Seamons Scrolls--October 27, 2013

Letters to our missionary / Our Journal

Dear Joseph,

So how goes the work? Great I hope. Well we’ve had another gorgeous week of weather. Sam is the only game going this week. The JV had a great game up at century except for about 4 minutes in the middle of the first half when it appeared that Preston went to sleep and let Century get 5 TDs. After that we woke up and went back to work and recaptured the lead and finally won. Varsity, on the other hand, on Friday was a different story. Preston got slaughtered. If the end of the first quarter score was any indication, the final score should have been 128-0. But we did make one TD and their scoring did slow down. Besides the kickoff and returns Sam only got in on the final 2 play while Century was running out the clock. The weekend weather was good again so we got a little cleaning up done outside and squished a couple of more batches of apples on Friday and Saturday. We had the Primary program today at church. Jacob did a lot better than expected he stayed put for the most part. David and Tara Jepsen played their violins as part of the program. This coming week we get to watch Jonathan walk the halls for 100 AR points. On Tuesday we will get to go to Logan so that Jacob can get some more tubes in his ears so that maybe he won’t have as many ear infections and will hear better. This weekend I also get to go camping with the scouts again. I hope my back survives. Well I better go get ready for a fireside down in Franklin; Brad Wilcox is speaking to the youth. You take care and have a great week and do some good. Love, Dad

Dear Joseph-----

The screen has quit working on our computer, so everyone wrote out their letters this week and I am typing them up. Hopefully, we can get this fixed by next week. Anyway, Papa Joe was nice enough to bring us his laptop, so hopefully, we can get this sent.

Here is Jonathan’s letter:

Dear Joseph:

How is your mission? I got to 100 POINTS this week. Mom bought me a bomb at Pizza Villa---not a real bomb! We went to the library to get a lot of books. I read about Ammon and he cut off the arms of the people trying to steal the sheep. We thought Ammon looked kind of funny in the scripture book we are reading out of. We think he probably looked a lot buffer (mom’s word!). At church today we ate popcorn!

Love, Jonathan

Here is David’s letter:

Dear Joe:

How is your mission going? I had my All Star Game on Monday and we lost to the girls!!!!! We didn’t have a very good team this year. Mom made me miss my other all star game because I was being a pill (okay mom is editing!), so yeah, it has been a boring week for me. School is the usual. The only exciting thing is juicing the apples. Josh helped us with that and we did it on Friday and Saturday. So that is practically the only exciting thing this week. So see ya.

From, David Seamons

Here is Sam’s letter: (he is mad that Ben wrote all the things he was going to say…..!)

Well, this week the JV played Century and won! 42-31, we should have won by 50 but oh well a win is a win. The varsity lost 35-7 but Century has a good varsity team this year though. Well last game of the year is this week, so let’s go out with a win this year. Keep doing good on your mission. Love, Samuel

Here is Ben’s letter: (if I can translate it!)

Dear Joe:

How are you? Tomorrow is basketball tryouts. Don’t know if I should do it or not (okay, I give you permission to wring Ben’s neck for asking you, yet again!). School still sucks. On the first day the soccer boys tied to mountain Home 2-2 and lost in free kicks. They won the Husky’s of Emmett 2-1. On Friday we lost to the Hawks (Caldwell) 2-1. So it sounds like the soccer boys lost. I think I’m going to try and make Varsity next year. Do you think I should start lifting weights or not. Well, have fun.

Ben Seamons

This one is from Jacob

Dear Joseph:

Today I was in the Primary program and I stood so nice and quiet, but I wouldn’t sing, even though I know all the songs. And I didn’t want to say my part, but I did stand up there and let Sister Greene say it for me. I have had a busy week. They are trying new things with me at school and I started going to speech and occupational therapy at the hospital once a week. Mom and Dad had a very long meeting about me on Monday with a State Education Mediator to see if we can get the bus problem resolved and so I can have an Aide and go to Kindergarten like I want to. Anyway, I am still happy, crazy, me. Mom and Dad would really like me to sleep all night, but it’s so much fun to go bed hopping all night and try out everyone’s bed. Mom thinks that I am kind of like Goldilocks that way! My ears are filled with fluid, so I have to have surgery on Tuesday morning and have another tube put in and a hole in my ear repaired. We’re hoping that makes me want to talk. Now, if Mom could make me want to be potty trained, she would be so excited…..but it’s just too convenient to make everyone else change my diaper for me and keep me dry, I just don’t want to be bothered with thinking about potty training. I am sitting here crowing at mom while she writes my letter for me. Also, Papa Joe brought me a Reeces candy bar today during Home Teaching, and I really, liked it so much that I did a little dance and shoved the whole thing in my mouth, paper and all! Well, mom needs to write her letter, so I will go. Love you brother, you’re the best, I miss you, Jacob! xoxoxo

Dear Joseph---this one is from me! Okay, I am trying to write this fast, since Papa Joe wants his laptop back.

