Our new life

We miss Mongolia

Helping our children. With our home being leased out until July 1, we have an opportunity to help each of our children. We’ve tried some home improvement projects (backyard garden, table restoration) in St. Louis for the homes of our two daughters who live here.

One family has a house they are rehabbing for sale. The yard and backyard needed a lot a work – my job. Darlene and Tassa worked at painting the inside of the house. It involves a lot of stress and strain on muscles we haven’t used in a while. It felt good to be busy, especially after being so focused on our mission.

Bonding with grandchildren. The other part of our time is spent bonding with grandchildren, attending their activities, and doing things with them. By the time we make the rounds of all our visits, we hope to be reconnected with all of them. So far so good.

Currently we are in Arkansas helping a daughter prepare for a move in June to Pennsylvania. Less physical activity but lots of sorting and decision-making about what or what not to move. The children are in school until June 6 with all the snow days accumulated during the winter. (This is in Arkansas no less). Mongolia may have been cold but we didn’t have to contend with snow.

Darlene came down with a hard case of poison ivy (no pictures allowed) and she needed the time to recover.

My work. I went to Montana to help a ranch family. North-eastern Montana has an emptiness and landscape that reminded me of Mongolia.

The consultation went well. I have another one scheduled with a farm family in the St. Louis area in mid-June. I am going to keep a small part-time practice going where I help farm and ranch families resolve conflict in their family and business communication.

Sharing our mission experiences. We will speak in church at our home ward on June 8 and then present a fireside program on our mission to Mongolia that evening at the Stake Center. I will spend part of the next two weeks reviewing our photographs, collecting our thoughts on what we want to share and preparing for our presentation.

We also plan on converting our blog - especially our photographs - for a book to be published. It will be primarily for the family but also for others who may be interested.  

There might be two versions; one describing our mission experiences in some detail and another showing the beautiful and unique nature of Mongolia with its people, landscape and culture.

Russian church in Inner Mongolia - photo from China News Service

New thoughts for the blog. My email is drvfarmer@gmail.com and I have a new smart phone 636-323 -9060. My website URL is www.valfarmer.com.

Did I mention I am getting tutoring lessons on how to use my new phone from my nine year old granddaughter, Elena?  

I will share an article I wrote for high school and college graduates. At some point I will convert our blog on Mongolia into something new but not yet.

Guideposts For Graduates

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Dear Graduate,

You have finally made it. You are about to embark upon the journey of your life. The foundation has been laid for your success. The rest is up to you.

Here are some guideposts to help you along the way.

- Seek and embrace truth about yourself and the world around you. To the best of your ability, solve the mystery of life and eternity. Be a believer. Know that truth comes from many sources, not the least of which are adversity, pain and loss. Find the meaning in your experience. Let your faith be your strength in your hour of need.

- Learn from others. There is wisdom all around you. In college, seek out the best teachers. In life, do the same. Set your ego aside. Know that you have nothing to prove by reinventing the wheel when there are wheel-makers who are willing to share what they know. Your greatest skill will be your ability to listen. It is the key to many doors.

- Let reality be your teacher. Accept the world the way it is and work towards the way it should be. Reach for the stars but keep your feet on the ground.

- If it is success you want, find a need and fill it with quality. Then sell it to others. Finding the need is harder than you think. Yet needs are all around you. There is no shortcut to quality. Excellence is up to you. And even then, all your good works will come to naught, if you don't connect with those who need what you have to offer. There is no shortage of opportunity.

- Dream your dreams! Think big. I mean think big! You are only limited by your imagination and vision of yourself. If you can conceive it, it is within your power. You can judge your stature as a leader by the problems you attempt to solve.

- Take risks. You will learn from mistakes. You will learn from failure. Volunteer for something hard and 'grow into it. Great accomplishments have small beginnings. Fear is your enemy, courage is your ally, love is your comfort.

- Be a "can do" person. Find a way or make one. Failure will come before success, and success will come before rewards. Great people are ordinary people with extraordinary determination. Get up one more time than you've been knocked down. Pay the price, whatever it is. You can do it.

- Work hard. Your drive and energy will carry you further than your talent. Much, much further. Learn about what you are good at and what you enjoy. When you find this combination, your work will flow from you with energy and enthusiasm. Work means doing something hard but worthwhile.

- Don't be distracted. There are far too many activities, diversions and entertainments unworthy of your time or love. The world will lull you into complacency or entangle you in trivia.

- Give it away. The good you do will come back to you. Do more than others expect. Be a part of someone else's success. There are others who share your interest. Find them. Exchange ideas. Be accessible to those who want to learn from you and build on your efforts. The power of a team is greater than one man or woman working alone.

- Make service to others a part of your life. It is the pathway to joy. Your capacity to love grows once you dare loosen the chains of self. You are young. You have been a child. The bud that you are will now open and give its fragrance to the world.

- Share the journey. The journey of life needs to be shared to be enjoyed. A solitary triumph is hollow compared to a shared victory. Don't be afraid of marriage and having children. You will discover wellsprings of growth and love in these timeless associations. All your strivings have to be balanced with the nourishment and support of a loving family. This precious companionship requires time, attention, creativity, energy and love. "No other success can compensate for failure in the home."

- Seize and enjoy each day. This is a magnificent world. There is much beauty to see, many wonders to discover. Don't so burden your soul with cares, worries and strivings that you miss the joy of the moment.

- Be flexible. In some ways, you are unprepared for what is to come. Life will teach you some lessons we did not or could not teach you. You will face disappointment and discouragement. Make your darkest hour your finest hour.

- Be patient. Life never seems to be too easy. You will be pushed and stretched into new struggles, new dreams and new adventures. There will never be a time when you can safely say, "My work is done, my learning is complete, my service is over."

Dear Graduate, this is your time. Make the best of it. You have a great future to fulfill.