Week 29

Here we are in the third week of April and we still have not really seen much sign of spring. It is easy to tell by my wearing my wool scarf and down coat that though the sun is shinning from time to time, warm it is not! But we are still enjoying the chance to get out for a walk in the woods.

"Spring"time walk in the woods

This month has been an important one for our daughter, Chi, and her wonderful husband, David, and we celebrate with them from afar in our thoughts, prayers, and baskets of love sent their way.

First of all, was the birth of their first grandchild—and our first great-grandchild. Chi’s eldest son, Trevant Musgrow, and Carmen had a baby girl on April 12—Tayia Murae (I think Tre and Carmen inherited his mom’s talent for selecting unique names!). After a lenthy labor Tayia arrived safely and all is well for mom and baby. David and Chi went to the hospital to see everyone, and gratefully, to take pictures for us. Pretty cute.

Trevant, Carmen, and Tayia

Second, on April 16, we always remember the birth and death of Chi’s first child, Kenishia. Had she lived she would have been 22 this year, two years older than 20-year-old Trevant.

Third, David, after five long years and five children, just completed his MBA, having gone straight through his associate’s, bachelor’s and now master’s degrees. We are very proud of both of them, for his determination and diligence and for Chi’s unfailing support. What a great couple they are! We so appreciate their keeping in touch with us each week to give us updates and see them and all their cute little people growing up so quickly. Asia begins kindergarten later this year.

This week is full of family happenings. Adam, who has recently been appointed general sales manager at New Dawn Technologies, in Logan, the software company for which he has been working for the last couple of years. His territory seems to cover the globe. He left for his first trip to India this week, seeking to market their court-system software to the Indian government. We pray for his safety and success and for his Kimmy and children at home while he is away.

A visit to the Tierpark

Well, Hello to you too!

A touch of India on the table

The Taj--decor at "Vilvaldi"

Yesterday we decided to get out for a walk through the Tierpark and enjoy the cool “spring” weather. It was our first time to wonder quite so far from home and it was delightful. The animals (Tier) mostly consisted of deer, sheep, and birds—not a major zoo, but it was fun to see them and the deer seemed very happy to see us too. In honor of Adam’s Indian adventures we stopped by Vivaldi, an Indian restaurant close by where our walk led us and enjoyed our first dinner out since Poland. The décor was very memorable for John’s earlier travels when it was he who was off to such far-flung places. (He encouraged Adam not to miss seeing the Taj Mahal while near Agra—Pres. Kimball, on the occasion of John’s first trip there, ordered him not to come back without seeing it!) Adam hopes to do the same.

Patrick and Tessha are enjoying these early days of their marriage—as Tessha puts it, “Life is sweeter together”; they have adopted our motto for their own, “We such a team!” We are most grateful that each of our children has a wonderful supportive companion. Patrick sent us an update of his remarkable resume as he looks to potential new opportunities for the two of them. We know they will find something that is just right. He is amazing at interviewing and finding employment options. They too are much in our prayers.

Tuesday the new missionary couple from Bozeman, Montana, Elder and Sister Despain, arrived (and yes they brought with them our ExcedrinJ). John had emailed Mark and Sylvia—who had served in the Billings Temple with them—that they were coming to dinner at our place Wednesday evening and so Mark Skyped us to say hi to everyone, just as the Despains were ringing our doorbell. They will be here for two years.  We had a delightful evening getting acquainted.

Wyoming Skype visit with the Despains--it is a small world!

Not only did they bring John’s pills, they delivered to us missionary tags with our names on them. We have not had them, since we didn’t attend the MTC and John had mentioned that fact to them in a phone conversation. They thoughtfully ordered some for us at the bookstore and brought them to us. Today we wore them for the first time to our church meetings so now fit in with the rest of the missionaries.

Elder Laing

We continue to be very grateful for the opportunity to serve in the temple here, to spend this window of time focused on studying the scriptures, family history, and the temple. John has been making a comprehensive study of the laws we covenant there to live by and thus far has only scratched the surface thereof with writing 38 pages on the topic.  He is amazing with what he is learning. His other study effort has been to ponder and write about each phrase of his patriarchal blessing. That process too, has been a wonderful illuminating effort that teaches him much about the things the Lord desires him to know.

Sister Laing

For my part I continue with my close reading of the Book of Mormon and my written form of pondering has taken me some 40 pages to get me to the first of I Nephi 17. I suspect that my study will take me years, if not my lifetime to complete. I am very grateful for my cousin Elaine Harris’s instruction to me while she served on the General Relief Society board, where she was “over literacy for the whole world”—we laughed together at the weight of that little assignment! It was she who introduced me to the idea of a four-step process in studying the scriptures: 1) Pray that the spirit will guide your thoughts as you read, 2) Read, but don’t worry about covering any particular amount; rather, just read deeply, 3) Ponder how what you are reading applies to your own life—liken unto, and 4) write about the thoughts that come. I have found this a rich process of mining the scriptures for what the Spirit would have me learn about me, and about my life, at this particular time and place. I have been promised that the “direction of the Spirit would be with me continually.” It is through this study process that I have come to recognize this promised blessing much more in my life.

Our weekly family home evenings often are devoted to each of us reading to the other the things we have written.  It has been an ongoing joy each week.

We hope you know of our love for you and our gratitude for your examples in our lives.