15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
7/2/17
Hi Tyrell,So we went and saw Transformers the last knight. It was soo good and really funny. We went on a hike on Saturday at Bell Canyon Reservoir. Not much happened this week just going to the Seven Peaks pool and free lunch. Wait one more thing, I had a rugby party on Wednesday and we went to the Centennial pool and had food under a pavilion. The food was good and there was homemade cookies and they were soooo yummy, there was also a very yummy otai. That's all I did this week, hope you had a great week too. Well, I wish you good luck as you move forward on your mission.
Love, Jaxon XOXO
Hello Tyrell,
I hope you had a great week! We went hiking yesterday. The day before yesterday, we went to the movies to watch the new Transformers, then we went swimming at Seven Peaks, then we went to Arctic Circle, we did a lot of fun stuff on your birthday. On Thursday, we went to free lunch, then I think we went to the pool, then went to Grandma’s house, then Erana, dad, and me went to Shauna Morley’s house for activity days which was a pool party. Wednesday, we played at Talia’s house, then Talia slept over. Today, Grandma and Talia came over for dinner, then we went over to Grandma’s house for dessert. I hope you have a great week, stay safe! I love you!
Love, Leila XOXO
Hi Tyrell,
I went to church. Talia, Grandma came over for dinner. I hope you had a happy Happy Birthday. Love, Erana xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Hey Big Bro,
Thanks for sending me your piano songs. It brought back a lot of nostalgia. Do you know when Tyler comes home from his mission? And Rhett? I really hope you guys sing a song together when y’all come home like you did with Photograph. I think you guys should cover “Castle on the Hill” when y'all come back, but change some of the lyrics. If you and Tyler do the cover, the message would be about returning home and recalling your memories as friends before you went on your mission. That would be cool. And then keep doing Ed Sheeran covers haha. Anyways, I wanted to show you this amazing story Elder Holland shared. I know it’s kind of long but it is worth your time. Here it is:
Elder Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke on June 27, the fourth day of the 2017 Seminar for New Mission Presidents being held at the Provo Utah Missionary Training Center. His topic was “the Divine Companionship.”
Elder Holland closed by relating a story — being careful to protect the privacy and anonymity of the participants — of a young man from southern Idaho. One night the young man stormed out of the house and set off to join an infamous motorcycle gang. He succeeded in that resolve and for 20 years became immersed in a culture “of temptations yielded to and degradations explored,” never contacting his parents, who feared that he was dead. Eventually ending up in Southern California, he one day was sitting on the porch of a rented home when he saw two LDS missionaries making their way up the street.
“With a rush of memory and guilt, regret and rage, he despised the very sight of them,” Elder Holland recounted. “But he was safe, because he kept all visitors at bay by employing two Doberman Pinschers who viciously charged the gate every moment that anyone came near.”
The dogs startled the missionaries as they passed by and continued on, “our man on the porch laughing at the lovely little drama he had just witnessed, wishing only that the gate hadn’t restrained his two dogs.”
Then, the two elders stopped, looked at each other, conversed a little, “likely said a silent prayer,” then turned around and approached the gate.
“The Dobermans on cue charged the gate again, hit it, snarling, frothing, and then stopped in their tracks,” Elder Holland said. “They looked at the missionaries, dropped their heads, ambled back to the front steps and lay down.”
The man on the porch was speechless as the missionaries opened the gate, walked up the path and greeted him.
“One of the elders said, ‘Are you from this part of California?’
“The man said, ‘No. If you want to know, I’m from Pocatello, Idaho.’
“There was a pause. ‘That’s interesting,’ the elder said. ‘Do you know the [such-and-such] family in Pocatello?’
“With a stunned look, our biker paused, and then, in very measured words, said, ‘Yeah, I know them. They are my parents.’
“ ‘Well, they’re my parents too,’ the missionary said. ‘God has sent me to invite you to come home.’ ”
The younger brother had been born after the older boy had left home. The elder brother did not even know of him.
“Mom and Dad have been praying for you every morning and night for 20 years,” the younger brother said. “They were not sure you were alive, but they knew if you were, that someday you would come back to us.”
The wayward son invited the two in, and they talked for the rest of the day and some of the night. He did return home, returned to Church activity and, in March 2015, was married and sealed in the Boise Idaho Temple.
