Hi Everybody,
It
seems like spring just sprung last week and here it is fall and all the
crazy things that go on with school starting, etc. Our "old life" was
much easier and after last week, we have been trying to crash and rest a
minute or two but it hasn't happened so far and it's now Sunday
night.....so we're looking for the blessing of running and not being
weary and walking and not fainting! It will need to come tonight
because tomorrow it begins again!! Our activities were pretty labor
intensive last week....We even labored on Labor Day. But we did take an
hour at Tremen Park with some of the young couples in the branch for a
picnic and to watch them swim at the base of an awesome water fall. FHE
was hiking Buttermilk Falls with the YSA (and treats), Tuesday was
running here there and everywhere plus trying to get an institute lesson
and CES training (which included making dessert), Wednesday the same
with our involvement with Cornell United Religious Work starting up
again and institute in Owego (and treats) and Thursday the same plus
preparing lunch for Friday Forum and Cornell Institute (and treats) and
Friday Forum which is a totally intense day with making and transporting
lunch for who knows how many people and then we made dinner that night
for all 6 missionaries which we loved and then Saturday morning was
Angela's baptism (treats) and that afternoon a YSA Opening Social at the
lake house (part of the lunch). Cooking Every Second this week was
pretty much a reality....Actually trying to figure out what to make was
the hardest part because we never know if we're going to have 15 or 50!
So
should we just call this good for an email and have you feel sorry for
us?? Nope!! Actually nobody has to feel sorry for us because it is
really a joyful experience to be doing what we're doing. Our numbers
are going sky high....we had 28 young people to institute in Cornell
last Thursday! We ate the last peanut butter bar in the pan. We expect
those numbers won't stay that high once the university classes get more
intense with tests on that night and study groups and papers due, etc.
Sometimes it seems as if the university is promoting undivided
attention from these kids 7 days a week. That's right....Sunday is not
even a day of rest on this campus with classes and meetings and tests
and then they wonder why the students go out and get plastered on
Saturday nights. After institute Thursday night (which had a really
interesting discussion that we'll tell you about sometime) the kids just
stayed around and talked about how do you do it all and still find time
to read scriptures and serve in the Church and serve each other and
call Mom and Dad on the phone and any other good thing. If we could
give you any advice with the importance of teaching in the home, it
would be to have those traditions of worship and scripture study and
service completely ingrained in the kids' minds but mostly in their
hearts before they ever leave home.
But
the best part of the whole week was Angela's baptism. All were hoping
that her husband would be ready too but he hasn't made the progress she
has. But Dad suggested that the Elders invite him (Uggi) to give the
opening prayer and he prayed beautifully (he's the one when he first
said a prayer ever in his life, he prayed that Spain would do better in
the World Cup because the Elders taught him to pray for what was in his
heart!). Angela is so committed to reading the scriptures and living
Gospel principles. She asked Dad to give the talk on the Holy Ghost and
it was very good. We had a roomful of members there to support her and
even some non-members came as well. There's not a lot of baptisms here
right now so each one that takes place is the best. There's so much
opportunity for member missionary work here (we just wonder sometimes
about the suggestion of member missionary work being justification for
regularly going to bars which was an interesting facet of our Thursday
night discussion....help!). Sometimes it's almost overwhelming to think
of all the people who don't know how the knowledge of the Plan of
Salvation can change their lives. We love what is taking place with
social media right now. All the missionaries in this mission are trying
to get their facebook accounts in order so they can teach through
facebook and it's harder than they think. They're not sure they like
being "back into the world." Imagine that! But they are good, obedient
missionaries and are trying to do it right. We don't have to do
anything any different with our facebook accounts except not spend all
day on it. Hah....could we ever spend much time on facebook? What
time!! Besides that, Dad forgot his password to get in so if you've
never heard from him that's why.
Maybe
we said this before, but now that we've started up with CURW again,
we're realizing more and more that we're all "in this" together...."in
this" meaning that all of us want our students,whatever faith they may
be, to have a relationship with Heavenly Father and Christ and to rely
on faith in them to get through the challenges of this life. How
grateful we are for the power that comes from prayer and the fact that
Heavenly Father will even answer our prayers-on-the-go! Last week we
even had occasion to pull into a farm road in a corn field and pray for
wisdom and understanding and He gave it to us before the very night was
over. And then we do it again....and again....and again. The other
thing that is so important to practice on a daily basis is to "do what's
right when a choice is placed before you" because "in the right the
Holy Spirit guides. And its light (the light of the Spirit) is forever
shining over you when in the right your heart confides." We used to
think that choosing the right was just in the big things but it's in all
the little things we do too. And then if we don't quite always do it
like we should, we just keep trying and the blessing of Christ's love
and mercy and the Atonement makes up the rest of what we're still
learning to do. Whew!
That's
a good note to end on!! MUCH love to you all. Keep working hard and
studying hard and playing hard and praying hard.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOOXOXOXOXO (that was fun!)
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