Funny Story from Elder Hatch

I didn't get this in my letter, but, thankfully, his sister is willing to let me read the letters he sends to her :)

So in Elder Hatch's words:
One day, the other Elders in my district left the apartment and they accidentally left the door open. After I noticed that, I said to my companion, "We gotta make sure we don't leave the door open. I wouldn't want some random African walking in." Not 30 minutes later, someone left the door open and I walk out into the main room and there's some African dude standing there with a propane tank on his head. We both stared at one another,  confused, and then after a bit I said, "Je pense que vous vous êtes trompé" (I think that you made a mistake) to which he replied, "Oui, je me suis trompé" (Yes, I was wrong) and hastily left. After that happened my companion said, "It's like you can see into the future or something..." 

Service is a Quality Thing

This week's letter from Elder Carson Hatch included the following excerpt:

(highlights added)

"So the highlight of this week was going out to the village to teach M. We went out to teach her at our usual time; 4 o'clock. But she wasn't there. Turns out, when we called her to confirm the appointment, she thought we said 1 o'clock. (They use the 24 hour clock here and the French word for thirteen and sixteen are rather close to one another. So it was an understandable mistake.) But anyway, some of the kids were there and they told us she was outworking in the field. So naturally, we wanted to go work in the field! We get out there, apologize for the miscommunication and offer to help! Today, they were harvesting manioc. Manioc is an African root that these people eat a lot of. Imagine a giant sweet potato that has a small, sapling sized tree growing from it. So we grabbed a couple of machetes and started hacking away at this. The little trees are about 6 feet tall, so I felt like I was Indiana Jones cutting my way through the jungle. After you cut the tree, you grab hold of the little bit of base you left and give it a huge pull! *pop* up comes the manioc. So we hacked away at these trees for 30 minutes while all the little kids ran around and help pull up the manioc. Then we hauled all the manioc about half a mile down the road back to their little house. So much fun. I love that family, the little kids are so cute... I'll send you pictures from it. But service is a quality thing! Always look for ways to serve others. Little things go a long way. We talked to her husband at church the next Sunday and he was telling us how much that helped her out. I guess she was pretty exhausted and was really glad to see us and have us help. So that's my little testimony this week."

He's only been a missionary for 3 months, but already I can see growth in this boy. He wasn't fond of service projects while in Scouting/YM, he often grumbled to me about them. He would go do them, but not very willingly. To read these words, "service is a quality thing" from this child brings great joy to my heart. My boy is turning into a man.

Catch the Wave!

In this morning's General Conference session, President Monson stated that as of April 4, 2013 there are 65,534 full-time missionaries serving, with over 20,000 who have received their call but haven't yet entered an MTC, and over 6,000 in the interview process with their bishop/stake president. I'm so happy to know people in each of these stages, and more who are preparing to get to these stages. The spirit of missionary work is strong and brings great blessings!

My missionary son--preparing for Zone Conference (he's the tall skinny one)

Easter--What a Glorious Day!

from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The First Presidency 2013 Easter Message:

Of all the tests we face, none hurts more than the death of a loved one. Through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ all are delivered from death and all will rise in the resurrection. And by the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all may gain peace in this life, be washed clean from the sorrows of sin, and have hope of a glorious resurrection with the just.

At this Easter season we give our sure witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of all mankind. Because of His atoning sacrifice, He stands as our Advocate and Savior. Though He was crucified, He rose triumphant from the tomb to our everlasting blessing and benefit.

Thomas S. Monson

Henry B. Eyring

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Sandals and Fortune Cookie

It's finally been warm enough (consistently) to start wearing sandals. Yep, two days in a row--and I'm going to wear them today as well :)  And because it's finally sandal weather, I had to get a pedicure (yes, it's a necessity in my life). So I'm sporting new toenail color, wearing sandals, sneezing a bit--definitely spring. Oh, how spring makes me happy  : D

In a perusal of my sandal collection, I noticed that my favorite black slides (perfect for work or home, super comfortable, and somewhat stylish) that have served me so well the past several seasons have cracked on the bottom. I don't know how long they will last. Oh sad day. However, last night's fortune cookie gave me hope. It said, "A new pair of shoes will do you a world of good!" Now I am definitely on the lookout for a new pair of black sandals!

First day of sandals a couple of weeks ago

This morning's sandals (please ignore the ghostly white skin)
Notice how much greener the grass is?

He is Risen

As I begin this Easter weekend, I wish I had taken more time this past week to review and ponder the life of Christ. All too often I allow the daily-ness of life to get in the way of the big picture, of what's truly important. In an effort to have a meaningful Easter, I started off today, Good Friday, watching this Bible video, "He is Risen." It's only 7 minutes long--take the time to view it and think about what the events portrayed really mean in your life.

I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend :)

Spring is in the Air--FINALLY!

Yes, I can finally feel spring in the air. We have been having warming temperatures this past week. All the snow is FINALLY melted off my roof  (we have had snow on our roof constantly since Christmas Day, 2+ months, something that has never happened while we've lived in this house). I've heard birds singing the past couple of days, although I'm still on the lookout for my first robin. And yesterday, I actually felt like doing a couple of house cleaning projects. I did them with my back door open to let in the fresh air and sunshine.

Of course this is Utah, so spring is fickle. Today was rainy and there's snow in the forecast for Thursday. That's okay, I know that winter is on it's way out! I can't say it will be a fond farewell, but I will be happy to bid winter GOOD-BYE!