with what I can only hope was a lincoln log sticking out of the back.
And then those came off too.
And then he did a little dance for us.
Front and back.
And front again.
Welcome to Brazil
BBBUUUTTT, I would like to say, that though all this, while we´re teaching a man who´s appearance had prevented other missionaries from stopping, with a fully naked man dancing in the background,
the spirit was there. In a language that we don´t speak very well, watching what can only be described as horrifying, Elder Webster and I were able to talk with a man who very clearly needed the gospel, and very clearly wanted it. The Holy Ghost was standing there, I can say without a doubt, looking over us and helping us help this man.
That about wraps it up, I love yous guys and am excited for next week. By the way, we go into the field on Tuesday so I´ll be able to send pictures next time I think.
Love,
Elder Lula
Why, you may be wondering am I this excited? Because stuff happened. Stuff went down in Brazil this week.
The most recent first
1- Baptizing in a bathtub
It´s no secret that Brazilians are rather small people. I am a rather large person. Went to baptize a fellow elder in the temple this week, Elder Johnson hi, who is 6´6´´. How´d it go down? Rough. We walk in. The water is literally scraping our knee caps. Instead of the normal dunking, it ended up being something along the lines of, he lays down horizontal, I push his body down under the water, and then have to drag him out. The font was also stainless steel which led to some slipping around. The font in the Sao Paulo temple is probably the prettiest I've seen.
2- Pineapples
Everyone who I have any sort of inside joke with, somehow it ends up being about a pineapple. The district thought they would be funny this week, and stole the pineapple that I took from lunch. Why am I so angry, it´s just pineapple? Don´t say that until you´ve had Brazilian pineapple. I´m now on a one on one loving revenge game with the instigator. Love you Elder Clifford.
3- Lula Molusca
Another well known fact, I don´t have cartalage in my nose. This coupled with the natives love for Spongebob, or Bob Sponja as he´s known here, led to my teacher giving my the nickname Lula Malusca, which means squidward. Now, that´s all he calls me. He thinks it´s hilarious, the district laughs, I´m too busy learning to care.
4- Jehovah´s Witness
Little gross but it happened. Apparently the Jehovah´s Witness peoples hate us. Elder Webster and I passed some on the street, some angry Portuguese words we didn't understand were thrown at us so we just smiled and kept walking. Felt something hit my shirt, didn't look back, didn't acknowledge it. What t'was it? I´ll tell you what it t'was. T'was a massive, thick, slimy, very, very, very yellow luuuuugggie. Smile and wave boys.
5-Proselyting
This was probably the best experience I've in Brazil so far. I loved it. The second time proselyting went so much better (also a little worse, see #6). We met and talked to, in Portuguese yuh, with quite a handful of natives who understood what we were saying and we got most of what they said as well.
6- The weekly crazy experience that somehow only seems to happen to Elder Webster and I
This is a good one. Most people go their whole missions without an experience like this. We were proselyting and this man, clearly homeless grabbed Elder Webster by the shoulder and started talking. He was so nice, and honestly such a great person to talk to, if not a little scary to talk to. We probably spent a good half hour talking to him and he told us he´d met missionaries earlier in his life but never went to church with them. He´s going on Sunday by the way, we hope. This is where the real crazy begins though.
WARNING: CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 16 SHOULD ONLY READ THE FOLLOWING SECTION IF APPROVED BY AN ADULT
I don´t actually know how bad this is just reading it, but we lived it so enjoy. While we´re talking to this man, there is another homeless man, this one a little crazy about ten feet away. At random points, he would run up, slander us up a little, and the take off, so we were not paying him tooo much attention. The man would wave him off and then we´d go back to talking. Anyways, after a pause in the insults, he stood about ten feet behind the man, so only we could see him. And he ripped off his shirt. And then his pants. Leaving us with a pair of grey briefs with what I can only hope was a lincoln log sticking out of the back.
And then those came off too.
And then he did a little dance for us.
Front and back.
And front again.
Welcome to Brazil
BBBUUUTTT, I would like to say, that though all this, while we´re teaching a man who´s appearance had prevented other missionaries from stopping, with a fully naked man dancing in the background,
the spirit was there. In a language that we don´t speak very well, watching what can only be described as horrifying, Elder Webster and I were able to talk with a man who very clearly needed the gospel, and very clearly wanted it. The Holy Ghost was standing there, I can say without a doubt, looking over us and helping us help this man.
That about wraps it up, I love yous guys and am excited for next week. By the way, we go into the field on Tuesday so I´ll be able to send pictures next time I think.
Love,
Elder Lula
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
With All My Love
Dear Elder Schenewark,
I'm so, so sorry you had no letter from me last week. It was never sent. I'm not use to your Friday day. I work on it Sunday, and think, "I have a few more days to add to it," and then forgot. Please forgive me. I know you had other mail in your email, as well as a blog post or two. I'll be glad when your preparation day is back to Monday!
Probably the most exciting news of last week was your cousin's mission call. Megan's leaving December 20th for the Provo MTC to serve in the Nicaragua Managua North mission for 18 months!!
With floods in India and Northern India, raging fires in Montana and Los Angeles, and a massive earthquake in Mexico, the world is in turmoil. Now this week it's Hurricane Irma, Florida, especially the Keys, and the Caribbean islands.
I copied a portion of an email from Tanner, that he might or might not be writing about this week, but it was too good not to share!
"Haven't settled on a name yet and probably won't say anything's final until she's here and we can look her in her big baby (blue) eyes :)
AnneMarie's only got a couple more weeks at work. I think she's done the 29th though that could be wrong. She loves putting her quarters in and will probably spend the rest of her free time trying to get everything ready. We still haven't figured out what we're going to do for the blessing, probably because we're still trying to figure out the baby shower :)
I'm working on a letter with more details but I've been busy getting back in shape a la Aunt Becky style at a crossfit gym. Also studying nightly for the LSAT and getting application materials ready. Wakin' up early and goin' to bed late seems to be the schedule right now, but life's good and we're happy to have Hunter and cousins Abbey and Stevie out here with us."
Invitations to the baby shower went out this week. I'm sad I won't be there. But, I sent a really BIG present: A crib. They registered on Amazon and Target, and made shopping super easy. I hope to make this a grandmother tradition.
Breyer misses you. One day she wanted my help in finding an outfit to match her Wonder Woman socks you gave her. Another night she fell asleep crying about you. She started soccer. I was sleeping during her first game, but hopefully her schedule will allow me to go to a game or two.
Miller began as well. He had enough baseball over the summer not to do fall ball and was excited to start soccer. His coach was an assistant last year and feels like he won the lottery with Miller on his team. He did. He's very versatile. He doesn't have the fancy Hispanic moves most of the players
have, but he has his own. One day I looked out my window, and saw him helping a neighborhood boy who had walked over with his homework. Very sweet. He knew Miller was smart, and that he would help.
