Sept. 2, 2007
Dear Elder Sean,
It's Sept but it stills feels like summer for a couple reasons. The kids had school off last Fri and tomorrow after having only gone for 3 1/2 days and secondly, it's still very hot here. Close to 100 each day but at least it's in the 60's at night. Supposedly we're having a mild cold front coming in starting Tues and it will be in the low 80's the rest of the week. Having the kids in school for a few days helped us get back to a normal schedule around here and it was nice.
Nikki is doing well so far in 1st grade. She sits at table #5, but the wild kids sit at table #4 according to her. She's so funny explaining the rules of the classroom to us. It sounds very convoluted, but somehow it all makes sense to her. Leah is enjoying 2nd grade with Mr. Harrison. So far there's been no homework, so i think that's why it's a great classroom. She likes the new school Galileo and even the new bus drivers are better than last year because they're "funny". Kristina loves changing classes and having 7 periods throughout the day. All their classrooms are in one small area so they only have 2 minutes between periods. She loves pre-al and engineering the best at this point. However, her long term goals still consist of going to beauty school so she can cut hair for a living.
Alex is still taking voice lessons with Jeff Baker. Jeff really wanted alex to be part of this small group he was forming with kids from the Rivendell Music high school, but Alex decided to just be a part of Sis. Koefed's group. It's a good thing because Jeff's group would cost about $750. Unlike the girls, Alex has already had quite a bit of homework. They just jumped right into things in his classes. He's taking Spanish 5/6 this year and it will actually give him college credit which is nice.
We went to McCall yesterday just for the day. A couple of my quilts were in a quilt show there, so I thought it would be fun to go up and see them. We went to Camp Morrison and went on a hike and then the girls went swimming in the lake for a bit. The weather was nice there, but because there are so many fires in the local mountains it was very smoky and smelled like one great big camp fire. The fires in all parts of the west have been incredible this summer.
So how is your part of the world? I was reading about a couple hand gestures that are common in latin america and wondered if they are common in your area. The first is kind of like snapping your fingers but instead you kind of throw index finger against all your others fingers in a whipping motion. It kind of means "oh no, someone's in trouble". I can remember some friends of mine coming home from Brazil and doing that movement all the time. It had become a habit for them. The other hand gesture is made to alert others when there is a pick-pocket nearby. They said that on buses you might see women who are seated making this gesture. It's made by folding the four fingers down over the thumb one by one starting with the pinky, but done fairly quickly. Anyway, just wondering if there's anything like that there.
Sometimes I can't really tell if you're always getting our emails cuz you're not really answering anything or mentioning anything from our letters. I hope they're getting through. I've been sending my letters to both your email addresses.
I'm glad to hear that Isabel's baptism finally went well in the end. She sounds like she'll do well in the gospel. So how has your goal gone with contacting 300 people each week. I can't even imagine that. I just keep telling the same story 300 times to the same people, namely Nikki and Leah and Kristina and Alex.
Today at church we were all pretty busy. I substituted and taught the 5 yr old class in Primary. Kristina gave a talk and the scripture. Alex taught priest quorum and ended up teaching his Sunday School class also since no teacher showed up. Dad gave the Bishop's message in Primary, so he involved all 3 girls in that. A good day all around.
BSU played their opening game against Weber State and it was almost an embarrassing win of 56-7. EHS got rained out in Mtn. Home. BYU won against Arizona 20-7. It seems like half the ward went down for the BYU game.
Other news-Sean Daly got his mission call to Poland and he's leaving in Oct.
That's about it from around here. I printed out your next newsletter from the guys and will put in the mail this week. I look forward to hearing from you each week. Dad says I hang onto all your words, but I can't help it. I love feeling a small part of your mission by sharing and hearing your stories, so keep them coming. I'm proud to be your mom and I know the people in Argentina will feel your strong spirit and see your dedication to the Lord and they will know you have something special to share with them.
Have a wonderful week. Smile often--it will open many doors.
Love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoox
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
So Close
Sept 16, 2007
Dear Elder Sean,
The days are going by both quickly and slowly as we approach our time to go and pick up Kirk. I feel like there's so much to get done around the house, getting ready not only for Kirk, but for those who will be staying here at the house while we're gone and for those who will be coming to see Kirk when we get back. Excitement is in the air and it's also very bittersweet having him return. I love having my boys out on missions. The feelings and the blessings are incredible. I love your letters each week and my anticipation for them never diminishes. Kirk's mission I'm sure is different in many ways from yours, a different set of challenges, but all in all it's similar since you are both hunters and fishers of men whom the Lord has prepared. You and Kirk are very different, yet the knowledge you both have of the truthfulness of the gospel is the same and you have the same eternal goals in life. It's the same thing that I feel and know and it means everything to me. Keep up the this Thompson tradition.
Last Monday was Grandpa Trumbo's 78th birthday. He said they threw him a party at Susan's and actually placed all 78 lit candles on the cake. He said it was a bonfire. I'm looking forward to them coming here next week.
The girls and I were busy tonight making tons of zucchini bread. Since we planted our garden so late this year, we are just now getting the zucchini and when it comes on, there's usually plenty. So we took loaves around to some people in our neighborhood and ward. Then when we got home we found out the Kent's had dropped off some banana bread as a thank you to dad for getting this little plastic thing out of Chandler's ear. They actually had to go to dad's ER just to get it out because it was so wedged in there. So now we have sweet breads a-plenty.
Church was good. Nikki gave a talk in Primary and did an excellent job. She had almost the whole thing memorized. She's a little whippersnapper (to use some ancient vernacular). The other day she declared to us in the car that since it was the month of her birthday that she ought to be able to choose wherever we go out to eat. She knows how to work the system.
