Bah!!!!

Hello Everybody,

I have a love/hate relationship with the computer/internet/anything electronic!  I had a great email written to you yesterday and you would have loved it, but I was one sentence away from finishing and I breathed wrong onto the computer and it deleted 3/4 of the email.  Seriously.....my fingers were no where near the keyboard when that happened.  So then I tried to do what I thought would bring it back and of course that just made things worse.....and so I gave up which I'm prone to do when something like that happens.  I could swear or such other things but that probably wouldn't be very missionary like.  So after reconsidering never typing on this thing again, here goes round two.

Mom/Grandma

Hello Everybody,

Guess what!  We are currently under a tornado watch!!  We just had a gully washer that literally created waterfalls all along the front of our apartment complex because the rain gutters are clear full of leaves which we can't clean out since they are on the top of the 2nd floor and we can't exactly shimmy up and do it ourselves.  It's preparation day today and the missionaries all decided to come over here to use our computers so we're last on the list.  Maybe we'll get this done tonight, or tomorrow, or the next day.....unless we get blown away.

So here's what we DID last week:

1.  Took the missionaries to Taugaunack Falls.  It was more impressive than they thought it would be and they took tons of pictures.

2.  Family Home Evening was chair soccer because real soccer got rained out.  It was fun.

3.  Last day of Seminary visits for the spring....so nice to have those done and no more getting up at 4:00a.m.

4.  Senior missionaries like to get invited out for dinner as much as the young missionaries.  Two this week which is 2 more than the last 6 months.

5.  Institute....we spend hours in preparation and we learn more than the students do.

6.  We walked two dogs....actually we walked one and the other walked us.  We've just about got our little upstairs dog and cat off death's doorstep.

7.  Did some major furniture moving in a bedroom and put in an air conditioner for a woman who was just told her cancer is terminal.

8.  Worked at the biggest parking lot rummage sale we've ever been to (the Church parking lot).  $$ "raiser" for Feed My Starving Children.

9.  Bar-B-Que where we just about froze.

10.  FINALLY got Cornell United Religious Work to consider beginning our meetings with prayer.

Here's what we LEARNED last week:

1.  The young missionaries are still pretty young.  They need a little nudge to see some things that they'll never have the opportunity of seeing again.  Better than playing basketball at the Church or writing a letter to their girlfriends.  Told ya so!  They appreciate us acting like their parents occasionally.

2.  Why does it always rain on Monday night?  Maybe so young single adults can learn the importance of having a back up plan for activities....we wonder if they might make the connection that it's the same way in life.

3.  Like we've said before, there is a special place in Heaven for these early morning seminary teachers.  We hope the kids appreciate them.  We hope the kids appreciate their teachers' patience when they come grouchy morning after morning.  We hope they realize that what they learn there can literally save their spiritual lives when push comes to shove.

4.  As in many places in the Church, there are wonderful young married kids with kids who are already learning what sacrifice is and recognizing needs of other people....and how to say thank-you.

5.  The answers to most of life's biggest questions on just about anything comes through the words of the scriptures, apostles and prophets, and from Heavenly Father through prayer....not the internet.

6.  Have I done any good in the world today?  Have I helped anyone in need?  Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad, if not I have failed indeed.

7.  Has anyone's burden been lighter today today, because I was willing to share?  Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?  When they needed my help was I there?  Life is really, really, really tough for some.  Do we know who they are?

8.  People of all faiths can work together and most of the time have a lot of fun while freezing and trying to keep the wind from blowing the dollar bills out of the cash box.  We may differ a lot in doctrine but most of the time, we're on the same page.

9.  A little tiny branch can feel the Spirit pretty fine, whether we're playing or praying.

10.  Asking for divine assistance is just as important on the campus of a secular university as anywhere else....or more so.

Well, Everyone....thanks for the emails and letters this week.....and one was even typed on a typewriter!  A typewriter even!!  We love you all.  We love that you are busy and happy and helping others.  We know that Heavenly Father has answered our prayers for you as we're gone.  

Now that our tornado watch has expired we can go to bed and sleep knowing that we're not in Iowa and that we won't go through the same worry the rest of the summer.  Tornados are rare in Upstate New York.  And we have to wake up early because tomorrow is Zone Conference and it will be our last one with President and Sister Wirthlin.  We will miss them!

XOXOXO  Dad and Mom and Grandpa and Grandma and all the rest of our names