Letters from us to Joseph..........a brief glimpse into our life!

I just realized as I was posting Joseph's letters, that I am missing a lot by not posting our letters to him.  Everyone writes their own, so I think it's kind of a unique glimpse into their view of life at the moment.......maybe it's like keeping a journal without knowing it!  I would love to cross that off my list!

Here is our last one:

Dear joe

How is Germany?  I t sounds fun. School sucks. The only fun class is Mr.         Young's. We lost our game saturday. It was stupid. If you took away half a quarter we would have won.I only got to carry the ball  4 or 5 times the rest I was blocking. Still, I got 45 or 50 yards. they had some really big kids. He was huge. Our next  game I am determined to win no matter what rven if I have to take the ball myself.I hope you have fun. Do some good.

Ben

( I am mad at Ben---he said he wrote you a really long letter.....hmmmm, he's going to need to work on the definition of long here.)

Dear Elder Joe,

Well busy week this week and for the next couple of weeks. I played JV and Varsity this week in football, we lost both which is not very good at all, but the good news is that I got my team's one and only sack of the game. We had 12 people academically ineligible for the first game because of the grades that they had last semester, so with only 6 total lineman allowed to play, most of them backups I got to play the whole game without any breaks at 4:30 in the middle of the day, it was not fun, If it had been a little bit cooler I think I would have been fine but it wasn't and the sun dranined the energy from me. Anyway I did get to do varsity but only got to play a couple of plays but I did lay somebody out on Kick Return so that was good but not much happened after that. Well we play Marsh Valley this week so we better win or I think the coaches just might blow up ( even though we did better than last year I thought the coaches were still pretty mad). Well school is school so thats alright and none of my clases are insanely hard (yet) so I'll just keep doing everything I can to keep doing good in school and in football. Oh you should also know in one of the plays of the JV games I did manage to get somebody's helmets off on one of the plays I thought it was pretty cool and so did my teamates but coach thought I had been to rough in the play and told me I was lucky that the ref didn't see it and flag me.  (I think Jacob may have erased some of Sam's letter, sorry!!!)

Samuel

Dear Joseph,

What's up. During my soccer game, coach made me captain of the defence and my defence wouldn't listen. And another kid told the defence to do the exact oppisit I said. Such as I was trying to move the defence up so we could raise the offsides line, but the kid told them to stay back when the ball was on there side and another tme I told the defence to spred out and they only shuffled like 2 feet. And another time a preson on the other team had the ball and there was another person by him so I told the defence to pull up so it would be an offsides but no they didn't listen and cost us a goal. So what sould I do? And mom accidently sent my white shirt to the DI so I had to wear a plain white shirt at my game. So see ya.

                                                                                                       David

Dear Joseph,

I went to my soccer practice on wednesday. we went to the movie called planes it was not as good as cars. I watched the Dark night yesterday (he wasn't supposed to!!!!).  Ella got baptized. I went to Ben's game on saturday. I learned the 13 Article of faith. I Did secret sevice I made moms bed.           Love  Jonathan.

Dear Joseph,

Well I guess the 2 Jepsen sisters cant take it anymore of you being so far away so this wednesday they are flying to Italy to at least be back on the same continant as you for the next three months.  Ha, ha.  Anyway they are doing a study abroad program with BYU for this trip to Italy.  You need to figure out how to email us some pictures so that we will be able to recognize you when we see you again.  Who knows your head may look like uncle Jon's and we wont be able to recognize who you are if we dont get any pictures. Ha, ha again.  I am a comedian.  I cant remember if we told you that 2 weeks aago they released Paul Mckay as scout master and put in bro. Kurt Iverson as scoutmaster and paul is now the High counciler from our ward.  Then again it was about 2-3 weeks ago that Joseph Seamons was released as stake young men's secretary.  The sports section showed USUs crosscountry team running at their invitational and it said that Coby Wilson took 8th place and was the fifth manfrom usu to cross the finish line.  It also indicated that he is a red shirt freshman this year.  But anyway that sounds like it could be good for him to finally make it to school after so many years.  Sam and Ben had their first games this week and they both did well on a personal level but their teams lost their games by a fairly wide spread.  Sam had to line up against a kid that was 4 inches taller and 60 lbs heavier than he but still did well he got one solo sack in the JV game and played better than 85% of the whole game on both offence and defence.  Ben did well as a back they used him mostly as the big bruiser back their to hit anyone who made it back to him; but anytime that they decided to give his the ball he plowed forward averaging 8-9 yards per carry.  He played a lot on both O and D.  They only pulled in out of the game at the end to allow the other players on the team the manditory 10 play per game the league rules require.  Well summer is soon winding down and fall will quickly be upon us all the major work is done in the fields and it is time to button up all the loose ends,  so I hope that fall is a long one to do so.  Jacob will be beginning preschool and kindergarden on tuesday so I'm sure he'll like that when that happens.  Keep working hard on your language studies and put yourself out their talking to the people and little kids and the Lord will bless you in yours efforts and make up the differance.  Take care  of yourself and  eat right and healthy.                                          love,   Dad

Dear Joseph

It seems like we are getting a late start/end to writing our letters tonight, so I will hurry and get this done, hopefully before midnight! 

