April 5 - 11, 2010

Fortie Family Flyer
April 5 - 11, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,
Definitely busy, very busy, definitely very busy; no time to waist must report the important things and be off and running.
Monday we finished up our Easter weekend with family. We stayed at grandpa and grandma’s again Sunday night and chilled in the morning. In the afternoon we all went bowling which hasn’t happened in like decades. My knee was still bothering me so I took it slow and steady. Sometimes the ball went where I planned and sometimes it forged new paths where no bowling ball has ever gone before. Chad came in as the winner of the bowling trophy and the rest of us did hit the pins a few times. Spencer even got to try his hand at rolling the ball down a ramp and on to the pins in slow motion. After dinner we played a bit of golf and had 2 corners in one game (haven’t seen that before).
The rest of the week was work and more work. I worked almost every night so didn’t do much with family. It did warm up enough that I could take the scooter to work on Friday. Chad needed the truck to buy wood for scenery for Hello Dolly so I took the scooter in the truck and dropped the truck off for him then I headed to American Fork on the scooter. It was a nice drive and I am glad to be back on that thing. On Saturday I went in early to administer the ACT test. Everything went well then I headed up to the fairgrounds to get some ski poles and a bag for my snowshoes. I then went to the downtown Deseret Book store that just opened up to check it out. It is a very nice store. Holy cow they went all out on that thing. Through the week I could feel the jealousy in the voices of the people in our little store in American Fork that the downtown store was so much nicer than the rest of the stores. Hope those downtown folks don’t get big heads over it. After a few minutes in the store and a short visit with the manager (he recognized me from when I used to work downtown) I headed for grandpa and grandmas.
Chad and I have been trying to arrange schedules to go up in the canyon together but I wasn’t sure what my schedule and the weather were going to be like on Saturday so I didn’t say anything to Chad about trying to get up there Saturday afternoon, so when I talked to him on my way there he and Alicia were going to the park with Spencer so I stopped by the house to change clothes and get an address put on a package I was sending to Nathan and Paige then I decided to go up on my own. I called Nathan and talked with him for a bit then headed out. I was only going to spend a short time up there but once I got the snowshoes on and headed out through the pines along the dark cold stream I had to keep going. I didn’t really find any earth shattering pictures to take but the joy I felt walking through the trees across 5 feet of snow was amazing. It was so rejuvenating that I felt my spiritual batteries being charged with every step. I said several prayers of gratitude as I slowly and quietly (bad knee and ankle and all) meandered through the pine trees along a quiet stream that would sometimes disappear under the snow and then pop out again for 30 feet or so weaving it’s way between 5 foot high banks of snow. I would stop now and then to take a picture or just smile with childlike joy at the beauty at every turn. I can’t for the life of me see how people can sit and watch TV and never get out and see such beauty that is within an hour of their homes in the valley. Well, after a while I started noticing that it was beginning to get dark so I headed back, this time along the hillside about 50 feet above the creek bottom for a different perspective. I did take one tumble down the hill for a ways and it took me a few tries to slide to the right place so I could get up using my ski poles that would sink almost to the handle in the snow. As I neared the parking lot I didn’t want to leave but the sun sinking behind the mountain told my I must go, so down I drove into the smoggy valley, what a drag. I must get back up there this next week after the Tuesday snowstorm so I can check out a new place and see what wonders I can soak in.
Well, at home, wouldn’t you know it, I sat down with Jennifer and we watched a Psych episode on Hulu.com. The girl’s love that show so we had a brief together time (while Tami and Michelle were working), me eating dinner and Jennifer and I watching Psych (such a crazy funny show). When Michelle came home I had everyone all help me clean up the house for Sunday and we got to bed late.
Sunday was the normal church thing. Michelle was running late so Jennifer went with me to church on the scooter and we got some smiles as we came into the parking lot in our Sunday clothes on the scooter. Tami waited for Michelle and they came in a bit late. I taught my genealogy class for Sunday school and helped Tami with her Primary lesson by telling a story about when I was driving in the jungle in the Yucatan Peninsula late at night and I heard a voice tell me to slow down. The second time was much more urgent so I obeyed and just in time. As I rounded the corner on this narrow winding road in the thick jungle there was a fairly large monkey (about Jennifer’s size) sitting in the middle of the road. Had I been going 50 or 60 mph as before I would have hit him or hit the trees trying to dodge him and been seriously hurt in the process. Because I listened and slowed down I was able to get around him without incident. It was amazing how quick that whole thing happened and how close I came to a major problem. Anyway, after the story I headed to priesthood. We talked about emergency preparedness after the mock drill we had in the community a few weeks ago. They are really focusing on that major earthquake that is coming our way soon. I think we need to update our 72 hour kits. We have had them for such a long time that I don’t think things will fit anyone anymore; perhaps next Sunday.
