Howdy Jared,
Another week has come and gone, this one was much less eventful than other weeks. We just hung out around the house. I spent a lot of time quilting in my new studio. Taylor spent most of his time working on the car. Mikayla is doing summer school, so she is gone 7 hours a day. Dad was on a business trip in Las Vegas, so it was super quiet here.
Dad said he came away from Vegas unscathed, mostly. He enjoyed a little change of pace. I guess what they say is true, "A change is as good as a rest."
Dad enjoyed a nice breakfast in bed to celebrate Fathers Day. Hallie made a really cute candy bar poster for him and Mikayla wrote a really heartfelt letter. For dinner we all ate TV dinners to commemorate fathers everywhere. What a great day. I sure do love your dad. He is such a great man and an awesome example for all of you. I hope you realize that. He understands the importance of being honest, honorable and faithful. I sure did do a good job choosing him. I have a pretty amazing dad to look up to as well. He has always been a great role model for me and a fine example of what an honorable priesthood leader should be. I love my dad. I have life pretty good.
Today I taught the Relief Society lesson on Revelation and Inspiration. I shared with the sisters how as a young mother I learned the very valuable lesson of listening to the still small voice. I told the story of how I ignored the promptings of the spirit that I should tell you to stop knocking icicles off the house. Of course I didn't listen, and as a consequence, you got your lip cut completely open by a very sharp icicle. That's a lesson that I will never forget. I'm glad to hear that you have already learned in your young life to follow the promptings that you are given. I love hearing about all your experiences.
The gospel is true! God loves you. I love you. Have an amazing week.
Love,
Mom
Hello,
Well, this was our first week in a trio. Our companionship now consists of Elder Matthews, Elder Tobler, and me. On Monday we were biking to a dinner appointment, and man, heads really turn when they see three guys in white shirts and ties riding bikes. It was a fun ride. We even found a turtle on the way. We were biking down the sidewalk and saw a turtle about the size of a dinner plate. I decided to stop and pick it up and take it away from the road it was about to walk on and to take it over to the pond nearby. As a thank you for saving it's life, the turtle peed all over my leg. It was a warm thank you. Luckily, it's so hot right now that my pants were completely dry by the time we got to dinner.
On Tuesday we were biking to an appointment when the person we were supposed to meet with called and cancelled. We decided that we would knock on some of the apartments nearby. A man from Egypt named Michelle answered and after sharing a short message he invited us in to tell him more. The lesson went great...until the end. When we explained that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are seperate beings he couldn't take it. He started arguing and ended up telling us never to come back. Oh well though.
Saturday was really good. We biked a long ways in the hot sun to try by a potential investigator we've been trying to meet with for a long time now. We stopped by at just the right time. She told us that it was the three year anniversary of her husband's death. We answered a lot of her questions and taught a lot about the Plan of Salvation. She told us that the past two years, on the day of his death there has been a rainbow in the sky, even when it's not raining. She said that this year, we must have been the rainbow he sent. It was pretty cool.
Well, that's about all for this week.
Tell Dad happy Father's Day.
Love,
Jared
Friday, June 22, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
PBS Kids
Good morning Jared,
As you could have guessed, you're going to get a report about trek, since that is all we did last week.
Our theme was "Remember Miracles Happen", which turned out to be really sweet since it provided a great reminder along the way for everyone to watch for them. We experienced plenty of them along the way. One happened on the way home when our bus caught on fire. We didn't realize it because all the smoke was behind us, but cars started honking and someone called the fire department. By the time the bus stopped, the entire back of the bus was completely engulfed in smoke. We got everyone off safely and got on another bus. Somehow the fire went out by itself before the fire department arrived just minutes later. After the fact, it was more scary thinking about all the "what if's". I'm really grateful for that miracle.
The whole experience was really neat for me. I had many moments where the spirit was very powerful which immediately brought me to tears. Perhaps the most touching moment of the trip was during the women's pull. They had a slightly uphill, very sandy path which was very difficult for many handcarts, since some of them only had three girls. The young men were standing on both sides of the road at the very end, with their hats held over their hearts, watching as the girls struggled past them. The biggest tear jerker came as the last cart pulled through. Three girls, the oldest was your sister Mikayla (15), a twelve year old sister and Marissa (14) who was born with only one leg. Marissa was determined to trek the entire 20 miles with her prosthetic leg. When they came through the lineup of boys, there was scarcely a dry eye. Some of the grown men were sobbing. It was a very tender moment to say the least.
