Fortie Family Flyer
August 10 – 16, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Well it was a busy week to be sure. I went with the girls on Monday morning to girl’s camp. I got fairly sick on Sunday but felt much better Monday morning so I decided to go. I went out canoeing with the girls, played volleyball and worked on crafts without a problem but about dinner time my energy suddenly left and I felt very sick again. My body hurt and my stomach wasn’t doing very well either. I took it easy that evening and slept in my truck bed parked near the bathroom (there is a tent for the two priesthood leaders that are always supposed to be there to help out but I never used it). I bundled up so I was very warm all night which seemed to help clear it up a bit. I decided to take it easy on Tuesday with a nap in the afternoon. That also seemed to help and I was improving but still fairly weak. During the girls hike I went out on my bike for a casual ride (which I found out wasn’t allowed) then I puttered around in a canoe on the lake taking pictures of wildlife. I did some crafts (which the girls were mad at me for because I did a sunset frame with silhouettes of swamp weeds in the foreground which caused them to suddenly not like theirs anymore). I also talked to Bro. Hutchings for much of the day. We enjoyed talking about science and the stars. Michelle had to teach the girls about the stars so we helped her find some good stuff in the sky. It was very clear and beautiful. Wednesday I improved greatly but still skipped the hard labor of the service project and took a nap instead, I slept for a few hours and had a hard time getting up for dinner. Bro. Frisbee must have thought me rather useless but I helped when I could. I did help the girls get a fire going and we played some games. Bro. Hodges and Bro. Hansen came up to take our places and we talked and ate with them. Bro. Frisbee got the girls going on a rope tug-o-war game which Michelle would have been the best at, if it wasn’t for me, she was a bit frustrated that she couldn’t beat me (have a bit more weight I can throw around). I took off just before sunset for more pictures around the lake. I was told by one of the missionaries at the camp that the large beaver came out at about 8:00 pm. I went over to the side of the lake that I could see he had been working on (many trees were down from his hard work) and sat near the edge of the lake to wait for him. I took some shots of the sunset then out he came. He saw me nestled in the trees and swam back and forth in front of me waiting for me to leave. He finally got impatient and right in front of me splashed his tale so water went everywhere as if someone had done a cannonball in the lake. It surprised me how loud it was and I could tell he was expecting me to make a run for it but I held my ground. He finally gave up and swam away so I left (it was getting dark). I headed home and was glad for a good night sleep in my own bed. It took me the rest of the week to completely recover, not sure what was wrong.
I got pictures ready for BYU education week and had an interview with the Jordan School District to see if I could work there while going to school to get my teaching certificate. We will see what they say.
Michelle went with grandpa and grandma to Montana on Friday but Jennifer wasn’t quite ready and (being the wedding hound that she is) wanted to go to Jonathan Jankowski’s wedding reception on Saturday.
Saturday morning Tami Brian and I went to Jonathan’s wedding at the Draper temple. It was very nice and the sealer had some great advice for them. It was a good morning. There was a little rain at first and I was worried for pictures but it cleared up and was great (just a little cool which felt wonderful after the hot weeks we have had). After the wedding we packed for Montana and I printed and packaged pictures. We went to the reception and got to bed rather late.
Sunday morning we had planned to go to Daniel Jankowski’s homecoming but Cheryl called and was expecting us for pictures on Sunday night since Alan wasn’t going to come up to the cabin with us. We raced to get ready and headed out to get Ashley then go to Montana. I gave my pictures to Mike to give to Chad to take down to BYU so there would be a good supply for Education week. We drove and drove and finally got there at about 8:00 pm ready to chat and relax. They decided that since the boys had to get football equipment Monday night we would take pictures after that and then head up to the cabin which worked ok.
Well, I am a week behind so that is the week in a short no fun version. Hope all is well for you and yours.
Keep paddling,
Ken and clan
From Brian:
Dear Family
Come one come all, hear the tales I am to tell.
On Monday for my singles wards FHE we went to the park and had a lesson on balancing our lives and priorities. Then we played water balloon volleyball with towels. We would have two people hold a towel at both ends and fling the water balloons over the net. It is so funny to see people try to work together. I left from there and went over to Greg and Daniels house. Daniel was preparing for a teaching lesson for a job at the MTC and needed someone to practice on. I went over and he taught me what he was going to teach the judges, only catered toward me. Daniel is an amazing teacher and I wish I could have had him as a companion. He was very sincere and personal, taught to Brian’s needs and addressed my concerns.
I myself was struggling with the fact that you don’t feel the spirit as often or as strongly now as you did on a mission. With all the routine out there and with that suddenly changing or getting ripped out from under you it gets discouraging after having built that habit over two years.
He left good commitments and invited the spirit strongly, which I needed that day, and had good scriptures. I think he’ll get the job he’s powerful.
On Tuesday I spent the day listening to a book on CD about a brief history of everything. I got a call from Heather, a girl from the singles ward who wanted to call and thank me for being a friend, and making her feel welcome in the ward. She’s moving back down to Orem for school and said that she was going to miss me a lot. She’s a good girl and I told her that my friends are moving down to Provo and we should all hang out some time if I go down there.
On Wednesday I watched the movie Presidents and Prophets from the Library. It’s amazing after a time of skepticism how close many of the Presidents of the United States got to Prophets of God, and admired them. Lyndon Johnson said that David McKay was the most spiritual man he ever met. He said “I’ve talked to Billy Graham, I’ve talked to many others, and I can’t figure it out. There is just something different about David McKay.”
President Grant in a general conference said that Theodore Roosevelt had been the closest to believing the truth yet. That in his heart he knew we had to be right.
Dwight Eisenhower told Ezra Taft Benson (while in his cabinet) “David O McKay is the greatest spiritual leader in the world.”
Elder Benson gave President Eisenhower and his wife both a priesthood blessing on different occasions after the President requested it.
On Thursday I watched an open heart surgery I found on TV and then realized I was late for an appointment with this place to help me pay for school. I went there at 10 and was 20 minutes late. Then they told me they had scheduled me in the wrong group and put me in with the people on parole and probation, not my style.
So they rescheduled me for later at 2:00. In between I just applied for a few scholarships on line. Then afterwards I spent the rest of the day applying for as many scholarships as I could.
On Friday I applied for a job at the MTC like Daniel had. I always wanted to work there. At night I went to the Bishops house. We had a big ward party there, it was a camp out or sleepover or whatever you want to call it. A whole bunch of people from the singles ward came, we had a BBQ and all ate and talked and joked around. Some watched a movie and others talked outside. I was talking with Bishop and brother Hamilton and some others. A few went home but most stayed to sleep over. Bishop didn’t worry about guys and girls sleeping in the same house. There was a bunch of people in each room so nothing is going to happen, and he said we should be old enough anyway to be mature and not do anything stupid. We all played a huge game of signs with 21 people, which is insanely impossible.
Then we played an enormous game of mafia with 23 people. I did the narrating. 23 hyper young adults are hard to keep focused and keep from messing up and accidentally peeking. It was so fun, people getting hung right and left and killed off in bizarre ways. Our angel was the first person to die so that stunk. My group headed for bed downstairs and slept on the floor. I only had my pillow. We played the laughing game, laying on each others stomachs for a while then made shadow puppets on the wall. I got way tired and ended up going back upstairs at about 1:30 when it looked like those guys were not going to bed any time soon. I ended up curled up in a ball on an ataman and fell asleep.
Saturday morning we all woke up. I woke up first and the Bishops wife and I began to go wake people up because we had to go clean the church before we all made breakfast. Bishop gave me the keys to the church and I went and began cleaning because I wanted to eat before I had to leave to get ready for Jonathans sealing.
Well they didn’t finish in time and I missed breakfast. I was sad.
