Jacob's Mission Call

Scottsdale, AZ - Spanish Speaking

Jacob's call is here

Pictures

Goodbye April!

Dear Caleb,

How is it in the hot temperatures of Virginia? I'm a little jealous. Spring is in full swing and so is the hard back breaking work of moving soil. I have been so sore every day this week. We were able to find the final 5 buried funny pipe plus an extra one that we forgot in the middle of the lawn straight off the deck. It was just seeping water when we turned the sprinklers on. Dad sprinkled some more grass seed where we planted before do now maybe we'll have some more blades of grass come up to squeeze out all the flowering weeds.

I worked on a small landscaping project just off the deck that turned out pretty cool. The girls and I planned to make that small area like "Pixie Hollow" from Tinkerbell so I constructed a mini stream with small waterfalls complete with an underground pump to recycle the water. It turned out so cute!

Jacob didn't get his call yet but we just found out today that he has been assigned so he's expecting it any day now. We'll email as soon as he knows. He did get your letter in the mail and won't open it until after his call. :)

Well, that's about it as far as notable events of the week. We look forward to your letters every Monday. I wonder what your next transfer will bring... Have an awesome week and know that we love you so much!

Love,
Mom

Samantha's Letter

I had a play day on Saturday with Kimber my friend and we made oobleck.  Is a non-newtonian fluid that me and Kimber made.  It's really really fun; it's not liquid  and not solid.

I graduated from this program named DARE; D stands for define; A stands for assess; R stands for respond; and the E stands for evaluate...

I love you have a great week,

Samantha

Sent from somewhere really cool.

Sariahs Letter

Hi Caleb it's me Sariah.   How was your week? I had a great one. I had a play date and it was it with Emma and Delta, the twins.  And mom got me a new umbrella.

It has been an amazing week!

Love, Sariah

Sent from somewhere really cool.

Letter April 24

Caleb:

I hope all is well with you and that you're being successful as a missionary.

This past week tax season ended and so it's nice to be out from under the deadline.  This tax season has been tough because I spent so much time away from Mom and the family.  I'm already planning on the next tax season as being the toughest of all.  Mitch is moving to SLC and I'm gong to transition my work back to Logan.  While the work is tough, I've enjoyed the entrepreneurial side of the business.

Yesterday I was cleaning the attic and ran across my missionary binders from my mission.  When I was a missionary we had blue planners that were used to track appointments and time.  Those planners ended up being a good journal of my mission.  Anyway, I thought of you and said a little prayer that you're finding success.

I hope you know that I'm praying for you to be successful as a missionary and that you're finding strength in your own testimony.  Missions are really pretty structured; you get up and study then you're expected to go out and find people to teach.  You're in by 9:30 and to bed by 10 every day.  It's an interesting exercise to ask yourself what you will do when things are unstructured after you get home.  How will your testimony be then?  Will the people whom you've taught and converted always be proud to all you their missionary?

I've often looked at returned missionaries and thought of the following story of Parley P. Pratt and John Taylor.  Elder Pratt was John Taylor's missionary...

In March 1837, John Taylor went to Kirtland, Ohio, and had the opportunity to meet the Prophet Joseph Smith for the first time and learn more about the principles of the newly restored gospel. At the time of John Taylor's visit to Kirtland, many Church members had become critical of the Prophet Joseph. Even some members of the Quorum of the Twelve were caught up in this dissenting spirit, including Parley P. Pratt, who had initially taught John Taylor the gospel. When Elder Pratt approached him and shared some of his doubts about the Prophet, Brother Taylor replied:

"I am surprised to hear you speak so, Brother Parley. Before you left Canada you bore a strong testimony to Joseph Smith being a Prophet of God, and to the truth of the work he has inaugurated; and you said you knew these things by revelation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. You gave to me a strict charge to the effect that though you or an angel from heaven was to declare anything else I was not to believe it. Now Brother Parley, it is not man that I am following, but the Lord. The principles you taught me led me to Him, and I now have the same testimony that you then rejoiced in. If the work was true six months ago, it is true today; if Joseph Smith was then a prophet, he is now a prophet." To Elder Pratt's credit, he soon repented of his feelings and continued to be a valiant servant of the Lord.

