Oct. 06 - Dec. 06 Kirk letters

Oct. 10, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,
Well, how are things this week? I'm sorry you weren't able to open our
letter last week but I hope you get it this week. You sound so good and
must be having so many opportunities to teach and share your testimony.

We went to Provo last weekend and had lots of fun. We saw G & G Thompson
and I got to visit Darla Weigel(Tyler's mom). She's enjoying living in Utah
so far. It's funny, she said the LDS people in her neighborhood have made
it clear to her that she's supposed to refer to Mormons as LDS, not Mormons.
But she says they're all really friendly and she's pretty happy that they've
moved there.

Then we went to STeve and Carolina's. In the morning we took the girls(oh
yeah, we didn't take Alex on the trip because he had a choir trip to
SunValley and he stayed at the Jensen's). Anyway, we took the girls on a
little car ride/walk down Provo Canyon. The girls collected yellow and red
leaves and we looked at the waterfalls. Then we took Sean and Charmaine to
lunch and went bowling. Nikki did cartwheels after each ball. She was so
funny and then she practically won the whole thing.

That night we went to a concert at BYU that had lots of choir groups,
instrumentalists, etc and it was great. Steve and Carolina went with us
and STeve was very impressed. The next day we went with Steve and saw his
new work place and then went to the BYU game. Steve had tickets in the
press box, but he came and sat with us during the game because he said it
was so boring in the box. So he gave dad and I the press box tickets for
the 4th quarter. Sean came up there too. It was fun seeing the game from
that high up and they gave us free food and drinks. But I agree with STeve
and it was much more fun watching the game with the masses. We came home
after the game so we could be here for Sunday.

Alex is constantly bugging me right now so sorry if I'm not making much
sense. He just had a concert and the groups sounded great, but he's kind of
hyper.

Dad's b-day is this week, so I'm trying to think of something fun for him.
He works hard.

Kristina is constantly making her b-day lists now too since her b-day is
next week. She's going bowling for her birthday with a few friends.

Here's some missionary tips for the week:
1. In letters to your parents, thank them for doing specific things during
you childhood, such as teaching you correct principles, giving you good
examples, etc. (This is really in there, I didn't just make it up...:)
2. Get plants for your apartment.
3. Have food on hand for Sundays in case your dinner appointment cancels.
Don't be in a situation where you feel compelled to go to the store on the
Sabbath.
4.On hot days, take a cold shower during your lunch break.
5.Read one chapter from Proverbs a day. In one month, you'll have read them
all.

Well, next week I'll attach some pix from our trip. Axel is really getting
excited to get out on his mission and they all said they love reading your
letters each week. Thank you for sharing it with so many of us. Tell your
companion hi from us, we pray for him too.

Stay true to your covenants and obey with exactness.
I love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoo


Oct 17, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,

When you get this letter, it will be Kristina's birthday. She's 11 now and
very grown up. She's a good babysitter too. We had her presents tonight
since she's very busy on Wed. She has activity day where they're doing
yoga, then she has band practice where she said she's getting good at the
drums and then she has piano lessons. Dad and Alex then have young men's
where they're doing a video scavenger hunt. We also celebrated Kristina's
b-day last Saturday with a small party. She invited 4 friends and we went
bowling, then to McDonald's and then back home for cake and presents. She
invited 3 girlfriends and also Andrew Thomas. Andrew said he didn't mind at
all being the only boy. He could only make it for the cake and presents
part though.

So we've really started to cool down here this week. Our tomato plants
froze so that's pretty much the last of the garden for this year. We're
going to try a new gardening method next season, something that the church
uses a lot overseas. We'll have to see how that works.

I was reading about the Dominican Republic in the Church News this week
about how the church has a program where they distribute wheel chairs. I
think it was BYU that was in charge of the program. Have you heard anything
about it there?

Not much news here. We went to Nicole Shaw's reception. She and her
husband looked great and it was fun to see the Shaw's. Bro. Shaw asked
about you.

We had ward conference this past Sunday and everything went smoothly. Dad
did a great job with his talk to the ward. We have 9 full time missionaries
out in the field from our ward now.

Sean's having his mid-terms this week, so we'll see how things go for him.
He said he wasn't too worried about any of them. So far he said his Book
of Mormon class is the hardest. He found out he has pretty much the hardest
religion teacher you can get according to those who know. I have to tease
him about that. I told him it wouldn't look very good to fail a BOM class
and then go on a mission. Jared Westerberg has him too and is struggling.

How's your week been? How is your newest member Melvin? Do your new
members acclimate well into the ward, get callings and feel comfortable,
etc?

Were you able to find a watch? If not, let us know and we'll send one down
to you. Let us know if it needs an alarm or any special features too.

Well, we've been just working around the house lately trying to get things
ready for guests who will come for Thanksgiving. Having guests gives us a
good excuse to patch things up, paint and organize.