Commenting on the account, Elder Holland said, “This is a story of the role of Almighty God, the Savior of the World, and the Holy Ghost involved in the work of the ministry to which we’ve been called.
“The Holy Ghost prompted those parents to keep praying, to keep believing, to keep trusting. … The Holy Ghost inspired that rebellious boy to come to himself like the prodigal he was and to head for California. … The Holy Ghost influenced that younger son to serve a mission and be willing to accept a call to Southern California. … The Holy Ghost inspired one of my brethren in the Twelve, who was on the assignment desk that Friday, to trust his impression and assign that young man for service not a great distance from his native-born state. The Holy Ghost inspired that mission president to assign that young missionary to that district and that member unit. The Holy Ghost led those missionaries to that street, that day, that hour, with big brother sitting on the porch waiting, and, with Doberman Pinschers notwithstanding, the Holy Ghost prompted those two elders to stop, talk and in spite of their fear, to go back and present their message. And, through the elders, the Holy Ghost taught repentance and brought true conversion to one coming back into the fold.”
Elder Holland said the young elder, without realizing it, gave the missionary speech of all time, when he said to his brother, “God has sent me here to invite you to come home.”
“We are sent by God to invite His children home,” Elder Holland concluded. “We do that through the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, on the strength of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Welcome to the divine companionship.”
I hope you had time to read the story. I’m positive that you are where you are supposed to be right now. Be safe and I love you! I’m expecting your reply. -Mina (Elder Holland has since retracted this story as he found out one family member had embellished it so some parts of it did not happen).
Hi Son,
Hope you got both your packages, and hope the things in them were the right stuff. Did you have a very special Birthday? I hurriedly bought the stuff you wanted and tried to mail it out asap so it will get to you in time, but I thought of writing something in your journal after I mailed it lol So hopefully you can glue your card in it. This past week just went swimming, had Talia over a bit, she’s staying with Grandma while her family is in Brazil. Uncle Scott’s family went to London/Paris on vacation. We had Grandma & Talia here for Sunday dinner. Grandma still has an affected kidney, keep her in your prayers. We’re watching the ‘Patriot’ right now for ‘Independence Day’. We’re gonna go over to Uncle Jody’s to celebrate on Tuesday night, the last time will be there for a family get together because they are selling the house and moving to Provo. Don’t stress about your position just do the best you can and the Lord will help and bless you! We love you, Mum and Dad xxx
7/9/17
Hi Tyrell,
We had a nice week for the 4th of July. Since it was a holiday for me on Tuesday I also took Monday off so I had a 5 day weekend. Monday I went on a bike ride to Gardner village with the 3 girls. Tuesday we had a ward breakfast in Reva circle, one of the ward neighborhood streets. We also went to Murray park to see the festivities going on. It was a hot, hot day. We went over to Uncle Jody’s at 6pm for dinner and lit fireworks when it was getting dark. It is the last family get together there because they are selling that home. Grandma bought that home in 1987 so it has been in the family for 30 years. There were fireworks going off all over. Friday morning we all went to see Spiderman Homecoming. It was pretty good. I enjoy your letters and hope all is well. Also I just wanted to mention when you are fasting, be wise when the weather is hot. The Lord understands if you limit your walking or biking activities. I say try to make fast sundays a day to visit members as much as you can and not be out in the hot sun where you aren’t drinking water. At least during the summer months. I have heard of missionaries collapsing from heat stroke or dehydration when they are fasting. So just be careful. Did you get both bday packages and we will send you camera later.
Love you so much son, Dad and Mum xxx
Hello Tyrell!
I hope you had a great week! We watched Spiderman Homecoming as a family on Friday, it was a great movie. We went bike riding to Gardner village, and Erana and I got snow cones. Erana, Jaxon, and I went to play at Kage’s house lot’s of times last week. I hope you have a great week! Stay safe, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
Love, Leila XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Hi Tyrell,
We went to watch Spiderman Homecoming. I went to church. Love, Erana xoxoxoxoxox.love you Erana xxxooxx
Hey Big Bro!