Dad mom and I got ready and went to the Draper temple and met Jankowski’s there and a lot of other people. Jonathan and Linda showed up. It was so crazy, so many memories going through my head. We were these little 12 year old deacons trudging through the snow once, doing fast offerings, and we’d always get “lost” at the Pratt’s house for like 40 minutes. We went on campouts and on one I jumped around in the snow in my sleeping bag because I didn’t want to get out, Jonathan put his shoes by the fire to dry them and ended up melting the souls, and Ben trying to warm up a can of Dente’ Moore Stew in the fire failed to open it and his dinner blew up.
We were so dumb. We’ve come a long way, now callused with years of death marches, snow camps, ice fishing, dessert dwelling and such. He’s been my best friend for 11 years, and it was weird to see him with this girl that would soon be his wife forever.
The sealing was great and the spirit was way strong. Dad went driving looking for a good picture of the temple and we saw some of the mansion houses, or castles rather, up there. That’s insane; I’d never own a house that big. I lose things to easily in a small one. I’d lose my children or my wife. I’d probably constantly ask her how many kids we had and when was the last time we saw them.
At night we went to Jonathans reception at a church. They looked so nice in the line it was great. If I was a crying man I would have, but I’m not so I didn’t. The food was great, these little French bread things with buttery cheese and a tomato, chicken salad sandwiches and jell-o cake and a mint cake that was amazing. There was this girl there who was really cute and I wanted to dance with her but I inquired as to her age from JJ and he told me she was 16. Never mind. We all went out and decorated his car. I wrote in whip cream Genesis 1:28 on his window. To be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth is what it says. Someone put huge batman balloons on the antenna. I’m not sure why, they didn’t really fit, someone will think he had a batman themed wedding. Also the Balloons Ryan Marble got to fill his car up with said happy birthday on them. And we put Oreo’s all over the car. Then we went home after they drove off. Daniel Jankowski was shocked at how much Jennifer has changed. So was I when I got home.
At home I stayed up sort of late packing for tomorrow.
On Sunday we were planning on going to Daniels homecoming, but Dad in talking to aunt Cheryl realized in order to get to Montana with any daylight left we had to leave in the morning. We took forever getting off, I was trying to get everyone’s stuff out to the car. We went to trade mom for the car at the church because she had gone to the homecoming. I ran in to see if I could hear part of Daniels talk but he had just ended. I was frustrated. We could have heard it as late as we were we could have gone anyway. So we went on the road. We stopped in Idaho Falls at the temple visitor center. I went in and watched some of the testimonies of Special Witnesses of Christ. They are re-making it. It had ended at Elder Eyring who then was the junior Apostle. Now they have made Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Bednar’s Testimony and Cook, Christopherson and Anderson are in the process of being made. I watched the new ones that are finished. The spirit was strong, and I needed it since we missed church. A sister missionary there told us about the temple and that the architect had a dream about a Nephite temple and designed it after one from ancient America. Cool huh?
She asked me if I knew anyone who would accept a church video. Two people came to my mind so I put them down on a card for her. Mark Smith who I took to the Temple Open House and this kid investigating in my singles ward. Then we left. We drove forever then arrived at Rauckhorst’s. We ate dinner with them and while I was eating the sister missionaries called me to correlate with me and give me some info. I don’t know who everyone thought I was talking to but they all were making jokes really loud while I was right there on the phone like “ooh who’s sister Miller Brian?” and I’m pretty sure I heard a cat call in there. Then I hung up and said that was the missionaries. It was funny to see the sudden change on everyone’s face to “oh…”
We all went to bed tired.
Well Elder Fortie sorry this didn’t get to you last week, we were traveling. Hope all is well.
