Post Thanksgiving 08-Elder Sean letter

Nov. 30, 2008
Dear Elder Sean,
Thanks for another wonderful letter. You sound so good and very happy and very anxiously engaged in good causes. All those go hand in hand, of course. How great that you get to travel around and see so many people you've had previous contact with. We're still very sad about Fernando not getting his act together yet. When Nikki heard that she was sad. For some reason she has made it her personal mission to pray for Fernando every night since day one. You better believe that Heavenly Father knows who he is since he hears about him from Nikki every day. I'm expecting to see Wilky here on a mission in a few years though.

How is the family from Peru, the Villegas family? Thanks for getting the complete Holland talk to us. I've only listened to a few tracks so far, but that's because it was a hectic week. I've put them all on iTunes and will put them all on one CD so it will be easier to listen to. So, did you have your mission conference already? I can't wait to hear all about it. How often do you get to have an entire mission conference? That seems like a rare thing or maybe not in your mission.

I will email Hma Carranza with some new photos this week. In the package we sent last week, I sent some music for Marcela Lucas. Hope it's not a problem for you to get it to her. I thought it would be easier to send it in a package rather than try to email something. We are sending off another package tomorrow and then one more in about a week. Tis the season!!!

We had such a fun Thanksgiving this past week. Steve and Carolina came with Kassie, Dakota, Gio and Jen. They left their new little puppy, Tofu, at home. Carolina really didn't want them to bring their dog to our house because he's so hyper, so I told them how territorial Barkley is and how he tends to eat small vermon (they didn't know that he's just about 14 years old now, deaf and blind). So when they showed up here and saw Barkley, they kind of laughed at his sorry state. We bought a couple doggie outfits to put in the game of greed to help make up for their missing their "son".

So here's a pic of our dinner before we devoured it.
























And here's Alex on his double date playing wii in the family room. Watching them dance was very entertaining. Dakota went with Dallas and Alex took a girl named Dana Rasmussen.






















Here we all are just before Steve and his family take off back to Provo.





Kirk and Rachel got here last Saturday and stayed the whole week. This is her third trip to our house now and I still can't tell if things are progressing or not. She's very quiet, coupled with Kirk's quietness, it's downright hard to tell what's going on. But they seem to enjoy each other and we all like having Rachel here. Her dad played football for Utah State and she's very athletic herself. She's majoring in Biology with a teaching degree and hopes to teach high school biology and coach basketball. They only have 2 more weeks of school, then they are both off track until April. So we'll see what happens then. We'll keep you posted.

Gio and Jen are doing great. They are a lot of fun to be around. Jen really brings out the best in Gio. He seems so happy. Jen graduates in April and until then Gio is working for NuSkin in Provo. He'll try to find a "real job" when Jen graduates.

Steve is still busy with Noah's. They just opened a new one in South Jordan. He managed the building site there. Now they are looking at building one in Denver so Steve may have to be on the road. Axel comes home Jan. 8th from his mission. He sounds so good in his letters and is really enjoying being a Chinese speaking missionary in Paris now. He's had so many more contacts and investigators and baptisms. It's really lifted his spirits. Dakota is a senior in high school and is hoping to take her swim team to state this year. Kassie is also on the team, but doesn't quite enjoy it the same as Dakota. She is just swimming because Steve told her to. I got to talk with Isaac through the computer while he was at work. We just used gmail audio. I told him how much we missed him here at Thanksgiving. I think he was missing being here too. He's keeping busy working for a computer company during the week and teaching at the American school on Saturday. He hasn't been able to finish his classes to graduate from college yet, but he hopes to. He lives a very different lifestyle over there in Barcelona and it's very evident Satan has a hold of him, but I told him I loved him and missed him. It's important for him to know that his family is always here for him.

The little girls were in heaven having Jen here. She did their hair, painted their nails, etc. They pretty much followed her everywhere and she was very patient with them. Kristina loved having Kassie here. They even went running one night and totally enjoyed it. Alex and Dakota buddied up and Kirk and Rachel double dated with Gio and Jen one night. Dad and I took Steve and Carolina to Rembrandt's one night for hot chocolate and an eclair. I told Steve he'd love it because it was just like a big living room with nice comfy couches. We had a fun chat there. We also made a brave trip to the mall on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. I have never seen our little mall so crowded. The Trumbo's didn't think a thing of it, but it was really strange for the rest of us. It was fun seeing Uncle Bill and Travis there too. Their stores were doing good business which was good especially considering the current state of the economy.

