Post Christmas

Dec. 26th, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
Well, didn't we just talk yesterday? That was so fun hearing your voice, your stories and being able to ask questions, get answers and know that you are doing well and sound very happy. It was almost like you were there with us sitting around the table chatting...almost.

Today the Lutz's went to church with us. They had a hard time waiting until 2:30pm, but now we are used to it and of course we change to 9am next week. It will be a shock to our system. A young couple who are fairly new in our ward, both of them attorneys spoke and they did a good job. I particularly liked his talk on how vital preparation is for any success in life. RS was a lesson on Pres. Eyring's talk from last conference about trusting in the Lord and going and doing once we have that faith and trust. There were several great comments made and that's what made the lesson so awesome. We learned that once we learn to trust in the Lord, then He will trust us and we will become trustworthy and He will trust us to do more and more things for Him. I want to be trustworthy in His eyes.

Tonight we played games with the Lutz's. They got a new game from their Middleton cousins called Things. It was a lot of fun, kind of like loaded questions with a twist. We introduced Bananagrams and the Pirate game to them. The little girls are going crazy playing Wii with the new games we got.

Our Christmas Eve was so nice with the Camerons and I really enjoy going over to their house. Here are a few pics from the night.

Kirk is holding Kelly's brothers baby. Doesn't he look like a natural with her?

Here are some pics from Christmas morning. I'll send some more in another email too so it doesn't load this one up too much.


Roxy found her new toy first thing in the morning and had it destroyed within minutes.

Here's Roxy looking very satisfied that she has destroyed the arch enemy.

to be continued in next letter...
momxxoo
A few more pix:
Sally and I playing Sleigh Ride at the Simpson's.


Very happy little girls. They appeared to get just what they wanted for Christmas.

We went shortest to tallest this time, so notice how Mary is working her way down to being #1. I think by next year, she'll be the first one in line.

This is us on the phone with you. We had a lot of fun!

Here's one more I thought you'd get a good laugh at. I found a bunch of older pictures today, I'll send you a few each week.

The best decision I ever made was marrying dad. He treats me like I'm somebody special, he'd do anything for me and looks at me like I'm the most beautiful woman he's ever seen and tells me that every day, even now. It couldn't get any better than that. He's strong in the church and we want the same things for our family.

At Jared and Kendra's sealing, the sealer talked about how they were forming a new kingdom being sealed together and how much Satan wants to destroy every little kingdom. He works harder at destroying families than he ever does on destroying governments or organizations. The higher covenants we make in the temple are empowering and I'm so grateful dad and I have made those covenants together. It gives me strength even in hard times. This picture just brought back a lot of fond memories and emotions.

Wish Elder Jolley good luck with his new mission back home. Tell him he's invited to stop by our home any time he's in Boise. Also I plan on checking with the post office this week to see where the scripture package is, so we'll let you know.

Keep up the great work in the Foxcroft area. I hope you get to stay there. Use the wonderful things you've learned from your companions and keep moving forward. You are gaining the trust of the Lord and He will use you in many ways.


Love you very much,

mom
XXOO

Soiree

Dec. 19, 2010

Dear Elder Alex,

Well, we just got back from the big soiree at Dustin Simpson's home. It was a lot of fun and tons of people were there. There were 13-14 musical numbers. Sally Larsen and I played the SleighRide duet and had fun with it. In the middle of the song Kristina, Kirk and Sean did the big clap or horse whip sound and then later on in the song everyone joined in. Most the numbers were on the serious side, but we managed to lighten things up. Sally has been over at our house almost every day this week so we could practice. Here's the girls and dogs listening to us.

Sally and I have also played our piece-the Dvorak. She loves that one and said, If Alex can play this, I can! I'm not going to give up!

How was your week? I've been thinking about you and wondering if the baptisms still took place. I hope so. I'm also very curious to know if the set of scriptures got to you. We sent them to your apartment directly and we were nervous about having something like that delivered and left on your door step. Are you in a safe area for things like that? On that same note, we sent your Christmas pkg to the mission home for that same reason, just not sure if things should be left on your door step all day. Then we sent one more thing and sent it directly to your place. So please let us know if any or all of them have shown up yet.

I'm very excited for our Christmas call this week. Let us know the particulars. We will make ourselves available and home whenever you say. Dad is working Christmas Eve and won't be home until around 9:30am or 10am Christmas morning. So just don't call early in the morning.

Jan and Jeff and Mary are coming in this week too, in fact on Christmas Eve day. They'll be going to our annual party at the Cameron's that night. I think they'll be getting their call from David on Christmas Eve afternoon. They are staying for a week.

I can't believe that you sang O Holy Night at the last minute. That's not exactly a last minute song. Dustin sang it today in church and I thought of you doing it the whole time. I'm so glad singing is a part of your mission. Music can bring the spirit into a room faster than most anything else and I'm happy you're using your talent. If you ever need me to send you sheet music, let me know.

We've been getting our fair share of snow here. It's kind of weird to have so much snow, but it's been nice. I'm thinking it probably won't seem so festive once we're into January.

Kirk and Sean are both here now and both will be working at the mall the next few weeks. The big BSU bowl game against Utah is this Wednesday, so the Blue and Orange shop should be hopping.

I was happy to hear that you took Jessica with you to help teach a lesson. You're right. I would have loved being there. I hope Samantha is doing well and progressing and hopefully she got baptized last week.

Friday night was Nikki's big Cantus choir concert. It was a formal event and Nikki had to wear a long black gown with a faux diamond necklace and earrings. It was held at the Cathedral of the Rockies. Can't remember if you've sung there before, but it's a gorgeous place. When I walked in I thought of the wedding scene from the Sound of Music. The accoustics were amazing too. Nikki was so excited for this event and said it was even better than she thought. She is singing all over the house now and especially in the shower. She's got quite the operatic voice.... :)

Sean went to the new single's ward today. Can't remember if I told you what happened there. They created a new YSA stake in our area and realigned all the wards. Our Park Lane ward combined with a ward that meets on Hill Rd in Boise. Each ward should have at least 150 active members. That was the plan anyway. Sean said there weren't that many there today but it's the week before Christmas. He said the speaker today was Frank Arnold who was the coach at BYU when Steve played. I had lost track of him, but apparently he lives here now and is the high councilor over that ward. It's called the Boise YSA 7th ward. Kirk will attend that ward while he's home. Maybe his wife is there! That would make Nikki's Christmas list come true. We still get a good laugh over her list.

I hope you're finding some opportunities for service especially at this time of the year. Pray always to have the spirit with you so each home you enter will feel there's something different when you and your companion enter.

Can't wait to hear from you. Have a festive and wonderful week. I hope you are keeping warm and know how much we love you. Be true.

love you,

Mom

XXOO

Nikki's Christmas list

This is priceless and so Nikki! I'm not sure what Santa's going to do with this.

Choirside

Dec. 12, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
Just returned from our stake's "choirside". That's what I called it anyway. Heather Pinder asked each of the ward choirs to perform one piece and then there were a few solos and we ended by singing a congregational Handel's Hallelujah chorus. It was very nice. Dad and I were both in our choir. Next week we have our ward's Christmas program where we sing quite a few more songs and Kristina is even doing a duet with Sally Larsen as part of our accompaniment for one of our songs.

Today also was the farewell for the Taylor twins. They both did a good job speaking and will be very good missionaries. They'll both be in the South with you (Kentucky and Georgia).

Yesterday was the ward's annual Christmas breakfast. Then last night Pres. Stafford asked the stake council to all go to the temple together with spouses. We met in the chapel in the temple first where Pres. Stafford and also the first counselor in the temple presidency spoke to us. Then we went into a session together. It was a wonderful experience.

We sent one package to you yesterday that contains something for Jaclyn and a few goodies for you to either consume or to give out. So let us know when you get that one. We mailed that one to your address in Marion.
The funniest thing this week is when the girls turned in their Christmas lists. Here's a copy of Nikki's list so you can see it now, but I'm also going to send you a hard copy in one of the packages because it's a classic!

