Trying to Get in Shape

This is my nightly ritual the past couple of months. I wish I could say it was fun, but it's definitely having an effect, purchased at the price of sweat, achy muscles, and satisfaction for having overcome the natural man, at least for 46 minutes and 3223 vertical feet on a 26 percent incline at 3.4 miles an hour. Not easy for most people, but I at my age it's something for which I am very grateful. My overall goal is 1000+ calories burned during the workout. You can tell I wasn't eager to go the extra mile tonight. 1007 calories burned.

A Blessing

Sometimes we get to baby sit these two cuties.

Some of My Favorite Women

This is a picture of my sweet wife, Iris, and some of her daughters/daughters-in-law helping celebrate Iris' birthday last week. Love them all!

Mission Report

We were blessed today to be able to speak in our sacrament meeting and report our mission which we recently completed. We have been blessed with this calling, just as we have with all of the other callings we have received during our lives. This mission was a little different than most missions. We were not called to go to far away places and experience the adventure of life in a foreign land, instead our call was to be "member/leadership support" missionaries in the Utah Ogden Mission, more specifically in the Logan Central Stake. We were given several areas on which to focus our efforts. Iris was specifically given a charge to be of assistance to the single sisters in the stake. This was a real challenge. There are many who have problems and need encouragement and assistance. We tried to do our very best and we know we had a positive affect on the lives of some, but there were others whose problems were beyond our power. Agency is an important principle of the gospel. It is truly a necessity if we are ever to grow and to fill the measure of our creation, however bad choices nearly always lead us away from the things that make us happy. Conversely, making good choices ultimately lead to growth, peace, and happiness. Personal choice and determination are essential if we are ever to overcome the bad situations we sometimes find ourselves in. We can and should help others wherever, and whenever, we truly can, but it all comes back to personal choice and accountability. The old adages seem to hold true. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink", also the idea that "If you give a man a fish, he has food for a day. If you teach him how to fish he will have food for a lifetime." These are simple proverbs, but they contain great wisdom, which if internalized would make a huge difference in many people's lives. All people's problems are not quite that simple, but many truly are. It is interesting how difficulties in life can serve as either a stumbling block or a springboard to a better life. Often the choice is up to us. We are in charge of our own attitude. We need to work on developing a personal attitude of gratitude.
Another focus was to help as many people as we could to get involved in family history and temple work. This is something that I felt I could assist with, as I had done this quite bit before our mission. We had many people come to our home and we were able to help them get started and prepare names of their deceased ancestors for temple ordinances. This was a very rewarding aspect of our missionary service. Some people learned and were truly motivated to do this work and over the course of time submitted literally thousands of names to the temples. Others learned, but were less motivated and submitted only a very few. This seems to be a part of human nature. Agency again comes in to play. Those who truly strive receive an increased measure of success and blessings.
We tried to assist the Elders in their teaching and contacting activities. We were able to see several people baptized and confirmed and also some families sealed for eternity in the temple. We have been impressed by the energy and dedication of the young missionaries in the Utah Ogden Mission. They work hard, strive to be worthy of the Spirit, and are obedient to the rules of the mission and the directives of their mission President. We had our planning meetings with them and and also attended district and zone meetings as well as special meetings with the Senior Missionaries.
When we first started, we were among just a few senior missionaries serving in the Stay-at-Home Senior missionary program. The goal was to have a senior couple serving in each stake under the direction of their stake presidents. Our mission president, I think, said it best. He said: "Your stake president knows a lot more about what is needed in your stake than some man from Boston who has been in Ogden for six months." President and Sister Hiers have been great, but we do appreciate the direction that was given to us by our Stake President, President Horsely. By the time our mission ended nearly every stake in the mission had a senior missionary couple. In a special conference we had with Elder Jeffery R. Holland, he told us that the Senior Stay-at-Home mission program was having a great effect and would most likely be expanded into other areas of the Church. It has proven beneficial and more cost effective than some other types of missionary service. The Senior missionaries we served with were wonderful, selfless people, devoted to their Father in Heaven, the Savior, His Church and people. We were honored to be a part of this program and have been blessed by the example and dedication of so many wonderful people.
In May of last year we were asked to teach an English class for Chinese people who live in Logan and the Cache Valley. Previous to this, their had been a small Chinese speaking group organized as a part of our ward. There had been a few baptisms and their seemed to be a possibility that we could build on this small group. There are many Chinese students at USU, some of them from Taiwan, and most of them from the People's Republic of China. We made an effort to get some of them interested in a conversational English class and have had about twenty people respond. We have made good friends with many of these people and have been impressed by their goodness, their polite dispositions, and their humility. This has been a highlight of our labors and it appears, that we will be continuing with this part of our missionary service, even now that we have been released from our mission. We have had many experiences with these wonderful people and have felt the hand of the Lord leading them and us in this relationship. Also, today we were asked to speak at the sacrament meeting of the Chinese Group (our second talk of the day.) We did so through an interpreter. I had done this a time or two in Germany as a missionary long ago, but in a revere role(from English to German). I love to share my testimony of the gospel and our Savior and am so grateful I have been led to know what I know. It was a great experience then as it was to day. We do indeed feel blessed.
The best part of our mission was that I had the best companion ever, and she stayed with me through each and every transfer. I shall forever count my blessings. Recently, it was announced that the Utah Ogden Mission will be split in July and a new mission, the Utah Logan Mission, will be created.
All in all this has been a wonderful and rewarding experience.
The picture below was taken recently at a meeting of the Senior Missionaries in the Cache Central and Cache North Zones.

