12 October 2025
VOLUME 13 – NUMBER 629
Bowling on Yarima’s birthday
Last week for my birthday, we went bowling at Jack and Jill’s. I am not a very good bowler, and Sevin always says he can’t bowl, but he beats us by a lot every time. Issac, Jen, Gloria, and Natalie joined us as well.
James ended up tripping, and the ball fell on his finger and almost broke it in half. It’s not really a party if something doesn’t happen, right? Even with that incident, it was still a fun time overall.
Itzel and Yaretzie are both playing recreational volleyball this year. Itzel had her first game this week, and they are really enjoying it.
Mattias
This week, one of my old college roommates, Morgan, who also happens to be Nate’s cousin, reached out and asked if I could cater a dinner for her work. I made a Café Rio–style meal for twelve people and included dessert. It was really fun to experience something like that since I enjoy being in the kitchen. It also paid really well!
Later in the week, Jennifer, Dennis, and Natalie came over to our house. We ate chicharrones that Selvin made, which were delicious. We also painted mini pumpkins with the kids and played outside. I’m happy we were able to do things like this while it’s still warm-ish outside.
On Friday, Natalie invited us to hang out at the new park a couple of blocks away from our house. We joined her and had a great time. Mattias especially enjoyed jumping off the edges that didn’t have any steps.
Kai’s birthday celebration
There was an incident involving a younger boy who was climbing on the outside of a tunnel slide. He sat at the very top, scared and crying for help, and one wrong move could have caused him to fall 30–40 feet.
A couple of men stood at the bottom telling him to come down, but Natalie immediately climbed the bars along the slide to help him. She almost fell herself but managed to grab on as she slipped.
Afterward, we found the boy’s mom, who told us that he is autistic. She thanked Natalie for helping him, and we were all relieved that everything turned out okay.
Gloria and Dad building new dog crates
This week was a really good and exciting one for me. I completed all of my appointments for my mission papers, including visits to the doctor and the dentist.
Those were the last things I needed to do, so on Wednesday night, before logging into my online class, I submitted my mission papers. I was super nervous, but afterward it was such a relief because I had been waiting for that moment
Now I just need to set up appointments to meet with my bishop and the stake president. We also had general conference this week, which was really nice.
Gloria and Emmett
On Thursday, my teacher told me not to take notes and instead just listen to the conference, since I could always go back afterward and take notes later.
I tried doing that, and it actually helped me pay better attention, although I did fall asleep sometimes. Still, I want to share my testimony with you all about general conference. I know God has sent apostles and prophets to help us gather Zion and find happiness in our lives.
General conference has helped me in so many ways and has helped me find answers to questions I’ve had. I can truly see the blessings that come from it. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Family watching general conference
This week was a ton of fun! I had a bunch of exams and tests, but luckily I passed most of them. Even though school was busy, I still had a great time overall.
A couple of my friends and I decided to go to the dunes near us. We set up a fire and roasted some s’mores together. I didn’t have any s’mores since I wasn’t very hungry, but it was still a really fun night.
The fire was really warm, which was nice because it was pretty cold. It lasted for a good while, and we enjoyed hanging out together. There was a ton of sand at the dunes, and we had to climb a really big hill to reach the spot where we set up the fire.
By the end of the night, my pants, shoes, and pockets were all full of sand. Luckily, I was able to get most of it out of my clothes so my room didn’t get sandy. After the trip, I got into my pajamas, watched a show, and then went to bed.
Kai watching general conference
This week, we celebrated the life of my maternal grandfather, Robert Heaton Barker. At 96 years old, he suffered a stroke and passed away in his assisted living home in St. George.
I will always remember my grandfather for his love of family, his sense of humor—he was always telling jokes—and his deep commitment to following Jesus Christ.
With his passing and President Russell M. Nelson’s occurring so close together, I’ve been pondering the life I want to live and what I want to be remembered for.
Pope family at ward Halloween party
I haven’t fully dialed that in yet, but I know I still have a lot of life left to figure it out. My grandfather lived a life that inspires me to be a better man, husband, and father.
The trip down to St. George for the funeral was not all sunshine and rainbows. Endia had a bad stomach virus earlier in the week and was constantly throwing up, leaving her pretty much out of commission. She started to feel better and, fortunately, was able to make the trip.
The night before the funeral, Owen got sick and was throwing up every few hours. During the luncheon, he managed to get his hands on some cookies, and about an hour later, he stained my entire shirt chocolate-chip-cookie brown. Yuck! Emmett and I seem to have avoided the sickness so far, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
Family watching general conference
Last week Gloria also got her wisdom teeth out, and it was kind of funny to see her when she came home. I told Troy and Quinn that I bet Gloria would be really emotional when she got back, and I ended up being right. She was still recovering from the anesthesia, and when she went to pet Mable, she would lift her arm and then let it flop onto her. It was pretty funny to watch.
It was the ward Halloween party, and I had no idea what to dress up as. Quinn and I came up with a lot of ideas, but Quinn really wanted us to be stormtroopers, so that’s what we did. I wore the plastic costume, and it was really hard to do things in it, especially going up and down the stairs.
