Olympics!

So I may have gotten to see the Olympic women’s swimming for like twenty minutes--fantastic! And like four people gave us a blow-by-blow account of the opening ceremonies. I hear all of Team GB showed up in chav suits, rather than Armani (Italy) or Ralph Lauren (US). So fun!

We are excited to have the Hamilton’s back from Germany after 8 weeks of being gone (horrible) and now we can finally baptize Shalen. He is very excited to be a member of the Church, and he is surprising all of his family back in Fiji with the news. The Church there is massive :)

We are off to host some Olympics of our own in Southampton: three legged race, Chubby Bunnies, Spoon Me (inspired by the Survivor episode of the Office, although we don't have money for a coal walk) and chair football. For anyone who knows not what chair football is, introduce it to the youth--it's brilliant for uneven numbers, and all you have to do is defend your chair. You can't move it or touch it, except to sit on it--when the football hits it, you're out. Last one standing wins. Soooo fun :)

There is a pigeon trapped in the library. Poor guy. They're so agreeable, pigeons, always nodding.

We spent one evening in a Forever Aloe Vera sales pitch meeting thing, invited by our investigator, when we learned that the company was started by members in Scottsdale AZ. I determined that I couldn't get into that business because I'm not oozing with assertive communication.

Ewan taught youth Sunday school yesterday to thirty youth and did a fantastic job. We could not be more proud of him and his budding abilities. It's amazing to see the next generation be way better than what we were. I'm hopeful that whatever I try to accomplish as a parent in a steadily worsening world will be guided by the scriptures and the Spirit. I'm grateful for prophets like Lehi and Jacob that had family problems and that they have recorded counsel for parents today to learn from. The human family is not too much different than it's ever been, and the same practices of family prayer, spending time together, and talking face to face about struggles and solutions are tried and true throughout the centuries.

I'm grateful for the apostles and prophets of today, who are not only in charge of the church, but who prophesy to the whole world of nonmembers as well. Their counsel hasn't changed, but new circumstances are being addressed today, which is something I'm very grateful for. They are not a think tank waiting for the next election, and they will not reserve the hard words for fear of hurting our feelings (Pres Uchtdorf's two word sermon: "Stop it.") We are a very different religion in that way, amidst all the nice words and "forward thinking" and "new generation" we can still hold fast to the Ten Commandments and strive to love one another and build the kingdom of God in such meaningful ways without being Puritan.

I'm grateful to be a member of the raddest Church on earth. It's the only real one.

Thank you for everything you do to build it at home! Love you all!

Love from,
Sister Willard