24 October Update

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog, but much has happened to Pam and I. She has pretty much taken up residence in Denver and I'm here in Monroe. But I have made a weekly trip and have had an opportunity to visit with Pam and the family and most importantly to see little Benjamin and his parents Alex and Cynthia. Pam has had a great time with little Alex and they have developed a very close bond. Here little Alex is in his halloween costume and he is obsorbed with the character "Optimus Prime." There's not much he doesn't know about cars and transformers which are his love!
On my last trip I crossed over the San Rafael Swell during a thunderstorm at about 7:00 am and the sights were pretty spectacular. That whole area takes on a whole new look when everything is wet and lightning is popping off all around you. The clouds and sunrise were beautiful.





I know it is very frustrating for Alex and Cynthia to see little Benjamin looking so healthy and well and yet he is very sick. This past week they took him off food again to give his colon a rest and to see if the antibiotics will kill the infection. If it does then they can put him back on milk again and probably go home soon. If not they will operate and install a colostemy bag for a couple of months until the colon is completely healed. That is obviously not the option we want to happen. Next Monday, the 27th of October is the day of reckoning. Please prayer for a miracle for this little boy.




Since these pictures were taken Benjamin has had a blood transfusion to replace blood that has been taken daily and his color is much more normal now. He is such a handsome little buy and Pam loves to hold him over his shoulder and in her lap for as long as Cynthia will let her. His beautiful hair and strinking eyes make him so handsome. Alex loves to see his brother and her are some pictures of him at the hospital with cousins.




Little Alex misses his mom a lot and it's nice when Cynthia can go home and spend a night in a normal setting with little Alex and big Alex.

I had an interesting phone call Monday evening last. When the stake reorganization appeared in the Church News a lady in Arizona recognized my name and called me several times and finally Monday we connected. She was a little 10 year old girl when I was in Australia on my mission and me and my companion taught her family and they were baptized and remained faithful and very active. There's now a posterity of 42 in the Edwards family, all active members of the church. What a wonderful visit. Leonie, that is the name of the little girl, wrote a letter to President Hinckley in 1997 when her mother said he was coming to Adelaide for an area conference. She detailed their families conversion and it is printed in the book Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, page 388. it certainly was a pretty amazing experience for me a 3 month old missionary - a defining moment! Well all of you have a good week and pray for little Benjamin.

Fall is Here!

Well it would appear like Fall is finally here in middle Utah. We are enjoying the cool nights and especially the colors in the mountains. With such a wet spring and pretty decent summer the leaves are beautiful. Last Friday, the 26th of September, Pam and I drove through Fairview Canyon from Huntington to Fairview and it was pretty spectacular. Andrew you would remember this canyon as the place Ralph Goddard and I took you Priests skiing one winter. The following are some of the pictures that I took. The most difficult challenge was picking which pictures to put on the blog!

Yesterday, the 30th of September Ann and Sherwood invited us to drive with them up Monroe Mountain. What was a beautiful day was only only dampened by the terrible condition of the mountain road. Probably the worst condition we have ever seen. But the trees were gorgeous and we even had some redness in the quaken aspen, which we have not seen before. We drove down the Koosharem side of the mountain and then up to Fishlake and the mountains were alive with color. From there we drove down the Fremont River canyon and over to I-70 and back home via Salina.

Pam was released from her stake calling last Sunday after a wonderful 3 1/2 years as Stake Relief Society President. She and her counselors did a wonderful job and will be sorely missed. Of course they aren't going anywhere, but you know what I mean. Now I can have her counsel full time and I will be needing it. We are looking forward to General Conference next week and hope everyone gets an opportunity to watch or listen to the various sessions.

Weekend of the 14th

This is a short narrative of the events of this past weekend and it's intended for my children. If you are not in the family I hope you can read it for what it is. Pam was in Denver and I missed her desperately despite the perfect assurance I had in my mind that nothing would happen regarding my call as stake executive secretary. For months I have had little twinges of "What If?" But I always put them behind me as nothing but listening to friends too much. That's a whole different story. I have been badgered for weeks about the change in the stake and I just wanted people to stop with it! I can't imagine anyone wanting to aspire to such a calling and I certainly did not.

When I met Elder Moon and Wood Friday evening the whole process began and they were wonderful. We had dinner as a presidency and wives with them at the Sagebrush Grill here in Monroe for the purpose of them getting to know us. Then Elder Wood and Elder and Sister Moon stayed with me in our home and they seemed to really enjoy being here. Sister Moon said it was just like going home. Saturday morning we had an hour long meeting with Elder Wood and Moon and they went over the process that would take place and the more they talked the more confident I was that nothing would happen with me. At 8:00 am the interviews began and we went all morning and into the early afternoon. They interviewed all the high council, bishops and past bishops and as I watched these men come and go I was amazed at how much talent and spiritual depth we had in the stake. Several times Elder Wood commented that we had the strongest high council he had ever seen. I don't know whether he was just flattering us or stating a fact, but they are wonderful men. Shortly after 2:00 pm I was in the clerks office with President Reid [the outgoing stake president] and Elder Wood and Moon came in and he said to me "This doesn't mean anything, but could we speak with your wife?" I can't begin to express the feeling that came over me. I knew what that meant and I almost broke down and couldn't hardly speak. I moved over to the phone and called Pam and when she answered I said "Elder Wood needs to speak with you." Well Pam had a conversation with Elder Wood and then I was called into the president's office and the call extended. My whole being screamed at me that I couldn't do this, but my mouth said "yes." They said some very nice things about me and the role I would play in the stake for the next few years. I just couldn't hardly contemplate it all. Well the next thing was counselors and strangely enough I knew who they would be and within 30 minutes they and their wives had been called interviewed and the presidency was set. They too were pretty overwhelmed and as we all met in the high council room for a few minutes they expressed their support to me and willingness to serve. The rest of the day was a blur as we went through priesthood leadership and the adult session but we got through the day and welcomed the arrival of your mother and Travis Saturday night. I can't tell you how much that helped.

Sunday morning the old presidency was released and the new presidency sustained and I don't know how the announcements were received throughout the stake, but I hope that we can be an effective presidency. When Elder Wood set me apart he gave such a wonderful blessing that I could hardly contain it. Hopefully the mantle will fall on me sometime. A special blessing for me was that Travis stood in the circle while I was set apart and that will always be a wonderful memory.

Now my children, I hope you know how much I love and appreciate each of you and the support you gave to me on sunday. You know all my faults and I hope and pray you will allow the power of the atonement to heal me also. I know that this calling will bless our family. I have already felt the goodness of the Savior in my life in special ways these past few days.

Love, Dad

Update for Pam

I apologize up front for those who look at this posting, for it is primarily to update Pam on what I am doing here in Monroe. I know most of you probably think that since I'm retired I sleep in till noon, go to Burger King for lunch and dinner and watch sports all night! Well some of that is true, but not all.

After a hard morning in the garden I came into the office to see about putting up the plaques and pictures that you and Johanna had laid out. The following pictures show the results of my work. I would have been watching sports on TV, but the cable has been down all afternoon. Some storm on Monroe Mountain!!!


I hope you like what I've done, if not we call always change it!