Week 19 - from Max (Hola from CordoBa)

Week 19 - Max (Hola from CordoBa)

Monday, July 29, 2013

7:56 AM

Max Bassett

Hola Familia!!! 

Greetings from CordoBa! haha I capitalize the B because I realized that last week I spelled it wrong. For those of you that dont know, the B and the V sound identical in Spanish, and so I wasnt sure how to spell it. Even native spaniards dont really know if there is a B or a V in the word, its pretty funny.

Well it sounds like everything is going good back in Utah! Fountain Green trips, baseball with the fam, cabin trips, swimming in the pool, homemade ice cream, back porch parties, and so much more. I miss all those things like crazy, but I love reading about them and hearing about how close and tight our family is. Even though its hard to miss things like that, it is so much better to know that I have a family who is growing in the Lords way, and that they will be around when I get back. They will be around, and we will be so much closer to one another. So keep up the fun times, and keep me updated on everything going on. I am excited to read about what you guys did for Moms Bday!

Let me just start off by saying how much I LOVE CORDOBA!!!! In these past couple days here, I have met almost the whole branch and have grown so close to them. These people are so kind and so loving. They love the missionaries so much. 

I love a small branch. It was so fun to socialize yesterday at church. One of the guys there, after introducing myself as Elder Bassett. He said, really quietly, I almost didnt hear him, huh...thats interesting because we had an Elder Bassett in Sevilla about 10 years ago. I ABOUT FLIPPED!!!! I told him that that was my brother. I then learned that he is the second councillor in the Sevilla stake presidency. Jose Luis Lopez Martinez. I know that is a SUPER common name Blaine, but does that sound familiar? haha He then called out to another guy, who was visiting from Sevilla, Enrique Cortez, and said, This is Elder Bassetts brother. They both looked at me and were like, yeah...he looks a lot like him!! haha It was SOOOOO awesome Blaine!!! I got to see people, even if you may not remember them, they sure remember you! He told me how awesome of a missionary you were in Sevilla. You made a big impact, I could tell! I was such a tender mercy to see them. I really hope I go to Sevilla because it sounds like a lot of people there know ya...and who knows...maybe I might just find a pic and get that 100 bucks. ;) haha I tell everyone about that and they laugh and laugh!

Elder Rojas and I get along really well. He is pretty shy, but he is a good man. We are working hard here in the branch and hope to make a lot of changes for the better. We would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be here and be a part of Cordoba going from a branch to a ward! That would be the coolest thing! We just need to work hard on getting the MAs menos activos to get going. We got one good solid man, David (who is from Detroit, more on him probably in another letter) to come to church yesterday. We are going to work hard with them.

We have a fecha with Roxana, who is 14 years old, but looks like she is about 20, 25! haha Its crazy!!! She is planning on getting baptized in two weeks! We are going to work hard on making sure she has some friends in the church. Were gonna play some basketball with her and some other teenagers that were teaching today. I am pretty pumped!!! Havent played bball for a while!!! :)

Well I dont know if you heard about the big HUGE train crash over here in Spain but it was crazy, the driver was going over 200 MPH when the train derailed and crashed. It is one of the worst crashes in history and was ALL over the news. A missionary was in the train on his way from the CCM to his first area!!! He is okay now. It was suuper freaky for me and Elder Rojas though because we were on the train that morning. The accident happened on Wednesday night, and Elder Rojas and I came to Cordoba, via train (same exact type of train) that morning. We were pretty shocked and just prayed to thank Heavenly Father that we were safe! 

It was sad to hear about Torys brother (mom or dad, if this is personal news, dont send this out public) But I want them to know that they are in my prayers and I hope that she and her family are doing better.

Well I am going to get some fotos of my piso and send them hopefully next week! But my new address is 

c/ Doctor Barraquer 3 esc IZQ 6, 2

14004 Cordoba

España

Well I better head off, I hope this letter makes sense and is okay, if not...just know that I am doing super well over here in Cordoba. I really do love it. I feel like in these last couple days, I have grown so much closer to the investigators, the rama, and the people than I did in Malaga. A lot of it is I feel like my Spanish has shot up a lot! :) All thanks to our Heavenly Father!!!

Well a scripture I want to share is something that I was reading today during my study time (yes, we do still study on Pdays...Pday doesnt begin until 10:30! and then ends at 6:30) haha But I was studying 1 Nefi 12 - 14, which I LOVE!! Its the Angel showing Nephi what will happen in future days, apostasy, restoration, Columbus finding America, etc. etc. etc. But one scripture that really stood out to me was 1 Nefi 14:7, where we read about how the Lord will do a marvelous work among the children of men! I love being a missionary and being part of this marvelous work! I know that these days are the days that Nephi saw, and that right now...this very moment, Heavenly Father is fulfilling his long given promise that He will do a marvelous work and a wonder. This brings such comfort to me. I love being a missionary here in Spain!

I love you all! Thank you for your example and your support. Thank you for loving one oanother and being such a strong, awesome family! I love each and every one of you so much, and im so dang pumped to read your letters!

Love you! :)

Love Elder Bassett

Mom and Dad

I love you guys so much! Dad, I like your idea of sending hard printed copies, but I also realized that every apartment has a portable DVD player that reads SD cards. So also, if it is easier, which is probably is...SD cards will work as well now! :) Thank you! Love you! 

Week 19 - to Max - Mom

Dear Max,

Get excited because a package is coming your way.  I am mailing it tomorrow morning.  It will contain photos, maple extract (I heard you can't get that there), a Ensign conference report and a whole bunch of letters from your missionary friends, along with comments from extended family members.  Sound good?  I am mailing it to the mission home address (as instructed in the booklet).  It is in a cardboard mailing envelope.  If you read this before you write your weekly letter and if there is anything else you want, let me know in today's letter.

So we have had a full and busy week.  It began with wonderful birthday greetings from you!  Thank you for your sweet words.  Then, instead of a run, Rosey took me on a bike ride and let me try her road bike with clip in shoes.  One word - scary!  I thought it was tricky to kick them out when you stopped!  The bike did ride faster and smoother.  But having my shoes clipped in made me nervous.  Then that evening everyone came here and made a delicious dinner and then we ate homemade ice cream and brownies and cookies out on the patio with grandma and Yorgs.  Fun times but we missed you and Nick.  Oh and I was showered with lots of fun gifts!  It was a great day and I felt very loved.  And may I say that it is great to be 55!  That's just a fun-sounding age!