Even so, it was pretty fun. We also went to Kaylee’s reception, which was really cool. She had a medieval theme, and it was awesome to see everyone dressed up and enjoying the activities.
Monte and Elder Gutierrez
This week was the end of the transfer, so my training days are over! My new companion is so great! He is returning to the mission field, and everyone was so excited to see him. I can already tell this is going to be a great transfer.
Also, Laura and Jesus did indeed get baptized—hallelujah! It’s a happy ending to the soap opera and a new beginning on the covenant path. I’m so happy for them and proud of the choices they made.
Unfortunately, the work was a bit slow this week because of transfers. However, we did find a new guy named Luis, and we were able to set a baptismal date with him for the 25th. He’s pretty awesome, and he even went to General Conference.
Watching general conference
General Conference was amazing as a missionary. I could really feel that every word was pure revelation, and it gave us new things to share with those we teach. My favorite talks were by Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Kevin G. Brown, and both focused on testimonies.
One of my favorite quotes from Elder Uchtdorf was, “The fire of yesterday’s testimony only burns so long.” We need to constantly work to build and strengthen our testimonies. My favorite quote from Elder Brown was, “A testimony is not given for temporary use.” We are meant to use our testimonies by sharing them with others.
This means sharing with your family, your friends, and even people you’ve never met before. Share your testimony of Jesus Christ, because He is truly what matters most in this life. My advice to all of you is to listen to and ponder the words of the leaders of the Church, especially from this General Conference. They receive direct revelation from God.
Monte on Isla Cozumel
This week, we had Elder Alton, the traveling AP, come down with us for the day, which was really cool. He goes home this week, so I’m glad we were able to work with him one last time.
We had our zone conference this week, and the day started off pretty rough. My companion, Elder Gutierrez, woke up with really bad neck pain, he asked me for a blessing. Although he was still in a lot of pain, and we made it to zone conference. Even though he was hurting, Elder Gutierrez kept a positive attitude, and God helped him through the rest of the day.
We may also several baptisms this weekend! One is with an hermano named Luis Enrique, and the second is with a boy named Eidan. Remember our recent converts, Laura and Jesús? A while ago, I wrote about their “son” and how amazing he was, but his mom moved away and we lost contact. Well, we found him again and got the signature from his biological mom, so he’s set to be baptized this Saturday.
Monte and Elder Fish at ruins
Now for an update on Estedania and Royer. We couldn’t get a hold of them at all this week, which was a big yikes. I was getting really worried, but God truly does perform miracles.
On Sunday, they didn’t come to church, so we decided it would be our last attempt to visit them. We went to their house and called out a few times, but no one answered. We decided to call them one last time, and as I did, I said a prayer and told God, “If we need to keep teaching them, let them answer right now.”
Right as I said “now,” we heard a noise, and Royer came outside. We finally have a lesson planned with them for today. We’re praying hard that everything goes well.
Kai “watching” general conference
Caleb
On Tuesday, the MTC Spanish area had a field day. We played some volleyball and other sports and had pizza. On Friday, I had a mission reunion; then later that night I went to a BYU football game.
General conference was really great as well. I liked how Elder Henry B. Eyring taught that God allows trials to happen to us in order to prove or strengthen us. I also like how President Jeffery R. Holland taught how God can bless us with anything, including things that we wouldn't consider as blessings.
As I was studying the gospel this week, I realized I wanted to strengthen my relationship with Grandma and Grandpa. I emailed Dad's parents and I texted Mom's. Then on Saturday, I went on a walk and called Grandma Sharon. It turned out that she was headed down from Montana for Kaylee's wedding, so on Thursday we planned to meet up at Chuck-A-Rama's.
After class, Grandpa Lin and Grandma Sharon picked me up. Ashton met us as Chuck-A-Rama. It felt so good to get to know them better and to learn about some stories of Mom as a child.
Kai removing Bunkhouse carpet
Kai
We had one last big basement project to get done this week. Dad asked me to remove the carpet from the Bunkhouse. First we had to move everything to the bathroom.
Then Dad repainted the Bunkhouse walls, and after we all helped Natalie with the flooring (that was one LONG day!) then I helped him use the sprayer to paint all the baseboards for the whole basement.
It was a lot of work, but when it was all finished, I think it looks really great. It feels like we have been working on one thing or another in the basement since the river trip!
Natalie, Troy, and Quinn laying flooring
We were tearing up the basement flooring while the kids watched a show. We had to move and carry heavy stuff quite a bit. It was tiring work, but we got a lot done. Then Kai cut the carpet and took it all out.
After the basement was empty, and all the stuff was in the bathroom, Natalie came and helped us put in new flooring. I helped flatten it down after Natalie put it in.
The Halloween party and Kaley’s reception were both great. The desserts were awesome.
Dad painting baseboards for basement
It seems like we have been working on upgrading the basement for months! The Cottage and Cottage Cove are completed, and we’ve reorganized the Bunkhouse closet and storage room. We even upgraded the school desks,
And now the final piece is in place. Natalie came over this week and helped us put in wood flooring throughout the basement. I can’t believe how hard she worked, and how long! She finished after midnight. Thank you so much, Natalie!
Bunkhouse with new flooring