It was so good to talk to you last night and hear about your continuing adventures in the NDBM! Your mission sounds awesome and we are thrilled with all of the opportunities you are receiving. A mission is a fantastic time to practice being malleable in the hands of the Lord, letting Him make you what He wants you to become, a practice we hope you follow for your whole life. I think where missionaries and everyone else who struggles begin a downward decent in their testimonies and commitment to the gospel is they become rigid in what the Lord should do and be in their lives. Let Him be in charge and do all you can to magnify what He wants you to become. Remember you are on a mission Not because you need people to tell you how great you are, but to bring others unto the gospel of Jesus Christ. Keeping Him in the center of your service will help you overcome so many distractions and make you a powerful instrument for good. Stay obedient, stay kind, stay humble and always be teachable and their isn't anything you can not do.
It was fun to hear about your firework adventures at Bob's Fireworks. It was also good to hear that Imaboo and Eugene are progressing so well. We are delighted that you get to have a baptism this week and are excited to hear all about it! There is so much joy to be found in helping others Come Unto Christ. Like you said in your last letter, the field in the NDBM is white AND ready to harvest!
Well as we begin a new month I want to congratulate you on being out four months! It probably seems to have gone fast as you have been so busy, but time is sliding by and before you know it it will be the New Year and a fourth of your mission will be over. Crazy when you think of it. We hope you are serving with all of 'your heart, might, mind and strength' everyday and then you will have no regrets, and that is the greatest gift you can give yourself as a missionary. So proud of you and the work you are doing.
Highland Happenings:
Halloween McMullin Style: Well Halloween was large and in charge of our week! We knew that marching band would take all of the actual day (Luke was in rehearsals from 8am - 11 and we were volunteering to help run the competition until 1, then Luke had to be back for additional rehearsals at 2 and stayed until they were all done at 8:30) so we split Halloween up into a multi day extravaganza. We had our Halloween spooky feast on Thursday after Luke got back from another band rehearsal that lasted until 6. Luke said he wanted to give 'bloody bones' (BBQ chicken legs tied with gauze) another try with Mac and Cheese (pustulating witches boils), bug bread (pumpkin chocolate chip bread) and goblin fingers and skin (green beans with roasted turkey). For dessert we had chocolate mummies (brownies that turned out so cute). All in all Dad and Luke thought it was one of the best dinners we have had (both having multiple 'bloody bones'). (Luke Editorial: the bloody bones still had just a bit of a stomach flip to them, as well as having to take off the gauze.) We streamed Disney's Halloween music from Spotify and it set a very fun vibe. On Friday we watched Hocus Pocus one of my very favorite Halloween shows. The Sanderson sisters were delightful as ever, we forget about the kids of the movie as they are not the greatest of actors, but Bette Midler is always good. To round out our fantastic Halloween Spooktacular we finished with watching the new Mandalorian. Baby Yoda was so darling!! Mando has to travel to Tatooine to try to find where Baby Yoda's people are when he runs into a Old Western style Marshal that is wearing Boba Fett's Mandalorian armor (a big no no), recently regurgitated from the Sarlacc pit. Wild adventures ensue with the sand people and a giant sand dragon. As the episode concludes and Mando and Baby Yoda race out one their sand speeder you see a figure watching them from a distance with weapons that seem familiar. . . I am sure he's going to be part of a future plot (It's the original actor who played Boba Fett) and it was a great beginning to another season of Mandalorian. Then as we told you last night Halloween Day was band, band and more band. Dad and I were the only ones dressed up (see pictures below) as army officers at the competition. So I think since no one else was in costumes that we were the real thing and were very scary for most people (no one made eye contact with us and they hurried as fast as they could by us--- but that could have been that they need a bathroom as we were stationed to direct them to one:). We were very intimidating guarding our south gate-- letting no one in but band members. Luke showed me how to do Green Belt Number Three, so that if anyone gave us problems we would be prepared. I told Luke that if Dad and I got arrested defending our gate he was allowed to use our credit card for bail money to get 'His Momma Out Of The Pokey.' Nothing happened disturbance wise at the competition however so all the forward preparation and planning was for not :(. There was an elderly couple that came out of the stands and used the 'band only' bathroom on their way out that I let by. I reasoned that after 100's of teen's using the same bathroom; what dangers awaited the elderly couple in there was far worse than Green Belt Number Three:).