Mikayla knew she had to be the strength in her family, and she was. I was so proud of her. Marissa, although she struggled, made the entire trek without a single complaint. She was never even tempted to get a ride on the handcart even with a lot of people offering. What an inspiration to us all.
There was so much more, but I will spare you all the details. Suffice it to say that at the end I reigned victorious in a massive whip creme fight with Zach Hosman. Unfortunately there IS video evidence to prove it. You should be so proud.
I am so grateful you are working for the Lord. I know you are in good hands and I can see your progress through each letter.
I want to share with you a quote from Winnie the Pooh, which someone used at your graduation:
"You are braver than you know, stronger than you believe and smarter than you think".
Have an awesome week.
Love,
Mom
P.S. Pray for your dad. He is in Las Vegas all week. :)
Hey,
We've had some fun stuff happen lately. On Saturday we got to help out at a PBS Kids event in the park in downtown Indianapolis. It was pretty cool. We were the crowd control for all the PBS characters that were there. Elder Tobler and I were at the meet and greet tent with two characters called "Super Why" and "Wonder Red" where families could get their pictures taken with them. They came out alternating every thirty minutes and we were in charge of cutting off the line after the thirty minutes were up so the characters could have a break. There were some angry parents. Haha. It was a lot of fun though. There were about 40,000 people there.
We just dropped Elder Rawlins off at the mission home so he can go home and prepare for his mission in Washington in a few weeks. So, Elder Matthews, Elder Tobler and I will be in a trio for the rest of the transfer unless anyone else comes out soon. We all get along well so it's going to be fun. We'll be covering both areas so we'll be busy all the time.
Other than that stuff, it's been a pretty slow week.
Love you,
Jared
As you could have guessed, you're going to get a report about trek, since that is all we did last week.
Our theme was "Remember Miracles Happen", which turned out to be really sweet since it provided a great reminder along the way for everyone to watch for them. We experienced plenty of them along the way. One happened on the way home when our bus caught on fire. We didn't realize it because all the smoke was behind us, but cars started honking and someone called the fire department. By the time the bus stopped, the entire back of the bus was completely engulfed in smoke. We got everyone off safely and got on another bus. Somehow the fire went out by itself before the fire department arrived just minutes later. After the fact, it was more scary thinking about all the "what if's". I'm really grateful for that miracle.
The whole experience was really neat for me. I had many moments where the spirit was very powerful which immediately brought me to tears. Perhaps the most touching moment of the trip was during the women's pull. They had a slightly uphill, very sandy path which was very difficult for many handcarts, since some of them only had three girls. The young men were standing on both sides of the road at the very end, with their hats held over their hearts, watching as the girls struggled past them. The biggest tear jerker came as the last cart pulled through. Three girls, the oldest was your sister Mikayla (15), a twelve year old sister and Marissa (14) who was born with only one leg. Marissa was determined to trek the entire 20 miles with her prosthetic leg. When they came through the lineup of boys, there was scarcely a dry eye. Some of the grown men were sobbing. It was a very tender moment to say the least.
Mikayla knew she had to be the strength in her family, and she was. I was so proud of her. Marissa, although she struggled, made the entire trek without a single complaint. She was never even tempted to get a ride on the handcart even with a lot of people offering. What an inspiration to us all.
There was so much more, but I will spare you all the details. Suffice it to say that at the end I reigned victorious in a massive whip creme fight with Zach Hosman. Unfortunately there IS video evidence to prove it. You should be so proud.
I am so grateful you are working for the Lord. I know you are in good hands and I can see your progress through each letter.
I want to share with you a quote from Winnie the Pooh, which someone used at your graduation:
"You are braver than you know, stronger than you believe and smarter than you think".
Have an awesome week.
Love,
Mom
P.S. Pray for your dad. He is in Las Vegas all week. :)
Hey,
We've had some fun stuff happen lately. On Saturday we got to help out at a PBS Kids event in the park in downtown Indianapolis. It was pretty cool. We were the crowd control for all the PBS characters that were there. Elder Tobler and I were at the meet and greet tent with two characters called "Super Why" and "Wonder Red" where families could get their pictures taken with them. They came out alternating every thirty minutes and we were in charge of cutting off the line after the thirty minutes were up so the characters could have a break. There were some angry parents. Haha. It was a lot of fun though. There were about 40,000 people there.