I still laugh about when I read it again. Kirk's got to feel the pressure from that. :)

This week was also the Christmas choir concert at the high school. Because there have been so many people attending now, they had 3 separate concerts. We went to the one on Thurs night and it was excellent. Then on Friday there was a bomb threat at the school, but the dogs and police found nothing, so school wasn't cancelled much to the chagrin of most students. Nikki also had her 4th grade holiday concert. She loves singing!!

How has your week been going? We got one of Spencer Shumway's letters this week. It's his first week in Japan and it sounds like it's going well. Dallas is also doing well but is struggling with a native companion who is very moody and refuses to talk half the time. It's been a challenge for Dallas but he says he's definitely learning and growing from this experience.

How's Samantha coming along? Sounds like you're having a couple baptisms this week. I hope it all goes well. What did you decide about the conflict with the temple trip? Does Jessica live near her sister, like will she be in the same ward? I always worry for new members right after their baptisms because I know how important it is for every member to feel needed in their wards, loved and supported by many friends and how important it is for them to continue to have spiritual experiences that help solidify their testimonies. Those experiences will only come if they are in the right places at the right time and they need to make time each day to ponder, study and listen. So many of my own wonderful spiritual experiences have come while reading the scriptures alone or re-reading conference talks (which are scripture too). The spirit is hard to hear above the clamor of the world. The Holy Ghost is always looking for times when we can be taught and if we have those quiet moments daily, we will be taught by the spirit. Let them know how important those daily moments of devotion are.

Sounds like you're teaching a few girls your own age too, so be careful they are not just enamored with you or Elder Jolley. Since I am the mom I can't help but think my son is handsome to everyone, so just a word of caution there. ;)

So you got texting, huh? That will be nice for all of you. So does that mean you just want to text us for Christmas?? I think you'd be on the losing end of that deal. We are not the fastest texters in the world but it's improving each day.

I loved your pictures that you sent last week. Nice job with the axe. That reminds me, Do you do exercising as part of your daily routine? Just wondering since I know you're in a car a lot or do you actually do a lot of walking?

We had a great SS lesson about Daniel today. Daniel acted out of faith and it was clear that King Neb. (not even going to try spelling it) always seemed to be acting out of fear. He was a powerful King, but without faith in God, he was left only with fear and his actions sure reflected that. I had to ponder about my own life and wonder if my actions bespeak fear or faith. I hope you've seen faith in how I live. I know I have a lot more to learn in life, but my faith has steadily grown through the years. Thank you for the example of great faith you set for me too. I'm humbled by what I learn from you. Continue sharing your testimony and proclaiming the truth to all who will listen. I love hearing the stories of conversion from those you teach--it gives me such a great feeling. So keep sharing the things they say as you teach them, share their words and feelings with us because it strengthens us too. It's the same feeling I get when I see a glimmer of testimony begin to develop in one of my children. I see Leah many times at night laying in bed reading the Friend or reading her scriptures or listening to church music. I know that it just makes her feel good and I want her to know where the source of those good feelings come from. Sharing the gospel is one of the best parts of being a mom.

Well, we are all doing well here. Kirk and Sean are finishing up their last week of the semester and will be home later this week. They are both going to work at the Blue and Orange when they get home. Kirk will be home for 4 months and will go to the new singles ward. They are combining our singles ward with a ward in Boise and will meet in a different building. It will be nice because the ward will be nice and big. They are forming big wards all throughout the Boise, Meridian and Eagle area and they will be part of a single's stake. So I think it will be much better for everyone. We will miss them in our building though.

Kristina has lots of tests this week too so she's been studying pretty hard lately. Nikki and Leah are having fun with the usual elementary school holiday parties, etc. Dad and I are trying to make a simpler more peaceful Christmas season. So far, so good. I'm enjoying the Christmas music always playing throughout the house. I will miss it in January.

Have a spiritual and gratitude-filled week. Remember the source of all your blessings and gifts because you have been given many. Some of those gifts I saw in you when you were very young.

Love you always,

mom
XXOO

Snowstorm of the decade

Dec. 5, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
It was so fun to hear that Jessica got baptized last week. What a nice opportunity for you too to be able to actually baptize her. We loved seeing the pictures. Keep them coming! How is Samantha coming along with her lessons?

Today was a good Sabbath. At choir practice we had a full orchestra practice--well, before you get too excited about that, our entire orchestra consisted of Ellen Hullinger on flute, Coleman Madsen on violin and Spencer Madsen on cello. But it sounded awesome. Next week is the Stake Choir fireside and each ward is singing one number for it, so we're preparing for that first and then of course the sacrament meeting where we sing lots of songs will be on the 19th. It's fun meeting at Dustin Simpson's house.

Sean called earlier and reported back about his big interview with the group Imagine Dragons who were performing in Provo. He did the pre-concert interview with them back stage. His roommates were jealous and Sean said they were all cool guys and very talented. He said the lead singer was mesmorizing to watch. Then he said that they were really starting to feel like a full-fledged band because they got to do a pre-concert interview.

I'm glad you had a great Thanksgiving. We sent your package to you last week, so let us know when you get it and what you think. Sorry we couldn't get any footage of Steve and Carolina and their gang. We really missed having them here. You can tell I'm still trying to get over it. I really look forward to having Steve here each year.

It's still bitterly cold here but it's supposed to warm up to the 40's this week. I'll gladly welcome the 40's. According to my widgets on the computer, it looks like you're having some pretty cold weather too, at least cold for the South. The snow has not melted here, but at least the roads are clear. Kristina's getting in some good driving in the snow practice time.

We had the biggest snow storm here last Wednesday since around the 90's sometime, according to the old timers. Here are a couple pics:
I think we got about 8" of snow and just about everything shut down. A snow day from school is always good times! I was awakened about 5:30am by a recording from the school district tell me school was canceled, however the whole message was in Spanish. Thank goodness they were speaking slowly and very clear. And once again thank goodness for high school Spanish.

I had to cancel an RS luncheon that day and it was a hard call for me to make because Julie Rasmussen was in charge of the whole thing and had put a lot of effort into it's preparation. I felt really bad for her but I couldn't insist that the older sisters in our stake all try to get out on the roads and make it to the stake center and back. YM/YW also got canceled.

Our ward seems to be growing still. We had yet another couple move in this week. They bought Jeff and Audra Davis's house. They moved from Houston. We've had about 10 families move in since the summer. I also noticed there was a big sold sign on the Kent's house last week, so we'll see who moves in there. Speaking of the Davis's, they went to Ethiopia and adopted a little boy. He is so cute and it's so fun to hear him talk. He doesn't know very much English, but when he does talk he has somewhat of an Italian accent. He rolls all his R's. He's 5 years old and has a great big smile and his name is Sam. We all call him Sammy but Audra didn't want to call him Sammy for obvious reasons, but he just looks like a Sammy, so he's going to have to live with it. Hope he sings! He broke his collar bone the first week he was here. He fell off the couch and got a hairline fracture, then the next day he slipped on the ice and broke it more. Welcome to America.

Will you please send us a Christmas wish list today. Thanks. That will help us get things to you on time. Garments, shirts, ties, books, pencils, pens, under armor.....whatever you can think of. Anyway, dad says he wants your Christmas list by Monday night when he gets home from work. He loves working on your packages and has a lot of fun with them.

Football report-BSU was back to it's old self again. They won 50-14 and played like the BSU we all know and love. It was a fun game to watch and it certainly helped Brotzman feel a bit better. There were banners up everywhere in support of him and he played great. BSU has been invited to the bowl in Las Vegas to play against Utah. Not quite the BCS invitation, but we'll just have to get past that.

I was talking with Grandpa Trumbo this week and he was saying what an awesome outlook you have on life and how much he enjoys and looks forward to your letters each week. I often wonder what some of my brothers and sisters think, the ones who don't go to church any more and I pray that they will have experiences that will help them feel the spirit in their lives. I'm hoping your missionary spirit will carry into their hearts too.

I had a nice, somewhat small but meant a lot to me, missionary experience this week. On my quilting blog, feeddogsdown I showed a picture of our Christmas tree and talked about how we always put a picture of Christ on the tree and I said"We always put a picture of Christ on the tree so He doesn't get lost amid all the glitter and glam of Christmas." A woman from Michigan wrote back that she loved that idea and wanted to borrow that tradition for her own home. She's not a member, but has been reading my blog for some time now and I always make sure to include our religion in any way that I can. I may put your picture on my next post and talk about your mission (hopefully that's ok with you) so she can know there are missionaries everywhere, etc.


