Ezra
Taft Benson Ordained
an Apostle—October 7, 1943 Hobbies—sings,
enjoys family activities
Profession—agriculture specialist Interesting fact—served as
Secretary of Agriculture in the United States government while an
Apostle
Hello Kent Goodwin, This is Vern Jensen. I met you and Brent and Chris in about '76 when I came home from my mission and we were painting the Bloomington Country Club Condos. Then off to BYU.
In '83 I moved into our new home at 2138 Colombia Circle, Bloomington Hills. Each time I drive to the Stake Center I see your old home and wonder how you are doing.
I will turn 61 in ten days and got retired/ fired from teaching Jr High Science at Tonaquint Intermediate, February'13. So three years of retirement so far! It has been a relief not to have to face testing/ testy 13 or 14 year olds each day. I had fun as a science teacher but the clientele changed. I would have much rather taught HS but I was not a coach and of course they always needed coaches.
Gordon
B. Hinckley Ordained an Apostle—October 5, 1961
Hobbies—builds things, plants trees Profession—public
communications Interesting fact—has worked closely with seven
Presidents of the Church
My brother Adrian'60 has come down from Boise to convalesce with me after open heart surgery. He spent 16 days with me and then flew back for his next doctor visit. I was disappointed with his story of his excommunication. Gray Larkin kept track of him and got him rebaptized after a year but your testimony at his church court particularly laid him low. Here we are after all these years and renewing our relationship. He wonders why you were so set against him.
As you probably know my parents were excommunicated under the direction of President Steve Peterson in '89. Off to Kooskia, Idaho they scampered. I have a little brother Scott'77 who was born the year after I returned home from Guatemala! The ward voted him down when he was presented as a 14 year old to be ordained to the office of a teacher. For some reason they blasted him when it was my parents they distrusted, with reason!
Thomas
S. Monson Ordained
an Apostle—October 4, 1963 Hobbies—fishes, raises pigeons
Profession—businessman: printing Interesting fact—often visits
the elderly in rest homes
I am wondering if you blasted Adrian for the same reason. Or was he personally offensive to you? Admittedly, he is very unusual. He is a high functioning savant. IQ 168 and able to focus like you can only imagine. He can tell stories like Robin Williams. But only relates to other people in a strained way. I don't know if you are familiar with autism and savants but some can't relate to other people at all, and others seem almost normal.
“I got excommunicated for having sexual intercourse with my wife,” Adrian says. Of course at that point she was his wife. And darn if she didn't give him 7 kinds of STD's.
Howard
W. Hunter Ordained an Apostle—October 15, 1959
Hobbies—plays several musical instruments Profession—lawyer
Interesting fact—can walk again after being confined to a
wheelchair
He has been driving for Parke Cox trucking for the last 9 years. He loves the geologic features which intrigue me as well, as he crosses the USA over and over again. All of us kids were gun shy/ isolated from each other by the horrendous psychotherapy treatments we have adopted, trying to regain trust and safety in society. Our childhood foundations were blown to smithereens! The parents we loved and honored were criminals! Crud, if that doesn't mess you up! What is real anyway?
If my parents were fakes/ frauds/ cons/ then what about the God they taught us? As you could imagine my testimony was shaken. The world became a hell hole of deception. I had to stop teaching for a year and took a sabbatical. '90-'91 I went back to school and got my elementary certificate. But I have never used it. There are lots more openings in uncomfortable Middle School than sweet elementary.
Boyd
K. Packer Ordained an Apostle—April 9, 1970
Hobbies—does wood carvings of birds, paints pictures
Profession—educator Interesting fact—flew a bomber during World
War II
I couldn't sing the hymns for a few years. I was numb. I kept attending to keep my children company but as for me . . . I just endured.
So here I am. Still alive. Children grown. 6 grand daughters and 6 grand sons. Oldest is 10.
There is Adrian. Throat cancer 4 years ago. Heart attack 31 of May. No children. No Grand children. It took13 years to pay off all my dad's debts and taxes, his 30's were blasted out of productivity. Ask me if that wouldn't dampen your motivation?
But since he started providing for and Autistic Woman Jenese,and her extreme autistic son, Nick'00, and extreme autistic daughter, Jenna'05 ten years ago, his life has had purpose. To provide.
