Twyla Gets Baptized

Nov 14, 2011

Hi Jared,

A few nights ago, there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, there was a pan of red Jello sitting there with a note that said, "Will you please be a good boy and follow my Ten Commandments. By this shall man know ye are my date for the Christmas Dance.

1-Thou shalt have no other date before me

2-Thou shalt respond with great wisdom

3-Thou shalt honor thy date as a gentleman would

4-Thou shalt meet me in December 2011 for this occasion

5-Thou salt eat dinner with me

6-Thou shalt be honest with thy date

7-Thou shalt be wise :)

8-Thou shalt reply with a yes

9-Thou shalt wear something fancy

10-Thou shalt have more fun than ever before

Moses didn't get to free the children of Israel without a challenge to part the Red Sea. Now you must part the red sea to see who is asking you."

The jello was red. Inside was a note written in red ink that said "Sally".

Of course, Taylor had to respond with a scripture reference.

We got a Book of Mormon and altered one verse. They took the book to the Sunday night fireside. Your dad was the speaker. Towards the end, he asked for examples from the scriptures. Someone mentioned Nephi. He handed the Book to Sally and asked her to read 1 Nephi 3:7. She was a little taken back by the altered scripture, but thought it was part of the lesson. She read out loud " And it came to pass that I, Taylor, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which Sally hath commanded, for I know that Sally giveth no commandments unto Taylor, save she shall prepare a way for him that he may accomplish the thing which she commandeth him." I guess it got some good laughs. Now she officially has a date for the Christmas dance. Tee hee This will be Taylor's first date. Stay tuned for details, coming late December.

Here's a couple of jokes for you:

If you're not LDS, you belong to a non-prophet organization.

When the MTC was built in Provo, beautiful green athletic fields were planted so the missionaries would have a place to exercise. However, they were so inviting that BYU students were attracted there, and you would see BYU students out playing touch football, throwing frisbees, etc. on the missionaries' field. To deal with this problem, a large banner was posted, which read "Missionaries Only."

The next day, BYU students were out on the field, playing touch football and throwing frisbees. They had posted a new banner which read, "Every member a missionary."

We love you so much! Enjoy your week.

Love,

Mom

Hey,

Things have been going alright here. On Tuesday we had our Zone Conference in Peru, Indiana. It's a hour and a half drive from here. We all piled in the Zone Leaders' minivan early in the morning and left for the meeting. Zone Conferences are always fun because you get to talk to all the missionaries you've served around in past areas. I got to talk to Elder Anderson, my MTC companion. There were a lot of great talks given. I really learned a lot.

We've had some rough spots this week though. Jolene, one of our investigators got thrown off a horse and suffered from a concussion. She says she's really bruised and sore, but it sounds like she's doing better. Hopefully we can see her this week.

We've been teaching an eight year old girl named Twyla for the past couple of weeks to get her prepared for baptism. That baptism happened on Saturday. Her dad asked me to baptize her and my companion to confirm her. It was a neat experience. Twyla's dad is the only member in her family, but her whole family was there to support her. She's got a great family.

Brother Meeks came to Stake Conference this week! None of his family came, but it's still great. Hopefully we can get the rest of his family to church next week.

It snowed a little bit here on Monday. Thankfully none of it stuck though. I'm not looking forward to the snow.

Love,

Jared

The Gospel Really Blesses Families

Dear Jared,

I had an interesting experience with one of our foreign exchange students, Yui. The first day they were here, I sent the kids one by one off to school. As they left, I gave each of them a hug and said "love you", as I always do, and sent them out the door. When it was time for Yui and Ching to leave, I told them goodbye and waved to them. The second day they were here, after watching the kids leave, I said goodbye to them and waved. Yui asked if she could have a hug too. So of course I hugged them. On day three, they hugged me and said "love you". it was a little awkward, and I just said bye. The fourth day, as they were leaving and hugging I figured I might as well say, "love you too". They were a little giddy and really enjoyed the hugs. This became a daily occurrence. This Tuesday morning, I was driving them to the airport when Yui told me she hoped she could go home and get her mom to hug her. I asked her if they hugged in Taiwan, and she said no. THEY DON'T HUG IN TAIWAN! It just broke my heart to think that there is a mother somewhere in the world that doesn't hug her children! That is so sad to me.

