Family Service Projects 2010

Copied from the letter the Nagel's sent at Christmas.

The hardest thing about living in Utah is dealing with the climate, especially the snow. We've learned that good coats, gloves and hats make all the difference. So it made sense that when we asked the boys to pray about what we should donate to the Christmas Box House (a charitable safe house for displaced children), they both felt impressed t say, "Coats."

We had some "groupons" for Nordstrom's Rack, so Miles, Owen and Harper each picked out a coat that would fit himself and we took them to the Christmas Box House. The receptionist took the coats and gave each boy a candy cane.

On the way home we talked about how we did this service for the sake of the kids who needed the coats and not for the candy canes. We also talked about why it's nice to do service anonymously.

MTN

Included is the following letter. I've tried to keep the integrity of the writing/punctuation/spelling intact.

Dear Grandma & Grandpa,

For our service project this year, we bought coats for the c.b.h. (christmas box house.) It was fun and exiting! But it all started with the praying. Our mom sent us in diffrent sections of the house. She told us that we would get a warm feeling of what we S (the "s" was scribbled out and (Sorry, lol) was written in parenthesis) should do. We had a warm filling we should do coats. Instantly I knew it was the holy ghost.

Miles

On the bottom of the page he wrote, "Flip it over!" and there was a wonderful drawing of a dragon.

From Amy I received the following.

Dear Mom and Dad,

What an amazing year we have had as a family. We're blessed to have a home, our jobs and each other. We have all six of our children in school...with Alex in his senior year and Joey in preschool...we are as busy as ever. But we wanted to continue our special gift to you, our gift of service.

This year we had hoped to do a sub for Santa for someone outside of our group. Unfortunately, we had a friend that found herself a single mom, after twenty plus years of marriage, at the end of November. So we scrambled to assist Santa once again for our friend that we truly love. We went about it the same way; emails, texting and of course, Facebook. We each parceled out bits and pieces of the wish lists and managed to fit in a wrapping party to finish it off. I don't know where I would be without this amazing group of women.

As a family we made two fleece blankets. Nothing fancy, nothing to show off...but warm. Our plan is to drive around and let the Holy Ghost tell us who need to be warm...and see what happens. We can't wait to see the expression of the recipient.

We continue to serve our community throughout the year. Soccer is done for the winter and will begin again in March. This will be my last season as president. It's bitter sweet. But I've already started working on a special needs soccer program in our area for players of every age and all abilities. I can't wait to start.

Honor Guard continued its tradition of honoring our Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in November with our annual Veterans Day program. This year's theme was WITH HONOR. We are already in planning mode for next year, with the idea of honoring the families left behind while their loved ones serve our country.

Our Sea Cadets received a service ribbon for volunteering throughout the community. Most recently Andrew and the other cadets laid over a hundred and fifty wreaths on the service men and women's' headstones at the cemetery near Ft Douglas. Each cadet was asked to spend a moment and reflect on the life of person they were honoring...I know it meant a lot to Drew.

The kids have participated in school food drives for the Magna Community, helped with sub for Santa at the school, performed song/dance recitals all over the place and all continue to serve in various Church callings.

Service throughout the year...I love it.

We have truly blessed with wonderful SERVICE role models

Merry Christmas Mom and Dad!

Love always,

Amy

There was a reoccurring theme for these two families and I'm pleased that they got it right. Christmas IS about love and service. I'm especially proud that they found ways to instill in their children, that when given the chance, the Holy Ghost does indeed guide. The. Best. Gift. EVER!

Naughty. Kids. Pictures.

One of those NOT SO RARE moments that words fail me! These pictures say it all...

Someday we will look back and laugh with Sophia and Alivia...yeah, about the time they have children of their own and their children do the same thing. I only hope I'm still alive to see it!

Sophia. Escapes. Car.

I have loved this child from the day she was born. Maybe loved her a little more because around the age of three months we found her in our care. Sophia is precocious, adventurous and just plain fun! So it is not surprising to recall what she did during one of our Army Combat Medic training sessions.

As was custom, when MSG Zollinger (Grandpa Mike) needed victims for training, he used some of his many grandchildren. It was convenient because they came in all shapes and sizes and loved to get "bloodied up" and play injured. On this occasion, Sophia (around two and a half years old) was a passenger in a van that had "collided". Her job was to just sit in her car seat and wait to be treated by a soldier/student. She had not been really given much in the way of obvious injuries. What unfolded somewhat haunts me to this day, in more ways than one.

The soldiers did a great job of triage (assessing injuries and treating according to need) and immediately assessed that Sophia wasn't in any need of immediate care. Quite simply, they moved on to more serious matters and ignored her. After a few moments, Sophia got out of the car seat, climbed out of the van, literally walking though legs, and walked away!