We just dropped Elder Rawlins off at the mission home so he can go home and prepare for his mission in Washington in a few weeks. So, Elder Matthews, Elder Tobler and I will be in a trio for the rest of the transfer unless anyone else comes out soon. We all get along well so it's going to be fun. We'll be covering both areas so we'll be busy all the time.
Other than that stuff, it's been a pretty slow week.
Love you,
Jared
Monday, June 4, 2012
Guided by the Spirit
Hi Jared,
Did you get your new bike? I sent off the payment, so everything should be good. Please remember to lock it up with the lock they provided.
As you can imagine, this was a busy week, since it was the end of the school year. We were privileged to attend Honors Night at the school for Mikayla. She is a great student and was recognized for her amazing grades. We are really proud of her. Hallie is going to be the same way. She likes getting straight A's. They are much easier than boys who are accustomed to getting one-legged A's.
My bike ride was a lot of fun. I hope you got the pics of your dad and sisters dressed as hippies. Holy cow! That was funny. Taylor, as usual, avoided the camera, and there is no actual photo evidence that I really participated, so you're just going to have to take my word for it. No big crashes this year, and we were blessed that it was overcast for the first 50 miles, so it all turned out great! Love, Peace, Ride!
We are making final preparations for trek. I might be in a full fledged panic by tonight because there is still so much to do, but come Wednesday morning it won't matter anymore. We'll be off on a bus and ready for another adventure.
Mikayla is doing summer school his year. I just dropped her off at Woods Cross. She's taking Biology. I've heard that is a really fun class.
Well, I'd better get busy, time's a ticking. I love you and we never quit praying for your success and safety. Have another awesome week.
Love,
Mom
Hello,
Yes, I got the new bike and I'm locking it up all the time.
This week has been pretty crazy. We've had a lot of things happen. Transfers happened on Wednesday. Elder Tobler and I stayed, but one of the Elders in our apartment left. So, Elder Matthews, one of the Elders covering Westfield got a new companion who has been out for three months and has been struggling with some things. He ended up going home on Saturday morning. Poor guy. This is where things get really confusing... So, to replace this elder another elder that was in a tri-panionship in Avon got emergency transferred here. That elder is Elder Rawlins, he's on a mini-mission right now. He has a mild form of autism so they let him serve a three month mission here to see if he could handle it. He can, so he got a call to a mission in Washington. So, because he got emergency transferred here, he's now serving in his home ward until the 11th when he leaves for the MTC. After the 11th, Elder Tobler, Matthews and I will be serving together covering both areas for the next few weeks until another elder who broke his ankle comes back from recovering at home to be Elder Matthews' new companion. So because of this strange situation We had to do a little exchange on Sunday for church because Elder Rawlins can't be in the building his home ward is in. He and I went to a ward in Fishers while Elder Matthews and Elder Tobler went to church in Carmel and Westfield.
So, that's the situation right now, and it's a little crazy here. We've had a very productive week.
We've had a lot of situations where we've really been guided on what we need to be doing. Most days this week we've had something unexpected come up and because of it, we haven't had time to do all that we planned for. On Friday we were stressing all day trying to find a member to go with us to an appointment that was ten miles away. We couldn't get there without a member because we don't have the car, and nobody was answering our calls. Our appointment ended up canceling on us, so we had to find something else to do instead. I had the thought to stop by a family we found tracting. We rode over there and they let us right in. We taught them the Restoration and it was great. They were really accepting! Tony and Sarah are an amazing couple.
Another time, it happened the next day. We had something come up that took away a lot of our afternoon, so we had to pick what plans we would use. We decided on visiting a less-active family we can barely ever get in contact with. We shared a short message about the ressurrection and what do you know? It was exactly what she needed to hear to comfort a friend.
And...it happened for a third time yesterday! We had originally planned to take a dinner break late in the evening but the Bishop of the Westfield ward invited us all over for dinner. After dinner we had about an hour and fifteen minutes to go somewhere. We decided to stop by Keith, and investigator we haven't been able to meet with because he's always flying out of town for work. We stopped by at just the right time and caught him home. We had a great lesson with him and the spirit was strong. We invited him to be baptized once he knew what we were sharing was true and he accepted!