Your influence is greater than you know, so stay true to your covenants and be obedient so you can receive the great blessings that come through obedience to the laws and principles of the gospel. They are real.

Here's a quote I like and used for something I did for the ward RS presidents: "He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree." Roy L. Smith
I know as a missionary you will get to have Christmas in your heart every day for 2 years, but my prayer is that you will help those you teach to know where to look to find that same feeling. He stands at the door (everyone's door) and knocks.

I love you very much and hope you have a warm week filled with many teaching appointments.

Mom
XXOO
Say hey to Elder Jolley!

post festivities

Nov. 28, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
Well, this Thanksgiving won't go down as one of the top ten, that's for sure. Here's what happened in a nutshell. Kirk came home last Saturday from Rexburg. We got your letter on Monday and it was so great. I'm glad you're staying with Elder Jolley. Don't let him get too trunky on you. I'm hoping to hear good news about Jessica, that she got baptized, etc. We've been praying for her and her family. Can't wait to hear what happened over the weekend for you.

Then on Monday Sean came home. It kept getting colder and little bursts of snow started to fall from the skies. Sean said things got bad around Twin Falls but it started snowing here Monday night and didn't let up until Tuesday. But just because it let up here didn't mean it was good down in Utah. In fact, they got a full blown blizzard with all the warnings to stay home. Steve and Carolina and gang started up here on Tuesday hoping to beat the bad weather. Allen and Lisa left St. George also on Tuesday morning hoping to make it to Provo and spend the night, then come to Idaho the next day. Steve calls me from Tremonton asking what the road reports say. He says there are signs everywhere saying that the roads are closed up ahead, but of course he decides to try and come through anyway. We look up the reports and can see that sure enough the roads are closed. Steve calls from Snowville where they are caught in a horrible white out blizzard. They are told to turn around and so they slowly work their way south again. Laura is very scared in the car and so are Dakota and Kassie. When they finally get through the pass, they stop in Brigham City at a place to get some hot chocolate and try to relax after all the tension. By the time they get back in their car, there's a blizzard in Brigham City and it's moving south. It now takes them hours to get back home driving in a horrible conditions the entire way. When they get home, Allen and Lisa are there and Allen is huddled in front of the fire with the chills. He's sick. Steve calls me and says they are so wiped out from this adventure that there's no way anyone wants to get back in the car on Wednesday and try it again, plus Allen is not feeling well at all. I can't tell you how sad that made all of us.

On Wednesday morning we went down to the Center on the Grove to watch Nikki perform with her honor choir from Eagle Elementary. We walked around afterwards to see the festival of the trees, then we walked around downtown Boise for a bit, but it was very cold.


I made lots of calls on Wednesday to friends to come to our pie night that night, so that was fun. But it just wasn't the same. Then we asked the Hugentobler's to come to Thanksgiving on Thursday. It was fun having them here, but again it just wasn't the same. Steve called me early Wednesday evening asking if we were getting ready for pie night and said he was so depressed, that they were just walking around the house saying "This isn't Thanksgiving." I watched a TV show "The Middle" that night and their expected family wasn't able to make it for Thanksgiving either so the mom, who was very sad, said, "It's just not right, not having family come for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving without family is just overeating!" I laughed so hard at that because that's pretty much how I felt.

On Thursday when I was cooking, Carolina texted me and wanted to know what I was making, etc. So we pretended for a few minutes that we were together. We exchanged pictures of our small tables of greed presents and moaned. We thought about doing it together over skype. haha We had tons of food and Carolina had to scramble to go out and buy everything for dinner. We even ate leftovers tonight for dinner. I sent 2 pies home with Kirk and I'll send another 2 home with Sean tomorrow.

To top off the sorrow of the weekend, BSU lost to Reno in overtime where Brotzman missed 2 field goals. The game ended at midnight and I couldn't get to sleep until 4am. Same with dad. Then the next day we decided to watch the BYU/Utah game hoping to get a little good cheer if BYU would beat them. They were ahead the whole game until the very end where it came down to a field goal once again. A field goal would have won the game for them with 4 seconds to go and they were well within kicking distance, but NO of course his kick was blocked and Utah won the game. So once again it was a downer. I called Steve immediately afterward and told him to never miss coming up here again because it set off a whole vibe of bad luck.

Of course, it was nice having friends and family here with us which I love. Jared and Kendra have been spending a lot of time here too. In fact, they're here right now putting on a movie for their little girl Jodi. They just found out tonight that Jodi's father will let her be sealed to Jared the same day they get sealed in the temple. They are so happy about that. Also today at church we got to hear the reports from Dalton and Preston. They were both excellent talks. Dalton talked about faith and how much his faith grew on his mission and gave stories from his mission about that. Then Preston talked about repentance and the atonement and how so many people were able to change their lives on his mission.

Just finished playing a quick game of Scattergories with Jared, Kendra, Sean and Dad. I was going to win but in the last round for some unknown reason I saw the category heroes and even though the letter was "C", I saw heroes and wrote down Hulk Hogan and then went on to write all my words starting with "H". I feel jipped of a good game! Oh well, it's late and things are not working, but I had awesome words starting with "H".

We're busy this weekend working on your next box. We're having a lot of fun with it. Also, I ran into the Borup's at the movies over the weekend and they were asking about you and want to start getting your letters. So I sent your last few and Sis. Borup and Chelsea wrote back saying how fun it was to read your letters. They said they'll write you.

We went to Aaron Anderson's reception on Saturday. Lauren Frame was asking about you and said to say hi. We saw the Goodwin's there and talked more about your mission. Jamie went to the temple last week and is very anxious to get out there. Nigel's roommate went to your mission and was the AP when Elder Jolley first came out. His name is Eric Call and he spoke very fondly of Elder Jolley. He said he remembers that he knew every type of cow there was and that he was a hard worker and very energetic. It's fun hearing more things about your mission from guys who have gone there. They all speak very fondly of it.

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful. I know the Bishop there probably treated you great and I wasn't worried about you at all. I hope your other investigators are moving forward especially Jessica's sister Samantha. I heard once, When you save a woman, you save an entire generation.

Well, it's back to normal around here this next week. The girls are back in school, the boys are back to college, dad's back to work, I have blessings to type, RS meetings to attend, presidents to orient, one funeral to attend, a PPI with Pres. Stafford, etc, etc. Life is good and full. Which reminds me, if you see any families or people there who might have a need for something during the holidays, let us know. Doesn't have to be something big, but we can do a little something to lift someone's spirits or help be a secret santa. Just keep us in mind.

Have a faith-filled week.
love you,
mom
xoxooxxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxooxooxo

Cold, cold, cold

Nov. 21, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
Okay, it's officially cold here now and looks like it's going to get even colder this week. The forecast for Wednesday is 9 degrees as the high. Yes, you read it right, 9 degrees and the low is -4. It was just 70 degrees a couple weeks ago so this is quite the shock to the system. It, of course, doesn't phase the little girls at all as they still come downstairs in baggy shorts and short sleeves ready for school. True Samoans! Here's a snowman Leah made after the first snowfall. She made it so little and it looks so funny seeing this little thing sitting out in our front yard. But it's so cold I have a feeling he'll be there for quite some time.

Kirk is home now, got home yesterday. He's downstairs playing games with the girls. Dad is coming off a night shift so he's asleep in the family room. I can hear him snoring as I type. Roxy and Eddy are laying on the floor next to me. I just got off the phone with Sean. He's coming home tomorrow. He wanted to stay and go to Taryn's homecoming today.

Our choir sang today and it was a pretty song. We are now practicing at Dustin Simpson's house and it has great acoustics probably because it used to be a church. Dustin is having a musical soiree at his house in December, just a big jam session with Christmas music, etc. It sounds fun. Sally wants to play SleighRide with me for it, but I have to wait and see if my finger is better by then. By the way, thank you for your prayers, that meant a lot. I think it's healing well now. It's not a pretty sight, but I can tell there's progress.

