Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Elder Daugs Mission Call and Farewell


Several weeks ago Addison put in his mission papers. His call came from the prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and he will be serving in the New York Rochester Mission. This will be a wonderful experience for him and we have every reason to believe he will be a successful missionary and help many people come to an understanding of the true gospel of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness for his children. This area of New York is rich in Church History. Such sites as the Sacred Grove, the Hill Cummorh , Palmyra, and many others important in the history of the Restored Church are in the area. He will no doubt get to see many of them and walk where Joseph Smith walked and where the Angel Moroni came to him in vision. Addison's testimony of the restored gospel will become even stronger and  many of the people he meets will have been prepared to listen to the message he bears and receive of the gospel blessings. Addison has been preparing for this day almost since he was born. He has worked hard and saved his money for this very purpose. He has been a very good student, not only at school, but of the gospel. He has read the Book of Mormon and studied the scriptures. He has been obedient to his Father in Heaven and also his parents,who love him so very much. They will, no doubt, miss him, but he will probably be so busy that he wont have much time to miss anything. That is what happens when missionaries are anxiously engaged in the work. They know they are where they should be at this time of their lives and are doing what Heavenly Father wants them to do. Addison will find great joy in the service of the Lord as he presses forward with faith, being strictly obedient to his Mission President and other mission leaders.

We attended his "Farewell" in the Spring Creek Ward yesterday. We were very proud of Addison and his whole family. Addison spoke confidently and humbly as he bore his testimony and taught of the Restoration of the gospel in this dispensation. His testimony is already firm and powerful, but he will find it growing rapidly as he serves faithfully in his mission. Most of our immediate family came to support Addison, express their love for him, and spend some quality time with him before  he leaves on July 30th.Below are just a few pictures of Elder Daugs and his family and some of the extended family who also love him and will be praying for him as the days of his mission go by. We love you Addison and are so very pleased with your decision to serve. We are happy to be a part of your life and you a part of ours. We will always include you in our prayers and you can expect that your family will keep you posted about what is going on at home. I hope letters from your Grandpa Eborn will not be a distraction, but rather, a token of our love for you, and a word of encouragement when it is needed from time to time.
Ammon, Elder Daugs, and his sweet mama, soon to be 40.
Elder Daugs on the temple grounds after his own endowment session together with both of  his grandpas and his dad.
I think Alison is going to miss her eldest for a couple of years.  He will do well and so will she.  It will be a blessing for so many people at home as well as in the New York Rochester Mission.
                                                    
             

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Eborn Family Get-together July 11, 2014 at Bear Lake

A Day with Family at Bear Lake

When it was learned that a reservation at the Bear Lake State Park East Beach was about to go unused  on July 11 our reaction was: Not gonna happen. Calls were made to all of the immediate and extended family and all were invited to come and spend some quality time together. Of course, Friday is a work day and that is fully understood. Nonetheless, many were able to juggle their schedules and make time to get together. I hope, I speak for all of you when I say, it was wonderful to be together again, to see your smiles, to hear your voices, to visit, to play, to reminisce, and to feel the caring attitude we have for one another. It was a great reminder, that families, can and should be together forever. Below are just a few of the pictures we took. We hope they will serve as a reminder that we are a family and that we will love one another forever. I know, I missed a lot of faces with the camera, but never forget, we love you all and each of you have a special place in our hearts.


Megan and Maddie arrive.  Let the fun begin!
It never ceases to amaze me how much fun a little white ball and a yellow plastic bat can generate in the Eborn family.  Wiffleball.


My little bother,Mark.  Sixty years old today.  Hard to believe.  Time flies by so fast.  We couldn't help remember the day he was born in Montpelier sixty years ago today 11 July 1954..  Dad went to be with mom at the hospital and dropped all of us kids off at the Rich Theater/now Centre Theater in Montpelier while he went down to see mom and the the baby who arrived about the same time as he got there.  I can still remember the movie, "River of No Return" with Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum.  Mark has been a great little brother and he and Gail have raised a wonderful family.  No greater reward can be had.





Halle and Neveah.  I think their smiles represent the joy we all felt being together as a family.  Neveah is the youngest of our immediate family.

Alyssa's husband, Ben, showing Mason how to fly a big three meter kite.  So fun!!  I appreciated Stephen and Mason making the special trip from the Hinckley Scout Ranch in the Uintas so that they could be with us, even if it was for just a couple of hours.  That is pretty typical of Stephen, always going the extra mile, as do so many of you in your own ways.  We appreciate and love the effort and thought put into this little get-together, even if you were unable to be there.  We know you were with us in your mind and heart.
I got a lot more pictures, of course, but due to space restrictions, we'll have o leave most of them to your personal recollection.  We do love our family and it brings us the greatest t joy to know that we all love one another

My Bother, Reed


Reed, my brother, sent me these pictures taken from his deck overlooking Bear Lake. Sometimes I wish I had been smart enough to buy a lot at Bear Lake West myself. How is it possible that a man can wake up to these kinds of views everyday, and he hasn't even been resurrected yet? He lives the good life indeed.


A beautiful sunrise from the deck at the front of Reed and Lorraine's home on the hill at Bear Lake West.
Joy Cometh in the Morning!"

Sunrises over Bear Lake are often spectacular, but new beauty appears once "the sparrows stop their singing and the moon has gone to bed."
Living up on the hill at Bear Lake West seems to have brought out the philosopher in Reed.  We often enjoy long, in depth conversations on the things of eternity.  This has been a great blessing to me and I hope our discussions have, at least, caused him to ponder, and pray, and seek answers from on high as they have me.  We always look forward to a few days in the huckleberry patch and just picking, talking, and being grateful.  Simple, but priceless treasures.
Reed used to enjoy and be a very good hunter.  Now his gentile heart seems to attract all kinds of wildlife all the way from deer, to hummingbirds, to wild turkeys,to bobcats, to giant bull moose, all of which feel  welcome and unafraid in Reed and Lorraine's Yard.  Dad always used to say: "You can't fool kids and dogs."  The same holds true for the wildlife that comes to visit at their place,
In Reed's words:  "Borno is back"  Yes, he even knows them by name.

By Bart