Love Brian
From Elder Fortie:
Dear Family,
Well I'm still running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Just keep breathing, that’s the key! The members here are really picking up and doing better so we are excited about that! But all of our investigators have been out of town for the last week or two of summer... so I haven't been excited about that haha. But it has given me a little time to catch up on some of the administrative stuff I have to do. Although my list seems never ending and ever growing and my time in the field ever drawing closer to a close... I'm just stunned as to how it passes me by... But this week I had a frustrating experience, I was knocking doors and this 17-18 year old girl answered and told us her family doesn't believe in religion, but we convinced her to hear us out for a minute or two. At first she just agreed because I think she thought it was amusing, but as we started to do a brief first lesson, her expression changed to intrigue, to curiosity, to a look of desire and hunger for what we were saying. Then right as we were about to share the part about Joseph Smith’s vision, her dad came rushing into the room and shoved his daughter away from the door and slammed the door in our faces. I've had many doors slammed in my face and many nasty things said and done to me in my mission, but none of them have ever bothered me like this one, because the look on her face as her dad pushed her out of the way was shock and disappointment, the spirit had touched her heart filling a void she never understood before, a need for God in her life and as he pushed her away she looked like she was longing for what we were giving her and was afraid to lose it. I've had many doors slammed in my face, but that one was not just slammed in my face, it was slammed in hers as well. One of the daughters of God was mistreated, and denied the gospel she had suddenly found to quench the thirst within her soul. It has bothered me ever since and I cannot help but think that that father will have to answer the penalty of taking away his daughters agency and opportunity to change and forcing her to remain in darkness. If she goes down the wrong path in this life he will be responsible for it because she could have been changed by that moment and he would not allow it. Raise your children well. What they become will in part rest upon your shoulders. Obviously they have their agency to choose to obey you as we do to obey God, but teach them as best you can and do everything you can to give them the tools they need to make the correct decisions.
One Exciting note is that I get to see the Matute's this Saturday! They are going through the temple for the first time and since I taught them and baptized them I got permission to go through with them!!! I am so stoked! I haven't seen them in forever and this will be a wonderful reunion! Well I don't have anything to exciting to say I suppose seeing as much of my week was dealing with just stuff. But stay on the straight and narrow and keep on smiling!
August 10 – 16, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Well it was a busy week to be sure. I went with the girls on Monday morning to girl’s camp. I got fairly sick on Sunday but felt much better Monday morning so I decided to go. I went out canoeing with the girls, played volleyball and worked on crafts without a problem but about dinner time my energy suddenly left and I felt very sick again. My body hurt and my stomach wasn’t doing very well either. I took it easy that evening and slept in my truck bed parked near the bathroom (there is a tent for the two priesthood leaders that are always supposed to be there to help out but I never used it). I bundled up so I was very warm all night which seemed to help clear it up a bit. I decided to take it easy on Tuesday with a nap in the afternoon. That also seemed to help and I was improving but still fairly weak. During the girls hike I went out on my bike for a casual ride (which I found out wasn’t allowed) then I puttered around in a canoe on the lake taking pictures of wildlife. I did some crafts (which the girls were mad at me for because I did a sunset frame with silhouettes of swamp weeds in the foreground which caused them to suddenly not like theirs anymore). I also talked to Bro. Hutchings for much of the day. We enjoyed talking about science and the stars. Michelle had to teach the girls about the stars so we helped her find some good stuff in the sky. It was very clear and beautiful. Wednesday I improved greatly but still skipped the hard labor of the service project and took a nap instead, I slept for a few hours and had a hard time getting up for dinner. Bro. Frisbee must have thought me rather useless but I helped when I could. I did help the girls get a fire going and we played some games. Bro. Hodges and Bro. Hansen came up to take our places and we talked and ate with them. Bro. Frisbee got the girls going on a rope tug-o-war game which Michelle would have been the best at, if it wasn’t for me, she was a bit frustrated that she couldn’t beat me (have a bit more weight I can throw around). I took off just before sunset for more pictures around the lake. I was told by one of the missionaries at the camp that the large beaver came out at about 8:00 pm. I went over to the side of the lake that I could see he had been working on (many trees were down from his hard work) and sat near the edge of the lake to wait for him. I took some shots of the sunset then out he came. He saw me nestled in the trees and swam back and forth in front of me waiting for me to leave. He finally got impatient and right in front of me splashed his tale so water went everywhere as if someone had done a cannonball in the lake. It surprised me how loud it was and I could tell he was expecting me to make a run for it but I held my ground. He finally gave up and swam away so I left (it was getting dark). I headed home and was glad for a good night sleep in my own bed. It took me the rest of the week to completely recover, not sure what was wrong.
