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- Meet the Doniphan Ward Bishopric
- Easter Ideas Roundup
- Stake Member Shares Acts of Kindness Through Family History
- Stake Member Shares Acts of Kindness Through Family History
- Spirit-led Self-Reliance Classes Improving Emotional & Financial Lives
- Miracles Come From Following the Spirit
- Recipe Exchange: Cold Night, Crockpot Meals
- Saint on the Street What’s a fun activity you do with your family to grow closer together?
Community Outreach
Missionaries
Saint on the Street:
What’s a fun activity you do with your family to grow closer together?
Kaely Holt, Reporter/Managing Editor (Liberty Ward)
Robert Abudulahi(Rush Creek Ward)
We don’t have any family close by, so we do a lot of online chatting. We talk with our grandson in London twice a week to hear about his three-year-old’s adventures, and talk separately with his mother. My wife’s family is all out in Utah, so we keep up with them mainly on Facebook. We are grateful for technology which allows us to be present when we don’t live close.
Matt Untch(Hodge Park Ward)
A number of activities we do, or have done over the years, to grow closer as a family include playing board games together, with one of our favorites being Catan. Those times allow us to laugh, enjoy yummy snacks, and simply enjoy being present with one another.
Another meaningful activity we enjoy, when we are able, is gathering for General Conference with our extended Untch Family. We will watch Conference at one of my brothers’ homes. We spend the night, share snacks, and eat meals together while listening to Church leaders provide encouragement and needed guidance, making it a time of both connection and reflection.
A couple of family traditions that have been part of the Untch family for decades are our annual Fourth of July celebration and the Halloween bonfire my parents host each year. The Fourth of July gathering brings together dozens of family members, along with friends, neighbors, and others from the community, to enjoy a fireworks display led by my brother Mark. It rivals many local shows! On Halloween, the highlight is the acres-long “Haunted Trail” my father creates each year for his children and now grandchildren to enjoy. These long-standing traditions bring multiple generations together and have played a significant role in strengthening our family bonds over time.
Meghan Cowley (Liberty Ward)
One of our top activities to do as a family is camping. We are not survivalist campers by any means, but we do love the outdoors and the feeling of escaping. We have found that camping provides many bonding opportunities. We learn new ways of accomplishing what would normally be a simple task. Camping has forced us to problem solve, be patient, and be uncomfortable through hard things. We definitely communicate on a deeper level as we shut down our tech. As parents, being outdoors for an extended period of time helps us let go and let the kids run wild and be free. The kids can get messy and be a little dirtier than normal, and it doesn’t matter because we all smell to some extent.
There are so many ways families can bond together. Over the years, we have found various activities we enjoyed and many that were not for us, but it’s the time we spent together that actually matters. Someone once said family requires consistent persistence. Time does not stand still, and I know as kids get older and circumstances change the amount of time we have in each other’s company will change also. But, I know that as we consistently love one another, we will persistently find the time to be together.
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