I was expecting you to say you made some trinkety thing...not a whole desk. That's pretty awesome. I'm excited to see it!

P.S. I picked Warner up from work today and he works in Murray. As I was driving down one of the roads, I saw a nice house for sale. It's on kind of a busy road....but it looked nice and probably had a decent back yard. I know you're not looking to buy....but we will keep our eyes open and let you know. Well, there was a house down that same road that was for rent. It doesn't look like the "nicest" house, but it looked like it "could do" for a while. Just sayin. :)

On Sun, May 25, 2014 at 11:12 PM, Nick Bassett <nick.w.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Max,

Here's a quick summary of our week:

• We celebrated Stef's 31st birthday
  
• We found out the people that were going to rent our place dropped off.  We found out a couple of days later though that another family in our area would like to rent our place.  That was a real tender mercy!
  
• We went to an ice cream place with the boys that we've always talked about going to
  
• Bret graduated from kindergarten.  We had a great time at the little program
  
• I had the boys for a little while at work on Thursday.  I ate dinner with them out on the cafeteria patio.  While I was standing there talking to a physician, Clay was playing around and fell into one of the fountains...I was so embarrassed.  
  
• The boys said their farewell's to our house and we moved them up to Salt Lake.  I'm such a sentimental guy, and just kept asking the boys what things they're going to try and remember about this place.  It's so strange to think we're really moving
  
• While we were up in Salt Lake I worked and Stef and the boys looked for homes.  Still nothing yet.  Planning to stay with Morris' for a month or two
  
• Saturday morning Stef and I came back down to St. George.  On our way down we attended the funeral of one of Stef's friend's moms.  We also stopped and had a really fun visit with Blaine and Kristi and got to hold baby Tessy. We also stopped and ate at JC Mickellson's in Nephi.  We've driven by those billboards 100 times and finally made ourselves stop and eat there.  One of the billboards along the highway for the restaurant says: "Pot Roast to Drive for".  I had to order the pot roast while I was there and it really was pretty good!
  
• We got back saturday night and started packing.  We're making good progress.
  
• Church was good today and was our last day in the ward.  We feel so blessed to have been here.  We've felt so loved by everyone.  It's very hard to leave but we're excited about this next chapter of our lives.  It's similar to how it feels to leave and area in the mission.  
  
• I visit taught my families for the last time and my companion wasn't able to go so Stef came with me. Usually one of my boys joins me but it was especially fun to have Stef this time!
  

The one thing I did want to talk about quickly was what I got for Stef for her birthday.  One of the other leaders in the young men's with me is a cabinet maker and has a wood shop.  He had the idea to have all the young men pick something they wanted to make out of wood and for mutual we could work on it over the month of May.  Stef and I have talked about purchasing a new desk for several months and so I thought it would work out great to go ahead and design a desk and build it.  This other leader has been so helpful to put it all together.  I was trying really hard to get it done before Stef's birthday but we didn't get the chance to sand and paint it yet.  So, for her birthday she saw the pictures of where we are at in the process, but she loves the desk.  It's been really fun to build and we are excited to have it all done!

We sure love and you hope all is well.  

Take care!

Nick

I loved your letter blaine.  I love the joy that Max's experience is bringing you.  You deserver it.  I wonder if part of the joy of the ressurection will be when we get to see all the people from our past and see how faithful they have remained.  I hope so.

Also, I've got to tell you a funny story.  First of all, Gwen, Ben and Ivy all did a hard hike today, and they made it without any (or few) complaints.  We did all we could to reinforce what good hikers they are.  

Then later in the day, I was out cutting the lawn, and I'd left the IPad in Ben's capable hands, when Ivy came along and decided she wanted to take her turn.  Ben tried sharing, but not enough for Ivy's satisfaction, so they started pulling and hitting each other.  I scolded them and had them sit in different chairs until they could agree to play nicely outside (They lost thier ipad privileges).

After they had gone outside to play (beautiful day) I saw Gwen in the living room reading.  I asked her what she thought about her grandpa being so mean to scold the kids.  She said something I hope I never forget.  "Oh those two...?  They only like to watch movies and play computer games.  I like to hike and climb mountains and read and play outside.  But they don't... it's sad really..."

I have been laughing about that one all day.  

Anyway we love watching these great kids as they grow.  They are wonderful - all 3 of them.  We look forward to getting acquainted with sweet Tess.

On Sun, May 25, 2014 at 11:52 PM, Blaine Bassett <blainebbassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Max,

Well, I don't think I've ever started working on your letter so early, but it is almost overwhelming how much I want to say. I have volumes that I want to share and discuss in response to your last letter about Chiclana, and this has been one of the most eventful weeks of our lives, so there are more volumes of detail that I want to remember and share about all the excitement and nervousness we have felt this week with the birth of our baby. There are also tons of pictures I want to share and I hope they will even fit in an email. I woke up first thing this morning and have spent the entire morning looking through old mission photos and reading through my mission journal, so I am excited to share some of my findings with you and even more excited to hear which of them are meaningful to you—who you know that I used to know, who is still in the ward, who has become more active or less active since I was there and, maybe even, who has joined the church since I knew them back in the day. 

[Later that night…] Okay, the day got away from me a bit. Once it became time to get the kids ready for church, it was a race to do that, to get to church, to get home and get them packed up for their next two days at Mom and Dad's, and to get out the door to meet with the family for dinner and to visit graves. Accordingly, as much detail as there is that I want to record and to share, I think I will have to be really concise so that I can get to bed as soon as possible and so that you will have time to read it. I think I will adopt a bullet point format to tell you about what's going on in our lives and what I found out about Chiclana. Then be sure to look at the pictures I'm attaching. They are pretty low res so that I could fit them all, but let me know if you want a higher resolution digital scan or physical copies sent in a letter and I'll see what I can do. 

Our lives

• Tess Leone Bassett was born on Stef's birthday, May 21 at 2:05 PM. She weighed 9 lbs. 6 oz. (our biggest yet by a bit!) and was 20.5 inches long. As you can see from the pictures, she is totally beautiful, indescribably sweet, and enormously brave (which is what clenched her middle name—we found out it means "Lion" (and also, it sounds almost just like Lion in Spanish))!
• Complications included low blood sugar which meant we had to almost force feed her and they had to draw and test blood every three hours for the first two days of her life.
• The "thing" on her back was a mystery to everyone at our hospital, including visiting experts who drove in just to see it. We were sent straight to Primary Children's without stopping at home and there (after some very stressful moments where I got to assert my "red" side) we finally talked to a doctor who seems to know what this thing is and how to fix it. 
• We got instructions for how to care for her and got discharged to go home. However, we have to go back for an MRI (where they will sedate her and thus make us stay overnight) and for spinal surgery (you know how they say "it's not exactly brain surgery"? Well, this is…). We are fasting and praying today that both will go well and that we will bring home a healthy baby with no long term effects by the middle of next week. 
• I am taking the patent bar (which I have been studying for full time for weeks) this Tuesday.
• I am already getting behind on my studies for the Texas state bar which is in full swing now. That test will be at the end of July but the study schedule is full (there are even exercises assigned and sometimes classes held on Saturdays and Sundays and holidays) and I'm already behind. Not such a good feeling, but I feel peaceful knowing that I am trying to prioritize and do everything the Lord wants me to do and I have faith that he will take care of me and get me where I need to go. 
• Kristi is hanging in there and trying to just enjoy these days we have with Tess without letting them get too tainted by our fear of the unknown future. She is excited to be done with pregnancy and to have her body back. She is down several pounds already, looking forward to losing more, and, at this moment, she is in the hottest bath she can stand! (When you're pregnant, you aren't supposed to sit in hot tubs or have baths or showers too hot so she has missed that…)
• The kids all finished their last day of school this week and are out for the summer. They are excited to have a new sister, an X-Box Kinect, and nice weather to play outside with friends. It should be a great summer!

