I am at my office in Heppner today, so I thought I'd take a few minutes and share, share, share updates. I was to work in Union & Baker today............but someone cancelled so I'm here! Don't tell my boss I'm taking a few minutes off to update this blog......
An email from Elder Smith:
Dear Gen,
I have been doing really well here in Brasil. I heard Ryan was in the hospital. I hope he is doing better now. I hope you will write me soon! I miss you alot and I really love you. I hope you are enjoying Mrs. Clough as a teacher. Have fun playing soccer!
Love,
Elder Smith
That email was in response to Gen's earlier email:
Dear grant. How have you been lately? I'm good. Ryan was in the hospital, sad huh? Mom got her hair cut she has a bob. How come you have not retten me lately? Anyways I got my hair cut too. I have miss cluf as a teacher........................................ Love Gen.
Way too cute, isn't it? When we were at the beauty salon, she told the lady cutting my hair all about Grant and Matt. She talked a little about Alex - but mentioned that he's a "teenager who is too busy to play with me now". Poor Ryan was deemed "the mean brother who hits me a lot". Guess that is pretty typical of the two who are closest in age! She adores Alex, but recognizes that he's a teenager with a lot on his mind...... She tried to make him play pretend restaurant on Sunday and he played long enough to "order" a meal, then he flopped on her bed and read comics. She was a little irritated with his lack of enthusiasm of eating plastic food and reading her menu items. I love watching these kids grow up; what an absolute privilege it is.
Another email from Elder Smith to his Dad:
Dear Family,
Dad - I got another letter today, which I will be responding to later today. Thank you so much for the pictures you sent me! I am getting them. I also wrote you a letter that you should be getting any day now. I wrote it about a month ago. In it I expressed my gratitude for your courage in going back to church. I hope you don’t mind but I talk about you a lot when I visit less active members. You are kind of the ultimate example of faith. I talk to them about the innumerable blessings my family has received all because you decided to return to church. I use my serving a mission as a direct result of what can happen if people will stay firm in the church.
So this week has been really good. I think the highlight of my week was church this Sunday. The primary did a question and answer session with the missionaries. We went in there and we answered a few questions and it was really awesome. But the part that made it very special for me was Millenne. She is the 9 year old girl we baptized. When we walked in, she pointed at me and turned to her friend and said loudly, "That’s Elder Smith. He is one of the missionaries who baptized me.”
Holy cow. I almost started crying on the spot. (I`m a really big baby.) Then she waved at me and said hi and we talked and such. Then after the questions, everyone sang the “Sons of Helaman” song. Seeing her singing was just too much, I started cry. Then as we left I heard her say, “I`m going to be a missionary someday.” I just stood in the hall crying for like 10 minutes. Just tears of sheer joy. It was really special. I can`t even describe how I felt.
The worst part is that I had been feeling terrible because the only person I have baptized until now is a 9 year old. But when I saw her firm in the church and with a testimony starting to build, it was amazing. Especially when she said she was going to serve a mission! I now know (in the smallest way) what the Lord meant in the 18th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. Who knows how many people will join the church someday because of her. She could serve and baptize the whole world. Or she could marry in the temple and have 10 kids and in 50 years they will all have 10 kids and 100s of people could be brought into the gospel. It was a very good lesson for me to learn.
Well all and all, that is what’s going on here. I love you all very much. I hope to hear how everything is going soon.
Love,
Elder Smith
Isn’t he an amazing missionary? I cry every time I read his emails and letters. How much more could a Mom ask for? He is doing so well, and is maturing so quickly. I am so proud of him!
An email between Alex & Grant:
Dear Grant,
How are you? What have you been doing lately? Do you have any words of wisdom for me? How much do you weigh now? Are you in good shape?
Today, I was able to bless the sacrament. I think I did pretty good for my first time. I drank the water twice on accident. The only people to notice were Dad, Ryan, Mom, and Jeremiah. It was really bad too! We had a large congregation of people, so we ran out of water. I put the cup in the tray and filled it, instead of taking the tray and giving the water to Jeremiah to drink.
Thankfully, dad had my back and showed me how to do it. Now that I know what to do, it will be a little bit better next time.
I went and played fugitive for the first time. That was a lot of fun. We had a huge group of people. The first place we went was the court house steps from the high school. I made it that time. I almost got spotted by a little girl who got out of her car to get me, but I made it. The place we had to go to after that was the dome church. That time we got spotted shortly in to the game. Then, we had to go to the park. I made it twenty feet from the park then was spotted. That was bad...but fun. Then, we had to go to the cemetery. That was BAD. I got trapped between grease traps and old tires that smelled bad. I ran for it and got spotted right after that. Then, we headed home. That was a fun game, I hope to play fugitive again soon.
