Happy Birthday, Drew

Dear Drew,

HAPPY 5^th BIRTHDAY!  We know that this past year you have become a terrific helper fixing things with your Dad.  Way to go!!!  We were also remembering how you won the contest that Uncle Brett made – to see who could guess best where we were going on our mission.  And you won!  Winning is fun - and being a helper is fun, right?        RIGHT!!

Drew received a gift card for being a winner!

Ask your Mom and Dad about Elder Ballard’s talk about ships and boats from General Conference.  Last week here in Valparaíso, the Bay was full of Chilean Navy ships AND submarines AND the USS George Washington (CVN 73), an aircraft carrier from the United States.  They were all involved in a joint exercise.  It was very fun to keep an eye on what they were doing every day.

The George Washington was deployed to Valparaíso as a part of Southern Seas 2015

 

Here are our favorite quotes from two of Elder Ballards’ talks on THE OLD SHIP ZION:

“… one of the experienced river guides reviewed important safety instructions, emphasizing three rules that would ensure… safe travel through the rapids.

‘Rule number one: stay in the boat!

Rule number two: always wear a life jacket!  

Rule number three: always hold on with both hands!

He then said again, with even more emphasis,  ‘Above all, remember rule number one: stay in the boat!’ ”

“Stay in the Boat and Hold On!”, Elder M. Russell Ballard, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2014 General Conference.

Some boats are small like the tube you and Greyson were riding in.  Way to hold on with both hands!  Your family’s side-by-sides are kind of like the tube – you have to stay on them by holding on with both hands – really hold on tight!!  There are also bigger and really-really bigger ships.  They are almost like cities because they hold so many people.  But even with big ships you have to stay on board, or you won’t get where you want to go.  That is what Elder Ballard was talking about:  staying true to the church – like staying on a big ship – to get back to live with Heavenly Father – where you want to go.

In  his talk  this October,  Elder Ballard talked about ‘The Old Ship Zion” again and said, "...let us stay on board and remember that, by definition, a ship is a vehicle, and the purpose of a vehicle is to take us to a destination."

"Our ship’s destination is the full blessings of the gospel, the kingdom of heaven, the celestial glory, and the presence of God!
God’s plan is in place. He is at the helm, and His great and powerful ship flows toward salvation and exaltation. Remember that we cannot get there by jumping out of the boat and trying to swim there by ourselves."
"God Is at the Helm" , Elder M. Russell Ballard, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2015 General Conference

WE'LL ALL STAY IN THE BOAT AND HOLD ON!!!