We watched BSU cream Fresno State with the Trumbo's too. Since Steve seemed to be getting into the game, we picked him up some little blue and orange things from Travis's store. Steve said he'd like to see BSU play BYU. That would be a good game.

Also this week Derrick Hansen got his mission call to the Mexico Leon mission. He doesn't leave until March but is very excited about it.

It's hard to believe that it's already December. If time seems to be going too fast for you too, just take a moment and take a mental picture. I can't remember if I already told you that, but that's what works for me. I actually have some pretty vivid pictures in my mind because I made it a point to take a mental picture and hold onto it. One picture of you that I have is that day in high school when I made some treats for you to take to school and I had stayed up pretty late to finish them for you and found them still on the counter when I got up after you'd already gone to school in the morning. I remember feeling so stupid for taking so much time to help you out and feeling like you didn't care at all. Then to my surprise you showed up at lunch time to pick up the treats. You didn't need them till later in the day and hadn't wanted to take them so early in the morning. I remember I started to cry for being so foolish to think that you didn't care, my feelings were so tender at the moment, and then you reached over and hugged me. That hug meant so much to me. It's just what I needed at the time and I have that picture forever etched in my mind. Be sure to take some mental pictures of your own that with some things, events and people in your mission. You'll be glad you did.

Have a great week. Your zeal is contagious and it makes me want to be better. Thanks for all you do and who you are.
I love you.
momxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxooxox

Thanksgiving week

Nov. 23, 2008
Dear Elder Sean,
Just finished playing Apples to Apples Junior with the family and somehow it turned into monkey in the middle, so the girls are having a hard time calming down after that. They are in bed on the landing and I can hear them from here. Rachel and Kirk are here now so it must be the official start of Thanksgiving week.

Steve and Carolina get here on Wednesday. We'll be sure to take tons of pictures and video for you. Then we'll be sending off your Christmas pkg this weekend.

How are you? Your last letter was amazing and it was so fun reading about your daily activities. You are so busy, but it's all such great stuff. I hope your investigators are still progressing well. I'm so happy that you're recognizing the miracles that are taking place around you. They happen after the mission too, but sometimes they are hard to see unless you keep yourself in tune. I need to share with you something that Lindsay Gill said in her homecoming talk today. She went to Sweden where most of the people are atheist now, but she was still able to have lots of spiritual experiences. Now that she's home she was telling Pres. McCauley that she still had such a strong desire to pray in Swedish and to keep reading her Swedish scriptures. Pres. McCauley so wisely explained to her that because she had so many spiritual experiences on her mission that it was natural for her to go back to Swedish where these experiences took place. He said it's where she's spiritually comfortable and knows how to feel the spirit. He said it was her spiritual language. I know that Kirk has mentioned that same thing and could totally relate to what she was talking about. My spiritual language is completely English because of my own experiences.

It's wonderful to know you have such a great bishop to work with. I know that he truly sets the tone for his ward. Getting 15 investigators to church for the Primary program is amazing. We didn't get that here. You mentioned something about a blessing from the Bishop, I hope you are feeling well physically. I haven't checked with you on that lately.

Well, football was definitely the talk of the weekend. Eagle went to Pocatello for the State Championships. The hype was fun and they even got a police escort out of town. I happened to be on State Street when they went by! But, the game was sad. They lost 28-7. Dallas had a hard time, in fact they all did. But Dallas is taking it kind of hard and feels very responsible. I wish he could see how proud we are of him instead and how much fun the season was because of him.
Yesterday, BSU won 41-24 against Nevada and then immediately following was the big BYU/UTAH game. Utah won it fairly easily, but for a while it was close. It was 48-24 and mainly because BYU had 6 turnovers in the game. Utah really did outplay them though. With Utah winning, that doesn't help BSU at all too.