Stay strong. Love you.
Alex
Dear Alex,
I`m well. Lately I have been helping alot of people with Word of Wisdom problems. I weigh about 140ish right now. I`m not in great shape, but I`m not fat yet either.
Man that’s so exciting you blessed the sacrament! Holy cow, you`re old! So when are you going to start driving? Have you started trying to take the tests?
Remember fugitive is a lot of fun... but don’t do anything illegal.
Love,
Elder Smith
P.S. How are the Mustangs doing this year?
Updates on others in the tribe:
Matt’s first set of mid-terms are today. This weekend he said he just hung out and studied! Each time we talk…..he’s studying………which is a good sign! Today is Math, tomorrow is Chemistry. Will be interesting to see how he does! They warned us that parents may receive the first call of “panic” at mid-terms because college is so much different than high school life. I’m ready for the call – but I have a feeling Matt will be just fine. He’s working hard!
Alex seems to grow a ½ inch every day. His JV team did not do so well last night in Stanfield. He was leveled twice. I don’t mean he was hit, I mean he was knocked back several feet to the ground. The first time………I thought I was going to run out and make sure he was ok. Good thing my trusty husband keeps me in control. Matt always played non-physical sports (ok, ok, the basketball got kind of physical at times…..but nothing like football!) Grant played football, but the Safety position wasn’t real traumatic. Ryan and Alex have given me a few panic attacks this year!!! Last week in Weston, Ryan was knocked down twice. I could hear his Dad yell from across the field “Hit ‘em again Ryan”. Seriously Greg……the kids is only 75 lbs! Moms just don’t get football do we? If you ever read about some crazed Mom taking the field and wiping out a big football jock because her kid was hit too hard………you may want to check in with me. I might need bail money.
Today is Tuesday and the DMV in Heppner is open. Today is the day Alex will get his learners permit!!!!!!!! Wish him luck.
Ryan is doing so much better. He's back to his old self. He plays Stanfield this Friday at 3 pm. He is pumped for the game! We will be going to his doc on the 29th - will keep everyone updated! He had to give up his beloved "muscle" protein drinks because of an article I read on the metal levels. He's still working out everynight. He's keeping a firm eye on his goals.
Gen is just getting bigger and bigger every day. She went to the salon with me this weekend to get her hair cut and she watched an upper lip get waxed. Her eyes were huge – she couldn’t believe that someone would go through that type of torture………ON PURPOSE! She slyly smiled and stated; “Now I have something to share at show and tell this week”. The little Chinese lady doing my hair said, “No girlie, you never tell our secrets to others. If you do, I will wax your upper lip!” Yikes….Genevieve couldn’t stop giggling though. I guess she found it hard to take the little lady seriously. She was petite and about the size of Genevieve!
Also, some exciting news for Gen; she has been picked to sing a solo at the Community Christmas program in December! She is very excited, but a little nervous. She will be signing "All I Want for Christmas is my 2 Front Teeth". She was a little confused why she was picked for that song - since her two front teeth have actually grown back already. They told her - "we just thought you'd be perfect". So....her big plan is to "black out" her two front teeth.
That girl of mine comes up with some wild things. Heavenly Father has truly blessed Greg and I with great kids and family.
Grandpa & Grandma Smith will be coming this weekend to attend Ryan, Alex & Gen’s games with us. It will be a blast. In November, we’re planning a great weekend to celebrate Grandpa Bud and Greg’s birthdays in Sunriver. Greg is being honored for “Advocate of the Year” at a conference there – so we decided to bring everyone together to also have a big birthday party also. November is really a beautiful time in Sunriver….especially if there is a lot of snow. Sledding……….here we come! I’m going to try and talk Matt into coming over the mountain to us. Corvallis is just a jump away, or he can drive 20 minutes to Salem and catch a ride with Doug & Heather. We will have so much fun all being together! If you haven’t seen Sunriver during the holidays, it’s worth the trip. Makes you feel like you are in a Norman Rockwell picture.
Heather sent me a text yesterday; she heard “Little Smith’s” heartbeat for the first time! What fun we will have spoiling another baby. Both Mommy and Baby are doing wonderful!
Several sisters and I will be taking food to the Lemmon family, who lost their mother on Monday morning. If you wish to send a dessert with us for their family, please give me a call! We will be making sandwiches, soup & veggies on Thursday morning and delivering that afternoon to Stanfield.
Also, please keep the family of Riley Arriola in your prayers. They lost their precious little girl to cancer last Saturday. Such a hard time for a really great family. I’ve been visiting with my friend, who is a teacher at Rocky Heights. She has been a great strength to their family. I’m grateful for her friendship and the light that she has been to this grieving family.
