Valentine's Email from Sister Bingham

 Family -

It's Valentine's day in the Philippines.  There are lots of flowers and heart balloons for sale in the city.  I've had 2 sister missionaries give me a red silk rose & wish me Happy Valentines day.   Thanks to Alli for making us a wonderful memory filled slide show featuring my latest favorite song!  _The Mountain Song_.  I know that I have sent that song to almost all of you!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XizOXUjenfI

What a perfect song for Michael & I right now.  (Shout out to Kami Reeve for sharing it with us.)   I printed out the lyrics to give to Michael to wish him Happy Valentines day.  Here they are for you as well.   

 

The Mountain Song Lyrics

[Verse 1]

We climbed a mountain

And I picked wildflowers and put ‘em in her hair

And at the top we found a meadow

And danced barefoot in the grass

And I’m not lying there were bluebirds in the air

It was a long one

There was a time or two we felt like giving up

But every fall and every stumble made us

Stop and see the wonder

With your hand in mine we pushed on towards the topI

[Chorus]

Why, do people climb mountains?

Is it just to reach the top and see the view?

Well I, tell you something

Every rock and every river

Every sore and every splinter

I would climb every mountain with you

[Verse 2]

Well the clouds rolled in

There was lightning there was thunder there was rain

As we hid beneath our shelter

All the doubts that we had felt

Came pouring in as a flood we had to face

Then came the sunshine

The clouds rolled back and color filled the earth

And the rain had brought the flowers

You could sit and stare for hours

And the toil and the struggle showed its worth

[Chorus]

Why, do people climb mountains?

Is it just to reach the top and see the view?

Well I, tell you something

Every rock and every river

Every sore and every splinter

I would climb every mountain with you

 Also - as we met with the new missionaries, the missionaries that have been in our mission for 4 weeks now, and their trainers and did New Missionary Follow-up Training yesterday, I was struck by the words in Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ.  I love the message about companions.  I am so grateful for my companion (even though he doesn't speak Tagalog - If I had a Tagalog speaking companion maybe I would learn Tagalog as well.). I have been striving to implement these Christ-like attributes more fully in our marriage relationship.  I highly recommend these standards to each of you.   Actually - I invite you to read them, think about them, you could even pray about them and how you could apply them in your own life.  Because I know that when we live by these standards our companionships (with our spouses) will be strengthened and we will both experience greater happiness.  

I love each of you dearly!  More than ever.  I have felt more gratitude for each of you as we have been here.  Maybe it's because we are so far away from you.  Know of our love for you and for each of your children.

Love, MOM

Companions:

• Become united in the work and together testify of Jesus Christ.

• Support each other’s spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being.

• Try to keep each other safe.

• Are accountable to each other in keeping missionary standards.
  
  

  2.2.1

  Supporting Each Other

  Companions should help each other learn, grow, and develop Christlike attributes (see Doctrine and Covenants 4 and “How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?” in Preach My Gospel, chapter 6). Learning patience and love, practicing forgiveness, and accepting differences in personalities will bless you throughout your life.

  As companions:

  • Love, respect, and strengthen each other.

  • Study together every day and pray together frequently throughout the day.

  • Be humble and recognize each other’s strengths.

  • Treat each other as you would like to be treated.

  • Avoid criticism and contention.

  • Avoid speaking negatively about each other to other missionaries, Church members, or family and friends at home.