We had no school on Labor Day, so I took Sawyer and Miller to golf. It was crowded. At one point a lone player was close so we pulled over for him to pass. He drove to Sawyer's ball and played it, then drove off into the woods and picked up his errant shot. Really? Another man was close but we didn't notice him behind us, and he drove, the ball whizzing by my body. Too close. I don't think I'll ever take them again on a holiday or Saturday. Breyer's wish was to go to the beach, so she and I had some sand time after dinner. She does love the water. I don't mind. It's a lovely beach.
Cooper's record is now 5-0. Apparently the pre season team is the team to beat, and everybody else has a tennis program sub par. He is so tall, compared to many of the boys, and when he's on the net, he's intimidating. Plus he has your father's wide wing span, and nothing gets by. I love watching him put a smack down on a ball. We've stalled with his Eagle Scout project in that the two men who are responsible for donations are hard for him to contact since school has begun.
We put new tires on the Prius. And my low air light still comes on. I guess we'll have to change at least one more.
Dad wrote a note to Sis. Young, and this portion explains a bit of our life, including you, as well:
"We are doing well. Our town and the surrounding area felt no ill effects from the Hurricane. In fact as the Hurricane was over the Houston area, we had the most pleasant weather of all summer. We had very little rain and the humidity was low as a front came in from the Northwest.
"The way the hurricane has effected us, is that we have been asked to travel to Houston and help with the clean-up. The Area Seventy has asked for 3000 volunteers, from the Dallas-Fort Worth area stakes, each weekend of September to travel to Houston and help with the cleanup. So I have been helping with getting volunteers from our ward. The trip is about five hours away. On Saturdays, we are to leave at 5:00 A.M. , arrive at our site around and start cleaning, tearing out carpets, drywall, insulation, cutting of trees, hauling out appliances and furniture, and taking it all out the street. The church volunteers stay the night at a local high school, Sunday morning there is a brief sacrament meeting, and then you work until 3:00 or 4:00 o'clock and come back home.
"We worked a lot of floods in West Virginia. Virtually each year there would be 3-4 floods that we were asked to help with. Any disaster is sad, but in my opinion, floods are the worst. The home will never be the same, especially in a humid climate like Houston.
"Our stake has been assigned an area of East Houston, which I am sad to say should have been demolished before the flooding. It is a very very poor section of the city. From my understanding there will be work projects going on for months.
"We are doing well. Porter has been at the MTC in São Paulo for the past four weeks. I'm not quite sure about his adventures. He has saved two elders, while at the MTC, that went to the hospital (both the elders were from Brazil). It sounds like the food he eats of MTC is very Brazilian. Rice and beans are great, but I did not know about some of the mystery soups. Tanner went to the MTC in Brazil, but never talked about the food. I had just taken for granted the food would be like the MTC in Provo. Such a thought now makes no sense, since most of the missionaries are from Brazil (or at least South America) and they would eat food that they are accustomed to.
"Tanner and Anne Marie are still on track for a baby girl to arrive around Thanksgiving. I am not sure if we will be coming out to Utah. It would be nice for Amy Jo to travel out there, but she has been working with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department for the past months. Tanner and AnneMarie are scheduled to come out here at Christmas time."
Well, it's a bit long, but deserves to be after two weeks. Know how much we look forward to your letters. Are you finding the MTC a spiritual place? So much happens there, and so much to learn, it's a hard balancing act, I'm sure. Your letters are becoming legendary. Keep up the good work.
Come Back To Me.
Love,
Mom
I'm so, so sorry you had no letter from me last week. It was never sent. I'm not use to your Friday day. I work on it Sunday, and think, "I have a few more days to add to it," and then forgot. Please forgive me. I know you had other mail in your email, as well as a blog post or two. I'll be glad when your preparation day is back to Monday!
Probably the most exciting news of last week was your cousin's mission call. Megan's leaving December 20th for the Provo MTC to serve in the Nicaragua Managua North mission for 18 months!!
The next biggest news is Hurricane Harvey. I mentioned Harvey hitting Houston as a category 4 hurricane. And because Harvey refused to rotate out of the area,hovering instead over Houston for a LONG time, There was a massive evacuation, with our area receiving over 4,000. Seventeen C-130 planes are taking 100 people at a time, on 45-minute rotations. It's an operation that began Thursday and continues into the weekend. These are residents who have lost everything and were staying at shelters. The planes are landing at Dallas Love Field, then bused to a mega-shelter in Dallas. We had deputies escorting the buses from the plane to the convention center.
I love reading headlines, like "I Knew the Mormons Would Come": LDS Missionaries Begin Cleanup Work in Houston after Hurricane, Floods. Or, the Cajun Navy who are captivating social media. "The country is suddenly grateful for this “Cajun Navy,” for their know-how, for the fact that they can read a submerged log in the water, and haul their boats over tree stumps and levees and launch them from freeway junctions. “They can handle their boats better than the average fireman, who handles a boat once a year during annual training."
With floods in India and Northern India, raging fires in Montana and Los Angeles, and a massive earthquake in Mexico, the world is in turmoil. Now this week it's Hurricane Irma, Florida, especially the Keys, and the Caribbean islands.
Your cousin Stevie and her new Snow College Badger team
(One of these things is not like the others...)
I copied a portion of an email from Tanner, that he might or might not be writing about this week, but it was too good not to share!
"Haven't settled on a name yet and probably won't say anything's final until she's here and we can look her in her big baby (blue) eyes :)
AnneMarie's only got a couple more weeks at work. I think she's done the 29th though that could be wrong. She loves putting her quarters in and will probably spend the rest of her free time trying to get everything ready. We still haven't figured out what we're going to do for the blessing, probably because we're still trying to figure out the baby shower :)
I'm working on a letter with more details but I've been busy getting back in shape a la Aunt Becky style at a crossfit gym. Also studying nightly for the LSAT and getting application materials ready. Wakin' up early and goin' to bed late seems to be the schedule right now, but life's good and we're happy to have Hunter and cousins Abbey and Stevie out here with us."
Invitations to the baby shower went out this week. I'm sad I won't be there. But, I sent a really BIG present: A crib. They registered on Amazon and Target, and made shopping super easy. I hope to make this a grandmother tradition.
Breyer misses you. One day she wanted my help in finding an outfit to match her Wonder Woman socks you gave her. Another night she fell asleep crying about you. She started soccer. I was sleeping during her first game, but hopefully her schedule will allow me to go to a game or two.
Miller began as well. He had enough baseball over the summer not to do fall ball and was excited to start soccer. His coach was an assistant last year and feels like he won the lottery with Miller on his team. He did. He's very versatile. He doesn't have the fancy Hispanic moves most of the players
have, but he has his own. One day I looked out my window, and saw him helping a neighborhood boy who had walked over with his homework. Very sweet. He knew Miller was smart, and that he would help.
