"THE" Phone Call, Mother's Day Tradition and "Way to Go, Laura! Way to Go!"

The Phone Call

Sunday, was a great day of anticipation.  We were all so excited to be able to talk to Andrew.  He called us about 11 am and gave us a number to call.  It didn't go through, so he called back 5 minutes later and confirmed the number, it went through but not to the right place, since I don't speak Portuguese I'm sure the poor person on the other end of the line was quite confused when I kept repeating "Hello, Elder Millett?"  The person just kept saying "Hoy," then "Hello" over and over again.  I was starting to get FRANTIC!  Then the thought occurred to us to try another phone.   And sure enough that was the problem.  Our portable phone was dialing the wrong number.  So the phone call went through and Andrew's wonderful voice was on the line.  He sounded so good.  He was struggling with speaking in English and coming up with the English words for what he wanted to tell us.  At one point when he was talking to Laura he said several sentences in Portuguese before he realized he wasn't speaking in English to her.  He is doing well.  He says he is happy to be where he's at and they are having success with Baptisms in their area.  He feels he's learning a lot and is really happy that the Zone Leaders have moved into his apartment, before that he was the only American among 7 other Elders.  Other than needing new shoes and a new electric razor things are going pretty well also.  We got to talk for 40 minutes - we could hear his companion in the background on occasion, he couldn't help but add his comments every once in a while, though he is a native Brazilian.   When it was time to say goodbye, it was really hard to say our I love you s and even harder to put the phone back on the receiver.  We are so grateful for Andrew's example and the blessing all of us have had and continue to have because of his service.

A Mother's Day Tradition

On the Saturday before Mother's Day when Laura was about 4 years old, Mike came in the house with 2 corsage boxes.  I commented on the fact that he had 2 and wondered if he was planning on driving up to see his mom to take her the corsage.  He told me that the 2nd corsage wasn't for his mother, but for Laura, it an exact miniature version of mine.  He said, that he wanted her to understand from an early age that motherhood was a special thing and that she had the attributes to become a great mother.  Every year since, he has purchased Laura and myself matching corsages, but now that she is a young lady her corsage is the same size as mine.  I love that tradition and how it reminds her and me as she faces the trials in her own life, that she is a beloved daughter of God, with divine attributes, and that is something we both share.

"Way to Go, Laura! Way to Go!"

8th Grade Cheer Squad - Spring 2009

This group is small in number.  At the beginning of the season there were 14 girls on the squad, but, due to different things, like attitudes, grades, 9th hour and etc., by the last game of the season they were down to 4 girls.  We are proud of Laura for enduring to the end of the season despite its many trials.
Laura was given a trophy for the most outstanding cheerleader - she was told she showed great leadership, worked hard and had a great attitude.  Way to go, Laura!  Dad and Mom are proud of you!