Yesterday Aunt Patrice got married to Dennis. They had Bishop Cowdell (Orange 3rd ward bishop) marry them in our church. I was happy to hear that's how and where they were getting married. Wish I could have gone. They went to Catalina Island for their honeymoon. Jeff and Jan called me from their car afterwards and I had to give Jeff a play by play commentary of the BYU game, definitely not as easy as it sounds. Then when he finally got home, he immediately called back because their power was out! He's a big fan so this was not easy for him. He eventually found an internet stream to listen to.

Dad is working tonight and also Tues night. He's had quite a few night shifts this past week. All this so he can have off the rest of November. I can't remember if I told you that we're not frying turkeys this year. We're going to try brining the turkey instead. We've heard such good things about how moist and tasty brined birds are. So we actually start the brining process a day or 2 beforehand. We'll give you a report on this years' test. Alex is not happy that we're breaking tradition, but hopefully the proof will be in the taste.

The federal prosecutor in the case dealing with the Samoan adoptions called the other day. The case is still not over. They really drag on. They are coming up with a better idea for punishment rather than sending all the parties to jail for years and years. I'm happy about that. I never wanted to see any of these people go to jail even though they broke some laws and were shady with some things. The prosecutor wanted to know how I felt about this and I told him that I agreed that going to jail did nothing for the real victims of this crime, the children. The birth parents were told by someone working for the adoption agency that the children would be coming back to them when they were 18, but all the birth parents now know that adoption is forever. Only one birth family asked for their child back, but then changed their mind. The prosecutor said that most of the birth parents actually admitted that they were told the children were coming back to them but that they were also told by the attorneys at the time of adoption that the children were not coming back. All of them still wanted to put their children up for adoption and I've since found out that the girls' grandfather strongly felt that putting them up for adoption was the best thing for them and had a strong say in what they did. Their grandfather was one of the only members of their family who was active in the church. He has since passed away.

Anyway, the prosecutor is going to Samoa next Saturday and said he'd take letters and pictures with him to each birth family, so I spent some time today getting a letter ready. I asked Sister Aleki if she'd translate it for me, so she's doing that Tues on her P-day. Their birth cousin Tani's mom, Paula, is also sending a letter here for Sister Aleki to translate. I'm very anxious to hear his report when he gets back. I don't think she's been able to read any of the other letters I've sent since they were all in English. Leah looks just like Tani's birthmom, in other words, she looks just like her aunt. Nikki looks like her birth mom. I feel a connection to each of them that's hard for me to explain and I hope to be able to meet them someday. But I also understand if they don't want any contact. It's a difficult situation.

Here are some missionary tips for the week:
1. Floss
2. Eat a piece of fruit each day.
3.Place church books in local libraries. If church books are already in the library, make sure a current local mission phone number is written on the inside front cover.
4.Always lock your car or bike, even if you'll be away for only a minute.
5. With your companion, select a key word for the day that must be worked into door approaches.
6. Always try "one more door."
7. Wash the dishes before going to bed.
8. If it's OK with the bishop, greet the members of the ward as they arrive at church.
9.Create an exercise program that results in a cleaner apartment (for example, waxing the floor.)
10.Never refer to a baptism as anything other than a baptism (such as a "dunking").

We had wonderful talks today on gratitude. How can I possibly thank my Heavenly Father for everything that came to my mind about what I'm grateful for. I am nothing without Him, but everything good with Him. I see His hand in my life, but I need to work on seeing it more. When I have a grateful heart, I see His handiwork everywhere and that's my goal. Thank you for being such a wonderful son and such a valiant member of the church.

Have a miraculous week, but more importantly recognize as many miracles as you can.
I love you,
momxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxox

Mid November Ramblings

Nov. 16, 2008
Dear Elder Sean,

So how was your first week as AP? I'm so anxious to hear what you do with that calling. I know you will be an excellent servant of the Lord and Pres. Olsen knows you and can trust you implicitly. It's been such an interesting mission for you. I knew this would be an important grooming for you, a refining. And you've stepped up to each challenge with courage and faith and I know that's how you'll handle this new assignment.

I just put the girls in bed, Kristina's doing some homework, Alex and Dallas went over to Rasmussen's for some dessert and dad's still at work. This is night #2 with Nikki wearing this anti-bed wetting devise. Last night it never went off and she stayed dry. I think it scared her dry. We'll see what happens tonight. Supposedly when the thing gets wet, it sets off an alarm and it vibrates against her body to wake her up. Then I'm supposed to hear it and get her up, help her get changed and get back into bed. The reviews for it were very high so I'm hopeful and she is too.

