November 14, 1982 Billings, Mont.

Dearest Roy, Bob, Claire & Michael, Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean & Mary Ann and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie & Russell,

We just came home from Casper, Wyoming and it's late so I will write a little bit tonight and then finish it in the morning.

We surely hope you had a happy birthday yesterday Bob - in my talk at the Casper Conference I told about how our oldest son was born in Laramie and it was his 28th birthday yesterday and we moved to Phoenix when he was a year old so it had been twenty-time years since we had seen a Wyoming snow storm. It was so windy and cold when we got there on Friday night I almost couldn't walk from our car to the motel room and then it snowed all day on Saturday and the roads were just a sheet of ice - I guess this is what we can expect from now on - ugh!!!! We had a wonderful zone conference there all day Saturday and then they had their Stake Conference that night and today - they have a big stake and a little church building so they had it in two sessions and then we had a missionary correlation meeting - we left there about 4 and got here about 9:30 p.m.

Our new missionary couple had come in today while we were gone so we spent tonight visiting with them - they're staying here for a day or so until Daddy finds them an apartment in Riverton, Wyo. They're really nice but we don't think they have any idea what's in store for them - they'll be on the Fort Washakie Indian Reservation.

The Elders had fried hamburgers today for dinner - I had made the menus and our cook was supposed to make chicken and dumplings but she let them fry hamburgers. They use the grill on the stove and the kitchen is a mess - this is so hard for me to handle. If these were my own children I would make them stay up tonight and clean it up - Sister Lowe should never have left it this way - this is the hardest thing I do and it always happens this way when we are out of town - everyone just has a ball!!!! Every light in the mission home was on when we drove in tonight and the furnaces were all turned up high - I'm going to be a scrooge by the time our mission is over. When you have eight big boys in the home I guess you can't expect it to be kept neat but we feel it should be that way.

The big news this weeks is that Johnny shot two deer - Daddy went out with him last Thursday morning and they had their deer by 6 a.m. - he was one thrilled boy when they came home with it. It was a big doe and he had saved the liver and had it on a big cardboard. Yesterday he went out with one of his friends and he shot another one - it is also a big doe. Daddy is going to take them to a place and have them ground up so we can use the meat in spaghettis and things like that. The elders wouldn't touch the liver - Daddy and I ate it all. They are really spoiled and Daddy says they will have to starve to death if they won't eat the venison inn roast and spaghettis.

Daddy spent his "P" day last Monday putting in a new disposal in our apartment - he had to re-wire it because he put in a different kind. Tonight we have discovered a pipe in the garage froze while we were gone and the garage door (the electric one) won't work - he says he is going to call a repair man to come and fix things for awhile. There is always something that needs fixing.

We had our Custer Zone conference last Tuesday in Hardin - by the Crow Agency. The couples who labor on those Indian Reservations are so special. The conference started at 9 a.m. and we finished at 5 p.m. - Daddy also set apart a Lamanite Elder to go on a mission to Japan during the conference - his entire family was there so it was special.

Monday morning - I got up early this morning and cleaned like furry so I feel better now. I forgot to tell you that we had dinner and lunch at the Stake President's home in Casper - President and Sister Steed - they're lovely people and have a lovely home. Tylor Woolley whom we knew in Fort Collins many years ago is the Regional Representative for that area and it is always nice to be with him.

Johnny says he doesn't feel well today so he is staying home at least until noon - he and Daddy are down in the kitchen cutting up the deer. Our kitchen here has a huge table in it and it's perfect for that. Johnny is going to have to forget about hunting now and settle down to his studies. He brought his report card home and he got a C in English and in Accounting - B+ in everything else so he's going to have to spend more time studying. He really likes his job but he will have to work less and study more!!!!

The place they went hunting is owned by a member of the church - a different place from where you went Bob - I guess it's just beautiful and deer all over the place. The owner invited Daddy to go hunting there because the deer have been eating so much of the food for their cattle - it's a big cattle ranch. Well - they had a beautiful little Labrador puppy they wanted to give Johnny and Daddy said he would have to clear it with me first. When they came home Johnny was as excited about the puppy as he was about getting the deer so I told him I thought it would be great if we could find a place to keep it - later that day he and his friend went out and got the dog - I about died. He didn't get home with it until about 10 that night and didn't have a leash or collar or anything for it and we didn't have any place for it. It slept in the pantry that night and the next day Daddy fixed a place for it out in the shed in back. It's a beautiful dog and will be a good hunting dog if Johnny spends some time with it. He has always wanted a Labrador and has missed his little schnauzers so I guess we have to put up with it.

Daddy has a new Mission Secretary - Elder Spencer who has been just great is going home in December so Daddy has replaced him and will send him out in the field for his last month. His replacement is Elder Madsen - he has only been in the Mission Field for a little over a month but he is really outstanding - I told you about him - his aunt is Lauralee Lundahl from Logan and I used to date his uncle, Cordell. You can really tell he comes from "goodly parent" - he is so wholesome and fun loving and yet dead serious about the gospel. Daddy had to have him re-do a letter last week because of some mistakes and instead of getting his feelings hurt or sulking he just said, "Well, President, I had to see is you were really reading them". We're thrilled to have him here in the home with us - he is a great asset Daddy is also replacing one of his assistants - he will send Elder Ashcroft out into the field for the last two months of his mission - he is bringing in an Elder Parker who is such a fine young man - a little serious but a wonderful worker with a strong testimony of the gospel. We have five new Elders coming in Wednesday and two new sisters (one from Arkansas).  Of the five Elders two of them are from Arizona - one's last name is Turley and the other is Pace and we know their families - Daddy already has them pegged for leadership positions. It seems that we have many missionaries who came out to be reformed or come just to please their families or girl friends and I'm sure it helps them but they don't do much missionary work. I'm convinced more each day that I need this mission more than anyone else!!!!!!!

The elderly couple who came into the mission field yesterday left this morning for Riverton, Wyo. She remains both Daddy and I of Aunt Lucille Smith (do any of you remember her?) She kept looking outside and said, "I'm not sure we'll be able to drive on these roads", and "What kind of clothes will I have to buy" and "Now, remember we both have diabetes so we tire easily". We love them for coming though and I'm sure they will do a lot of good.

We surely do think of all of you often - Roy, it has been too long since we have heard from you. Annie called last week and told us all about their trip to Boston - she really loved seeing Brown University and hearing about Rhode Island and seeing it for the first time. She also loved being with you and Patrice and told about how thoughtful Patrice was to them - I think it's so neat that you could all be together like that.

Please be careful in everything you do and let us know how we can help you - the Mission Home just received a 42 pound turkey - wish you could all come for Thanksgiving. We love you, each one, very much and we're so proud of you all - we love to tell people about our family!!!!

Return to Home Page