Here are some missionary tips for the week:
1. Leave a list of free P-day activities in your area book.
2. Tell your companion "good-night" every night.
3. After holding a district or zone meeting at the chapel, leave the
building in the same condition you found it.
4. Occasionally write an individualized letter to one family member instead
of to the whole family.
5. Surprise your landlord with a small gift.
6. Say meal prayers with your companion.

Nikki, in her prayers tonight, prayed that you would have a good mission and
that you would learn EVERYTHING. So there you go. Heavenly Father heard
that prayer and He'll help you learn everything now. :)

I hope you're happy and well and especially that you're experiencing great
moments of joy on your mission. When you live close to the Lord, that's how
life after your mission will be also-many moments of great joy. I have many
of those moments in my life and I recognize the source of that joy and am so
thankful for them. You being my son is one of my greatest joys in life.
Thinking about it brings up very tender feelings.

I love you and look forward to hearing from you each week.
mom
xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo


October 24, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,
Well, another week has flown by. Is time going by fast for you too? Can't
believe it's almost Nov. Dad is outside right now playing football with the
girls and Maggie and Amanda(from across the street) too. Alex is mowing the
lawn next door. He's made quite a bit of money this summer just mowing
people's lawns. He can't wait to get a real job next summer.

Tonight Dad and I are taking Kristina and Leah to a banjo concert in Nampa.
The Nampa Civic Center has a great concert series during the year. We went
to a couple shows last year and loved them. So this year I bought tickets
for some of the shows again. Since I'm making a meager attempt at learning
the banjo (I figured out that you really do have to practice in order to get
better), I thought it would be fun to go see Allison Brown, probably the
best woman banjo player in the country. I even have some of her music on my
ipod.

Alex and Nikki will stay here and have a little movie night. I bought a new
DVD for them to watch and they can eat bags of popcorn too. Nikki will
love it.

I had lunch today with some of the primary ladies I work with at Sis.
Leifson's house. She was thanking us for helping with the Primary program,
which by the way went beautifully. The kids did such a good job. So at
lunch was Sis. Campbell, Sis. Hugentobler, Sis. Yorgason and Sis. McCauley.
So we swapped a lot of missionary stories. Tyler Yorgason is a senior, so
he'll be going on a mission soon too.

So how is your new comp? Where's he from, etc. What area did he get
transferred from? I was glad to hear that you got to stay in your area. I
hope you were happy too. It just sounds like you're doing a wonderful job
there. You know, if people in a ward don't really click with the elder in
their area, the work just shuts down. So I know you must be very motivating
to them and they must be able to feel the love you have for them. Keep up
the good work and we'll be praying for your success here.

For Thanksgiving, so far we have Steve and his family and Toni and 4 of her
kids coming and probably Mary. We should have a house full. We're fixing a
few things in the house to get ready. We're putting slate in our bathroom
(ok, so that has nothing to do with the guests coming). I just would rather
have stone in the bathroom than carpet. Also we're getting new carpeting
upstairs since it's so stained. Barkley, in his old age, gets confused
sometimes and decides to go upstairs instead of outside.

Sean ran into Kaycie and Karly Maurer at BYU. Can you believe it? I hope
he calls them sometime and does something with them. He said they look like
their mom. Karly just returned from a mission. Krista is working for
Deseret Book in the music department and lives in Bountiful.

That's funny that people are already decorating for the holidays down there.
We still have Halloween things out, but I bet the minute Halloween is over,
we'll see Christmas stuff in all the stores. The ward is having a trunk or
treat this Friday and the youth are making a spook alley. Of course, dad is
helping out with all kinds of fun things from the hospital. We'll let you
know how it goes.

Next week, I'll send pics of the kids in their costumes.

Here are the tips for the week:
Look forward to your interview with the mission president. Have a question
in mind to ask him.
2. Talk with the members, not at them.
3. Be a considerate tenant in your apartment building.
4. Remember, suits can be taken to dry cleaners. Take them in at least once
a year.
5. Wash hands after using the bathroom.
6. Wipe toothpaste out of the sink.
7. Learn from your mistakes and don't make the same one twice.

I haven't been too diligent in my Jesus the Christ studying. I am making my
way through it though. I wish that I could remember everything I read.
That would be wonderful. I found that the way I remember things the best is
to teach them. When you study, then teach a lesson about something you
studied, it sticks with you.

I hope all is well for you and the people in the DR. Can't wait to hear
from you. I love you and I know that you are an important instrument in
the Lord's hands and are in the right place at the right time.