Marvin
J. Ashton Ordained an Apostle—December 2, 1971
Hobbies—plays tennis and other sports Profession—businessman:
lumber Interesting fact—helps people feel good about themselves
He has been Parke Cox Trucking's highest mileage trucker all 9 years. Yep, setting records in efficiency. He cashes out his 3 weeks yearly vacation to provide vacation for that family. I call them his step family. Of course his bosses and associates want to know what his sex life is like. “Would you f_ _ _ an invalid/ retard?” He asks them.
He believes people are determined by their genes. He believes there are 40% promiscuous genes in our human population and 60% monogamous genes. Some of us are loyal spouses and some of us are philanderers because of heredity. His first wife Michele, was promiscuous. He figured he could convert her. Little did he know. I know you have had a lifelong disease, hemophilia. I am curious about what it has taken for you to have lived successfully for so long. And sung like a lark!
L.
Tom Perry Ordained an Apostle—April 11, 1974
Hobbies—sports, physical fitness, repairing things, gardening
Profession—business: finance, department store administration
Interesting fact—walks to work and has a cheerful greeting for
everyone.
lds.org/general-conference/1974/04/build-your-shield-of-faith?lang=eng
L
Tom Perry- story
What
a protection it was to travel through the journey of life knowing
that a shield of faith is being carefully constructed for you by
loving parents from our first moments on earth.
Let
me just give you a small example of how that shield would work. One
day I was made an attractive offer by a group of marines, buddies of
mine, as we were about to go on liberty. It wasn’t until after we
were on our way that I discovered this was not the best of company to
be in. It was then that I found out the reason they had invited me.
It was because they knew of my standards. They knew that I would be
sober when it was time to return to the base, and I could guide them
back.
We
found ourselves in Los Angeles on a streetcar headed toward a dance
hall. They had already started to drink a little, and I was ready to
part their company. It was here that that protective shield took over
and I knew of the prayers of my parents for my welfare. The streetcar
stopped and allowed new passengers to come aboard. The new passengers
separated me from my buddies and pushed me to the back of the car. It
was there that I discovered a nice group of young people standing and
seated. Immediately upon finding me in their company, one spoke up
and said, “Hi, Marine! We’re Mormons. What do you know about our
Church?”
You
see, the shield of faith was there. It was protecting me from the
fiery darts of the wicked. . . APRIL 1974 | Build Your Shield of
Faith @L. Tom Perry @
Assistant
to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (only until April 11, '74)
He had 7 STD's when he took Michele in to see Grant Carter for their prenuptial/ marriage exam. He sat them down afterwards and explained some of them were untreatable, they can't be cured but managed. To be responsible sexual partners they would need to warn any contacts they had in the future. He has 3 types of HPV that are cancer causing. [Internet: HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). Anyone who is sexually active can get HPV, even if you have had sex with only one person. HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives. HPV can be passed even when an infected person has no signs or symptoms. You can develop symptoms years after you have sex with someone who is infected, making it hard to know when you first became infected.] [There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females. But there are vaccines that can prevent (too late!) infection with the most common types of HPV.] His first wife Michelle gang banged the DSC football team. She also did drugs. Those dilated eyes that he thought he could see eternity in when she got up off the carpet with her skimpy silk shorts and half shirt, were high eyes. He was so foolish to fall for her. But she helped him through our family/ parent situation. What can I say, we were all damaged!
On one trucking trip down south, (he started driving in 2007) a big tall black guy at the dock asked if he knew Michele Olson in Saint George Utah, since he had played for DSC. Yep, I married her, said Adrian. “Man was she a good f _ _ _!” said the guy. He and Adrian hit it off just fine. There was one time when Adrian said 3 condoms came out of her that were not his. Three times a day for the first 5 years and more on weekends was their pattern. That blows my mind. The only time we ever tried that was when my wife was desperate to get pregnant. And it made me swollen/ sore.-v
David
B. Haight Ordained an Apostle—January 8, 1976
Hobbies—camps, fishes, hikes Profession—mayor; businessman
Interesting fact—survived serious accidents and illnesses
One of the STD's creates brown bb's under the skin that he learned to remove with surgery tools. Heavens, I had no idea I should be so glad not to have ever had to deal with that!
So why tell all this? 1- I like to write. 2- It probably has not been documented. 3- To help you relate. 4- To remind me of how blessed I am. 5- To remind me of how deserving of support my silver lining brother is.
