Heaven for Fanatics!

Hello All!!!



We just got back from a great trip to California where we visited family and friends and found Heaven on Earth for two little boys in a little place we like to call LEGOLAND! Ethan and Drew are at the perfect age for this alcove made especially for boys and filled with the things they dream of namely Star Wars, Water Fights, Roller Coasters and millions of little plastic blocks!



What could be better?

Here is the short list of the things we loved about our trip to Cali:

1. Great friends - the Kraus Family and the Ashley Family made our trip all the more fun.


2. Grandma & Grandpa Ehorn - for loving us despite the wrestling matches, loud man-made motor sounds and for eating all the cookies!




P.S. Nothing was broken in the making of this picture.

3. $.99 masks (on sale!) at Legoland that kept my boys happy the whole way home and have proven very useful for spying on the enemy while playing "army guys."


4. Going to Legoland on a Monday - no lines, no waiting and very little maneuvering the double stroller. Oh yea, and that little bonus of free tickets to come back in January or February. Road trip anyone???



5. Life-size Lego-made Darth Vader and R2-D2, need we say more?





6. The "how its made" little portion of Legoland - they have a plastic injection molding machine and I know this because my Dad had one in his shop and I knew how it worked because one summer I spent a lot of time pulling apart surgical rings that my Dad made on his machine. I walked in and it smelt like my Dad's shop and that made me HAPPY!



7. Miniland USA - because it had a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge and I almost felt like I was home again.



8. Can we say HOTTIE?!!! Just look at the picture of my husband - who thought Legoland was made for kids and proved it by having more fun than anyone!



Needless to say...we had a great trip!

Latest and Greatest from Elder Ehorn

Hello everybody. thanks for all the emails. I got a lot this week. It was nice. I am on the island of Bohol now and my new area is called Tagbilaran 2. I am a zone leader now and have a car and a cell phone. Kind of weird. I dont really like it to be honest. now that I have a car and a phone i feel like less of a missionary. but they are necessary for all of the things we have to do. I am always on the run doing stuff. Baptismal interviews and moving elders and stuff like that. I do want to share quickly about a baptismal interview. it was actually my first one I did. It is so amazing that even though these people are extremely afraid of these interviews (I dont know why) I can feel the spirit of the person so strong. Its like the Lord wants you to know if they are really ready for baptism or not. sometimes even though the people can answer the questions perfectly you feel like they are not ready. then they are other times that they cant answer all the questions exactly but that they are ready. Very very amazing experience. So I interviewed this family. one by one I interviewed and the father just seemed a little bit unclear but then when I had him say the closing prayer it hit me hard that he was ready. He had been a little unclear with his answers to questions but then his prayer was just amazing. The spirit was so strong and you could tell he was really talking to his Father In Heaven. This experience testified to me that The Lord is in charge of this work and he decides when people are ready or not. well thanks so much for the Christmas gifts and for the money. That family did receive the money you sent and will be getting sealed on Christmas Day. How cool is that.
They go up to Manila on Dec 24. I have a picture of the fam and I will get it off to you as soon as I can. I am actually back in cebu right now for the zone leader Conference which lasts three days. thanks again for all your support

Love Elder Joel Porter Ehorn

Lemon Meringue Pie Anyone?

Yes it is December. But in Arizona we're all kinds of mixed up. I have lemons! Bright yellow, juicy, beautiful lemons. I have been nursing this little Meyer Lemon tree for months now (haven't actually looked at it since the landscaper planted it about two years ago) and was overjoyed to find blossoms this past fall. Those blossoms have turned into some gorgeous lemons (that I didn't actually notice until Eric told me). A beautiful harvest after all of my hard work! Mom - I'm going to need that recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie now! I bet you all didn't know what a green thumb I have. I'll post some pictures of the pie when (and if) it actually happens! When life (literally) hands you lemons, make PIE! Happy Arizona Winter!

And Today....Seriously - My Bro is the Coolest!

