Breyer and her Buddy

Enjoying the cats while serving at the cat shelter

Breyer LOVE

Be a Pineapple

The “Be a Pineapple: Stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside” 

talk by their father took on a new meaning when they came out of the store 

and found a pineapple under the windshield wiper. 

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

“I was with some people [today] who lost a great deal,” he said. “I looked in their eyes and I could see that these apparently ordinary people were on the rock of the Lord Jesus Christ. They saw the light even in the darkness. And so, things for them will work out. Whatever it takes, they will rebuild. And they will not just rebuild their houses and their businesses. What they will build is a love of the Lord Jesus Christ and a feeling that no matter what comes, they will feel cheerful and confident."

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.

Tip Top Trash Picker-Uppers

Memorial Day Preparations

One of our favorite service opportunities is through the boy scouts long standing tradition of placing flags on the graves of soldiers, Memorial Day weekend.

Our friends from Boston loved sharing this tradition with us last year, they brought 900 flags with them for us to put out! And we did!

 

(Hunter found the section in the cemetery for confederate soldiers!)

(Every picture has me posting. Must be bossy ;-)

 

Miller would look for the word "war," and know it needed a flag.

Our favorite headstone we found today: A Purple Heart AND Iwo Jima...amazing!

Serving through the Boy Scouts

One friend's eagle scout project was gathering items needed to make 72 hour kits for residents at a home for abused women. 

From ready.gov, they define their "disaster kit" as "a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency." 

They recommend assembling your kit "well in advance of an emergency. 

You may have to evacuate at a moment’s notice and take essentials with you. 

You will probably not have time to search for the supplies you need or shop for them."

I think it's important, especially in today's world, to consider becoming more prepared for those unexpected events that are even more likely to happen!

And helping others to be more prepared is even better!

(GREAT activity for Sawyer's first night at scouts!)

Sight Night!

Hunter walked around with his brothers trick or treating, and collected glasses for the Lions Club. What a great service project to hold in conjunction with Halloween activities!

Save your glasses for next year!

Firefighter's widow finds peace, comfort in 'Be Good' bracelet

My heart is just breaking for this sweet family and their loss...but what a great story, and what amazing perspective! And that fourth son's name: Choice!

Joseph Walker, Deseret News
PRESCOTT, ARIZ. — For Juliann Ashcraft, widow of Arizona firefighter Andrew Ashcraft, the longest week of her life came to a merciful end Saturday, when a message from her husband — and, perhaps, from God — presented itself in the form of a charred rubber bracelet.

“It has been a whirlwind of emotions,” the young mother of four said during a telephone interview Saturday night as her brother drove her home from a planning meeting for Tuesday’s public memorial service for her late husband and 18 other firefighters. The 19 men died June 30 when treacherous, shifting winds turned the relatively small wildfire they were fighting near Yarnell, Ariz., into America’s most devastating loss of firefighters since the tragedy of 9/11.

There was tenderness and love in Juliann’s voice as she spoke, but it was also firm and strong and confident despite the fact — or, perhaps, because of — what she had just experienced. During the planning meeting officers returned personal effects to family members of the 19 firefighters. Or, at least, those that were recognizable enough to be salvaged after what the firefighters had been through.

“There weren’t a lot of things that came back intact,” she said. “The damage was pretty catastrophic. Everything was charred and melted — his pocket knife, his compass. They couldn’t even find his watch.”

But there was among Andrew’s personal effects a rubber wristband — formerly white, now yellowed and singed, but still wonderfully recognizable to Juliann.

“About six months ago Andrew was in charge of our Family Home Evening,” she said, referring to a common practice among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to gather weekly as a family to strengthen faith and family bonds through scripture study, games, treats and prayer. “His lesson was aimed at our children (ages 6 and younger) about how we all need to be good so we can be together as a family forever. As part of the lesson he got us all these white rubber wristbands. He said they would remind us to be good, so we called them our ‘Be Good bracelets.’

“The kids and I wore ours for a few days, but then we took them off and only wore them once in a while,” she continued. “But Andrew promised me that he would wear his until it fell off his wrist — because it was so worn out — or until the day he died. To him, it was a symbol of his commitment to me and to our family and that it was forever. So he wore it all the time, and he told me he looked at it a lot. It reminded him of us, and it made him want to be a better man.”

Juliann said she had no expectation that Andrew’s “Be Good bracelet” would survive the fire. “It was just a cheap thing,” she said, “and it was made of rubber — not exactly fire resistant.”

But when she saw it among Andrew’s effects — one of only a handful of items to make it through the blaze intact — she said she was overwhelmed by what she called a “tender mercy.”

“It was a miracle that it survived the heat and flames,” she said. “I just see it as a tender mercy from Heavenly Father. Andrew made me a promise, and he kept it. And God wanted us to know that he kept it.”

