29 December 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

       Good to hear from all of you this past Christmas week. It was a very good Christmas even if we were not home. Mom is taking down all the cards and decorations. If it was up to me they would still be up when we get ready to go home in three months. I'm slowly getting all the Christmas treats eaten. Last year I ate way to many treats, way to fast and put on way to many pounds. This year I am practicing restraint. (kind of). Thank you all for all you did for us this Christmas. In two weeks we get to go to Memphis Temple to be with some of the missionaries we got to serve with last year. That will be a neat experience.

      We just got the Christmas package from Doug's family and are looking at all the wonderful pictures of some of the temples in the book that they gave us. Had to stop and take a phone call. I'm trying to buy a couple of things for the farm before the end of the year. Hope I get it all worked out.

      This year has been a lot warmer here in Arkansas, compared to last year. But there is still a lot of winter left to be had.

Mom Here.  Today is clean up and more clean up.  I have boxes with a few things in them so I have been clearing things out making more room because we still have three more months to go.  I will have to send boxes home like I did last year no matter what Elder Hansen thinks.  Flat rate is about the cheapest way to go especially if the boxes are packed tight and heavy.  I probably won't get done today since I also have to make birthday cookies for Jan and July.

     I get so tired of gray skies the only thing that is good about the color gray is that it might get cold but not bitter cold.  We have not had any ice on the windshield yet no ice storms as of yet and not even a skiff of snow and I am not complaining either.  We even haven't taken any of the missionaries to meetings. this past week  We have actually had little to do other than our regular visiting of less actives.

    We have some friends at the Senior center that we visited last week.  They are so lonely and were so delighted that someone thought of them.  We took a loaf of Lemon bread to each of them and visited with each of them.  We know that they will never join the church but they made us feel welcomed and they are more familiar with the church then before.

      Our Sisters had a scary experience last week.  Even tho' they had been told not to go back to a recent converts home by the Branch President, they did not heed his advice.  They went back to read the Book of Mormon with them meaning the recent converts.  For aChristmas present the converts had been given incense sticks but it was pot incense that they were burning.  The sisters were in the home for an hour by the time they left they were flying high.  They don't remember a lot but for some reason they did not call us to help them they called the Mission Pres. who then called the Jonesboro sisters.  Even as of last night they are still having problems.  They were told to go to bed and sleep it off but of course why would we want to do that?   Anyway when all was said and done we now have sisters who have learned a very important lesson and hopefully this won't happen again.  It never ceases to amaze me how they can get themselves into so much trouble because they did not listen to what the President of the Branch told them.  They have been told again if they get themselves into a sticky place again please call us and we will come

     Gas just keeps going down, I have a bet with Dad that when the gas goes down to $1.99 a gallon he owes my $5.00 because he thought that it never get that low and made the bet thinking that I would loose.  It is only about 8 cents to go, I think that I will have the $5.00.(If it hadn't got below $2.00 a gallon she would have never paid me $5.but now that it might get below that she' holding me to the deal. I tell her the bet expires Dec 31, but she said I never said that in the beginning.)

     Thank you all for the wonderful Christmas that we had.  For the gifts, cards, letters phone calls, and skyping, all of that made Christmas a very special day.  We had dinner at the Branch Presidents home it was so much fun to be around children that actually wanted help from us or would talk to us it felt almost like home.  I don't think that this year has been as hard as last Christmas was even with the Edler's taking such good care of us

     Well I have a lot do, one more thing  We gave the talks in Sacrament meeting yesterday.  I was rattled when the Stake President showed up and then gave a 10min. talk.  Good thing my talk was very short because we did not have very much time to give our talks.  They may not start on time but they end on time and you had better not go over that time either.

     Remember that this is the time of new Beginnings and that is not for just Annie, Kurtis and family or Evan Christi and family but this is for everyone  Be of good cheer and have a great new year that is waiting  for you to go forth.

                                                                          Love

                                                        Dad and Mom, Grammy and Papa 

22 December 2014

familyleDDear Family and Friends,

 Dear Family and Friends,

   Oh, my goodness! but Christmas is getting close. I don't know if the goose is getting fat, but I sure am, all these Christmas treats are getting to me. I keep telling myself not to eat so much, but it is all so good I just can't help myself. Saturday we went to Sister Layton's cookie exchange. This is an annual event for her. As we walked into her dining room two huge tables where full to overflowing with platters of cookies. We took a couple of dozen cookies mom had made and brought back about 4 dozen various cookies. It is always a fun event. Sister Layton's cousin's daughter came, she lives in Pocahontas a town about 30 miles to the west, Sister Layton said, "I haven't seem her in 15 years" I thought to myself, these people need to get out more often. Sister Hansen and I have put on over 9000 miles on our car since we left home the end of September. I replaced the rear brakes last month and now my front brakes are telling me that they need to be replaced. Good thing gas prices are coming down. Thursday when we went to the Christmas Zone Conference in Memphis, Tennessee I bought gas for $205.9 a gallon. When gas started going down I bet Sister Hansen $5 bucks that gas wouldn't get under $2 a gallon. It looks like there is a chance I might lose.

       Another member of the branch here passed away Sunday morning, Brother Shorty Lawrence, there is a good reason he was called Shorty, He was under five feet tall. Since I have known him he has always been on oxygen, he always has his tank with him. He and his wife joined the church about 4 years ago. They have multitudes of problems, but that don't deter them. They are always there and they are always sharing the gospel. They have brought in three other families into the church and their influence continues to grow.

        Mom and I have been asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting this next Sunday, Mom also has the 4th Sunday Relief Society lesson to give. Last year we were asked to speak right after we came and then right before we left. This time it's more like we are long time members of the branch and we just have to take our turn. We have really grown to love this little branch, and the members we get to serve with. We love the young missionaries we get to serve with. It is not easy for them, it can get very discouraging at times, it increases our faith as we watch them stick to it. In three weeks we get to go to the temple with three of the wonderful Sisters we got to serve with last year. The tradition here is that the week before the missionaries leave to go home they get to attend a special session just for them at the temple. The temple that is usually closed on Monday's opens for a special session just for the departing missionaries. We have been invited to attend this time because of our special relationship to these Sisters.

      Our thoughts and are hearts are on all of you especially at this Christmas Season. We have to be careful, not to dwell to much on how much we miss all of you.

Mom here. This seems like year that a lot of members of the church and the Senior BEEs are passing away.  Yes, all of them had been hanging by a thread for a long time.  I am so thankful that we have an understanding about death that it isn't the end.  That there is life after death.