Hey fam and friends!
Pretty weak on the emails this week. I cant beleive you all already forgot about me. haha just joking. I know you did not forget about me. Anyway. Bex wrote me and told me she is having a girl. I have some name ideas from here in the Philippines. haha To be honest the names in the philippines are hilarious. Most girls have their first babies when they are like 15 or 16 years old and they name the babies after famous american people. It is absolutely riduculous. like I met a little boy. His name was Kurt Cobain. I was like...... YOu have got to be absolutely kidding me. Ha funny that here in the Philippines I have met Kurt Cobain, Brad Pitt, Pamela Anderson. too bad they are all two and three year old kids. It is so funny. I was like... WOW!!! these poor little kids. Whats funny is that I actually found these three kids in one day. When we did a service project and helped give free shots for Polio we went door to door and gave shots to all the kids and we had to write down there names. Even if their parents were not there we gave them shots. Could you imagine a group of people coming to your house, knocking on your door to find that there are no parents there and then giving your kids a shot. haha Thats just how they do it here. The kids need it and its free. The church sponsers it. Its the only way these kids get vaccinated. anyway about the kids. Who knows how many fake movie stars there are here in the Philippines. haha. I always laugh about it. Anyway. Guess what... I am getting transfered. I am officially out of the Jungle on Friday. I am actually going to a different island. Its called Bohol. It is supposed to be absolutely amazing. The most beautiful place ever. All the pictures you see of white sand beaches are actually taken in Bohol. and guess what else. I am going to be a zone Leader there. Which seems a little weird because I have not been a district leader yet. I am going straight to zone leader. I honestly dont feel like I am ready for that much responsibiltiy. I still feel new in the mission. I guess President thinks I need to step it up more. Maybe I am not doing enough. I just know I am going to have to rely on the Lord more than ever. I have heard a lot about the elder that is going to be my new companion. His name is Elder Domingo. He is supposed to be like the
nicest guy ever. I am really excited about that. There is an up side to being zone leader on Bohol. First is that I have a car. yep I said it. I have a car. Actually not a car. A big van. So that will be nice. The other thing is that I have a cell phone. Because you always have to be in contact with the mission president and the assistants to the president. I am going to have to ask again. I really need your prayers. This is a big responsibility. I really dont know that I am ready. I guess the Lord thinks I am. Well thanks so much for all the support. Oh by the way. I am actually not sure when I will be calling for Christmas. So weird I get to call and talk to you. I like completely forgot that I get to call. Hard to believe its christmas already. ok so stay near the phone. Either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I will try to call as many people as I can. sounds like you are all going to be in different places for Christmas. If I dont get a hold of someone sorry. I will say sorry now because I just dont know how calling works here in the mission. I do know that it is ridiculously expensive and that I dont have money to pay for it. Ok. I just found out from another elder that I will call you so that you have the number then you will call me back. That way you just pay for the phone bill. haha. its probably really expensive. sorry. hope its worth it. ;) alright thanks again fam. Love ya

Elder Joel Porter Ehorn

Whoops! The week before last!

Hey everybody!!!