Thanks for your piano music, I added it to my spotify playlist. I started playing the ukulele again. I started a song sheet wall that has a lot of song sheets for the Uke. Mostly Ed Sheeran songs of course, and an old song that i’ve found called You Hurt The Ones You Love. I want to learn the guitar but each time i try, my fingers get a cramp haha. I wish I had a guitar teacher to give me lessons. I should be getting braces soon with Leila... Should I get braces or should I save it for traveling? Maybe I should pray about this haha. I have yet to have a full goodnight’s sleep yet this summer. I’m always in bed around midnight and up around 7 everyday. Is this how you feel like? Do you get enough sleep? Oh, and there should be an exciting package sent to you sometime in the future. I don’t know when tho. Haha, well, I miss you and hope you aren’t stressed. Love you - Mina
Hi Tyrell,
Independance day was fun, we were having a competition against the neighbors and the neighbors won. There was yummy food there and no one got hit by the fireworks this year. Afterwards Jonah and Talia slept at our house and we played games and swam at Seven Peaks. I have 13 subscribers on my youtube channel. I know it’s not much but I’m gettin there. I’m doing good in my summer school. And that’s all I have to say, hope you have a great week. And remember to always choose the right.
Love, Jaxon XOXO
I go to sleep around 10 now every night, and wake up at 6:30 every morning to exercise till 7, shower eat breakfast and study from 8-9. At 9 we plan and must be out our doors by 10. Work from 10-9. Must be back in the apartments by 9:30, and in bed by 10:30.
I see you got a new fire pit to.
Looks like fun!
Love you all
Elder Wihongi
Cool video of ya’ll alligator fishing, if you had caught it were you gonna eat it? Dad said you need a license probably. Went camping on friday to Pineview, Mina didn’t come because of work. It looked overcast and rainy on the day we went up. And Jefferson Hunt was flooded so it was closed. So went to find another campsite, ended up at ‘Botts’. We setup our tentsite and our tent, we had a nice spot secluded and near the river. It rained so we hung out in the tent for a little. Then the sun came out and we went to the Lake to lay out. It was really nice so we stayed until 5:30pmish kids were getting bored. Dad made a funny ‘meme’ with the kids, i will have him try to attach it. Grandma is still waiting for her surgery, it's sometime this week. So fast and pray for her too. Last night went to ‘Pacific Island festival’ and had hangi and yummy Otai, Lee Marie Moleni’s father has stage 4 cancer and is going to die, they were selling hangi to fundraise to pay for all the medical bills. Yasmeen Finlayson got her mission call to ‘Argentina’. Well we love hearing from you and hope and pray that you are safe and doing your best. Love Mum and Dad xxx
Hey Big Bro!
Wow! You’ve gotten so tan! Haha, you must always be out in the sun, of course. This week, I saw Dunkirk with some friends. It was cool and suspenseful! I still have been doing tennis. My first game is on the 10th. I also went to the Temple again on Wednesday. I have the orthodontist consultation tomorrow. I have enough money for braces! I’m sorry that you’re polaroid camera is coming late. This week we are painting the mural on the floor! I came up with the design, i’ll try to get a picture of it to you when it’s done! Stay safe, and you’re always in my prayers! Love you -Mina
Hi Tyrell,
This week Dad, Mom, Leila, Erana and I went camping on Friday to Saturday. It was fun I got to try out my new knife, and I got to throw Dad’s hatchet at a tree. When we got back home from camping we went to the pacific island festival to buy some delicious hangi from the Moleni’s. The Finlayson’s were there too. I had too much otai and I was sick on Sunday when I had to give a talk. We’re going to the ward pool party on Friday. That’s everything interesting that happened this week so hope you have a good week.
Love, Jaxon XOXO
Hello Tyrell,
I hope you had a great week! I mostly forgot what I did this week, so my letter is going to be short. Kage and Dray and us went to Seven Peaks last Wednesday. On Thursday, basketball practice was very fun. Friday, we went camping without Mina. We went to the lake when we went camping. The next day, we went to a Polynesian festival, and Kage, Dray, Erana, and I got free backpacks by crossing off a list of islands like the Marshall Islands and Tahiti. I had a normal Sunday today. I hope you have a great week, stay safe! I love you!
Love, Leila XOXO
Hi Tyrell I went to church and learned about choosing the right. Love Erana xoxo
7/10/17
I did get both packages, thank you! :)I go to sleep around 10 now every night, and wake up at 6:30 every morning to exercise till 7, shower eat breakfast and study from 8-9. At 9 we plan and must be out our doors by 10. Work from 10-9. Must be back in the apartments by 9:30, and in bed by 10:30.
I see you got a new fire pit to.
Looks like fun!
