Sunday, September 26, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
August 2010: by Bjorn
Didn’t summer just start? And now the kids are back in school. It’s amazing how quickly time goes – especially when you want it to slow down.
We loved seeing Grandma and Grandpa during their grand tour of the West. We were lucky to see them both coming and going and enjoyed the wonderful spirit they always carry with them and the happiness and love they bring into our home. We appreciate their willingness to do all that traveling. I don’t think I could do it. We’re glad they’re safely back in Mexico and we admire their firm commitment to the Lord.
Jamboree… wow what can I say? It was an amazing experience. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much in my life! Luckily the humidity and high temperatures didn’t last the whole time. Though it was hard to be away from Becky and the rest of the kids for two and half weeks it was wonderful to have that time with Isaac. In spite of my daily assignments as staff at the Technology Quest area, he and I were able to spend a good amount of time together. Since my staff tent was just across the street from where Isaac’s troop was camped, it was easy for me to join his troop each evening for activities and closing ceremonies. It was always fun to hear about his day and see him interacting with the other scouts and his scoutmasters. I think he did a lot of growing up on this trip as he was responsible for cooking meals and cleaning up and also had Quartermaster duties. He was able to do a lot of fun things, and I got to join him for archery, shotgun, climbing wall, rappelling, Disability Awareness activities such as wheelchair basketball, the Action Alley challenge course with a big zip line at the end, and of course hanging out together at Technology Quest displays playing with robots and taking pictures next to a life-size Indiana Jones made out of legos. It was also neat to attend sacrament meeting together and listen to Elder Hales talk about the importance of the Aaronic Priesthood and Scouting, and to see about the longest sacrament table ever. It was also very cool to walk among a sea of scouts 45,000 strong filing into the arena for the 100-year anniversary celebration, to stand with all of them and recite the scout oath and law, or to see all of them waving the American flag or later, each one of them holding a candle symbolizing their commitment to the ideals of scouting. The performers and the fireworks and all the other parts of the show were cool, but I was more affected by the great potential I felt from those 45,000 young men.
Though the Jamboree was a great experience, the tour of national historic sites and the Church history tour were what made the trip unforgettable. To be in the Sacred Grove with Isaac and to bear my testimony to him of the reality of what happened there was a sublime experience I will always treasure. The Spirit in that place was so real and strong that tears began to fight their way out almost the second I entered. I felt such peace as I walked the paths inside the Grove and reflected on what happened there, and as I looked around wondering if this was the spot or if that was the spot where the Father and Son appeared. I also very much enjoyed reading a letter that Becky had written expressing her testimony and I ached to have her there with me sharing that sacred experience. We were given an hour to spend in the Grove, but I could have spent another three hours in there. The time passed far too quickly. I know Isaac expressed the same sentiment.
Another amazing experience was arriving at the site of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood at dusk. We took pictures by the monument, and then went a little farther down the road to the dirt road that leads down the banks of the Susquihanna River. Each of the 35 boys rushed down to the river, but I stayed back and looked around thinking through how the events would have unfolded as Joseph and Oliver found a spot to pray and then as John the Baptist appeared. There was one spot in particular just off the trail, still with a clear view of the river, where the Spirit seemed to be especially strong and I just stood there in that spot for the longest time, my eyes blurred by tears, feeling the overwhelming power of what happened there as a resurrected being – the same person who had baptized the Savior – had restored the authority of God once again to the earth. Then all 40 of us – scouts and leaders – knelt there on the banks and one of the scouts asked if he could offer the prayer. It was such a simple, sincere prayer. Kneeling there next to Isaac, again the tears came as I felt the powerful potential of my son and these other young men who were future leaders of the Church. I didn’t want it to end. When the prayer was ended the scoutmaster told each of us to pick a stone from the river as a memento of our experience there. As Isaac and I walked back in the dark to the tour bus I was impressed to learn that he had thought to get a stone for each member of his family.
I could go on for a long time about how neat it was to visit 3 places in one day where the Savior had appeared – the Kirtland Temple, Johnson Farm, and the Whitney Store where they held the School of the Prophets upstairs, or what it was like to go to Sacrament meeting 100 yards from the Whitmer home where the Church was organized, or how my feelings of gratitude increased for the founders of this nation as we visited the Capitol building, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and other historic sites in D.C., and then Fort McHenry of Star Spangled Banner fame, or what it was like to stand in Liberty Hall where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed, or what it was like to stand at the base of the Statue of Liberty and then walk by Ground Zero and then look out from the top of the Empire State Building, and to experience all these things with my son, but that would take way more room than the format of this family letter allows. I will say that one of the coolest experiences for me in New York was taking Isaac to a street pizza shop and just he and I enjoying a slice of authentic New York pizza together.