Ok uh before I forget happy thanksgiving. Oh and Val and Jenni could you send some pictures of your kids to me. Seeing as how they are coming up on being 5 and 6 months old and the only pictures I have seen was when they were first born. Thanks holla at ya boy! So I have a cool story. Its called Typhoon Mina!!! So I was down in Toledo which is where the Zone leaders apartment is. And a Signal 3 typhoon hit here. haha It was so crazy. There apartment flooded up to the waist. All the missionionaries were out and about trying to pick up fallen down trees and stuff. And trying to save all the stuff in the Zone leaders apartment. They had to sleep at the Church. Lots of memebers did. I dont know how many homes got ruined but it was pretty bad. But everyone was ok. So that was my excitement last week. So yeah I think I am getting transfered. I am pretty excited about that. Getting a little tired of being out in the jungle away from everything. We do have 2 baptisms on dec 1 and 2 on december 15. That is pretty cool. and we had 58 members out to church on sunday which is definatly the most we have had. There are about 85 members in my area. So that is really good for us. I keep promising them blessings if they will come to church. This last sunday I told everyone at the church that I
will help them make a budget for their families with the Church's budgeting system. Its called "Every Needful Thing" I think that is what it is called. The whole Branch has a really hard time paying tithing so I told them and promised them that if they would come and meet with me for 30 minutes we would make them a budget so that they could pay their tithing and still be able to meet ends meet at the end of the month. Figure I might as well put some of my college classes to use while I am here. I thought everyone would be really excited about it but they werent as excited about it as I thought they would be. They probably just dont understand that if they budget they will do a lot better each month. Ha sometimes I still dont think I have learned that lesson. Sounds like you all had a good thanksgiving. I am thankful for all of you having a good dinner. I am thankful and Jealous. Me and the rest of the Americanos in my zone are having thanksgiving today. there is three of us. haha. sad. Sorry brian about your hand. I dont think it will ruin your golf swing. There was a movie called rookie of the year where a 13 year old kid broke his arm and because he did he could throw the ball 100 miles an hour and he played in the major leagues. Tiger Woods better watch his back because Brian Foy broke his and and now he has a perfect golf swing and is going to the PGA. In our wildest dreams no? hahaha Well thank you all so much for your prayers. Cant wait to hear from you all again next week.

Sincerely Elder Joel Porter Ehorn

Last Week - Elder Ehorn!

Ok im sorry i really have no time to write. We had an awesome baptism on friday. I find out if i am getting transfered on wednesday so the next email I will let you know if I am or not. I am attatching a picture from the baptism. It is awesome. it is in one of the waterfalls in my area. ok love you all

sincerely elder ehorn

SRVHS Class of '97 - Our Reunion!!!

Here are the pics from the reunion! It was tons of fun - 20 is just around the corner! Great to see all of you who made it and we missed those who couldn't be there. Enjoy the pics!

My Bro is Cooler Than Your Bro

Hey everyone,

Wow I am so jealous that everyone gets to have a thanksgiving dinner. Lets see... For thanksgiving dinner I will have rice and dried fish. Oh wait that is what I eat for every meal. The food may be the hardest thing about the mission. Not really. We have two more baptisms on Dec 1 I am pretty excited about that. We should be having two more on Dec 15 also. The people here just love the gospel. They do have a big problem with it though also. They think that once they become a member they dont need to keep learning and keep studying. Its virtually impossible to keep the spirit with you if you are not progressing. If your not moving forward you are moving backward right? The temple fireside was awesome. I did not get to go to the groundbreaking because only 300 people were invited. That is branch presidents and stake presidents only. The fireside was amazing though. Dallin h. Oakes and Quentin Cook spoke as well as Michael Teh. It was so good. I learned so much. Basically all their talks were about preparing to go to the temple. Developing Holy habits and things like that. I dont think the people here understand how big a deal it is to go to the temple. and they think that if you go once and take out your
endowments you never go again. Its hard to chage their false beliefs. I have been so sick the past two weeks so I am pretty tired of that. Same as you beck. horrible cough and ridiculous amounts of flem. dont know where it all comes from. gross. I will be able to call on Christmas. I am not quite sure how that is all going to work out. I dont know how much time I have to call. I will try to call everyone. Its probably really expensive also. I think we probably only have 45 minutes to call. Christmas is going to be so weird here. It being hot all the time. Cant beleive its been almost a year since I got my call. Time sure flies doesnt it. The jungle is still very much a jungle and Im about ready to get out of it. I am 100% confident that the area I am in now is the hardest area in the mission. Hardest for work and hardest for living. I am glad I know that if I can make it through this area I can make it through anything. Thanks for all your continued love support and prayers while I am here in Lamac. I know that they have helped so much. I am so grateful for all of you. I am grateful for the sacrifices that each and everyone of you have made to follow the will of our Father in Heaven. Could you imagine how boring and pointless this life would be if we didnt have the trials we did. I cant even imagine. I am so grateful for my personal trials and for my lifes experiences. Whenever I get tired of the trials or the challenges I just think of Jesus Christ. After I think of his challenges and what he overcame I feel like my challenges are nothing. I am grateful for his example in overcoming
all. Overcoming Physical and Spiritual Death. Family and Friends I know that
this church is true. There was a time in my life where I did not know that this
church is true, or maybe I had just forgotten, But I will tell you now I will
never forget again. Let the gospel bless each and everyone of your lives. Open
your hearts and your homes to the gospel and enjoy the blessings that will pour
in. They will be so abundant you wont be able to hold them all inside. (3 ne
ch 24 8-10) ( JET) (Joel Ehorn Translation) I am so grateful for the promises that have been made to us and our families. Keep up the good work you rightous going people. :) I love you all HO HO HO Merry Christmas and happy thanksgiving

Sincerely, Your favorite Elder Ehorn

Ty's Blessing

On November 4th we blessed Ty. We were so glad that Grandma Jill and Grandpa Brian could come down and stay with us for the weekend. Ty was a good little baby and Eric did a great job. The boys looked great in their matching ties. I'll add the family picture soon. How lucky we are!

Define Emergency

The other day Ethan came to me (Drew not far behind) begging for the camera. "Mom, I need the camera right away. It's an emergency!!!" I followed Ethan to the site of the "emergency" where I stood by while he took this picture. He took one picture and handed the camera back to me. I had forgotten about it until I uploaded my pictures today.


I have since asked Ethan what the emergency was in this picture. Apparently Chewbacca successfully shot down the Army helicopter while the Stormtrooper was flying it. Ahhh yes, emergency indeed. I share this with you so that if you happen across a similar "emergency" you will remember take a picture as well.

Why is this a tradition?

The annual pumpkin carving...I still can't figure out WHY we do this! Any ideas?

Shnepf Farms with the Wallins

We went to Shnepf Farms with the Wallins a couple of days before Halloween - it was great fun with some great friends!


Drew LOVED his "Fooky Fider" which actually means "Spooky Spider" in Drewtalk.


Brookelyn is pretty cute!


This was Ethan's FIRST roller coaster ride. He looked like this the entire time. When he got off he said "That was awesome!" I asked him if he wanted to go again..."Nope!" But don't worry, Drew wanted to go "a lot and a lot."

The Pumpkin Patch

Baby Yoda

I had to get a little more mileage out of this costume. Isn't he cute?

Is this heaven? No. It's IOWA

Despite the tragic events of our trip to Iowa - Grandma Mimi made sure that the boys still had lots of fun. Here are a few pictures of the boys in "Iowa Heaven."



The boys got to go on combine rides with Harold who is 89 and still cares for a couple thousand acres. (For all you city folk - which includes me - a combine is a really, really big tractor. That's what they tell me anyway.) Harold is missing a couple of fingers. Ethan noticed and Harold said that's what happens when you put your fingers in your mouth. There's a lot less of that around our house now.




Dinner at Machine Shed with the whole family. Pictured is Eric, Ethan, Drew, Aunt Brandy, and cousins Carter and James.




Grandma Mimi took the boys to the Toy Store for their annual birthday shopping trip. This is one trip to Toys R Us that I don't mind.





Four-Wheelin all over God's Green Earth - literally.





Grandma Mimi gave the boys golf cart licenses - does this mean we can skip Drivers Ed. later?




The game of Tag is a lot more fun with motorized equipment.

Joel's Emails - Late Again

Just so everyone knows - Joel emails every Sunday night (which is actually his Monday). I'm the slacker - not him. Go figure!

