Hello family!

Just a preface to this post.  Matt was in Baltimore for a conference from Tuesday to Saturday.  I was complaining to Charlie about being a "single mom" this week.  It wasn't easy taking care of all these kids by myself.  I definitely learn to appreciate Matt more when he is not home.  Anyway, you can see below the insights Charlie had.  Missy

Hello family!
First off, HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTHDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It´s a little late, but better late than never! So that stinks about the package. Lame service. I thought it was awesome, but twas not so. So dad´s in Baltimore. Random. But fun. I hope he is enjoying himself and his sure to be wonderfully exciting health conference. I´m glad Ammon caught my reference to Don´t Drink the Water. What scene are you doing? I almost did a scene from that show for Region, but we didn´t get it figured out beforehand so I just did a spur of the moment monologue instead. Is it the scene where the guy (can´t remember his name) tries to kiss the girl and falls and it´s super awkward afterward? That´s the one I almost did. Pretty funny stuff. About going to Disneyland for choir tour, Ammon. Hmm, just make sure you fastpass Splash Mountain right away and then go hit Indiana Jones. The lines for those two are always long. Oh, and no matter what you do, the food in and around Disneyland is super expensive. So my suggestion is splurge once and starve the rest of the time :) Just kidding. But don´t just go around the whole time looking for something cheap and easy, because there isn´t anything. And I loved the pictures, don´t stop sending them! And this week you actually get some too! What a miracle! So it sounds like things are going well. Well really you all didn´t say much about what is going on, but I assume no news is good news :) Things are going really well here. The office is crazy and we´ve been super busy, but no big deal. Things are always crazy here. But really nothing out of the ordinary.
So I was thinking a bit about your comment mom about being a single mom and it made me think of some conversations I have had with Elder Castillo lately, and of a lesson that we had with a part member family and a girl that is getting ready to serve her mission. As news has continued to come to me about dad´s cancer and stuff, I have begun to think a lot about the future. Really I´ve begun to worry about the future. Now let me stop you all right now, because I´m sure in your minds you are going, Ah! He´s not allowed to be worried! He has to have his mind 110% in the work! Let me assure you that I am not distracted, I don´t have time to be distracted. But I am not foolish either, and I am human. Of course I´m going to worry and be prepared for anything, that is natural, looking ahead me. But I think, really I know, that a part of me is worrying too much. I worry about how much responsibility I would have if something were to happen. I worry if I would be able to step up. But after talking a lot to Elder Castillo (who basically kept his family going from 14 years old and up, and who´s dad actually passed away while he was on his mission) I´ve realized something. Let me talk now about the lesson we had with this family. At the beginning of the lesson the daughter, who is preparing to serve a mission, says, Elders I´m really worried that I am not prepared to serve a mission. I don´t know the scriptures well enough and I just don´t know if I have what it takes. So I said something, that in retrospect was pretty profound and were definitely not my words. I said, we don´t get called on missions as missionaries, the mission MAKES us missionaries. And that´s the truth. Was I fully 100% prepared for every little part of the mission? Absolutely not. Is anyone? No. Then how do we get missionaries? Is it the MTC? Is it the scripture study? Is it the prayers? The fasting? The determination? The desire? Well, yes that´s important, but that´s not what really, really makes a missionary a missionary. What does that, or better said, who does that is the Lord. "If ye have desire to serve, ye are called to the work." We do all those things I listed and more and then the Lord sends us HIS spirit and qualifies us. He does not only call us, but he qualifies us. So what did Elder Castillo tell me about worrying about the future? Not to worry, because the Lord may send us a trial, but he qualifies us and strengthens us to handle it. And mom, would it be hard to be a single mother. Of course! Extremely. And are you strong enough now? I would say yes, but I´m pretty biased :) But maybe not. But would you be if you were called on to do it. Absolutely 100% yes! The Lord calls us in our weakness and makes us strong. And that brings me to my favorite scripture, Helaman 5:12. I love that scripture because to me it is a constant reminder that it´s the faith and trust in Christ that really keeps us going. The Lord has never once said that this life will be easy, and with good reason, because it isn´t! But what he tells us and what he promises us is that as long as we stick with Him, we´ll be okay. We have to constantly strengthen that foundation, that base that holds us tightly to safe ground. The storms will come. The shafts in the whirlwind, but they will not have power because we are on the right team. I love you all, I hope things are going really well and that you have a fantastic week. keep on moving forward!
Con amor,
Elder Flint