"You're Skinny Mama!"

The day I finally weighed less than my husband was such a huge relief! I didn't realize how much it had bugged me to outweigh him. Now, he can even pick me up off my feet! Yikes! Not sure I like that much, but it was fun when he did! I think he enjoyed hearing me squeal! lol!

Some of the things that are easier to do these days are very simple. I can kneel and pray by my bed each morning and night without hurting. I can bend over to weed my garden. I can stand long enough to cook a meal--or two or three! I can tie my own shoes and give myself a pedicure. Yes, all those things used to be difficult. Now that I've lost over 100 lbs, life is fun again!

When you're obese (hate that word) your life slows down. You don't have the energy to keep up with the world that seems to be passing you by. If you do manage to keep up, it's exhausting. I don't know how many time I made excuses, sometimes very legitimate excuses not to go to social functions. I was easily tired, sore, short of breathe and self conscience about my weight. It was hard. I was lonesome and sad a lot. I felt like a bad mom and a bad wife for letting everyone down. Thank goodness I was a nice person or they may have just given up on me altogether. But they stuck by me and loved me despite my medical issues that brought me to this point.

Why am I sharing this? Because I understand this kind of pain. My calling in life now, is to alleviate this particular type of suffering. Through the HCG drops that I sell and the updated protocol Doctor Stockwell has developed, I can help. It's amazing! First I helped myself though. My own weight loss is ongoing. I have 40 or so lbs to go!

My son, the missionary, was shocked to see my most recent photo's. His comment was, "You're Skinny Mama!" Well, I don't know about skinny, but I am healthy now. I feel great, I am happier than I have been in 20 years. My dad says I look like I did in High School. Not sure about that either, but it sure was a boost for me to hear his opinion.

I can walk for miles without being tired. I can wear pretty clothes---real sizes off the rack! Wow! I actually enjoy shopping now. I dig in my garden-- relishing each moment I can work the soil and soak up the sunshine!

In September I get to welcome our first grandson into our family! I'll get to watch him grow and learn and play now. It is such a blessing!

Blessings come in all shapes and forms during a lifetime. Right now my blessing is in helping others do the same thing I've done since October. Life is amazing! Do like I did and start living it again! You will be amazed at what you've been missing!

I'm Five Days In--and I'm going to WIN!

Well, I've joined the ranks of the starving dieters....yep, I'm trying to lose weight! I had no idea how tough the first few days would be. So from here on out you are going to need to cheer me on. I'm five days in and I'm going to win!

A few months ago I was told that if I didn't lose the weight and cut back my fat intake drastically, I would end up with cirrhosis of the liver! I had been ill for over a year and had finally gone to a kidney specialist to rule out kidney disease. He was the one that finally diagnosed the problem. He was horrified to find in my chart that my family practitioner had known about this condition six month previous and had not given me any instruction. Insert more horror here!

I quickly changed family docs and found an internal medicine doctor/sleep doc. She had a long waiting list in years past, and I had not been able to get in with her. Now she had openings! She was amazing! We got started on a low fat diet right away. I found out that I had been striving for this for quite some time, but had kept going back to the cream soups and hot dishes I loved. Bad girl!

I had done one thing very right, I'd been organic gardening for years. Probably saved my life too! I had to eliminate all chemicals and additives and preservatives from my daily diet.

I got rid of the nasty habit of drinking diet mountain dew! Yes, my name is Valora and I'm a Dew Head! Ha! Years ago a doctor had told me to drink something with caffeine in it to combat migraine headaches. Great doc eh? That had to be the hardest hurdle for me to get past. I did it! Check that off my list!

In the midst of all of this enlightening news and information, I thought I was having a heart attack...well the doctor did. She had talked me into taking blood pressure medicine. An Ace inhibitor and chased that with a flu shot! I reacted badly to both! I was hospitalized and stuck and probed for the next 24 hours! All because I was scared and went against all the spirit told me to do and took that shot and med! Never again! Now 500 dollars poorer from co-pays, I was back on track!

A few days later my new doc told me that I'd be a good candidate for natural medicine. Oh really? They won't be giving me either meds ever again. Whew!

On the advice of a herbal medicine doctor, that I now admire greatly, he suggested I move from Dew to Sobe energy drinks and then off of them all completely. It worked! The ingredients in Sobe are less harsh and more natural. No one with a heart condition or other health conditions should go off of caffeine cold turkey. Or off of artificial sweeteners either. Wean yourself off slowly--but do it asap! If you are healthy, go for it and take Tylenol for that awful headache you'll get. But do get off of the horrid stuff!

