Washington DC

President Turk was called to Washington DC to fix 

some of the political problems they are having...

I WISH!

No, he was there on business.

I guantee that my husband could solve a lot of

the problems this country is facing...

but anyone that has a pure heart could change 

the attitude of this country right now.

He sent me these photos and they didn't even get me excited.

How sad... It used to be my favorite place to visit.  It is a beautiful city.

The allure of the White House is definitely gone.

Oh the donkey and the elephant are farther away from 

being friends than ever before.

George, Abe, Ronald...  We need you!

All of the noble and great ones that gave their lives

 and talents to lift this country....  and now we are letting it slide.

Thank goodness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ

to guide and direct us through everything.

We have to stay in tune with the Holy Ghost.

The secret to a great life is keeping the spirit

with you at all times and following all promptings immediately

Never Fear,

Our future is as bright as our Faith...  Right?

The Hearing Tests...

Little update finally on Terry's hearing tests...

Terry had his appointment with the specialist at the Mayo Clinic.

He told Terry that it looked like it was nerve damage...

they really were not going to be able to do anything about it.

Terry told the doctor that there were days that his hearing came back

on the mission.  The doctor was baffled by this and ordered 

an MRI to make sure there was not a tumor 

just pressing on the nerve.

Terry had the MRI on Thursday...

He panicked a little in the tube... It was quite an ordeal.
He had them pull him out a few times during the twenty minute test.

 

 But he got it done... 

 And all the results were completely normal and 

a big negative on any tumors.

I told Terry that the days in the mission when his hearing would 

completely come back.. were answers to his prayers. 

It was also fulfilling the beautiful blessing he received from

Elder Christofferson before he left.

Elder Christofferson blessed him that he would be able to hear all that 

he needed to hear to do the work of the Lord.

And that is exactly what happened!

Our Grandson - Griffin is 4 years old!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were gathering today with a few 

super heroes...

The problem:  Shredder, the turtles arch nemesis stole one of 

Griffin's birthday presents.

They had to come up with a plan to catch him.

 They had to climb trees and search in the sand for

clues to track this bad guy down...

 They all grabbed onto the rope to go find

Shredder and bring him back to justice!

 The clues led them to the neighborhood playground...

He was hiding in the tube.

They chased him until they got him cornered.

They tied him up with the rope

 They took Shredder back to put him in the bounce house.

They were successful...  they got Griff's present back.

Oh thank you to my nephew Isaac... you were the best bad guy ever!

 The Turtles were successful... Donatello was very happy on this 4th birthday.

 They all then practiced their turtle moves in the bounce house...

 It was so great to get together and celebrate family... friends.. and fun.

 The turtles ate their favorite food: PIZZA

and of course there was cake and ice cream.

It was a fun birthday party...

We love you Griff!!

After the party we went to the open house for this beautiful couple.

Congratulations Cedar and Courtney...
Cedar Glasgow was one of our awesome office Elders.

The beginning of an eternal family...  We Love You!

THIS IS A MUST!

To all of my Arizona Friends

Please come and join us at this fantastic Conference!

An Article Written by my Sister Jill Geigle

First I need to remind all of my missionaries in the field and my returned missionaries

to please stay far, far away from the dangerous and spiritually deadly

disease and plight called pornography....

If you need help get it now!

I love you all... Hermana Turk

What Christian Parents Need to Know about Pornography...

Pornography does not affect only Christians.  In fact, every one in our communities will on some level feel the effects from pornography.  But recently, as I was visiting with a Christian pastor about the devastating, lifelong consequences of pornography use, he asked me to write an article that he could send out. This is the article:

Everyday I wake up and jump into the routine of getting my children ready to go out into the world.  I begin by making lunches for my children to take to school. I use organic peanut butter on 100% whole wheat bread with all fruit preserves.  I wash the organic strawberries.  I grab a handful of whole grain pita chips- baked, not fried, and put with them some hummus for dip.  For a little treat I add some dark chocolate covered pretzels.  Then I gently (I don’t want to bruise the strawberries) put all of the food in a BPA-free lunch box.

