2/1/05 - Letter from Mom and Dad on their mission in Cambodia
What
is this, a test or something to see how many things I have failed in? All
kidding aside, we're glad CJ is doing so well and is back home. With it
being a scope she won't have a big incision to worry about.
An
ideal mother has to have many attributes, and charity should head that list
because it encompasses so many of the good qualities that she should have or
try to develop. There are two good scriptures that explains what charity
is (I Corinthians 13:4-7 and Moroni
In
simple terms, I always think of love, patience, forgiveness,
understanding, selflessness and being a good example. These are qualities
and attributes that you have and I think you are a much better mother than I
am.
Keep
up your good work, Dad and I are so proud of you.
Love,
Mom
The reason I asked my mom about “attributes of a mother” is
to fulfill a requirement for my Personal Progress, under the Divine Nature
experience. I think the world of my mom,
and I think it is funny that she would write that I’m a much better mom than
her, when I think exactly the opposite!
I think that might be the way most moms and daughters feel. I love my mother VERY much, and wish I could
be more like her. I suppose we all have
faults, but my mom has very few and I would do well to pattern my life after
her. Her dependability is LEGENDARY,
along with her way of NOT SPEAKING ILL
This is the scripture I have memorized to go along with
Charity.
And Charity suffereth long
And is kind
And envieth not
And is not puffed up
Seeketh not her own
Isn’t easily provoked
Thinketh no evil
Rejoiceth not in iniquity
But rejoiceth in truth
Beareth all things
Believeth all things
Hopeth all things
Endureth all things
For Charity is the pure love of Christ, and endureth
forever. And whoso is found possessed of
it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Moroni
Feb 2, 2005 -
Dear Family,
For some reason I have been thinking a lot about home today
and how much I miss all that is there, especially each one of you. We are usually very busy which keeps my mind
off of home, but with this being Sunday we have the afternoon free which gives
me more thinking time.
We both seem to be well which is a real blessing. You don’t realize how blessed you are until
your health is not perfect. I trust all
is well with each one of you. Take care
of yourselves.
If nothing else, this mission has taught me how important my
family is to me. Please be kind and
understanding of each other, especially any family member that is struggling
with anything. I know if I did it over
again I would probably make the same mistakes but I like to think that I would
be more patient and kind. Saying hurtful
things in anger and with a raised voice is not what we should do, even when we
are frustrated beyond belief. Don’t do
anything that will drive any member of your family away from you.
Well, enough preaching.
Keep writing us, the first thing we do when we get up in the morning and
the last thing we do before we go to bed is check our e-mail. Any word from home is wonderful: weather,
local news, wrestling, basketball, the leaky shower and how the repair is
coming, etc., etc., etc. Nothing
lengthy, just a word or two.
You are always in our prayers.
Love, Dad
February 6, 2005
Well, Landon will go in at 2nd at Region again this
year. Another heart breaker loss
against another guy from Ogden
Manda and I are going shopping today, and Zac and Roger are
working on your shower.
The weather is BEAUTIFUL here, so spring
like.................
Landon is going to the Valentines Girl’s Dance with Emily
“Margaret” Carter. Today they got
together
Landon and Margaret
Conner Shaw and Aubree Durrant
Chase Kimbal and Kara Kilmer
Alex Clemens (A-rod) and Bobbie Brown
And went on a video scavenger hunt. They separated into boys and girls teams, and
they filmed each other completing a whole list of CRAZY things !!
Such as………….
Singing “I don’t want to miss a thing” from Aerosmith at
Jubilee
Asking a cop to let them see his handcuffs, and handcuffing
one of them.
Washing car windows at Day Bear for 5 cents each
Giving a cashier at Jubilee a back-rub
Getting an “older” couple to make out for 10 minutes (they
got Frankie and Sally Little)
Painting a boys fingernails with PINK fingernail polish
Painting a boys fingernails with PINK fingernail polish
Having one of the boys paint his lips with lipstick and kiss
another boy on the cheek and leave a mark.
Finding some “road-kill” and giving a eulogy for it
Finding a rock that weighs as much as a human head
Pretending to search for a lost retainer in a garbage can at
Steph’s drive-in while it was way crowded full of people
And a bunch more ………..
Then they went back to the girls houses and watched the
videos to see whose were best !!
Have you ever heard of anything so crazy !?!?!?
Tonight before going to the dance at the high school, they
were going down to Walmart, and separating into groups, and each couple could
spend only $5.00, and they had to get dinner for all of them. Landon and Margaret were in charge of
dessert. I’m not sure WHERE they were
going to EAT the food, but it sounds like fun !!