Love,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo


Oct 31, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,

Well, we've just returned from yet another freezing cold night of running
from house to house for Halloween candy. We stopped first at the Sorensen's
as usual for their homemade donuts. Yumm. Then we dropped off Alex in
Banbury where he was meeting friends to do his own trick or treating. The
girls got the biggest candy bar from a dentist's house. I guess he's trying
to drum up business. :)

Dad helped everyone with pumpkin carving this afternoon and they look great
as usual.

Yesterday I was in a little fender bender while picking up Nikki from her
school. A lady ran into me. So today we went to a couple places getting
estimates for repair. For such a minor dent, it sure costs a lot to get it
fixed. The lady who hit me was really upset about it and I tried to let her
know I wasn't mad or anything. Even today when I saw her, she started
crying and told me all about how stressed out her life has been. I felt bad
for her and tried to comfort her.

Jory Hemmelgarn gave his homecoming talk this past Sunday. He lived in Utah
when he left on his mission, then his family moved here while he was on his
mission to Hawaii. His talk was great and he shared so many things about
what he learned about life and the gospel in each of his areas. It was
really interesting.

So how are you and your new companion doing? Are you still helping him
feel comfortable in his new area? I hope you're able to work hard and well
together especially since you have such a wonderful ward to work with. You
probably already know this, but this last month's Ensign/Liahona were
devoted entirely to new members. I hope each of your new converts were
given a copy of the magazine. If not, let me know and we'll send you some.

Eagle High won its game last Friday night which gave them 1st place in their
division. This Friday they play 2nd place Meridian, who earlier in the
season beat Eagle 53-0. This should be an interesting game. Dad and I are
going to go to it. Dallas Yorgason is really starting to do well on the
team.

Not too much else different here except the very cold weather all of a
sudden. It's been in the 20's the last couple of nights and in the high
40's during the day. I bet you can't even remember what that feels like.
Could you send us a little of your warmth through the internet???

Here are the tips for the week:
1. Don't aspire to leadership. Once you get it, you'll regret it.
2. Get up early once in a while and make breakfast for your companion.
3. Service projects at rest homes are very rewarding.
4. When answering the phone in your apartment, use your name.
5. Use stain spray on the collars of white shirts.
6. Shake hands with all people.

I'm going to send some pics in the another email. Since you bought yourself
some shoes, is there anything else you've needed that we can send in a
Christmas package next month?

We think about you constantly and know that you are safe and well in the
Lord's hands. Diligence and perseverance will always reap wonderful rewards
and humble servants are greatly needed in the Lord's kingdom. My prayer is
that the Lord can always count on the Thompson family to get the work done.
Thanks for doing your part, Kirk.

I love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo


Nov. 7, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,
Well,it's another week and now it's turned warm again. You just never know
living here in Idaho. The kids were all outside playing for the last couple
of days. We got the ATV fixed and Leah especially loves riding it around
the back yard. When you look out into our back yard, you could see all the
Leifson kids outside playing, all the Erickson kids, all the Kent kids and
probably a few more like some of the Yorgason's. My sister Toni called me
today from California just to tell me she was sitting out at the beach. It
was in the low 90's there. She said that she and her kids are getting
really excited to come here for Thanksgiving. Remember how we always used
to have Thanksgiving with the Caudill's in the south. McKenna and her roll
record, which I believe you broke a few years back!

Dad is at the church doing interviews and I just put the girls to bed.
Nikki has a loose tooth. Her first one and she really wants some money for
it but she won't let anyone wiggle it or try to pull it. Tonight she asked
me if she was getting money and I said no because her tooth was still in her
mouth and she got very sad. I told her she might get it out at Leah's
birthday party this Thurs.

Alex is in Washington with Sonous choir. I haven't heard from him yet. I
wish he'd call me. You know how I always like to hear from you guys when
you're on a road trip. He'll be back Friday. Well, guess what...the phone
just rang and it was Alex. He must have felt me typing his name. Sounds
like he's having a fun time.

Sean is doing well. He's got to sign up for next semester this week, so
we're trying to figure out which classes he should take. He may get a job
next semester too.

Kristina is loving being the oldest at her school-the big 5th grader. She's
made new friends this year, but Maggie is still her best friend. They're
practically inseperable. I got to hear Kristina's garage band last week.
She did really well on the drums. She also played a piece on the piano.
Next year I'll be signing up Leah for lessons.

This week is parent/teacher conferences. I met with Nikki's teacher. She
said Nikki is very talkative and very friendly, always smiling. She said
she's doing well in school. At her school she even gets to take swimming
lessons every thurs. I'm anxious to meet with Leah's teacher to see how
she's doing. She really struggles with math. If she starts falling behind,
I may have her go to Sylvan. I think she'd do well there and enjoy all the
rewards, etc that they do there.

Eagle got beat pretty badly last weekend by Meridian, so not much story
there.

Dad and I are going shopping tomorrow for Leah's birthday present. We're
getting her a new bike. Hers is too small and in bad shape. She's having a
small party on Thurs. We're going to the movies with her friends and then
back home for cake and presents. She's very, very excited.