Just got Cameron's letter. He's now the finance secretary in the office. He's worried that the mission will be broke in a week with him in there, but he's up to the challenge.

How was your week? I was thinking about you today and hoping your investigators were able to come to church. I've also been praying that Josh's heart would soften and that he'd get strong feelings of wanting to lead his family, be a patriarch in his home. I hope things are progressing well with everyone.

I forwarded your letter to Julie Rasmussen last week. She loved reading about your contact with Elder Grow. She sent the letter on to Dayna too. Also it was so funny to hear your hug joke. I immediately thought, well, I have hugged you so that makes me only four steps away from hugging the prophet.

We are working on memorizing scriptures each week now. Last week Nikki took forever to memorize 2 Nep 2:25 and I thought I had picked a fairly easy scripture. She was getting so frustrated so I decided to put it to song and within 3 minutes she had the whole thing memorized. Not only did she memorize it but she says it several times a day now and today she was showing off how she could say the whole thing including the book and verse in 1 second. Now my only challenge is going to be coming up with a new tune for each scripture that we have. Wish me luck.

We had the Hugentobler's over Friday night to watch the BSU/Fresno game. BSU won 51-0. They're going to come over Wednesday night for pie night but Joel for some reason doesn't want turkey this year, so they are having ham, funeral potatoes and green bean casserole. Jodie is not excited about that, but they're going with it.

I'm going shopping tomorrow to buy all the food for the week. The only thing I'm making that is different for Thanksgiving this year is the jello salad. I'm making the strawberry pretzel salad, yum! I know you're going to have a great Thanksgiving with your Bishop. I had to laugh when you said he signed up a month ago, but that made me feel good to know you were going to be taken care of. Tell them I said thank you so much.

The Purnell's got home this last Wednesday. Their sisters say they are still in a daze but I saw them at church and they look good. They're speaking next Sunday. Kirk warned them that people would be asking them to sub for everything now. Right after he said that, Bro. Anderson walked up and asked if one of them could take his Sunday School class next week.

We had a family night lesson last week on gratitude. We talked about how when we express gratitude that Heavenly Father is more likely to bless you even more and how important it is to have an attitude of gratitude each day. They liked my object lesson of showing a glass with water in it and I asked them if the cup was half full or half empty. Then we talked about what that meant and how we should try to be people who always see the cup half full and how our attitude can make a difference in other people's lives. I never know if the girls are really paying attention but immediately afterward Leah started making a list of 100 things she's grateful for and she wants to send it to you. So you'll see it soon. They've also been catching themselves when they've started to say something negative about something and have turned it into a positive comment, so I know that they really understood. Family night is actually one of the most rewarding things I do and I think it's a combination of following the prophet (being obedient), having the spirit in our home and seeing even just a small glimmer of testimony appear in a child's eyes. I take my calling as mom very seriously and I know that I'm a missionary too. I also feel the hand of the Lord in the things I do especially when they are in tune with the spirit. I am so grateful for this awesome blessing in my life. I know that you will feel that same spirit each day as you trust in the Lord and do His will.

I also would admonish you to write things you are grateful for each day in your journal, or write down miracles (the hand of the Lord) in things you see each day. Writing them down is just another way of expressing your thanks and you'll be amazed at how present the Lord is in your life. Never forget to give due credit to the Heavenly Father.

Well, we are gathering items for your next box. Have you gotten your coat lining yet? Let us know when you get things. Gathering for Christmas will be fun and we'll make sure it's a "Jolley" Christmas (a little side note for the comp).

Keep up the great attitude, Alex. That's truly a gift you've been given and it's something you brought with you straight from heaven into our home.

Love and miss you,

Mom
xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxooxox

Panda-move over

Nov. 14, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
It's late at night, everyone's asleep. It's been a long day, but a good day. I started out at an early morning stake meeting with the Stake Presidency, high council and auxiliary presidents (Stake Council). I always enjoy meeting with all of them. For a lot of the meeting we discussed the new handbook and the training meeting, things we learned and felt.

Back at home I made spring rolls for dinner, fried up a few of them to taste them. It's the first time I've made them so I wanted to make sure they tasted good since it was the main dish for dinner. I went to an Asian market this week to get some of the ingredients and the lady there recommended a sauce to dip them in, one she particularly liked. Well, they turned out awesome and the sauce was really good. The recipe makes tons of rolls, so we had plenty left over to freeze for later. Next time though I'll go to Panda and get some chow mein, fried rice and maybe even some orange chicken to supplement the meal. I had a package of frozen fried rice and orange chicken from WalMart, but it tasted terrible. I guess Panda has spoiled me-yes, I'll admit that. But my egg rolls/spring rolls were still the best.

Church was great today. The Gines boy, just back from Ukraine, spoke with the high councilor. They spoke about putting your trust in God and Bro. Gines said he quickly learned he needed to trust in the Lord on his mission because you are somewhere where you don't really know anyone, even your companion is not that familiar and when you are troubled or in need of comfort and help, he found that he had to put all his trust in the Lord and things always worked out when he did that.

Tonight we had the big Trek fireside. Yes, Trek was 4 months ago, but the DVD took quite some time. Bro. Stewart really out-did himself with this one. It was great. The music, the editing, the integration of the Joseph Smith story in the beginning, etc. There funny parts as well as very moving parts. I give it 2 thumbs up.

Well, we had Leah's big 11th birthday party this week. She invited about 10 girls and we took them to the movies, "Megamind" and then to Primos where we ate and then opened presents. Leah said she had a great time and I was really happy for her. Her big present this year was getting Kristina's old iPod nano and Kristina loaded a playlist for her. I hesitated to buy a brand new iPod because Leah tends to lose things, so I told her this would be a little test to see how she does with nice or expensive things. So far she is enamored with it, even gets up early in the morning so she can listen to it. But she's also obeying all the rules I've set up for its use too. So far, so good.

Here's a quilt I've finished. I really like how it turned out, so it's hanging on the wall going up the stairs now. I tried to do the center squares like mosaic tiles.

Now I'm mainly working on making Christmas presents, but it's a lot of fun. (Fun for me, you understand) Finger update-I managed to get the stuck-on gauze off my finger this week. It's been on there for 3 weeks and it was driving me crazy that it was so stuck. It took me 40 minutes, a huge magnifying glass, tiny embroidery scissors, courage and much patience, but I finally pulled it and cut it enough that I got it off. I'm free! It's still so tender but now I feel like it can heal the rest of the way. I can't wait to use my finger again, although my other fingers are getting very good at taking over for my index finger.

Dad and I have been fixing things, cleaning things around the house this week in anticipation of our Thanksgiving guests. I actually like getting the house all ready. It gives me a good excuse to get some deeper cleaning done. We've also been on the lookout for "greed" items.

BSU won again, of course. They are now ranked #3 in the nation. It's very fun. EHS is out of the running now, but Centennial beat Rocky Mountain over the weekend. I've lost track of BYU, so you'll just have to get that news from dad.

Carolina's back from Spain. She had a great time and said the food was great. Gio's baby had to stay in ICU for a week with some breathing problems, but is home now and doing well. He and Jen will be coming to Utah over Christmas.

Pres. Shaw asked about you today and wanted me to send your letters to him. He feels even stronger and more tender about missionary work and missionaries now with his son on his mission.

So how was your week? How is Jessica doing? Remind me again about her life. You said she's married. Does she have any children, does she work, how did you find her, etc? I'm so amazed that your investigators got up in testimony meeting and bore their testimonies. How wonderful. Whenever you bear your testimony, it is strengthened so that was awesome not only for the ward but especially for the investigators as well.

So this juggin' thing sounds so funny, but I'd love to see it some time. The things we do and the games we make up based on where we live...sounds like a new TV series to me.

We sent off a package last week so hopefully you get it soon. Let us know.

I talked with Aunt Jan earlier tonight. Katie was home for a little bit but flew back to Japan to be with Graig. I guess they got it officially okay'ed for her to be over there the whole time he is, so they might be there for 2 years. About the same time David is there. David has actually seen her a couple times.