Chiclana

• First order of business: your hundred bucks. I definitely owe you, my brother. What a miracle and a joy to hear that I was still remembered. It was so touching that Jenny still remembered me; I can tell you I definitely remember her and her family. Also, it just made me laugh and cry at the same time to hear that the Rincon's still remembered me as "tender." I was going to mention that that was the nickname they had for me but I thought that the best I could hope for was that my face would look vaguely familiar; I couldn't have dreamed they would really remember me. I mean I was there for five months about 13 years ago. How many missionaries have been there since then? Anyway, this is more than I could have hoped that you could be able to send to me and so it will be worth every penny. The question is whether you want me to try to send it to you in the mission field or if you will take it when you get home. If you have a good way that I can transfer money (I'd prefer not to send a hundred dollar bill in the mail I think) then I would be happy to send it over now. But if you can wait for it, I will pay you with interest when you get home and then you won't have to lose half of it in exchange rate. Either way, I promise I'm good for it. Just let me know what you want to do!
• As for the Pachecos: I totally remember and LOVE that family. I think they were wavering on the verge of activity/inactivity when I was there too, which is probably why we got to know them so well. I had lots of memories of them even without consulting my journal, like the time we helped them move and the time their youngest (Miriam, I think?) ate some cheese and then with a total straight face said in the cutest voice: "a mi no me gusta" and vomited right onto her plate at the dinner table. Other memories came flooding back as I scanned my journal this morning. Like Jenny's baptism. Apparently, that thing was like the centerpiece of our missionary work for a month. You know how it is when a baptism is coming up—a perfect opportunity to invite less actives and non members to see what it is all about. Anyway, it seems we spent a lot of time and even money making fancy color-printed invitations and visiting everyone we knew to try to get them to that baptism. We arranged and practiced a musical number with missionaries from another zone. Anyway, it was a big deal and to hear that she is still active in the church and the primary president all these years later just makes me so happy. 
• When I was there, Jenny was only 9 and her primary president was Carolina Rincon (well, whatever her married name is—I can't remember). She and her sister Rocio are the ones who came up with the "tender" nickname as we visited both of them and their parents often. I really loved everyone in that family and I'm so excited to hear who all is still in the ward and who you know. Also, I would love to hear about their kids. Rocio had a little spitfire that I'm pretty sure was also named Rocio (she was a Rubia like her aunt Carolina) and she was probably about Ivy or Ben's age at the time. I'd love to know whatever happened to her. I guess she's about grown up by now and I wonder how she turned out. I think there was a baby too at the time and I would not be surprised to hear that more kids came after I left. Any details you know about the Rincon family would be SOOO fun for me to hear!
• You mentioned that a sister Reyes thought she remembered me. If it is the same Reyes, we played ping pong once a week in the chapel with her son Elias. He was a teenager at the time and I think going through some tough times and so we just tried to be there for him as a good influence. Sometimes he would show up and sometimes he wouldn't but we really loved him and I would love to hear how he is doing and how their family is. I didn't remember if they were really active or not (maybe just the mom was or something? I can't remember) but I do remember being in their home and being super impressed with the dad's AWESOME coin collection. If this is the same family, you should ask about that. 
• There is one family that I couldn't remember the name of but they had a lot of kids and were very active in the ward. I would love to know if any of their kids are still around. Maybe the most memorable was their son Nefi (who can forget that name?) who was a little rascally primary kid at the time. He was smart and fairly respectful to adults but had a very mischievous side. It's kind of how I imagine Mike Winder as a kid when I see old family videos. Anyway, there was also a little girl named Araceli (I just remember the name because I always liked that name) and a sister that was older (close to my age) named Irene. I'm pretty sure their parents were named Jose and Loli or something like that. Anyway, I hope they are still around and active. They were a pillar of the ward when I was there. 
• Another family we spent a lot of time with was the family of Momo (or his real name, Geronimo). He and his wife were long time members and super faithful. They had a beautiful stand-alone home a bit out of town that actually sat on some property and on a number of occasions we had the chance to serve them by doing stuff around their land like mixing cement and helping put in a new driveway. They had a daughter named Mare who was married to a guy named Jose Canto. They had the two most beautiful children, Rocio (about 8 at the time) and Adrian (about 4). They really weren't very interested in the church but they were friendly to us and so we always tried hard to work with them and entice them back to church. I really loved those kids and hope that their grandparents good influence made a difference in their lives even if the parents never gained their testimonies. There was another sister, Rocio, who was in her twenties when we were there and very attractive. She had a boyfriend that we visited a lot who I'm pretty sure was named Manolo. I don't think we ever got him out to church but we had a good friendship with him. They also had a young teenaged son named Abel who I think was a really good kid and I hope stuck with the church over the years. Again, this was just a great family and I hope you'll let me know what is going on with them if any are still around. 
• Who else? There are so many. Those are some of the major families that come to mind right off the bat and who I have pictures of, but I'm sure there are many more. I can't wait to hear who you know and who is still around. Maybe you won't even have time to write all the details until we can talk when you get home, but whatever the case, let all these people know that I remember them and that I love them!

