February 2010

John's schedule is so packed with activites that they often conflict. He and his debate partner Zack won enough debate tournaments to qualify for State. The State Debate Tournament will be held in Tacoma Washington in March. John and Jane will have to fly to the debate and back to Spokane so that John can play in the Wind Ensemble concert and compete in the Jazz Northwest Festival. John is also playing in the orchestra for the school musical and participated in the Mock Trial competition, as an attorney. It was held in the the Tri-cities.

We received a surprise visit from the Lahtinens. We got to visit with Darrel, Trish, Timo and Emma. We only get to see them once or twice a year.

John also played and practiced with the Greenbluff Ward Young Men's basketball team. John says he's not a very good basketball player, but he has a great time anyway. Duncan and Jane enjoyed watching the games.

We had a fun Superbowl party at Brent and Rosemary Osborn's house. John enjoyed spending time with his cousins Nolan, Justin, Allison and Branden Osborn.

John and Jane went with the Mt Spokane High School jazz bands to the Clark College Jazz Festival in Vancouver Washington. The jazz bands did very well. John and some of Jane's seminary students, in their tuxedos, crashed a Daddy Daughter Dance, that was being held at our hotel, by a Catholic High School. Sister Mary Ellen bounced them from the dance as the Dad's protested her actions. The Dads were impressed with the clean cut, nicely dressed, confident young men.

John did well at the Eastern Washington Music Educators Solo and Ensemble Competition this year. He took first place which qualified him to go to State. He will not be able to participate in the State competition because it is the same weekend that the Mt Spokane Jazz Bands are going to the Reno Jazz Festival.

Mt Spokane High School's Jazz CHOIR asked John to be the featured soloist on his trombone at their choir concert. He had never practiced with the choir, but managed to pull off a beautiful solo with the choir singing behind him.

Spokane Falls held a Jazz Festival at the beautifully renovated Fox Theater. John was a featured soloist on a ballad with the Mt Spokane Jazz I Band. The trombone section stepped to the front of the stage and played a college level trombone solie which they had memorized. It wowed the crowd.

Grandma and Grandpa Osborn, Grandma and Grandpa Lahtinen, Duncan, Jane and John all gather at Duncan's office to watch Mark open his mission call.

Mark is so excited, his hands are shaking and his heart is pounding out of his chest. We have never seen Mark this excited about anything before. It made us all smile.

As he reads where he will be serving as a Missionary for the next two years, Mark gets a huge smile on his face that does not go away the entire hour we talk to him. He reads to us, all the instructions, from shots, to the 3 pages of items we need to purchase and fit into 2 suitcases 44lbs maximum.

Elder Mark William Lahtinen will be serving in the Lima Peru East Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He will enter the Provo MTC on June 30, 2010 for 3 weeks of training. Then he will fly to the MTC in Peru for an additional 6 weeks of training.

Mark will be staying at BYU for Spring Term. He has been accepted into the Spanish Foreign Language House where he will be living and working on Spanish conversation with his Resident Assistant who is a native of Peru. He will not be allowed to speak english or watch anything (TV or movies) that are not in Spanish. Mark hopes this class will help him improve his Spanish quickly.

Mark has prepared for his mission since he was a tiny little boy. He saved his money, carried his scritpures to church and wore a white shirt, tie, suit and missionary name tag.
He can hardly wait start teaching the gospel to the people of Peru.