Dear Tanner,
I hope you had a great week! One that was news worthy, and able to provide you with lots of letter ;-) We are still wondering how many are in your district? _______ Dare I ask about the package arriving? _______ Do you wish you had a coat? _______
I love reading missionary letters. I read them all week. Sometimes I read them in one day sometimes it takes me all week. But they're addictive. The spirit that emanates from a missionary striving to do what is right, to the best of their ability, is powerful. So this week, I'll share again some of my favorite snippets. From your cousin Naomi's letter: "I ate a frog leg pizza!...And, I guess I also scored major points with the Primary kids when I busted out a stunning rendition of Pirates of the Caribbean on the piano before church...I think we ended up teaching one lesson this week, but as we like to say, teach less, baptize more. And our contacting numbers are higher. It didn't help that none of the buses were running normal because of the de Tour de France."
From your cousin Greg's letter: "We had a devotional by Elder Holland this week (from a DVD) and he said, "There might be a more exciting time to go on a mission, but I don't know when that would be....you all must have done something right in the council in heaven." He also told us that the prophets from the other dispensations knew that they would fail, that ultimately the gospel would be lost from the earth and that the people would enter into apostasy, but that they could keep preaching, they could keep singing praises to our Father in Heaven because they knew that we would not fail."
From your roommate Jeremy's letter: "This week was a pretty normal one for me except for the crazy weather that we had on Friday night! There were tornado warnings, hurricane warnings, flood warnings and pretty much everything that you can think of! I have been thinking about all the blessings that we have like a house to live in, a car to travel around, A/C to keep us cool, heat to keep us warm, food to eat when we are hungry, water to drink when we are thirsty, beds to sleep in, phones to contact people, etc. It has just been a really cool experience to think of all the things that I am grateful for in my life. It has brought me down to the most important things which are the gospel, the Savior Jesus Christ, and my family. Without these things there is no way that I could ever be able to be happy. I am soooo grateful for the chance that I have to serve a mission and pay back just a little of what I owe to my Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ. I know that through this gospel, which is centered on Jesus Christ's Atonement, we really can and will obtain happiness. Happiness that is eternal and everlasting in the Kingdom of our God."
And finally from your trainer, he wrote about how one member once told him that "people get baptized because of the testimony they have of the restoration of the gospel, but stay active because of their testimony of the plan of salvation." I liked this quote. I believe strongly in getting members to the temple!
I never got to tell you in last week's letter, but while we were in Berlin, Ohio we wanted to have an Amish buggy ride. We found an inexpensive driver, and even though it was pouring rain and we would get a little wet, we were excited to go. His name was David, and I was telling him how hard it had been to find our church, zig zagging through all of the corn fields. So began a 20 minute discussion of the church. I told him about the plan of salvation, and temples and temple ordinances, tithing and priesthood authority. He kept saying, "I hope you don't mind me asking questions! It's always me that usually gets asked the questions!" We're mailing him a Book of Mormon. He doesn't have a computer or we would have used one of your brother Porter's pass along cards he picks up by the handfuls. It was wonderful sharing the gospel with a stranger in a strange land.
Now for this week's missionary moment. For the past five years I've walked the same mile loop, sometimes with the dog, sometimes with a wagon and kids, sometimes with both, and rarely by myself. And for five years, most of the times I walk I pass a Mr. Anderson who sits in his yard to smoke, or is out working in his yard. He picks up tidbits of my life and has accumulated five years worth of 30 second conversations. He knew about Grampy saying the prayer at the National Republican Convention last year, and my being asked to pray at the local Republican gathering. And he came to listen to me pray. With his son. One day the Proctorville missionaries found his name in an old investigator book and went knocking. And my name came up in the conversation. He's mediocre about the church, but enjoys the missionaries and their visits. However, his 21 year old son wants more. He's giving up smoking, and wants to come to church. We'll be his ride, as he has no license. Reminds me of that story on the missionary broadcast where everyone handed out invitations to 8 year old baptisms, but that's not where the investigator was found.
The rest of our week? A blur. Monday Hunter went golfing with Grampy on Brigham St.
Porter and I worked more with the wood. Monday was also the day we had to leave, as Aunt Rachael's family came into town. We drove up to Aunt Jenny's and had a fun family home evening, including a great lesson on fathers by your cousin Roger and fire pit s'mores for treats.
Tuesday we were back on Brigham St. for the BIG wood day. We brought Abbey and Adam to help, and we were able to finish! We got all the cut trees out of the forest, got those logs all split, and got everything stacked. It wasn't as much as last summer, but your grandparents were pleasantly surprised.
Tuesday night Uncle Roger and Dad went to the Lowell Spinners game, a short season, single A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. He brought Abbey, Sarah, Adam and Roger. Dad brought Porter and Sawyer. The best part of the evening was when Dad realized he knew one of the players. He had just had the Marshall University baseball player in his class last semester. So he got a couple of balls from the league from him and shared with Uncle Roger.