Saturday Alex had his MEN all day choir practice with a concert at the end. It was good. You can tell Mr. McMullen has fun with his MEN's group. Tonight Alex registered for the ACT. I warned him about how many questions you have to answer just to get to register. He wasn't happy about that but managed to make it all the way through.
The night before dad and I went to a primary board mtg/party at the Pinder's. Randy is the game master. In fact, he has a website partygamecentral.com. I never even knew that. Google pays him each month. I wish I'd thought of that. l love games. Anyway, he tried out a lot of games on us and I loved them. You would have been so proud of dad and I. We got split into groups of 4 for a Name That Tune game. Randy had a playlist on his iPod that he used for the game. They were for the most part popular songs, 70's, 80's and a little 90's. Every time dad and I would shout out an answer, everyone would say, Bishop, I can't believe you know that song. In the end we both shouted out the correct answer to the final question and got the win for our team. Randy played only about 2 notes from a song and I immediately shouted out The Monkeys and dad then shouted out the name of their song. No one could believe we knew it with only 2 notes. I had a lot of fun playing the games, you know how I am about games. Love em.
It's crazy to hear you talk about how hot it is now. Seems like you skipped a season there. We're in the 70's and low 80's now. My favorite time of year. I can't believe you guys don't have AC. How do you do it? I guess you must have to acclimate. Do you guys use cell phones there? Just wondering how you communicate with your ZL's and Pres, etc.
Have you gotten our latest pkg? Hopefully you got a few of the things you were hoping for. Let me know. You haven't mentioned how your Spanish is coming along--how are you doing with it? Are you feeling pretty comfortable or still struggling now and then?
Dad just called from work, his last shift before our trip. He's put in so many shifts already this month in order to take off time. I know he's going to love being off for a while. He said to tell you he loves you and will be writing you from the DR. We're taking the laptop on the trip so we can keep in touch with everyone. So next week we'll be writing from Puerta Plata on the northern coast of the DR.
How has your teaching been this week? About how many lesson appointments do you have on average a week? I know you've really stepped up your contacts with people, but I was just curious about how many of those contacts turn into lessons in the home. I know it feels frustrating to have people letting their commitments slip through, but that's even a problem in the states. Even when people are baptized, they still don't always follow through with word into action. They accept callings but somehow don't ever feel a strong level of commitment to what they've just accepted. I don't know how you instill that in a person, but I know I got it from watching my own parents, so example is a powerful teacher. I still find myself learning so much from other's examples. So it's all in who you surround yourself with. Testimony and commitment beget testimony and commitment. I truly commend the pioneers in any nation who start the trend. It's a tough beginning road. Just love the people for who they are now and help them become surrounded by people whose examples will naturally lift them up one rung at a time.
Alex said that Tyler called tonight (since Alex has your old phone) and was going to drop by, but he didn't ever show up. It would be nice to visit with him again so I hope he stops by soon. I'll write him and at least tell him when Kirk's homecoming is so maybe he'll come to that.
I hope you are doing well and enjoying the work. It must be about transfer time again since Kirk is having his last transfer this week. Have a great week.
Que tengas un bien día!!
Love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Dear Elder Sean,
The days are going by both quickly and slowly as we approach our time to go and pick up Kirk. I feel like there's so much to get done around the house, getting ready not only for Kirk, but for those who will be staying here at the house while we're gone and for those who will be coming to see Kirk when we get back. Excitement is in the air and it's also very bittersweet having him return. I love having my boys out on missions. The feelings and the blessings are incredible. I love your letters each week and my anticipation for them never diminishes. Kirk's mission I'm sure is different in many ways from yours, a different set of challenges, but all in all it's similar since you are both hunters and fishers of men whom the Lord has prepared. You and Kirk are very different, yet the knowledge you both have of the truthfulness of the gospel is the same and you have the same eternal goals in life. It's the same thing that I feel and know and it means everything to me. Keep up the this Thompson tradition.
Last Monday was Grandpa Trumbo's 78th birthday. He said they threw him a party at Susan's and actually placed all 78 lit candles on the cake. He said it was a bonfire. I'm looking forward to them coming here next week.
The girls and I were busy tonight making tons of zucchini bread. Since we planted our garden so late this year, we are just now getting the zucchini and when it comes on, there's usually plenty. So we took loaves around to some people in our neighborhood and ward. Then when we got home we found out the Kent's had dropped off some banana bread as a thank you to dad for getting this little plastic thing out of Chandler's ear. They actually had to go to dad's ER just to get it out because it was so wedged in there. So now we have sweet breads a-plenty.
Church was good. Nikki gave a talk in Primary and did an excellent job. She had almost the whole thing memorized. She's a little whippersnapper (to use some ancient vernacular). The other day she declared to us in the car that since it was the month of her birthday that she ought to be able to choose wherever we go out to eat. She knows how to work the system.
Saturday Alex had his MEN all day choir practice with a concert at the end. It was good. You can tell Mr. McMullen has fun with his MEN's group. Tonight Alex registered for the ACT. I warned him about how many questions you have to answer just to get to register. He wasn't happy about that but managed to make it all the way through.
The night before dad and I went to a primary board mtg/party at the Pinder's. Randy is the game master. In fact, he has a website partygamecentral.com. I never even knew that. Google pays him each month. I wish I'd thought of that. l love games. Anyway, he tried out a lot of games on us and I loved them. You would have been so proud of dad and I. We got split into groups of 4 for a Name That Tune game. Randy had a playlist on his iPod that he used for the game. They were for the most part popular songs, 70's, 80's and a little 90's. Every time dad and I would shout out an answer, everyone would say, Bishop, I can't believe you know that song. In the end we both shouted out the correct answer to the final question and got the win for our team. Randy played only about 2 notes from a song and I immediately shouted out The Monkeys and dad then shouted out the name of their song. No one could believe we knew it with only 2 notes. I had a lot of fun playing the games, you know how I am about games. Love em.
