Family – Page 33

Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #3

November 28, 2008 by rickety 2 Comments

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s third email from the Missionary Training Center. Photographs are courtesy of LaRae Warner who’s son is serving with Daniel.

Well today is Thanksgiving so my P-day is just a little messed up. We get to have a General Authority come speak to us today and also do a service project. That is crazy that Sarah and Derek are moving to Texas. I had a friend from Texas and they had only good things to say about it. Try and get Bryson some cowboy boots maybe? Best of luck to the both of you.

Elder Warner told me, Dad, that you were looking at some pictures of me on his mom’s blog. Those are probably the same ones that I took with my camera. I forgot to get my pictures to send but all those were were pictures of my district and one picture of my companions.

Mom, it sounds like you are growing up to be a fine grandma. Working from a Lazy boy sounds like it could be less productive but whatever works. :) I’ve always wanted to drive one of those carts around at Sam’s Club. My leg is perfectly healed. Just like I was saying it just needed to rest to recover. I can now run as much as I want and it never bothers me.

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Thanksgiving 2008 in Perry

November 27, 2008 by rickety Leave a Comment

Back row, left to right: Jill, Rick, Susan, Sarah, Derek holding Bryson, Randy, Sherie, Scott, Shauna, Kent, Alex, and Ty.
Front row, left to right: Jake, Byron, Melissa, Paul, Ashley, Adelaide, Robert, Steven, Connor.

Thanksgiving this year was at my brother-in-law Randy’s home in Perry, Utah. Steven brought an extra turkey to fry. He heated the peanut oil to 350 degrees. When the breast of the turkey reached 170 degrees it was done. It was cooked perfectly. Last year it was burnt. After we had all eaten our fill we went outside to have a group photograph with Adelaide’s new Nikon D90.

Later in the evening I blogged while some of the family played the game “Would You Rather…?” which I am glad I didn’t play. Ashley commented for the first time on a blog (mine). Others watched the Cars movie. Steven and Paul tinkered with Adelaide’s camera. And then it was time to gobble up some pie.
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Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #2

November 20, 2008 by Daniel 2 Comments

Elder Willoughby by the Mongolian flag on the day he entered the MTC

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s second email from the Missionary Training Center.

Elder Holland

I am doing great! I am loving being a missionary. We always get a General Authority to come on Sunday and most Tuesdays too. Last Sunday Elder Holland spoke to us. He was very passionate and spoke from his heart. He does a lot of work with missionaries so he has a deep love for missionaries. We all felt how much he loved us when he spoke. He was very inspiring and I am trying to apply what he said. He also is really funny. I guess in general conference they tend to not tell as many jokes. I was laughing really hard some times.

The Savior

He told about when the Savior came to the Americas all the people there listened to him and felt his hands. The Savior told them to go home and ponder the things he said and he would teach them more tomorrow. So all the people went home and told everyone about Him and to come to listen and to hear Him teach the next day. Elder Holland commented, “The only time home teaching has ever worked in the Church.”

I’ll try to get around to sending a picture. I can’t upload any here but I could try and mail a few if I remember, I seem to forget my camera.

We Should All Speak Mongolian

The language is great. It is very complicated but I am blessed with a quick mind and the ability to focus all day. The sentence structure very simply is exactly the opposite of English — it is fun. I think we should all speak Mongolian. We learn so much everyday. Just recently we learned how to buy things. It is amazing how the spirit helps me remember what I learn. We have one elder from Samoa, one from Las Vegas, one from North Carolina, two from Utah, and one from California. The sisters are two from Utah and one from Missouri.

Be Grateful

I am doing great, my leg doesn’t hurt. I can run as much as I want to. I usually just run for 20 minutes or do crunches for a while. Thanks for everything! Stay positive and be grateful for all that the Lord has blessed you with. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us very much and want what is best for us.

Love, Elder Willoughby
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The Conquest of Jericho Sestina

November 18, 2008 by rickety Leave a Comment

The first time I heard of a sestina was when my daughter Sarah received a homework assignment to write one. I helped a little by suggesting a story from the Bible and then by contributing a few lines. This happened back in 2001 but I still remember fondly the time we spent penning those 39 lines. A sestina can be quite appealing to the mind because of the re-use of the six chosen words and the order in which they appear.

What is a Sestina?

With the help of Wikipedia I give you this explanation: A sestina is a highly structured poem consisting of 6 six-line stanzas followed by a tercet (three lines) for a total of thirty-nine lines. The same set of six words ends the lines of each of the six-line stanzas, but in a different order each time; if we number the first stanza’s lines 123456, then the words ending the second stanza’s lines appear in the order 615243, then 364125, then 532614, then 451362, and finally 246531. This organization is referred to as retrogradatio cruciata (“retrograde cross”). These six words then appear in the tercet as well, with the tercet’s first line usually containing 1 and 2, its second 3 and 4, and its third 5 and 6.