That reminds me...Tyler Trumbo enlisted in the navy last week. He's been going to college and working since he's been home and decided to go in and take the entrance exam. He did so well that they said he could be trained for any vocation he wanted. He's chosen dentistry. He doesn't go in until next April though, so in the meantime he'll keep taking classes and working. This will be good for him to have some direction and he's very excited about it.

Well that's about it for around here. We've been praying as a family for you and Elder Jolley to find a new investigator, one who is ready to hear your message. Personally I've been praying for you to find a whole family. Keep up the great work. You don't know how great it is to hear from you and hear about your hard work, your fun work and especially about the people you are meeting and sharing your testimony with. It helps me feel a little bit a part of your mission and I love it.

Have a miraculous week,
love you,

Mom
xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoXXOOooxx

Fall turning to winter

Nov. 7, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
Well, it looks like fall is officially here. The leaves are turning and falling and now the weather is actually making turn south. It's rained most the day today and it's supposed to be much colder than this week. We've been enjoying 60-70 degree weather for quite some time, but this week it will be in the high 40's.

Church was good today. Testimonies were a little sparse, but the quiet gave us time to think about our own testimonies. Randy Thompson is the new gospel doctrine teacher and he is a wonderful teacher. Lisa Myler gave the lesson in RS reminding us who we really are and what strength we should get from that knowledge. Then when we got out of church it was dark. A little weird.

Wish you could be here to help out the choir in a couple weeks. The Mylers will be out of town and that pretty much wipes out the tenor section. Have you had any chance to sing on your mission?
I sure hope so.

How has this week been for you? Sounds like you're teaching some wonderful people. I'm happy to hear that Jessica is progressing so well. I hope it's all still going well. I also hope that members of the ward are doing splits with you with some of your lessons or even just going with you so they can bear their testimonies too and bonds in the ward can begin to form. Most new members fall away when they don't feel a part of things in the ward family. I've seen it happen so many times. They receive that strong confirmation of the truthfulness of the gospel message, but don't know how to apply it.

Last Wednesday I went to YW in Excellence night for Kristina. Each group (from E3,6 &8th ward) made a movie about the YW values. Kristina's group did a great job and she did an excellent job in the editing department. I think she learned a lot from you....thank you. Leah went with me since she'll be going into YW next year and I want her to be excited about it.

Speaking of Leah, this week is her birthday and it's a constant source of conversation. She, of course, wants a cell phone, an iPod, a pottery wheel and a car. Hmmmm, I wonder what we should buy. For her birthday we're taking her friends to the movies and then to Primos.

Kirk and Sean are both doing well and having fun. Kirk actually sold his platelets this past week to make some money. I think he's going to do that each week now. Yah, he has a job!

This week in sports, EHS took a beating by Rocky Mtn-70-48. BSU won, of course! and BYU actually won, but they were playing UNLV(bottom of the barrel).

Friday night we went to Cirque du Soleil at the Taco Bell Arena. It was fantastic. I was pretty amazed at how good it was for a traveling show. One of the best I've seen. I'm still a groupie. When we were getting up after it was over, Leah said, "That was the best show I've ever been to!"

The girls were out of school Thurs and Fri last week for parent/teacher conferences. It's always fun to go hear what they have to say about Leah and Nikki. Leah's doing better, but not really catching up with the class yet in all subjects. She can stay up with science and social studies, but reading and math are still a stretch. Nikki's teachers always say she's just a social girl. I know what that means. Also this year her teacher said she just loved Nikki's shirts each day and looked forward to seeing her colorful outfits. I told her she puts them together herself. Math and reading are still difficult for Nikki too. We're working on the times tables with her. I may just teach her how to use a calculator really well so she'll be just fine.

Dad started working in Ontario and his first shift was a bit of a shock to the system because of the higher volume of patients. But he's going to give it a couple of months before he decides if he wants to keep working there.

I actually played the piano for a little bit this week(with 9 fingers). I still haven't been able to get the gauze off my wound, but I can tell it's beginning to heal now, from the inside out. It's quite a lesson to see how miraculous the body is, how it's able to heal itself. I'm still impatient and want it completely healed already, but I've relaxed a little about it now and will just let nature take its course. When my friends see me they still tell me it gives them the eebies whenever they think about it. I've been quilting a few things for Christmas presents now that I have a bit more time in between my RS duties. We're beginning to plan a big workshop for January, so we had a long presidency meeting this week after we had our luncheon for the older sisters in the stake. I love our daytime RS luncheons in this stake. The older sisters are so cute and it's fun seeing them all get together each month. They have a lunch and program once a month and a lot of them bring their neighbors and friends to it too.

Dawn Yorgason called me the other day. A young man in her ward was called to Tennessee, but she didn't know you were not the Knoxville mission. She says she loves reading your letters. Sis. Poulsen also asked me today if she could receive your letters. You've got quite a following now. I'm going to give your address to Mrs. Bunn, because she was asking about you and said Kaylie would write you.

Bro. and Sis. Purnell left this morning for Chile to pick up the boys. They were so excited. It should be a great trip for them. They will be reporting their missions the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

As of right now, Steve and Carolina and the girls are coming for Thanksgiving, Axel and Laura, and Allen and Lisa and their kids. We should have a full house. We're starting to look for the game of greed items.

Jenn and Gio had their baby last week-a big baby boy they named James. I guess in the end they decided not to name him Kenzo, but there are a lot of cousins who are deciding to still call him Kenzo, so I guess you can call him whatever you want.

I was re-listening to some conference talks this morning and was really impressed by Elder Richard G. Scott's talk. Here's a couple things he said and they made me think of you - that I should pass them along to you.

"An axiom we all understand is that you get what you pay for. That is true for spiritual matters as well. You get what you pay for in obedience, in faith in Jesus Christ, in diligent application of the truths you learn. What you get is the molding of character, the growth in capacity, and the successful completion of your mortal purpose to be proven and to have joy."

"You cannot be passive in life, or in time the natural man will undermine your efforts to live worthily."

"We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day. Righteous character is a precious manifestation of what you are becoming."

I can see you becoming the man that I saw in you way back when you were just little. Many people will watch you and find a role model in you. Make sure you watch out for those around you and pray to know how you can help them, lift them and even improve their lives and spirits. Always be found serving.

It's time for the girls to get to bed, so I better sign off. They should be tired tonight with the time change (I'm hopeful). I can't wait to hear from you and all about your week. I hope you and Elder Jolley are working hard and enjoying each day.

Miss you and love you much,
mom
xoxoxooxoxoxxoxoxoxxoooooxxxxxxooooxxxooooxxxx

Halloween

Oct. 31, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
How's it going? Just got off the phone with Sean. He sounds good, but he's one I'd rather see in person because I can't really read him through the phone conversation. He's a man of few words but many thoughts. He's trying to get into the journalism school at BYU but there's a number of hoops he has to jump through first. He's thinking of majoring in journalism but also taking the full course of pre-med classes so he can get into the medical field somewhere.

We had a full week here with trunk or treat, concerts, Material Girls meetings, game nights, etc. It was fun having Jared and Kendra here for dinner(deadman meatloaf of course) and also having a game night. I've missed those. Jared asked if they could have their wedding reception at our house. We'll have to talk more and discuss it more, but we'll see.

Have you gotten any more packages or mail? Let me know when you get things. It's just nice to know.

Our ward trunk or treat was actually a 3 ward event and it went pretty smoothly. Lot's of chili, cornbread, games, Thriller dance lessons, and trunk or treating. Dad made some cool brain, heart and hand molds and then made a stump for his hand so it looked like he lost his hand while making some food. He called himself Chef Stumpy. I'll put a few pictures here and then send more in another email so it doesn't take up too much room.

Thursday night was Ehs's fall concert. It was soooo crowded. They've got to do something. Every group sounded great. Kristina's in the freshman girl's choir and they did a good job. She really enjoys Mr. McMullen. He says she has a little bit of each of her brothers in her. The man choir is getting large and they sound good. Spencer Myler and Coleman Madsen were part of a barbershop quartet and they did a great job. Also Tanner Myler played the bongos in a few numbers and it was so fun. Sonous sang the William Tell Overture, Sitivit Anima Mea, Jenny Kissed Me, Lady in the Water and Jai Ho and all choirs sang O My Luve's LIke a Red, Red Rose at the end.