We had no school on Labor Day, so I took Sawyer and Miller to golf. It was crowded. At one point a lone player was close so we pulled over for him to pass. He drove to Sawyer's ball and played it, then drove off into the woods and picked up his errant shot. Really? Another man was close but we didn't notice him behind us, and he drove, the ball whizzing by my body. Too close. I don't think I'll ever take them again on a holiday or Saturday. Breyer's wish was to go to the beach, so she and I had some sand time after dinner. She does love the water. I don't mind. It's a lovely beach.
Cooper's record is now 5-0. Apparently the pre season team is the team to beat, and everybody else has a tennis program sub par. He is so tall, compared to many of the boys, and when he's on the net, he's intimidating. Plus he has your father's wide wing span, and nothing gets by. I love watching him put a smack down on a ball. We've stalled with his Eagle Scout project in that the two men who are responsible for donations are hard for him to contact since school has begun.
We put new tires on the Prius. And my low air light still comes on. I guess we'll have to change at least one more.
Dad wrote a note to Sis. Young, and this portion explains a bit of our life, including you, as well:
"We are doing well. Our town and the surrounding area felt no ill effects from the Hurricane. In fact as the Hurricane was over the Houston area, we had the most pleasant weather of all summer. We had very little rain and the humidity was low as a front came in from the Northwest.
"The way the hurricane has effected us, is that we have been asked to travel to Houston and help with the clean-up. The Area Seventy has asked for 3000 volunteers, from the Dallas-Fort Worth area stakes, each weekend of September to travel to Houston and help with the cleanup. So I have been helping with getting volunteers from our ward. The trip is about five hours away. On Saturdays, we are to leave at 5:00 A.M. , arrive at our site around and start cleaning, tearing out carpets, drywall, insulation, cutting of trees, hauling out appliances and furniture, and taking it all out the street. The church volunteers stay the night at a local high school, Sunday morning there is a brief sacrament meeting, and then you work until 3:00 or 4:00 o'clock and come back home.
"We worked a lot of floods in West Virginia. Virtually each year there would be 3-4 floods that we were asked to help with. Any disaster is sad, but in my opinion, floods are the worst. The home will never be the same, especially in a humid climate like Houston.
"Our stake has been assigned an area of East Houston, which I am sad to say should have been demolished before the flooding. It is a very very poor section of the city. From my understanding there will be work projects going on for months.
"We are doing well. Porter has been at the MTC in São Paulo for the past four weeks. I'm not quite sure about his adventures. He has saved two elders, while at the MTC, that went to the hospital (both the elders were from Brazil). It sounds like the food he eats of MTC is very Brazilian. Rice and beans are great, but I did not know about some of the mystery soups. Tanner went to the MTC in Brazil, but never talked about the food. I had just taken for granted the food would be like the MTC in Provo. Such a thought now makes no sense, since most of the missionaries are from Brazil (or at least South America) and they would eat food that they are accustomed to.
"Tanner and Anne Marie are still on track for a baby girl to arrive around Thanksgiving. I am not sure if we will be coming out to Utah. It would be nice for Amy Jo to travel out there, but she has been working with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department for the past months. Tanner and AnneMarie are scheduled to come out here at Christmas time."
Well, it's a bit long, but deserves to be after two weeks. Know how much we look forward to your letters. Are you finding the MTC a spiritual place? So much happens there, and so much to learn, it's a hard balancing act, I'm sure. Your letters are becoming legendary. Keep up the good work.
Come Back To Me.
Love,
Mom
Monday, September 11, 2017
College Correspondent
Monday, we (TanMarie and I) went to Uncle Ben's where we enjoyed delicious burgers, conversation and family in general. Footnote- that was my first time swimming since returning. I'll be back. And then, after being unable mentally (at least this week, it was quite the shock) to pay $1.50 just to dry clothes (after having washed them) I stayed at Tanmarie's house,using their dryer, where we played a sushi game which I liked. Even though I came in last.
I received a call Tuesday at about 10 am about a job interview. Asked whether today or tomorrow would work, I instinctively, or perhaps faithfully, replied, ''Today!'' At 3. So, I ran home, stuffed some clothes into my backpack, ate lunch, and was back at school for my final class, leaving immediately after at 1 to go to the train station. Why? So I can go first next time we play ticket to ride or Railroad tycoon. I pulled a batman, entering inconspicuously into the bathroom dressed as a gym going young man, and quickly left ready for Wall Street. One old lady who saw the transformation quipped, ''My, you look dapper!'' Hearts are breaking all across .... the 750 line to South Jordan.
The only downside? It is in South Jordan, a 1/2 hour commute. My interviewer told me that they want me, but are worried about how I would get there, so they said find a qualified friend who can drive, and we'll hire you both. Cousin Greg accepted; I re-arranged my school schedule to make it work, and he was interviewed and offered the job the next day. And decided to turn it down. Props to him for seeking revelation, but I'll admit, I was bummed. So, weighed a couple options (other job, buy a car, ride the train) before wisely deciding the best would be to re-arrange my schedule again to get in with an existing carpool. Pros? A ride. The job. I have class only tuesday + thursday. Cons? I dropped my bible as literature class and portuguese.
Now that I've finally locked it in, here's my schedule: international ballroom; living prophets; world religions; germanic family history; math 116; organ performance; history 201; M Com 320 (business school)
Thursday night, I had a mission pal, Nate Gibby over and we both reminisced and looked to the future.
Friday, I was productive, trying to finish everything before heading to the temple at 4. And I went with a young woman, so I'll count that as a date. And we talked on the car ride going there and back, so it basically counts twice. Besides getting to know a very nice young lady, being in the House of the Lord was wonderful. That was my first time in the Provo City Center Temple.
I also decorated my room. Just hung up a couple pictures, but improved the ambiance, and not to boast, but I was definitely impressed with how it turned out. Pictures forthcoming.
Saturday, I saved my energy for what I knew what would be a long day, and spent most of the morning reading. At 3, I left for the BYU vs. Utah football game. The weather fortuitously stayed cool, and I helped keep the peace until game time at 8;21, when I ate some smoked brisket, and then took my customary spot on the field. It was another ugly game, and I am sure many fans are praying for a new BYU QB. I have been impressed with the defense though, even in the two losses. The fans wore me out too.
Today we had a regional conference with Elder Stevenson of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. He spoke about Utah's history and HOV lanes (high occupancy vehicles) which get us to our destination quicker, safer, less stress. Or, spiritually speaking, HOV, humility, obedience, virtue. And our companion for the trip should be the Holy Spirit.