The human body doesn't need caffeine. It's really bad for your health. Your liver can't take it over time! Boy did I find out the hard way.

Hey! I don't drink alcohol and they said that If I didn't eliminate the trans fats from my diet and get rid of the caffeine, I was going to develop cirrhosis of the liver--like a bad alcoholic! Why don't nutritionists tell you these things? I'd seen a few over the years. Not one that I'd ever paid good money to see, had brought up the possibility!

I realized quickly that weight was the main issue causing all my health problems. My sleep apnea had brought it on slowly over time. Now that I was sleeping, my mind was alerted to the fact that I was not going to live long with the fatty liver or enlarged heart and I felt like I was sinking into fat quicksand!

"Oh help!" I cried out loud as I thought of all the things in life I would miss! I lost a lot of sleep over this whole thing and prayed day and night for answers. How was I going to do this?

The answer was simple. Find a way to lose the weight quickly and safely. The faster I lost weight, the quicker I could regain my health and do all those things in life I was meant to do.

After much prayer, I found Laurence, the master herbalist. He's a deeply spiritual man and a member of our church in Idaho. I found him through a missionary mom friend that I trusted and I wasn't disappointed. He told me like it is. Straight talk with a punch. He hit me up on the whole caffeine thing. Oh boy! Satan didn't want me to give it up. Satan kept telling me I couldn't live without it. Now, that made me hopping mad! I hadn't thought of it that way. Now that I did, I couldn't go back.

Moving forward and fighting this fight to lose weight and live became all consuming. I'm a believer in Jesus Christ after all. He is supposed to be the center of my life. The one thing I've never been in all my life is a hypocrite! So I had to re-evaluate where I was at in my life. I turned it around quickly!

So, now I"m on this journey with the HCG diet and later the zone diet to maintain that which I've lost. I pray hourly sometimes. I am struggling, but writing all of this down has given me renewed strength. Today is a new day and I'm praying for strength. I have a healthy sense of humor as I try to enjoy my new found sense of self. I have a very strong testimony in the fact that God does know us and He wants me to live.

Cheer me on as I get healthy and re-claim my life. I am filled with gratitude in the knowledge that it is not too late and that our beloved Heavenly Father will be here for me in my hour of need! How I love Him! I can win this battle.

"Give Me The Strength to Hold On Just a Little Longer"

There is always someone who needs us in this world. Anytime I'm hurting I ask Heavenly Father to send me someone I can help, so I can stop feeling sorry for myself and lighten my own burden. Without fail, He always comes through for me.

I love how He works miracles in our lives! The key is to recognize the miracle and go with it when it happens. Or perhaps go one step further and act on that knowledge and bless someones life and your own, by helping them out.

As I've been reading all the articles about Haiti, I'm blessed by the stories of fortitude, service, faith and the inner strength of the members of the LDS church. How I wish I could hug a sweet sister named Charles Marie Murielle. Her words and description of the quake and destruction touched me deeply. Most of all, the way she described the spirit and how calming it was when others were screaming and crying, comforted me in my own personal battle with pain.

Her words, as quoted by Meridianmagazine.com were as follows, "Give me the strength to old on." I had the spirit whisper to me, in addition to that, to add another quote by a great man of God President Dieter F. Uchtdorf-- "Hold on a little longer". I put them together for the title of this article. It was magic to my ears as I read it out loud! The spirit comforted me and gave me strength to keep going today. The reason? Today was a painful day for me. Now my spirit is a little lighter and willing to keep going. I'm grateful for this little miracle today.

I wish I could hug that sweet sister I quoted, bring her into my home and share everything I have with her and her family. I would if it were possible. I pray she is safe, and can be a nurse like she wants to so badly one day. What a comfort she is and will be for so many. I feel it's true.

I pray for the Saints and all the good people of Haiti-- to heal and have shelter, food and clothing. I pray for the volunteers to have strength and to hold on a little longer when they want to lay their heads down and sleep from exhaustion.

Heavenly Father is well pleased, when His children help each other and give of themselves unselfishly.

Sister Murielle, I wish you knew that you made a difference in my life today for the better. I'll be praying for you and your country, in the years to come. May God bless you and keep you safe.


