HAPPY SUNDAY TO EVERYONE!  

  Hope you all have had a great week, and it is so nice to end it on a sunny day - chilly, but sunny! 🌞

CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES TO PAUL ~      He got his mission call to the Washington Vancouver Mission.  It covers a portion of northern Oregon and part of western Washington.  He is so happy, and we are so excited for him.  

His mission call came on Tuesday, but he decided to wait until Thursday to share with family and friends (except for his Mom and Dad). We went suit shopping on Wednesday, and all I can say is that he is going to be one handsome Missionary ❤ He will be leaving the first week of August for the MTC. 

 LOOK WHO KIM GOT TO HAVE DINNER WITH TONIGHT 😁.  Mark and Diana Anderson lived behind us when we were stationed at Yokota.   Kim was their Number 1 babysitter, and she and Diana even went on a shopping trip to Korea together.  Currently, their daughter Emily lives in Chicago with her husband, who is in medical school.  How fun to connect with good friends from your past! 

IS ANYONE ELSE HAVING A HARD TIME believing we are heading into the last week of February?  We have had some lovely days that make me wonder if our Winter weather is going to show up in March.  I would like to say I hope not, but I know we need the moisture. ⛈

 

ANNYEONGHASEYO - (or hello from Korea)

    Chris left for a week-long trip to Korea on Wednesday.  Traveling with him is his sister, Heather, and together they are going to visit Julia (Chris's other sister) and her husband, Clint, who teaches at the International School in Seoul.  Clint and Julia will be moving to Japan over the summer as Clint has accepted an offer to teach at an International School in Tokyo. 

 

 Have fun, Chris, but please stay away from the fabric market, and anyone trying to sell you Chanel #5 😄

 

EILIS IS TAKING A BIG STEP and moving into an apartment this week with a friend from work.  

  They found a nice place that will be closer to her work, which will be better when the roads are snowy or icy.
  I am not a big fan of moving though - especially the packing. 

 I am hoping that because she will be closer, we will get to see her more often.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BARBI this past week!  What a fun person she is, and I wish I had just a quarter of her energy. She works, she sews, she grows vegetables, she is involved in community projects, she draws and paints and can build things, she works in the Temple, and takes Mike on super fun vacations - whew!  

  I love that she is part of our family! ❤

SUNDAY SELFIE FROM IOWA ❤

  Is Sayre so excited to be going to Church, or is he so happy to be going home? 😁😂😃❤

DAD AND I have kept busy this week with PT (Dad), working on school stuff, running errands, and doing some sorting and cleaning.  I have been helping out at Liberty High School while their Registrar is on leave to be home with her 6th grader, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to have a child so ill.  I can't go in every day because of the class I am taking this term, but I have been able to go in 2 to 3 times and work just half days.  I am so grateful to be able to help.

I hope you will remember this week, that each day is truly a gift. Remember to appreciate all that you have.  Simplify your life - there are some things that just aren't that important. 

I absolutely love this quote from President Oaks that I came across this week - 

You have no idea what's shifting because you pray.  You think you're just whispering words in your car.  Just crying out in your closet.  Just mumbling through tears you can't explain. But in the spirit?  Angels are moving.  Chains are breaking.  Destinies are being realigned. 

Demons are losing ground.  Heaven is leaning in.  You're not just talking.  You're building altars that will outlive you.  You're interceding for bloodlines that don't even know they are being covered.  Prayer is not a soft option.  It is a supernatural strategy.

That's why the enemy fights it so hard.  That's why your phone buzzes when you kneel.  That's why your mind races when you try to focus. 

Prayer is the place of power.   So pray tired. Pray empty. Pray unsure. Just don't stop.  Because every time you pray, Heaven moves and history changes.

Dad and I love you, and we pray for each of you every day!