I got pictures ready for BYU education week and had an interview with the Jordan School District to see if I could work there while going to school to get my teaching certificate. We will see what they say.
Michelle went with grandpa and grandma to Montana on Friday but Jennifer wasn’t quite ready and (being the wedding hound that she is) wanted to go to Jonathan Jankowski’s wedding reception on Saturday.
Saturday morning Tami Brian and I went to Jonathan’s wedding at the Draper temple. It was very nice and the sealer had some great advice for them. It was a good morning. There was a little rain at first and I was worried for pictures but it cleared up and was great (just a little cool which felt wonderful after the hot weeks we have had). After the wedding we packed for Montana and I printed and packaged pictures. We went to the reception and got to bed rather late.
Sunday morning we had planned to go to Daniel Jankowski’s homecoming but Cheryl called and was expecting us for pictures on Sunday night since Alan wasn’t going to come up to the cabin with us. We raced to get ready and headed out to get Ashley then go to Montana. I gave my pictures to Mike to give to Chad to take down to BYU so there would be a good supply for Education week. We drove and drove and finally got there at about 8:00 pm ready to chat and relax. They decided that since the boys had to get football equipment Monday night we would take pictures after that and then head up to the cabin which worked ok.
Well, I am a week behind so that is the week in a short no fun version. Hope all is well for you and yours.
Keep paddling,
Ken and clan
From Brian:
Dear Family
Come one come all, hear the tales I am to tell.
On Monday for my singles wards FHE we went to the park and had a lesson on balancing our lives and priorities. Then we played water balloon volleyball with towels. We would have two people hold a towel at both ends and fling the water balloons over the net. It is so funny to see people try to work together. I left from there and went over to Greg and Daniels house. Daniel was preparing for a teaching lesson for a job at the MTC and needed someone to practice on. I went over and he taught me what he was going to teach the judges, only catered toward me. Daniel is an amazing teacher and I wish I could have had him as a companion. He was very sincere and personal, taught to Brian’s needs and addressed my concerns.
I myself was struggling with the fact that you don’t feel the spirit as often or as strongly now as you did on a mission. With all the routine out there and with that suddenly changing or getting ripped out from under you it gets discouraging after having built that habit over two years.
He left good commitments and invited the spirit strongly, which I needed that day, and had good scriptures. I think he’ll get the job he’s powerful.
On Tuesday I spent the day listening to a book on CD about a brief history of everything. I got a call from Heather, a girl from the singles ward who wanted to call and thank me for being a friend, and making her feel welcome in the ward. She’s moving back down to Orem for school and said that she was going to miss me a lot. She’s a good girl and I told her that my friends are moving down to Provo and we should all hang out some time if I go down there.
On Wednesday I watched the movie Presidents and Prophets from the Library. It’s amazing after a time of skepticism how close many of the Presidents of the United States got to Prophets of God, and admired them. Lyndon Johnson said that David McKay was the most spiritual man he ever met. He said “I’ve talked to Billy Graham, I’ve talked to many others, and I can’t figure it out. There is just something different about David McKay.”
President Grant in a general conference said that Theodore Roosevelt had been the closest to believing the truth yet. That in his heart he knew we had to be right.
Dwight Eisenhower told Ezra Taft Benson (while in his cabinet) “David O McKay is the greatest spiritual leader in the world.”
Elder Benson gave President Eisenhower and his wife both a priesthood blessing on different occasions after the President requested it.