Miller, Breyer and Cooper came down with high fevers, coughs and sore throats. They were miserable! We brought them to a doctor Wednesday morning but it was viral. Hunter went golfing again with Grampy, along with Uncle Aaron and Greg Smith. Uncle Aaron had to leave for court, and Grampy had to stop playing, but it's still golf! He finished up by lunch, and we quickly vacated the whole state, choosing instead to take the sick crew up north to Aunt Becky's. We were hoping that the virus was the same one JoJo and Brady had before the sealing last Saturday. By the time we arrived Sawyer was down for the count :-(
Thursday Uncle Steve took Hunter golfing, again! What a vacation for your brother. He has definitely picked the sport that can be used on vacations, and involves a lot of willing participants! Porter went with Kaleb to basketball camp, and endured three hours of conditioning. The kind where the coach has you pull him around the gym with a fitness band. Just what you would want to do on your vacation! Porter loved it. He's about 1/2" shorter than Kaleb. There was lots of measuring this week! Dad took a small contingency crew to a local museum, interested in researching the first recorded collegiate athletic contest in the United States: a rowing match on Lake Winnipesaukee in 1852 between Yale and Harvard. Dad also took the kids to the lake shores for a swim. We surely love our New Hampshire family and their beautiful resources!
Friday the kids took a quick trip to the waterfall, and then to the beach. We left NH after lunch, and went back to Aunt Jenny's, just in time to join Adam in a rousing game of Settlers of Catan. I had to officially declare him the winner, as there was an ore shortage and tensions were high ;-) We were joined by the Bachs, who graciously took all of us and then some out to dinner at the regionally favorite "Kimball's". I think Lunenburg is their fifth location, but from what we saw they need more! Friday nights is their weekly cruise in, so there were a lot of fun automobiles to peruse while we were waiting for our order. All of Lunenburg and then some were in attendance! It was crowded! We rolled our bellies down the road to the weekly adult soccer league game to watch Aunt Jenny and Uncle Aaron. What a game! We supposedly missed Uncle Aaron's header for the winning goal. It must have occurred within the first five minutes of the game! We saw no goals, but a lot of action! Uncle Aaron in trying to save a ball, accidentally stepped on somebody else's foot, also trying to get to the ball. They both went down, but only Uncle Aaron got up. He's a force to be reckoned with! My favorite moments were listening to him give Jen instructions on the fly. "Stay left!" "Get the ball!" "Move in!" He does enjoy the competition!
And with the win, we returned to Kimball's for their famous ice cream. Black raspberry, a flavor you can only find in New England, was fabulous!
Saturday morning we were up by 5 a.m., having slept on Grampy's family room rug, and were on our way! We picked up a couple dozen doughnuts and drove to Uncle Rich's house, arriving just in time for homemade blueberry pancakes! Can I say that the doughnuts just sat? His shirt was still wet as he was out picking in the rain. It was great to see the Connecticut clan. We've decided our next visit we're making them our homebase. That way they won't always just be squeezed in at the end. Plus, they're always way too busy not to do it that way ;-) The cousins were really sweet with Breyer. Sharing Kevin's birthday has given her "STAR" status at that house. Porter has an edge on his "twin," Kevin, in height, but not in shoe size! Cooper and Xander planned LEGO creations, while Hannah wrestled with Miller. Sawyer hung with the only cousin "his age," Isabelle, as well as Lavinia, and played their version of doggie hide'n'go seek.
While driving home and listening to our phone messages, we heard that Porter's board of review for his Eagle Scout was scheduled this week. How exciting to have that finally done! He really wants you to be there, so he hasn't been too concerned about finishing. But now he is, and he is ready for next August!
That's the week wrap-up. After almost 20 days living out of a suitcase, I'm home. With a lot of suitcases to unpack, a few clothes to wash, a van to empty and clean, travel bags to put away, school supplies to ready, and a few appointments on the calendar. The boys only have about ten days before school starts, so we'll try to enjoy our remaining summer days while we get ready for school and seminary! Larry did a great job taking care of Ranger. He was bouncy and happy when we pulled into the driveway last night at 10 p.m. How can I close without mentioning Hunter's newest job? He was asked to sleep over at a house while the owners are vacationing this week so the dog will have a little company. How fun is that? Ranger only gets potty breaks when we leave town ;-) Sawyer went last night, and Cooper went tonight. She bought them snacks, has a 3D TV, and left him instructions and clean beds. Let the party begin! Lolly the dog is sweet, sometimes hyper, and has her own doggy door, so it's a cush job. Maybe you can do it next year ;-)
My thought comes to you from Jeffrey R. Holland, and a devotional address given at Brigham Young University on 2 March 1999 entitled "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence." He said, "I wish to encourage every one of us regarding the opposition that so often comes after enlightened decisions have been made, after moments of revelation and conviction have given us a peace and an assurance we thought we would never lose. In his letter to the Hebrews, the Apostle Paul was trying to encourage new members who had just joined the Church, who undoubtedly had had spiritual experiences and received the pure light of testimony, only to discover that their troubles had not ended but that some of them had just begun.
Paul pleaded with those new members in much the same way [we plead] with new members today. The reminder is that we cannot sign on for a battle of such eternal significance and everlasting consequence without knowing it will be a fight—a good fight and a winning fight, but a fight nevertheless. Paul says to those who thought a new testimony, a personal conversion, a spiritual baptismal experience would put them beyond trouble—to these he says, “Call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions.” Then this tremendous counsel, which is at the heart of my counsel to you: "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise...If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him...We are not of them who draw back unto perdition."
In Latter-day Saint talk that is to say, Sure it is tough—before you join the Church, while you are trying to join, and after you have joined. That is the way it has always been, Paul says, but don’t draw back. Don’t panic and retreat. Don’t lose your confidence. Don’t forget how you once felt. Don’t distrust the experience you had. Beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted in it, it is right now."
I hope this helps you this week as you go about your important work. We do love you. We're loving the man you're becoming.
Love,
Mom and Dad
