Rickety – Page 17 – Mostly about Utah

Christmas Letter 2010

December 6, 2010 by jill 3 Comments

Hi Friends and Family,

This is our third annual Christmas Letter blog post. We will send the URL to this page to friends and family with their Christmas cards. It has been a great year for our family. Here are a few highlights:

Steven and Adelaide welcomed a new baby, Cassandra Ruth Willoughby (Cassie) in June. Aurora had her first birthday party in February and is a good big sister. They are enjoying their new home. If you go on over to Ada Shot Me there is a fun video to watch about Cassandra.

Derek was able to obtain employment in Utah so he and Sarah loaded up the U-Haul and moved back home. Grandparents are so happy that Bryson is able to visit more often and play with all the toys and cousins. We enjoyed his second birthday party by building and racing balloon cars.

Paul and Jake graduated from the University of Utah in Computer Engineering. They are both working for Hill Air Force Base and have traveled to Texas twice already for a project they worked on.

Paul, working on one of his many projects, made use of some empty barrels.

Robert and his 80th Birthday Cake

Jake announced his engagement to Rachel and they will be married December 15th in the Bountiful temple. Rachel is a beautiful young woman and is attending Weber University in Family Studies. After a cruise honeymoon to the Bahamas they will live in Roy.

Rick and Jill celebrated 30 years of marriage in August. Earlier in the year they visited Sarah’s family in Texas and toured the Cowboys Stadium, Battleship Texas, San Jacinto Monument, and the Johnson Space Center.

In March Rick and Jake visited all the California and Nevada temples during Spring break. They did a year’s worth of temple work in less than a week. One of Jake’s photographs that he took on the trip was used by the Church on its temples home page at lds.org.

Daniel, our youngest, is coming home after serving his mission in three different missions — Alabama, Mongolia and Washington. He will have served 2 years and 47 days (not that we are counting). Daniel will come home December 14th just in time to attend his brother’s wedding.

Rick planned a fun 30th anniversary trip for us to the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City where Jill got to see Pride and Prejudice and other plays.

Jill has been on two fun trips with her extended family. In June we traveled on the Skunk Train in the California Redwoods. In October we celebrated our Dad’s 80th birthday by going on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera on the Carnival Cruise line Splendor. We enjoyed the Extreme Canopy Zip Line in Puerto Vallarta, a city tour in Mazatlan, shopping and snorkeling in Cabo San Lucas and tons of great food and fun. We were joined at a family dinner at Maddox by other family members for the historic 80th birthday.

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas,

Rick and Jill

Cassandra Now Playing on Ada Shot Me

December 4, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Cassandra is now playing at Ada Shot Me. Cassandra is the youngest of my granddaughters. The movie plays for around four minutes and admission is free. But please pick up your dropped popcorn and candy wrappers on the way out. And do stop by again.

For your convenience I tried to obtain the rights to Cassandra to show on Rickety. But the Motion Picture Association of Adelaide wanted to keep Cassandra at home.

Click on any of the screencaps to watch Cassandra.

Cassandra is Born

Cassandra Bathes

Cassandra Rolls Over

A Happy Cassandra

United States LDS Church Membership Statistics

December 1, 2010 by rickety 3 Comments

The complete updated membership statistics are available at United States LDS Membership.

I have updated the United States LDS Membership table using numbers obtained from the Deseret News 2011 Church Almanac. Half of the book is devoted to membership details from around the world. I have placed some of these numbers into online sortable tables.

The United States membership is broken down by states in this sortable table. I have added the change in membership from 2007 to 2008 (2008 Δ) and 2008 to 2009 (2009 Δ).

By sorting on the “2009 Δ” column I found that only one state, Michigan, had a decrease in membership during 2009. I discovered that the five biggest increases came from Utah (26,710), Texas (8,410), Arizona (6,405), Washington (5,294), and Idaho (3,993).

The largest LDS state populations by percentage are in Utah (68%), Idaho (27%), Wyoming (11.5%), Nevada (6.7%), and Arizona (5.8%).

The states with the most members are Utah (1,884,377), California (757,895), Idaho (410,757), Arizona (381,235), and Texas (286,902). The most temples are in Utah (15), California (7), Arizona (5), Idaho (4), and Texas (4).

The most districts are in Texas and New York (3 each). Rhode Island is the only state without a stake (District of Columbia is not a state) while two states (Delaware and Vermont) have only one stake. 24 states have 10 or more stakes each and 13 states have a Mormon population of over 2%.

If states were countries (by combining tables — sorry, you have to do this manually) then the most membership would reside in the U.S. (6,058,907), Utah (1,884,377), Mexico (1,197,573), Brazil (1,102,674), and California (757,895). The most membership by percentage would belong to Utah (68%), Tonga (45%), Samoa (31%), Idaho (27%), and American Samoa (22.5%).