2/7/05 - Letter from Mom and Dad on their mission in Cambodia
Hi Everyone,
Things are moving right along here in Cambodia
It looks like we will
be closing the Learning
Center Learning Center Phnom
Penh
We will also be involved in the “Lost Sheep” project. This is a program being initiated in the Asia
Area to help find members whose addresses are unknown. People move around so much from one part of
the city to another, or even move out into the country and the church loses
track of them. This project will
hopefully find some of them and also give the missionaries new contacts. It is a big job trying to get all the
information translated into Cambodian and Vietnamese, and then get everyone
trained who will be involved.
Our last two American sister missionaries will be returning
home this month leaving us with all native sister missionaries (27). We just passed the half way mark a week ago
(57 natives and 57 Americans) and from now on we will have more full-time
missionaries from here in Cambodia
The weather is still bearable, not too hot and for sure not
too cold. We seldom use the air
conditioners in our apartment but do keep the fans running. The one in the bedroom runs all night though.
Lee and I have both had haircuts and they turned out very
nice. His cost 75 cents from a local
barber and mine was $4 at a beauty salon.
We were sure worried when we heard that one of the missionaries had told
the barber to cut off just a little and ended up with just a little left over
his entire head. I have also been able
to find a curling iron that works really well, although my hair gets pretty
droopy by the end of the day from the heat.
We had our own personal experience of driving on the wrong
side of the road and against traffic as we left the Mission Home the other day
and drove to Pencil’s department store.
It was located just one block away but instead of our substitute driver
(Buntah) making two left turns and crossing through traffic twice. He made a left turn and drove up the wrong
side of the road facing the oncoming traffic until he reached the next block
where he made another left turn. Lee and
I just looked at each other and shook our heads.
Being involved with the Vietnamese Branch, we were invited
to help them (the three Vietnamese Branches) celebrate the Chinese New Year
which started yesterday and lasts for five days. Just before it started one of the Young
Adults approached me and asked if I could play the piano. All I could think of was D&C 60:2-3, and
so I told her, “Yes, but only with one hand.”
Things went just fine and I ended up accompanying the congregation for
two hymns, both had four verses with two sharps each. I have never been so nervous in all my life
as I have never played in front of anyone before. I sure wish I had practiced more the one year
I took piano.
Keep
in touch
Love,
Elder and Sister Dickson
Feb 8, 2005 -
It’s always good to get emails from you !! We love you and are so proud of you. Zac got your shower fixed last night. There were $108 in materials, and I paid him
$100 in labor. He worked of it for
approx. 6+ hours total. I hope that
amount is okay. I told him he sure is a Dickson, because when you plan on a
couple of hours, it always turns into more.
I think he enjoyed doing it.
Something to keep him busy. He’s
also working on Jim and Shirlee’s home, making a bathroom in their back room.
Last night, Leisa Wilson and myself and CJ got all of the wrestlers going to
State, and dyed their hair maroon !! It
was their idea (the boys) of course !
They were pretty pleased. I’m
taking a picture today for the paper on Friday.
We also got some “squishy” pillows (the new rage around here) and had
tags made at the Sports Spot that say, 2005 State Qualifier, their placing, and
their weight. I REALLY think they will
be excited about these. I was supposed
to go to Tooele for meetings yesterday and today, but we woke up to 8 inches of
snow yesterday morning, and it snowed all day and laid down another 2-3 inches.
And this morning there is no snow, but it is VERY cold, and listening to the
news, the roads are covered in black ice, and the fog is very bad. So I’m not going today either. I feel bad about this, as I paid $500 of the
counties money to register for this class, but I’m not going to drive 2 hours
each way (going slow) and put my life on the line. I have to be back by 4 to watch Camryn, so
that means I’d leave at 6:30 a.m. to get there at 8:30 a.m., and have to leave
at 2 p.m., to get home by 4. So it just wasn’t worth it to me……….. We will leave for State wrestles at UVSC on
Thursday morning (early). We are hoping
Manda and Zac and CJ can come down sometime on Friday or Saturday. We are hoping so badly that he will be able
to wrestle his best so he can medal this year.
Some of the kids going in at 4th place are going to have a
REALLY REALLY tough time.
Young Women’s
is going well, although it is very stressful, or I guess I should say it takes
up A LOT of my thinking time. It seems I
am always worrying and wondering, and stewing about something to do with an
activity, lesson, the girls, etc. I’m
enjoying it though. We are tying a quilt
for Breanne Wilson tonight. We are going
to try and tie ONE a month, so that all of the girls get a quilt done for
them. They buy the material, etc., and
all the girls work on it to tie it. We will have 15+ girls by the end of the
year…………….. Yikes (This is just in the Laurel
Well, I better go for now and get ready for work. Take care
Love Gwen
February 13, 2005 -
Hurrah, the dress made it here okay. It arrived at the Mission Home on
Friday. Thanks for sending it. I hope you wrote a check out for the postage.
