February 20, 1984 Billings, Montana

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

I'm writing my letter on Monday morning this week - we didn't get home from "The Highline" until about midnight last night so naturally I didn't get my letter written.

We are anxiously waiting for Johnny to come home soon. We called several times last night on our way home and finally the Elders told us he had called from Bozeman where he had decided to stop and spend the night. We have warned him at least a million times to stop and get a motel rather than drive when he is sleepy so I guess that's what he did. He wanted to go to his school's basketball game and dance on Friday night so he didn't leave for Utah until Saturday morning - we haven't talked to him but we're assuming everything went good for him.

One of our missionary couples up in Wolfpoint kinda' got his "nose out of joint" last week because Daddy had moved some Elders in there and they found a man who wanted to be baptized. The missionary couple, Elder & Sister Booth, have been serving as the Branch President and Elder Booth didn't think this man should be baptized (evidently, he had been smoking). Well, the handbook says if he thinks he is worthy and is interviewed by one having authority and he declares him worthy then he can be baptized. The missionaries had him interviewed by the Elder Quorum President in Popular and then they baptized him. When the Booths found out about it they called Daddy and said they were going home and they were really upset, so we went up there on Saturday to visit with them. The Booths are exceptionally talented people and have gone into Wolfpoint to call everyone to repentance and put on musicals and do everything but missionary work and they were chagrined to think Daddy would put two Elders in there and they would have a baptism the first week. We went to church in Wolfpoint yesterday morning and we were thrilled to see the large attendance and everything was really well done so they are doing a good job but they have been called as missionaries. We went from Wolfpoint over to Glascow to attend their leadership meetings - wow!! I really have a lot of respect for those people - they don't have much to work with but they surely do a good job with what they have. I was sitting by a woman in the Relief Society meeting and she gave a talk on how to teach the scriptures to your children. After the meeting I asked her how many children she had and she answered very calmly 17. I said, "No, really, how many do you have?" She said, "Well, we lost two so we only have 15". When I could see that she was dead serious I asked her where the one had served a mission that she referred to in her talk and she said, "Well, that one served in Finland but-----", and then she went on to tell me she had had five serve missions and they had gone all over the world. Their ages ranges from 18 months to 27 years and she looks like she is in her thirties. I talked to someone else about her and they said the remarkable thing about her is that she delivers all her babies by her self in the bathtub in their home - I don't believe in that but I guess you can't quarrel with success. Their last name is "Blatter".

We went to Zortman last Monday for an open house for their new "Trailer Church". That is such an exciting thing - Daddy found out about a trailer that the church owned and it was in Idaho and wasn't being used so he arranged to have it taken to Zortman. It is a double wide trailer and the members up there have converted it into a lovely little chapel - they have built partitions to make classrooms and at their open house they had beautiful displays telling about the different auxiliaries. Most of the members up there are very young and they have small families and they are thrilled to death to have a place to meet - they have been meeting in a member's home. Zortman is a gold mining community way up in the mountains and it gets really cold up there. They also have a trailer they use for their school and they have two teachers - one teaches kindergarten through third grade and the other fourth through sixth - the older children are bussed sixty miles into Malta. There are also some ranchers who live in that area and they will go to church there also.

We are getting ready for Elder Dunn's visit - he'll be here March 6-9. That is quite a stressful time for Daddy because he has to make all the schedules and then make sure Elder Dunn gets to all the places on time. He has arranged for him to go to the Eastern part of the state this year - they haven't had a General Authority in some of those places for many years so they are really excited. I had Brenda "practice" on a special ham roll for one of the lunch times he will eat in the home - she made it yesterday and we tasted it last night when we got and it isn't anything special but I don't know what else to have. We will fly here from Missoula and have lunch and I won't be here to help her. I would really be in a "tizzy" if I were responsible for a meal for him but it doesn't bother her one single bit - she thinks everything she cooks is delicious - that's a good way to be, I guess. I'm organizing work parties with the house elders because we really have to give the home a good house cleaning - like shampooing the carpets, etc.!!!

Daddy had quite a week last week. He has had two Elders in Livingston who have really given him "fits". On our way to Bozeman a couple week ago we stopped there and had the landlady show us through their apartment - it was really a mess besides having lot of games and toys for them to amuse themselves with. He had a meeting with them and warned one of them who has been in trouble a million time before that if he did one more thing wrong that he was going to send him home. Well, one night about midnight Elder Tisdel (one of Daddy's assistants) awakened Daddy to tell him the members had just called from Livingston with a report that these two Elders had bought a television set and were watching HBO. So Daddy had his two assistants go over early the next morning and they found them still in bed at 8:30 ( they're supposed to be up at 6:30). When they questioned them about the TV they denied it but the assistants found it in their closet and sure enough they had bought it and had it hooked up to cable and they were having a ball. Daddy was really upset and arranged to have the one Elder go home and the assistants brought him back to Billings - he was one surprised young man - he thought he would surely be given another chance and he cried and cried. When the Assistants took him to the airport the inspectors there found that he was concealing three of those "Chinese Flying Stars" - (I'm not sure that's what they're called but they are very dangerous and strictly illegal) and they took his name and his home address and said they would have the police check him out in his home town. His parents are in Saudi Arabia so he was sent to his Uncle's home in Arizona. Things like this are so hard on Daddy - in fact, he was nice enough to call the missionary department in Salt Lake to see if they would consider sending him to another mission so he could complete a mission - he only has about five months to go. Daddy is going to bring the other Elder into Billings so he can watch him closer.

We talked to Annie last week and they're doing good. Ann - you sounded terrible with a really bad cold and we hope you're over that soon. She said their whole family has had the flu, even little LeeAnna. The weather in Utah has been really severe this year - I know you get tire of hearing about our beautiful weather but it really is. Today the sun is out so bright and pretty and it isn't very cold. We're excited about the Woolleys trip to California next week - they're going down in their van and we know they'll have a wonderful time - Ron has business there.

Johnny was going to school last Tuesday morning and just as he pulled into the school parking lot another car was coming out and it's tires spun in the gravel and a rock hit John's window on the driver's side and it just shattered - we couldn't believe how completely shattered it was. Daddy was here and was able to get it fixed right way - it really scared Johnny. He has a really cute "friend girl" here who makes him cookies and things but he isn't at all interested - I think he is just putting up with things here until he can go to the "Y".

We have some news from Little Rock. Chris and Marc's son, Robert Jordin, is going to get married soon. Chris is really excited about it and is busy planning the rehearsal dinner and getting her dress and everything. The wedding will be in Pine Bluff. Robert is managing director of the pharmacy department in a hospital up in Heber Springs. I'm thrilled for Chris and wish I could be there to have a party for him - she's such a dear friend. We also had a letter from Dorothy Woods - Terry is going to go back to school and work on a doctorate in counseling - I hope she finds herself!!! Dorothy has been sick most of the Winter.

We haven't heard from the Bob Mellors or Roy or Jean. Jeannie - we know this is a hard time for you all with Rick's Mom being so sick and we wish we could help. Roy - we hope you had a great trip to the Virgin Islands. Bob and Claire we know you are having fun with Michael & Laura and getting your yard in shape - I'll bet it will be beautiful.

It's almost noon and Johnny still hasn't come in - hope everything's okay. We surely do love and miss each one of you. Please let us know how we can help you. PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!!
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