The Best Two Years

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

November 24 Letter & The First Epistle of The Elders

Hello Madre,

Well, I finally got your email and stuff. Sounds like a lot has happened over the week. I'm excited for Steph and Jay. That will be way sweet if they get the baby and stuff. So Dad's been busy, huh. Sounds about normal.
Ya, so I'm at a members house today emailing ya. Nile, the kid that lives here leaves for his mission in January and guess were he is going? Boise, Idaho. So I've told him all about it and stuff. I told him you need to take him shopping there so he can get missionary discounts and stuff. His name is Nile Forsyth. So tell Steph and Jay to look for him and stuff. Anywase, I haven't gotten the things you wanted for Christmas yet but I should today, so that will be good, and I will try to get you a list of stuff I need for Christmas. Probably some way sweet poly ties, you know the kind, the more the merrier, and I guess the new general conf dvd and, um, let's see, oh the church history dvd's and the testaments and like all the church movies, and do you know when the Joseph Smith movie comes out? Because if you can get it, I want it. Oh, and the "Best Two Years", that's a movie we can watch. So, ya, hopefully I can get a better list for ya. But anywase, I'm not to picky.
Anywase, we might have a baptism this week if things go as planned. So I will let you know how things go. Anywase, I got to go, so sorry it's short, I just don't have much time. Tell everybody I said hi and stuff. peace

(The following is a letter we received from Skyler, thought you might enjoy reading it)

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF THE ELDERS TO THE DEAD LETTER WRITERS

CHAPTER 1

In the beginning was the mailbox
and the mailbox was void of letters.
2. And the missionaries said, "let the
box be filled" and the box was not filled.
3. And the missionaries beheld the
continuing void, and were not pleased.
4. And it was the first day of the week
and there was no mail delivered. But
this was good.
5. But on the second day was the mail
delivered; yet the box remained empty.
6. Yea, even from the second day unto
the seventh was the mail delivered.
7. Even so, the box retained it's void.
8. And yea, a great mist of darkness
spread forth from the void and enshrouded
the missionaries. Yea, and did bring much
sorrow to their otherwise cheery days.
9. Even the long hours of fruitless
tracting, being attacked by the fowls of
the air, and being pursued by the beast of
the field were not as disheartening as the
lack of blessed objects, known as letters.
10. And yet they persisted.

CHAPTER 2

And it came to pass on the second
day of the second week, the mist still
encircled the mailbox.
2. And on the third day, from within the
depths of the void, was a single postcard.
3. And the postcard put forth a ray of
light that pierced the darkness and overcame
the mist.
4. And the missionaries were exceedingly
joy full, and there was much happiness in
the apartment.
5. But, alas, their exclamations of joy
were in vain. For it came to pass that the
postcard was for someone else.
6. But if their joy was so exceedingly
great over someone else's mail, how great
would be their joy at partaking of their
own mail?

CHAPTER 3

And there will be many which shall
say, a letter, a letter. We have already
written a letter. We have no need to write
anymore letters.
2. Know ye not that there are more days
than one, and more events than one in a day?
Why think ye that these events need not be
reported?
3. Yea, and ye need not worry that your
letters will go unanswered.
4. But thous shalt say, "I will go and
write the letter that a missionary request.
For I know that he giveth no request except
that he be prepared to speedily respond.
5.
II And we give unto the parable of
the self addressed envelopes to his friends.
7. Unto one he gave five, unto another he
gave two, and unto the third he gave one.
8. And it came to pass that while he was
gone, he that was given five envelopes wrote
five letters, then in his zeal wrote five
letters more.
9. The same with him that had two envelopes:
he wrote two letters and then two letters more.
10. But he that was given the one self
addressed envelope became slothful and careless,
and he lost the envelope, even that which he was
given.
11. And when the missionary came home, he went
unto his friends. And he that had written ten
letters was warmly greeted.
12. The same with him that had written four
letters.
13. But he that had written none at all was
given nothing more than a fishy, wimp like
handshake.