We had a wonderful 24th holiday.  Rosey, Caroline, Amber and sisters spent the night before the parade.  Chris Cahoon came for a while, too, but had strep throat and left at 5 am to go home to bed!  From our family only Nick's family and Rosey and dad and I were at the parade.  I was great as usual.  Lots of Yorgs and Nordgrens came, even Andrea!  It was overcast and nice weather. The Burger King on the corner has changed to a Dunkin Donuts and they were passing out free donuts before the parade so that was a bonus. Then later in the day we went to the pool and swam and had a BBQ with lots of Winder cousins.  It was a happy holiday, as usual.

I'm guessing others told you about our wonderful weekend in Idaho at the Spudman triathlon. It was a cool race to watch since you could see them on their transitions from swim to bike, then bike to run. It was so fun to be there with Stef and boys as Bret and Clay were so proud of their dad!   We were so excited to learn about Rosey's first place in the Athena division (that's women over 150 lbs). Course we didn't know that until late Saturday night so we missed the awards ceremony where I guess she would have received a spud trophy!  Dang.  Maybe they will mail it to her.  Nick took 6th place in his age group category.  Amazing children I have.  James stayed with uncle B the whole time and they finished strong.  Trista, Clay, Matt, Tom and Jed all ran and did well.

Do you remember my uncle Pete? (actually grandpas cousin but he lived at the bottom of the lane). Anyway, he passed away on my birthday.  Nancy and I went to his viewing Friday night and it was cool because 24 of his 25 grandchildren were there from all over the country.  And the only one missing is on a mission.  Also, his son John is mission president and couldn't come, but Arliss came.  We couldn't attend the funeral because of the Spudman.

Another tidbit of news.  Chelsea Applegate broke off her engagement a couple of days ago.  I think it's been really hard for her and I don't know the reasons, but I am proud of her courage.  The invitations had not been sent but most of the preparations had been made so that makes it even harder.  So pray for her.  I'm just happy that Easton is still willing to come, even though there is no wedding.

I am excited to get your letter about your new area and companion.  I hope you are somehow staying comfortable in the heat.  I was sorry to hear about your heat exhaustion last week.  I hope you are drinking lots and lots of water.  Do you have to drink bottled water or can you drink from the tap?  Which ever, don't skimp.  I was sad to hear how sick you got!  Please take good care of yourself.

I surely love you.  I'm so thankful you are willing and able to serve a mission at this time.  It's inspiring to see how you are growing and learning.  I love to see your humility and dependence on the Lord.  I'm so thankful you are willing to do hard things and to be obedient.  Thanks for being such a great son and a wonderful example to all of us.  Keep up the good work.  Keep smiling!

Lots of love,
Mom

Week 19 - to Max - Blaine

Max,

How wild that you got transferred to Cordoba! The first thing I have to ask—I always thought it was spelled with an "beh" ('b') rather than an "oo-beh" ('v'). "Cordoba" rather than "Cordova"? Isn't that right? I know they are pronounced identically in Spain (for those who don't know, there is typically no difference as to how these are pronounced—it is kind of a mix between how we pronounce 'b' and 'v'--and knowing which words have a 'b' and which have a 'v' is one of the very few details that Spaniards have to worry about when it comes to spelling.) I trust you on it more than myself at this point, but when I looked it up on Google maps, it had the 'b'. (I know that might not be the Spanish spelling since Google maps also shows "Seville" rather than "Sevilla.") So anyway, I was just curious about that. I guess I'll spell it with a 'b' until you correct me otherwise… :)

Anyway, how cool that you get to go there. I always heard really good things about Cordoba. It was kind of one of those cool areas that everyone always talked about like Sevilla except even more selective since not so many people got to go there. I did go visit it once on a P-day. I can't remember much of what we did—just that we went there for the day when I was in Sevilla. I remember Sevilla being super hot in the summer, but I understand Cordoba gets even hotter. In fact, probably my strongest memory of Cordoba is seeing a picture of an elder who served there who was standing under a temperature marquee that said the current temperature was 50C! That always blew my mind and I thought it would be really cool to have a picture like that. So you'll have to get one if you can. Have you guys seen it get that hot yet? If you see it, it will probably be during July or August I would think. The only thing that makes me sad about it is to see you leave Malaga so soon. Malaga was by far my longest area (almost a full year!) and that will for sure be the main place I will want to visit when I someday make it back. I hope that you made enough memories that you will be excited to join me. (Don't worry, we'll go check out Sevilla and Cordoba and everywhere else too—it will be EPIC! :)

Crazy that you are getting another native companion! Have you had an English speaking companion yet? Man, I am so impressed, both with you and how much Spanish you must be learning and the challenge that must be, and also with the mission itself, that there are that many natives to go around. To the first point, I can only imagine how much you must be learning but also how much you probably crave English interaction. It feels so good when you've struggled all day to speak to get home and be able to just communicate in your own language and just chit chat all night with a companion who speaks the same language. It's like getting to eat something good when you have been on a diet—you just crave and then relish those sweet English moments. I have to think it would be extremely difficult to have to go months and months without that, especially during your first months when Spanish is the hardest. I admire you for that and I have to think that you are learning Spanish ultra fast as a result. Hopefully you are feeling that blessing. As to the second point, are you just a really rare case, or are there really that many native speakers in the mission? When I was there, there were maybe 4-5 in the whole mission that didn't speak English. I had a French companion for a few weeks that didn't speak English or Spanish and that was super tough (I think I've told you about that before) but otherwise, I don't think I ever even had a native Spanish speaker in a district of mine, let alone in the same piso or as a comp. To judge by your experience so far, it almost sounds like you are in the minority, which blows my mind. Hope you are enjoying him and enjoying the people of Cordoba so far. I'm sure when you do get a comp that you can speak English to you will miss your Spanish companions but it will be a sweet break for you. Also, congrats about the people getting baptized. Have you heard about them? Did it go through as planned? I love your faith that they will "FOR SURE" be getting baptized. I learned over and over that things were never as sure as I wanted them to be with the often-fickle people, but I always tried to have that kind of faith. I hope that your people came through and stepped into the water of baptism as planned. Congratulations, if so!