Love you all
Elder Wihongi
7/17/17
Hey Big Bro!
On Friday I went on a date to Lagoon, it was fun! Mum and Dad are in New York so we are just chilling at home. They come home tonight. I have enough money to buy braces! Sorry, this is short, i have to go to tennis! Bye Love You! -Mina
Hi Tyrell,
Not much happened this week. Mom and Dad went to New York with Aunty Heather and Uncle Scott on Thursday and are coming back on Monday. On Wednesday I went to Ric Morley's house for a BBQ for Young Mens. On the 18th Me, Mina, and Dad are going to Snowbird for Mutual. Well, that's everything interesting that happened this week. Love you -Jaxon XOXO
Hi Tyrell,
I went to church. Mom and Dad went to New York. What I learned about in church was prayer. Last night we watched Teen Titans Go. Love you -Erana XOXO
Hello Tyrell,
I hope you had a great week! On Tuesday, Kage and Dray played over, then after that we played over at their house. Thursday, Maya played over and we went to free lunch, after that I played over at Kage's house and Jonah was there too, Kage and Dray slept over after the playdate. Two days later, Mina, Jaxon, Erana, and I went to Grandma's for a little while. Then, I had a normal Sunday. I love you Tyrell and I hope you have a great week! Stay safe! Love, Leila XOXOXOXOXO
Hi Son,
Dad & I are in New York City came here Thursday night, we've been doing alot of walking, bus tours & subway rides looking at historical buildings. Went to China town, walked the Brooklyn Bridge at night, went on a ferry to Staten Island, went up Rockefeller tower & walked around in Central Park. Kinda tired & have sore feet! We're here with Scott & Heather it's one of there favorite places. New York is crowded & dirty! It's been ok but I prefer lying on the beach! lol Left kids at home with Mina. Sorry this is short, it's like 2am in NY! We love you Mum & Dad xxx
I went to Snowbird on Wednesday. It was fun, I went onto their slides, roller coaster, and a very fast and super cool zipline. After all that fun we went to a hotel room that Sister Boley owns to eat food there. After I ate I went to the pool with friends at Snowbird. I also saw a big female moose with its baby at Snowbird. I FORGOT TO TELL YOU Grandma Barbara has a tumor on her back so keep her in your prayers, we fasted for her on Sunday. It was Drayden's birthday on Friday so we went to an inside pool for his birthday. While Leila and Erana went with them in the morning to go bowling, Dad, Mom, Mina and I went to go see War for the Planet of the Apes. It was a good movie. They’re making a World War 2 game and they just released a trailer for the Nazi Zombies, and the Nazi Zombies are way scarier than the old ones, obviously. On Thursday we went to Uncle Scott’s house to give Grandma Barbara a blessing. We also gave Joshua a blessing because he was playing basketball with his friends and one of them accidentally broke his nose. I’m going shooting this week with Uncle Jared and we’re shooting sniper rifles and some pistols. OH, Dad and Mom came back from New York just last week and I forgot to tell you. Mom didn’t get me anything, but Dad got me a really cool Captain America Shield fidget spinner. I uploaded Toys of Fury on my Youtube Channel, and it's got 111 views. It’s my second most viewed video on my channel. The one that’s got a lot of views is actually the one that is titled Titanfall 2 Big Brother bought me prime scorch trying it out for first time. It’s got 197 views. Right now I’ve got 16 subscribers so I’m making my way up to a million. Next week is our last day for the Care center. That's everything interesting that happened this week. Wish you good luck. Jaxon XOXO
Hi Tyrell,
I went to church, and I learned about choosing the right. I went to Snowbird and my favorite ride was the roller coaster. And I had a sandwich for dinner. Then when me and Jaxon were heading to the pool we saw a big moose and a baby moose. And there was a hot tub in the pool. The pool was salt water.
