Dearest Children and Grandchildren,We are happy to have the Round Robin again come to our home. We have had lots happening since Thanksgiving time when we last wrote.
We enjoyed so much our mission in Nauvoo. We were privileged to be involved in lots of different activities. We especially enjoyed the 4 ½ months spent at Carthage and the opportunity to bear testimony of Joseph Smith many times each day in the Martyrdom Room as we gave tours and felt the spirit of Carthage. It was great having Camille serve with us as a Young Performing Missionary during the summer. When we were transferred to Nauvoo we were able to give tours in about 25 different sites. Our assigned schedule would have us going to a different site each day. We enjoyed giving the message about the faith of those early pioneers at each site and the opportunity to bear our testimonies. I especially enjoyed being the narrator for the wagon rides around old Nauvoo. The last several months of our mission we were called to deliver the mail to the different mission offices and to about 150 missionaries. Dad got to drive the mission mail van. We were blessed to be called to work in the Nauvoo
Temple each Saturday during the winter. I felt especially close to our ancestors that sacrificed so much in Nauvoo and followed the prophet giving us the legacy we enjoy today. I am so grateful for a living prophet today and the guidance he gives us the same as the prophets did during those early days of the church. How blessed we are to live in this dispensation when the gospel is restored in his fullness.Since returning from our mission in April we have been busy with three grandchildren being married in three different temples, two
grandbabies and two great grandbabies being born, two grandchildren graduating from High School, etc.In July we enjoyed the Book of Mormon Cruise with my six siblings and their companions. Most of all we enjoyed the good visits we had together. Before beginning the cruise in the Gulf of Mexico we had a reunion in Texas at Uncle Arnold’s and Aunt Nena’s home and all had family names for our endowment session and sealing after in the Houston Temple. . You have two uncles that are Temple Sealers—Uncle Arnold in the Houston Temple and Uncle Rey in the Snowflake Temple. We also enjoyed going to the Space Center and to the Chcken Itza ruins in Mexico.
We went from the cruise to Aspen Grove where Melvin and Joann and their families treated us to a fun week of family activities and lots of fun memories
We didn’t even come home before going to our family reunion in Loa, Utah. It was wonderful to have 85 of our children, their companions, grandchildren and great grandchildren together.
Thanks for all the effort you all made to be with us and for the great memories. We are so blessed with all the good things you are doing.
We just returned from a fun trip to Snowflake and on to Brentwood near Alpine to attend the Ray Richardson Family Reunion. At the Richardson Reunion is was great to have Dad and his four brothers all there. They all gave great talks on Sunday. We also had a great family history meeting about our heritage and a wonderful program giving tribute to Uncle Marion who recently died and his wife Aunt Elaine.Along with the fun we have had some challenges. Dad is having some severe health problems. We came home a couple of weeks early from our mission because of his dizzy spells and loss of memory. These have increased. He has had an MRI and all kinds of tests and the doctors still are not sure the cause of his problems. Dad had cataract surgery on one eye a couple of weeks ago and will have it on the other eye in about a month. This seems to have helped his vision. Now if we can just determine how to fix the other problems. He now seems to have dizzy spells every day along with head aches and is losing weight. We are trying to keep him from being depressed as we continue to seek answers to his health problems. Thanks so very much for your prayers and for all of your help and your interest as you visit or call often. Please continue to think of ways to stimulate your Dad so that he doesn’t get depressed.
I close my contribution to the Round Robin letting you all know of my testimony that if we live the principles of the Gospel we will be blessed. I hope that you are remembering your prayers, attending your meetings, paying your tithing, having home evening , going to the temple, following our Prophet and living the Gospel.
Lots of love, Mother, Grandma Lavona Richardson
