Family Ties Oct. 1-8, 2006

FAMILY TIES October 1-8, 2006


Dear Family,

Today, for the second time, we attended church in our brand new building. This new ward house had not even been started when we left for Korea and with the landscaping in place was now ready for our occupancy. It is a beautiful building similar in size but seemingly larger than our old building, but has the same feel and smell when experiencing driving a new car for the first time. We have been surprised at the large number of new families that have moved into the ward during our absence; most of whom seem well educated and prosperous and bringing with them primary age and YM/YW children. Our driving time has been cut nearly in half and when the Sorensons are here, we take turns driving.
Our week began with a trip to the SL Valley where we met with friends from our Preston mission. This group meets twice a year at noon on the Monday following General Conference. Those present this year were: The Simisters, Olsons, Jones, Hauerts and brother Lee. We then returned home and attended the monthly social of the Empty Nesters. This time being held at the home of the Andertons. Several of them include non-members who find a social outlet among people with whom they seem to feel comfortable. Occasionally they themselves are hosts of this group.
Tuesday Jim Adair and his wife Jeongyum came to the cabin and spent two or three hours with us. Jim was the American Civil Engineer who came to Korea on an assignment from his statewide employment to assist with the Korean counterpart. Jim had been semi-active in the church, but found great comfort in the foreign surroundings and attended church regularly in the English branch. We became good friends. He met a lovely Korean lady and the two fell in love. He qualified himself to attend the temple and your father was honored to seal their marriage in the Seoul Korea Temple. It was a great feeling to see Jim and his bride of ten months so happy.
We had previously learned of the "Northern Utah Family History Composium" being held in Ogden and felt the information described in their class schedule could be of help to us in preparation for writing our book for our posterity. We attended both Friday and Saturday and felt rewarded for our attendance.
Friday night a musical was held called: "Remember the Tears" which evolved around the Willey Handcart tragedy, emphasizing the need to live by FAITH. We spent the night at Dan & Ann's where we enjoyed their usual hospitality.
In order to attend the Tenth Ward Originals on Saturday, we had to leave the symposium a little early on saturday to pick up Martha Lingard. This years reunion was hosted by Bishop Russ Thompson and his wife Pat and was held in the 6th/10th Ward House. After fifty years this building is soon to go under major reconovation to comply with church building and seismic codes. As we reported at the reunion, the happenings in our lives, your father was reminded that it had been forty years since we left the Tenth Ward. Others reported similar happenings and how good an effect that ward had had, upon their lives. As Bishop Thompson reported, we reflected upon a quote of Brigham Young: "If we are to instill faith in our children, they must see us demonstrate our faith in their young lives. They must see us on our knees daily, asking the Lord for His blessings and expressing our gratitude unto Him. They need to see us using our priesthood to administer to those in need, and to bless our children". The now Bishop Thompson had no desire to have anything to do with the church when we left the ward and his expressions this night were: "I was so stupid to not enjoy the blessings of the gospel and be exempliary to our children in their growing years for now, not one of them are active". We could not help but comment on our way home the joy we feel that our children were exempliary to their children (our grandchildren). Truly our grandchildren were "born of goodly parents" and what a blessed posterity is ours. We thank you and love you, Mom and Dad