We loved your letter last week.  It sounds like you are doing really well and of course, very busy, and a also feeling a little better about your German.  I hope that you were able to have a good teaching week this week, and I hope that Familiar Ojo made it to church!  We prayed for them and I put their name in the temple, so we're hoping they made it there.

It has been a good week and is gradually getting busier as we add games, practices, lessons, etc., into our school schedule.  This week I am going to be taking Jacob to school on Tuesday and he is going to morning Kindergarten.  They still don't have an Aide for him, so they weren't quite ready for him to begin, but it looks like I will just go and help on the first day and see if they can find someone soon.  We'll have to have him out for 90 minutes in between Kindergarten and Preschool, so I think I will be staying in town quite a bit everyday!  We'll see how it goes.

This week Samuel and Benjamin and David all had their first games of the season.  David's was on Tuesday, so I went and took Jacob with me, since everyone else had practices and dad had to be to mutual on time.  I don't know that I got to watch a lot of the game, because of course, Jacob kept me pretty occupied.  I tried french fries, chicken nuggets, large drinks, etc., to see if I could entice him to sit by me and watch the game, but I guess that was just not enough to keep him down for very long.  Anyway, the parts that I did see it seemed that David was doing a good job of being all over the field---much like you were as a Defender.  He's a little frustrated with the Defender line, as most  of the other kids are not nearly as aggressive, but there is one other kid, Ramone, on his team that is doing a pretty good job as a midfielder.  The forwards seem a little slow and weak, but I'm not sure, since I'm watching David the most.  Their footwork seems a little slow still, so hopefully that will improve.  I think they were disappointed, because the team that they played was a pretty inexperienced team, but they still lost to them.  They did some good things though, so hopefully, they can build on that. 

Samuel did well at his game, but unfortunately, a lot of his line was out because of grades.  I think Samuel played a different position, but seemed to do well with it.  He didn't look like he felt very good to me---but it may have been the heat or something.  Anyway, I didn't think he look as energetic as he usually did.  He did have a little encounter with another player and got chewed out by his coach for grabbing the other kid's face mask----gotta love the seamons' temper!   Hopefully, he will try to restrain himself next time!  Benjamin's team seemed to have similar problems to what I saw last year in that they come out really strong, score, and then basically shut down when they are scored on.  I'm not sure.  I thought Ben looked okay, but maybe not quite as aggressive as he should be.  I didn't see him carry the ball, but dad said he did well.  Anyway, I hope both of these boys have better seasons this year----this may be a long fall if we have the same record as we had last year!  Jonathan is always quick to point out that they will probably lose------how did I raise such a pessimist?  I need to leave that kid home unless he changes his attitude!

We had Glenn Beck come and speak at the Worm Creek for a fund raiser for the theatre.  I guess he owns a farm up in Weston Canyon now, and offered to do a fund raiser for the theatre.  There were a lot of people there so I think we did pretty well.  I've never heard him talk before or heard any of his programs.  I've only read some of his books (The Christmas Sweater, I think you read this also, since I have it.)   Anyway, I thought he said a lot of good things, and Ben and Sam thought some of the ideas I got from him were pretty extreme, but that's okay.  It's interesting to hear some opinions of people that are out in the world and look upon our area as a refuge and place where people are quite sheltered.  I guess we are and we need to be ready for whatever lies ahead, but I'm not sure if I'm all that paranoid yet, maybe I should be.  Anyway, it was interesting.

