Less Than Two Weeks!

Hola, my son, how are you today?  How was your week?  I loved hearing about your interview with President Bowler last week. He sounds like a great man, and I just love his cute wife! It sounds like they are doing a great job of running the mission. Sister Bowler often sends me little messages saying what a good missionary you are, that you are one in a million, and that she wishes they could keep you longer.  I'm grateful they were both so caring towards you last week. Also, I'm glad you cleaned up your apartment and did such a good job teaching your zone. Sounds like you went above and beyond to make it awesome.  Proud of you!

Well, today I have lots to tell you! First of all I wanted to share a little story from Grandma Smith's funeral.  I learned some things about her I had not known!  So when she met Bruce she was living in Indiana, teaching high school home ec. classes, and engaged to someone else.  Her fiance was not a member of the church.  When she shared with him the story of Joseph Smith and the First Vision he scoffed and blew it off completely, would not even consider it. So Grandma broke off the engagement and stopped dating him.  That is when Bruce stepped in. He was not a member either, but when Grandma told him the same story his response was, "Why not?" and wanted to know more.  They were married, Bruce soon joined the church and they were later sealed in the temple. And that is the reason your Dad was born and raised in the church, went to BYU and found me!  And because of her courageous decision, you are where you are now. Love that story from our family history, and very grateful to Grandma Smith.

We flew home from Chicago on Tuesday evening after working hard all week cleaning out Grandma's house and getting it ready to sell. It was sad to drive away knowing we may never go back inside.  Dad moved there when he was two years old, he has lots of experiences and memories in that old house. But your cousin Brian is considering buying it, so we'll see.

We jumped right back into summer when we got home...Dad has been running every morning with his cross country team, Stefanie works nearly every day and I am busy getting the house and yard ready for a big party in less than two weeks!  If anyone ask you, tell them your welcome home is July 12th at 1:00 p.m. at the building on 1500 N 1929 W in Lehi. And of course everyone is welcome to come to our home for food and visiting afterwards.

Have you been following the Women's World Cup?  USA is in the final four!! We have watched every game, we love it! Super exciting! Their next game is tomorrow night against Germany.  Go USA!

Today is predicted to be the warmest day in Salt Lake City in years...it is supposed to get up to 104 degrees today! I see that it is 83 degrees today in Tegucigalpa with scattered thunderstorms.  Sounds lovely!

That is all for today!  We love you.  Stay strong!  ~Mom

Helen's Obituary

Helen Lucille Smith was born on June 27, 1934, in Bicknell, Indiana, to William and Lorene Hedrick. She was the fifth of six children. She had a happy childhood and when she graduated from high school attended Purdue University  obtaining a degree in home economics. She began teaching at Sandborn High School in Indiana where she met Curtis Bruce Smith. A short time later, they were married on August 10, 1958, in Bicknell. They had a wonderful life together raising six children. In the last seven years, Helen fought ovarian cancer which finally took her life on June 16, 2015. Helen loved being a wife and a mother. She would do anything for her family. Her greatest joy came from seeing her children succeed and develop a love for God. She loved to cook and not only was a home economics teacher but also worked in 4-H helping youth with their cooking requirements. Later, as her children grew up and left home, she would prepare for their visits home by stocking her freezer with home-cooked meals and goodies. She loved music and on long car trips would sing with the family to make the time pass faster. She loved work and once told Bruce that she wanted to die working. She planted a garden every year and enjoyed her homegrown fresh vegetables. She also liked to read and do the crossword puzzles in the newspaper. Helen was passionate about freedom, liberty, and the blessings of living in this country. Each card or letter she mailed to family and friends included her constant prayer: "God bless America, land that I love." In addition to loving her family and country, Helen loved God and Jesus Christ. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served faithfully in the church Primary, Relief Society, and Seminary organizations. She and Bruce served for 18 months as workers in the Chicago Illinois Temple; they also served as missionaries at the Bishop's Storehouse in Naperville, Illinois, for 18 months. She truly lived her life according to the Golden Rule and gave many hours of service to her fellowmen. She would take a meal to someone in need, listen for hours on the phone to someone who needed a friend, write a card or a letter to someone who was going through a tough time and always had a smile, a warm hug, or a kind word to all who needed one. She is survived by her sister Sandra (David) Allen, Vincennes, IN; her children Nancy (Bill) Nicholas, Sellersburg, IN; Curtis (Marla) Smith, Mitchell, SD; Roger (Heidi) Smith, Sugar City, ID; Kent (Janeal) Smith, Lehi, UT; Linda (Rob) Ogle, Woodstock, IL; and Billy (Josette) Smith, Holiday, UT. She is grandmother to 24 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Bruce, an infant sister Doris, brothers Lowell and Dwight, and sister Billie. Visitation will be held on Friday, June 19, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 411 N. O'Plaine, Road, Gurnee, IL 60031 from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, June 20 at the Church at 11:00 am with burial to follow at Highland Memorial Park, 33100 N. Hunt Club Road, Libertyville, IL. Arrangements entrusted by the family to Gurnee Salata Funeral Home, 4190 Old Grand Avenue, Gurnee IL.

