....The other service project we did was for a group called FARE food allergy awareness. That one was especially cool because there was a Sister Missionary in the Arapahoe stake that called saying they have an investigator who is in charge of it and they got permission to go (it was in our ward boundary), and our Mission President suggested our district going as well.. So, already a cool thing to do- make it better, the Sister Missionary that called was Sister Brown! Yeah, Eastons girlfriend. How crazy. So we got to hang out and serve together for about 4 hours this past Saturday, way fun.

Okay. So, this is officially going to be my last letter home. Next Monday in the afternoon I will be arriving home from the airport. That is crazy. They say the mission is "the shortest eternity you'll ever live through" and that is so true! I feel like I've experienced a whole entire life out here. And yet at the same time I feel like I just got on that plane after saying goodbye to all of you..

The mission is definitely the best thing ever.. I have learned so much, grown a lot.. and just gained a deeper understanding about things. I love the gospel. There is nothing that can bring more happiness in life than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Before I get offline.. I just wanted to list a couple of the most important things I learned throughout my mission:
First, Before my mission I very strongly believed that the gospel was Restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith 180 or so years ago.. But that is something that now I really do know. Any other 'conclusion' or 'solution' is either impossible or incomplete.
Also, I have gained such a deep appreciation for the Book of Mormon. When we understand the purpose behind the Book of Mormon, and that it's another testament of Jesus Christ, it just starts to make sense. There is no other book on this earth that can teach a person as much as that book does about Jesus Christ, unless it were a true book. I once heard "no evil man could write such a book, and no good man would- unless it were true". And I have learned on my mission that that quote is 100% true. I know anyone that reads that book will gain more happiness and peace in this life than they can through any other path.

And lastly, and most importantly- I have learned to have a greater appreciation for what my Savior has done for me. Throughout my mission I have learned just a fraction of what Jesus Christ did to help each of us. Jesus Christ suffered, on an individual basis, for everything we will ever go through in life. Frequently we think of the atonement as covering our sins, which He did. But He did more. I have learned on my mission that if we rely on our Savior Jesus Christ, than we can allow Him to help us through any trial, heartache, affliction, or infirmity that we ever go through in life. That's why He suffered. He did that so that He really could carry us through everything that we can't do alone in this life.

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know He is our Savior. And I know that He leads and guides and is the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I also know that knowing and following each of these above mentioned things will bless our lives more than anything else! I love you all. I miss you, and look forward to seeing each one of you here in the very soon future!
Carol note: I have to say, I am so proud of this young man! I have no sons, but helping "send" Robbie out on his mission has been such a joy. What a great man he has become! His next adventure is to head to Utah to attend LDS Business College.

Cameron-in California-We got to teach a lot, and the area is picking up. Everyday is really
similar, but good. We got to see a baptism of an 81 year old amputee. They did it in a swimming pool, it was great to see that, even though it was much more of a trial for her. She still made that step to join the kingdom of God.

As for other stuff, we ate some Laotian Wasp Larva (kind of have a texture like gritty peas, and not sure how to describe the taste) last night and got followed for a few minutes in the dark. As for everything in my life right now, it is good. I miss some stuff, but I know I am doing what I need to out here.

Liam in Madagascar- has had a lot of amazing experiences/tender mercies recently. If you aren't getting his letters, you ought to ask Ole and Dena to forward them. He always ends his letters with a spiritual thought from the scriptures. Here is his most recent. It is particularly good.

14 And it came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much ^atribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an ^bangel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying:

15 Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that^adelivered it unto you.

I would like to point out something I noticed as I read this scripture this past week. Alma the Younger was feeling "weighed down with sorrrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul." This could describe Alma's feeling when we was still sinning and trying to destroy the church. And the same angel came to him, yet this time he brought good tidings. I feel this is applicable in our lives. I see a direct correlation with these two incidents. I believe Alma used his past experiences to help him overcome his current time of trial. He learned from those difficult times and later used them to his benefit. That is an extremely important ability to have. We all have trials and tribulations, that is sure. But how many of us take advantage of those moments, learn from them, and then later apply them in life to help us move to higher planes? It is my testimony that God gives us trials for a reason. He knows they will be for our benefit. It is simply up to us in how to handle and use them.