You can add up the permutations yourself, try it. The World, United Kingdom and Canada memberships have also been updated.

World LDS Church Membership Statistics

November 30, 2010 by rickety 8 Comments

Deseret News 2011 Church Almanac

The complete updated membership statistics are available at World LDS Membership.

Last week I obtained a copy of the Deseret News 2011 Church Almanac. There is a lot of information packed into it’s 624 pages. My favorite is the membership statistics that are itemized country by country.

All these membership numbers are all very fine but they would be a lot more useful if they were in an online sortable table. It is the comparison that is interesting — seeing the growth in many countries and the stagnation in a few others.

So I put the world’s LDS Church membership statistics in a sortable table. I added the change in membership from 2007 to 2008 (2008 Δ) and 2008 to 2009 (2009 Δ).

By sorting on the “2009 Δ” column I found that 11 countries out of 168 had a decrease in membership during 2009, though they were small amounts. I discovered that the five biggest increases came from the United States (84,866), Brazil (42,118), Mexico (39,337), Peru (18,463), and the Philippines (17,300).

The largest LDS populations by percentage are in Tonga (45%), Samoa (31%), American Samoa (22.5%), Niue (19.1%), and Kirabati (11.9%). The United States comes in at 14th with 2%, tied with Palau.

The countries with the most members are the United States (6,058,907), Mexico (1,197,573), Brazil (1,102,674), Philippines (631,885), and Chile (561,920). The most temples are in the United States (75), Mexico (12), Canada (7), Brazil (6), and Australia (5).

The most districts are in the Philippines (86) but there are 13 countries with only one stake. However, there are 15 countries with a 2% or more Mormon population.

You can count on finding many more permutations. Try it.

Missionary Dan Email #34 from Vancouver, Washington

November 30, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Daniel in Vancouver

Mongolian Found!

I was happy to receive a call on Thanksgiving day from Bayarsaihan. She is a native Mongolian that met her husband at BYU Hawaii and moved to Vancouver several years ago. I knew that she lived here, but despite all my efforts to contact her, I was never successful.

She was told by a missionary serving in her ward that I would love to talk to her. On Saturday I called her and talked for 10 to 15 minutes in Mongolian and she invited us to her house to have some buuz (Mongolian food). I was so happy that I was able to understand still and that I hadn’t lost it all with the 8 months of not speaking to a native.

Today is very exciting because we are going to her house and enjoying some food and my companions get to see how wonderful the culture is. It truly has made me very happy. I look forward to meeting more Mongolians in Utah as I hear there are many there.

Zone Conference

Thanksgiving dinner was great. We had tons of food and pie. And then we had more food and pie. Followed by some more pie. Then we just had some pie. The next day we had Zone Conference. President had all missionaries at Zone Conference for the first time stand up and had their companion introduce them. It was fun introducing two.

I bore my final testimony to all the missionaries there and enjoyed the things I was able to learn. I was asked how I achieved success throughout my mission and how was I able to do it. I said simply, “1. Rely on the Spirit and the Lord 2. Work hard! There is no substitute.” It was great to be seen as a great missionary to others, even though I have so many things I can improve on.

Teaching

We continue to work and find people to teach. We set a date with Phillip for his baptism on Jan. 15. That was very exciting to see him make that step of commitment. His dad and step mom are Mormon and call him on the phone and follow up with the lessons we teach him. He was referred to us back in September and has been very busy, but now is making great progress.

I am also happy with the progress my companions have been making. I need to get them to a point where they can take over the area and be each other’s first companion past their trainer. It is such a crazy situation, but has been going great.

Temple Days

As it so happens my zone’s temple day is next Tuesday and I’ll be going to the temple again the following Tuesday in Kennewick with President and Sister Greer before my flight. I am really looking forward to spending some extra time there. It will be a great time for reflection.

I know this is the work of God and that it continues forward. He truly loves all of His children. Thanks for all the support and good luck with the wedding plans.

Love, Elder Willoughby

Elders Willoughby, Mendoza, and Powell at Thanksgiving

Elder Daniel Willoughby is serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission. If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.

Thanksgiving 2010

November 25, 2010 by rickety 2 Comments

Our obligatory Thanksgiving photograph. It was cold so we didn’t take much time to pose. As in 2008, we celebrated at Randy and Sherie’s home in Perry. Missing from the photograph are Mark and Connie who are visiting with Mark’s parents and Byron and Daniel who are serving missions. There is a hi-res version (5.2 Mb).

