Of course, Monday is Dad’s birthday, 73 great years!

Dearest Family,

    Of course, Monday is Dad’s birthday, 73 great years!  We are roasting hot dogs & frying burgers out to the pond! Haven’t done that for a while!

On Thursday, June 2, Bo celebrates his birthday! Happy Birthday, Bo!!!

    We understand that Mila arrived home safely.  Tuesday was a special day, I traveled to Billings with  Darece, it was her day to work in the temple laundry & I enjoyed helping – it is much more fun to fold clothes there than at home. Dad had a nice time fly fishing with Rob at Deaver Reservoir and helping patrons on the phone/computer with FH. One of the California quail pairs have 5 eggs now so that's exciting to await them hatching.

    It has been great to help people this week, each one is excited to learn, find names & make the tree better.  We have enjoyed helping on the phone & Skyping.   Liz, the consultant from the Billings YSA ward called & she wanted us to help with her 5th Sunday lesson.  We were already doing 2, one in Laurel & one in Billings.  The times for each one just wouldn’t allow us to get to all three.  We are blessed to have met the Tech person in that Stake & we ask him to help her get better wifi internet in the cultural hall of that ward's building.  We also taught her on Skype & sent her the  FS app screen clips – we are anxious to hear how the day went.  We taught 5th Sunday combined lessons in two wards, one in Laurel & one in Billings.    In both of these wards we see lots of people with Lovell roots!

After supper we helped a young man who now has his mission call to Ohio get updated on the FS apps and how to use FH on his mission. He found, reserved and printed the temple card in less than 5 minutes too ! ! ! He and dad were home teachers together for several years plus Dad helped teach he and his brother the Gospel, his mom just joined the church recently too. Now their whole family is in the church and working toward their family being sealed forever! As it turns out his Dad's side of the family is from Ohio, then came out west . . . so he will get to see where his roots are from and likely meet some cousins on his mission.

    It was fun to have Kaitlyn & friends come for a fishing date at the pond. They were also impressed when Dad showed them his worm digger. (the electric rod which causes them to rise right out of the ground!)

  On Saturday, Allen & Amber went to Billings to the temple & stopped by on their way home for dinner. The kids had stayed at Darece’s & they took Niel with them.  We sure enjoyed playing with him, he changes every time we see him – what a happy boy he is!!!! We will get more time to visit on Monday afternoon when all the kids will be here.

    Have a great week – CTR   Love you all Mom & Dad

Each day this week, there have been people to help.

Dearest Family,

    Happy Birthday to my Sweetheart – one week from tomorrow!  Our love & prayers go out to Betty, she has been very ill, but is improving.

     What a wonderful day it has been – serving . . . . We left home at 7:00 a.m.  and returned home at 7:00 p.m. Spent the day in the Billings Stake center in Billings which has 4 wards meeting in it!  There were more familiar faces of folks from the Bighorn Basin now living in Billings. We attended Sunday School in each ward, Sacrament, Phd/RS in another, teaching the principles & blessings of Family History, & of finding names, again I just love the Lord's promises given by Elder Renlund & know that they are true, if we will do our part, we will be blessed in so many ways. We feel so blessed to have this opportunity to testify of His great promises.

    “You’ll find not only protection from the temptation & ills of this world, but you will also find personal power, power to change, power to repent, power to learn, power to be sanctified & power to turn the hearts of your family together, & heal that which needs healing.”

    Each day this week, there have been people to help.  Thru our time in the Public Library we have made some wonderful friends from our community, whom we continue to help on a weekly basis. At some time, we pray that they will embrace the Gospel. They do recognize that they feel something very special when they do this work.  (the spirit of Elijah)  I was also able to help a sister with a longer history she is writing in a word processing program. Another library patron offered help also on several features of the program. (We still don’t know who she was) Help is sent in many ways! Dad enjoyed Skyping with Marlene one evening doing family history.

    It has been a great week – doing so many different things.   I was able to finish the quilt for Mila, then on Thursday evening, Darece, Kaitlyn, Whitney, Talon & Mila came out to fish, she has wanted to fish in the pond since she first saw it!  It was a fun evening, fishing in the rain, then hot chocolate & giving her the quilt!  She leaves this Monday, & yes, we will all miss her happy, smiling countenance!

    There was that special experience we all have every 2 years! It is always great to renew temple recommends, what a choice time to ponder upon my progress & the direction I am going.

Even during these, the Lord opened the away & we were able to share sacred principles – we never cease to be amazed at the Lord’s hand in all things. It's so easy to teach others how to use the FS mobile apps or update them on new features.

