For the Kiddos

Hey niños! So we had a very special devotional on Sunday night. It was a recorded talk that President Jeffrey R. Holland gave at the MTC last February. He told us about the power of the Book of Mormon, and the power of the Spirit, and how glad he was that we were missionaries. But then he reminded us what it means to be a missionary, and what we have to live up to. He reminded us that for almost 200 years people have gone out to preach the gospel in countries and languages all over the world. He reminded us that when most people think of our church, they think of a pair of young men or young women, Book of Mormon in hand. But then he called three boys up to the podium. One was about 12, the other was 10 (just like you, Addy!) and the last was probably somewhere between 7 or 8, so around Laynie and Ella's age. He told us that we needed to be the kind of missionary that these boys could look up to. He said they needed to see us and think "I want to be a missionary just like that!" He told us to always remember these boys and the responsibility that we had to them. But I didn't think of those boys. I though about all of you. I promise that I will be the kind of missionary that you will look up to. I hope so much that you, Addy and Clay and Owen, are already looking forward to serving your missions and that you will start to prepare early. And girlies--Laynie and Ella and Hailey and Maren and Olivia and Zoey, I hope that you will live and work so that if you get to 19 and decide you want to serve a mission, you'll be ready. That would be awesome! I promise that I'll serve my mission in a way that you can follow some day, and I promise that, even though I'm not perfect, I will do everything I can to keep the perfect image of a Mormon missionary intact for when you enter the field some day. I hope you keep this letter around, to remind you of how much I am thinking of you, and I hope you'll share it with your brothers and sisters and cousins who haven't joined our family yet, because even though I don't know them, I love them already. I love all of you so much. I miss you and I think about you every day--just ask my companion, when I need to do something with my hands to stay focused I fingerspell all of your names in ASL. I can't wait to see you again, but I know that will feel like no time at all, and until then, remember that I am thinking of you and that I love you, and that every day of my mission will be for you, and for the Lord, and for all of His children in San Pedro Sula. Love, Aunt Emmy