Working on Fitness

During about a two hour break in all of the basketball activity today, we came home, and I decided to put our new Nordictrak Incline Trainer to work. It came as a Christmas gift from Iris to me and me to Iris. It just may be one of the best investments we've made in a long time, especially now that we are getting older and also have a little more trouble getting outside to get the exercise we need. I spent an hour "hiking" through the National Parks of North America (IMAX Version) and the results of my workout were recorded as you can see from the photos posted below. I think most 75 year-olds would be grateful to be able to do this, and I am, very grateful!

Gratitude!! So far today we have watched several Junior Jazz Basketball games. This has caused me to reminisce a bit. We spent most of our winter months for many years following our own children all over Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah as they participated in basketball games, ranging from peewee basketball at the AJ Winters School to the State Championship at the MiniDome in Pocatello. We tried to support our kids in all of their activities, even if it meant splitting up, Iris going to one game, and I to another, when the games were scheduled at the same time, but in different places. We loved doing it and it made the long winter months go by more quickly. We were not alone. Most of our friends had children playing and they supported their children also. It gave our children a sense of belonging, taught them the meaning of team work, how to follow directions, and the importance of being physically fit, among other things. Those days and years sometimes seemed hectic, but looking back, they are filled with a flood of wonderful memories and fondness. It wasn't so much about the score of the game, or the wins and the losses, as it was an opportunity to focus in on things that bind a family together, and to learn from our experiences, and to be there for each other. These games and trips also served as a springboard for teaching and learning. Many were the teaching moments that came about because of all of this activity and our involvement in this way in the lives of our children. There were, of course, many other aspects of living and raising a large family for which we are grateful, but the sound of a boisterous crowd, cheering on the home team, or the sound of a buzzer going off to begin a new game, or close one just finished, will always have a special place in our heart. Below are just a few pictures of some of our grand kids as they participated in their games today. We were blessed and we continue to be, and we are grateful.

Saying Goodbye to Jason and Family-- Moving to New Hampshire

Jason and family moved to NH. We couldn't pass the opportunity to give them one last hug before they headed out. We love them so much and count our blessings that they are a part of our eternal family.

 

Moving With Teenage Daughters

Jason and Rene have moved to New Hampshire. They both have jobs there and I thought that was the reason they were moving. We went down on Saturday to bid them farewell just before they left for the airport. This picture unveils, what may be the real motivation for their move. Teenage daughters????

Syster Eborn's Mission Report

Today we attended church in Murray, Utah, where our sweet granddaughter, Kinsey, reported her mission to the Sweden Stockholm Mission. She has been a good and faithful servant, full of faith and determination to fulfill her calling to the very best of her ability, right up to the last day. She left Sweden after having served her eighteen month calling on January 30th. Less than a week later she was attending classes at USU. She will continue to be a exemplary member-missionary.

She's Back

She's back. Our sweet granddaughter, Kinsey, is home from her mission in Sweden. We are so happy to see her and to have her here in Logan. She's all set to go at Utah State, starting on Wednesday. She has an RM roommate and will be living near the campus. Every day will be just a little better for us now, knowing that she is near, and has a beautiful smile on her face, as always. Thanks, Shana, for sharing her with us for a while this afternoon. You can rest assured, she will never be far from someone who cares for her a lot, So proud of Kinsey and all of your family.