November 5
Hey everybody

So i think I am going to cry. I had a memory card ready to send home that was full of pictures from my last area and this area. And one of the elders last night was looking at the pictures last night on my camera and he erased them all. Yeah all of them. The memory card is completely blank. I dont know what to do. I think I am going to cry. not really but it just is super lame. There is no way to get them back. oh well what can you do. So training is awesome. He is a new convert and he is just so on fire with the spirit. He is from the visayas so he is already fluent in the language. He is going to be ready to lead the area after 1 transfer which will be awesome.... because I really want to transfer. Dont get me wrong I like the people and everything but there are only 3000 people in the whole area. I have talked to everyone 10 times and they are sick of the missionaries. They wont close the area to the missionaries though because if they do the branch would just stop functioning. I guess I should just be more patient and learn to love the area. Well that is about all for now. next week i will have a lot more to say. Im just to upset about the memory card. Thanks for all the prayers. Oh and about Christmas I just dont know what you should do. you could send church socks for the people and ties and white shirts. And if you want to get me something for christams you can
just deposit money into my bank account. Im super scared to have you all mail stuff. I heard around Christmas time everything gets stolen out of the packages. scary. ok thanks for all the love and support

Elder Ehorn

November 11
Hello everybody!

Another week has come and gone here for me in the Philippines. It was a rough week. Its so weird it feels like all the days in the Philippines are the same
since we do the same thing everyday whether it be sunday or wednesday or whatever. I really enjoy Mondays. That is preperation Day. It is really a time for us to relax and get some other needful things done besides the proselyting. I honestly think if they got rid of Preperation Day all missionaries would go crazy. Really. It is such a relief. This we was hard because I have been sick. I have a way bad cold that I have had for two weeks now and it is definatley infected. (I can tell by the color of the Flem) yeah gross. The other missionaries just laugh at me. It also rained everyday this week again so that makes it hard to want to go outside and work hard. But we had zone conference on Friday and that helped me so much. Everytime we get to hear from the Mission President my spirit really gets a boost. I guess that is his responsibility. I did receive that package. Thank you so much. I think that the underwear will probably fit him. I havent given to him yet. but the missionaries really liked the candy. I got to eat a little. Hey I have an opportunity for you all for Christmas if you want. There is a family in Lamac and they are going to the temple in Manila to be sealed. They are Short 2000
pesos to go on the temple trip in December for the Stake. They already got all their interviews done and everything. They Just need 2000 pesos still. That is
like 44 dollars. It would take them like 4 months to save that up. Meaning that they would not be able to go to the temple. If you want to donate that would be sweet. Just deposit into my account and I will withdraw it and sneak it to there house somehow so they dont know the misisonaries helped. I cant beleive how much I have learned in the mission about life and myself. About being humble and developing christ like attributes. I never forget to remember what a good example of humility Dad was always. Well I am doing good. Cant beleive im 8 months out. only 16 left. ha that is forever. maybe I will come home a transfer early so I cant start up school immediatley so I dont have to wait for 7 months. who knows. still forever away. Maybe I will extend and be a missionary until May of 2009. I hope everyone continues to well and follow the will of the Lord for them.

Sincerely Elder Ehorn

All Because a Little Boy Loves Star Wars!

We had a great Halloween this year! The boys had so much fun dressing up and so did Eric and I. Ty - well, not so much. This was part of the five minutes that he actually wore the costume. That means that each minute cost roughly $3.29. Thank you Target! We plan on proving that the family that dresses up as Star Wars together, stays together! After all the candy, I will be wearing a girdle for the next several months. Just in case you wanted to know, Ethan is Luke Skywalker dressed up as a storm trooper - he wanted to make sure everyone knew he was one of the good guys! Until next year... may the force be with you.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween! Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