It's crazy to hear you talk about how hot it is now. Seems like you skipped a season there. We're in the 70's and low 80's now. My favorite time of year. I can't believe you guys don't have AC. How do you do it? I guess you must have to acclimate. Do you guys use cell phones there? Just wondering how you communicate with your ZL's and Pres, etc.
Have you gotten our latest pkg? Hopefully you got a few of the things you were hoping for. Let me know. You haven't mentioned how your Spanish is coming along--how are you doing with it? Are you feeling pretty comfortable or still struggling now and then?
Dad just called from work, his last shift before our trip. He's put in so many shifts already this month in order to take off time. I know he's going to love being off for a while. He said to tell you he loves you and will be writing you from the DR. We're taking the laptop on the trip so we can keep in touch with everyone. So next week we'll be writing from Puerta Plata on the northern coast of the DR.
How has your teaching been this week? About how many lesson appointments do you have on average a week? I know you've really stepped up your contacts with people, but I was just curious about how many of those contacts turn into lessons in the home. I know it feels frustrating to have people letting their commitments slip through, but that's even a problem in the states. Even when people are baptized, they still don't always follow through with word into action. They accept callings but somehow don't ever feel a strong level of commitment to what they've just accepted. I don't know how you instill that in a person, but I know I got it from watching my own parents, so example is a powerful teacher. I still find myself learning so much from other's examples. So it's all in who you surround yourself with. Testimony and commitment beget testimony and commitment. I truly commend the pioneers in any nation who start the trend. It's a tough beginning road. Just love the people for who they are now and help them become surrounded by people whose examples will naturally lift them up one rung at a time.
Alex said that Tyler called tonight (since Alex has your old phone) and was going to drop by, but he didn't ever show up. It would be nice to visit with him again so I hope he stops by soon. I'll write him and at least tell him when Kirk's homecoming is so maybe he'll come to that.
I hope you are doing well and enjoying the work. It must be about transfer time again since Kirk is having his last transfer this week. Have a great week.
Que tengas un bien día!!
Love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Sunday Afternoon
August 26, 2007
Dear Elder Sean,
I'm here at home with Kristina who wasn't feeling good during church. So I took her home during the third hour. I'll start your letter while I'm waiting for everyone to come home. I went to Mitch's farewell talk today. I sat with Sis. McKell and Sis. Frame. Also there standing in proxy for their son was Sis. Flake and Sis. Anderson. So Mitch's talk was given to a group of beautiful moms and a handful of young women instead of the large group of college kids you had in the audience. His talk was on pride and we moms had to laugh because he talked about one time he felt prideful during his freshman year and it had to do with your group. He talked about the time when you guys sat in Sunday School and how someone wrote on the roll, "look at the footprints on the ceiling" and how you guys sat in the back and chuckled as each person looked up. He said it was funny at the time, but then later he felt it was an act of pride where by doing that he felt like he was acting like he was better everyone else in the room. When he talked about that, we moms looked at each other and had good laugh knowing exactly the group he was talking about. Actually we looked a little guilty as if he were talking about us.
Mitch is excited to get going. He doesn't leave until the 19th of Sept, same date as Nigel. Elder McKell is now out in the mission field in Brazil as of last week. His mom said they got an email the first day he was out and he just kept saying it was insane there. She's not sure what that means and is anxious to hear from him this week. Elder Flake is coming up on one year next month.
We are trying to make our plans for going to pick up Kirk. It's really hard picking places to stay at a place we are so unfamiliar with. Even the travel agents aren't much help. Should be interesting, but I'm really excited. Jan and Jeff will stay here with the girls for a few days and then G & G Thompson will come and take over the duty.
So how has your week been? Hope you're starting to regain your energy. Remember every winter you come down with something. I'm not sure if it's due to your tonsils or not. Kristina's teacher Mrs. Bunn went to Argentina for a few weeks about a month ago and she said practically everyone got sick with pneumonia, but they just plowed through. She thought it was a combination of a new country, new food, cold damp air and being thrown into winter. They're all home now and feeling better. Hope you are too. Are you able to get everything done during the day that you want or is it impeding your work? It's hard being so far away from you and I wish I could help you more. You're in my prayers for health and strength.
Have you gotten the second newsletter from your friends? The other moms said their sons really enjoy those. I hope it doesn't take too long to get to you. Speaking of mail--we got a letter for you from the Church mail operations center. They said that you had send 2 letters through the pouch but they do not have pouch delivery to the Australia mission or the Utica mission. They said they went ahead and mailed the letters to the missions for you, but for next time you should use the following addresses:
New York Utica Mission
PO Box 149
Whitesboro NY 13492-0149
Australia Sydney North Mission
PO Box 8304
Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
Australia
Hope that info helps you. I took a little break, had dinner with the family, had father's blessings, read the scriptures and now Leah and Nikki are getting ready for bed. They're not too happy about going to bed while the sun is still up. School day tomorrow-yeah! I might be able to catch up with some projects around the house now and I might even start quilting again.
We went to the big Idaho State Fair this past week. Thought about you as we passed the vitamix/caps area. Travis gave everyone free BSU t-shirts. Everyone's pretty excited for the season to get started this year. It will be interesting to see how they do. If they lose the first game, the excitement will take a nose dive.
