D & J Agle Extended Family: November 2016

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

MEET THE NEWEST FAMILY MEMBER . . JONATHAN

Ken, Coppelia and the kids have welcomed a new member into the family. Here's his story.

My name is Jonathan Hélas. My story begins in the beautiful Caribbean island of Haiti. I was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1995 to two amazing parents. Sadly, my parents got a divorce while I was at the age of 2, barely old enough to remember my parents ever being together. My life in Haiti is a difficult experience to describe, and I would rather refrain from going into details, but I want to note how grateful I am to my extended family for all that they provided for me. My parents are both active members of the church and whilst I was in Haiti I attended church with my father. My mother had moved to the states shortly after the divorce and I moved to be with her 5 years later. At the age of 7 coming from such an impoverished country you can imagine my culture shock to all the new opportunities and things that I could do. I lived a large portion of my life in New Jersey. I had a quite a few experiences there which have had a profound impression on my life. Regrettably, one of those experiences lead me to drift away from the church for a time. Still, my mother was very adamant on me attending church—which I did—but I still felt disconnected and though I was present in church physically, spiritually and mentally, I was aloof.

The event that led to my change of heart, and my wanting to serve a mission, occurred in the spring of 2013. My mother and I took a trip back to Haiti and, despite having been to Haiti several times after my move to the states, this time was different. It was the first time my mother had been back to Haiti since the divorce in 1998 and it was just about 6 months before my 18th birthday. I knew my dad would speak to me about serving a mission, and I had no intention of going.

I remember the experience so vividly. We had been in Haiti for about a week, with only 3 days left on our trip, and I had already expressed my feelings about the church, serving a mission and God to my father. I remember my mother and father were in the dining room, my dad having just told my mom about how I felt about the church and God, and they both began to inquire about why I believed in what I did or didn't. Soon, all of the thoughts, feelings and frustrations I had withheld for so long began pouring out. I remember crying. I remember how my parents never once seemed upset. I remember wiping the tears from my eyes and I remember looking up at them and I remember seeing them smiling.

Jonathan's Mom to his right and his Dad is on his far left.

I realized later on that, at that moment, it was the first time I could ever recall both my parents being in the same room together. I further realized that families should be together forever and though I did not have mine together, I could go and serve a mission. I could do the same for others and for myself later on in life.

I served in my mission in the sunshine state, #Floridaisthebest.

I specifically served in the southern part of Florida, working in major cities such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers. The experiences I had there, the people I met and the things I learned I could never repay or thank God enough for all those sacred moments in my life. There is one experience in particular I would like to share. The story is about a family my companion and I were blessed to find while knocking doors. We were knocking in the middle of the night, close to when we needed to go home, but they were the last door we felt we should knock and so we did just that. We found a family that was desperate for the gospel. The mother and father were planning on getting divorced and they felt there was no hope left for their marriage. They have 3 beautiful children and they were so scared about how it would affect them.

God had other plans for this family. He sent my companion and me just at the right time to help them stay together. We taught them the lessons and focused on the blessings that families receive from the gospel. The whole family got baptized and I am so grateful that God trusted us with so much responsibility. Keeping a family from getting a divorce was so difficult, and I hold that experience close to my heart.

I concluded my mission in the month of May, 2016 and felt that I should go to Utah for school. But, financially, I thought it was best to stay in New Jersey for school. To my surprise, my mother told me I should move to Utah before I’d even said a word about it. She felt the environment would be better for me and that it would help me avoid going back to old habits. I didn’t know how we were going to get me over to Utah, but I knew that God would not inspire us without preparing a way for us. We began to pray for a way, and God answered.

(Here's a few pictures from his mission).

We have a close family friend named Ed Mauss who was so devoted to helping us and that’s how I was introduced to Ken Agle who graciously agreed to accommodate me within his home with his awesome family. I am so grateful to God for always providing a way for us to accomplish all that he has in mind for us. I am so happy to be part of this family and for all that I have learned from them.

Visiting with Jonathan while he does some painting touchup on the stairs.

Ready to go Home Teaching.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

SUZANNE'S RETURN TO ENGLAND . . .

Recently Suzanne was able to return to England and visit her folks and help them recover from a big disaster. Here's her account.

