Dear Mom and Pops,
Michael and Mona took us to Middleton Plantations last Monday. Oh my goodness, those Southern marquis know how to landscape! UNBELIEVABLE! I understand Gone with the Wind on a completely different level now. It helped having Michael, a true dyed-in-the-wool Southern boy, talking about the great evil known as Yankees the whole time too. So funny! Also, Jane Austen did not describe the gardens she would always have her characters wander around, be proposed to, etc. with any kind of accuracy. Shame on her! I guess she never imagined a time when her gardens would not be something universally known to her audience. That's a real shame too. It was a very cool experience, because there was a special spirit about the place. It made me feel nostalgic for a time and a lifestyle that I had never been a part of! The magic was tarnished a bit after we visited the slave quarters. There was a long list of slaves and their price. I was saddened to see the value of a human life diminished to such paltry sums, especially knowing that each had been paid for with an infinite and atoning price.
We also had a Specialized Training Meeting. It was awesome. My favorite part was the video clip that President Holm showed us. It was a football clip, so not usually my favorite :) but it left an impression. In it, a football team was practicing to go against the best team in the area, and one member in particular had a foul attitude about it and was derogatory about their ability to win. So the coach called him out and told him that he was going to have to do the "death crawl". The death crawl: a person has to crawl across the field without letting his knees touch the ground, while carrying another player on his back. It looked painful. But anyway, the Coach asked him how far he thought he could go and the player said 20 yds maybe 30. The coach just told him to give his best, his very best and then proceeded to blindfold him. So he starts to death crawl and the coach is yelling encouragement. He starts out fast and gets slower and slower. His arms are shaky, and every step looks agonizing. But it was cool to see him continue on, long after his body told him to stop. He eventually collapsed, right at the end zone (distance 100 yds, I think). Even though he was sweaty and the coach's yelling was anything but peaceful, it was still beautiful. I don't know if that makes sense. But it was beautiful to watch someone realize that their potential as so much more than they thought it was. I think that is true of all of us. I know that I am guilty of limiting myself, but I also believe that the Lord hasn't given up on me and that He is kindly yelling encouragement. He knows what we are capable. He knows the person we can become and the great things that each of us are capbale of accomplishing. We can do hard things. And that is a beautiful thing!
Bishop Schlegal invited us over to his home for Easter. He had an Easter basket all ready for us and even had his kids hide eggs for us! It was a lot of fun, even though the Elders trounced us on the Easter egg hunt :) I also got the package. THANK YOU! I love that shirt and wore it twice this week. Don't tell anyone ;) But you really can't send it to my apartment. It is going to get me in trouble! It has got to go to the mission home. I loved the limmerick, Dad! Even though it did make me cry :)
I know that Christ lives. I know that because of Him, we will all live again. I love you all and am so grateful that we willalways be a family.
Sister Daniels
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