Darwin and Margaret News for 2011

Our year, in looking back, had some challenges but nothing too big and full of many blessings.
We got to send our youngest off to serve the Lord and put him in his care totally. A big relief to us, yet a new growing time to rely only on the Lord ourselves with joy and faith in Carl being the fine man he is growing to be. We are proud of him and enjoy hearing how he is living his exclamation point life in Brazil. ( It's a joke we have since all his letters are filled with multiple exclamation points!!!) Anyway, we truly are empty nesters and enjoying our freedom as well as being reminded of those first few years of marriage before children.
We got to go to the Midwest this year in welcoming Preston to our family. It's a joy to watch our children become parents themselves. The Midwest was a beautiful place. One of the times we went, we flew into Minnesota and went around where Dean had served his mission. He was to come with us but got a job at the hospital last minute and decided to be responsible instead. So off we went with his map of where to go and who to met. We also all went to Nauvoo Illinois and totally enjoyed church and family history. Then back to Wisconsin for Preston's blessing. Great times! We also got in a trip to Utah to visit Ter and Jer and kids. It's always great with them too.
Darwin has been mostly been busy with work and farm life. He was a great help trying to keep up with everything when I was down with my back. He resently went back to Wisconsin and did the road trip thing with Neil in driving to San Fransico stopping in Utah to see Terra's fam.
Margaret has been busy with great kids for preschool again this year, learning to knit, doing her "Happiness Project" group and "21 Wishes" group, water aerobics (you can laugh out loud on that one but you don't want to visualize it) wonderful friends to play and learn new things with, and Delee's kids to enjoy. My big challenge this next year will be that I've been accepted into the "master gardener program". I will attend WSU extention ( but I will remain a Husky). I am looking forward to getting some scientific knowledge to help with my experience of gardening all these years.
So much to be thankful for and if you reading this you are one of those blessings! Thanks!
Merry Christmas..... Love Margaret and Darwin

Updates from Elder Spencer!

Carl has been having some incredible experiences in Vitoria, Brazil. As expected he loves it there, loves the people and has been growing a lot emotionally and spiritually. Here are some updates from his emails! We love our Elder Spencer!

Hello Family!

I hope you have all had a wonderful week! First off Rita and Rafael were baptized!!!! YYEEEAAAHHHH!!!!

It was very very goood! I loved it! they are a great family on a start to being an eternal family in the gospel!

Conference: I have a new testimony of what exactly is conference! and what it means to havea prophet today. I loved it! here is what went down, the first session the english cables things were gone..... soo I wached it in port. I got a lot out of it! for example, did you know elder scott speaks perect port?? he translates his talks and so it was great to hear his voice in the talk just in a different language, but he speaks the same soft and spirit pearcing way. other than that everyone else was weird for me to see their faces but hear a different voice... so I called president and got permission to go on a hunt in vitoria for a building with it in english! found one! and it took over an hour to get there! but, the saturday afternoon in english rocked my socks off! for preistood the re broadcast in english was in the same building at 6 am.... sooo that means catching a bus 1.5 hours before and waking up even earlier to get ready... but, 100% worth it! I did the waking up early thing a lot this week to my comp and I think if I suggest one more morning before 6:30 he might kill me... haha but, we travled back to ours sunday morning session started here at 1 in the afternoon... weird huh! but, I harrassed people until we got the stake presidency to get into action and get this thing moving a long! every conference it is the same news here... everyone says the other knows how to do it! drove us missionaries crazy since we had a lot of investagators there waiting! but, we got it going and even got it in english in the stake sec. office! with AC!!!! what a treat! all was going welll until an elder started to have an allergic reaction to something he ate... it was super weird! he came up and said I dont feel good again! (he had been sick for like 3 days already) and started to turn red, then bumps started to appear and his feet and face swelled up like a little umpa lumpa... it was funny for all of us but crazy! we called president and got a ride for him to the hospitial. my comp stayed with him so I had the baptism in 15 min alone haha it was crazy but alll went great! loved the day! and the elder is great! he had a lot of stuff poked and stabbed but, he is good now!

Douglas. he is 17 and has been going to church for the last 5 weeks! he was never baptized ever and has been waiting for a church that he feels is right, he watched conference and after talked to me and said listen, this girl I am kind of daiting doesnt like your church and I will probably baptize in hers. I said just pray about it man and see what happens ok? call me later about your prayer. this was sunday. on monday night he called our phone and said, look I am to be baptized come talk to me. we were in a lesson at that moment so I made a lot of last minute calls found a division to come pick me up and someone to stay with my comp and away I went. douglas came to the house running and covered in sweat which was funny. but, he is super super shy and talks like a mumble so I dont understand much, in fact I learned no one really understands him. but I prayed hard and started the lesson. he siad look I want to be baptized thursday. can I? I said no. you need lessons first and an interview then if all goes well how do you feel about sunday, he said no saturday. I said cool lets work for it! sooo he only has had the first lesson about the restortation and book of mormon. the rest he didnt know about. I started right away, with 4 commandments. the law of chasity, word of wisdom, 10 commmandments, and sabbath day.... It was way to much for the poor guy, I did a mock interview with him and asked if he knew it was true... he said right now no... but I feel good so lets keep going.

