Cutting Down Trees at the Old Paradise Church

On April 19, 2012 we went to the old Paradise white church, which they were tearing down. They said that we could take the pine trees that were too close to the church. And we had been praying that we would be able to have some pinewood so we could try to make wood furniture and have firewood, and that was an answer to our prayer.

It was a beautiful day in Paradise. It was cool to see the huge pine trees come down and see pinecones go everywhere. We had fun playing in the cut down pine trees. We pretended that bad guys were chasing us. I slipped a lot, so I got a lot of scrapes on my arms and legs because I was wearing capris and a short sleeved shirt. The cut down pine trees were like the forest. 

 

We also played tag in the trees. One family member was the person who chases and when the chaser tags a person then the person who got tagged is it. Sometimes I would hide in a clump of pine needles and then sneak out. 

We also needed to do work and load all the branches onto the trailer while my dad chain sawed the branches off the pine trees. We worked really hard and had fun.

While my dad and brother Jared went and unloaded the branches, we played in the branches of the pine tree that were still at the church. We pretended that we got shot and the king’s army captured us. Then we escaped because our teammates would come and save us. 

On May 15-25, 2012, we went to get the other trees that were in too close to the church that the track hoe had already pulled out. My mom, Joshua, and I went to the post office to mail some things off, and we saw the track hoe tearing out trees. My mom went and talked to the guy in charge, and he said that we could take the trees because they would have to haul them off to the dump if we didn’t take them. 

So the next day we went and chain sawed away. While my dad did that, Joshua and I went and sat on a stump and looked at the track hoe tearing part of the church to pieces. They can’t turn back now. I have seen the church in steps get destroyed up to one wall about the size of 10 by 15 feet with three windows. It is sad and exciting at the same time.

By April Willis age 11

Moving Out

Two weeks ago today I moved out. It was really weird to completely empty my room and to actually be moving out. I realized how much junk I had, and it felt really good to de-junk all of my stuff. Surprisingly enough, I was able to fit everything I wanted to take with me to college in my car. I was even able to squeeze in all the food that my parents gave to me.

When I got to my apartment, I brought all of my stuff inside and started to unpack. Then my Mom came by later and we went shopping together. We got food, dishes, towels, and some awesome kitchen knives. It was really fun to go shopping with her, and I love the beautiful dishes she bought me for my birthday. 

The first night I spent at my apartment was awful because I got sick and couldn’t breathe because my nose was so stuffed up. This sickness has lasted most of the week, and I am still recovering, but I am feeling better. I am grateful for the things I learned by being sick but it was kind of annoying because it took forever for me to get enough energy up to organize all my stuff. It also ruined my ambitious plans to exercise everyday and get up early and all of the other goals I was going to start as soon as I moved out, but I suppose I can start them now that I’m feeling better and it will work just as well. 

I really like my roommates and I think we are going to have a great time together this summer. I feel kind of sad leaving my childhood behind and knowing that I will only be visiting when I come home, but I feel good about this next step in my life, and I think it will be a great experience. It is SOOO nice to live in Logan and be close to school and everything else.

By Jaylee Willis age 18

Emma and Me

Emma is my little sister, and she is almost 4 months old. She likes me, and I like her.  You know why she likes me? It’s because I’m her favorite brother. She feels calm and safe with me. Sometimes I lay on the couch and she lies on my tummy and falls asleep. 

 

Sometimes she is not tired and I have to walk around and show her all the fun things around the house and outside. Emma loves me. Here is a picture of her and me.   Some pictures are when she was first born and some are now.

By Joshua Willis 
Age 10

Lawn Mowing

In the last week, I have been the lawn mower man, mowing all that was needed. I fill up the gas tank; I can start the mower by myself. It was hard to pull the lawn mower up the hills, but it was easy going down hills. I look for rocks and snakes and all other things. Once I was pushing the lawn mower in deep grass and hit a rock and killed the lawn mower. Here are some pictures of me lawn mowing.

By Joshua age 10

The Pure in Heart

I was reading in Jacob and he was condemning the people for not being pure in heart and told them that they would get in big trouble from God if they did not become pure in heart Jacob 3:3. It also says in the scriptures that if you become pure in heart then you will see God 3 Nephi 12:8. The Lord has commanded us to become pure in heart. If we do then we will be blessed. D&C 136:11

I think that your heart is your spiritual self. It is the part of you that makes the decisions. It is also the representation of who you are. God can write things on your heart. It is kind of like your communication with heaven. Your organ also holds some of your personality.

“In the science journal Discover (2004), A. Burdick reviewed a book by Charles Siebert called “A Man after His Own Heart.”  The journal reported that Seibert’s book said, “that the heart is not mere pump, as some physicians still insist, but a sophisticated participant in the regulation of emotion.  The heart has a mind of its own:  It secretes its own brain-like hormones and actively partakes in a dialogue among the internal organs – a dialogue on which cardiac researchers are only beginning to eavesdrop.  The heart likewise undergoes all manner of organic change inflicted on it by the tempestuous brain and its neurochemicals.  As one doctor explains, people do suffer heartbreak, literally.”

“Siebert’s book also mentioned William Schroeder, who was the second recipient of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart.  “The patient’s mental state was another matter.  Schroeder was weepy and deeply despondent.  (Barney Clark, the first Jarvik-7 recipient, expressed a wish to die or be killed.)  The blood still circulated, but something vital – some emotionally charged communication between heart and mind – had been lost . . . Affirming all [alleged] myths, the heart truly is a seat of human emotion.  The Jarvik-7, in contrast, was deaf to the song of human experience; built to invigorate its patient, it instead alienated him, supply Schroeder with everything but the will to live.  He had the look, Siebert writes, ‘of a man who has lost his heart.‘” Conquering Spiritual Evil pages132-133

What does pure mean? I looked it up in the dictionary and it said free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind, free from extraneous matter. If we are totally pure, then we will not have any sin.

