Happy Birthday, Tessa

Dear Tessa,

Whether your hair is long or short, curly or crazy, we love you.  Have a super birthday on Tuesday. 

Hope your week is super too!!  Grandpa says he would like to walk to school with you and your friends.  I miss the fun things there are to do at your home.  Remember the picture you gave us to see if we would notice that your Mom was holding a baby and you were announcing that your family was going to grow from 5 to 6?  And now Macy is soon going to be 2.  Wow,  time passes quickly. 

  

We have a new idea for a school project that would be similar to your catapult.  How did that go, by the way?  Our idea is that you could build an ascensor.  We are including a picture of one for you to see.  Since you enjoy art and piano, we are also including some pictures from Valparaíso.  We noticed that Drew wants to learn about Chile and has a few misconceptions about it.  Since you also would like to be a teacher like your Nana and Tiffany, we thought we could also provide some pictures so that you could teach Drew about Chile.  So here goes:

Tessa is a TEACHER

SS = RS  (Sociedad de Socorro [Soc. Soc.] = Relief  Society)

Whether you are in the United States or in Chile, they always celebrate the founding of the Relief Society around this time.  

mantequilla = butter

pan = bread or rolls

uvas = grapes

pepinos = cucumbers

Grandpa’s favorite cereal = chocolate granola  

We just finished summer and are starting to see leaves begin to fall (otoño) = you are seeing hints of Springtime.  

Tessa likes to play the PIANO

There are some Piano Stairs in Valparaíso on Pasaje (passage) Beethoven which go up to the Lutheran Church (the first Protestant church in South America to be allowed a steeple and bell tower).  

Where we work at the cemetery is on Cerro Panteón.  We can look across to the next cerro (hill) (Cerro Concepción) and see the piano steps and the church.  

To get to that hill, we need to climb stairs or take an ascensor.   

Tessa likes ART

On our walk to the cemetery, many of the electrical poles are painted.  The plaza stop at the top has very pretty mosaic tiles of hearts.   

The prelude music for Sacrament Meeting had the beautiful Primary song that brought the words running through my mind: 

What does the Father ask of us?

What do the scriptures say?

Have faith, have hope, live like His Son

Help others on their way.

What does He ask?

Live like His Son.

You are good at that “help others on their way…”.  Way to go.  We are all trying to do that.  Love you, Tessa.  Love you all.

Happy Birthday, Birthday Buddy, Bryce

14 March 2015

Dear Bryce,

We are thinking of you today.  You are Grandma’s birthday buddy.  Oh, how we would like to sit down with a new 5-year old and have a chat.  To see how things are.  To see what you think.  To learn what you have been doing since you moved to Texas.  We miss going on hikes with you up the mountain behind our house in Las Vegas.  We miss going to the park and hitting the baseball or throwing the Frisbee or watching you and Clark on the slides, swings and climbers.  We miss going to the soccer and basketball games.

Grandpa says that you and I have our birthday at a very fun time when there is so much great basketball to watch – March Madness!!  Just last year we were in Las Vegas watching the UofA play in the tournament.  What a fun time that was!  What fun times are you liking the most? What is your favorite “standing quote”?  When you are ready, we would love to hear it.  It was so fun to hear Anna with such a long recitation.  We thought she and Eve looked so beautiful in their performance of The Little Mermaid. 

Have fun supporting your siblings in their activities and in your own.  Have a super year, Bryce!!! 

Love, Grandpa and Grandma Gibson

And Happy Birthday to you Will, on the 21st.  

We enjoyed your birthday cake in your home in Henderson just a year ago.  And now with your hard work and diligence, you have done well to make in all happen so well for your family in Texas.  All look happy and excelling.  Celebrate!! We will be completing our reading of The Book of Mormon and El Libro de Mormón at the end of March.  We were to compare and read both and note where each person first appeared, of commandments, miracles and diligence.  In the reading there was often used much of justice (la justicia), righteous judgments (juicios justos), etc.  So curious when Alma counseled all three of his sons to “…be sober, my sons…” and the translator used the word “juicioso” for two of them instead of the word “serios”. (Alma 37:47 and 38:15). So different from so many other places such as when King Benjamin said, “…teach children to walk in ways of truth and soberness. (de la verdad y la seriedad) Mosiah 4:15.”  So interesting to compare the BoM with the LdM!!

On Wednesday of this week, we had our Zone Conference.  President gave training given him by our Area Leaders: Elders Vinas, Gonzales, Zeballos and Soares. 