Well, EHS won their semi-final game Friday night. It was a lot of fun to watch. Dallas and his team did a great job. They will be playing in the finals this Friday against Highland from Pocatello in Pocatello. Tons of people are driving there for the game. Dad has to work or else we might be going too. I'll just have to get updates from Alex. Should be a great match up.

So Dallas is still trying to bulk up ( a near impossibility for him) so today Alex ate dinner at his house at 1pm and then they both ate dinner here at our house at 6pm and now they're off to Rasmussen's for a treat. Alex may be the only who bulks up, but they're having fun nonetheless. Let's see-BSU, BYU and Utah all won again this week too. Next week is the big match up with BYU and Utah. Since Utah(#7) is ranked higher than BSU(#9), everyone around here is cheering on BYU to beat Utah. It will be a big game.

Dad just called and says he still has some charts to do so he'll be another hour. Today at church Bro and Sis Yorgason spoke along with Dallas as one of the youth speakers. I liked Bro Y's talk so much that I asked him for a copy of it, so he said he'd email it to me. He really has a gift for speaking. I'll mail you a copy when I get it.

Yesterday was kind of a wild day. It started out pretty humdrum, Saturday chores, etc. then I took the kids to Primos for lunch. While at lunch I all of a sudden thought I should call Jan. It was just some silly reason I had to call her, but I felt compelled. (later on, Leah said that it was the spirit that told me to call her. I was so happy to hear her say that and to have that understanding). She answered the phone crying and almost screaming, hysterical. I couldn't understand her for the longest time, then I realized she said the hills were on fire by their house, the skies were completely black and they'd been asked to evacuate. The bad part for Jan was that Jeff and David were both on their way to Allen's for Tyler's farewell, in fact most the family was there. Jan was not feeling well enough to go. I had called her earlier in the morning because I knew how much she hated being alone and she was fine, but just not feeling well physically. So here she was alone in her house with a fire raging. She was kind of in a state of shock and kept saying, I don't know what to do, I don't know what to pack. So I tried to be overly calm and told her things to pack and put by her front door. Then I called Susan, who was in Manhatten Beach, helping Maria with something and got Mike's cell number to have him try to make his way to Jan's to help her. I've never felt so helpless and far away. Mike made his way to the Brea Mall and all the streets were closed off by the police. So I told him to get as close as he can and walk in if he had to. He called me 10 minutes later and said he was there. I felt so much better knowing he was there. The fires got worse and worse, jumping freeways and neighborhoods and there were some strong Santa Ana winds fueling them. Half of Brea High School burnt down, Sweet Tomatoes and some other shops in that area. Jan eventually went to a friend's house for the night. She was exhausted last night when she called me from her friends, so I haven't called her at all today. She was getting so many calls yesterday and everyone was telling her what to do. She was about to go crazy. So far 800 homes have been burned and thousands of people evacuated. There were actually several fires through LA and Orange County (Anaheim, Yorba Linda and Brea). The air was so thick and unbreathable and the pictures have been amazing. Jeff should be coming back into town tonight. But it was very crazy for a while.

Then on Wed night here in Eagle I heard sirens and horns very close to home. When I walked out the garage door, I could see flames in the sky. Turns out a home in a subdivision just down Ballantyne (Madison Flake's old neighborhood) was on fire and the flames could be seen from quite a distance. I took the girls over to watch it. It was amazing. The Eagle fire dept had just gotten a new ladder for their truck and they had to use it here. They had it at full extension and you could see these 2 men way up on top with a hose. All of Ballantyne and Floating Feather were filled with cars stopped along the side of the road. Turns out the family was at dinner and their smoker which was running on their back porch caught some of the porch furniture on fire. The neighbors got the dogs out. The only thing that didn't burn was their garage. And then we find out that it's Sister Wright's (the couple that's in Africa on their mission from our ward) sister's house. Their family isn't active, but they will be living in the Wright's house in our ward till they figure out something else. Kind of a weird fire week.

