Pizza Party!

Let's make our own individual pizzas!

When Andrew and Emma are gone we have fun!

Pizza always tastes better when you make it yourself.

Emma and Andrew are gone for the weekend to play soccer in Pinedale and Star Valley.  We are hoping Andy can come back injury free.  First he tore ligaments in his thumb and then yesterday the ball got kicked directly into his open eyeball.  We got it checked out and his retina is fine, he just will have distorted vision for a short time.  Who knew soccer would give him more injuries than football!  Goalies definitely take a beating.

It's the eye on the left, doesn't look so bad in the picture.

Cheerleading and snow

The cheerleading banquet was held on Monday and Emma was honored as one of the seniors.  She received a pin to go on her varsity letter and and a gift bag from the coach.  The cheer team has two seasons and not all of the same girls participate in both seasons.  Football cheer is in the fall and during that time Emma is doing color guard and doesn't cheer.  In the winter is basketball and wrestling cheer and Emma cheers during this season.  One of her fellow cheerleaders made a photo book for her with pictures from this season and last.  It was a great experience for Emma and she made some good friends.

Shiloh Winters, Ashton Kittleman (captain), Saige Winters, and Emma.  Saige made the books for Emma and Ashton.

The entire group of cheerleaders from football season and basketball season. 

Emma and Merecedes Groesbeck

Wyoming weather is always changing as people say up here.  In one day it can be sunny, raining, snowing, and freezing.  One day last year it went from 40 degrees above zero to 20 below in just a few hours.  So I shouldn't be surprised when I woke up to this:

Spring will decide to come when it comes I suppose.  Meanwhile the temperatures hang out around the mid 30s and soccer practice becomes very chilly for Emma and Andy. 

Elder Edholm -- week 46

So we had Esmailin's baptism on Saturday, it was really great. The bad thing is that the internet center that I'm at doesn't let me send pictures so I will go to a better one next week to send the baptismal pictures. Her grandpa baptized here. The coolest part was that after she received the Holy Ghost on Sunday she told us that she felt something in her heart when they put their hands on her head, like something changed in her heart. It was really cool to hear that because she's only nine years old and she can already recognize the promptings from the Holy Ghost.

Besides that we have another investigator that I think is gonna stick with his baptismal date for May 7th. The only problem is that he has told us that he doesn't have problems with a certain commandment, but we just feel that he does, and we don't know how to get him to confess it to us.

But to answer mom's questions. When I got transferred a member gave us a ride to a chaple in the capital, that took about an hour and a half with traffic. From there there is a bus that takes all of the missionaries going to the south. I got on that and rode it for three hours until I got to Azua, then I took another bus that took me to Barahona that took about an hour. But we do not always have running water, we actually don't have water more than we do. That's why a lot of houses in this country have tinakus on top of the houses, which are just giant tanks that you fill up when there's water and it distributes water to the bathroom. I have not had to hand wash my clothes because luckily in the part of Barahona where I'm living there is 24 hour electricity, which is super rare. I have not had to take bucket showers, but I did take a lot of bucket showers in my first house. And this house is probably the best house I've lived in yet even though there's an infestation of cockroaches in our house. And yes, every companionship has a phone.

But anyway, can't wait to talk to you guys on Mother's Day!

Weekend happenings

The weekend started with Andy's soccer game against Powell.  The JV beat them and won their first game this season!  Andy didn't let any goals in.  He hurt his thumb in practice a few days before the game, but still played.  I tried to take a picture, but the goal was far away from where I was sitting.

He's the far away dot by the goal!

Friday we had our first showing of our house.  We are sad to be leaving wonderful Wyoming!  Brian and I cleaned ALL DAY LONG!  The woman who looked at it said she liked it, but we will have to see if anything comes of her visit.  I took lots and lots of pictures of our exceedingly clean house and then posted it on KSL classifieds.

Our lovely house.  The lawn looks soooo green thanks to Brian!

 Emma, Andy, and Eric left Saturday morning to travel to their various activities.  Andy to Jackson to play soccer, Emma to Powell to participate in solo and ensemble festival and Eric to Thermopolis to run in the track meet. 

Emma played a flute trio and they received a superior rating!

Emrie and Emma

Some of the  band students who performed.

The flute trio: Emrie, Mary, and Emma.

Bus ride to Powell!

Eric ran the 800 and the 1600.  His coach likes him because he is one of the only kids who will volunteer to run the 1600, most of the kids hate it!  Brian went and watched him and tried to video him running but his phone died!

Band concerts and such

Basketball banquet.  Andy with his freshman basketball team.

Emma's last band concert of her high school life. 

Her band teacher, Mr. Wright, honored all the seniors.

Look at the camera Emma!

After the concert, one last picture and lots of hugs.

A quick video of Andy and Emma together after the concert.

Elder Edholm - week 45

So everything is awesome here in Barahona. I see the ocean everyday, I'll send a picture next week of the good view I get of the ocean. But I also learned that there is this one beach after Barahona called Bahia de Las Aguilas, and they say it's supposed to be one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. It's amazing, I don't know if I'll ever get to go there, but I'm sure going to try because the pictures are amazing.

Also we have a baptism coming up this Saturday. It's this 9 year old girl named Esmailin (I think it's just a spanish adopted name from smiling). But she's super cute and a great little girl. She has been going to church with her grandparents for a long time. But I will also send a picture of that next week.