On the night of Monday June 6, 2016, the area around Dunstable, England experienced heavy rains with severe run-off that flooded several areas of the town. Number 9, Derwent Drive, the home that I was raised in and where my parents still live was hit hard with flood waters pouring through the back garden and into the home.

Their beautiful back garden where the water came rushing through.

Number 9 on the right.

Much of the next several months were spent removing things that were ruined, letting other things dry out and then extensive reconstructing and redecorating. That work was done by professionals but then it was time to “put things back”. That would fall on my parents who are 82 and 89 years old. That is why I went for 2 weeks to help with that effort.

My parents are no longer able to come to the airport, so dear friends of theirs, Wyn and Vicky Johns, came to pick me up when I landed and took me home to Dunstable.

Wyn took the scenic way home and I was able to once again, experience the beauty of the English countryside. We passed through villages with names such as Nettlebed, (I’ll let you guess why the village is called that!) Little Kimble, Tring, Little Missenden, Greater Missenden. I miss the rolling hills, the green landscape, the farms and the fields of animals. It is beautiful. I was immediately mindful of the poem by Sir William Blake, entitled:

Jerusalem

And did those feet in ancient times,

Walk upon England’s mountains green.

And was the holy Lamb of God

On England’s pleasant pastures seen.

It is well worth a read. Seeing that countryside, it was easy to see where Sir William Blake got his inspiration.

What I haven’t missed so much are the narrow roads and the drivers that pass in the lanes with just a hair breadth of space between them!

This is a two-way street.

When I arrived at my childhood home, my dad answered the door and I burst into tears! It had been 4 years since I had last seen him. My mum was in the living room and when I hugged her, the tears continued. I was able to spend the rest of the day just catching up and being fed delicious English food. Yes, its different from American fare. Sleeping that first night is always hard because of jet lag and time differences and body confusion but I was just so glad to be there that I didn’t care!

Monday morning we began what would be 2 weeks of sorting, straightening, replacing, building and cleaning. My parents are definitely not as mobile as they used to be, understandably, so I was really glad to be there to help. Mum and dad had many things that they wanted to get done and we were able to get it all done. Each day, I made sure that I got out and walked in the early morning. It helped to get the bod moving and loosen up the muscles. During those walks, I loved the early morning mists, walking some of the old neighborhoods that I remembered from my childhood and enjoying those beautiful sunrises.

Sunrise in Dunstable.

Every day I had a chance to clear out a little more of the garage, put back some furniture, sort out some drawer or cabinet. I also loved the trips to the grocery store, the department store, a trip to see my elderly aunt and uncle and a Sunday at church at my old ward. I had forgotten how different the stores are and even had a hard time with the currency at first! I never expected that! I also found that my British accent got a lot stronger when I was around both my parents and the general public. One of the cashiers in the grocery store could not believe that I had lived outside of the country for as long as I have. My aunt and uncle live in a different county, about an 80 minute drive each way. My mum still drives as she is most comfortable in the car. She drives like a Boss! Whipping along those country roads, rocking that stick shift and passing on those narrow roads. My dad says she drives like a man. She takes that as a compliment!

Church is small but dedicated and I really enjoyed seeing some old friends. The fact that they have an actual building now is astounding and they do not take that for granted. I was lucky enough to be able to help with a service project. They had knitted squares that needed to be sewn together and a border added to make a blanket. The ward works with the Red Cross to help the refugees. I was able to take the squares and complete the blanket for them during my second week. Mum also donated a blanket that she had made when we dropped off the finished assignment. I loved being able to help.

Each day I was treated to some long forgotten food. Now I know that most of you reading this will not appreciate my rave gourmet reviews. I drooled over liver and bacon, mackeral pate, Marmite, watercress, cheese so strong that it would make your toes curl! A blackcurrant cordial to drink, Lucozade, another delicious beverage. All very yummy!

My 2 weeks, or fortnight, as the English say, flew by but we were able to get everything done and I absolutely loved being around my sweet parents.

Saying goodbye was particularly hard. Not being close enough to help them daily, that is something I find very hard to get my mind around. My journey home was long but uneventful, just how we like it.

Saint Denis

How lucky I was to have the love and support of my family while I was over there. Dennis even managed some laundry and ironing while I was gone!

Now we are back into the swing of things, jet lag has been conquered and reality has already bitten!! Still, I am ever grateful for the opportunity I had to go and help my parents. I am a very fortunate and blessed individual.