Pictures

• I have attached several pictures that I found. You asked for pictures of what I looked like in 2001. I did you one better, I found a bunch that showed not only what I looked like back then, but also what YOU looked like, and what THEY looked like. I hope these will be fun for you and them. I suspect many people in these photos will be strangers to you, but I also suspect that there will be several people who look familiar and are still in the ward—just 13 years older! If we really hit the jackpot, it would be awesome if one of my English class students or something had later gotten baptized and was active in the ward. You'll have to let me know who you know from these and how they are doing. 
• I did my best to name each picture according to who was in it. There are a few where I can't remember everyone's name and a few where maybe I am misremembering their name. I did my best. Hopefully you get thte idea. In alphabetical order as to their titles, here is what I am sending in the "Mission Pictures for Max.zip" archive. 
• "Antonia y Patricia"--This was an investigator that we actually got from Mare Canto (isn't it funny how inactive people with weak testimonies of their own can sometimes be the best member missionaries in spite of themselves!) She had this baby while I was there I'm pretty sure, so if she ever happened to get baptized, this would now be a 13-year-old girl. She always said she wanted to get baptized but her husband wouldn't let her and we never really got past that barrier. I wonder if anyone ever did or if she slipped away. 
• "Berna, Rocio, Carolina, and kids"--These guys are my favorite as I already said. I hope for your sake that they are still around because they are AWESOME! :)
• "Cute Max"--You and Alex Nelson chowing down on donuts at my farewell. I don't know, I thought it would make people laugh to see who you were back when they knew me. 
• "Elders Bassett and Bowman"--Bowman wasn't actually my companion but he was very well loved by many members and was one of my favorite people (we all lived together). Unfortunately, I didn't come across a picture of me with my comp Sullivan. But if people remember me, I bet they'll love to remember Bowman as well.
• "Familia de Momo y Manoli, Jose y Mare Canto, y Abel"--that awesome family I wrote about above.
• "Irene, Nefi, Araceli, y familia"--If you can figure out who these guys are, you'll have to remind me their last name and the names of the other people in the picture. 
• "Jose Salazar"--I wrote about this guy a lot in my journal. I think he was an investigator but I never knew him as well as my comp Sullivan. I'm pretty sure that's who this is, but I could be wrong. 
• "Journal entry about Pachecos"--Ok, you'll love this. I found this classic little paragraph that I wrote about how much I loved the Pachecos. You're welcome to share it with them as you see fit. Seriously, I LOVE that family!
• "Loren y Ansus, Susanna y Julio"--I think these guys lived closer to San Fernando and I'm not sure if they'll really be in your area or not. I was always confused about whether they were really in our area. But technically, Loren is about the only person I baptized my whole mission. I "helped" teach him a fourth discussion my first night in the field, his sister was a returned missionary, and his family was all strong, so it wasn't really that hard of a sell, but he got baptized about two weeks after I got there. Ironically, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't remember me if he is still around, but Susanna might, and I think they would all remember Sullivan. 
• "Manoli, Jose, Mare, y Abel"--Another shot of them.
• "Max, Kristi, and Rosey"--Cute one of you guys during that time period.
• "Max's family 1"--pictures right as I was leaving. At the MTC I think.
• "Max's family 2"
• "Max's siblings"--at the airport, you and me! 
• "Nefi y los ninos de la primaria"--little heck raisers. I loved them all!
• "Obispo Rincon, Elias Reyes, ward mission leader"--Sorry I can't remember the name of the other person in the picture. It is probably somebody very faithful who is still there and who you will know but somehow it is the people who are not so faithful that you work with more and remember better. Anyway, I think we took this before or after a Monday morning ping pong match in front of the chapel. Good times. 
• "Old Rincon photo"--I snapped this of a photo they had up on a book shelf because I thought it was so cute of the mom and the girls back in their younger years. If you know them, I'm sure it will be very cute to you too.
• "Pacheco family"--Not the smiliest bunch in this photo, but an awesome family!
• "Patricia"--With me this time instead of her mother, Antonia.
• "Rocio junior, Araceli, and other ninos"--More of those crazy kids I loved so much. Lots of them are probably about your age now as you are looking for them. 
• "Rocio y Adrian (hijos de Jose y Mare Canto)"--I'm not kidding, these kids were GOOD-LOOKING kids. Like I bet they both turned out to be models. If Rocio hasn't broken some hearts by now, I'd be surprised! :)
• "Rocio y Manolo"--Sorry there's so many Rocios. They're all different. I'm pretty sure this is the daughter of Momo and I'm pretty sure this is per boyfriend Manolo. Although I could be wrong on both accounts. See if they look familiar…
• "Rubia chicitita"--Actually, I don't know this girl but I was astounded by how blond her hair was for a Spaniard. I just threw it in because maybe she's still around.
• "Teresa y Eva (English class students)"--I'd be really surprised but completely overjoyed if you ran into either of these girls. They came to our English classes probably just because they had a crush on the missionaries, but they really were good girls and we tried to teach them the gospel (with the Hermanas help) before the world got to them too much. Their parents wouldn't let them get baptized but it would be awesome if either of them ever decided to join the church when they got older. 
• "Various ward members (sorry it's blurry)"--The title says it all. 
• "Tessie 1" and "Tessie 2"--Sorry, these aren't great but they are the best thing I have at the moment. The lighting isn't great so they are kind of blurry, but she is super cute because her eyes are open and one of them she is making a funny face. I don't know what the rules are about sending personal pictures. Let us know if these are okay and we can send more pictures of her next week. Hopefully this gives you a nice flavor of what a sweetie she is!
• "Family photo"--Sorry it's low res and it doesn't have Tess, but that was the only one Kris would let me send out because she doesn't want to look fat! :) This gives them an idea of my cute family and then if anyone wants more, they can email me and we can talk!

In conclusion

• Sorry this turned out so long, there is just too much to say. I hope you have time to print it off and go over the pictures at some point, but let me know if you need me to send a hard copy. I don't know what your email rules are, but I think some of this could be valuable research to your proselytizing work and could count as real work time rather than p-day email time. But of course, that is up to you and your President. I just hope you have more than a moment to gloss over this because I think many of these people are still there and it would just be so precious to me and maybe to them to make the connection. 
• Anyway, I can't wait to read your letter tomorrow and hear what other connections you've already made. Pray for us during a very difficult and stressful week and of course we continue to pray for you!

Love ya!

Blaine

P.S. I was just looking at the other email you sent me. I think I have given you everything you asked for. I'm actually not on Facebook. They might see some pictures of me and the family if they go to Kristi's page but I don't have my own. Maybe I should get one, but then, yeah right. No time. As for email though, I would love for you to give them my email address and to hear from anyone who remembers me. My Spanish wasn't great at the time (that was my first area) and it's not great now, but I could communicate with them my best and pictures are worth a thousand words, right? Let me know what else you need after you see these pictures. Give them the email address:

Blaine.b.bassett@gmail.com. Thanks!

Week 62 - Max - Life is going great

Week 62 - Max

Monday, May 26, 2014

10:30 AM

 

Hola family! How is everyone!

 

Man...I dont know if its just me or what, but this week has FLOWN by!!! Its insane! I feel like just yesterday I was writing you guys about my first experiences here in Chiclana. I still feel a little new here but I am getting the hang out it. I am getting to know the members and everything now so its all good!

 

I want to start off with a big CONGRATS to Blaine and Kristi and a big welcome to Tess in the family! That is so excited and though I am not able to meet her yet, I know that she was cheering me on out here before being born. She knows who I am, she just doesnt realize it yet. I am happy to be serving a mission! And I am especially excited to meet her someday! Be sure to show her photos of her favorite uncle! ;) (Sorry Nick!)

 

Update on the Pacheco family. I went and visited them...they are doing great! Their two daughters, Jennifer and Zulema are active but the youngest daughter and the parents dont go as much. I think the main reason why is because they live pretty far away and Sister Pacheco (the mom) has bad health so it is hard for her to travel. They are very kind and....well...SURE ENOUGH I FOUND PHOTOS OF BLAINE!!! I finally have the evidence that Blaine was here!

I am going to send the pics of Blaine with the fam. I am also going to send a pic of Jennifer, the daughter, and her husband. And also some pics of the chapel. I hope the work!

 

Update on investigators.

• Elder Neira and I are working crazy hard out here. We were able to finally get the standards last week, (which are: 20 lessons or more in total, 15 with investigators, 4 new investigtors, 3 fechas bautismales, and then 3 in church)
• With the Lords help, we saw 5 investigators in CHURCH!!! It was such a miracle!
• We met Maribel and her family on Saturday. We had planned to head out into a little pueblo that was a ways away. On the way, Elder Neira felt that we needed to stop at one of the doors and knock. Maribel answered, let us in, and we were able to meet her, her son, Pau, and her daughter, Gila (their not asian, theyre from Spain...haha) Then yesterday, they came to church, and she invited her friend Marina to come. They both enjoyed church a lot and are very interested to learn more!!!

 

• Please keep them all in your prayers.

 

• We are also working big time with Jose Luis and Estefania, who both have fechas for the 14th. Jose Luis has to get married with his wife, and Estefania wants to read more of the Book before getting baptized. We are working with them a lot! Please keep them in your prayers as well.

 

Things really are going great though! I love the work out here in Chiclana! And just knowing that Blaine walked these streets and talked with these same people just makes it even cooler! :)

 

Random

• Today we played Tennis, first time doing that in a while! I need to practice.....haha

 

• Saturday morning, I finally got a play a good game of basketball! That RARELY happens out here. It was so fun!

 

• Our ward mission leaders name is Israel Gomez and he just back from his mission about 1 year ago...and guess where he served?! In the Jordan North Lighthouse Stake!!!!!! He served in the lighthouse brach! He couldnt remember the name of the Stake President until I told him, and then he said...Oh yeah that did sound familiar!!! haha We discussed the streets the neighborhoods, the area, haha and all the little details!!! It was so fun...even if it did make me a little trunky ;) haha just kidding!

 

Well family! I am sorry this is a bit short! But I hope you all know that I am doing great out here. I miss you all, but I am so glad to know that I will someday see you again! :) Stay happy!

 

Carry on!

A vencer!

Os quiero mucho! :)

Love,  Elder Bassett

Re: Love from Mom

Great letter mom! 

On Sunday, May 25, 2014, Wendy Bassett <wendy.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Max,

 Happy Memorial Day.  The flags are lining the edges of the cemetery and there are tons of chrysanthemums for sale at the grocery store so it's that time of year.  Also, my peony bush out in front is in full bloom and I have been cutting those big pink flowers and making my own free flower arrangements to take when we visit graves this evening.  They are beautiful!