So this week was not quite as crazy with as many games. Dad did go to David’s all star game----it must not have been very memorable because I had to remind both David and Dad about the games, since David said he didn’t play any games this week. I guess he played a girls soccer (not sure who it was) and was quite appalled that the all stars lost to them. Oh well, he and Jonathan have been at each other’s throats all week, so Thursday a.m. after they woke up Jacob with their screaming war about who got to be in the bedroom, David lost his soccer game. It was hard to stick with my decision and Dad didn’t think I would do it, but I did! Actually, David was pretty good about the whole thing, considering he didn’t believe me either. But, yes, the ornery mom prevailed this time.

I think this week has been the week of too many meetings---a nearly 4 hour meeting with the State Mediator on Monday, an appointment with the Ear Doctor on Thursday when we got to wait, and wait….until Jacob threw a gigantic fit and they put us at the front of the line. I guess fits can be advantageous if they get some results! We have done lots of apple squishing. But it doesn’t look like we have done much at all! Lots and lots of apples left.

This week is Halloween and I haven’t even thought about it! I was going to send you a package, but, I just realized it is getting a little late. Grandmother said she sent you a package though, so I hope you get it. I will send something when I get the Scripture stickers that you wanted. We saw some cute pictures of you and your companion and the other companionship in your apartment. It looks like you have a good set of Elders to be with. You guys look very happy. It is interesting to read your companion’s letters. He sounds like a very positive guy and very happy and grateful. I’m sure that is very pleasant to work with someone like that. Anyway, we would love to see any pictures that you might want to send us! Hint, hint!

Samuel told you about their win over Century, which is good. Samuel seemed happy. Dad and Ben went up to the game. I went with Dad to the Varsity game on Friday night and it was kind of sad. Most of Century’s points were made in the first quarter, so if they’d just been able to get going a little sooner, they would have probably have done a lot better. Ben had a campout with the teacher’s up at the Yurt at Bloomington Canyon. I guess they did some service projects up there (made signs and chopped wood). Tim and Grandmother and Papa Joe helped us do apples for alittle bit on Saturday. I guess Tim and Shelby came up to visit, but Shelby had to go back early, so Tim stayed with Grandmother and Papa Joe---pretty brave of him, I think! Aunt Mary called me on Tuesday night as they were getting Nathan ready to go to the MTC on wed. I think it was a lot harder for her to let Nathan go then she thought. I’m sure he will do great. I guess he will be in the MTC for 2 weeks and then off to Canada.

Well, I sound like I am rambling and not saying very much and I’m not sure why,. Maybe because I’m supposed to be hurrying! We loved your letter last week and I have thought a lot more about what we could do as a family to be more involved in missionary work. One thing was that it seems we are always busy when they ask us to feed the Elders---I need to make sure that we take the opportunity to feed them. Another thing was that I thought of some of my friends that I could invite over to do apples with us---but I forgot to do that last week. I think I will take them some juice. Anyway, we need to be more aware of anything that we can do to be there for those that are searching for the truth. Please let us know if there is anything that we could do to help you and your investigators. We are praying for those that you list in your letter.

I had one interesting scripture thought this week as I was reading with the little boys. We were reading earlier about Alma and Amulek and how Amulek wanted to save the women and children who believed from being burned in the fire and then Alma says that the Lord said no, that they had to suffer so the wicked people would be punished for their sins (well something to that effect). All of a sudden it hit me----if this took place in Amulek’s city, wouldn’t these women and children have been at least acquaintances, relatives or maybe even his own family? I might have gotten this wrong, but I thought I would go back and read the scriptures again and see if that is right. If it were people that amulek was close to……even his family, I wonder how he really would have felt at that time if alma told him it was the Lord’s will for them to suffer and die. I’m not sure if I would have had that much faith and I’m not sure if I would have understood Alma’s answer---I’m afraid that I would have been very upset with Alma and the Lord and not have understood why they would allow such a terrible thing to happen to my own family, especially when he was in the Lord’s service. Anyway, I may have gotten this all wrong, but at least it made me look at the story a little differently and think about faith and trusting the Lord in all things. It’s easy to trust him when things are going well, but sometimes it is hard when it looks like He could intervene to make things easier or better or at least help us to understand why things may happen the way they do. But I guess, that wouldn’t be faith either, if we only trust the Lord when he goes along with our plan. I thought about this when I was praying to be more humble and patient---oh, so dumb, why do I pray for patience----of course, as soon as the prayer is out of my mouth, I thought, ooops, watch out! And of course, it does seem like everyone at home has been especially crazy this weekend and no one seems to be able to get along and I have lost my patience a lot more! So,……..I think I will just be quiet about that next time and pray for something else!

Okay, Jacob is going crazy, so I guess I’m done! We love you so much and are so proud of the wonderful young man and missionary you are! I can tell that you are developing a real love and concern for the German people! They are lucky to have you! I can also tell by the pictures I got that your companions (other missionaries) have a great love and respect for you also! You are indeed an amazing spirit! So glad we get to have you in our family!

Love, Mom