James
E. Faust Ordained an Apostle—October 1, 1978
Hobbies—gardens, reads the scriptures Profession—lawyer; state
legislator Interesting fact—is especially good at remembering names
and faces of people he meets
On and on Kent. None of us are functional. We are all disfunctional. Do you wonder whY? HF helped me make it through my teaching career. Back in '88 I started jogging and kept it up for 5 years. In '99 I started therapy and kept it up for 5 years. In '93 I was drowning and prayed and pleaded. My problems were bigger than I could handle again. My last straw was weekly temple attendance. I turned my problems over to HF and I just did the best I could. Turned out my wife had 3 back surgeries and then was diagnosed with MS- multiple sclerosis. It affects the brain and nerves. My last son was born in '92, five years after my last daughter. He works for Walmart in Centerville and lives in SLC.
Loose ends. My last son is still a loose end. : )
I lead the music each Sunday in sacrament meeting and I get to sing to my ward. Yep, I love to sing too. 6 years of picking the sacrament meeting hymns. No wife in the audience to miss me. She decided we didn't get along so she went to live in Provo in a condo provided by a rich brother. Divorced 11/11/11
Neal
A. Maxwell Ordained an Apostle—July 23, 1981
Hobbies—plays tennis, reads Profession—educator; political
scientist Interesting fact—created the first stake in Nigeria,
Africa
So since I knew Spanish they pushed in our stake to get foreign language indexers. The Rome Temple was a big deal 3 years ago! They begged for Italian Indexers. It took me a year to learn but what a productive blessing it is in my life.
I also post all my letters to the longest resident of Purgatory Correctional Facility. In December'14 they outlawed letters. Only post cards! I can fit 6K words on a post card! Ha, ha, you can't fool me!! He usually gets my favorite General Conference Talk from that week as well. '71-present are all available. I have done them all once and am working on my second time of listening and studying. They bring me peace and help me sleep.
Russell
M. Nelson Ordained
an Apostle—April 12, 1984 Hobbies—music, skiing Profession—heart
surgeon Interesting fact—plays the organ for the weekly temple
meeting
No one reads my blog: adventurebill1, http://adventurebill1.blogspot.com/
but if my kids ever wonder what I am doing and thinking they can check up on me. Plus, if HF needed someone to read and hear a strong testimony of the gospel he could guide them there.
In conclusion: I hope you can tell me a message you would like Adrian to hear from you.
Mark Clayton my wonderful therapist, has taught me the steps of conflict resolution.
1 identify your feelings and perhaps where they are coming from.
2 own them.
3 share them.
4 listen to the feelings of your opponent/ partner and accept them.
5 validate their feelings and have them validate yours.
6 propose a solution that matches both sets of feelings.
7 adjust the solution till it feels good.
Dallin
H. Oaks Ordained
an Apostle—May 3, 1984 Hobbies—fishes, camps Profession—lawyer;
judge; educator Interesting fact—was president of Brigham Young
University, 1971–1980
Adrian admits he was so filled with hatred for so many years he could barely function. He did some things to vent the anger and the hatred. There are some sore spots where the feelings still well up, sometimes unexpectedly. We can be flashbacked, or triggered into childhood feelings again. Have you ever been suicidal? Some of my family members/ siblings have been for their whole lives! Me, only when I had a terrible toothache. :)
M.
Russell Ballard Ordained
an Apostle—October 10, 1985 Hobbies—repairs things, fishes, golfs
Profession—businessman: automobiles, real estate, investments
Interesting fact—both grandfathers were previous Apostles
I have no idea what you have gone through in your life Kent. I have admired your service and dependability and dedication. Your willingness to share your talents. This perspective Adrian has on his excommunication and you makes little sense to me. It doesn't match the Kent I knew. But we all have our liabilities and feelings.
Joseph
B. Wirthlin Ordained an Apostle—October 9, 1986
Hobbies—walks, reads, loves his 44 grandchildren
Profession—businessman: foods, cattle Interesting fact—speaks and
reads German and loves spaghetti
I do not know your email address. I spent some time looking up all I could about you. :) It is not very helpful. : (
Richard
G. Scott Ordained an Apostle—October 6, 1988
Hobbies—music, painting, birding Profession—nuclear engineer
Interesting fact—helped develop nuclear power plants for submarines
and aircraft carriers
Please receive this letter with gentleness and thoughtfulness. Thank you. Good luck on your eventual retirement.
