Tanner's Graduation from Marine Corps Basic Training at MCRD San Diego

We were blessed to be able to be with Jason and Rene for family day at the MDRT and also the next day for Tanner's graduation from Marine Corps boot camp.  This has been a very rigorous training experience for Tanner as he begins his service in the elite military force of the United States of America.  He has grown so much and has developed skills and confidence which will help him in the years ahead both in and out of the military.  As the photo below shows, Tanner looks like a million dollars and his parents are rightfully proud to have raised such a wonderful young man as Tanner.  We are very proud to be his grandparents.  He has grown physically, emotionally, spiritually and even comes out of boot camp looking a little taller and stronger than he did before he began this training.  He has a minimum of four years of active service in the Marines.  We have prayed for him always and our prayers have been answered.  We have every  reason to believe that our continued prayers and his hard work and determination will keep Tanner on the right course.   The Marines are often calling for a few good men.  In my view they have got one of the best,  The world would be a better place if all of us had the character of our United States Marine.  You are now one of the Few, the Proud, the Marines.  We are proud and grateful to you and love you very much.

Jason and Rene, proud parents, and justly so.  Tanner is a Marine!  Even more important, he is a man, and a very good one who listens to the Spirit and acts.

Below is a copy of Tanner's official Marine Corps photograph.

I'm not the official Marine Corps portrait photographer, but I actually like my snapshot better than the official one, unfortunately it's sans flags.  This is one handsome dude, just sayen!

 

Tanner with one of the LDS Senior missionaries who serve the recruits who attend boot camp.  They are miracle workers for whom we are all grateful.

PFC Tanner McKay Eborn USMC

Our Warrior Grandson!

Tanner and one of his Marine buddies.

Tanner and two of his most adoring fans, Megan and Maddie.

Tanner and some of his platoon on review during boot camp graduation ceremony at the MCRD.  Can you pick him out of the group?

 

We are very proud of our "Tan Man".  It's not much of a wonder that some of our little grandkids idolize this young man.  He is a great example to us all.

Two  Eborn soldiers, each in his own way, both of whom are waging their own war against the wiles of the adversary.  We love and support all who are so enlisted.

 

Some of Our Latest Activities 1

For the past few weeks we have been on the road, seeing the sites, spending time with family, helping where we could and trying not to get in the way of active people with much more energy than we have, doing temple work, seeing our grandson Tanner graduate from Marine Corps Basic Training, celebrating Christmas, visiting family and putting lots of miles on the car.  It has been a wonderful  time, filled with the joy of being together and counting the many, many blessings we as a family have.  If we are not happy, then maybe we just don't know how to be happy, because we have so very much about which to rejoice and be grateful.

Below are just a few of the pictures taken to serve as reminders of the good times we have had and the beauties we have seen.

 This is Iris in the Valley of Fire in Nevada, about midway between St. George, Utah and Las Vegas Nevada near Logandale, Nevada.

Sunset just outside our condo in Oceanside, California.

The beautiful Mormon temple in San Diego, California with Christmas decorations where we went and performed about 100 baptisms for some our dead ancestors.  Jason did the baptizing, I did most of the confirmations and Maddie, Megan, JT, Amber, Rene and I were baptized and confirmed for the dead.  It was a beautiful, spiritual, and uplifting experience in the service of those who have gone ahead.

Grandma Iris, Grandpa Bart, Megan and Maddie.  What an honor to attend the temple with them.

 The better part of our temple crew.

 

 

 Our newlyweds  JT and Amber, at the San Diego Temple.  Temple attendance is a great blessing which helps young couples and old stay true to the Lord and  to ourselves and to the covenants we have made.

 

Thanks, Jason and Rene, for chauffeuring us around in all the traffic and for making the appointment to serve in the temple while we were in California.  We will always remember being there with you and some of  your loved ones.

Good Friends and Temple Service

We were released from our Temple Officiator callings recently when we received our mission call.  They said we could not do both, though I think we would have tried,  if they would allowed us to do so.  We loved the work there and we made so many wonderful friends, whom we love and will miss.
 

It's not like were leaving the Universe.  We will be able to see them often as we attend the Temple as patrons, for which we are very grateful.
 

