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.