Well, after church Bro. Mueller and I went out and visited a few families to help them get on the new family search site and that took us a few hours. When I got home the family was ready to head out so off we went for a picnic at a park near grandpa and grandmas. We took a vote as some where not too excited to get out since the weather was turning a bit cloudy and windy but we finally decided to try it and I’m glad we did. New and different things are always a good idea. We had jackets on and had a good meal Alicia put together then we tried to get a kite going but the wind stopped right when we finished dinner so we played with Spencer on the playground then headed home for dessert. Tami made a Pineapple Sunshine cake and some brownies. We ate them with ice cream (of course) and they were good. After that it was late and the kids have school in the morning so off we went. I took the truck that Chad had borrowed and the rest went in the car.
A nice week to be sure but I must get to bed now so have a great week and keep trucking though the forest to recharge your batteries.
Ken and clan



From Elder Fortie:
OH my goodness, I've been thrown to the wolves! President wasn't kidding when he said he had "a job for me to do" I'm supposed to fix this place in five weeks? Oh good heavens, maybe if I had 2 transfers I could get it moving, but I don't, I've got 5 weeks to fix a totally desolate area... and turn a brand new missionary into what President Wade expects him to be. We quadrupled how many people we're teaching this week... we went from 0, to 4. Good grief eh? Wow am I in for it... But! We shall press on!
My new companion is great though, he's from Orlando Florida, his names Elder Williams. He's been a member for less then 2 years, he's the only member of his family that is a member, his Mom tried to convince him not to go on his mission, and he came anyways. What a stud! His girlfriend that he met in the singles ward, and him both left on missions at the same time, both arrived in the feild this month, and Brian guess where his girlfriend is serving? Eugene Oregon! (Small world eh? ) haha, I'm having fun with these new smiley face things they have on here! Anyhow, so this week was the slowest week I've ever had in my whole mission. There was absolutely nothing, I didn't know where we were, where to tract, where our boundaries were, where our members lived who was active, who wasn't etc. etc. So I just threw all caution to the wind and just started driving till I saw something that looked Spanish, and got out and started knocking. We got one investigator out of that. Then I went into the area book and looked up formers, I prayed and picked one and went and talked to her, she said she had come to church for a long time but didn't feel ready to be baptized, I don't take that kind of answer very well... So I didn't buy it, I started teaching her and testifying till I was blue in the face. Fifteen minutes after meeting her, she is now preparing to be baptized as soon as she can talk to her family about it. Then that night when we got home and finished planning, my companion went to the room to read, I just sat there at the kitchen table staring at the fireplace thinking I need help, I need to get the work moving here and fast, what can I do, I've read through all the former investigators, and the potentials, and the recent converts, we're knocking all over the place, asking every member we can find who we can teach, what else can I do? So, I did the only thing could think of left, I prayed, I told heavenly father I was going to work hard, I was going to do everything in my power to get both this area on it's feet, and my new companion taught on how the work should be done before I leave, but if I was going to be able to accomplish it I needed his help. Then I had a thought, what about the area book? I thought, I've read through the whole thing! Then I thought, check the little pouches in back of the book. So I did, I found a list, of all the referrals the area had received for like the past year... I stared at it for a second thinking, then I grabbed the phone and called the referral system of the church, I entered in every single one of those referrals for the next half hour or so on the phone, listening to all the information that they had about each one, till I had written down the 5-6 that had not been marked as dropped. Then the next day, (yesterday) we went to work. The first one, no one was home, the second was from like back in August, of 2009, a long time ago, but I went anyways, a lady saw us coming through the window and smiled and turned and said something to someone in the house. Seconds later a man came quickly out the door smiling and extended his hand to us. I asked him if he knew who we were and he said he did, he said he had taken his wife up to see the Mormon temple in Oakland like 8 months ago, and they had loved it, they thought it was beautiful and they had gone in to the visitors center and loved it as well and had asked the missionaries to come and bring them a DVD, but they never came. He said finally, like 2 months ago, some missionaries came by the house and he told them that, and they said they would come back later in the week with the DVD, and again, they never came... I told him I would not do that to him, I told him I would be back tomorrow night with the DVD, and asked if we could come in right now. He readily and happily brought us into his tiny little home, where his wife and 3 sons were talking with his brother in law and sister in law. We taught with them all and set up an appointment to go by tonight, the brother and sister in law live in San Jose, but they said they would look up the missionaries there, I gave them a card and they left. We taught this happy humble little family, and they just were all smiles, as if we were old friends and I was telling them a funny story. They were so happy to see us (and believe me, I was happy to see them too). As we left my companion, still fresh in the field said to me, "was that good?" I laughed and said "Yes, it was very good" Then he said "I thought so, I wasn't totally sure what you did, but it was good, very good." So we are going back tonight! We will get this place going if it kills me! (which it very well may haha). Well, I have to get going, keep the faith, stay strong, I love you all, you are all WAY WAY WAAAAAAY more trunky then I am, you're ridiculous! But I love you anyways. Keep on smiling!
Love Elder Fortie