Report via Mike

Well, I don't know if anyone is reading this blog anymore but I will keep posting as a journal entry anyway. This week Mike got to write up our summary and I don't have any pictures so here's Mikes letter.

We Stone's thought you might like the European view of life for us this past week so I (Mike) am writing to you all from Stuttgart Germany - home of the Daimler-Benz (better known as Mercedes) company and more importantly Ritter Sport Chocolate company. For you auto enthusiasts there are also Porsche factories here.

Anyway, thanks to DSN phone connections and Skype I am able to keep up with the rolling CO Stone's exploits on a daily basis. This week was no different than most for us. School was in full force all week long with full schedules each day. Some of the high points of the week though. On Monday, all of the family went to Country Buffet for dinner using some coupons the kids had from a summer reading program - no dishes for anyone! The first real challenge was surviving Tuesday. That is the day for Soccer, Scouts, Activity Days, and Young Women for the older kids. Things went whirlwind fast but fairly smooth for everyone as Mylinda handily moved the schedule along. Wednesday was a little lighter schedule revolving mostly around piano lessons for everyone. Myna did get the kids together and head to Ammon and Allison's for a look at some cabinetry to keep things lively though. Thursday was dance class for the big girls and Michael had a carpool ride to soccer. Also, in keeping with the financial crisis of the rest of the world, the Stone's once again did a financial reality check (budget work) to find the Stone family industrial average down several hundred points - not at an all time low though. Okay, just trying to make doing the budget into a fun headline for you all. Then on Friday ,there she sits, my amazing wife, casually taking control of 7 children, 3 different dance schedules, home schooling, a birthday party, two little fellas that need their mom's attention, directions for our Alli to tend to the garden and oh by the way casually mentions that she canned 7 quarts of beans in all of that spare time she has, mowed the lawn too. I did not even mention that all of this happened while she was dealing with a terrible headache - as if the craziness were not enough.

While Myna and the kids were keeping up with that crazy schedule, I had spent the day with the USO touring the Mercedes museum - 8 stories of history dating back to 1887 or so when this Daimler guy souped up his horse carriage and Benz built a over sized tricycle and motorized it down to the speedster versions of today. Do you know that they have cars for sale in their show room that cost 500,000 Euro! Works out to 3,000+ Euro per month in payments. Then on Saturday the CO Stones did cleaning, pulled out the garden, went to soccer games, got ready for Sunday and talked to me when I returned from a USO trip to Prague in the Czech Republic. I went on a bus that left at 0100 on Sat morning and got us home again at 0130 on Sunday morning. Prague is a beautiful old city with things that date back to the 1300s still in use today and beautiful views of the city from the castle courtyard. Pictures will be coming soon.

And here we are now on Sunday. I had a fun time at church where I found some folks that know Sperry here and others who had mutual friends with me from Florida or went to my Student Ward in Logan before my mission. It is truly a small world in the church and military circles. After speaking with Myna and the kids it seems that church went okay today and all is well for them there.

I am richly blessed to be a part of such a wonderful family and to be in a safe place while I serve our country. I plead with all of you to pray for our country though and then act on those prayers. There are evil forces afoot that will ruin all that we hold dear if we do not get actively involved. Satan is working hard to gradually poison our society and us with things like gay marriage and other acts that rationalize away truths we hold dear. Please be sure to cast you educated votes in the elections this year and let's do our part to be answers to prayers to preserve the truths that keep our families safe from the forces of evil.

I heard a story today from George A. Smith. A traveler observed a city the was full of riches and lavish things and said to his guide that this city must be very righteous as he could only see one small devil there. The guide said on the contrary, this was the most wicked of places and was so bad that it only took one small devil to keep it evil. Then the traveler observed an old man laboring under a hard burden to climb up a hill. This man was surrounded by 7 huge, mean devils. The traveler observed that here must be a very wicked man to which the guide respond that this was the only righteous man in the city. The large devils were enlisted to move him from his path of righteous and for all of their size could not. Let's not be a part of the city that his being led with a flaxen cord on paths that lead far from home.

We sure do love you all and count ourselves richly blessed to be part of such a wonderful family. May the Lord bless each of us with the strength to exercise our faith as we turn to him to make our burdens light that we may be able to bear them. Love the CO and Stuttgart Stone Family.