Today we were invited to the Group Three Christmas social.  Most of the workers from our former group were there.  It was held at the Blue Bird in their upstairs dining facility.  The meal was wonderful and the association with all of our good friends topped it off in a wonderful way.  The past five plus years have been so very rewarding in more ways than I could ever begin to number. 

Below is part of the Group in the Bluebird dining hall.  There are about 100 people on our group. Some work with their husbands or wives, a few are single, and a some have spouses who are disabled or can't work at  the Temple right now for various reasons.  They are simply a wonderful group of God's children, and we have been blessed and honored to have such marvelous associations with them.  We shall forever owe them a debt of gratitude for their help and especially for their exemplary lives and truly joyous spirits.

Below is most of the Group.  Truly a faithful and grateful group of Latter-day Saints.

Iris has an ability to make friends and serve efficiently and faithfully with so many different people, fellow officiators and patrons as well.  One sister called her work: "Service with a Smile".  The  phrase certainly exemplifies her work at the Temple and everywhere she goes.  Here she is with Sister Rosella Boman.

Below are Iris and a couple more of the workers, beloved friends all.  I cannot put them all on this post, but  rest assured there are many.  (Iris with Sister Kotter and Sister Ashcraft)

Some of the workers have found out that one of my hobbies is photography, especially of the Logan Temple.  They had expressed an interest in what I have done, so I made each of them a copy of one of my favorite photos of the Logan Temple.  It speaks to me  of the nearness of heaven and earth, especially when we are in the Temple.  I hope some of these good brothers and sisters will get the same feeling I get form this picture.

One day I even felt inspired to write a small poem.  I don't claim to be a poet, but the
Spirit seemed to be whispering so I gave it my best shot.  Below you will find the

results.

 

                                 

                    The Logan Temple   Beloved Temple on the hill.                                                                    A beacon light our hearts does fill.
People come and people go,
Always feeling His love and know,
He gave His life, that we might be,
And prepared a way for eternity.
His sacrifice, the purest love,
Streaming down to us from above,
Helps us to understand and know.
The way is revealed for us to go.
For each of us, He prepared a way,
To be with Him on that great day.
We feel His presence and also theirs.
We and they will, with Him, be heirs,
Heirs to all that is good and true.
Our hearts and souls will be made anew.
Not just for an hour, as we shall see,
But throughout all eternity.
Beloved Temple in the sky,
It was not in vain, that He did die.
We'll show our love for Him and His,
And pass to others the love He gives.
We will be true to covenants made, and share.
In Holy Temples built with care,                                                                                   
The blessings promised , He will fulfill,                                   
To all who learn and do His will.

I hope you get the same feelings I had when I was writing this little poem to show gratitude for the many souls, both  living and dead, who have touched our lives for good in the Logan Temple. 

