Are we born good?

Happy Birthday Todd

It was Todd's birthday yesterday on the 12th so if you haven't you might want to send him some birthday wishes. Hope you had a fun day.

The lastest from the Risers

DEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS,



PRESIDENT AND SISTER SMITH FLEW BACK TO BANGKOK MONDAY NIGHT. NOW WE WILL TRY AND PUT INTO PRACTICE ALL HIS ADVICE, COUNCIL, AND DIRECTION. OF COURSE, THERE IS OPPOSITION IN ALL THINGS. SO, THIS WEEK, JUST LIKE LAST WEEK AND THE COMING WEEKS, WE JUST KEEP ON TRYING “COME WHAT MAY.”

AN EXAMPLE: THIS PAST TUESDAY WE WERE PLANNING TO GO TO THE TEACHERS’ COLLEGE AND GET THINGS SET UP TO START TEACHING THERE THIS WEEK. IT NEVER HAPPENED, AND THINGS ARE ON HOLD UNTIL SOMEBODY TALKS TO SOMEBODY. AND, OF COURSE, THE EXCUSE IS THAT SOMEBODY IS BUSY.

ON WEDNESDAY WE MADE PROGRESS ON THE NEONATAL PROJECT WITH DR. BOUNNACK. WE HAVE A SHIPMENT COMING WITH SUPPLIES FOR OUR NOVEMBER TRAINING HERE IN VIENTIANE. WE WILL ALSO GO SOUTH TO CHAMPASACK. WE HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF MANY OF THE DISTRICT HOSPITALS AND THE HEALTH CENTERS.

THURSDAY WE WENT TO TWO OF OUR FORMER STUDENT’S SCHOOLS AND HELPED PUT UP PRACTICE BOARDS. THIS IS A VERY INEXPENSIVE PROJECT THAT ALLOWS US TO DO GOOD AND MEET A LOT OF PEOPLE.

SATURDAY WE WENT TO NONG KHAI, THAILAND, TO PICK UP A USED AIR CONDITIONER FROM A CHAPEL IN BANGKOK AND BROUGHT IT TO OUR CHURCH.. IT WILL BE WELL USED IN OUR NURSERY ROOM. THAT AFTERNOON WE HEARD A FIRE ENGINE NEAR BY AND SAW SOME SMOKE, SO WE VENTURED OUT. WE FOUND THE FIRE ENGINE FILLING UP WITH WATER FROM A FIRE HYDRANT. WE WALKED TOWARDS THE SMOKE. WE CAME UPON THE FIRE IN WHICH WAS FIVE HOMES WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. WE HAVE PICTURES. ALL NIGHT LONG I WAS THINKING OF HOW WE COULD HELP THESE PEOPLE. WE’LL SEE WHAT WE CAN COME UP WITH.

TODAY WAS ANOTHER GREAT DAY AT CHURCH. WE LOVE TO BE WITH THE MEMBERS. WE ARE WORKING AT CHANGING OUR HOME TEACHING PROGRAM. WE WILL STILL PASS OUT THE LIAHONA’S. PRESIDENT SMITH SUGGESTED THAT WE FOLLOW THE METHOD THAT THEY ARE DOING IN HONG KONG. AFTER CHURCH FOR ABOUT TWENTY TO THIRTY MINUTES THE BRANCH DIVIDES UP INTO HOME TEACHING FAMILIES OR DISTRICTS. EACH HAS A ROOM TO GO TO. THE ASSIGNED HOME TEACHERS COME IN TO THE ROOM AND GIVE A SHORT LESSON FROM THE LIAHONA’S FIRST PRESIDENCY MESSAGE, DISCUSS THE WELFARE OF THE MEMBERS, AND CLOSE WITH PRAYER. THE HOME TEACHERS THEN REPORT AND EVERYONE HEADS HOME. WE HOPE TO START THIS ON FAST SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. HONG KONG IS UNDER SOME OF THE SAME RESTRICTIONS WE ARE.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK--------IN ALMA 5:33 IT SAYS, “BEHOLD, HE SENDETH AN INVITATION UNTO ALL MEN, FOR THE ARMS OF MERCY ARE EXTENDED TOWARDS THEM, AND HE SAITH, REPENT, AND I WILL RECIEVE YOU.” THAT INVITATION IS TO EACH OF US---ALL MEANS ALL. THE INVITATION HAS BEEN GIVEN. WILL YOU (WE) ACCEPT IT?



LOVE,

DAD AND MOM, GRANDPA AND GRANDMA,

ELDER AND SISTER RISER, SCOTT AND JOLENE

Nice pictures of Steve kids

Steve,

Thanks for sending me the pictures I really enjoyed them. The kids are surely looking older all the time. I guess we are too.

Mom

Michelle Malkin » Nobel Prize winner, science pioneer, famine fighter Norman Borlaug, R.I.P.

Michelle Malkin » Nobel Prize winner, science pioneer, famine fighter Norman Borlaug, R.I.P.

I think this is the guy President Hinckley talked about once during conference.

Steve Podcast

Steve has been ordered to make a new Podcast. I am patiently waiting.

BYU vs Oklahoma

It is fair to say that BYU did not play all that great but they got the job done. I think
Bronco Mendenhall is right when he says he coaches better this year. Even an amatuer like me could tell they were making idiotic choices last year in their losses to Utah and TCU. I am glad to see that they brought the draw play back and they are not as predictable for opposing defenses. Sam Bradford the heisman winning quarterback for Oklahoma did not look like anything special to me. He looked like your run of the mill quarterback. Perhaps he was having a bad game. Ty Detmer was watching and so was Barry Switzer. I wonder if anyone interview Switzer about BYU after the game. No matter how good Kariya played BYU needs to get Harvey Unga back. There where several plays where Unga would have gained a lot more yards. Since prayer apparently works for football games I will now pray for Harvey's leg to heal in time for him to play against Florida State.