Photo Credit: Steven
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Participating in God’s Great Latter-day Work

November 23, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem

This Sunday I am substituting for one of the regular instructors in Gospel Doctrine class. Lesson 42 involves chapters 16, 23, 29, and 31 of Jeremiah. The purpose of the lesson is to encourage class members to participate in God’s great latter-day work and to have his law written in their hearts.

In my weekly email to Daniel I asked him to write a few sentences about participating in God’s great latter-day work as a missionary. I would then read his reply to the class. Here is his response:

Participating in God’s great latter-day work as a missionary has increased my understanding of how much God truly loves His children.

Every day we go out on our bikes in all types of weather to try and share a message about Jesus Christ and the opportunity we have to repent each day. As I know personally the message I share is true, it would make sense that millions would gladly accept the message and feel of the peace I have. Although we are rejected and occasionally made fun of, I have a desire to press forward. Why is that? Because I am a part of something beyond myself. This is God’s work and He uses me as an instrument.

Perhaps I will never see the extent of all my efforts, but the ones I have seen have brought a great joy to me that it will always have a special place in my heart. God truly wants us to be happy, but He won’t force us to be. It is important for me to be the best missionary I can so God can work miracles through me. The work is real and very rewarding.

The fishers and hunters described in Jeremiah 16:16 are missionaries of the Church such as Daniel. As Daniel’s mission draws to a close in December, I am grateful that he chose to serve a full-time mission.

Missionary Dan Email #33 from Vancouver, Washington

November 23, 2010 by rickety Leave a Comment

Elders Willoughby, Hardy, Powell, and Mendoza

The baptism of Roberta was great. The Spirit was strong and everything went very well. Roberta has such a sweet spirit and the ward has done great things in making her feel welcome.

My new companion’s name is Elder Mendoza. He is from Sandy, Utah and is lots of fun. Elder Hardy was able to come to Roberta’s baptism so we got a pictures of all the missionaries I trained in a row. It was neat to see how much Elder Hardy has already learned in his short time away from me. He is working hard and has had great success.

Elder Powell and I are adjusting to having an additional companion, but so far everything is great. I too am doing good, it wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it would be, but definitely gives me plenty of things to do. Elder Powell has stepped it up a lot and Elder Mendoza has a great desire to learn. We continue to do all we can to bring others to Christ.

The family sounds like it is doing great. Thanks for the continued support and emails. Unfortunately I spent too much time trying to figure out my camera and things that I can’t write much more. Until next week!

Love, Elder Willoughby

Elder Daniel Willoughby is serving in the Washington Kennewick Mission. If you want to communicate with Daniel, write in the comments or use one of these addresses.
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People of India

November 17, 2010 by rickety 12 Comments

The Republic of India is the seventh-largest country by geographical area with the most populous democracy in the world. According to Wikipedia, India is home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires.

Four of the world’s major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism—originated in India, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium.

Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, India became an independent nation in 1947.

India, a pluralistic, multilingual and multiethnic society, is the second-most populous country with over 1.18 billion people. Traditional Indian family values are highly respected, and multi-generational patriarchal joint families have been the norm, although nuclear families are becoming common in urban areas.

An overwhelming majority of Indians have their marriages arranged by their parents and other respected family members, with the consent of the bride and groom. Marriage is thought to be for life, and the divorce rate is extremely low.

All women are respected in India and visitors should keep this strictly in mind. (Kake)

India is the world’s fourth largest economy (PPP). Since the introduction of market-based economic reforms in 1991, India has become one of the fastest growing major economies in the world.

It is the world’s sixth de facto nuclear weapons state and has the third-largest standing armed force in the world.

Eleven Photographs

The Eleven photographs here were selected for variety and because I liked them. They may or may not be representative of India and her people but I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I did finding them.

Children walk home from school past tea fields in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India

Photo Credit: Daniel Peckham

In ancient India, the beard was considered a symbol of dignity and wisdom

Photo Credit: Steve Evans

Children doing homework in Manek Chowk slum

Photo Credit: Meena Kadri

Miss India

Photo Credit: sokole oko

The Guardian of the Tomb, Taj Mahal

Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff

Punjabi bride and groom

Photo Credit: Deepak Sharma

Family ride along the Tank Bund Road, Hyderabad, India

Photo Credit: Janet and Phil

Tool trader at the Ravivar Bazaar in Ahmedabad, India

Photo Credit: Meena Kadri

Ready for harvest, Northern India

Photo Credit: Andries3

Girl clearing rubble at Kochrab caused by the 2006 monsoon flooding

Photo Credit: Meena Kadri

Camel ride in Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India

A guide gives tourists a camel ride in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India

Photo Credit: swamyski

These photographs carry a Creative Commons license that permits copying, distribution, and transmission provided that they are not used commercially and attribution is given. Other restrictions may apply, follow the photo credit links for details.