That My Family Might Partake

That My Family Might Partake

At Family Night tonight, Lily, Noe, and Yael put pictures of vegetables and fruits on our plates. 

 We looked at, talked about, and smelled yummy foods, but before we ate them—we decided it was time to go--and forgot!

Have you ever forgotten to eat your food?

Then the boys read about some other fruits-- 

there is no law against them—no one can punish you if you use them every day! 

One of Jesus’s helpers named Paul tells us about them.  Instead of being fruits for our body, they are fruits of the spirit! 

Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.  

These are fruits you can't just think and talk about--you've got to TRY them out!

Everyone chose a word to “try out” to help make us feel happier.  Which would you pick? 

Lily picked kindness 

(She will be kind to animals.) 

                

   Yael picked love 

and promised to pray every night this week. 

Noe picked joy and also decided to remember his prayers.

  

I picked LONG-SUFFERING, and vowed to finish my letter home.

It is not always easy to keep promises—I remember being little and learning from a poet from near where I lived that: 

“I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep!” 

Oh no!  It is time for bed (and I hear that "temperance" can means not trying to do more than you can!)

Here is a hello from a husband:

"Laurene sent a historical review of  Alva Albert Starkey  [owner of the middle name] connected to our Tom who just turned....well, I would get in trouble if I said what he turned.   But we think it wasn't 19.  What a man, husband, and father! Way to go, son!

Our date highlight.... well actually it was without lights.... isn't she pretty? Well, a little fuzzy.  Another lesson: don't take a picture through a slanted windshield in the dark. The auto-focus system doesn’t like it.  It was a crane or heron, 

      This is what he looked like, only add a crimson sunset

very beautiful in the twilight.   

Friday, we had a lovely dinner with 11 couples with one pair leaving soon. It is awesome to have that many in a mission.  We learned about some good ideas."

   

   This is part of our group.      Our president and his wife grew up in eastern Washington.

 

Sister Mackay's assistant offered us a welcome bed--diminishing a four hour commute into pleasant dreams before joining our branch, next morning, at a favorite Fresno point of reference.

 Cheers to sisters (any resemblance?) 

In green is our prized piano student--mother to a few more of our students and leader to our young women.

Can you tell these two are cousins? (James, remind me of your Jerusalem story of Ephraim being cousins to Benjamin--Ephraim is crowned with blessings--and hooray for red hair!)

Sunday, our friends who live close to Gabby joined our branch to learn, sing, and worship. Our hearts leaped as we dug color crayons and puppies from purse pockets to entertain tiny fingers.

 
Daddy works all night and moving cows and attended after one hour of sleep.  Because he said he would.  Our little branch of maybe forty attending stayed afterward for nearly an hour to welcome them.  Good job, Alonzo.  Good work Crows Landing Spanish branch.  Ducks in a row--chicks were lovingly gathered.

Grateful to celebrate souls who bravely give talks, 

serve as they linger longer, 

 play "Amazing Grace," and

exhibit magical and other skills.

Our neighboring self-described "amond" farm owner added to our joke list. (When I wanted to know what happened to the "L" in almond, he told me it was shaken out of all the nuts before harvest!)

The harvest is great. 

 But the world being "in commotion" is also a truth.

 Tonight, Elder Starkey picked the word "peace." Often, he has all our ducks in a row.  

 

But sometimes from an earthly perspective, everything feels upside down.  

As we left family night, we learned more about cared-for cousins far away -- Azael, Alexia, and Kenen ages 9,7, and 5, who have recently been tragically orphaned in Michoacán. 

Will you please include these children in your prayers?    

  The Lord promised that He would not leave us comfortless (Greek for orphans).

So, we work to bear one another's burdens.  To mourn with them that mourn. 

We have a small taste of weeping that endureth for the night.  And we pray for a piece of joy in the morning.

 Blessings to our friends--hoping to always "do what we said we will."