So something cool that happened is that there is this guy who was an investigator in another branch who was actually the one who gave us the reference of Jeison who is gonna get baptized on May 7th. But he is an amazing guy. He had only been investigating the church for 4 weeks and the zone leaders invited him to the zone meeting to talk a little bit. He gave me some of the best advice on missionary work I have ever heard, I can't write it all because it was just so much. He has also given us four other references. He did all that before he was even baptized. He just really showed me a great example of taking advantage of being a member of this church. He wasn't even a member yet and he gave me so much inspiration. We went to his baptism last Saturday. But I just thought it was really cool how well he accepted being a member of this church even before he was a member to give us five amazing references.

That's all for today, I love you guys!

Elder Edholm -- week 44

Well we worked really hard this week, easily one of the best weeks on my mission, but the hard thing is that after working really hard, sometimes you don't see the fruits of your work. Although one awesome investigator is progressing really well and coming to church, some of the other ones that have baptismal dates in about two or three weeks don't always come, so it makes you stop and really analyze and pray to know if that date is the right date for them. But that is also a good thing because you want to baptize converts, not less actives. I think that is a problem with a lot of missionaries because I found out that in our area which was two branches, but now is just one, has almost 1500 less actives. That really shocked me, and it makes me think that maybe if we don't have a ton of baptisms that's ok, just as long as we are really trying to convert the people that we do baptize.

So the one investigator I was talking about, his name is Jeison (that's how Dominicans spell Jayson) is progressing really well and has a baptismal date for the seventh of May. The last time we taught him his parents were drinking beer. We asked him if he was drinking too, and he told us he had one glass. So we taught him the word of wisdom, and he took it, and understood it really well, the only problem is that he isn't reading very much, so we got to work on that with him.

But it's really cool to hear how great everything is going back home, that Peter is doing awesome in wrestling, and that Eric finally found a sport that he likes. Lucy is a very good singer so I know she did great, but also that's cool that Emma made her own flower thingies, and they looked really good too. But I would also like to see some pictures of Andy playing soccer.

Love you guys!

Super Saturday

Yesterday was our busiest Saturday ever!  I had Stake Activity Days for the girls in our stake.  It turned out really well and I had a lot of fun doing it.  Brian went with Peter to Greybull for his last wrestling meet.  He came in second and did really well!  Lucy was in Lovell at an elementary school choir festival.  She said it was a lot of fun.  This was an audition choir and Lucy tried out and made it!  She was there all day from 7:00am to 5:30pm.  Eric had a track meet in Riverton.  He was also there all day and came home completely burnt!  He ran the mile and high jumped.  It was a very large meet with over 400 kids running the 100 meter race!  I don't know how many ran the mile, but Eric finished in the middle of the pack.  If all this wasn't enough it was Prom last night!  Emma went and she looked beautiful in her dress!  Here are some pics:

This is as they were coming down the walkway at the Grand March.  The kids always stop and pose somehow. 

This is her group, I cut off the girl on the right's date!  Emma is on the far left.

Silliness

Emma and Khalid

She couldn't get it pinned on!  AND she made his boutonniere!

This is at the Grand March.  Andy loves his sister!

Emma made her corsage as well, I think she has a future in floral design!

After the Grand March at the high school

Andy is friends with Emma's date

Elder Edholm --week 43 --10 months

So, Barahona is a really cool place, it's right there really close to the beach and there is a type of rock that is only found here in Barahona and nowhere else in the world.

But my companion Elder Empey is a really cool guy, he's from St. George and he is ending his mission in like 4 months, so I'm pretty sure I'll be with him till the end.

But conference was awesome, as usual, but something awesome that happened during General Conference was that I really got a testimony that President Monson is a prophet of God. I was watching him talk in the priesthood session, and I just got a reassuring feeling that he really is a prophet called by god, exactly the same as Moses, Noah, Adam, and all of them. Even though it's really hard to see him struggling so much just to talk.

But that's about all there is to report today, I hope that the weather is maybe clearing up over there!

*I asked him a few questions that he just answered, he does have electricity but water not so much.

Here's a picture from google images of Barahona, it looks amazing!

Just for fun...

Andy's response, printed in the high school newspaper, when asked what stresses him.

Spring break activities

Emma and Andy were supposed to be in Cheyenne for most of spring break at the state FCCLA competition.  The weather had other ideas and the trip got cancelled because of snow and road conditions.  This was a great disappointment to them, but I was very happy that I got to be with my lovely kids.  We decided to go to Cody and go to the Buffalo Bill museum.  It was a wonderful 3 hours spent and we could have stayed all day!  I was very impressed with everything we saw and it was a  lot of fun.  We saw the raptor show as well with a live owl and peregrine falcon.

The ride home from Cody was also eventful:

Andy was able to go to the Science Olympiad Competition in Casper on Friday and Saturday because the roads improved and the weather was beautiful.  He came away with a 2nd place finish in the Green Generation section.

The Science Olympians from Worland High School.  Andy is second from the right,

General Conference was the highlight of our spring break.  Lucy being the wonderful missionary she is invited our neighbors who aren't members to watch with us.

Lucy, Macy, and Fiona watching conference.

I really missed my Palmer, Lauren & Matt, and Audrey.  It's a great comfort to know that they are also watching where they are.