   We have now finished with all the Dec. and June birthdays.  It is the 6 month birthday cookies that tend to confuse people but we have seen some delighted people .  Best of all we get to meet more members of the Branch.  Last night was one of those moments, we have never before been able to actually visit with a Sister that is very much less active.  The birthday cookies surprised her and we were invited into her home.  This was the first time that we have visited with her and her husband.  Funny (not funny haha) how showing a little love and concern will soften hearts.  I was glad that I had participated in a cookie exchange, this time I had a lot of different cookies to share for our last three birthdays.  But Jan. and July will soon be here and it will be back to major cookie making.  I make so many cookies when I get home I really have a hard time wanting to make any cookies at all.  Right now I am doing another double batch of Lemon Bread, it is the all time favorite Christmas treat for special people.  I am giving some to my "mom" and my "aunt and uncle" of course they are members of the Senior BEEs that took us in and really made us feel welcomed.  Everyone else accepted us because they did.  Best of all they found out that we are not weird and we don't talk about the church unless they ask.  They have asked for special prayers, blessings, and help and we do pray for them and bless them when they need a little comfort and help.

     It is strange to have warm temps.  Last year by this time we had had our first ice storm and there was snowed piled up and ice still on the road in places.  We have been told that this winter is suppose to be colder then it was last year but so far we haven't been really cold.  But we have a lot of gray days and only a few days of any sunshine.  This weather is so like the western Oregon weather.  I can not remember ever having a white Christmas, but I sure can remember a lot of rainy Christmases.  I would rather have rain then icy roads and freezing cold temps like we had last year.  Of course it is only the first of winter so I guess we do have a couple of month when it could get cold.   I was thinking that it was darker last night.  Actually it is very dark by 5:00pm every night.  We really don't like going out after dark unless we know where we are going, it is to hard to find someone when we can't read the address on a house.

     We are getting excited for Christmas we have packages under the chair that our tree sits on.  I think that we are more excited to see what is in the boxes then what we got for each other.  We hope that you all have a good Christmas.  That you can have a happy time.  Take a moment and think about the first Christmas and what the Birth of Christ means to the world.  Think about past Christmases and how tradition is such a big part of our lives.    We love you, we pray for you and want you to be happy this season.  Make sure to help each other out.  Wish we could be there to help Annie, Kurtis and family to move but someone else will have to that in our place.

                                                       Love to all

                                                Dad and Mom              Grammy and Papa

1 December 2014

Dear Family,

     When we are little it seems like we wait all year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now that we are grown up we still wait all year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Well Thanksgiving is now officially over, and what a good one it was. It lasted a whole week. As I mentioned on Monday we got to go to the Temple in Memphis with the Sisters from here in Paragould, it was great being with the departing missionaries, most of them we know by sight, some of them we know by name. Elder Breckenridge from Driggs, Idaho still says he will get me a 2T Idaho license plate. Tuesday was our great Thanksgiving Day Dinner following district meeting. That night we went to Greenway, Arkansas for a great Macaroni Dinner with the Cooks. She used three different kinds of cheese, it was delicious, even though we were still stuffed from that afternoon. The elders took seconds, but I noticed our district leader had a hard time making that last bite go down. We were all so stuffed we thought we would never have to eat again. Wednesday I went to the lady barber I used last year when we were in Paragould. She remembered us and even gave Mom a big hug, which surprised  her. We visited with a member who had just lost her father and helped out the best we could. Thursday was the official T-day. We were invited to the Kirksey's for dinner at 1:00 pm. We, Danny Van  Fleet, Sister Kirksey's brother and sister the Kirksey's granddaughter and great granddaughter were all there. Again we ate till we were going to bust. After Dinner Brother Kirksey took Cowboy and me out to show us all his cars and projects he has going on. His shop has more rooms and spaces than mine. Plus 10 times more tools. he told us when he gets all his projects done he is going to tell the Lord "I am all done and now you can take me". Cowboy said "Wow! you are going to live to be a very old man."  The after the relations left we played a rousing game of Phase 10. Wow! is that a long game. Mom won.

   Friday we got up and got ready, packed the car and headed out to Louisville, Kentucky. It was a 6 hour drive. But well worth it. We got to see Sharon, Brad, Megan, Ella, Julian, baby Foster and Megan older unmarried sister from Texas, Lindsey. Megan parents were not there because they are Mission Presidents in California. Saturday was Ella's baptism at 11:00 am, their bishop was there plus a lot of ward members, she was also confirmed then. Ella is very sweet and gives everyone big hugs. I questioned her about maybe running out of hugs some day, but she assured me she would never run out of hugs. Julian (who the call JuJu) is a busy little guy, always on the move, and also very concerned about a lot of thing, he looks like a miniture Brad. Foster is a little snuggler, he loves to be held, a lot. Saturday afternoon Brad took us all down to Ohio River in Louisville, there is an old railroad bridge that crosses the river into Indiana. The trains don't cross there anymore, so it has been turned into a people bridge. The tracks have long been removed and it is a cement walkway. It is very high in the air so a large circular walk way leads up to it. Hundreds of people are crossing it all the time. When we got across the bridge and I finally got to some real soil I knelt down and touched the ground. So now I can say I have been in Indiana. We went to a candy store that Brad and Megan always go to. There where also very crowded streets because a Christmas Parade was about to start. so we stayed for the Parade. A man with a huge white dog named Samantha, told me there was a second hand store down the street, so I walked about five or six blocks to the store. They were still open and they had a stack of old license plates. The guy that owns the shop grew up in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and was very friendly, especially when he found out I was from Idaho. I got 2 Virginia plates, 1 Indiana plate, and two Kentucky plates. It made my day. By the time we got back to the car we must have walked 5 miles. I was a tired boy. Sharon was really tired. On Sunday before church started  the Bishop gave me one of his Kentucky license plates, after Sacrament Meeting where Foster was blessed we headed back to Arkansas, getting in about 5:45 pm. Good to be back.

Mom here. There isn't much to add to this except that as we were driving home we had a lot of wind and 72 degrees was the temp.  There was a cold front that was pushing through and now we are about maybe 38 degrees and raining.  In the part of Kentucky that we were driving through there is mostly Parkways and a Turnpike that we were on.  The little city that Brad and Meagan live in was established in 1789.  It is a relatively new subdivision but the roads are narrow and twisty.  Sharon says it is because they wanted more homes less good streets.  The chapel is big, they have two wards and a branch that meet there.  According to Brad that there are several churches in the Louisville area and at least three stakes or more in just the area that they are living in.They are trying to find a job closer to home so far nothing.  There are about five other LDS dentist who have graduated from dental school so they are thinking of going back to Utah or some place closer and open up a dental office where they all work.  I think for what it is worth that they would do better if they found a dentist that was already established.  Because some time down the line there could be a lot of friction trying to work together and making the practice work.