**************************


After you read my blog entry, please go to the above link and read about our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Don't forget your Kleenex, you'll need it. Then read the following article talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. You won't be disappointed!

A Call for Articles and Recipe's

This is an official call for articles. You don't need to be a professional writer either--although you are very welcome to submit if you are. The content of your story is what is important. I'll help you with the rest. Please read further down for details.

It is a comfort to be prepared for unemployment, long term illness, foul weather and a failing economy. But I want to go one step further. I want to promote hope. Hope buoy's us up and keeps us going in hard times like these.

I am asking for donated articles about food storage. Uplifting stories about miracles and about how having food storage has helped your family in times of need. I'm also in need of recipe's using food storage to place between the pages. All stories need to be less than 750 words. Some exceptions will be made of course--especially with regards to recipe's.

If you are interested, e-mail me at valora.otis@gmail.com . The deadline for this has been extended to November 1st 2009. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks!

Cherished Dimples in Time...

I can't believe it's been nearly a full month since I last posted an article here. Our lives have been full this past month with the arrival of our son Matthew-- fresh from the mission field.

It was an amazing experience welcoming an adult child home from the mission field in Russia.

One of the things I puzzled over before he arrived, was a sadness I felt when I realized that I was reading his very last e-mail before he left for home. It might sound strange to you as a reader that I would feel that way, so allow me to explain...

For two full years we have only had one e-mail a week from our son in Russia. They have a P-day where they take care of personal things such as laundry, grocery shopping, a group activity and letter writing and e-mailing home. We anticipated that letter each and every week with thanksgiving and excitement as we turned on the computer. Often we read about adventures and near accidents and joy. Other days about uplifting spiritual experiences only found while helping and teaching other children of God and giving compassionate service to the sick, the old and the lost souls they found. There were times of personal sorrow and illness where we were able to pray fervently for our sons and encourage and uplift them as well.

Following my husbands accident, I was able to keep our sons updated on Terry's progress and I know both our missionary sons were grateful for those letters and anticipated more news each week about his recovery. I tried my very best to do so in a way that wouldn't overly worry them and found that I became more positive and hopeful myself for the experience.

Over time I prayed more, studied more and gained a deeper perspective of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I learned about myself as a mother and how deeply indeed I loved my sweet sons.

I became mindful of how our Heavenly Father listens to and answers our prayers. Miracles came our way as a family before, during and after Terry's accident and I recognized those miracles for what they were...

I cannot help but think that our sons willingness to serve allowed me to grow to a depth I knew I wouldn't have found, had they chosen not to serve. Their service was far reaching into lives of so many and I'm forever grateful for their personal sacrifice of two full years of their lives.

It's amazing how simple obedience to a promise to write home to mom and dad each week, caused so much growth in us all. We pray more, we write more, we study with more dilegence than we did two years ago. We ponder deeper meaning in our lives and in our faith. It has brought extended family closer as we pray for our sons well being and success in finding souls to bring to Christ. Some of those might have been so lost, had it not been for the prayers said on their behalf.

Missing a weekly e-mail now for me has been replaced with something even better this month. I'm blessed to sit face to face with a young man, my son, who is now a grown man. We've spent hours catching up on all the things we didn't write about in our letters to each other. I've cherished every moment, gotten to know the man who's face has changed in subtle ways. Gone are soft plains of youth I knew so well. Although the cherished dimples I so love, remain the same. Thank goodness!

The quiet wisdom he gained in two years of full time service as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, set well on my sons shoulders. I'm excited to see what is in store for this quiet man of faith in the years to come. Soon I'll be doing this all over again when his elder brother, Jason, comes home in three weeks. Oh how how I revel in the love I have for all my children. What a blessing it has been to cherish each of them for so long. My life is so full and so rich. I'm so grateful to a Heavenly Father who gave me so many cherished memories of their youth and future so full of hope and love. It's an amazing feeling!

Next post I'll write about his homecoming and post the photo's after I've gathered them from relatives. Have a great day everyone. Take time to hug those kids tight! They grow up far too fast and it's important to take advantage of each moment. I know this mom is so glad she did. Dimples aren't the only things I've cherished. I thank Heavenly Father daily that their lives have been my blessings.

One Nation Under God.......please protect us

(Above, picture taken by Jason E. Otis of the Provo Temple in Utah)

My emotions have been all over the map this morning. I woke with a simple feeling of joy in my heart as I realized that our financial concerns as a family will be over in a months time. It is a comfort to know this when Terry is unable to work. I was filled with gratitude for Heavenly Fathers concern and blessings, for all His children. Gosh He amazes me sometimes!

