The Wonderful Missionaries

I am going to share a letter from one of the wonderful Elders! I always tried to have the missionaries over This Elder made it a lot easier for the future missionaries to be welcomed into our home. After they became great friends the Elders were over all the time even on P-day! Washing clothes feeding babies in their high chair, and relaxing. The spirit was in our home! Elder Grimm and Elder Wayts thank you so much for becoming friends with Barton!

Dear Barton,

I remember very little about lots of things from my mission way back when.  It has been nearly 10 years since I met you and your family.  I remember thinking that you I knew that you would get baptized, it would just be on your own time.  I think that both Cindy and I wanted that time to be on our terms.  It was not until I realized that I would rather have you as a friend than try to push you into any decision that would lead to you pleasing anyone but the Lord.

I also remember thinking that if there was a guy that I met on my mission that I would like to be a friend, it was Barton.  I always liked hearing you talk about the same things that I really loved.  Fishing, hunting and trucks.  There was a time when Elder Wayts and I got to spend some time fishing with Barton, this was about the time I realized that we were pushing him beyond his time table, so I just tried to enjoy the fishing.  It may have been a bit easier to enjoy had Jason not “rocked the boat”.  Those were some fun memories that I will never forget.

I hope that things are turning out the way you would like.  I know that my life is a lot different than I thought that it would be at this point.  I am trying really hard to be a good guy and not fake anything.  I remember you talking about honor and doing things for the right reasons, I think that you made a bigger impact on me then than I did on you.  

I think a lot about those days and how much Jason and I liked going to your house.  We both knew that we would eat great and feel like we were at home.  In fact now that I think about it I felt more at home in your house than any other house on my mission.  

I wish that I were a better friend now.  I have been trying so hard to get my own family in order that I have lost touch with so many people that I wish that I had not.  I am very glad that Cindy has always included me in what has been going on.  I realize that it should be easy to keep in touch these days.  Call me old fashioned I guess I just haven’t kept up with technology.  

Anyhow I really miss you and your family.  Thanks for the things you taught me.  Doing the right thing for the right reason is so much more valuable than just doing the right thing when you are doing it for the wrong reason.  

Take care old friend, some day we will have to drown some worms together again.

Brian Grimm

And Elder Grimm, see ya'll at our Sealing, and if not, we know that it is because of the sacred responsibility that you and your wife hold to your family

Going to church with my kids

  I'm back in church! I'm going with just my baby boy Michael! Let's face it, Michael was a good baby, very easy to take anywhere! I still wanted my husband to go with us, as a family! That's what it's about, right!
I have the sister missionaries over a lot to help me with my husband. I asked him to take the lessons, he accepts! Sister Brooke Jones and her companion start giving him lessons!During this time Sister Jones and I developed a bond! True sisterhood that lasts to this day! Great for me! Barton asked for the lessons to stop. They did, but the sisters and I were still friends and still came over! Great for me! I got to make them dinners and sweet desserts!

  Then we moved to Lathrop. Different Ward same Stake! Now I had to drive 20 mins to go to church instead of 5 minutes. I went, made lots of new friends!

    My first Relief Society activity! I was excited to go! For some reason Barton didn't want me to go. He told me that I could, but I can't take the car! Thinking there was no way for me to go now! I looked at the Relief Society phone found the name Sasha Grove then proceeded to call her! Never met her before, but I was not going to be stopped from going to this activity! That was the start of Sasha and I's friendship! Sasha couldn't take me. She just got home from the hospital with her newborn baby boy! Me calling Sasha like that showed Barton that I was not going to be stopped! He allowed me to take the car. lol

    I was expecting Devin! Barton developed a friendship with the Elders in our area. Brian Grimm and Jason Watts. They gave him the missionary lessons and asked if he would like to join, at the time he agreed! I thought at 1st "oh how wonderful!" He even quit smoking for 2 weeks! One Sunday, going into church with Micheal and my big baby belly I felt a prompting that Barton wasn't ready yet, he even started smoking again. Rebecca Woods was getting out of her van at the time of this prompting asked me about Barton's baptism I said " he isn't joining, and I'm glad, he doesn't  have his own testimony, he was doing it just to please me"  she said " that's good then, that he isn't joining yet, he needs his own testimony"
Yes, I was crushed. I told the Elders from then on " I will not ask Barton to take the lessons! you want to, you ask him yourself" The wonderful Elders worked so hard, and was crushed too, still hopeful for maybe one day.

   Now Devin, my red headed teddy bear! Lets face it, not an easy baby! He was always hungry right in the middle of Sacrament!  When he was hungry watch out! He never gave any warning, just started screaming! It was funny when he was screaming, he turned red and looked like a fireball! I even started spiking his hair to add to the fire ball! LOL As Devin got older, it only got harder. Devin would scream, cry, and hit me the whole time! I often, or every Sunday had to take him out to restrain him. Not an easy baby, toddler! He often head butted me and loosened my teeth. The people in the Cameron Ward were very nice! They never judged me or made me feel bad about him. Luckily for me people would watch Michael while I tended to Devin's overwhelming meltdowns! There was a nursery leader that loved him so much, saw Devin's sweet spirit! She protected him. She new when people were getting into his space ( not meaning to ) told them to leave him alone!