They loved trick or treating! They thought is was so much fun. They really liked the dressing up part too. It was fun to watch them experience that. They were hoping to get to see snow, but they weren't so lucky. It was raining on the way to the airport. As I was driving home without them, it started snowing. They never got to play in it.

Thursday was the Young Women Regional Training. It was held in the Regional Center. It started out at 5:00 with a focus group of 16 Young Women that we had put together. There  were two sisters from the General Young Women Board there, Sister Featherstone and Sister Ashton. They were so cute with the girls. They spent an hour with the girls asking them questions and getting to know them and the issues they face today. They did a great job! It was a neat, very spiritual experience. I was grateful that Mikayla got to be a part of it. Those women really emanate the spirit. I feel blessed to have been able to sit in on it.  I guess they took a liking to Mikayla and Sally, because they asked both of them to come up on the stand and share their testimonies during the general meeting. They both did a great job. I was so proud of your sister. (They didn't know they had chosen my daughter.)

The General meeting followed. Sister Elaine Dalton, they General Young Women President was there. She is very personable and caring. She has a love for the Young Women and manifest it by hugging so many of them and being excited to greet them. There was a group of people from church headquarteres who were there and recorded part of the meeting from our building and sent the broadcast to other places. There were only six of us on the stand: Elder Summerhays of the Seventy, Sister Dalton, Sister Ashton, Sister Featherstone, President Terry and me. I was was so nervous when it was my turn to say the closing prayer knowing that it was being rebroadcast! Luckily I didn't pass out or go into cardiac arrest. The whole meeting was really neat and very spiritual and emotional for me.

Dad had his Birthday this week. The poor guy didn't even get a gift. I figured the new car would suffice, but I was going to go get a spare key (which cost well over $100) and wrap it up for him so he'd have something to open, but he got that for himself. I couldn't even take a Birthday cake to his work, like I have done in years past, because he took the day off. The two of us ended up going out to lunch together, which was really nice, but still didn't seem like a birthday celebration. 

That night we drove to Weston to watch Jonathan in his starring role as the beast in Beauty and the Beast. He did a great job and it was fun to watch him. His eyes sure did sparkle at the end when he got to dance with Belle. He's such a cute kid.

We got home before midnight and I had had to be up at 5:30 to drive to Tooele for a Cub Scout event, PowWow, on Saturday morning. That was an all day thing. Thank goodness for daylight savings time, I got to sleep in Sunday morning!

Sunday we drove to Draper to see Hollie's baby, Lucy, be blessed. We had lunch at Marion and Karen's home afterwards. Mirranda was there with her boyfriend and Paige was there with her boyfriend. It's crazy to see all the kids growing up.

Tell is about your new companion. How did transfers go? Mirranda was telling me that there are three Elders in your mission that are from Tooele. Maybe you'll meet one of them.

Enjoy your week. I hope you see a lot of success and you stay warm. It sure did get cold here in a hurry. It was super warm on Halloween, but the day after, a cold front came in and it's been cold ever since.

We love you so much!

Mom 





Hello,

I got my new companion on Wednesday. His name is Elder Marchant and he's from Las Vegas. 

Elder Empey and I have been teaching a less-active member named Brother Meeks every week for this past transfer. At first it was just him, and then his girlfriend started sitting in on the lessons. She was in the corner and wouldn't really say anything, but every visit she started to open up more and more. Eventually, Brother Meeks started inviting his friend and his kids to start listening to the lessons, and it's been great. It has escalated into him, his girlfriend, a friend, and three kids sitting in on the lessons. Last week we had a great lesson with them. I think this is the longest it's ever taken to teach about the Restoration. We've been teaching it for the past four weeks. After we got done with the lesson and were out of the house, we started walking towards the car. He came running out and stopped us. He had tears in his eyes as he thanked us for coming over and teaching his family. He said his family has been a lot closer and loving since we started teaching. It really shows me how much the gospel really blesses families. I've seen a huge change in them.