And tonight, we watched Elder Bednar's broadcast from North Carolina. Go Family History! He inspired me to strengthen the ''chain of the generations'' and talked about how these welding links are what fulfills the earth's purpose.
Lots of love,
Hunter
I received a call Tuesday at about 10 am about a job interview. Asked whether today or tomorrow would work, I instinctively, or perhaps faithfully, replied, ''Today!'' At 3. So, I ran home, stuffed some clothes into my backpack, ate lunch, and was back at school for my final class, leaving immediately after at 1 to go to the train station. Why? So I can go first next time we play ticket to ride or Railroad tycoon. I pulled a batman, entering inconspicuously into the bathroom dressed as a gym going young man, and quickly left ready for Wall Street. One old lady who saw the transformation quipped, ''My, you look dapper!'' Hearts are breaking all across .... the 750 line to South Jordan.
The only downside? It is in South Jordan, a 1/2 hour commute. My interviewer told me that they want me, but are worried about how I would get there, so they said find a qualified friend who can drive, and we'll hire you both. Cousin Greg accepted; I re-arranged my school schedule to make it work, and he was interviewed and offered the job the next day. And decided to turn it down. Props to him for seeking revelation, but I'll admit, I was bummed. So, weighed a couple options (other job, buy a car, ride the train) before wisely deciding the best would be to re-arrange my schedule again to get in with an existing carpool. Pros? A ride. The job. I have class only tuesday + thursday. Cons? I dropped my bible as literature class and portuguese.
Now that I've finally locked it in, here's my schedule: international ballroom; living prophets; world religions; germanic family history; math 116; organ performance; history 201; M Com 320 (business school)
Thursday night, I had a mission pal, Nate Gibby over and we both reminisced and looked to the future.
Friday, I was productive, trying to finish everything before heading to the temple at 4. And I went with a young woman, so I'll count that as a date. And we talked on the car ride going there and back, so it basically counts twice. Besides getting to know a very nice young lady, being in the House of the Lord was wonderful. That was my first time in the Provo City Center Temple.
I also decorated my room. Just hung up a couple pictures, but improved the ambiance, and not to boast, but I was definitely impressed with how it turned out. Pictures forthcoming.
Saturday, I saved my energy for what I knew what would be a long day, and spent most of the morning reading. At 3, I left for the BYU vs. Utah football game. The weather fortuitously stayed cool, and I helped keep the peace until game time at 8;21, when I ate some smoked brisket, and then took my customary spot on the field. It was another ugly game, and I am sure many fans are praying for a new BYU QB. I have been impressed with the defense though, even in the two losses. The fans wore me out too.
Today we had a regional conference with Elder Stevenson of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. He spoke about Utah's history and HOV lanes (high occupancy vehicles) which get us to our destination quicker, safer, less stress. Or, spiritually speaking, HOV, humility, obedience, virtue. And our companion for the trip should be the Holy Spirit.
And tonight, we watched Elder Bednar's broadcast from North Carolina. Go Family History! He inspired me to strengthen the ''chain of the generations'' and talked about how these welding links are what fulfills the earth's purpose.
Lots of love,
Hunter
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Worshiping More Fully and Making the Sabbath Day a Delight
The day after I was asked to speak, the stake president and his counselor were in the Granbury ward. As I returned to our pew, I found my youngest son nose deep in a coffee table sized book, with coffee table size pictures, entitled, "Top Winners in Golf." Tiger Woods' face was visible to all in the chapel who were looking our way. My son and I then became engaged in a tug-of-war over the book. And don't ask how I didn't notice the coffee table sized book going out the door.
In fact, while I was pondering my talk on the Sabbath Day, last Sunday, my two youngest boys were using clipboards and a ping pong ball in my living room for their across the room and off the walls ping pong game. And then I remembered that last Sunday it was a chipping and putting golf contest into my mixing bowls. So know this. I am not here because I or my family are perfect. But this is why we meet together on Sunday - to confess our sins, to grow, and to learn from and to love each other, despite our faults. And while I'm confessing sins, we were pulled over on the way to church today. And I wasn't driving.
Having an acre lot requires a lot of lawn mowing. And we moved here with a push mower. It usually takes me three days to finish the entire acre. People often ask why, having six sons, they aren't the ones mowing the grass. It's a strategy I use to work out some of life's problems. I don't look forward to the physical work of pushing the lawn mower up and down the hill, picking thorns out of my socks and shoes, or jumping over piles of fire ants. But every so often I need time away from life with seven children. And a loud mower, outside the home, far enough away from the back door, works wonders.
I've learned a few lawn mowing strategies over the years. Like using a clamp to open the lawn mower flap, allowing thick or wet grass to exit quicker before clumping underneath stops the motor. Recently, as it has been a very wet summer by Texas standards, I've learned that pulling the mower backwards, when the clamp isn't enough, will prevent the mower engine from dying in the long, thick, wet grass.
Our Heavenly Father has given us a few strategies to help us navigate our way through the unexpected, long, wet grass of life, some of the more well-known ones being the Ten Commandments. Surely if we don't kill, or lie, or steal, or commit adultery, our path through mortality will be one less troublesome. Have you pondered on what strategies might have been used to assist the Israelites in getting out of the wilderness?
When Moses was leading the children of Israel, if they had simply turned left, they were within 15 miles of Jerusalem. Instead, the prophet of God led them to the right, and they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. The key to understanding why they were led to wander is found in Deuteronomy 8:2: “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”
We may grumble about all the things we feel like or know we should refrain from doing on the Sabbath Day. But deciding to keep the Sabbath day holy is the difference between turning left, or wandering to the right, and a strategy that will help us navigate our way through life.
I work for a law enforcement agency in Dallas County, and nights like last night, are the busiest hours of the week. The early morning hours of Sunday, midnight to four, when the least amount of people are awake, are when the most incident numbers per hour are generated. That Satan is the busiest on what we consider a holy day, the Lord’s day, is a telling factor in what Satan considers one of his best strategies.
Elder Groberg said, “As we keep the Sabbath day holy he will bless us, and we will achieve a quiet power for good that we cannot obtain in any other way. There is power in keeping the Sabbath day holy—power to help others as well as ourselves. If we would have God’s blessings and protection as individuals, as families, as communities, and as nations, we must keep His Sabbath day holy.” And In light of Hurricane Harvey, now Irma, and an earthquake in Mexico, when you wonder how you can help, the Sabbath Day becomes a vital link to recovery.
Often, when we talk about the Sabbath Day, we'll say, "Keep the Sabbath Day Holy." That is not the commandment. Keeping the Sabbath day holy implies refraining from certain activities. In Exodus 20:8, it says, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Remembering the Sabbath day means it is foremost in our minds.
Isaiah described the Sabbath as “a delight.” He also taught us how to make it delightful. He said, “…turn away from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight.”
I was asked to speak on worshiping more fully to make the Sabbath day a delight. What does it mean to worship more fully?