We were asked to elevate our spirituality.  We were taught from the Guide to the Scriptures about humility.  Our reading of the LdM beginning in April will be to answer the question of our soul.  President said this will be one of the hardest readings as we give it an exhaustive seeking.  By reaching with a real intent to change will allow the Spirit full access to our heart and mind.  And as Elder Bednar says…. “we will be blessed with spiritual traction…” and not a true quote but something by President from Elder Bednar: “Correct character (like Christ’s) is to detect and respond to others while we are suffering with our own problems.” All the missionaries in the Zone were asked to come prepared with a short talk on “What promise am I going to make to demonstrate my love for Christ this year?”  The first person called up was Hermana Gibson – me – and asked to bear my testimony.  From my preparation, I had a quote from Elder Corbridge, May Ensign pg 105.  “More than having a mere passive belief in Christ, we should

·         “look unto [Him] in every thought D&C 6:36

·         do all that [we do] in the name of the son Moses 5:8

·         and “always remember him and keep his commandments…that [we] may always have his spirit to be with [us]. D&C20:77

 “Missionary work is all about gathering people out of the world, ennobling them and enabling them eventually to dwell with God forever.  This is His divine desire.  Our loving Heavenly Father wants His children to return home to him.  How logical is that?  What else would you expect from a loving father….Missionaries have a solemn responsibility to act on God’s fondest hope – that His children will return home to Him, and if we will help Him, He will help us”. Ensign, June 2014, Russell M. Nelson 

Friday, on the way home from the cemetery, we saw smoke towards the area where we live.  When we reached Avenida Argentina, we found traffic stopped and a fire truck heading to the rescue.

top from our balcony and below at the bus stop between our home and our chapel.

 

Sunset and smoke after RS activity at chapel and smoke at our apartment complex.  We are on 10th floor and 8 small balconies up.  You can see a dot of our brown chair on the corner of the balcony.

We attended a Relief Society activity on helping members sign-up for FamilySearch and enjoyed a cheese sandwich, drinks, grapes and figs. 

The incendio looks to be under control this morning, but it was a scary awesome view last night and hard for many who remember the gran incendio last April.

Happy Birthday, Brenna

9 March 2015

Happy 11^th Brenna!

To our gal who was the first to take our “clean chrome challenge” – we wish you a fun day today.

  Good job on your accepting the challenge ! – you even remembered, “Don’t forget the mirror!...”

So what will be happening today to celebrate your last year in Primary?  Did you already celebrate on Sunday with the Heflins?  You and your Nana would enjoy the fun shopping here in Valpo.  Every Wednesday and Saturday there is a big feria de fruta y verdura

(fruit and vegetable market)

set up on the main street before our bus heads up the hill to our apartment.  With that market, everyone and his brother sets up sort of a flea market (feria de pulga), and you can find almost anything you need.

  Grandpa goes jogging by there on Saturday mornings, and he always brings a few coins for a lame man there.   Anyway, we are getting a routine down, but actually have finished all the books at “our” cemetery.  We were visited by FamilySearch people last Thursday.  Our supervisor came from Peru, a “contract man” (who finds records to film) came from Argentina, and a Family Search director came from Salt Lake.  They will now be deciding what will happen next for us.

The next hill (cerro) or so over from “our” cemetery is Cerro Alegre.  That is where you will find some nice restaurants and interesting shopping.  The English people first settled there, and named it Mount Pleasant, but now it is Cerro Alegre (merry hill).  The streets are all cobblestone and the walls have fun artwork.  I took this picture of a Thai restaurant for your Dad.

 

 School began last Monday (March 2^nd).  Summer vacation is over and all are back in school with uniforms and backpacks.

  That means our bus rides are now longer and harder to get on.  Usually as we are waiting, a couple of buses pass us by because they are too crowded for any other passengers.  It was so funny last Thursday – and I wish I had taken a picture of all the people cramming into the bus at our stop.  The door could hardly close as they drove away.  When we do get on and head down the hill (about a mile to the bottom), we are “stop and go” because of cross-traffic coming from Santiago.  Some parents get off the bus early with their school children and walk on down the hill. 

And guess what?  They do often beat the bus.  Quite an adventure!!

And speaking of adventures – we appreciate your Instagram posts.  That was a cute one of you when you had the two pony tails!  Keep your bathroom chrome polished and let it remind you that your job is to also become “without spot” (holy).  [See D&C 38:31 and Moroni 10:33]. 

We have some phrases for you that the Elders in our district use a lot: en serio, claro, and exactamente.  You can use “en serio” when in English you would say “seriously?”  You say it with the same tone of voice and it sorta sounds like cereal without the “l” and your “r” sorta has a soft “d” sound.  “Claro” means “of course” and “exactamente” means “exactly”.   

Love you Brenna.  You are a winner!

2013-2014 season

  Love, Grandpa and Grandma Gibson 

 

Happy Birthday Logan and Brett

7 March 2015

Happy Baptism Birthday Logan,

Thinking of you today and wish we could be there to see you baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We are so so excited for you!!  You will be our eleventh grandchild to be baptized.  Here are your examples:  Riley, Preston, Wyatt, Eve, Brenna, Brady, Anna, Tessa, Gavin, and Bryant .  Our advice to you is to be like the stripling Ammonites – “…true at all times in whatsoever thing [you] are entrusted” (Alma 53:20).  Please send us an email of your special day.  Your birthday cake looked terrific!