Sarah’s Sestina

To make the sestina easier to follow I have numbered the lines where the six words appear. The words are Joshua, Jericho, priests, trumpets, days, and times, numbered respectively 1 through 6. The sestina is based on Joshua chapter six. Verses 1-5 are the word of the Lord to Joshua (stanzas 1 and 2); verses 6-7 are Joshua’s words to the people (stanzas 3 and 4); verses 8-27 is the conquest of Jericho (stanzas 5 and 6). The troubadour rules were strictly followed for the order in which the end-words recur. The tercet, the three lines at the end, contain the six words used in the six preceding stanzas which you shall see are not exactly in the right order. See if you can rewrite it so that it is.

The Conquest of Jericho

(1) And the Lord said unto Joshua:
(2) “I have given unto thine hand Jericho.
(3) Before the ark I want seven priests,
(4) Bearing rams horn trumpets.
(5) And this shall take seven days,
(6) And they shall compass the city seven times.”

(6) “When surrounding the city seven times,”
(1) The Lord continued to instruct Joshua,
(5) “The walls of the city shall fall in seven days,
(2) And utterly destroy the inhabitants of Jericho.
(4) By the long blasts of the trumpets,
(3) That shall be blown by the priests.”

(3) And the son of Nun called seven priests:
(6) “You will circle the city seven times,
(4) And blow the rams horn trumpets.”
(1) The Ark of the Covenant was brought before Joshua,
(2) And he told the people to surround Jericho
(5) Once every six days.

(5) And seven times on the seventh day.
(3) “I want armed men before the priests,
(2) And the ark to come behind when circling Jericho.”
(6) “When going around the seventh time,”
(1) Continued Joshua,
(4) “The people shall shout with the trumpets.”

(4) So the seven priests with seven trumpets
(5) Went blowing a full six days
(1) “And only shall Rahab live,” commanded Joshua
(3) So the people shouted with the priests
(6) And it was done only on the seventh time,
(2) That the wall fell down flat, for entry to Jericho

(2) The city was burned—waste was Jericho.
(4) Celebratory sounds of the trumpets
(6) Were made long and loud and many times.
(5) Victory feasts were the order of the days.
(3) Hailed as heroes were the seven priests
(1) Throughout the country was noised the fame of Joshua!

Gold and many (6) times the silver were taken that (5) day.
(1) Joshua said, “Cursed be the man that buildeth this city (2) Jericho.”
And the seven (4) trumpets and the seven (3) priests agreed.

Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #1

November 14, 2008 by Daniel Leave a Comment

Daniel entered the MTC October 28, 2008

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s first email from the Missionary Training Center.

Companions

The computers are really handy. They are just in the laundry room so on Thursday, my pday, we do laundry and write email. The MTC is way exciting. I am doing great! I have two companions so we are a three-some. Elder Nelson is from Paradise, Utah near Logan. He is the youngest in his family with 4 brothers and 4 sisters. His parents are going on a mission in a week so we’ll see his parents around in the MTC soon, so that is interesting. Elder Apo is from Samoa. It’s a small island in the ocean. He is great! He is always telling us about his home and culture. Where he lives it is always really humid and hot. He said it has never been below 75 F degrees. He is “enjoying” the cold weather.

Food and Teachers

The food is delicious. I get three meals a day. I usually eat lots of fruit with each meal. My leg is much much better. I can run up stairs, walk around fast, do anything but sprint. I have three teachers, Brother Cannon, Sister Infinger, and Sister Marta. Sister Marta is native to Mongolia so we are blessed to have her. Sister Infinger has tons of energy and if anyone says they can’t learn Mongolian she says she’ll eat our arm off. We believe her. Brother Cannon knows how to throat sing. He is way cool.

On Task

My Branch President is awesome and so is his wife. Elder Nelson, my companion, has the position of district leader. I have seen tons of Elders I know. I have seen Elder Van Weezep, Elder Wiser, Elder Hill, Elder Davenport, Elder Buttars, Elder Jensen and many others. I always say Hi to them. I have been amazed at the spirit here. It is constant and very helpful. It keeps me on task and always wanting to serve my best.
Mongolian is great and is making sense. I can see how greatly blessed missionaries are when learning a language. I am able to focus all day — when at home I had trouble focusing for an hour. I bore my testimony to a new Elder yesterday and many times before that.

Mongolian

My companions and I like to walk around after lunch and speak Mongolian to the other elders. It’s helping to get over the fear of talking to everyone. It’s really easy at the MTC to talk to people though. This Friday we’ll be doing the lessons in Mongolian. Tomorrow we have special permission to teach in Mongolian early since there isn’t many resources for Mongolians here to speak Mongolian. Our lesson last Friday in English went well. Mongolians have no background at all so we are taught to always start from scratch when teaching. We emphasize that God loves them and they are his children. My teacher, Sister Marta, said when the missionaries told her that God loved her she had never heard it before. She always thought of God as someone who punishes. I have learned so much so fast and I am working my hardest everyday. My district has seven elders including me and three sisters. They are great. I am extremely busy but I am enjoying every minute.

Sounds like everyone else is enjoying life. I hope my room was clean enough. The candy in my suitcase was yummy. Bryson has grown a lot of hair! The grayish color he has must come from Rickety. Well my time is up. I enjoy hearing what is going on at home.

Love Elder Willoughby
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Birthday Celebration: Steven

November 13, 2008 by rickety Leave a Comment

Steven entertains Bryson

On Monday we celebrated Steven’s birthday at our Family Home Evening. Jill, Paul, Jake, Steven, Adelaide, Sarah, Derek, Bryson, and myself were there. After the Family Home Evening we blew up balloons, tossed them in the air, and then burst them. It sounds a little pointless but it was a lot of fun. We gave Steven his presents and then ate cake and ice-cream.
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How Many Toys Does It Take To Entertain Bryson?

October 30, 2008 by rickety 5 Comments

As many as you can possibly find! This evening 24 days old Bryson came to visit his grandparents. So we got out a few toys to occupy him.

Daniel Enters The Missionary Training Center

October 29, 2008 by rickety 4 Comments

Daniel and the family at the MTC entrance

We took Daniel to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) today. All the family came along so we needed two vehicles. Daniel had his parents, siblings, in-laws, and nephew to say good-bye to him at the MTC. Well, Bryson didn’t say anything, he was asleep. In the photograph above, taken by a passing missionary at the entrance to the MTC, are (left to right): Derek holding Bryson, Sarah, Jake, Daniel, Rick, Jill, Adelaide, Steven, and Paul.

But first we took some photographs at home and then headed for the California Pizza Kitchen in Provo. This was our last meal with Daniel so of course I took some more photographs. We entered the MTC on time and Daniel received his missionary badge. We took our last photographs before entering the chapel where taking pictures is off-limits.

No chalk messages to missionaries on the sidewalk

We began by singing Called To Serve and having a prayer by one of the new missionaries. A counselor conducted, telling us that couple missionaries arrive at the MTC on Mondays and elders and sisters on Wednesdays. He told the parents of a few rules, specifically to not to try and visit your missionary. No chalk messages on the sidewalk, and don’t try to “accidentally” run into your missionary in the Provo temple. He advised that we keep our letters to our missionary upbeat, don’t tell him you’ve given his car and his room away. At least not all in one letter.

Sister Boone, wife of the mission president, spoke next. She told the new missionaries that your role is to invite others to Come Unto Christ. There will be a lot of changes for the missionaries. Changes in walking, talking, thinking, and dressing. We have 800 instructors, all of them returned missionaries that have been carefully selected so that you get the best teaching. We have a lot of volunteers that you get to practice teaching to. They pose as Christian and non-Christian investigators. Our 56 Branch Presidencies will look after you as you are:

…faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love. (Doctrine and Covenants 6:20)

President Joseph Boone began by saying that missions should start at 16 because:

They know everything.
Their mothers would not cry when they left.

Daniel's missionary badge

He cautioned missionaries not to be offended by our repetition. Imagine if the Prophet Joseph had said, “Now Moroni, you’ve already told me that twice.” Elders and Sisters you need to be careful.

President Monson has said that whatever you write home your mothers will read it all in Relief Society. President Boone wanted to put a plug in for missionary work so he warned about the three sins of senior couples: Sins of Omission, Commission, and No Mission.

He mentioned that the most significant publication of the Church in the last 50 years was Preach My Gospel. He said he liked the giant mural that is on a wall at Church Headquarters that depicts Christ before his apostles saying:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19)

We continue that commission. Now, after the movie “Called To Serve” I recommend that you say your goodbyes like removing a band-aid — do it quickly.

And so we did. After a few hugs Daniel was gone and we left to go home. In the parking lot we discovered that one of my sons had left the keys in the van ignition. Jill went to get some help in opening the van. Oliver Nielsen of the BYU Police came to our rescue. It took him about fifteen minutes to trip the door latch and we were on our way. A big thank you to Brother Nielsen from all of us! And wherever you are resting tonight Elder Willoughby, sleep well, for tomorrow they are going to work you to death.

Jill places on Daniel his new missionary badge in the MTC foyer

Daniel is Set Apart as a Missionary

October 28, 2008 by rickety 2 Comments

I completely forgot about Daniel’s setting apart until my neighbor, Andrew, reminded me. Talk about my brain getting rickety! Daniel was set apart as a missionary by his stake president. While Daniel sat on a chair in the Relief Society room President Thredgold laid his hand on Daniel’s head followed by the Melchizedek Priesthood holders in the room. After the setting apart we took a few photographs and then left so that Daniel can finish packing. In the photograph below is Adelaide, Steven, Jill, Daniel, Rick, Jake, and Paul. Sarah, Derek, and Bryson were not able to attend. The black box above Daniel’s head is an exit sign, which I think is rather appropriate.