June 12, 2022- Time to Catch Up

May was a long month!

It seemed to stretch on and on. But there were some wonderful, memorable events that will be among the highlights of our service here in New England.

Those begin with the visit of President Russell M. Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve. He fulfilled a commitment to come to Topsfield, Mass to dedicate a memorial to five generations of Smiths that settled and lived in the area, the fifth being Joseph Smith, Sr., the father of Joseph Smith, Jr. He (Pres Ballard) is descended from Hyrum Smith, which by my count makes five generations before Joseph, and five generations after. We began the weekend Friday with a session with missionaries from the NH Manchester and Massachusetts Boston Missions—we watched on Zoom.

So many points that he and his companions, Elder LeGrand Curtis and his son Craig made:

 Squeeze every drop out of your experience—be thankful every day
 Push past weariness, fatigue and discouragement
 Your service is a miracle—you are His servants
 We’re here to pep you up!
 He’s learned a lot in his 47 years of service as a GA; and from his 101 great
grandchildren!
 Those that pulled handcarts, where the labor was hard, are rooted and
grounded in the faith, and rarely wanted to quit. For those where it was too
easy, they waivered and sometimes did quit.
 Keep what you teach simple—First Principles, and light and knowledge will
come.
 Teach, but serve with empathy and compassion
 Conversion occurs not because of what you taught, and they learned, but
how people felt when they were in your presence. Carry the Spirit and Power
of God and they will feel it.
 Joseph and Hyrum were the greatest companionship—learn from them.
 As you serve the Savior, come to know Him, and He will come to know You!

Well, I could go on, but that was just the first of the three sessions where we heard him speak. The second was at the dedication of the memorial—a beautiful obelisk with information on each of the 5 Smith men that led their families—Robert, Samuel, Samuel, Asael and Joseph, Sr. Their faith, patriotism and impact on the area where they lived, fought in the Revolution, and raised strong families was inspiring. Standing room only. We got to attend that one, and it was a real treat.

The third event was a special Stake conference in Exeter, NH. We sort of invited ourselves to that one. (Had to swap a mission car). We all laughed when he said, at age 93, he has macular degeneration, and can’t see his notes so well. So sometimes he just makes things up. But we all teared up when he spoke of fulfilling an assignment to restore priesthood blessings to an invalid man in the hills of Missouri who could move nothing except his eyes. He’d been outside the Church for many years, but a faithful wife supported him and loved him as he sought to return to fellowship. When President Ballard and the Stake President had finished restoring his priesthood, they asked his wife if she wanted a blessing, too. She agreed, and as they prepared to administer it, they stopped. Theirs was not the appropriate place. They lovingly placed her husband’s hands on her head, and a marvelous blessing was given. He didn’t elaborate more than that, but you felt that it was the perfect blessing. What great faith and example.

So, we were blessed with the teachings and example of this great man over those days. We are so grateful to have been there and soaked it in. If you check out the Church News online, look for coverage of the weekend. You’ll even see a picture of Mom/Grandma looking at the Smith Memorial!

Another fun event was to participate in a tour of Exeter and Portsmouth, NH with the Mission President and Sister Beck and the other senior couples, led by a local couple, the Smarts. Turns out he is a retired Army LTC and served in the Medical Service Corps (MSC). We found we both are friends with Jim and Sarah Olson, originally from Vernon, UT, but now in Maryland, who was also MSC. (We were stationed at Fort Bragg 1979-1982, and met the Olson’s in the Fayetteville First Ward, where Jim and I served as Seventies (Stake Missionaries)). The Smart’s retired in Exeter with two special needs sons, and for 6 hours we toured the historical parts of Portsmouth, saw beaches and monuments we hadn’t seen, and enjoyed seafood lunches together. A fun, and surprising day.

Well, I told Mom she could put her spin on the month’s events. We did have two Zone Conferences, the last with the Becks before we bid them farewell the end of this month. July will be crazy getting our new MP and companion in and out with their “Meet and Greets”. Another set of transfers this month that we’ll report on.

If I don’t share with you before, please keep Grandma Great in your prayers. She fell and broke 3 ribs and will be convalescing for a long while. Send her a card.

Hope she’s all healed up for the August celebration. Let us know how your plans
are coming.

Love, Dad/Mark

Hello All,

It's funny how after I read what Dad has shared, I really can't think of anything to add. I was there, I participated in the same things and I don't need to write about them again.

Dad mentioned that we had 2 zone conferences- instead of the usual 3. So both conferences were larger numbers. Pres & Sister Beck shared life advice with the missionaries as part of their last messages to them. Good advice - some we have heard before and some were new thoughts to ponder -

➢ Remember what you want most not just in the moment
➢ Always go straight to the source with your questions. Especially gospel
questions
➢ Choose to Believe – pray, read your scriptures, Pay attention to revelation
you receive Trust in His timing. Stay safe - Hold to that Iron rod - there is nothing of value in the great and spacious building
➢ “If we don't choose Jesus Christ first, in the end, it will not matter what you have chosen instead”
➢ For the rest of your life do these 3 things:
• Study the gospel for 30 minutes everyday
• Commit to 2 temple sessions every month (A session = 1 endowment or 10 initiatories or10 sealings)
• Remember your relationship with God through prayer
➢ Promises for doing those things:
• You will receive more blessings than you imagine
• You will never leave the covenant path

Lots of food for thought in all the events we've participated in lately. Hope it doesn't sound too preachy. Good thoughts/reminders that we wanted to share with our family - because we love you all.

Summer is finally making its way to New England. Which means more beach time and more checking out places we want to see while the weather is decent. Visited a new (to us) lighthouse one afternoon - Bug Light built in 1875. Such a charming design and small light. One afternoon dad and I found a place along a lake nearby and set up chairs and read and enjoyed the sunshine. It was a nice relaxing afternoon. Dad didn't even get any phone calls about cars - which was great because there has been more than enough of those lately. (gas cards that don't work, tiwis falling off the windshield, fender benders and worse - even Elder B aka wormtail had a run in with a semi truck tire that damaged a mission vehicle and is now in the shop for repairs - always something) The covered bridge picture is the longest wooden bridge in the United States and the longest 2 span covered bridge in the world first built in 1856! Some of the things we see, while just driving along.

Sometime this summer we will head to the northern edge of Vermont in Burlington and meet up with Ben and Chantale Hagar, Army friends, for lunch. They are from Plattsburgh and spend some of their summer on one of the lakes up there. They will come across Lake Champlain on the ferry to meet us. We are looking forward to seeing and catching up with them.

We are also looking forward to family events this summer. I think you know that we did receive approval for travel outside the mission - so we are making plans to make that happen. Short, sweet trips but we will get to see you!

I think this is a thorough enough update for now.

Hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your summer. I know each family has issues and events that they are dealing with. Know that we think of you all the time and are in our prayers everyday. Stay close to each other and to us.

Love you so much,

Mom