Today at church we had a quartet with Spencer, Coleman, Derek Redmond and Shawn Pinder sing I need Thee Every Hour and it sounded awesome. It was Brian Redmond's homecoming today.

I loved your last letter. I was so happy to hear you've had several opportunities to teach and to see people actually feel the spirit and want to change their lives because of it. Sounds like you and Elder Jolley are really working well together. You haven't been out very long but I'm amazed at how you learn lessons and have gained such wisdom about situations. You have a great discerning spirit and it will be such a blessing in your life. It's so true about working hard and how great it feels especially when you are doing the Lord's work. You'll notice that you'll always seem to have such strength to accomplish everything you need to, then you'll just collapse at the end of the day and wonder how you were able to accomplish all that you did. That's when you realize where your gratitude should be and who gave you the very words to speak when you needed them.

Have you been able to meet up with the chef's girlfriend yet? How's Eddy Rodgers doing? I hope Jessica is still progressing too. The fellowship of church members becomes so key at this point.

Nikki gave a talk in Primary today. She actually volunteers for that all the time and loves giving talks. She spoke about missionary work today. You'd be proud of her. The sister missionaries were in Primary too and did a special music time for them.

Kirk called and has had a fun weekend. He went out a couple times with the same girl this weekend. I'm glad he's back into the dating world. He's always happy when he's dating.

My finger is still in a lot of pain. Dad says it's going to take a long time to heal and now I'm starting to miss playing the piano. It hurts so bad if it even just touches something. The tip of your fingers have so many nerves!!

Leah and Nikki and Kristina were all so excited that you directed some remarks to them in your last letter. It means a lot. I have parent teacher conferences this week for the little girls-wish me luck...

Maria just wrote me and sent this picture of Hudson--

We think of you all the time and of course we always pray for you. Tell Elder Jolley we pray for him too. If there's anyone you want us to pray for here, let us know. Thank you, Alex, for being such a wonderful son.
love you always,
Mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxxo

Primary Program Sunday

Oct. 24, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
How are you doing today? You've had a new companion this week, so how did things go? You're with Elder Jolley, right? Dad has some cousins named Jolley, remember the guy(he was a twin) who visited us in Hilton Head and made us go out to dinner on Sunday. I remember we were all traumatized when he did that. I hope you've been having success this week. I hope Elder Mix is doing well in his new area.

I was so sad to hear you didn't get to go to Gladys Knight's concert, but you sure did have some amazing things happen that weekend. How was your culinary school chef lunch? Is he interested in learning more?

So today was the Primary Program and it was entertaining as usual. Carter Myler stole the show with the little kids. He was so funny. His mom bribed him to be good during the program and after it was over he came running down to her and said, "I was good, wasn't I mom?" How could she resist that. Leah and Nikki both had parts and did great. Leah even sang in a small group with the 11 yr old girls.

This past week I had my Stake RS training mtg where all the ward RS presidencies come to be trained. We fed them dinner, I spoke and Pres. Stafford spoke, then we broke into smaller groups where I just met with the presidents and secretaries. My counselors took their counterparts into other rooms. I feel like it went really well. It's a great group of women and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with them all. My presidency and I decided that we really need to get someone called as food chairman full time though. Just trying to plan the menu, shop, cook and serve was a little overwhelming. I had Kristina, Claire Cameron and Tracey Braithwaite help out in the kitchen on the serving end or we wouldn't have even been able to enjoy being with the sisters. I guess we learn lessons with each event we put on. That's pretty true in life, isn't it?

Saw Julie Rasmussen at the mtg and she said Dana got a letter from you that was sooo funny. She said that Dana and Dani were reading it and laughing so hard. Sis. Rasmussen always asks about you.

Here's what Kirk found at DI this week. He's got a ward Halloween party this weekend. This is so Kirk, isn't it.


Sean went to Nate's wedding reception over the weekend. They had a cardboard cutout of Spencer in the line.

We celebrated Kristina's birthday Monday night by going to the Great Wall. The girls thought it was the fanciest restaurant ever because of this big chandelier in the middle of the room. They were so funny. It was just a big chinese buffet very similar to many that we've been in before, but the food was better than most places. So it was fun. She got a new camera(her old one broke), some candy, some lime green clothing items.





Other than that, I only had one other story that stands out in the week. Friday night I was doing some quilting and had a little quilting accident which involved my cutting table and and a rotary blade and my finger. Dad was at work, Kristina was at a football game and the little girls were too grossed out to help me. It was not a pretty site for quite a while. Dad tried to get a picture in his mind of what had happened, what had been cut off, etc. and was trying to help me over the phone. No doctor was home in our neighborhood. I just needed someone to help me wrap it up. So when Kristina finally got home, after Leah had to take her in the quilt room to show her the piece of my finger on the board(so happy I could be the source of such entertainment), I turned off all the lights in the kitchen and managed to take off the pressure I was holding on it, put clean gauze back on and Kristina wrapped it. I just had such a hard time even looking at it. It gave me the eebies. I had to leave the room and go say a prayer for strength because it was hurting so bad and I knew I had to be able to wrap it and get it under control. I have a big hole on the pad of my finger now. Don't ask me how it's going to heal, but it sure hurts every so often. Dad said it will take quite a while to heal. I'm not always good with being patient, but I guess I'll have to be. Here's the turkey wallhanging I was working on when it happened. Now I get to have a lovely memory with this quilt. :( I'm going to call this quilt "Turkey Carving"



So I'm typing with 9 fingers now, but I can't complain since dad does it with just 2.

I'm glad you got our package. We have so much fun putting things together for you. The Gines boy, sorry don't know his name, got home this week from the Ukraine and spoke in the Beacon Light ward. I can't believe that it's almost a year since Devin went out. Kiley is busy getting ready for the Miss America pageant and does appearances all over Idaho with her title now.

Football: BSU plays this Tuesday, EHS won Caldwell and BYU won.

Here's a quote for the week on courage:
"It takes a lot of courage to be a missionary--to not fight(debate) when you want to fight; to live rules; to stand up sometimes to a companion who wants to do wrong; to knock on doors; to speak in Church; to bear your testimony; to find a way to keep busy; to continue with members who don't seem interested in sharing the gospel; to say no to temptations; to eat your companion's cooking; to make one or two more calls after a frustrating day that should have ended an hour ago; to continue working with a bishop or ward mission leader who is so busy that you feel like you're intruding on his time; to be persistent and consistent in the face of challenges that seem almost too heavy to bear; to keep going after being turned down time after time.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, if they reject my words, and this part of my gospel and ministry, blessed are ye, for they can do nor more unto you than unto me. Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap, therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward." (D&C 6:29-33)
"Your calling is to teach, to testify and to warn. It is easy to do it among friends. Courage requires that you do it in the face of adversity, discouragement and rejection."
Raymond E. Beckham

I hope you are feeling the strength of the Lord in the work you are doing. There is nothing we can do on our own. My prayers are always that you will have strength and courage to do the right thing, the hard thing, and to be in the right place at the right time, where the Lord wants you. Remember to use your smile in all you do. You can light up a room with the way you smile and it speaks volumes to people. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about.

Send us some pictures of anything when you get a chance. It would be great to even see where you live and who your companions are.

We are all well here and always look forward to your letters.
Love you,
mom
xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxoxoxoox

Ovt. 17, 2010

Oct. 17, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
Well, you don't know how badly I felt last week when I finally figured out that you hadn't received my email. I was kind of sick inside and I was even running a little late for a presidency meeting, but I hurried and forwarded my letter to you and then took off for my meeting. In the middle of my meeting dad texted me and told me that you had received my letter. Thank you so much for checking again. I was even having a hard time concentrating in my meeting, then when I heard you got it, I felt a huge weight lift from me.

If that ever happens again where you don't see a letter, let me know as soon as you can, because I always!!! write you, it just may be sent to some other Alex Thompson. So never think we've forgotten you in any way. Nothing could be further from the truth.

ps could you put some paragraphs in your letters for me...a little request. It just makes it easier to read. Actually, grandpa Trumbo was asking too. :) We're old school.

