JULY 31ST ALREADY 2008

WHERE IS OUR SUMMER GOING? SEEMS LIKE A FEW DAYS AGO THAT WE STILL HAD SNOW!!!! SUNDAY EVE LANIE AND ANDRA ASK ME IF I'D LIKE TO GO WITH THEM TO THE TWIN FALLS TEMPLE OPEN HOUSE AND OF COURSE I SAID YES. WE LEFT I.F. ABOUT 8 AM AFTER PICKING LANIE AND A YOUNG LADIE THAT ANDRA VISIT TEACHS. DANIELLE WAS AN ADDED DELIGHT TO THE TRIP TUESDAY. OUR USHER WAS A VERY GOOD ONE AND WHEN I ASK WHO PAINTED THE MURALS HE SAID LEON PARSONS. I TOLD HIM I THOUGHT SO AS I THOUGHT IT WAS HIS STYLE. THE MAN WAS GLAD TO KNOW HE LIVES IN REXBURG AND TOLD THOSE WITH US WHO DID THE PAINTINGS AND THAT HE LIVES IN REXBURG. THE TWIN FALLS TEMPLE LIKE ALL TEMPLES IS VERY BEAUTIFUL AND THE PEOPLE THERE SEEM THRILLED TO HAVE IT. IT IS A SMALL TEMPLE WITH JUST ONE ORDINANCE ROOM BUT THAT MAY BE SUFFICIENT FOR THE AREA. I HOPE PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT AND KEEP IT WELL FILLED DAILY. HOW GLENN AND COLEEN WOULD HAVE LOVED SERVING THERE SO CLOSE TO BURLEY. THEY SPENT SEVERAL YEARS GOING TO BOISE WHILE STILL IN BURLEY. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WONDER WHO GLENN IS HE IS MY BROTHER-IN-LAW MARRIED ALBERTA AND LIVED IN DIETRICK FOR THE MAJOR PART OF THEIR MARRIED LIVES. AFTER ALBERTA PASSED AWAY HE MARRIED LAWANNA AND SHE HAD CANCER AND PASSED AWAY. THEN HE MARRIED COLLEN THEY SERVED A MISSION IN CALIF. THEN THE TEMPLE MISSION AFTER MOVING TO BURLEY. ANY WAY THAT IS THE FAMILY HISTORY THERE.
I HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE RIGHT MOOD ARE MIND SET TO BLOG FOR SOME TIME AND THIS A.M. DECIEDED TO GET THAT ATTITUDE CHANGED IF I CAN. SO BEAR WITH ME AS I TRY TO WRITE MORE OF THE LIST FROM PENNY AND ANDRA AND JANA.
ONE THING PENNY WANTED WAS ABOUT SENDING OUR CHILDREN ON MISSIONS. IT WASN'T THAT HARD TO MAKE UP OUR MINDS WE COULD DO IT. SOME TIMES YOU HAVE TO BITE THE BULLET AND FIGURE HOW TO STRETCH EVERY PENNY. I WROTE A LITTLE ABOUT CHUCK GETTING HIS CALL TO THE FRANKFORT GEMANY MISSION. HE WROTE FAIRLY OFTEN AND OF COURSE LIKE ALL PARENTS HIS LETTERS WERE ANXIOUSLY AWAITED. HE SENT A GREAT COOKCOO CLOCK FOR CHRISTMAS THE FIRST YEAR AND NOW I WONDER HOW HE MANAGED THAT OUT THE MEAGER $90.00 A MONTH WE SENT HIM. NOW THE MISSIONARIES WOULD NEVER SURVIVE ON THAT. THAT WAS WHAT THE CHURCH REQUIRED AND THAT WAS WHAT WE COULD SEND. THE SECOND CHRISTMAS HE SENT A BONE HANDLED CARVING SET THAT IS TOO PRETTY TO USE. HE CAME HOME AFTER HIS TWO YEARS FLYING ON THE THIRTENTH OF THE MONTH WHICH WAS A FRIDAY AND HE HAD LOTS OF ROOM TO STRETCH OUT SINCE SO MANY PEOPLE WERE SUPERSTCIOUS ABOUT THAT DATE.
I WAS WORKING IN DR. WEEKS OFFICE AT THE TIME MAKING 300.00 A MONTH. VERELAN HADN'T STARTED AT THE POST OFFICE YET AND HIS INCOME WAS MEGERE. HE SO WANTED TO DO BETTER BY HIS FAMILY AND THOUGHT HE COULD SELL INSURANCE BUT HE WAS NEVER AGGRESIVE ENOUGH TO BE A HOT SHOT SALES MAN. THEN WHEN HE WENT TO WORK AT THE POST OFFICE THINGS WERE A BIT BETTER AND WE CAUGHT UP ON BACK BILLS ETC. CHUCK WAS BACK FROM HIS MISSION BY THEN.

