Sunday, August 30,
2015
It has
been a nice week. I took the kids, minus Spencer, out of school a little bit
early on Tuesday afternoon so we could go meet my nephew Reggie Petersen, my
sister Crystal's son, at the airport when he returned from his mission in
California. Reggie looks good. It was nice to be able to be there to greet
him. To me it is a spiritual thing to witness a missionary's homecoming.
Here's a video I made of his homecoming. I'm sad most of my still pictures were blurry. The iphone doesn't do well with moving subjects.
Spencer
didn't get to come with us because he had his first 8th grade flag football
game. His team won 62-0. Spencer caught three touchdown passes!! I was
sad to miss his game but glad me and my other kids got to see Reggie come
home. Hopefully I'll get to see Spencer catch some touchdown passes in
his other games. (He plays wide receiver.) Spencer said he was ok with me
missing his first game and said he kind of wanted to miss it too to go watch
Reggie come home but I told him since he made the team and several other boys
got cut, he needed to be there for his team.
Wednesday I had the opportunity to go serve in the Mesa Temple because the Gilbert temple is closed for cleaning. I did sealings and while I was waiting for a big enough group to come in to start a sealing session I was visiting with a couple who was also waiting and some sealers. One of the sealers had a last name Flake so I told him my maiden name was Flake and we started to figure out how we are related. He asked me who my Grandpa was, I told him it was Virgil and that my mom and Dad are Jake and Mary Louise. (His closest ancestor whose name I recognized was Joel Flake.) But anyway, the sealer sitting closest to me, Brother Ashcroft I think his first name was Henry, then told me that he knew my dad. He said that when Dad was released from serving in the New Mexico Mission Presidency because Snowflake had been split out of the mission, he took my dad’s place in that presidency. Then later Brother Ashcroft served a mission in England and he bumped into my Mom and Dad in England when they were there picking up Wynn. The sealer then gave me a great compliment; he said he felt a pioneer spirit when I came in. After he said that I felt very close to my dad and my grandparents and ancestors. I could feel the sacrifices they had made to go worship in that temple. I could felt a pioneer spirit there. It was powerful and makes me want to go back to that temple a little more often.
Wednesday I had the opportunity to go serve in the Mesa Temple because the Gilbert temple is closed for cleaning. I did sealings and while I was waiting for a big enough group to come in to start a sealing session I was visiting with a couple who was also waiting and some sealers. One of the sealers had a last name Flake so I told him my maiden name was Flake and we started to figure out how we are related. He asked me who my Grandpa was, I told him it was Virgil and that my mom and Dad are Jake and Mary Louise. (His closest ancestor whose name I recognized was Joel Flake.) But anyway, the sealer sitting closest to me, Brother Ashcroft I think his first name was Henry, then told me that he knew my dad. He said that when Dad was released from serving in the New Mexico Mission Presidency because Snowflake had been split out of the mission, he took my dad’s place in that presidency. Then later Brother Ashcroft served a mission in England and he bumped into my Mom and Dad in England when they were there picking up Wynn. The sealer then gave me a great compliment; he said he felt a pioneer spirit when I came in. After he said that I felt very close to my dad and my grandparents and ancestors. I could feel the sacrifices they had made to go worship in that temple. I could felt a pioneer spirit there. It was powerful and makes me want to go back to that temple a little more often.
 |
| Marlee's front teeth are really wiggly. She's a little snaggle tooth. |
 |
| Tilly after her friend's birthday party at the splash pad on Thursday morning. She looked so cute in her hat and with her balloon. |
 |
| I made BBQ lasagna for dinner Thursday night. Marlee was a big fan. This is her on her third helping. |
Friday morning I was pondering about a situation
and had these thoughts. "No other success can compensate for
failure in the home" (David O. McKay).
That is true. However, it is also
true that, "'One of God’s greatest
gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final.' Even if we’ve been a conscious, deliberate
sinner or have repeatedly faced failure and disappointment, the moment we
decide to try again, the Atonement of Christ can help us. And we need to remember that it is not
the Holy Ghost that tells us we’re so far gone that we might as well give up"
(Elder Dale G. Renlund, Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying). So pick yourself up, become the person you
can be with Christ's help. You can still CREATE a happily ever after for you,
even if it’s different than the one you originally hoped for. It will take work though. I think all happiness comes from work and
effort, it is not automatic.
 |
| Bryant got student of the month from his music teacher for being responsible and a good leader! |
Friday Chad and I
took the kids out of school a few minutes early again so we could head north to
the Airplane Flats campground near Young, AZ for our ward campout. It was such
a FUN campout. We had perfect cool, not cold, weather. We had a good turnout.
There were probably 20-25 families from the ward that came. Saturday morning I
put on a stick horse rodeo at the campout. It was fun. Several people
told me they loved it. I hope it will become a tradition for our ward.
 |
| I didn't take many pictures at the campout, but here's a few my friend shared with me. Spencer in the gunny sack race at the stick-horse rodeo. |
 |
| Chad cooking breakfast |
We left
the campout a little before noon and headed to Snowflake. We got to see my
nephew Joshua Orr, my sister Amy's oldest son, get baptized at 3:00 that
afternoon. We enjoyed a nice dinner at their home afterwards and enjoyed
visiting with the Orr's and with my family.
 |
| Marlee holding Aunt Amy's cat |
 |
| Today is Trigger's birthday. We got to sing to him and watch him open his gifts. |
Today we
got to see Reggie report his mission in Snowflake 1st ward. It was fun to share
a bench with my Aunt Cleone and Uncle Carvel and to have Aunt Evelyn and Uncle
John (they are all members of 1st ward) sitting across the isle with my Mom,
Bryant, Wynn and Rylyn. It is a special thing to be able to worship with
extended family members. Reggie gave a very nice report. As he was talking I
couldn't help but feel that my Dad would be proud of his namesake--Reggie and
my Dad both share the middle name Lars. I hope my Dad got to see it from
the spirit world. I think I felt him there for a little bit. Reggie will
be a "red shirt" football player at MCC starting tomorrow. He missed
his first week of classes cause he finished his mission.
My quote for today is from Jacob 1 in the Book of Mormon. "I should write upon these plates a few of the things which I considered to be most precious; that I should not touch, save it were lightly, concerning the history of this people which are called the people of Nephi. ... And if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people." This is my new guide for journaling. I'll try to touch lightly on the day to day "history" and comings and goings that happen in my life and instead write mostly of the spiritual experiences and things I've learned.
Love,
Mindy
P.S. We made it home safe and sound. It is nice to travel in air conditioned
comfort on nice roads. We are blessed.
P.P.S. Here's a flashback from the past. My friend was going through pictures on her computer and shared this picture with me from a ward Daddy Daughter Dance in 2010.
P.P.S. Here's a flashback from the past. My friend was going through pictures on her computer and shared this picture with me from a ward Daddy Daughter Dance in 2010.
