Trip to the Zoo

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The sun came out so we cleaned up our apartment quickly, went to the office to show a car to an interested party, and went to the Cincinnati Zoo where they were letting people in for 1/2 price.

Click on any of these to make them bigger.

The last two are video clips.

We have to ask first

When the missionaries have an accident with their car, they call me to report it. Then I have to make them fill out the accident/damage report. The report form is in their glove box in a folder called, “What to do if I have an accident.” The report is fairly lengthy and for some reason most of them are somehow funny. Granted, it wouldn’t be funny if someone got hurt but most of them are like, “I thought I had room enough to turn around, but I guess I didn’t.”

On Monday evening there were two calls, both fairly minor (under $1000). The first was a slide off during a turn on a snowy road while going too fast. The caller said, “We were going too fast for the turn and went off the road into a wall.” Whoa, I wondered what kind of a wall? Turns out it was a low brick planter at the edge of the property. All it did was bend the frame of the truck and break the planter bricks.

Then next call was “We hit a deer but we don’t think it hurt the car, except you can’t open the door.” I got the written report in the mail yesterday. I am quoting, “…we were on a straight road but a deer ran out from some trees and we think we clipped his shoulder barely and it swung his butt in to the side of the car. It was only a little baby doe.”

I am pretty sure that angels ride with the missionaries, but I think they get together in the evenings at a pub and tell about their adventures of the day. I can almost hear them.

We have been pretty busy selling 7 cars we pulled from the fleet 4 weeks ago. I was a bit worried about trying to sell so many in the desired time frame, which is 45 days. This morning as we were leaving the apartment to go to the office, Sister Earl asked in our prayer that the Lord would help us in selling the last car. It is a Mazda and we had not received a single call on it in a month. Within 3 minutes of her prayer, as we were getting in our car, the cell phone rang. The man who called came to the office an hour later with a cashiers check in hand and bought it. He didn't even drive the car. The Lord is in the details, but He requires that we ask. That’s just the way He set it up. He stands there with blessings and to spare, but waits for us to ask.

Thank You Lord.

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He is in the Details

Several months ago we were out visiting ward members and we met a widow, Beth, and had a wonderful visit with her. She asked for a blessing of comfort which Grampa gave her. She told us about a good friend down the road from her that might need a visit also. It was late when we left and we were tired but the spirit said to go. So we did. We met Br. & Sister Ison. Br. Ison was on his third round of chemo. What a positive sweet older couple. We just fell in love with them. At each of these homes they expressed their gratitude for the blessings of being sealed in the temple for eternity. That brought them a lot of comfort. Well, this past week Br. Ison went to meet his Savior.  We went over to visit Sister Ison after we found out about her husband's passing. We found Sister Ison with her dear friend, Beth. Because of our previous visits we were welcomed and we had a wonderful gospel discussion. And like always, grandpa left them laughing and begging us to return which we have done. We love these people!

Last week grandpa sold a car to a young man from China who is working in America. I had the opportunity to visit with him while grandpa was outside changing license plates and getting paper work out of the car.

I found out he had a fiancé who wants him to become a Christian. He had been attending several Churches with her. We knew he was coming back in to the office so we had emailed our niece who served a mission in Korea and asked her which language of the Book of Mormon this young man would probably read. We have almost all languages of the Book of Mormon in our office, including Mandarin and Cantonese.

I bore my testimony of the Savior in my life and told him about the Book of Mormon and how it helped me raise a righteous family and how I couldn't have done it without God's help.  I then presented a Book of Mormon in his language to him. I expressed my love for the beauty of his language and asked him to show me how he would read it. He opened it up and the look on his face when he saw his mother language told volumes. He was so pleased and I could tell he was visibly touched by my testimony. What a wonderful experience. I am so grateful we had all languages on hand and Elizabeth Temus could clue us in on which he could use. What a wise Father in Heaven, preparing ages in advance for that special moment when I could give to a brother a sacred book in his own tongue. Thank you, Father in Heaven, for watching over all of your children.