Published in Chicago Suburban Daily Herald on June 18, 2015

Grandma Smith

Hola, my son, how are you today? It has been a long, crazy week for us. As you already know, Grandma Smith passed away on Tuesday morning. We have had many tender mercies all week reminding us that Heavenly Father knows us personally and is aware of our needs. Dad got a phone call early Tuesday morning that woke us up, it was from Linda who was calling to tell us that Grandma had died during the night. So we spent the next day cancelling all our other plans for the week and pricing airline tickets.  George could not get out of work this weekend, but Rachel was able to come with us. We flew out on Thursday afternoon, Billy and Josette were on the same flight! On Thursday night I sent a message to Sister Bowler, asking about the most appropriate way to pass the news to you. Friday morning she wrote back saying that she and President Bowler would be spending the day with you and he could tell you after you finished teaching that morning. That felt like a tender mercy and a miracle to us! We were so grateful.

The viewing was held on Friday evening at Grandma's church, it was well attended, everyone was so nice. The next morning was the funeral. The family all met a few minutes before to have a family prayer and close the casket, Dad said the prayer.  The funeral was really good, each of her kids spoke, and all the grandchildren sang "I Am a Child of God". Lots of memories and stories were told of her, it was so touching. Then we drove to the cemetery, had a prayer to dedicate the grave, and her casket was lowered into the ground. And that was it!  Since then we have spent all our time trying to clean out Grandma's house.  It is a BIG JOB!!!  We have rented a big dumpster to be delivered to the driveway tomorrow, I'm sure it will be completely filled up!  The house has to be all cleaned out before it can be put on the market, there are already a couple of interested buyers. 

One thing we were surprised to learn...Grandma Smith had some money.  Curtis, Roger and Dad went to see her financial planner on Friday morning, and found out she has several savings accounts and investments.  Each of her six children will receive a very nice inheritance! We will use some of those funds to help you and Stefanie with college, and to take some awesome family vacations. Thank you, Grandma! :)

And that pretty well sums up our week.  We will head home on Tuesday evening.  We hope you have had a good week, and that this news from home was not too much of a distraction for you.  I liked your text message sent through Sister Bowler, "Don't worry about me, I know I will see her again!"  That was awesome and made Dad and I so happy.  We are excited to hear your news from the week, and hope you have had a good one.  We love you so very much!  We are very thankful for Heavenly Father's plan, and for the knowledge that families are forever. 

Love, Mom

Reflecting on Helen

Reflecting today on the life of my sweet mother-in-law, Helen Smith, who passed away yesterday. She has always been a great example to me of selfless service and generosity. But above all I will forever be grateful to her for raising my wonderful husband and for being a kind and loving grandma to my children.

Different Directions

Hola my son! How are you today? Oh my goodness, your "before" picture of your shower was so gross!  Haha, so glad you finally got around to cleaning it.  Also, we loved hearing about all the support you are getting from your ward and the Young Single Adults. Sounds like they really have the spirit of missionary work, what a blessing for you and the Honduran people in your area.

We are doing great, we had a very busy week!  We all went in different directions this week, here is some news from your little sis: 

hello brother, this week, i had youth conference! the theme this year was D&C 4:2  "Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day." The whole thing was about service!! it made me think of you because you have given 2 years of your life to serve the lord! I'm super grateful to have you as such a good example to me, and you make me want to be the best Stefanie i can be (: Youth conference was pretty fun! One of the coolest parts was that my friend sarah came with me, which was surprising because she is unactive and athiest! So i had the chance to be a missionary this week too! haha i dont know if she took anything at youth confrence to heart, but i tried my best to be a good example, and share my feelings and stuff lol. Youth conference was at USU or the Aggies place, we stayed in the dorms, and that was pretty dang cool! College seems fun, you're gunna like it (: there was a lot of really good speakers that came and spoke to us!  and a stake dance after, and i danced with 8 boys! and 3 times with a cute boy that i like!! So that made me very happy (: then there was a breakfast buffet that morning and it was the best thing ever!! i think i ate more than any girl in the whole stake, but thats okay because it was worth it haha.(: Also everyone asks me when you are coming home! Even people i don't know! It gets really annoying! No offence or anything (; ) My favorite thing about you coming home will be i dont have to talk to everyone about you!! hahaha jk. well have a good week! bye loser(: love you lots! Stef

From Dad:  Rachel, George and I had an adventure to Sugar City, Idaho for Carter's mission farewell. He did great and spoke on D&C:4, real nice talk. He will be a great missionary in San Antonio, Texas. We drove up on Saturday morning, played basketball all afternoon, stayed overnight at their house, went to Sacrament Meeting and then came home after lunch.  Good trip.  One more note, just wanted to tell you how important I feel it is to work hard until the last day of your mission. I know there are a ton of things to think about when you have free time.  But when it is time for work, lose yourself in missionary service. I think those who work hard until the end of their mission remain active in the church for the rest of their lives.  I love you and am a very proud Dad. Keep up all the good you have established in your mission life and you will be blessed both in the mission and after you get home.  Love you,  Dad

Mom again... I was sad to miss Carter's farewell, but Stefanie really wanted to go to Youth Conference. I needed to be here when she got home on Saturday, and go with her to church on Sunday.  It was worth the sacrifice, she had a great time. 

You asked about our New York trip, we are leaving on a red-eye midnight flight on Tuesday, July 14th.  It is a direct flight, then we will pick up a rental car and drive six hours to Palmyra.  So that will be a very long night of travel. We will spend Wednesday and Thursday in Palmyra, then Thursday afternoon we will drive back to New York City for a few days of sightseeing, and fly home on Monday the 20th.  We are all super excited, and very happy to have you all to ourselves for a few days.  Because we are sure that everyone you know will want a piece of you the minute you get home.

Did you get a message from Coach Atkinson? He sent it to us too. Your training camp sounds very intense! But Dad said not to worry, because he will help train you and get you in shape before you get to Rock Springs. Even while we are in New York.

A question for you...do you know your garments sizes?  I want to have all new ones for you when you get home, so you can just throw your old ones away.  No need to pack them or bring them home.

That is all for today.  Oh, how we love you!!!  You are constantly in our thoughts and prayers. Keep working hard.  Love, Mom

First Week of Summer

Hola, my son! How was your week?  Is your toenail healing ok? We are good, Stefanie and I enjoyed our first week of summer break! Dad's school district is always a week behind us, his last day of school was Friday, so now we are all finally on the same summer schedule. But not much of a break for Dad, cross country practice will begin tomorrow. Stefanie has not had much relaxation either, she worked every day last week. She really likes her new job, she has become good friends with her coworkers, she calls them her "work family"! One day I picked her up after a long shift and she made the comment that she was sad to leave! Dad and I think this is a great thing for her, she is learning to be responsible.  Her boss told her she was a hard worker so that made her very happy. She will get her first paycheck next weekend, she is so excited to earn and spend her own money.

Our New York trip is shaping up, we now have our airline tickets, our hotel reservations, and we just booked a matinee showing of Les Mis on Broadway!  So excited!  In addition to the Sacred Grove and Hill Cumorah pageant, we are also planning on seeing a Yankees game, the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, 9-11 Memorial Museum, a walk through Times Square and Central Park, and a visit to the NYC temple. George has done the majority of planning, he is good at surfing all the travel websites and finding the best deals.

An update on Grandma Smith, she is hanging in there!  She has good days and not-so-good days, Nancy has moved in with her and sends us a daily update.  A couple of weeks ago we were all sure Grandma was on her way out, but she has defied the odds so far. Her 81st birthday is on the 20th, we'll see if she makes it to her birthday.

This has been a good weekend, Saturday morning I attended the baptisms of three of my little primary boys, then that afternoon I did a session at the Mt. Timpanogos temple--I always love writing your name on the prayer roll!  It was Fast Sunday so Dad and I held a fast for you and for Grandma Smith.  I taught a great Sharing Time lesson in primary on the subject of the Godhead, my primary kids were very reverent! Rachel and George came over for a little while, we watched a basketball game together,  went for a walk on the Jordan River trail, then had family scripture study. Loved this weekend! I hope you had a good Sunday too!

So last week you mentioned that you had one of the WORST lessons of your whole mission.  What happened??  We are all curious to know.

We love you! We are proud of you!  Keep working hard!  Love, Mom

Working Girl

Hola, my son! I have been anxiously waiting all week for your letter...how is your toe??  Did you get it fixed?  Was it terribly painful?  I googled "ingrown toenail surgery" ...ugghhhh, that was a mistake.  The images and descriptions were horribly gruesome, they freaked me out.  So I  slammed my laptop shut and decided to just pray for you instead.  I almost emailed Sister Bowler on Tuesday but Dad convinced me not to. He said someone would contact us if there was a problem. So I'm hoping no news is good news and you are okay.

Also, we are excited to hear if you had changes this week?  Any changes to your zone?  Let us know the news!

Today is the first day of summer break for Stefanie and I, hooray! Wow, another school year has come and gone! I am shaking my head that it is over, I can hardly believe I got through my first year of teaching first grade! The last day of school broke my heart. I cried my eyes out, but thankfully not in front of my little students--I was able to hold it together until I got home and let Dad and Stefanie deal with me. Some of them wrote me funny little love notes, one little girl asked if she could come home with me, haha. I will miss them all so much.

Yesterday your uncle Kevin came for a visit and guess what...he brought a girlfriend for us to meet!  Her name is Chelsie, she is a cutie!  He is taking her to Preston this weekend to meet Grandma and Grandpa Kindred! She is from Orem, served a mission in Europe, has a twin sister. We all liked her! You will probably meet her at the airport on July 9th! 

Stefanie has been busy at her new job, she worked over 20 hours last week! She is a cashier at a restaurant called "Greek Souvlaki" at Thanksgiving Point. On the day of her interview she had no idea what Greek food was, but now she said she is sick of it! She looks super cute in her uniform and is so excited to earn and spend her own money.

Dad flew home from Illinois on Wednesday, he was so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with Grandma Smith and say goodbye. He said she was very weak and frail and tiny, she has lost lots of weight. But she was alert most of the time and able to talk with them. Dad read your sweet message to her last Monday, he said it made her so happy! The visit from all her children seemed to revive her a bit, she has done a little better since then. Here is a picture.

I am so grateful for Heavenly Father's plan. When Grandma passes it will be sad, but what a comfort to know that we will see her again.  That is the whole reason you are where you are now and doing what you are doing!  I love the saying, "A missionary leaves his family for a while so others can be with their families FOREVER!" It is true.  I love you so much and am so proud of your work and sacrifice.  See you NEXT MONTH!!!

Love, Mom