Halloween 2021

Vivian and her friend, Amelie, dressed up like Elphaba and Glinda from the broadway musical Wicked.

They nailed it!  Such a fun night.  I was slightly afraid Vivian would be green for 

a week, but it only lasted a couple days:)

cousin party:)

 

This is my work and my glory

These pictures of my dad on his mission in Trinidad and Abe on his mission in the Congo

find the same heart string to tug. 

So similar. 

I know my dad is cheering Abe on. 

 

25th anniversary

Dave and I got married on December 17, 1996. 

Dave had been home from his mission in Brazil for 5 months, 

but right when we started hanging out, I knew I wanted to marry him.

We met when we were fourteen and were good friends in high school.

I really wanted a September wedding, but decided instead of waiting, that a December wedding all of a sudden sounded fantastic and even though it was SO cold the day we got married, 

it felt like the whole world was lit up just for us.

One of my favorite memories was after our sealing, we were walking around the temple grounds getting some pictures in record breaking coldness and Dave bent down and took off my shoe and started rubbing my cold foot. It was so loving and aware and kind. 

Fun fact: I was late to our wedding reception picture time, because I was trying to do my own hair and make up and Dave had to rush and get me a diffuser for my hair, but it was ok, because the pictures were my least favorite part and I ended up liking how my 

hair looked, even though I did it myself. 

Two girls played harps and we had a cake buffet (served by my four brothers) because I love cake.

Our colors were forest green, white and gold. 

I had an off white raw silk wedding dress because my whole life I was told I couldn't wear white, so my mom made me a simple dress to wear in the temple. 

To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary we took two quick get-aways.

Dave is doing a sports medicine fellowship this year (and we joked that we were worried about money and a job when we first got married, and we kind of are back in that boat this year) so his schedule is a bit busy so we spent two nights in St. George and the next weekend we spent one night in Midway (at the homestead).  Our kids met us in Salt Lake for Christmas dinner, lights and the giving box. 

They were good sports and came, and I was thankful.

I am grateful to be married to Dave.

Ours has been prob like most marriages with some amazing times 

and some heartache and a lot of growth. 

We make a good team and I'm glad that Dave reminds me we have eternity to figure it out.

I have loved Dave for a long time and I love the family we have created.

 (we spent some of the night on Temple square just like 25 years ago!) 

I love this crew!

What shall I do with Jesus

 Dear Abe- 

A few of my Sunday Christmas thoughts. 
Isaiah 53:5

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

This sentence
The chastisement of our peace was upon him.

Chastisement= rebuke, a beating
Peace= a state of untroubled, undisturbed well-being 
What is beating my peace???
Beating like is your peace  taking a beating and also beating like in a competition.  What is beating my sense of well-being?
And how does Christ take that so I can feel untroubled?

I heard once in high school a boy bear his testimony that faith in Christ is hope in action.
I love that thought. You, Abe,  are Hope in action. Faith. Hope that Christ is real and can help others.  
I love that I can act in hope that he will take whatever is chastising my peace and with. Christ I can beat it.  

For me that looks like:
Dad has been stressed about job decisions lately, but sometimes it comes out in his behavior and he seems down or a bit moody- I have started praying more specifically for him when he is stressed and I have been praying that I won’t take that on or make it about me, but that I can understand and have help to feel good and that he can be blessed. I have seen heavens help in those times. And I have seen Heavenly Father blessing dad!

I have been coaching people I have never met and I can get really nervous- beats my peace sometimes. I have been praying to be able to not make it about me and be able to listen and hold space and help relieve a little suffering. I have had help!

Worrying about Max (worry is so dumb because it’s pointless, but still dampens peace)  because he disappears upstairs and avoids and I have been praying what specificity what to do and I had the words, meet him where he is go through my mind, so instead of calling for him to come downstairs I just went up and sat next to him and laughed with him and talked. It was so good. 