The great thing about Wed night was that our youth went on a temple trip. Our ward had asked each of us to take one name for each person in our family. So I went to the Family History center and got my birth grandparents' names temple ready, the Hutchinson's. We also got Grandpa Thompson's parents and grandparents. So Alex and Kristina got to be baptized for them. I was so excited for this to happen. I know the Hutchinson's have been waiting a long time. Pretty soon we're going to be able to get the names temple ready from our homes and they will be sent to the temple of our choice. I can't wait. I have a lot more birth family names to do. Before the Hutchinson's died, I asked them to write down a genealogy for me. At that time I wasn't even sure if I was allowed to do birth family names since I was sealed to my parents, it's not a problem at all and that makes me happy.

Kirk finally took the Spanish tests at school, so he's got some extra credits now for passing off some Spanish classes. I think he ended up getting 13 credits from it. I think he got a couple A credits, 1 B and a passing grade. He said the test wasn't too bad, but I wish he hadn't waited so long. He's coming home this Saturday. They get off an entire week for Thanksgiving, Rachel is coming with him.

So how is your new ward? It sounds like a great ward. What is it that the Bishop does that makes it so amazing? The Eagle 2nd ward got a new Bishop today. They released Bishop Eldridge and called Bishop Dunn, (his wife is Val McCauley's sister and the one that has quadruplets). They are a relatively young couple, but a very dedicated family. He will be great.

If I get any news from Allen and his family about the farewell and the MTC experience, I'll pass it along. Allen is very emotional and I know being in the MTC with his son is going to be very bittersweet. I know the feeling well...

Can't wait to hear from you. Send some pictures if you get a chance. We haven't seen any for a while. I know you're anxiously engaged in good work, so I can't wait to hear what those good works are. Stay true to yourself and act quickly to the promptings you receive. You never know if you may need to help someone get through a fire in their life...

I love you and miss you,
momxoxoxooxoxoxoxxooxoxoxoxooxoxoox

Letter to Elder Sean

Dear Elder Sean,
Well, today Leah officially turned 9. She's been getting more and more excited each day rising finally to a grand culmination of semi-wild behavior and being sent to bed early by dad. We made peace with her later, but I don't think she can complain about not getting attention this weekend.

Leah had her birthday party yesterday at the Young Chef's Academy where they learned how to make homemade pizzas. She had 9 friends there with her and loved every minute of it. She got fun presents including a skateboard from us which is one of the things she really wanted. Her birthday list resembled some of yours, very hopeful and numerous. We kept some of the presents out so she would have something to open today.





Today at church was the big Primary Program. Leah has had her part memorized for a few weeks now and was very confident. Nikki got asked 2 days ago if she would fill in and have a speaking part. She was very excited. Our first hint at potential disaster was yesterday at their early morning practice. Leah said Nikki refused to do her part at the mic. So we talked about it but she assured us she'd be ready for Sunday. She practiced and practiced her lines. She actually had kind of a difficult little paragraph. This morning they were very excited and went right up to sit in their assigned places on the stand. They were both all smiles from the stand, especially Nikki. then it was Nikki's turn to get up and speak. I could tell by her walking demeanor that there was no confidence. She went up to the mic and abruptly turned around. She didn't leave but just stood there kind of frozen looking for some kind of help. Dad leaned forward and had a few words, but you could see she was beginning to turn to mush in front of the congregation. After what probably seemed like an eternity to her, she left the pulpit and went back to her seat where she immediately started crying. She put her face in her hands and I could see her wiping tears from her face. I felt so bad for her, but there was nothing I could do at this point. I wanted to tell her that it was ok, but the show had to go on and it did. When it was time to sing, she slowly stood up still holding her face in her hands. I really wanted her to get over it so she could enjoy the rest of the program. I felt horrible. I kept trying to make eye contact with her and finally did. I gave her a big smile and waved. She waved back and things got better. By the next song she was standing tall and singing loudly every word. I was so happy for her. Leah's turn came and she stood up confidently, walked to the pulpit quite briskly and delivered a beautifully memorized scripture, Amos 3:7. The rest of the program was great and it finished with a rousing rendition of Called to Serve. Immediately afterwards I tried to make a bee-line towards Nikki. Somehow we passed each other. She came looking for me as fast as I was looking for her and we lost each other. So Alex went looking for her and sent her my way. She was in tears again which brought tears to my own eyes. I told her we could just sit on the couch and cry together for a minute. She liked that. Then we went to the bathroom to freshen up and we sat back on the couch again and talked about it. I don't want her to feel scarred from this. She's so outgoing. But I heard her go up to the Primary Pres. and tell her she was not going to be speaking in the next program. Heather told her smartly that they'd talk about it next year.