It sounds like Landon and his friends really
have some good times. Who does Emily
“Margaret” Carter belong to? What kind
of dessert did they get for $5? Sorry to
hear about State but at least the team had their squishy pillows and maroon hair. Now I can see where Landon gets some of his
crazy ideas. You must lay awake nights
dreaming up things to make others feel special.
Did the rest of the family (Amanda, Camryn, Zac and CJ) make it to the
wrestles?
It sounds like Zac is keeping himself very busy
as usual. How is the car working out for
him or has it quit? Is he having mice
problems at the building like Mark is having at his place? Are the quilt frames working out okay? You sure have a lot of quilts to tie. I don’t know how you keep up with
everything. I’m glad you decided against
going to Tooele. I don’t know what all
of us would do if anything happened to you!!!
The weather here is
starting to get a little warmer and we have had to put the air conditioner on a
couple of times just to cool it off a little.
We have finally
finished all the paper work for the "lost sheep" project and are
sending it to the translation department on Monday. With this week being
the Chinese New Year, school was cancelled and so we have spent all of our
spare time getting things done on this project. The AP's have really been
a big help as they are familiar with what the missionaries do here in Cambodia
We
are still working with the branches and trying to get things going the correct
way. We would like to teach some of the
ladies in Relief Society some of the Primary songs so they can sing them at
home but they have not been translated into Vietnamese or Khmae (Cambodian).
I didn't think it would be that hard but it was explained that a song like
"I love to see the temple,” the word temple in Khmae is preahvihia
barisot. In order to make the music work with the words the next line has
to be omitted and therefore the meaning of the song is lost. You ought to
try singing some of the hymns in Khmae and Vietnamese, it is something else
I tried making chocolate chip cookies in our
little oven last night. It’s a wonder
they turned out. I used bread flour
instead of regular flour, butter in place of the shortening, and all white
sugar as I didn’t have any brown sugar.
I guess it was the expensive vanilla I used. One pint cost $5.80 and it was imitation
vanilla at that. Some of the things here
are really expensive when it is not local stuff. I finally got Dad to drink some milk. I bought some Hersey’s chocolate syrup ($4)
so he could fix himself some chocolate milk.
If you get a chance with your busy schedule
would you send me my recipes for Mazetti and my chocolate chip cookies. Also, if you have a box of tapioca could you
let me know how to make it and the quantities.
We bought some tapioca, it is the size of small bee bees, and all the
instructions are in Khmae. I’ve tried making
it a couple of times but my brain can’t conjure up the right things to do.
Keep the e-mails coming when you have
time. We think of all of you often. Tell everyone
“hello” for us. We love you all
and appreciate you.
February 13, 2005 -
Glad the dress made it. I sent in on Jan 24th and it
cost about 7-8$ to send. I did write a check out for it. Emily
Margaret Carter belongs to Craig and Lisa. She used to work at curves,
and he used to work for the school district.
State Wrestling is over now, and it was a
disappointment. We thought for sure that Landon would medal, and the kid
he beat at Region (Brad Gustafson from Tooele) , and the kid he went into
overtime and lost to at Region (Todd "Stall" a zar) took 3rd and
4th, but Landon was beat out. He just needs to wrestle more
consistent. He won a match (Ben Turner, Wasatch JV) , then lost a match
(to Dustin Howa, eventual state champion), then won a match (Anthony Carter, Union ), then lost a match (Nick Neumann, Pine
View). That last match he wrestled, was the one he NEEDED to win to put
him into a medal round. He didn't wrestle the best in that match.
As for the other wrestlers.......... We took 15 to state,
and Josh Wilson took 1st !! Mike Clunas - 3rd, Brett
Hendershot 4th, and Zac Taylor 5th. The rest were beat out.
Manda and Camryn and Zac and CJ came down and watched
Landon's 2nd two matches on Friday.
Zac hasn't been driving the car at all that I know of, at
least not yet. I don't think he is having any mice problems, as he
hasn't mentioned any. He is working on the fencing in his yard now.
The quilting frames worked out okay, and we got one quilt tied the other
night. Only 18 more to go !!!
We got a baby shower invitation for Kimberly Smith (Moe's
wife) for next Saturday, and we are going. I'm sure Erika will be there
too, although I haven't asked her about it yet.
Also, Sara Adams wedding is next week. I guess you got
an invitation, she called for your address.
Today is Youth Exchange at church, where the youth take over
all of the jobs for one week. Landon is up to a meeting right now (6:30
a.m.) He is the Ward Clerk, and also has to teach the Elder's quorum
lesson, which he is NOT very excited about. With State Wrestles and all
he had not had adequate time to prepare, and so he's stressed out about this.
Hope the Lost Sheep program goes well for you. Knowing
you, I'm sure you will have it organized the VERY VERY best, and you will get
people accounted for, and shipped into shape !! I know you like
organizing stuff like that, and you are very good at it.