After tying the children’s close-toed shoes with the orthotics in them and slipping a backpack with hand sanitizer attached to it on each child, we head to the car.  Then every child is snuggly buckled into the appropriate buckle… or booster seat…or five-point car seat.

Parents have been called by God to protect their children and prepare their children from the dangers of this world.  And so everyday we strap on the bike helmet tighter and put knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, ankle guards, and smear any remaining exposed skin with sunblock, in order to keep them safe.  Parents do all of this because we love our children and we want with all of our hearts for our children to grow up safely and live happy, successful lives.

But an insidious threat to our children’s happy and successful future has quietly invaded our homes, schools, and even the devices we carry in our hands.  Pornography is not only a real physical danger; it is an emotional, mental, and spiritual danger.  The plague of pornography that has engulfed our families has devastating, lifelong consequences. It is critical and urgent that we address this in our homes, communities, schools, and churches if our children are going to grow up safely and live happy and successful lives.

In the past, pornography was viewed as a bad, embarrassing habit, but something that really didn’t hurt the viewer or others around.  Boys will be boys, right?

Now mental, medical, and social science have proven those attitudes are dangerously wrong.  And we are reaping consequences all around.  Families are crumbling.  Divorce rates are high and the new generations interest in marriage and family is low.  Young people are moving away from God at alarming rates.

The battle for our children’s safety and happiness is taking place in a technological world, and their brains are the battleground.

The time has come for parents to strap their children into another kind of protective gear.   This gear is described by Paul in Ephesians, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood…but against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”[i]

When our children are armed with truth and righteousness, they are ready to conquer the battle of pornography.

Here are 5 simple truths about pornography that will give you and your children power on the battlefield.

1. Pornography is everywhere- posters in the mall, commercials on TV, mainstream TV shows, music videos, cable, video games, movies, books, magazines, schools, churches, homes, and even in the devices we let our children carry in their hands.  In fact, there is so much pornography that if a young child began looking at a new pornographic web page every 10 seconds, he would be almost 200 years old before he would finish looking at all of them.[ii]
2. Pornography is available to everyone and targeted especially to children.  The multi-billion dollar pornography industry uses every tactic it can to trick, lure, and trap children into looking at pornography.  Pop-up windows, web addresses that are closely linked to popular child websites, elicit cartoon and video games, advertising on game sites, are just a few ways that they are directly targeting your child.  The average age a child sees pornography is 11 years old, and that is a conservative estimate.  There is almost no barrier between a child and pornography.  If a child can tap a screen or click a mouse, she can access vile and dangerous content.
3. Pornography is as addictive as a hard drug and harder to quit.                                                              University of Pennsylvania Mental Heath Department says: “Porn is one of the most concerning things to the psychological health of the human being existing today.  Pornography addicts have a more difficult time recovering from their addiction than cocaine addicts since coke users can get the drug out of their system but pornographic images stay in your brain forever… The internet is a perfect delivery system because you are anonymous, aroused, and have role models for these behaviors.   Thus it’s the perfect delivery system if you want to have a whole generation of young addicts who will never get the drug out of their mind.”[iii]
4. Pornography physically changes and damages the brain.  As children look at pornography, there brains create and release chemicals that give them the same kind of high as a drug.  The behavior is rewarded on a chemical level, causing them to want more, even though they instinctively know that it is not good for them.  Pathways in the brain are formed and cemented due to the powerful emotional and physical reaction to pornography.  As the addiction progresses, the frontal lobe of the brain shrinks.  The child then has damaged the reasoning, cautionary, and stabilizing part of the brain.  Pornography literally changes the structure of the brain and affects a child’s ability to reason.[iv]
5. Pornography desensitizes and objectifies women causing serious problems in real life relationships.  Social science from the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia, give us some of the shocking effects of viewing pornography.  Here’s just a few:  decreased sensitivity toward women- showing more aggression, rudeness and lack of respect toward them; increase risk of becoming sexually abusive to others; decrease desire to marry and have a family; increase risk of cheating on your spouse; increase risk of separation and divorce if you are married; increase risk of being fired from your job.[v]

Technology can seem daunting sometimes.  But the battle for your child’s mind and spirit are raging everyday.  Are you going to sit by the side and send your child off to battle without being armed?