I'm very grateful for the gospel in my life.

Love, 

Jared

PS. Would you mind sending me a few things? I desperately need a new pair of Vans. The ones I have now are on their last leg. I left a practically new pair at home (the red ones) If they haven't been taken over, can you send them to me? Also, a hoodie would be nice...(size L) The last jacket I had was way too trashed to take out here, and it's getting a little cold in our garage.

Sad News from Home

Dear Jared,                                                                  Halloween 2011

Last Monday, sometime between when I wrote you, and you wrote me, Steve Meske passed away. He was struggling to breathe so he called Michelle at work. She hurried home and tried to help him get more oxygen, but it wasn't enough. She called their home teachers so they could give him a blessing, but he died before they made it over. It has been a very emotional week. Michelle has been pretty strong, but I know that it has been so hard for her. She told me that a couple of days later, she was thinking of him, and she heard him say that he was happy and in a good place. This has helped her to feel peace and know that he is doing all right. She is glad that he is not suffering anymore and knows that she will see him again. It's just crazy how fast it happened. I went over last Sunday night and took them some dinner. He was sitting on the couch. He told me to come in and sit down and visit, which I did. We talked for about twenty minutes. He seemed to be doing alright. When I got up, I gave him a big hug and told him I loved him. I had no idea this would be the last time would ever see him again. He was gone just a few hours later. It seems so surreal.   The funeral was on Saturday.

I ran another half marathon this week.. This time it was for Amber Gibson. She just started running in June and we talked her into running the Halloween Half down in Provo. We trained faithfully all summer and fall and soon enough it was time for the race. There were five of us who ran it, me Amber, Laura, Sherisse and Sally. Amber made us all costumes and together we made a rainbow. I must say we looked pretty cute. About mile 11, Amber was getting pretty discouraged, but she hung in there and did not quit. It's kind of amazing when you accomplish hard things after you've told yourself so many times that you can't do it. She hung in there and met her goal. I'm proud of her. That is such a great feeling when you are done to be able to look back and see all your hard work and know that you've done something great.

Dad taught the fifth Sunday lesson in church yesterday. He did an amazing job, (like he always does when he teaches). it was on diversity and accepting other people and their differences. He just really brought it home with visual aids, class participation, poems and beautiful music. He really does have a gift to teach. I am so proud of him. 

Mason Fenn got his mission call to Lima Peru.

Katie Brooks and Rebecca Johnson both had baby boys this week.

Mandy Wheeler is getting married to a guy from California, named Kevin. Your dad actually likes him and APPROVES! They will get married in the Spring. Wierd!

Saturday, Taylor was driving the Audi when some guy crashed into the side. Fortunately no one was hurt (but the car) and it was NOT Taylor's fault, so we should be able to get the car fixed with no cost to us. It's just a bummer that it happened to the only really nice car we own. Dad and Taylor were pretty bummed.

Wow! That was a lot of information this week. The most important though, is for you to know how much we love you, we think of you every day and pray for you several times a day. I am so proud of you! You can do hard things and not give up. Keep up the AWESOME work you are doing and tell Elder Empey goodbye and thank him for his diligent work and for taking good care of you for us. :)

Good luck with the changes that will happen this week. Happy Halloween!

Love you!

Mom


Hello,

Sorry to here about Steve. That's so sad. It seems pretty surreal to think that he's gone.

It seems like a lot has happened at home this week. We had a busy week as well. We're still teaching a lot of neat people and they're all progressing a lot. We've got a ton of appointments for this upcoming week. Me and my new companion are going to hit the ground running. We have two baptisms scheduled for the 17th of December. 

We got transfer calls this morning. I'm staying in Fort Wayne, but out of the six of us here, only one other is staying. It's kind of sad, and a little scary because I don't know the area nearly as well as I need to. There are a lot more streets here than in Plainfield! It's a busy place. 

