Happy Easter

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello from the wet, cold land of Carthage. I am holding on to the belief that spring will come. The robins and tulips are hopeful too.  There are so many puddles and so much mud that I wonder if we will ever be able to walk on the grass.  Of course, this isn’t Utah so this place is used to rain, and it somehow seems to drain or something.

Yesterday, I spoke in Church.  Elder Long will speak in a couple of weeks.  Since we have no youth speakers, the missionaries speak in a threesome.  Or as I choose to believe, I was the youth speaker.  Our subject yesterday was diligence.  I felt impressed to speak about how we should be diligent in our marriages. I won’t repeat my whole talk, but I would like to share a quote that I love.  It is a Quaker proverb:

“Thine lift me, then I’ll lift thee, and we’ll both ascend together.”

I think this statement goes a long way in how we should treat each other.  If we are always uplifting, what a wonderful world we would live in.

Today I gave a tour to 15 Cambodians, some of them refugees.  It was extremely special because when Bob was in graduate school in Logan, I taught ESL to Cambodians.  I grew to love those people so much.  I felt such a peace in this tour.  Sometimes when there’s an interpreter, it can be difficult to concentrate. Today it was almost soothing. I think it’s because I have such a life-bond with these people.  At the end of the tour, one sister gave me a big hug when I told her that I had been an ESL teacher.  She said an ESL teacher changed her life and gave her a much needed tool for survival here in the U S.   It humbled me.

Elder Long gave a special tour today to a family that had several little boys.  He came back to the Visitors’ center teary.  He said he felt he was talking to his grandsons.

We sure miss all the grandkids and kids.  We can’t wait to get home but we love serving with all our hearts.  It is an experience of a lifetime.

As Easter and conference approach, we are reminded of Eternal blessings. The Savior is the most important focus in our lives.  We can’t wait to hear His servants testify of Him.

All of you have a Happy Easter!

Love,

Sister and Elder Long