Love Erana XOXO
Hello Tyrell,
I hope you had a great week! I had a great week! I went to SnowBird last Wednesday with the young women and young men, it was very, very, fun! We did a lot of crazy stuff at SnowBird. I forgot to tell you that when mom and dad came back from New York, they brought back presents! Erana and I got a kangaroo Ty Beanie Boo, and it’s name was Kipper. I got a t-shirt with Thing 2 on it, OH and this was on Tuesday, before I went to SnowBird. Kage got thing one if you’re wondering. Thursday, Erana and I went to play at Kage’s house (as usual), then after that and Tausala, mom was dropping me off at basketball PRACTICE, but when mom and I went inside, it was a basketball GAME!!!!!!!!! I wasn’t even ready for the basketball game, I didn’t have my knee pads!!! While I was at my basketball game, everyone was at uncle Scott’s house for grandma’s blessing, and you probably know why grandma needs a blessing because you probably read Jaxon’s letter first. On Friday, it was Dray’s 9th birthday, so we went bowling at 10:00, and one of Dray’s friends came too. I won the bowling game, I was very lucky because I thought Jonah was going to beat me, and it was his first time playing!!! The last time I went bowling it was like 5 or 6 years ago. After the bowling game, we played in the arcade for a while then went to Culver’s. Kage, Dray, and Jonah played at our house until 4:00. At 5:00, we went to the West Jordan indoor pool for Dray’s birthday party, it was very fun. Yesterday, mom and dad stained some of our doors and they look way better now. Today, Pioneer Day, I fasted for grandma, and there were so many treats today. In Primary, sister Parker handed out five pieces of taffy for each of us, then in class, I should’ve known it was the day where sister Parker (Diana Parker) would have her homemade butter, the best butter in the world, on crackers for us to try, after the stories we told about our ancestors who were pioneers or ancestors who joined the church. Diana Parker had us try and make butter with a butter churner her mom gave to her, while we were telling our stories, but she already churned some up the day before so that we won’t have to wait for the butter to cool down in this block that forms it. I almost cried because it was only once a year Diana Parker would have her homemade butter in class, and I was going to go into young women’s very soon, so I wouldn’t be able to taste that delicious homemade butter again, and another reason was because Grandma had a tumor on her back and I was worried about her. I wanted to close my fast when I watched my classmates eat that salty butter, and you know how much I love salt. But then I was thinking, over and over again, Grandma is more important than homemade delicious butter. When I was thinking about that, the class was nearly over, and Diana asked,“Would you like me to send some butter and crackers home with you so you can eat it after your fast?”. I was so happy when she said that! After all of that, I got 2 other treats from the bishop’s office. And then, we went home, I was so excited to close my fast at 3:00, but it was twelve something. So I tried to entertain myself till it was 3:00. When the time finally came, I closed my fast and went straight for the butter and crackers. We had a normal Sunday after that and watched mom and dad’s trip to New York, which was soooooo boring. I am finally done with my letter, glad that’s over with. I hope you have a great week, stay safe! I love you!
Love, Leila XOXO
Hey Big Bro,
This week I went to Snowbird for mutual. It was a fun and beautiful cloudy day. I really love thunderstorms and rain more than the hot sun. On Friday, I made a plan to go to the temple early in the morning. Me, Julie, Stockton, and Angelique went to the Draper Temple. It was fun, I am starting to love going to the temple. Today I went to a Fireside, It was a Musical program about temple work. It was amazing and I felt the spirit, it showed the importance it is to do the work for those across the veil. They are waiting and eager to have the fullness of the gospel. I am making a goal to go to the temple every friday morning this summer. I am so glad to hear your testimony, I can tell you are growing closer and closer to Christ. Thank you for always setting an amazing example for me. I love you! ~Mina
Hi Son,
New York was a fun experience but a lot of walking! It was awesome to see it for the first time but I don’t need to go back anytime soon. I took half the day off Wednesday to be one of the adult leaders for the youth activity at Snowbird. It was fun doing the rides. We saw War for the Planet of the Apes which was ok but not as good as I thought. Mum and I started staining some of the doors in the house. But I think we got the wrong color, oh well. Grandma will be having surgery to remove the tumor in her back and they will do a biopsy on it to see if it cancerous. We fasted for her and hoping it’s not cancerous. We hope you are doing well and are happy. Stay strong, work hard, pray hard and always trust in the Lord and his timing. We love you so much!
