03

The cold has come quickly here. Applecloud greeted us with the seasons first frost the first night we slept here. Of course, that was over 2 weeks ago now. We have been blessed with a warm, very comfortable home which has kept us very protected from the cold and brought us happiness. We barely even felt that first frost and we haven’t felt the cold since. It is truly beautiful here. It’s unlike anything we have ever seen. Everything is so crisp and clean; the gardens are full of trees and flowers I’ve only ever seen in photos of England. It’s like this timid mountain village – the streets are covered with dried leaves. Spouts of smoke scatter through the greenery, like dusky puffs of warm fog settling around gratefully warm timber cottages.  The wood here is dry; it splits clean and doesn’t fight. The clouds here are always heavy and large – they hang low and set deep. We are so high up, it feels as though we could rake our fingers through them, and lick a finger-full of white cotton-candy. We haven’t had a storm yet, but I expect them to be violent. Everyone speaks with a native drawl – like a dialect that only mountain ears can interpret. It’s hard to hide our origins, when we can hear our humid, damp coastline accent conflicting with the dry, crackling inflection of these mounties. The sun is warm. The trees aregraceful. Every morning is blanketed in a swell of mist; I wake each morning, and the air itself seems grey, and I am left convinced that today will be a rainy day. And yet, an hour later, the sky is clear blue. Water blue. It makes me miss Redwater, sometimes. The ocean. The seamist there, instead of this forest mist. And yet, that no longer feels like home. Here is our home. Our Heavenly Father loves us very much.   Since arriving here, we have been blessed immensely. Some of those things can be spoken for – others, seem like unexplainable blessings. Blessings that shouldn’t physically calculate as possible and yet, somehow, they are present. We were given a car; something that we were in dire need of, and having no possible way to buy one for ourselves any time in the near future, this was nothing short of an answered prayer. The car is beautiful too – Xanthe has never owned a car so well maintained. We are so very happy with it – and to those who gave it to us, thankyou from the bottom of our little hearts. We were also given some firewood, which helped immensely in the first week until we were settled enough to go and find our own. We were visited by family, and had a wonderful saturday together, enjoying talents, time and company. Xanthe was given a gift from our nephew, which to this moment, still hangs proudly on our fridge. It may not seem like much, but that little gift is something we are still all the more grateful for. I have witnessed my best friends marriage to a wonderful man. I have had the opportunity to spend time with other best friends of mine and tore-establish connections with some of the dearest friends i have ever had. Xanthe’s work has also come swiftly. Already he has worked a whole week – there were no distressed afternoons, noangered conversations about mistreatment, just his smile and his satisfaction in knowing that he was handsomely providing for his family, with the smile that only comes with a man’s faith in his employment security. He was very pleased with his first pay; although it was only half a week’s worth, it was very generous. We thanked Heavenly Father tearily. For the first time in his life, I could say that my husband is satisfied with his job, his abilities, himself, his life,his home, his food, his pay, his progress. This job has already given him so much confidence and allowed me the stress reduction I needed – and the time I need to become a better wife and prepare myself to be the mother of xanthe’s children. It is wonderful, to be able to get up each morning with him, and help him get ready for work, then send him off to a place where his employers acknowledge him as a human being with a spirit, not another machine they are fuelling with a paycheck. I have wanted nothing more than to know he is at peace with his role, with his position. And in his infinite wisdom and love, Heavenly Father has guided us here, to Applecloud, to this job, to happiness. A happiness that I feel may last, this time. Nothing makes me happier than to see my husband happily returning from work; with none of his spirit broken. To welcome him home and know that the simple things I can now do for him will be enough to comfort him and make him happy. Knowing that now I have a small chance to make home his heaven. Our Heavenly Father loves us very much. Our home and lives have been blessed with all we could want, and our home has now been blessed with the presence of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the keys of which have just been conferred to Xanthe just this Sunday passed. He was called and he was chosen. I