Dear Elder Snell,

We’ve been replenishing 72hr kits all week.   The food was outdated and I needed to add a few things.

Double dated with a young couple from our mission.  She was the RS President and her husband was Elder’s Quorum President at the time.  We went to Jordan River Temple together & enjoyed talking in the Celestial Room about things you can’t talk about outside.

It’s been cool and rainy here—glad for the moisture.

Liam played over 300 games on a soccer team and their final game happened to fall on a Sunday.  Britta & Garrett had taught him to keep the Sabbath Day holy but they said he could choose for himself.   He chose to play, so they all jumped in the car.  He said “At that moment I felt the Holy Ghost say ‘This is not the right thing’ and then I said we are not going…I declare.  Everyone was happy.  Cheer for Liam!”  Pretty good for an 8 year old!

Natalie & I packed up her 3 kiddos and we drove to Idaho Falls to surprise Gigi for Mother’s Day.  Mom seemed to really enjoy herself even though we had to trap the youngins into the booth at the restaurant.  They were surprisingly good, and Natalie somehow pulled it off, even with all the food restrictions.  My brother Jay came too and insisted on paying for everyone’s dinner, even though he quit his job.  The boss put everyone on part time so he didn’t have to pay health benefits which was the main reason my brother was working there.  At least he doesn’t have to work nights anymore.   Matt had motel points built up so it didn’t cost anything to stay all night.  The kids enjoyed the pool.  We drove back the next day so the trip was just right.  

Max wants to quit piano lessons but your Dad told him he'd be sorry.  I told him the story about two people who each had a bottle full to the brim with various size rocks.  A race was proposed to see who could dump out the rocks and fill their jar the fastest.  One person poured the sand & gravel back in  first but was unable to fit all the rest in.  The other put the big rocks in first and everything else fit in around it.  I promised Max if he would fit in the big rock of practice first, he wouldn't miss out on a thing because everything else would fit in around it.  I also told him the piano skill would follow him into adulthood and that the girls are always impressed!  I guess we'll see...   

Your Mama brought me some beautiful pink roses for Mother’s Day.  She said she surely enjoyed talking to you.  You sound happy to be busy doing the Lord's work.  

Love you,

Dear Elders & Sisters,

I seem to be getting better at handling rejection.  I'm even getting better at not perceiving something as rejection.  I didn't even have my usual delayed reaction.  Slept really well.  Woke up with the impression I needed to refer to a talk from last Apr Conference in Temple Prep class today but only had a vague idea about which one it was.  Looked through all my notes.  Looked through the index.  Felt a little overwhelmed because there was so much that bore repeating—I didn’t know how to find what I was supposed to highlight.  Went to set up class.  Felt prompted to take the Sacrament at YSA Ward even though I had planned to go over the lesson during that time & then go to our own ward for the Sacrament.  Wound up staying for the entire YSA fast & testimony meeting which was all about enduring the end.  When I got back to the classroom, I found the talk!  (Elder Pearson, p 114, a parable on enduring to the end).  Later I found out why I needed to take the sacrament at YSA Ward.  A young woman needed my help right during our ward’s sacrament meeting.  I prayed earlier that my fasting and my performance would be consecrated to my own salvation and the salvation of those around me.  I literally felt His guidance in what I said.  I even clarified something that started out sounding judgmental and ended up reassuring everyone that I too was a Prodigal and needed to constantly work on keeping my own "soil" conducive to growth.  To feel no regret for anything I said today was truly a miracle!