November 15, 2009

From: Claire Owen <clairebang.owen@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 11:50 PM
Subject: Re: Liebe Schwester!
To: Lauren Bangerter <sisterbangerter7@myldsmail.net>

Dear Lauren,
All week I kept thinking about little things to tell you - so I hope I
can remember them all now!  I know what you mean about 9 months having
gone by... it feels both fast and slow to think that you have 9 months
to go.  I'm so glad that you are enjoying Sister Hung!  I hope you can
work hard together!
About Abby this week:  her hair is too long.  By that I don't mean
that it could go into a ponytail or anything (just two cute little
ones in the back), but it is too long to wear a headband with any sort
of "neatness."  It usually just looks a little messy - so I've got to
figure out what to do about that.  On Monday I had a dr's appointment
in Provo, so Mom watched Abby for me.  I returned home (all is well
with the baby, by the way) to find Abby wandering around with one of
Steven's old polo shirts over her pajamas for extra warmth, as Mom was
working on Reflections entries in the big room.  I had flashbacks of
our cute little brothers all those years!  The next day Abby and I
went up to Grandma Bangerter's to do some picture sorting - quite
possibly for the first time since you left.  Grandma was busy with
several other things, so we got to work at the kitchen table, asking
Grandpa for information on the pictures we were unsure about (by 'we'
I mean 'I' - Abby was playing with toys in the same room - but she was
SO cute with Grandpa!  Kept babbling to him, waving, and showing him
little things.  It was sweet to see him so tender with her - smiling
at her and being interested in the things she was showing him.  Neat
to see the interaction between two people 90 years apart.).  It felt
good to get some more done on that project - plus, I saw that our
filing system was working!  Grandma has had Bonnie add to the files we
made as they find more pictures - it's a beautiful thing,
organization!  Thursday was Alina's birthday - we took Mom and Dad to
the airport, and they were with Alina in about 2 hours!  Amazing!  I
had fun making Alina a birthday joyschool-pattern bib.  As a matter of
fact, I've been able to sew a lot more this week than usual (usually
on your machine, since it's set up in Mom's craft room.  Thanks!).  I
keep finding more and more people to make aprons for - and once again,
I wish for the little 'sweat-shop' we had going (was that just last
year?).  Anyway, it was fun to celebrate Alina's birthday with her via
webcam.  She and Abby are quite the pair - I think I've said it
before, but it's really going to be like re-runs of you and Annie!
All the squealing and waving - and that's just when they can't
actually touch each other!  Friday was Aly Clare's wedding.  Aunt
Marne' watched Abby for us, and when we came to pick her up, she waved
at us, then turned and ran - I repeat RAN - to the little tyke's car
(like we used to have), jumped in the door, and started spinning the
wheel around like she knew what she was doing.  So cute!  Well, it
turns out that she was heartbroken to think that we had to leave the
car behind, which Aunt Marne' noticed, and kindly offered to let us
borrow the car for the remainder of our stay with Mom and Dad.  You
should have seen Abby's face when we pulled the little car out of our
trunk once we were home!  I can't believe she's old enough for that
toy.  All right - for the ultimate cute moment of the week, I take you
to Saturday evening, when we headed to Provo for Aly's reception.  It
was very nicely done, with fun music and yummy cookies!  The best part
came, however, when they started the dancing.  Everyone gathered
around the bride and groom as they danced... then invited everyone to
join them.  Soon there was another circle - this time gathered
around... Abby!  She was adorable!  And such a cute dancer!  She loved
the music so much that she couldn't help but move in time (she's had
plenty of practice with Steven at home!).  The Clares have a little
grandson, Nathan, Josh's boy, that's just a few months older than
Abby.  Apparently he loves to dance too - and since he and Abby were
coincidentally dressed in coordinating red outfits, the two of them
dancing together was too much for anybody to resist.  The bride and
groom came over to dance with the little ones, rather than the other
way around!  The photographer and videographer probably have just
about as much footage of Abby as they do of Aly during the dance.  She
really was so cute - bobbing up and down, swing her arms back and
forth, swaying with the music, spinning in circles, clapping with the
beat, and basically trying to imitate everyone else's dance moves.
She just about stole the show - and from Aly Clare!  It was a fun
evening.
Well, we've made it through a long, but nice, Sunday - it'll be good
to have Mom and Dad home again tomorrow.  The boys have been great, as
usual, but I know I'm just not quite as patient as Mom - so I'm sure
they'll be glad she's home tomorrow too.
I hope you have a great week!  Adam and I have been working on our
Christmas presents for you and Andrew, so hopefully you'll get them
sometime around Christmas (if not before!).  I love you, Lauren.
Thank you for your example of hard work, determination, spirituality,
faithfulness, courage, virtue, and self-improvement.  I love you so
much!
Love,
Claire
On Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 6:30 AM, Lauren Bangerter
<sisterbangerter7@myldsmail.net> wrote:
>
> Wow Claire, thanks for the time and effort you put into writing me each week. It really is a boost.  And it is fun to hear about Abby's progress- I'm excited to see pictures! It is so wierd to think that you are pregnant - and even wierder to think I'll have an 8 month old new neice when I come home - things go so quickly!
>
> I'm not throwing this information lightly around - but this week I hit my half-way mark on my mission - November 4th - I've been on my mission for nine months. Sometimes that seems fast - sometimes that seems slow. But I'm kind of sad I only have nine months left. sometimes that seems like a long time- sometimes that seems like not enough. I hope I can accomplish what the Lord expected me to accomplish when he sent me here.
>
> Things are different with Sister Hung - but in a very good way. She has a mind to work and she is very courageous. Sister Crane was a little shy - so I felt like I was the one who needed to take iniciative (sp?) and talk to people- so like I was kind of pulling Sister Crane around. That gets exhausting after a while and I'm afraid that toward the end of the transfer I had gotten a little lax - but Sister Hung takes the iniciative! So now it is like we are working side by side - a team and we are helping each other to run faster. Sister Crane and I worked as a team as well - but in a different way. I can't really explain it - sister crane and I connected more culturally and emotionally which I think was something we both needed - but sister Hung and I connect with our desires and purpose of being out on a mission. Anyway . . . THanks for listening to that rambling. It is kind of nice to be able to let that out. I do feel bad that there have been so many days where I've given less than 100 percent. I just need to forgive myself and look with faith to the future. And the future looks bright. Sister Hung and I have set a goal to BAPTIZE and we are well on the way to doing that. THanks for listening Claire. A mission is not easy - and I hope that when you notice some weaknesses in me that it dosen't dampen your faith in this work or in missionaries all together. These letters home are supposed to be positive. These battles that go on in our heads are so hard sometimes. But I know that prayer works. Thanks for being so wonderful. I was reading in some old ensigns this week about young mothers who said that it was harder than they expected - but even though it wasn't always easy they knew that they were involved in the best work they could ever be doing. I know you are. You are such an amazing example. I love you
> Love,
> Lauren
>