I'm writing this before everyone arrives for Sunday dinner.  It is a beautiful, warm Sabbath day and we have felt the Spirit all day.  This morning we went to the institute where dad was sustained as the 1st coun in the Granger 1 YSA Ward Bishopric.  The bishop is Wes Walker who has served as a mission president (among other things) and the 2nd coun is Cornell Porter who was released as stake pres of a Hunter stake less than a year ago.  Talk about a powerhouse bishopric!  These men have had leadership experience and that is who the Lord called.  Pretty fun.  Dave Erickson was released as bishop and bore such a sweet testimony, as did dad and all the others.  President Higginson was even there on the stand.  I sat there and felt so powerfully how beautiful the organization of the church is.  If we follow the handbook and are obedient to the direction of our priesthood leaders everything falls into place just as the Lord would have it.  I have a testimony of that.  I am constantly amazed and grateful for not only the Doctrines of Christ, but also for the way the church is organized through Priesthood power.  What a blessing the Gospel is to all of us.

Wednesday, May 21 was a BIG day for us!  It had been two years since aunt Leslie died so I was thinking of her.  It was Stef's 31st birthday and I was feeling grateful for her.  Dad and I met with the Stake Presidency and dad was called into the bishopric and I learned that I can still keep my RS calling so I was thankful about that.  And (drum roll please). . . . Baby Tess was born into this world!  What an amazing day.  We headed to Orem to meet her.  What a beautiful little girl who was born into such a loving family!  Heavenly Father is so good to us.  Oh and we also got a package from you in the mail.  We arranged to meet Easton after the hospital and ate a late dinner at Zupas and she shared your cute gift with us.  Loved it!!  Easton seems to be doing well.  She had been at the gym and is getting buff!  I love Easton's  friendly, happy disposition!

So Blaine and Kris have been through a lot already with baby Tess.  They went straight from their Orem hospital when Tess was only 48 hours old, up to Primary Children's Hospital where more tests were done.  She has a little growth on her lower back that has spinal fluid in it and will need to be removed.  They already had an ultrasound and will go in Thursday this week for an MRI (where baby has to be sedated) and then the following Monday, June 2 to have it surgically removed under general anesthetic.  Both of those visits require an overnight stay.  That is such a scary thing for a brand new baby and there have been lots of concerns and questions.  She is a big, chubby, healthy baby (9 lbs, 6 oz. same size as you) and so she has lots of things going for her.  But surgery is always scary and it has been hard on Kristi and all of us.  We have been relying on the Lord for peace and comfort.  So remember all of them in your prayers.  I'm not sure how many details to give since they would be best coming from Blaine or Kristi, but I do want you to add your prayers to ours.

We had Gwen, Ben and Ivy on Friday and Saturday and they will come again tonight until Tuesday night so Blaine can study and take his Patent Bar Exam.  They are fun to have and we are glad to be close by to help out.

Let's see, what else?  I went to the dentist - no cavities but a sensitive tooth that is still bugging me even after George tried to sand it down.  Or whatever they do.  Ouch, I about jumped out of my chair when the drill touched it.  It makes me shiver just thinking about it.  Also, grandma, Karen, Nancy and I went to the play, Arsenic and Old Lace at Hale Theater.  That is a crazy, funny one.  Oh and we had the pool clean up so that area is looking good.

I just loved your letter this past week and the experiences you shared.  What blessings  to all of our family to hear about those who remember Blaine.  I just wept when I read that letter thinking how we never know when something we do or say may influence someone either now or in the future.  I pray you can follow the Spirit and do what the Pacheco family needs to feel the love of the Lord again in their life.  Oh and I loved that you spent 3 hours cleaning your apt.  And I loved that the Rincon family referred to Blaine as Elder Tender.  And that Jennifer remember seeing a drawing by you!  Amazing.  It makes me want to be better to the missionaries here!

I love you so much Max.  I hope you don't mind me telling you how much I miss you.  Sometimes it seems like your mission has gone fast and that you were here just the other day.  And sometimes it seems like a long time since we have been together.  But no matter how it seems, I know that you are in the right place at this time and I am eternally grateful for that.  I know that Heavenly Father loves you and knows your every need.  He knows your ups and your downs, your strengths and your weaknesses.  I know that He wants you to be successful and he wants you to trust in him in all that you do.  I'm so grateful you can share His love and His Gospel.  The world needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Keep smiling and keep writing in your journal and keep your apartment clean and keep obeying all the mission rules and know that your mom loves you soooooo much!

Until next week - love,
Mom


Sent from my iPad

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Re: Week 62 - Dad - Welcome to the Family Tess!

Congrats ok the new calling dad! We love and support you! 

On Sunday, May 25, 2014, bret bassett <bretbassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Week 62 - Dad (t-minus 42) -Welcome to the family Tess

Sunday, May 25, 2014

7:46 AM

 

Dear Elder Max,

 

Wow.  It's great to be a member of the true church.  I can feel the joy you feel in your letters and it is catchy.

 

I was especially happy to get your letter last week and hear about your sweet experiences with members of the ward who know Blaine.  IT was such a neat thing to feel the love that the Pachecos and Rincons have for him.  I guess we never know whose life we may touch.  We just go through doing the best we can, and lives will change…including our own.

 

I'm excited that your first week you felt that Elder Neira was such a good worker and willing to continue to work.  The time is precious and it would be hard if you felt that you had to waste it because a missionary was trunky.  I hope that you can feel continued love for him.  I love the thought attributed to Ian McLellon:

 

"Be Kind, for everyone you know Is fighting a hard battle"

 

I know that is true for me and everyone I know.  I know it is true for missionaries, especially missionaries who are preparing to headhome not knowing if they have accomplished that which the Lord sent them out to do.  So help him and be kind always.

 

Questions:

 

• I tried to look up your apartment building in Google Maps, but for some reason the address isn't understood.  Can you give us a brief description of where you are next to some big landmarks and what the apartment looks like?  Also pictures of the exterior of the apartment are great so we can actually find your apartment.
• Where is Elder Neira from?  I don't think we ever got that little detail.
• Are you able to share some pictures of your new apartment? 

 

What's happening at home:

 

Of course the big news is Tess Leone "the Lioness" Bassett.  She is so beautiful and you will love her the second you see her as we have.  Blaine and Kristi are so happy to have her here safe and sound.  Of course, now they have to deal with the "sacral dimple" bubble which was spotted during the ultrasound and which has always been a question mark.  And so that is stressful…the unknown.  But if they can get through this week, (i.e. MRI, Surgery, Blaine's 'test') then they will feel so much less stressful.  Pray for them while you're there… the lord listens to his missionaries.

 

It was fun after seeing the baby in their Orem Community Hospital, we had dinner with Easton down in Provo and gave her your 'photo album'.  I was so impressed (and Easton seemed so excited and happy) with the pictures you took.  It took a lot of work and showed a lot of caring.   You scored big with that gift.

 

I got a new calling.  In an hour I will be sustained as a member of the Granger 1st YSA ward bishopric (1st C).  I'm excited to get back into a ward and get to know the people on a more personal, real level.  I'm nervous because I was so comfortable as a High Councilor.  But I know (with faith) that I have done it before, and I can do it again.  I love how the Lord does things to not be fragile in the gospel, but changes it up a little for us so we are always adapting.

