Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time - 2-1-09

“Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time”

Excerpts from Elder Quentin L. Cook talk in the Liahona, Nov 2008

We know from the scriptures that some trials are for our good and are suited for our own personal development.

We were traveling by car from San Francisco to Utah in June. The weather had been very good. As we started our ascent to the Donner Pass summit in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, suddenly and without warning an enormous snowstorm hit us. None of the drivers was prepared. A semitruck in front of us had jackknifed and was spread across two lanes. Other trucks and cars had slid off the freeway. One lane was open, and many vehicles, including ours, were desperately trying to gain traction to avoid the other vehicles. All traffic then came to a halt.

We were not prepared for this blizzard in June. We had no warm clothing, and our fuel was relatively low. I huddled with the two boys in an effort to keep us warm. After many hours, safety vehicles, snowplows, and tow trucks began to clear up the massive logjam of vehicles.
Eventually, a tow truck hauled us to a service station on the other side of the pass. I called my wife, knowing she would be worried because she had expected a call the prior evening. She asked if she could speak to the two boys. When it was the three-year-old’s turn, with a quivering voice, he said, “Hope ya know, we had a hard time!”

I could tell, as our three-year-old talked to his mother and told her of the hard time, he gained comfort and then reassurance. Our prayers are that way when we go to our Father in Heaven. We know He cares for us in our time of need.

-------------------------------

William,

As you look back on the last several weeks I hope that you remember that both your earthly Father and your Heavenly Father have been very aware of you, and the struggles that you have been going through. Through your struggles the Lord will develop you into the servant that he needs in this part of his vineyard. He is ready and willing to bless you as you strive to find those that he has prepared to receive his word. You bring honor to your family and yourself as you grow in the service of your Heavenly Father.

Keep up the good work, pray often, and rely on your companion for strength, guidance and for friendship. The life lessons that you will learn will come from your experiences serving the Lord as well as learning to live with these other fine young men.

I love you son, and I am so proud of the growth that I have seen in you these last several weeks. Remember, your Heavenly Fathers “knows you had a hard time” but he does hear your prayers, and does know your heart.

Love Dad, Mary Ann, and Benson

Starting a Spanish Class - 1-28-09

Well I am doing amazing and I can't wait to start tonight.

First; Yes, I am staying in my area and am so happy to be. (so you could send the package back to the same address and this time I will get it).
But we are getting a new missionary companion. Elder Davis is the District Leader and we are getting a spanish speaking missionary for Newport News and I am really excited to finally be able to talk with the spanish investigators.

This week has past by so fast that it is hard to imagine that I have already been out here for 1 transfer, (transfers suck) and I still have to put up with 15 more or so. But I know that the Lord will put me in the area that I need to be, that will help me grow.

We started playing soccer on Tuesdays and we got 7 or 8 spanish people there and it was really cool that we might be able to teach them really soon and work with them (it is a finding idea).

No, nothing with the spanish investigators yet, but I will be learning spanish over the next 6 weeks because we are teaching a english/spanish class and I get to be part of the spanish class.

I am so happy, I have not gotten home sick in almost two weeks but it feels like so much longer. I am geared up and ready to go.

So that about covers this last week.
Love, Elder Boy

Finding Joy in the Journey 1-26-09

Son,

How are you doing William? I hope everything is going great. I would love to hear that you had some success with the Spanish families that you met with last week. Any news there?

Benson has had a lot of fun working on the truck. I had to get the rattle fixed in the exhaust manifold, but I thought that Benson could fix the “sway-bar” on the front suspension. The mechanic wanted $75 and Benson fixed it for $15. Then the transmission started making a funny grinding noise, we checked the transmission fluid level and found it was bone dry. We added a full quart to the transmission and the noise went away. That may still come back to haunt us.

Tausha (Steve’s wife) did not win the Miss America pageant, but it was cool that she got to compete. Auntie Susie went to Las Vegas to watch the pageant she thought it was pretty fun.

Grandma Boy got some new glasses that help her to see. She said that they are helping a lot, but if she moves her head her vision goes from seeing the whiskers on a mans face to seeing the neighbors dog ½ a mile away. But she is getting used to them.

Mary Ann is working on a quilt for Patricia. It is looking really cool, and Mary Ann is so proud of how clean the corners turned out.

We got a lot of snow this week. After a week of the mid-50’s weather, we got about 6 inches on Sunday.

Sunday was Ward Conference we had a lesson taken from Pres. Monson’s message in the November 2008 Ensign, “Finding Joy in the Journey”. I was able to tell about how your attitude has changed from “I have 22 more fast Sunday’s till I can come home” to one of “I only have 22 more fast Sundays to have all the experiences my mission has to offer.”

So I have included excerpt from Pres Monson talk for your spiritual message this week. I hope that you find it to have a message that helps to as you continue to grow where you are.

I love you and you are in our prayers every night. Next week will be a “live” letter week so I will have to get started on that soon, so that you get it on time. I look forward to hearing how your week went, take care of yourself.

Love, Dad, Mary Ann, and Benson

-------------------------------------
Finding Joy in the Journey
Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov 2008

Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family.