Finally as to your question about Kebabs, sorry, but it doesn't really sound familiar. I do love gyros though so I'm sad I missed out. Have you had some good pollo asado? I doubt you would ever find it, but there was this place we always went in our area called Don Pablo's where they had the best pollo asado ever. I wonder if you have found a favorite place like that. The other little thing I remember always getting in Malaga (which is kind of random) is at the bottom of my first apartment in Malaga (we were on like the 20th floor) there was a place that sold these AMAZING baked potatoes. I was skeptical at first—I was never a big baked potato guy—but these things were like as big as your head and they would just smother them in this liquid mayonnaise stuff (think like the green dressing at Café Rio) and then just pile up the cheese and chorizo and whatever else you ordered on there. There were spicy ones and meaty ones and everything I ever had there I loved. Missionaries from all over the mission had heard about them and wanted to try them if they were ever in Malaga for some reason. Then we moved out of that piso to another piso down by the paseo and I don't know if we ever made it back for another potato. Anyway—memories! :)

 

Okay, so I guess all of that was kind of in response to your last letter. Now I want to just tell you a little about life here. It has been a fun week. I got the day off for the 24th and it was fun to sleep at Mom and Dad's in your old room (and my old room before that) for several nights just because so much was going on. We spent a lot of the 24th having fun at the pool with the cousins and then on Friday when everyone was at the Spudman, our little family spent the evening at the pool again with a bunch of friends from our old ward. It was so fun to see everyone again and I was amazed at how many people were willing to make the drive all the way up. We had a potluck and had about 6-7 families so that it felt nearly as crowded as the family party a few days before. Everyone was happy they came. They LOVED the pool and also enjoyed going up and getting ice cream cones at the dairy store. It made me feel so lucky to have grown up around it all, to see the pool through the eyes of an outsider just makes you realize what a random, crazy thing it is to share this fun, enormous, ancient, green, unheated pool with like 100 extended family members who all love each other and like to hang out together. 

Then yesterday (on Saturday) I taught Gwen to mow the lawn. She did a good job and worked hard, but I was amazed how difficult it was to teach her. Where it might take me 30-40 minutes to do by myself, we were out there for probably 2.5 or 3 hours working on it together. And I had to be there and carefully watch, if not help with and correct, every single move she made. It was exhausting—way more work and way more time than just doing it myself. Then when all was said and done, I opened my wallet and gave her a five dollar bill so that she would feel happy about her work and so that she would want to try it again. Throughout the process, it really struck me how ironic it was that I was actually paying her to do something that took much more out of me (in terms of time, effort, and patience) than if I had just done it myself. Why was I doing this rather than just mowing the lawn myself? Well, I guess there are two reasons. First, it is for my own sake, taking the long view. As I teach her to mow the lawn, I have faith that eventually she will be able to do things efficiently and without my supervision. At that point, she will become "profitable" to me. In other words, when I don't have to stand out there and watch her every move, it will be well worth the $5 (or whatever I pay her) for me to not have to mow the lawn myself, and the only way to get to that good deal is to invest in teaching her. It struck me that this aspect of my motivation is actually exactly what my whole summer is about. I am not a lawyer. Nothing I have done for either firm has been "profitable." Both firms have poured money into a nice salary and lunches and activities and, most expensively, associate and partner mentoring time as an investment. At best, they will be able to bill a few of my hours to some clients and recoup some of the investment, but realistically, they are dumping money into me that there is actually a good chance they will never get back (since they know I am splitting and I can't say yes to both firms). Why do they do it? Because if I sign on and work for them for a few years, I will eventually be very profitable. Once I learn to be a real lawyer, they will profit greatly off my work for several years until I become a partner and decide who I want to invest in as the firm grows and the years go on. 

The second reason that I take the time to teach Gwen is less selfish. This reason has nothing to do with me or time/money that I might eventually make and everything to do with Gwen. I know that Gwen will benefit in her life by knowing how to mow a lawn, by having confidence to operate machines, and by learning how to work hard in general. Gwen will benefit by learning to trade her time and effort for money and learning how to handle that money—to pay tithing, to save it, to use it to meet her needs and wants, to use it to help others, etc. Learning how to mow a lawn is something that every American kid should probably learn at some point before adulthood, so taking time to teach her is, in this way, part of the service I do as a parent. 

It is probably obvious by now why I have gone into so much detail about this. Heavenly Father is making the same type of investment in all of us as we go through our earth life. Take you as a missionary for example. Are you a "profitable" servant? Do you always know the right thing to say to everyone you meet? Do you know the scriptures perfectly inside and out? Do you know Spanish perfectly? Do you work tirelessly without a need for a break? Do you follow every rule with exactness? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you have to ask yourself why He is "paying" you in blessings upon blessings (the Winder pool and the awesome family you enjoy it with being one example) to do the work when He could do it perfectly Himself without any of the same limitations you have. He does know Spanish. He does know the right thing to say to everyone. He works tirelessly and would never break a rule. So why does the Lord leave his work to you—to all of us—rather than doing it himself? I think the answers are not so different from why I take the time to teach Gwen to mow the lawn. As useless, disobedient, dense, and unteachable as we must seem to Him, Heavenly Father takes the time to invest in our growth because 1) He wants us one day to be perfect and to become like him so that we would have an ability to actually be "profitable" servants to assist Him in His work of bringing to pass the immortality and Eternal life of our brothers and sisters, and 2) He loves us and wants us to become like Him because that is how He knows we will be the happiest. So what does He do? He trusts us to do some work. He backs us up when we make mistakes but he also holds our hand the whole way. Tells us to back up and try again when we miss a spot. Gives us a pat on the back when we mow a good row or two even though there is still much to do. He might even go around the trees and the tricky corners for us until we are ready to tackle such challenges by ourselves. Could He get His work done faster and easier without our help? You betcha. But would we ever learn without His generous investment in us? No way. And the most amazing part—just like the firms that pay me this summer and the $5 I gave Gwen--He blesses us when we do our best, even though our best was still pathetic compared to what He could have just done Himself. It is such a win for us, no matter how you twist it. 

Anyway, thanks for bearing with me on a long spiritual thought, but I hope it makes sense. I actually have some other stuff I would love to share with you but I'll have to save those for next week. In the meantime, enjoy your new comp and your new area. Try to stay out of the heat and drink your water. Appreciate the God who lets you help with His work even though you are an unprofitable servant because with continued effort, He is training you up to be just like Him someday and that is pretty amazing to contemplate. Keep up the good work. Our prayers continue on your behalf. 

Love you, bro. 

Blaine

P.S. Reading over my letter, I don't want to mess with the text because I think you get what I'm saying, but I do want to clarify that I don't believe there is any "selfish" element to why the Lord helps us and encourages our growth. I suppose my analogy kind of breaks down there, as analogies often do, insofar as it suggests otherwise. Unlike the money the firms intend to make off of my work and the way I hope Gwen will someday ease the burden of my chores, clearly the Lord is not motivated by anything but love for us and a desire to bring to pass our immortality and Eternal life. That said, I do think that He would love our help, if we could actually become perfect enough to be "profitable." In that sense, maybe the analogy does work a little bit—the better we get at following the spirit and acting as He would act, the quicker and more effective His work goes, which is a good thing for everyone. 

Week 19 - to Max - Dad (Modern Rescue)

Week 19 - Dad - Modern Rescue

Sunday, July 28, 2013

8:56 PM

I know it's hard to believe, but every time we kneel to pray, we are still praying for you.  Keep up the miracles.

Things to tell Max

• Mom sent a package to you with some letters.  Including July letters from your missionary buddies.
• We printed up a ton of pictures which are on their way as well.
• Amazing Week -  We had a big birthday party for mom on Monday.  Rosey, B&K. J&W, Stef (and nick the next day) came up and made a fabulous dinner, and homemade ice cream for her.  Gifts and a visit from Winder family made it a wonderful time.  What the summer is all about for Mom.
• Blaine and Kris stayed with us several days.  Getting to play with their 3 was fun as always.  Memorable quirky sayings and behaviors always make it a blast.
• Rosey and friends went up and saved places for us on the parade ground (under the direction of Mom, Nancy and Karen of course) .  A classic time was had by all at the parade.  Then after naps we swam and ate at the pool.  There were tons of Winder family there.  Fun!  To end the  24th, we showed the movie "42" to a whole bunch of adults who wanted to watch.

• Amazing weekend as we watched Rosey and Nick (and a bunch of Winder Cousins) compete in the Spudman Triathalon.  A couple of random impressions:
• Importance of logistics because people are trusting a bunch of volunteers with their $1K-$50K bikes overnight.
• Gear isn't everything.  Neither Rosey nor Nick swam with wet suits, and did great anyway.  The water was reported to be like Winder Pool.   Clay didn't change his shoes at all.  He wore sandal type shoes.
• We should have stuck around for trophies… never know… Rosey won #1 in her division and would have gotten a trophy.  Nick got 6th in his division.
• Carb dinners aren't all they are cracked up to be… unsalted spaghetti and sauce...ugh.
• Rosey paid for Mom and I's steak dinner after the big event.  It was great.
• Watching how it all works was fascinating.  Start with a 1 mile swim in the snake river… then 25 miles on bikes… then 6 miles (10K) running.
• Watching Nick and Rosey compete was incredible.
• Watching the grandkids compete for attention was also incredible.  Little Ned is so cute it's almost scary.
• By staying an extra night in the hotel, we were able to make a trip out of it.  We checked out things happening in Twin Falls (some cool falls, steaks, slushies, and then on Sunday we visited the temple, went to church, visited a national reserve called "city of rocks" and just had a great time coming home.

Thoughts to Share:

• I love your scriptures you share each week.  Please keep em coming.  They add so much spirit and depth to your letters.
• Here's a great missionary thought for you:  “As surely as the rescue of those in need was the general conference theme of October 1856, so too is it the theme of this conference and last conference and the one to come next spring. It may not be blizzards and frozen-earth burials that we face this conference, but the needy are still out there—the poor and the weary, the discouraged and downhearted, those “[falling] away into [the] forbidden paths” we mentioned earlier, and multitudes who are “kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.” They are all out there with feeble knees, hands that hang down, and bad weather setting in. They can be rescued only by those who have more and know more and can help more. And don’t worry about asking, “Where are they?” They are everywhere, on our right hand and on our left, in our neighborhoods and in the workplace, in every community and county and nation of this world. Take your team and wagon; load it with your love, your testimony, and a spiritual sack of flour; then drive in any direction. The Lord will lead you to those in need if you will but embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ that has been taught in this conference. Open your heart and your hand to those trapped in the twenty-first century’s equivalent of Martin’s Cove and Devil’s Gate. In doing so we honor the Master’s repeated plea on behalf of lost sheep and lost coins and lost souls.” Jeffrey R. Holland, Prophets in the Land Again, Ensign, October 2006

Questions/Comments for Max

• Did Tony and Dayamii get baptized?  Were you able to see it?
• Do you ever get around to reading our long letters?  I know you don’t have a lot of time each Monday.  If you can't read them AND write us what you want to write, we can send you more printed letters and fewer emails.  Thoughts?
• Tell us everything about Cordoba. 
• Is it as hot as they say? 
• Do you live down by the river?
• What is your address in Cordoba?  I want to look it up in Maps?  Is it still best to send packages to the mission home or direct to Cordoba?

• Tell us about your new companion - Elder Rojas?  How much time in the mission does he have?  How well does he speak the language?  Do you get along?  Where is he from?  Is he as shy and laid back as your President said he was?  What does your President say about you do you think?  Do you hope? 
• Tell us about the Cordoba Ward/Branch?  Compared to Malaga, how strong is the church, how worldly are the people?  How many come to church?  Do you have a ward mission leader?  Do members feed you?
• Where is the church?  Is there just one branch still?

• Doug was one of the first missionaries to go into Cordoba.  He said they spent all day everyday (except pday) tracking the high rise apartments.  They only had 4 people in church, and the missionaries were 2 of the 4.

Anyway - that's love from SLC for this week.  Keep the work alive.  And keep your love for the people and your companion growing.

Best…

Dad

Week 19 - to Max - Janey (Fun Filled Week)

Dear Max-

Happy Pioneer Day! I hope you had a good July 24^th in Spain and they do something over there to celebrate! Just kidding.

It has been an eventful week thanks to July 24^th. Because the holiday fell on a Wednesday, my office decided to take the rest of the week off. I was so excited, and Warner asked if he could have Thursday and Friday off so we could go somewhere. The bank let him have the rest of the week off so we decided to go to Seattle to visit Warner’s sister Kemy and Chris and their little guy Coen. They are so generous and said they would pay for the trip as Warner’s graduation gift….so how could we refuse! Here’s a (long) synopsis (you are going to want to print this letter and read it as you have time):

Wednesday, July 24^th: I was totally bummed that we missed the big parade, but we really wanted to get out of town early to make our trip as long as possible. We got up at 3:30 and were on the road just after 4:00. The morning went by quickly and we arrived at Warner’s sister, Katie, house to drop by and see their house as they recently moved. Katie is pregnant (which is exciting, but sad because she gets SOOOOO sick. Like she can’t keep anything down so she has to have IV’s).

We sat and visited with Katie for awhile and then we headed another 1.5 hours up to Warner’s other sister Kellie’s house. She just got married to a guy that is a farmer….like a million dollar farmer. I just finished building this BEAUTIFUL home last year. They live in Mattawa, Washington….a whole bunch of farm land. As we drove into Mattawa and saw nothing but field after field I thought to myself, “I could never live out here and I don’t know how Kellie is doing it.” It almost kind of gave me a pit in my stomach. However, we arrived at the house and took a tour and….I was in love with the place. I can now see how Kellie can survive out there….she has a huge and beautiful home!!!! When Scot (her husband) came home from working on the farm we sat down and had a delicious dinner. Scot has a few teenage nephews who are living at the “shop” and working for him during the summer. They joined us for dinner as well. After dinner we headed out for the official tour of Mattawa. It was a blast. First off, we took the tour in Scot’s Ford Raptor truck. Ummm…..I think I want one of these instead of a mini van when I have children. Kellie and I sat in the back seat and I have literally never seen so much leg room in any kind of car. Scot is a crazy motorcycle/vehicle man and as we started driving down one of the roads (which I guess the police don’t monitor) he floored to go 80mph and it was pretty awesome. Warner and I are going to start saving our pennies and maybe someday we can get one. J

 He then took us out to see a few of his fields (he has like 20 giant lots). We stopped at one of the fields and he showed us one of his grains they had just planted that was just starting to come through. This may not sound very exciting….but it was so cool to think that I was with someone who owned a ton of land and knew how to work it. We then went over to the shop and saw his 15+ John Deer tractors as well as a ton of other machinery that they use farming. I asked how they gathered the hay in bundles and we jumped out of the truck and he showed us the “in’s and out’s” of the hay machine. It was SO fascinating. He has a huge shop area, complete with a wall full of nuts and bolts so they can fix all their own machinery. We then drove to see their church building (which surprisingly was only 5 minutes from their house in the middle of a field) and then 10 minutes further to the little town of Mattawa aka “Mexico.” Seriously, I think they said that the population was 90% Hispanic. Warner and I kind of felt like we were driving through a “not-so-ghetto” Belize. The best part about this little ride (besides the truck) J was seeing Scot in his element. Scot is about the nicest guy you will ever meet, but he’s so quiet. I have only ever seen him when he comes to Salt Lake. But he was totally confident and full of things to say when we got up there. I loved it.

We headed home and had dessert and then headed off to bed.

Thursday, July 25^th- We woke up after a good nights rest at the “big house” (Kellie and Scot’s). I headed out for a run around 8:30 and figured it would be hot but not too bad. However, I might have to say that that run hit the top 10 list of being HOT!

(Side note; Warner and I are driving home from the trip and have my Sunday playlist on random. I have your songs on my Sunday playlist and on you, and me and one, two three steps…….I can’t help the way I feel, I can’t believe this is real….it seem’s like a dream as we dance….)

Week 18 - from Max (Me Voy!!!)

Week 18 - from Max - Me Voy

Monday, July 22, 2013

8:27 AM

Hola Familia!!!!

I wanted to start off this letter similar to how I started my other letter from last week. By saying, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!! Thank you for everything you have done for me. Being out here in the field has made me realize just how much I love you, and you I literally have the best mom and the world! You have raised me and taught me the principles of the gospel! And that it the greatest blessing of all. You have loved me and cared for me my life. You listen to me when I was concerned about something. You trusted me to do the things that you wanted done. And now that I am here serving, I think about you and how I really want to make you proud. As I struggle here in the streets of Spain, I just think about you and how much you are cheering for me back at home. I know you are proud of me back there, and that is what keeps me going every day. Just knowing that my mom is happy with where I am and what I am doing. Although I know she misses me, I know she is proud of me! :) So thank you mom for everything and I hope you have such a happy birthday! Its hard not to be there, but I hope you can feel of my love for you!

I love you so much mom!

So you dont need to share that with the whole friends and family list....you can cut that part out if you want, I just didnt want to wait till the end of the letter to write happy birthday! :) 

Well this week has been a good one, and as my subject says....ME VOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is the end of another transfer and I am off to Cordova!!!! I am finished here in Malaga, which has been super sad, seeing as I am super sentimental, but I am super excited to head off to the heat in Cordova (okay I am definitely not excited for the heat.) It is about as hot as Sevilla there...so I hope I can survive. I about didnt survive this week, I am pretty sure I got heatstroke, because on Thrusday night my head was just pounding like crazy and I went to bed and just had a horrible night. I had super bad chills and was just FREEZING cold, which is super weird. Anyways, I woke up and had a fever of 101º and just felt awful. I called our mission nurse who told me to rest. I got a two hour rest in, and woke up and felt lots better. Although my headache was still there, my fever was gone and I was out the door teaching. It was a miracle that I felt as good as I did! :) I know that Lord was really helping me out in the moment. Anyways, I have been drinking water like crazy since!!!! I sure hope it doesnt get worse in Cordova, but we will see! I am excited to accept the challenge.

So my new companion will be Elder Rojas (Another native from Spain!!!!!!!!!!!) :) :) I am super excited to have another native, it really will help my spanish so much. And President was telling me that he is super shy and kind of laid back (Which makes me a bit nervous) So he wants me to go in and animate the branch and help lift it up!

Blaine, were you ever in Cordova? Any advice? :)

Anyways, so I am super excited to head off, but as I said...it has been a super sad week over here in Malaga!!! The hardest has been leaving Tony and Dayami!!! THEY ARE FOR SURE GETTING BAPTIZED THIS SATURDAY!!!!! They are super strong and keeping all of the commitments and I am so excited for them! But I wont lie, it is hard to leave without seeing them in the waters of baptism. I am just happy that I had the opportunity to change their lives for the best. We also met some people from Hungary who are super excited to learn more about the church. They told me they want to be baptized, they just first want to learn more!!!! They spoke english, and so Elder Gomez is hoping he gets an american companion. Elder Gomez will be training here in Malaga! Super crazy!!!! 

Man...but its just crazy that now parrt of my mission will become a memory. Serving in the Malaga 2 ward will be a memory that I will never forget!!! I am so grateful for the experiences I have had here!!! 

I have been taking pictures with all of my friends here because I really dont want to forget them. It is kind of weird how hard it is to leave an area. I mean I am excited and everything, but at the same time, I am really going to miss this ward!! I love these people so so much!! (haha I thank my parents for my sentimental personality) haha

Anyways, Dad I am going to respond to the quesitons you had last week in my next letter when I am in Cordova. I just dont have tons of time in this letter to write out a full work day and a full pday. But I do want to write a scripture taht has helped me this week. And that is DyC 100:5-8!

 5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; aspeak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be bconfounded before men;

 6 For it shall be agiven you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

 7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye adeclare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

 8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this theaHoly Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.

As a missionary, knowing that the Lord will be with you and help you out is such a comfort. I know that to have his help, I need to preach. And that is how it is for all of us! We cant return to our Heavenly Father without a Savior, with Jesus Christ, so we NEED his help. And how do we receive that help, by preaching and sharing his gospel with others.

I know that is a simple and short little spiritual thought, but it really is true and deep., We need to remember that always!

Well, I am sorry I dont have much time, but I have got to go! Sorry this letter is a bit short, I hope it all makes sense! I want you all to know how much I love and appreciate each one of you!

Your support has helped me out so much here! I can feelt your prayers lifting me up. So thank you!

I am loving life!

The church is true!

A vencer!

Love you all!

Love, Elder Bassett

p.s. Blaine, did you ever have Kebabs (pronounced kay-vaps) when you were here? They are soooo delicious!!!! They are very similar, almost identical, to gyros (pronounced Hero) ;) Anyways, they are delicious!!

Love you all!!

Week 18 - to Max - Nick

Hi Max,

Another week come and gone.  It's been good, but from an eternal perspective not's much changed in my life or many of those around me.  You however, are engaged actively each day in making an eternal impact on everyone around you.  We love and pray for you - keep up the great work.  

Here are some highlights of the week:

Stef and the boys have been up in West Valley (not a highlight, but a big part of the week).  I'll be joining them on 24th for that weekend, and then coming back down after that only to turn around a week later and head up to the Bassett reunion.  

While the family has been away I've been trying to do things that typically take me away from the home and I don't get to do.  For example, Thursday night I went out fishing with one of my young men.  He caught 31 fish and I caught 16.  It was awesome!  I went golfing with a couple of friends yesterday which was great.  In addition, I've been trying to keep on top of and get ahead with homework. 

One of my young men had the fund raising portion of his eagle project yesterday.  The world horseshoe championship came to St. George this week and so we helped score the games to raise money.  It was fascinating.  The players are incredible and were seriously from all over the world.  The games I scored had people from British Columbia to Namibia, and from Finland to Idaho.  Who knew that people played Horseshoes all over the world? It was a fun way to help raise some money!  With the money he's going to purchase some instruments for one of the local high schools.  

Today was an eventful day in church; kind of took me back to the mission.  I had meetings in the morning, then played the Organ in church as well as being part of the musical number.  Then I taught priesthood and had home teaching after church.  I always love a good busy Sunday like that though.  I've also been fasting for Merrill and Joan (and family) since he's not doing so well.  I think they're down to the "any day now" phase.  I'm so impressed with the faith and courage they all seem to exhibit.  

My quick thought has to do with Temples.  This was the topic for the young men today in priesthood.  A thought I shared with them, and in lieu of my prior paragraph, is that there are two things that every single human being who has lived, lives, or will live have common: each of us was born to earth, and none of us are getting out of here alive.  As sure as we were born, we will die.  It's going to happen.  We are all so busy sometimes caught up in trivial things we forget to really ponder life.  When we are in the temple, we are truly able to reflect upon the fact that this earth life is a very tiny piece of a much bigger plan.  When we remember that, our priorities seem to fall into place and we find greater peace.  I'm eternally grateful for priesthood and temples and I know they are indeed the house of the Lord.  

Keep up the great work!

Week 18 - to Max - Blaine

Max,

What's up my brother? I decided to stop what I was doing before it got too much later so that I could write you a quick note before bed. I'm hoping for blessings so that when I next pick up this particular task it won't be as ENORMOUSLY FRUSTRATING as it has been tonight! Oh my gosh, I could tear my hair out! So I got a new phone this week. Drumroll please—my first Android phone. Yes, I decided to take the plunge because, as much as I like a lot of Apple products, I just do not have the faith in the company and untiring patience that, say, Nick has. As he has explained it to me, Nick is an Apple guy for life. He has bought into doing everything the way they tell him to—his pictures, his music, etc. Follow the way they say and everything should be seamless. Well, I have done that to a degree, but not nearly to the same degree as Nick. So anyway, I feel like I am not totally roped in yet. I could walk away from Apple, I thought, and it wouldn't drastically affect me. So this week, that's finally what I did. Apple has been good to me and I have liked my iPhones, but I am so sick of Apple having the reputation for the best stuff when they are like two years behind now on innovation. I started reading rumor blogs to see what the next iPhone would have and some of the features I was interested in aren't even expected on the next iPhone but on the one after that. We're like almost talking when you get home. So I said, forget that. I'm going with Android where they already have the features. I got a Samsung Galaxy S4, which just came out a couple months ago so it is considered to be the best Android phone currently available (or one of the two best, anyway). It has tons of cool features, among which are a huge screen that makes my old iPhone look simply pathetic and a Swipe keyboard (where you drag your finger around rather than tap at keys) which helps me type faster. There's a million more things that I really like about it that I won't go into. And there's also been a lot of challenges with it so far which I won't go into now either. The point that I'm trying to get to is that, before I can really use my new phone and shut off my old one, I feel like I have to get my contacts migrated over. AND IT IS THE BIGGEST PAIN. Not on the Android side, but actually on the Apple side. I'm just trying to merge them into my gmail account, which, according to any number of web tutorials, should be a simple matter. But after an hour and a half of trying about five different things and getting no where, I'm about ready to warm up me thumbs and start copying by hand. Oh my gosh, it's such a pain! So, back to where I started, I finally put that project away to write you and I'll hope it goes better the next time a get a chance to work on it. Who knows? Maybe somebody reading this letter knows how to do what I'm trying to do and can help me.

Haha, anyway, besides the excitement of a new phone, life continues to be going well for us. It has been such a fun, busy summer. I continue working at my job and fretting about my decision. I started to type up some of my thoughts on that, but I think it will take me down a rabbit hole that you are probably getting sick of hearing about. Besides, it is hard to discuss my thoughts at this point because I am still trying to sort them out in my head. I'll let you know more as we get closer to the real decision time. 

We had dinner with one of my law school friends at a park up Provo Canyon last night. It was so fun and so crowded up there. Tons of people (including my friend's wife's brother) were just on dates and hanging out with their wards, playing volleyball or whatever. It was really fun to be up there and would probably be especially fun for someone about a year and a half older than you! :) No, I guess Natalie's brother just got home from his mission and this was one of his first dates since he got back. He and the girl were long boarding down from Vivian park to Bridal Vail falls, which I thought sounded like a pretty fun, adventurous date. It made me think of all the fun you and Easton had last year and that you will have in a couple years from now. Ah, the good times at BYU, right? :)

The night before that, Kristi got a babysitter and we were able to go on a date night. I took Trax from work and met Kristi down in Sandy. We went to Firehouse subs (my first time there and I loved it!) and then we went and saw 42, the movie about Jackie Robinson. The movie was wonderful and so inspiring. And of course I loved just talking about it later with Kristi—all our favorite parts and what made them so great and how they used symbolism to deliver subtle messages and so forth. I love having such an intelligent and deep thinking wife that I can talk about stuff like this with and who doesn't roll her eyes and say that I'm trying too hard and that it was just a movie. It's so fun to be on a date night with her and be able to talk about whatever and to never feel like she thinks I am blowing smoke. She listens to me and shares her thoughts and respects me. I don't think I realized how important that was or how good Kristi was at it when we got married, but I have noticed more and more over the years and am just so grateful for that in our relationship. Anyway, it was a fun date night (even though the babysitter did not do half the job that Easton did when she would babysit our kids in Texas!)

Then today we just had a relaxing day. I took the kids to a big field near our house and practiced throwing the frisbee with them (they are all trying so hard to learn how and I am amazed how difficult it is to teach someone when it seems so easy to me). We also kicked a beach ball around, played red light/green light, and laid on the grass and look up at the clouds to find shapes. It was so fun to hang out with them and Kristi had a yummy dinner waiting when we got back. Then after dinner we all went out to go on a walk but suddenly we got going on weeding our garden and ended up spending a good hour all working together in the yard. It wasn't anything too intense (even though I still wouldn't have necessarily planned to do it on a Sunday), but it felt so wholesome and appropriate, working together as a family on a common goal. Our yard still needs tons of work (unfortunately, taking care of the yard has never been a strong point of mine in adulthood. I try but I guess I just don't care enough compared to other things and so it falls down on the priority list), but it was a good start and a really fun way to spend Sunday evening. 

Anyway, now it's midnight so I better get to bed. I haven't had to work very bad hours at this job, but the work can be pretty stressful and the commute takes FOREVER (like well over an hour each way) so I still feel like I'm working really long, stressful days. Life is good though. I wish the summer could last forever. I'm not really looking forward to school starting back up, although I'm glad that this year should be lighter than last year and I'm excited that it's my last year. 

Sorry that my letters are always so ramble-y. I really do know how to write and I probably have interesting things to say somewhere in my brain if I think about it, but I have not given myself sufficient time to do either of those things for awhile, so for that, I apologize. Sometimes I have to just sit down and make my fingers start typing because I figure you'd rather hear something than nothing. :) Anyway, love you and hope all is well. 

Week 18 - to Max - Kristi

Hey Max! 

I guess we all waited till way late in the night to write your letters this week. As soon as Blaine handed the computer over to me and laid his poor head on the pillow (poor guy has had a headache most of the day) we heard Ivy start crying and screaming. Sounds like she wet the bed. Blaine is being a champ and giving her a quick shower. Apparently what Bentley said the last time he wet the bed is true, "I think I am allergic to family movie nights because they make me wet the bed". It's true, he and Ivy don't wet the bed often, but when they do it is usually because we let them stay up late to watch a family movie (Beauty and the Beast tonight). Bentley is really funny any time there is a kiss in a movie, "UGH! You've GOT to be kidding me!" 

A few quick highlights of this week

-Going swimming with Laurie at her parents pool. It brings back lots of memories to be in her house, and it was really weird to be there with our collective 7.5 children (she has the .5, not me :). Things have sure changed in the last 12 years since I was swimming there last! Glad that we are still good friends and that our kids are good friends too. 

-Going to the cabin on Tuesday with some of my Lehi friends. I eventually wound up letting Bentley and Ivy go on the zipline by themselves. That was crazy, and scary. I basically couldn't even watch and just had my friends do it. It's funny because a lot of their kids were too nervous to go on and there's Ivy whining and complaining and begging me to go - how did I get such adventurous kids?! It turned out that they were just fine. Though, after Gwen had gone a couple of times I told her it was time she learned to hop off of it by herself. So she went and then she had like forgotten for a minute that she was going to get off and then remembered and started to hop off but it was too late. So by the time she got her legs off she was up too high to hop off and was heading back towards the big tree (past the platform). I had to make a snap judgement on whether to yell at her to let go before she got to the platform, or whether to tell her to hang on tight. I yelled at her to hold on (so her bum was no longer on the seat and she was just holding on with her hands). She was holding on tight but that stinking zipline took her WAY back up towards the tree, she was up so high and I was so worried that she wouldn't hold on. I just kept yelling "HOLD ON HOLD ON!". I was so proud and relieved that she held on long enough to get back to the platform where I could help her down. Needless to say, I was an emotional mess after and we were done with the zipline for the day. That thing causes me major stress! It's hard having kids who want to be big enough to do something, but you don't feel comfortable letting them do it. It's an especially hard line for me to walk. I want to let them be brave and do cool things - but does my four year old really belong on a zipline? Probably not. Agh. 

Other than "the incident" it was a total blast at the cabin! We had ten kids there and they all just loved all the huts and hideouts and the zipline. We were sad that the swing was already taken down (did you hear about that? They had to take down the Tarzan swing for insurance purposes). Someone had engraved one of the stumps that you used to jump off and it said "RIP 2013". So sad! 

We then took them all on a hike up donut falls. Super fun day!

- Oh yeah, I gave up facebook. Well, not really, but I have put serious restrictions on my usage. I decided the best way to do that would be to have Blaine make up a new password for my account, so that he would be in charge of when I could log in. It's actually really nice not having it on my phone anymore. As a stay at home mom, I long for adult interactions, and facebook is an easy place to get that. I loved posting funny comments or things and getting immediate responses and making people laugh. Plus, honestly it was a good little journal for me and the fun things that were happening. So now I only get on once every other night or so. It's really liberating. Though it does make communication a lot harder! I was in charge of activity days on Friday and we were meeting at the stake center, which I thought I knew where it was (I assumed it was where Gwen was baptized). When I showed up no  one was there and I was running a few minutes late anyways. I knew the info was on facebook but I couldn't access it! So it took me about twenty minutes driving around to find the right place. Other than that though it hasn't been a big inconvenience. 

Well I am pretty sure I had some funny things to say about something Ben or Ivy said and I really just cannot remember what it was! Dang it! I guess my brain turns off at midnight or something! 

We miss you! I wasn't planning on writing you tonight (since Blaine did) but wanted to document the zipline drama. Seriously, I can't believe how many times we have escaped what could be really scary situations. I am so grateful that Gwen was protected and strengthened that day to hold on! 

Loves,

Kris

Week 18 - to Max - Mom

Dear Max,

The smell of chocolate chip cookies is wafting through the house.  Rosey is currently baking them for my birthday tomorrow, instead of a cake.   Everyone is coming for dinner.  We will surely miss you.  But as I always say, we wouldn't want you anywhere but where you are, doing what you are doing!  I am happy to celebrate my 55 years with my boy on a mission, serving the Lord with all of his heart.  What more could a mother want?  Thanks for being who you are and doing what you are doing.

So I will start with some of the sad news.  Merril Hutchinson's health is declining rapidly.  He is in the hospital after an unsuccessful procedure.  His cancer has spread everywhere and he cannot keep any food down.  He is on a feeding tube and not doing well at all.  Dad and I joined in a fast on Thursday.  Although his health did not improve, we feel like prayers were answered in a different way.  Both he and Joan are at peace with the whole situation and have totally placed their trust in The Lord.   It has been inspiring to me to see their strong faith.  She ended her last report with the words "and faithful we will be."   I don't know how much longer he has.  Also, you remember Brother Bascourt.  He, too, has cancer and is in his last stages.  Dad, Nancy and I went over to see him at home tonight and he and his wife were just both so sweet.  Frankly, we needed you there to translate.  Dad was doing his best but said afterwards that he understood 100 percent of their love and maybe 50 percent of what they were saying.  They are such a neat couple.  And one more piece of sadness.  We just learned today that Tori's older brother who lives in Idaho was in an accident and died this morning.  Richard and Tori stopped by home before heading up there and Nancy said Tori was in pretty bad shape, overcome by it all.  So hard times.  He wasn't active in the church, but Tori and her mom are so they can find peace in the plan of Salvation.

Rosey had a happy birthday last Monday.  She loved your letter.  You wrote it on Monday and it arrived on Saturday.  That's fast!  I'm sure someone reported about playing softball at Farnsworth with all the Yorgs, Lindsey's and Ned's family.  I hope they mentioned that I caught two pop flys!  I may not be able to hit very far, but I can still catch.  Then we came to our patio and ate yummy birthday cake and brownies made by Andrea.  I was a fun evening.  On Wednesday night Nancy and I went to the Redwood Center and watched Rosey play softball with the Granger YSA 2nd ward.  Schyler Jolley hit a home run.  Rosey did great, too.  One of the times she came in home she did a cartwheel at home base, and Brother Sudbury who was umpire, sort of scolded her.  It was funny!

I worked at PT one day this week so that was good.  I made it to the temple twice.  On Friday during the day Janey and I went over to the Morris home where Stef and boys are and we went swimming.  The water was a perfect temperature and it was so much fun!  They just got a new slide that is sweet!. Bret can swim with no floaties and Clay does really well but has to keep on his life jacket.  Stef's mom even swam so it was a great time.  Little Neddy just grinned at us from the side.

 On Friday night dad, Janey, Warner and I all went to the Tabernacle Choir Pioneer Concert in the Conference Center.  There were a couple guest soloists - Lindsey Sterling the hip-hop violinist, and Nathan Pacheco who has an amazing tenor voice (Janey leaned to me and said that was you in 10 years). The whole concert was fabulous and I love being downtown on a hot summer evening!

There were several changes in our home stake today.  Bishop Little was released and Josh Tidwell put in as bishop of the 8th ward.  Bishop Wilding released in the 5th ward and Dave Juett put in as bishop.  Fun huh?  Rumor has it our 2nd ward bishopric is being changed this coming week.  I will keep you posted.

A couple random things.  Uncle B went to scout camp this week.  He's a good man!  Also, the back hose was accidentally left running and we had a little flood in our basement hallway that has taken days to dry.  There was enough water that we had to borrow a power vac to suck it up.  Did I tell you Arden Sullivan and Glade Nelson are our new home teachers?  We borrowed Sullivan's vacuum.

Okay, got to hit the sack so I am fresh for my 55th.

One last inspiring thought from my Church News reading.  Gerald Causse, 1st coun in the presiding bishopric, talked at the mission presidents seminar about the converting power of the scriptures and what an essential tool they are in bringing others to the Gospel.   He told about his own family's conversion 50 years ago where his parents recognized the good the gospel had in the lives of members, but turned down repeated invitations to be baptized.  Then one evening the elders asked his dad to read James 4:17: "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."  That scripture convinced him and a few weeks later both parents were baptized.  He emphasized that when missionaries know and love and use the scriptures, they invite the Spirit into their teaching.  He called them the most powerful weapon.

Sure love you Max.

Love,
Mom