Update on Tongwa

As I keep reviewing the blessings of the past year, I can't help but think of others who don't have the privilege of living in this great country, and who don't enjoy the wonderful comforts of life that we are accustom to.  I wanted to give you an update on our friend Alan who travelled back to the small African village of Tongwa recently.  While there he  finished building a school; built desks; purchased boats for the children from other villages to travel up the lake in so they could attend school (noticed he painted them school bus yellow); obtained "homes" for the school teachers; made some swings; purchased medications that saved who knows how many lives; and numerous other projects.  While there is so much heartache in this village, it is absolutely a MIRACLE that he was able to accomplish what he did under the circumstances that are present in Tongwa.  As he shares his experiences you can't help but recognize the hand of God in this work.  During the past four years, he has spent the equivalent of one year living in the village, away from his wife and family here in Utah.  I have always prayed to be able to go to Africa to help the children there and maybe someday I will.  But for now I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to help from afar.   Alan is already dreaming of his next trip back to the village.  He is hoping to take some medical people with him to help in the "clinic" that he has built and stocked with supplies.  Working in the medical field, I hope that I can help facilitate this.  Alan presented me with a small piece of African wood that came from the wood that he purchased to build the desks for the school.  It will always be a treasured gift. Please keep Alan, his family,  and the village people in your prayers.  To those of you who contributed to this trip, please remember the words of our Savior; "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  May you be blessed for your charity.

Village of Tongwa.

School Alan built which also serves now as a church.  Children come from other villages by boat to attend school.  It takes these children 2-3 hours to get to Tongwa.  There is also 120 people coming to attend church which is under the direction of a couple of christian missionaries.

We sent some crayons and coloring books with Alan.  He wrote to me how he carried around one last box of crayons to give to just the right child.  This the the orphan girl he gave the crayons to.  He told of how excited she was.   

Alan owns this "home" in the village.  You can tell that it is a favorite "hang out"!

Alan's home all decked out for Christmas!

Child sitting on the suitcase of clothes that we sent for Alan to distribute to the orphans. 

Girl's modeling their new wears!  

These are a couple of the boats Alan was able to purchase for the children.  For those of you that aren't familiar with  CTR, it stands for "Choose the Right".  These people are used to practicing witchcraft and Alan felt like they needed  something to remind them of their new found christian beliefs.

I Have Been Blessed!

I am a firm believer that recognizing one's blessings and having a grateful heart is one of the keys that opens the windows of heaven to much joy and happiness.  I do not believe that we are "lucky" we are only "blessed" from a God who loves us more than we can comprehend.  I just couldn't let this year go by without acknowledging some of my most cherished  and heartfelt blessings/memories from 2008!  This year has been an amazing journey, from small, simple moments that warmed the heart to once in a life time experiences.  The following are only a handfull, but there isn't room to share them all.   I read a Danish Proverb the other day that says....Children are a poor man's wealth.  No material wealth could ever bring the joy and happiness that comes from being with family.  In addition to wonderful children and grandchildren, I am supported by a very kind, loving husband.  Happy New Year - I love you all!

It has taken Addison a while to get to know us as we don't get to see them all that often.  So it brought me real happiness when she came up and sat on my lap recently.  I've made a goal to try and get down to Lehi a little more often this next year.

Whenever Marlon comes to town, it's a must to go bowling.  The kids get a lane and the adults get another.  We aren't great but what we lack in skill we make up for in fun just spending time together.  

We had our Thanksgiving dinner a few days early since that's when we have everyone home. There is nothing that brings more joy to my heart than having all of my children and grandchildren together under one roof!

We miss seeing our loved ones!  It's a long drive and we are grateful that Daddy and Shirley are still able to make the trip.  What a great time we had.

If you are afraid of heights, this might not be the activity for you, but I thought it was awesome. Keri Beth was a little bit hesitant, but she found the courage to go with us.  What a fun trip we had visiting Mary, Cam, and Husdson in their new home in Missouri.

While in St. Louis with Mary, we were able to take a 2 1/2 hour trip north to Nauvoo, one of the top thing to do on my "bucket list".  I am so grateful for those who came before and the message of faith and determination that they left for each of us.  I hope we can leave the same legacy for our posterity!

We were blessed to finally meet Marlon's  beautiful girlfriend Daniella.  She is a sweetheart. On a later trip she brought her darling daughter Dalene with her.  Mason and Dalene have become great friends.  We hope to see them again real soon!

It's still hard to believe that we actually went to China.  Being in the "Bird's Nest" with all of the wonderful people from Beijing was an experience we will forever hold dear to our hearts.  Words cannot describe what we felt while visiting this country!

"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see"  John W. Whitehead.  Our newest grandchild was born just a week before we left for Beijing, baby Drew.  How grateful we were to be able to hold her before we got on a plane and flew half around the world.  Her birth 2 weeks early was a testimony to me that God knows the righteous desires of our hearts and wants to bless us.

This was the second year that McKayla raised a lamb for the fair.  She is so tiny that it takes every ounce of her to keep a firm hold of her lamb.  She always does so well and it's always so fun cheering her on.  It's a lot of work but this year her lamb sold for $750.00!

California here we come, all 13 of us! We had 7 adults (including a pregnant woman), 3 children, 1 toddler, 2 infants, 3 strollers and car seats, and all of our luggage!  Thanks everyone for being such good sports.

What fun it was to gather at the ball park this past summer to watch Maddi play ball.  It was amazing to see how much she improved from the beginning of the season to the end.  We were so proud of her!

As I looked at this picture I thought of how  children walk in our footsteps.  Hopefully we are taking the opportunity to make this world a better place for them to be.  Marlie is a character as you can see!

Holding a new grand baby is always a sacred experience.  It was hard to imagine that "our baby" Mary, now had a baby of her own.  His name is Hudson and he was born on June 1, 2008.

While we were waiting for Mary to have her baby, the family all gathered at Willow Park to pass the time.  As it turned out, Tim and Kim ended up having to go home before baby Hudson was born by C-section later on that night.

Our first cruise...and Daddy's 80th birthday.  No cooking or cleaning, I could get used to this lifestyle very quickly.  I don't know about the other's but I had a blast!  We  reflected on days long past that brought back some special memories while making new ones at the same time.

While on our cruise, I got to fulfill another one of the dreams on my "bucket list".  As you can see, I swam with the dolphins!

The memory of watching Mary receive her diploma from Utah State in Elementary Education, still brings tears to my eyes.  She worked so hard, and what you can't tell from this picture is that she is 8 1/2 months pregnant!

We surprised Marlon on his 30th birthday back in April at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.  First off he did not know we were coming and then we surprised him with a party! What an experience to be at the Training Center with so many amazing athletes! 

One of my favorite things to do is to sit in front of the fireplace where it is warm, snuggled up with a good book and baby (Marlie).  I wish they stayed little longer!

As soon as I get out my mixer, there is sure to be helping hands wanting to share the experience of making bread or rolls.   On this day, Mason was my big helper!  The simple joys of watching their excitement to help always brings a smile to my face.

Thanks everyone for the wonderful year of memories.  I look forward to 2009!