December 17, 2018 - Week 27

Hi Jon -

I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season in Mexico. I've never experienced Christmas in Mexico but the interwebs tell me you have daily highs in the mid 70s and nighttime lows in the 30s so that's a pretty big spread! I guess you put on a jacket when you go out and then take it off in the middle of the day and wear short sleeves!

Our week has been busy with tons of work to do for the wedding. We made some box decorations, and I've been cutting, sanding, and varnishing wood. We had to spray paint PVC pipes, and I had to sort out a dozen strands of white lights and replace a ton of lightbulbs, etc, etc, etc so the work never ends. We've also had a little fun going to JohnnyP's Christmas party, having a bridal shower for Maddy, Javi's piano recital, Chance's school Christmas choir concert, and hosting a big open house for all of Maddy and Heber's college friends who are finishing finals this weekend and then flying home for the holidays and can't make it to the wedding reception. Whew I get tired just thinking about all we've done.

Grandpa Poulton is still in the hospital but he is doing better. He sort of took a turn for the worse this week when his bowels wouldn't function after his surgery last Sunday. He was in a lot of pain because fluids were building up in his stomach but couldn't get out. They tried to stick a tube down his throat (very painful) but it wouldn't go so they had to go to an xray room to see what it was getting stuck on. Finally the tube got in and they started pumping stuff out and after that the pain went away and he has been doing better ever since. He couldn't keep any food down all week but that has gotten better in the past day as well. He finally had bowel movement last night so things are looking better now and we all expect he will be released from the hospital this week. Grandma was at the hospital with Grandpa all week long and she has Christmas visitors arriving soon so we spent part of last night cleaning her basement, making beds, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms and toilets, etc. All of us went - even Maddy, Heber, and Emily - so we did 8 hours of work in just one hour.

I have been starting to listen to Christmas music. My favorite song this year is called "All I want for Christmas is a real good tan" by Kenny Chesney and it talks about wanting to get out of the snow and go to a tropical beach and just drink Pina Colatas and bury your feet in the sand. After listening to Christmas music for several days I realized I hadn't heard even one single song talk about the Savior so I started searching on Spotify some kind of religious Christmas music. It was so hard to find! Finally I stumbled across a radio station called "Christian Christmas" and I've been listening to that now and it's really good.

But it has been bothering me all week that is this what our world is all about now? I always thought Christmas was all about Christ (um, it's in the name right?) but now we need to categorize better - there's something called "Christian Christmas" and I guess a whole different category for Christmas for non-Christians? Or maybe just Christmas for people who believe in nothing? Of course people who believe in nothing still put lights on their houses and decorate Christmas trees and give and receive Christmas presents so it makes sense but the idea of a separate "Christian Christmas" still bothers me a lot.

I was skiing back mountain this week and stopped at the top of Grizzy Ridge to look out over the mountains and Deer Creek reservoir which was covered in clouds. It was really quiet and calm so I just took a moment to take in all the beauty. For a just a quick moment I said "I miss Jon" out loud and then a breeze swept through the trees and I swear I heard the trees say "me too". 

Joe Hall came home from his mission last week and was honorably released. He spoke in sacrament meeting on Sunday. I know he hasn't been out very long so I'm guessing he had severe anxiety or something else going on. I think he's going to go to school at the UofU.

This week the first presidency announced that youth would advance from primary into yw/ym and from one quorum to the next at the beginning of each year instead of on their 12th, 14th, or 16th birthdays. Of all the changes announced this past year I think this one makes the most sense of all. It's terrible when your 11 year old primary class starts out with 10 kids and you lose one kid every month until you're down to nobody left. It's super awkward to teach a primary class with 2 teachers and 1 student not to mention that you are breaking up friendships all the time, etc. I hated Deacons quorum when you knew a handful of kids were going to move up to teachers quorum during the year and another handful of kids was going to arrive from primary. So much disruption! This way is so much better! It's like the guys in charge of the church have actually been primary and YM teachers before! They get it! I'm so happy to be in a church where we have living prophets, inspiration and revelation, and less hesitancy to question old traditions that may have been correct in the past but no longer make sense in our age.

When Jenn and I went to the hospital on Thursday, she asked Grandma if she wanted a priesthood blessing. At first Grandma said "no, no, no I'm doing fine" but about 30 seconds later she said yes she really needed a blessing. I didn't appreciate Jenn offering that without talking with me first to see if I was comfortable with it but I didn't make a big deal about it because I was a little embarrassed that Jennifer had to ask the question when I should have been the one asking the question. It was an honor to lay my hands on Grandma's head right there in the hospital room with absolutely zero preparation and just try to say the things the spirit told me to say. 

So you're a missionary and it's one week until Christmas. Are you going to buy expensive gifts for your companion, other missionaries in your zone, your investigators, or the members you work with? When Christ was on Earth he didn't have a lot of money to buy expensive, fashionable gifts for everyone. But what did he give? He touched a blind man's eye and gave him sight. He healed lepers. He raised a man from the dead. He used the priesthood to give people things that no amount of money could ever buy.

So you're a missionary and it's one week until Christmas. I challenge you to look around and write down the names of the people you see every day. Your investigators. Your companion, The other elders and sisters in your district. The bishop and counselors in your ward. The ward mission leader, the Elders quorum president, your landlord. What impedes you from saying to each of these people, "I don't have a fancy gift to give you for Christmas but I am a full-time representative of Jesus Christ and what I do have is the power to give you a priesthood blessing in His name. Would you accept this Christmas gift?" If you do this I promise you'll have some Christmas experiences that you'll never forget.

Love,

Dad