Tim and Josh are always up to something interesting. One thing they have been doing lately is building these wooden Christmas trees to sell. These are the ones I chose for our house. I am pretty sure I got a custom paint job because the colors I selected were already sold out, yet they delivered just the colors I wanted.
We attended an awards assembly this week for Mark, who was selected as the Skilled and Technical Sciences Education Sterling Scholar. The Sterling Scholar award is for the top student in each field of high school study, and it is a scholarship contest run by Deseret News and KSL. This award is in recognition of Mark’s fine woodworking skills, scholarship, leadership, and community service. He is a great son, and it is fun to cheer for him.
I think Mark had a really fun time on this date with Sarah. This was a girl’s choice dance with many of Mark’s friends. Too cute.
Paige and Mike are expecting a son, due the first week in April. I think this is the most darling ultrasound photo I have ever seen. (Do I sound like a grandma already or what?)
Mark has been preparing a piece for a piano competition since June. After his performance before the judges, we received a phonecall that he was invited to perform at the awards recital. Friends, we knew his effort, and we knew that his piece was amazing, but hadn’t considered that we would be coming back to see him receive an award. I don’t know, something about the musical community is just so intimidating. We were thrilled that he received recognition among really great musicians. Mark knows the first place winner through piano lessons, so it was so fun to celebrate both of them as they received their medals.
We listened to Tim speak in church, and here are a few lessons that I wrote down from his talk.
Righteous examples are important.
Prophets are important guides to help us find joy.
And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy,
Mosiah 3:13
Joy comes from inviting people to Christ.
Focus on the rulegiver, Jesus Christ.
Remembering personal and family spiritual experiences can help us during trials.
Spiritual preparation helps during physical trials. He saw people who lost everything in a typhoon, yet they trusted in God and remained strong.
The temple is a beacon of hope.
The Church is more than a building or a unit, it is the people. One one island where he served, there were 3,000 people, and only 5 members, and the Lord was with this tiny gathering of Saints, working miracles in their lives.
The Lord blesses us as we turn our lives to him.
As we give more of ourselves to the Lord, we will have joy.
We are in a very full season of life with so much going on and so many things I could share, but I can’t seem to sort these things into words.
Wishing you the best,
-A
We took a quick trip to Alabama to visit Paige and Mike and their new house. It is a beautiful house with a large yard. Their neighborhood is rural and quiet, surrounded by corn, cotton, and soybean fields. People wave to you and are very friendly, and there is a slower pace in the South which is pretty charming. Richard and Mike worked on a car dilemma and we helped select and install bathroom fixtures. Remember your first home? How exciting/daunting/fun it was to set up your own place? Well, this is where they are. What an exciting time of life. 💕
This week as we talked to Timothy, he was in a long line of cars waiting to fill containers with drinking water. Saipan is in the path of a typhoon, and the islanders were busy preparing for the emergency. As we continued our conversation, we were interrupted by the rumbling of power tools as someone drilled plywood over his apartment windows.
It has been four months since Typhoon Mawar pummelled the island of Guam, where he was serving at the time.
I am not worried, but maybe a little weary from his great adventure. 😅