I got the MSG's attention and motioned, "Did you see that"? He confirmed that he's seen with the nod of his head. Sophia continued past the commotion and around the building...out of sight! Not one person had noticed her leave the scene of the accident! What if it had happened in a real situation? What, if during her escape, she had been injured by a passing car? What if someone stole her from the scene? What if...what if?

It was sometime later that I thought about that day and was struck by those events in a spiritual sense. How many of our children live day to day doing all the right things; there are no major accidents in their lives i.e. drugs, alcohol, etc. In the meantime our efforts are poured into a wayward child? And maybe, because we aren't watching, a child slips away from the "scene" to end up who knows where. Maybe they will wander through the crowd to safety, but maybe they will get hit by that car because no one noticed they'd walked into danger.

It was a lesson to me that day that "spiritual triage" is a necessary thing. Certainly, we need to put much effort into family members who are struggling but we must never lose sight of the ONE who doesn't need our care at the moment.

Thank you Sophia, for that lesson!

Dad. Family. Camping.

As a young family, we (Morales') did a lot of camping. For the life of me, I don't know where my dad put all the stuff we hauled to make us somewhat comfortable. Mike and I finally bought a 10' utility trailer to haul all of our camping gear and we still have to put stuff on top of the car.

Our family had a couple of heavy canvas tents, plenty of rope, fishing gear and tools. We must have hauled food because my dad didn't own a gun so we didn't hunt for food like the pioneers. We did have some of those big, really heavy metal coolers so, yeah, we must have hauled food.

The roads aren't what they are now and either were the cars. When you went on a road trip, you always hauled plenty of water in a big canvas bag. We sure used a lot of things made of canvas. The bag was hooked to the front of the car filled with water in case the radiator overheated. The roads were just, mainly, simple highways. A trip to Yosemite (Reds Meadows and Tuolome Meadows) usually took several days. Thank goodness, or not, there was no such thing as seat belts because that meant you could crawl into a space somewhere, anywhere, and fall asleep to pass the time. In our station wagon, five kids could usually ride quite comfortably; on the floor, with the hump as a pillow, on the seat or even just in the back, except for my brother, Michael. He always sat in the middle of the front seat between my mom and dad with his chin on the dash. I think, mainly, it was to keep my dad awake. I'll have to ask Michael someday.

One of our most memorable trips to Yosemite National Park (California) was when I was probably around 10 or 12 years old. It took several days to get there and on the first night we camped at one of the Mammoth Lakes. If I recall, it was Muir Lake. Nighttime came quickly after setting up camp and I can remember how cold it was going to be that night. I knew my dad would take care of us and he did. He heated rocks over the fire and buried them in the ground under the tent. Honestly, I don't know if those tents had bottoms or not but I do know that we were warm for the night. It wasn't our luck the next day!

It was still June and the Mammoth lakes had not yet achieved optimal temperature for bathing or swimming. It didn't matter to my dad because I quite clearly remember him making us swim in that freezing water. Maybe it was our bath for the day. I wish he would have remembered the rock trick to warm up the water!

We did a lot of camping so I'm sure that my mind has forgotten the many different places we stayed relative to the stories I remember so I think I'll just tell what made our trips most memorable.

I remember a large, meandering river where we would let the bar of Ivory soap float down the river and catch it before it got away. As a child, I recall the river seemed so big and fast but looking back at it, I doubt my mom or dad would have put us in any danger.

I remember a footbridge, leading out of our campsite, that went over a small stream. Every morning we would try to catch the fish that live there; don't think we ever did.

I remember my dad, in the middle of the night, thinking that my mom was hogging his space and pushing him around in the tent, only to awaken the next day to bear tracks around the tent and a metal cooler ripped open. He was more mad that the bear had stolen our batch of homemade, Nana Mary tortillas. He followed the trail of tortillas up a hill and salvaged what he could. Lucky for the bear that my dad didn't catch up with it.

I remember my mom doing laundry in a big metal tub and a thing that looked like a big metal plunger. If I could find one of those contraptions today I would buy it in a heartbeat. The way it was put together made the water agitate like a machine. Cool!

I remember the old man who set up camp and stayed for the whole summer. His name was Mr. Chisholm and I think he was related to John Chisholm the pioneer trailblazer. He had it all! Stacks of wood to last the summer. A stove, a cot and this big, square tent setup. We spent hours listening to him tell stories. We would eat with him often. Our friendship with him didn't end just because our camping trip did. We visited him a couple of times in Los Angeles where he lived.

I remember lots of hikes! Looking back on it, I think the hikes were my moms way of getting rid of us so she could take a nap. We always took our fishing gear. I recall one time my younger sister, Judy, asking if she could carry the tackle box, then the fishing pole, then asking my dad to carry her! We also had a secret call of sorts. It was made with the hands in a cupping shape and blowing into them sounding, if you got it right, like a hoot owl. It was the way we had of not getting too far ahead or behind my dad and getting lost.

