In the field

Hi Landon and Mason! 

How was your last week?  We hope and pray all is going well in your part of the world.  We think about you constantly and feel blessed because of your service.  

I saw this the other day at Swiss Days in Midway and it made me think of you guys.  You both commented that you were hungry the first week out in the field, so I thought this we relatable for you both.   Are you still hungry at times?  I am sure it's normal cause you walk so much.  Hopefully you are finding things to eat for breakfast that hold you over for awhile and maybe some snacks you can buy that you can eat while you are out and about.  

So it was a busy week here at home.  Some of the things going on this week were:

-Jacob had a flag football game.  It was a close game but they ended up losing.
-The annual ward picnic was the same time as the football game, so dad, Lydia and Jacob went to the picnic, and I took Jacob to the game.  There was a good turn out to the picnic which was good, but I think Dad spent most of the time at the park watching Grace go up and down the slide.
-Tracy Biddulph stayed at our house for two nights while Madison got settled at BYU.  We had been storing her stuff since around the time Landon left so I helped them move it all in to the apartment in Provo.  She didn't get priority housing so she is in an apartment by Provo library.  It was pretty quiet when we moved her in.  I think most of her roommates will be older classmates.  None the less she is excited to be at BYU.
-We went to Swiss Days!  For Labor Day weekend we decided we would go to Bear Lake with the Findlays.  We went through Heber instead of Logan.  It was Swiss Days so we decide to stop for dinner and see if we could eat anything that maybe Mason might be eating in Germany.  (We have plans to find the Chilean restaurant in Utah County to see what Landon is eating soon).   Well the food was more American than Swiss they just put swiss in front of every title to make it sound Swiss. For example: Swiss tacos, Ham and Swiss Sandwiches etc.  The one thing they did have was close to a german sandwich was a sandwich with a sausage, sauerkraut, and pickles.  So that is what we ordered.  It was yummy and we thought about the food our two missionaries eat while we enjoyed.  

Below are some pictures from Swiss Days

Then it was off to Bear Lake for the weekend.  We slept in a tent for 3 nights and luckily it never rained on us.  The weather was cool at night and hot during the day.  

Below: Tree climbing and ham-mocking  

Lydia and Jacob slept in your guys tent and Grace, Dad and I in the big tent.  

Below: Gracie showering outside the Findlay's trailer (she thought it was funny)

Dad and Chris dutch oven cooking....

Lots of tubing

 Dad and Chris went up in the hills on the four wheelers.

On our way back home we stopped by to see Grandpa Nielsen
 He was doing alright.  He has a hard time remembering things.  But he did know who you are.  He had your high school announcements next to his bed with your mission pictures on them.  We talked about you guys and I showed him pictures of you with your companions.

Do you remember going to church in Bear Lake two years ago?  It's like going to Stake Conference but it's full of out of town guests.  We went this last Sunday and it was about the same.  Full chapel, gym, stage, and every classroom was full of people watching the sacrament meeting being broadcasted from the chapel.  It was interesting because we had a general authority there that was also on vacation and was visiting the ward.  It was Elder Jorg Klebingat.

It was a really neat meeting because it was Fast and Testimony meeting.  

Several people got up but three individuals stood out:  one gentleman with lots of tattoos wearing a t-shirt and jeans, another wearing a Hawaiian shirt, and another wearing a shirt/tie and jeans.   All three of them spoke about being away from the church and recently coming back into activity and changing their lives around.  You could tell that some had lived a rough life and others had distanced themselves from the church.  All spoke sweet testimonies of the blessing the gospel brings in to our lives when we live it.  

At the end Elder Kelbingat got up (he was sitting on the stand).  He welcomed these individuals back and told of his own conversion story of how he was an 18 year old in Germany, loved AC/DC  and other hard rock bands and looked nothing like a member of the church.  When he became interested in the gospel he went to a military branch in Germany and they loved and welcomed him into the fold.  From then on he became a changed man because of his conversion. 

This meeting was a reminder to me of the importance of your work on your mission.  How much the gospel blesses our lives and our families lives and how important it is to find and bring back our Saviors lost sheep.  You never know how someone's lives will be changed from a lesson you teach, or an act of service you perform.  

You are doing a great work and we are so proud of you!!  We miss you both very much, but we won't want you doing anything else.  We LOVE you dearly!!! 

Love, MOM