Family Letter

Dear Family,

Scott and Riley after a day of
helping flood victims

            First of all, Happy Birthday to Scott.  You spent it the way you wanted to, helping others!  I know your heart was full at the end of the day.

            This past week has been very eventful for our family.  It has made me stop and reflect upon why we are here on earth.  In time of tragedy, the question is always asked, “Why did God allow this to happen?”  A great question for those who have forgotten or never learned why we are here on earth. 

            Spencer W. Kimball wrote in his book, Faith Precedes the Miracle, about this question.  He wrote, “Could the Lord have prevented these tragedies? The answer is, Yes. The Lord is omnipotent, with all power to control our lives, save us pain, prevent all accidents, drive all planes and cars, feed us, protect us, save us from labor, effort, sickness, even from death, if he will. But he will not.” 

            He followed up with, “We should be able to understand this, because we can realize how unwise it would be for us to shield our children from all effort, from disappointments, temptations, sorrows, and suffering.  The basic gospel law is free agency and eternal development. To force us to be careful or righteous would be to nullify that fundamental law and make growth impossible.”

            Grandma Moser was 11 years old, the oldest of five children, the youngest just born, when her father died from the results of injuries after being kicked in the stomach by a horse.  That single incident in her life has played a major role in not only forming her life and how she has reacted to other tragedies in her life, but has taught her children and grandchildren how to also react to tragedy.  Taking that single incident out of her life, would she be the woman she is today?  I will go one step further, “Would she still be alive today?”  Tragedy has forged this woman into a strong woman of steel.  Does God know what he is doing?  I don’t have to answer that question, just look the number of people her life has benefitted!

            Many people both in America and here in Hungary ask why we are here on a mission.  They ask, don’t you worry about your family?  Initially we did.  Then we learned that one of the blessing of being on a mission was that the Lord was looking after our family for us.  We see that they are great examples of King Benjamin’s statement, “When ye are in the service of your fellow men, ye are only in the service of your God.”  All four couples have far exceeded that which their parents did at this stage in their lives.  We are in great awe at what each couple do for their friends, neighbors and strangers.  Service to others is the best way to describe our children.  The great thing is that each provides service in an entirely different manner than their siblings. If it sounds as if I am boasting of our children, I am not, just thankful for who they are and what they are accomplishing.  We are grateful for whom they emulate, our Savior Jesus Christ.

            In a world where too many are protesting against one thing or another.  In a world where we are so quick to point out the faults of one group and ignore the faults of our group.  In a world where protesting and spending so much time using speech that is so foreign to the tone that the Savior used, I just find it refreshing to see people willing to look outside their own life and see others in need, willing to spend their time helping instead of in front of a TV or espousing verbiage on Facebook in protest of something.  To my children and to the thousands of others who each day try to treat people the way Christ has taught, I say thank you.

Dad