We have filled out our profiles on www.mormon.org. Have you?
Much love to all. Be safe.
An email from Elder Smith:
Dear Gen,
I have been doing really well here in Brasil. I heard Ryan was in the hospital. I hope he is doing better now. I hope you will write me soon! I miss you alot and I really love you. I hope you are enjoying Mrs. Clough as a teacher. Have fun playing soccer!
Love,
Elder Smith
That email was in response to Gen's earlier email:
Dear grant. How have you been lately? I'm good. Ryan was in the hospital, sad huh? Mom got her hair cut she has a bob. How come you have not retten me lately? Anyways I got my hair cut too. I have miss cluf as a teacher........................................ Love Gen.
Way too cute, isn't it? When we were at the beauty salon, she told the lady cutting my hair all about Grant and Matt. She talked a little about Alex - but mentioned that he's a "teenager who is too busy to play with me now". Poor Ryan was deemed "the mean brother who hits me a lot". Guess that is pretty typical of the two who are closest in age! She adores Alex, but recognizes that he's a teenager with a lot on his mind...... She tried to make him play pretend restaurant on Sunday and he played long enough to "order" a meal, then he flopped on her bed and read comics. She was a little irritated with his lack of enthusiasm of eating plastic food and reading her menu items. I love watching these kids grow up; what an absolute privilege it is.
Another email from Elder Smith to his Dad:
Dear Family,
Dad - I got another letter today, which I will be responding to later today. Thank you so much for the pictures you sent me! I am getting them. I also wrote you a letter that you should be getting any day now. I wrote it about a month ago. In it I expressed my gratitude for your courage in going back to church. I hope you don’t mind but I talk about you a lot when I visit less active members. You are kind of the ultimate example of faith. I talk to them about the innumerable blessings my family has received all because you decided to return to church. I use my serving a mission as a direct result of what can happen if people will stay firm in the church.
So this week has been really good. I think the highlight of my week was church this Sunday. The primary did a question and answer session with the missionaries. We went in there and we answered a few questions and it was really awesome. But the part that made it very special for me was Millenne. She is the 9 year old girl we baptized. When we walked in, she pointed at me and turned to her friend and said loudly, "That’s Elder Smith. He is one of the missionaries who baptized me.”
Holy cow. I almost started crying on the spot. (I`m a really big baby.) Then she waved at me and said hi and we talked and such. Then after the questions, everyone sang the “Sons of Helaman” song. Seeing her singing was just too much, I started cry. Then as we left I heard her say, “I`m going to be a missionary someday.” I just stood in the hall crying for like 10 minutes. Just tears of sheer joy. It was really special. I can`t even describe how I felt.
The worst part is that I had been feeling terrible because the only person I have baptized until now is a 9 year old. But when I saw her firm in the church and with a testimony starting to build, it was amazing. Especially when she said she was going to serve a mission! I now know (in the smallest way) what the Lord meant in the 18th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. Who knows how many people will join the church someday because of her. She could serve and baptize the whole world. Or she could marry in the temple and have 10 kids and in 50 years they will all have 10 kids and 100s of people could be brought into the gospel. It was a very good lesson for me to learn.
Well all and all, that is what’s going on here. I love you all very much. I hope to hear how everything is going soon.
Love,
Elder Smith
Isn’t he an amazing missionary? I cry every time I read his emails and letters. How much more could a Mom ask for? He is doing so well, and is maturing so quickly. I am so proud of him!
An email between Alex & Grant:
Dear Grant,
How are you? What have you been doing lately? Do you have any words of wisdom for me? How much do you weigh now? Are you in good shape?
Today, I was able to bless the sacrament. I think I did pretty good for my first time. I drank the water twice on accident. The only people to notice were Dad, Ryan, Mom, and Jeremiah. It was really bad too! We had a large congregation of people, so we ran out of water. I put the cup in the tray and filled it, instead of taking the tray and giving the water to Jeremiah to drink.
Thankfully, dad had my back and showed me how to do it. Now that I know what to do, it will be a little bit better next time.
I went and played fugitive for the first time. That was a lot of fun. We had a huge group of people. The first place we went was the court house steps from the high school. I made it that time. I almost got spotted by a little girl who got out of her car to get me, but I made it. The place we had to go to after that was the dome church. That time we got spotted shortly in to the game. Then, we had to go to the park. I made it twenty feet from the park then was spotted. That was bad...but fun. Then, we had to go to the cemetery. That was BAD. I got trapped between grease traps and old tires that smelled bad. I ran for it and got spotted right after that. Then, we headed home. That was a fun game, I hope to play fugitive again soon.
Stay strong. Love you.
Alex
Dear Alex,
I`m well. Lately I have been helping alot of people with Word of Wisdom problems. I weigh about 140ish right now. I`m not in great shape, but I`m not fat yet either.
Man that’s so exciting you blessed the sacrament! Holy cow, you`re old! So when are you going to start driving? Have you started trying to take the tests?
Remember fugitive is a lot of fun... but don’t do anything illegal.
Love,
Elder Smith
P.S. How are the Mustangs doing this year?
Updates on others in the tribe:
Matt’s first set of mid-terms are today. This weekend he said he just hung out and studied! Each time we talk…..he’s studying………which is a good sign! Today is Math, tomorrow is Chemistry. Will be interesting to see how he does! They warned us that parents may receive the first call of “panic” at mid-terms because college is so much different than high school life. I’m ready for the call – but I have a feeling Matt will be just fine. He’s working hard!
Alex seems to grow a ½ inch every day. His JV team did not do so well last night in Stanfield. He was leveled twice. I don’t mean he was hit, I mean he was knocked back several feet to the ground. The first time………I thought I was going to run out and make sure he was ok. Good thing my trusty husband keeps me in control. Matt always played non-physical sports (ok, ok, the basketball got kind of physical at times…..but nothing like football!) Grant played football, but the Safety position wasn’t real traumatic. Ryan and Alex have given me a few panic attacks this year!!! Last week in Weston, Ryan was knocked down twice. I could hear his Dad yell from across the field “Hit ‘em again Ryan”. Seriously Greg……the kids is only 75 lbs! Moms just don’t get football do we? If you ever read about some crazed Mom taking the field and wiping out a big football jock because her kid was hit too hard………you may want to check in with me. I might need bail money.
Today is Tuesday and the DMV in Heppner is open. Today is the day Alex will get his learners permit!!!!!!!! Wish him luck.
Ryan is doing so much better. He's back to his old self. He plays Stanfield this Friday at 3 pm. He is pumped for the game! We will be going to his doc on the 29th - will keep everyone updated! He had to give up his beloved "muscle" protein drinks because of an article I read on the metal levels. He's still working out everynight. He's keeping a firm eye on his goals.
Gen is just getting bigger and bigger every day. She went to the salon with me this weekend to get her hair cut and she watched an upper lip get waxed. Her eyes were huge – she couldn’t believe that someone would go through that type of torture………ON PURPOSE! She slyly smiled and stated; “Now I have something to share at show and tell this week”. The little Chinese lady doing my hair said, “No girlie, you never tell our secrets to others. If you do, I will wax your upper lip!” Yikes….Genevieve couldn’t stop giggling though. I guess she found it hard to take the little lady seriously. She was petite and about the size of Genevieve!
Also, some exciting news for Gen; she has been picked to sing a solo at the Community Christmas program in December! She is very excited, but a little nervous. She will be signing "All I Want for Christmas is my 2 Front Teeth". She was a little confused why she was picked for that song - since her two front teeth have actually grown back already. They told her - "we just thought you'd be perfect". So....her big plan is to "black out" her two front teeth.
That girl of mine comes up with some wild things. Heavenly Father has truly blessed Greg and I with great kids and family.
Grandpa & Grandma Smith will be coming this weekend to attend Ryan, Alex & Gen’s games with us. It will be a blast. In November, we’re planning a great weekend to celebrate Grandpa Bud and Greg’s birthdays in Sunriver. Greg is being honored for “Advocate of the Year” at a conference there – so we decided to bring everyone together to also have a big birthday party also. November is really a beautiful time in Sunriver….especially if there is a lot of snow. Sledding……….here we come! I’m going to try and talk Matt into coming over the mountain to us. Corvallis is just a jump away, or he can drive 20 minutes to Salem and catch a ride with Doug & Heather. We will have so much fun all being together! If you haven’t seen Sunriver during the holidays, it’s worth the trip. Makes you feel like you are in a Norman Rockwell picture.
Heather sent me a text yesterday; she heard “Little Smith’s” heartbeat for the first time! What fun we will have spoiling another baby. Both Mommy and Baby are doing wonderful!
Several sisters and I will be taking food to the Lemmon family, who lost their mother on Monday morning. If you wish to send a dessert with us for their family, please give me a call! We will be making sandwiches, soup & veggies on Thursday morning and delivering that afternoon to Stanfield.
Also, please keep the family of Riley Arriola in your prayers. They lost their precious little girl to cancer last Saturday. Such a hard time for a really great family. I’ve been visiting with my friend, who is a teacher at Rocky Heights. She has been a great strength to their family. I’m grateful for her friendship and the light that she has been to this grieving family.
We have filled out our profiles on www.mormon.org. Have you?
Much love to all. Be safe.
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