03/04/07

Elder Choch,

Suppatchu? This one is going to be short and sweet, much like all of yours have been for the last 4 or 5, but still about 10 times longer. It has been about the busiest day this year so far. It started early so we could have the girls up and ready and Aynslee in her Blessing dress and Brinlee’s hair actually done for church. Then to get to church early enough to secure enough bench seating for the whole fam-damily. We had most everyone there except for Squash and Shelbs. They were both working. So the blessing was awesome. It’s a cool experience to bless your own baby. I will have to show you my journal entry for what I said about Aynslee since it’s too long to put in a letter. But you can read it when you get home. I wish I remember what I said in Brinlee’s. Do you remember any of it? I am going to recruit some help from Grandpa, and mom and pop about hers. Aynslee’s too since I barely remember a few words I said even in Aynslee’s. I had to have Suzanne help me tonight to fill out my journal since I don’t remember what I say in those blessings, except a few key things that I’m like, “wow, that is interesting” as I go. It’s a cool experience though. Have you done that yet in a blessing? Have you confirmed anyone out there yet? I’ll tell you what, out of all of my baptisms, I bet I confirmed 80% of them and my companion baptized. And I was usually the senior companion who had worked longer with the person and always wanted to be the one wearing white. I guess it’s the symbolism of it or something. But they always told me that they wanted me to confirm because they looked at that as the crowning event which in reality, it is. That is really where the sins are forgiven, that is really where you become the member of the church and that is really where you receive your promised blessings. It’s crazy how the actual baptism itself is just a symbolic event. Sure, it’s still an ordinance, but it has less… what’s the word? Effect? I guess is what I’m looking for, than the confirmation its self. The baptism is kind of like the anointing of the oil in a blessing. The confirmation is where the whole meat and potatoes of the blessing takes place. Am I making sense? I have never really thought of it that way till now, so sorry if I’m going off on a tangent here. I’m just working this all out in my own head, really.

So anyway, I’m glad I could bust out the journal today and whip out the Parker pen and put some thoughts down with Suzanne’s help since she listened so intently. She remembered most all of the key points. I wish I would have done that with Brinlee’s. In fact, I wish I would have designated a fast note taker in both of them to thrown down some short hand, copious notes during the blessing. I wonder why we can’t record blessings like that when we can record and transcribe patriarchal blessings. Really, that is what I just gave Aynslee, is a patriarchal blessing today. I had a similar experience on my mission where we baptized an African family in the Bronx who spoke only French. They were from French Guiana. We taught them using Gina Francois, my favorite member friend from Haiti who spoke French, English and Creole. So she was a great member support to have there anyway. But they were super humble and a natural baptism just waiting to happen. So when we baptized them and I confirmed the mom, I asked Gina to take notes in French for her so she would know what I said. So I confirmed her, blessed her, etc. and when she got up, she was happy, she felt the spirit, and was smiles. She shook our hands and Gina told her she had the blessing in French for her. She sat down and started reading with this smile that eventually became tears running down her face. It was awesome to see her make sense of what was just given to her and to understand the actual confirmation and to realize she was now a member of the Church, etc. It was a spiritual experience just to watch her comprehend it all for the first time even though it was on hand written notes, probably lost some of it’s kick, etc. But really cool experience. So I wish I would have done that with these baby blessings. So after the blessing and the sacrament, we had testimonies. I stood up and gave mine since it’s kind of obligatory to do so on a day you bless your kid, you know. But I wanted to since I don’t have much of an opportunity to do so in front of all of the family on both sides like that. So it was cool to have the whole family there in a church setting, feeling the spirit together and just to have this large group of peeps there who you have an eternal bond with, who all share your testimony and love of the truth. I was just feeling the love today I guess. So we missed you today, obviously. Grandpa was feeling it to apparently, since he stood and bore his testimony to my ward too. He asked me if they’d run me out of the ward if he stood and bore his testimony, I told him of course not. So he did. It was cool. He’s good peeps, Gramps is! So we went to the rest of our meetings so Suzanne could teach and I could do my EQ stuff. Everyone else bolted and took naps. Lazy bums. Bishop Ron had to get back to his flock which was understandable and Marian just got called to the Young women’s presidency, so she was excused too, along with the Hein kids. So we got home from the rest of our block and everyone met back up at our house. It was a packed house too! We had a nice spread of all kinds of food. It was good. Brinlee and Carlie played in Brin’s room and A-Jax kept trying to join in their fun and they were being mean girls and not accepting him because of his boy-ness. I felt bad for him because they were being rude and excluding him. But Davis is a rough and tumble little dude, so he can hang with A-Jax and his rough and tumbleness too. So they can be friends. So after all of the festivities here at our house, we went to Patt’s and Ron’s for Carlie and Davis’s birthday party. So more cake and desserts there. That went on till 7:00 and I had to run up to Ron’s and Marion’s ward to see Riley’s Eagle Court. That was cool. Riley is such a goof. He was making most everyone laugh during his pin presentations on his parents. They do a cool new thing now too where the Eagle talks about his service project and then gives a mentor award. Someone who was a mentor and influential in his getting the Eagle. So the first dude (there were 3 getting their Eagles tonight) gave it to his dad who was a scout leader with them for a while. The second gave it to a scout leader who had followed him through his scouting career so to speak. That dude was all happy and a good friend of the family apparently since he was sitting with that dude’s family all up in his scout uniform himself. Then Riley gave it to Grandpa. That was cool! He said it’s because Grandpa had ridden him harder than anyone and stayed on his case more than anyone else about getting his Eagle and that is what motivated him above most everything else. Grandpa, you can imagine was overwhelmed and emotional and the water works started from there. So he was super happy and we were all way happy for him. That was a cool thing Riley did. So grandpa went up, got this cool gold lapel pin put on that has an Eagle, and on it, it says, Eagle Scout Mentor. Grandpa was floating around that gym the rest of the night after it was over proudly showing that off. So I was happy to see that action.

