Letter From Grant!

Hi honey,

I just thought I would send some thoughts and feelings I have had thel ast few days to you.Today I had my first traditional Afghan meal. We had Lamb Kabobs which were wonderful. Similar to Gyros. The meat is cut up and cooked and placed in a flat bread which is then rolled up. They added a side of
"Chips" which are basically french fries and a carbonated drink (Orange Fanta). It filled me up and am not sick in the least.One of the saddest things that is happening here is drug use. 1 out of 12 Afghans are serious drug users and 25% of them are women and children. I watched a special on TV of this beautiful young girl who was using drugs along with her mother. When they ran out of the opium they moved to Heroin which was actually cheaper and easier to obtain. It
breaks my heart that she could not get out of that type of situation.She followed her mother and will have a next to impossible time getting out of it. The local people truly live in fear of the Taliban and War but are accustomed to it. My interpreter and his family left the country in 1979 and became refugees to Pakistan when the Russians invaded the country and would not return until US forces came in 2002. They knew they would not have the protection and freedoms they desired. I appreciate so much the freedoms we have at home though it is not perfect. I am thankful for the opportunity I have to work my small part in keeping my family, friends, and Americans safe. I love my family with all my heart. You and our children are the joy and light of my life. Seeing the 40 yr old Birthday DVD has reenforced my
dedication to all of you.


Thanks for all your sacrifice my love.


Love,


Grant

Christmas!

It has been a rough Christmas, but we made it through.  Grant called on Christmas and I took this picture of him.  Here are some of things that have been happening with him and a letter he sent.

I thought you would like to read some of the experiences that Grant is having over in Afghanistan. It is pretty amazing. He is living in a tent with two other men while he waits his turn for a more permanent place. He sadi he will never take for granted how much we have.  The people there are so poor and live in such bad  conditions. The weather is cold like it is here . He works a 12 hour shift everyday. There is sand and dirt everywhere. He has to travel a 1/2 a block to shower or to use the rest room. The base is an old Afghanistan neighborhood with walls around it.He said it is a dump. He said the food is terrible and the bed bugs aren't very good either. He did say the people he is serving with are really good people. He is able to SKYPE home at least once a day. They have bombed as close as a block from where they are, but he doesn't seem to be worried. He carries a gun everywhere he goes. He likes the work he does. He says it is really cool. Of course he can't tell me everything, but it does have to do with security and eye scanning of people. I'm not sure what that all means. They work with the local military and the US Embassy. He misses home, but is surviving. He wants everyone to know he appreciates all of their prayers on his behalf. I will send more when I get it. Below is his letter to me about going to church for the first time. He is actually speaking in church in two weeks. I am sure he will have to speak again in another two weeks because of the low numbers in their branch.Thanks for all of your love and support.

Linda,


I attended my first church meeting in Afghanistan on Christmas day this
week in the Kabul, Afghanistan Branch.We have church on Friday here as it is the local peoples holy day. Thatis the only day we are allowed to go into work a little late. We work an 8am to 8pm daily schedule.
The sacrament meeting was a wonderful experience giving us the opportunity to feel as if we were at home. It is true that were a few of the saints are gathered, our Father in Heaven is also. The Sacrament was blessed by a local afghanistan brother who is the only known member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in the entire country. We were asked to not divulge his name to anyone we talk to for the purpose of his safety. If found that he was Christian by the local community he would most likely be killed. As he knelt to bless the sacrament for the 10-15 military, Department of Defense, and US Embassy members I felt the greatest feeling of peace since before I left home to come here. I am truly grateful for the gospel and the peace that comes from the spirit by attending his church and living in a way, I hope, is worthy of him. Thank you for your wonderful support and spirit at this time of the year. I can feel it permeating through my family at home and my soul here. Your thoughts and prayers do and have made a difference in our lives.


Love ya, Grant

Christmas Eve

It's really hard to have a normal Christmas without Grant, but we did our best.  We started out with our annual Honey Christmas party.  We ate yummy soups and laughed. 

We started a fire in the basement stove and this cute racoon came out of the chimmney because of the smoke.  He sat there in the cold. Bre and I felt bad for the poor guy and we feared that there were baby racoons still suck in the chimmney.   Bre  went inside and poored water on the fire without anyone knowing.  As soon as the fire was out the  racoon went right back  down the chimmney. No one in the family knew we did this.  Opps...now they know.

