The Lord buys a truck?

Dear Family,

We want to share a “tender mercy of the Lord” with you that happened this last week. One of the widows in the ward asked Elder Earl if he could help her sell her deceased husband’s pickup.

Scott and another ward member spent a Saturday morning changing spark plugs and adjusting magical things in the engine compartment. Br. Hauck once was a mechanic for Ford Motor Company and has a garage full of tools to die for. Well, between these two men the truck started sounding pretty good. The next week Elder Earl and I cleaned it up inside and out. (I really should go into the business of detailing cars!)

We put the truck on Craig’s list and the very next day a man called and wanted to see it. Chuck, the man that called, drove it around and wanted it.

Elder Earl got the two parties together and, long story short, Chuck gave our widow friend a goodly amount of cash and answered her prayers for financial help. Chuck got a reliable low mileage truck to haul things around with and both parties were very happy.

Here comes the tender mercy: Elder Earl thought he had taken the truck off Craig’s List the night he sold it, but not so. He forgot. A week went by and then we got on Craig’s List to enter another car and saw the ad for the truck. We had thought there weren’t any more calls for the truck because we had taken off the ad, but in reality there weren’t any more buyers interested.

Chuck was the only one interested. Heavenly Father brought the ad to his attention the day we posted it. Chuck said he wanted to haul some dirt for his wife’s garden and didn’t have a truck to do it with. He just happened to look on Craig’s List that night and there was the ad.

What an all knowing all loving Father in Heaven. Prayers are answered. Our testimony grows daily in this work.

Will you spend this next week looking and writing down all the “Tender Mercies” you see in your life? I promise you; it will draw you closer to your Heavenly Father and Savior.

Love you all,

Grandma April & Grampa Scott

Amazing House!

As we were moving some mission cars in Cincinnati the other day we came across this house. Someone was very talented with split shake shingles. The walls are 2 feet thick in places. Quite amazing!

This part sits on a central column and has a glass sunroom up high overlooking the neighborhood.

Unrelated, but we have been doing service projects for some widows and built a good sized bonfire. The orange coveralls made the neighbor dogs go nuts, but they were cheap on eBay!

Cincinnati goes GREEN

Spring came early here this year, according to the locals, by several weeks. Here are a few of the steps we saw from our canopy level porch.

(You can click any picture to make it bigger)

On March 19th the sugar maples in our yard took on a pink hue. This is what the buds looked like as they popped:

The next day they looked like this, and on the following day they all fell off!

Then 10 days later, April 3, they did this:

The next day, this:

5 days later, this:

and a week later, this:

So we went from this:

to THIS in 3 weeks:

It's green everywhere. All the houses are hidden again and it seems when we arrive at our apartment complex you are driving into a campground. Quite pretty!

a Great Zone Conference

We had a wonderful Zone Conference where we brought all the missionaries in the entire mission together. We found a very budget priced caterer who cooked hot dogs and cheeseburgers on a charcoal grill and we had a wonderful picnic type meal.

We had our pictures taken, and that was fun.

Click on the video below.

We had fantastic training and talks, but for me the bestest part of all was the missionary testimonies of those missionaries who are going home next week. It was truly humbling.

Elder Bevington was among those who bore quiet but powerful testimonies. He was the missionary who was working in the office as Vehicle Coordinator when we arrived and thus became my trainer. He did a good job as a trainer, especially having an old forgetful trainee to deal with. He told me everything at least 7 times, and still I had to call him to ask questions after he left the mission office. In the video above he is the missionary on the left who folds his arms.

He read us a statement from D&C 118 that goes like this. “Let the (missionaries) continue to preach from that hour, and if they will do this in all lowliness of heart, in meekness and humility, and long-suffering, I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that I will provide for their families; and an effectual door shall be opened for them, from henceforth.”

Elder Bevington explained that his parents divorced when he was young and he lived mostly with his father. His mother never attended church. As he wrote to her each week throughout his mission she would reply and sometimes tell him he was getting too “preachy.” He never stopped writing and telling her of his experiences and bearing humble testimony. He then related that in a recent letter she told him not to faint but she was going to attend his homecoming and is starting to come back to church.

He then expounded the scripture in section 118 in a very quiet and soft voice and explained that “an effectual door” was opened by the Lord, just as the Lord had said it would be.

When I was the Stake Clerk at BYUI I watched the face on our Stake President as he came from his office after interviewing a young man who was about to go on a mission. He had a funny look in his eyes, so I asked him what was up. He said, “That is a good young man. I wish I was that good.”

So, that’s how I feel too.

Love,

US

.

A Good Day

April 8^th, 2010

I had a remarkable morning with Scott yesterday. President Robbins asked us to drive out to Oxford and visit with some sister missionaries that were having some disagreements over each others driving skills.

We had prayed before going for divine help. We needed to know how and what to say. We sat at their kitchen table and started off with a word of prayer. Scott told several stories to introduce the topic of communication and how to develop that skill. Part way through our training we asked them to teach us how to do a “companionship inventory” because we didn’t think we had done an official one. They told us how and then hesitated to do one because they were still feeling some hostility towards one another. The spirit told us to turn it around and let Scott and I do one for them and then they could grade us. They said, “Sure.” So we did. They liked it and we asked if we could do another one from Preach My Gospel. This one focused on expressing gratitude for things we appreciated in each other. The spirit was in full force and tender tears were shared.

Scott then told them the story of the young couple and the grapefruit story, the 4 families in car accidents and their bank accounts, and of the “Thank You Box” we had in our home when the kids were young. The light went on in their eyes and they wanted to try the “Thank You Box” for the rest of their transfer.

The sisters were so obedient and teachable; we know they will be able to work it out. Afterwards I helped them do their dirty dishes and they were so grateful. It gave me an opportunity to serve them and just visit with them about their mission work.

What a difference between the “before look” on their faces as we pulled up and “the smiles and hugs” when we left. They will be fine. Thanks you Heavenly Father for your divine help and putting the right words into our mouths.

In the evening we went over to Beth Terry’s home. We sawed tree limbs and gathered downed brush. We plan to can go back when things dry out and burn it for her.

Scott visited with Beth and watched silly Trixie (her fat short wiener dog) dig holes in the back yard while I cleaned up her flower pots out front. It was a beautiful evening. Clouds were rolling in and the temperature was just right.

How we have come to love this incredible woman. Chemo has taken her hair and her head is a mass of sores. We feel so bad for her. We have discussed what she is learning from this health challenge and it is this: “How to accept service from others graciously.” That has to be one of the hardest things to learn in this life.

While studying about Christ’s final days, the thought came to me; even Christ had to allow others to serve him. Mary anointing his feet with oil, the disciples finding a room for the Savior’s last Passover, and finally Simon the Cyrenian carrying the cross up the hill for Christ. Even our dear Savior learned to be served! Wow!!