Worshipping more fully means to me doing all the things you should be doing so the Spirit can be in your life. It’s a lifestyle choice.
And why would worshipping more fully, “that we may always have His Spirit to be with us”, make the Sabbath day a delight?
Delight to me means a little bit of joy, and a little bit of wonder. Delight was listening to President Hinckley speak in General Conference. Delight is spring in Texas when the ground is covered with bluebonnets. Delight is when my husband brings me home flowers. And delight is when your six sons find out #7 is a sister.
Worshipping more fully to make the Sabbath day a delight then means always remembering to do those things to have the Spirit in our lives to make the Sabbath a day of joy and wonder. One of my strategies, is to teach my children about sacrifice.
Remembering the Sabbath day will teach us and our family to make small sacrifices for the Lord. Having six sons meant they sacrificed a lot of baseball tournaments, high school practices, and all star teams. They’ve given up birthday party invitations from their classmates, playing with neighborhood friends, and knowing who wins the Super Bowl until Monday morning.
Remember the Sabbath Day, and find delight in sacrifice.
We can remember the Sabbath day by making small sacrifices in serving others. President Henry B. Eyring said, “The Sabbath is also a perfect time to remember the covenant we made at the waters of baptism to love and serve Heavenly Father’s children.”
Concentrate on not what can’t be done on Sunday but instead, what do we want to do to remember the Sabbath?
Teach your children or spouse or friend or self to index. A former stake president of ours tied all youth activities to indexing. Watching my sons index names, every Sunday, softened their hearts to the plight of so many still waiting for temple ordinances. It was a delight to see their complaints become few and far in between while they were serving in love for others.
Use your time to work on family history with the express purpose of sharing with them eternal ordinances in the temple. You’ll find delight, as did I, after looking for five years, by changing the spelling from Hill to Hall, when the spirit helps you to find your ancestors on a census,.
Elder Russell M. Nelson said, “Make the Sabbath a delight by rendering service to others, especially those who are not feeling well or those who are lonely or in need. Lifting their spirits will lift yours as well.” Home and visiting teaching, or being concerned for those not at church, becomes especially meaningful in this light.
Use your time to Write a missionary. Develop your talents. I was delighted to learn that one of my sons serving in Brazil was the only piano player in his ward; another son, the only one in his ward and stake. Record sacred, funny, important life moments in a journal. For example:
Mr. Wilson was a not a member of our church, but his wife is, and she asked for a boy to help her with her lawn, as her husband is on oxygen for a lung disease. As I had to drive my son to his house, I chose not to sit in the car and wait, but help so we could be done quicker. The Wilsons have a large, beautiful yard. The plan was for my son to begin weed whipping, which I do not do, and I would start with mowing. Within two minutes of mowing I ran over Mr. Wilson’s 100 foot extension cord to the weed whipper my son was operating. It was painted green, and blended in with the long green grass. After a drive to replace my son’s source of power, I resumed mowing. Within a few minutes, after mowing around a corner of the house and over a bump in the yard, my lawn mower caught the corner of and proceeded to chew Mr. Wilson’s outdoor rug. Saying I was mortified doesn’t even come close. Obviously Mr. Wilson and I were destined to become good friends. I told him how these experiences we were having were excellent examples for my talk that Sunday. This experience didn’t happen on a Sunday, although we do try to plan our week on Sunday. And it was recorded in a journal on a Sunday. And I can use this experience today, in that while mowing I had been in unfamiliar territory, having no strategy, and choosing poorly my path around the yard. But my delight on the Sabbath continues to come when I read the recorded moment in my journal and remember. And my real delight came when Bro. Wilson remembered to show up in church to hear me speak. Our hearts were knit together in love over our shared experience of my damaging his property, and how he chose to respond to my inadequacies in the lawn business.
Remembering the Sabbath day, is like paying our tithing, or going to seminary. All are ways we can give a portion of ourselves to the Lord.
Elder Russell M. Nelson also said, “Think of this: In paying tithing, we return one-tenth of our increase to the Lord. In keeping the Sabbath holy, we reserve one day in seven as His. So it is our privilege to consecrate both money and time to Him who lends us life each day.”
These examples of service are all a small sacrifice for the Lord. If we can't make these small sacrifices for the Lord, how can we expect our children to sacrifice those things necessary to be temple worthy, or make the larger sacrifice for the Lord by going on a two year mission?
We received a letter from our eldest son Tanner, while on his mission, that said, “Last week we found a 75 year old lady, 75 years of being Catholic, while following up on one of her neighbors. While knocking on his door, she was staring at us rather curiously. At her baptism this week, she shared that while she was watching us knock on her neighbor’s door, we were shining. She said, “I saw a light illuminating from them, and knew that this light must be from God. I wanted to belong to God’s church and be a part of this light and feel the way it made me feel. They were like two angels across the street and now I have two angels in my house with me.” Tanner wrote, “These are the moments we live for, that we sleep on the floor for, eat rice and beans for, walk miles for and smell like African baboons for.”
As a mother, I add, these are the moments I live for, as no other reason would convince me to allow three of my sons to leave me for two years to live in Brazil. Delight came as I read his letter, but my real delight is in knowing that the small sacrifices my son made for the Sabbath helped him become the person I hoped he would become, and more.
Elder Groberg said, “Does the Lord love and bless those who keep the Sabbath day holy? I testify that he does in eternally meaningful ways. I further testify that when we eventually see things through the proper perspective of eternal truth, we will be amazed at how much we were blessed in important—though often unperceived—ways through keeping the Sabbath holy.” Our family has been blessed.
I found delight last Sunday in watching one son captivate two Primary children who were watching him take down the flag from the flag pole. And, seeing a son mouth the words of the sacrament hymn while he was preparing the sacrament, helped me worship more fully. Our example to others is always a way to serve.
When my son Hunter returned home at the end of July he was asked to return in August to report to the stake high council on his mission. He said this: “When I left, I visualized my perfect mission. And obviously that didn’t and never does happen. Nevertheless, I feel like I can say that I did what I needed to do, and learned what I needed to learn. One of those lessons is consecration. I’ve learned what it means to give everything to the Lord, and my desire to do exactly that grew stronger each day.”
When we make sacrifices for the Lord, small and large, we are worshiping more fully, and feeling delight in the consequences of our righteous actions.
Elder DeHoyos said, “Light comes from the devotion that we give to Sabbath day observance, in the Church as well as in the home; it is the light that grows as we keep ourselves unspotted from the world; it is the light that comes from offering up our sacraments on His holy day and from paying our devotions to the Most High—all of which enable us to always have His Spirit with us.” Our missionary Tanner, Hunter, and now Porter especially glow with this light.
