Hi, Matt, that was weird. I was writing a letter to you and had gotten quite a bit written, when the email I was writing disappeared. I have no idea where it went, and it's not in my drafts or my sent mail, so now I have to start over which really stinks. I started by basically saying that I am happy for all of the progress that your investigators are making and I hope to hear more about them this week.
I also said thank you for your encouraging words to me and for helping me to look back at how I gained a testimony. It is a very strengthening thing to do. Also, I said that reading with my students does remind me of reading with you and I have sweet memories of reading "My Father's Dragon" together. I want you to know that I have learned more patience since then, ha ha.
I think its really cool that you are studying obedience and keeping track of your obedience. I'm looking forward to hearing more about that in your letter. I have been studying about obedience, too, in 1 Ne. 3 and 4. Here is a link to my study notes if you have time to and are allowed to and want to read them.
Well, today is Sunday and I went to our ward and another ward. I also had a meeting this evening. Still, we were able to eat a meal together as a family and to have family home evening. Dad did family home evening, and he read an article from Brigham Young University that talked about ridding our lives of destructive behaviors and cycles. I was very informative, I thought. Tomorrow he and I are going to drive to get a washing machine fixed for the laundry. It will be fun to spend a couple of hours driving there together.
A month or so ago I signed up for a few city yard sales on Facebook, and someone was selling a brand-new-never-been-used fondue pot for eight dollars. I have no idea why I messaged them and asked them if they’d take five, because then I had to go buy it when they said “yes” which was kind of a pain. Anyway, I thought it would be a cheap aluminum thingy, but the stand and pot were cast iron. That was the good news. The bad news is that I also thought it would be heated electrically, but it wasn’t. It was heated with a little stove that requires denatured alcohol that you slip under the stand, and it heats the pot. So I bought the alcohol, another pain, and the cheese, and found out how to make fondue without wine, and yesterday I made it. The fondue was delicious. The “old world” recipe enclosed with the pot was just the ticket, and using lemon instead of wine worked wonderfully. The only thing that didn’t work wonderfully was the burner under the pot. It never got the pot hot enough to melt the cheese all the way, and I ended up making and serving it on the stove so everyone had to crowd around it. It was disappointing and I don’t think I’ll make it again unless I can get the pot to work.
Speaking of doing lots of driving, yesterday we went to a family history expo. Miriam and Katrina went with us, but Thomas didn’t because he didn’t want to miss his last basketball game of the season. We got to hear Elder Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speak as well as others. It was a wonderful event and I’m really glad we went. Now if we could just DO family history! It is less of a mystery to me now, happily. Did you know that the Church has struck a deal with ancestry.com and other genealogy websites, and within a year, those websites will be free to use along with familysearch.org which is already free, of course. The lds family day at the expo was also free. (Blog Note: We got tote bags and backpacks and lanyards. The church had given each participant all that free of charge. After the conference, I couldn't throw it all away. I'm hoping it will somehow come in handy for our family reunion this summer.) The church is so awesome!
Well, last week was a very busy week, Matt. Dad was sick, for one thing. I also had meetings Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights. Then, because it was the beginning of the month, I also did my monthly inventory and shopping trips to keep the house stocked with three month’s supply of food and non-food items. Besides all that, Thomas and I figured out what eagle scout project he wanted to do, filled out the proposal, and got him before the board Thursday night to present it. They loved the idea, so he is now ready to start the project. It all made for a very busy week, though I did bow out of the Thursday meeting because of Dad being sick and Thomas presenting his project.
For his eagle project, Thomas plans to help out the elementary school's P.E. department by making bean bags, repairing the parachute, and cleaning equipment. His friend Hayden’s mom is the P.E. teacher, so he worked it all out with her. He wants to make the bean bags out of old donated jeans and donated beans and other grains. He wants to get young men, young women, and moms together in the church with sewing machines and have the moms teach the kids to sew the bags, and the kids to cut out the bags, sew, and clean the equipment. He wants to sew the parachute himself. Anyway, that’s the plan.
Well, besides going out with Dad on Friday, there’s not much else to say about the week. I look forward to this week. Tonight we are going to the school play because Katrina helped with some of the scenery and also sewed cravats for the men’s costumes. Also, she has to be an usher tonight, so we are all going in order to be with her on family home evening night and to see the play.
I really hope that this week we can do some family history work although I still wish I had more of a handle on it so that I could help the kids when they get stuck so that they won’t get discouraged. I also need to pray about where to start. It really is a daunting task, to me, Matt, even with all the training we got on Saturday. I just need to do it!
Also this week, we all look forward to Friday, Valentines Day. After school, we are going to see “Les Miserables” performed at a community theater. In preparation for the event, I have not listened to any music from the play so that, first, I could get the memory of the movie out of my head, and, second, I can appreciate the beautiful music even more, having not heard it for awhile. Dad and I saw the Broadway play five or so years ago, and we are very excited to take the kids.
Well, Matt, I love you! Thanks for taking the time to write us. Don’t worry if you cant write much, we understand. I am so glad that you are so happy doing the Lord’s work, and that you are working with so many wonderful people. Tell Elder Sullivan “Hi” for us, and your investigators, too, if you want. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Mom
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