We pray for you every day, and love you and miss you very
much!
Monday, February 14, 2005
Well, again I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed. This YW President job is mentally draining to
me. I know it’s making me a better
person, but I worry and fret and stew over everything, because I know the buck
stops here. My house is a pigsty, and I
wish so badly I didn’t have to work, but I know the money that I bring in is a
much needed necessity. Then to top it
off last night Jim Wiscombe calls and asks if the YW Presidency will speak in
sacrament meeting on Sunday !! On
Preparing for the temple, and keeping temple covenants no less !! I’m feeling very pressured right now. But my Heavenly Father comforts me, and the
Holy Ghost helps me through this. I got
up at 4 a.m. and read the Book of Mormon for an hour, and then went to the gym
for a half and hour, and now am writing in my journal. I need to
keep this up, feeding my body both spiritually and physically. Hopefully the rest will take care of itself.
February 16, 2005
All about Me (as of today)
1. What time did you get up this morning? 4 a.m.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinama? 1/2 of
National Treasure ( I took Camryn out)
4. What is your favorite TV Show? Law and Order or Medium
5. What did you have for breakfast? Yogurt and granola bar
6. What is your middle name? I don't have one!
7. What is your favorite restaurant? Maple
Garden
8. What foods do you dislike? cooked carrots (all by
themselves)
9. What is your favorite chip flavor? Baked Lays Original
10. What is your
favorite thing to do to relax? Sleep !!
11. What kind of car do you drive? Saturn
12. Favorite sandwich? Subway roasted chicken TOASTED wheat
bread with spinach leaves and tomato and NO mayo
13. What characteristics do you despise? A Thief
14. Favorite item of clothing? Levis
15. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you
go? Hawaii
16. What color is your bathroom? burgundy and green
17. Favorite brand of
clothing? Clearance items at Meier and Frank
18. Where would you retire to? Morgan
19. Who do you want to retire with? Roger D.
20. What was your most memorable birthday? 40 of course!
21. Flossing – yes or
no? I’m trying !!
22. Favorite sport to watch? wrestling, baseball, football,
depends on the season
23. Person you expect to send it back first? Stephanie
24. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? (?)
25. What fabric detergent do you use? TIDE (somebody tell me
where to find the H E detergents!?!?!)
26. Coke or Pepsi?
DIET (I know, I know, wrinkles on the brain) COKE Caffeine FREE
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
27. Are you a morning person or a night owl? morning
28. What is your shoe size? 8 1/2
29. Do you have any pets?
Zipper the dog
30. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your
family and friends? I've lost 36 pounds
since August !
31. What did you want to be when you were little? ballerina,
brain surgeon, member of MOtab
32. What are you doing today? Enjoying being a GRANDMA !!
February 16, 2005 -
Dear Mom and Dad,
Are you both well?
How is the Lost Sheep program coming along?
Are you upset about the learning center closing?
I wanted to tell you about Landon's experience teaching the
Elder's quorum.
I had told him (the prior Sunday and Monday) that he ought
to read over the lesson, and get preparing,
and then put it all away on Wednesday and concentrate on
State Wrestles, then on Sunday morning he could
get up early and polish it up. Well, like mother like
son, he likes to procrastinate !! He read just 1-2 pages
on Monday night, and then didn't look at it again until
Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Our church is at 11 a.m., and priesthood
meeting is FIRST !! He had to get up early (6:30 a.m.)
for a bishopric meeting (he was the ward clerk also) We thought he would
be gone about an hour, and then be able to come home and work on the lesson
with my help. Well, at 9 am he still wasn't home, and I had to go to MY meetings........... I met him in the parking
lot at the church, and he WAS NOT a happy camper !!! I told him I didn't
know what to tell him, but to go home and look at the lesson, and then get on
his knees and start praying !!! I worried about it all during YW,
and said many silent prayers for him. My first comment I heard was in
Sunday School, and by the time I got to Sacrament meeting, all I was hearing
was HOW WONDERFUL A JOB he had done in the Elder's quorum lesson !!! I am
so proud of him. I told Shane Preece, who was telling me how impressed he
was, that I wish the "I" could be a fly on the wall, and get to see
all of these neat things that Landon does for myself. I KNOW he's a great
kid, but a lot of the time, I miss out on times that he really
shines.......... I think he must get the "teaching" ability
from you grandparents !! Although I must say I do a pretty good job of it
too, most of the time, when the Spirit is with me. As the clerk he had to
walk around in sacrament and get a head count too. He's awesome.
Thought you'd like to hear about that !!
Take care, we love you and pray for you every day.
LOVE GWEN
February 19, 2005 -
Dear Mom and Dad
Amanda and I went down to Centerville
They had an open house from 2-5 with food to eat. We
got to visit with everyone, they were all there
We saw Susan and her two girls
and Candy and her two girls
and Laurie
And Kim (Russell's wife)
and Danny's wife and girls
and David's wife
Kimberly is due in two weeks and is having a girl.