This is the essence of sacrifice. When you give the Lord your time and energy, he gives you a new heart. My two sons, and now my third, chose to follow their prophet who asked each worthy young man to serve a mission. That’s a big sacrifice. But making small sacrifices, such as remembering the Sabbath day, helped them to be obedient.
May we all choose well our Sabbath Day strategies. May we be willing to make our lives a worthy sacrifice to the Lord. May we “always remember the Sabbath, keeping his commandments which he has given [us]; that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us],” to worship more fully and find delight in our daily lives. And in remembering the Sabbath, may we be blessed with His power to do good - for ourselves, our family, our community and nation, - is my prayer.
In fact, while I was pondering my talk on the Sabbath Day, last Sunday, my two youngest boys were using clipboards and a ping pong ball in my living room for their across the room and off the walls ping pong game. And then I remembered that last Sunday it was a chipping and putting golf contest into my mixing bowls. So know this. I am not here because I or my family are perfect. But this is why we meet together on Sunday - to confess our sins, to grow, and to learn from and to love each other, despite our faults. And while I'm confessing sins, we were pulled over on the way to church today. And I wasn't driving.
Having an acre lot requires a lot of lawn mowing. And we moved here with a push mower. It usually takes me three days to finish the entire acre. People often ask why, having six sons, they aren't the ones mowing the grass. It's a strategy I use to work out some of life's problems. I don't look forward to the physical work of pushing the lawn mower up and down the hill, picking thorns out of my socks and shoes, or jumping over piles of fire ants. But every so often I need time away from life with seven children. And a loud mower, outside the home, far enough away from the back door, works wonders.
I've learned a few lawn mowing strategies over the years. Like using a clamp to open the lawn mower flap, allowing thick or wet grass to exit quicker before clumping underneath stops the motor. Recently, as it has been a very wet summer by Texas standards, I've learned that pulling the mower backwards, when the clamp isn't enough, will prevent the mower engine from dying in the long, thick, wet grass.
Our Heavenly Father has given us a few strategies to help us navigate our way through the unexpected, long, wet grass of life, some of the more well-known ones being the Ten Commandments. Surely if we don't kill, or lie, or steal, or commit adultery, our path through mortality will be one less troublesome. Have you pondered on what strategies might have been used to assist the Israelites in getting out of the wilderness?
When Moses was leading the children of Israel, if they had simply turned left, they were within 15 miles of Jerusalem. Instead, the prophet of God led them to the right, and they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. The key to understanding why they were led to wander is found in Deuteronomy 8:2: “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”
We may grumble about all the things we feel like or know we should refrain from doing on the Sabbath Day. But deciding to keep the Sabbath day holy is the difference between turning left, or wandering to the right, and a strategy that will help us navigate our way through life.
I work for a law enforcement agency in Dallas County, and nights like last night, are the busiest hours of the week. The early morning hours of Sunday, midnight to four, when the least amount of people are awake, are when the most incident numbers per hour are generated. That Satan is the busiest on what we consider a holy day, the Lord’s day, is a telling factor in what Satan considers one of his best strategies.
Elder Groberg said, “As we keep the Sabbath day holy he will bless us, and we will achieve a quiet power for good that we cannot obtain in any other way. There is power in keeping the Sabbath day holy—power to help others as well as ourselves. If we would have God’s blessings and protection as individuals, as families, as communities, and as nations, we must keep His Sabbath day holy.” And In light of Hurricane Harvey, now Irma, and an earthquake in Mexico, when you wonder how you can help, the Sabbath Day becomes a vital link to recovery.
Often, when we talk about the Sabbath Day, we'll say, "Keep the Sabbath Day Holy." That is not the commandment. Keeping the Sabbath day holy implies refraining from certain activities. In Exodus 20:8, it says, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." Remembering the Sabbath day means it is foremost in our minds.
Isaiah described the Sabbath as “a delight.” He also taught us how to make it delightful. He said, “…turn away from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight.”
I was asked to speak on worshiping more fully to make the Sabbath day a delight. What does it mean to worship more fully?
Worshipping more fully means to me doing all the things you should be doing so the Spirit can be in your life. It’s a lifestyle choice.
And why would worshipping more fully, “that we may always have His Spirit to be with us”, make the Sabbath day a delight?
Delight to me means a little bit of joy, and a little bit of wonder. Delight was listening to President Hinckley speak in General Conference. Delight is spring in Texas when the ground is covered with bluebonnets. Delight is when my husband brings me home flowers. And delight is when your six sons find out #7 is a sister.
Worshipping more fully to make the Sabbath day a delight then means always remembering to do those things to have the Spirit in our lives to make the Sabbath a day of joy and wonder. One of my strategies, is to teach my children about sacrifice.
Remembering the Sabbath day will teach us and our family to make small sacrifices for the Lord. Having six sons meant they sacrificed a lot of baseball tournaments, high school practices, and all star teams. They’ve given up birthday party invitations from their classmates, playing with neighborhood friends, and knowing who wins the Super Bowl until Monday morning.
Remember the Sabbath Day, and find delight in sacrifice.
We can remember the Sabbath day by making small sacrifices in serving others. President Henry B. Eyring said, “The Sabbath is also a perfect time to remember the covenant we made at the waters of baptism to love and serve Heavenly Father’s children.”
Concentrate on not what can’t be done on Sunday but instead, what do we want to do to remember the Sabbath?
Teach your children or spouse or friend or self to index. A former stake president of ours tied all youth activities to indexing. Watching my sons index names, every Sunday, softened their hearts to the plight of so many still waiting for temple ordinances. It was a delight to see their complaints become few and far in between while they were serving in love for others.
Use your time to work on family history with the express purpose of sharing with them eternal ordinances in the temple. You’ll find delight, as did I, after looking for five years, by changing the spelling from Hill to Hall, when the spirit helps you to find your ancestors on a census,.
Elder Russell M. Nelson said, “Make the Sabbath a delight by rendering service to others, especially those who are not feeling well or those who are lonely or in need. Lifting their spirits will lift yours as well.” Home and visiting teaching, or being concerned for those not at church, becomes especially meaningful in this light.
