Dear Glo,
We had a pretty interesting week here. It was good talking to you and President Meservy on Monday. Thanks for talking to me and putting me on to talk with him. He seems like a good and caring president. Plus, he has given you mostly good companions and you have learned spanish well and had great success so the places he has put you have obviously been inspired.
On Saturday we went to Patriarch Nortons funeral. He died about 10 days ago of old age. He was a great man. We learned a lot about him in his eulogy and the talks given about him. He was in counterintelligence in the vietnam war and he posed as a snake collector. His daughter said when he was a kid he was helping do some tree cutting and got bitten by a copperhead viper and that may have been when he got interested in snakes. While the snake collector disguise was not the reason he was actually in vietnam, he did catch and use the snakes for antivenom. His kids told the story about how at one point, a cobra was in the mess tent and they called him and asked him to catch it which he did. He put it in a big can and put it in his tent with a book on it. He had a tent mate who he did not like much. When the guy came back to the tent, he asked what was in the can and Oak told him a cobra. The guy said he did not believe it so Oak opened the can and the cobra reared its head and the guy ran out of the tent and never wanted to be tent mates with Oak again which was fine with Oak. His family told how he was always giving everyone flashlights and he also gave young women mace and pepper spray (He gave us some and I gave it to Johannah). He also gave people money who were in need and at the end of his life whenever the bishop would go over to his house, he would give him cash he had around the house for the needy. He was very generous and always was thinking of others. He was in the Air Force and Army for 24 years. He invented many surveillance devices including cameras in all sorts of common objects long before the nanny cam was invented. I remember when I went to a hunting store to get vaccinations for the puppies, the retired detective who was one of the workers at the hunting store told me how Oak would always loan the police department his equipment to help them catch criminals. During his time as a member of the church he was a bishop, a high councilman and ended his life as a Patriarch. He was Patriarch for about 30 years and gave about 2000 blessings. It was a great funeral. At the interment service when they dedicated his grave he had a police honor guard and a 21 gun salute. It was really cool. Larisa and I were glad we were there for the funeral. They came for Mark and Ethan's weddings and Tracy was such a good home teacher. Even now, I have called him when I needed help.
I also went running with Jere Cross yesterday morning and it was good to run with him around his stomping grounds and talk about his kids and grand kids and my kids and grandkids. I love Jere and Edrie and it was good to see and talk with them. I saw her before Jere and I went running.
Last weekend we had a temple worker devotional and the old temple presidency gave talks and the new temple president and his wife gave talks. It was a great meeting and it was amazing to see all the people who serve in the temple. The stake center chapel and overflow was filled just from the people who work in the little Detroit temple and it was amazing to see them all together.
I changed the oil in Mommys volvo this week and the air filter and it is amazing to see that Greenie is running so well even though it has 280000 miles on it. It looks and runs really well considering it has so many miles. I also changed the oil and rear brakes in my mom's car this week and I was glad I could help her. I try so hard to help her and ease her worries but it is hard because she has so much negativity in her life and it is hard to counteract it. I wish she could go to the temple or she could get more out of the gospel to encourage her but I think it is hard because she is so addicted to cigarettes and coffee and I really think while those aren't the worst addictions, they cause her trouble and give her bad health and it takes its toll on her spirit.
I got credentialed by the hospital in Lewistown Pennsylvania on Friday, so I am pretty guaranteed a job there if it does not work out in Dearborn Michigan. I am very thankful to have any job solidly and am thankful to God for that. I am also thankful for all the blessings and prayers I have had on my behalf that got me to the point where I am still employable. That was not always a sure thing with what has happened to me at the previous hospital.
Last weekend was fun as Mommy probably told you, we went to lighthouses for a few days on the coast of michigan and then went to Mackinaw island on Friday to Saturday and mommy walked a 6 mile walk and I ran the Great Turtle half marathon on Mackinaw island. It was hard, I was in a lot of pain in my left achilles, my right knee and my left groin but I finished it in 1 hour 59 minutes and 57 seconds which was decent. When I ran the air force marathon I ran the first half marathon in 2 hours 13 minutes.
I am thankful to Heavenly Father for all my blessings. I was fasting today for Johannah to be happy and to have a happy social life at BYU which she has not had lately. I fasted for Mommy and me to know what to do next and which job to take. I fasted to say thank you to Heavenly Father that I have the Air Force job and the Pennsylvania job. I also fasted for Mark because he has been having some health problems lately, pain in his belly and blood in his urine. If you can remember to pray for him.
I love you glo!
thanks for all your prayers and for your good work with the people of California.
Con mucho amor,
Papá
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