 

In the course of trying to help B&K, we have had the kids at the house.  And we'll get them again tonight and tomorrow night.  They are so incredible…Ivy is a manipulator…and while she's little it's easy to see her wiley ways.  But as she get's older it scares me a little to think how good she will get at having her way with people…but she is also as cute as a girl can be.  Ben is sweet.  He is kind and gentle and helpful.  Kristi has a winner when he's around.  Gwen is smart.  Smart enough to know when to engage with the kid battles, smart enough to know when to let things ride.  She does have her opinion and when she expresses it, I listen because she is so smart.  It is so fun to see her reading.  One of my favorite pictures of all time is a picture of Gwen in a grocery cart reading a book, like there is nothing else in the world going on.  Like her dad, she can focus. 

 

Nick and Stef are moving.  They brought the kids up and then went back to pack up their house.  They aren't getting much hoopla because of all the excitement and drama associated with B&K's new bundle and blaines test.  But their lives are getting exciting as they move back to SLC.  We are praying for them.

 

Janey and Warner came over this week to help clean up the pool area.  They are so great to always support family acitvities.  We are praying for her baby to keep growing strong.

 

It's memorial day, so we are looking forward to meeting Bruce, Curt, and families up at Grandpa Bassett's gravesite, and then wandering over to the Winder cemetary  to say hi to all our family over there.

 

Well, we're off to get a new calling.  Pray for us as we pray for you.

 

Loves,

 

Dad

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Letter from Blaine, May 25, 2014

Max,

Well, I don't think I've ever started working on your letter so early, but it is almost overwhelming how much I want to say. I have volumes that I want to share and discuss in response to your last letter about Chiclana, and this has been one of the most eventful weeks of our lives, so there are more volumes of detail that I want to remember and share about all the excitement and nervousness we have felt this week with the birth of our baby. There are also tons of pictures I want to share and I hope they will even fit in an email. I woke up first thing this morning and have spent the entire morning looking through old mission photos and reading through my mission journal, so I am excited to share some of my findings with you and even more excited to hear which of them are meaningful to you—who you know that I used to know, who is still in the ward, who has become more active or less active since I was there and, maybe even, who has joined the church since I knew them back in the day. 

[Later that night…] Okay, the day got away from me a bit. Once it became time to get the kids ready for church, it was a race to do that, to get to church, to get home and get them packed up for their next two days at Mom and Dad's, and to get out the door to meet with the family for dinner and to visit graves. Accordingly, as much detail as there is that I want to record and to share, I think I will have to be really concise so that I can get to bed as soon as possible and so that you will have time to read it. I think I will adopt a bullet point format to tell you about what's going on in our lives and what I found out about Chiclana. Then be sure to look at the pictures I'm attaching. They are pretty low res so that I could fit them all, but let me know if you want a higher resolution digital scan or physical copies sent in a letter and I'll see what I can do. 

Our lives

• Tess Leone Bassett was born on Stef's birthday, May 21 at 2:05 PM. She weighed 9 lbs. 6 oz. (our biggest yet by a bit!) and was 20.5 inches long. As you can see from the pictures, she is totally beautiful, indescribably sweet, and enormously brave (which is what clenched her middle name—we found out it means "Lion" (and also, it sounds almost just like Lion in Spanish))!
• Complications included low blood sugar which meant we had to almost force feed her and they had to draw and test blood every three hours for the first two days of her life.
• The "thing" on her back was a mystery to everyone at our hospital, including visiting experts who drove in just to see it. We were sent straight to Primary Children's without stopping at home and there (after some very stressful moments where I got to assert my "red" side) we finally talked to a doctor who seems to know what this thing is and how to fix it. 
• We got instructions for how to care for her and got discharged to go home. However, we have to go back for an MRI (where they will sedate her and thus make us stay overnight) and for spinal surgery (you know how they say "it's not exactly brain surgery"? Well, this is…). We are fasting and praying today that both will go well and that we will bring home a healthy baby with no long term effects by the middle of next week. 
• I am taking the patent bar (which I have been studying for full time for weeks) this Tuesday.
• I am already getting behind on my studies for the Texas state bar which is in full swing now. That test will be at the end of July but the study schedule is full (there are even exercises assigned and sometimes classes held on Saturdays and Sundays and holidays) and I'm already behind. Not such a good feeling, but I feel peaceful knowing that I am trying to prioritize and do everything the Lord wants me to do and I have faith that he will take care of me and get me where I need to go. 
• Kristi is hanging in there and trying to just enjoy these days we have with Tess without letting them get too tainted by our fear of the unknown future. She is excited to be done with pregnancy and to have her body back. She is down several pounds already, looking forward to losing more, and, at this moment, she is in the hottest bath she can stand! (When you're pregnant, you aren't supposed to sit in hot tubs or have baths or showers too hot so she has missed that…)
• The kids all finished their last day of school this week and are out for the summer. They are excited to have a new sister, an X-Box Kinect, and nice weather to play outside with friends. It should be a great summer!

Chiclana

• First order of business: your hundred bucks. I definitely owe you, my brother. What a miracle and a joy to hear that I was still remembered. It was so touching that Jenny still remembered me; I can tell you I definitely remember her and her family. Also, it just made me laugh and cry at the same time to hear that the Rincon's still remembered me as "tender." I was going to mention that that was the nickname they had for me but I thought that the best I could hope for was that my face would look vaguely familiar; I couldn't have dreamed they would really remember me. I mean I was there for five months about 13 years ago. How many missionaries have been there since then? Anyway, this is more than I could have hoped that you could be able to send to me and so it will be worth every penny. The question is whether you want me to try to send it to you in the mission field or if you will take it when you get home. If you have a good way that I can transfer money (I'd prefer not to send a hundred dollar bill in the mail I think) then I would be happy to send it over now. But if you can wait for it, I will pay you with interest when you get home and then you won't have to lose half of it in exchange rate. Either way, I promise I'm good for it. Just let me know what you want to do!
• As for the Pachecos: I totally remember and LOVE that family. I think they were wavering on the verge of activity/inactivity when I was there too, which is probably why we got to know them so well. I had lots of memories of them even without consulting my journal, like the time we helped them move and the time their youngest (Miriam, I think?) ate some cheese and then with a total straight face said in the cutest voice: "a mi no me gusta" and vomited right onto her plate at the dinner table. Other memories came flooding back as I scanned my journal this morning. Like Jenny's baptism. Apparently, that thing was like the centerpiece of our missionary work for a month. You know how it is when a baptism is coming up—a perfect opportunity to invite less actives and non members to see what it is all about. Anyway, it seems we spent a lot of time and even money making fancy color-printed invitations and visiting everyone we knew to try to get them to that baptism. We arranged and practiced a musical number with missionaries from another zone. Anyway, it was a big deal and to hear that she is still active in the church and the primary president all these years later just makes me so happy. 
• When I was there, Jenny was only 9 and her primary president was Carolina Rincon (well, whatever her married name is—I can't remember). She and her sister Rocio are the ones who came up with the "tender" nickname as we visited both of them and their parents often. I really loved everyone in that family and I'm so excited to hear who all is still in the ward and who you know. Also, I would love to hear about their kids. Rocio had a little spitfire that I'm pretty sure was also named Rocio (she was a Rubia like her aunt Carolina) and she was probably about Ivy or Ben's age at the time. I'd love to know whatever happened to her. I guess she's about grown up by now and I wonder how she turned out. I think there was a baby too at the time and I would not be surprised to hear that more kids came after I left. Any details you know about the Rincon family would be SOOO fun for me to hear!
• You mentioned that a sister Reyes thought she remembered me. If it is the same Reyes, we played ping pong once a week in the chapel with her son Elias. He was a teenager at the time and I think going through some tough times and so we just tried to be there for him as a good influence. Sometimes he would show up and sometimes he wouldn't but we really loved him and I would love to hear how he is doing and how their family is. I didn't remember if they were really active or not (maybe just the mom was or something? I can't remember) but I do remember being in their home and being super impressed with the dad's AWESOME coin collection. If this is the same family, you should ask about that. 
• There is one family that I couldn't remember the name of but they had a lot of kids and were very active in the ward. I would love to know if any of their kids are still around. Maybe the most memorable was their son Nefi (who can forget that name?) who was a little rascally primary kid at the time. He was smart and fairly respectful to adults but had a very mischievous side. It's kind of how I imagine Mike Winder as a kid when I see old family videos. Anyway, there was also a little girl named Araceli (I just remember the name because I always liked that name) and a sister that was older (close to my age) named Irene. I'm pretty sure their parents were named Jose and Loli or something like that. Anyway, I hope they are still around and active. They were a pillar of the ward when I was there. 
• Another family we spent a lot of time with was the family of Momo (or his real name, Geronimo). He and his wife were long time members and super faithful. They had a beautiful stand-alone home a bit out of town that actually sat on some property and on a number of occasions we had the chance to serve them by doing stuff around their land like mixing cement and helping put in a new driveway. They had a daughter named Mare who was married to a guy named Jose Canto. They had the two most beautiful children, Rocio (about 8 at the time) and Adrian (about 4). They really weren't very interested in the church but they were friendly to us and so we always tried hard to work with them and entice them back to church. I really loved those kids and hope that their grandparents good influence made a difference in their lives even if the parents never gained their testimonies. There was another sister, Rocio, who was in her twenties when we were there and very attractive. She had a boyfriend that we visited a lot who I'm pretty sure was named Manolo. I don't think we ever got him out to church but we had a good friendship with him. They also had a young teenaged son named Abel who I think was a really good kid and I hope stuck with the church over the years. Again, this was just a great family and I hope you'll let me know what is going on with them if any are still around. 
• Who else? There are so many. Those are some of the major families that come to mind right off the bat and who I have pictures of, but I'm sure there are many more. I can't wait to hear who you know and who is still around. Maybe you won't even have time to write all the details until we can talk when you get home, but whatever the case, let all these people know that I remember them and that I love them!