We also got to see Aunt Jolene, and also Moe and David and
Danny and Russell were there towards the end.
We didn't get there till 4 and stayed almost till 5
They all asked about you, and how you were doing. They
said to tell you hi from all of them.
I'm talking in sacrament meeting tomorrow. Wish me
luck !!
LOVE GWEN
Here’s my talk
My Baptismal Covenants
Talk given in Morgan 6th Ward Sacrament Meeting
February 20, 2005
My
dear brothers and sisters. The Bishop
has asked me to talk to you today concerning our baptismal covenants. As I have studied and searched the scriptures
this past week, I have learned so much, and preparing for this talk has been of
a great benefit to me. I hope you will
bear with me as I share some of the truths that I have learned. I have asked the Spirit to be with me today,
that your hearts might be touched as mine has been touched by these simple
gospel truths.
We
need to be baptized in order to return and live with our Heavenly Father, but
just being baptized is not enough. We
begin a new way of life at baptism.
Baptism
is the beginning of the “mighty change” – this new way of life. We can have “a might change” take place in
our hearts, that we will have not more disposition to do evil, but to do good
continually.
Do you
remember the day you were baptized? I’m
sure we all do. I remember that I went
home and got a piece of brown construction paper, and cut out a leaf. On it I wrote, “I’m turning over a new
leaf”. Elder Henry B. Eyring of the
quorum of the twelve apostles remembers that on the way home in the car after
he was baptized, he thought to himself, “Uh – oh, the free ride is over”. I think each ONE of us realized that this was
a VERY important event in our lives.
That things would be different from now on.
When
we are baptized we make a covenant with our Heavenly Father. I want to go over these covenants today and
talk about them a little bit. A covenant
is a two-way promise, it is a sacred agreement we make with Heavenly
Father. If we keep our covenants, he
will fulfill his part of the agreement.
If we don’t keep up our end, then he will not be able give us the
wonderful blessings that he would love to be able to give us. That is the most important thing I feel He
would want you to know, is that he LOVES you – and he wants so much to give you
every good blessing that is his. He
wants to share his blessings with you, and have you return to live with him
again.
One of
the first covenants we make is to come into the kingdom of God
Have
you heard the phrase, “to be IN the world, but not OF the world”?
Elder
Robert D. Hales of the quorum of the twelve apostles states that, “the
ordinance of baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost takes us OUT of
this world, and INTO the kingdom
of God
By
choosing the be IN HIS KINGDOM, we separate (not isolate) ourselves from the
world. Our dress will be modest, our
thoughts pure, our language clean. The
movies and television we watch, the music we listen to, the books, magazine,
and newspapers we read will be uplifting.
We will choose friends who will encourage us in our eternal goals. We will follow the example of the Savior in
the way we treat others.
Another
covenant we make at baptism is to be called a son or daughter of God and to
take upon us the name of Christ.
What
does this mean to you? To take upon you
the name of Jesus Christ. I want to
retell a story which I know you have all heard before. If is about President George Albert Smith,
who was the 8th president of our church. One time he was very ill, and had lost
consciousness, and thought he has passed through the veil to the other
side. He found himself walking along a
path through a beautiful forest. He saw
a man in the distance, walking towards him, and as he got closer he saw it was
his grandfather who had died previously, and who he had been named after. He hurried to greet him, and as they
approached each other, his grand father stopped a little ways away, and looked
at him very earnestly and said, “I would like to know what you have done with my
name?” As he said these words, President
Smith thought back and saw his life passing before him and though it were on a
movie screen. He was able to say to his
grandfather that he had never done anything with his name of which he would be
ashamed. His grandfather embraced him,
and President Smith awoke, to find tears coursing down his cheeks. He was so thankful that he could answer his
grandfather the way he did.
My
brother and sisters, we too will have that chance one day, as we stand before
our Savior, and he will ask us, what have you done with my name? Have we honored it? When we take upon us the name of our Savior,
do we think to ourselves, “What would Jesus do?”
I find
this had helped me in my life. As I go
about my day I sometimes find myself in situations at work and at home and in
the community, at ball games, and wrestling matches, at the store, in crowded
parking lots, with crying babies, with too much to do and too little time it
seems, and I find that it helps so much to ask myself, and believe me it
happens FREQUENTLY, what would Jesus do?
Or remind myself, that another person with whom I may have a problem
with is a child of God just the same as me.
Is this taking the name of Jesus upon me? I don’t know, but I’d like to think so. When I pray to my Heavenly Father, I ask him
to help me, and to let the Holy Ghost be with me, so that when I’m faced with
certain situations, and all of us are every day…. That I will remember these words, “What would
Jesus do”, and try and act accordingly.
Most of the time it works….., however there are time it doesn’t, and I
am so very grateful for the atonement, so that I can repent and try again when
I have failed.
Another
Covenant we make at baptism is to bear others’ burdens that they may be light;
mourn with those that mourn; and comfort those that stand in need of
comfort.
I
don’t think there is a person here, who wouldn’t help another in need. We all know that when we serve others, we
feel so good inside when were are done, even though we may not have felt like
it was the thing we wanted to do at the time.
Service to others can bring great blessings into our lives, but I
think that for a lot of us we are so
caught up in our own daily business, that even though we would help someone in
need, we might not know when someone needs the help. We need to pray to our Heavenly Father that
he will help us to know where we can help.
Help us and give us inspiration, that we might know when to make a phone
call or a visit, and even just to give a kind word of praise or a hello in the
store. Show our love to others
always. Take the time. There are so many good examples of this in
our ward. Some people it seems just have
the knack for it. We cannot excuse
ourselves, by saying that someone else will take care of it, or we don’t have
the time. We need to ask our Heavenly
Father to inspire us to show us where the need is, and then follow through with
any feelings we might have.
Another
baptismal covenant we make is to stand as a witness of God at all times and in
all things and in all places. This is my
favorite !! It reminds me of Young
Womens, and we say this in our theme every week. We can all be good examples. Some times we fall short of this. I remember a few weeks ago at a wrestling
match, shortly after I was put in as Young Women’s President. The match was a close one, Landon was
struggling to hold onto the lead in the closing seconds of the match, and at
the end when the whistle blew, he relaxed his position, and the other wrestler
threw him in an illegal move that could have hurt Landon very badly. This same wrestler had done the same thing
last year, and almost broke Landon’s neck.
Things got out of hand really fast, and there was yelling and shouting
going on. Both sides of the crowd
reacted, and it got really heated. After things had calmed down, I remember
thinking that I hadn’t acted in a very Christlike manner. Our bishop was sitting across the gym, and
also a lot of my young women were in the audience, and I remember thinking that I hoped they
hadn’t been watching me lose my temper.
This taught me a good lesson, and I’ve found that I need to control my
emotions and not get so involved in certain situations. We are all standing as witness of God at all
times and in all things and in all places.
I pray every night that I might be a good example to my family and to
the young women in this ward. We need
to all remember that our Heavenly Father is there for us at all times and in
all things and in all places, always always there. And he loves us so much, and he wants us to
do good and return to him, and if we will get down on our knees and ask him to
help US to stand up for HIM, he will let the Holy Ghost be there to help us, to
remind us that we are standing as a witness for our Heavenly Father.
And
finally the last baptismal covenant we make is to serve God, and keep his
commandments. That is a BIG one in
itself. Our Bishop has said before that
we can give nothing to our Heavenly Father that he doesn’t already have, except
our will. Our will to serve him by keeping
all of the commandments he has set before us.
There are many. Some we have a
harder time with than others. What
commandment may be really easy for you to keep, may be a stumbling block for
me.
President Spencer W. Kimball said: “The way to perfection seems to be a changing
of one’s life—to substitute the good for the evil in every case. Changes can
come best if we take one item at a time. … For if one pays one-tenth of his
income annually, he is perfect in that respect. It is not difficult to become perfect in
avoiding a swearing habit, for if one locks his mouth against all words of
cursing, he is en route to perfection in that matter. If one studies the
scriptures with all reasonable devotion, he has approached perfection in that
matter also”.
We
just need to keep trying and pressing forward, always remembering our Heavenly
Father’s love for each one of us. He
wants us to succeed, He wants us to return to Him again.
Now
remember I said the a covenant was a TWO way promise. We’ve talked about the promises WE have
made. Now I want to address what our
Heavenly Father has covenanted or promised us in return.
He has promised to forgive our sins. What more could we ask of him. We who are so imperfect, who are were put
here on this earth, and have become a “natural” man, challenged by Satan it
seems at every turn. Thank goodness our
Father sent his Son to atone for all of our sins, so that through Him we can
repent and be forgiven. What greater
gift could we receive from our Heavenly Father?
Well let me tell you !!
Heavenly Father has also covenanted with us, that He will
pour His spirit more abundantly upon us. That he will give us the gift of the
Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost gives us the ability to choose between right and
wrong. He gives us the strength and
courage to conduct our lives that way that our Savior and Heavenly Father would
have us do. He is the source of our
testimony, and when we obey, we will have him with us continually !! Each week as we take the sacrament, we renew
our baptismal covenants with Him. We
promise to remember the sacrifice that our Savior made for us. We promise to do as the Savior did, to be
obedient to the commandments of Heavenly Father. And the blessings we receive in return is to
always have His Spirit to be with us.
We need to have this constant companionship. Everyday we (and especially our youth) are
bombarded with the ugly things of this world.
