11/11/18 - Family Letter to Emma

Hi Emma,

Hope you had a good week.

I got all 4s And one 3 on my report card!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday nights have never been the same.

I LOVE HAVING A CLEAN ROOM.

 I cleaned my room it was really bad.

but when i was done I felt so much better.

 miss you love you

             Mari

Hello Emma!

 How's it going? I'm in the Middle schools production

of Pirates of Penzance. I'm Samuel (Not the lead, but the part I

wanted think of him as a cool Smee. the accountant of the Pirates).

It's going to be really cool! I miss you!

Hyrum

M,

Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer are circle of latitude that measure how much impact the sun has on the earth.  Within the two Tropics the earth gets far more sun than it does outside.  Within the Tropics the sun is almost directly overhead.  This is why when you look at the sun in Utah it looks like it is south of us.  Within the Tropics there is a smaller change in the seasons than outside. I hope this helps your curiosity. 

What do you mean buy bullying from your comps bestie?  What have they been doing.  Try your best to keep the peace.  This falls under you must find a way to love your companion.  We have sent your Christmas package with a few things for your comp.  If the two of you are still together by then maybe some of the things we sent will help.  Did I mention in our last email that you need to start buying souvenirs now?  If needed, we will find some way to get them home if your suitcase gets too crowded.

We are finally done with our midterm elections.  It has been a major annoyance.  We have had a lot of contentious races and I'm glad to have the negativity be over.  The market is not doing too hot.  We could never get your money into the account at Fidelity we discussed so I move our money over and figured you can pay us back.  I moved us into a few stocks and  they went up big and all came back down.  It might be worth something when you get back.  Crossing our fingers.

We had the piano recital and Emma Tolman's wedding on the same night.  The kids did great.  Paula had her kids broken up into 3 groups so it was really short.  We were about 15 min late and when we got there the recital was almost half way done.  Grandma and Grandpa took us to Chick-Fil-A with the Levers.  They are getting their kitchen remodeled so they are eating out for almost every meal.  We went as fast as we could to Sandy for the Tolman reception.  It was in a reception room in a strip mall.  We had a hard time finding it.  The room looked great.  It was weird being around your high school homies without you being there.  They had a hot chocolate bar.  They had some mix-ins of Andies mints and Peppermint bark.  It was yummy.  We let Mari get her picture with Emma and we got out of there as fast as we could.  Emma's new hubby is not as old as we thought.  He is easily 4-5 years older.  He did not look like a guy I thought Emma would settle with.  First impression is he is a good guy and they should be ok.  I'm not comfortable with the idea of your friends getting married. 

We had a chance to go to Morgan and hang with your Mom's side of the family.  When we got there we found out that Sariah went off with her friends so Eve got to hang with the Mom's.  A bummer but she made the best of it.  The girls went to a butcher and bought a few brats.  They brought home a brat that had gummy bears in it.  They were disgusting.  The guys went up the mountain and shot airsoft guns at each other.  Hyrum was super excited.  We bought him a mask to protect his face.  Mari wanted to come with the guys.  Your Uncle Scott and Braxton Airsoft all the time and brought guns that looked real.  They shot multiple bullets with one trigger pull.  The guns we bought Hyrum are single shot.  Their guns are very quiet.  Hyrum's gun is very loud.  It was not fair and the fun did not last long.  Mari and I got pinned down on a hillside and got pelleted from Braxton.  One of the bullets hit Mari right at her hairline and she got a welt.  She is not a fan.  She stayed right on hip after that.  It was a good experience overall.  Your Mom was able to talk with her sisters.  We have them coming over to our place for Thanksgiving next Sunday.  We are hoping the turkey will turn out OK.

Keep doing what you know is right.  Remember that many of your companions do not have the gospel legacy you have.  They might understand applying the gospel to your missionary sacrifice differently than you do.  Hold your ground and do your best.  It will be enough.

Love ya kid

Dad

John 13:34-35

Sweet Emma,

I sent about a million pics (slight exaggeration😊)  If they are not what you were hoping for, I'll try again.  One of the pics is of the line of missionary parents waiting to mail their missionaries Christmas package through LDSxpress.  Christie, Mari and I went together to mail your and Kade's packages.  We got there early enough to beat the long line.  That line of parents touched my heart to see a small sampling of how many people are loving and praying for their missionaries.  I love how in the temple, they always pray for the missionaries.  We put your name in the temple each time we go.

I got a video of you helping with ukulele/personal progress from Sheila.  You look so cute and your voice sound great! Both Dad and I think your voice has improved.  You look lovely too!   You are making such a big difference with the people in your area, especially the youth and the kids.  THEY LOVE YOU SO MUCH!  Please tell all your friends how much I enjoy hearing from them and how I appreciate them taking such good care of you.

As I have been talking to other missionary moms, I keep forgetting to ask you:  Do you have a washer/dryer in your apartment?  How are your shoes/clothes holding up?  Are you eating healthy (veggies/fruits)?  Are you following an exercise routine?  (I think about you every time I go to Jazzercise) 

I see that Sheila already has her Christmas decorations up.  They look beautiful!  Have others decorated also?  Please tell us about the Christmas customs in Brazil/songs as you learn about them.  Eve is going to add some Christmas music to your MP3 file.  How does it feel to see Christmas things in the heat of Summer? 

Your re-occurring dream about coming home at 10 months probably means nothing, but you could use it as a reminder to make the most of your mission (knowing you, you already are!)  I believe some dreams can teach us, some dreams can warn us, and some dreams mean nothing.  The point is, please don't waste a minute worrying about something you can't control.  Do your best and trust in Heavenly Father's plan for you. Be as obedient and healthy as you can...and it will all work out!  Ever since I was little I had a re-occurring dream that involved piles of gold coins.  There were so many gold coins that I could hardly navigate through the room.  I remember swinging through the piles and knocking them over with my feet, giggling, then stacking them back up again...weird but kind of fun....  Hyrum seems to have dreams that communicate messages to him.  He prayed, asking about help with a video game...and that night he had a dream with the answers he was seeking.  He testified that he KNOWS that Heavenly Father cares about everything in our lives (even silly video games). 

Speaking of Hyrum, I'm so proud of him for trying something new.  He will be great in his musical at OHMS.  He has already made some great friends outside the neighborhood.  He is starting to figure out the kind of kids he gets along with (mostly the musical kids and others who play D&D)  they are a good group.  He doesn't hang with the neighborhood kids as much.  I think this was about the age that you started to find friends outside the neighborhood too.  Hyrum and Jacob are regulars at the Stake Dances.  They are so cute!

Mari and Eve have been spending more time together.  They both really miss you (we all do)...but this is a small sacrifice to build the kingdom!  Eve likes to have Mari come along on her errands to the store or to the library.  Eve is struggling because it seems like all her friends are dating and she isn't.  She doesn't want a boyfriend, and her friends seem to have a new boyfriend every month.   Dad and I told her that the trick is to:  1.  learn to be happy in ANY circumstance, and 2.  Don't compare yourself/circumstances/opportunities to others.  (That's one of Satan's tools)

I don't think many people "date" unless they want a boyfriend.  Most people just hang out.  

Another question:  Is Brennan still writing?  Are you able to get your other missionary friend's letters?  We get Sam Bollschweiler's letters and Dalton's letters (Mari sent him the video of her COPA performance).

I'm so proud of you for learning to love everyone, regardless of how you are treated.  I am reminded of the Savior, how he loved everyone, even if they mistreated Him.

Sending you a great big hug....and a cheer......  HOORAH for ISRAEL!

💜Mom