This week has been pretty cool. We went on exchanges with Elder Jeffery, and Elder VanBuskirk, They are in Poltava, which is 5 hours away from here.
If you remember last weeks email, you will happy to hear that that brick wall is starting to break, and my face doesnt hurt too much anymore! Had 2 high quality contacts this week, I hope to be able to work closely with them, and God helped me to think of a few different things we could do.
Saddest part of this week: Yesterday I called a less active who we have been trying to work with, and she basically isnt happy, and doesnt want to become happy :( She thinks the branch abandoned her when she really needed it, and she said "Call me back when there is an actual Church in Sumy" When she said that is when I was done with that conversation... Yeah the branch is small... but its going to stay that way if people have the same mentality as you do, I told her that the church could only make her and her family happier, and told her to call us when she is ready.
Something kind of funny, so there is a point when your Russian is too good... Talking to this girl yesterday on the street, in english, and I started speaking Russian (I do this subconsciously when speaking with anyone but Elder Biesinger) and she giggled a little bit and said "You speak Russian so good!" I kept showing her pictures of my family, and when I said "This is my grandpa and me!"(in russian) she giggled again and said "Oh my gosh your accent is so cute!" Yeah so shes coming to english practice and gamenight now.... What will I do about having a "Cute" Accent? I dont know, try to sound ugly I guess. A similar hthing happened with Elder Jeffery, and he said "now you have to marry her", but hey she is in Poltava, and that is 5 hours from here, so I dont think it will really work out hahaha.
Last of all thank you for all the birthday wishes! I really want to respond to all of them individually but if I dont respond to yours, I still love you, and appreciate your birthday message!
Hey buddy!
First off Happy Birthday. I am excited you have a birthday on a Sunday, because then I can email that this week and next week:). I am a little mad you opened everything in the box, because now I will worry you will be sad on your birthday. You tell Elder Biesinger that if he doesn't throw you a birthday party I will ground him when he gets home;). Seriously though, I really hope you have a great day. Make the cake I sent you and know that I will be sending my love, prayers and thoughts even more than I usually do. I hope you enjoyed the letters. Jonah is not 6' 1" by the way..haha. Grandma gave me a card for you. I sent it in the mail and put in $50. to your bank account from her. At least reread all the birthday letters on your birthday!
I loved your letter so much last week! It was perfect. Grandma sent me a text that day that it was a tender mercy for them to get that day. Grandpa is struggling and then to get that message from you, using his own words was a blessing to them. Also he forwarded the message you sent personally to him about the office couple leaving and the new people having to do everything. He said you were inspired to send that for him. Thanks for being in tune. Also Sister Sullivan sent a message saying that she was going to use it for the upcoming zone conference. She speaks so highly of you. I am so proud.
Well, it was Jordy's birthday so we had a birthday party for him with all his friends. You forgot to send a birthday message for him...so send it this week:) Can you believe he is 14?!? It seems like that is how old you should be! I can't believe you will be 19 next week...that is nuts. I am not old enough to have 2 nineteen year olds!
Dad had a work party for families at a park. They served dinner and had a bunch of games and crafts. They played a soccer game with adults vs. kids. They had fun with that. The adults won both games. They also had a bounce house set up. Cam and Kaes spent most of their time there.
Kaestli is starting dance class again. Cam and Kaes have both been in tumbling classes as well. Jacob is starting his next season of Basketball. Summer is winding down and I am starting to panic about it. We are at Lake Powell this coming week and then the next week Kaestli start her Kindergarten enhancement program and the week after all the kids start school on Aug. 23. I am seriously having nightmares about it! I don't like this tradition schedule one bit!
Josh should have a great year since he is on the madrigals now. He is really excited about it. Everything else is going good. We miss our missionaries though:).
Dad also got a promotion this week. They made him co-director of equities. It is a pretty exciting change for him. I hope it goes well. He has been pretty stressed about several things at work and this should really help things improve. He is excited about it.