Brady, Gavin, Tessa are three of our 10 who have been baptized.  Bree is next year!

And a happy birthday to your birthday buddy as well.  Brett, you are our favorite son –

our Napoli 31-year old.  We love you!!   Que le vaya bonito… (thought you would enjoy noticing I got the agreement down for el dia!)

Our Napoli Son

 Logan, we hope you are keeping up your ‘column a day’ in the scriptures and giving ‘standing quotes’ to your family.  Grandma remembers the last standing quote she heard you give:  “We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healings, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.  (7^th Article of Faith).  You stood tall and straight right up by the fireplace in our family room and gave it without a hitch.  Then she asked you, “Now tell us what that means.”  The look on your eyes was, “What ! I need to know what it means too?!!”  We love your sincere, willing eyes.  Have a great year in all your activities.

Love, Grandma and Grandpa Gibson

And now we are on our mission seeking for that gift and interpretation of tongues.  Paige’s faithfulness and Rock’s example to study daily the Liahona to keep his Spanish accurate is on our minds. 

Vickie and Rock Finlinson are the greatest!

Also, Hermana Stringfellow emails help us as she keeps the mission rules to

             - Estudiar el idioma de la misión todos los días  (study your mission language every day)              -  Ser obediente con exactitud  (obey with exactness)

First lesson with Kris; and Hermana Stringfellow with her Mission President and wife

A special thanks to Kris for her giving me my first lesson on verb conjugations just before we entered the MTC and gave me 501 Spanish Verbs.  Her and Vickie’s encouraging words have strengthened me: Kris:  “Carol, just had to say that you are gonna be amazing with Spanish.  Don’t stress.  It will suddenly click – might take a few months but with your hard work, undoubtedly you will come back fluent….  Sí, lo harás!”

and  appreciate Vickie’s farewell to us:  “Vaya con Diós.  Be sure to send us lots of great reports paisanos….We’ll pray for your open/clear minds to learn all your new duties and especially that the language will come to you Carol.  You can do this Carol.  Love, Vickie”

We trust the Lord will provide a way as we labor, struggle, trust and have faith.

So every day, I am practicing constructing sentences and bettering my pronunciation and vocabulary.  Maybe by the time I’m ready to come home, I will be better….Alma 29:4  “…he granteth unto men according to their desire.”  Alma 61:13  “…we should put our trust (nuestra confianza) in Him and He will deliver us.”

Brett, thanks for Barron’s 1001 Pitfalls in Spanish.  The note with the book said, “My fav book I bought in MTC and carried it around w/me everywhere.  Every chance I got, I read a little bit and tried to solidify the concepts.  I prob read 10x and it was a great help.  Read so much the pages fell out of the binding!  Brett.”  The key to accomplishing anything was evident in that note:  “EVERY CHANCE I GOT, I read a little bit and TRIED to solidify the concepts….  Diligencia todos los dias!!  I’ll keep working on it and look for that day when it “clicks.”

“Let’s get down to business” as they say in the movie Mulan

  

Happy Birthday, Dad/Grandpa/Great-Grandpa!!

Valpo,  2 March 2015

Dear Dad,

Thank you for being my Dad – and Carol claims you too!!  You set a great example for all of us with your charitable personality. 

 

Your concern and love for others and your service is far-reaching.  It has been fun to be in Chile to get a feel for your days in Santiago.

President and Hermana Gibson with daughters, Julie, Vickie and Gloria
Santiago South Mission 1977-1980

Thanks for writing your detailed life story.  I mostly remember trips of Father/Son Outings as a good memory.  The foresight to arrange for the cow at the McRae’s really helped Don and I to learn to stick with a project.  And thanks for volunteering us to dig graves and irrigate at the Church Farm - and to work the bees.  You were always at the school games - at the clock in basketball and there for football and baseball.  Another remembrance of your teaching by example is that you always had a fresh white shirt everyday (I guess that’s a thanks to Mom!!).  You started my love of chess.  

You taught me how to raise our children 

Bruce with Geff

Geff with Brett

 and how to be involved with our grandchildren.

Your harmonica and piano talent is amazing!!  We remember all the time you spent throwing the ball with Brett in Italy not too long after he learned to walk!  Good example.

Our grandchildren are all getting good at chess.
Aaron has beat me once; and Brady, Logan and Tessa are in hot pursuit!!

And now we have Hunter James Gibson, our #22,  born 21 February 2015.
What number is that for you?  We know you keep track!!!  We wish we could be there to give him hugs and kisses.  

So enjoy that 94^th Birthday and know we love you.  Thanks for being the steady rock of the family, setting the example, and just being there.  A very meaningful legacy you are developing…!  Love, Geff and Carol