going to california

Hello Sister Nielsen,
 
How was you week?  Were you able to attend the world wide training session yesterday?  We ( Con, Cody, Erin and Me) went to it and I thought it was great.  I loved all the video segments, the conversion story and the teaching we received.  That will be wierd to have missionaries on facebook, etc.  I better learn how to use it.
 
We had typical week.  Not too much of any excitement.  Cody went to Boise, ID thurs thru sat for a bball tourney.  I believe they went 6 and 1.  The team they lost to was the Idaho State 5A runner up last year.  So it appears they are doing well.  Klekas bothers me, the way he acts.  I guess in 1 of their games for warm ups, Cody did not touch the half court mark, and Klekas did not play him the entire 1st half and 1/2 through the 2nd half.  Then he started yelling at him on the bench, saying that he does not respect him as a coach, etc.  Did someone not tell him you have to earn respect???  Any way, that ticked me off, here we are paying lots of money for these 'team camps' and then he does not play him for not touching the half court line.   Some times I feel like just telling Cody to bag basketball and concentrate on the other sports.
 
I was listening to a general conference from April 2004 last week and came across this story and really like it.  It has to do with Sister missionaries, so I thought you would like it.  The talk is from D. Todd Christopherson.  It is about members coming converted to the gospel, entitled "When thou art converted".
 

In 1992 two sister missionaries in Zagreb, Croatia, were returning to their apartment one evening. Their last teaching appointment had been some distance away, and it was getting dark. Several men on the trolley made crude comments and became rather menacing. Feeling threatened, the sisters got off the trolley at the next stop just as the doors closed so no one could follow them. Having avoided that problem, they realized they were in a place unknown to either of them. As they turned to look for help, they saw a woman. The missionaries explained that they were lost and asked the woman if she could direct them. She knew where they could find another trolley to take them home and invited them to follow her. On the way they had to pass a bar with patrons sitting along the sidewalk in the gathering darkness. These men also appeared threatening. Nevertheless, the two young women had the distinct impression that the men could not see them. They walked by, apparently invisible to those who might have had a mind to harm them. When the sisters and their guide reached the stop, the trolley they needed was just arriving. They turned to thank the woman, but she was nowhere to be seen. ¹⁸

These missionaries were furnished a guide and other blessings to protect them physically. As you become converted, you will have comparable protections to keep you from temptation and deliver you from evil. ¹⁹ Sometimes evil will not find you. Sometimes you will be protected when evil is made invisible to you. Even when you must confront it directly, you will do so with faith, not fear.

 
We had the 2 new sister missionaries over for dinner yesterday.  They are really nice.  Yesterday was a crazy busy day.  I had missionary correlation meeting at 8:30 am, church at 11:00 and the leadership meeting at 3:00, the sister missionaries over for dinner at 5:00 and then an Eagle court of honor for Brendan Smith at 7:00, and FHE at 8:30.
 
Cody left for scout camp this morning.  So I was smoking jerky late last night and early this morning.  He will be gone all week, comes home friday night and leave for a bball camp to Gonzaga, Sat. morning.  We are going to Cal, for Sarah Croft's wedding reception this weekend.  So we will not see him for a week and a half.
 
Erin starts a new job tonight at Costa Vida?? A mexican fast food joint new in town.  So she will not go to Cal with us either.
 
I drew an elk depredation tag and a deer tag this year, and Cody got a deer tag.  My elk tag is in the Ruby Mtns so I need to start scouting, it opens Aug. 1st.
 
Well have a super duper week.  We love you and pray for you daily.  It will be interesting to see how the new president runs things.
 
Love Dad

Dearest Sis. Nielsen,

What did you think of the world wide training?  I presume your new mission president was amongst the group of new mission presidents and their wives.  I was wondering when he takes over, will he have the same policy as Pres. Dalton, in that you will have at least one transfer off Oahu?  I guess you will find out.  That was a pretty awesome broadcast.  It tells me we need to get going at be a partner to the full time missionaries.  I have a lady in mind of someone I think would be a good person to extend an invitation to.  I would see her everyday when I would cross guard, and we would chat briefly.  She and her 8th grade daughter like to read... perfect!

 I heard a funny story from our ward mission leader.  A woman that the missionaries had been teaching was getting baptized and their had been a baptism before, but they had let the drain open and so there wasn't enough water, so they started to fill it again, but it wasn't very deep, but their was another baptism after her and it was going to run into their scheduled time if they didn't get her in.  They tried 3 times to get her under with about 2 and a half feet of water, but they couldn't get her all under.  So, their solution was to get a bunch of big missionaries(a couple Polynesians) suit them up in jumpsuits and add them to the font to help bring up the water level, and it worked!  

 I sent you a letter, it came back, so I remailed it.  I hope you get it before today.  It explained my delinquency  of last week's missing letter.  I basically was trying to catch up from camp, and waited too long to get on the computer.  We are going to California this thurs. for our summer visit, and because Sarah Croft, now Nightingale (isn't that a great last name for an artist?)  is having her reception there at their new country house.  It's a breakfast-- the event is from 9-11 am.  That's kind of fun and different.  The little girls are sooooooo  excited.  They have already packed their little bags.  Dad is going with us, but not Cody, he is at scout camp and then comes home friday night and leaves the next morning for basketball camp at Gonzaga with the EHS team.  Erin got a job at the new Costa Vida, and she has training all this week and then on Sat. they invited all the families of the employees to go down and let them practice serving on real people, it's FREE, but we will be in Cailf.  Boo Hoo.  So, she will be home, and not go either.  Remember those fun times in Calif. and all the hours we would spend swimming and going places? Sweet memories, I wonder if we'll go anywhere?  They are buzzing about going to Marine World, because they were both too small to really go on much when we went the last time.  When was the last time you went to visit G&G Croft?  Was it when we went to San Fran, and got blown away on the fort,  and went to the really cold beach?

I have been enjoying the more relaxed summer schedule, I hardly wear make-up because I really don't plan to go anywhere.  I am getting the yard nice for when I host bookclub  in the backyard next month.   It's Hawaiian themed and Summer and Carly are going to dress cute and serve.

I'm glad to hear crusty Carl got baptized, keep up your awesome efforts.  We love you so much and love bragging about you.  We don't know why you feel like you haven't paid us enough attention on birthdays etc.  We are Nielsens--other things are more important.  

Erin and I are planning to go to BYU Education Week.  It's her turn now.  I told her it's like EFY for adults.

Have a great week!  Love, Mom

PS.  I have all your bills paid up from you WF credit card, so no worries.