Life at the Seamons house Sept. 3-Sept. 9 as written to our missionary!

Here is our letter to Joseph this week, just a little insight and an attempt to keep a journal!

Dear joe

How are you? We lost to marsh valley by 6 points because we were running a stupid offense were all thyey had to do was send five blockers right up the side. I got a bunch of tackles though. I didn't really run as much though. I only ran up the middle. They had a really big running back though. He was bigger than me. He was a pretty good linebacker too. I still got pretty good yardage though. but this week I'm gonna make sure my team works a lot harder so we don't get beat. It was really dumb though because all they would do was send 4 or five blockkers at me and the tackle so they had enough time to make the cut. Any way school is still terrible. My student teacher can bench 600 lbs, squat 800 and leg press 1500lbs. He was going to go to the olympics but he shattered his knee. He played football and wrestled in highschool. He had like 7 sacs his senior year as a D-Tackle. He also use to have  a wrestling record of fastest pin in 7 seconds,he's really big. well have fun.

Ben

Dear Elder Joe,

Well this week was pretty cool we destroyed Marsh Valley in football this week, the JV won 26-22 ( It was pretty much freshman on that team with a couple sophmores), and I only played Varsity this week but we creamed them 34-7 in the game, the only reason they scored is because we had our backup backups inby then and the refs also called back three touchdowns on us so it should have been closer to 60-0 but oh well what can you do. I started on Kickoff and Kickoff return and then played some D end and got a couple tackles in the game including the last play of the game where I layed out the kid. Are coach was happy because we won even though a bunch of people quit this week we still won the game. Kaleb Talbot quit, but honestly I don't blame him because he had a friend die and his dad had a stroke on the same weekend so I guess he just needed a break for a while but I think our team can still play well we just have to play smarter. Anyway hope things are great this week in Germany and I'll try to beat Rigby this week for homecoming.

Samuel

Dear Joe,

What's going on in Germany.  We lost our soccer game on Thursday but we got a little better. But the defence wouldn't listen to the coach like he told us to set the line on a certain spot on the field but they just didn't listen and cost us a goal. And another time I told the defence to go up because they were right by the goaly. So we lost. Do you have any tips? I had a pretty usual week. Mr. Shumway is mean because on a question I did a decimol answer and he expected everyone to do a remander answer. So he got mad.  So see ya.

                                                         Love,

                                                                   David

Dear Joseph

we went to bens game. we worked on laborday. we went to the movie called percy Jackson. we went to sams game they won the game. I played with my kitties. we picked up apples. we went to church.  how are you. I read harry potter. I love you             Love, jonathan

Dear Joseph,

Guess what time of the year it is?  Right. Is pick up apples, put them in buckets then feed them to the cows season.  So this week we've made several trips to the cows with lots of apples.  Also after a dry hot summer we now had a few good rain showers to help moisten up the earth.  Mom actually turned off the sprinklet outside for the first time in months of constant sprinkling.  Sam was happy this week because they beat Marsh Valley pretty soundly and he got to play Varsity which meant that he got to have the big dinner with the varsity team thursday evening after football practice.  Sam got to go in the last 2-3 minuts of the game and really shined well; the anouncer even finally mentioned sams name over the public address system.  Then on saturday Papa Joe had to take David to his soccer game down at Hyde Park while Mom took Ben to his game in Jokeatello and Jacob and I went to Soda Springs to see Sam run in the cross country meet up their.  Their were 15+ teams there.  Sam ran in the JV race he did pretty well he came 54th out of 193 runners with a time of 20 min. 50.3 seconds(that averages 6min 37 seconds per mile).  I think he did quite well for his first x-country race in years and his first 5k race.  He was the second Preston JV kid to cross the finish line.  He did say that it was harder than he thought it would be, but felt good about it.  Most of the rest of the week seemed to be fighting with the school and district wondering why they werent prepared to take Jacob into kindergarten this week.  It wasnt as busy at work this week which I guess is good after a long extremlly busy summer.  So how is your new companionship going?  We pray that all is going well for all of you and for your investigators. Take care.                  Love, Dad

dear Joseph,

Hope you have had a great week!  Have you gotten your new companion yet?  I'm sure this will be different to be with someone besides your trainer now.  I hope that you are a good match and that your companionship will be a good one.  How are your investigators doing?  We have prayed a lot for Frau Sherer and Familie Ojo and Andreas, I hope that they were able to make good progress this week.

