Nate & Rachel,
I drop Emma a short note every couple of weeks. This week, I sent her a photo of my big catch (similar to one posted on Instagram) and a bit of a fisherman’s analogy... see below...
She sent back such a nice note that I thought you’d like to see.
Thanks,
Jeff
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From Bro. Foote:
Dear Emma,
Greetings from friends in Texas! I wanted to share a short story and analogy with you this week. A couple of days ago, Bro. Lamb, Bishop Gardner and I - along with three other guys - went fishing along the Texas coast. Attached is a photo of the monster red fish (aka red drum) that I caught. It was over 36 inches long. Normally, in order to catch that size red fish, you have to go off shore into deeper water. When wade fishing in the shallows along the coast, you normally catch reds in the 20-28 inch range, occasionally a couple of inches bigger. But for some reason this very large fish swam into shallower waters and the fact that my shrimp happened to be floating in a precise place in order to intersect with the fish made for a very exciting and fortuitous occasion for me! (The photo shows Bro. Lamb's very nice 23 inch red fish and my monster fish...I've had a little fun with this photo. :-))
I think that an overlooked and important component of success in life is simply being available and accessible. It's true for missionaries. It's true for parents and grandparents. It's true for spouses. It's true for friends. It's true for employers and employees. It's true in our neighborhoods and schools. It's true for any church calling and virtually any role. Being "present" when we're supposed to be makes many other happy things possible, including a bit of good luck and many heavenly blessings as well. Heavenly Father wants to bless His children and will do so anytime we show any virtually level of faith or obedience. In other words, we need to be present...and hopefully a little bit more than just present whenever we can. Not all blessings will be "giants", but making ourselves available to receive them is a big part of happiness and fulfillment in life.
Things are otherwise great here - normal daily challenges but overall life is wonderful.
Have a wonderful week in Russia! We love you and pray for you often!
Love,
Bro. Foote
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From Me:
From Me:
Brother Foote,
First of all, that is a giant fish! I've only gone fishing a few times, and it was really only in the little pond in our backyard... the fish aren't very big there. I think that that is a very good point. Right now in our branch, we are trying to work with a lot of the youth and trying to get them really active and strong in the gospel. One of the things that I've learned from trying to do that is just being there for them. Being there when they have a bad day, or inviting them to an activity, or sitting next to them and talking to them at church. I've found that when I'm really trying hard to be present and to do what God wants me to do, miracles happen, and people are blessed.
Thank you for your emails! I love and miss you all!!
Emma