The Big White Envelope Has Arrived

For the past few weeks we have been expecting the arrival of a Big White Envelope in our mailbox. Our Stake President, President Horsley, called us into his office some time ago  and announced to us that he had had a revelation from the Lord concerning us.  The Lord wanted us to serve a full-time mission.  We had often thought of it after retirement, but were called to serve in the Logan Temple as officiators.  This was to be a two year assignment.  We were expected to work two shifts per week for between seven and eight hours each day.  We accepted this calling gladly and soon found ourselves immersed in one of the most spiritually energizing and fascinating works imaginable.  We loved the work.  We loved the Temple.  We loved the people who came to the Temple as officiators or as patrons, both young and old.  They were all such wonderful examples of faith and desire to assist the Lord in his work and utter selflessness. We loved the Temple Presidency, the Matron and her assistants, who so devotedly administered the marvelous work that goes in in the Temples.  It was an honor to serve under their direction.  We loved feeling the presence of those who had departed this life, but who now look to us for assistance.  In no small way we owe all that we are or ever hope to be to them.  What a marvelous experience it is to be able to reach through the veil of time and show our love for them and for our Savior, who died for all mankind, those who live, those who have lived, and those who will yet live in this mortal existence.  We were very happy doing what we were doing and felt it was a very important work.  When our two years were up we were asked to serve for another two years.  There was never a question about what we would say to that request.  Along with our regular service we were also often called upon to sub for some other officiator who was ill or had other issues requiring them to miss their normal shifts.  We gladly accepted as often as we could and so our service as officiators often extended to three or four or on occasions as many ans six shifts per week.  We met many, many wonderful people and learned to appreciate all of them.  When our second two year stint had been completed, we were asked to continue on for another two years.  Gladly, we accepted.  We had been blessed in so many ways, spiritually, physically, as had seen our beloved family, also receiving blessing in such rich abundance.  The idea of serving a full-time mission more or less, was replaced by the thought that Temple Work and family history work is also a mission.  We did as much family history work as time allowed  and also attended the Temple to do work for our own kindred dead often.  This was a rewarding experience, which we were able to share with our own children and grandchildren and other extended family members as well as Young Men and Young Women groups and YSA wards.  One young couple even credited us for helping them find one another and to be married in the Temple.  They met while doing baptisms for the dead for some of our ancestors whose names we had provided.  All in all, it was just a wonderful, productive, feel good, experience for both of us.  Occasionally, however, I would wake during the night with flashes of us doing missionary work, so I guess it was not a total surprise when President Horsely had some of those same flashes.  He explained a new pilot program in the Church for senior missionaries and said we were the ones the Lord wanted at this time to serve in this capacity from our stake.  What do you say?  Our only objective in life at this point is to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord.  My response to President Horsely was this:  "If the Lord wants me to go to Antarctica and preach to the the penguins, I will do it."  I was serious.  All I want to do is what the Lord wants me to do.  I don't always measure up to all that I should, but it's not for lack of wanting to.  Accordingly we filled out the regular missionary "papers" and forwarded them to the bishop. After he reviewed them they were forwarded to the Stake President, then on to the First Presidency.  Then the real wait began.  After our discussion with the Stake President we kind of "knew" what our mission would be, but one line in our application  stated that we would be willing to serve wherever the Lord called us to serve.  Anyway,  last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, the Big White Envelope arrived.  We are excited and happy with our call.  It's not the Hawaii Visitors Center,  It's not Ouagadougou, or Sweden or Brazil or Germany.  The Utah Ogden Mission might not be at the top of very many people's list of places to serve a mission, but it is one of the highest baptizing missions in the Church and there is much work yet to be done.  We are anxious to "put our shoulder to the wheel."  I am reminded as I write this of President Uchtdorf's talk from a few conferences ago where he asked us to "stand where we are, and lift where we stand."  We plan on doing just that.

The unopened Big White Envelope

The Call to Elder Eborn

The Call to Sister Eborn

We will enter the MTC on January 6th, 2014.  This will give us some time to attend Tanner's graduation from Marine Corps Boot Camp in California and to spend a little time with some of the family members whom we do not see quite so much of.  After our training we will return to Logan and begin our missionary service.  We are grateful for this opportunity in our lives, an opportunity to pay back just a little to the Lord for all the many, many blessings that have been poured out upon us and our family.  We know that prayers are heard and answered.  We know what a great blessing it is to serve in the restored Church of Jesus Christ.  We love the Lord and His gospel, all that it does for us now and all that is promised.  We love our family and are so grateful for Temple covenants which help us to know that families can be together forever.  We are grateful to know that we will be strengthened and made equal to the task before us.  I personally am glad to know that I will have the best companion possible and that we will be together through every transfer.  We are grateful for the experiences and blessings of a lifetime which have helped us to prepare for this assignment.   We pray that we will have wisdom and health sufficient to be tools in the hands of the Lord. There is a song by Alex Boye', I Want Jesus to Walk with Me", which expresses the feelings we have right now.  We both want to live close to the Lord together so that Jesus will truly walk with us, not just during this mission, but forever and ever.  Your thoughts and prayers will be appreciated by us just as they are by all missionaries serving everywhere in the world.

http://youtu.be/IP7UHGgAKao

 