well, moral of the story he was a little rollar coaster for us. we learned someone was pushing him to be baptized or he will go to hell. he was super scared and just wanted to be with us. we continued to help him every day, but in the end he had doubts about a couple things but wanted to go or it anyway. then this girl who he is absolutly crazy about said look! you cant get baptized in their church you need to read this pamphlet fomr my church. he is in love with her so he studied it alll night for her and the next day cut us. (asked not to go anymore to church) lesson learned, this is the true church, and sometimes people will do everything they can to stop someone from finding the truth. we will keep him in our prayers and hope after this girl with 14 years stops playing with his mind that he will come back to what he felt was true.

other than that our miracle family of 4 is progressing great! will go to churhc this next week and we will see what happens! I am hoping they will be baptized the last day I am here in this area october 30th :) love them!

One year home!

Today, exactly one year ago, I stepped off the plane from Minneapolis to Seattle to greet my family after being gone for two years on my mission! It feels like it was just yesterday, but at the same time feels like it was much more than a year ago.

As I think back on it, it is amazing how emotions and feelings of a momentous occasion in my life come flooding back. Like the excitement to see my Mom and Dad, siblings, and other family again and to hold my nephews and nieces, as well as the nervousness for going back to college, entering the young single adult social scene as an RM, and not being immersed in the Lord's work 24/7. It was the one of the happiest moments of my life!

After 12 months I can say I truly love my life now, but a piece of my heart is still attached to Minnesota. I miss the people who took me in and treated me like family, the people who I saw learn how to pray and gain a personal testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ, and the special people who took their families to the temple for first time to be sealed for time and all eternity. One of the choicest experiences I had in the last month of my mission came from a 16 year old young man who had developed a testimony of the gospel, but was encouraged to wait to be baptized by his parents because they didn't think he was ready. He called me one day and said "Elder Spencer, I know I'm not getting baptized, and I don't know when I will, but I want you to know I am still going to live like I am. I'm going to keep all of the commandments and keep praying and be the best Christian I can be." He then thanked my companion and I for teaching him so much and said he viewed us as his big brothers he never had. That kind of experience was what made everything worth it.

That is the kind of blessing that comes from being a missionary and this is the kind of experience I miss so much. But, I will say I have felt some incredible blessings over this past year that I am very grateful for. When I first got off my mission it was amazing to see how things fell into place. I was able to get into all of the classes I needed even when they filled up quickly, my housing situation for school fell into place, and I made some new, incredible friendships. Since then, I've been able to have a great internship with the UW Department of Surgery, have a fantastic summer job, make some more meaningful and lasting friendships, and welcome in two handsome, manly nephews!

I'm also grateful for my incredible family. After being away from them for two years I realized just how much they meant to me. I realized that so many things in life are temporary. The places we live, the jobs we have, and even the friends we spend time with can be very temporary and change quite often. But, the one thing that never changes is my family. They are always there and a part of me. It was this new and exciting perspective that has helped me to love them even more. I think that is one reason serving a mission is such a blessing. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for these wonderful blessings and I'm grateful for the experience of serving a mission and who it has helped me become. Here is to hopefully another great year!

Angels Without Wings
By Rachel Henderson

I see my family differently,
now that things have changed.
It seems that our priorities
are somewhat rearranged.
My parents are my teachers
and help me see the light.
My siblings are my closest friends,
there for me day and night.
Each one is peculiar
in their own amazing way.
They are my positive influences
each and every day.
I'd be lost without them
and what comfort to me each brings.
For my parents and my siblings alike
are simply angels without wings.

Terra's Birthday

Happy birthday Terra I love you.

Jeremy

I can't get it to embed correctly here is the link.

Truly my empty nest

This time it's real. Before, Carl went a way to school for months at a time but always called multiple times a day. He was always in my thoughts and prayers with one concern or another. Yesterday I sent him off to be in the Lords hands for two years. No more phone calls, no more what do you think of this mom, or hey mom you'll never guess what crazy thing we just did! It's all between him and the Lord and I'm left to be happy and have faith as he serves. I decided sending your last child out on a mission with no one else home is like labor and delievery. It hurts like crazy but you want to go through it because you so bad want whats at the end. I cry thinking of missing those phone calls 10 times a day but smile at the love he has to serve the Lord and the people of Brazil. Now maybe the other 4 children of mine can finally get more attention. Ha. How I love them all and their dad. I am blessed! Thank-you all for your love and support of my family. We are who we are because of wonderful people like you.