Well, here are some tips for the week:
1. Be able to tell one book of Mormon a story dynamically by memory.
2. Figure out a budget for the month and then try to spend at least $10 less
than that.
3. Don't make fun of local dialects.
4. Keep fast offering receipts in the envelope with your patriarchal
blessing and mission call. That way you'll always know where they are.
---Do you guys pay fast offerings? I never thought about that.
5. Don't confess or discuss past sins with investigators or members.
6. Get a hair cut the first P-day of each month.

I still get chills every time I hear people bless the missionaries in their
prayers. I will always remember to bless the missionaries around the world
even after you boys are back home. It's such an exciting part of the
Savior's plan for his return. Remember Kirk, to read to your patriarchal
blessing often. Because I type all the blessings in this stake, I am
constantly reminded of what a wonderful gift this is in our lives.

Better close now. Have a great week and work hard so that others may enjoy
what we already have.
I love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Nov. 14, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,
How are you this week? Our big news from home this week is that Isaac is
engaged and will be getting married March 23 next year. He's marrying
Bethany, do you remember her? He met up with her when they were up here in
Eagle that one time. She lived by them when they lived in Hawaii. They
went to buy the ring together last night and I think Isaac is still in
sticker shock! Everyone's still a little in shock about the engagement, but
we're all excited that it's Bethany. She'll be a great new sister-in-law,
daughter-in-law and cousin for all of us.

Let's see. Nikki finally lost her first tooth. The tooth fairy left it
for her to take to school for show and tell. Leah then lost another tooth a
couple days later. Nikki blessed you tonight that you'd do well on your
LDS. She must have just learned that term or heard it at church. She
blessed Sean that he'd have fun with all the boys and girls and that he'd
get to know everyone at college. So Sean has some work cut out for him.

At family night last night, I brought out our old Thompson Family journal
that we started back in 1998. Do you even remember that we did that. Every
few weeks I had each of you add a paragraph or two about what you were
doing, etc. It was really fun to read. In one of them you were talking
about that field trip we went on with your art class to Disneyworld. I'd
almost forgotten about that. You also mentioned how fun it was that you
went to Kurama's for your 12th birthday. We're going to start writing in it
again just because we could see how fun it was to read what we'd written so
long ago. Alex when he was 6 wrote something about how high you could pop
him on the tramp.

We're still trying to get things ready around here for Thanksgiving. Dad
bought an extra fryer so he could really make quite a few and do it quite a
bit faster. We're going to make a DVD for you when everyone's here.
Steve's family always tells me how much they enjoy your letters so I'm sure
they'll have fun sharing back with you on the DVD.

I met with Kristina's teacher last week and she really was complementary
about her. She said she was someone everyone wanted to be with and that she
had such great character. Kristina's really growing up into a nice young
woman.

Alex said his trip to Washington was great. He's over at Dallas Yorgason's
right now doing math homework together. Most likely they're doing a little
homework and playing a lot of pingpong. Dallas made the varsity basketball
team at Eagle. He's quite the athlete.

I have to share with you what I was reading last weekend in the Pearl of
Great Price. I was reading about Enoch and was in awe at his great faith,
and how he expressed himself and conversed with the Lord. If you can, take
the time to read the chapter, Moses 7. It's such a powerful chapter.

There were a couple mission calls last week. Aaron Anderson (Sean's
roommate) is going to Utica, New York and Leah VanWagenen is going to
Argentina.

How is the work going in your area? I've been so impressed with the caliper
of people you have taught and baptized. They're already going to the temple
to do baptisms and serving in the ward. They have such zeal, you just know
they're going to be wonderful leaders in that area some day.

Here are some tips for the week:
1. Find little ways to give community service.
2. Compile a "ratings guide" for all of the apartments in the mission and
mail a copy to the AP's. (I don't really know what that means)
3. Check with parents before promising members or investigators free room
and board when they visit you back home. (Remember how Giovanni sent a whole
family to stay with Steve and Carolina :)
4. Once in a while, call your companion by his first name and see if he
responds.
5. There's no such thing as "p-day eve".
6. Answer the questions your mother asks in her letters. (I love that one!)

Once again dad went straight from work to the church. After this week,
he'll have quite a bit of time off, so I know he'll be able to write to you
better. We love you so much and know that you're in the right place at the
right time spreading the right message. Have a wonderful week and we're
looking forward to getting some packages in the mail to you in the next
couple weeks.

Love you,
mom
xoxoxxoxoxoxooxoxxoxoxoxoooxoxoxxoxoxoxo

Nov. 21, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,
It's pretty late tonight when I'm writing you, but I've been up talking with
Toni and her kids. They got in this evening after having their car break
down in Burly. They were able to get it fixed, but it made them later than
expected. It's fun having them here and tomorrow Steve and Carolina will be
coming with all their kids.