Yesterday, I was over at Ma’s and Pa’s and we looked at your pictures and videos for the first time. It was fun to look at them. That one of Herbert snoring was pretty funny. The bike ride in the rain was cool too. I’ll get those copied over tomorrow and send your card back soon. We passed around your letters today too. It took all of us about 30 seconds to read all of your letters. Ha ha ha. I guess I’ve razzed you enough about how short they have been, but we all had a good laugh at your expense about that anyway. In fact, and this is no joke… it is funny as a good joke, but I’m serious about it… you last letter you sent me in the pink envelope, that was like 2 paragraphs long, the post office didn’t even cancel out the stamp. I guess they felt like it wasn’t worth a whole stamp so they mercifully left the stamp un-stamped or whatever they do to it. Ha ha ha. Well, that’s all I’ll say about that. Thanks for getting me your new companion’s bio back to me anyway. Did you tell him to tell his family to check out your blog? His info is up there so they will enjoy checking it out while you two are together to get some updates now and then. Well, anyway, it’s 12:00 midnight now, on the busiest day since who knows when, I’m exhausted, and I still have about 2 hours worth of reading to start getting caught up on my class I have to do. Not to mention I’m back to work tomorrow bright and early and I’m still sick. I’m not going to get any better as long as I keep up this pace.

Hopefully you are keeping up on your journal. It was great to bust into mine again tonight. It was cool strutting around with my parker in my pocket, sitting next to Gramps at Riley’s Eagle court with his sweet parker set in his pocket and then looking back at Dad in the row behind us sporting his … WHAT??!! Imposter cheapo plastic crap??!! I called him on the carpet right then about that and he got all embarrassed and said he didn’t like to wear them when he thinks he might get them gunked up. I told him what is he going to be doing at an eagle court to get them gunked up? He said that he wore them earlier in his suit to my ward though and asked if I saw that. I told him I didn’t and that I expect he carry the truth around with him wherever he goes and not slack when he thinks it’s convenient to pack around something else other than the true pen. I think my challenge was adequate and hopefully he humbles himself enough to heed my counsel and exhortation. Time will tell. Maybe you can work on him a little bit next time you are writing him a letter in true Parker fashion. He even handled mine for a while. The nice Stainless Steel shaft with gold arrow and gold clicker area nice contrast to the stainless shaft and barrel. They have a narrowed shaft too so it’s a thin fit in the fingers which is good for extended writing. It limits hand cramping and writing fatigue on those long letters which everyone knows I’m prone to write. He was admiring that quality about it.

I better throw in your quote of the week… Since you referenced obedience in your last letter to Ma and Pa, I selected this one.

“The Lord has outlined the steps we should follow to draw near unto Him: seek through the scriptures, ask through prayer, knock through obedience.”

-J. Thomas Fyans

I appreciate the fact that you are more obedient than most. And I didn’t think you came off arrogant or whatever. I knew that you were stating fact and I’m happy to hear that. Obedience is particularly hard for MOST missionaries for some reason. I think it’s because they haven’t realized the cause and effect relationship yet with Heavenly Father. He is a rewarding God who will reward obedience. It’s such a simple concept that so many missionaries and just members in general for that matter don’t get it. It’s so simple to understand that it becomes a hard thing to figure out. Like Moses and the serpent. The children of Israel only needed to look at it to be healed and live, yet it was too simple of a way that they would not do it and ended up dying. If missionaries would only realize that cause and effect of obeying the mission rules, commandments, their covenants, etc. they would see that the blessings they receive in return are so abundant, they would never choose anything other than strict obedience. It’s awesome that you have figured it out at such an early stage of your mission. I’m proud of that and I’m proud of you as always Mike. Continue to Seek through the scriptures. Continue to ask through prayer. I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer and the miracles you can perform through it. And of course continue to knock through obedience. The Lord will let you in time and time again to the abundant blessings he has in store for you if you follow this simple precept.

What do you know. I have rattled off 4 pages on my short letter and it’s been well over an hour into it. Time flies when you are having fun, but alas, I cannot have much more fun or I’m going to be in a world of hurt. I have to get studying. I love you Mike. I pray for your continued growth and much success while serving our Lord in North Carolina.

Be well, be humble, be obedient, and be successful for those souls who are waiting for you.

Love you and miss you always.

Your brother for eternity,

Trav