“He was a good man,” Juliann said simply, powerfully. “A lot of us claim to be the things that we are only aspiring to be. We go through the motions, but it’s not really inside us. Andrew was just good. He wasn’t perfect — no one is. But he didn’t pretend to be good; he was good.”

Juliann should know. She and Andrew had known each other since middle school. Even then, she said, he was “a good guy — fun, handsome, popular. Everybody knew him and liked him.” She confesses to having a crush on him back then, even writing out her future name, “Juliann Ashcraft,” as a classroom doodle again and again. But there was a problem.

“He was just short,” she said. “I would try to set him up with my short friends.”

After they graduated together from Prescott High School in 2003, they stayed in touch. They even dated off and on. Not only did Andrew grow physically — he eventually hit 5-foot-11 — but she noticed how much he had grown in terms of depth and maturity.

“Andrew had great parents who raised him as a strong Christian and instilled a lot of good in him,” she said. That was evident when he joined a rock band after high school that was good enough to do a little touring. While on tour, the other band members would go and do the things that rock band members are stereotypically known for doing, but Andrew always declined. When band members asked why, he would say, “It’s just my personal choice.”

“So ‘Choice’ became his nickname,” Juliann said. “Everyone who knew him in those days called him ‘Choice’ because that’s what he was all about.”

In late 2005, when they were both back in Prescott for the holidays, they started dating again. By the end of February they were engaged, and they were married in Prescott in July 2006.

“I was raised in the LDS Church, and I had always been taught about temple marriage,” she said. “But that wasn’t really a focus in my life at that time. But after we were married and we started having children, it was a lot more important to me, and I told Andrew I wanted to go to the temple so I could have my family sealed to me.”

Andrew, who had been attending church regularly with Juliann, was concerned about her announcement. “It was something we didn’t share, and he didn’t like that,” she said. “So I just sort of tabled it. I didn’t bring it up again.”

LDS missionaries were frequent visitors to their home, and Andrew was also kind and welcoming. “But he was honest, perhaps to a fault sometimes,” Juliann said. “He would say, ‘Thanks for being here. I know this is your job to try to talk to me about your church. But I’m totally not interested.’ ”

That changed suddenly one night when some missionaries prevailed upon him to watch a video about Joseph Smith.

“Something clicked for him that night,” Juliann said. “I don’t know why, but everything just sort of fell into place for him. That night before going to bed he told me he wanted to be baptized. I didn’t really respond — I was afraid he didn’t mean it. But the next morning he said, ‘Yeah, I’m serious.’ ”

Since then, Andrew has been as active in the LDS Church as his job would allow. Together with their two oldest children, Ryder and Shiloh, they were sealed in the church’s Mesa Arizona Temple in 2009.

“Andrew cried more than anyone else in the room that day,” Juliann said.

The past four years have been a time of spiritual growth and development for the entire Ashcraft family, including the addition of two sons, Tate and Choice. The youngest was named for his father's nickname as well as for the fact that physical complications during Juliann's pregnancy prompted recommendations from physicians to terminate the pregnancy — a "choice" they just couldn't make.

“I don’t know why, but our faith has gotten much stronger in the past six months,” Juliann said. “Our whole family has been growing — but especially Andrew. He has become a leader on the crew, a leader at church, a leader in our home. He would lead us in Family Home Evening and family prayer. He would come home and really throw himself into family activities even though I’m sure he wanted to nap because he has this really hard, physically demanding job.

"Andrew represented the church and our family well."

And now, she says, it is her turn to grow.

"This has been a hard, horrible, terrible thing, for our family and for all of the other families involved," she said. "But I've felt the comfort of other people's prayer for us, and I've been comforted by my faith as I've tried to focus on the bigger, more eternal perspective.

"I've always been a believer," she continued, "but this week, going through this, I've really had to come to terms with everything I've thought and believed. And now that Andrew is gone, I find that I don't think or hope or believe that I'll be with him again — I know that I will. Through this hard, hard time, I've felt my hope turning into belief and then turning into knowledge."

And as she prepares to say her final earthly goodbyes to her beloved Andrew this week — his funeral will be held at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Ariz., on Wednesday at 1 p.m. — she finds herself responding to one question over and over.

“People ask me, 'Were you always afraid this would happen?' " Juliann said. "And yes, the possibilities are always in the back of your mind. But I was never really afraid. Maybe I should have been. I just knew that he loved what he did. It’s who he was. And I didn’t want to live every day worried. So our family just prayed for him and loved him and enjoyed each other, every day we were together.”

Still, she understands how an event like this can trigger fearful feelings in the hearts and minds of countless others who send loved ones off to work every day as firefighters, police officers, military personnel and other high-risk jobs. To them she simply says, "Treasure every day."