Mum and Dad xxx
7/23/17
Hi Tyrell,I went to Snowbird on Wednesday. It was fun, I went onto their slides, roller coaster, and a very fast and super cool zipline. After all that fun we went to a hotel room that Sister Boley owns to eat food there. After I ate I went to the pool with friends at Snowbird. I also saw a big female moose with its baby at Snowbird. I FORGOT TO TELL YOU Grandma Barbara has a tumor on her back so keep her in your prayers, we fasted for her on Sunday. It was Drayden's birthday on Friday so we went to an inside pool for his birthday. While Leila and Erana went with them in the morning to go bowling, Dad, Mom, Mina and I went to go see War for the Planet of the Apes. It was a good movie. They’re making a World War 2 game and they just released a trailer for the Nazi Zombies, and the Nazi Zombies are way scarier than the old ones, obviously. On Thursday we went to Uncle Scott’s house to give Grandma Barbara a blessing. We also gave Joshua a blessing because he was playing basketball with his friends and one of them accidentally broke his nose. I’m going shooting this week with Uncle Jared and we’re shooting sniper rifles and some pistols. OH, Dad and Mom came back from New York just last week and I forgot to tell you. Mom didn’t get me anything, but Dad got me a really cool Captain America Shield fidget spinner. I uploaded Toys of Fury on my Youtube Channel, and it's got 111 views. It’s my second most viewed video on my channel. The one that’s got a lot of views is actually the one that is titled Titanfall 2 Big Brother bought me prime scorch trying it out for first time. It’s got 197 views. Right now I’ve got 16 subscribers so I’m making my way up to a million. Next week is our last day for the Care center. That's everything interesting that happened this week. Wish you good luck. Jaxon XOXO
Hi Tyrell,
I went to church, and I learned about choosing the right. I went to Snowbird and my favorite ride was the roller coaster. And I had a sandwich for dinner. Then when me and Jaxon were heading to the pool we saw a big moose and a baby moose. And there was a hot tub in the pool. The pool was salt water.
Love Erana XOXO
Hello Tyrell,
I hope you had a great week! I had a great week! I went to SnowBird last Wednesday with the young women and young men, it was very, very, fun! We did a lot of crazy stuff at SnowBird. I forgot to tell you that when mom and dad came back from New York, they brought back presents! Erana and I got a kangaroo Ty Beanie Boo, and it’s name was Kipper. I got a t-shirt with Thing 2 on it, OH and this was on Tuesday, before I went to SnowBird. Kage got thing one if you’re wondering. Thursday, Erana and I went to play at Kage’s house (as usual), then after that and Tausala, mom was dropping me off at basketball PRACTICE, but when mom and I went inside, it was a basketball GAME!!!!!!!!! I wasn’t even ready for the basketball game, I didn’t have my knee pads!!! While I was at my basketball game, everyone was at uncle Scott’s house for grandma’s blessing, and you probably know why grandma needs a blessing because you probably read Jaxon’s letter first. On Friday, it was Dray’s 9th birthday, so we went bowling at 10:00, and one of Dray’s friends came too. I won the bowling game, I was very lucky because I thought Jonah was going to beat me, and it was his first time playing!!! The last time I went bowling it was like 5 or 6 years ago. After the bowling game, we played in the arcade for a while then went to Culver’s. Kage, Dray, and Jonah played at our house until 4:00. At 5:00, we went to the West Jordan indoor pool for Dray’s birthday party, it was very fun. Yesterday, mom and dad stained some of our doors and they look way better now. Today, Pioneer Day, I fasted for grandma, and there were so many treats today. In Primary, sister Parker handed out five pieces of taffy for each of us, then in class, I should’ve known it was the day where sister Parker (Diana Parker) would have her homemade butter, the best butter in the world, on crackers for us to try, after the stories we told about our ancestors who were pioneers or ancestors who joined the church. Diana Parker had us try and make butter with a butter churner her mom gave to her, while we were telling our stories, but she already churned some up the day before so that we won’t have to wait for the butter to cool down in this block that forms it. I almost cried because it was only once a year Diana Parker would have her homemade butter in class, and I was going to go into young women’s very soon, so I wouldn’t be able to taste that delicious homemade butter again, and another reason was because Grandma had a tumor on her back and I was worried about her. I wanted to close my fast when I watched my classmates eat that salty butter, and you know how much I love salt. But then I was thinking, over and over again, Grandma is more important than homemade delicious butter. When I was thinking about that, the class was nearly over, and Diana asked,“Would you like me to send some butter and crackers home with you so you can eat it after your fast?”. I was so happy when she said that! After all of that, I got 2 other treats from the bishop’s office. And then, we went home, I was so excited to close my fast at 3:00, but it was twelve something. So I tried to entertain myself till it was 3:00. When the time finally came, I closed my fast and went straight for the butter and crackers. We had a normal Sunday after that and watched mom and dad’s trip to New York, which was soooooo boring. I am finally done with my letter, glad that’s over with. I hope you have a great week, stay safe! I love you!
Love, Leila XOXO
Hey Big Bro,
This week I went to Snowbird for mutual. It was a fun and beautiful cloudy day. I really love thunderstorms and rain more than the hot sun. On Friday, I made a plan to go to the temple early in the morning. Me, Julie, Stockton, and Angelique went to the Draper Temple. It was fun, I am starting to love going to the temple. Today I went to a Fireside, It was a Musical program about temple work. It was amazing and I felt the spirit, it showed the importance it is to do the work for those across the veil. They are waiting and eager to have the fullness of the gospel. I am making a goal to go to the temple every friday morning this summer. I am so glad to hear your testimony, I can tell you are growing closer and closer to Christ. Thank you for always setting an amazing example for me. I love you! ~Mina
Hi Son,
New York was a fun experience but a lot of walking! It was awesome to see it for the first time but I don’t need to go back anytime soon. I took half the day off Wednesday to be one of the adult leaders for the youth activity at Snowbird. It was fun doing the rides. We saw War for the Planet of the Apes which was ok but not as good as I thought. Mum and I started staining some of the doors in the house. But I think we got the wrong color, oh well. Grandma will be having surgery to remove the tumor in her back and they will do a biopsy on it to see if it cancerous. We fasted for her and hoping it’s not cancerous. We hope you are doing well and are happy. Stay strong, work hard, pray hard and always trust in the Lord and his timing. We love you so much!
Mum and Dad xxx
7/30/17
Kia Ora Son,Cool video of ya’ll alligator fishing, if you had caught it were you gonna eat it? Dad said you need a license probably. Went camping on friday to Pineview, Mina didn’t come because of work. It looked overcast and rainy on the day we went up. And Jefferson Hunt was flooded so it was closed. So went to find another campsite, ended up at ‘Botts’. We setup our tentsite and our tent, we had a nice spot secluded and near the river. It rained so we hung out in the tent for a little. Then the sun came out and we went to the Lake to lay out. It was really nice so we stayed until 5:30pmish kids were getting bored. Dad made a funny ‘meme’ with the kids, i will have him try to attach it. Grandma is still waiting for her surgery, it's sometime this week. So fast and pray for her too. Last night went to ‘Pacific Island festival’ and had hangi and yummy Otai, Lee Marie Moleni’s father has stage 4 cancer and is going to die, they were selling hangi to fundraise to pay for all the medical bills. Yasmeen Finlayson got her mission call to ‘Argentina’. Well we love hearing from you and hope and pray that you are safe and doing your best. Love Mum and Dad xxx
Hey Big Bro!
Wow! You’ve gotten so tan! Haha, you must always be out in the sun, of course. This week, I saw Dunkirk with some friends. It was cool and suspenseful! I still have been doing tennis. My first game is on the 10th. I also went to the Temple again on Wednesday. I have the orthodontist consultation tomorrow. I have enough money for braces! I’m sorry that you’re polaroid camera is coming late. This week we are painting the mural on the floor! I came up with the design, i’ll try to get a picture of it to you when it’s done! Stay safe, and you’re always in my prayers! Love you -Mina
Hi Tyrell,
This week Dad, Mom, Leila, Erana and I went camping on Friday to Saturday. It was fun I got to try out my new knife, and I got to throw Dad’s hatchet at a tree. When we got back home from camping we went to the pacific island festival to buy some delicious hangi from the Moleni’s. The Finlayson’s were there too. I had too much otai and I was sick on Sunday when I had to give a talk. We’re going to the ward pool party on Friday. That’s everything interesting that happened this week so hope you have a good week.
Love, Jaxon XOXO
Hello Tyrell,
I hope you had a great week! I mostly forgot what I did this week, so my letter is going to be short. Kage and Dray and us went to Seven Peaks last Wednesday. On Thursday, basketball practice was very fun. Friday, we went camping without Mina. We went to the lake when we went camping. The next day, we went to a Polynesian festival, and Kage, Dray, Erana, and I got free backpacks by crossing off a list of islands like the Marshall Islands and Tahiti. I had a normal Sunday today. I hope you have a great week, stay safe! I love you!
Love, Leila XOXO
Hi Tyrell I went to church and learned about choosing the right. Love Erana xoxo