We need this help in our lives, so that we can resist this evil, and
when necessary, repent and return to the “strait path”. Having the gift of the Holy Ghost helps us
make right choices that will allow us to return to our Heavenly Father and our
brother Jesus Christ, and live with Them eternally.
Finally,
our Heavenly Father has covenanted with us, that we will be permitted to have
eternal life – His life, to enter the celestial kingdom to live with him and
our elder brother Jesus Christ. The Lord has promised us eternal life with Him
as we show our love by obeying Him and keeping our baptismal covenants. True happiness on earth, and eternal joy
hereafter come from living the covenants we make with the Lord.
I want to
testify to you this day, that I know God
lives, and that He loves each one of us.
I know that our Savior loves us too, He died for us, and took upon Him
our sins. He pleads our cause with
Heavenly Father. He has promised us
that he will not forget us, because He has “graven us upon the palms of His
hands”.
I challenge each of you to study
more about your baptismal covenants. They
are not to be taken lightly. I hope that
as we partake of the sacrament each week and renew these sacred covenants, that
we will try live our lives so that the Holy Ghost can be with us –always.
February 22, 2005 - Letter to Mom and Dad on their mission in Cambodia
We enjoy your journal so much !! I know you are busy
busy busy and probably really tired too.
Let me tell you a little bit about what is going on here at
home.
Roger and Landon spent an enjoyable day snowmobiling
yesterday (President's Day) with Bret and Gaylene and Chase Kimbal.
I stayed home and got a lot done. Wash all done, house
cleaned, front room rearranged. Manda got her taxes done, and she's
getting $4,500 back and is so happy. This will allow her to stay home and
not have to work while she finishes school. We also took a walk on the
walking path. They weather is quite nice. We plan on walking
everyday at 1 p.m. (I'll take my lunch then)
We get our taxes done today. Kevin has your taxes done
also, and I told him to direct deposit it in your checking account. I
need to go over and pick them up and sign some papers. He said something
about a $14,000 refund !!
I guess you have probably heard from Erika and Aaron, but
there van has gone kapoot ! And here they are leaving for California
CJ and Shirlee went back to Minnesota St. Louis
Zac got your shower all fixed, and it is going good.
He noticed that you have a leak at the shop. In the front corner where
the heater vents out. We have had quite a bit of rain/snow, and a couple
of days ago, when he went over and cleaned the shop up so good (you won't
recognize it !) there was quite a puddle in that corner. The snow has
melted off now, and no rain, so not to worry, but he wanted me to ask your
opinion on what to do? He thought that maybe if he took down a couple of
sheets of plywood on the ceiling, he could tell where it was coming from.
Do you want us to get Bill Covill involved? Please let us know your recommendation,
but don't worry about it, because we WILL get it taken care of as soon as
possible.
Mary Smith died (Kent and Lyle's mom). Bill Jones too
(a few weeks ago) Also, Kelly Strong's dad (who lives by the river)
You might want to periodically check on Walker Mortuary's
website, in case I can't remember to let you know who all has died !!
Elder Boyd K. Packer is going to visit for our Stake
Conference !! Landon and I are going to get there early, in hopes of
meeting him and shaking his hand. Also, my talk went well on Sunday (did
I tell you that?) Also, Landon is scheduled for his Patriarchal blessing
on April 10.
Well, I can't think of anything else to tell you now !!
Take care, we pray for you everyday.
This
is what Veloy said in her reply:
1.
What time did you get up this morning? 6:00 a.m.
2.
Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? "The Work and the Glory"
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? "The Work and the Glory"
4. What is your favorite TV Show? Jag
5. What did you have for breakfast? Raisin Bran Flakes
6. What is your middle name? Tonks (maiden name)
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Chinese
8. What foods do you dislike? Raw onions
9. What is your favorite chip flavor? Sour cream and onion
11. What kind of car do you drive? I don't, I have a driver
12. Favorite sandwich? Tuna on toast
13. What characteristics do you despise? Undependability
14.
Favorite item of clothing? Used to be jeans, now it is skirts and dresses
15. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? Morgan
16. What color is your bathroom? Light green.
17.
Favorite brand of clothing? Chhay Mom (I now have mine made for this
climate)
18. Where would you retire to? Morgan - summer, somewhere warmer in the winter
19. Who do you want to retire with? Lee
20. What was your most memorable birthday? 19
22. Favorite sport to watch? Whatever the grandkids are in at the time
23. Person you expect to send it back first? Arlene
24. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? Mark
25. What fabric detergent do you use? Cheapest
26. Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi was
27. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Neither, I'm always tired
28. What is your shoe size? 8 but 8-1/2 feels better sometimes
29. Do you have any pets? No
30.
Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your family and
friends? We are enjoying our mission but miss you all
31.