I took the Bears to Cabela's for a tour. It was good. l learned a lot, but I'm not so sure the boys did. they said they had fun though. Their best part was when they handed us a huge bag full of tokens to use at the laser gun station. There was no way we could possibly use all the tokens they gave us unless we stayed there the entire day, which of course, Kyle Houssian wanted to.
Leah finally got all her 13 cavities filled this week. It took her 4 trips to the dentist. I think we've given Dr. Moss enough money now to let him add an entire wing onto his house. Speaking of teeth--Nikki lost one of her front top teeth last week and now she just has a loose one on top and it's kind of worked its way into the middle so it looks like she has one tooth in the middle of her mouth. It looks so strange that we are all trying to help her loosen it to get it out. We could really use your expert touch here.
All 3 girls will ride the bus together tomorrow. They go to Eagle Elementary first where Nikki gets off and goes into her First grade classroom with Mrs. Miller2. Yes, I said first grade. I'm still holding my breath though and think they'll ask me to put her back into kindergarten. I told her to try to behave like a big girl. She laughed, did a cartwheel and ran away. Then Leah and Kristina get on a shuttle that takes them to the new school Galileo where Leah will go into her 2nd grade classroom with her teacher Mr. Harrison or the teacher with 2 earrings as Leah puts it. I have a feeling Leah will flat out tell Mr. Harrison how it's not right for him to wear earrings. Kristina goes to a separate wing where only the 6th and 7th graders will be. She is so excited to use the chemistry room. She thinks the "shower" is the coolest. Alex is going to be riding with the Purnell brothers this year (that is if he can manage to wake himself up in time). The Purnells said they owe us since you took them to school for a year-so thank you Sean for that.
Alex had choir camp these past couple of days and said it was fun. He's not real happy that Sonous is going to be so large this year-52 kids. But Mr. Mc says he needs that many for some of the songs he's planning on. When they make a CD, I'll have to send it to you.
I hope your week was fruitful. Has it started warming up there yet? I was thinking about the collar attachments you were talking about. I think I may have something that would work for you. I have this double sided tape that works on fabric and I could just cut it into strips to use on pieces of white fabric that I cut into collar shapes. We'll see. Maybe they'll appear in a pkg one day. :)
Let us know when you get the pkg we send you. We're still a bit nervous about everything making it to you. I stuck a lot of things in there for you, music, etc and I'm anxious to hear if you like it and can use it.
How did Isabel's baptism go? How about las familia Melo? I hope you're enjoying some success with some families coming to church. That's one of the best signs of their commitment and honest intentions.
I better sign off. Dad wants to talk about antibiotics with you. fun fun We are well here and you are in every prayer, sometimes more than once (thanks to Nikki's prayers). Have a great week. Be humble, teachable and prayerful.
Love you much,
mom
xoxoxoxxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Dear Elder Sean,
I'm here at home with Kristina who wasn't feeling good during church. So I took her home during the third hour. I'll start your letter while I'm waiting for everyone to come home. I went to Mitch's farewell talk today. I sat with Sis. McKell and Sis. Frame. Also there standing in proxy for their son was Sis. Flake and Sis. Anderson. So Mitch's talk was given to a group of beautiful moms and a handful of young women instead of the large group of college kids you had in the audience. His talk was on pride and we moms had to laugh because he talked about one time he felt prideful during his freshman year and it had to do with your group. He talked about the time when you guys sat in Sunday School and how someone wrote on the roll, "look at the footprints on the ceiling" and how you guys sat in the back and chuckled as each person looked up. He said it was funny at the time, but then later he felt it was an act of pride where by doing that he felt like he was acting like he was better everyone else in the room. When he talked about that, we moms looked at each other and had good laugh knowing exactly the group he was talking about. Actually we looked a little guilty as if he were talking about us.
Mitch is excited to get going. He doesn't leave until the 19th of Sept, same date as Nigel. Elder McKell is now out in the mission field in Brazil as of last week. His mom said they got an email the first day he was out and he just kept saying it was insane there. She's not sure what that means and is anxious to hear from him this week. Elder Flake is coming up on one year next month.
We are trying to make our plans for going to pick up Kirk. It's really hard picking places to stay at a place we are so unfamiliar with. Even the travel agents aren't much help. Should be interesting, but I'm really excited. Jan and Jeff will stay here with the girls for a few days and then G & G Thompson will come and take over the duty.
So how has your week been? Hope you're starting to regain your energy. Remember every winter you come down with something. I'm not sure if it's due to your tonsils or not. Kristina's teacher Mrs. Bunn went to Argentina for a few weeks about a month ago and she said practically everyone got sick with pneumonia, but they just plowed through. She thought it was a combination of a new country, new food, cold damp air and being thrown into winter. They're all home now and feeling better. Hope you are too. Are you able to get everything done during the day that you want or is it impeding your work? It's hard being so far away from you and I wish I could help you more. You're in my prayers for health and strength.
Have you gotten the second newsletter from your friends? The other moms said their sons really enjoy those. I hope it doesn't take too long to get to you. Speaking of mail--we got a letter for you from the Church mail operations center. They said that you had send 2 letters through the pouch but they do not have pouch delivery to the Australia mission or the Utica mission. They said they went ahead and mailed the letters to the missions for you, but for next time you should use the following addresses:
New York Utica Mission
PO Box 149
Whitesboro NY 13492-0149
Australia Sydney North Mission
PO Box 8304
Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
Australia
Hope that info helps you. I took a little break, had dinner with the family, had father's blessings, read the scriptures and now Leah and Nikki are getting ready for bed. They're not too happy about going to bed while the sun is still up. School day tomorrow-yeah! I might be able to catch up with some projects around the house now and I might even start quilting again.
We went to the big Idaho State Fair this past week. Thought about you as we passed the vitamix/caps area. Travis gave everyone free BSU t-shirts. Everyone's pretty excited for the season to get started this year. It will be interesting to see how they do. If they lose the first game, the excitement will take a nose dive.
I took the Bears to Cabela's for a tour. It was good. l learned a lot, but I'm not so sure the boys did. they said they had fun though. Their best part was when they handed us a huge bag full of tokens to use at the laser gun station. There was no way we could possibly use all the tokens they gave us unless we stayed there the entire day, which of course, Kyle Houssian wanted to.
Leah finally got all her 13 cavities filled this week. It took her 4 trips to the dentist. I think we've given Dr. Moss enough money now to let him add an entire wing onto his house. Speaking of teeth--Nikki lost one of her front top teeth last week and now she just has a loose one on top and it's kind of worked its way into the middle so it looks like she has one tooth in the middle of her mouth. It looks so strange that we are all trying to help her loosen it to get it out. We could really use your expert touch here.
All 3 girls will ride the bus together tomorrow. They go to Eagle Elementary first where Nikki gets off and goes into her First grade classroom with Mrs. Miller2. Yes, I said first grade. I'm still holding my breath though and think they'll ask me to put her back into kindergarten. I told her to try to behave like a big girl. She laughed, did a cartwheel and ran away. Then Leah and Kristina get on a shuttle that takes them to the new school Galileo where Leah will go into her 2nd grade classroom with her teacher Mr. Harrison or the teacher with 2 earrings as Leah puts it. I have a feeling Leah will flat out tell Mr. Harrison how it's not right for him to wear earrings. Kristina goes to a separate wing where only the 6th and 7th graders will be. She is so excited to use the chemistry room. She thinks the "shower" is the coolest. Alex is going to be riding with the Purnell brothers this year (that is if he can manage to wake himself up in time). The Purnells said they owe us since you took them to school for a year-so thank you Sean for that.
Alex had choir camp these past couple of days and said it was fun. He's not real happy that Sonous is going to be so large this year-52 kids. But Mr. Mc says he needs that many for some of the songs he's planning on. When they make a CD, I'll have to send it to you.
I hope your week was fruitful. Has it started warming up there yet? I was thinking about the collar attachments you were talking about. I think I may have something that would work for you. I have this double sided tape that works on fabric and I could just cut it into strips to use on pieces of white fabric that I cut into collar shapes. We'll see. Maybe they'll appear in a pkg one day. :)
Let us know when you get the pkg we send you. We're still a bit nervous about everything making it to you. I stuck a lot of things in there for you, music, etc and I'm anxious to hear if you like it and can use it.
How did Isabel's baptism go? How about las familia Melo? I hope you're enjoying some success with some families coming to church. That's one of the best signs of their commitment and honest intentions.
I better sign off. Dad wants to talk about antibiotics with you. fun fun We are well here and you are in every prayer, sometimes more than once (thanks to Nikki's prayers). Have a great week. Be humble, teachable and prayerful.
Love you much,
mom
xoxoxoxxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Sunday Eve
August 12, 2007
Dear Elder Sean,
How are you doing this week? Today at church Justin Sypherd gave his homecoming talk to our ward. He really enjoyed being in South Carolina, the Bible belt. Sounds like it was hard work, but he's strengthened because of it and learned a lot. He looked the same as if time stood still.
So now us and the Erickson's are next for having our boys/men come home. Jill has been making plans for at least 9 months now. She's so excited, I wouldn't be surprised if she fainted when she sees him for the first time. She has really missed him. I'm starting to get pretty excited myself. I called the DR the other day and made hotel reservations. Of course, when they started speaking Spanish it threw me off a bit and I immediately said, en ingles por favor.
We had a great time in CA but now we're back to reality. You know how that goes. It's like we go to Fantasyland for a while and forget all our worries. I guess that's what vacations are all about. Dad's work is going through some changes, some for good some not so good. The hospital is growing and it's experiencing growing pains. I think they're having a hard time realizing they're not a small town hospital any more. He's at work tonight doing a 9-7am shift. So the shifts are a little different now, not just 12 hours and they're having double coverage for the doctors during the busy hours.
We got your handwritten letter this week. That was so nice. In fact, I enjoyed seeing your handwritten words so much that it inspired me to hand write a letter to Kirk. I really haven't sent him anything handwritten and now i can see what a difference it is. You have a good eye for details too.
This week I'm getting things ready for my 11 yr old scout day camp on Saturday. Looks like we'll have a pretty good turnout this year so it should be fun. Alex is helping with the axes as usual and dad will give the class on first aid and he also conducts for me. I ask dad to do that because I think the young boys enjoy seeing a man in a scout uniform leading them. They've had women up to this point in cubs, so I think having men leaders is fun for them. I run the games and competitions and keep things running on time, etc.
Alex just came home from a special fireside our ward had. The Cameron's had a friend of theirs from DC speak to the youth. He's done a lot of work with refugees in Africa and has had many interesting experiences around the world working with the CIA. Alex told me tonight it's made him want to work for the CIA.
Tomorrow Alex will be taking his test to get his permit. Looks like Tues evening he'll be driving me home if all goes well.
Also Alex had his first date last Fri night. it was a special Priest date night at Trevin Rasmussen's. The good news is that he had a really fun time, he took Alena Daly. The bad news is that dad and I were also on that date. He'll forever have to admit that. We had a bbq, then played Mafia and had a fun game of kickball in the backyard. Alex actually got me out at first by throwing the ball at me. He did hesitate for a moment, I have to admit. Also he apologized to me later. Dad and I took off after that so Alex could have a little alone time (well, alone with all the other priests and their dates).