In Psalms79:9, it says that they asked God to purge them of their sins. Without God, we cannot become totally pure. In proverbs 16:6, it says that men are purged because of truth and mercy. People go away from evil because they fear God. Do you fear God enough to totally abandon sin and purify your heart? Go to God when you don’t think that you can do whatever you are trying to do. God will help you when you ask. It might not be the kind of help that you are expecting.

In Alma5:13-22 it gives a good description on how we should end up. Have we had a change of heart? I haven’t had a total change of heart, but it is changing.

By Jared Willis age 14

Happy Mother's Day

I am so grateful for my mother. She is probably the most amazing woman I know and I love her so much. She has so much faith and desire to do good and I learn so much from her. She has always been there for me and I am so grateful for the wonderful example she has set for me as a mother and wife. I am so grateful that she married my Dad and chose to stay home and take care of us instead of working. I am discovering how rare that is and I am grateful for it.

I am grateful for how safe my heart is with her. She told me several times as I was growing up that I could talk to her about anything and that I could tell her anything. That knowledge has been my safeguard and has saved me a lot of stress and trouble. I have always known that I can trust her and that any secrets would be safe with her. I remember when I was little, my friends would ask me to promise “not to tell anyone” and I would tell them that I promised not to tell anyone except for my Mom and Dad, if I felt I needed to tell them. That is the kind of relationship my Mom made it possible to have with her and I am so grateful for it.

My mom knows me better that anyone else. She says that she always knows not to advise me but just to listen when I am making a decision or have an idea. She does do that and is really good at it. I had big dreams when I was little and I still do. She is the one who listens and supports my dreams with encouragement and questions that make me count the costs before I begin. When I was little, I wanted to be all sorts of things, including a ventriloquist, the President, a mom, an orphanage lady, and an actress. She supported me in all those dreams and never told me they were too big or that I shouldn’t pursue them, even when I had to borrow her phone to call Disney about acting positions :).

When I was living at home and Mom and I would have an argument, I would often go talk to Dad about it and he would always say that the reason I argued with Mom more than with him is because we (Mom and I) are so much alike and we both have strong spirits. I hope this is true and I think it is in a lot of ways. We are both strong-willed. We both have opinions and know how to defend them. We both have tender sides to us and love will always work better than force when working with us. Telling us what to do will not work, unless you are God or we can see that your way really is better. We both have integrity and value the truth. We both think outside of the box and are willing to try something that others might consider weird. We both love with all we have and our loyalty is something worth having.

I don’t know how many of these traits that I have are inherent or if I learned them from my mother. I think it is a combination of both and I am so grateful for my mother and how she has passed on her characteristics to me and taught me to develop my inherent traits. She is the perfect mother for me and I think she is the best!

I love you Mom and I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day.

Love,

Jaylee

Skip the Reception. I ‘m Going Golfing!

Joshua has been full of life, adventure, and curiosity since the day he could move.  He was under the kitchen sink taking apart the pipes at 18 months. We never had childproof locks until he came along, but after we installed them, we found out that he could get into a childproof lock faster than many adults. 

He would climb anywhere and get into almost everything. To keep him out of some things, we put locks on closet doors.  When he was a toddler, we had to tie our kitchen chairs to the table so we could keep him closer to the ground.

Joshua has bright, sparkly, mischievous eyes, and we love him just they way he is.  He keeps us on our toes.  Sometimes we just have to laugh at what he comes up with.   

A few weeks ago, we went down to a wedding dinner for one of the cousins.  The dinner was at a golf club.  When we’re at a large family gathering, we keep a close eye on the little ones, but the older children usually go off and spend time with their cousins. We’re in a big family group, and they are surrounded with people they know. 

Unbeknownst to us, Joshua decided to leave the reception and check out the golf course.  He went down and noticed that the golf carts weren’t parked in an orderly way.  So, he organized the carts and repositioned them so they were neat and tidy.  He then found a friend who took him golfing.  Here’s what Joshua has to say about his adventure: 

I went upstairs to the reception with my family.  After being there for a while, I decided to check out what else was in the building.  My mom was coming upstairs with the baby while I was going downstairs.  She told me to come back upstairs, so I did.  

Later, I went back down the main stairs and checked out the kitchen.  I saw some other stairs and decided to see where they went.  They went down to the basement.  I opened all the doors that I saw, and one of the doors went to where most of the golf carts were parked.  I saw all their tools.  I played around for a while.  I didn’t mess anything up down there.

Then I went back up to the reception.  I played with my cousins and ate dinner.  Then I went back downstairs.  It was darker outside.  I went out the golf cart door, and organized all the messy golf carts.  Then I heard a door close, so I ran back up to the reception. I stayed up there for a while. While I was up there, I got a handful of candy to put in my pocket. 

Then I went back down to the main floor and went out the main entrance.  I went to where they play golf.  I saw a stream of water going out of a pipe.  I went and spent time with this guy on the golf course just talking to him and being his friend.  I asked him if I could hit a few balls.  He showed me how to hold the golf club.  It was kind of hard and confusing.  I couldn’t hit the ball very far, maybe only 50 feet.  Then I went back up to the reception and stayed there.