I begin by mentioning one of the most inevitable aspects of our lives here upon the earth, and that is change. At one time or another we’ve all heard some form of the familiar adage: “Nothing is as constant as change.”

This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

If you have children who are grown and gone, in all likelihood you have occasionally felt pangs of loss and the recognition that you didn’t appreciate that time of life as much as you should have. Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.

Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.

Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.

The ancient Roman philosopher Horace admonished, “Whatever hour God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily.”

Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed.

In closing, I pray that all of us will reflect gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His glorious gospel provides answers to life’s greatest questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where does my spirit go when I die?

He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to serve. He taught us how to live. His life is a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved.

Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude.

Brothers and sisters, my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

------------------------------------

Teaching Spanish Families - 1-21-09

Well this week is almost gone and I have learned alot about time.

This past week Elder Davis and I have been busy up until yesterday, then all of our apointments fell through. No one really wanted to talk to us because of the Inaguration address. But, we did get done as much as we could.

On Monday we went spanish tracking, (we have a goal to have at least 10 hispanic baptisms this year in Newport News) and WOW. We started out going with a RM from the Hampton Ward named Bro Taylor Redfern. (He went to Ecuador) and we met so many spanish people. I can't believe that we won't get at least one of them baptized, and they are really cool.

Last night we played soccer with them and we lost badly, but it was fun. We are going out later in the week to visit them again and I really pray for the spirit to help me talk with them.
Now do I wish I knew more Spanish and that I could translate it.

Other than that this week has come and gone. Wow, I can't believe I am already in my 3rd month out here and coming up on transfers already.

The weather here has been really cold (not like Utah, here it is really wet and cold). I use to like the cold, but here it cuts through all of your clothing and right to you. I am still trying to make it.

The start of the week was bad though, I got a little sick and was in bed most of the morning and I was sick the rest of the day. Tuesday I still felt a little sick, but I feel great today and at about 6pm we will be working again.

I really enjoy the letters that I get and hope that you send another for this month or the next. I do save them all and will reread them some times.

Thank you for the talk today, I really needed it. I will probably use it today. I hope you are all well and that Benson is working hard in school. Tell him I will miss him and that I will tell him everything he needs to know about a mission when I get back. ( if he doesn't leave early).

I love you all
- Elder Boy

Why didn’t you tell me?” - 1-18-09

Hello William,

I was thrilled to get your email last week. The difference in your attitude was an answer to our prayers. You have grown so much over such a short time, I am so proud of you.

The picture of you in the park with Elder Davis is the one that is going in the display case at church, and your address will be on the ward website. I hope that this will give your past teachers and leaders a chance to send you some letters.

So how are things going for you this week? I hope that you are having some success with the other investigators that you talked about last week. Sister Luebke said that David is having a great time in Texas, and Doug Keyes said that Paul is really enjoying himself in Argentina.

We finished the headboard that we made for Steve and Tausha and it looks great. Mary Ann and I took the old door that was for the laundry room and added some crown molding and crackle paint. I called Steve so we could deliver it and he was taking Tausha to see her little sister, Kayla Barclay, in the Miss America Pageant. She is Miss Utah, and she had to do a reality show, and a bunch of competitions as part of the Miss America Contest.

Doug and James Keyes came by and did a home teaching visit and Doug gave us a lesson based on Br. Eyring’s 1st presidency message from the Ensign. I liked the message so I took one of the stories from it for you spiritual thought this week. It was kind of the opposite side of your Grand Stadium story. What about the people that we meet here and don’t share the gospel with. I think you will like it.

-----------------------------
Let Us Raise Our Voice of Warning
Excerpt from the talk by President Henry B. Eyring First Counselor in the First Presidency

At some moment in the world to come, everyone you met in this life will know what you know now. They will know that the only way to live forever in association with our families and in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, is to choose to enter into the gate by baptism at the hands of those with authority from God. They will know that the only way families can be together forever is to accept and keep sacred covenants offered in the temples of God on this earth. They will know that you knew. And they will remember whether you offered them what someone had offered you.

Years ago I worked for a man in California. He hired me; he was kind to me; he seemed to regard me highly. I may have been the only Latter-day Saint he ever knew well. I don’t know all the reasons I found to wait for a better moment to talk with him about the gospel. I just remember my feeling of sorrow when I learned, after he had retired and I lived far away, that he and his wife had been killed in a late-night drive to their home in Carmel, California. He loved his wife. He loved his children. He had loved his parents. He loved his grandchildren, and he will love their children and will want to be with them forever.

Now, I don’t know how the crowds will be handled in the world to come. But I suppose that I will meet him, that he will look into my eyes, and that I will see in them the question: “Hal, you knew. Why didn’t you tell me?”

I testify that we have been given the privilege and the obligation to offer the truth and the choices which lead to those blessings to our Heavenly Father’s children, who are our brothers and our sisters. Jesus is the Christ, He lives, and this is His work.

Well, we are praying for you and can’t wait to read your next letter on Wednesday. Work hard, pray harder. Return with Honor.

We Love you.
Dad, Mary Ann, and Benson.

P.S. I helped Anneke with updating your mission website so hopefully she will spend a little time on it this week.