Dear Chief- a note from dad

Elder Rigby,

Missing you tonight and decided to use mom's email to send you a note.  Got started on the shop addition today. Stockton worked hard!  Missed you greatly!  I don't know if you heard, but Madsen's team is going to Washington.  We will arrive on Aug 2nd.  Madsen struggled the first of two games against Snow Canyon but turned it on the final championship game.  He went 3 for 4 and made several great outs at short stop in a 13-4 victory.

Your Ipod Shuffle is being shipped.  Sorry for the delay, but these items seem to have been on back order.  I hope it arrives by Sunday so I can spend some time downloading listening material for you and get it mailed early next week. Once I get the songs and talks downloaded, I will send a package.  Do you need anything else?  I also ordered a seat donut if you are interested.  Boy can those chairs get hard after a long day!!!

I greatly enjoy your letters, emails, and cards.  Madsen and Stockton continue to discuss the challenges you gave them.  Keep encouraging them to do better as they are inspired by your words and example.

Dont't know if mom told you, but I somehow was awarded the best elk tag in the state of Nevada.

We will be able to hunt anywhere in the state and during every hunt.  Mom says it was the first blessing of having our missionary out.  We will still take Emma to New Mexico but Madsen's Colorado trip will be put on hold for a year.

I think about you often each day and wonder what you are doing.  Please provide a detailed daily schedule so we can think about you and pray for you each hour of the day.  

I am so grateful for your service and continued willingness to give.  Running the past couple days I listened to the conference talk "Do I Believe?" by Bonnie Oscarson.  One section really touched my heart:

"Do we sometimes become so accustomed to the blessings we have been given as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that we fail to fully comprehend the miracle and majesty of discipleship in the Lord’s true Church? Are we ever guilty of being complacent about the greatest gift we can be offered in this life? The Savior Himself taught, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”2

We believe that this Church is more than just a good place to go on Sundays and learn how to be a good person. It is more than just a lovely Christian social club where we can associate with people of good moral standing. It is not just a great set of ideas that parents can teach their children at home so they will be responsible, nice people. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is infinitely more than all of these things.

Think for just a minute about the profound claims we make as a religion. We believe that the same Church Jesus Christ established while on the earth has been restored once again by a prophet called of God in our time and that our leaders hold the same power and authority to act in God’s name that ancient Apostles held. It is called the priesthood of God. We claim that through this restored authority, we can receive saving ordinances, such as baptism, and enjoy the purifying and refining gift of the Holy Ghost to be with us at all times. We have apostles and prophets leading and directing this Church through priesthood keys, and we believe that God speaks to His children through these prophets."

Your missionary service helps bring my focus to what is most important. Having you in the MTC helps me truly appreciate those blessings we have as members of the church.  I love you son! Keep enduring.  Continue to enjoy the good times and remember the difficult times will become diluted as time moves on.  Be patient with the language and those who are thoughtless at times.  Though you may not feel like a giant in your own mind, you are magnificent in my eyes.  

Love, Dad

d

We were so excited to see this pic when we took Stockton to  physical therapy on Thursday.  Seleck bumped into the Englestead family as they were dropping Barrick off to the MTC (Seleck was enjoying exercise time).  Barrick and Seleck are the same age.  My sis in law Jennifer Englestead  is Barrick's dad's sister-so Seleck got to see family.  They said he looked so happy!  This was a sweet tender mercy for a mom and dad who are missing their boy so much!