Anyway, I hope that you're resolved to maintain whatever improvements you are making in your life and endure to the end.  Have a great week.

I love you,

Dad

Sariah's Letter

Hi Caleb it's me Sariah.   Tonight I am doing a poster for school and it has all these different pictures.  

We got a big hole in the tramp it's kind of bigger than my hand.  

Julanne came over on Monday and we ordered some kites and they came and we flew them at elkridge park.

I wonder if you had a good week.

Love, Sariah

Sent from somewhere really cool.

Samantha's Letter

Hi Caleb I hope you're safe and I got a kite that is a killer whale and I'm very very happy about that and Sariah got a dolphin and Adam got a  squid and mine only works in a very very strong wind so that's the part that I'm sad about but I'm also happy that it's big.

I need to write a essay about Virginia so can you send me some places in Virginia?

I love you have a great week,

Samantha

Sent from somewhere really cool.

Pictures for the week

4/16 letter

Caleb:

I hope all is well with you.  Today we went to Utah Valley to Whitney's homecoming.  It was great to be with the Winkel family and she did a great job.

You are doing a great job with your letters home.  Everyone I talked to today commented on how well you are doing.  Your last letter went out in the Winkel family newsletter and was very impressive.  I had multiple comments on it.  Jacob even commented how mush he enjoys your letters and how well he thinks you are doing then he went on to tell everyone how much Supe enjoys your texts.  Sort of left everyone scratching their heads.  I've decided I don't care though.  I'm going to assume you're doing your best to live mission rules.

Tomorrow is tax deadline day so things will settle down for a minute after the deadline and I'll have some time to Mom and the family.

Yesterday I went for a ride and it was my first endo of the year and it was spectacular.  I was on a trail in Perry and when I went over, I ended up about 10 feet below the trail.  Knees and elbows bloodied but other than that, mostly unhurt.

Hey - look for a Sister Erickson from Perry who got to your mission about two months ago.  We were at the Gunderson's today on the way back and I met her sister.  Lindsay is going to Switzerland and speaking German.  It was fun to be with the Gunderson's for a minute and to see Lindsay all grown up.  Cammie Erickson is a friend of Lawrence's and we were trying to figure out where her sister is in your mission.  Anyway, when you meet this girl, the meeting won't disappoint.

Take care,

Dad

Hey there!

Dear Caleb,

How's your week going? You spoke of an upcoming baptism in your last letter. We hope to hear a little more about that conversion and ordinance when it takes place.

We all went to Whitney's mission report today. She did awesome on her mission and talk and will come up to Utah State this fall. Then Jenny will leave on her mission. On our way home from Whitney's, we stopped by the Gunderson's to wish Lindsey well on her mission to Switzerland.

I can't believe how fast the temperatures went up in Virginia. I guess you could say that the winters only last for 2 months back there...? Tax season will end tomorrow (Monday) so things will change a little bit around here with the presence of Dad. It'll all be just in time because the weather will finally be warm and dry enough to actually do some real work in the yard. Hopefully we'll get some new topsoil where the garden once was and eventually get some veggies planted. That will be exiting! Maybe even some more trees & shrubs for privacy. ;)

Jacob now has his papers in and should receive his call in the next week, we think. Gerrit Duncan, next door, just got his mission call to the Arizona Tucson mission, just 5 minutes away from his grandparents and other family. Crazy!!

We love you and hope you continue to have awesome faith building experiences. We're so proud of you!

Love,
Mom

Sent from my iPhone

Quotes

Caleb:

Mom and I went to a gala where Pres Uchdorf spoke.  He quoted Heslod (where do they find these quotes?).  In the same meeting, Stan Albrecht quoted Roosevelt, then tonight I was watching a TED talk and heard the last quote.  They are all worthy and made me think of you.  Love you,

Dad

Before the gates of excellence the high gods have placed sweat... - Heslod

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt

There isn't time -- so brief is life -- for bickerings, apologies, heartburnings, callings to account. There is only time for loving -- and but an instant, so to speak, for that.

- Mark Twain, Letter to Clara Spaulding, August 20, 1886

Sent from somewhere really cool.

Spring is here!!

Dear Caleb,

I think Spring is finally here....a little late but I'll take it. There's a little bit of hairlike grass (with weeds) coming up where we planted last Fall but we'll most likely have to over-seed as soon as the water it turned on.

Jacob finally has his Stake mission interview this Tuesday and will have his papers sent in. He's getting close! A handful of his friends including Eyan & Trey got their calls this last week. Trey is going to the Texas Dallas mission and Eyan is going to Guatemala, both leaving in August.

Sydney was asked to go to the Junior Prom which was last night. She had a good time, especially since they ate dinner at Kabuki.

The girls are into playing "office" and acting like grown-ups going to work. It's the cutest thing! I've attached a picture.

Funny story -
Dad & I went to the AGGIE Auction on Friday and somehow came home with a trip to Tonga to swim with the whales. It was an accident for Dad to win. We realized that others in the silent auction had stopped outbidding us when the auction ultimately closed...so, crap! I guess we'll be going to Tonga!

I know that people are reading your letters from your blog when they tell me they enjoy reading what your up to so keep the good stuff coming! :)

I hope everything is going well for you and I hope you always pray and seek to have the spirit accompany you at all times. I don't want you to ever lose that feeling you have when you feel it, especially at those times when you know your investigators are feeling it simultaneously.

Let me know if you want your old mouth guard. I sure love you! Have a great week!

Love,
Mom

Sariahs Letter

Hi Caleb it's me Sariah.   I had a good week did you?? I had a play date with three friends on Friday. And we went to a baby blessing and it was happy. Denise and Tyler's baby.

Love, Sariah

Sent from somewhere really cool.

Samantha's Letter

Hi Caleb, I got a new dress yesterday and a new jacket to go with it, that kind a looks like moms it's really cute and it was in the picture dad took. And school is getting a lot easier especially in math, literally.  I usually get most of my math homework done and then all the rest of my homework done at home so I have like a bunch of time left to play and it's so cool in the math is so easy and I just barely took a math test and science is also getting really really fun.

Have a great week. I love you,

Samantha

PS did you get the video of me Sydney, Adam, and Sariah singing happy birthday to you? and did you like your birthday card, I picked it out?

Sent from somewhere really cool.

Pictures this week

Weekly Letter

Caleb:

I thought there were some great thoughts this last conference..  I really enjoyed re-reading this from Elder Christopherson:

"My dad, a steelworker, left home very early for work each day. Every morning he would … tuck the covers around me and stop for a minute. I would be half-dreaming when I could sense my dad standing beside the couch, looking at me. As I slowly awoke, I became embarrassed to have him there. I tried to pretend I was still asleep. … I became aware that as he stood beside my bed he was praying with all his attention, energy, and focus—for me.

"Each morning my dad prayed for me. He prayed that I would have a good day, that I would be safe, that I would learn and prepare for the future. And since he could not be with me until evening, he prayed for the teachers and my friends that I would be with that day. …

I hope you can picture our family, kneeling in family prayer praying for you.  I hope you can see in your mind's eye your little sisters asking Heavenly Father to bless you that you will do well and find people to teach.

In the moments that I commune with Heavenly Father, I ask him to bless you.  I ask that you will have good companions and good members who will love you and help you succeed and feel good about your mission.  I ask that you will be observant and learn from the experiences you are having.  I ask that you will learn basic life skills that will allow you to be a successful husband and father.  It is on this point that i dwell, ponder, consider, etc.  I ask myself if I have done what needed to be done to help you develop properly.  I hope you've seen my example and will think about things I've done right and wrong (I've done both) and that you will resolve to be great in the areas where greatness matters.