had been waiting for this day, looking forward to it with hope and almost dreamyambitions. I can’t describe how proud of him I am. If only the world had seen that moment, when his fathers hands, andmy fathers hands, and our bishops hands were lifted from Xanthe’s head. Xanthe was brighter. He wasn’t just illuminated – he was pure illumination. Something about him changed. Something was so sweet in his countenance, I watched on in some kind of awe. his face changed. The light in his eyes deepened. I knew I was with someone who had not just received, but been touched. He told me, when we left the room - “I did feel a little bit different – straight away. I didn’t think I would.” We enjoyed that day thoroughly, and it will forever be a memorable one. We enjoyed spending the afternoon with our parents. It is always nourishing for our souls to see them and spend time with them. I had also presented Xanthe with a few gifts – two Priesthood-centered novels by Robert L. Millet, which I printed and bound myself. I also gave him a vial with his initials and the words “responsibility – service – sacrifice” engraved in it’s shaft. These words are words Xanthe had earlier responded with when I asked him to tell me three words he would use to describe the Melchizedek Priesthood. Finally, I gave Xanthe a printout of Melchizedek Priesthood ordinance instructions, which I laminated and folded down to wallet size. He seemed pleased. Returning home that night was a treat. Not only had we missed our home, but we felt we had brought home something of incredible value to now reside within its walls. Something we had to now share with our home, and everything within it. The Spirit in our home has changed. Evolved. progressed. I have a different kind of love for my husband that i never knew existed. A respect and agratitude. Not only for his ability to provide for his family financially, but now he leads us spiritually and morally. With this Priesthood presence I sense in him, comes a sense of protection and order. Order to the chaos which is life; and asanctuary from with within our Priesthood empowered home. Our beautiful home. Xanthe consecrated his first vial of oil that night. After something to eat, and a shower, my new, exhausted - but uplifted Melchizedek Priesthood holder, fell fast asleep. I stayed awake and watched him for a while. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much. Our dogs have been introduced to their new home – and they seem pleased. There were of course a few kinks to begin with; holes in the fence that we very quickly became aware of. The neighbors dogs and children & our dogs struggling to get used to them, and, of course – the drastic reduction in their yard size, going from 2 acres to 1/5th of an acre. But for the most part, they seem happy. Cold, but happy. running, chasing, play fighting. Lux particularly loves tearing around the yard in circles while trailing a flurry of crispy, dry autumn leaves in his wake. Nix loves standing on the brick window sill while peering in through the window at us. Both enjoy a long sleep in their blanket on the sun-drenched patio; especially in this cold, it seems they can’t be bothered for playing, or for escaping under the fence. They would much prefer to bury themselves in their blanket, or a makeshift blanket of leaves, and sleep the day by. There is a sense of calm here. In our whole family and our wholehome. Right down to the very last dried autumn leaf. And our Heavenly Father does love us so much. It seems like we have been doing everything the hard way up until this point – and that wasn’t always our fault. Infact,most times, we were simply forced into doing this the hard way, having had no better option or no choice in the matter. There were times when we, and particularly, I became angry with Heavenly Father. At times, I was bitter, I was resentful. We both went through stages and periods of feeling alone and abandoned. But, I think, that just because we are angry with Heavenly Father doesn’t mean He doesn’t exist. It doesn’t blot him out from our lives. It doesn’t remove him from life. We have tried very hard to centre our lives on Christ, and in just 6 months our life has completely turned around. It was a hard road, and it still is. But we have hope. We have all we need. All we could have ever wanted. Our Heavenly Father loves us so very much. Of course, there are still unresolved issues that lay stress on us; work is still a burden on me as I continue to emberafter burning out. Our internet has not yet been connected after 2 weeks of waiting and my clients are growing moreimpatient to see their photos each day. And our sealing is yet to be planned; and the funding and time for planning to be found for that. But, His eye is on the Sparrow.  Our little wings can only flutter in plea for His help. And enjoy the love we share in between.

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