Dad's working tonight, but has the rest of the week off so he can enjoy time
with the family too. We're still having unusually warm weather here, which
I love but the skiers aren't too happy.

So how has your week been? What great news you had last week about getting
to go to the temple. Your December trip sounds like it will be a lot of
fun. How will you get down there? Do you all travel together? I wonder
if a lot of other missions will get to go to the temples in their areas too.
Do you keep in touch with any friends who are on missions?

We went to Nikki's school's Thanksgiving lunch today. They had a lot of
food and since it's a Seventh Day Adventist school and they don't eat meat,
I'm not sure what the thing is we ate that looked like turkey. It tasted
okay, nothing like our good fried turkeys. Leah and Nikki are a bit hyper
these days because of the cousins coming. They can barely sit still with
all their excitement.

Sean is going to the high school tomorrow to see the choir. Alex is in a
small group of 6 people that Sis. Koefed put together. They're going to
perform Christmas songs at different places this season.

My spanish learning has come to a halt. I need to get going with it again.
There's a lady next door to us that babysits for the family and she only
speaks Spanish to the babies there. I think I should go over there each day
and have her teach me. I'm really jealous of you with a second language
now. I can't wait for you to hear Steve's family speaking to you in
Spanish.

So are you guys killing a turkey again this year? Even if you don't get a
chance to celebrate Thanksgiving with the traditional meal, be sure you make
a special note of what you're grateful for in your journal. In fact an idea
that might be fun, for the next year just mention one thing each day that
you're grateful for and see if you can get 365 different things by the end
of the year.

Here are some tips for the week:
1. Find out if your apartment has a garbage disposal before putting food
down the sink.
2. Clothes dry faster if you clean the lint out of the dryer first.
3. Assign your companion the hard questions.
4. Make sure your parents save your letters home. This acts as a back-up
journal in case something happens to the one you have in the mission
field.(We've got that one covered)
5. Have a district meeting that focuses on safety, bike and car and
pedestrian safety.

I better get to bed now since it's so late. I just realized we forgot to
take the trash out to the curb tonight. Now we need to do it early in the
morning. That's what happens when family comes. We just forget about
everything else--too much fun. I love having Sean here too cuz he helps get
Alex out of bed for school so I don't have to. :)

We'll be thinking about you a lot this week not only because we'll be
talking to you on our DVD, but also because at Thanksgiving I spend more
time thinking about what I'm grateful for and I am so thankful for you,
Kirk. What a wonderful son. Keep the great letters coming. I am learning
so much from you and your example of humility, faith and kindness. Have a
sensational week.
I love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo


Nov. 27, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,

So it sounds like we all had quite a feast this past week. Hope you enjoyed yours as much as we did ours. It was lots of fun having Steve and Carolina and their family and Toni and her kids here. I had to buy lots of food each day to keep up with how much everyone ate and we even had lots of leftovers.

We're getting your package ready for you. Did you say that you have a way to watch a family DVD? Let us know if that would be a problem and we'll just send lots of pictures to you instead. Also if there's anything else you can think of that you'd love or need, let us know now.

We are having a really cold spell going through Boise. The girls are all wearing their gloves and scarves to school now to keep warm. Sean just called and said it has been snowing for 2 days in Provo and he needs some big gloves. We'll try to find yours to send him. Now he can say he's walked to school in the snow.

While all the cousins were here we were able to go visit my cousin Ryan at his new house. Bill and Nancy and my other cousins were there too with their families so it was fun to see everyone. Of course, we had the big Turkey Bowl football game here. Uncle David and his kids came over to play in it too. They were up here visiting their other grandparents in Nampa for Thanksgiving. The night before Thanksgiving, we had a pie night. It was much better having the pies the night before because everyone was hungry and they tasted great. Usually on thanksgiving, everyone's too full to enjoy the pies. I think we'll have a pie night on Thanksgiving Eve each year now.

Nikki and Leah both got sick over the course of the weekend, but I think it was mainly because they ate way too much. I'm hoping they learned a lesson. It was fun having Sean home too. He loves BYU, but I think he really enjoyed being home too.

Isaac has moved his wedding date up to Feb now. It seems so quick. His fiance didn't come with him, but we met her when we were down there one time. Axel is busy studying French so he can be fluent before he even enters the MTC. He and Isaac and STeve all went to the Boise temple while they were here. They try to go to temples wherever they visit. Axel also had his 19th birthday while they were here. He got some books for his mission.

So have you started teaching Helson's family yet? Are they thinking about getting married at all? That's really neat that an 11 yr old boy has led the way in his family. Are you still teaching Manuel too? That's funny that people tell you they are related to Sammy Sosa. I guess we're all related in some way.