Dad News: Dad's orthotics finally arrived for his foot pain. They are custom inserts that he puts in his shoes. The plan is that he wears them for a least two weeks and if they make his foot feel better he will get a cordizone shot in his heel that will relax the muscle that should help him. He says that walking with the orthotics feel as hard as walking on two by fours all day, but he is being patient hoping that pain relief will come eventually:(. Dad's siblings are getting together tomorrow for a catered lunch at the Old Home to celebrate that Urban Parkway and Sargent Court properties are all payed off after 18 years of diligent payments. Dad and Garn were not going to do anything big to celebrate the accomplishment, but Patrece insisted that something be done to celebrate-- so to lunch we go! Dad has also finished his rookie year as a Band Dad and has now moved into the elevated station of veteran. He had worked so hard, in his foot boot no less, for the band. You have such a great Dad who does anything to support his boys.
Mom News: I am the proud new owner of 69 recertification points towards my teaching recertification! I finished my two UEN classes and combine with the two that Luke took for me (stop smiling) I am almost to my goal of 100 points before the end of the year. I started my next class on google classroom and wow it is overwhelming learning that I did not know all the things I did not know, but I hope that one day the learning curve will not be quite so steep with technology. I took Luke to the sketchiest decorating store in Salt Lake on Wednesday. He HATED it! Its a supper dark and run down group of two warehoused that have been built together. The too narrow isles have stuff packed in boxes to the celling with stuff falling out of them (I like to think like snowflakes falling gently on your head) but Luke felt like they were spiders and the hands of death brushing against him. When you guys were little I would put you in the cart, because it freaked you out even then, but Luke was way to big for that on Wednesday so he had to suffer through it. He said upon leaving the store that he did not want to go back until time could allow the memories to fade, or if I needed to go back again this year he would come again but only if we got drinks after:). Luke editorial: It was horrible. I saw an elf with the plague, walls falling apart, dead birds, and the crushing feeling of seeing a tsunami made of cheap polystyrene and plastic about to destroy everything you know and love.
Luke News: After four brutally hard months of 100's of hours of work, the marching band season is over (insert Mom tears here). What an awesome experience Luke has been able to have! They looked so good for their last show, no one even comes close to them. We covered a lot of the celebrations that occurred after they took state again, for the 27th year in a row. It was something to see and something that I hope never to forget!!!! The motivational coach for BYU's basketball team came and talked to the band. He told the band that he often tells the BYU players that they are not the most elite group of champions that he has ever talked to, because he said "I get to talk to the American Fork High School Marching Band." What a wonderful organization to be a part of. No one has brought more 'honors back' to American Fork HS than this band!!! Dad and I have loved helping them this season and we look forward to doing the same next season. Luke is dabbling with what he wants to do next with band: move to playing the sousaphone, trying out for drum major, or being the baritone section leader. He does want to run for SBO his senior year so we will see if there is one or two more years of band. One of Luke's good trumpet friend told Luke that if he did not march his senior year, she was going to beat him up AND forcibly make him go, so there is a lot for him to think about. Luke is not loving the new hybrid school schedule where everyone has Wednesday's off because he says it makes him feel like its Saturday but he still has two more days of school left:(. His AP World History teacher is so stressed with the loss of so many days that he is not using the textbook anymore, but doing online lectures three times a week and in class focusing on writing for the DBQ--- not fun. I love, love, love having Luke around more (he has been such a blessing since you have been gone)--- bring on online school (just kidding- but not really)!
News From The Hood:
- We had our permanent Christmas lights installed this week!!! We now have millions of light options to choose from and tons of lighting patterns and speeds. The crown molding all around the house makes the lights almost invisible in the day and at night it should be stunning!! We are excited to use them for Christmas and other holidays throughout the year. The lights are controlled by a smart phone so once Luke figures it all out we are go for launch :).
- Luke Editorial: If I figure them out.
- Utah's COVID numbers are still out of control and the government fears that our health care will soon be over run. We had 2,260 new cases on Friday and the state sent out a Amber Alert to all cell phones warning them to avoid social gatherings and to wear masks. I will not be surprised if things have to get shut down before Christmas.
- Dad's deacons have gotten so into 'Among Us' on Tuesday nights that they have added Zoom conference rooms to discuss who the murder might be. They tell Dad all the time that they had never heard of the game before he introduced them and now everyone plays it. Thanks Adam for letting us know about this game, so that Dad can be the cool hip guy that knows what is hot in online gaming.
- Kole begins his mission this week. Please pray for him as there are nervous family members at the Roskelley household.
We love and miss you so much!!!!! We hope you have an awesome week!!!
Mom and Dad