Elder Ehorn

Hey everybody! Mom and Brian thanks for the extra cash. They have got to get this system figured out here for the missionaries. Noone in the whole mission has money. Its really hard to do missionary work with no money or food. So as you all heard maybe I am going to start training a new missionary on Nov. 2 Isnt tht crazy? I feel like I am still brand new in the mission. I guess I still kind of am. I am way excited though because I think It will get me all pumped on the work again. Thats crazy about the fires in california. Glad to hear that everyone is ok. I have been a little bit sick lately. Sore throat and the runs. haha The runs is such a funny way to say it. Thats good mom that you got to talk to all those people. Glad to hear they are doing good. The Area is pretty good. We are making progress with the Branch so that is good. Me and my comp just picked up a new family that is awesome. They are so interested in the gospel and have been keeping all their commitments. Hopefully they will be baptized next transfer if they keep progressing like they are. They have 5 kids and the wife is pregnant with #6. I really like going their and teaching them. Yeah its been rainy season for a few months. The rain is so crazy here. You hear it coming and then Boom its pooring rain and the lightening is just awesome. I have the feeling that I might not be in this area to long. I think maybe 1 or 2 transfers I will train then I will transfer. We have such a unified zone here. Its called Toledo zone. We are just super good friends and have such a good time when we are together. I will attatch the picture of the zone activity. We went hiking the had a testimony meeting on this sweet hill. It was awesome. Alright well thats about it for me right now. Thanks so much for the package you sent mom. It will probably bee like 4 weeks before it gets here. Love ya!

Elder Joel Porter Ehorn

Fleeting Moments

I have been realizing lately that my kids are growing - too fast! Ty is almost 3 months now so he is out of the newborn stage and into the baby stage. Where did those little size 1 diapers go? Drew speaks in sentences (that usually only we can understand) and has some seriously great dance moves. Ethan has this little life that I am not the first witness of anymore - he goes to school and has to tell me what happened there. He did a magic trick for show and tell this week and I MADE HIM tell me how it all went down - play by play.

Do you think it's legal to strap video recorders to their heads?

I Feel Better Already!

I just read a book - yes, a book. It was a book about being a mom. It wasn't one of those books that tells you everything you're doing wrong. Instead, it takes a new approach and actually validates the good, the bad and the ugly. I think I may have turned over a new parenting leaf and I think all mothers who feel that we have expectations of ourselved far beyond what is realistic should read this book. Here are two direct quotes from the book and you can tell me whether this is something you should read...

"You consider a trip to the dentist your special "alone time.""

"You find that slowly browsing the aisles at Target, by yourself, is better than therapy."

See, there are other women out there just like me. I feel better already.



Read it!

Are you kidding me?

Why do people say, "Wow, you've really got your hands full." That is not a compliment. Never, ever say that to someone unless you are offering to help. I've heard that seven times in the last two days. It is an observation that I'm well aware of. I feel better now that I've gotten that out. Thank you.

Joel - Monday October 22

Gotta love this missionary! Here is the latest and greatest from Elder Ehorn:

The work is pretty good. we had another baptism this last saturday. This kid is awesome. I feel so bad for him though. He has had the hardest life in the history of the world. His dad is a former alcoholic. And alcoholics here in the philippines are a lot worse than alcoholics in the u.s. his mom left the family. he is 11 years old and is in 1st grade because his parents were retarded. He cant read. He lives pretty much by himself. every once in a while his older brother stops by. He is only 17 though. He cooks for himself washes his own clothes, by hand of course. he is completely independent and he is 11 years old. We had him like look at the pictures in the pamphlets and do service for his neighbors, and of course pray to know the truth about the church before he could be baptized. He is so awesome. I cant beleive I have forgotten to tell in my letters about all the baptisms we have had. ooopps. anyway back to Ramil. that is his name. So when I told him he needs to bring an extra pair of underwear to his baptism he got all silent. I was like oh great whats wrong. Then he continued to say that a rat had eaten his last pair of underwear. I fealt so bad. He doesnt even have underwear. That is life in the jungle for an eleven year old. He is not the brightest kid but he has the biggest heart ever. makes me want to cry. but of course I wont because I am a man. anyway, that is what is going on here.

Joel's Emails

I'm a little late in posting these. Let's just say that the last two weeks have been a total and complete blurr. We're so lucky we get to hear from Joel - isn't technology amazing?

Here they are in the order they came!

October 8th
Hello everybody. HOw is everyone?