We also did our traditional snow sledding.  We changed venues this year and ended up at Eaglewood Golf Course.  The hill is huge!  Check out the sign.  Bre and I thought it was hilarious and had to have our picture taken with it.  Apparently no one listens.

Bre and Mariah ready to go!

Check out the jumps behind Austin.  They were huge.  The kids had a fun time going off them.

Marty took this picture and didn't tell us when he was going to take it that is why half of the people have their eyes  closed.

All the girls...Diane, Lace, April, Linda, Bre, and Marissa.

The famous huge train

After sledding we opened up gifts at Grandma's house. Oh, By the way that is Austin Hugins our neighbor.

I love my mom.  She tries so hard to make Christmas nice for us.

After the party we went to a Japanese restaurant with our neighbors the Hudgins . It was a blast! They prepare the food right in front of you.   We also got a treat when Grant called us from Afghanistan to wish us a Merry Christmas. We miss him.

Patriarchal Blessings

I am so proud of my kids. They all got their patriarchal blessings. The twins got theirs right before Grant left. It was such a spiritual experience. I am so lucky to have such amazing kids. Their blessings were incredible. It’s a wonderful thing to have to help guide you through this sometimes difficult  life.

Note to Readers

Those that are reading this realize there has been a ton that has happened in the last week.  My goal is to keep this up so I can have my photo album and journal all in one.  I also will be entering more posts so Grant can see what is going on at home! Thanks for taking the time to see what we are up to.

The Saturday after Grant left

With Grant gone we went back to our typical Saturdays. The neighborhood teenage boys hung out and played ping pong, the bishop moved our piano and took Grant's motorcycle for a ride to keep it in good condition (He loves his service job), and Bre went to the Christmas dance with her friends. Here are the pics.

Here is Austin, Austin, Cas, Austin, and Wade.  These boys are such amazing boys.  The are such good kids.  i will drive in and the boys will come running and say "Sister Horsley can we help you get anything out of your car."  Wow...there are still gentlemen out there.

I love this picture!

Bishop Meacham helping out and loving it!

Bre and her friends ready to hit the dance floor!

A neighborhood surprise!

We were returning from an over night trip together, the day before Grant left. As we drove up our street we began to cry at the sight that was before us. Our sweet neighbors had lined the street and our yard with American flags. I can’t tell you how loved we felt. It was incredible.

Our last dinner together as a family the night before Grant left.

Our Christmas 2009!

With Grant leaving for to Afghanistan for six  months on December 18th we celebrated Christmas on the 13th. It was so fun! Here are some of the pictures of that special day.

Christmas Eve in our new PJs!

Funny face pictures

Grant Chillin!

Austin is Happy!

Bre is sportin her new hat!

Here is the new hat Bre gave me.  I love it!

Marissa is excited! Yippee!

Bre got new snowboard bindings.

Marissa's new comforter.

Grant's favorite gift to take to Afghanistan.  A calendar with a tons of pictures in it.

Austin surprised his dad with a Jazz shirt.

We got a new pingpong table and we love it.  It fits perfectly in our entry way since we haven't had time to furnish it yet.  We may not buy anything for it for awhile.  It's too much fun!

Here we are with some of our favorite Christmas gifts.  It was a day to remember and hopefully good memories for Grant to remember when he gets homesick.

Crazy week before Grant left!

Not only was I over seeing an eagle project, getting ready for Christmas, and preparing for economics fair I also was in charge of my school's Christmas party and our Ward Christmas party. They both went so well. I had my school party at The Castle with the Syracuse Madrigals as the entertainment and for the ward party I booked a bell choir and had all the new auxiliary presidencies do some lip syncing. It was a blast. My ward is so sweet! With Grant leaving we had our own Christmas scheduled the Sunday after our ward party. The bishop knew about this and during his closing remarks he called Grant up and with tears in his eyes told him how grateful he was to him and our family for our sacrifice. Then the whole ward sang "God Bless America". The Young men came out on stage holding American flags. There was not a dry eye in the house. Including me. I was bawling. The Bishop then said," Horsleys go home and have your Christmas Eve. We will clean up everything." Serious....so awesome. Grant could hardly contain himself. He said he had never experienced anything like that in his life. It was awesome. Here are a few of the fun Lip Sync groups.

Our Bishop Bric is the best!  Here they are singing "We Three Kings"