Dad and I went to the temple saturday after we got back from Benjamin's game.  We hopped out of the car, beat everyone into practicing and picking up apples and then jumped back in the car an hour later to head to Logan.  Kind of a crazy day, but I haven't been to the temple since Shelby was married, and it was the last day of the month!  Anyway, we got to see the new temple movie.  I really enjoyed it.  I think it had quite a different feel to it and as a result I looked and understood part of the ceremony differently then I had before.  One of the things I liked best about the movie was the part of the Savior.  For some reason, his voice was just what I pictured the Savior's voice would be like, or just what I thought the Savior would feel like.   It was a kind, quiet, and very gentle voice, yet it still held strength,  It's hard to explain.  But I guess it was just the spirit that I felt in listening to his responses to the Father and then as he taught.  Anyway, it meant something more to me this time to see a representation of the Savior that I felt represented my own feelings about him.  Also, Eve's encounter with Satan was very different and I understood things differently in their responses to each other.  Maybe because Eve seemed much more emotional in the film and firmly desiring to do what was right and yet deceived because of that desire by Satan.  It made me think a lot about how Satan gets to us.  It isn't the out and out evilness that deceives us, it is when the right information is given to us and changed just a little to get us going down the wrong path sometimes, even when our desires our good.  I think Satan makes us feel cornered sometimes and that there isn't anything else that we can do about our circumstances or decisions that we have to make.  He may make us feel trapped or despondent or troubled about our circumstances.  For example, if we are sinning or having a particular problem or trial, he may make us feel that there is no way out or no other way, other then what he is showing us or what we are thinking.  I guess maybe that made me think that we have to be careful and make sure that we are always following the spirit or prayerfully consulting with the Lord in decisions and directions that we are going.  Because the Lord can see things differently then we can and the Lord's way is not going to make us feel trapped and incapable of changing or going a different direction.  I think that's why I liked the Savior's representation so much, was because I felt hopeful, peace, relief, safety and love everytime the Savior was shown.  Maybe that is how people feel when they are trying to make changes in their lives---especially, if they are trying to change to live the gospel, they may feel trapped in sin and the direction their life is going, but the Savior brings relief and peace.  He can show us how we can change, he can make us feel safe and secure and happy.  And he knows the right way to go, and will show us the way is easy and simple, something we can't do for ourselves with our limited knowledge.  Anyway, it was interesting to think about the ceremony in a different way and I felt that there were many things I understood, or want to understand better next time I go. 

The fast meeting today was very good.  Bishop Westerberg gave his testimony on the sacrament and talked about how, when he was Bishop, that he had to listen very carefully to every word of the sacrament prayers to make sure they were correct.  He then said he realizes that he still does the same thing and the sacrament has come to mean so much more to him as he listens to every word and thinks about the Savior and renewing his covenants.  Sis. Betty Jo Jepsen continued on with this same idea and talked about how the whole plan of salvation is really contained in the sacrament prayers because they talk about how the Savior has provided the atonement for us and that we are to think on him and his sacrifice and how it will provide the means for us to return to our Heavenly Father.  It was very thought provoking.   Sis. Greene talked about how much the Savior loves each of us (she recited the words to "If the Savior stood beside me"), regardless of where we are on the path, and used experiences that she had with Robbie's accident and the many miracles they experienced as he recovered.  Eldon Wilcox and the Bishop talked about how grateful they were for the many people in our ward that do their calling and their jobs and help others in the ward.  How we all have a part to play in helping one another---be it cleaning the church, visiting each other, teaching each other, or being where we need to be.  Sis. Wilcox talked about the importance of visiting and home teaching and what a difference it can make in our lives when we have good home and visiting teachers that watch over us. 

I visited with Pres. Rounds yesterday at Ben's game.  He looked a little fragile to me.  I guess they were able to get all of the mass out during the surgery, but they still will have to do chemo and radiation treatment to make sure that they didn't miss anything that will come back or continue to grow.  He seemed a little frustrated with his circumstances---the most frustrating being the fact that he had to go to the bathroom all the time because of the steroids he's been on, and that he can't work out---(that was probably his number 1 complaint!), and that he can't drive anywhere by himself.  It is interesting to see how such a vibrant person as Pres. Rounds is enduring this trial----I'm sure it is very frustrating to him to have to be so dependant on others right now, not be able to do things that he is used to doing with a very fit body and kind of feeling like he is in limbo right now as he looks forward to treatments that may make him feel even worse.  We are lucky to have good health----a blessing we sometimes take for granted until it is taken from us.  He and his wife both asked about you and are certain that you are doing a great job, because they think so much of you.  You are lucky to have had such great people in your life----I know they have made a difference in who you are and what you will become.  That is a great blessing in your life to have associated with men such as Pres. Rounds and others in the stake presidency and stake leadership positions.

I also talked to Emily, who just returned from Alaska, where she was a railroad tour guide.  She is taking online classes from SUU and we find out that she is actually in my online music class.  Kind of funny how we are all interconnected.  She is a cute girl and I wonder if she will serve a mission, I'm sure she would be great.  I forgot to ask about Collin----I'm assuming he's on a mission right now, but I wasn't sure where he was called. 

Okay, I better get going and see if I can sneak through Grandmother and Papa Joe's back door so I can send this to you.  Remember to tell me if there's anything you need/want.  I will send some of these ward missionary letters to you.  I guess Marco was companions with the Elder Wilberg that was hit by a car in Malaysia and died this past week.  I think Marco had trained him and was sad about his death.  I guess many people were fasting and praying for his recovery, even the Apostles, and yet he still went---his parents issued a statement that said they felt that he was continuing his mission on the other side of the veil.  I'm sure that he is, but that would still be a tragedy to lose your son as he served his mission.  So, be safe!  You are doing a great work and we love reading your letters and seeing the growth that is taking place in your life.  You have been so blessed, even through the tough times, we are so grateful for your faithfulness and desire to serve the Lord.  I know that He loves you so much and is pleased with your efforts and he will bless you as you serve him.  Have a great week!  Love, Mom