We had some great conversations as we rode the bus together and I know that Isaac learned a lot about life and his own beliefs and standards as he watched not only the many people in each of the places we visited, but also as he watched the scouts in his troop and how they acted, realizing that the standards we have set in our family are a bit different even than other members of the Church, and that he can stoop to the baser type of behavior that is often exhibited by boys that age, or he can rise above that type of behavior and be a leader and an influence for good in his family, among his peers, and wherever he goes.
Well I certainly have gone on too long already, but I will mention that I learned a great deal during the trip as well. One of those things was how much I truly love my wife, and how much more full and happy and meaningful my life is because she is my wife and we have a family together that can be eternal. What a joyous reunion it was to see her and each of my children after 19 days away from them.
And now we’re back in school and life is pretty much back to normal. Each of the kids love their teachers. Auriana is enjoying 9th grade and will be singing in the Utah Valley Children’s Choir. Isaac thinks Jr. High is pretty cool and it seems to fit him well. He made the adjustment like it was no big deal. He enjoyed his first visit to the temple to do baptisms with Auriana and I last Friday. We hope to be a bit better at getting them both there more often. Natalie is doing well with her club soccer team – they won their first game of the season. Enoch gets to put up with me as his soccer coach this season and we’re having a lot of fun. Miriam and Ellie started Irish Dance at the same studio where Natalie goes and they love it. I’m trying to keep my head above water with work and planning this year’s Harvest Moon Hurrah (all the locals are invited to come on the 18th of this month) and hiring a new director for our community choir.
Becky and Auriana got to go with the young women of our ward up to Salt Lake this past week to meet with sister Elaine Dalton. They each got to talk with her and take pictures and get a big hug from her and sit at her desk. They both said the Spirit was strong and it was a very neat experience.
Life is good. The gospel is true. BYU won yesterday. I love my family. What more could I ask for?
We’re looking forward to seeing many of you at Enoch’s baptism on October 9 at noon.
We loved seeing Grandma and Grandpa during their grand tour of the West. We were lucky to see them both coming and going and enjoyed the wonderful spirit they always carry with them and the happiness and love they bring into our home. We appreciate their willingness to do all that traveling. I don’t think I could do it. We’re glad they’re safely back in Mexico and we admire their firm commitment to the Lord.
Jamboree… wow what can I say? It was an amazing experience. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much in my life! Luckily the humidity and high temperatures didn’t last the whole time. Though it was hard to be away from Becky and the rest of the kids for two and half weeks it was wonderful to have that time with Isaac. In spite of my daily assignments as staff at the Technology Quest area, he and I were able to spend a good amount of time together. Since my staff tent was just across the street from where Isaac’s troop was camped, it was easy for me to join his troop each evening for activities and closing ceremonies. It was always fun to hear about his day and see him interacting with the other scouts and his scoutmasters. I think he did a lot of growing up on this trip as he was responsible for cooking meals and cleaning up and also had Quartermaster duties. He was able to do a lot of fun things, and I got to join him for archery, shotgun, climbing wall, rappelling, Disability Awareness activities such as wheelchair basketball, the Action Alley challenge course with a big zip line at the end, and of course hanging out together at Technology Quest displays playing with robots and taking pictures next to a life-size Indiana Jones made out of legos. It was also neat to attend sacrament meeting together and listen to Elder Hales talk about the importance of the Aaronic Priesthood and Scouting, and to see about the longest sacrament table ever. It was also very cool to walk among a sea of scouts 45,000 strong filing into the arena for the 100-year anniversary celebration, to stand with all of them and recite the scout oath and law, or to see all of them waving the American flag or later, each one of them holding a candle symbolizing their commitment to the ideals of scouting. The performers and the fireworks and all the other parts of the show were cool, but I was more affected by the great potential I felt from those 45,000 young men.
Though the Jamboree was a great experience, the tour of national historic sites and the Church history tour were what made the trip unforgettable. To be in the Sacred Grove with Isaac and to bear my testimony to him of the reality of what happened there was a sublime experience I will always treasure. The Spirit in that place was so real and strong that tears began to fight their way out almost the second I entered. I felt such peace as I walked the paths inside the Grove and reflected on what happened there, and as I looked around wondering if this was the spot or if that was the spot where the Father and Son appeared. I also very much enjoyed reading a letter that Becky had written expressing her testimony and I ached to have her there with me sharing that sacred experience. We were given an hour to spend in the Grove, but I could have spent another three hours in there. The time passed far too quickly. I know Isaac expressed the same sentiment.