We had dinner with a family on Saturday night. They're a young couple that went to BYU Idaho, and we were talking about music. Turns out they met at a concert in Kilby Court in 2008 and I was there for that show. Crazy stuff. The world's a really small place. Also, I found out two bands I like a lot broke up. Hearing that was kind of like a Dear John letter, but worse.

Our preparation day today is 1-9 instead of the regular 10-6 because it's Halloween, but Elder Empey is leaving at 1 so we're doing our email now, but I'll be staying with another set of missionaries between now and transfer meeting on Wednesday, so I should be emailing with them too later today. If you want, you can email me and I can send you another email. 

Love you,

Jared

Another Baptism Date

Good Morning Jared,                                                           October 24, 2011

We've had another week of beautiful weather that I am really grateful for. It's been cool at night and warmer in the day. It is supposed to get a lot cooler this week, maybe even snow on Wednesday.

We are really enjoying Ching and Yui. They are so fun and are really trying hard to have a true American experience. They want to try everything and live just like we do. They are really excited for Halloween so they can dress up. It's really fun to see their enthusiasm. They cooked us dinner last Monday night so we could see what they eat. They did a good job.

I spent three more days this week at WoodBadge.  Laura, Sherisse, Kay and Mike Zumwalt went too. We had a really great time. We camped with our separate patrols and did our own cooking. There are really some neat people out there, some who even live right by us and we don't even know it.  Out of all the things I learned there, I'd have to say that my favorite part was meeting so many wonderful people. I guess you could say that it restores my faith in humanity to know that there are so many amazing people everywhere. These people donate so much of their time to helping other people raise their boys through Boy Scouting. They volunteer hundreds of hours every year and give selflessly much of their own resources. I guess this is why the church is affiliated with the BSA, because they have so many of the same values. 

Steve Meske isn't doing so well. He has really gone downhill since you left. I'm pretty sure you will not see him again in this life. He is on hospice now, which is a company that does house calls for the terminally ill. They come in and administer drugs, help bathe and basically keep the patient comfortable until they die. It's tough to see him this way. He's a great man who has really turned his life around. We were talking about that the other day. He told me how grateful he is that he has cleaned up his life so that he is more prepared to meet God. Michelle is really struggling and does not want to let him go. It's going to be tough.

For us, it's life here as usual. School, work, cleaning, homework. Nothing new. We are definetly being watched over. In fact, life seems so good right now, that it scares me a little because I know it is just about our turn for a big trial. I just keep praying to be spared a little longer. :)

I feel so blessed to be your mother. You really make me proud. Keep up the good work and always look for the good in everything around you, and be thankful for it.

I love you!

Mom




Hello,

We've had a great week. It's been busy. I've just got another week with Elder Empey before he flies home. I won't even see him for half the week though because we'll be on exchanges with the Zone Leaders and the Spanish missionaries. 

We've had some awesome lessons this week and we were able to set a baptism date of December 17th for Chris. He's a really awesome guy. He just got married to a member last week and now he's taking the lessons. He's got a lot of real intent. You can tell he's doing it to find the truth, not just doing it for his wife. He's had a lot of really cool experiences that have shown him that this is the way to go. It's really neat talking to him. 

Hope you're having a great week, and thanks for the package.

Love, 

Jared

Following The Spirit

Hello Jared,                                                                  10/17/2011

Another week has flown by! It seems to be going crazy fast.

KSL did come to Spanky's on Monday. They stayed for two hours to get a lot of footage. Kalynn did a good interview. The story turned out nice and I even made my television debut! There I am in the background just working away. I hear they are going to follow her into surgery and do a full story about the outcome. She goes in on Tuesday for the surgery.

The Reich's came home from their mission in Peru. They spoke in church yesterday and gave a fantastic report. They told us how poor the people are there, how they had to baptize in the ocean and how many people joined the church while they were there. It was a really neat meeting. Even Taylor and Mikayla paid attention.