I hope that I'm making sense tonight because it is late again and I'm trying to get this done before midnight.  This week has not been my favorite.  We have had lots of struggles with the school district and getting Jacob to school.  It just feels like all we've done all week is complain, write letters, and complain some more, without much progress!  But hopefully, we will get things rolling this week.  I did go to kindergarten on Tuesday with Jacob, last week, but it wasn't a very good experience for either of us, so hopefully, we will be able to find something that will work better for us this week.  I hope that we can resolve this problem soon, because I don't like feeling so much at odds with  the bus driver, the teachers, the principal and the superintendant.   Unfortunately, Jacob is caught in the middle of everything and so his first week back to school has probably been very confusing for him.    Kind of sad that we have to fight with the district about everything for him.  Anyway, I'm determined that we will have a better week, or at least get something done, instead of waiting and talking and waiting and talking and doing nothing.  Argh!!!

Samuel had a great time playing varsity against Marsh Valley.  He did well and I thought the team played well together.  I think it meant a lot for him to play up on varsity and he seemed pleased to finally win a game!   Ben really struggled in his game this week.  He played well, but his team really should have done better against the opposing team, as they were very small and Preston was a much bigger team.  But they seem to have a hard time working together or being aggressive enough.  Ben was quite discouraged, but he still did his best and made a lot of good plays.  I didn't get to see David's game this week, because it was on Saturday, while I was in Pocatello with Ben.  David did Farmer's Market with Papa Joe, so Papa Joe took him to his game.  He is still quite frustrated with his team, I do hope they are able to get better and play better together.  Jonathan is still waiting to play his first game this week, so it will be interesting to see how we are able to be in 4 places at once on Saturday!  I guess we weren't thinking very well when we signed everyone up.  We definitely need another driver.

Today at church, Br. Clare Christensen and his new wife, Linda spoke on missionary work.  They did a great job and Sis. Christensen offered a unique perspective about looking at the journey, rather than the end result of missionary work---baptism.  She talked about her second husband, who apparently wasn't LDS, but was a devout Episcopalian.  However, the ward, especially her home and visiting teachers really fellowshipped him well, and he received a testimony of temple work and did a lot of genealogy that went all the way back to one of the orginal translators into english of the bible.  I guess this man developed cancer but was comforted by the gospel and the members of the ward.  He never was baptized, but prepared a lot of names for temple work, that LInda and Clare will be doing soon, and also as his family members attended his funeral and learned more about the people who served him in the ward, they were impressed with the church and took back a good impression to their own homes.  It was a good reminder to us, that even if we don't always see the end result of baptism, that many people will be touched along the journey if we are good examples, truly love them and fellowship and care for them.  I thought it was quite a unique talk.  Kyle Beardall also gave his 'homecoming' speech.  He did a good job, but seemed to have so much to say and could barely express the half of what he'd experienced on his mission.  He gave one example of having an investigator write down a question that he had of the Lord and then flip through the Book of Mormon and read the first scripture that he came to to see if it answered his question.  I'm not sure if the Lord wants us to make the Book of Mormon appear ''magic'', but I think he does want us to know that the answers to our questions are in the scriptures, and they are his words to us.  Anyway, it was good to hear Kyle talk.  He seems very happy these days and is dating a cute girl named Rebecca Frandsen.  I hope it works out well for them, they are a cute couple, she reminds me a lot of Aunt Brenda---similar look and very outgoing and nice.