     Well we are home and glad to be and already back into the missionary mode.  We have transfers this week .  Apparently we are going to Memphis to pick up a another Sister so there will be a threesome for about a week and a half.  We still don't know which areas are going to be closed or who will be put where and I guess we will wait and see just like everyone else.

     Well we have related everything that has been going on with us and I have laundry that needs to be finished.  Take care and remember there is only 24 days before christmas we hope that you are ready.  There is no Christmas music on the radio, we couldn't believe it.

                                                                Love

                                                           Dad and Mom   Grammy and Papa

15 December 2014

Dear Family,

Not sure how much time we will have tomorrow, so we will start a letter tonight. Monday through Friday we work at the Senior Bees packaging "meals on wheels", they do about a hundred a day. We leave here about 9:10 am every morning and work for about a half and hour. Mom and I have these nice aprons I ordered on line that we wear each day. Mom's is red and mine is green of course. I also ordered on line these cute little chef's caps, they are white and made of cloth with an elastic in the back, so one size fits all. We both wore them, until I was at the local John Deere Dealer and one of the salesman gave me a nice green John Deere cap with their Legacy Equipment logo on it. Now I wear that each day. The main cook at the center covets my cap. We both wear cheap throw away gloves. Cleanliness is important you know. (except the other day I was dipping up gravy onto the meat dish and pop! my name tag pops off right into the gravy, very embarrasing. It was clean and I fetched it right out, hope no one got sick from my name tag.) The lady that help put the dinner trays into insulated bags, said "That's Okay later when I get hungry I can just lick the gravy off the nametag." It's a fun bunch that we work with. Brother Billy Mode an old retired widower volunteers each day at the center also. Sometimes he has to work at the pantry on the other side of the building so I take over his job crimping the lids onto the trays with a hand run slammer. It is important not to have your fingers in the way when you slam the handle down. The day my name tag popped into the gravy I was doing five things, first I put the gravy on the meat, then I put the lid on the tray, then I dent the sides of the tray inward, then I put the tray in the slammer, then slammed it and gave them to the lady to put into the insulated bags. There is an oven in the kitchen that they heat up stove bricks (the kind that we have in the wood stoves at home). Each morning before we start dishing up the meals we put two hot stove bricks into the bottom of each bag. Then a plastic tray goes on top of the bricks then two alumimun dinners then another tray then two more dinners, until there are about 18 trays into the bag. Then the lid is zipped tight and it stays that way until the meals get delivered to the homes. The bricks keep the meals warm. There are five routes and five vans and five drivers.

Mom here   This time around we have spent time in hospitals visiting sick people,or people who are recovering from surgeries.  We also do what Pres. Milne calls us to take care of.  So we have found wood for a family and then with the Elders help took it out to the family and stacked it.  I stayed With Sister Charles and just let her talk about her deceased husband.  The wood and the pickup came from her and the Elders and Dad did not need my help.  We have actually gone with the Elders to less active members home and they came with us to take birthday cookies and dried fruit to another less active family.  This the first time that we have been asked to go any where with them, so it was good.  We certainly spend more time with the Elders then the Sisters.  We are their transportation and I know that we have already talked about that.  I am glad that we are not going all the way to Little Rock this week.  Last week was Zone meeting in Searcy on Wed. then on Thurs. we went to Little Rock for a Senior couples Christmas dinner.  By Friday we were tired but we still had places to go and birthday cookies to deliver.   This week we take Sister Huefner to Searcy and then on Wed we get to go to Memphis and that is only one and a half hours of travel time.  Searcy is two hours away but Little Rock is three hours away.  By the time we drive to Little Rock, stay about three hours then drive home again we have been gone for nine hours.  But I'm not complaining (much) we are helping our Elders and Sisters learn better how to be effective missionaries

     It is hard to believe that it is Dec.  We have had warm temps. for the last 6  weeks.  It is strange to have 51 degrees and today lovely sunshine.  We have had more fog the usual and cloudy days with rain but never gets very cold.  So unlike last year when we had an ice storm and snow on the ground this time of the year.  I like it warmer, the sun can really heat up our apartment so that we don't need to have the heat on all the time.  When the sun goes down it does get chilly but not freezing cold.

     I am singing in our Branch's little choir which is made up of mainly missionaries. The Elders have a harder time, if Elder Brich could find a good enough excuse he would decline singing in the choir.

     The Christmas season really starts moving faster now but we want you to know that we are doing what we know to be right.   We know that Jesus is the Savior of the world and he wants us to be happy and to choose the right.  We love you all

                                                 Mom and Dad

                                                Grammy and Papa

8 December 2014

Dear Family,                                                                                       December 8, 2014

     The sisters had to use our computers today and so we are very late in getting our stuff done.  I made cookies for the next two weeks while we were waiting.  I really want to get the Christmas cards out this week.  But we have zone meeting Wed. at Searcy then we have the Senior missionary meeting on Thurs. at the mission home in North Little Rock.  It seems like we are on the road a lot these next two weeks.  Sister Huefner is leaving on Dec. 15 and we are taking her to the mission home that day.  I’m not sure how everything is going down with three Sisters going to Little Rock with us.  There is a Time Out for Sister Missionaries going on also.  I don’t think that I will be involved since my companion is Dad and I would have to spend the night with I don’t know who.  This is one of the activities that I could easily forgo.  We learned the last time that we are usually  not included in activities that are for just the Elders and Sisters.  We provide rides nothing more and that is fine with us.

     The weather here has been interesting to say the least.  It got really warm and on Fri. we had rain for most of the day.  That night we had a major thunder and lightening storm.  At first we couldn’t figure out what the noise was then Dad opened the sliding glass door to our balcony and we could see what was going on.  We have been told that they had a tornado on Christmas Eve.  That is so totally different from Idaho’s weather.  It gets cold when the skies are clear and then it starts to warm up and rains and then we start the cycle again.

     There have been some changes in the way that the Branch is moving since we now have a new Branch President.  He is a lawyer and is very organized.  He desires to follow the handbook and refers to it in our meetings.  Our Branch mission leader is totally different from what we had last time that we were here.  We now identify who in the Branch  either should be or who would be willing to work with all the inactives and new members. This is the first time that there has been such a concerted effort and I am glad to see this beginning to work.  Missionaries come and go but the members are always there and they have to pick up the ball and go forward.  The Relief Society Pres. is supportive as is the Elders Quorum Pres. so it makes it better for everyone.

     We have a lot of potluck dinners so of course everyone comes.  We had one for Thanksgiving and we now have had one for the Christmas Devotional.  There is always lots of food and most of the left over food is sent home to the missionaries.  This time all three sets had food sent home with them.

    We are doing pretty well.  We are healthy and keeping busy  Our new District leader is trying to get used to a small building and few people.  He has already made one investigator mad but I think that that has been taken care of.  It has to be hard to come to an area that he really doesn’t know  or the people that he will be working with. 

Dad here: Wednesday we picked up the Elder Wahl and Elder Cook at 6:15 am and drove to the Mission home in North Little Rock. All the missionaries from this half the state were there. It was a big meeting. We had 12 new missionaries coming into the mission. They pretend like they know what’s going on, but I am sure they are as lost as we were when we came out. We had 21 missionaries returning home. So the mission president gets up and makes assignments of who is going where and with whom. The missionaries know which one are being transferred they just don’t know where till then. So Elder Wahl knew he was being transferred. So we took all of his stuff down with us in our trunk along with his bike. We got it all to fit. Of course we had to take his wheels off of his bike and put them in separately. Our new district leader is Elder Brich. We couldn’t get his bike to fit all the way into the trunk, his seat was really high and it took an allen wrench to losen it, but no one had one and mine was here in the apartment. So we bungeed the trunk closed. It great to be with a lot of the missionaries. Our district is made up of the Pocahontas and Paragould missionaries. Sister Elder from Pocahontas was leaving for home Her companion Sister Somers (the smallest sister in the mission) was being transferred to another area, so they closed down the sister’s area in Pocahontas.  We got to met Sister Kalihiki at transfers, we also got to met Sister Cooke from last year. It was good to visit with both on them. On the way back to Paragould we stopped at Searcy and ate at a buffet with the Elders, they seem to enjoy being fed especially if they are not paying for it. We got back late that afternoon. The Sister from here went to Memphis for transfers. We didn’t lose either of them, they just picked up another Sister that is staying with them. They are in a threesome. The new Sister is Sister Foster from Nampa, Idaho. She attended church in Jill’s building in Nampa. We like her, well we like all the missionaries that we are serving with. The Sister were over today using our computers to write their emails home. So we are getting ours done very late this evening. I had probably better quit so we can get this letter sent off.

Love all you guys Take care of yourselves. Love Elder and Sister Hansen

17 November 2014

Dear Family,

    Today is room check. I didn't know that apartments had room checks, but this complex does. We were to have things picked up, floors vacuumed, counters cleaned, garbage out.

Anyway mom had it all done.

    Glad to get your letters and emails. We just took a bunch of letters to the Post Office and sent them off. Mom sent some Thanksgiving Day Cards and I worked on a General Conference quiz for the kids. The first ones I made didn't have letters to match and you had to draw a line. I took the quiz myself and it was so messy I could not tell where the lines were going. Mom had already put the quizzes in with the cards and sealed them, so I made new quizzes with blank lines and alphabet letters. And I made them for all the older kids. Hope they have fun filling them out. There is a reward.

    We just got back from delivering birthday cookies. Mom is reheating the meatloaf and baked potatoes from yesterdays dinner. Mom went to choir practice while I fixed supper. She made me follow a recipe, because she knows how I fix meatloaf, I still crumbled up an apple muffin into the meatloaf, she says she can taste it. I can't, mainly because I smother my meatloaf with catsup. I only do catsup on meatloaf, taco's and hambugers.

    The branch had a baptism yesterday. A young teenage couple with twins were baptized. They had been bringing their neighbor to church because she didn't have a car. Their neighbor was baptized two weeks ago and now they are.

Mom here.  After I had knocked myself out to get this apartment very clean all she did was briefly look around and never checked the garbage disposal, or the hot water tank which she had made such a big deal about.  I guess she decided that those were items that she didn't need to check.

     Finally found a lady who has been cutting hair for 30 years.  After cutting my bangs and trimming my hair the way that Julie does I decided this is the lady for me.  Dad will still go to Lois but I will stay home so that she doesn't think that she is cutting my hair also.  We are not here to hurt peoples feelings.

     It has been cold here, with a cold wind that feels like it is coming off of an ice pack.  We had a little bit of snow not enough to close school .  I don't think that we will have a lot of snow but I do think that we will have a lot of cold temperatures.  We are suppose to have rain so it is going to have to get warmer then 31-36 degrees.  Last year at this time it was warm and lots of sun.  At least it wasn't an ice storm last night.

     We will be taking the Elders this time to Specialized Training in Searcy.  They asked Sunday after church, the Sisters waited to long to ask.  I knew that we would be taking some one I just wasn't sure which one  would ask first. 

     We are having a problem with the computer so I am getting  off while the getting off is good.

     We love you and hope that the Thanksgiving holidays will be fun. 

                                         Love Dad and Mom / Papa and Grammy  

27 October 2014

Dear Family,

    Wow, 14 seems quite big print. But 10 was way to small. It has been a busy week for us. Our Hawaiian Sister was leaving our area on Wednesday so we spent a lot of Tuesday taking her around saying goodbye to all her friends here. (The sisters were without a car this week) Sister Kalahiki was well liked, she taught grammy how to hula. Since all missionaries have bikes, and we were the ones to drive the sisters to Little Rock for transfers. We tried to buy a bike rack to fit our car, so we could take her bike. Bike racks come in three main types. One fastens to the luggage rack on top of your car (which we don't have). One fits into the bumper stinger on the back of your car (which we don't have). The other type fastens to your trunk with straps you tighten. They fit almost all cars, the only exception is cars that have raised spoilers on the trunk. Guess what? We have a raised spoiler. So Tuesday evening we went to the sisters and practiced getting all of Sister Kalahiki stuff in our car. Luckily by taking off both her wheels and putting them and the bike in the trunk with all her luggage, every thing fit. Wednesday morning we got up at 5:30, got ready and left at 6:30. Good thing we have a good GPS, the only time we had been to the mission office in North Little Rock was last year the day we entered the mission. The Mission Office is out of a Stake Chapel building. Over half the mission was there, because there are only two transfer sites in the mission. One in North Little Rock, the other in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis is a lot closer for us but we are in the Little Rock Area and besides Sister Kalahiki was being transferred to that area. 11 new missionaries came into our mission that day. The thing that was unusual was that only one missionary was from Utah, and he was from St George. We got a brand new missionary assigned to Paragould, she is Sister Taylor from Ames, Iowa. We like her, but she doesn't hula. With a 3 hour drive down, 2 hours in meetings, and 3 hours back, I was pooped. I feel asleep when we got back and didn't wake up until it was time for meetings at the branch chapel at 7:00.

    Met a lady this week that lived in Alaska, she said when she gets her new Arkansas license plates I can have her Alaska ones. Hope that happens. We are visiting our local artist, I gave him some of my pictures. he is attempting to  paint Indain Head for me.

    As the missionaries in our mission we are all reading in the Book of Mormon at the same time. They started the end of September and read 9 pages a day, we will be done by the end of November. Kind of a neat thing to be at the same place altogether. I am still trying to finish from when I started at the beginning of summer. I start the Book of Moroni today, so I am almost finished with my own reading.

  Mom here. I have been writing to the Grandchildren that has written to us so anything that has been left out in this letter will be in theirs. 

     We have been called to be teachers to the adults this time around.  Dad is like a team teacher in the Gospel Doctrine class I hope it will be better then the last go around since they are again teaching from the Old Testament I am the 4th Sunday teacher in Relief Society.  Since we only have about 5 months left I will only teach 5 lessons.  It will be a big change for me since Primary seems to be where I have been for a while.  It will be a change for Dad also there is a lot of difference from 12 year olds to adults.

     We craved our pumpkin today with the help from our Sisters.  We could have done it ourselves but they wanted to help so they basically craved the pumpkin.  Dad cleaned it out and they craved.  I am pretty sure that craving pumpkins was not something that they had even thought about.  We used what the Laurel class had sent us.  That was such a surprise especially since no one from the Ward really even writes us or keeps in contact except for Brother Lewman our new home teacher.

     I feel tired all the time, I am really hoping that the change from daylight to regular time will help me not be so tired.  I think that part of my problem is that this apartment faces the parking lot and a busy road.  Late at night someone is outside honking their horn.

     I need to get my bed made and fold up some clothes.  Take care all Have a Happy Halloween going trick or treating.

                                  Love Mom and Dad or Grammy and Papa  

    

6 October 2014

Dear Family,

      I think that Dad has forgotten how to send one letter to everyone we may have to have everyone send us their e-mail addresses again.

   Thank you Annie and Evan for sending us e-mail letters already.  This will be your first letter from the mission field.  The Sisters are helping us fit in and getting us up to speed.  Dad invited both sets over for FHE but the Sisters had an appointment so we will see if the Elders will actually come or not.  The Sisters came to help Dad send our letter to the Mission President, they just happened to be here while I was making cookies, they were very happy to sample the cookies.  They thought that the recipe was delicious and wanted a copy.

     We arrived here Wed. evening, so with the help of the Sisters we put our bed together and brought up only the carry on bags and then we had to do a little bit of shopping so that we would have something to eat in the morning.  We unpacked the car the next morning again with the Sisters help.  I'm not really sure but there seems to be little bit of unwillingness to work together as missionaries with the Elders 

    We watched General Conference at the church.  The Sat. sessions it was mostly just the missionaries except for the Priesthood session and they had 12 men there.  But whenever there is food involved then more people come.  I went to the Priesthood session with Dad since I am his companion.  Sunday morning there was 25 but again we had a potluck between sessions.  We had been invited to a 90th birthday party so we went and spent a little time at the party.  Annie, who has adopted me as her daughter invited us to her husband's party.  I don't think that John even cared he has just accepted the fact that she thinks of us as part of her family and so treats us as such.  We still made it to the Sunday afternoon session on time when again it was mostly just the missionaries.    Elder Robbins talk was so powerful and direct as were so many of the talks.  I must admit sometimes I had fallen asleep before I even knew it.  I am having a hard time trying to get this keyboard to do what I am telling it to do.

    This time change has me feeling sleepy much of the time.  I know that it is only an hour different but it is enough.  One thing that I have noticed is that, there is a lot of hugging going on here.  It is like we have been gone for years instead of 6 months.  Everyone asks if the farming was good, did we make enough money to be here.  They are REALLY excited that we are back.   The missionaries were getting tired of people asking them when the Hansen's were getting back when they didn't even know who the Hansen's were.  The Sisters came out when everyone was making the big push.  So they are a part of the 45 missionaries that are leaving in Dec and Jan.  apparently we are getting 25 to replace the 45 or more that is out here now. We will have missionaries that will be brand new to this area.  I am thinking that the amount of  missionaries here will be decreased by one set.

     We had to buy pieces to have certain things in the apartment.  At first we had the wrong bedframe so that the bed was not set up.  We had a computer desk of sorts but only one shelf and no office furniture like a book shelf.  No missionary pamphlets or Book of Mormons.  So we bought chairs end tables which are actually plastic dressers, a bookshelf and a printer table.  We will donate the kettles and the furniture to the mission.  Elder Bowling told us that until more missionaries go home he doesn't have much to choose from so just go out and buy what we need.

     Well we need to go to Walmart and buy some clear goody bags for the cookies.  I have some at home and I was going to pack them but didn't get it done because I didn't do it when I first thought of it.

Dad, here. We also forgot our temple clothes so we are going to have to have Angela send them to us. The old Relief Society president is getting sealed to her husband next month and we have been invited to attend. Branch Conference is coming up this month. Rumor is is that a new Branch President will be put in place. They really need one since the old Branch president has moved out of the Branch boundries, plus his wife is the new Stake Young Womens President, plus he has been the Branch President over six years. We will have to wait and see what happens. None of the current branch presidency are high priests, they are all elders. They were about the only ones in the branch that are married, with families. Not much to choose from. We have been very rewelcomed into the branch. Like mom says there are a lot of hugs, from the people we have known.  Love Mom and dad

November 10, 2014

Dear Family,

      Well Evan, we loved your funny letter.  I know that the whole incident was embarrassing but when you look back at it a few years from now you will laugh.  Does everyone remember Hannah swimming on the floor at your reception?

      The best news for this week is that Dad is feeling much much better.  He has a little cough usually in the morning but other then that he is back to be his old self.  After spending a week mainly stuck in the apartment it is good that we can get out and do our job.  Sat. Dad and two other Priesthood Brothers finished the skirting on a single ladies trailer house.  They finished what had been started a few months ago.  I stayed home cleaned the apartment and made bread and wrote letters to some of my very favorite people which is of course the family.  Brother Lewman our home teacher and Linda Walker my visiting teacher keeps in contact with us.  But Linda and Bruce will soon be leaving on their mission so that might be the end of getting letters from my visiting teacher.

     I am going have to stop and pick this up later this afternoon 

Dad here. It's now 3:00 PM. We are now suppose to go out and do missionary work. During the month of November our whole mission is on a special mission. The mission has been building up to this for months. The Mission has set the goal of 100 baptism, 100 confirmations, and 100 reactivations during the month of November. They have never had that many baptisms in a month before. Part of the working towards this goal, all of the missionaries are cutting their p-days short and will be out to work by 2:00 PM. Well we have be out all day already, volunteering at the seniors, meeting with a lady who was baptized in July, so we could meet her husband over lunch, taking birthday cookies to the new Branch Presidents Family. We just got back in. so I think we will do our laundry and clean the apartment and write our letters. Besides we have never kept the regular missionaries time schedule.

    By the way yesterday at sacrament meeting, a member of our branch, who is a member of the Stake Presidency, got up and released our branch presidency. I was shocked, not that they were released, but because it should have happened long before. The Branch President moved our of the Branch boundries earlier this summer. But he wasn't released. We had branch conference last week and he wasn't released. There has been a lot of oppurtunities to do it. It just never happened. Then Sunday without any warning, they released the Branch Presidency. The first counselor was made the new branch president, the 2nd counselor was made the 1st counselor, and brother Van Anturp was made the 2nd Couselor.(His job changes in the spring and his new job is in Little Rock and him and his wife were moving down there.) I guess it will all work out. Brother Jack Cook who was sealed to his wife last Saturday was made the Branch Executive Secretary. It was a very emotional time for me. I wasn't expecting it and then I am really going to miss President LaVetter. He has been the most missionary minded church leader I have ever worked with. Well, things will go on.  

    There is a young married couple that has been attending church this past month. They were neighbors to Amanda, who was baptized last week. Since she didn't have a car, so they would bring her to church on Sundays. They also are taking the lessons from the Sister Missionaries. They are young, like 18 years old, and they have the cutest little twin girls(about 6 months old.) Yesterday their auto insurance had lapsed and they needed a ride to church. The Sisters asked us if we could help out, so we ended up driving the husband and the twin girls to church, the wife rode with other members. And we took them back home after church.

    Thank all you guys for sending us letters and things, we so enjoy hearing from all of you. It makes our day to get a letter or e-mail or picture or note from you and the grandkids.  We enjoy the funny stories and the not so funny.

    Mom here.  In some ways it is harder to serve this time.  The last time we were all working together and helped each other.  This time the Elders and Sisters don't work together and don't seem to want to and they don't want our help.  So we just go and do our own things, it is a little awkward at times.  I finally asked Elder Wahl if he would remember to tell us about District meetings and other meetings.  Coming in the middle like we have, I think that it is easy to forget about us.  I spent a lot of time while Dad was sick making birthday cards for all the members in this Branch and I just right on making cookies.

     We need to close, Dad just brought up a retro lamp that member found for us.  We really don't need it but he was so excited that he had found one, so we will use it.

      All of you have a good Thanksgiving and we will also.   Love to you all

                                                                                   Dad&Mom, Papa&Grammy

10/12/14

Dear Family,

   We have just read Doug's and Evan's letters.  Oh the joys of parenthood just remember this to shall pass faster then you think.  I can remember thinking that we would be stuck with all eight of you for the rest of our lives as when you were all small.  We are stuck with you all even now but I don't regret at any time that we have a wonderful family.  It isn't easy to know all the answers and to know all the things that need or have to be done right now but hang in there, Be Brave Stout Hearts You Can Do This.

     We have been visiting lots of people, getting reacquainted with those who we knew from before.  One of those passed away early this morning.  He was very sick and was on oxygen all the time and had been for a very long time.   This time we are hearing a lot of sad stories, I guess they figure that we are one of them.  Or maybe it is because we are missionaries and we represent Christ  Today I was asked three times if we were going to stay here.  Brother Lewis the high councilor wanted to know what it would take to get us to stay .  I acted all innocently and said that by the end of March the farm would be calling our name to come back and that we would have to leave.  The Stake is looking for a new Branch President but Dad is not the one that will be chosen.  What is so not so funny is that the wife of a member of the Stake Presidency asked the same question.  We will just do what we do best and that is visit all or at least most of the inactives and invite them to come back to church.

     We have had so much rain that I am really ready for some sunshine which is suppose to happen this week.  We woke up to fog that then turned into more rain.  Sometimes it feels like we are breathing in water all the time.

  Dad had been looking for an office chair that reclines but with all the smoking and everyone has a dog or several and a cat the recliners would stink up the apartment and I am not interested in doing that  One of the members brought an office chair without casters so it sits really close to the ground and it was very dirty so he washed it with a pressure washer, then he brought to church today in the back of his pickup and since it rained so hard during church it is now on our balcony drying out.  Hopefully it won't take the rest of the 6 months to be dry.  The Mission Office said that we could buy two recliners but of course money would be an issue  We are thinking that we will buy a dining set cheap if possible and use the table that we have now for a desk so I can get all the birthday cards made and keep everything in one place instead of all over the office. 

     We have not been given any assignments yet, other then to be supportive.  It was nice to actually go to the Sunday Class and then to Relief Society.  We saw Meet the Mormons at our last Zone meeting but it was hard to hear all that was being said.  There has been a big push here to go and see it so we will be going with the Kirksey's to watch it tomorrow night, we should be able to hear it this time.

     We love to hear all the funny stories that happen in your families.  Just tell us all that is going on in your life so we will at least know.

     I need to unload the dishwasher and put Sunday's dishes in and then do some reading of the Book Of Mormon.  We are suppose to be done by the end of Nov.  Dad only wants to read as far as the missionaries are but I would like just read until we are done and on no schedule other then to be done by the end of November.  We are reading Jacob 5 you know that very long chapter.

      Dad here, We went out and visited a non member family named the Smothers, we got to know last time we were here. The husband had Alzhimers Most every one that came to their house he would tell them they would have to leave. We were one of the only ones he never told to leave. Anyway he passed away this summer while we were in Idaho. She is very lonely.  We had a nice visit and it was good for her to talk. There was an older gentleman down at the Seniors center we would visit with last year. He wasn't at the center when we came back. I asked about him and they told us he was at a care center. So we went to the care center and they told us he has gotten really sick and they had to take him to the hospital. We went and visited him at the hospital, he is in very bad shape I don't think he will make it much longer. We need to go again this week. Last week we went to a zone meeting in Searcy, that is over two hours away. We took the Elders with us. Elder Wahl is from Hillsboro, Oregon and Elder Cook is from Utah. We have a specialized training in Searcy this week. We are suppose to take our extra firm mattress that is in our apartment and trade it for the mattress we had last year. The elders here have a Toyota Tacoma pickup as their car. so hopefully all arrangements are made so we can get our old mattress back, there is also two cushions for our couch that got left in Little Rock. Hopefully we can get them to. But since most things don't happen as planned, I'm sure we will still have and extra firm mattress and a couch without cushions. I found a Office chair on Craigslist here in paragould for $20 I called and left my number but they never called back and the ad isn't there anymore so it must be sold. Love Dad and Mom

The Very Last Letter From Arkansas: 3/23/14

Dear Family and Friends                                                                    March 23, 2014

            Well here it is, the last full day in our missionary apartment. Went to Church this morning, Sister Hansen and I were asked to speak. Then we taught our last Sunday school class, then we went to our last priesthood and Relief Society meeting here in Paragould. The meetings were good as always, but the good byes were tough. When people break down and cry or get all choked up when they are saying goodbye, that is pretty hard to take. Even last Friday at the seniors centers as we said our good byes. It was hard to leave home, but it is much harder to leave here. Mom has most everything packed up. Last night I loaded the trunk, totally full. Now the rest has to go in the back seat in the morning. There is still a lot left, probably won’t be able to see out the back window on the way home. But I am determined to make it fit, especially since I took to boxes to the shipping place and they wanted $40 a box for shipping and they weren’t that big or weighed that much. In the morning I have to take the modem back to the Light, Power and Cable place, so I have to get this e-mail off today.

            The sleep bug got both of us.   I haven’t been sleeping well because I get cold during the night.  Now I know that there is an easy fix but the blankets have been washed some have been already packed and in the trunk.  So I cuddle closer to Dad to keep warm at night.

     The apartment manager does a spring apartment check on Tues.  I have never heard of an apartment check except on campus housing.  So again I am packing our things but also the missionary things and then each room has to be dusted and cleaned.  I have most rooms clean because I keep the apartment clean anyways but there is always the little things that have to be done and all the floors have to be cleaned and some have to be scrubbed.  We were given a list of things that they want done.   I don’t think that the housing wants to pay a fine for messy apartments so we will be cleaned up before we leave.   I cleaned out the cupboards and fridge, gave things to the Sisters and Elders at least what they would take.  Boxed up more and took it to the couple that we have taught and baptized.  The rest we will take to the family that is kind enough to feed us tonight.

     I am so afraid that I will forget something and if I do then that will be the end of it, the missionaries will think that it belongs to them.

     Earlier this last week we received a phone call inviting us to go and visit a Roman and Celtic reenactment. They were getting everything ready to do the reenactment and so we could go and see what they were doing without having to be in costume.  We took the Elders and Sisters with us.  I can easily say that it was impressive and the Elders and Sisters loved it.  I don’t think that they will forget it.  They received a lecture on the history that was being reenacted by some of the men that were part of the Celtic village.  Dad and I was given a lecture on grain grinding and I got to do that then we were shown how the sling works, I would not want to be hit by someone slinging a stone.  The Elders and Sisters got to help put up a leather tent at the Roman fort.  We walked all over probably more up hill and down then we have done in a long time.  We had just had a heavy rain so there were puddles big ones that we had to walk around.   It was a great day to see the camp the sun was warm and there was no wind.  We might even be able to sell 50lb. bags of barley to them next year.  It was a great experience for the missionaries, once they figured out that these were not our children.  Of course we all had to come home and do tick checks and I took a shower.  But it was great, where else could we have seen a Roman fort and a Celtic village.  Once in awhile we see things that I don’t think we would have seen any where else.

Love Mom and Dad

3/17/14

Dear Family and Friends                                                            Marchuary 17, 2014

 

            Happy St Patrick’s Day! We are planning our traditional dinner of corned beef, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, soda bread, pistash-pistash- pistash, green gravy. We are having the missionaries over. Only Sister Mazeika has had corned beef. We’ll have to see how the others like it.

            Last night we went to the Branch President’s for supper. They also invited a part-member family over. They have only one child, a boy who just turned 12, he was ordained a deacon yesterday. They are Spanish from Mexico, both the husband and wife have engineering degrees. The husband is the non-member, his company sent him up to Arkansas to do some work for their company here, they liked him so much they offered him a very nice job here. So they moved up last fall. The wife is from a wealthy family and has always had servants to cook the food, do the laundry, and clean the house. She hasn’t found a job yet here in Arkansas, so she has turned into a stay at home mom. The first six months they lived in a small rented house, they just bought a newer, bigger brick home in a really nice neighborhood, we went to visit them last week. We commented on how big it was. The wife said: “Yes, and a lot more to have to keep clean.” I don’t think the husband can resist much longer not joining the church. The branch here is so warm and welcoming.

            Saturday we drove about 12 miles to the east to the farm that is managed by the Elders Quorum President. He took us on a tour of the farm. It is called Black Gold Farms. It started years ago up in North Dakota as a family farm. They have expanded down through the Midwest all the way to Florida. Tens of thousands of acres are part of the farm (mom here)and they have a contract with Frito-Lay to provide all the potatoes for potato chips.  I thought that they just used regular potatoes but no there are potatoes that are just for chips and nothing else.  So on our tour we saw the diggers of course but what was interesting was the way the potatoes are washed.  We drove around several acres of ground that was either already planted or were being planted.  Since the soil is still wet there were places that nothing grows.  The farm in Missouri rents about 5,000 acres of land, they only own the place where the office and shop is.  This year they bought 45 new tractors and the ones that were sold back to the dealership were only a year old.  There was potato seed every where inside several buildings.  We learned more about potatoes.  So now we have been on a rice and soybean farm, a cotton farm, and to finish up we have been on a potato farm.  The only thing we haven’t done has gone out to the catfish farm.

     Well we can now say that we have tasted crawfish.  It is a hot item this time of the year.  I can say that I tasted the red spicy little crawfish  it is like a small crab and is just as hard to get any meat.  The restaurant that we went to was a tin building that is only open about four months out of the year.  Any ways they serve the crawfish on huge platters that is heaped with crawfish, little red potatoes, and corn on the cob.  They bring a bucket for the tails and heads.  Dad ate more then I did because that Cajun spice was hot.  There wasn’t much that I could eat so I had a salad.

      The Relief Society birthday dinner was taco salad again all I could eat was a salad with lettuce and tomatoes.  We played speed getting to know you.  Since I have never watched Speed dating nor have ever done such a thing, I really wasn’t sure just exactly what we were suppose to do.  I learned all kinds of interesting things about the fourteen sisters that actually came.  Dad was the Priesthood presence for the party.  He got a sunflower plant and the taco salad then was asked to leave while we played the game.  It was to bad that more of the Sisters didn’t come.

           We were invited to have tacos at a members house, again I had lettuce and tomatoes.  This is the house that we ate at for Thanksgiving dinner.  The members invite people to come to dinner but it is always served at the neighbors home.  I felt like we were not wanted before but not as much as I felt this time.  I ended up standing up because there was not any place to sit down at and there were big bugs crawling all over everything.  I really tried not to shudder at the bugs and filth.  We left as soon as we could and we did have another appointment thankfully. 