On Thursday I watched an open heart surgery I found on TV and then realized I was late for an appointment with this place to help me pay for school. I went there at 10 and was 20 minutes late. Then they told me they had scheduled me in the wrong group and put me in with the people on parole and probation, not my style.
So they rescheduled me for later at 2:00. In between I just applied for a few scholarships on line. Then afterwards I spent the rest of the day applying for as many scholarships as I could.
On Friday I applied for a job at the MTC like Daniel had. I always wanted to work there. At night I went to the Bishops house. We had a big ward party there, it was a camp out or sleepover or whatever you want to call it. A whole bunch of people from the singles ward came, we had a BBQ and all ate and talked and joked around. Some watched a movie and others talked outside. I was talking with Bishop and brother Hamilton and some others. A few went home but most stayed to sleep over. Bishop didn’t worry about guys and girls sleeping in the same house. There was a bunch of people in each room so nothing is going to happen, and he said we should be old enough anyway to be mature and not do anything stupid. We all played a huge game of signs with 21 people, which is insanely impossible.
Then we played an enormous game of mafia with 23 people. I did the narrating. 23 hyper young adults are hard to keep focused and keep from messing up and accidentally peeking. It was so fun, people getting hung right and left and killed off in bizarre ways. Our angel was the first person to die so that stunk. My group headed for bed downstairs and slept on the floor. I only had my pillow. We played the laughing game, laying on each others stomachs for a while then made shadow puppets on the wall. I got way tired and ended up going back upstairs at about 1:30 when it looked like those guys were not going to bed any time soon. I ended up curled up in a ball on an ataman and fell asleep.
Saturday morning we all woke up. I woke up first and the Bishops wife and I began to go wake people up because we had to go clean the church before we all made breakfast. Bishop gave me the keys to the church and I went and began cleaning because I wanted to eat before I had to leave to get ready for Jonathans sealing.
Well they didn’t finish in time and I missed breakfast. I was sad.
Dad mom and I got ready and went to the Draper temple and met Jankowski’s there and a lot of other people. Jonathan and Linda showed up. It was so crazy, so many memories going through my head. We were these little 12 year old deacons trudging through the snow once, doing fast offerings, and we’d always get “lost” at the Pratt’s house for like 40 minutes. We went on campouts and on one I jumped around in the snow in my sleeping bag because I didn’t want to get out, Jonathan put his shoes by the fire to dry them and ended up melting the souls, and Ben trying to warm up a can of Dente’ Moore Stew in the fire failed to open it and his dinner blew up.
We were so dumb. We’ve come a long way, now callused with years of death marches, snow camps, ice fishing, dessert dwelling and such. He’s been my best friend for 11 years, and it was weird to see him with this girl that would soon be his wife forever.
The sealing was great and the spirit was way strong. Dad went driving looking for a good picture of the temple and we saw some of the mansion houses, or castles rather, up there. That’s insane; I’d never own a house that big. I lose things to easily in a small one. I’d lose my children or my wife. I’d probably constantly ask her how many kids we had and when was the last time we saw them.
At night we went to Jonathans reception at a church. They looked so nice in the line it was great. If I was a crying man I would have, but I’m not so I didn’t. The food was great, these little French bread things with buttery cheese and a tomato, chicken salad sandwiches and jell-o cake and a mint cake that was amazing. There was this girl there who was really cute and I wanted to dance with her but I inquired as to her age from JJ and he told me she was 16. Never mind. We all went out and decorated his car. I wrote in whip cream Genesis 1:28 on his window. To be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth is what it says. Someone put huge batman balloons on the antenna. I’m not sure why, they didn’t really fit, someone will think he had a batman themed wedding. Also the Balloons Ryan Marble got to fill his car up with said happy birthday on them. And we put Oreo’s all over the car. Then we went home after they drove off. Daniel Jankowski was shocked at how much Jennifer has changed. So was I when I got home.
At home I stayed up sort of late packing for tomorrow.
