The Grandparent Chronicles

                                                          A   S T E P   O F   F A I T H          One of my favorite heroes is Indiana Jones, the movie character played by Harrison Ford, who is part Archaeologist, part Adventurer in search of some ancient relic or location which always takes him on a life threatening journey.      In one scene we find Indiana Jones being chased through a cavern by those who would take his life.   Suddenly he stops abruptly at what looks to be the end of his escape and probably his life! He finds himself standing on the edge of a huge un-leapable precipice with no way around or over. As his enemy in pursuit draws nearer, he remembers an ancient legend and realizes he must take a Step of Faith.  If the legend is true, he must step off the edg...

  T H E   T E S T   O F   D I S C I P L E S H I P Mark 10: 17-22 tells of an interesting encounter of a rich young man with Jesus. “ There came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good master, what shall I do that I might have eternal life?”  Jesus listed the commandments but the rich young man responded, “ all of these have i observed since my youth, then Jesus beholding him loved him and said unto him, one thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” Here was this young man’s Test of Discipleship. As a young man, I dreamt of serving a mission. With the encouragement of my older brother Byron, we  enrolled in a speech class together in High School. I was very shy and recognized this as a way to overcome my shyness and prepare for a mission.  I enjoyed that experience so much that the next year I joined the de...

                                                              C A L L E D   T O    S E R V E                  On-     3/12/2019 Dear Family and Friends-     Annette and I have received our mission call!      We have been called to serve in the Ukraine Kyiv/Moldova Mission.  We enter the mission training center in Provo Utah on June 3rd for 5 days then off to Kyiv for 2 years.  Our assignment is to serve in the Mission office and/ or at the discretion of the Mission President.  President Edwin C. Kumferman and his wife Karen are from Rexburg, Idaho where he was a professor of Russian at BYU Idaho.  Ours is an English speaking mission but we hope to be able to learn a little Ukrainian or Russian to better communicate...

     While serving on my mission in France and Belgium, I was privileged to have early in my mission, a companion named Don Staheli. One day, just after returning to our tracting area after eating lunch, we knocked on a normal door in a normal neighborhood, in the normal small village of Mons, Belgium.  What we discovered there was thankfully, anything but normal.  A wrinkled little old lady eventually came to the door. We were invited in and introduced to an even more wrinkled little old man.  These two, we observed, had been in the middle of their only meal of the day. Their meal consisted of a small bowl of flour paste which they were sharing. We learned that their cupboards were bare and their resources were exhausted until their monthly subsistence check would hopefully come in a few days. We offered spiritual food and a prayer before we left, knowing that what they really needed at that moment in time was not what we offered. We continued tracting...

                            T H E  "A"  W O R D  Most Parents (and Kids) Aren't sure they fought for!      If you've ever been a kid ( most of us have) there already has been or wiil be a time in your life when you think or even say to your parents,"THAT'S THE DUMBEST RULE!" " When i'm a parent, I won't have that Stupid Rule! "  Even though that's how you really feel, you most often cooperate with your parents and live by Their Stupid Rule. You use your Agency and (If you are wise) obey to keep the peace, even though you're not thrilled about it.      If you've ever been a Parent- you no doubt have just about died when one of your kids has done something stupid or made a "Stupid Decision" which they can't seem to grasp just how stupid it is and the disaster that awaits them! You feel like shaking some sense into the little knot-head but you bite your tongue ...

                                 C H R I S T M A S   -   The Answer is in the WORD !!      Have you ever wondered why Christmas is the  " Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" ! ? The answer is in the Word!  " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" ( John 1:1)  Yes, That Word- CHRIST- the Son of God.      Now look at the word- CHRISTMAS.   CHRIST-  The Word, The Son of God, our Savior , our Redeemer, our Advocate with The Father. MAS- In Spanish means MORE -  More Light, More Kindness, more Generosity and More Joy! That's what we witness at CHRIST-MAS time, more of Christ and more of all He did and taught!      When Jesus was born, a new brighter Star appeared- symbolic of Christ himself- The Light of The World.  (Matt 2:2, Hel 14:5 , 2 Ne 10:14) ...

     " My name's Paul Wade, I sit in the shade and stir lemonade with a long handled spade." My grandpa used to tell me, then I would add,  I've got it made, cause my name's Wade!"                                 On November 17th, those of us who knew and loved him, will celebrate and reflect upon the life of Paul Wade.  Paul was born in the year 1900 in a one room log house with a shed on one side where the family cooked and ate meals. His father was Jasper Carolina Wade , his mother, Berta Adelaide Leake.  There little house was near a small town called Chavez, in DeKalb county, Alabama. Paul's Mission Photo       When Paul was barely two his family moved to Indian Territory ( which is now Oklahoma) to a little town called Midland.  As a Little boy, Paul became very sick with stomach and bowel problems and nearly died.( We’re all glad he didn’t!) ...