Grandpa Trumbo called me the other day and said he's going to deposit $200 into your account for your mission spending. I think it must be for Christmas. I told him you'd really appreciate that since you're getting a little low on funds going into 2007. I fax your letters to him at the Winn and it just seems to bring back so many memories for him about his own mission and how much he enjoyed his mission. He always comments on what a great attitude you have and how you always look on the positive. Grandma Trumbo's having a hard time remembering things now and so it's been hard on Grandpa. He calls me a lot more and I've really enjoyed our chats. He still loves working at the Winn and they just got a big account with Toyota so they've been really busy. Working hard brings him a lot of satisfaction and it sounds like working hard on your mission does the same thing for you. Always remember that in life, that being anxiously engaged in good causes will always gladden a sad or lonely heart.

Here's some tips for the week:
1. Before entering a yard, shake the gate to check for dogs.
2. Your journal is being written for posterity. Use a pen instead of a pencil.
3. When teaching a first discussion, use the new investigator's Bible instead of yours. though the wording may be slightly diffgerent, it allows the person to see that the verses you share are in his/her version.
4. Be especially nice to the Mission President the week before transfers.
5. Early on in the discussions, set up a fellowshipper for your investigator.

You asked about my spanish studying. I need to get on that again. It's so hard getting anywhere with it when no one around me is speaking the language. Maybe there's a class I can take. I can understand quite a bit of what Carolina and her family are saying, but I can't respond.

Well, that's about it for this week. It was lots of fun, but now we're back to the real world again, running errands, cleaning, quilting, making phone calls, quilting, homework, etc. Speaking of quilting, have you seen any good fabric there in the DR? Always checking....

Have a wonderful week. You're always in our prayers.
I love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoox


Dec. 5, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,
How are you, my son? Jill Erickson and I were just talking on the phone about our missionary sons. We're so proud of both of you and we both look forward to your letters each week.

So it's still cold here, not snowing, but just cold. I think we're getting used to it now. We put lights up on the house this year. I put them on the front porch, but they looked kind of wimpy compared to some of the neighbors, so dad put some more out on the trees and bushes today. I'll try to get a picture of what it looks like to you next week.

We got your packages mailed to you this week. Let us know when you get them and if they've been opened or if it looks like something might be missing. You never know. I guess if someone wants something bad enough, maybe they need it.

So I'm anxious to hear about your new area and new companion and your life as a Sr. companion. How are things going? Are you both new to the area or does your comp. know the area well? Were you able to teach anyone this week? On the map it doesn't look like a resort area like the one you just came from. So that's probably a change for you.

Do you have any news about when you'll be going to the temple this month?

We had our ward Christmas breakfast last Saturday. It was fun. After the breakfast we all did some humanitarian aid projects like newborn nightgowns, toy blocks, wood cars, picture books for kids, quilts (which of course is where Kristina and I spent most our time). The ward got a lot of work done and it was fun working with everyone.

Alex sang in a small ensemble over the weekend and he did a great job. Sis. Koefed led the group and he even sang a short duet with one of her daughters. He's loving singing.

Dad's getting started with tithing settlement season. Even though he's busy with that, I think it's a lot of fun for him to get to meet with all the families. We're going in next Tuesday.

I can't think of any newsy items here. Lacey Anderson is coming home from her mission the day before Christmas. Her parents are leaving next week for Argentina to go pick her up. Sis. Stafford said Brittney is loving her mission in New York city. I think she's in the Bronx right now speaking Spanish.

Here are some tips for the week:
1. Don't visit church members on Monday evenings unless you have been invited by them to do so. (do the members down there hold family home evenings regularly?)
2. When your investigator leaves the room for a few minutes, swap ties with your companion and see if they notice.
3. Trust your mission president. He is entitled to inspiration on your behalf.
4. If youy have an answering machine, make sure the message is tasteful and appropriate.
5. Don't solicit dinner appointments.
6. When training, carefully plan your new companion's first day so it includes a combination of tracting and teaching.

Dad just got home so I'll sign off and let him add his own words of inspiration for you on this letter. I hope you're enjoying your new area and getting to know your way around so that you can accomplish all the goals you set for yourself each week. Stay true to your covenants and the Lord will guide your every footstep. I love you, Kirk and know you are in the right place with people who have been prepared to hear your message. Keep up the good work. Let me know if there's anything we can do for you here.
Love you much,
mom
x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0



Dec 13, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,
We are all busy counting down the days for Christmas, especially the little girls. They're getting more and more hyper each day just knowing that it is getting close.

We all went to tithing settlement tonight. Happy to report we're all full tithe payers. Even Nikki and Leah make some money this year with their b-day money.

Well, we have the house all decorated, the lights are on outside the house even in the backyard this year. The people across the street, the Poulson's, have great lights so we really enjoy being able to see them every night. They moved here from Arizona and bought them there. They have 3 kids living at home and the others are grown.