"These men and women, all of them, are heroes," she continued. "I just keep thinking about how incredible they all are, the important work they do and how they do it for the well-being and benefit of others. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just humbled and honored that one of them chose to marry me."

The one they called "Choice."

Mr. Radio

Jarrod was invited on a local radio show to promote his "Lose the Training Wheels" program for disabled children. He really LIKED listening to the sound of his voice ;-)

And having others listen was just a bonus!

Lose the Training Wheels teaches individuals with disabilities to ride bicycles

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University’s School of Kinesiology is hosting its third annual Lose the Training Wheels Camp July 15-19 at Huntington High School.

The program is offered in concert with the non-profit charity iCan Shine. The camp teaches participants with disabilities how to independently ride a two-wheel bicycle.

iCan Shine is a national organization that works with local organizations to host camps in individual communities. Staff members travel the country conducting the camps, and have an average success rate of approximately 80. Participants attend one 75-minute session each day for five consecutive days.

Dr. Gregg Twietmeyer, assistant professor of kinesiology at Marshall, said the benefit is twofold: one, participants can learn the joys of riding a bike, which can lead to increased self-esteem and confidence; and two, Marshall students, who volunteer as spotters for the riders, get to see firsthand the important role of physical activity and play in human well-being and culture.

“Our enrollment more than doubled from 2011 to 2012, and we’re hoping for further growth in 2013. The more kids enrolled the more kids we can help discover the joys of riding a bike.” Twietmeyer said.

To be eligible to register for the camp, participants must be at least 8 years old and have a diagnosed disability. They must have a minimum inseam of 20 inches, weigh less than 220 pounds and be able to walk without assistive devices. Teens and adults may participate as well.

The registration fee is $100 and some scholarships are available. For more information on registration or volunteering, visit www.marshall.edu/lttw.

For more information on the camp, call Twietmeyer at 304-696-2938 or Dr. Jarod Schenewark, assistant professor of kinesiology, at 304-696-2937.

Individuals interested in helping to defray the costs of the camp through financial donations may contact Rick Robinson, director of development with the Marshall University College of Health Professions, at 304-696-7081.

Memorial Day Honor

Memorial Day celebrations usually involve cemeteries putting out flags on veteran graves, and Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington put out the call for help to all the local scout groups.

(That's my "Well, we don't want to go over where everybody else is" look!)

Putting flags by stone markers is fun, but just waving a flag is great too.

We were assigned the cemetery section where Union Soldiers that served in the Civil War were buried.

Laughing over the funny name: Georgia Bing Eaton

Doing a little patriotic marching while waiting for a "reader" to call for a cute flag holder.

Porter excited to not only find a veteran's grave, but a "Burgler, U.S. Army, World War I."

Sawyer just plain happy. Definitely a must-do for next year's Memorial Day celebration.

In honor of Memorial Day, I share with you the following unbelievable—no really, you will not believe this—story of the suffering endured by those who serve in the military to protect American freedoms, which I just finished transcribing from the World War II letters of my Grandmother Grace:

“Another boy I know of has had the whole top of his head blown off and has a metal top with skin taken from his leg grafted over it. What horrors those poor lads must suffer. If and of course we must believe there is a God—Why does he allow such wicked, wicked things to occur? If we must kill and be killed why not these killers in these lock ups, why all the nice, clean living and clean minded boys? Why? Why? Why? War is so wrong. Surely it all must end soon and these crazy-mad-wicked people stopped. You must wonder at my wild raving etc. I have heard so much today to prompt it that it isn’t even funny. 

"In Woonsocket there is a little electric shop somewhere and this young married lad went in to get some part for something he was repairing for his wife. He got one or two things but couldn’t get the rest. The man told him it was due to the war. One thing led to another and they were deeply involved discussing the war. Roger noticed the man as he talked begin to shake and have a funny look about him so asked if he was okay. His answer was, “You want to know what's wrong? Come over here and I’ll show you. He took Roger behind the counter and dropped his pants and pulled up his shirt. "This is what World War #1 did to me, and World W #2 has taken my son. They’ve murdered him." Roger said he almost fainted for his whole front part of his body was glass & you could see all the workings of his insides."

Eagle Scout Court of Honor

We were asked to participate in an Eagle Court of Honor...What a great thing for each boy who can earn this award.

President Ezra Taft Benson once said:

 “Give me a young man who has kept himself morally clean and has faithfully attended his Church meetings. 

Give me a young man who has magnified his priesthood and has earned the Duty to God Award and is an Eagle Scout. 

 

Give me a young man who is a seminary graduate and has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon. 

Give me such a young man, and I will give you a young man who can perform miracles for the Lord in the mission field and throughout his life”.