I am grateful that I can beat whatever is beating my peace with hope and action or in other words faith that Christ will take it and help 

Doug Gray spoke today in sacrament meeting about when Pilate asked “then what shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?” 
Matthew 27:22

At some point we all decide what we will do with Christ.  
If you read in John 18 and 19 there was a lot of rejection of Christ because it threatened their religious pride and self- righteousness, or they had envy of him so they rejected him, Or rejected him because it would mess up their career or what they wanted to do
I read an article I will send you about it- not from our church- and it was interesting. 

Anyway-  these are the things I’m pondering in my heart today, as I think about Christ. I can’t help but think about Mary his mom, and the love she must have felt for him knowing he had a purpose and greatness and yet still suffered when he suffered and sat at his feet when he was on the cross probably wanting to take some of that weight from him.

(Sometimes I wonder if Heavenly Mother was the angel that strengthened Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and His earthly mother strengthened him when he was on the cross.)

I love you. More than you can imagine. I have also felt of your greatness and have had that impression over and over. God loves Abe. I know he is aware of you. 

Happy Sunday.

your mom

2% better

 

Abe returns to Africa- Mission 2.0

Abe. 

It was a challenging decision for him to go out on a mission, and chose to go. After being in Africa for four months, Covid hit and almost all missionaries around the world were sent home. 

Something I never thought I would see. I talked to Abe on a Monday and he 

had heard very little of Covid and by Wednesday, he was on a plane home. 

After a week or two of not knowing if he was released or not and actually getting released, then a just kidding you're not released, and then actually being released, they gave him the option to go back out, but do missionary work, but in quarantine, or go back out in 12 to 18 months. Abe chose to go to school at BYU and wait 12 months. He later told me, with a hope he would never have to go back.  

The school year past and he started to feel the weight of whether he would return to his mission or call it good and move on. As much as he tried, he couldn't put it out of his mind and whatever "other" plans he came up with, the mission kept eating at him. So after going back and forth and really examining his testimony, the church, his beliefs, doubts, and missionary work, he decided to fast and pray about it. I didn't realize he was fasting, but I was also fasting for him that day, that God would send him a message, that the universe would speak to him in a way he could understand, so he could move forward in whatever direction was best, with whatever God wanted him to do.

I walked in my bedroom and saw him kneeling down and realized that he must have been fasting also. 

He went up to his room and a few minutes later he came down and said, "Guess what mom? I get to go to lunch with Cory Hansen." Cory Hansen was Abe's priest advisor whom Abe really loved. He had moved and we hadn't had contact with him since Abe had been gone or home. I thought that was so nice that Cory had asked Abe to go to lunch. An hour later, Cory called me and here is where it gets good. He wanted to let me know that Abe had reached out to him and asked if they could go to lunch and Cory said he was happy to take him to lunch but wanted to keep me in the loop so I didn't think he was a creeper. lol. I told Cory that Abe had this mission decision on his mind and I'm sure he wanted to talk to Cory about it since he really respects him. Then he got a little serious and said he had had a dream about Abe the night before he reached out to him. They were out to dinner and Cory was telling Abe that he has regretted not going on a mission every day of his life.  What? I told him I had been praying that the universe would send Abe a sign he would be able to recognize and understand. Cory said, Myndie, this is't a coincidence, God has answered your mom heart prayers. He told me he would share his dream with Abe if he felt it was right. 

Abe got his answer. He knew it. And he couldn't deny it. He could choose to ignore it, but he knew that God had answered his prayer. He later told me that when he was saying his prayer to close his fast, he heard the words, "Call Cory Hansen."

It was really hard to gather enough faith and doubt his doubts, but Abe chose to go back to Africa.

God is aware or Abe. 

Thanks to Cory Hansen for being the most amazing instrument in God's hands and other people showed up just when Abe needed it with just the thing Abe needed to move forward. 

It was spiritual and powerful for me to watch it unfold.

God really does answer prayers. 

I have been thinking lately of the saying, "where much is given, much is required." 

I have also been noticing lately, where much is required, much is also given.  

(Abe and Cory Hansen)

Abe has been back in Africa for three months and it is a challenge, but like Abe said in his 

first farewell talk, "God has always given me just enough light to keep going."

 

God is aware of Kai- and all the detail.

 prayers. And He did. So grateful. Real kindness still exists.

that climb though. 😱