    Mira! When I was pregnant with Mira the Ward split taking us back to Kearney 3rd ward, and Cameron ward became Far West Ward. Mira was an easy baby. Really, after Devin every baby is an easy baby! She is my last baby and only girl. I made sure to dress her in the prettiest girly dresses out there! I enjoyed my doll! During sacrament when I had to feed her I had Michele Miller and Paige Dicky, mother daughter team! They sat with the boys, and chased Devin down! They lived behind me, and I lived behind them! We rode in together. I needed them! I'm glad they were there me and my family! We went on trips together. Omaha Zoo and we even went to Nauvoo! I don't know what I would have done with out them! When Devin was diagnosed with Autism, ODD, MOD, OCD tendencies, and severe ADHD they still watched him! Their support helped me keep it together! They had to move when Mira was 19 months old. I was alone again.

    Now 3 kids, and still no husband to help me at church! Many Sundays I didn't want to go! Devin's meltdowns took/takes a lot out of me! During Sunday school I would go hide to cry.
When we went back to Kearney I did have one family that did judge me! They did let me know what they thought! But I still went to church! Luckily for me, they moved a couple of months after the ward split! I found out that they only have 1 child with no special needs, so how could they understand what I was having to do! It must look bad seeing someone having to restrain a child! It must look terribly lazy to bring a toddler in ( as they said tie him up!) a  stroller and let him take off his top and color his whole body green with a non toxic marker! They won't have to go thru what I've gone thru! That's fine! Devin has taught me a lot, all my kids have! Poor them, they will never have my knowledge or strength!
Don't ask who it is! I won't say!

When Michael started Kindergarten, we started reading the scriptures together! ( mainly me reading to him)
I would stop between chapters to explain to him about what we read! That is when I truly understood The Book of Mormon!  I felt the fog leave my head! I finally related to it and truly understood! I know it to be true! I tried even harder to keep the spirit in my home! I looked at myself and changed! I can not change my husband! But I am going to change how I look at us! I am going to be happy! I made my choice to marry him knowing that he is not of the same faith! How dare I even try to change him like that! It was my choice to go back to church, not his.  Life was a little easier after that!

                                                    Top left Paige Dicky and Michele Miller

Bottom Right Rebecca Woods

Top left Elder Jason Watts, top right Elder Brian Grimm                             

Bottom left Brooke Jones Hinckley, bottom right Sasha Grove 

This is my 1st post in this VERY special blog!

My husband was baptized in August! We have been married for 10 yrs at that time. I had been going to church with our kids for 9 yrs by myself! Not an easy task! I'll start with how I came back to The Lord's church.

      I came back to church when my oldest was only 9 months old! I heard the Lord's voice and I saw the many signs that it was time to come back to Him! I had wonderful help with my Visiting Teachers, the great Lisa Allure, and the wonderfully sweet Mary Fell.  I let them in and became friends with them. They were a huge comfort when I came back. One Morning I was about to go to the mailbox, at my front door there was a HUGE green gorgeous fern! I thought it was my visiting teachers! I loved it! I even went to church to thank them! Thinking it had to be from them! It was such a Mormon thing to do! Michael and I went the following Sunday! I went up to these fabulous women said "Thank you so much for the fern! I love it!" They responded with " what fern?"  It wasn't them! I have no idea who left that fern! But it got me to go to church, to feel His spirit!   

 Another sign was, Greg Buhler!
 Michael was just a newborn, in need of a doctor! I look threw the insurance policy book ( yes a paper book!, not a web site! that long ago!) found him! He was in the same town as we were! I thought "perfect"! Made an appointment for the next week!    The day of the doc appt, I got Michael up and went, as I was driving I could not find the road to turn! The street sign was down! I was so upset, about to turn around when I figured I will try this street and if it's not it then I'll go home. It was the correct street! I pulled in the long drive way and saw a man walking to his shed, I thought he was a great friend of mine in Utah, a wonderful priesthood holder that helped me when I was in my 20s,( before marriage and babies.)It was not my friend John Beck, it was Greg Buhler!(Patti Buhler's husband) I went down to his office to wait our turn. I saw the photos on his walls of the general authorities, didn't really recognized them, but by the composition I thought " yup that is a Mormon photo!"  Saw the pass along cards on a table then new, he is LDS! Michael was called in to his office!( I must admit I was surprised that he still saw him with how late I was.He was/ is so nice) As I was going back to the exam room I asked " your Mormon!?" With what I think, great surprise to my question, he answered "yes I am! This must be the baby that was blessed recently! I was wondering who that was."
From then on when I took Michael to his  check-ups,  I received spiritual help!

  The 3rd sign! We lived in these apartment in Kearney, MO when Michael was born. I like to call them the ghettos of Kearney! After a few months of living there a couple moved in downstairs to the left of us. They were a very nice couple! We became friends fast! Yes, they are LDS! Bill and Patsy Gerle!  We started having Family Home Evening with each other and dinner with the sister missionaries! They were building their beautiful home down the road from the ghettos of Kearney. I'm so glad that they were lead to live there! I know it wasn't easy living in those apts and they could of found someplace better, but nope The Lord needed them and they followed! 

So grateful for the sweet angels The Lord sent to help me and my family! 

Top left Mary Fell,right Greg and Patti Buhler, 

Bottom  Patsy and Bill Gerle