A View of the Hills: December Letters

December 7th,

Hi Lincoln,
How are you doing in your new location? I can't wait to talk to you tomorrow and find out how everything is going! We sure love, miss, and talk about you all the time! Were you able to get your package?
We had a busy, good week. The kids are working hard to wrap up the school year with their grades. We have two more weeks of school before the break. Last Friday was our ward's Christmas party. It was a Bethlehem-themed party. It was beautifully decorated with a few live animals out in the courtyard. I pulled out the old biblical attire I had made for the Nativity-themed Christmas party we had at Lake Las Vegas during COVID.
Saturday, Gwen and I drove out to the Las Vegas Speedway for her to take the Driver's Edge course. It was really fun! She learned a lot about driving safety and had the chance to practice a few driving skills.
Today was Fast Sunday. Many great testimonies were born, then I got to go to primary and help Dad with his class. He is such a great teacher! After church, we had choir practice, then afterwards, we had the opportunity to meet with the Bishop for tithing settlement. We have such a great Bishop! He asked a lot about you. Just now, I've been enjoying the Christmas Devotional while writing this email. I love this time of year and find it so hard to fit all the wonderful things of the season into the month!
One thought that your dad had to share with you is that this time of year is a great time to be a missionary. Hearts are turned to our Father in Heaven and His Son. Please enjoy sharing the remarkable message that you have to share about our Savior and His role in the Plan of Salvation.
We love and miss you!
~Mom and Dad

Night-at-Bethlehem Ward Christmas Party

December 14th,

Dear Lincoln,

How are you doing this week in your new-ish area? Is it still hot and sweaty?

We’re doing well…busy with all sorts of Holiday festivities, etc.

The kids are all working hard to prepare for the end of the Semester. I am as well!

Friday night we cleaned up the house, set out a bunch of cookies we had baked along with some hot cocoa in the courtyard. Then we lit the fire out there and welcomed Gwen’s piano students in for an open house recital. Your siblings all played as well.

Saturday morning we went to the Tuscany rec center for the Santa breakfast. It was fun to mingle with our neighbors.

Today we had a packed day, starting with heading out to Boulder for Ned and I to play O Come, O Come Emanuel for Grandma and Grandpa’s ward. Grandma and Grandpa say hi! I got an update on Chandler. I guess he is down serving at Newport Coast while he waits for his Visa. Small world!

We came back to our ward and were able to catch Jentry Lyon’s farewell address. She will be so amazing! Just like you!

Tonight, Ned and I will go play O Come, O Come Emanuel, one more time for the Stake Music Fireside.

This season is so wonderful! Are you able to enjoy spreading the Savior’s light? Hopefully you are finding those ready to listen. You are participating in providing the best gift available on earth. We pray for you all the time. We love you and are so proud of you!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Gwen's Winter Recital

Nyle's Winter Concert

December 28th,

Hi Lincoln,

We loved talking to you on Christmas. I was so sad to hear you had been sick, but glad you were feeling better when I spoke with you. We had a good Sabbath today. It was a musical testimony meeting where ward members were invited to come up, share a testimony about a song they loved and then we would sing that song. I always love those types of meetings because 1) it's different and music is such a good way to feel the spirit and 2) I love to play lots of different songs on the organ!

This week in Come Follow Me, we've been studying the theme of Christmas. Today, we chose to focus on the document "The Living Christ". We each read from it and selected parts of it that stood out to us. We wanted to share our thoughts with you.

Dad: The Living Christ is a heavy document...ubers of doctrine about our Savior. A few parts that caught my attention include the following:

1) His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. This is a message of great value to memorialize across the earth and dispensations of time what He was about, despite countless wars and bloodshed that have occurred because of Him and His Name.

2) He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. This is fundamental to his mission, which is reflected in Moses 1:39 - For behold this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

3) He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world. By and through Him, we can be redeemed of our shortcomings, sins, errors, etc.

4) ...his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun;... This is fascinating, applicable both literally and figuratively. Christ is the light and life of the world. He provides hope and reassurance that we can be saved.

5) That he lives! Thanks to living prophets and apostles, we can navigate this wacky world thanks to real revelation. I know Jesus Christ lives and is involved in the details of our lives, individually and collectively.

6) We testify that He will someday return to earth. “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall ben,d and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.

The first paragraph memorializes my drawing. I yearn for the day that Christ returns and rules as king of the planet. I can't wait to be a part of this and look forward to being one of His most faithful followers (I am striving). Everyone will witness His goodness and glory. When I say everyone, I mean everyone, those of the believers, those that I love and am close to, my Christian (protestant, catholic, etc), muslim, Jewish, agnostic, atheist, etc. friends. We will all kneel and worship Him together in a unified manner. The second paragraph memorializes that Christ is the light, life and hope of the world. I know that following Him will lead to lasting peace, hope and happiness.

Mom: I loved several parts. 1)"His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill."(Paragraph 2) I loved this because the peacemaker in me loves the idea that His whole message is about peace and being a good person. How could anyone argue with that?! 2) His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the earth—“built upon the foundation of … apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone”.(3rd to last paragraph) I love that Christ is the head of our church! Also, it brings to mind one of my favorite scriptures: Helaman 5:12, where we are admonished to make Christ the rock of our foundation. 3) The whole last paragraph! What a great exclamation about our Savior and the fact that he is a matchless gift from our Father in Heaven.

Gwen: My favorite part was "He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill." I really liked this because the act of Him doing good despite people's opinions of Him shows how peaceful and inherantly good He was and is.

Ned: For the lesson, I chose to highlight the part that said, "He went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it." I liked this part because he still did good even though people were not happy with him. He did it because he knew it was true and the right thing to do.

Nyle: For the home church today, I chose to highlight the part that says, "None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth." I chose this quote because I believe that he is the only one who has impacted the earth as he did, and nobody can accomplish what he did in his lifetime.

West: For the lesson, I chose to highlight the part that says, "He was the creator of the earth. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:3) I like this because it shows that without him, we would not even be here.

We love you and can't wait to talk to you tomorrow! We really wanted to share our testimonies of the Savior. We know that a testimony of Him and a life built on Him and what He taught is the only way to ensure a stable life amidst the storms that come to all. Thank you for taking this valuable time out of your life to help others come to Him!

Love you so much!