I had a great letter come in from Dakkon last week and I want to share part of it with you. I just started crying while I was reading it.
--------I've had a chance to meet a lot of people and learn about a lot of people and some of the challenges and struggles they've went through. The majority of them less actives and whatnot. It really makes me sad to see that when something hard goes on in their lives they turn away from the gospel and the Lord instead of coming closer to him. How they let those events sway and destroy their faith. Now I am in no place to judge them, but it has really made me grateful for you and what you've done.
I'm really grateful for the examples you've set in turning towards the Lord in times of hardship and how you allowed that to grow your faith and how you let it be instilled upon Jax. I'm pretty certain that if you and Jax weren't in my life, I don't know if I would have decided to serve a mission. It scares me to think of what life would be without you and Jax setting an amazing example for me. I am truly grateful for your testimony and love for the gospel. I see many broken families where some siblings have gone astray and left the church and it pains me to even think about one of the boys or Kaes to ever be in a situation like that down the road. It also reflects upon me and the example i'm hopefully setting to the T-boys. I've seen how much my mission has changed me in just over 2 short months and I hope that Ethan and Kalten and Ollie will decide to follow mine and Jax's path.
I love you always, thank you so much.-----------------
Isn't that just awesome??? If there is one lesson that I could teach my kids that you will carry through your lives this has been my main goal to instill in all of you. It was so nice to see that even the step kids have picked up on it.
We are all missing you but so happy that you're serving a mission. I am really getting excited for your hump day coming up! I can't believe it's almost been a year. It seems crazy.
Well, I love you tons! You are awesome and I'm so proud. Thanks for always being there for me.
Questions---
1-Thoughts on that letter from Dakkon?
2-Birthday message for Jordy.
3-Remember it will be Dakkon's bday so send him a message too.
4-How are you and EB doing? Lonely up there at all?
5-Are you happy and positive?
6-Will you have Vika take a picture of you and E.B. walking down the street together. I want a front view and a back view. That pic in the rain of you was so awesome. Keep the pics coming.
7-Please send more voice recordings...I was sad last week without them.
8-How are your investigators? Will Julia let you teach her?
9-Are you hoping for another transfer in Sumy or are you ready for a change?
10-What is this about a new district? You didn't mention it, but the other moms did.
11-Anything I can do for you?
12-Can you guys get batteries there? Like AA?
13-Anything you need or want in a package?
14-Are your feet giving you problems? If they are peeling a lot it could be fungus, do you have that gold bond left?
Are you good on meds/vitamins?
Ok, I love you and miss you! Keep up the good work! Stay faithful and pray always. Pray like it all depends on the Lord and work like it all depends on you!
Love
Mom
That is a really good letter and I am so happy that he said that! I sent him a birthday message using his Email, but just incase I did not, Happy Birthday Jordy! I love you! I will have time to send him a happy Birthday Next week on the 15. Really good we love it up here. I am happy and positive. We will ask vika to do that, but maybe not right now because she is sick. we have tons to send this week. We dont know if she will let us teach her if she knows we are teaching her, but we will definitely try. I dont know what I want, ELder Biesinger, VanBuskirk, and MOntgomery all think I am going to be the new AP... I am not sure what to think about that, or if it will happen, dont tell Sister Sullivan that they think that! I have no clue about that. Yes we can buy batteries. Long nike socks, I love the ones you sent me, they just werent exactly what I had in mind, I am just starting to wear through these Mr. Mac ones, it isnt urgent, and I can buy socks here, but American socks are way better. It isnt urgent so dont worry about getting those to me too soon. NO my feet are doing really well, the super feet make my feet feel amazing now. They fixed pretty much everything. They arent peeling a lot, I just have a TON of callouses and I dont like them too much. The gold bond didnt make it out of the MTC. I am good on meds and vitamins :)
I love you so much and you really are the best mom in the whole wide world! What dakkon wrote is true!
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