Petal Day of Service - Members of the Petal Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in conjunction with 16 community organizations participated in a day of service. The day began with a clean up of a two-mile section of Highway 11 located just outside of the Petal City limits. This section had been adopted by LDS BSA Troop 125. Approximately 40 members of the Church participated in the clean up efforts. Below are some of the pictures.

Tiffany and Chris Ogle

Stevens/Gerlach Family

Jerrica Stevens

Amanda and Ryan Rich, Richard Tolbert, and Elbert Barton

Lee Wade's smiling face

Matthew Barton, Steven and Lydia Moore, Elbert Barton, and Elder Mecham

The crew resting. Pictured are: Keith Hill, Amanda and Ryan Rich, Ben Fagan, Lydia and Steven Moore, Greg Barr, Christopher Stevens, Richard Tolbert, Brett Tolbert, Elder Mecham, and Matthew Barton.


A trailer full of garbage from Highway 11. Pictured are Lee Wade, Elder Mecham, Elder Hatcher, Brett Tolbert, Greg Barr, and Keith Hill

More of the garbage: Pictured are Zach Hales, Lee Wade, Elder Mecham, Greg Barr, and Brett Tolbert.

Later in the day, the Petal Preparedness Fair was held at the Petal Middle School Gymnasium. Attendees were able to gain valuable preparedness information from 17 displays. They were also treated to Papa John's pizza. The Preparedness Fair was also the culmination of Zach Hales' Boy Scout Eagle Project.

Sargeant Brister from the Mississippi National Guard

The Barr Family enjoying the event.

Some of the displays

Petal Police Department

Dixie Pipeline presenting on natural gas safety.

Several members of the Petal Dome Mutual Aid group talked to attendees about pipeline and natural gas safety.

Mississippi Army National Guard

Preparing 72-hour kits

Trudy from Papa Johns speaking with representatives from the Mississippi Emergency Management District.

Rod Meyers displays information on alternative gardening methods) bucket

Jeffery Griffin from Shady Grove Baptist Church

Food storage ideas.

Dixie Electric

Kids were treated to games, coloring, and a variety of safety activities.

All in all, it was a great event.

Updates and Orange Beach Alabama

Hey all,

It has been way too long since we have posted. Update time:

Zach had an amazing experience at the innauguration. He loved the parade except for the fact that because the innauguration activities were so late, the band was forced to stand outside in sub-freezing temperatures for 6 hours waiting to kick off. Despite the cold, they had the experience of a lifetime. Zach is now busy with school, concert band, and scouting. He will finish his Eagle project next month.

Matthew is doing great. He is loving band (he is first chair in percussion) and has started his own rock band. Not bad for a 13 year old. They sound really good. He too is active in scouting and is working toward an Eagle. He should have it later this year. He also is busy with spring football and is looking forward to his 8th grade year of football.

Gabby is quite the young lady. She turned 10 a few weeks ago and is growing so fast. It is wonderful to watch her blossom. She loves singing, playing with her friends, and activity girls at church. She recently went to New Orleans to the Audobon Society's Insectarium. She had the "opportunity" to eat bugs and did so. She said that some tasted like potato chips. Ummm....yeah.

Sam and Luther turn 6 on Saturday. Wow! They are growing fast. They love kindergarten and are learning to read. We read the scriptures every night and they have begun reading two verses with Mom and Dad's help. They are catching on so quickly.

Candy is going great guns on preparing our house to sell. We are purchasing 13 acres with the plan to eventually build there. It has a lake on it, two rental properties, and plenty of room for an orchard and garden. See the pictures below. She is also busy working out at the YMCA, volunteering at the kids' schools, and keeping up with church responsibilities.

Brent is likewise busy with school, work, church, and everyday life. Too much to write here. Regardless, he is very happy and loves where he is in life. Please don't hesitate to contact him on Facebook.

We have attached some pictures of our recent trip to Orange Beach, Alabama. We went there for a day trip recently and had an amazing time. Very cool. There are also some pictures of the land we are purchasing (we will close June 1). There is also a picture of Brent baptizing a Leslie and Ben Fagan. What an experience!!!

This is a picture of the land we are buying. The back of the property is where we will build our house.

This is another view of the property we are buying.

Orange Beach, Alabama. Beautiful!

The pier to the beach.

Matt playing with Sam and Luther in a tide pool.

Aren't they the best. Zach, Luther, Sam, Gabby, and Matthew.

Candy and Luther

Sam and Luther in the surf. The best part is that the tide was coming in and they had just dried off.

The family

Princess Gabby with Matt and Zach in the background. Scary beautiful.

Matt as buried by his siblings.

Luther. Yes, he is freezing.

Sam enjoying the beach.

Brent preparing to baptize Leslie Fagan. Ben was baptized by Elder Mecham. Elder Bowlingbrook is his companion.

Troop 125. There are currently 5 Life Scouts, 3 Eagle Scouts, and 3 Star Scouts in the troop. We are about to fill our Eagle's Nest.

Presidential Parade

Here is an article that featured Zach and his Grandpa Smith in the Hattiesburg American.

Presidential Parades are One Family's Tradition
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081225/NEWS01/812250335

PETAL - Zachary Hales plays trumpet in the Petal High School marching band not just because he enjoys music, but because music is a tradition in his family.

It's a tradition that includes a grandfather who student directed for the Brigham Young University marching band. That band marched down Pennsylvania Avenue for President Richard Nixon's second inaugural parade in 1973.