This week has been full of amazing spiritual experiences. We're seeing a lot of progress in the area right now. I know that it's all building up right now, and soon, we're going to have a lot of people progressing. I know this work is true.
Love you,
Jared
Did you get your new bike? I sent off the payment, so everything should be good. Please remember to lock it up with the lock they provided.
As you can imagine, this was a busy week, since it was the end of the school year. We were privileged to attend Honors Night at the school for Mikayla. She is a great student and was recognized for her amazing grades. We are really proud of her. Hallie is going to be the same way. She likes getting straight A's. They are much easier than boys who are accustomed to getting one-legged A's.
My bike ride was a lot of fun. I hope you got the pics of your dad and sisters dressed as hippies. Holy cow! That was funny. Taylor, as usual, avoided the camera, and there is no actual photo evidence that I really participated, so you're just going to have to take my word for it. No big crashes this year, and we were blessed that it was overcast for the first 50 miles, so it all turned out great! Love, Peace, Ride!
We are making final preparations for trek. I might be in a full fledged panic by tonight because there is still so much to do, but come Wednesday morning it won't matter anymore. We'll be off on a bus and ready for another adventure.
Mikayla is doing summer school his year. I just dropped her off at Woods Cross. She's taking Biology. I've heard that is a really fun class.
Well, I'd better get busy, time's a ticking. I love you and we never quit praying for your success and safety. Have another awesome week.
Love,
Mom
Hello,
Yes, I got the new bike and I'm locking it up all the time.
This week has been pretty crazy. We've had a lot of things happen. Transfers happened on Wednesday. Elder Tobler and I stayed, but one of the Elders in our apartment left. So, Elder Matthews, one of the Elders covering Westfield got a new companion who has been out for three months and has been struggling with some things. He ended up going home on Saturday morning. Poor guy. This is where things get really confusing... So, to replace this elder another elder that was in a tri-panionship in Avon got emergency transferred here. That elder is Elder Rawlins, he's on a mini-mission right now. He has a mild form of autism so they let him serve a three month mission here to see if he could handle it. He can, so he got a call to a mission in Washington. So, because he got emergency transferred here, he's now serving in his home ward until the 11th when he leaves for the MTC. After the 11th, Elder Tobler, Matthews and I will be serving together covering both areas for the next few weeks until another elder who broke his ankle comes back from recovering at home to be Elder Matthews' new companion. So because of this strange situation We had to do a little exchange on Sunday for church because Elder Rawlins can't be in the building his home ward is in. He and I went to a ward in Fishers while Elder Matthews and Elder Tobler went to church in Carmel and Westfield.
So, that's the situation right now, and it's a little crazy here. We've had a very productive week.
We've had a lot of situations where we've really been guided on what we need to be doing. Most days this week we've had something unexpected come up and because of it, we haven't had time to do all that we planned for. On Friday we were stressing all day trying to find a member to go with us to an appointment that was ten miles away. We couldn't get there without a member because we don't have the car, and nobody was answering our calls. Our appointment ended up canceling on us, so we had to find something else to do instead. I had the thought to stop by a family we found tracting. We rode over there and they let us right in. We taught them the Restoration and it was great. They were really accepting! Tony and Sarah are an amazing couple.
Another time, it happened the next day. We had something come up that took away a lot of our afternoon, so we had to pick what plans we would use. We decided on visiting a less-active family we can barely ever get in contact with. We shared a short message about the ressurrection and what do you know? It was exactly what she needed to hear to comfort a friend.
And...it happened for a third time yesterday! We had originally planned to take a dinner break late in the evening but the Bishop of the Westfield ward invited us all over for dinner. After dinner we had about an hour and fifteen minutes to go somewhere. We decided to stop by Keith, and investigator we haven't been able to meet with because he's always flying out of town for work. We stopped by at just the right time and caught him home. We had a great lesson with him and the spirit was strong. We invited him to be baptized once he knew what we were sharing was true and he accepted!
This week has been full of amazing spiritual experiences. We're seeing a lot of progress in the area right now. I know that it's all building up right now, and soon, we're going to have a lot of people progressing. I know this work is true.
Love you,
Jared
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