Then I received word from a dear friend and fellow missionary mom. My chest tightened. She told of how there were letters sent to Salt Lake and LA temples, laced with mysterious whit powder. One was also sent to the Knights of Columbus, which is a Catholic organization. Then another was sent to the FBI in Salt Lake city ; as I later found on the internet.They seem to think it's connected to Prop 8. No workers have become ill, yet. How I'm praying for them!

My friend says that, "I KNOW even if it were Anthrax or some thing terribly dangerous, the Lord can protect the temple workers."

I am so proud of her and her faith! We each need to have more faith than ever before while the world around us goes nuts. I refuse to hate. The members of our church are the same. We will forever, forgive and pray for those who wish us harm.

Matthew 5:44-46

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?"

I pray my sons will be protected with so much hate being sent our way for standing up for what is right---for what we know to be true, in this free country we live in. Though persecution is something we know all too well, we can continue to pray for those who would do us harm.

Terrorism is never the answer to a disagreement or the passing of an amendment! I pray that those who are offended by our views can stop the boycotts, stop the loud obscene marches on innocent towns and cities. Stop the hatred.

We are not haters of men. We love our brothers and sisters. Below is an excerpt from Elder Otis's latest letter. I will not be posting his full letters here on my blog anymore. To keep him safe.

"We all need to do everything we can to be worthy and to share the gospel. The only thing that will never change in all this, is the Lord. "Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth will go on boldly and nobly" just like Joseph said.""

No matter what, faithful people of the world won't give in to terrorism. We won't give up, or give into threats against our beliefs. We will continue to remain faithful to our beliefs and our Heavenly Father.

We love the sinner and hate the sin, it's as simple as that. It is what we know to be right and true. It will not change. This country continues to remain One Nation Under God. May He protect us all from each other. I pray for the hate to end.

Same Sex Attraction and Hope

Recently a sister in my Missionary Mom's group told how her teenage son had confided that he was attracted to other boys and not to girls. She asked for assistance in knowing what to do to help her son. This was my response....

I once gave a talk in church about this same subject. I quoted Gordon B. Hinkley and I can't seem to find the talk now, so I'll say this...Our Prophets heart went out to those people in our church and in the world with same sex attraction. I feel the same way.

In a talk by Elder Holland, I found so many answers to this sisters question. I have often heard the Prophet say the same. I pray this soothes your mothers hear a little. You can find the entire article by placing the title in the search window at LDS.org.

Helping those Who Struggle with Same-Gender Attraction

By Jeffrey R. Holland 

of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

"A pleasant young man in his early 20's sat across from me. He had an engaging smile, although he didn't smile often during out talk. What drew me in was the pain in his eyes. "I don't know if I should remain a member of the Church, " he said. "I don't think I'm worthy."

"Why wouldn't you be worthy?" I asked.

"I'm gay."

I suppose he thought I would be startled. I wasn't. " And...?" I inquired.

A flicker of relief crossed his face as he sensed my continued interest. "I'm not attracted to women. I'm attracted to men. I've tried to ignore these feelings or change them, but..."

He sight. "Why am I this way? The feelings are very real."

I paused, then said, "I need a little more information before advising you.  You see, same-gender attraction is not a sin, but acting on those feelings is--just as it would be with heterosexual feelings. Do you violate the law of chastity?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't."

This time I was relieved. " Thank you for wanting to deal with this, ' I said. "It takes courage to talk about it, and I honor you for keeping  yourself clean.

"AS for why you feel as you do, I can't answer that question.  A number factors may be involved, and they can be as different as people are different. Some things, including the cause of your feelings, we may never know in this life. But knowing why you feel as you do isn't as important as knowing you have not transgressed. If your life is in harmony with the commandments, then you are worthy to serve in the Church, enjoy full fellowship with the members, attend the temple, and received all the blessings of the Savior's Atonement."

He sat up a little straighter. I continued,  "You serve yourself poorly when you identify yourself primarily by your sexual feelings. That isn't your only characteristic, so don't give it disproportionate attention. You are first and foremost a son of God, and he loves you.

"What's more, I love you. My Brethren among the General Authorities love you. I'm reminded of a comment President Boyd K. Packer made in speaking to those with same-gender attraction. ' We do not reject you, "he said." We cannot reject you, for you are the sons and daughters of God. We will not reject  you, because we love you.'

We talked for another 30 minutes or so. Knowing I could not be a personal counselor to him, I directed him to his local priesthood leaders. Then we parted. I thought I detected a look of hope in his eyes that had not been there before. A thought he yet faced challenges to work through--or simply endure--I had a feeling he would handle them well."

****

I pray that today, this article helps someone out there in cyberspace who is struggling with same sex attraction.

How amazing our church leaders are! We learn such compassion for our brothers and sisters through their examples! 

Do not shun or throw your children away when they confide in you! Love them, hug them and take the advice above and strive with your children as they try their best to live the precepts of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When or if they choose to stray from that path, remember, God loves them still--and so must you.

Grateful and Honored

Here is an excerpt from our son's letter. Elder Otis, a missionary in Russia is proceeded by the official statement from the LDS church about US missionaries going to Russia. This is a bitter-sweet time for the church in Russia. The government has made it difficult and very expensive, to serve humanitarian missions there for more than three months at a time. Our missionaries have to leave the country every three months now to renew their visa's. It is my prayer that the missionaries will be able to remain there until their work is completed. We pray for our brothers and sisters who live in Russia. They are amazing faithful people and we love them dearly.

Can you even imagine the light and hope that the people feel when they learn about Christ? Many there are atheists. Some, especially the poor, feel a sense of hopelessness and drink more than they should. Alcohol is symptom of a much deeper problem I think. Our son has even seen mothers pushing baby buggies with an open bottle of vodka in their hand.

Elder Otis has seen the good and the bad. Joy and the heartache are alive and well in Russia. It has been a journey of faith and often triumph of good over evil. His visa is up in January. I pray he can stay at least that long to help these amazing people. As his mother I have appreciated his journey to adulthood and what a blessing it has been to be a part of it through our weekly letters.

I have loved seeing the happy faces of people who gather in the name of Jesus Christ! Their smiles are beautiful! Just like the sweet sister above who's arms are open. My sons service in this small congregation will not soon be forgotten I think.


"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released this statement Monday about the services of its missionaries in Russia:"

*"A recent change in Russian immigration law now requires foreigners on humanitarian visas (including missionaries) to leave Russia every three months to renew their visas.

The church is working to find an alternative solution to the 90-day renewal requirement. Until an appropriate alternative is identified, new missionary assignments to Russia will be limited to those nationalities not needing visas.

Missionaries currently serving in Russia are not being withdrawn, and the missions are fully staffed. Missionaries needing Russian visas who had not yet left for Russia have been reassigned."


"We haven't had a whole lot of investigator work recently, but we are reaching out to the members, trying to strengthen them and get them ready for the road that lies ahead. Well, I'm glad to be serving here. I know that I'm among the last of the Americans to be serving in Russia and I'm grateful and honored that the Lord sent me here at this time. I'm grateful to be serving in Pervouralsk, there are so many good people in this branch. I just hope that I can have a good effect on this branch and get things going good here. That's kind of bad news that no more American missionaries are going to be coming in. We were told that by April we will only have 50 missionaries in our mission, and that was with a reduced amount of Americans coming in. So now I don't know whats going to happen. The missionaries are working with a sense of urgency, we have to get things done before the number gets reduced. From now on we are going to be losing missionaries every transfer and areas are going to start closing down. So President is going to start closing the areas that are less productive first, so we are trying to make our areas as productive as possible. I'm just grateful that I'm serving here right now, and things are good and will keep getting better. The Lord is guiding his work and everything is happening for a reason. I'm just grateful that I'm a part of it! I hope you guys have a great week, I love you a lot and think and pray about you often. Matt"

We love our kids so much. We also love our Lord dearly and are more than happy for them to serve missions.

Something governments don't seem to understand. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a world wide church. The Europeans and Americans may not be going to Russia anytime soon, but we have plenty of Ukrainian missionaries and soon Russian missionaries who will be preaching the gospel in the streets of Russia. When one door closes Heavenly Father finds a way to open the windows wide!

*Deseret News

Published: Monday, July 14, 2008 6:03 p.m. MDT

The Healing Message...

Today we went to a wonderful graduation party. It was our sons sweethearts party. The party was the best one I'd attended in years. So many friends were there. I can't recall having such a good time in years! Maybe because I can actually enjoy a lively conversation again? In the past I couldn't follow a conversation for long, the fog would roll in on my brain and I'd feel anxious. It was very disconcerting.