Vern Jensen
G B Cabinet Shop
Goodwin Mailing Cabinet
1009 North 1100 West
Saint George, UT 84770
Phone: (435) 673-4766
G B Cabinet Shop
A privately held company in Saint George, UT.
More Details for G B Cabinet Shop
Categorized under Furniture Stores. Our records show it was established in 1983 and incorporated in Utah. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of 1,100,000 and employs a staff of approximately 10.
Company Contacts
Kent Goodwin
Partner
Kent L Goodwin
Age: 60-64
435-628-0928
CenturyLink Landline
Address
680 E 1100 S
St George, UT 84790-5652
People Kent may know
Fern A Goodwin
Carson K Goodwin
Kent
<oldsawdustmaker@gmail.com>
7:47
PM (13 hours ago)
to
me
Hi
Vern,
It's
was nice to hear from you. Life has happened to me as well. I'm so
sorry for all the troubles your family has had to endure through the
years. I know I can't even begin to understand the trials that were
forced upon you and your brothers and sisters. I am especially sorry
for the pain I have cause Adrian. I have been blessed with an ability
to forget most events I was involved in when serving In priesthood
leadership position. I vaguely remember Adrian's council and if you
hadn't reminded me I wouldn't have remembered now. So I can't even
remember what I said. I am surprised that I said such harsh things
about him, because I have often thought about him through the years
and have only fond memories of our friendship. I am truly sorry. I
can't even remember the circumstances of why a council was held.
Please believe me when I say I'm sorry. I have never felt ill will
toward any of your family. Only pain inside for all the suffering
your family has endured. I remember the time that I was so impressed
when Adrian came into my office to explain how he had been paying
tithing on every dollar he brought into his business at the time
instead of the increase and how it was causing him some tax issues. I
remember thinking just how hard he was trying to live the way he
should. I still remember many good things like that but don't
remember any of the negative I wish I could remember the
circumstances so I could explain why I said what I said. But at this
time I have no explanation and for that I am sorry. Please forgive me
for the pain I have cause because I'm sure that was not my intention.
( at least it is against how I try to live my life).
I
have face a number of challenges in my life. Some financial ,some
physical and some spiritual. As to why I'm still alive, I'm really
not sure. In the last five years I've had open heart surgery, 4
heart surgeries for oblations to try and correct v- tach. and a
stroke. During the same time one of my daughters has gone through
breast cancer that required 17 surgeries. A grandson that was in an
accident where was hit broadside by a truck weighing 80 tons. He
spent 30 days in icu where we were told on a number of occasions that
he was brain dead. Plus some severe financial struggles from the down
economy. Please understand I am not complaining. I have been
extremely blessed. Physically I am stronger now than I have been In
decades, I have no outward signs from any of the challenges that I
faced. Only a greater appreciation for the tender mercies of the
Lord. My daughter is In remission now and living a normal active
life. My grandson has had to go through countless hours of
rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury but has recovered so well
that he is preparing to send his mission papers 2 years after the
accident. ( his fault by the way). He is just 18 now. I know my
struggles are minor compared to those face by your family and I'll
pray for the comforting spirit to be with you.
I
am serving now as a primary chorister and loving every minute. I also
serve In special needs mutual which is in some ways like working with
primary kids and just as enjoyable. Plus my wife and I volunteer as
guides at the temple on Saturday night for a couple hours. All and
all I have lived a blessed life and I'm not sure why I've been so
blessed. I am so grateful for all the good and bad that I've had in
my life and for the blessings I've received in both situations. I
have been blessed with a wonderful wife who makes me a better person
and 7 kids and 23 grandkids. They all have different challenges in
their lives but as a family we are exceptionally blessed.
Please
pass this on to Adrian. I feel so bad for how I've made him feel and
if I could do anything to reduce that pain please let me know.
You'll have my email now so feel free to use it.
Your
friend. Kent
Sent
from my iPad
vern
jensen <phonev6@gmail.com>
9:28
AM (3 minutes ago)
to
Kent
Thank
you Kent,
I
have tears in my eyes.
You
accepted my letter in the way it was intended. You sweetheart.
Thank you.
Glory
be. No conflict in this relationship! No defensiveness, No hedging,
just good old, plain old honesty, candidness and sharing of pain.
Cool! Who could ask for more.
I
am also grateful for such a prompt reply. No waiting for days or
weeks to hear back from you!
Vern
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