On Sunday we were planning on going to Daniels homecoming, but Dad in talking to aunt Cheryl realized in order to get to Montana with any daylight left we had to leave in the morning. We took forever getting off, I was trying to get everyone’s stuff out to the car. We went to trade mom for the car at the church because she had gone to the homecoming. I ran in to see if I could hear part of Daniels talk but he had just ended. I was frustrated. We could have heard it as late as we were we could have gone anyway. So we went on the road. We stopped in Idaho Falls at the temple visitor center. I went in and watched some of the testimonies of Special Witnesses of Christ. They are re-making it. It had ended at Elder Eyring who then was the junior Apostle. Now they have made Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Bednar’s Testimony and Cook, Christopherson and Anderson are in the process of being made. I watched the new ones that are finished. The spirit was strong, and I needed it since we missed church. A sister missionary there told us about the temple and that the architect had a dream about a Nephite temple and designed it after one from ancient America. Cool huh?
She asked me if I knew anyone who would accept a church video. Two people came to my mind so I put them down on a card for her. Mark Smith who I took to the Temple Open House and this kid investigating in my singles ward. Then we left. We drove forever then arrived at Rauckhorst’s. We ate dinner with them and while I was eating the sister missionaries called me to correlate with me and give me some info. I don’t know who everyone thought I was talking to but they all were making jokes really loud while I was right there on the phone like “ooh who’s sister Miller Brian?” and I’m pretty sure I heard a cat call in there. Then I hung up and said that was the missionaries. It was funny to see the sudden change on everyone’s face to “oh…”
We all went to bed tired.
Well Elder Fortie sorry this didn’t get to you last week, we were traveling. Hope all is well.
Love Brian
From Elder Fortie:
Dear Family,
Well I'm still running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Just keep breathing, that’s the key! The members here are really picking up and doing better so we are excited about that! But all of our investigators have been out of town for the last week or two of summer... so I haven't been excited about that haha. But it has given me a little time to catch up on some of the administrative stuff I have to do. Although my list seems never ending and ever growing and my time in the field ever drawing closer to a close... I'm just stunned as to how it passes me by... But this week I had a frustrating experience, I was knocking doors and this 17-18 year old girl answered and told us her family doesn't believe in religion, but we convinced her to hear us out for a minute or two. At first she just agreed because I think she thought it was amusing, but as we started to do a brief first lesson, her expression changed to intrigue, to curiosity, to a look of desire and hunger for what we were saying. Then right as we were about to share the part about Joseph Smith’s vision, her dad came rushing into the room and shoved his daughter away from the door and slammed the door in our faces. I've had many doors slammed in my face and many nasty things said and done to me in my mission, but none of them have ever bothered me like this one, because the look on her face as her dad pushed her out of the way was shock and disappointment, the spirit had touched her heart filling a void she never understood before, a need for God in her life and as he pushed her away she looked like she was longing for what we were giving her and was afraid to lose it. I've had many doors slammed in my face, but that one was not just slammed in my face, it was slammed in hers as well. One of the daughters of God was mistreated, and denied the gospel she had suddenly found to quench the thirst within her soul. It has bothered me ever since and I cannot help but think that that father will have to answer the penalty of taking away his daughters agency and opportunity to change and forcing her to remain in darkness. If she goes down the wrong path in this life he will be responsible for it because she could have been changed by that moment and he would not allow it. Raise your children well. What they become will in part rest upon your shoulders. Obviously they have their agency to choose to obey you as we do to obey God, but teach them as best you can and do everything you can to give them the tools they need to make the correct decisions.
One Exciting note is that I get to see the Matute's this Saturday! They are going through the temple for the first time and since I taught them and baptized them I got permission to go through with them!!! I am so stoked! I haven't seen them in forever and this will be a wonderful reunion! Well I don't have anything to exciting to say I suppose seeing as much of my week was dealing with just stuff. But stay on the straight and narrow and keep on smiling!
Love
Elder Fortie
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