You need to be great:

1) As a Son of God (spiritually connected)

2) As a husband (testimony, education, social, emotional, etc.)

3) As a father (testimony, education, social, emotional, etc.)

4) As a provider (education, social, etc.)

The list goes on but in the areas that matter, I hope you will be great.

Have a good week and stop using that *bleeping* card... it's killing our finances.  We spend $400 to the church for you, then 350-390 every month on the card, then you're asking Mom to transfer more money to your bank account.  It's almost like having a second house payment and it's not right.  If you can't control yourself, I'll need to take more drastic measures, especially since Jacob will be in the mission field soon.

Love you,

Dad

Tonight after work

Drugs did this dude in.

Sariahs Letter

Hi Caleb it's me Sariah.  Last night I slept on the Tramp it was fun.  Today we watched General Conference, it was so much fun.

I learned how to land a front flip all by myself. How was your week?

Love, Sariah

Sent from somewhere really cool.

April

Dear Caleb,

How was your week? We hope you had a GREAT birthday on Thursday and that you received your package on time. Just as she said she would, Sydney made a birthday cake for you on that day. I hope you got the video clip of that. I can't believe your temperatures are already above 70 degrees. Our Spring break week was full of snow & hail except for the last day...so sad. But we had a lot of fun anyway! The kids slept out on the tramp the last two nights even though it got down into the 30's.

My latest indoor projects are updating our family photo albums. Because everything is digital since 2003, I've decided to put our photos into digitally designed photo books, then send it off to be bound and published for each year. I just completed 2015's year. So in doing this during Spring break, I decided to compile all of your mission photos thus far and make a "mission album" for you to publish after your two years and homecoming dinner are completed. I'll just have you overlook it before sending it off to make any final changes in the editing. I think you'll love it. It'll be a great way to go. So please keep the awesome pictures coming!

Were you able to watch General Conference? It was great as always. We put together lots of puzzles this weekend with the 10 hours of conference. I especially liked Elder Holland's talk at the end. He is so good...they all are but I'm glad that his talk was the lady that we heard. Between conference sessions today, Samantha came running in saying "Sariah just rode out the back of the garage on Adam's bike onto the dirt!" We ran out and sure enough, she was pedaling around on that huge (for her) bike! Unbelievable! Nothing will hold her down! :)

You know we think and pray about you several times a day, right? We sure are proud of you.

Love you lots!
Mom

4/3 Letter

Caleb:

I hope you are doing well.  Sometimes I think that my letters are long enough that you speed-read them just so you get through them and can say you've read them.  I'll be brief so that you aren't burdened by the reading.

I periodically try to "be still" as I contemplate you and your situation.  There are times that I am comforted when I think about you and other times when I am unsettled.  It has been a couple of weeks that I've felt settled in my heart.  

You are only on a mission for two years.  When you are in it, it feels like it will take a long time to be done.  By now, you have established ways of doing your missionary work that are comfortable to you; whether they are best practices is another issue.  Your mission will be done before you know it.  Will you have made substantial development in your personal life?  Time and experience will be your judge.  Mom and I will love you and be proud of you regardless of the job you've done in this regard.

I challenge you to to go back and re-read some of my early letters regarding your development.  I'm thinking specifically of some of the letters I wrote when you were in the MTC and were really trying to develop yourself.  There are great thoughts in those letters that you are well advised to follow.

You know best how you are doing.  I do not.

Be good.  Do the best you can.  You won't regret the effort of developing yourself into a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I look at life as a one-way street.  There are NO take-backs or do-overs.  If you maintain a consistent effort to be better, you will be rewarded ways that you cannot presently understand or comprehend.  Be demanding of yourself that you not fritter away your time or money.

I love you.

Dad