    Had a beautiful morning at Bighorn lake on Friday!  It was fishing, not catching! Saturday morning Dad went fat tire biking with Rob near Cottonwood canyon, seeing many animals, old pioneer homesteads and beautiful scenery ! I had an enjoyable morning here at home! We were also able to plant a few tomato plants, green peppers & a few flowers!  Our new raspberries are doing great too. It is fun to watch several families of bunnies here by the house!  The squirrels keep destroying the bird nests in the trees so that's disgusting.  Dad's quail have not laid any eggs yet, wild ones show up every few days to check out the captive ones. The Barretts brought the sheep down to help us harvest grass and weeds for the summer.

    We love you all,  hope your week has been a great one!  Keep the faith! 

  Love Mother & Dad

we received word from the Fikes that about July 1st they will be moving to Billings

Dearest Family!   

    Happy Birthday, Rob, on Tuesday, the 17th & to Symphony, Happy 14th Birthday on Friday!  Hope you both have a great day!!!!

    We are so excited – we received word from the Fikes that about July 1st they will be moving to Billings.  Dak will be opening a chiropractic office there!  Sounds wonderful!  What exciting news to share with all of you!

    The highlight of today – having several people say. . . .“This is the first time I have ever found my own name to take to the temple!” We spent the day in Laurel visiting two different wards.  In both wards, during SS time we taught the ward council members to find names using the Family Tree App! 

    On Monday, we dug raspberry starts at a friends, came home & planted them, then built a fence around them!   The next two nights deer were all around that area – we sure were glad we had fenced them!!!!!! Dad has been busy every day watering them & they are looking great! 

    In addition to our usual home visits,  we have Skyped with Marlene several times.  She has a new laptop & we have been helping her with that! Technology is the greatest!  We have had special visits with a FH Consultant in a small branch, 200 miles from here.  We visit once a week because of her work schedule & her excitement is growing!

    It has been a great weekend – Friday noon Kathy & Bill arrived! We have had a nice visit.  On Saturday we went to Evee & Landon’s Temple Sealing!    It was wonderful & we are so happy for them!  They are also expecting a new little one in 3 weeks, in other words, any day!

        A wife (abt 35) of a High councilor over FH said, “we were taught how to do Descendancy search on our smart phones using the Family Tree app. We have found several relatives that need work done.  It has been so exciting to feel the spirit of Elijah grow in our hearts as we turn to our ancestors & try to serve them in a way that they cannot do for themselves.   It has been a miracle!” She & her husband went to the temple 3 times that week, once to do endowments, once to do sealings & her husband & daughter went to do baptisms for more names!  She went on to briefly list a few (8) miracles that had happened the previous 3 weeks. # 8 was:  “ Most of all I think the biggest miracle is happening in my own heart.  I have felt a love & connection to my ancestors that I have not felt before. I feel like they are watching me & they are helping me.  They want what I have, those blessings of the gospel & temple covenants. They have waited a long, long time & now I’m doing something for them that they can’t do for themselves. That is the true miracle!” 

  

    We are so blessed to be a tool in the Lord’s hands!  He guides us each day! There are so many times when I am surprised at the answer that comes, the doors that are opened as we visit with leaders & the hearts that are turned! The ‘spirit of Elijah’, the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the family is so amazing!  May I testify of His hand in this great work!

Love Mom & Dad

Thanks to all of you for your Birthday & Mothers Day wishes, calls, & gifts!

Dearest Family,   

    Happy 26th Anniversary on Thursday to Rob & Michelle!  Have a great day! Thanks to all of you for your Birthday & Mothers Day wishes, calls, & gifts!

    We say the same every week-that it has been a great week and it was!!!!   We did have some different things this week, tho----  Messed up hips so there were several trips to the Chiropractor, he helped. Our biggest event was a Family History Fair in Cody on Saturday.    We taught two classes on the Memories App & two classes on the Family Tree App.  We really enjoy seeing people catch the vision of the work!   We love knowing that they will be blessed & receive the promises spoken of by Elder Renlund.  It was a great Day!!!!! 

Sunday was spent in Laurel, Montana.  There are two wards there!  We saw Justin Graves, Allen’s friend, Heather Collins, Darece‘s friend,  Amy Crosby Pollock & others.  At times those who have Lovell roots, who live in Laurel, have called it the Lovell North Ward.       We taught the WC and will go back next Sunday to teach the apps to them. One of the wards celebrated Mother’s Day during the last 15 minutes of the block. The Bishopric served cake to all the sisters of the ward.  They were also given a Dove candy bar!   I thought that was a new idea.  I then heard that Vicki’s ward  did something similar.

    We have also had a fun time helping a Family History consultant on the phone, one far away, 200 miles from us on the phone!  I so enjoy talking with them.   It has been a week with lots of variety – Skyping with some,  a visit with one of our nieces,  a High Councilman, who tonight had a FHE with his Stake President, to teach he & his family how to find names using the apps!  We are anxious to hear about it!   We know that he & his wife did great! Dad mowed our lawns for the first time this spring and watered the orchard/pasture again getting ready for the Barrett's sheep to come. He has kept me supplied with asparagus this spring too from our own patch . . .GOOD, DELICIOUS, YUMMY! Love Mom & Dad

a bit of very important trivia to me

Dearest Family, a bit of very important trivia to me......... On this day, 86 years ago, my parents were married in the Temple Square Hotel in Salt Lake City! My mothers sister, Stella, who was working there, was one of the witnesses. They had borrowed a car from Dr Huff, who Mother worked for, to get to SLC. While in SLC they took a ride in an airplane.  They then returned to Jackson, where they lived for the remainder of their lives!

    It has been quite a day!   6:30 to 7:30 a.m. we were part of a conference call, listening in as a High Councilman taught the High Priest Group Leaders about using the Apps!   He did an amazing job!  We then went to visit three Billings wards who meet in one building!  Today we helped members of three ward counsels learn how to use the Apps!  Then this evening we visited with that same High councilman on the phone to see where he goes now, etc.  It has been a great day!

    It seems everyday has been busy, I went to Billings with Darece & helped her in the laundry.  Rather than fold clothes, this time we were helping the sister over this area. Some how all the instructions she had written about shortening new dresses & slips had disappeared.  Dresses, slips, pants, etc all come in one length, long, & have to be shortened so as to fit people of various heights. We also took a little time out to share with her a little about finding names for the temple.   I met with her today, when she got out of Sacrament Meeting to help her a little more.   Sure was fun!   While I was in Billings, Dad met with a couple here that we have been helping!  Another brother from a community nearby came over & Dad taught him about adding pictures to the tree using his tablet! I helped with the Blood draw again on Wed morning the we practiced using the GoTwoMtg program via the web. Kind of like Skype but more business directed. We may use it sometimes for our web teaching. Took the RAV to Powell for service the miles keep going up each week so service comes around quite often. We're grateful for this new RAV as we are going so much now! 

  

    While in Cowley on Thursday morning, a sister appeared with a box of diaries. This box had been left outside, by her home, but she is not related to the author of them.    We did find in Family Search some people to contact to see if we can find some relatives – what a fun & amazing mystery, but one which the Lord has His hand in!

    Got our fishing lines wet Saturday Morning, and had fun attending a birthday party for Athena on Saturday evening!

We love you all Mom and Dad

 

Sunday’s are always the greatest of all days!

Dearest Family,

    Happy 1st Birthday Athena on Tuesday, & Happy 23rd Anniversary to Bill & Kathy, April 30th, on Saturday!  Hope you all have a great day!

    Another great week!  Sunday’s are always the greatest of all days!  We enjoy our calling so much & each day is a special one! We try to contact each Bishop of the ward we are visiting but had had a difficult time this week making the connections, but finally did on Saturday! Yes, sometimes there is a little stress! All of these wards were in the Billings Stake and meet in the same building. What a blessing it is to teach the leaders of each ward!  If they learn & find their own name then they are excited to share their testimony & excitement of the work! What a blessing it is to all!  We meet with the leaders during the SS time, then also attend the Sacrament Meeting in one ward & also RS/Priesthood sometime during the day. In every ward we attend we find people we know or have some connection with! After arriving home at 6:20pm, we SKYPED with a High Councilman & his family in Montana.  We have been teaching them over the last month, & now he & all of them are beginning to teach others.  His wife said that last week he probably shared the FS Tree app with over 30 people, not including sharing it in a High council meeting. They are all so excited! 

We see the promised blessing which several apostles have made being fulfilled each day!  The latest is Elder Renlund’s  Apostolic Temple Challenge that includes all the promises together! 

Find as many names to take to the temple as ordinances you perform in the temple, and teach others to do the same.     And if you accept this challenge, blessings will begin to flow to you and your family like the power of the river spoken of by Ezekiel and the river will grow as you continue to perform this work and teach others to do the same.  You’ll find not only protection from the temptation and ills of this work, but you will also find personal power, power to change, power to repent, power to learn, power to be sanctified and power to turn the hearts of your family together, and heal that which needs healing.  I witness that Jesus Christ lives. I witness that the sealing authority has been given to earth, that these keys and priesthood authority exists on earth to bless the lives of all of heavenly Father’s children.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Aren’t the blessings amazing in this promise which the Lord has made to us!  It covers every aspect of our life!  We need some of them each day!  Lets all do this work & receive these blessings!

  

A sister shared with me the experience of doing the temple ordinances for her son’s biological grandmother on his fathers side.  This son had been adopted by his step father very early in life.   She said she was nervous, but when she was doing one of the ordinances she felt the grandmother enter the room & wrap her arms around her, enveloping her! Another witness that the veil is getting thinner as the Lords work is hastening on both sides of the veil.

    Each day was great, helping people, in their homes, at the public library, where ever. . . .  We have also had fun teaching several on Skype!  It works great! Even tho we are not serving in the FH Center any longer, there are opportunities to teach.  Enjoyed Home Teachers, A great visit with Rob one afternoon, Kenny, Rosie & Lucy came by one evening to help us put the big eagle back on the post in the corral.  They had helped us take it down awhile back so Dad could repaint it!   It was great to visit for a few. We had a heavy slow rain storm about .61" of ppt over 10 hrs, Its been along time since we received that much ppt. Cody & Burlington got several inches of wet snow. 

    Saturday morning I worked at the blood draw until 10:00 am. Dad & Rob went fat tire bike riding between John Blue Canyon and the Cottonwood Canyon road. They had a great time, about 50', partly cloudy and no wind! Dad rides his bicycle here at home to keep in shape for these trail rides!

    Well life is great,   CTR & have a great week,   We love you ALL!!!!!!!    Mom & Dad

WOW!!! what a week! It has been great!

Dearest Family!

    WOW!!! what a week!  It has been great!  Today has been so very nice!   We traveled to Red Lodge this a.m. to visit the branch there – probably 80 people attending!  We arrive about an hour early so we have time to test the internet in the building – the branch FH consultant arrived just after we did & she was an excited lady, progressive, & excited about the work!   She knew very little about doing Family history on handheld devices – so we began teaching her! Their Sacrament Meeting was great & then during SSchool we met with the Branch President, Elders Quorum President & FHConsultant! As we shared several videos & visited we could see that they were feeling the spirit or this work and beginning to see how it could help the members of the branch!  The Spirit of Elijah is wonderful!  We enjoyed a visit with Wade Fike and children, Wendy was visiting family this weekend. They drive about 45 miles to church from Joliet. After their meetings we went down the mountain & stopped at Belfry! They have a Senior Missionary couple who have just arrived there, they will be there for six months, helping in the branch.  We were blessed to share a little about the work with them, but will do more later. 

    Then this evening, we Skyped with a High councilor over FH in a stake!  This was our second time with he & his family.   Last Monday we did our first FHE with Mom & Dad, daughters 11 & 14, two sons, ages 7 & 9.   We had climbed around in their trees, & they are having a wonderful time finding names.  They are all amazed that they can do this & it is easy!!!!!   Tonight we answered questions & then a little more info!   It was so super to see them working together – and – so excited.  The perfect picture!!!  Another highlight for them was finding a branch of the tree that went back to Adam!

    We were helping one of our older sisters & we saw a green temple – a first for her!   She has never taken a name to the temple for one of her own ancesters!  That same afternoon, after helping a sister, she called all excited!  She had been entering some info from FindaGrave.com & connected to a name that went back to 700, this is on a line with no church members!  She & her husband were so excited!

    Wednesday, while I was helping a sister, Dad had a little time to go fishing!  no catching tho!   That afternoon a nasty cold bug hit me!    I really laided around for the next couple of days....  Dad started watering the orchard and pasture oh so dry the water just disappears.  The water was full of silt and sand that first day so his ditch filled up in  a few hours. He was able to wash it out and not have to shovel it away.

    He took care of our Thursday appointments by himself!  I had to get better for a Women’s conference in Worland on Saturday!   And we did have a wonderful time there!  We taught two classes, one on Family Search Tree & one on Family Search Memories!  It was just a quick exposure, that is all one can do in 40 minutes.   Melvin & Ira came & were our helpers plus 4-5 others.  We felt like it worked out great!   Thanks, Melvin & Ira!

    One evening, I was also able to join the Relief society in our own ward for a service project, helping clean up a yard!   It was so nice to be with the sisters for the evening!

 

Love to all of you,  Mom & Dad

April 17, 2016