What did you want to be when you were little? A movie star
32. What are you meant to be doing today? A Missionary Grandma
32. What are you meant to be doing today? A Missionary Grandma
February
22, 2005 -
Dear Gwen,
Relative to the leak, I suspect that it is around the pipe
where the heater vents out of the roof.
I don’t think that taking off interior sheeting will help. The solution is probably to get up on the
roof and put some kind of sealant in that area.
It wouldn’t hurt to talk to Bill Covill about it and get his opinion, I
seem to remember that he had some concerns about how water-tight that vent
would be. Be really careful if you do
get up there. There is an attachment for
my extension ladder that goes at the top to hold the ladder away from the wall,
which you may want to use. I see no
hurry; if you wait till I get home it will be ok.
Concerning the taxes, you will have to wait until the
federal refund gets back to pay the state taxes. So just hold the state return till then. Also you might want to make sure Kevin has
the correct copies of the tax notices attached to the returns. If I remember correctly, he had them mixed up
last year. Thanks, Dad
Thanks for keeping us so informed of the things that are
happening in the community and with the family.
We can always depend on you, and you are so busy too. We really enjoyed your talk. It amazes me how well you can put things
together, so much better than I could.
It was just like reading a talk in the Ensign or from one of the General
Authorities. No kidding!!! The ward is very fortunate to have you a part
of it. Wish we could be home for Stake
Conference. I hope you get to meet Elder
Packer that would be great.
I hope the map book on California
Tell Landon to keep up the good work. He’s a regular chip off the old block. Most kids seem to inherit their parent’s bad
habits or ways, but he seems to have inherited his parent’s good habits and
ways. We are proud of the things he is
doing and think he is awesome. Of course
we feel the same way about the other kids too.
They all have exceptional abilities.
We hate to see the Learning Center
We have pretty well finished compiling the Lost Sheep
program and they (the AP’s) have started training the missionaries. This week should finish up the translation
and in a couple of week we will train the District Presidents and Branch
Presidents. I guess there will be a
waiting period for us then until the records start coming back in and we do the
tracking of them – and reports to Hong Kong .
We are both okay, only a few little aches and pains but
nothing we can’t handle. Take good care
of your family and everything back home.
We love you all.
Mom and Dad
February 24, 2005 =
Dear Grandma and Grandpa,
In case you were wondering, this is Zac. Just thought
I would email while I was up to my mom's house so she could type for me.
Things have been going good. The weather is good. It's been up in
the 50's lately. Your car is doing good. I replaced the terminals
on the battery. I wanted to ask you about the roof. My mom told me
what you said about fixing it. I was just worried because the last rain storm
it was leaking pretty bad. I will get up there when it gets a little bit
warmer weather and put some tar around it. I've taken over grandma's job
about cleaning the shop. I mopped it the other day. It took me 3 1/2 hours!!
But boy does it look good !! I even scrubbed the toilet !! We got a
fence up around our yard. Chain link. I'm in the process of getting
some more stuff poured out front. Another sidewalk going from the
original side walk to the wall we poured, and then a wall between the
irrigation boxes out front. I also finished the wood fence to the
road. Also in the process of starting to build the garage out back.
It's going to be 28 x 40, a wood frame, still getting bids on who to have do
everything. Hopefully it will be done by the time you guys get
back. CJ is doing good. She passed her pharmacy technician test,
and has been applying to several places. Snowmobiling has
been kind of slow, but we still try to go every now and then. Dad got him
a new sled, (a new sled to him) It is a 1998 - 700 , just like his
other one. My work is going good, been getting the hours in . I got
another raise, so it made it a little bit easier to pay the bills. Your
shower turned out good. I put a single handle valve in, and a piece of
marble to cover the hole, about 15 x 13, white to match the tile. If I do
say so myself, it turned out pretty good. I was going to re tile it, but
there was nothing to connect the tile to, and I thought it would be better to
put a piece of marble on the outside. I've been working over to
Shirlee and Jim's on their bathroom, Had to put a new floor in ( the
subfloor was rotted), frame walls, sheetrocked, and going to tile ( hope you
don't mind I'm going to use your tile saw again.) And of course, did all
of the plumbing !! They hired out the electrical (her nephew) and the
taping of the sheetrock, and they'll paint it, but I've basically done
everything else. Thinking about selling my truck to help pay for
the new garage. We had to use your live
trap to catch a cat in my dad's garage. It worked like a charm !!
How's the weather there?? Hope it's not too rainy or
humid for you. I heard that you've got your first haircuts. Did
they just put a bowl on your head and cut around it ?? I hope Grandpa gets
feeling better with all of the problems he's been having. Are you
keeping busy with church stuff, or do you do volunteer work or what?
Well, hope everything is going great for you. And I
will try to write, or have my mom write, another letter soon.
Love Zac and CJ