Last week I had lunch at the Bingham's. Leah plays with their daughter a lot and is in her class. Us missionary moms love talking about our kid's missions too.

So how is December in the DR? I'm anxious to hear about your new area. How's your new ward or are you over a couple wards? Did Nacho get baptized? I like his name.

It's fun hearing how fully immersed you are in your mission now. It's great to hear how well you are speaking Spanish too. Do you say your personal prayers in Spanish too? I can tell that you love the people there by how you talk about them. You still have that great attitude about whatever happens and with whomever you meet. I like how you feel everyone is so interesting and enjoy speaking with everyone. I know that means a lot to the Lord that you realize the worth of every soul even if it isn't the right time for them to hear the gospel message.

Jan called me yesterday and was saying how excited their family is to come up here for Christmas. I'm not sure if Jeffrey will also be coming or not, it depends on his work. But Heidi and her husband will be here and of course all the other kids. You might get to talk a little to them when you call on Christmas too. It's been a little difficult for Aunt Jan to hear about the cousins going on missions when Jeffrey made a different choice, but she says she just loves reading your letters and can see so much growth in you.

You mentioned a few letters ago that you needed more garment tops. Is there a store next to the temple there where you can buy some? I'm thinking that would be a lot easier for you to do. That is if you are still going down there the end of the month. Let me know. If they don't have a store there, I can always send you some.

Tomorrow is Leah's Christmas program at Eagle Elementary. She's pretty excited about it. They get to wear their pajamas in it and sunglasses. You remember how she loves to wear sunglasses! Nikki had her program at the ADventist church last weekend and she did a great job. I think she actually knew most the words to all the songs and there were a lot of songs. She loves music and loves just sitting at the piano and playing some of the pre-set songs and pretends like she's playing them. I think she's going to enjoy piano lessons. Leah, on the other hand, tells me she wants to be an artist so she can draw all the time. She actually does a pretty good job, much better than my stick figures.

Kristina has a recital this weekend and still loves playing drums in her band. Alex has his Christmas choir concert this Saturday too. He's at the EHS basketball game tonight, so hopefully he's not yelling too much. He tends to lose his voice after every game and he needs to really be careful since they need his tenor voice. All of a sudden today, he announced that he wanted to learn some magic tricks. He said it's cool to know magic tricks at school. Alex is still such a fun kid to be around and has lots of friends. He's a good example of the gospel wherever he goes too.

Dad and I have been busy christmas shopping not only for our family, but for secret santa stuff which is the most fun. Some of the things we put in your pkgs, feel free to share with little kids you meet, etc. I'm just about done with my gift for my grandma and grandpa Trumbo. I'll send you a picture when I finish it. I just love it and can't wait for them to see it. It's not a great christmas for me unless I've made a quilt for someone or made something by hand to give away. I get so excited to give it.

Here's a few tips for the week:
1. Tracting in a threesome isn't a good idea. It looks like the Mafia has arrived on the doorstep.
2. Don't let non-missionaries ride in mission cars.
3. Play miniature golf at least once a month on p-day.
4. When a customs officer asks you if you have anything to declare, respond with, "Yes, we are living in an era when the gospel has been restored."
5. Label your photos immediately with full names. (That's a good idea, cuz you think you'll always remember everyone's names, but you meet so many people it becomes almost impossible to remember everyone)
6. Don't refer to missionaries as "studs".

Well, I hope your life right now is full, peaceful, spiritual, at times exciting and at times mundane, but most importantly I hope you're really experiencing the happiness, the true happiness that only living the gospel can bring. Remember to repent often to keep yourself as clean as possible while on the Lord's errand. Heed the promptings quickly and you will receive more and more often. I've experienced that in my own life.

I love you and miss you, Kirk. I'm really looking forward to our fun phone call in a few weeks and can't wait to read what you've been up to this week. You're always in our prayers.

Love,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Dec 19, 2006
Dear Elder Kirk,
I'm writing you like usual on Tues night even though you said you weren't having p-day until Thurs. We just finished with dinner and Alex and Brandon and Jay Smack are now downstairs playing Halo (not our game). Alex is "allowing" the girls to watch. Today was their last day of school and it's Christmas break now.

Dad will be leaving in a bit for the church to do more tithing settlements. People are dropping off little goodies just about every day now. They're very hard to resist. We're getting ready for the Lutz family this weekend. It will be great to have them all here. They'll be here for about a week, then they're going down to Provo to hear Axel give his farewell talk. Then the next week, grandma and grandpa Thompson and Charmaine will be coming here. So I'll just have time to wash the sheets and put them back on the beds when our next guests arrive.