Remember Gideon, a man who was called by God (much like a parent) to lead an army into battle. The Lord wanted to show His might and power through Gideon and his army, so he told Gideon to make his army smaller by sending those soldiers who were afraid home.  22,000 soldiers left.  Then God put the remaining 10,000 to a test.  He instructed Gideon to take them to the river to get a drink.  Any soldier that bent down and drank the water like a dog was sent home.  Any soldier that bowed on his knees to drink was sent home.  But those soldiers who remained completely alert and aware of their surrounding at all times, by bringing the water up to their mouths, were the 300 soldiers the Lord used to win the battle.[vi]

Being “completely alert” as a parent in the digital age takes effort and time and energy.  It means learning new technology before you give it to your children.  It means having constant and strong conversations about what pornography is, where it is, and the consequences of pornography with our children.  It means checking and rechecking social media, texts, and images your kids are sending and receiving.  It means reading, learning, and making a plan with your children about what to do when they see pornography, because it isn’t if, it is when.  It means finding parental control software and using it on your computers and mobile devices.  It means taking computers, smart phones, TVs, video games out of bedrooms. It means all of these things and more.  God will tell you what “more” means to you and your children as you pray and diligently try to help them put on the whole armor of God.  Remember, those who were completely alert, won the battle.

All of this might seem overwhelming, but remember, we are the parents that conquered, pesticides, high fructose corn syrup, and BPA in plastic.  We know the right SPF level of sunscreen for each child; even our pets are hypo-allergenic.  And with God’s help, we can become families that conquer pornography.

A Rash of Marriages and Engagements...

For those in the mission field that haven't heard about these 

weddings and engagements here in the states

Take a Look!

Hermana Doxey and Elder Farnsworth

are getting married on the 21st of December

I am not sure which Temple they are getting married in.

I think that he proposed the night of the mission reunion.  

Congratulations.. We love it.

Elder Armstrong is marrying Jodi Farnsworth

She is perfect for our Elder Armstrong...

They moved their wedding up to this upcoming weekend...

We can't wait!

They are getting married in the Mesa Temple.

Elder Ebmeyer married Hillary Whiting this last weekend.

We were so happy to see them at the reunion and meet Hillary.

She is Darling!

They were married in the Salt Lake Temple.

And I am sure that everyone knows about this engagement...

Elder Yat and Hermana Shearman...

What a surprise to her....

We are so happy that he had mended from the accident enough

to travel to Utah in time for the reunion.

I don't know which Temple they are choosing either.

Elder Hendrix changed the date for his wedding 

and he and Melissa Morris were married 

on the day of our reunion in the St. George Temple.

We are so happy for them.

Elder Glasgow was married to Courtney Smith

this last weekend in the Idaho Falls Temple.

We met Courtney at the reunion too.

How exciting..,,,

Congratulations to all of these 

and please send me pictures and info and updates 

on all things happening...  I will post as many as I can.

Blessed...

We have been away from these darling babies for 4 days....

We are going crazy.

How did we ever leave them for 3 years?

I will tell you how...

Only with the help of the Lord!

Tillman, Penny and Junie Turk

Griffin, Walker and Bridget Watts

Flight Cancelled?

We packed up all our stuff quickly after conference and 

did a really fast getaway to the airport

avoiding all traffic and people.

Everything went so smoothly.

We saw that our flight was on time.

We saw and  hugged 

dear friends in the airport and then high tailed it down

to the gate.  We sat for an hour and they finally announced that

our flight would be 45 minutes late.   Then 45 minutes later 

they said that there was a water leak in the cabin that they were cleaning

up and it would be a little more time...

Then another 30 minutes later they announced the flight was cancelled.

They were sorry but all the flights out tonight were also filled.

We got on a flight in the morning at 11.

We were bummed until we realized we get to go back 

to the Little America restaurant in our hotel.

 They have the greatest homemade rolls in the world.