Pictures

• I have attached several pictures that I found. You asked for pictures of what I looked like in 2001. I did you one better, I found a bunch that showed not only what I looked like back then, but also what YOU looked like, and what THEY looked like. I hope these will be fun for you and them. I suspect many people in these photos will be strangers to you, but I also suspect that there will be several people who look familiar and are still in the ward—just 13 years older! If we really hit the jackpot, it would be awesome if one of my English class students or something had later gotten baptized and was active in the ward. You'll have to let me know who you know from these and how they are doing. 
• I did my best to name each picture according to who was in it. There are a few where I can't remember everyone's name and a few where maybe I am misremembering their name. I did my best. Hopefully you get thte idea. In alphabetical order as to their titles, here is what I am sending in the "Mission Pictures for Max.zip" archive. 
• "Antonia y Patricia"--This was an investigator that we actually got from Mare Canto (isn't it funny how inactive people with weak testimonies of their own can sometimes be the best member missionaries in spite of themselves!) She had this baby while I was there I'm pretty sure, so if she ever happened to get baptized, this would now be a 13-year-old girl. She always said she wanted to get baptized but her husband wouldn't let her and we never really got past that barrier. I wonder if anyone ever did or if she slipped away. 
• "Berna, Rocio, Carolina, and kids"--These guys are my favorite as I already said. I hope for your sake that they are still around because they are AWESOME! :)
• "Cute Max"--You and Alex Nelson chowing down on donuts at my farewell. I don't know, I thought it would make people laugh to see who you were back when they knew me. 
• "Elders Bassett and Bowman"--Bowman wasn't actually my companion but he was very well loved by many members and was one of my favorite people (we all lived together). Unfortunately, I didn't come across a picture of me with my comp Sullivan. But if people remember me, I bet they'll love to remember Bowman as well.
• "Familia de Momo y Manoli, Jose y Mare Canto, y Abel"--that awesome family I wrote about above.
• "Irene, Nefi, Araceli, y familia"--If you can figure out who these guys are, you'll have to remind me their last name and the names of the other people in the picture. 
• "Jose Salazar"--I wrote about this guy a lot in my journal. I think he was an investigator but I never knew him as well as my comp Sullivan. I'm pretty sure that's who this is, but I could be wrong. 
• "Journal entry about Pachecos"--Ok, you'll love this. I found this classic little paragraph that I wrote about how much I loved the Pachecos. You're welcome to share it with them as you see fit. Seriously, I LOVE that family!
• "Loren y Ansus, Susanna y Julio"--I think these guys lived closer to San Fernando and I'm not sure if they'll really be in your area or not. I was always confused about whether they were really in our area. But technically, Loren is about the only person I baptized my whole mission. I "helped" teach him a fourth discussion my first night in the field, his sister was a returned missionary, and his family was all strong, so it wasn't really that hard of a sell, but he got baptized about two weeks after I got there. Ironically, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't remember me if he is still around, but Susanna might, and I think they would all remember Sullivan. 
• "Manoli, Jose, Mare, y Abel"--Another shot of them.
• "Max, Kristi, and Rosey"--Cute one of you guys during that time period.
• "Max's family 1"--pictures right as I was leaving. At the MTC I think.
• "Max's family 2"
• "Max's siblings"--at the airport, you and me! 
• "Nefi y los ninos de la primaria"--little heck raisers. I loved them all!
• "Obispo Rincon, Elias Reyes, ward mission leader"--Sorry I can't remember the name of the other person in the picture. It is probably somebody very faithful who is still there and who you will know but somehow it is the people who are not so faithful that you work with more and remember better. Anyway, I think we took this before or after a Monday morning ping pong match in front of the chapel. Good times. 
• "Old Rincon photo"--I snapped this of a photo they had up on a book shelf because I thought it was so cute of the mom and the girls back in their younger years. If you know them, I'm sure it will be very cute to you too.
• "Pacheco family"--Not the smiliest bunch in this photo, but an awesome family!
• "Patricia"--With me this time instead of her mother, Antonia.
• "Rocio junior, Araceli, and other ninos"--More of those crazy kids I loved so much. Lots of them are probably about your age now as you are looking for them. 
• "Rocio y Adrian (hijos de Jose y Mare Canto)"--I'm not kidding, these kids were GOOD-LOOKING kids. Like I bet they both turned out to be models. If Rocio hasn't broken some hearts by now, I'd be surprised! :)
• "Rocio y Manolo"--Sorry there's so many Rocios. They're all different. I'm pretty sure this is the daughter of Momo and I'm pretty sure this is per boyfriend Manolo. Although I could be wrong on both accounts. See if they look familiar…
• "Rubia chicitita"--Actually, I don't know this girl but I was astounded by how blond her hair was for a Spaniard. I just threw it in because maybe she's still around.
• "Teresa y Eva (English class students)"--I'd be really surprised but completely overjoyed if you ran into either of these girls. They came to our English classes probably just because they had a crush on the missionaries, but they really were good girls and we tried to teach them the gospel (with the Hermanas help) before the world got to them too much. Their parents wouldn't let them get baptized but it would be awesome if either of them ever decided to join the church when they got older. 
• "Various ward members (sorry it's blurry)"--The title says it all. 
• "Tessie 1" and "Tessie 2"--Sorry, these aren't great but they are the best thing I have at the moment. The lighting isn't great so they are kind of blurry, but she is super cute because her eyes are open and one of them she is making a funny face. I don't know what the rules are about sending personal pictures. Let us know if these are okay and we can send more pictures of her next week. Hopefully this gives you a nice flavor of what a sweetie she is!
• "Family photo"--Sorry it's low res and it doesn't have Tess, but that was the only one Kris would let me send out because she doesn't want to look fat! :) This gives them an idea of my cute family and then if anyone wants more, they can email me and we can talk!