Gratitude

We had a wonderful celebration of Thanksgiving yesterday.  Ryan and Samantha invited us to their  home along with other family members and friends.  They have plenty of room both inside and outside the house.  The day was a picture perfect Thanksgiving Day- not to hot and not to cold, no snow and plenty of sunshine.  Everyone brought something yummy to eat and we enjoyed a marvelous meal filled with the bounties of the earth.  We also enjoyed our time together and all have reason to take some time and count our blessings.  Thanks to all who came and joined us in this celebration of Gratitude.  A special thanks to Ryan and Samantha for hosting such a large group in their home.  We love you and your family very much and are deeply appreciative of all you did to make this such a wonderful and memorable occasion.  We missed those who couldn't come and hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful as well.  We all have so very much to be grateful for.  Take some time and make a list., well maybe just a partial list, and discuss it with your families.  Below are just a few of the pictures of the days events.

The formal dining room at Ryan and Samantha's home.

Fun outdoors before Thanksgiving dinner.

Grateful people with plenty to eat.

Avery, Ada, and Smantha.

Filling up the plates for the first go around.

Yummy food a plenty!

 Pies of all sorts and sizes.

Every yummy treat imaginable!

Then there was crafting for the kids and the women. The men watched football and visited.

Again thanks be to the Lord for all our blessings material and otherwise.  We are indeed blessed.

A Short Pheasant Hunt in Cache Valley

Jason called  a few days ago and asked if I'd like to go pheasant hunting with him.  We decided that this Thursday would be a good day.  I told Jason I'd love to go with him, but that I wouldn't be hunting.  I've kind of given the sport up, whether it be for deer, ducks, or pheasants or anything else for that matter.  I told him I'd take my camera and do my hunting in a little different way this time.  This morning he called and told me that JT would be coming along with him.  So much the better.  I love to be with my family doing almost anything outdoors.  Jason had done his research and said the DWR had  released about 11,000 pheasants around the state.  That sounds like a lot of pheasants, but please remember this is a big state in terms of area.  Anyway he thought he knew where we could find some birds.  We ended up at the Bud Phelps Wildlife Management Area near Mendon.  It was a beautiful day to be out tramping around the fields and meadows of Cache Valley in mid-November.

Below are just a few of the pictures of our few hours together.

Jason taking aim with the old 16 gauge he inherited from his Grandpa McMichael.

It just feels good to be out in the field with the old shotgun in hand  looking for an illusive pheasant. 

 He didn't go unrewarded.  Here he is with number one.  The limit is two.   He got  the second about an half hour later.   All in all a rewarding afternoon.

My eldest son and his eldest son, Cache Valley Utah, November 14, 2013

It was a rewarding afternoon unless you are a beautiful rooster pheasant.  Gotta feel sorry for these birds. If you don't think so watch the video below.

A Small Step Back in Time

Today was a beautiful November day.  The sun was shining and  the sky was clear.  In other words the day was calling us to a little adventure.   Ethan has been asking me to take him fossil hunting for quite some time now, so when I saw in the newspaper yesterday that the USU Department of  Geology was having an open house up at their museum on campus I decided  this might be a good opportunity, and one that wouldn't leave my muscles and creaky bones aching at the end of the day.  I met them at the Tranist Center next to Smith's and we took the bus up to the campus.  The kids wanted to ride the bus, and frankly I've been wanting to do the same, so the bus it was.

Here are Kate, Ethan, and Hayden "waiting" for the bus to come.  I was wondering just what to expect.

They actually behaved very well, even though they were full of energy and free from school for the day.

It was great to have Justin there with us. This was his first day off after 59 straight days of work with lots of overtime hours on top of it.  He works hard, is finishing up his degree in in economics and caring for his family.  Needless to say his kids and I treasured the time we were able to spend together.

                                                                  Ethan on the bus.

Fish fossils,  It's hard to believe these were swimming around near the top of a mountain over by Kemmerer, Wyoming about a million years ago.  Well the top of that mountain was then the bottom of a lake.  Times have changed.

We didn't see any woolly mammoths, but their bones have been found in this area.

Ethan being lectured, well, sort of, by one of the geology professors at Utah State University.

Hayden pointing out where we live on a geologic map of the area.

Did you know alligators used to inhabit parts of western Wyoming?  Well, here is the evidence.

Synergy,  this is the name of the statue on the Utah State campus.  It implies many hands working together.  I added one more dimension to it.  I put Etan's brain and smiling face right in the middle of it.

