14 Sep 2008

Sept. 14, 2008
Dear Elder Sean,
How are you doing this week? I hope you are acclimating well to your new area and enjoying your new responsibilities. We've tried to find your area on our map, but with no success so any other landmarks would be helpful. Are you still in Cordoba proper? Maybe that's where we're getting confused.
I've had a few correspondences back and forth with Hma Lucas this week. I'm totally enjoying being able to write in English and express myself in a more comfortable manner. I sent her a pdf of a choral arrangement for Be Still My Soul. I also got another arrangement (6 copies) that I put into your last box. If you can get it to her, that's great. If not, don't worry about it. She said she wasn't sure if they were still going to perform it since you got transferred. So are you out of their stake now too? she spoke very fondly of you and they miss you very much.

Big news from the family this week. Tyler got his mission call and is reporting to the Santiago West Chile mission on Nov. 16th. He's very excited and Allen can hardly contain his emotions. Allen is so proud of Tyler and his accomplishments and can't wait for him to experience the mission. Trevor has become very ambivalent about a mission and it's been very sad to see. He has a girlfriend (actually a very nice member girl) and can't seem to see straight right now.

Once again tonight I've enjoyed reaping what we've sewn in the garden this year. I've been making batches of fresh salsa just about every 3 days. It tastes soooo good. My new thing this year is to add black beans to it which makes it even better.

We had a great day at church. Travis Hugentobler's talk was wonderful, humble and very enlightening. He spoke of his personal experiences, trials and challenges, on a mission and what he learned personally. He very humbly spoke of how although he was obedient his entire mission, his attitude and therefore motivation for the work suffered much of the time. He felt he wasn't very effective as a zone leader because he was just enjoying the perks of the calling instead of getting immersed in the spirit of the calling. He didn't learn his greatest lessons until he was placed with a companion who was very unwillingly serving his mission. You can tell it was a great trial for Travis to be with him, but at one meeting he attended where a general authority spoke about having the right attitude for the work that was being done and how only then could the Lord work most effectively through them, that he had an epiphany and decided to change right there and then. Unbeknownst to him his comp made the same decision and that very night when they went out to work, he said they had the most effective, successful night of his entire mission. He said he was a changed elder from that point on. The lesson he learned was so powerful that he had to share what he had learned to all of us. I was really moved by his words and his spirit.

After church the Hugentobler's invited us over to their house for dinner. Jodie said we are like their family here in Idaho and wanted us to be with them. We had bread bowls of soup and it was delicious. It was fun being there with them and sharing in this fun reunion. Travis is thinking of working where Kirk did after he got home from his mission for Bro. Jensen. Then he's going to BYU-I in January. It's hard to believe that it will be one year since we went to pick up Kirk.

Speaking of Kirk. He called today and said he'd had a fun weekend. Sounds like he had another talk with Rachel and they're going to keep on dating but just take it much slower. I'm not sure what that means. Some kind of dating lingo. I can tell Kirk really likes her so I hope it turns out to be a good experience for him.

We went to the air show at Mountain Home yesterday and I loved it. I guess I'm kind of an air show groupee. I just love going and hearing the roar of the F-4's and watching the stunt pilots.

Football reports from the weekend: BYU 59 UCLA 0 (this was UCLA's biggest loss since 1929!!) BSU 20 Bowling Green 7, EHS 32 Meridian 21. We went to the EHS game and watched the BSU game on TV. EHS has yet another new band director. So far the kids say they like him, but the band size is truly suffering for whatever happened last year. Unclear on that story.

Leah is plugging along with her piano lessons. When I hear kids just starting out on the piano, it's hard to imagine them ever playing like you one day! It's almost painful listening to the practicing. But she likes me to play the little duets that come along with her lessons. Hey, maybe she'll be the one who will actually play a duet with me one day ;)

Nikki's fever pitch is rising as her birthday gets closer. She's having a friend birthday this year and can't wait. She gets to invite seven 7 year olds.

Kristina is in Middle School heaven, loving every day and even going to their football games. I've got more projects on my to-do list than I can count, but that's the way I love it. Stickies dot the cupboard walls with all my to-do's and my quilt room now includes all kind of mandolin music on my counters.

Dad managed to take out a dead tree this week (the big one in front of my quilt room window), dug a new hole, dragged a huge new tree behind the truck, and with the help of Alex, Devon (Alex's new friend from Georgia), our new neighbor Jeff Adcock and myself, we got the tree into the ground in the right position. This is a huge feat. It's a Sweet Gum tree and should have nice color for the fall.

How is your new ward? Is it big or little? What are the ward's strengths and weaknesses? Can't wait to hear your stories.

I hope you are finding those who have been prepared to hear what you have to share. They are out there and the Lord won't let them down. Stay in tune with the spirit, be humble and teachable and love these new brothers and sisters the way you loved in the past. People will always respect sincerity.

You're in my prayers and in my heart.
Love you,
momxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxooxoxooxoxooxox