Re: Week 45 - Dad - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

What a fun letter Dad.  I think all of us feel a resounding Amen to everything you've shared.  All these fun letters we've written to Max kind of selfishly make me want to serve a mission again to receive all these fun thoughts, memories and experiences.  

Carry on...

Nick

On Sun, Jan 26, 2014 at 11:19 PM, bret bassett <bretbassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Week 45 - Dad - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

10:14 PM

 

Hi Max,

 

First I want to pass along a sweet letter from Penny Peterson.  You remember her and her husband Gerald?  She writes occasionally.  Here's what she said… Enjoy.

Hello Elder Bassett  and a very Happy New Year!!!! Again as always thank you for sharing your wonderful e-mails with us as we certainly enjoy. They are always so spiritually uplifting and it truly makes us appreciate and thank you and all the missionaries for their sacrifice and dedication to the Lord in bringing other unto Christ.  We so admire and thank you for all your hard work and please always remember we too, along with countless others, have you in our prayers and also those you are investigating.  One of our ward goals for 2014 is assisting the Stake of indexing l,000,000 names. Our ward goal is 200,000 names.  I did read the talk by Cleone Skouson regarding the Atonement. Very interesting and great reading! Gerald and I are ever so grateful for the Atonement too.  I second everything you said.  The talk made my cry as it was so powerful and makes you stop and ponder what  our Savior Jesus Christ did for each of  us. We thank him everyday for his great sacrifice for us. We truly would not make it if it were not for his ALWAYS being there for us  I hope by doing everything he would want me to do and I try everyday to do so  that I might be able to  show my gratitude to him. We hope our e-mail finds you doing and feeling great and we send our love and best to you always.  Penny and Gerald    

 

For your Birthday, I just wanted to do a little reflection of you and what a wonderful young man you are.

 

1st - You are obedient. I have always admired your willingness to just go do what the Lord has asked you to do.  Your leaders loved you because you would do everything (since there were so few active YM).  You would prepare, pass, collect, visit, take to shutin's, speak, conduct, support, encourage, etc. etc.  Also besides your church leaders were were so amazed by you.   You would do whatever we asked of you.  I can think of times where you were in the middle of something like writing a song on the computer or editing something together, and mom would come in and say, "you should probably do xyz…" or "shouldn't you go bless the sacrament for xyz shutin"  and you would stop whatever you were doing, and without complaint get up and just go do it.  Most people and I suspect most missionaries need more…to get them to stop their own will and pursue the will of another.  But you would jump in and just do it.  I always thought that the Lord could do wonders, with an army of soldiers like you.

 

2nd - You are faithful!   I love how whenever I would talk to you about the Savior, you would get it.  You understood the importance of staying clean before him.  You knew he was your savior and you sought to do his will, even if it wasn't something you particularly wanted to do.  I remember the time you were walking home after doing your duty, and you realized there was something bothering you.  And you received inspiration and knew what you needed to do to resolve the issue.  I was so happy you didn't hold back and wait for a more convenient time to take care of it, but you did it immediately.  I always wished I'd been a better home teacher, so that you would have seen a good example of home teaching/  But I imagine you are a great example of missionary work regardless of the example I may have set, which is why the President has entrusted a Zone to you.

 

3rd - You are non-judgmental.  I think one of the great blessings you and the rest of the kids had of growing up in West Valley and going to Granger High, is that you grew up with people with huge of cultural differences.  People who were poor.  People who couldn't speak the English language.  People of Color. People who embraced lots of sinful ways.  Yet you laughed with them.  Studied with them.  And tried to love them despite their differences.  You didn't judge, but just set an example for them.  I was always amazed at the broad and diverse group of friends you were able to live and work around.    What a GREAT training ground for life.  Very few places in the world have the kind of homogeneity that Utah has - except in our neck of the valley.   And so serving the various types of people that your mission is full of would probably be hard for many people, to adjust to, but I've been so happy that you could jump right into loving the people.

 

4th - You are fun!  There are few people who know how to laugh with  such a warm, magical laugh as you.  You and Easton together are about as photogenic as a couple can be.  But seeing you with your companions and ward members and investigators has been such a wonderful experience as well.  I'm glad to hear that you have fun with your companions.  And I know that in the midst of that fun is some very real prayer and caring for them and the people you teach.

 

5th - You have a personal relationship with Christ.  I can think of you going to baptisms for the dead, or visiting others and sharing with us the cool experiences you had listening to the spirit.  I know he loves you.  I know he is pleased with your efforts.  Your testimony strengthens me.

 

May you continue to serve with the same level of love, fun, non-nonjudgmental, faithful and obedient attitude that has made you such a great man. 

 

We love you.  We know you are the best missionary out there.  We pray for you and your investigators.

 

May you know how much we love and support you.

 

Dad.

 

 

 

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Re: "It's your birthday?"

Yes, great letter Jane. I've had a similar experience recently with one of my professors about being wronged. It can be so hard sometimes to let those things go. Any  time I feel this way I think what an amazing thing the atonement is. For the Savior to take upon him all of the wrongs we have done when he himself never did anything wrong. 

Love ya. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 27, 2014, at 7:25 AM, bret bassett <bretbassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Great thought.  I love the reminder that Anger takes energy.  And the atonement brings peace.

Loves.

(Also, remember all to send to the BAWB also!)

Re: Twenty Years

Great letter mom.  I think it's so neat how life has transitioned for you from being able to be home for all of us kids, to getting out and sharing your wonderful talents and skills with so many around you.  We're all so blessed to have you as our mom! Keep up the great work!!

love you

Nick

On Mon, Jan 27, 2014 at 6:55 AM, Rosey <roseybassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Wow mom, that is so wild on Josh Powell! It makes me wonder about what social workers he may have seen. Strange. Thank you for sharing that beautiful scripture. I really appreciate it. Love you!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 26, 2014, at 11:11 PM, Wendy Bassett <wendy.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Max,
>
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  I hope you had a great Sabbath and a great birthday.  I'm excited to read all about it.  On Sunday I carry a black briefcase-type bag that holds my Relief Society notebook and other things.  It has an embossed brand on the side that says "MAXX". Isn't that fun?  Every time I look at it I think of you.  Especially today!
>
> We just got back from a fun birthday party at Blaine and Kristi's.  They fed us a tasty lasagna soup dinner and we celebrated Ivy's birthday which is technically this Wednesday.  We were also thinking of you.  I like to think of it as her "glitter" birthday as most everything she received was glittery.  I came home with glitter all over my black skirt.  She is 5 years old and is such a fun, happy girl.  She can be shy one minute and bossy the next.   But she is always very loving to me.  I can't imagine their family without her!
>
> So I had a sad thing this week.  One of my friends from high school, Jeanmarie, passed away from cancer.  She was married to another high school friend and we all sang in Madrigals together.  Back when I was in mads there were 17 in the group.  So out of that group there were 12 of us at the funeral.  Pretty amazing that we have stayed so close.  The funeral was a great event where the gospel was preached and lots of wonderful things were shared.  Her husband actually spoke and had us laughing and crying and paid his wife such a sweet tribute.  Dad and I went with Mitch and Michele and then we all went out to lunch with our spouses afterwards and it was nice to reconnect and realize what a great group of high school friends I had.  One was just accepted into the Tabernacle choir!
>
> What else? I got a haircut from Gwen Y.  who comes home about once a week.  Did I tell you she is expecting a baby girl in July?  Pretty exciting!
>
> This week I had a one-on-one visit with one of the ward Relief Society presidents, at her request. She had texted me and said she wanted to meet so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I went to her home and I was so impressed, as she shared her many concerns, to see her great commitment to her calling.  I mostly listened and tried to encourage her but I was so impressed with her desire to strengthen and lift the sisters in her ward.  I know the Lord is pleased with her efforts and I hope I communicated that to her.
>
> We did another ward conference this week in the Bennion ward.  They are a really strong ward with lots of active YSAs.  I love sitting back and watching them fellowship each other.  It gives me great hope for the future of the church.
>
> I also served in the temple on my regular Wednesday shift.  I always learn something new.
>
> And I also worked 3 days like usual.  I did learn that Wade (my boss) had treated Josh Powell as a patient just a couple days after his wife's disappearance.  (Do you recognize that name?) Wild!!!  That kind of blew my mind.
>
> I will close with a thought from the funeral yesterday given by the stake president.  It's from D&C 38:7 "But behold, verily, verily I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you, I am in your midst and ye cannot see me."  In his talk he related experience after experience that had happened in Jeanmarie's family surrounding her death that showed that the Lord was in their midst even though they could not see Him.  It struck me how true that is not only at a sacred time of losing a loved one when the veil is so close, but also throughout our lives as we keep the commandments.  Heavenly Father is near us.  I wonder how many times we think something was maybe just a coincidence when it was actually the Lord's hand guiding our life. He was in our midst even though we could not see him.  I know He is near us, that He loves us.  I know He loves his missionaries who strive so diligently each day to do His will. I'm so thankful for your example and your testimony and for all that you are learning and sharing with us.  I'm thankful that you are willing to work day after day in building the kingdom.  Keep up the great work.  Keep your happy smile and great spirit of love.
>
> Love,
> Mom
>
>

Re: The best letter ever

I didn't realize the bunny hill was free.  That's awesome! I wish we could have joined you guys that would have been really fun!!!

On Mon, Jan 27, 2014 at 6:48 AM, Rosey <roseybassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Kris, I seriously loved going with you guys in Monday. It was such a blast seeing all those kids personalities come out as they learned. I will never forget the moment at the very end when sweet Gwen did try out the green hill and very nearly wiped out every human being waiting in line for the lift. Blaine and I felt so hopeless as we watched from above. It truly was an unforgettable moment. By the way, for the record for anybody reading this, I was SORE the next day. It was one of the toughest things I've done physically in a while!

Thanks for the memories, I'm trying to soak them up while y'all are still around. Love ya!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 26, 2014, at 11:24 PM, Kristi <kristi.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> This might be a duplicate - my phone is being weird, sorry!
>>
>> Hope that title wasn't deceptive :) this most certainly won't be the best letter ever ;) I just crawled in to bed next to Blaine who has been laying down fighting off a fierce headache and he can't stop talking about how he really just needs to get up and write you. I can tell he feels awful about not writing you on your actual bday, but I demanded he stay in bed and he finally consented, making me promise to tell you he will write you the best letter ever next week. So be excited for that!
>>
>> Since he wasn't feeling well I put the kids in bed tonight. You may not know this but Blaine usually puts the kids to bed- and it is by far the most appreciated thing he does for me. By the end of the day I'm so done with the kids that it is so nice that he does that. I appreciated it all the more tonight as I took a turn. Every minute of the going to bed process feels like an eternity. So put it in the back of your mind now- putting kids to bed = major brownie points with your wife! Haha.
>>
>> Today we celebrated Ivy's bday with the family. Birthdays were my most homesick days when we lived in Texas. And this is our last birthday to celebrate in our family before we move. I guess unless you count the actual "birth"day of the new baby :) anyway it made me really sad and I really appreciated everyone coming out to celebrate with us. I'll really miss that when the next birthday rolls around.
>>
>> Ivy has been so excited for her bday. So I'm glad we finally got to celebrate. Even though her bday falls first on the calendar year she always feels like hers is last since ours are all so bunched together from sept-jan. She got lots of sparkly new clothes (I have sparkles coating all of the furniture to prove it!), makeup and some battery operated candles- which she is currently using as a night light. I got her tickets to go see Disney on Ice- which I think she will LOVE. But that's not till march :)
>>
>> Oh one fun thing about this week was taking the kids skiing! The bunny hill at sundance is free and so since Monday was a holiday we decided to go rent skis and take the kids. It was by far the most idiotic idea Blaine and I have ever had :) about two hours in to it we had dropped $36 and hadn't set foot on the snow and I was exhausted! Finally we were able to HIKE up to the bunny hill- which very nearly killed me, and get started. Nice nice nice nice nice Rosey came along and was our saving grace. I proved to be completely useless in helping the kids. Honestly getting them all ready and hiking up the hill had me spent, plus with my big belly I couldn't really even get my own balance and the thought of trying to hold up a kid just seemed like a joke PLUS on my skinniest days my ski pants are too small so now that I'm three times my usual girth I couldn't zip them up at all and thy kept falling down!!! It was embarrassing! No one likes to be mooned while skiing, pretty sure. So I did everyone a favor and plopped myself down on the snow and watched.
>>
>> Hopefully rose will give more details. From the get to ivy was fearless! She was literally skiing with reckless abandon on her first run. She had great balance and wasn't scared at all. I'd see her fly by with Rosey close behind, she'd be laughing all the way. Ben- well, we were just excited that he was brave enough to even come. He was hesitant and screamed a lot but by the end Blaine said he was cautious but in control and doing well. Because I wimped out and wasn't really helping poo Gwen basically had to teach herself! No I think rose went down with her a couple times, but she got good really fast! By the end I think she was ready to try a green! (If we could only afford it!)
>>
>> Anyway I'm writing this on my phone and I'm sure it's riddled with typos and funny autocorrects !
>>
>> Hope you had a great bday max! Can't believe you are 20!!!! Sure love and miss you!
>>
>> Kris
>
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Re: January 26, 2014 -the complete one

Great letter honey! It was very cute watching Clay at dinner the other night.  He can be really hot or really cold about food at dinner.  I hope you know that the fact that the fridge creations are not always my favorite has nothing to do with my love for you :).  And regardless of whether it's my favorite meal or not, I'm always grateful for the effort you make in cooking.  I always think about how growing my mom was a lot like you.  I remember asking her one time something like: "what's the hardest part about being a mom".  Her response wasn't "cleaning the house", or "keeping Rose under control" (kidding rose), or putting kids down.  It was the fact that she had to come up with a meal every single day.  But even though she didn't care for it, she always did it, and I appreciated it.  

Anyway...you're awesome! Sure love you!

Nick

On Sun, Jan 26, 2014 at 8:48 PM, Stefanie Bassett <stef.m.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

darn I hit a hot key I didn't even know how to do and it sent my email..... sorry for the purpose of the BAWB and stuff I will just start over.....

Dear Max, 

Happy Birthday once again!!  We have been thinking about you this week and today!  Hope its been a great birthday :) .  

I want to start with a scripture that really stuck out to me during my studies this week.  It's in Alma 34 and is when Amulek is teaching and testifying about the Atonement.  I was out for a little job around our neighborhood while Nick was doing homework and I was listening to my scriptures ( I love that I can do that with such ease- we are so blessed with the technology that we have) and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I heard the word immediately in there and I always perk right up when I hear scriptures with that word in it, I think because I am such an impatient person or more just that I don't really like waiting for stuff so I was listening close.  Finally the scripture: Alma 34:31 "Yea I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, IMMEDIATELY shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. "  I went visiting teaching last sunday and the message was about really diving into the Atonement, trying to understand it and think about it, etc, so it has been on my mind this week.  Actually the direct quote from Linda K. Burton RS gen president says this "When each of us has the doctrine of the Atonement written deep in our hearts, then we will begin to become the kind of person the Lord wants us to be."  That really struck me because that is something I think about a lot as a mom and a woman in this dispensation.  Am I the kind of person the Lord wants me to be?   Understanding the Atonement will help us be more gentle to ourselves and in kind to those around us.  We will recognize that we don't need to be judgmental because we are ALL eligible for the Atonement and most of us are trying our best.  So I loved that scripture that if we will repent and soften our hearts, the immediate blessing that the the plan of redemption will start working in us. To me that means that we are actually using the Atonement and each time we do, we will have a greater understanding and appreciation for its power and the Savior who so willingly did that for us.  Love it.  Using and understanding the Atonement can help us to live a more wholehearted life.  :)

This has been a good week.  We got to go to the Sand Dunes twice (thanks Mom again for letting us use the pass).  We got to see Rob and Christina and kids which is always wild and crazy fun.  Nick and I got to go out and eat yummy Thai food while laughing and having fun with neighbors, we got to watch lots of good episodes of spy shows on TV (on of our favorite past times).  We had enough to eat, we stayed warm and safe, there is so much to be grateful for.   One of the toppers on my week was little Clay at dinner tonight.  I know we aren't supposed to have favorite children, BUT Clay was dang close tonight.  For dinner I kind of made a clean out the fridge type chicken noodle soup.  Nick is never too excited for my "creative" meals, I don't know why not, they usually aren't that bad :), but I tried really hard to not go too outside the box and it actually turned out really good.  But Clay is just eating bites saying things like "this dinner is killing me its so good" and "I just love this" and tons of other praises.  I was eating it up.  :) Oh yes and we eat a lot of green smoothies these days and the kids love those.  It is very rewarding to actually be able to please the whole family with a meal, and it usually just happens on Sundays, but oh ya baby, "crushed it!" :)

Our family is praying hard for you and your investigators.  Hope its a great week, 

much love!

-Stef

On Sun, Jan 26, 2014 at 8:31 PM, Stefanie Bassett <stef.m.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Max, 

Happy Birthday once again!!  We have been thinking about you this week and today!  Hope its been a great birthday :) .  

I want to start with a scripture that really stuck out to me during my studies this week.  It's in Alma 34 and is when Amulek is teaching and testifying about the Atonement.  I was out for a little job around our neighborhood while Nick was doing homework and I was listening to my scriptures ( I love that I can do that with such ease- we are so blessed with the technology that we have) and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I heard the word immediately in there and I always perk right up when I hear scriptures with that word in it, I think because I am such an impatient person or more just that I don't really like waiting for stuff so I was listening close.  Finally the scripture: Alma 34:31 "Yea I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, IMMEDIATELY

-Stef

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Monday, January 27, 2014

"It's your Birthday?" (Janey)

Max-

Can you name the movie that I'm quoting in the subject line? Haha, bet you haven't thought about that movie in a while (in case you didn't get it....its the movie with a talking lama and a lady who is full of wrinkles that the lama doesn't know "what is holding this woman together?" Good movie.

Anyway, Happy Birthday. It will obviously be over by the time you get this, but I hope you had a good day! We love you and thought of you here. Can't wait to hear what you did.

Life here hasn't been too crazy. In fact, I can't really think of anything big that we did (which I kind of like.) I guess the thing I have thought about and experienced this week is that of forgiveness. There have been some changes at work and I have been getting really frustrated with a few of my co-workers. I have been holding anger and having grudges for a long time. It's so weird how in your mind you sometimes want to be mad. You feel like you have been wronged or somethings unfair and you just want to be mad. But it's always amazing to me how much energy it takes to be mad. I was finally able to express some of my frustrations and she responded positively and I feel like things are on "the mend." Things aren't "all better," but it's amazing the strength and the burden that is lifted as soon as you let some of your anger aside and start to forgive! I read an article today in this months Ensign about anger/grudges and how it is a burden/load to carry and what a relief when we can forgive. I am so grateful for the Atonement. I know guys don't usually get as angry as women about silly stuff, so hopefully you don't have any drama with your companion/roommates. But if you do.....remember it's always better and a much happier life to live if you forgive.
Love ya lots.
Love, Janey

Fwd: Top 20 Reason I'm glad you're my bro

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: bret bassett <bretbassett@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jan 27, 2014 at 7:31 AM
Subject: Re: Top 20 Reason I'm glad you're my bro
To: Rosey <roseybassett@gmail.com>, Max Bassett <max.bassett@myldsmail.net>
Cc: Kristi <kristi.bassett@gmail.com>, "bwbassetts@googlegroups.com" <bwbassetts@googlegroups.com>

Max,

Since you haven't sent your letter yet, I'm assuming you haven't read Rosey's letter.  When you do, I want to just tag onto it and say, Amen, Amen, Amen, 20 times.  Hope your week is fabulous.

Love Dad

On Mon, Jan 27, 2014 at 6:49 AM, Rosey <roseybassett@gmail.com> wrote:

I would like to apologize to all for my incorrect use of you're frequently throughout the letter. How obnoxious. It was late :)

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 27, 2014, at 12:09 AM, Kristi <kristi.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> What a great idea rose! A perfect gift.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jan 27, 2014, at 12:06 AM, Rosey <roseybassett@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hey Max,
>>
>> Since it's your 20th birthday today, and I can't give you the gift Id like to, I figured the next best thing would be to give you a gift in the form of my love language, "words of affirmation".  I've been thinking about you all week since your birthday is coming up. I even had B&K's kids sing Happy birthday to you today while I was at their house. We all love and miss you so much! Alright, here goes...top 20 reasons I'm grateful that I get to call you my little brother:
>>
>> 1. You're natural entrepreneurial skills...at a young age you proved to be a successful businessman, "relax with max" ring a bell?
>> 2. You're natural desire and drive to be obedient. Of course it made me look bad when you were so obedient to what mom and dad said, but it made me admire you all the more.
>> 3. You're variety of talents and hobbies. From making movies and music to playing sports. You're such a talented guy.
>> 4. You're ability to convince Caroline to do your Saturday chores every week for like 4 straight years. Without every seeming like a jerk.
>> 5. Your introverted style. I always admired that you were so excellent with people, yet you were so game to spend time alone. It might sound strange, but I admire how much you enjoy being with yourself.
>> 6. I always got a crack up out of the joy you felt making weird little food creations. Pretzel sandwiches, mayo sandwiches, bacon spaghetti.
>> 7. You're ability to get along with all kinds of people. I've met lots of people in my ward who knew you in HS and I'm impressed how all of them had nothing but positive to say about your kindness.
>> 8. Which leads to number 8, I admire your non judgmental nature and acceptance of others.
>> 9. I loves your goofy quirks. Like how you would make plans of what to do if somebody was going to break into our basement. I always felt so safe sleeping down there when you were around :)
>> 10. Your personal vocabulary you used to communicate "deee", "dern", "Ezra" etc.
>> 11. I love all the inside jokes I had with you that made me laugh, every. Single. Time. I.e. "Do dan do, do dan do".
>> 12. Your hilarious sense of humor. Including the day you came out in those foul golden boxers on the cruise.
>> 13. I'm so glad you're the kind of guy who is okay with showing emotion when things are hard. It always made it easier to talk to you. (Then again, with parents like ours, you didn't stand a chance :)
>> 14. I'm grateful that you were never the kind of sibling that became really angry and spiteful toward me. Rather, if we got mad with each other, we kind of cold shoulder it until one or both of us felt guilty about being insensitive.
>> 15. I'm so grateful that I got to have a little brother who allowed me to feel important and intelligent. I think The Lord knew I needed that. So he sent you. You let me "coach" you in football and just boss you around in general. Let's face it, I wasn't made to be a youngest child.
>> 16. I'm so grateful you're my little brother because some of my happiest years of my life were those when it was us and mom and dad. You helped me to love and appreciate our wonderful parents and family, even more.
>> 17. I'm grateful to just have somebody who I feels understands me. I remember when gma Bassett died and you would just play the piano as we both mourned, and without words, I knew you understood.
>> 18. I'm grateful to have a brother who would share his hot Cheetos with me, despite my whining EVERY time that they weren't even good
>> 19. I'm glad I got you as a brother to explain what was going on in all the movies we watched together (wink , wink) although I always loved that quality you shared with dad.
>> 20. And last, but not least, I'm so lucky to have a younger brother who is such a wonderful example of putting The Lord first, and putting a smile on your face. I look up to you in so many ways. I'm seriously so grateful that you were born 20 years ago today. My life would be incredibly different without you.
>>
>> Sure love you bro. Hope year 20 is your best ever! Happy late birthday!
>>
>> Love, your grateful big sis (Rosey)
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
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Bret Bassett 

Bret Bassett  - PMP | International Product Manager |

4268 Sherm Circle West Valley City UT. 84120

Home: 801.968-0760 | Cell: 801.815.5860 | bretbassett@gmail.com

 

--

 

Bret Bassett 

Bret Bassett  - PMP | International Product Manager |

4268 Sherm Circle West Valley City UT. 84120

Home: 801.968-0760 | Cell: 801.815.5860 | bretbassett@gmail.com

 

Re: "It's your birthday?"

Great thought.  I love the reminder that Anger takes energy.  And the atonement brings peace.

Loves.

(Also, remember all to send to the BAWB also!)

Re: Twenty Years

Wow mom, that is so wild on Josh Powell! It makes me wonder about what social workers he may have seen. Strange. Thank you for sharing that beautiful scripture. I really appreciate it. Love you!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 26, 2014, at 11:11 PM, Wendy Bassett <wendy.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Max,
>
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you had a great Sabbath and a great birthday. I'm excited to read all about it. On Sunday I carry a black briefcase-type bag that holds my Relief Society notebook and other things. It has an embossed brand on the side that says "MAXX". Isn't that fun? Every time I look at it I think of you. Especially today!
>
> We just got back from a fun birthday party at Blaine and Kristi's. They fed us a tasty lasagna soup dinner and we celebrated Ivy's birthday which is technically this Wednesday. We were also thinking of you. I like to think of it as her "glitter" birthday as most everything she received was glittery. I came home with glitter all over my black skirt. She is 5 years old and is such a fun, happy girl. She can be shy one minute and bossy the next. But she is always very loving to me. I can't imagine their family without her!
>
> So I had a sad thing this week. One of my friends from high school, Jeanmarie, passed away from cancer. She was married to another high school friend and we all sang in Madrigals together. Back when I was in mads there were 17 in the group. So out of that group there were 12 of us at the funeral. Pretty amazing that we have stayed so close. The funeral was a great event where the gospel was preached and lots of wonderful things were shared. Her husband actually spoke and had us laughing and crying and paid his wife such a sweet tribute. Dad and I went with Mitch and Michele and then we all went out to lunch with our spouses afterwards and it was nice to reconnect and realize what a great group of high school friends I had. One was just accepted into the Tabernacle choir!
>
> What else? I got a haircut from Gwen Y. who comes home about once a week. Did I tell you she is expecting a baby girl in July? Pretty exciting!
>
> This week I had a one-on-one visit with one of the ward Relief Society presidents, at her request. She had texted me and said she wanted to meet so I wasn't sure what to expect. I went to her home and I was so impressed, as she shared her many concerns, to see her great commitment to her calling. I mostly listened and tried to encourage her but I was so impressed with her desire to strengthen and lift the sisters in her ward. I know the Lord is pleased with her efforts and I hope I communicated that to her.
>
> We did another ward conference this week in the Bennion ward. They are a really strong ward with lots of active YSAs. I love sitting back and watching them fellowship each other. It gives me great hope for the future of the church.
>
> I also served in the temple on my regular Wednesday shift. I always learn something new.
>
> And I also worked 3 days like usual. I did learn that Wade (my boss) had treated Josh Powell as a patient just a couple days after his wife's disappearance. (Do you recognize that name?) Wild!!! That kind of blew my mind.
>
> I will close with a thought from the funeral yesterday given by the stake president. It's from D&C 38:7 "But behold, verily, verily I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you, I am in your midst and ye cannot see me." In his talk he related experience after experience that had happened in Jeanmarie's family surrounding her death that showed that the Lord was in their midst even though they could not see Him. It struck me how true that is not only at a sacred time of losing a loved one when the veil is so close, but also throughout our lives as we keep the commandments. Heavenly Father is near us. I wonder how many times we think something was maybe just a coincidence when it was actually the Lord's hand guiding our life. He was in our midst even though we could not see him. I know He is near us, that He loves us. I know He loves his missionaries who strive so diligently each day to do His will. I'm so thankful for your example and your testimony and for all that you are learning and sharing with us. I'm thankful that you are willing to work day after day in building the kingdom. Keep up the great work. Keep your happy smile and great spirit of love.
>
> Love,
> Mom
>
>

Re: The best letter ever

Kris, I seriously loved going with you guys in Monday. It was such a blast seeing all those kids personalities come out as they learned. I will never forget the moment at the very end when sweet Gwen did try out the green hill and very nearly wiped out every human being waiting in line for the lift. Blaine and I felt so hopeless as we watched from above. It truly was an unforgettable moment. By the way, for the record for anybody reading this, I was SORE the next day. It was one of the toughest things I've done physically in a while!

Thanks for the memories, I'm trying to soak them up while y'all are still around. Love ya!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 26, 2014, at 11:24 PM, Kristi <kristi.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> This might be a duplicate - my phone is being weird, sorry!
>>
>> Hope that title wasn't deceptive :) this most certainly won't be the best letter ever ;) I just crawled in to bed next to Blaine who has been laying down fighting off a fierce headache and he can't stop talking about how he really just needs to get up and write you. I can tell he feels awful about not writing you on your actual bday, but I demanded he stay in bed and he finally consented, making me promise to tell you he will write you the best letter ever next week. So be excited for that!
>>
>> Since he wasn't feeling well I put the kids in bed tonight. You may not know this but Blaine usually puts the kids to bed- and it is by far the most appreciated thing he does for me. By the end of the day I'm so done with the kids that it is so nice that he does that. I appreciated it all the more tonight as I took a turn. Every minute of the going to bed process feels like an eternity. So put it in the back of your mind now- putting kids to bed = major brownie points with your wife! Haha.
>>
>> Today we celebrated Ivy's bday with the family. Birthdays were my most homesick days when we lived in Texas. And this is our last birthday to celebrate in our family before we move. I guess unless you count the actual "birth"day of the new baby :) anyway it made me really sad and I really appreciated everyone coming out to celebrate with us. I'll really miss that when the next birthday rolls around.
>>
>> Ivy has been so excited for her bday. So I'm glad we finally got to celebrate. Even though her bday falls first on the calendar year she always feels like hers is last since ours are all so bunched together from sept-jan. She got lots of sparkly new clothes (I have sparkles coating all of the furniture to prove it!), makeup and some battery operated candles- which she is currently using as a night light. I got her tickets to go see Disney on Ice- which I think she will LOVE. But that's not till march :)
>>
>> Oh one fun thing about this week was taking the kids skiing! The bunny hill at sundance is free and so since Monday was a holiday we decided to go rent skis and take the kids. It was by far the most idiotic idea Blaine and I have ever had :) about two hours in to it we had dropped $36 and hadn't set foot on the snow and I was exhausted! Finally we were able to HIKE up to the bunny hill- which very nearly killed me, and get started. Nice nice nice nice nice Rosey came along and was our saving grace. I proved to be completely useless in helping the kids. Honestly getting them all ready and hiking up the hill had me spent, plus with my big belly I couldn't really even get my own balance and the thought of trying to hold up a kid just seemed like a joke PLUS on my skinniest days my ski pants are too small so now that I'm three times my usual girth I couldn't zip them up at all and thy kept falling down!!! It was embarrassing! No one likes to be mooned while skiing, pretty sure. So I did everyone a favor and plopped myself down on the snow and watched.
>>
>> Hopefully rose will give more details. From the get to ivy was fearless! She was literally skiing with reckless abandon on her first run. She had great balance and wasn't scared at all. I'd see her fly by with Rosey close behind, she'd be laughing all the way. Ben- well, we were just excited that he was brave enough to even come. He was hesitant and screamed a lot but by the end Blaine said he was cautious but in control and doing well. Because I wimped out and wasn't really helping poo Gwen basically had to teach herself! No I think rose went down with her a couple times, but she got good really fast! By the end I think she was ready to try a green! (If we could only afford it!)
>>
>> Anyway I'm writing this on my phone and I'm sure it's riddled with typos and funny autocorrects !
>>
>> Hope you had a great bday max! Can't believe you are 20!!!! Sure love and miss you!
>>
>> Kris
>
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Sunday, January 26, 2014

The best letter ever

This might be a duplicate - my phone is being weird, sorry!
>
> Hope that title wasn't deceptive :) this most certainly won't be the best letter ever ;) I just crawled in to bed next to Blaine who has been laying down fighting off a fierce headache and he can't stop talking about how he really just needs to get up and write you. I can tell he feels awful about not writing you on your actual bday, but I demanded he stay in bed and he finally consented, making me promise to tell you he will write you the best letter ever next week. So be excited for that!
>
> Since he wasn't feeling well I put the kids in bed tonight. You may not know this but Blaine usually puts the kids to bed- and it is by far the most appreciated thing he does for me. By the end of the day I'm so done with the kids that it is so nice that he does that. I appreciated it all the more tonight as I took a turn. Every minute of the going to bed process feels like an eternity. So put it in the back of your mind now- putting kids to bed = major brownie points with your wife! Haha.
>
> Today we celebrated Ivy's bday with the family. Birthdays were my most homesick days when we lived in Texas. And this is our last birthday to celebrate in our family before we move. I guess unless you count the actual "birth"day of the new baby :) anyway it made me really sad and I really appreciated everyone coming out to celebrate with us. I'll really miss that when the next birthday rolls around.
>
> Ivy has been so excited for her bday. So I'm glad we finally got to celebrate. Even though her bday falls first on the calendar year she always feels like hers is last since ours are all so bunched together from sept-jan. She got lots of sparkly new clothes (I have sparkles coating all of the furniture to prove it!), makeup and some battery operated candles- which she is currently using as a night light. I got her tickets to go see Disney on Ice- which I think she will LOVE. But that's not till march :)
>
> Oh one fun thing about this week was taking the kids skiing! The bunny hill at sundance is free and so since Monday was a holiday we decided to go rent skis and take the kids. It was by far the most idiotic idea Blaine and I have ever had :) about two hours in to it we had dropped $36 and hadn't set foot on the snow and I was exhausted! Finally we were able to HIKE up to the bunny hill- which very nearly killed me, and get started. Nice nice nice nice nice Rosey came along and was our saving grace. I proved to be completely useless in helping the kids. Honestly getting them all ready and hiking up the hill had me spent, plus with my big belly I couldn't really even get my own balance and the thought of trying to hold up a kid just seemed like a joke PLUS on my skinniest days my ski pants are too small so now that I'm three times my usual girth I couldn't zip them up at all and thy kept falling down!!! It was embarrassing! No one likes to be mooned while skiing, pretty sure. So I did everyone a favor and plopped myself down on the snow and watched.
>
> Hopefully rose will give more details. From the get to ivy was fearless! She was literally skiing with reckless abandon on her first run. She had great balance and wasn't scared at all. I'd see her fly by with Rosey close behind, she'd be laughing all the way. Ben- well, we were just excited that he was brave enough to even come. He was hesitant and screamed a lot but by the end Blaine said he was cautious but in control and doing well. Because I wimped out and wasn't really helping poo Gwen basically had to teach herself! No I think rose went down with her a couple times, but she got good really fast! By the end I think she was ready to try a green! (If we could only afford it!)
>
> Anyway I'm writing this on my phone and I'm sure it's riddled with typos and funny autocorrects !
>
> Hope you had a great bday max! Can't believe you are 20!!!! Sure love and miss you!
>
> Kris

Week 45 - Dad - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Week 45 - Dad - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

10:14 PM

 

Hi Max,

 

First I want to pass along a sweet letter from Penny Peterson.  You remember her and her husband Gerald?  She writes occasionally.  Here's what she said… Enjoy.

Hello Elder Bassett  and a very Happy New Year!!!! Again as always thank you for sharing your wonderful e-mails with us as we certainly enjoy. They are always so spiritually uplifting and it truly makes us appreciate and thank you and all the missionaries for their sacrifice and dedication to the Lord in bringing other unto Christ.  We so admire and thank you for all your hard work and please always remember we too, along with countless others, have you in our prayers and also those you are investigating.  One of our ward goals for 2014 is assisting the Stake of indexing l,000,000 names. Our ward goal is 200,000 names.  I did read the talk by Cleone Skouson regarding the Atonement. Very interesting and great reading! Gerald and I are ever so grateful for the Atonement too.  I second everything you said.  The talk made my cry as it was so powerful and makes you stop and ponder what  our Savior Jesus Christ did for each of  us. We thank him everyday for his great sacrifice for us. We truly would not make it if it were not for his ALWAYS being there for us  I hope by doing everything he would want me to do and I try everyday to do so  that I might be able to  show my gratitude to him. We hope our e-mail finds you doing and feeling great and we send our love and best to you always.  Penny and Gerald    

 

For your Birthday, I just wanted to do a little reflection of you and what a wonderful young man you are.

 

1st - You are obedient. I have always admired your willingness to just go do what the Lord has asked you to do.  Your leaders loved you because you would do everything (since there were so few active YM).  You would prepare, pass, collect, visit, take to shutin's, speak, conduct, support, encourage, etc. etc.  Also besides your church leaders were were so amazed by you.   You would do whatever we asked of you.  I can think of times where you were in the middle of something like writing a song on the computer or editing something together, and mom would come in and say, "you should probably do xyz…" or "shouldn't you go bless the sacrament for xyz shutin"  and you would stop whatever you were doing, and without complaint get up and just go do it.  Most people and I suspect most missionaries need more…to get them to stop their own will and pursue the will of another.  But you would jump in and just do it.  I always thought that the Lord could do wonders, with an army of soldiers like you.

 

2nd - You are faithful!   I love how whenever I would talk to you about the Savior, you would get it.  You understood the importance of staying clean before him.  You knew he was your savior and you sought to do his will, even if it wasn't something you particularly wanted to do.  I remember the time you were walking home after doing your duty, and you realized there was something bothering you.  And you received inspiration and knew what you needed to do to resolve the issue.  I was so happy you didn't hold back and wait for a more convenient time to take care of it, but you did it immediately.  I always wished I'd been a better home teacher, so that you would have seen a good example of home teaching/  But I imagine you are a great example of missionary work regardless of the example I may have set, which is why the President has entrusted a Zone to you.

 

3rd - You are non-judgmental.  I think one of the great blessings you and the rest of the kids had of growing up in West Valley and going to Granger High, is that you grew up with people with huge of cultural differences.  People who were poor.  People who couldn't speak the English language.  People of Color. People who embraced lots of sinful ways.  Yet you laughed with them.  Studied with them.  And tried to love them despite their differences.  You didn't judge, but just set an example for them.  I was always amazed at the broad and diverse group of friends you were able to live and work around.    What a GREAT training ground for life.  Very few places in the world have the kind of homogeneity that Utah has - except in our neck of the valley.   And so serving the various types of people that your mission is full of would probably be hard for many people, to adjust to, but I've been so happy that you could jump right into loving the people.

 

4th - You are fun!  There are few people who know how to laugh with  such a warm, magical laugh as you.  You and Easton together are about as photogenic as a couple can be.  But seeing you with your companions and ward members and investigators has been such a wonderful experience as well.  I'm glad to hear that you have fun with your companions.  And I know that in the midst of that fun is some very real prayer and caring for them and the people you teach.

 

5th - You have a personal relationship with Christ.  I can think of you going to baptisms for the dead, or visiting others and sharing with us the cool experiences you had listening to the spirit.  I know he loves you.  I know he is pleased with your efforts.  Your testimony strengthens me.

 

May you continue to serve with the same level of love, fun, non-nonjudgmental, faithful and obedient attitude that has made you such a great man. 

 

We love you.  We know you are the best missionary out there.  We pray for you and your investigators.

 

May you know how much we love and support you.

 

Dad.

 

 

 

Twenty Years

Dear Max,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you had a great Sabbath and a great birthday. I'm excited to read all about it. On Sunday I carry a black briefcase-type bag that holds my Relief Society notebook and other things. It has an embossed brand on the side that says "MAXX". Isn't that fun? Every time I look at it I think of you. Especially today!

We just got back from a fun birthday party at Blaine and Kristi's. They fed us a tasty lasagna soup dinner and we celebrated Ivy's birthday which is technically this Wednesday. We were also thinking of you. I like to think of it as her "glitter" birthday as most everything she received was glittery. I came home with glitter all over my black skirt. She is 5 years old and is such a fun, happy girl. She can be shy one minute and bossy the next. But she is always very loving to me. I can't imagine their family without her!

So I had a sad thing this week. One of my friends from high school, Jeanmarie, passed away from cancer. She was married to another high school friend and we all sang in Madrigals together. Back when I was in mads there were 17 in the group. So out of that group there were 12 of us at the funeral. Pretty amazing that we have stayed so close. The funeral was a great event where the gospel was preached and lots of wonderful things were shared. Her husband actually spoke and had us laughing and crying and paid his wife such a sweet tribute. Dad and I went with Mitch and Michele and then we all went out to lunch with our spouses afterwards and it was nice to reconnect and realize what a great group of high school friends I had. One was just accepted into the Tabernacle choir!

What else? I got a haircut from Gwen Y. who comes home about once a week. Did I tell you she is expecting a baby girl in July? Pretty exciting!

This week I had a one-on-one visit with one of the ward Relief Society presidents, at her request. She had texted me and said she wanted to meet so I wasn't sure what to expect. I went to her home and I was so impressed, as she shared her many concerns, to see her great commitment to her calling. I mostly listened and tried to encourage her but I was so impressed with her desire to strengthen and lift the sisters in her ward. I know the Lord is pleased with her efforts and I hope I communicated that to her.

We did another ward conference this week in the Bennion ward. They are a really strong ward with lots of active YSAs. I love sitting back and watching them fellowship each other. It gives me great hope for the future of the church.

I also served in the temple on my regular Wednesday shift. I always learn something new.

And I also worked 3 days like usual. I did learn that Wade (my boss) had treated Josh Powell as a patient just a couple days after his wife's disappearance. (Do you recognize that name?) Wild!!! That kind of blew my mind.

I will close with a thought from the funeral yesterday given by the stake president. It's from D&C 38:7 "But behold, verily, verily I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you, I am in your midst and ye cannot see me." In his talk he related experience after experience that had happened in Jeanmarie's family surrounding her death that showed that the Lord was in their midst even though they could not see Him. It struck me how true that is not only at a sacred time of losing a loved one when the veil is so close, but also throughout our lives as we keep the commandments. Heavenly Father is near us. I wonder how many times we think something was maybe just a coincidence when it was actually the Lord's hand guiding our life. He was in our midst even though we could not see him. I know He is near us, that He loves us. I know He loves his missionaries who strive so diligently each day to do His will. I'm so thankful for your example and your testimony and for all that you are learning and sharing with us. I'm thankful that you are willing to work day after day in building the kingdom. Keep up the great work. Keep your happy smile and great spirit of love.

Love,
Mom

January 26, 2014 -the complete one

darn I hit a hot key I didn't even know how to do and it sent my email..... sorry for the purpose of the BAWB and stuff I will just start over.....

Dear Max, 

Happy Birthday once again!!  We have been thinking about you this week and today!  Hope its been a great birthday :) .  

I want to start with a scripture that really stuck out to me during my studies this week.  It's in Alma 34 and is when Amulek is teaching and testifying about the Atonement.  I was out for a little job around our neighborhood while Nick was doing homework and I was listening to my scriptures ( I love that I can do that with such ease- we are so blessed with the technology that we have) and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I heard the word immediately in there and I always perk right up when I hear scriptures with that word in it, I think because I am such an impatient person or more just that I don't really like waiting for stuff so I was listening close.  Finally the scripture: Alma 34:31 "Yea I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, IMMEDIATELY shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. "  I went visiting teaching last sunday and the message was about really diving into the Atonement, trying to understand it and think about it, etc, so it has been on my mind this week.  Actually the direct quote from Linda K. Burton RS gen president says this "When each of us has the doctrine of the Atonement written deep in our hearts, then we will begin to become the kind of person the Lord wants us to be."  That really struck me because that is something I think about a lot as a mom and a woman in this dispensation.  Am I the kind of person the Lord wants me to be?   Understanding the Atonement will help us be more gentle to ourselves and in kind to those around us.  We will recognize that we don't need to be judgmental because we are ALL eligible for the Atonement and most of us are trying our best.  So I loved that scripture that if we will repent and soften our hearts, the immediate blessing that the the plan of redemption will start working in us. To me that means that we are actually using the Atonement and each time we do, we will have a greater understanding and appreciation for its power and the Savior who so willingly did that for us.  Love it.  Using and understanding the Atonement can help us to live a more wholehearted life.  :)

This has been a good week.  We got to go to the Sand Dunes twice (thanks Mom again for letting us use the pass).  We got to see Rob and Christina and kids which is always wild and crazy fun.  Nick and I got to go out and eat yummy Thai food while laughing and having fun with neighbors, we got to watch lots of good episodes of spy shows on TV (on of our favorite past times).  We had enough to eat, we stayed warm and safe, there is so much to be grateful for.   One of the toppers on my week was little Clay at dinner tonight.  I know we aren't supposed to have favorite children, BUT Clay was dang close tonight.  For dinner I kind of made a clean out the fridge type chicken noodle soup.  Nick is never too excited for my "creative" meals, I don't know why not, they usually aren't that bad :), but I tried really hard to not go too outside the box and it actually turned out really good.  But Clay is just eating bites saying things like "this dinner is killing me its so good" and "I just love this" and tons of other praises.  I was eating it up.  :) Oh yes and we eat a lot of green smoothies these days and the kids love those.  It is very rewarding to actually be able to please the whole family with a meal, and it usually just happens on Sundays, but oh ya baby, "crushed it!" :)

Our family is praying hard for you and your investigators.  Hope its a great week, 

much love!

-Stef

On Sun, Jan 26, 2014 at 8:31 PM, Stefanie Bassett <stef.m.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Max, 

Happy Birthday once again!!  We have been thinking about you this week and today!  Hope its been a great birthday :) .  

I want to start with a scripture that really stuck out to me during my studies this week.  It's in Alma 34 and is when Amulek is teaching and testifying about the Atonement.  I was out for a little job around our neighborhood while Nick was doing homework and I was listening to my scriptures ( I love that I can do that with such ease- we are so blessed with the technology that we have) and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I heard the word immediately in there and I always perk right up when I hear scriptures with that word in it, I think because I am such an impatient person or more just that I don't really like waiting for stuff so I was listening close.  Finally the scripture: Alma 34:31 "Yea I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, IMMEDIATELY

-Stef

January 26, 2014

Dear Max, 

Happy Birthday once again!!  We have been thinking about you this week and today!  Hope its been a great birthday :) .  

I want to start with a scripture that really stuck out to me during my studies this week.  It's in Alma 34 and is when Amulek is teaching and testifying about the Atonement.  I was out for a little job around our neighborhood while Nick was doing homework and I was listening to my scriptures ( I love that I can do that with such ease- we are so blessed with the technology that we have) and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I heard the word immediately in there and I always perk right up when I hear scriptures with that word in it, I think because I am such an impatient person or more just that I don't really like waiting for stuff so I was listening close.  Finally the scripture: Alma 34:31 "Yea I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, IMMEDIATELY

-Stef

January 26th - Nick

Dear Max,

Happy Birthday! Pretty wild that mom and dad have made it through all of their teenagers. They must have learned more with each kid cause they have sure done a bang-up job with you. You are such a great kid and good example. We are all proud to call you our little brother. I hope you've had a great day today!

This has been a wild week for me. I was the primary point of contact for a team (including two important physicians) visiting us from salt lake Thursday and Friday. Most of the week was preparing for all of those meetings. They gratefully went very well and I am hoping things slow down at work next week. On top of that, school is relentless. There were days this week I didn't even get to see my family but Stef does such an amazing job holding the fort down all week long.

Because of how crazy weeks can be, and try and really capitalize on the weekends. Friday night we went to one of those trampoline places and had a blast. I've forgotten how fun it is to jump on a trampoline. Saturday we met up with Robbie and Christina Franklin and went out to the sand dunes at snow canyon. That night we went on a triple date with some of our neighbors which was really fun. We have some great neighbors and feel blessed to live in a wonderful place.

Hope you have a great day and week. Again, happy birthday!!

Nick

Sent from my iPhone

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Re: January 19th If you can't go to the Beach, Go to the Sand Dunes

Love the letter honey.  Seriously, I think Ned is wilder than any of our other boys.  I think we probably had to take Bret out more, but we've never really had a kid that's constantly trying to escape like Ned.  

As for the snacks, toys, etc., maybe I ought to come join the nursery too...that doesn't sound half bad ;)

On Sun, Jan 19, 2014 at 8:36 PM, Stefanie Bassett <stef.m.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Max, 

Tomorrow is a holiday!  Yay! That means no school for Bret and California is too far, so we are going to the sand dunes instead :).  The sand and sun on my face there is like a little piece of Heaven!  We had a great time this weekend with mom.  She is so fun to go to the temple with us and do our boys' fav hike with us.  

Its your birthday coming up soon and Happy Birthday!!!  Hope your companions do something to surprise ya.  Mission birthdays can be a lot of fun :)

The weather here has been so so nice, like 64 in the day!  I am loving it and sometimes ask myself why we would ever want to leave St. George, but one weekend spent with either family here or up there reminds me why we are still trying to get up north.  ;) 

Well I have invited myself to become a permanent nursery sub until Ned goes into nursery.  I tell you what after about 15 minutes of Ned in Sacrament Meeting Nick and I are exhausted.  So the thing just under having a baby without pain meds (Ned) on Nick's list of things he thinks are awesome about me is taking Ned to nursery so that we don't have to wrestle him during Sunday School and Relief Society.  I have to say its not too bad in there.  Snacks, toys, fun ladies, sweet kids :).  Its a great setup.  

I love this gospel.  Sundays are great days.  I also got to VT today which is always a fun little reminder of being on a mission.  

Keep up the good work, the Lord loves you, so do we, the church is true :) !

-Stef

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Monday, January 20, 2014

Fwd: The Atonement of the Savior

After reading Max's letter today, I wrote him the following.  I'd be interested if any of you have opinions on my letter...was it too harsh?  was it inappropriate?  Just curious your thoughts as you read Max's letter.

Anyway, my email to him is for each of us as well.  Especially me.  What with my theories on 911, Hollow Earth, and the Royal Class of Gods (you havn't heard that one have you?) I try to keep my most bizarre doctrines contained.  It reminds me of when Mormon was told by the Savior on a number of occasions NOT TO WRITE about certain things the people experienced in his book of plates he was hauling around.  And how Mary didn't talk about her remarkable experience but instead pondered it in her heart.   I think we probably learn wondrous, mysterious things through our life which deserve deep study and pondering...but which don't need to be shared or taught openly especially if you're teaching as a leader.   I remember as a teenager I read an article in the New Era about animals and the resurrection.  And I was so impressed and it was so interesting all this cool stuff I was learning, that the next time I was called on to speak in Sacrament meeting, I pulled it out and was going to talk about animals in the resurrection.  My dad asked me what I was going to talk about, and I shared with him my talk on animals and the ressurection.  I was surprised by how strongly my dad felt like that wouldn't be appropriate in Sacrament meeting.  I have since gained my own testimony that we go to church not to learn something NEW, but to learn (and hear again and again) something TRUE.  In this way the spirit can testify and remind us over and over of the importance of those basic principles.

Anyway - hope you all have a wonderful Martin Lurther King's day.

Love,

Dad

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: bret bassett <bretbassett@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jan 20, 2014 at 8:32 AM
Subject: Re: The Atonement of the Savior
To: Max Bassett <max.bassett@myldsmail.net>, Wendy Bassett <wendy.bassett@gmail.com>

Dear Elder Bassett,

After reading your last letter, I wanted to give you 3 quick things to consider...

1. Organizing is great.  Cleaning is great.  That is good stuff and encourages others to stay clean and to organize themselves.  However, one doctrine I've been teaching lately is that the Lord can't help you until you are moving.  When you are moving the lord can work his miracles.  He can have you 'accidentally' get off the bus a stop too early and find that person who is looking for missionaries.  He can have you bump into that rowdy person on the street who just lost his mother, and has a window of humility where he will listen to the doctrine.  Cleaning and Organizing bring the spirit, no doubt.  But it can easily become a distraction from walking out the door and doing the work.  Make sure you get out there and work the plan, because that's where the miracles are.

2. Glad you're having fun.  It sounds like the fun you have is helping you love your companion and that will show in the work you do.  Glad you're able to take a practical joke and not let it get you angry.  But just a word of council...consider your example too.  Missionaries, Members, and nonmembers are looking to you.  I hope you strive to be remembered as the ZL who knew how to teach the gospel and work super hard and not as the missionary who played the coolest jokes.

3. Cleone Skousen is an interesting and controversial speaker.   Mom and I both had him for a Book of Mormon teacher at BYU.  His knowledge of the gospel is very deep and he's not afraid to teach his deep doctrines to others.  However, what he teaches is often grounded not in the priorities of modern prophets, but in things he has studied from the early prophets of the restoration.  I think he is suspiciously regarded by many because he has been outspoken through the years not only because of his 'deep doctrine' which may or may not jibe with current teachings, but also on his political views.  Not something I know a lot about...I'm going to read his talk.  A question to consider is this - how should you deal with deep, mysterious doctrine?  Should you ignore it?  Should you ponder it and keep it to yourself, or should you teach it to everyone you meet?  I remember walking along the streets in Paraguay as a missionary, when it suddenly hit me that before I was a spirit, I was an intelligence who had lived forever without a father.  It was His organizing force which gave me a spirit body.  That was a life changing doctrine for me.  However, I had not heard it taught before, and so I just let it sit in the back of my heart and I have pondered it amongst all the other deep doctrine I have heard...and you know I have heard lots of mysterious stuff.  .  I would just suggest that if you have 'new doctrines' revealed to you which you believe are true but which you don't hear the brethren teach over the pulpit, cling to them, ponder them in your heart, but as a leader in the mission, I hope you don't teach them to other Elders especially in your meetings.  There is much to know and understand about the gospel which is given to you to teach.  I hope you will always teach that.  I am happy to hear you're developing a taste for deep doctrine as well.  Just remember that deep doctrine is not taught, not because it's not true, but because it will confuse those who don't already understand the milk...and do damage.  As a missionary, you are there to proclaim the basic and simple truths of the gospel.  Do that and the Lord will work with you on the deep stuff...:)

Thanks for the wonderful letter.  We love you and love your letters.  Share with us some of the experiences you are having as a ZL...it would be fun to hear about Zone Meetings, Cities you visit.  Etc.

Loves.

Dad

On Mon, Jan 20, 2014 at 4:17 AM, Max Bassett <max.bassett@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Hola familia?! Como os va?!?! I hope all has been well this week! I sure miss all of you and am excited to finish reading the letters from ya´ll!

This week has been great! Elder Peña and I are working hard. This week especially, we have been focusing on organizing everything. We have finished organizing the area map and now, we are finishing the area book! I feel very good about what we have done because the truth is....here in this area....we need some organization! It has been a bit tough these past couple days. I have only been here for 6 weeks and am now expected to know more than 10 towns outside of Granada! And when I say know them...I mean know them. Lets just say I am getting really good at reading maps. I have really come to appreciate moms little "map time" in the car. Maps have become my new best friends, along with my comp! Elder Peña and I are getting along great! We get along very well and he just loves to joke around. He loooves to pull pranks Ive learned. He put cayena peppers (which are some of the hottest) on my toothbrush! hahaha I thought it was so funny so we did it to Elder Sykes. I felt kind of bad afterwards because he just laid in his bed the whole night rubbing his face just saying, "my entire face just BURNS!" I knew how he felt though, my nose has never hurt so bad. I got him back though by rubbing this gross hand soap all over his toothbrush. He says that the taste lasted forever in his mouth! haha I havent even seen the worst of it yet though. I heard from another one of his ex comps that he one time put pepper in the shower head! haha I am just waiting for that one!

I really do love it though...it doesnt bug me at all! It is really what keeps our piso alive here!! It is super fun!

This week we passed by a lot of MA´s! We found four new investigators though which we are excited about! Walter and Gloria are two antiguos that we found at the beginning of the week. They are awesome but they just dont want to fully change....YET! We are excited to keep teaching them. Please keep them in your prayers. 

We had a lesson with Antonio the other day and talked about baptism. We invited him and he said that he would be glad to be baptized....BBBUUUUTTTT.....he wont change his life. He put it something like this, "Oh yeah...you tell me to be baptized...and Ill do it! I just wont stop drinking coffee, I wont pay my tithing, etc. etc." He about went through all the commandments and basically said he wouldnt do them. So we are going to just start over with him, and explain everything clearer. Help him realize that baptism IS THE CHANGE THAT WE ARE MAKING!!!! Please keep him in your prayers

Well to close, I just wanted to share something that I read this week in my studies. Its a talk by W. Cleone Skouson, a very famous talker for the church and he talked about his favorite themes, the Atonement of the Savior. The talk is called "The Atonement of the Savior," and I encourage you all to get on and read it. Headups though....theres is quite a bit of deep doctrine, or carne, in it! :)

He talks about where we come from BEFORE the pre existence and how the Savior became who He is today! He talks about how the Savior became a God before we were even born into this earth. Something simple, but so powerful. We all here on the earth being trained to become like He is. LIke our Heavenly Father is. We came from a place that we really dont want to return to, and if we completely fail (like Satan and his followers did,) We will return back to that place. Even if we are able to make through the training and do everything the Lord has asked of us, we still wont be able to pass the training. We will NEVER be able to pass this training because we are imperfect. If it werent for our Saviors sacrifice for us, if it werent for His Atonement, we would all return back to where we came from before the premortal life (as intelligences.)

Now, this probably doesnt really make much sense of what I am trying to say, but really...I encourage all to go in and read this talk! It is soooo AMAZING and has completely changed my view of the importance of the Atonement. THE PLAN OF SALVATION AND ALL OF OUR ETERNAL LIVES ARE WEIGHING DOWN ON THAT ONE EVENT.

I am so grateful to our Savior for his sacrifice for me. I love Him so much and I know that I have loved Him even before I came to this earth. He is such an example to me and I am grateful to have His gospel in my life. 

Thank you all for your love are your support! I am sure loving it out here!

I love you all so much!

Love, Elder Bassett  

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Bret Bassett 

Bret Bassett  - PMP | International Product Manager |

4268 Sherm Circle West Valley City UT. 84120

Home: 801.968-0760 | Cell: 801.815.5860 | bretbassett@gmail.com

 

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Bret Bassett 

Bret Bassett  - PMP | International Product Manager |

4268 Sherm Circle West Valley City UT. 84120

Home: 801.968-0760 | Cell: 801.815.5860 | bretbassett@gmail.com

 

Re: Awkward Silences

Haha, as for me punching a hole in a wall, that is a bit exaggerated. :) I'm not actually violent and I really am happy for Nick. That said, at the moment Kristi let me know the news of where Nick was at, it was a moment of frustration (I was trying somewhat unsuccessfully to get the kids in bed), it was at the end of a week where I had given everything all week to increase my number of steps but at the end of a day where I had summarily failed to do any extra walking at all and that I knew would obliterate the average I had worked so hard to build up (I was averaging almost 20k/day and got only like 6k yesterday), and the quantity of steps is all I have to show for my hard work since my weight is still hardly budging. So, yeah, the news of 30k days—which I have never been able to do myself—overwhelmed me just for a moment before I could fully appreciate what a great accomplishment my brother had achieved and be happy for him. Just for the record. :)

Anyway, as for all this FitBit stuff, I too wish that Max had one so he could be in on the "competition." I suspect his steps would dwarf us all, at least in areas where he doesn't have a car. I never had one and, in Malaga, we lived about a mile and a half from our area so we had to walk back and forth to our area twice a day at the bare minimum (plus walking across the large area). I'm sure we would have hit 20,000 without even trying on most days. 

Well for this week, I'm going to continue doing my best. I think 200,000 in a week is a ridiculously high goal, but maybe I'll try to get 30,000 at least one day. Thanks for the inspiration and for pushing me, brother. It is a fun "hobby" (it feels more like a hobby than an exercise regime sometimes, doesn't it?) and, even if the weight isn't coming off too fast yet, I feel better about myself and more in control of my life than I have for a long time, which is a great gift indeed. 

Blaine

From: Nick Bassett <nick.w.bassett@gmail.com>
Date: Monday, January 20, 2014 7:33 AM
To: Kristi Bassett <kristi.bassett@gmail.com>
Cc: Max Bassett <max.bassett@myldsmail.net>, "bwbassetts@googlegroups.com" <bwbassetts@googlegroups.com>, BAWB <bret.bassett2.bawb@blogger.com>
Subject: Re: Awkward Silences

Thanks for the more thorough update Kris! We are so happy to hear that things don't seem to be extremely seriously like we were originally thinking.  We'll continue to pray that is indeed the case.  

As for my 30k steps...I told Blaine there's no way I can keep that up.  I was going to set a goal to try and get 200k in a week, but there's just simply no way.  Even 3 hours on a treadmill takes it out of me.  The thought of doing that every single day is just depressing.  And honestly, I attribute all of that to the treadmill desk.  The fact that I can stand in place and type and do emails etc. is the only reason I could acheive that.  I'm so impressed with Blaine walking around in circles, walking during movies, etc. etc.  I can't say I've made any of those kind of sacrifices.  Anyway...he's the man.  I suspect he'll blow me out of the water this week.

Thanks again for the good news on the baby!

Nick

On Sun, Jan 19, 2014 at 11:26 PM, Kristi Bassett <kristi.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey Max!

I am typing this with Blaine's laptop balanced on my belly and it is getting kicked a ton from the baby, ha ha. She really is quite a mover and a shaker. 

In a way sometimes I wish I could experience my life in the same way you experience my life. Get little once a week updates and avoid all of the stress of anxiety that comes throughout the week. Maybe I don't wish for that every week but it sure would have saved me a lot of mental anguish this week ;)

On Tuesday we had our anatomy scan (ultrasound) to check on the status of the baby. Even though we already knew the gender we pulled the kids out of school and took them along for the fun. I was really looking forward to it as the last time I had been in that room was (exactly, to the date) one year earlier when I was miscarrying. It was fun to see the screen pop up and see a little baby in there. She is really getting big (almost a full pound :). and it you can see her so clearly on ultrasound. She had her legs crossed like she was chilling in a hammock. The ultrasound was going great and the tech was checking off all of the important measurements. .  "kidneys look great, there's the four chamber heart, a nice three vessel cord. . . " and on and on. Then when he was looking at her spine he was really quiet for a long time. Like awkwardly long. I looked at him and his brow was furrowed as he studied the screen. A few more minutes of silence and he quickly stood up and said, "hey, I am just going to go grab a second set of eyes to check something out really quick." 

And this probably goes without saying but, those aren't really words you want to hear in an ultrasound. 

He brought in another technician and they studied the screen together for a while. They could see a little "something" on or near her spine. I was really scared that they were spotting spina bifida. I have been particularly worried about spina bifida this pregnancy because the number one thing you can do to prevent it is to faithfully take your prenatal vitamins. And I tried, oh I did try to take those vitamins but without fail anytime I took one it came right back up. . . if you know what I mean. So I knew that if she did have spina bifida I would have no one to blame but myself for not forcing the vitamins. Anyway, they were pretty reassuring and said it didn't appear to be spina bifida, but neither one had seen anything quite like it (also not really something you want to hear in an ultrasound). They told me I would need to go in and see a specialist just to make sure it wasn't anything serious but they speculated it was probably just a skin tag or something. 

As reassuring as they were I was a little stressed out. The specialist couldn't get me on their schedule for TWO WEEKS. After 24 hours with little else on my mind besides that questionable ultrasound I called the specialist again and pleaded for an earlier ultrasound. I was really happy to find that they could squeeze me in for Friday (two days later, way better than two weeks). 

It was an anxious couple of days, but much better than an anxious couple of weeks! So on Friday Blaine and I went to the hospital in Provo to meet with a perinatologist (basically a pregnancy problem doctor). We had another 40 minute ultrasound with another tech who had never really seen anything quite like our little girls anomaly (wish I could include the picture, but it basically looks like she has a little miniature hot air balloon coming off of her lower back, about where her hip bones are). Then the perinatologist came in and did another ultrasound and looked at it. To make this really long story somewhat shorter, she concluded that it  *might* be a type of spina bifida (called spina bifida occulta), but it seems unlikely, the spine looks really good, the brain looks really good, and even the lypoma (what she was calling the skin flap) looked as good as it could (didn't look like it had any muscle or hard tissue, it seemed to just be a soft tissue thing - which is good) and it was ever so slightly off center, which was also good. Anyway, she ordered a blood test and is going to do another ultrasound in two months just to be more certain but it really appears that this little thing is just that. . . a little thing! And even in the worst case that she could foresee (spina bifida occulta) it is relatively minor compared to full blown spina bifida. So we are extremely, incredibly, unbelievably relieved and excited about that news! A lot of prayers were answered, and I am sure many more prayers will be offered in hopes that the news remains the same at the next ultrasound. So hopefully it will be just a little skin thing that the pediatrician will remove shortly after birth. 

So that kind of encompassed all of my thoughts and time throughout the week! I'm so glad that I am not still anxiously awaiting my appointment! 

Let's see… other than that. . . we took the kids ice skating yesterday (along with most of Utah County it seemed). Gwen is actually getting really good at it. She got rollerblades for Christmas that she uses practically every day and I think that has probably helped with her balance and coordination. Ivy is pretty darn good too, or whatever she lacks in skill she makes up for in bravery, so that's good. And Bentley, well… yeah, he's too nervous to even get on the rink. We're going to have to do something about that kid to get him to try new things :). They passed out fliers for ice skating lessons and both the girls were really excited about it and they weren't too expensive so we are actually looking in to it. We then went to chick-fil-a for dinner with the other half of Utah County (they had a day in December where if you kept your receipt you could come back and get your same order that you had ordered that day for free any day in January). I was really regretting what I had ordered back in December. Apparently it was a day I wasn't feeling too good and had just fries and a shake. Ha ha. Oh well :) The kids proclaimed it one of the best days ever. 

The weather has been really lovely lately. Funny how 40 degrees can feel like a heat wave. Blaine has been stepping and stepping and I am pretty sure he punched a wall when he read that Nick got more than 30,000 steps a couple of days. Blaine's been working so hard and couldn't squeeze in more than about 27,000. He even walked around during our whole movie with the kids. Oh well, hats off to Nick! We blame our lack of having a treadmill desk for him to work on. We might have to look in to that once we get to Texas :)

We sure miss you Max! My parents found a little wallet insert of mine from high school that had a bunch of pictures in it and there was one of you when you were probably like 5 in there, it was super cute! Can't believe how much time has passed since then! 

Love, 

Kris

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