CHAPTER 4

And
the missionary said unto his
friends; "Lovest thou me?"
2. And the friend said, "I lovest thou".
Then the missionary said, fill my mailbox.
3. He saith a second time, "Friend, lovest
thou me?" And the friend said, "Thou knowest
that I love thee." Then he saith, "Fill my
mailbox."
4. He then spake a third time saying, "Lovest
thou me?" and the friend said, "Thou knowest
all things, thou knowest I love thee."
5. The the missionary said, "Stuff my mailbox."
6. And the vision is become unto all as the
words of a letter is sealed in the envelope that
men deliver to one who is serving a mission, saying
"Read this I pray thee." And he saith, "I cannot,
for it is not mine."
7. And the letter is delivered to him that is
serving a mission, saying "Read this I pray thee."
And he saith, "Why, sure."
8. Therefore, you should do a marvelous work for
a missionary. Even a marvelous work and a wonder
by writing a letter.

Love, Elder Silcock

Thursday, November 20, 2008

November 17 Letter, Chicken and Dumplings!

*  (Just a little note to explain that our computer had problems and so I went to Meg's  Monday morning to email Skyler.  Skyler emailed us earlier than usual, so he missed ours.  Drat!  Anyway, thanks Sister Chapman, for feeding Skyler chicken and dumplings.  You are awesome!)

Skyler's Letter-

Hmm, I guess I won't get to hear from you this morning, because there were no emails from anyone on here, so I hope everything is ok. Anywase, we had a good week this past week. We taught a lot of people. It was sweet! I worked Elder Turner's tail off, it was good! We had Stake Conference this past Sunday. It was pretty good. We had Elder Martino from the Seventy, so that was pretty cool. He speaks Spanish and so he came down to start a Spanish Branch in Branson. So that is way awesome to hear the work is going good. We are hoping to have some baptisms soon. We have been working so hard for them and it's getting better every week. The dumplings were way good. You must have given Sis. Chapman a very detailed recipe, because it tasted just like yours! Well, I hope everything is going good because I probably won't get your email before I leave. So you might have to mail it to me. Hopefully there wasn't anything you were expecting to hear. If so, you'll have to wait till next week. Loves

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

November 10, 2008 Letter

Hey Mom,

Ya, so it was a pretty good week and we contacted some of those referrals. Two of them we kind of did. The members who gave them to us, told us to hold off like a couple of weeks because they had just gotten married a day before. But they still want to be taught, so that's good. So Meg's prego, huh, that will be exciting. Now Chris and Kristen need to get with it.
It will be exciting to see how Obama does. I wish I knew what he has to offer before I jump to conclusions. I guess the Lord just need's to humble people. I don't know. All I can say is that the world isn't ready for Romney yet. Just remember, all things are done in wisdom of Him who knoweth all things. Any wase, enough of politics.
So, they did some reorganizing in church. That's cool. Has there been any new move-ins since I've been gone? How is the bbq coming(our mortuary and crematory)? Send me pics if you can.
So, has Declo (high school) been doing better in football? It sounds like it, if their in playoffs, huh. Ya, I bet Tyler(Briggs) is quite the football player, he was good when he was a freshman. How big is he now? Is he as big as Scott, or is he still my height? How did Tanner(Field) do in the game, and how has he done this season? I wish I could go back and play football again. Especially in the 2a division. We would have been State Champs, seriously and you know it. Oh well, life goes on.
Well, guess I don't have too much to report on and I will let you know how dinner goes on Tuesday. I'm sure it will be good. Sister Chapman is a good cook, and if it's made with love, who cares, haha! (It looks like Skyler may just get those chicken and dumplings, after all!)
Well, I better get going, so I will talk to ya later, oh, and I thought you were only 38? (I told Skyler that I had just turned 39. Again!)

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

November 3, 2008 Letter

  So sounds like it was a good week.  It's comforting to know that everything is going good with the farmers.  That had me worried, but I guess it kinda turned out for the better.  Ya, I will be here at least another 6 weeks, hopefully longer because I really love it here.  I'm still serving with Elder Turner though.
Well, your gonna have to send me pics of all the antlers that were harvested, haha.
Ya, fast and testimony meeting was good here too. We asked 2 people to share their testimonies about missionary work and then after that there was like a whole bunch of people that bore their testimonies about missionary work, and we even got a few member referrals that day. So it was way successful.
So have you had any more contact with Eric? How is he doing and stuff? I wrote him a letter, hopefully he got it. Oh, and how is Mckay doing and how is the rest of the Heward family doing?
Ya, so I guess I just don't have much to say. Nothing too exciting happened this past week, other than we almost got soaked because there was a crazy thunder storm that came through. We were close to the church when it hit, so we just went inside. Luckily we did because it started hailing and everything. Well, cool beans. Tell everyone I say hi and stuff, and all the people back in the ward and whoever you see that I know. loves by!!!