Can you let us know if there is anything you need?  We are going to get your birthday package sent either Monday or Tuesday.  So if there's anything in particular that you want, please let me know and I will send it.  What about your black wool coat?  Would that be good for the coming cold months?  Otherwise, you will probably need to buy a coat there, so start looking around and asking the elders what they think is the best solution.  Shall I send the package to Rosenheim or to the mission office address?  I think the last package took about 3 weeks, so I am probably cutting it a little close!  Can you believe you are no longer going to be a teenager!  Wow, Jonathan thinks 20 sounds pretty old and Jacob liked finding a 2 and 0 to put on your card.  Two decades old now----I'm sure you are full of wisdom!

Well, I know this letter seems a bit rambly and short, I think my brain is having a set back from all the late night canning I have been doing!  I can't seem to think of anything else remarkable that we have done this week.  Anyway , it's probably because everyday seems to get a little faster and the weeks are already flying by!  It's that good old Fall sports/school/harvst mania that happens every year.  I guess we just keep going with it!  We had a good lesson about being unified in RS .   It was one of the Lorenzo Snow lessons.  One of the scriptures I liked in particular in John 17: 19-21, especially 21 that says "That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou has sent me. "  I thought  that really put forth that if we are not one, we can't bear testimony to the world of the Son and his mission.  In the manual it says that Jesus prayed to his Father that those he had given him out of the world might be one as he and the Father were one, and says he, I pray that thou wilt give them the same love which thou hast for me, that I may be in them and thou in me, that all may be one.  There is something very important in this, and we have got to practice ourselves until we become like the Father and the Son, one in all things.  Later on he says that "For unless the Apostles and those that believed on them were united, the world could not believe in the mission and purposes of the Savior. "  .....If we have division in our midst; if we be divided either spiritually or temporally, we never can be the people that God designs us to become, nor can we ever become instruments in His hands of making the world believe......In order for us to effect the purposes of God we shall have to do as Jesus did--conform our individual will to the will of God.....in all things, and to live so that the will of God shall be in us.   And then later he uses the example of David and Jonathan, as they were bound together and had the heart of one.  I think it is interesting to think of what an amazing friendship these two had, when Jonathan could have become bitter like Saul did that David was the chosen one, and yet he chose to love David and no more do him harm then let his arm be severed from his body.  (1 Samuel 18:1).  Hmmmm, I remember naming my boys David and Jonathan because of the great friendship that existed between these two great men, but especially because of Jonathan's great love for David (the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul).  I hope, that my sons will become as these great men. 

I'm kind of preachy tonight, but maybe it's because I've felt so at odds with everyone this week because of the problems we've had at school.  I can see that if we are not unified and our hearts are not knit together, that it is hard to get anything accomplished and the fruits of contention are dissatisfaction, restlessness, and the feeling of not being able to accomplish anything.   I guess I'm the one that needs to learn how to be more unified with my neighbor, my family, my ward, my leaders, etc.  Otherwise, life can be frustrating and nothing is accomplished.  I liked Pres. Snow's first example as an introduction to the lesson of how Brigham Young asked him to ask the saints that had come to Utah to begin contributing to the Perpetual Emigration fund and he felt very hesitant at doing so, because they had suffered so much and had little or nothing to give, but as he asked them to give, they did so willingly and gratefully and from many small efforts combined together, they were able to accomplish great things in bringing many more saints to Zion, who would not have been able to.  I guess that's another way we are unified is in serving each other, even when we ourselves are in need---kind of ironic.  Just take the focus off ourselves and focus on others and our burdens become lighter. 

Okay, Okay, I'm going to bed, I hope all this rambling makes sense or at least gives you something of worth for the week.  Oh, one more thing.  I subbed at the high school this week and was helping out in Mr. Smith's room (ha, ha,.....I know I was not helping with geometry, just taking notes for students) and I was introducing myself to him as Joseph and Samuel's mom and he asked how you were doing.  He came and found me later and said:  "I just wanted to tell you that Joseph was a really good kid, but he was more than that, there was something really special about Joseph, he meant a lot to me, there is something really special about him."  Anyway, I thought that was great!  You are something special, and I'm grateful to be your mom.  I know the Lord has many great and wonderful things in store for you.   Your mission will be a great journey in discovering what he has in store for you!

Love you, Mom