Another amazing experience was arriving at the site of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood at dusk. We took pictures by the monument, and then went a little farther down the road to the dirt road that leads down the banks of the Susquihanna River. Each of the 35 boys rushed down to the river, but I stayed back and looked around thinking through how the events would have unfolded as Joseph and Oliver found a spot to pray and then as John the Baptist appeared. There was one spot in particular just off the trail, still with a clear view of the river, where the Spirit seemed to be especially strong and I just stood there in that spot for the longest time, my eyes blurred by tears, feeling the overwhelming power of what happened there as a resurrected being – the same person who had baptized the Savior – had restored the authority of God once again to the earth. Then all 40 of us – scouts and leaders – knelt there on the banks and one of the scouts asked if he could offer the prayer. It was such a simple, sincere prayer. Kneeling there next to Isaac, again the tears came as I felt the powerful potential of my son and these other young men who were future leaders of the Church. I didn’t want it to end. When the prayer was ended the scoutmaster told each of us to pick a stone from the river as a memento of our experience there. As Isaac and I walked back in the dark to the tour bus I was impressed to learn that he had thought to get a stone for each member of his family.
I could go on for a long time about how neat it was to visit 3 places in one day where the Savior had appeared – the Kirtland Temple, Johnson Farm, and the Whitney Store where they held the School of the Prophets upstairs, or what it was like to go to Sacrament meeting 100 yards from the Whitmer home where the Church was organized, or how my feelings of gratitude increased for the founders of this nation as we visited the Capitol building, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and other historic sites in D.C., and then Fort McHenry of Star Spangled Banner fame, or what it was like to stand in Liberty Hall where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed, or what it was like to stand at the base of the Statue of Liberty and then walk by Ground Zero and then look out from the top of the Empire State Building, and to experience all these things with my son, but that would take way more room than the format of this family letter allows. I will say that one of the coolest experiences for me in New York was taking Isaac to a street pizza shop and just he and I enjoying a slice of authentic New York pizza together.
We had some great conversations as we rode the bus together and I know that Isaac learned a lot about life and his own beliefs and standards as he watched not only the many people in each of the places we visited, but also as he watched the scouts in his troop and how they acted, realizing that the standards we have set in our family are a bit different even than other members of the Church, and that he can stoop to the baser type of behavior that is often exhibited by boys that age, or he can rise above that type of behavior and be a leader and an influence for good in his family, among his peers, and wherever he goes.
Well I certainly have gone on too long already, but I will mention that I learned a great deal during the trip as well. One of those things was how much I truly love my wife, and how much more full and happy and meaningful my life is because she is my wife and we have a family together that can be eternal. What a joyous reunion it was to see her and each of my children after 19 days away from them.
And now we’re back in school and life is pretty much back to normal. Each of the kids love their teachers. Auriana is enjoying 9th grade and will be singing in the Utah Valley Children’s Choir. Isaac thinks Jr. High is pretty cool and it seems to fit him well. He made the adjustment like it was no big deal. He enjoyed his first visit to the temple to do baptisms with Auriana and I last Friday. We hope to be a bit better at getting them both there more often. Natalie is doing well with her club soccer team – they won their first game of the season. Enoch gets to put up with me as his soccer coach this season and we’re having a lot of fun. Miriam and Ellie started Irish Dance at the same studio where Natalie goes and they love it. I’m trying to keep my head above water with work and planning this year’s Harvest Moon Hurrah (all the locals are invited to come on the 18th of this month) and hiring a new director for our community choir.
Becky and Auriana got to go with the young women of our ward up to Salt Lake this past week to meet with sister Elaine Dalton. They each got to talk with her and take pictures and get a big hug from her and sit at her desk. They both said the Spirit was strong and it was a very neat experience.
Life is good. The gospel is true. BYU won yesterday. I love my family. What more could I ask for?
We’re looking forward to seeing many of you at Enoch’s baptism on October 9 at noon.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Photo of the week!
Auriana and I had a great experience visiting Sister Elaine Dalton in Salt Lake this week. One of our leaders had shared some cookies with her in a meeting a few months ago and she asked for the recipe. Our entire group of YW had the opportunity to deliver the recipe for "virtue cookies" and visit with Sister Dalton!
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August: by Bjorn
Well, the 3 younger kids are off to their first day of school! Can't believe Miriam's in high school! We did father's blessings...
