From Sister Gibby's letter after her first week in Tucson. " I'm covering the Corona and Cienega ward here in Tucson, AZ. It is not really hot here at all, which is a pleasant surprise. The people here are great an love having sister missionaries. This is their first time ever having them in this ward, so they are super excited. The Activity day girls put together massive bags of stuff for us which was sweet. There was lotion, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, food, etc. Basically it was like Christmas in August." I am excited to have a daughter serving a mission. When my youngest son, Jonathan, leaves for a mission in about a year I will have had all four of my children serve missions. With that and two children already married in the temple, I am truly blessed as a father.

It has been almost three years, but I am back. My children guilted me into resuming my blog. My daughter, Sarah, recently left to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and this is a way she can stay in touch with our family and I can share her experiences as a missionary to a wider audience. It doesn't seem like much has happened in the past three years, but in fact it has been full of life changing events and experiences. I now have two married children, a daughter serving a mission, a son in dental school and a daughter-in-law in medical school, two new dogs and new chandeliers in my dining room and entry. As I was looking back at some of the pictures I posted previously, my grass looks better but I have definitely not kept up with my flower gardens the way I should. For the 6th year in a row I am planning to hike Deseret Peak before the end of the summer. I just can't let this be the 6th summer that I fail to complete that goal. I just hope that I am fair enough shape to make the hike. I've spent more time in the car running around to functions with family and friends and far less time at the gym on the treadmill. To be honest, I didn't think I would still be living in Tooele at this point in my life. I bought a house here seven years ago to facilitate getting my family here and the kids in school. We thought that we would build a house closer to Salt Lake or move to the Salt Lake Valley. Now it is feeling more and more like we will be forever and forever in Tooele (the high school fight song). So, for better or for worse, I am back. I'm not sure anybody cares but me. It does feel good to have a presence on line. In its own way, it makes me feel like a bigger part of the world.

Elder Gibby is a Zone Leader

This is the text of an email we received from Jordan's Mission President yesterday.

"Dear Gibby Family,

"We are excited to tell you about the growth and strengthening of a great soldier of the Lord—your son. He is a young man full of faith and desire to serve our Lord with all his heart, might, mind and strength. In him we see that his parents have taught him the ways of the Lord.

"He reminds us of the Sons of Helaman, as described in the Book of Mormon: “And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold this was not all – they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.” (Alma 53:20-21).

"Just like Helaman, we have been exceedingly happy because of the efforts and righteousness of faithful missionaries like your son. The missionaries are doing a great work among the Brazilian people, fulfilling our purpose which is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

"Elder Gibby is currently serving as Zone Leader. The responsibilities of the Zone Leader, among others, are to train, to follow up, to motivate, and to inspire the District Leaders led by him, so those leaders will be able to train the other missionaries.

"You can be assured that we will take care of your son as if he were our own son. We thank you once again and pray that the Lord’s blessings be with you.

Sincerely,
President Pavan
Brazil Porto Alegre North Mission

Is it really November in Utah?

While we've had a few snowfalls we haven't had a hard frost yet so here it is the 7th of November and I still have beautiful flowers blooming in my yard. I think that it is all going to change tomorrow...

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Elder Jordan Gibby - October 26, 2010

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Elder Jordan Gibby - October 12, 2010

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Elder Jordan Gibby - September 21, 2010

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Elder Gibby's "favorite" dogs

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That looks like a GOOD meal!

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Reminds me of living in Guatemala

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Elder Jordan Gibby - September 14, 2010

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Kind of looks like a BP station. I'm not sure what the gorilla is for, but it is big!

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Elder Gibby made this birthday cake for his brother, Jonathan.

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Could this be Rick Farnsworth secretly living in Brazil?

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This is why I miss having Elder Gibby around.

The Wedding

Jared and Britney were married on August 14, 2010 in the Mesa, Arizona Temple. It was a beautiful ceremony. It was, however, much hotter outside the Temple than I am used to. It was about 112-115 F when we were taking pictures. We had our open house on August 28, 2010 after their honeymoon. It was windy (gale force), but calmed down during the openhouse. Sherrie did a fantastic job planning for the open house and decorating, in spite of the wind. I was truly amazed how nice everything turned out. I guess we will hear from the newlywed couple in about 6 months or so....

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Elder Jordan Gibby - August 31, 2010

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Papaya was one of my favorite fruits in Guatemala.

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Still having fun with the 7x7 Rubiks Cube.

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The new, modern form of missionary work.

Elder Gibby received the "dog whistle" that I ordered for him. I found it on ebay and had it shipped directly from China to Brazil. It is an electronic device that emits a high pitch frequency that is audible to dogs (they don't like it). "The dog whiste is kicking theses dogs backsides. I have already trained all the dogs in our entire neighborhood when they see our clothes they start to run away cause I always use it when they start barking. It works like a miracle!" Elder Gibby enjoys working at the District Leader and trainer for his companions. "I am helping out my comp to get a little more excited about working on the mish."

I am proud of the excellent missionary and hard worker that he is.

Elder Jordan Gibby - August 24, 2010

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Elder Gibby's big new of the week was that he received his 7x7 Rubik's cube. He must have a brain more powerful than a supercomputer because he has already solved it more than a half dozen times. He continues to love his mission and enjoys serving as the District Leader.