            I can hardly believe that we only have eight days left of this mission.  We will be done on Fri. helping at the Seniors.  We still have a lesson to give on Sun. plus we are the speakers for Sacrament meeting.  We have a few dinner appointments left and we get to go to the Memphis temple for the special missionary session.  Hopefully we won’t be the only couple besides the Mission President and his wife.  There are about four other six month missionaries that are all going home at about the same time but they have to choose to go to the temple so we will see what happens.  Then we will have one day to finish packing and loading up the car so we can leave in the morning of the 26^th .  I am of two minds I really do want to see our children and grandchildren, but I will miss everyone here.

            We have birthday cookies to give out within the next few days and one is today.  We will see if we can get in since this man told us not to stop and visit.  It won’t be the first time that they will take the cookies and shut the door.  Everyone so far is always so surprised when the cookies are delivered to their door.

            Well I need to close.  Plan on us about the 10^th of April if we decide to stop and see everyone that is on the way.  If Dad really wants to go straight home then we will be home sooner rather then later.

            Take care, we love you and pray for you.

                                Dad and Mom, Papa and Grammy, Elder and Sister Hansen

P.S. Doesn’t mom do a good job, writing letters. She also cleans, cooks, vacuums, loads the dishwasher, does laundry, bakes cookies and makes the bed. She just makes me tired watching all the things that she does. My job is to drive her and the missionaries around and keep the car full of gas. I also try to look halfway intelligent, bear my testimony and say prayers. I also have been known to take a nap and have occasionally fallen asleep while she is talking. I try hard not to fall asleep while driving the car, thus the need for my occasional mid afternoon nap. Every Tuesday is a missionary meeting. If there is not a zone conference, or a zone meeting (they are two different meetings, but they seem the same to me) or a specialized training meeting (which also seems the same), then we have a district meeting that week. Now district meeting I can tell are different from the others, because they are held in Paragould and there are only 10-12 missionaries at that meeting. But we do the same things as we do at the other meetings, just on a smaller scale. Since we have almost as many sisters as we do elders, there is always a lot of flirting going on before and after the meetings. Which is okay, it is about time some of these young men get beyond the stake dance mentality and realize there are some wonderfully talented and sharp sisters in the church and they are worth being worthy of. (Dad)

3/10/14

Our Most Dear Family and Friends,                                                   March 10, 2014

            Sister Hansen is fixing supper, we realized we have not written our letters today. First we went on line and read from Evan’s and then Jean’s emails, thank you so much for your writing.

            This morning we went to the seniors to help package the meals on wheels. The Seniors Center was closed all last week, due to the ice, sleet, & frozen rain storm we had last Sunday. This is the third time this winter that the schools were closed for a whole week due to the snow and ice. The world out here just shuts down, no one goes to work, schools close, most business stay closed. No roads are plowed, they just wait for it to melt.

            Later this morning we went out to see John Miles, he is a farmer out here and runs about 4,000 acres of rice, cotton and soybeans. We went out to his farm last fall and watched his men picking cotton with a huge John Deere cotton picker. He is the same age as Sister Hansen and I. We enjoyed visiting with him so much last fall, we drove out to his place this morning to thank him for his kindness and to say our good byes. We got to meet his wife and daughter (who is married to a minister.) They also were very pleasant.

            This afternoon we went to Judy and Lloyd Dunn and finished reading the Book of  Mormon with them. We have been on that project for three months.   Judy had committed to be baptized on her mother’s birthday and she was progressing so well.  Because of the time change and they were unaware that Sun. was the day for the change.  So all the way through church we could not figure out what was going on, they were not there.  After the sacrament was passed Dad went out and called them.  They were on their way to church and they were going to be early.  Well they were an hour late to church.  After Sunday School class and Relief Society, I find out that she is dizzy doesn’t feel well, wants to be baptized but doesn’t feel well enough to attempt it.  I also found out that she did not eat breakfast and her blood sugar was very low.  So I talk to our Branch Mission President and he comes into the girls bathroom and visits with her to find out what she want to do.  She wanted to be baptized.  Dad and the Elders gave her a blessing and then she really wanted to go ahead.  We had to put her in a white choir like robe that I found in the closet because there was not anything else that would fit her.  I helped her undress and dress in the robe and then she was ready to have Dad baptized her.  It was a tricky getting into the water but with Dad helping her she made it.  She was far to frightened to let Dad baptize her as he would usually do.  He had her sit down and then he supported her as he let her down and put her under the water.  She is baptized.  Then he helped back up and out of the water.  One of the witnesses was ready to crawl over the mirror because he thought that Dad was going to need help.  I dried her off and since she had forgotten that she needed dry clothes after wards she was wet after she got dressed again.  The confirmation blessing was beautiful.  She is a changed lady and several people including her family sees the change.  After she ate and took a nap she was fine.  Both she and Lloyd have health issues but she was one very determined lady.  We had such bad weather and the roads were terrible but she was ready to go to her interview no matter.  The Zone leader came to her and did the interview.

            Yesterday at church I got to teach a youth Sunday School Class, a Priesthood Lesson and afterwards got to perform a baptism. That’s not as much as others do, but it was a lot for me. I felt very drained,  Mom Speaking  I taught a class also then had to talk on baptism I lost my notes so it was given from I know was just plain inspiration  I was so stressed making sure that everything that was planned was going as planned.  Then later that evening Sister Hansen drug me down to Jonesboro and had a local High Councilman who is a doctor, operated on my face and remove an infected mole on the side of my face. The deadening needle was about 3” long. The doctor had a big smile on his face all the time he was shooting me.   Dad did not want to do anything and I would have been alright with that but the mole was swelling up again and looking not good. Apparently it wasn’t something that was dangerous but he did agree that it should be burned off.  The first time that I have seen a laser used, the smell was awful I finally had to cover up my nose.

     The snow, sleet, and ice storm was pretty bad.  Again I was wishing for snow tires with studs.  Everyone is so laid back oh we’ll just let it melt attitude.  Forget that the roads are just plain dangerous and until the temps warm up it isn’t going to be melting.  But true to Arkansas weather the sun came out and it has warmed up to the high 60’s and the snow and ice is almost gone.  We are being assured that it is now spring and it won’t have that kind of storm again this year.  We are also being told that this winter was the worst one that any one can remember.  I am thankful that we never lost the power like they did 5 years ago. Some places were out of power for 3 weeks.

             Mom and I changed places so many times in this letter even I can’t tell what I wrote and what she wrote. In two weeks and two days we will be leaving our apartment for home. Very sad. It was tough coming out here. I think it will be tougher leaving Arkansas. But I think after two full weeks of traveling home we will be glad to be there.

“Be brave, stout heart.”   take care, we will be there soon.

Love Mom and Dad