We have been busy in the office this past week preparing for the January audit. All of us have been organizing files and sifting though stuff to make the process go smoothly.  We send our love to all and pray the richest blessing will come to you this New Year.

Love, Gramma April

Obedience, the first covenant

Have I told you I love these obedient missionaries?  Friday at District meeting the topic of swine flu shoots came up. Elder Earl and I had just received ours that morning. The good folks of Ohio ran out of them in November and then finally got a new supply in. Elder Earl was wearing his Brave sticker!

Well, one of the sister missionaries stated she had not received hers yet and besides she heard from a nurse in her ward that there were some side effects and the shots might not be a good idea after all.

(A little back ground information: We had received a visit from the regional doctor for 14 missions in the area. After much study the 1^st presidency encouraged all missionaries to get the shot because of their sensitive age group and because of all the people they came in contact with. The doctor also encouraged all Senior Couples to do the same.)

After a discussion of the pros and cons in District Meeting Elder Earl in Elder Earl fashion stated, “The real question is whether you (talking to the sister missionary) are going to be obedient or be smart?” She looked at him and said “Yes, I guess so.”

Later that evening she called and asked for the address and phone # for the health clinic.  Such obedience!

The previous week we had a similar conversation with the office elders. They overheard me making an appointment with the health clinic and they divulged they hadn’t got their shot yet. They had lots of reasons why they put it off and they listed them one after another. They asked me what I thought and I simply said, “If you want missionary blessings you have to be obedient.”—The health clinic got them in the very next day.  Aw…the power of a mother having the last word.

We are doing great here but seem to be missing out on some exciting times back home. We want you all to know the Lord is at the helm. I bear my witness to his tender mercies happening every day in each of our lives. To list just a few:

Grandma’s hip only being cracked not broken all the way!

Nate getting tubes in his ears now and not waiting for future problems to happen!

Brooklyn getting the run around at the emergency room when she broke her arm and ending up with one of the best children’s doctor in that area.

Cristine finding out about her back problem now so the proper treatment can begin!

Marisa receiving the right medical help when she was sick and her numbers went so high!

I am sure you know of tons of tender mercies that I failed to mention but are very real. I am grateful to a loving father in Heaven for watching over our love ones while we are away!

We love you all.

Grandma April and Grandpa Scott

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Once in a while I find it easy to be an instrument in the Lords hands, simply because I am pretty dumb. Hey, I don’t even have to think. That’s easy for me. I am used to it, and April is pretty used to it too. Thus when the Lord needs a simple tool to do a simple job, I can do that if I don’t let my mind get in the way.

On Tuesday a recent convert told us that she felt she needed a blessing for a fairly minor physical discomfort and asked how blessings work and could we bring the Elders to give her such a blessing. We told here we would find out who her home teacher was and work it that way.

I made a few calls and emails and found her home teacher but by then it was New Years Eve and people had family activities. I tried the missionaries but by then it was after 6:00 pm and the missionaries were told to be home by 6:00 in order to stay out of harms way. We were just relaxing at our apartment when that little voice said “GET UP” and go give her a blessing. I argued that I didn’t have a companion Priesthood holder, but the voice said I was just looking for an excuse, so off we went.

At her home we talked about her concern for a few minutes and she too said it was such a minor thing but it was still bothering her, so I gave her a blessing. The funny thing is that I didn’t really say anything about the problem she was having, but I blessed her home that it would be a safe refuge away from the world.

Today is Fast Sunday and this good lady went up front to give her testimony. It was so sweet. It was also a little amazing, for she mentioned the blessing and how well she had slept that night, and that when she got up early on Friday morning to go to work she found that someone had tried to break into her home that night. The lock mechanism in the doorknob was completely chewed up and broken to pieces but they couldn’t get it open. She said that the Lord had “sealed her in” and no one could harm her when He did that.

I am glad I listened. I keep learning, but I am sure slow.

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Christmas 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating our Savior’s birth. We had the privilege of going with the Spanish-speaking Sisters a few nights before Christmas to a family from El Salvador. The home was very humble according to worldly standards. Inside was a brilliantly lit Christmas tree, a gift from the oldest boy’s grade school.

In young Juan’s class the teacher asked each child what they would like for Christmas and he had said, “I only want a Christmas Tree. I have never had one.” When the school heard this they chipped in and bought and delivered a tree with lights and all the trimmings. Little Juan and his brother were so happy to show us their tree. It was indeed beautiful!

A high school girl and her family joined us when we went to visit our El Salvador family that night. The girl’s Spanish class wanted to provide Christmas for a struggling Spanish family and they had chosen Juan Sr’s. We helped the family carry in presents with the sister missionaries.

We showed the family a Christmas video about Christ’s birth and then we went around the tiny room and all 14 of us shared our feelings about our Savior.

The remarkable thing was the sister missionaries prayed before we went in to the house. They prayed the family might understand us even though they would be interpreting for us. This is where the miracle took place. As we each shared our tender feelings the room became bathed in soft light, there was no language barrier, and our hearts were full to over-flowing. We felt like we were “the privileged shepherds” visiting Mary and Joseph. Such a good experience.

Christmas Eve we returned from a Zone Conference in West Virginia. A very sweet family invited us to join their family for dinner and a Christmas program afterwards. There were several little children so they dressed up and did the Nativity. Between each reading we sang a Christmas carol accompanied by a hand held harp. The young lady playing slid a sheet of music under the strings. The paper had black dots under the string you were to play and anyone could then play the song. It was kind of like guitar hero without the paper moving.

The last carol was missing the sheet of music so Scott asked if he could try and he strummed a few strings and then he played the song for all of us to sing. Ah the gift of playing by ear! I was so proud of him.

Christmas morning we were invited to a member’s home to help prepare Christmas brunch for the elders. This member loves to invite missionaries and new people in the ward who don’t have family close by to spend Christmas morning with him. We had a wonderful breakfast and then played a few games while the elders took turns calling their families.

Today at church one of the sisters we have been teaching the temple preparation classes to said that she has the next two weeks off since the family she nannies for is on vacation. She said, “I am so looking forward to spending the next two weeks reading my scriptures and drawing closer to the Lord and getting my life in harmony with His will.” Wow!

This year instead of giving gifts I learned how to receive them. There have been so many sweet acts of service preformed for us and other missionaries. When we return to Idaho our Christmas celebrations will have a larger circle of friends for sure. We now know what it is like to be on the outside and away from home.

Thank you for your gifts of love you sent and your phone calls. It felt so good to hear each of your voices. We know this is the great work of the Lord we are engaged in. We see miracles everyday here and blessings on those back at home. Thank you Heavenly Father for your watchful care.

We love you all.
MOM and DAD

Seasons Change!

I have a few minutes, so here are some pictures. This is the view yesterday morning out our window. You can compare it to the next picture from a few months ago. It was not a big snowfall, but was fun all the same. Traffic speeds and following distances on the roads were the same as on a perfect weather day. NUTS!

This is fairly typical for the SE edge of old Cincinnati. Neat houses.

This is a High School that was built in the flood plain of the Ohio River. In order to meet code, anything built there has to be built on stilts. The parking is underneath. This is the narrow end of the building, it goes into the distance quite a ways and looks better from the front (Right).

This is in New Richmond. Our attire has changed since the heat of summer!

Turning in the opposite direction, here is the floating marina and cafe that we saw back in August, only now it is about 15' higher in the water! Check out the piles (posts sticking up in the lower picture) that hold the thing in place. Find them in this picture to see how much the river has risen. The parking lot in the lower picture is now gone.

When the river floods, (every 20 years or so) it happens in January through March. Current typical river depth is 65'. That's a LOT of water.

We Love You!

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Missionary miracles

December 18, 2009, Friday evening

Hello Family,

Today some really special things took place. First off I want to tell you about Estabon, our Hispanic investigator that was to be baptized and then got crushed against a brick wall by a car. He lost both legs as a result of the accident and couldn’t get baptized. Well, Pres. Robbins went up to the hospital last night to check on him and some really incredible things have transpired since his accident a month and a half ago. I guess a ton of people have showed up to visit him and the love the visitors have shown has really impressed the nurses. Estabon has had one nurse read to him out of the Book of Mormon and she said she was Catholic and had never hear this stuff before, but she liked it!

