HARVEST DAYS

Today Merle made a visit to our garden plot and came back with 2 dozen "green" Walla Walla onions, at least 3 dozen carrots ranging in size from baby carrots to 5-inches long, and a small plastic bucket full of tomatoes, mostly cherry tomatoes. We already harvested a large bowl full of green beans. The wild rabbits ate our zucchini plants and beet tops. I guess we can share with our four-footed friends, but we draw the line at helping the winged and wormy kinds. We still have potatoes to harvest in a week or so. We are thankful for the occasional rain showers that supplemented our sporadic sprinklings.

WHEAT AND TARES EXPLAINED

Today I accidentally knocked off a container of sewing pins. There could have been perhaps 200 all tolled. They fell all over the floor of my sewing room, like scattered Israel went throughout all nationsof the earth, though some stayed in groups. My husband had made me a 2-foot long dowel attached to a fairly strong magnet, so I reached for it and thought, 'no problem, a few passes should take care of the spilled pins.

That was very true. It pulled up strays and bunches alike, with one exception. Some pins must have made out of a metal that wasn't steel--probably aluminum. I didn't want to keep those pins. They just laid there on the floor, even though the magnet already had thirty or so pins sticking to it. I plucked off the steel pins and placed them back in their container.
This made me think.......What if righteous people had magnetic properties? The Lord could pass his big magnet over a group of people and immediately "lift up" the ones he wanted to gather. He had said, "my sheep know my voice." My steel pins knew their magnet too. The unrighteous people would be left behind like my unmagnetized pins still on the floor.

As I swept up the rebellious pins along with bits of thread and cast off clippings, I ran the magnet over the pile one more time. I brought up three strays that had been left behind, but there were still about twenty pins that refused to be caught up. Then my aluminum pins were in a pile to be swept into the trash. It was as easy as bundling tares to be burned. It could be just as easy for the Lord to separate his people at the time of his Second Coming! Will you know the Lord's voice when he calls?

FIVE AT ONE TIME

The Kullberg/Gassaway family may not be an unusual family when it comes to having missionaries serving in the mission field at the same time, but we think we are at least unique as a blended family currently serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Currently we have :
JARED serving a 2-year mission at the Portland Oregon Temple (until January 2010)
CRAIG serving in the California Long Beach Mission (until July 2010)
SCOTT serving in the Colorado Denver North Mission (began May 6, 2009)
JACOB at the MTC destined for New Hampshire Manchester Mission (began July 8, 2009)
SEAN Received call to the Philippines, Cebu Mission (to start Sept. 23. 2009)

We also have a Returned Missionary, BRANDON who served in the Ukraine Kiev Mission (returned June 2008) and Kim's husband CAMERON is also a returned missionary.

Our family missionary tradition began in the 1980s when sons: MARK (Guatemala
Qaetzeltenango), MIKE (Peru Lima North) , KURT (Michigan Lansing) DAVID (South Germany Munich), ERIC (Tennessee Nashville Mission) and STEVE (Chile Santiago South) served missions. This was followed up by Grandpa and Grandma Kullberg who served in the mission office of the Canada Toronto East Mission in 2000-2001.

In addition, we have eight or more future missionaries and seven granddaughters who are great member missionaries!

Our cumulative message is There is a plan of real happiness. Just ask us about it. You too can receive it and be sealed to your loved ones by proper priesthood authority for eternity!

Ways to Keep Your Cool on a HOT DAY!!!

1 - Throw water balloons at someone, or if you're alone toss them at a brick wall.
2 - Take your shoes off and wiggle your toes in the grass.
3 - Run through a sprinkler or sit in a kiddie pool.
4 - Sit on the edge of a fountain and dangle your feet.
5 - Lay on a blanket in the shade of a tree while listening to the hum of insects.
6 - Go wading in a little stream and catch crawdads.
7 - Make lemonade, snow cones or smoothies.
8 - Drive to the beach where it is always cooler due to fog and wind.
9 - Drive to Sunset Falls and jump off the falls.
10-Go rafting, be in Merle's boat and lose the water fight.

11- Visit a firestation and ask for a demo of a fire hydrant.

12-Turn up the air-conditioning until icicles form on the vent.

13- Soak in a cold bathtub by adding ice cubes to the water.

14- Drive to an ice arena and be a spectator during a practice session.

15- Clean out the freezer.

16- Get a job in a butcher shop so you can hangout in the meat cooler.

17- Take up ice sculpting with a chainsaw.

18- Put some cool gel inserts into your shoes.

19- While freeway driving, smile every time another driver is rude.

20- Get in your car, turn up the a/c, and sing Christmas songs (especially Frosty the Snowman).

21- Go ice sledding. Sit on a big block of ice and starting at the top of a hill, race a friend to the bottom. Very refreshing!