Fishing was always the greatest with my dad. Even after I started having my own kids, fishing was an enjoyable thing; especially for Mike and my dad. Fishing on a camping trip was the icing on the cake. We loved to fish! And we found a wonderful fishing trick. Follow the truck with the planter fish in it from the hatchery! And if you ran out of bait, cut open the recently caught fish and take out the undigested cheese. If you didn't have cheese, no problem. Use bread and moosh it into a dough ball! I laugh at the myriads of fishing tricks that stores try to sell you to catch the big one! Cheese and dough balls; it doesn't get any better than that.

I know that there's no way to remember all that we did and experienced but this I do know. Our parents must have loved us a lot to do what they did to give us wonderful memories of our childhood. Our lives weren't filled with fancy trips to amusement parks or glitzy vacations but we wouldn't have traded those summer days for anything. I guess that's why camping is such a big deal for me. I want my kids to remember the trips we've taken. I want the grand kids to remember the trips we've taken. Memories are the only things we get to take with us after all's said and done!

The 3 Word Journal

I found this concept some time last year and was intrigued by the idea. It seemed feasible enough and so I jotted down, as they came to my mind, three words that would trigger a memory. At some point I would find time to write the memories that sprang forth from those three words. To that end, I will use this blog and begin to write the things I remember about my life. In turn, it may serve as a journal of sorts. I'm not really worried that someone, or no one, would care to read anything I would write. This is just for me and anyone who wants to come along for the ride. This time, it's just about me!

Fifteen things The 3 Word Journal will teach you how to do:

1. Record a journal entry in approximately 10 seconds

2. Recall and record all the significant experiences and lessons from your life

3. File every lesson from life by topic and have them instantly available

4. Become a far more interesting conversationalist

5. Prepare effective speeches, lessons and presentations very quickly

6. Easily write a multi-volume history of your life to leave for posterity

7. Have an endless supply of material for teaching, reminiscing, books and blogs

8. Enjoy a hobby for life that you will never tire of

9. Greatly increase your knowledge and make better decisions

10. Feel increased gratitude for what you have and find more happiness in life

11. Discover your strengths and talents and how to use them to reach your potential

12. Realize the weaknesses that are holding you back and how to overcome them

13. Understand more clearly why you feel and act the way you do

14. Set 100 life goals that will provide both direction and motivation to your life

15. Discover your personal mission in life

Sarah With the Truck

Sarah came into our group when we had two or three Sarah's. She drives a truck so she became "Sarah with the truck".

Sarah had the last name Abdella when we met her. It's now Lowe. She married a wonderful man who, shortly after their wedding, was sent back to Hawaii where he's stationed. Sarah came back to Jacksonville, NC where she's stationed. They're both Marines.

Tomorrow night we're going to her battalion to bid her farewell as she deploys to Afghanistan. She's learned how to speak Pas cu (sp?) a difficult language and now she'll be one of few in her group who has mastered this language so, off she goes.

Upstairs in our apartment complex is an 18 month old little girl named Audry. Everyday my life is brightened by the pitter-patter of her little feet followed by her cheerful, "Dadeeeeee!" It happens every time her Daddy comes home. Her Daddy leaves tomorrow for a 14 month deployment to Afghanistan. He has to be there that long because there are too few trained to do what he does.

Bryan and Reba, part of our YSA group, just got engaged. He's in the same group as "Sarah with the truck".

My whole point in this is that sometimes we complain about things like the cost of gas going up, the lady in the store was soooo rude or how hot/cold it was today. We are surrounded by many, MANY military families who aren't thinking about those things today. Tomorrow their loved one is leaving.

As we've studied the Book of Mormon, it's noticeable that much of it would film like an "R" and sometimes "R" plus movie. Its pages are filled with war and bloodshed. Why, then, do we spend so much time studying its pages? Have you noticed that two of the book's greatest figures, one of them adorning every temple in the world, were military men? Mormon, by the spirit of God abridged the history of the people of the South America's. His son, Moroni, as a resurrected being, delivered them into the hands of Joseph Smith who translated them for us. Both men saw and were part of some of the worlds most atrocious battles. They were SOLDIERS of the bravest kind! AND they wrote of what they saw because they knew that we would live in a world that surrounded us on every side with the same kinds of wickedness. They wrote for us!

It's not all doom and gloom though, for, woven in every story is the message of compassion, love and a testimony of the love that our Heavenly Father has for His children. And with it, is the message that you can go on with life after war. We share that message each time we meet with our Marines. It's a really tender message...

So, "Sarah with the truck", Bryan and Kyle (AKA Dadeeeeee), Godspeed! We'll still be here when you all get back and we can joyfully hear once again, "Dadeeeeee"!