Now, I feel like I've joined the land of the living once again. I can't describe how it feels to be able to notice the trees and the leaves and the even the ripples in the water on the lake again.
When I wasn't sleeping I was just trying to survive. I was gradually circling the drain of life--and I felt myself slowly dieing away. It was so hard to feel that way and not have doctors that would listen to me. I'm grateful that they finally did and now my life is getting better and better as the days go on! I'm so filled with joy at the prospect of living a full and meaningful life once again.

I love my Heavenly Father so much and I pray that I can show my gratitude towards Him by living my life as Jesus would want me to. The second half of my life is going to be beautiful! No matter what trials come my way, I'm determined to live it prayerfully and with hope and thanksgiving for what it does bring.

A quote I read this week really touched my heart about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ touched one mans life. I had to share it with all of you because without the Gospel, I'm not so sure I could have held on for so long. I know that President Uchtdorf feels much the same way...It is also the source of my strength and my hope and faith as well.

"In the middle of [the] despair [of postwar Germany], my family learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and the healing message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives. The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at
ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated
viewpoint."




(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?" Ensign, Nov. 2007, 19)

A Branch President in the Family!

Every Monday morning I look forward to opening my e-mail. You see, Monday is P-day for my sons on missions. Matt in Russia and Jason in Spanish speaking Los Angeles write home each week.

The adventure of the week is almost always Matthew's in Russia! This week was no different. I clicked open the e-mail and saw the photo and gasped! Matt had an ugly purple welt and gash on his forehead. He had been playing capture the flag in the forest with all the other Elders and had tripped and fallen and hit his head. Thank goodness it wasn't any worse than it was. We want him to stay out of the Russian hospitals at all costs. I'm sure there are good ones there somewhere, but the one he described at the beginning of his mission was a nightmare. So I'm happy he's alright now. He said it didn't bleed for long--though the Russians were freaking out and wanted to take him to the hospital. They put their iodine on his forehead. I think it's either green or blue and stained his skin. How funny! He said he just told people that he had gotten hit in the head by a beer bottle. What a kidder! Needless to say he got a lot of attention and had fun with it.

I guess Estonia is closed to the missionaries now. They have to go out of the country to renew their visa's every three months. Now, they will go to the Czech Republic. Read below...

Matthew is now the Branch President of his little congregation. It makes me smile! You know, the mom in me being so pleased coming out:) If you aren't LDS, a Branch President is a Pastor. He has been trained well by Elder Later his previous companion. I know Matthew will miss Elder Later so much. He and Matt are dear friends now. Elder Later is either on his way home or transferred. I'll have to ask his mom. I'm going to try and include some photo's here today. I've never done this before, hope it comes out okay. Until then, here is part of Elder Matthew Otis's letter.

"I just got transfers, I'm the new branch president, and Elder Isenbarger is going to be my new companion. I don't know him but I hear he's great! Elder Magelby is coming to Revda, I hear that he is also really great, so our district should be fun next transfer. It's crazy that I've already been in this area for 3 months. It's gone by really fast, doing branch work really passes the time. Also next transfer I will be going on another visa trip. And I've hear that Estonia has closed it's borders to us missionaries, so now we are going to Prauge, Czech Republic. I hear that it's a really amazing city, so that should be fun. Hmmm....I always forget what I want to write about, I guess thats all I've got then. Keep on going. I'm praying for you, and I know that you're praying for me. Things are going good, and I know that they will only continue to get better if we have faith and try and look at the big picture. I'm glad that our family is really optimistic. I've had a good amount of experience here with people who whine about everything, and its funny because it doesn't help them one bit, in fact it makes things worse. It's just sad, we really do need to live by faith and not by fear, everything just works out so much better. Well, I hope you have a good week, happy fathers day dad!!! Catch a lot of fish and keep sending me pictures(small ones plz!!), i'd love to see them.

Love,

Matt"

For those moms and dads who don't think your making a difference in your child's life. I challenge you to think again. Your life may be easy or even difficult. It's the way you handle the hills and valleys in life's tangled web that matters to these kids. Show them you can overcome the obsticals when do come. Show them by example that you will stay faithful while going through heartbreak and tragedy. Rise above all that life brings. Then when they go out into the world on their own, hope and light and faith will be the greatest gift you ever passed onto them. Be a blessing to your children.