Alphabet Week

Due to all the letters around here, I am officially deeming this week : Alphabet week!  We got our first email from Missionary Girl on Wednesday...oh happy day! Technically, there were three lovely emails waiting for me in my inbox after zumba.  After class I said a quick goodbye to the girlfriends, who all knew why I was grinning from ear to ear.  I sat in my car, a little sweaty and a lot happy, and started reading.  She is so good! She is happy and learning and growing and feeling the spirit and that's all I could hope for.  She loves getting all the letters and emails we send, even though I may have been slightly harassed by some people for sending too many! She also still  needs her momma because she can't find some things she thought she packed and wonders if I know where they are! Her letter left me reassured and comforted that she was being reassured and comforted.
(If you want to see just how good she is, read this http://narrativesfromnewyork.blogspot.com/  )

On Thursday I went to the mail anticipating nothing... and yet my eyes picked out the partially buried stamp that only comes on a personal letter.  A nice fat envelope addressed to her little sister and 'the kids.' Well, no one was home from school at this point and I want you to know how much self control it took for me to not open that letter! I mean, I really don't think it's illegal to tamper with a 7 year-olds mail, right? But, I waited...and waited...

Inside the envelope were individual letters for each of her four siblings. I will freely admit that after they read them, I read them.  They were the best.  She loves them, collectively and individually and bore her testimony to each of them in a way unique to them.  Here are a few of my favorite passages:

(Sweet Pea - 7)
I sleep in a bunk bed and share the room with 7 girls!
I love spending time here, even though I am away from my family.  It is because I love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I want people to know about them and how much they love us.

(Bray - 10)
How is your minecraft city coming along?
One day you'll get to teach people about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They love you so much and will love for you to be a missionary!

(Q- 14)
Hey gamer Qdaddypwns, I know you'll love being a missionary because you get to do some acting in the MTC, pretending to be an investigator! It's super fun but a lot of work! You'll be one heck of a missionary .   Love, SisterMisspwns

(Ike-17)
To the next missionary in our family - be nice to my iphone,  it's my favorite toy and I love and miss it! I want to personally tell you how important being a missionary is. You're so confident sharing the gospel, I know you'll be great. I love you. Stay good!

She wrote to them about the things that interest them, and I love her for being so personal and taking the time to write them all. She is a good big sister and is setting a wonderful example for them.

Now Friday...totally not expecting a thing. But let me tell you what being a member of the former generation brings you (besides the love of 80's music and aerosol hairspray); an ability to judge from the weight of the mail, the type of stamp or envelope, if there's something good in the stack of papers you collected from the box! We didn't get emails or texts or cell phone calls, we got letters! And if your fiancé lived in another state, you learned quickly if the mail was worth going through.

There, in a cute yellow envelope, was yet another letter from the MTC, though this one was not from Missionary Girl. This letter was from one of her friends who is going to Russia on her mission... and she wrote me a letter! It was so fun to hear from her and see her Russian handwriting...thankfully she translated it as well.  Have I mentioned I love missionaries????!!

It was a great week. I think I sent her a dear elder every day.  The little kids sent letters in the mail and my big kids are sending dear elders as well. I sent off a package yesterday to New York, so it will be waiting when Missionary Girl gets there on Tuesday!! I doubt I'll be able to keep up this pace of letter writing, and I probably shouldn't.  I want her to focus on the work and not be too distracted.  I think there's a fine balance...we'll just have to discover what it is.

Advice:

• Take full advantage of dear elder while your missionary is in the MTC. You write them a letter online, it's printed, sealed and delivered the same day, M-F if it's in by noon...and it's FREE! (Though I did make a donation and would encourage other parents to do so).
• Remember, they only see email on Pday, but they can read letters and dear elders every day.
• Write to other missionaries you know from your ward! They all love to get mail.  They have very long days and it's nice to have something to look forward too.
• Understand that they don't have the time we wish they did to write! It's very, very limited.
• If possible, stagger letters from family so there's always a little somethin' somethin' for them to enjoy.
• Be positive, encouraging, and not to full of what they're missing out on.
• Encourage your younger kids to write to them. When they receive mail back, save it for them so they'll have it when they're older.
• Don't read letters to your other kids and then put them online...after the first time...