Things Our Mission Has Taught Us

As I've read all the emails and blogs from our missionary friends around the world, I've found myself wondering, if we'd been in better physical health if we would have been sent somewhere more exotic or fascinating...that lasts for about two seconds because I know we're exactly where we're meant to be!

We've only been here for just over three months (we arrived 1 Oct) and we couldn't be happier or busier! We continue to build the attendance in our YSA (Young Single Adult) program and we constantly find new people to add to it.

We get a lot of calls from parents who want to make sure their sons and daughters know where the local ward house is and when meeting times are. We also get lists from the Bishops of the two wards we serve so we can go around and find out who is still in the area and who's not. Sometimes we're lucky and send the missionaries to an address and it results in lessons and a baptism. Quite simply, we love what we do...

So, here's what I think we've learned on our mission.

1) We're older than we thought we were! I've discovered that old people make lots and lots of noises; weird noises like blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing; those noises are not typically bad, until done by an old person! I feel sorry for the people upstairs!

2) While the young missionaries are in bed asleep by 10:30pm and up by 6:30am, we are not that lucky. Oh, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!

3) We must pace ourselves! I keep referring to the fact that we're getting older but the reality is, we can't escape it. In our district meeting with the young missionaries last week, our new Elder Dunn asked, "So how many Senior Citizens are serving missions"? It was a harmless enough question. I told him, "Why don't you go ask a Senior Citizen"? He had a look of, "I thought I just did"! So, we plan our activities so as not to overtax our systems.

4) As tight as money gets at the end of the month, we've never run out of what's needed to keep the car filled with gas or enough money to buy food to feed us and our friends!

5) When we listen to the spirit, we know exactly what direction to go!

6) Sometimes we have to say NO!

7) We do better when we study the scriptures rather than read them.

8) When we pray for our families about specific issues, we're better able to turn those issues over to the Lord to take care of so we can focus on the reason we're here.

9) We love what we do!

10) WE REALLY LOVE WHAT WE DO!

We've had many opportunities to work with less active Marines and watched as the Lord has helped them come back into full activity. We've watched as missionaries have taught investigators about the Gospel which led to their baptism. It is amazing to watch the light in the new member's eyes as they continue to study and learn.

Elder Zollinger drives three hours every Sunday to pick up Marines who want to go to Sunday meetings. Our schedule on Sunday is the most hectic but it's one of our favorite days. On the second and forth Sunday we start with Jacksonville 3rd Ward Council at 7:30am. We attend their Sacrament but Elder Z leaves at 9:30am to start his pickups. I leave that meeting at 9:45am to attend the Jacksonville 2nd Ward Council and then all of the meetings to follow. After all of our Church meetings we take our Marines back to their barracks (we go to three different locations at Camp Lejeune). We come home, eat a quick pb&j sandwich and load up our stuff to conduct Sacrament meeting at the Camp Geiger Chapel. Sometimes we have one person show up and sometimes we have as many as seven. It doesn't matter to us how many, it is still a powerful meeting and is the highlight of our Sabbath day.

Monday nights we hold Home Evening for YSA Marines. Again, we have anywhere from two to thirteen people in attendance. We play games, watch movies etc. The focus is on giving these great kids a chance to get away from the influences of base living.

Tuesday nights we hold Institute and are currently studying the Book of Mormon. It has really helped us with our own studies. It also keeps us on our toes!

We've added a third night and opened the doors to our apartment so the YSA's can just come and hang out. They're free to play a game, watch a movie, talk etc. It's also meant to get them off base. We're told that some of them just want to come over and cook a meal. They're really limited on what they can still do while they're on active duty. Barrack living is, simply put, NOT conducive to Gospel living. It is, however, the life they've chosen and we thank them everyday for their sacrifice and service.

We hope that you can be as excited as we are about the work that's going on here in Jacksonville, NC and all parts of the world. There's so much you can do to further the Lord's work, even from the confines of your own homes. We have learned to be bold in our speaking, even as we meet people who cross our paths during mundane things like shopping for groceries. The Gospel message is true and in it contains all we need to be happy.

Our prayers go out continually for our family and friend who have sadness or adversity in their lives, but our prayers also go out to those who have chosen to walk "uprightly before the Lord".

Congratulations to three of our grandchildren who've made good choices this past week.

Alex, congratulations on receiving the Priesthood. We really wish we could have been there to watch you pass your first Sacrament tray. Get really involved in your Deacon's Quorum!

Alivia and Dani, we are so proud that you've both chosen to be baptized. You now have the ability to really know what you should do in your life. Follow the light you've been given and go do good things in your life!

We love each of you and hope that you are making good choices.

Much love,

Elder and Sister Zollinger