Use your time to Write a missionary. Develop your talents. I was delighted to learn that one of my sons serving in Brazil was the only piano player in his ward; another son, the only one in his ward and stake. Record sacred, funny, important life moments in a journal. For example:
Mr. Wilson was a not a member of our church, but his wife is, and she asked for a boy to help her with her lawn, as her husband is on oxygen for a lung disease. As I had to drive my son to his house, I chose not to sit in the car and wait, but help so we could be done quicker. The Wilsons have a large, beautiful yard. The plan was for my son to begin weed whipping, which I do not do, and I would start with mowing. Within two minutes of mowing I ran over Mr. Wilson’s 100 foot extension cord to the weed whipper my son was operating. It was painted green, and blended in with the long green grass. After a drive to replace my son’s source of power, I resumed mowing. Within a few minutes, after mowing around a corner of the house and over a bump in the yard, my lawn mower caught the corner of and proceeded to chew Mr. Wilson’s outdoor rug. Saying I was mortified doesn’t even come close. Obviously Mr. Wilson and I were destined to become good friends. I told him how these experiences we were having were excellent examples for my talk that Sunday. This experience didn’t happen on a Sunday, although we do try to plan our week on Sunday. And it was recorded in a journal on a Sunday. And I can use this experience today, in that while mowing I had been in unfamiliar territory, having no strategy, and choosing poorly my path around the yard. But my delight on the Sabbath continues to come when I read the recorded moment in my journal and remember. And my real delight came when Bro. Wilson remembered to show up in church to hear me speak. Our hearts were knit together in love over our shared experience of my damaging his property, and how he chose to respond to my inadequacies in the lawn business.
Remembering the Sabbath day, is like paying our tithing, or going to seminary. All are ways we can give a portion of ourselves to the Lord.
Elder Russell M. Nelson also said, “Think of this: In paying tithing, we return one-tenth of our increase to the Lord. In keeping the Sabbath holy, we reserve one day in seven as His. So it is our privilege to consecrate both money and time to Him who lends us life each day.”
These examples of service are all a small sacrifice for the Lord. If we can't make these small sacrifices for the Lord, how can we expect our children to sacrifice those things necessary to be temple worthy, or make the larger sacrifice for the Lord by going on a two year mission?
We received a letter from our eldest son Tanner, while on his mission, that said, “Last week we found a 75 year old lady, 75 years of being Catholic, while following up on one of her neighbors. While knocking on his door, she was staring at us rather curiously. At her baptism this week, she shared that while she was watching us knock on her neighbor’s door, we were shining. She said, “I saw a light illuminating from them, and knew that this light must be from God. I wanted to belong to God’s church and be a part of this light and feel the way it made me feel. They were like two angels across the street and now I have two angels in my house with me.” Tanner wrote, “These are the moments we live for, that we sleep on the floor for, eat rice and beans for, walk miles for and smell like African baboons for.”
As a mother, I add, these are the moments I live for, as no other reason would convince me to allow three of my sons to leave me for two years to live in Brazil. Delight came as I read his letter, but my real delight is in knowing that the small sacrifices my son made for the Sabbath helped him become the person I hoped he would become, and more.
Elder Groberg said, “Does the Lord love and bless those who keep the Sabbath day holy? I testify that he does in eternally meaningful ways. I further testify that when we eventually see things through the proper perspective of eternal truth, we will be amazed at how much we were blessed in important—though often unperceived—ways through keeping the Sabbath holy.” Our family has been blessed.
I found delight last Sunday in watching one son captivate two Primary children who were watching him take down the flag from the flag pole. And, seeing a son mouth the words of the sacrament hymn while he was preparing the sacrament, helped me worship more fully. Our example to others is always a way to serve.
When my son Hunter returned home at the end of July he was asked to return in August to report to the stake high council on his mission. He said this: “When I left, I visualized my perfect mission. And obviously that didn’t and never does happen. Nevertheless, I feel like I can say that I did what I needed to do, and learned what I needed to learn. One of those lessons is consecration. I’ve learned what it means to give everything to the Lord, and my desire to do exactly that grew stronger each day.”
When we make sacrifices for the Lord, small and large, we are worshiping more fully, and feeling delight in the consequences of our righteous actions.
Elder DeHoyos said, “Light comes from the devotion that we give to Sabbath day observance, in the Church as well as in the home; it is the light that grows as we keep ourselves unspotted from the world; it is the light that comes from offering up our sacraments on His holy day and from paying our devotions to the Most High—all of which enable us to always have His Spirit with us.” Our missionary Tanner, Hunter, and now Porter especially glow with this light.
This is the essence of sacrifice. When you give the Lord your time and energy, he gives you a new heart. My two sons, and now my third, chose to follow their prophet who asked each worthy young man to serve a mission. That’s a big sacrifice. But making small sacrifices, such as remembering the Sabbath day, helped them to be obedient.
May we all choose well our Sabbath Day strategies. May we be willing to make our lives a worthy sacrifice to the Lord. May we “always remember the Sabbath, keeping his commandments which he has given [us]; that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us],” to worship more fully and find delight in our daily lives. And in remembering the Sabbath, may we be blessed with His power to do good - for ourselves, our family, our community and nation, - is my prayer.
Friday, September 8, 2017
Letter #5
Dear Family, it´s me.
The theme of this week is Time, which, unfortunately, I don´t have much of.
1. TIMES WE SAVED ANOTHER PATIENT X
If you´ve been following my adventures, youvé heard about the first Brazilian who collapsed, I caught and carried. AND, it happened again. I walked into my room to change for physical activity, yuh, and there´s a lone Brazilian, crying. I walk over and am putting my arm around him when he just collapses. Exciting stuff. Don´t know where his companion was. SOO, I lay him on Elder Webster´s pristine, Marine style bed (sorry Elder W) and allow him to sweat, cough and otherwise convulse whiule I tried to figure out what to do. Eventually, gave him a blessing (in Portuguese? sure) and got some teacher people up there to take care of him.
Thought it was over? PSYCH> The next night, I´m chilling in my bed, it´s 10:30, I´m taking out my contacts and he climbs up my latter and whispers (in Portuguese? yes, keep up he´s Brazilian) that his throat is bleeding. Pop the ole flashlight back there, sure enough, blood running down the back of his throat. Tasty. Rush him to the medical desk, lady does her thing. Success. Still not sure what´s wrong with him.
2. TIMES WE GOT ASKED IF WE WERE PREGNANT
For those of you who have been wondering the same thing for a while, I will squash some rumors. I'm not actually pregnant. BUT, because we had a 24 hour fast last Saturday Sunday, I pounded 4000'ish calories of straight beans and rice. I was popping a food baby, yes, but its still impolite to ask, just saying. Couldvé been offended
3. TIMES WE GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE COLOMBIAN URBAN LIFESTYLE
Not gonna lie, one of the better things that happened to me. I made eye contact with this Colombian Elder one day during lunch and sent him a little fist pump. He sent me one back. We had a little conversation through the language of dance. Then he came up, told me I had the soul of a black man and disappeared into the maze of the CTM. YUH. I always knew I had it in me somewhere.
4. THE TIME WE GOT REALLY BORED IN THE CLASSROOM
We was definitely a little bored, just booling, learning some Portuguese. We were tossing lunch cards around, three went out the window. I wanted to throw one out to, but since mine was already gone, I convinced Elder Tebbs to let me throw his, once, from the hallway. Long story short, it hit the metal corner on the window frame and exploded, violently. Fun stuff
5. TIMES WE FOUND OUT THEY SELL FAKE BUT DOPE LOOKING NIKES
Just read the subheading again, update coming next week.
