Cheering and Serving..



Our Cheerleader - whoo hoo!!

The month is fast closing, and 'Fall' is definitely turning into winter.  We have spent the time in steady routine revolving around school, home seminary and particularly cheerleading!  Saturday, 12th November was spent at Douglas County High School in Castle Rock, south of Littleton for the 'Winter Classic' competition.  This involved a broader age range and attracted teams from all over Colorado.  The Divisions were larger, with the program covered a huge timetable.  This is an intense culture!  When Sarah told me some of her friends had been cheering for several years, I didn't really believe her, but now I understand.  There were teams from the All-Star clubs which have girls from about 6years old, right up to senior High School.  It was very impressive to watch them performing slick choreographed routines and clever stunt work, not to mention the somersaults and gymnastic components.  Being a cheerleader is a very prestigious role!

Initially, we dropped Sarah off, given the length of the afternoon and Rick & I went off and explored some of the outlet stores! (Now that was fun!!)  But after some time, we headed off to the High School gym and squeezed in to watch the afternoon performances.  The various levels of skills performed was very impressive to watch, with the competition being very fierce.  After a time, as an audience, we become expert back seat judges and can notice the missed timing, a fall or an incorrect lift.  You really have to admire these girls for their dedication, and personal strength which is both physical and emotional.  My eyes have been opened to this 'extra curricular activity' which is so much a part of the American culture.  Sarah's team performed very well, but unfortunately had one lift that was incomplete and combined with a slightly lesser overall team skill, they came in fourth position.  But very well done, this was a mighty effort against very different competition.

Sarah practising her back handspring, she will soon have it competition ready..

 

We are excited to have Elder Tom Bennallack enter the mission field and begin work in his first area of Ballarat.  He is having a challenging start to his mission but we are enjoying his enthusiasm and great desire to make a difference.  He has been blessed with an outgoing, courageous spirit which is being put to maximum use in Ballarat.  This is certainly a great period of personal growth for him..

I am reminded of a comment made by my boss a few years ago when our eldest son first left for his mission in Perth. He said something like, "it's a hard way to bring up your kid.."  I have often reflected on that over the years and wonder if many people not of our faith think the same thing. We must seem a strange people sending our kids out to knock doors and be subjected to daily abuse for the sake of religion!

Elder Tom Bennallack
Australia Melbourne Mission

 Our young men and women are encouraged to give a period of service if they desire to, and are worthy to.  Our young men serve for twenty-four months and young women for eighteen months. They submit a lengthy application and can be assigned to serve in any area of the world.   In my experience however, there is not one thing you can compell, force or make a teenager do if he or she does not want to.  And this especially applies to church and missionary service.  A young person is not going to give up personal time and pursuits in exchange for a regimented daily schedule and personal discipline unless they have a strong, personal conviction that what they are participating in is of great and significant worth.

Our beliefs centre on the reality of a Living Christ, that He lives and that His gospel that He established in the meridian of time was eventually lost as an apostasy took place.  This period is known as the Dark Ages where priesthood authority with prophets and apostles was taken from the earth.  A restoration of these things took place through the prophet Joseph Smith who was also instrumental in translating by the power of God an ancient record of former inhabitants of the American continent and Christ's visit to them.  This book was published as the Book of Mormon and is another Testament of Jesus Christ supporting the teachings found in the Bible.  This is a wonderful and powerful book that changes lives and enables us to draw closer to the Saviour.  Our young missionaries all have a personal and sure testimony of the truth of these things and especially the Book of Mormon, and God's plan for us.  It's a wonderful thing to know that we existed before we came to this earth and that life does not end when we die.  There is a plan for us that enables family relationships to continue. To better explain about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, visit http://www.mormon.org/  



Elder Jonathon Bennallack
 France, Lyon Mission

 

It's a difficult thing to do to part with your grown child, knowing that this part of their life is over, that you won't see them for two years!  However, they embark in a great endeavour and as a mother, I am blessed with a comforting assurance, like a constant warm blanket around my shoulders, that they will be kept safe and all will be well with them... (If you would like to see how they are going, check out the links on the side of this page!)

And so, I am in great awe of our young people who make this sacrifice in their busy lives to share this wonderful message of happiness.  It's not easy, not everyone wants to know, or shares the same curiosity about life, who we are, where we came from and where we are going.   I am so humbled to have three such valiant sons and just wanted to share that this is something that they very much wanted to do at this time, because they feel it's important and because they know for themselves...