A fresh Start to a New Year

Hello "sister" missionaries,
 
It was great to get your emails and hear how you both are doing.  Erin made me laugh with her and her Comp. for Ecuador who rocked the streets of Lima.  Just think Erin, in less that a month you can be doing that for real.  After you learn the language, the missionary work is a lot more fun than studying the language all day long.  We were sorry to hear that one Elder went home.  I'm sure if he would have stuck it out he would have been fine.
 
That girl that Whitney referred the missionaries to who got baptized before Christmas name is Emily Anderson.  So Whit has 2 baptisms under her belt in 5 months as a member.  She is an example to all of us.  She and Tricia went back to school at 5:00 am this morning.  I am always glad when she leaves and I think she and Cody spend too much time together when they are here.  They both need to go to BYUI and find a nice return missionary up there to date.
 
Last night about 8:30 we were done with FHE and scriptures and prayers and were getting ready for bed and a knock came at our door.  Cody did not want to open it as he thought it might be for him.  I could see a cardboard thing on the front porch with Cody's name on it, so we turned off all the lights and sat there and watched out the windows and front door to see if we could catch them.  Cody snuck outside behind the bushes where the Jimenez and our property lines are and waited.  He saw a head pop up behind a pickup by the Johnson's house so he snuck down there and saw Romney Goulding running.  AJ Jordan was with her and he blind folded Cody and asked if he saw her.  Cody said yes, so AJ said just act like you didn't.  Any way Romney is asking Cody to Sadies.  She had a picture of her as a baby and said she has been waiting to ask him to Sadies ever since she was a baby and to watch tomorrow how see was dressed to see how she had changed.  Mom said it was her curiosity that allowed Cody to catch them.  Just like a arsonist who lights the fire and always stays around to see people's reaction.  They never leave.  Romney was the same way, if they would have left, Cody would have never known.  Cody said he is "native" and can catch anyone.  It was fun though.
 
Mom and the girls and cody and Whit went to Frozen on Thursday night.  That is a new disney movie.  The girls really liked it.
 
Cody played well in their games Friday and Sat.  He had 0 points on Friday, did not shoot the ball once and 8 points on Sat.  3 for 3 from the field and 2 for 3 from the line.  Sat. game was against Dayton and that great running back and linebacker for Dayton played for them, so the motivated Cody to play well.  He wanted to guard that guy. Cody says he is going to have to start lifting again as that guy was bigger and stronger than Cody and Cody did not  like that.  Klekas does not want Cody to lift weights during the bball season.
 
On new years day, Cody and I went out to the archery range to meet up with those guys and we took some old bows (one of Cleons and one they gave Cody there at the range) and we took some old arrows and went around and shot the animal targets.  It was a ton of fun.  I haven't shot at the range for many many years.  We both had a blast.
 
Well as mom said, I have been called to serve in the bishopric again.  I think I am more nervous now than I was when I was younger for this calling.  I have more time obligations now than I had back then and I believe my time is more limited.  I felt more relaxed after I was set apart.  Bishop Bryce is President Shumways nephew and when he was bearing his testimony, he reached back and grabbed a hymn book to read the words out of a song, and President Lewis said, holly smokes, he really is a Shumway.  President Lewis gave Bishop Bryce a wonderful blessing.  One thing he blessed him with is that he would remember the names and needs of all his ward members and then when he is released he would be blessed with the gift of forgetfulness, that he would not remember any of the problems, issues, etc that he had delt with for the members of ward.  I thought that was neat.
 
Well, I hope you have a great week.  Elko bball plays Spring Creek at Elko tomorrow, so we will see how that game goes.  We should beat them badly but you never know.  I go down to Pahrump on Wed. to meet with students.  I had to wait and go to the bball game and leave the next day.
 
We love you two and are so happy to have 2 daughters on missions.  We pray for your success daily and know that you are both great missionaries.  Have a super week.
 
Love Dad

My Dear Sister Missionaries,

We had a great, relaxing Christmas Break, but now we are back to school and our regular schedule.  Summer and Carly were actually really happy to return to school, Cody wasn't looking forward to the homework.  We played our game on New Years Eve and Cody cleaned up.  He could not,not roll a 7 or 11. ( Whitney came over and played too.)  He was pretty cocky about it.  We had a lot of fun.  Addie was really into it.  She picked out all the gifts she wanted first, and had a hard time realizing she had to win them.  She was so funny...very dramatic with every roll.  She was happy with her "Yard of Chocolate" (it was a box of chocolates in a 2x36 inch box).  We went to bed about 11pm, quite the partiers.  Cody went to AJ's house for a team party, and came home right after.  On New Years's Morn, when Dad and I were out delivering papers, the guy from the archery club called Cody and said to go over to the club and he would show him how to make the new targets that he is doing for his Eagle Project.  He may get all the YM involved this week at Mutual and get it done.   Yeah!

The boys played South Tahoe on Fri--blew them out by 40pts and then Dayton on Sat. and we took care of them too.  Cody played pretty well.  They put the bench in so he sat much of the 4th quarter.  Erin, I saw Mckayla Johnson at the game and I told her your email.  She said she was sorry you two didn't get to get together before you left.  It was fun to be at an Elko Basketball game, with all the people, the band and lots of fans.  Martin Harris wrote and article in the paper last week saying Elko's Centennial gym was one of the best gym atmospheres possibly in the state.  FYI, he is the new bishop of the 1st ward.  Bishop Mulestein is moving to UT.  While bringing up Bishoprics,  ours was released on Sun. and Josh Bryce was put in as our new Bishop, with Mason Simons retained as 1st counc. and your very own Dad as the 2nd counc.  Bishop and Sis. Talbot had a hard time with it.  He and Clancy left for Eureka so Clancy could start school today.  The rest of the family will go in a few weeks.

Tricia Ogle had her baptism on Sat. night.  Whitney gave the talk on Baptism, and did a great job.  There was  a lot of people there, about half were nonmembers.  The missionaries (Martindale and Prescott) had Tricia bare  her testimony at the end and it was so gooood, and sincere.  They asked how you were doing Erin, so we gave them an update.  Her Aunt gave the talk on the Holy Ghost and I really liked something she said.  She said there was a point when she was struggling and was questioning her faith.  She prayed and asked, "Heavenly Father are you really there?"  She said she felt/ heard in her heart, 'Go outside and look up'.  She said she had always loved looking at the stars and that they had always made her feel close to God and awed by the expanse of the sky.  When she went out and looked up, there was cloud cover and you couldn't see the stars, then she said she felt/heard the spirit say, 'You can't see them, but you know they are there.'

Well, it's clear and cold.  We don't have any snow except in the shade, and it 's NIPPY!  I hope you are both continuing to do wonderful.  We got your Christmas Card Amber.  I loved the picture.  I used it on the table for my RS lesson on Sunday.  It is framed and has a prominant place in the living room now.  (Amba, sent a painted picture of two women, looked like sisters--one had the scriptures in her hand, and the other had fruit.  She had drawn missionary name tags on each one and they represented the two Nielsen sister missionaries.   Loved it!, Love you two, Love, Mom