David and Caryn stopped by this morning on their way out of town. They went camping this past week with Caryn's family and were going back to CA today. I was glad they took the time to stop by. Their kids are so funny. They come in our house like a whirlwind, play hard, talk loud and then leave. They loved the boccerball game.
David told me to ask you if you like the ice cream there. He loved it.
So who have you been teaching this week? How is Isabel doing? Do you do a lot of tracting or do you have appointments most the week? What is your ward/branch like? Do you have to help out in the branch by teaching, playing piano, etc? I would love to write a letter to the sister in your branch, Hermana Salas. I think I'll have Carolina translate a letter for me.
The things you mentioned in your last letter that you miss aren't always as great as you might remember. Grass-constantly in need of attention, water, cutting and still insists on dying in big patches. Carpet-hard to keep clean, conceals numerous microscopic bugs and pet dander. Water-actually I do consider that a luxury here. Is bottled water hard to keep around? I hope you don't get hooked on the Coke there. Try to stay away from that. Water will keep you in better health all around. Fast food-after being on vacation and eating a lot of fast food, I really miss home cooked meals, something not cooked in mass production or in large vats of grease. Silence-important for sanity and also for hearing the whisperings of the spirit, so I'm sorry you don't get much silence there. Kirk has also mentioned that there's always noise everywhere he goes and can even hear it all from his pensions. It's not exactly quiet here in our house, but it's good noise for the most part. Microwave-it's good to slow down occasionally and enjoy the cooking process. Something that heats up quickly also cools down quickly (a good analogy can be made in testimony building). Sleep-watching dad suffer with sleep deprivation in life, I would never want any of you kids to have that. Are you getting a good night's sleep each night? I understand that a power nap probably sounds pretty good now and then, but it's good you are young, strong and filled with the strength of the spirit. I worry a little for your health after what you've been reporting, hopefully it's just a matter of building up endurance for this new lifestyle, so if you're feeling stronger now, let me know. Remember every spring you get a little run down.
You also said in your last letter that you were trying to send pix to us, but nothing ever came through. I hope you'll be able to send some sometime. It will be fun to see where you are, your comp, etc.
Keep up the good work there. I know it probably feels like looking for needles in a haystack sometimes, but we know there are many of Argentina's future church leaders out there waiting for the message you are bringing. The Lord has prepared them to this point. You are in the right place at the right time. Miracles will happen.
I love you and miss you. Say hi to your comp for me.
Love,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoox
Dear Elder Sean,
How are you doing this week? Today at church Justin Sypherd gave his homecoming talk to our ward. He really enjoyed being in South Carolina, the Bible belt. Sounds like it was hard work, but he's strengthened because of it and learned a lot. He looked the same as if time stood still.
So now us and the Erickson's are next for having our boys/men come home. Jill has been making plans for at least 9 months now. She's so excited, I wouldn't be surprised if she fainted when she sees him for the first time. She has really missed him. I'm starting to get pretty excited myself. I called the DR the other day and made hotel reservations. Of course, when they started speaking Spanish it threw me off a bit and I immediately said, en ingles por favor.
We had a great time in CA but now we're back to reality. You know how that goes. It's like we go to Fantasyland for a while and forget all our worries. I guess that's what vacations are all about. Dad's work is going through some changes, some for good some not so good. The hospital is growing and it's experiencing growing pains. I think they're having a hard time realizing they're not a small town hospital any more. He's at work tonight doing a 9-7am shift. So the shifts are a little different now, not just 12 hours and they're having double coverage for the doctors during the busy hours.
We got your handwritten letter this week. That was so nice. In fact, I enjoyed seeing your handwritten words so much that it inspired me to hand write a letter to Kirk. I really haven't sent him anything handwritten and now i can see what a difference it is. You have a good eye for details too.
This week I'm getting things ready for my 11 yr old scout day camp on Saturday. Looks like we'll have a pretty good turnout this year so it should be fun. Alex is helping with the axes as usual and dad will give the class on first aid and he also conducts for me. I ask dad to do that because I think the young boys enjoy seeing a man in a scout uniform leading them. They've had women up to this point in cubs, so I think having men leaders is fun for them. I run the games and competitions and keep things running on time, etc.
Alex just came home from a special fireside our ward had. The Cameron's had a friend of theirs from DC speak to the youth. He's done a lot of work with refugees in Africa and has had many interesting experiences around the world working with the CIA. Alex told me tonight it's made him want to work for the CIA.
Tomorrow Alex will be taking his test to get his permit. Looks like Tues evening he'll be driving me home if all goes well.
Also Alex had his first date last Fri night. it was a special Priest date night at Trevin Rasmussen's. The good news is that he had a really fun time, he took Alena Daly. The bad news is that dad and I were also on that date. He'll forever have to admit that. We had a bbq, then played Mafia and had a fun game of kickball in the backyard. Alex actually got me out at first by throwing the ball at me. He did hesitate for a moment, I have to admit. Also he apologized to me later. Dad and I took off after that so Alex could have a little alone time (well, alone with all the other priests and their dates).
David and Caryn stopped by this morning on their way out of town. They went camping this past week with Caryn's family and were going back to CA today. I was glad they took the time to stop by. Their kids are so funny. They come in our house like a whirlwind, play hard, talk loud and then leave. They loved the boccerball game.
David told me to ask you if you like the ice cream there. He loved it.
So who have you been teaching this week? How is Isabel doing? Do you do a lot of tracting or do you have appointments most the week? What is your ward/branch like? Do you have to help out in the branch by teaching, playing piano, etc? I would love to write a letter to the sister in your branch, Hermana Salas. I think I'll have Carolina translate a letter for me.