Easton in Canada-first, last letter he talked about making that recipe that was super spicy/hot. Here is a picture of him trying to recover from eating it. :)

He has been transferred to New Market, Ontario -- about 45 minutes north of Toronto. We should hear more by next week.

Family updates

Cara sent photos of her kid's first day of school. I cant believe how old the kids are getting!

The family took a trip to Utah. We spent a couple weeks in Utah in July. I drove the 5 kids out there by myself (never done that before! It was crazy!) And then Barry joined us the last few days and drove us home. We had a great time!

We had so many fun activities while in Utah (thanks to my sister Janae for planning everything!) We had a fun evening at Aspen Grove. BYU was sponsoring the event for its employees and their families. Definitely an unforgettable place! The kids had so much fun exploring. They were divided into buddies and then were given free range to explore. They loved the independence!

We took a short hike in the mountains and then checked out the quarry where the granite from the Salt Lake temple was found. The kids loved climbing on the big rocks!

We had a BBQ in the backyard one night and then watched a movie- Journey to the Center of the Earth- on the side of the house with a projector (until it started to rain and we moved inside!)

We celebrated the Fourth by going to a firework show and watching from the top of Janae and Sam's car! The kids thought that was so fun!

Boston sent an update!

We had our annual Peterson extended family vacation at Lake Powell at the beginning of July. Lots of fun, but so much work with 3 little ones. Jayden and Sawyer literally lived in a life jacket--Jayden even had to sleep in one. The biggest perk for being the first daughter-in-law is that my parents bonded with Craig's parents and so my mom, Steve, and Kiera are invited to Lake Powell with the Petersons every year. It worked out perfect, because the kids and I rode home with my parents from Lake Powell and stayed in Burley for 3 1/2 weeks. It was a much longer stay than normal, but packed full of fun. Brytten and Azure (and the other girls off and on) lived at my mom's house while I was there. So we watched Azure and Sawyer interact with one another while enjoying each other's company. Kiera and Hayli (Jim's) entertained Troy and Jayden the majority of the time. And Vincente (Brooke's) even spent a few nights. Cousins are the greatest! At the end of July, I competed in the Spudman triathlon. That was the reason I stayed in Burley so long. It was such a thrill! I finished in just under 3 hours. I absolutely loved it! If possible, I will do it again next year.

Now, just back to 'real' life!

MaryAnne wrote also! July has come and gone... and a busy month it was!! Val and I spent a week in Star Valley and Yellowstone, where I caught my biggest fish ever! We loved riding the horses on the mountain trails so much, we came home and bought our own horse. "Ginger" is gorgeous... sweet with the grandkids and spicy enough to keep things exciting. Val and I also played on the beaches of Oregon during a visit with my brother in Portland. Lastly... and most memorable... all my kids joined me in sponsoring our Ingram family reunion in Hagerman, Idaho. It was our turn (Lowder siblings) to be in charge of feeding 100 relatives on a three day camp out. It was a wonderful adventure!

Finally, Katie wrote too.... It was Emmeline's third birthday.

For Emmeline's birthday outing, we went to the Adventuredome the Saturday before Emmeline's birthday. We had stopped by there a month or so ago when we were seeing the shows at Circus Circus, and Emmeline had especially noticed the face painting there. We decided then that we'd take her back for her birthday. She LOVED getting her face painted, and we splurged to let her get the whole-face face paint because that's what she really wanted.

Then she went on a bunch of rides. We were really happy that she was content going on all the rides by herself. She enjoyed all the kiddie rides, and we were shocked when she asked to go on the roller coaster one a second time. (She had looked terrified on the ride, but apparently she liked it.) She had a really fun day there.

Natalie's baby, Truman was 3 weeks old this week. Here are two new pictures of Addie and Truman! Addie just loves her brother.

That's all! Have a good week. Work Hard, Study hard, pray hard.

Carol

Following Family and Friends

Monday, August 19, 2013

19 August 2013

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