Thanks for all the emails ande for all of the support. I like the idea about sending all the stuff to the Philippines. But its against the rules. Weird dont you think. well against the rules for you to send it to me and me to disperse it. Even though there are a lot of people in our area that need white shirts. maybe you could send one to our branch president. Anyway. I am really struggling here in the new area. I am just super stressed about all the problems and the work. But Im trying to do my best. There is no food in the town and I am like rock climbing all day long since It is so Jungley. So because of my constant exercise I lost 7 pounds this week. To go on the Lamac diet and lose pounds fast just call 1-800-jungle. ha its ok though. I know the Lord is going to be teaching me some very important lessons here for my life. Just continue to pray for me. I need it right now. The work is so hard here but It is rewarding. Sounds like everyone is doing good. I'll write more next week

Sincerely Elder Ehorn

October 15
Hello Family and Friend,
Thank you for all your emails and words of encouragement. It really helps. That is so good that everyone wants to help out here in the Philippines. I decided that if I sneak the stuff to the people and they dont know its from the missionaries that it will work. :) so if you want to put together stuff to send then that would be awesome. Most importantly would be white shirts and ties. Remember the people here are very small. So like If you bought a shirt that was my size that would fit the fattest person in the whole philippines. So just a variety of sizes would be good. Dont spend a lot of money. Just by shirts from D.I. and ties from D.I. as well. You would understand why if you were here. think quantity not quality. does that sound mean? I hope not. My area is still ridiculously hard but I am trying to keep high spirits. I sure am learning a lot about myself here. I could say I am learning a lot about people in general. I wish you all could witness the things I have witnessed here. Absolute miracles happen all the time. I was able to listen to all the sessions of conference this last weekend. We rented a big truck for the branch and took everyone on the 1 and a half hour to the nearest stake center to watch conference broadcast. they broadcast it a week late here. I was especially
impressed with the talk by Henry B Eyring about Gods Hand in our life and how he wrote down things everyday for like twenty years straight or something. amazing. I challenge all of you to do that. I am going to do that here on the mission as well. I think we will really gain an appreciation for the help of the Lord in our lives. Oh I forgot to mention there is another way to help out. There is a new foundation here that is open for donations. It is called "The Elder Ehorn has nothing when he gets home foundation." Cash donations are excepted to zions bank acct # Ask Jill Ehorn-Foy. This Foundation help recently returned missionaries named Joel Ehorn, finish his schooling, try to buy a car, and continuing his service to the beautiful women in the world by taking them on dates to hopefully meet and eternal companion." You know those kind of admirable things. haha im funny. but seriously. I want you to know here in the mission we have the investigators set goals for things they want to achieve otherwise they have no direction. So if you all would like to set a goal for yourselves, I want you to know that you have my prayers backing up your goals and I am always willing to hope. Ha. Love you all. The Mission is amazing.

Sincerely Elder Joel Porter Ehorn

Tractor Grandpa

We arrived in beautiful Iowa on Thursday afternoon and had a great day catching up on lost time and introducing Ty to Grandpa and Grandma here. Ethan and Drew sure love their "Tractor Grandpa" and they love coming here where they can act like "country boys," roaming the hills, playing with the dogs and of course, getting spoiled by their grandparents. Sadly, Thursday evening just before bed, Carl suffered a heart attack and passed away. We are heartbroken over the loss of our beloved "Tractor Grandpa" but have found comfort in the great memories we have made here over the years. We are so glad that we were able to spend time him - though that time was much too short. Please keep Eric and his family in your prayers during this difficult time. They are wonderful people with big hearts and we are so grateful to know them and have them in our lives. There doesn't seem to be words to give Carl the praise and adoration he deserves but he was surely loved. We took this picture of Grandpa with Ty (who's middle name is Jensen after Eric's Dad) the afternoon that we got here. How lucky we are to have this memory to add to the many others!

Deep Thoughts by Jenn Daniels

While in Hurricane last weekend (that is pronounced hurra-kin for those who have never listened closely to someone from southern Utah) we were lucky enough to go to Zion National Park and spend the afternoon. There were several wonderful surprises about that glorious fall day. The first great surprise was that we got into the park for free. No, we didn't sneak in. No, the park ranger did not think my husband was super hot and deserving of a freebie. (But for the record, he is super hot.) It was National Public Lands Day which is like a holiday for the national parks. Isn't it great to be an American?

