20-Year Germany Frankfurt Mission Reunion

On May 4, 1988 I entered the MTC. Amazing to think that it's been 20 years! More than any other job or calling, I loved learning and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm anxious for the day when I can have that full-time job again. (Sorry future grandkids: So long as I'm healthy, you may not get to see much of me!)

I served under the presidency of David and Anne Wirthlin and was thrilled to see them at the reunion last Thursday. The first half of my mission I served under Christian and Karma Vikari; they were unable to attend the reunion. During my mission, I served in 11 cities with 20 different companions. The cities included Darmstadt, Friedberg, Koeln, Pirmasens, Frankfurt, Idar-Oberstein, Karlsruhe, Krefeld, Sohren, Kaiserslautern, and Dortmund. My companions were Smith (Mark), Reynolds, Gansauge, Tatton, Wimmer, Mostert, Colton, Ford, Wares, Schmidt (Dean), Doud, Cooper, Furlong, Gibson, Cook, Seamons, Sparkawk, Sanft, Johns, and Knight. I couldn't believe that out of 20 companions, only one showed up at the reunion! It was sure good to see Brian Seamons, though.

The pictures I took on my mission are slides. The reunion may have been nostalgic enough to inspire me to dig out those slides and scan them so that I can make an electronic slideshow. I'd like my children to be able to readily identify with my mission experience, so I think I'll do that this weekend.

Evadyna Hart Laurence (1909-2008)

Grandma (Evadyna Hart Laurence) lived to be 99 1/2 years old. Grandpa (Elmer) passed away 15 years ago. Now they're together again. Last Sunday night I got a call from Mom that Dad was at the hospital with Grandma because she'd had an aortic aneurysm. On Monday, Melissa, the kids, and I went to the funeral of our good friend, Dirk Roberts. Just after his funeral we went to visit Grandma in the hospital. She seemed quite pleased to see the red-headed twins! She passed away two days later on the 17th--Constitution Day.


Grandma's funeral was on the 24th; I read her obituary and offered a brief message. After a quick lunch, we proceeded to Richmond for the interment. Afterward, we went to Uncle Bruce and Aunt Alta's in Logan for a wonderful dinner where we were able to visit with a number of cousins, aunts, and uncles. It was nice to see so many relatives; many came from long distances. Just before returning home, we went to the Logan temple grounds. It was neat because we were able to tell the kids that this was where their Grandma and Grandpa Laurence--my dad and mom--were married.


I think Renee's wedding was the last time my entire family was together, so even though it was only for one hectic day, it was good to be together again. Funerals offer clarification on life's most meaningful things; we've been to two in the past two weeks. It's nice to know that families can be together forever.

Cougar Football

Sports is like a drug; it is absolutely addicting. For years I spent 3, 4, sometimes 5 hours every weekend watching sports. Then one day I just stopped caring so much. Don't get me wrong: I’m not entirely uninterested in sports. I do enjoy the drama of good competition, and I’m even interested in how some teams perform (such as BYU), so I’ll watch things once in a while. When Regan called the other day with an offer for tickets to go watch BYU wax Wyoming, I thought it would be fun, especially since Clayton could come, too.


It was a fun afternoon with Regan, London, and Clayton. We parked at the Marriott Center and walked to the stadium. BYU crushed Wyoming 44-0. Clayton and London seemed to have a lot of fun together, and I enjoyed the time with them and Regan, too.


I also enjoyed answering question after question for Clayton. He wanted to know the intricacies of the game. He's quite excited about it all, which reminds me a bit of me when I was growing up and friends dubbed me "Mr. BYU." Lately, I've grown dangerously close to an inability to recognize names of star athletes, and now my son is just starting to get interested! I just really hope he doesn't get so consumed as I did. Since I stopped almost five years ago, I have really felt free. I didn't see that stuff as an addiction then, but now it is clear to me that it was. Even so, Goooooo Cougars!

Simultaneous Soccer and Football

I'd rather watch Clayton play a game than sit at the Super Bowl 50-yard line on the front row! When Clayton played soccer a year or so ago, people regularly commented about him because he grinned from ear to ear and giggled the entire game. It was so obvious he was having the time of his life that people couldn't help but notice. It was pure joy to see his delight. He seems to be enjoying himself as much this year, but his competitive streak is starting to show.


There is a great deal of obsession with sports in our culture. To me, the pressure some parents put on kids to perform undermines the joy of playing. Sometimes I watch and listen to fathers (and mothers) willing their sons to stardom, yet when I look at the field, I just see a kid trying to have fun. I think to myself that if the pushing doesn't stop, the kid is likely going to stop having fun soon.


I confess that when Clayton scores touchdowns, goals, and baskets my pride swells a bit, but for the most part I am just genuinely excited to see him discover the thrill in it. It fuels his fun, and it is so much fun to see his fun. I really don't want to focus on whether he performs well or wins; I just want him to enjoy what he does.


This year, Clayton is playing soccer and flag football, and it is wearing us out! His practices and games are back-to-back and on opposite sides of Utah Valley. It is hectic keeping up with his schedule, but it is really great to see him enjoying himself so much.

I was REALLY frustrated about the play in the video; the ref thought someone got Clayton's flag, but no one had, and he zipped down the sideline to score . . . only to bring it back since the ref blew the play dead. Still, I bit my tongue. Just keep on running, Clayton!

Grandpa Laurence's Hudson

Grandpa Laurence is restoring a Hudson. The kids all think that is really cool because Doc Hudson from the movie Cars is a Hudson. I bet it won't be too long before he finishes working on that car. The kids are looking forward to dragging State with Grandpa, and so am I! I have a feeling there will be a future blog post about that.

Grant's Baptism

Clayton and Grant are great buds. It's nice that our kids are able to be so close to their cousins. We went to Grant's baptism and then to Kevin and Patrice's house for a family get-together.

Kevin and Patrice are responsible for Melissa and I meeting; they have an amazing matchmaker record. We always enjoy visiting with them, and after Grant's baptism, we ended up just hanging out all day talking about a myriad of subjects. It was an enjoyable day.

The cousins pair up well: Clayton was thrilled to spend the day with Grant; Morgan with Klara; and Mackenzie and Madison with Mette.

Be Kind to Your Parents

Over the summer, Mackenzie, Madison, and Clayton took singing lessons. Just after our vacation to Southern California they had a recital. They sang a number of songs and sounded great!

Be kind to your parents, though they don't deserve it! Those are the words to the song you can listen to if you play the following video. The song is cute, and the kiddos are even cuter (but I sure do wish that lady in the front row wasn't in the way)!

Be kind to your parents, though they don't deserve it.
Remember they're grownups--a difficult stage of life.
They're apt to be nervous . . . and overexcited,
Confused from the daily storm and strife.

Just keep in mind, though it sounds odd, I know--
Those parents once were children long ago: Incredible!
So treat them with patience, and sweet understanding,
In spite of the foolish things they do.

Some day you may wake up, and find you're a parent too!