6. TIMES WE GOT THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN ON THE BACK OF OUR HEAD
Little angry about this one. All you ladies (and you Dad, I promise it´s not just girls) know I´m a short on the side, long on the top kinda guy. Well, tried to get that slick zero fade (mission aprroved) and the barber got everything perfect. EXCEPT, it didn´t actually fade and the boy cut a triangle out above one of my years. My and my 3-D model of the feudal system would´ve been angry BUT, who am I trying to impress over the next two years? not my eternal companion (but, if youré out there, HMU girl)
7. TIMES WE HAD A DEVOTIONAL IN THE AMAZON
This one was rough. I roll up on Tuesday night, slick midnight blue suit, you already know, yuh, for our devotional. SOMEONE (President Grahl) decided that it would be better if we had the heat cranked to 90. I had sweat drippping down my face to the floor. Gross stuff. Then, we had to learn this one song, to sing. It was played at about 40 beats per minute, even though it´s supossed to be at about 75. FUNERAL MARCH. Everyone is falling asleep. To prevent myself from joining them (though I later did) I narrated a funeral eulogy to my companion. This led to us hiding behind the song papers so the Sister conducting wouldn´t see us laughing/crying/sweating all over her papers. Once again, sorry Elder Webster.
8. TIMES WE STARTED WWIII
This one takes the cake. Some Brazilian saw on the news in a pharmacy that North Korea tested a nuclear bomb and Japan was getting nervous and wanted permission to build their own. However, mixing languages, person to person, whatever, by the time everyone settled on a story, North Korea had dropped two hydrogen bombs on Japan, Kim Jong Un was planning on dropping an album, and the Japanese were dropping the 2020 Olympics. Had to get that one cleared up.
That´s about it, I´m still trying to figure out how to do that though,
Keep me bumping with the news. love you all,
Until next week,
Elder Led Zepplin -------> out
The theme of this week is Time, which, unfortunately, I don´t have much of.
1. TIMES WE SAVED ANOTHER PATIENT X
If you´ve been following my adventures, youvé heard about the first Brazilian who collapsed, I caught and carried. AND, it happened again. I walked into my room to change for physical activity, yuh, and there´s a lone Brazilian, crying. I walk over and am putting my arm around him when he just collapses. Exciting stuff. Don´t know where his companion was. SOO, I lay him on Elder Webster´s pristine, Marine style bed (sorry Elder W) and allow him to sweat, cough and otherwise convulse whiule I tried to figure out what to do. Eventually, gave him a blessing (in Portuguese? sure) and got some teacher people up there to take care of him.
Thought it was over? PSYCH> The next night, I´m chilling in my bed, it´s 10:30, I´m taking out my contacts and he climbs up my latter and whispers (in Portuguese? yes, keep up he´s Brazilian) that his throat is bleeding. Pop the ole flashlight back there, sure enough, blood running down the back of his throat. Tasty. Rush him to the medical desk, lady does her thing. Success. Still not sure what´s wrong with him.
2. TIMES WE GOT ASKED IF WE WERE PREGNANT
For those of you who have been wondering the same thing for a while, I will squash some rumors. I'm not actually pregnant. BUT, because we had a 24 hour fast last Saturday Sunday, I pounded 4000'ish calories of straight beans and rice. I was popping a food baby, yes, but its still impolite to ask, just saying. Couldvé been offended
3. TIMES WE GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE COLOMBIAN URBAN LIFESTYLE
Not gonna lie, one of the better things that happened to me. I made eye contact with this Colombian Elder one day during lunch and sent him a little fist pump. He sent me one back. We had a little conversation through the language of dance. Then he came up, told me I had the soul of a black man and disappeared into the maze of the CTM. YUH. I always knew I had it in me somewhere.
4. THE TIME WE GOT REALLY BORED IN THE CLASSROOM
We was definitely a little bored, just booling, learning some Portuguese. We were tossing lunch cards around, three went out the window. I wanted to throw one out to, but since mine was already gone, I convinced Elder Tebbs to let me throw his, once, from the hallway. Long story short, it hit the metal corner on the window frame and exploded, violently. Fun stuff
5. TIMES WE FOUND OUT THEY SELL FAKE BUT DOPE LOOKING NIKES
Just read the subheading again, update coming next week.
6. TIMES WE GOT THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN ON THE BACK OF OUR HEAD
Little angry about this one. All you ladies (and you Dad, I promise it´s not just girls) know I´m a short on the side, long on the top kinda guy. Well, tried to get that slick zero fade (mission aprroved) and the barber got everything perfect. EXCEPT, it didn´t actually fade and the boy cut a triangle out above one of my years. My and my 3-D model of the feudal system would´ve been angry BUT, who am I trying to impress over the next two years? not my eternal companion (but, if youré out there, HMU girl)
7. TIMES WE HAD A DEVOTIONAL IN THE AMAZON
This one was rough. I roll up on Tuesday night, slick midnight blue suit, you already know, yuh, for our devotional. SOMEONE (President Grahl) decided that it would be better if we had the heat cranked to 90. I had sweat drippping down my face to the floor. Gross stuff. Then, we had to learn this one song, to sing. It was played at about 40 beats per minute, even though it´s supossed to be at about 75. FUNERAL MARCH. Everyone is falling asleep. To prevent myself from joining them (though I later did) I narrated a funeral eulogy to my companion. This led to us hiding behind the song papers so the Sister conducting wouldn´t see us laughing/crying/sweating all over her papers. Once again, sorry Elder Webster.
8. TIMES WE STARTED WWIII
This one takes the cake. Some Brazilian saw on the news in a pharmacy that North Korea tested a nuclear bomb and Japan was getting nervous and wanted permission to build their own. However, mixing languages, person to person, whatever, by the time everyone settled on a story, North Korea had dropped two hydrogen bombs on Japan, Kim Jong Un was planning on dropping an album, and the Japanese were dropping the 2020 Olympics. Had to get that one cleared up.
That´s about it, I´m still trying to figure out how to do that though,
Keep me bumping with the news. love you all,
Until next week,
Elder Led Zepplin -------> out
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Chicago Cubs in Class
"Tuesday night, after work, myself and my two colleagues headed downtown on the train to catch a game at Wrigley field and get some Chicago dogs at Byron's. Neither disappointed. While I'm a Boston man through and through, the Chicago loyal did not disappoint in support of their home team. 7th inning renditions of Take Me Out to the Ballgame and their end-of-game anthem "Go Cubs Go" were belted out with the sincerest enthusiasm and passion that I've ever seen. Wrigley is a chapel to the American Pastime, complete with it's own blue-clothed choir of angels that sing from their seats on high while umps in black robes preside below."
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