Dear Elder Smith,
Sometimes I sit back amazed at how quickly time is flying! I am reminded of a visit I had with Sue Bolan, shortly before she passed away. She expressed some regret for actions in her early life and was a little worried she would have to meet her maker soon. We talked about the power of the Atonement and the gift of repentance and how she was on the right path. I asked her if she could live her life again, what is one thing she would change? She thought for a moment and answered,
“I would make every day matter.”
It’s an idea I think about often. How does a person make every day matter? I suppose a simplified answer includes living worthy to be guided by the Holy Ghost. If we lived every day with awareness of the Holy Ghost’s guiding influence and acted accordingly, our days would matter. Then those days would string together to form weeks and months of true Living. I love this idea!
We had a busy and eventful week. Halloween was Tuesday and we discovered the country generosity for handing out treats. Here was my Instagram post of the day...
It was a fun Halloween despite Abby’s sickness. We went to Devon afterwards and spent the evening with the Driessen’s so Mia could trick-or-treat with Emma, who was a Dice as well. Get it? Pair of dice? They were so cute! Dad handed out candy to about 20 kids. It was chilly and started to snow after we came in and woke up to this ...
So winter gently came and it’s here to stay.
It’s just so gorgeous living out in the country although the roads are terrible. I just want to stay in all the time. Ben is scheduled to take his driver’s test on November 16. I’ll never know why we waited until winter came. He is enjoying school and doing well academically, involved in musical theatre and choir. He’s busy. We just had a specialist appointment where they sent a scope up his nose and we found out everything is healthy ... his congestion is due to some inflammation which is easily remedied (apparently).
Sam is working his last week this week. He will be glad to be done with Classic and he’s happy he has all his mission money. He still has immunizations to do and we’re planning to go to the temple on Saturday for his endowments. It feels like serious déjà vu from two years ago when we were preparing for you to go. Capital City Gymnastics asked him to do some coaching up until he leaves and he’s pretty happy about that. He misses his training and now he will be able to do it for free.
Dad is dad ... the same steady guy who keeps us taken care of always. I’ve been feeling extra grateful for him lately. He works hard, his income pays the bills and keeps us fed, he jokes and laughs and keeps us smiling, he works to keep himself worthy of the priesthood and blesses us with spiritual guidance, he helps out around the house and fixes our vehicles. I’m a lucky girl. And I’m also a lucky mom because my sons are turning out just like him.
In this picture, he’s reading a book called Rules For a Knight. I think you would like this one. Which reminds me ... Rob and Naomi Burton asked me if I would direct Liber Youth Retreat this year. I agreed to as it seemed the only way to keep it going ( it was cancelled last year), so be prepared to help out if you can! They will plan it alongside me but they won’t be able to be there in person in August, but our family will be there making sure it runs smoothly.
We also agreed to prepare a family Christmas number for the stake Christmas event as well as organize the music for the ward Christmas party. With Ben’s piano playing, Mia’s ukulele, Abby’s singing, Sam’s guitar playing, we should be able to put something together. Wish us luck!
How is your personal study going?
I finished my B of M and will be starting again with the challenge of becoming more Holy. I don’t even know what that means, but I’m looking forward to finding out! I love, love, love the spiritual strength that comes from dedicating mornings to developing that relationship with God. It really does magnify and affect the moments of every day.
Tell us a teaching story from this week!
Have you decided what you are doing with your bike?
Are your shoes holding up?
Know that we love and pray for you always. We’re so proud of you.
Love forever,
Mom
From Josh - Six weeks to do everything.
Well looks like I have made it to my final transfer on my mission, I never thought this day would come, and it kind of makes me nervous to think that I will be doing a lot of "lasts" as a missionary, we will see how it goes, I am going to be getting an awesome companion this transfer, though I have no clue what we will talk about, he is into hunting and fishing and outdoor sports... well I don't relate too much because I am more of an indoor person, but hey! we will figure it out. I am going to be serving in this ward for the last few weeks of my time and for that I am kind of grateful, I won't have to lose the fire by not knowing the area or being in a different place with a new comp. So I get to keep working with these amazing people. This last week we have had a lot of good opportunities to teach and to share this message and also a lot of rejection, teaching in a trio is a lot more interesting then teaching as a duo, it takes a lot of comp unity. We honestly don't get much opportunity to teach in this area, at least impromptu teaching moments, we recently have been teaching a young women, her name is Mikayla Soucy, she is the daughter of someone I recently helped to baptize, we have been helping to gain a testimony of the truth of our message and so far she is receptive, she is 11 years old though so she has trouble focusing, we have had to keep our lessons short and to her level, it has been fun to see what ways we can make the lessons fun and exciting, including hand gestures, pictures and questions... I am grateful that I can have the spirits help in teaching because I am not the most eloquent of speakers and the spirit does a pretty good job at filling in the gaps.
I have been delving into the Old Testament recently and trying to get through the standard works before i finish... I got to around the 5th book of moses before I felt I should stop going deep into the Old Testament and focus more of my studies concerning the Book of Mormon and New testament, even though the Old Testament is super interesting and I have gained such an appreciation of its intricacies and prophecies of Christ, but I feel the spirit much more when I read the New Testament and The Book of Mormon, I have been reading the Book of Mormon everyday, and there was a day this week that I missed, all throughout that day I was struggling to feel guided and directed by the spirit and the next day after reading the Book of Mormon I felt much more confident in the abilities God has given me.
Recently we have been getting bashed on the topic of becoming like God, Elder Rather put it a in a good context, a lot of people looking in see all our beliefs from the perspective of or in comparison to their beliefs. When comparing our beliefs to theirs it can seem like night and day (Which is interesting as we consider the apostasy and restorations as night and day as well) But going back to the main point, I believe that God wants us to become like Him, to live up to our full potentials, and what an enabling power and understanding. If God wants us to become as He is, then that should drive us to develop more self control, more respect towards our fellow man, more love towards our enemies, greater compassion and charity, deeper love for nature, more drive to learn and grow our talents. I loved Jeffrey R Hollands talk on how God has not given us a commandment that he doesn't keep himself, so in expressly giving us a commandment and even new commandments He is inadvertently telling us that we should become more like Him day to day.
I love you all so much, I am doing my best to be the missionary that God wants me to be, I fall short a lot of the time but I am grateful for the redeeming power of the atonement of Jesus Christ, I am trying to follow his example and my invitation would be to all just to try the same, we can always do a little less of something bad and do a little more of something good, look for opportunities to improve, ask God to chasten you to bring you to a remembrance of your duties, I hope that after all is said and done that we will all meet triumphant in the kingdom of our God.
Josh.
-When we join the dark side and become sith lords.
-Halloween I dressed up as a bike missionary, Elder Rather dressed up as a new missionary, and Elder Erickson dressed up as Dan Jones one of the greatest missionaries in this dispensation.
-Zone pumpkin carving
-The state of my shoe at this time... but all in all its holding together.
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