All of the food there is outstanding.

We will have an extraordinary dinner.

Bummer about the cancellation but we are looking on 

the bright FAT side of things... 

Tomorrow is another day... We hope that things run smoothly.

The Naylors....

Thank you Naylors for coming to see us after our mission Reunion.

The Naylors are dear lifelong friends.

Sarah actually was my roommate in Israel

when I went to study abroad so long ago.

We have been through everything together.  Funny how our Heavenly Father

brings you together in this life to strengthen and lift and love each other.

Their son, Nathan had a big football game that night that we would have loved to be at...

but it was right at the same time as the reunion.

He attends Bingham High School and they were playing Brighton High School

that night... It was a big game.  They were each at 6-0.

But Bingham won.... and Nathan made a big touchdown during the game.

Nathan thanks for coming to see us... that was so nice...

 Sarah... I love you.  You are a great friend.  I am so happy that we were able to 

become so close in the land that means so much to us...

right in the place where Jesus walked!

Mission Reunion... Pure Joy!

Well, all the anticipation and preparation was worth it...

Seeing all our missionaries last night brought President Turk and I 

such happiness...  We can't explain it.

Thank you to all who came... and for those that couldn't come,

we were thinking of you and missing you.

We thought we couldn't have a reunion without Inca Kola....

Of course the big joke is.... did Sister Turk get enough food for everyone?

There was food enough to feed every missionary 

that ever was in the whole wide world

Great desserts.. there was more under the tables and in the kitchen and

out in the car... I had phone numbers for the closest pizza places too!

Gourmet popcorn...  chicago mix, cake batter and kettle corn...

The food was not important ... the missionaries, our children were such the highlight.

And here are some of the greatest missionaries that were there...

 Elder Zarian just returned home from the mission 10 days ago...

Elder Smith is a firefighter in Ogden and He and his wife are 

expecting their first baby in November

Elder Northcott is in leadership at the UVU

Hermana Jackson is at BYU

Elder Christensen is working at Bodyguardz

 This is his wife Viansa.

 Elder Mennis and his wife Kiki are at the Y and he is working at the MTC.

 Elder Tanner Parry has been traveling the world.... and is studying at the Y

 Elder Macy Butterfield married a darling girl from Morgan Utah...

 Elder Facer and his wife Alesha are both attending BYU Idaho...

 Along with Elder Hargis...  oh my Idaho boys... love them

 Elder Ben Wright is at BYU...

 Elder Ebmeyer is getting married in a week.... Congrats!

 Elder Pickett came down from Idaho too...

 Hermana Eddings with her new haircut... cute! She is at the UofU.

 Elder Pruett and Anna, his wife, live in Cedar City and attend the University there.

 Hermana Bell is at USU and is studying Nutrition...

 I started to cry when I took this picture... aren't they darling.

 Of course... Elder Gricius is the photo bomber in the back!

 Inca Kola was a big hit...

 Cafe Rio hit the spot...

 Elder Cottle has not been home long and he is already back 

to his high adventure climbing and biking...

 Elder Spencer is still adjusting from recently returning too...

Elder Jensen is getting married in December...  Yes!

Kelby and Wanda Howard just had a new baby girl 2 weeks ago...  She is beautiful!

 Elder Takishita is married to a beautiful girl, Jessica and they are studying in Idaho.

 Elder Cook is working and studying hard at UVU.

 Elder Jordan Massey is roommates with Elder Anderson at the Y.

 Sweet Elder Brian is studying at USU... a bunch of them drove down from Logan.

 Elder Yat was in that horrible accident in Guatemala that took the life of 

a full time missionary.  But he is recovering and flew in and surprised us all...

 Elder Mecham is studying and working near home... he is at Weber State.

 Elder Colby May is studying at USU...  sorry about the game!

Elder Bourque is studying at BYU... fun to see him, love that hat!

 Hermana Sandstrom is doing well and studying at the Y.

 Elder Pugmire looking good and studying at the Y

 We were happy to see Elder Iler ...  He is so fun.