I'm home again early because today I went to 3 different wards. First I attended the Eagle 2nd ward. In their ward they have the missionary who has received a call come up and announce his call. So Jamie announced his call. Also it was the farewell for Bro. and Sis. Hansen (the ones who used to be in our ward). They are going to the Kirtland Ohio mission next week. After the meeting the Goodwins spotted me and we talked for a while. You don't know how much that means to them that you are there. I talked with Jamie too. He's anxious to get there and doesn't want to have to wait until January. You remember that feeling. So he won't get to Nashville until the first part of February. They want to read your letters too, so I will put them on the forwarding list.

Speaking of the forwarding list-Sis. Smack wrote me today and said Jay was asking about you in his last letter, so she wants to receive your letters too so she can update him. I get Jay's letters and forward them to Sean so I can tell you Jay sounds great. His letters are a little short, but he is starting to understand the language much better now and he's working hard.

Cameron is finally in Mexico although they haven't heard from him or the mission home yet. I sent off the first newsletter to you so you should be receiving that this coming week.

Jared got engaged and is getting married in December sometime, probably Dec. 23rd. The temple in Boise is going to close for almost a year for renovations, so Jared may have to move his date up. We'll let you know. His marriage will make his parents instant grandparents!

I also went to the Beacon Light ward for their RS mtg and then to the Park Lane RS mtg. Mario Wade's mom was there. I don't think she's a member, she came in jeans, but she spoke of her son on his mission and how proud she was of him. The Park Lane ward is actually getting a bit bigger now even though it's fall, so that's really good for them. They're going to the big corn maze tomorrow night for FHE, but you probably already know that since you probably planned it. :) Chase Wagstaff came home last week and Cameron Ray got his call to the Philippines. Also Chrissy Irwin got engaged. I get all kinds of news when I go to the singles ward.

So now I'm home making chicken alfredo, wild rice, rolls and fruit salad. I thought I'd change things up a bit tonight and make something different. Hopefully everyone likes it.

Tomorrow is Kristina's 15th birthday. She's doing a great job driving now. I can tell she's really starting to get the hang of it. She's not having a party this year, because she wants to have a big Sweet 16 party next year, so she's decided she wants to go to The Great Wall of China for dinner (no, we're not flying there, it's the restaurant on Eagle Rd that has taken 9 years to open). It's always packed, so we're hoping that means it's pretty good food. I'm sure it won't compare to Panda!

Dad took the 11 yr olds camping Friday night. He had quite a few drop out at the last minute, but in the end he had 3 scouts and one father. He also had Aaron Dittman stay through dinner. They camped on Bill Frost's land which is on the river just down from the McCauley's place. Sounds like they had a good time. I'm sure dad will write you more details about it. Are you getting his letters?

For dad's birthday, we gave him tickets to Cirque du Soleil which is coming here in November and we went to the temple and then the family went to a roadside bbq and got some ribs.

Football news:EHS and BSU won. BYU lost (they need to get a new quarterback dad says).

Yesterday I went to the temple again to be with the Dildine's as they had their little girls sealed to them. Boy did that bring back memories and it was so sweet. Their oldest little girl is very serious and right after the sealing she went over to her sisters and just broke down crying. She was just so overcome with all the feelings and couldn't stop hugging her family. Jeff and Audra Davis go to Ethiopia to pick up their new son, Sam, in November. Sam doesn't speak any English, so Audra says she's going to need my help with this. I'll know exactly what she's going through and I'll be happy to help her in any way.

How is the work going for you? How was the splits with the ZL's? Do you go to a different city when you do that?

So how was the fireside in Nashville? Did they hold it at a stake center or where? Can't wait to hear. Who ended up going with you? Did Sister Knight bear her testimony?

Kirk and Sean both just called. They are doing well. Sean is taking mid-terms and going to music concerts. Nate got married over the weekend. Kirk said his date was fun but she wasn't very outgoing, so he has a couple other girls he's going to ask out.

Fall is definitely in the air now. The leaves are beautiful. It's my favorite time of year. I'm re-listening to conference every day as my scripture study since I Tivo'ed all of it. I get feelings and impressions all the time when I study and listen. You'll learn that your scriptures will do the same thing for you. Today in Sacrament mtg I opened my scriptures and they opened right to 3 Nephi 18 where Christ institutes the sacrament among the Nephites. One part stuck out to me today so I'll share it with you. Look up 3 Nephi 18:7 when you get a chance where it says about the bread, "And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me" So when we come and take the bread each week, we are actually testifying to the Father that we will always remember Him and of course the promise from Him if we do that is that we will have His spirit to be with us. I want His spirit with me every day at all times and in all places. Then in verse 10 Jesus says about drinking the wine, "Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling my commandments and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you."

I was happy to feel that today I was testifying to Heavenly Father that I would always remember Him and that He knows I am willing to keep the commandments that Jesus Christ has given us.

I hope you are feeling the strength of the spirit with you each day. It's hard to be in the world and not of it, but if you prepare well each morning and evening, you will have that gift. Be strong, obedient and trust the promptings you receive. So often I think of you as one of Helaman's army out there fighting the battle with Christ on your side, so remember who you are and who's side you are on and remember all those who have gone before you and prepared the way. There are even those now who read your letters home who may be able to feel the spirit through your words.

I love you and am grateful for the knowledge I have, for the experiences that strengthen my testimony. I have had many in my life. You are an example to me and it means a lot.

Have a fantastic week.
love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxooxoxoxXooXXOO

10-10-10

Oct. 10, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
How are you doing? So you've made it through one transfer now, huh? How exciting if you can find a family who's out there in Illinois just waiting for you and they can be the first baptism in the area in 10 months. It's probably a neighbor of one of the members there.

I was so happy to hear how you were touched by Elder Bednar's talk. Conference talks will always answer prayers and that's why it's important to prepare for conference beforehand. As a kid, I put up with conference. As an adult, I love preparing for it and then listening for answers I need. They always come. It was good to hear that you and Elder Mix had a talk about things. Acting on inspiration like that is showing Heavenly Father that you are willing and want to be an instrument in His hands, not just the instrument that sits in its case in the closet.

I'm writing you while the family is at church. I've been at church since this morning going to different wards. This is the best part of my calling, visiting the different wards. I love hearing the different teachers in RS and meeting new sisters. Today in the Star 2nd ward, Sis. Tanner taught the lesson on Repentance. Then she asked Lacey to sing a song for the closing called "Godly Sorrow." It was beautiful and of course, Lacey looked stunning. She's at home and will be starting cosmetology school in January. I also went to the Star 1st ward. The sisters were all so outgoing in that ward and so fun. That would be a fun ward to be a part of. I went to the Beacon Light Sacrament Mtg too.

The wards are really starting to grow here. The new building in Star is supposed to be finished by the end of the year and it looks like it might actually be done before that.

It's very funny that you like catfish. I actually watched them doing "hogging" on one of the Extreme shows on TV. It looked crazy.

Did you get our package yet? Also be sure to let dad know if you are getting his snail mail letters. He's loving writing to you and would love to know if you are actually getting them. FYI-his birthday is this Wednesday.

Here's some big news-Jamie Goodwin (Nigel's brother) just got his mission call and he's going to...Tennessee Nashville mission!!! His mom called me because they kept hearing about this Alex Thompson who was in Nashville and she didn't know who you were. Then it dawned on her that you were my son, so she called me. She didn't even know Sean had a younger brother and I told her I didn't know Nigel had a younger brother. So I shared with her some of the things you have said, etc. I guess Jamie is a really funny guy, so I told her that your mission president has a great sense of humor too. Do you know Jamie? He graduated a year after you and was really big into the video program at school. He likes making movies. Hmmmm. Sounds familiar. He's also musical, but doesn't like country music. Hmmmm. Sounds familiar. Anyway, the Goodwin's are very excited and especially knowing that you are there. Jamie goes into the MTC in January, so be sure to look for him. Also, if you have any hints or advice for him, let me know. They would really appreciate it.