CLAY WAS NEXT TO GO AND HE HAD A HARD TIME DECIEDING FOR SURE TO GO HE HAD PROPOSED TO KAREN WHO WAS STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL AND GAVE HER A RING. MARGE WAS EXPECTING GEORGE AND TOLD THEM SHE WOULDN'T STAND IN LINE WHILE PREGNANT AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO WAIT TILL AFTER THE BABY CAME TO MARRY. WE HAD STAKE CONFERENCE AND HARTMAN RECTOR JR. WAS HERE FROM SALT LAKE AS THE SPEAKER. AFTER CONFERENCE HE HELD INTERVIEWS WITH THE YOUNG MEN THAT COULD BE GETTING MISSION CALLS. HE INTERVIEWED CLAY AND SENT HIM TO GET KAREN AND HE TALKED WITH THEM. CLAY DID DECIDE TO PUT IN FOR A MISSION AND HIS CALL CAME FOR THE OOP'S I CAN'T RECALL WHAT IT WAS CALLED THEN 'NORTHERN STATES" I THINK.. THE MISSION HOME WAS IN CHICAGO AND IT TOOK IN ILLINOIS AND WISCONSIN AND I'M NOT SURE IF IT INCLUDED PARTS OF OTHER STATES ARE NOT. ANY WAY HE LEFT AND WROTE AS INFREQUENTLY AS HE COULD GET AWAY WITH. SOME TIMES I LEARNED ABOUT HIM FROM KAREN AND AFTER SHE WENT TO BOISE TO COLLEGE HE WROTE US A LITTLE BETTER. HE HADN'T THOUGHT HE WANTED TO SERVE IN ANY OF THE HISTORICAL PLACES BUT I ALWAYS FELT HE FELT A SPECIAL FEELING FOR CARTHAGE WHERE HE FINISHED HIS MISSION.
IT WAS WHILE HE WAS GONE THAT PENNY CAME HOME FROM BYU AND SAID SHE WANTED TO LEAVE SCHOOL AND GO ON A MISSION. WE STILL HAD SOME BILLS TO CATCH UP ON AND SHE WAS WORKING AS SHE DID EVERY SUMMER TO FINANCE HER COLLEGE. AFTER THE LAST PAYMENT MADE ON THE LAST DELINQUENT BILL I WENT TO HER AND SAID IF YOU REALLY WANT TO SERVE A MISSION YOU NEED TO GO SEE THE BISHOP. SHE LOOKED AT ME LIKE SHE HADN'T HEARD WHAT I SAID THEN SAID DO YOU REALLY MEAN THAT? I TOLD HER YES THAT I THOUGHT WE COULD SUPPORT BOTH MISSIONARYS NOW. HER CALL WAS FOR THE FRANKFORT GERMANY MISSION. WHILE SHE WAS IN THE MTC WE TOOK MOM AND DAD TO TEXAS THEN OVER TO ARIZONIA TO SEE DARLEEN AND FAMILY. MOM HAD NEVER COMPLAINED ABOUT NOT FEELING WELL UNTIL ON OUR WAY HOME FROM DARLEEN'S. THAT IS ANOTHER STORY FOR ANOTHER TIME.
PENNY SPENT HER TIME IN THE MTC AND THEN WE WENT DOWN TO SALT LAKE TO SEE HER OFF AS WE HAD THE OTHER TWO. IT WAS HARD TO SEE HER GO BUT PARTLY BECAUSE OF MOM'S HEALTH AND PARTLY BECAUSE MOM WORRIED ABOUT THE MISSIONARIES WHO WENT TO FORIEGN LANDS. I WONDER WHAT SHE WOULD FEEL WERE SHE HERE IF ONE GOT CALLED TO THE WEST INDIES AS DID JOSH BRYAN NOT LONG AGO ARE SOME OTHER EXOTIC PLACE.
PENNY HAD A BAD START IN HER EARLY DAYS OF HER MISSION AS I WOULD WRITE ABOUT MOMS ILLNESS AND I DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT I WAS DOING TO HER. ANY WAY AFTER SHE TOLD ME NOT TO WRITE ABOUT ANY MORE DEATHS I GOT IT FIGURED OUT. SHE HAD A GOOD MISSION AFTER THAT AND HAS HAD GOOD FRIENDSHIPS WITH SOME OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE SHE LEARNED TO LOVE. SHE HAS REMAINED CLOSE TO HER LAST COMPANION WHO IS FROM HOLLAND AND THEY HAVE VISITED IN EACH OTHERS HOMES. I'M MOST GREATFUL THAT WE WERE CONVERTED AND WAS ABLE TO SEND OUR CHILDREN ON MISSIONS. I FEEL LIKE WE DID A GOOD SERVICE TO THEM AND WHO KNOWS WHO ELSE IN THIS WORLD.
I HOPE THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED TO WRITE ABOUT THEIR MISSIONS. I HAVE A TESTIMONY OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST AND OF MISSIONARY'S AND THEIR SERVICE AS THEY GO OUT TO TEACH OUR HEAVENLY FATHERS CHILDREN.