In conclusion

• Sorry this turned out so long, there is just too much to say. I hope you have time to print it off and go over the pictures at some point, but let me know if you need me to send a hard copy. I don't know what your email rules are, but I think some of this could be valuable research to your proselytizing work and could count as real work time rather than p-day email time. But of course, that is up to you and your President. I just hope you have more than a moment to gloss over this because I think many of these people are still there and it would just be so precious to me and maybe to them to make the connection. 
• Anyway, I can't wait to read your letter tomorrow and hear what other connections you've already made. Pray for us during a very difficult and stressful week and of course we continue to pray for you!

Love ya!

Blaine

P.S. I was just looking at the other email you sent me. I think I have given you everything you asked for. I'm actually not on Facebook. They might see some pictures of me and the family if they go to Kristi's page but I don't have my own. Maybe I should get one, but then, yeah right. No time. As for email though, I would love for you to give them my email address and to hear from anyone who remembers me. My Spanish wasn't great at the time (that was my first area) and it's not great now, but I could communicate with them my best and pictures are worth a thousand words, right? Let me know what else you need after you see these pictures. Give them the email address:

Blaine.b.bassett@gmail.com. Thanks!

Hey Max

Elder Max,


Hope that you have a great week this week. :) your niece Tess is a cutie! Nick and I are here alone packing and boy is it a big job! We love you! Work hard and love every minute!

-stef

Sent from my iPhone

Dear Max,

Here's a quick summary of our week:

• We celebrated Stef's 31st birthday
  
• We found out the people that were going to rent our place dropped off.  We found out a couple of days later though that another family in our area would like to rent our place.  That was a real tender mercy!
  
• We went to an ice cream place with the boys that we've always talked about going to
  
• Bret graduated from kindergarten.  We had a great time at the little program
  
• I had the boys for a little while at work on Thursday.  I ate dinner with them out on the cafeteria patio.  While I was standing there talking to a physician, Clay was playing around and fell into one of the fountains...I was so embarrassed.  
  
• The boys said their farewell's to our house and we moved them up to Salt Lake.  I'm such a sentimental guy, and just kept asking the boys what things they're going to try and remember about this place.  It's so strange to think we're really moving
  
• While we were up in Salt Lake I worked and Stef and the boys looked for homes.  Still nothing yet.  Planning to stay with Morris' for a month or two
  
• Saturday morning Stef and I came back down to St. George.  On our way down we attended the funeral of one of Stef's friend's moms.  We also stopped and had a really fun visit with Blaine and Kristi and got to hold baby Tessy. We also stopped and ate at JC Mickellson's in Nephi.  We've driven by those billboards 100 times and finally made ourselves stop and eat there.  One of the billboards along the highway for the restaurant says: "Pot Roast to Drive for".  I had to order the pot roast while I was there and it really was pretty good!
  
• We got back saturday night and started packing.  We're making good progress.
  
• Church was good today and was our last day in the ward.  We feel so blessed to have been here.  We've felt so loved by everyone.  It's very hard to leave but we're excited about this next chapter of our lives.  It's similar to how it feels to leave and area in the mission.  
  
• I visit taught my families for the last time and my companion wasn't able to go so Stef came with me. Usually one of my boys joins me but it was especially fun to have Stef this time!
  

The one thing I did want to talk about quickly was what I got for Stef for her birthday.  One of the other leaders in the young men's with me is a cabinet maker and has a wood shop.  He had the idea to have all the young men pick something they wanted to make out of wood and for mutual we could work on it over the month of May.  Stef and I have talked about purchasing a new desk for several months and so I thought it would work out great to go ahead and design a desk and build it.  This other leader has been so helpful to put it all together.  I was trying really hard to get it done before Stef's birthday but we didn't get the chance to sand and paint it yet.  So, for her birthday she saw the pictures of where we are at in the process, but she loves the desk.  It's been really fun to build and we are excited to have it all done!

We sure love and you hope all is well.  

Take care!

Nick

Love from Mom

Dear Max,

Happy Memorial Day. The flags are lining the edges of the cemetery and there are tons of chrysanthemums for sale at the grocery store so it's that time of year. Also, my peony bush out in front is in full bloom and I have been cutting those big pink flowers and making my own free flower arrangements to take when we visit graves this evening. They are beautiful!

I'm writing this before everyone arrives for Sunday dinner. It is a beautiful, warm Sabbath day and we have felt the Spirit all day. This morning we went to the institute where dad was sustained as the 1st coun in the Granger 1 YSA Ward Bishopric. The bishop is Wes Walker who has served as a mission president (among other things) and the 2nd coun is Cornell Porter who was released as stake pres of a Hunter stake less than a year ago. Talk about a powerhouse bishopric! These men have had leadership experience and that is who the Lord called. Pretty fun. Dave Erickson was released as bishop and bore such a sweet testimony, as did dad and all the others. President Higginson was even there on the stand. I sat there and felt so powerfully how beautiful the organization of the church is. If we follow the handbook and are obedient to the direction of our priesthood leaders everything falls into place just as the Lord would have it. I have a testimony of that. I am constantly amazed and grateful for not only the Doctrines of Christ, but also for the way the church is organized through Priesthood power. What a blessing the Gospel is to all of us.

Wednesday, May 21 was a BIG day for us! It had been two years since aunt Leslie died so I was thinking of her. It was Stef's 31st birthday and I was feeling grateful for her. Dad and I met with the Stake Presidency and dad was called into the bishopric and I learned that I can still keep my RS calling so I was thankful about that. And (drum roll please). . . . Baby Tess was born into this world! What an amazing day. We headed to Orem to meet her. What a beautiful little girl who was born into such a loving family! Heavenly Father is so good to us. Oh and we also got a package from you in the mail. We arranged to meet Easton after the hospital and ate a late dinner at Zupas and she shared your cute gift with us. Loved it!! Easton seems to be doing well. She had been at the gym and is getting buff! I love Easton's friendly, happy disposition!

So Blaine and Kris have been through a lot already with baby Tess. They went straight from their Orem hospital when Tess was only 48 hours old, up to Primary Children's Hospital where more tests were done. She has a little growth on her lower back that has spinal fluid in it and will need to be removed. They already had an ultrasound and will go in Thursday this week for an MRI (where baby has to be sedated) and then the following Monday, June 2 to have it surgically removed under general anesthetic. Both of those visits require an overnight stay. That is such a scary thing for a brand new baby and there have been lots of concerns and questions. She is a big, chubby, healthy baby (9 lbs, 6 oz. same size as you) and so she has lots of things going for her. But surgery is always scary and it has been hard on Kristi and all of us. We have been relying on the Lord for peace and comfort. So remember all of them in your prayers. I'm not sure how many details to give since they would be best coming from Blaine or Kristi, but I do want you to add your prayers to ours.

We had Gwen, Ben and Ivy on Friday and Saturday and they will come again tonight until Tuesday night so Blaine can study and take his Patent Bar Exam. They are fun to have and we are glad to be close by to help out.

Let's see, what else? I went to the dentist - no cavities but a sensitive tooth that is still bugging me even after George tried to sand it down. Or whatever they do. Ouch, I about jumped out of my chair when the drill touched it. It makes me shiver just thinking about it. Also, grandma, Karen, Nancy and I went to the play, Arsenic and Old Lace at Hale Theater. That is a crazy, funny one. Oh and we had the pool clean up so that area is looking good.

I just loved your letter this past week and the experiences you shared. What blessings to all of our family to hear about those who remember Blaine. I just wept when I read that letter thinking how we never know when something we do or say may influence someone either now or in the future. I pray you can follow the Spirit and do what the Pacheco family needs to feel the love of the Lord again in their life. Oh and I loved that you spent 3 hours cleaning your apt. And I loved that the Rincon family referred to Blaine as Elder Tender. And that Jennifer remember seeing a drawing by you! Amazing. It makes me want to be better to the missionaries here!

I love you so much Max. I hope you don't mind me telling you how much I miss you. Sometimes it seems like your mission has gone fast and that you were here just the other day. And sometimes it seems like a long time since we have been together. But no matter how it seems, I know that you are in the right place at this time and I am eternally grateful for that. I know that Heavenly Father loves you and knows your every need. He knows your ups and your downs, your strengths and your weaknesses. I know that He wants you to be successful and he wants you to trust in him in all that you do. I'm so grateful you can share His love and His Gospel. The world needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Keep smiling and keep writing in your journal and keep your apartment clean and keep obeying all the mission rules and know that your mom loves you soooooo much!

Until next week - love,
Mom


Sent from my iPad

Week 62 - Dad - Welcome to the Family Tess!

Week 62 - Dad (t-minus 42) -Welcome to the family Tess

Sunday, May 25, 2014

7:46 AM

 

Dear Elder Max,

 

Wow.  It's great to be a member of the true church.  I can feel the joy you feel in your letters and it is catchy.

 

I was especially happy to get your letter last week and hear about your sweet experiences with members of the ward who know Blaine.  IT was such a neat thing to feel the love that the Pachecos and Rincons have for him.  I guess we never know whose life we may touch.  We just go through doing the best we can, and lives will change…including our own.

 

I'm excited that your first week you felt that Elder Neira was such a good worker and willing to continue to work.  The time is precious and it would be hard if you felt that you had to waste it because a missionary was trunky.  I hope that you can feel continued love for him.  I love the thought attributed to Ian McLellon:

 

"Be Kind, for everyone you know Is fighting a hard battle"

 

I know that is true for me and everyone I know.  I know it is true for missionaries, especially missionaries who are preparing to headhome not knowing if they have accomplished that which the Lord sent them out to do.  So help him and be kind always.

 

Questions:

 

• I tried to look up your apartment building in Google Maps, but for some reason the address isn't understood.  Can you give us a brief description of where you are next to some big landmarks and what the apartment looks like?  Also pictures of the exterior of the apartment are great so we can actually find your apartment.
• Where is Elder Neira from?  I don't think we ever got that little detail.
• Are you able to share some pictures of your new apartment? 

 

What's happening at home:

 

Of course the big news is Tess Leone "the Lioness" Bassett.  She is so beautiful and you will love her the second you see her as we have.  Blaine and Kristi are so happy to have her here safe and sound.  Of course, now they have to deal with the "sacral dimple" bubble which was spotted during the ultrasound and which has always been a question mark.  And so that is stressful…the unknown.  But if they can get through this week, (i.e. MRI, Surgery, Blaine's 'test') then they will feel so much less stressful.  Pray for them while you're there… the lord listens to his missionaries.

 

It was fun after seeing the baby in their Orem Community Hospital, we had dinner with Easton down in Provo and gave her your 'photo album'.  I was so impressed (and Easton seemed so excited and happy) with the pictures you took.  It took a lot of work and showed a lot of caring.   You scored big with that gift.

 

I got a new calling.  In an hour I will be sustained as a member of the Granger 1st YSA ward bishopric (1st C).  I'm excited to get back into a ward and get to know the people on a more personal, real level.  I'm nervous because I was so comfortable as a High Councilor.  But I know (with faith) that I have done it before, and I can do it again.  I love how the Lord does things to not be fragile in the gospel, but changes it up a little for us so we are always adapting.

 

In the course of trying to help B&K, we have had the kids at the house.  And we'll get them again tonight and tomorrow night.  They are so incredible…Ivy is a manipulator…and while she's little it's easy to see her wiley ways.  But as she get's older it scares me a little to think how good she will get at having her way with people…but she is also as cute as a girl can be.  Ben is sweet.  He is kind and gentle and helpful.  Kristi has a winner when he's around.  Gwen is smart.  Smart enough to know when to engage with the kid battles, smart enough to know when to let things ride.  She does have her opinion and when she expresses it, I listen because she is so smart.  It is so fun to see her reading.  One of my favorite pictures of all time is a picture of Gwen in a grocery cart reading a book, like there is nothing else in the world going on.  Like her dad, she can focus. 

 

Nick and Stef are moving.  They brought the kids up and then went back to pack up their house.  They aren't getting much hoopla because of all the excitement and drama associated with B&K's new bundle and blaines test.  But their lives are getting exciting as they move back to SLC.  We are praying for them.

 

Janey and Warner came over this week to help clean up the pool area.  They are so great to always support family acitvities.  We are praying for her baby to keep growing strong.

 

It's memorial day, so we are looking forward to meeting Bruce, Curt, and families up at Grandpa Bassett's gravesite, and then wandering over to the Winder cemetary  to say hi to all our family over there.

 

Well, we're off to get a new calling.  Pray for us as we pray for you.

 

Loves,

 

Dad

Re: Baby Bassett has arrived...

Thanks for the update! We're praying for all involved and tonight Jeannie put Blaine Kristi and Tess's names on the prayer roll in Bountiful temple. Love y'all.
-------------------------
Bruce Bassett
(801) 594-7107 direct
(801) 671-0151 mobile
 

From: bret bassett [mailto:bretbassett@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2014 05:35 PM
To: BassettBark <bassettbark@googlegroups.com>; bwbassetts@googlegroups.com <bwbassetts@googlegroups.com>; The BAWB <bret.bassett2.bawb@blogger.com>
Subject: Re: Baby Bassett has arrived...
 

Okay, here's the latest on Baby Tess.

The Neuro-natal surgeon did an ultrasound today.  They decided that the little bubble of fluid on her back probably does contain spinal fluid.  So the good news is that a surgery should be able to fix the problem leaving her healthy and able to live an absolutely normal life.  The bad news is she has to come back for surgery and they get to worry about all the potential risks surgery could cause.  

An MRI is scheduled for Thursday.  And the surgery is scheduled for June 2nd (Tuesday).  Oh, and besides all this Blaine is taking the Patent Bar exam on Tuesday.  

Prayers are welcome.

Love

Bret

On Fri, May 23, 2014 at 10:26 AM, Jill Franklin <jillbfrank@gmail.com> wrote:

We love you too, and are praying for your best diagnosis!  Plus we know Heavenly Father has little Tess in his loving care!  And her parents too!!

On Fri, May 23, 2014 at 11:12 AM, Wendy Bassett <wendy.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Oh that is a sweet story!  How can Heavenly Father not bless us when there are such sweet innocent and sincere prayers being said.  As a grandma who is exercising lots of faith,  I thank you Brooke!

Wendy

Sent from my iPad

On May 23, 2014, at 8:59 AM, Ashleigh Bassett <ashleigh.ashwood@gmail.com> wrote:

Kristi, so grateful for the peace of mind you are feeling from Heavenly Father, from all your awesome parents, and yes for sure for insurance!!! (i will drive her to pcmc for free if you want me to). Keep us posted. Last night while saying prayers, Brooke interupted mine and said, "and please bless Ivy' Jane's mommy's baby (makes sense right)."     She had no idea there was a potential for complications...so i told her the situation and then when she said her prayer, she said, "And please bless Ivy Jane's baby sister, she might be sick, but we just don't know.".We are in your corner for sure!  So excited for you guys adding to your family. Love you and praying for you!
Ash

On Fri, May 23, 2014 at 1:54 AM, Kristi Bassett <kristi.bassett@gmail.com> wrote:

Thank you everyone for your continued prayers! We meet with the neonatal neurological radiologist ( say that ten times fast!) tomorrow at 11am . My hope is that she can be diagnosed via ultrasound ( as opposed to MRI which would require sedation),my prayer is that the fluid is not in contact with the spine, if that's the case we would be in the clear and may not even need surgery. I am so grateful for insurance (earlier today there was talk of a $5000 ambulance ride to PCMC), devoted parents on both sides ( haven't had to worry about the other kids at all!), doctors who have devoted their lives to studying something I never knew existed, a mindful and comforting  Father in Heaven, and for a beautiful, patient, long suffering, chunky baby girl!!

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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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