Package to Joseph

I sent a package to Joseph today with the Mayan Xpress and I'm excited. I hope every mission has an express delivery service like this. I was telling Corey that we should do something like this - we could take family trips and subsidize them by taking packages for missionaries, ha! Might not pay the bills, but could still be a sweet deal for travelers. So, the main thing in his package was something that I hope will come in very handy to Joseph and something that I think every missionary and missionary mom should know about - may I introduce you to the AlphaSmart 3000. I bought a used one on Amazon and with a free trial of a Prime subscription I was able to get it in just a little over 24 hours and get it ready to send on Saturday. I put a little message on it for Joseph that will greet him when he turns in on.

So, from what I hear, the missionaries in the field have the same limited time to be online on their P-day (preparation day) as do the missionaries in the MTC - aka ONE HOUR. That is not a lot of time to read through emails from family and friends and respond to each one, much less give a detailed account of all the thoughts and events of the past week. But with this little baby, he can type up his journal or thoughts on here every day if he wants! Although he did take other journals and notebooks to write things out by hand too, so not sure what he'll do. But if he wants it all online for easy searching, typing and blogging it in the way to go. When I want to look up something in my mission journal, I have to rack my brain trying to remember something that will give me a time reference for dates to look through, and then I'm having to scan and search each hand written page. So my opinion is, and I told him, he should type it all up and send it to me and I'll get it all nicely arranged for him to be able to print it all up in a blog book at the end of his 2 years.

Joseph doesn't get packages at the MTC, but this will package will be delivered to the mission office for him next Wednesday, and when he does leave the MTC and start his adventure in the mission field, he'll be able to get this on day 1 (pretty sure) and can type things out. Great thing about this is that it saves all his typed up thoughts and letters he wants to send, and when the hour of internet time comes, he can move the cursor into the email body where he wants his Alphasmart file to appear, and he attaches the Alphasmart with a USB cord (which I provided) and then just press "send" and the text uploads in a minute (depending on how big the file is).  I learned that by trial and error as I hooked the thing to my computer to figure out how it worked. I opened up exlporer thinking I had to open, copy, and paste a file. And my cursor was in the google address bar, so when I pressed send, text all started appearing in the web address and it googled it and I thought my computer was spazzing out. I had googled it trying to figure out how it works, but had to figure it out through trial and error. Had I just looked at the second comment in the reviews, I would have learned how it worked  -

"The cord attaches to the computer by USB. Open a text document (like Word, Open Office, (or an new email message to compose) etc), put the mouse where you want it to type, and press "send". It types out everything in the file for you. To clear the file, press the clear file button and then press y for yes. It's pretty easy and straight forward. The directions are taped to the back.

If Joseph has a companion that uses the Alphasmart, he'll be able to show Joseph how to work it. I think this sounds to me like a must have. We'll be making sure each of our missionaries has one of these. ...that is, trusting Joseph uses it and it helps him write longer letters/emails! We'll know in a month (3 weeks until he gets it, then a week to actually write about his first week in the the field).

What else. So I was working on things to send to Joseph all morning - I had printed up pictures of his friends, from Senior Prom and Senior Trip. I put in brown shoelaces he requested, bought some chocolates (Kit Kats, Reeses, and Hershey's mix of Goodbars and Krackles etc), more batteries for the Alphasmart, and then I did a last minute print up of a lot of BYU speeches talks. I had sent him the text of Elder Christofferson's "Daily Bread" talk in my email to him after week 1. It was a talk that has helped me before to take a day at a time, something I always need to be reminded of. I knew it was too much for him to read while he was online, I asked if he's able to print his emails? He later said no, so I decided to send him a copy of it. Then I just got excited and was printing up tons of BYU speeches that I've listened to at just the right time that have helped me when I'm cast down with worries about my life's apparent problems. Of course the classic I go to whenever life gets scary - "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence" by Elder Holland. I also sent "What is Your Calling In Life", "The Truth of All Things", "The Power of Your Words", "When Life Gets One Degree Colder" "Fear Not", and "You Gotta Believe". I added a page of a few quotes and a post from my "spiritual blog" that I thought might help, then I had to head out to deliver the package - pick up time was at Ikea from 11:30-12:30.

When I left at 11:20 to take it to Ikea, I noticed a prediction I made last night had come to pass. The Pretty roses from laslovely roses I'd taken pictures of last night are all gone, so sad. Food for the deer.

Next time I'm gonna clip them and put them in vases inside so I can enjoy them for a few more days. Darn deer. I arrived in time at Ikea. There in the north east corner was a minivan receiving packages. $12 a pound. The package cost $58 plus a $5 service fee. And done, it will be delivered to the mission home next Wednesday! I took a pic as I left - the minivan is there being cut in half by the tree.

I remember it was always a delight to receive packages on my mission, I hope it makes Joseph smile.