Theurer'd Yet?

https://theurerzimbabwemission.blogspot.com/2018/01/this-is-how-they-do-things-in-zimbabwe.html

That is the latest from the Theurers. They do a nice job of showing the unique culture through pictures and stories.

At the end are some quotes from President Monson, and this one got me pondering:

"God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the cities unbuilt. God gives us the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the songs unsung and the problems unsolved, that we might know the glories and joys of creation."

A Young Recovering Alcoholic Just Out of Law School ...

... resisted temptation and passed the Bar.

Way to go Dad! I edited it slightly, but I love it!

Quick note for Isaac: I just heard that Kori Anne Dryer just received a call to serve in the Italy Milan Mission.

Testimony meeting was really good today, and maybe the best part was that Miriam not only stayed for the entire meeting but also bore testimony. In fact, she was sitting with the Haruch family, and stood up at exactly the same time Andrew did to bear testimony. Way to go, Mirkat!

Small Town Boy

I found this short video about the how BYU is actually able to do volumetric imaging now -- super, super cool stuff. It is the next step beyond a hologram: like the image of Princess Leia that R2D2 displays.

Does anybody recognize the featured professor?

A Banana Walks Into A Bar ...

... full of ice cream, cherries and nuts and says "I think I better split."

That is a DVB original!

News items:

Missing Two Men

I have more "[enter person or thing here] walks into a bar" jokes, but I will skip it for this.

I thought I should pass a long the news that Keith Steindorf passed away Monday. I don't know if you remember him or not. He lived next to the Damitz family. He was a very nice fellow and I enjoyed talking to him the few times I did. I think Lucy rode one of his horses for Activity Days.

He had been in a nursing home for awhile, and just wasn't the same Keith.

A Dyslexic Fellow Walks into a Bra ...

You're welcome!

I found some videos I neglected, and thought you might enjoy them. They are posted to the Benge family blog. On Christmas Eve in 2016, we had a mini talent show. I wish I would have found them before Christmas to add some holiday cheer!

This is Lucy singing Silent Night.

This is Andrew singing O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

This is Lucy, Miriam and Hannah singing Joy to the World.

Enjoy.

Lucy, Miriam and Hannah 2016: Joy to the World

Andrew 2016: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Lucy 2016: Silent Night

Favorite: A Termite Walks into a Bar ...

... and asks, "Where's the bar tender?"

I think you all know that one. It is still one of my favorite jokes of all time.

I remembered what Esther said that made me laugh. I don't remember why I said it, but I was teasing Esther, telling her that I would have to sell her.

She disagreed, and asked, "Can we sell Miriam instead?"

A Tectonic Plate Stumbles Into a Bar ...

... knocking things over, and quickly apologizes, "Sorry! My fault!"

You're welcome!

Speaking of earth shattering news: I forgot to share a photo embarrassing myself. For the Nielson family candlelight Christmas party (which is what they usually call it every year, even though we typically leave out anything to do with candles), the theme was to dress as a favorite Christmas character:

A Guy Walks Into A Bar ...

... and sustains a mild concussion.

You're welcome.

I don't know why some of the Christmas photos didn't make it. I added them to the blog. They are here, here and here.

Champion of the Whirled

I forgot to report on this, but Rachel's team won the Layton Tournament for her age group. Her team was remarkable in that most of the players understood what was going on, and about three or four of them were really good shooters. 

Rachel didn't contribute much, but she did contribute. In fact, in the championship game (which was pretty close) tiny Rachel came up with a couple of key rebounds, stole the ball once and played pretty good defense.

When Large Objects Collide

Last week the Fryers gave us an old refrigerator. Last Thursday, I borrowed the bishop's hand truck and walked it from Fryers to our house. Our old garage refrigerator leaks condensed water inside, so we thought we would replace it.

Andrew walked in front of me to help me stay on the sidewalk. I pulled the hand truck, resting the fridge mostly on my chest. Gideon stabilized and pushed coming up the hill. 

Christmas Plunder Part III

Argh! Tain't frustration free packin', matey!

Christmas Plunder Part II

Is Hannah showing me her gift, or trying to give it away?

Christmas Plunder Part I

I should share some photos from Christmas morning. My tease this year was that Santa's reindeer were all sick so Santa wouldn't be able to come. I thought it was believable because there is a 24-hour flu-like illness that has been slowing going through the family. Joshua was the latest victim, throwing up just yesterday but feeling fine today.

Andrew was super sick the day before Christmas with the aforementioned bug. Isaac and I gave him a blessing, and I blessed him to recover quickly, but not long after the blessing Andrew passed out in the bathroom and banged himself up a little bit before we could unlock the door and get him out. Kind of scary! 

So a Dung Beetle Walks into a Bar ...

... and asks, "Is this stool taken?"

You are welcome.

Not having a missionary out makes me lazy(er). There are a few news items I should share, and I will, I think, split them into two or three emails (and blogs), for easy consumption.

Images You Might Want to See

This took Andrew awhile to draw.

Hardware Wars

First a Sith Dishwasher, and now a Dark Lord of the Furnace. I am glad we are OK financially. If this continues, we won't be!