I'm excited to hear about your temple trip. I hope it was wonderful for all of you. Dad and I went to the temple last week and we ran into Bro and Sis. Shaw, so we had lunch with them in the temple cafeteria. Were you able to buy the garments that you needed?

Also, have you gotten our packages yet? Just checking. I'm hoping customs doesn't decide to open them and then charge us more like last time.

Dad got me a rowing machine for Christmas. I've been using it already. I love it. What kind of workout do you do each day? Are you keeping in good shape?

Tomorrow I'm taking Nikki to a speech pathologist. She's still slurring a lot of her words, so I'm going to have her evaluated. It's cute right now to hear her talk, but I'm sure it won't be so cute when she's 15.

Well, Sean is officially starting his mission paperwork. When he's home for break, I have his dental and physical appointments set up. Everything's done online now so it's much smoother. Axel goes into the MTC on the 4th of Jan. Did you want me to forward any letters we get from him to you or do you have enough time for other people emailing you?

We got a letter from your mission pres this week telling us how you well you were doing and kind of announcing to us that you were now senior comp. We already knew that, but it was still fun to get a letter from him. How's Moca? Maybe I shouldn't ask too many questions, since we'll be talking on the phone in a few days. Can you believe it? I'm very excited. Let us know about what time you'll be calling. We have a calling card, so we can just call you back and have it on our bill like last time.

Sunday evening our stake had a Messiah sing-a-long and Mr. McMullen led it at our stake center. He did such a good job and made it fun for everyone. We laughed a lot, because most of us were such rookies. He sang a solo and it was beautiful. He seemed right at home in our church, it was nice.

Here are some tips for the week:
1.Remember the missionary version of D&C 4:3 "If ye have desires to serve God (in a particular area of your mission), ye are called to the work (in the opposite end of the mission.)
2. Never insult the owner of a pit bull.
3. Live your mission with no regrets.

I hope you had a great time in Santo Domingo. Did it bring back good memories of the MTC? Did you get to meet with some of the missionaries who are in the MTC?

It's been fun telling the Christmas story to the little girls. They're actually finally old enough and can speak well enough to understand it. Leah knows it quite well. We watched the DVD Luke 2 last night and they loved it. Leah said she just doesn't like the part where Jesus gets killed. It makes her sad. She asks a lot of questions. You can tell she's getting old enough to be baptized. She's already talking about getting baptized next year. She said she's nervous and wants to go to Uncle Bill's pool so she can practice.

Well, I better send this letter on its way. Have a great day and we'll talk to you in a few days......
Love always,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoox

Dec 27, 2006

Dear Elder Kirk,
ok. So I'm back. I was talking with Jill on the phone and she was telling me things that they talked about with Alex and all of a sudden I looked on the calendar and realized it was Wed.

It was so fun talking with you. You sound good. We're all well here, we're just off kilter a little bit because it's vacation time. Dad is at work today and tonight Jeff's family is coming over here for a game night. It will be nice to have them all here.

I'm going out shopping with Jan today and taking her around to some fun places (fun places for me and her like quilt shops, antique shops, etc.) She really wants to see the bulk section at Winco too. Do you remember that? It's a great place, but it sounds funny that we're going to a grocery store for fun.

So how was your second dinner appointment. I"m glad they're taking good care of you there.

Tomorrow I'm taking Sean to Peterson's Clothing to pick out a suit, so I'm going to talk with them about your shoes. They should have all your info on file, but do you think you need a bigger shoe or did you just wear it out? let me know.

Jill said that Alex is thinking about going to BYU-I also. You guys might want to room together. I got a phone number there to call and talk with them about you changing your track. If they let you change, would you like to change it to Winter/summer? They changed things a little bit there. Now summer starts April 12 and ends July 20. Then you have 7 weeks off and go back Sept 12. So if you go winter/summer, you'd get those 7 weeks plus all of fall to work in between semesters.

The other option is to ask for fall/winter semester and you'd just go winter and work until fall. They say that's the hardest one to get into, but if you want I'll check and see if you can get that one. Let me know because I'll be talking with the guy there this week.

It sounds like grandpa and grandma Trumbo will be coming up here this week for a short visit too. They drove up to Provo and since they're so close he said he'd like to come up here for a couple days. That will be a lot of fun to have them here. Everyone's migrating to Provo to be there for Axel's farewell. We can't make it but we said our good-byes when they were here for Thanksgiving. I think G & G Thompson and Charmaine are going to come up here next week after Jan and Jeff leave. We're going to have a busy house.

Did you get a chance to do anything special for Christmas? Did you do any secret santa things. Feel free to give anything away that you feel prompted to to the people around you. That's the fun of Christmas, isn't it.

Well, I better get this off to you. I love you so much and you know i'm always here for you. Keep up the great work, work hard, set a great example for your companion and always stay anxiously engaged in good causes.

Love you,
mom
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxo

ps next week we'll get some pix to you