Sites From Fred's RT Conference in Vale, Colorado

From Elder Jordan

Dear family of bloomerbumkins,

                What a week it has been,  I always recieve such joy in reading your letters and listening to you grow.  I am so happy to have a family here on earth.  When we teach investigators the first thing we teach is that God is our loving Heavenly Father,  and the second is that his love is so great that he has blessed us with families here on the earth.  This week has been so good we have found 4 people that are excited to learn more about what we have taught them.  It has been a little bit difficult for the last couple weeks to knock doors because the Copa America or The Cup of America is going on right now which means all of south america are playing each other in soccer.  And soccer is Ginormous here let me tell you there is absolutly no one in the streets when Chile is playing.  The other night when they were playing Chile made a goal at the end of the game and you could here the whole city roar.  It was pretty impresive.   Also the other day when I was in the bathroom I was just sitting there and then I started to feel wobely and I looked up and the shower curtian rings were swaying back and forth as well.  We had a small earthquake.  It was the weirdest feeling ever.  No worries everything is perfectly fine. 

  Oh another cultural note we had fish eggs the other day at first the texture was supper strange like grains of sand but after 3 or 4 they started to become super scrumptious so the next thing I know I find myself at the Feria buying 1/4 kilo we took them home and boiled them and the taste grate in a sandwich with mustard.  You will see the beautiful photos below.

    Dad my first sunday in Chile I remember I just sat there trying to look smart.  Oh man was that hard.  But know sometime it makes me feel weird that I know every thing that they are saying.  Spanish is such a beautiful language and I hope I can visit the spanish branch often when I get back home.

   The other night we were in a lesson with an investigator named Diego.  I was explaining to him the importance of baptism.  After 5 minutes of talking to him I realized I had just said everything to him in Spanish.  I know that Heavenly Father is always helping us in everything even if it is the smallest of small that we may deem too un important for him to be pre occupied.  

  In this lesson with Diego I also realized that I learn so much in teaching, perhaps more than he was learning.  And Eden I know you are right it is the simplicity of the gosple that is important.

I love you guys to infinity and beyond,

Elder...

Los Fotos

Two of my favorite families in my las ward

Hey look we have a toilet in our bedroom this is litterally at the edge of our beds,  good for emergiencies in the middle of the night

Fish eggs mmmmm

And yes I still can do the shmoozer or what ever you call it.

Parties! Parties!

The 4th was busy and fun. We spent a lot of time working on the yard and trying to set up the pool in the morning, but Fred just wasn't able to make the patching hold this year--the holes are just too big. What a waste to throw away a perfectly good pool that we can't fill just because the top ring won't float. The kids enjoyed the parade at noon. It was pretty small and sad this year, but we were in the shade, surrounded by Middletonites so I still enjoyed the sociality and the kids enjoyed the candy.=) Nash's and Ben and Renee's family came for the b-b-q and most stayed for the big  fireworks show and then of course we traded kids for sleepovers so it made for some good memories.

Kobe and Olive--Kindred Spirits

Our Family Circle--What It's All About

A Man With A Mission

Last Day of 17--A Perfect Age

Kobe and The American Dream

Cousins--Fun at Fifteen

Let the Pyro's Begin!

We got Mikayla a ukulele for her birthday which she is enjoying and already playing so well. She went to Fast Lane for her birthday and raced the go-cart's with Fred for her date and then we ended up in Ann Morrison park feeding the ducks (which was my favorite part). She is so enjoyable to be around.

18th Birthday Breakfast "In Bed" (She had a cousin sleepover on the tramp so we had to improvise.)

As Ordered--Berry Bagels, Mango, Spicy Sausages...

...With Cranberry Juice and Plain Yogurt With Blackberries

Modeling the Lovely Racing "Sock"

Prepping for A Daddy/Daughter Race

Lookin' Fine!

"Start Your Engines"

40 MPH feels like 80

Slowing it Back Down With Nature

My 18 Year Old Girl

Showing Her Who's Still Boss

Making A Wish

Don't Be Fooled By That Face

Move Over Brother Iz

Happy Hugs!