The things you mentioned in your last letter that you miss aren't always as great as you might remember. Grass-constantly in need of attention, water, cutting and still insists on dying in big patches. Carpet-hard to keep clean, conceals numerous microscopic bugs and pet dander. Water-actually I do consider that a luxury here. Is bottled water hard to keep around? I hope you don't get hooked on the Coke there. Try to stay away from that. Water will keep you in better health all around. Fast food-after being on vacation and eating a lot of fast food, I really miss home cooked meals, something not cooked in mass production or in large vats of grease. Silence-important for sanity and also for hearing the whisperings of the spirit, so I'm sorry you don't get much silence there. Kirk has also mentioned that there's always noise everywhere he goes and can even hear it all from his pensions. It's not exactly quiet here in our house, but it's good noise for the most part. Microwave-it's good to slow down occasionally and enjoy the cooking process. Something that heats up quickly also cools down quickly (a good analogy can be made in testimony building). Sleep-watching dad suffer with sleep deprivation in life, I would never want any of you kids to have that. Are you getting a good night's sleep each night? I understand that a power nap probably sounds pretty good now and then, but it's good you are young, strong and filled with the strength of the spirit. I worry a little for your health after what you've been reporting, hopefully it's just a matter of building up endurance for this new lifestyle, so if you're feeling stronger now, let me know. Remember every spring you get a little run down.
You also said in your last letter that you were trying to send pix to us, but nothing ever came through. I hope you'll be able to send some sometime. It will be fun to see where you are, your comp, etc.
Keep up the good work there. I know it probably feels like looking for needles in a haystack sometimes, but we know there are many of Argentina's future church leaders out there waiting for the message you are bringing. The Lord has prepared them to this point. You are in the right place at the right time. Miracles will happen.
I love you and miss you. Say hi to your comp for me.
Love,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoox
Sunday Morn
July 29, 2007
Dear Elder Sean,
A much calmer Sunday morning this week especially since we have hot water. I actually wrote you last Sunday but I only sent your letter to one of your emails and I guess you didn't check that one. Sorry about that. Let me know if you're just going to be using your gmail account or if I should send everything to both each time. I opened that sheet music you sent and the only thing weird about it was that the notes were all in the shape of a fortissimo "f" so it made it extremely difficult to read and play. I guess it could be done, but with a lot of work. If I can find that same version with actual notes, I'll send it to you along with Clair de Lune.
Just so you know what's happening with your letters each week, your emails are just for family now. I waited until Jared was gone to stop forwarding them. Also since we have the roommate/friend newsletter that I'll send you each month and I've sent everyone your pouch address and mailing address. If you really feel strongly about someone getting your forwarded emails, let me know, otherwise just send handwrittens to those you want to keep in contact with. I'll also be starting a combined newsletter with Jared too so you'll get to hear his news monthly.
Dad just popped home unexpectedly this morning since it's the 5th Sunday and there are no auxilliary meetings. He's off again to make some home visits. I think he's going over to Erickson's too. Jill has been pretty sick and the doctor thinks she has west nile virus. She definitely has all the symptoms. It's odd to see her just laying around and not outside working in the yard. I went to visit her yesterday and she looked so unhealthy. I'm kind of worried.
Dad and Alex and Brig got back yesterday from their high adventure. They said it was a lot of fun, the food was fantastic (Ashton managed to get some really good deals on pork ribs, free bacon, steaks, etc from Albertson's). They went to Deadwood and went mountain biking, shotgun shooting, kayaking. I'll let dad tell you more about it, but all in all sounds like everyone had a great time despite dad's clutch going out on the way there.
Brig is with us until this Tues when he flies home. We fly out to CA on Wed. So next week we'll be writing you from CA.
For the past couple of days Kristina has been taking care of the Thomas's home so of course we got to use their pool, aaaah. It's so blasted hot here still and swimming felt sooo good. Leah did her first dive off the board, she's a natural swimmer and still says she wants to be on a swim team. They said she has to be able to swim 25 yds without stopping in order to be on the team, so we're working on that. Nikki actually swims in the deep end now thanks to her swim lessons and me showing her how to tread water. She jumped off the board, first into my arms (nearly drowning me!) and then on her own and swimming to the side.
Kristina has also been working for Jodie Hugentobler at Other Mother's store. She got her first pay check and is hooked. She told Jodie to call her any time to help at the store. And her bigger news is that she's getting her braces off tomorrow! She's so excited. She actually got them on after Kirk left and is getting them off before he comes home, so he won't have ever seen her in braces. I'll send you a picture of her later.
Jared's mom called me yesterday. She said they were sitting in their living room with Jared's stuff all over the place trying to pack. She had a lot of questions about what to take, etc. I told her not to fret too much since he was only going to be in Provo and how easy it is to send things there as compared to overseas. They are leaving for Utah today, going to the drum corp show Mon night in SLC, staying with Tyler's mom probably on Tues night and checking into the MTC Wed.
Have you gotten the newsletter yet that I sent you? I think you'll really enjoy getting that each month. Just wondering how long it takes to get there through the pouch. How's your Spanish coming along?
So how is the work going there this week? How was the poncho fest different than our fairs here? I'd love to hear about it. Grandpa Trumbo said to tell you that even when he was on his mission way back when, people bad mouthed the USA. He said it got so bad sometimes that he actually had to sit down with a family who was complaining that all these guys from the US were super rich and had everything they wanted and how they wanted more and had to explain to them that he was only able to be on a mission because he had a father who worked on the railroads very hard and scrimped and saved so that he could help send his son on a mission. He said it was the same way when he was in Korea, so he said it sounds like things haven't changed much.
How is la familia Melo doing? Are they progressing and accepting the truth? Any word from la familia chazampi? I know that Hermana Concepcion feels comforted from your visits. It's sad and lonely for people who know they are dying and it's important they have people around them, even just to hold their hand, to feel some physical contact and for her to feel the presence of the power of the priesthood and the spirit in her room. My heart goes out to her and I am glad you are there.
For my birthday last week, dad and the kids gave me a new camera. I love it so far. It has a really large LCD screen and a 10x optical zoom which will be nice. BTW, are you able to open attachments that have short videos on them? Just wondering if I sent a short family video in your email sometime if you'd be able to open it. Let me know or maybe we'll just have to experiment one week.
Well, better go wake up Alex and Brig and tell them it's almost time for lunch and to get ready for church. I made eggs for the girls and they were in heaven. I hope I can still please them this easily when they are teenagers.
Have a miraculous week.
love you,
mom
xoxoxoxxoxoxox
Dear Elder Sean,
A much calmer Sunday morning this week especially since we have hot water. I actually wrote you last Sunday but I only sent your letter to one of your emails and I guess you didn't check that one. Sorry about that. Let me know if you're just going to be using your gmail account or if I should send everything to both each time. I opened that sheet music you sent and the only thing weird about it was that the notes were all in the shape of a fortissimo "f" so it made it extremely difficult to read and play. I guess it could be done, but with a lot of work. If I can find that same version with actual notes, I'll send it to you along with Clair de Lune.
Just so you know what's happening with your letters each week, your emails are just for family now. I waited until Jared was gone to stop forwarding them. Also since we have the roommate/friend newsletter that I'll send you each month and I've sent everyone your pouch address and mailing address. If you really feel strongly about someone getting your forwarded emails, let me know, otherwise just send handwrittens to those you want to keep in contact with. I'll also be starting a combined newsletter with Jared too so you'll get to hear his news monthly.
Dad just popped home unexpectedly this morning since it's the 5th Sunday and there are no auxilliary meetings. He's off again to make some home visits. I think he's going over to Erickson's too. Jill has been pretty sick and the doctor thinks she has west nile virus. She definitely has all the symptoms. It's odd to see her just laying around and not outside working in the yard. I went to visit her yesterday and she looked so unhealthy. I'm kind of worried.
Dad and Alex and Brig got back yesterday from their high adventure. They said it was a lot of fun, the food was fantastic (Ashton managed to get some really good deals on pork ribs, free bacon, steaks, etc from Albertson's). They went to Deadwood and went mountain biking, shotgun shooting, kayaking. I'll let dad tell you more about it, but all in all sounds like everyone had a great time despite dad's clutch going out on the way there.
Brig is with us until this Tues when he flies home. We fly out to CA on Wed. So next week we'll be writing you from CA.
For the past couple of days Kristina has been taking care of the Thomas's home so of course we got to use their pool, aaaah. It's so blasted hot here still and swimming felt sooo good. Leah did her first dive off the board, she's a natural swimmer and still says she wants to be on a swim team. They said she has to be able to swim 25 yds without stopping in order to be on the team, so we're working on that. Nikki actually swims in the deep end now thanks to her swim lessons and me showing her how to tread water. She jumped off the board, first into my arms (nearly drowning me!) and then on her own and swimming to the side.
Kristina has also been working for Jodie Hugentobler at Other Mother's store. She got her first pay check and is hooked. She told Jodie to call her any time to help at the store. And her bigger news is that she's getting her braces off tomorrow! She's so excited. She actually got them on after Kirk left and is getting them off before he comes home, so he won't have ever seen her in braces. I'll send you a picture of her later.
Jared's mom called me yesterday. She said they were sitting in their living room with Jared's stuff all over the place trying to pack. She had a lot of questions about what to take, etc. I told her not to fret too much since he was only going to be in Provo and how easy it is to send things there as compared to overseas. They are leaving for Utah today, going to the drum corp show Mon night in SLC, staying with Tyler's mom probably on Tues night and checking into the MTC Wed.
Have you gotten the newsletter yet that I sent you? I think you'll really enjoy getting that each month. Just wondering how long it takes to get there through the pouch. How's your Spanish coming along?
So how is the work going there this week? How was the poncho fest different than our fairs here? I'd love to hear about it. Grandpa Trumbo said to tell you that even when he was on his mission way back when, people bad mouthed the USA. He said it got so bad sometimes that he actually had to sit down with a family who was complaining that all these guys from the US were super rich and had everything they wanted and how they wanted more and had to explain to them that he was only able to be on a mission because he had a father who worked on the railroads very hard and scrimped and saved so that he could help send his son on a mission. He said it was the same way when he was in Korea, so he said it sounds like things haven't changed much.
How is la familia Melo doing? Are they progressing and accepting the truth? Any word from la familia chazampi? I know that Hermana Concepcion feels comforted from your visits. It's sad and lonely for people who know they are dying and it's important they have people around them, even just to hold their hand, to feel some physical contact and for her to feel the presence of the power of the priesthood and the spirit in her room. My heart goes out to her and I am glad you are there.
For my birthday last week, dad and the kids gave me a new camera. I love it so far. It has a really large LCD screen and a 10x optical zoom which will be nice. BTW, are you able to open attachments that have short videos on them? Just wondering if I sent a short family video in your email sometime if you'd be able to open it. Let me know or maybe we'll just have to experiment one week.
Well, better go wake up Alex and Brig and tell them it's almost time for lunch and to get ready for church. I made eggs for the girls and they were in heaven. I hope I can still please them this easily when they are teenagers.
Have a miraculous week.
love you,
mom
xoxoxoxxoxoxox
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