Now, Zachary will carry the torch back to Washington for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration in January. Brent Hales, Zach's father, said the news of Petal's selection to play in the inauguration parade meant a lot to their family. "We're absolutely thrilled - this is a once in a lifetime opportunity but also a family legacy that will be there forever," he said.

Fred Smith, Zach's grandfather, said that although the band knew Nixon was not the most popular president, the prestige of the event still hit home. "We were aware of some of the anti-Nixon protests, but it was such an honor to represent the state of Utah," he said. "It doesn't matter who is in that room, there is something special about playing for the president of the United States." Smith said the band faced a little adversity during the Nixon inauguration.
"After the parade, we were sent down a side street and that's where all the protesters were sent, and there were anti-Nixon protesters who began to yell at us, which was very interesting in itself," he said.

Zach Hales said he is still stunned by the band's selection to play in the parade.
"Being a part of it is a huge honor and you really have to grasp it and when you do you realize that you're going to be a part of history, and it puts me in awe," he said.

Smith said he gave his grandson the advice to take in every aspect of the trip.
"I know this experience Zach will never forget. There's no way to describe it until you experience it, playing for the president of the United States right in front of him ... it's the office you're playing for, not the man," he said.

The band has to raise $75,000 to make the trip and is far from its goal. So far, the Petal band has raised at least $3,360, according to band booster Cissy Robertson, who is leading the charge in getting donations.

She said checks and online donations made through the school district's Web site have not yet been added to the total.

http://www.petalschools.com/petal/site/default.asp

She said band boosters are working with state officials to get the word out about their fundraising. Petal was the only band in the state that was selected to play in the parade.

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! The family wanted to write you and wish you Merry Christmas and update you on what is going on in our lives.

Sam and Luther are enjoying kindergarten and Candy is enjoying not having a child in the house during the day. It is the first time since 1994 we haven’t had one. She loves working out and volunteering at the school. The boys don’t like waking up early but once they are going, they love school. They are so excited for Christmas.

Gabby is Gabby. She is our sprite. She sang a solo in the elementary school Christmas concert. It was pretty cool. She loves performing and gets a kick out of watching people bug out when they hear her voice. She is excited for soccer season to start next spring. She is an excellent student and loves to be involved with everything.


Matt is becoming an amazing guitarist and drummer. He is first-chair in the 7th grade and was a featured soloist for the Christmas concert (band). He played the drums for “Little Drummer Boy”. He is growing up so fast. He loves being a teenager now. It is crazy to think that he is 13. He loves it. He played football this fall and while he was one of the smallest on the field, he consistently hit hard.

Zach is busy. He just got back from Philadelphia, PA where he played in their Thanksgiving Day parade. He just found out that the Petal High School Band has been selected to play in the Presidential Inaugural Parade on January 20, 2009. He is excited for it. He also is nearing his Eagle Scout and is busy with church. We are hoping he will get his first deer soon. We have been out several times but haven’t been successful to date. Oh well.


Rainier is currently stationed at Fort Bliss, TX and will be deployed in early March to serve our country in Qatar. He will be serving there for approximately 18 months. We are so proud of his service to our country and pray for him constantly.


Candy loves her independence from kids during the day and works with the schools to fill in the time. She also works out more now that she has time to do so. She is also doing projects around the house. She is going to start taking classes in the fall of next year toward her college degree.

Brent is trying to balance way too many things. Between being Bishop of the Petal Ward and working at the University of Southern Mississippi, he is trying to be a dad and husband. He is truly happy. He is learning he has to slow down after his third bout of pneumonia this year. He was just glad to be out of the hospital for Christmas (he was in for a couple days this week).

One thing is for certain, life is never boring around our house. We love this time of year because it reminds us of the most important focus of our lives. The birth of the Savior Jesus Christ and his ultimate atonement has made it possible for us to return back into His and our Heavenly Father’s presence. We are so grateful for our family and for the opportunity we have to be together forever. We thank God for our friends and family and pray that you feel His unending love for you at this time and throughout the year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,
Brent, Candy, Rainier, Zach, Matt, Gabby, Sam, and Luther

Trip to India

Here are some photos from my recent trip to India (October 2008).

These are temples hewn from a single rock. It is amazing.

An Indian elephant.

Typical shantee built off of the side of the road.

Auto rickshaw or tuk tuk commonly used as transport.



An Indian style toilet on the train. Notice the sunlight from the bottom of the pipe. Yep, it goes right on the tracks....





A rural thatch house.

An etching/carving on the side of a cliff. It is the second largest in the world and extends over 150 feet.

An Indian fishing village on the Bengali Bay of the Indian Ocean.

Ritual bathing on Diwali (A Hindu holiday similar to Christmas).

Sunrise on the Bengali Bay.

We saw this a lot. The cows used in agricultural transport had highly decorated horns.

That is me beside an Indian elephant. It is nearly 10 feet tall at the shoulder.

Me in front of the the second largest monolythic bull - carved out of a single piece of granite.

Hindu temple tower.

We just missed capturing a man urinating below this sign. They were everywhere on the walls. Apparently, there is not a taboo against male public urination.

A Shore temple.

Ganesh - Hindu deity.

Another tower on a Hindu temple.

I am in front of the royal palace in Tiruchi India. It is very impressive.

Our group minus one (someone had to take the picture) in India.