Klippels came to twon

This last Thursday night, well, it was really Friday morning early when they arrived here at our home. People had been telling us how tall our family is growing and we soon found it was very true as we looked up into Tanner's eyes and saw how beautiful Emma is. We spent Friday in the rain. It rained five inches that day and these Arizona people had a real treat. I thank them for the sacrifice to come. It was so wonderful to share this experience with them.

Here I am having another Mother's Day away from my babies, but as long as I have Lloyd around, I am able to survive. It started with Lloyd fixing a yummy breakfast. Then I opened the homemade cards from the Matthews and Jensens. Paige had sent a package with a beautiful necklace and homemade cards from all of them. I got a message from Taylor on Facebook. After church, we went over to the Wrights and had lunch with them and the Allans. It was a nice day.

One of the annual trips we missionaries get to take is to Pella, Iowa the first weekend of May. this little community was founded by the Dutch and their traditions have been kept up. They plant thousands of tulips and put on a great parade with all the towns people participating. If you are ever in the neighborhood, you should go.

Springtime

I wish so much that I could share with my loved ones this beautiful spring. I have come to the realization that we will have to leave this spot. I am trying to enjoy it all as much as possible. One thing that I am doing is reading our book on Adam-ondi-Ahman outside. You would probably have to imagine being outside and not hearing any sound that is made by man. Yesterday I went for a walk with Jamie Wright and Kara Allan. We headed down a wooded lane and we were chattering all along the way. I suggested that we stop and just listen. As we did this, at first we could hear the birds singing, then the breeze going through the trees and then we could even hear a little spring bubbling up from the ground. We were just in awe. As we looked around, we noticed a red cardinal sitting on a tree singing and watching us. There were also yellow finches and blue jays. We bowed our heads and gave a prayer of thankgiving and then walked reverently back down the path and had a whole new experience. I need to slow down more often and learn from the wonders around me.

New Family Members

We are pleased to introduce the newest members of the family. The Barrons have SEVEN new goats. What a life! So far I have heard the names of Myrtle, Jilli, Billy, oh, I am having a great-grandmother moment, I really cannot remember the rest. What a loving world they have been born into in Texas.

Vandalism at Adam-ondi-Ahman

When we got up for church today we shortly got a phone call reporting vandalism that happened during the night. Someone was driving a truck and knocked over four trees, knocked down hundred of fences posts (that had just this last week been painted) and drove the truck around on the grass and ruined it. The sheriff has arrested the kid that did it. It is so sad. There is a lot of work to get it back where it should be.

Proof of fun Lloyd is having

This past week has been full of problems and challenges for Lloyd. Nevertheless, here is proof that this mission is full of fun "guy things" to do. The men had their first burn of the season. They burn grass fields so that the natural grasses will grow and be beautiful. It was a sight to behold!

Tour with Elder Graham Doxey

This last week, Elder Doxey took us on the annual tour of historic sites in Missouri. Besides Adam-ondi-Ahman, we went to Crooked River, Fishing River, Far West, Liberty Jail and Independence. It all is beginning to mesh in my mind. It is a good thing we have 18 months here.
These are some pictures of the churches that claim the truth, that Joseph Smith was a prophet. We had a interview with an "apostle" of the "Church of Christ on the Temple Site." He was interesting. They honor Joseph as an apostle as long as he did not add any new doctrine to the Book of Mormon or Bible. Therefore, everything that was new found in the Doctrine and Covenants is not correct. The Community of Christ has this beautiful "temple" where people gather at 1:00 every day to pray for peace. Each of these churches claim that this site is sacred and that the temple should be built for the Savior to come to.

The Uchtdorfs could of been great friends

Karine Eliason shared an interesting story. She and Gordon are good friends with the Uchtdorfs. They met back in Glendale while Dieter was at Luke Air Force base teaching pilots. In fact, we ALL were in the same ward. The six of us even traveled up to Utah when two couples from the ward went to be sealed. Ten couples went together up to share in this exciting experience. A sad point is that I do not even remember the Uchtdorfs at all. Last year Karine had surgery and was at home recovering. One day the doorbell and rang and it was the Uchtdorfs. They were just in town and had heard that she was in need of a visit. After their visit, the Uchtdorfs were driving away and decided that it was a good time to get some gasoline. While Pres. Uchtdorf was pumping gas, a woman came up to him and asked if he was Pres. Uchtdorf. He said he was and then she said, "I think that my husband is having a heart attack. Would you please come give him a blessing?" He did and the man immediately began feeling better. The man turned out to be a member of the Eliasons’ ward. This is a wonderful story; nevertheless, I learned a valuable lesson from it. I am envious of the relationship that the Uchtdorfs and Eliasons have with each other. Then I think that we could be long time friends with the Uchtdorfs as well. We were in the same ward at the same time. As I look back and wonder why I do not even remember them, I realize that I had kept in my own little world, busy with family and the friends I already had. I was probably not interested in trying to make friends with people that could barely speak English and would not be there very long anyway. Because I did not go out of my “comfort zone”, I missed some wonderful friends. How many other people have I missed rich experiences with because I did not reach out to them? Each person on earth has something that could enrich my life. I am trying harder here on my mission to meet people and get to know them.

An old so true truth Elder Doxey quotes:

"The older I get, the better I used to be."