It was an amazing afternoon for a variety of reasons:
1. Grandma Jill ran down the trail like one of the grandkids.
2. When Drew saw a small rapid, he yelled out "Look at the big waves!"
3. Ethan found a piece of wood that looked like a gun - and hasn't put it down since.
4. I carried Ty around in the baby bjorn. Snuggly!
5. My sisters (and their husbands and kids) were there. Joel - we missed you. Seriously, we really did.
6. Skipping rocks.
7. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees. For the first time in about six months, it felt a little chilly.
8. A little exercise does the body (and mind!) good.
9. Eric's face lit up everytime the boys smiled.
10. I learned something new about myself. (For those who aren't bored yet, read on.)





So while I was there, and since I've been home, I have been reflecting on our little adventure. Here's my train of thought...
While on the shuttle the guide announced that 2.5 million people will visit Zion this year. I couldn't help but think about the 2.5 million people and wonder how many of them actually look at Zion and its majesty and don't see the beauty. Or how many of them see it from a scientific standpoint? How many actually look up at the red rock, cascading water and lush landscape and see the hand of God? Which got me thinking - I have a pretty normal life. Odds are that I won't ever be famous or filthy rich. I won't find the cure for cancer or find the solution for world peace. My realm of influence is relatively small and when I make mistakes or have great success it doesn't readily change the course of my existence. My day to day life can get a bit hectic but for the most part, there isn't an abundance of miraculous events. Or is there? I have come to the conclusion that my normal life is punctuated by extraordinary moments. What makes those moments extraordinary is my acknowledgment of them. Zion probably isn't all that spectacular to a number of different people. But it is to me. By acknowledging a tender moment, a blessing, a spirit, a feeling, I am also acknowledging my Heavenly Father and His hand in my life. So many thanks to National Public Lands Day and a shout out to the entire parks system. I have gained a new perspective on my life as it is. That's really as deep as it gets for me.

TOP SECRET!

I've been thinking about it for a while now and have decided that, for safety reasons, only those people who I know and love can spy on me. Destiny's story was the kicker...I was a little freaked out by it! (It was about a mom in Utah who was at the park when a stranger walked up to her and knew her name and her kids names...all from her blog. SCARY!) From now on, my blog is TOP SECRET!

HOT.com

We had a great weekend in Hurricane for Alison's baptism (my niece is 8!). It was great fun to see the cousins play so well together and it really seems like our little families are getting so much older. More on the weekend later. Joel sent a package with these super cool pants which he so kindly modeled for us. The pants say hot.com all over them which I think is a nice touch since they obviously are.



So here's the email for this week:

Hey fam and friends!
Im glad you got the package. Yeah those pictures were funny werent they. haha Me and my comp were laughing so hard as we took them. Always have to have a little fun on the mission or else you go crazy. The new area is so hard but I know that I am going to learn so much here. My comp is awesome so that is good. His name is Elder Almoite and he is from Quezon city which is where the Manila temple is. I got pretty seek this last week and so that made the new area really hard. My body has to get used to the jungle. He said his first three weeks in the area were miserable. fever, nose bleeds, achey body. I have only had the fever and achey body. I think I am over it all now. Hopefully I am adjusted. Are branch is very week so that is going to be our focus for now. After that we will really focus on finding lots of people to teach. I have pretty much received revelation that this is going to be my most challenging area of the mission but will also be my greatest opportunity to grow. I think that is meant in so many different ways. That is cool that everyone was there in st. george for the weekend. wish I could have been there. Oh well. Elder wilson aka mikes little brother is going home a transfer early. So he will go home in december instead of the end of January. Its so he can start school. They let missionaries do that so they dont have to wait like 8 months to start school. Well thats about all I have to stay this week. Maybe I will have some cool stories next week. I will try to get some pictures sent off as well. I wish you could all come see the area. The rice fields and waterfalls and everything that is amazing here. Ok thanks so much lots of love
Elder Ehorn

P.S. My brother rocks!