Some other news this week-Uncle Scott called me and he was bored one night and went onto Ancestry.com and while he was there he saw an ad for someone who helped adopted people find their birth families, so he clicked on it. Long story short-he and David went to breakfast yesterday with their birth sister who is only 1 year older than them. The birth mom and aunt have both passed away, so they are going to take a sibling DNA test just to verify everything, but she has a pretty strong resemblance to Scott. Scott posted pictures on facebook so I could see. So in about 14 days, they'll know for sure, but it looks like you may have a new aunt. I figure we're all just one big family anyway. I'll keep you posted.

Football news-everyone won this week. BYU, BSU (#3 in the polls) and EHS.

Sean and his buddies went to Tucanos yesterday. He said it was kind of a Bachelor Party for Nate who is getting married this Saturday. They ran into the Yorgason's there celebrating Dawn's birthday. They all said to say hi.

I had an RS dinner at our house this past Wednesday. Our presidency invited the Stake YW presidency and the Stake Primary presidency. Here are some pics (notice the lovely fall theme):








We all had a great time and are going to keep up this tradition each fall. It was fun getting to know these other ladies. I had them put down on a paper 3 statements about themselves-one true and two false. Then we read them and had to guess who they were and which one was true. Then of course there were stories to tell about the true statements. We learned a lot about each other and it was very funny. My statements were:1-I drove a school bus to school every day when I was 16 years old. 2-I was a barrel racer 3-I can play the accordion extremely well. They all thought that my true statement was that I was a barrel racer. Really...do I look like I ride horses! I don't know, maybe I do. Anyway, their next guess was the accordion, so I told them that was my dad. So I told them the story of our bus and now they all want me to send them a picture and we were all laughing so hard about it. It was a great evening-wonderful company and delicious food. Poor dad had the job of taking the girls and the dogs out to dinner for the evening. He's a good sport.

How do the members treat you there? Are the ward mission leaders helpful to you? Are the youth programs strong there? Sometimes the youth are some of the best and boldest missionaries out there. Remember the story of my birth mom. She only agreed to having a California couple adopt me (she didn't want me to be raised in California because it would be too close to her). When my birth mom found out the couple was Mormon, she remembered about going to YW(different name back then)with a friend who invited her to the weekly activities. She thought highly of this friend and decided it would be good for me to be in a family with those same beliefs and the rest is history. So remind the youth how powerful their examples can be.

You would be extremely proud of Kristina and Nikki who have been sticking with a daily scripture reading schedule. I'm going to try to help Leah and let her know that she only needs to read one verse a night if she wants. Maybe you can give her a little challenge and I'll provide the reward.

Kirk has been slowly putting himself out there meeting new girls. He and his roommate went around to different apartments just meeting girls. One of the groups he met called and wanted to come to their apartment Friday night, so I'll hear about that later on when he calls. He's enjoying school especially now that he's in the upper division classes. Much more interesting.

Thank you for being strong and willing to serve. I know it's not always easy, but you're never alone. Remember that the Lord wants people in His church just as much as you do, but patience and timing are key. I've had to re-learn that lesson several times in my life.

Have a great week. Send us some pictures.
Love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxoxo

Conference Sunday

Oct. 3, 2010
Dear Elder Alex,
How was your conference weekend? I thought about you throughout the meetings knowing that you were probably watching at the same time. Did you get to watch all the sessions? Where did you end up watching from? Who were some of your favorite talks?

I really enjoyed the very first talk of conference by Elder Holland. I also enjoyed the talk on parenting this afternoon and the talk by Elder Bednar about receiving the Holy Ghost in your life. Dad had to work, so the girls and I watched every session together.

I also managed to get some handwork done while watching tv and then finished my book I'm making with all my letters to Sean while he was on his mission. I'm being better with yours as I'm keeping them in order and saving them. I had to search high and low for all of Sean's and then to put 2 years' worth in order was quite the task. But it's finished and I'm going to order a hard copy book.

Nikki had her big birthday party Friday afternoon. Here are some pix. We played a bunch of minute-to-win-it games. Nikki said it was the best party ever!








Looks like they might be finished with the movie making in the neighborhood, I'll have to look down there tomorrow morning and see if all the cars are still there. Turns out it's going to be an "R" rated movie about drug cartels, murders, etc. They were filming some high speed car scenes from our house down to the drug lord's house. They used a red corvette. They were also doing some kind of explosions. The neighbors, the MacDonald's, were irritated with it all, but if it was next door to us, I have the feeling we would have thought it was cool.

It's been very hot here lately, like in the 90's and here it is October. It's actually supposed to get a bit cooler this week though.

I had a presidency meeting this week where we took all the donated coats from our women's conference and sorted through them. We ended up with about 200 coats and they were all in pretty good shape. We picked 4 charities to deliver them to. I took some coats yesterday to a place right here in Eagle off of Linder called Christian Children's Ranch, a place where they take in homeless children and school them and have 3 homes where they live. Each home has a set of parents who have volunteered to live there and take care of the children as if they were their own. I never even knew that place was there and they had quite a few ongoing needs. I think we'll try to gather some items for them as a family.

How has your work been going? Have you been back to see Quinton? What a rough life. I also hope Elder Mix isn't leading you astray. I know you knew already that not all the missionaries follow the rules, but exact obedience is richly rewarded by Heavenly Father. Elder Bednar spoke of receiving the Holy Ghost and that's one of the most important ways we can receive the Holy Ghost, through our obedience. I need the help of the spirit every day and need to constantly be aware of how I can keep the spirit with me. That's why I really appreciated his talk.

In between sessions we watched a special on the new Kiev Ukraine temple. It has made a huge impact on the people there and they interviewed several people who went through the tours. They literally were coming out of the temple crying saying how strong the feeling was inside there and how they wanted to know how they could feel that feeling more often. One lady said she came on the last day and wished she had come sooner so that she could have gone through more often. That's something I've learned in life that non-members who feel the spirit for the first time often feel it so powerfully, something we sometimes take for granted because we feel it so often. Needless to say, the missionaries have been inundated with requests for visits and books, etc. Maybe we should have more open houses in the temples around the world and then rededicate them. So remember that when you're teaching. If you take the spirit into each home, the people you teach who are looking for something in their life, will be able to feel the spirit so strongly that you may even be amazed sometimes. I hope you find opportunities to bear your testimony as often as you can.

Speaking of temples, looks like ours is going to be closed for almost a year for renovations. Not sure if that means they have to rededicate it or not. But for a while we'll be going to the Twin Falls temple. I really like the Twin Falls temple and remember our trip to the open house there, so I look forward to going there.

Sean just called and told me about his mission reunion on Friday night. He said about 60 missionaries showed up and he knew all of them, so it was a lot of fun for him. He then went to Grandma and Grandpa Thompson's and also went to priesthood session with grandpa. I remember going to the priesthood session with grandpa last April...Kirk said the MTC choir sang and he thought he saw Cameron. But we'll have to see if he was there or not when we read his letter tomorrow. As of last week, he and 4 others were still in the MTC. The rest of the Mexico missionaries had been reassigned to state missions somewhere until their visas came in. We ran into Tim at WalMart and he told us Austin only has to be in the MTC in Peru for 2 weeks because he and a few others were learning the language so well. So even Austin may be out in the field before Cameron.

Over the weekend, BYU lost again and BSU won 56-0 and EHS won at their homecoming game. Homecoming dance was the night of conference so I don't know what most of the young men ended up doing.

I'm glad you mentioned you were doing service there. Remember the best way to start to really care about and love the people you are living amongst is to serve them. You were sent to Illinois for a reason and it's up to you to find that reason and make the most of it.

We're putting together a package that we're mailing out to you tomorrow. Be sure to let us know when you finally get it. I know letters aren't taking too long, but wondering about packages. Is there anything you need or want? There's a little room left in the box in case you think of something.

Alex, I'm proud of you being a full-time missionary and how you are willing to serve the Lord and know that He loves all His children. Be an instrument in His hands and work hard to truly receive the Holy Ghost in your life so that you can know the truth of all things and be guided each day. Make notes of things you learn. I have a feeling you will be teaching others how to be good missionaries sooner than you think and the experiences you are having now are all for your good.

You're always in my prayers. I know you already know that, but I truly believe in the power of prayer. Be true.

Love you always,

mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxxooOOOXXX