For Mothers Day Alauna wanted to take a photo of the family and one with her and our 7 kids.  We grabbed the tripod, the camera and headed to the back yard to take a couple of photos.  With seven kids not many things are very easy.  This simple picture was no exception.  :)  I just started snapping pictures as the craziness unfolded.  While life may be a bit crazy it is always worth a laugh.  I have looked through these pictures dozens of times and I laugh every single time.  Our family may keep you on your toes, but we will always provide a laugh or two.  I can't imagine life any other way.  

Trevon is Baptized in China

Sunday March 9, 2014 was an awesome day.  Trevon got baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  He was baptized is a swimming pool at the Frasier Apartments.  Jerry and Yvonne Yu live there and they are able to arrange the baptism being held there.  It was such a blessing, for me to be able to baptize him and confirm him.  He is such a good boy and it was a really special day. 

It was a very long day.  Alauna and I were up late on Saturday night getting things ready.  By the time we got to bed it was after midnight and then we woke up at 5:30 to make sure we were ready to leave by 7 to get to the baptism on time.  We had three college students staying with us for the weekend and also Alauna’s cousin David and Jenny Benson and their son Charlie.  It was so nice to have David and his family with us that weekend.  We had Craig and Sue Peterson as well as Tracy Crump meet us at our house to help get everyone to the baptism. 

The pool was about 40 minutes away from our house and we had the baptism service before our regular Sunday service so it made for an early start.  Our branch has not had a lot of children baptized in it so they did not have any white clothing.  So Trevon had a pair of white pants and a white shirt tailor made for his baptism.  He looked so good.  He also got a new suit made as well and looked handsome.

It’s always tough to be away from family and friends when we have special events.  This was no exception.  It was very nice to David, Jenny and Charlie here.  It was also very overwhelming with the amount of support received from our Nanjing Branch Family.  We had almost 60 people at the baptism from our church.  It took most of the people 30-60 minutes to get to the baptism.  We felt very loved and supported by everyone. 

The baptism was a great experience.  The pool was a lap pool and when we climbed in it was a bit deep.  Trevon could barely touch the bottom.  I was holding him up to keep his head above water.  The other side of the pool as a bit more shallow so we walked over to the other side lifting up and going under the lane markers as we went.  The other side was only slightly shallower and Trevy had to stand on his tiptoes to keep his head above water.  Trevon was probably the easiest to make sure he was complete immersed because he was already 90% underwater.  It is always such a special experience to be able to baptize our children and see them come out of the water clean and pure. 

After the baptism Trevon and I were in the dressing room and had a special moment.  We discussed about how at that moment he was perfect.  That all his mistakes and sins had been forgiven because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  We also talked about how even though he wanted to stay perfect he would make mistakes but through repentance he could be forgiven.  We also talked about after he receives the Gift of the Holy Ghost he would have a constant companion to help him make good decisions and help keep him safe.

After we changed we went back to the clubhouse where everyone was congregated.  While we were changing Alauna had everyone write his or her thoughts for Trevon on a postcard.  It was so nice for Trevon to have these postcards with all these thoughts written for him.  That night after everything settled down Trevon and I spent time reading every card.  He loved it.  It was so nice to have all that support written for him.  It will be something he will cherish forever.  We confirmed him and gave him the Holy Ghost.  Greg Ferney, Craig Peterson, Jasper Toomba, Jerry Yu and David Benson helped me to confirm him. 

That afternoon we had an open house at our house for Trevon.  We had about 50 people come over and had a great meal of BBQ pork (crockpot not smoker), salads, fruits, chips and some great deserts.  We had a lot of support from a lot of people to have enough food for everyone.  It was so nice to have everyone come over celebrate with Trevon and just relax and enjoy time together. 

It was an amazing day.  We are so proud of Trevon and his decision to be baptized and follow the Savior.  We pray he continues to make good decisions and grow and develop.  He is such a good kid.  At the end of the day we were exhausted and so happy.  I tried to write this blog that night after everything settled down and I couldn’t keep my eyes open.  I fell asleep after just a few sentences.  It is not always easy being in China, but this day was a perfect day. 

Life's little miracles

Today is a difficult day for me.  It has been 7 years since my mom passed away, and I miss her every day.  There have been so many times that I have wanted to talk to her about the difficulties of China and raising 7 children.  There have been so many times that I've wanted to share the joy of one of my childrens' accomplishments.  Today I want to reflect on some of the miracles that the Lord has given to me to help me through the loss of my mom.
My mom felt she would pass away in February.  Her mom and dad both passed away in their birth months.  My mom's birthday is February 2nd.  As the end of February approached, and my mom was still with us, we all hoped we would have one more year with her.  But now as I look back, the Lord let my mom stay with us as long as He could.  He let her stay with us until the very end of the month.  He could have so easily taken her sooner, but He allowed us to have every possible moment with her.  It was not an easy month for her.  She was in extreme pain, but with the Lord's help, she fought to stay with us as long as she possibly could.
Boyd has asked me several (billion) times over the past years if I would consider moving to China.  My response was always "NO!!!!".  Part of the reason for my answer, besides the fact that I'm a scaredy cat and a home body, is that I couldn't leave my mom and dad.  I couldn't leave my mom when she was so sick, and then once she passed, I couldn't leave my dad alone.  I knew my sisters would take good care of my dad, but I still couldn't leave him.
Finally, I told Boyd "yes" to China.  I struggled with the idea of moving to China, but I knew the Lord had a plan and a purpose in sending us here.  I still was uncertain of leaving my dad though, and I prayed that he would be taken care of.  The Lord sent Marilyn to take care of my dad.  He sent one of his choice daughters, that loves my dad with all of her heart.  It has not always been an easy journey, for everyone involved.  (How can it be when you have 3 emotional girls involved who miss their mom with all of their hearts?)  I know it's the right journey though.  Marilyn makes my dad happy again.
I pray that my sisters will find comfort and peace on this difficult day.  They are amazing women that always astonish me with their strength and wisdom.  They are wonderful mothers, wives and especially sisters.  I'm extremely blessed to have them in my life.  They are certainly one of the most important miracles in my life.  The Lord knew I would need them by my side to help me through all of lives trials. I love how they always remind me of my loving mother through things they do or say.  I love you Lisa and Laurie!!  Thank you for being my best friends!
I know the Lord is always there for us.  Our path will not be easy, nor would we want it to be.  Without trials, our lives would be empty.  We cannot feel extreme joy without knowing extreme pain.  We cannot feel extreme happiness without feeling extreme sorrow.  The Lord has a plan for each of us, and if we work hard to follow and obey Him, we will be blessed, maybe not in the way we'd like, but certainly in the way that is right.
Alauna