Wow...so much has been going on

So the heading for this post was the lead off of Elder Packham's email on Monday, July 8th and I do not know if he meant that I have a lot going on or that he does - hopefully it was both!  I had given him a huge update on things at home and my trip to Idaho with Mikey.  Here is some of what he shared with me:

Wow, so much has been going on. Our 4th of July was incredible! I just sent you 2 letters in the mail today with tons of pictures. Let me know when your address will change!!! Let me know ASAP. I miss my Cunningham family! I miss them so much! I got an email from Levi and that was nice. I can't wait to get back and visit them. Tell Aunt Sheli and Uncle Ty I love them! Also thank them for everything they've done for me. And tell everyone that's getting married that I wish them well and I'm sorry I couldn't make it. Things are going great here in Great Falls. We have 6 or 7 investigators right now. We're focusing on diligence this month, Elder Cooper & I. So we figured we'd knock the door of an investigator we were trying to contact every day at different times each day and finally contact him. We still had no contact. When Tuesday came around we started again but actually got in the door on Tuesday! We taught him the restoration and he was pretty open and received it well. He said he'd be baptized if he came to know it was true. We invited him to the ward breakfast on Thursday, Coop and I actually planned that activity. He came to the ward breakfast and actually spent the whole 4th of July with Bishop and his family!!! He then came to church on Sunday. If we are diligent, put our trust & faith in the Lord, all things will work out. We will be teaching him again this week. He goes back to college in about a month & a half so we'll see how far we can get with him in teaching. We may or may not have to refer him on. I don't think we'll have to though.
How is everyone? Tell them all to write me! Kyle is home? I want to write him!
You met Al and Linds?! Hahahaha oh gosh. I don't even want to ask how that went. Lol how did it go?! What did y'all do? Did you like em? They're hecka nice so I'm sure you love em. You love everyone I'm close to (; 

So that was a brief update from a couple of weeks ago. I am really sorry to those following the blog that I am a bit behind on posts.  I have been really busy at both work and home and as a friend of mine says, "I feel like I am burning the candle at both ends."

I posted some of Jake's pictures on Facebook but I will add one or two here as well.  It is good to see the pictures and know that he is well ~ I have that missionary mom thing going on at the moment where I miss him so much it brings tears to my eyes.   It doesn't help that Mikey is now gone too and Jorvik will be a Senior.  Halley keeps reminding me that they are all leaving me.  I promise you that I am NOT cut out for this stage of my life. I love my kids and it makes me sad to think that I won't even be a thought in their minds when they leave.  I am not going to be a crazy mom though - I promise. If they want to talk to me - great! If not - I will have to accept that.  All I really want is for them to be happy, healthy, and full of faith in God so they can endure the hard times.

Elder Packham mentioned before that President Mecham wants their mission to be one of the most obedient and it sound as if he is trying to fulfill that goal.  President Thomas S. Monson gave a talk in General Conference entitled, "Obedience Brings Blessings" and here is a little piece of that:

No greater example of obedience exists than that of our Savior. Of Him, Paul observed:

“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

“And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”¹²

The Savior demonstrated genuine love of God by living the perfect life, by honoring the sacred mission that was His. Never was He haughty. Never was He puffed up with pride. Never was He disloyal. Ever was He humble. Ever was He sincere. Ever was He obedient.

Though He was tempted by that master of deceit, even the devil, though He was physically weakened from fasting 40 days and 40 nights and was an hungered, yet when the evil one proffered Jesus the most alluring and tempting proposals, He gave to us a divine example of obedience by refusing to deviate from what He knew was right.¹³

When faced with the agony of Gethsemane, where He endured such pain that “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground,”¹⁴ He exemplified the obedient Son by saying, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”¹⁵

As the Savior instructed His early Apostles, so He instructs you and me, “Follow thou me.”¹⁶ Are we willing to obey?

The knowledge which we seek, the answers for which we yearn, and the strength which we desire today to meet the challenges of a complex and changing world can be ours when we willingly obey the Lord’s commandments. I quote once again the words of the Lord: “He that keepeth [God’s] commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.”¹⁷

I can testify to you that I know that obedience brings blessings.  This crazy world we are living in seems to be changing at lightining speeds and some days I do not think I am prepared for it or that I will be able to cope and that is when I remember these things that President Monson said.  If I will be obedient to God's commandments, I will be okay... in fact, I will be more than okay.