 Elder Yat surprised Hermana Shearman and asked her to marry him yesterday

She said YES!

 Hermana Petherbridge is studying at BYU Idaho... she drove down by herself... ahhh

 Elder Felt... busy as usual studying and now supporting Elder Yat with 

 a place to live and transportation, learning and well everything.

 Hermana Jewkes married Manuel Vega who was also a missionary in the 

Trujillo mission. He left right before we arrived.

They have a beautiful daughter Sofia.

 Elder Chun just had a girlfriend leave on a mission...

I can't tell you how many of our Elders told me this same story.

I LOVE IT!

 Elder Arthur is studying at BYU and has a missionary out... ha

Elder Anderson is still giving us service constantly..  Thanks for your help with set up.

He is studying at the Y and rooming with Elder Massey

Hermana McVey is married to Ammon Luke and they drove down from 

Rexberg.... their car broke down but they managed to still get to the reunion

we were so happy.

 Elder Nichols married Leah recently and they are both studying and working.

 Hermana Sheridan is in Rexburg...  thanks for coming!

 Elder Gricius is working in Salt Lake City...  

 Here is a picture of President Turk with all his North American Assistants

Pickett, Nichols, McGrath, Hunsaker, President, Mecham, Zarian, Wright, Anderson

 They are so great... I could tell you so many stories of each one of them.

 Elder Hunsaker and his wife missed their flight but they got there just in time.

Here are all the financial secretaries... wait, we are missing Elder Christensen. 

He must have barely left...

He was our first financial secretary that trained Elder Jones.

Facer, Jones, Brian, Richards and Cook

 Elder Aaron Bennett is schooling at USU and Elder Wright is lurking in the background

Elder Cedar Glasgow is marrying Courtney Smith very soon... They are very happy.

 We were so happy to see Elder Logan and his sweet wife....

 Elder Deklerk and Hermana Remp married and now have a sweet baby boy "Davis"

who is only a week old.

 Elder Rose drove down from Idaho... his wife and baby couldn't make it

But it was great to see Lige doing so well.

  Elder Terrlink is studying at Uof U and he also has a darling girlfriend who

just left on her mission.

 Hermana Bakaitis looked beautiful and is finishing her studies at BYU

before going on to flight school.

 Hermana Blake Bahr has a beautiful little family

Her daughter Laura is so darling.

 Elder Perez drove down from Idaho with his brother and some friends

It was great to see him...

  Hermana Hannah Bond is marrying Landon Hardcastle.

They are a beautiful couple.

 Zane Russell came down from Boise.. where he is attending Boise State.

 Johan Sanchez is attending the business college in Salt Lake.

His English is fantastic... I am proud of him.

Elder Merkley is on the Track team at the Y

He was looking great.

 Elder Flansberg is attending BYU

 Elder Qualls is a banker....  

 Elder Arriola is working in Texas and flew in for the reunion

 Elder McGrath is marrying our dear friend Brimley Pothier on January 2nd

Exciting!

Elder Erickson is busy studying at BYU too...

Elder Hurley is still writing music and has formed a band...

He is studying and working like everyone else...

  Elder Hill just returned from Trujillo and is getting into the swing of things.

 Hermana Cornelio is in the States visiting from Lima... We were so excited that she was with us.

 Elder Stephen Richards is back on the swim team at the Y

and is looking so great.

 Elder Mikesell is married to Emily and they are doing great.... 

I have no idea why I missed photos of these two...

This is Elder Farnsworth and Hermana Doxey

Elder Whitehead was there ... he looked fantastic... probably because he just got married.

His wife was working but it was great to see him.  Congrats.

Elder Elmer is attending the Uof U...

I missed getting a picture of him. It looks like he's on the top of the world.

The Hunsakers and Elder Terry.... were a little late and I missed photos of them too.

So sorry, they both looked fantastic and happy.

We can't tell you what a joy it was to be with all of you.

We love you... We want the best for each of you...

and that comes from living a Christ like life.

Let your light so shine...  You are a beautiful gift to those around you.

Open your mouths... Invite others to Christ.

and Keep in touch with us!

WE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!