Here. is Kate doing exactly what the sign says toching the cast of a dinosaur track.

A couple of future Aggies.

A small part of the USU library.  I have two college degrees and a lifetime of experience, but I'm not sure I'm even smart enough to check out a book in these days.

A Century of Honor: The LDS Church and the BSA

Boy Scouts of America

One Hundred Years of Scouting in the Church

On Tuesday evening we had the special privilege of attending the program celebrating the hundred years  since the  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints began its nationwide sponsorship of the Boy Scouts of America.  The program was held in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City and was viewed by Satellite, The Internet and TV by more than a million people across the country.  It was an honor to be there with Stephen and Candice and their two oldest, Mason and Halle, as well as Jason and Rene and their sweet girls, Megan and Maddie.  We know that others of the family were tuned in and their with us in spirit.  It seems like we have been involved in scouting for most of that hundred years, well, not quite, but I was just eleven when I went on my first camping trip with the boys from the old Lanark Ward.  Scouting activities were an important part of my youth.  Some of my most memorable moments from that time have do with things we did and the people who went with us and supported us making these memories possible.  The memories of scouting activities in my mind are great, but even greater are the lessons, whose seeds were sown so long ago, but which have taken decades for me to ponder and to truly cherish for what they really taught, values like those contained in the Scout Oath and Scout Law.  These values, when learned and truly internalized will lead anyone to a happier, more productive, and fulfilled life, whether they are scouts are not.  I am grateful that the Church chose to partner with the BSA a hundred years ago and for the role that partnership has played in my life and the life of our family.  We are proud of our six Eagle Scout sons and our Grand children who have already earned their Eagle awards or are currently working toward them.  We have gained much as a family from the scouting program in so many ways, and we will continue to encourage and support the time tested values of scouting that are so much needed by the youth of today.  The world would be a better place, as would everybody in it, if we would just follow simple scouting principles like "Do A Good Turn Daily."  View the video by clicking on the link below to get a glimpse of the Century of Honor Celebration we attended with some of our family.


http://youtu.be/QyRSq8V7eGs


Below are some quotes regarding scouting.  This is why we are so pleased to have sons and grandsons involved in the scouting program.  It has helped to shape my life and in turn it has helped to shape the lives of our children and their families and many, many others who have embraced the core values of the scouting program.

Thomas S. Monson - President LDS Church

"The Aaronic Priesthood prepares boys for manhood and the weightier duties of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Scouting helps our boys to walk uprightly the priesthood path to exaltation. . . ."

Lord Robert Baden Powell - Founder of Scouting

"There is no religious side to the [Scout] Movement. The whole of it is based on religion, that is on becoming aware of God and His Service"

Ezra Taft Benson - Former President LDS Church

  "Scouting is an integral part of the Church  program for young men and complements Aaronic Priesthood quorum work. Where programs for Scout troops are available, please understand it is not an optional program"  

Gordon B. Hinkley - Former President LDS Church

"I love the Scouting movement. The promise of the Scout Oath and the twelve points of the Scout Law point young men along the path of being prepared for the 21st century. They provide a solid and powerful magnetic force toward development of a well-rounded and noteworthy character that counts..."

F. Melvin Hammond - Former General YM Presidency

"If someone questions the position of the Church in Scouting, I always remind them of these words, 'On my honor I will do my duty to God and my country. . . ." Once again duty becomes paramount. A commitment is made by each Scout; he has given his word of honor, that he will do all in his power to uphold Heavenly Father and keep His commandments. A love of country, with a desire to maintain freedom and liberty, is established in a boy's mind, and it never leaves him during the course of his life. I thank God for Scouting"                        
                                                                                         

Last, but not least is a quote from our sweet granddaughter, Halle, who in spite of her meager twelve years, has seen and experienced some of the wonders and benefits of the scouting program in the Church and in life.

"I love the Boy Scouts.", she exclaimed to me as we were exiting the Conference Center together.  I'm sure she was speaking for her little sisters too.

 

If all of our sweet granddaughters marry men who make and honor the Scout Oath and live by the values of the Scout Law, I will be happy and so will they.

 

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