Straight Rows?

Dear Family and Friends,

There once was a farmer who one day decided to teach his youngest son how to plow a field. The young man listened intently on how to run the tractor but was thinking of other things when the father explained how to plow straight rows.

The father watched his son do two or three laps of the field and then decided all was well and he could finish up some other work and left.

When the son had just completed his 15^th lap the dad appeared and motioned for the son to stop the tractor and get down and walk with him. The son obeyed. The father took his son to the first row and asked his son what he saw. The son indicated the row looked pretty straight except for a small curve in the center. They walked to the 5^th row and the dad again asked what the son saw. This time the curve in the middle was exaggerated.

The dad asked the son what he was looking at for a guide while he plowed. The son said he lined up the tractor wheels with the ruts from the previous round.

The father then took this opportunity to re-teach his son. The father pointed off into the distance and told his son to pick a stable object that never moved to focus his aim on and not to take his eyes off of it once he started his row. The father then told his son to start over and see if his rows could be straighter. The son obeyed.

A ward member spoke Sunday in Sacrament Meeting telling us this story. He was the young man in the story. Br. Rupp went on to point out the fact that sometimes we focus too much on the everyday things that surround us (like the tractor wheel and the ruts) and forget to look up and focus on the Savior and we get off course.

I have been plowing and re-plowing that crooked row in my mind for days now. I am grateful for Br. Rupp’s visual reminder to focus on my dear Savior as I start out each day.

Hopefully, when I kneel down and talk over my day with my Heavenly Father at night I can catch the little mistakes I’ve made during the day and correct them so tomorrow won’t be affected. Thanks Br. Rupp!

Love you all,

MOM

Pinewood Derby Racin'

Scott decided to try to get some competitive action going with the adults in our mission ward when he heard that there was going to be an “open” class in the upcoming Pinewood Derby races. This open class allowed non-scouts to race in a separate category and to add more weight or size to your car or even add power. The open class race would be held at the conclusion of the regular Cub Scout race. Scott challenged the Elders and High Priests to build cars and race them against him, stating that he could “Whoop Them All.”

He didn’t want to spend much time on his car since that is not missionary work, so he took the block of wood, charred it on the stovetop to give the grain some color, and sprayed it with clear varnish. He glued a plastic missionary on top and added a propeller from a model airplane. No carving, shaping, sanding, weighting, nothin’.

Here is what the “Mission Unlikely” car looked like before the race.

The track was an amazing professional aluminum track with electronic eyes and computer software with projector showing who, when, times, speed, etc.

Here is the starting line.

Here is the finish line.

Note that in picture #1 the missionary is standing nice and tall, and that at the finish line the overhead score bar is, well, not quite so tall.

Here they go, the Mission Unlikely car off to a screaming lead.

At the finish line parts were flying all over the track. It seems the missionary was about 1/8” too tall to fit under the finish line.

Someone had a hot glue gun so the car was put back together without the missionary on top (I am not sure how the analogy fits into a mission story, but there must be some connection somehow.) The repair was done before the next round so the race continued.

Wahoo! Idaho wins! New track record too, 2.7 seconds compared to the next best at 2.9 seconds. Old Age and Treachery Wins Again!

Miracle Baptism

Dear Family,

Saturday was Esteban’s baptism. Esteban is our dear little friend that was all ready for baptism in October but got into a terrible accident two days before. After many surgeries and lots of healing he was ready for the waters of baptism again.

We had close to 100 people attended his service. Seven members of the rescue team came and supported him. Without their fast action and care we would have lost Esteban.

Since Esteban is from Mexico the meeting was conducted in both Spanish and English. The spirit was powerful. Manuel, Esteban’s good friend, has only been a member a short time but was prepared so he baptized him. It took three men to lower Esteban into the water since he has no legs now but they did a marvelous job.

CLICK the picture to make it bigger.

Afterwards the two sister missionaries that taught him had their picture taken with him and the firefighters. Esteban just beamed. I can’t describe the love this ward has for its members. Esteban and Manuel have been staying at a member’s home for over a month now while they are searching for a handicap accessible apartment on the ground floor. We have really seen first hand modern day “bearing one another’s burdens” like the Savior asked us to do.

The good people here have affected us so. We don’t think we will ever be the same again.

Tonight several of us, including the ward mission leader Br. Lind, and the office missionaries, went to the hospital to see our dear blind friend, Linda. She is back in the hospital with pneumonia. Your dad played his nose flute for her and we cheered her up. She really was thrilled with some Necco candies we gave her. Good childhood memories of going to the movie theater and savoring your Neccos throughout the whole movie.

We love you all and hope you take every opportunity you can to show love to others. Mostly, they just need someone to listen to them or a kind word. I think kindness is becoming a rare thing now days. Don’t leave home without it!

Happy Valentines Day our dear ones!

Your missionary MOM and DAD

Esteban, The Rest Of The Story

News 5 WLWT
POSTED: 2:24 pm EDT October 22, 2009
Man In Critical Condition After Losing Legs In Crash
Esteban Gonzales Pinned Between Car, Store
UNION TOWNSHIP, Ohio --

Esteban Gonzales, 65, was struck when a truck jumped a curb at Goodwill around 1:45 p.m. on the 4000 block of Commercial Boulevard. One of Gonzales' legs was cut off by the impact of the crash and the other remained barely attached to his body, police said. Gonzales was airlifted to University Hospital, where he was in critical condition Friday morning.

Esteban Gonzales, a dishwasher and having little to spare, was at the Goodwill Store looking to see if he could buy a little used bicycle for the youngest daughter of a struggling single mother of three, who lived down stairs from him.

Due to the fast response time of the Union Township Police and life saving training of the Union Township Fire and Rescue teams, Esteban was extracted and kept alive until the Life Flight team arrived rushed him to University Hospital. During the short flight, the Life Flight team gave him an additional 7 units of blood, barely keeping alive. At the University Hospital, the Trauma Team took him, on the brink of death, and fought for his life. They fought with for him not only with great talent and ability, but with heart. The struggle was not for a few hours by a few people, but for weeks by many wonderful people. Once Esteban pulled through and was able, the Drake Center received him and began to teach him the new life skills that he would need.

Thursday, October 22nd was two days before he was to be baptized. Several days went by until he was conscious enough to see me. He asked how I was and then if he could still be baptized!

On February 13th, at 1 PM, Esteban will be baptized at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 700 Clough Pike, CINCINNATI, OH 45245

On behalf of Esteban Gonzales, I ask that each and every one of you that made this moment possible, to please come and celebrate his baptism and the new chance of life that you all gave him.

Cordially yours,
Don Stanton
513-943-4008