Elder Spencer is off

As of today, April 27th, 2011 Elder Carl Spencer is in Brazil for 2 years. He will spend a couple months in Sao Paulo at the training center and then go to his assigned mission--Vitoria, Brazil.

He spoke in church this last Sunday on Easter and did a marvelous job speaking on the atonement and missionary work. He taught his last Sunday school class to the 12-13 year olds and they will miss him dearly. He was set apart that night amongst family and friends. His roommate this last year at BYU-Idaho came to see him off as well.

As soon as Elder Spencer was set apart he pulled out his name tag from his suit coat pocket, put it on, and hugged his mother. It was very apparent he had been waiting to put that tag on for a long time and also how much he loves his mother.

As we got to the airport he was very excited and nervous but was still his good old self having a good time and making other people laugh. As most of us know with Carl he has a special talent of finding humor in situations and making people laugh and feel included. He will be such a great missionary as he shares that talent with the people in Brazil. I can just see all of the members and people in Vitoria who will love him dearly and the little Brazillian kids who will steal his name tag and come up with nicknames for him.

As it was time to say goodbye, with tears in his eyes and his infectious smile, he announced that his final words were "Remember, have a good time, don't be a good time." We will miss Elder Spencer very much. Through tear stained eyes we glanced back to get one last look at our Elder standing in the security line. The boy we all knew who was always the "baby" and youngest child was suddenly all grown up. He looked sharp, refined, and full of purpose. He truly looked like a man, but more importantly like a missionary for the Lord.

As he went through the security line at Sea-Tac, he found 10 other missionaries all traveling to Brazil from Seattle! He called from the airport in Dallas already with missionary experiences and the words "Mommy, I am having a blast!"

God speed Elder Spencer!

Spring in Seattle!

Springtime is Seattle is coming. It has been a very well expected event, however it is not as exciting as the change to spring in Minnesota. In Minnesota it is very pronounced when spring comes because the snow melts and when the temperatures get up to 40 it feels so warm. Here it is exciting to see the flowers and trees wake up, but it is much less contrast in temperature and amount of rainfall. But I love it, and I've even learned some great lessons this spring. After living in Washington for 20 out of 22 years, I can now officially distinguish between a camellia bush and a rhododendron bush. You would think I would know what the state flower would look like compared to others, but apparently I didn't.

School is going well and the spring quarter is already into week 4. I am taking a biology class that goes into plant physiology in the first (really, they can talk about plants for 5 weeks, it is possible!) and animal physiology in the second half. Then I have organic chemistry lecture and a lab. Last week we did some experiments and reactions using yeast and we all had a fun time joking how the University is so nice to teach us how to ferment our own alcohol!

My house is going well with my 8 other roommates. We call it "The Manor House." Because the different houses in the wards that have LDS people living in them all get their own unique names so everyone can keep them straight. There are names like the Big House, the Girls Big house, the Tree house, the Thai house and many others. The other day one of my roommates came up to me when I was by the sink and asked "Is that your plastic pitcher right there" I said "Yes." He said "Ok, because the other day I saw it sitting out and it was full of water." I said "Yeah, I use it for my orange juice and I was letting it soak with soap water on the counter before I washed it." He said "Yeah, I found that out. When I saw it, I was so excited someone made lemonade and left it on the counter. So I poured a glass and took a drink and realized that it wasn't lemonade at all...I almost threw up!" I started laughing pretty hard because when I put water in it, the leftover orange juice does give it a yellowish tint. haha! That is what he gets for trying to drink my "lemonade!"

Institute is fantastic here and this quarter I am taking a Book of Mormon one class covering the first three books in it. I am still on the institute council and we just had a big fiesta as the opening social for spring quarter. Me and my roommate Bryan did not win the nacho eating contest. :( Last quarter a group of business students from BYU-I came to Seattle to interview for summer internship positions and we hosted a dinner for them at the instittue. I put together a little "Seattle/Institute Highlight" video for them to get to know Seattle better and I'll put it up so you all can see what the institute is like and more of how it works. It really is a neat place!

I spend most of my time when I'm not studying with my friends I call "The science squad." This is the science squad making our gangster/crazy faces.

I love these people a lot!! We are all sophomores and pre-med so we call ourselves the science squad. My roommate Bryan is on the right and Maren is on the far left. The really amazing girl between me and Bryan is Maggie. We have been dating for about 2 months now and she is from Provo, Utah. Truthfully, more of my free time is spent with her than the others of the science squad, but I'm okay with that! We have been going on really fun dates, the most recent being the Puyallup Spring fair and an amazing surprise date she planned where we toured Boeing in Everett where they make the huge planes and went to Paul Allen's historic plane museum. It was fantastic!

I love you all!!