The lady who accidently hit Estabon had $100,000 in medical insurance. That was used up in the first 15 minutes in the trauma room. Well, the bill is now 2 million dollars. President said last night an anonymous person paid the bill! There are so many good people.

One of his legs is missing just below the knee and the other mid thigh. Estabon told president he wants artificial legs fitted so he can walk back into the church. WOW!

He said he is determined to be baptized. We can see the Lord’s hand in this.

The second remarkable thing happened at District Meeting today. We had divided into groups and roll played answering questions of the investigators. The assistants had posed the question about “Where will I go after I die?” The assistants then gave the sister missionaries several ideas about how to teach using the scriptures. It wasn’t 30 minutes later after our meeting that the phone rang and the sisters wanted to tell the assistants what happened.

The sisters met a workman going into their building and they felt impressed to give him a pass along card. The sisters told who they were and asked the man if he had any concerns or questions. The man said, “Ya, I do. Where do we go after we die?” The card they handed him was that very card. They gave the man a shortened version of the Plan of Salvation, just as they had practiced it with the assistants. The man accepted a Book of Mormon and wants them to teach him in his home. Coincidence?

Here is a picture of Mary Catherine and Addie at our Temple Prep Class. How we love these dear sisters. They were so excited when they came to class this week because they were called to be visiting teaching partners.

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Gifts, big and small

Last Friday a man called to see if we still had some cars for sale. He told us of a family with two of their children on missions, the daughter in Peru. The mother was driving the daughter's car for some reason and there was an accident and the car was totaled. The mother felt terrible about ruining the daughter's car which the daughter intended taking to college when she comes home from her mission.

Today that man came into the office with a check for one of our mission cars. There were two cars in the parking lot and before we went out to look at them and decide which one to choose, he asked if we could have a prayer. The prayer he offered to ask the Lord that we make the decision that would help that family the most was a short but humble/thankful prayer that left tears in our eyes. We went out and looked over the cars and came back in and did some fancy paperwork shuffling. On Thursday night he will deliver the car to the family's driveway with a Merry Christmas note inside. They will never be able to find out who gave them the car.

Big wonderful gifts are a rare thing, and that's okay. Most people don't really need a big gift, they need someone who will be their friend and will listen to them and offer support and love. We just need to do our tiny part and that will usually be enough. One thing for sure however. Thinking about doing something won't help. As the hymn says, "Wake up and Do something more..."

This car reminds me to "Wake Up."

We love you!

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Santa or Jesus?

Our Good Friend took an internet comparison of Santa to Jesus and revised it to fit the truths of the restored Gospel. We thought this message might help you have the Spirit of Christ throughout the Christmas Season.

Santa lives at the North Pole, Jesus lives with our father in heaven.

Santa rides on a sleigh, Jesus walked on water.

Santa comes once a year, Jesus can be in our lives every day.

Santa comes down your chimney, Jesus lovingly stands at your door knocks, and enters your heart when he is invited.

Santa has you wait in line, Jesus is right there with you always.

Santa asks your name, Jesus knew your name before you were born, He knows your history and future, He knows your daily struggles.

Santa has a belly-bowl full of jelly, Jesus has a heart full of love.

Santa offers you a toy, Jesus offers salvation and eternal life.

Santa says, “you better not cry,” Jesus encircles you in the arms of his tender care while you are crying.

Santa's helpers make toys, Jesus’ helpers make themselves available to help others spiritually.

Santa puts your gifts under a tree once a year, Jesus’ atonement is our gift, He died for us on a cross made from a tree.

Santa wants you to believe in him, Jesus wants you to believe Him.

Santa is not real, he does not make us promises, Jesus and his promises are very real, they bring true joy.

Jesus Christ, our Savior and the Redeemer of the world, will bring us unimaginable blessings if we but:

Have Faith in Him

Repent

Be Baptized by immersion for the remission of sins

Receive the Holy Ghost

Keep his commandments

Endure to the end