I spent three days last week up at Camp Tracy for a  Boy Scout leadership training, called WoodBadge. It helps to train leaders to teach and strengthen the youth. They divided us up into patrols, six in each one. In my patrol, one guy grew up in Vernal, graduated from Uintah High, and knows some of my family. Another guy, in his twenties, served his mission in New Zealand, like dad. One lives in Draper and knows Marion. Another served in New Zealand, but was much older, come to find out....he was your Dad's mission companion!  And a guy in the patrol next to me lives by Uncle Vaughn. Just goes to show, you should always behave. You NEVER know who you're going to run into. It has been interesting. I will go back this week for three more days, so it has been really time consuming, but hopefully worth it in the end. 

Just as I suspected, the boys have been going through fuel like there's no tomorrow. When I got home Saturday night and got the report of what happened while I was away, the girls told me they ran into the Clayton's at the gas pump. Interesting, since they just filled up right before I left two days before. Taylor happened to mention that he and Dad went and got a pizza for dinner. He didn't bother to say where. Come to find out, they went to Bear Lake to get the pizza. Seriously? But wait...there's more. They found a little straight road and dad let Taylor "open it up". You guessed it. Taylor got his high speed record...107! These boys should not be left unattended. I'm not sure what to do, knowing I will be gone for another three days. "When Mom's away, the boys will play." I may have to hire a nanny to keep the boys out of trouble!

We got two more foreign exchange students, Yui and Ching, from Taiwan. They are really cute girls and speak English quite well. They are happy and excited to be here. They are going to cook dinner for us tonight. They are most excited to see snow and to experience Halloween. It's cute to see how excited they are.

I hope you got your package. I know it's not much, but I didn't really know what to get you that wouldn't be a headache to carry around the rest of your mission. If you need or want anything else, just let me know. I hope you have a great birthday! If you were still in Plainfield, I would call Sister Melton and have her bake you a cake, but since I have lost my only connection, you are out of luck. I thought about sending one, but that seemed disastrous. Just know that we are thinking about you, praying for you and wishing you a super HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

One year older and Wiser too. Happy Birthday to you!

Love,

Mom



Hello,

All our hard work from last week has paid off. we had a really busy week. It's a little bit sad though. Elder Empey's travel plans have been finalized. He's traveling down to the mission home on Halloween day and flying home on the 1st. 

I got some news from Elder Bair in Plainfield today. On my last night with Elder Bair he came down with a bad case of Influenza. Him and his new companion have been pretty sick the past few weeks. I got out of there just in time. :) He gave me some good news and some bad news. Good news is, Jessica is getting baptized on November 1st. It's really exciting! She's awesome. Bad news is... The last lesson I had with Bob he told us he was doing some research on the internet and....got into anti information about Joseph Smith's "33 secret wives". Apparently now he's dropped the elders and doesn't really want anything to do with the church anymore. It breaks my heart. He was doing so well. Hopefully in the future some other elders can bring him back. The ward really loved him and I really love him.

Anyways...back to Fort Wayne. We had a really cool experience this week. As we were planning one night we were planning backup plans for a set appointment we had the next day. We planned four or five people and then after we were done planning that night I thought of someone else in the area we could try by. It was a family that was having some problems and told Elder Empey and his former companion not to come by anymore until they called back after things cooled down. We put them on the very last "well, we'll see them if nobody else is home" backup. Well, the next day we went for our scheduled appointment. We knocked a few times and could see her in the house. She didn't answer. So we moved on to the next family. We were sure they would answer because both of their cars were there. They had to be home. Their five year old daughter answered the door, and when we asked if her parents were there she looked behind the door for a few seconds like someone was talking to her, and then she looked back at us, said "no" and shut the door. It was a little odd, but we decided to move on to our next plan.  The next three people we tried didn't answer. We were on to our final plan of the family that told Elder Empey not to stop by anymore. We showed up and when we knocked on the door we got a nice warm "Come on in!" They were excited to see us. They told us, "it's really funny that you stopped by just now because Anna was just thinking about calling you back and having you come over again so she can get baptized." (This is where my jaw hit the floor.)

This was a really neat experience that showed me how the spirit works. We were inspired to plan to see them, and I'm pretty sure the people we had planned to see first were prompted to not let us in. I know we were supposed to see this family and we were guided to see them.

Neat stuff.

Love you,

Jared