Letter #31 "...I will fight your battles." (Revelation given to Joseph Smith, on Fishing River, Missouri, 22 June 1834) D&C 105:14

Dear Men of Zions Camp,

Thank you for being so faithful. You endured many trials and tests of your faith in order to become 9 of the 12 first First Presidency and the Quorum of the Seventy.

Today in institute we learned about how God told Joseph that he needed to enlist 500 hundred men to Zions Camp. If not 500 then 300. If not 300 then no less than 100. At first when Joseph asked for volunteers only 20 stepped up. Just before they were to march off 80 more volunteered--exactly 100. You marched almost 1000 miles with hardly any provisions! The youngest in the camp was 16! You are truly saints. I think the hardest part to endure would be after spending the night in a baptist church because of a terrible storm, you were told to turn around and go back home.

Earlier that day, men came to your camp and told you that you were all going to die that night and you would see Hell by morning. You were ready to battle. Joseph told you to be still. Because God knows all and will fight your battles for us, he brought on a hail storm. The rivers rose 40 feet and the hostile men could not cross. Soon after Joseph received revelation that you all were to return to Kirtland.

Thank you for listening to the prophet of God. Thank you for being so humble and kind. Thank you for being part of the the very first Quorum of the Twelve. I will never forget the sacrifices you and your family made to help in the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love you.

Note: If anyone wants to read a great story of following the Prophet please read D&C 103-105. I am so glad I was able to read this before conference because I have made a goal to write down everything I am told to do.

Letter #30 "Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." ~G.B. Stern

Dear Joni,
Thank you for being such a great example to me. I love seeing you and Eli everyday. You are such an amazing mother. I have loved watching Eli grow and grow everyday! I can see the love that you and Jared have for Eli and I hope that Calin and I can one day have that same love for our children. Thank you for being so funny. You can always make me laugh. Your sense of humor is hilarious and I love listening to your stories. Thank you for being so kind to me.
Remember when you brought the Amish Friendship bread to work for me? It made my day. Since being married, it has been hard to make friends. All my other friends have either gotten married, moved, gone on missions or don't live near me. Receiving the bread, pushed me to call old friends and make new ones. Thank you for giving me a bag and being a great friend. I appreciate you being so great to me.
You and Jared are the best bosses ever. Besides you both being funny, smart and kind, I know that you care about me. When you opened Five Star you opened a restaurant and created a work family that I am so grateful to be a part of. Thank you for welcoming me.
Thank you for being a light. I notice every time when you and Julie talk about going to the temple, doing your visiting teaching or what your relief society lesson was about. Thank you for keeping the spirit with you and reminding me what is important. I love you guys and am so glad I know you! Thank you!
PS. I stole your family picture from facebook because it is TOO CUTE!

Letter #29 Raise your hand if your boss has ever picked you up for work...yeah I didn't think so.

Dear Jared,
You are the coolest boss in the world! I have never loved a job as much as I love working for Five Star BBQ.When I was looking for a job last September, I had lots of different interviews, but never found the right one. I thought it was a lost cause. I started expanding my search and sent a resume to your ad on craigslist. From my experiences, craigslist has never been a successful way to do anything. Too many scams and lame crap. That day I got a phone call from Joni saying that you wanted to meet with me that day. When I arrived I thought I was in the wrong place. I thought I had applied for a cashier job at a restaurant. There wasn't a restaurant at the address I was given. After finding you and having our interview, I couldn't read you. Usually I can tell if I made a good impression or not. That next Sunday you sent me a text saying, " Meg, we want you to join our team." I was super excited! Thank you for hiring me!
My first day I spent 4 hours setting up the cash register. Programing the menu and cost took forever! The next day it was all erased! I thought you'd fire me right on the spot thinking, "this girl is so stupid!" thank you for laughing about it and giving me a second chance to reprogram the stupid machine.
Thank you for letting me create a new position at Five Star. I really appreciate you taking a chance on me. It must have been hard to give up so much trust and faith in me (Both of us not having experience in what a Catering Consultant actually does.) Thank you for supporting me and allowing me to be the voice and walking advertisement of Five Star.
Do you remember that horrible, awful snowy morning? I do. You texted me and offered to come pick me up because my car is the least snow friendly car in the world. I know you just wanted me to be at work, but I really appreciated it. You have done so much for me. Thank you.
Thank you for adopting me into your family. I feel so welcome and loved by you and Joni. You guys are definitely my Happy Valley Parents :) Thank you for forgiving all my "fo shizzles" Thanks for teaching me about good music. Thank you for being so laid back, funny and silly at work. You and Mike make work tons of fun. I still tell people about the time you plugged your iphone into the speakers in the back while using the talking tom cat app. The delivery guy came into the kitchen and you started talking to him through the cat. I almost peed myself!
Thanks for cooking amazing food!!! You are the best meat smoker. Your sauces are delightful. That reminds me...my dad keeps begging me to buy him some more Alabama Sauce. I could eat a barrel of your mashed taters and smoked beans!
Thanks for being the worlds greatest boss! I appreciate you bringing your talents to the world (well Orem, Utah) I am learning so much from you and I hope to be as successful as you and Joni. Thank you for all you have taught me and keep teaching me. You're the best! Thank you

Letter #28 "Wow! Only a true friend would be that truly honest!" ~Donkey

Dear Tammi,
Oh my dearest Tammi. I love you so much! You and I were made for each other. You are funny and I like funny. You are smart and I pretend to be. You are a beautiful Guatemalan and I wish I was. Thank you for making up for what I lack. We are a perfect best friend duo.
I know we met in 4th grade and for some reason when I think about that time I always picture a picture. It is us with the Edgar twins and I think Miquelle doing a pyramid. The kind where the tallest is on bottom (me) and the cute smaller girls get to be the middle and top of the pyramid :) I don't know if this actually happened and there is in fact a photo, but this is what I think of when I think of 4th grade.
Thank you for being such a perfect friend to me. I owe you so much. You got me through school. You were there for me through everything. I can still remember the day I told you was moving to China. First, you didn't really believe me. Then, you said, "Yup, I'm going too". It was awesome! I was so excited that you would go with me! A sign of a true friend.
Thank you for being my roommate in China and for letting me take showers first, ha! Thank you for playing Chinese basketball with me. You are always up for any and all adventures that are thrown your way. I really admire that about you.
I will be the first to admit that I after moving to Provo, I have not been the best friend I should be. I apologize for being a lazy friend. I even missed your birthday! There are no excuses for that especially because it is a day before mine.
Thank you for being one of my bridesmaids. You looked so beautiful! Thank you for helping out so much and making my wedding day that much better. I love you so much and I have learned so many things from you. The one thing that I admire most about you is your spirit. You have a light around you. We could be sitting outside by the pool talking about movies and the spirit would be with us. Thank you.
You are an awesome example to all of your siblings. You all have so much love for each other. Your family is so tight nit and I am so grateful to be part of that sometimes. I loved going camping with you and the family. Best part was locking the keys in the car :)
Thank you for being my bestest friend in the world!Thank you for being the only person that I can quote movies with. Seriously it's like we are the same person. I always know what movie you are talking about and you know my absurd quotes! I love you with all my heart. Thank you.

Back on track

I have been slacking in the Thank You department! I don't realize what a huge blessing it is to be grateful. When I am constantly thinking about who I am grateful for, what I am grateful for I am truly happy. Then when I start to forget I coast for awhile then fall. It is so easy to become self-centered and ungrateful. I guess it's true what they say, "the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph." Life isn't supposed to be easy. I was reminded in my institute class that if I'm idling I'm not progressing. Turning over a new leaf (again) today!