Nikki wanted me to go to Primary with her so I told her I'd come in and sit in the back. She sat with me. During singing time they needed volunteers to go up front and help lead and pick the song. Nikki was hoping to be picked which was a good sign. They draw names out of a container for volunteers though. The very last name they drew was Nikki Thompson and she excitedly walked to the front, picked a song to sing and led it also. She felt great and had such a fun time doing it. When she sat down I told her that Heavenly Father was watching over her and wanted her to be happy and that's why her name was picked. He knew that would make her happy. At home we talked about that and I told her that that's the way Heavenly Father shows His love for us, in small ways, and that He knew how badly she was feeling today and how He knew who she was and what she wanted. I told her she had gotten a little miracle today and asked if she understood that. She said she did. She hugged me and life was good again.

We had a fun visit from Mary this weekend. She called Friday night and asked if she and a couple friends could drop in and spend the night before they went on to McCall for the weekend. It was fun seeing her again. Then she was here at the house when we got home from church today too. They weren't here long, but it was fun.

I also started a Trumbo family blog this week and am hoping to get everyone on board sharing pictures and stories. So far, the cousins are the most prolific, but I'm patient and some of my brothers and sisters have asked for help in learning how to post and add to the blog, so I'm hopeful.

We sent a package to you this past week. It will be the Halloween leftover package. Spread the wealth however you like. There's a dentist in town who's buying back Halloween candy, so just so you know we could have made a small fortune this year. :)

What have you been up to this week? It looks like you're enjoying some nice weather, a little on the warm side, but nice. I didn't even realize you guys were working on a new building there. That's great and I know it's a real blessing. I'm glad a lot of investigators were able to attend the open house and the dedication. Have you made any contacts with any of them? What's up with Maxi now?

Did you use that letter I sent you last week for Hna Villa? Is she the ward mission president's wife?

Over the weekend, Alex went to Sadie's. The theme was Super heroes. The girls gave the guys their costumes. Don't be scared, but here's a couple pix:



He said it was a lot of fun. During the day, they went paint balling which they definitely want to do again. Then he showed me his costume. Only your brother Alex would be bold enough to not mind wearing hot pink short shorts and tights out in public. They had a fun group. He also just got back from the choir tour to the northwest.

Friday night was the HS quarterfinals. Eagle lost their quarterback last week and Dallas stepped in. They won quite easily with some unusual but effective plays. Dallas only passed a couple times, with no completions, but obviously they didn't need it since they won 37-16. They will play Lewiston this friday night at home. We're definitely going. Also BSU won and BYU won. It's been a fun football season around here.

I was able to read over all the letters in the Eagle Elder's newsletter. It's so great to hear the strong spirit each of you is carrying in your individual areas of the world. The kingdom is rolling forth and it's wonderful to be a part of the Lord's army. I hope you are well, healthy and staying true to your covenants. I know the potential you have and how caring you are as a leader. I love hearing your stories. What may seem mundane to you is thrilling to me, so keep it coming.

Here are some missionary tips for the week:
1. Leave notes with scriptural references on them at investigators' homes.
2. Buy toilet paper in bulk.
3. Leave for appointments five minutes before you think you should.
4. Take a copy of the Book of mormon with you everywhere, even on P-day.
5. Swap ties at zone meetings.
6. Offer to help with the dishes at dinner appointments.
7. Use different routes to get to the same location.
8.Send a romantic-looking envelope addressed to yourself through the office mail system. See what rumors start surfacing.
9. Buy postcards from each area you serve in.
10.Make each companion feel like he is your best one yet.

Take care of yourself, Sean and stay in tune with the spirit. Listen and ponder often.
I love you,
momxoxoxoxooxoxoxooxoxoxooxox