From Bristol to Boise with Faith

  Original Map From Tom: A Raccoon Original Map From Andrew: A Saxophone

  From Tom: Our local ice cream charges an extra $0.80 for non-dairy options. This seems like a discriminatory practice against those who cannot consume dairy products.   In other words, it ’ s a lactose intolerance intolerance.   From Scott: What do you get when you cross an angry sheep with an angry cow?   Two animals in a baaaaaaaad moooooooood .

  From Doris: We will soon have another grandchild! Jonathan and Britta are expecting a baby girl who is due to arrive in early August. Greer came over this week and began designing a gallery wall for our master bedroom. I am going through this cancer journey with my best friend, Paul. I can feel spring is approaching.   We had snowy days as well as days filled with sunshine this week. We were able to go to the temple again. A dear friend came and visited me on Monday. We were able to have a video chat with our children on Saturday. All of our children were invited to join us. We do this once a month. Tomorrow I will have a monthly zoom meeting with my siblings.

  From Doris: Behold the Wounds in Jesus’ Hands   1.     Behold the wounds in Jesus’ hands, The mark upon His side, Then ponder whom He meant to save When on the cross He died. We cannot see the love of God, Which saves us from the Fall, Yet know that Christ from wood and nails Built mansions for us all. 2.     Behold the outstretched hands of Christ— Our Lord, who came to save— Whose love and grace redeem our souls And lift us from the grave. Though we are bruised whene’er we stray, His guiding hands caress. He washes and anoints with oil, And in His arms we rest. 3.     Behold the wounds in Jesus’ hands. Look to your Lord and live. He yearns to bless you with His love And all your sins forgive. Oh, empty is the heart of man When it is filled with sin. Come, open wide your broken heart And let your Savior in! 4.     Behold His wounded hands and feet! Come touch,...

  From Doris: We live in a time when medical assistance is readily available.

  From Doris: 1Nephi 18:16 Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions.

From Doris: Our family has walked 1700.39 miles to Bristol, England. Saturday seemed to be “take your mattress to the dump day.” Paul took our twenty-year-old mattress to the dump. There were four other people dropping off mattresses at the same time. Today we have a gentle breeze and I am able to hear my wind chimes. The mallard ducks are beginning their mating season. I was wrong. We still have wigeons in our ponds. A neighbor girl came to our door and asked if she could take snow from our front yard. She wanted to build a sliding hill in her front yard but did not have enough snow. Of course we said, “yes.” My sister introduced us to the book A Porcupine Named Fluffy. I have made 56 English paper pieced flowers. I need to make 130 to make the quilt top I have planned. Had we gone on our mission, we would have finished the first half of it by now. I am not yet halfway finished with my cancer treatment.  

From Doris  Gerrit W. Gong October 2025 General Conference   I invite us to worry less, judge less, be less demanding of others  —and, when needed, be less hard on ourselves. Let us trust the Lord more and choose joyfully to obey all His commandments.

  From Paul: Cycle 9 Week 4   Once again, I am impressed by how long this journey seems to be, but also, how quickly time flies. We have enjoyed watching some of the Olympics during the past couple of weeks. There were a couple of events that were really inspiring to me.   1.     Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) – Men’s 50 km Mass Start Classic. This amazing athlete scored four individual gold medals during the 2026 Olympics. This 50 km race was very impressive. For most of the race, he and his two fellow Norwegians were together in the first three spots, almost two minutes ahead of any other competitors. During the final lap Klaebo and his compatriot Martin Lowestroem Nyenget had paced themselves ahead of another compatriot, Emil Iverson. Klaebo and Nyenget traded turns taking the lead until the final climb of the final lap. The commentators mentioned that this stretch was named in honor of Klaebo, as the “Klaebo Climb”. And climb it he did! He po...