This past weekend Fred and Abe took off on their annual Father/Son campout and we had our Girl Party. We played games, took walks, watched movies, spent a day in the park, went shopping, did our nails and hair and make-up, went out for ice cream and Eden and the twins played Cinderella while Mikayla and I tried to get caught up on responsibilities. Good times!

Girls Party Picnic In The Park

After Our Nature Walk

She's Got The Whole World In Her Hands

  

Starting the Water Fight

Ganging Up For A Deserved Dunk

 

Kicking and Screaming

Mikayla Doling Out Justice For The Little Man

Father/Son Outing

A Fishing We Will Go

Man vs. Nature

Fred and I got to go into Weiser on Saturday and visit with Kimball (Laura son) and his wife Erin at their Open House. They seemed like a beautiful match. They met at the MTC, where they are both teachers. She seems quite deep and intelligent and kind--pretty on the inside and out. And we know Kimball is all that. I am happy for them. They both seem like the cream of the crop in every way. So many young people we know are getting married. Two more of Jordan's friend girls announced their engagements this week. What a fun time of life!

Our stake has challenged every one of us to bring a visitor to church on the 31st of this month. Mikayla and Eden are already working on it, but I'm a bit stumped. I thought maybe Dad and I could invite someone from our YSA list, but the branch took most of their records and those left are either on missions, active or we have no contact information except Facebook and they don't respond to that. I'm too nervous to ask my neighbours because I don't feel like we've friendshipped them adequately (which we need to change), but I am praying to know who to ask. The twins have taken the invitation seriously and are stressed because they don't know who to ask, so I need to set the example by inviting a family so they can feel like the children are with them, but I've always been a reticent missionary (it's the whole "I-hate-salesmen-because-if-I-am-interested-I will-pursue-it-myself-mentality-that-is-weighing-me-down"). I'm holding onto the example of my children to give me courage and insight.

Eden is off to the Boise Youth Spectacular this afternoon and SO excited! I'm anxious to hear all about it. Fred is also leaving for a conference in Vale, Colorado Saturday--Thursday, which I am not looking forward to, but he will be slowing down a bit here soon, by force, because one of the companies where he has students placed for clinicals found out he was working, on the side, for one of their competitors and because he is the Director and has access to company practices, called Stevens-Henager and threatened to pull all of his students from their  spots if he continues, so he is having to give up his RT C-PAP job. It will be a financial set-back for us, but probably a blessing in disguise because he is never home and when he is, he is quite distracted. I'm sure it will all work out, but I don't know why we can't all just get along and trust each other.

Looking forward to a slow, beautiful weekend. Mikayla and I made a strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, apple pie last weekend that was delectable, if I do say so myself. Our neighbor just gave us some blueberries and I'm pondering another concoction. Pie making is the ultimate culinary labor of love and so the perfect fulfilment.=)

From Elder Jordan

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elder Jordan...
Date: Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 5:22 PM

Mi Querido Familia,

      What a good week this has been,  I´m sorry I can´t send pictures because my camera cable is still in Nocedal but it is getting sent to me this week so I will send many pictures next week.  So this week we walked close to 40 miles just knocking doors.  I have gotten home every night super tired but it is definently worth it because we have now found some really good people that we would have never found if we had not worked so hard needless to say this really had nothing to do with us I guess.  But Heavenly Father blessed us with people that were ready.  One of these people is a mother of 6 kids that lives in a small house but said she didn´t have much time to talk and we ended up staying there for 45 minutes because she had so many questions about life and after and the church and everything.  We have another appointment with here tomorrow so we will see what happens.  And then yesterday night we found a 23 year old guy knocking he came out of his house high on marajana, a beer in one hand and a cigirette in the other.  At first I was a little nervous because he had a creepy look in his eyes and it was dark, but he invited us inside his gate and we started to talk, he was super nice and I know it wasn´t just because he was high either because he was answering all of our questions and was totally aware of what was going on.  We started talking about his life and his mom being a Jehovas Wittness but we gave him a Book of Mormon and he accepted to learn more, he is not in our sector we were doing a  Sector Slam in the sector of the Hermanas but hopefully they can progress with him.  He is a super good guy he just needs to get some things straitened out in his life.  

