Dear Elder Cole,
Hi! I read 2 John 1:12, and I feel the same way! I would would not write with keyboard and screen, but look forward to talking to you face to face very soon--3 days from now, in fact! We are so excited, Matthew :). I enjoyed your last letter and your insights about Ammon and also Moroni. I am sorry that your investigators been struggling lately, but, whatever they decide, I know that they have someone who loves them and will be praying for them for the rest of their lives.
It is kind of hard to look back to the last week when I am so looking forward to the coming week! I put another hundred in your account, so you should be set to travel. The relatives who are local are all coming to your homecoming, and many of your friends are coming, also.
Okay, what happened last week? Well, for one thing, Miriam, Katrina, and I went on a detox where we only ate salad, beans, nuts, and eggs. We finished on Friday, and it's nice to have reduced my appetite and also cravings so that I am eating more healthy. It was fun to coordinate meals with the girls and compare notes on how we were doing. I didn't feel hungry during the week, and I lost four pounds, so that is nice. I am a bit sick of salad, though, ha ha.
I have been working hard at my job this week. It seems like all of the students I track have been absent a lot, and so I have been working them really hard. Last week I also made a yearbook for the students with 18 pages of photos in with all of our field trips, etc. I couldn't get data on my phone, so it was hard to download the pictures I'd taken, but I got it done, and the books are very nice. Making the books and working with the students took a lot of multi-tasking which was a bit stressful, but between me and the other aides, we got it all done. Well, I don't mean the students' work is all done, but I kept them working on it all week, anyway. That's about all I can do about that.
On Tuesday, Dad bought a new car. It's a Honda Ridgeline which he has been planning to get for a long time, so when he found out that he wasn't getting a pay cut this year, we prayed about buying a car, and I was very surprised how firm a "yes" answer I received about getting it. Dad is pretty happy about it. He brought it home Tuesday and we all went for a wonderful drive, which ended up at Jon's house. We visited with Jon for about an hour or so which was wonderful.
Wednesday Dad was a bit nervous to drive his new truck to work, but he did and has driven it there ever since. None of the group home kids have bothered it, so that's good. Wednesday evening, Thomas and Katrina went to Mutual, and Dad and I watched a show. That's about it. Dad's been exhausted again this week, so we haven't done much walking.
On Thursday Thomas worked, Katrina and I bought Sunday clothes for Christian, and we had omelettes for dinner. That's really all I can remember about Thurdsay, ha ha.
We had a talent show at work on Friday at work, and many of the students sang and did other talents. I took pictures and added them to the yearbook. The teacher, who is retiring gave all of us aides a gift, and I wished we had given her her gift then instead of this next week when we'd planned to do it.
Friday morning I read in 1 Ne. 13 about how the Spirit of God wrought upon Columbus and others to come to the promised land. I thought about the different times when I have felt the Spirit of God working on me in my life. I made it my goal that day to listen for the Spirit and obey it when it works on me. After work, I went to the temple. As I drove there, I was sad because I didn't remember consciously feeling the Holy Ghost in my day. The temple was absolutely wonderful, Matt, and I am so glad you can go there again, soon. It was exactly what I needed, and I felt the Spirit very strongly. As I sat there, soaking in the truths being taught, I realized that the Spirit had wrought upon me to go to the temple, and I went! I was so happy to have followed the Spirit even though I hadn't realized it until then.
Friday, Dad and I took Thomas out for his birthday a week late. We ate at Wingers. We didn't know it was wingers because the restaurant doesn't say "Wingers" on it anymore, it just says "Wings and Waffles," and Thomas heard they had lots of gluten free stuff there, so we tried it. I guess it's not an official Wingers but is owned by the Wingers people. Whatever. If we'd known that, we wouldn't have gone because we don't like Wingers much, but it was fun to be with Thomas. He's a wonderful kid.
Yesterday all five of us went to Maceys, bought 9 pots of mums, and went to three graveyards to put flowers on graves. At one cemetary, we put flowers on Michael, Amanda, and Niesha's graves. At another we put flowers on Grandpa and Pauline's graves, and on her first husband's grave. At the last cemetary, we put flowers on Grandma's grave, on her parent's grave, and on her brother Richard's grave. We also ate at our favorite place. I love the tradition of visiting the graves and honoring people who came before us, and it was a wonderful day.
Today we had an amazing Sacrament service and Sunday School, and Thomas was one of the priests at the sacrament table for the first time, though he didn't say a prayer. I also heard a beautiful lesson in Relief Society on the Priesthood. Emily Bennett gave the lesson. Can you believe she's all grown up with kids, now? I taught her in Primary when she was ten. It makes me feel so old, ha ha. I have a couple of meetings tonight, so I have to go, but I love you very much, Matt. I can't wait to see you Wednesday! We will be praying for you to have a safe trip.
Love,
Mom
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