    So mom you were asking last time if I saw anything about how I am grateful for the freedom we have in our county.  Almost every High School is in a TOMA which means the kids take over the High School change the locks and refuse right of entrance to anyone so that they can get something they want.  The Police don´t do anything about it because they have more important things to worry about like drugs and stuff.  Everyone just treats it normal here like oh ok no school.  And this is where laws come into helping freedom.  If there were no laws there could be no freedom.  Exactly what Heavenly Father has been trying to tell us from the start with out commandments we can not have freedom it just simply can not be.  

   So it looks like you had fun this week with the Father and Son and the Girls outing, but sorry to say you are all a bunch of nuts.  Woot Woot.  Mikayla your birthday letter should get there soon sorry its kind of late. 

  Love ya bunches

Elder...

Proud to be an American

What excitement and anticipation we have been experiencing going into this holiday season. The festivities began on Friday with the Steele Family Rodeo (Mikayla's best friends family) which began with one of their daughters carrying the flag around the front paddock on her father's (who passed away a few months ago) favorite horse to a recording of him singing, "Proud To Be An American". There was quite a crowd there and we were all in party mode, but that made me cry. It was nice to be among good friends, enjoying their company and the gorgeous weather and that unique Middleton camaraderie. I can't even imagine the work that goes into putting this on every year, free to all family and friends. Everyone volunteers to help run it that night, so we're all involved but it is quite a production. I think Abe, Lily and Sophie thought they had been twinkled and gone to heaven after three hours of horse riding, animal petting, face painting and all you could eat snow cones and cotton candy. Abe even participated in the calf riding contest and stayed on for a bumpy 8 seconds before being thrown. He's probably got a significant bruise on his thigh now, but it will make for some good memories. =) Our camera's battery was charging most of the evening, but Mikayla's best friend, Tessia, video recorded his stint and I'll try to get it from her before she leaves town so I can try to convert it and post it here. Jordan likes to call the "Fun" motivated personalities in our family (him, Eden and Abe) "Team Yellow" and he would be proud to know that his team was well represented at the rodeo.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July everywhere, of course, but in Middleton it is a full day community affair. We are all excited about the parade and festivities down town and the great fireworks show just down the street. Tomorrow we will walk everywhere and thoroughly enjoy it. It is one of our family's favorite holidays. We are also excited to host our annual family B-B-Q and fireworks get party. Ben and Renee's family and Nash's are coming and our family is excited about being together. Fred told the kids he would look at the pool tomorrow and see if there was any way to get one more season of use out of it, but I don't have high hopes since it was in such bad condition two years ago when we put it away. It would sure be a fun addition to the party and to the summer if he could find a way to patch it. We will all be up bright and early to get everything done before the parade at noon.

With this time of year and with Joseph and now Jet and other of our young friends heading off to the military, I have been thinking a lot about the blessings of the freedoms that we have been given as a birthright in this country. When people that you know and love are serving it becomes so much more poignantly impressed upon your mind that our freedoms, though divinely bestowed, are definitely not free, nor an entitlement that can not be taken away.  I am so grateful for the privileges and the blessings that we have enjoyed our entire lives.

So, Mikayla got her first proposal tonight at the YSA fireside. A young man, who is autistic, put his arm around her during the talk and loudly whispered, "After Paul Woodworth (an engaged YSA) get's married, I'm getting married."  Being polite, Mikayla asked who he was getting married to and he said, "You!". She said she was grateful that the speaker  told a funny antedode just at that moment so she had an outlet for her emotions, because she was caught completely off guard. He seemed quite serious and informed her that he was bringing a card for her next week. That will be interesting to see what kind of card that is. They don't make engagement cards do they? =) He's a kind, interesting boy, but I hope he was joking. I'm not ready for her to get married and I think she would prefer to know her fiancée beforehand=)

THE STEELE FAMILY RODEO: