An open letter to the people who are fighting for freedom in the middle east...

First let me tell you who I am, I am a Christian and a conservative, born in the United States of America.  Many of you probably assume that people like me hate people like you.  First I want to clear this up, speaking for myself and fellow Christians and conservatives that I know personally.  We do not hate you, in fact we pray for you and read the news about you and hope for you and your families freedom and prosperity every day.  We respect your faith and your desire to simply be left alone.  The challenge we face is that there are people amongst you that would have us and many of our other friends literally wiped off the map.  So what do we do?  What would you do?

I personally have a large family by western standards, 8 children and a wife, I married young and have gone through many struggles, from losing a house, to having a child with epilepsy, to homeschooling my children, the daily struggle to feed them among countless others..  I have been blessed with the freedom to live as I choose and do what I will, that blessing, although I personally have not had to spill blood to maintain it, was bought with the sweat, blood and treasure of my ancestors and other great people in this country.

You now stand at a precipice, what do you do?   Do you make the leap over of your own free will?  Do you grab the powerful hand of the fundamentalists groups to help you over just to find out that they want to limit your freedoms, just as has been done thus far by the various dictators and nobility in your country?

I want you, each and every one of you to be happy.  I firmly believe that happiness can only truly be obtained by individuals when you have the liberty to do as you wish in your life and to work towards the goals you set for yourself.  You deserve to be able to worship freely!  You deserve to be able to raise your children, care for them and see them become who they want to be.  The only thing I ask of you is to not impose your specific religious doctrine on others, let them choose and be happy. 

Your God and my God are the same, let us live as children of that God not mortal enemies.  Peace be with with you my brothers and sisters.

Well Pleased.

I usually post about politics, but today that will not be so...

As some of you may know, the last couple of years has been tough on my family. I lost my job in AZ, moved back to Indiana, thanks to the kindness of Erica's Sister and Brother-in-law had a place to land. This was very tough for us. I am thankful that I was able to maintain employment throughout this, initially not immensely "gainful" but since I have obtained a solid position with a 90+ year old company. But that is not why I am writing this post...

I want to write about my wonderful children, they have taken this entire roller coaster ride in stride. They have adapted to sharing bedrooms with cousins, sharing beds when necessary, living by someone elses rules, even if they are confusing and new and sometimes hard to understand, They have been willing and joyful participants in sacrificing what has needed to be sacrificed and doing what needed to be done. For them I am well pleased, to God I am grateful.

A new chapter has begun in our lives, Erica and I closed on a home a few weeks ago. It's an old house in the country on 4 acres. We got it dirt cheap, with that it needs a ton of work, we should be able to handle about 90% of it ourselves, but we are talking in the tens of thousands of dollars range. The previous owner has not yet removed their "stuff" and we need to start the work to prepare the children's bedrooms. So yesterday Erica and I went to the house to move all of the remaining stuff downstairs and get the space ready for a complete demo and remodel. Once again, my kids were up to the task, Rose and Sarah took turns helping out upstairs and keeping the babies, everyone participated in moving stuff downstairs, sweeping, cleaning-up and doing what needed to be done. Not one complaint, in fact one of the kids, I believe it was Gabriel said that "It is great that we are all working on this together!" My children exemplify what I believe it is to be a Leschorn, we are a family that does not fear hard work and takes joy in the process of reaching for our goals, a family with the help of the Almighty can overcome huge obstacles and strenghten our bonds with our Maker and eachother in the process.

My quiver is indeed full and I am a blessed man. Praise to our God, our Heavenly Father. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Character Of The Happy Warrior

Who is the happy Warrior? Who is he
What every man in arms should wish to be?
It is the generous Spirit, who, when brought
Among the tasks of real life, hath wrought
Upon the plan that pleased his childish thought:
Whose high endeavours are an inward light
That makes the path before him always bright:
Who, with a natural instinct to discern
What knowledge can perform, is diligent to learn,
Abides by this resolve, and stops not there,
But makes his moral being his prime care;
Who, doomed to go in company with Pain,
And Fear, and Bloodshed, miserable train!
Turns his necessity to glorious gain;
In face of these doth exercise a power
Which is our human nature`s highest dower;
Controls them and subdues, transmutes, bereaves
Of their bad influence, and their good receives:
By objects, which might force the soul to abate
Her feeling, rendered more compassionate;
Is placable - because occasions rise
So often that demand such sacrifice;
More skilful in self - knowledge, even more pure,
As tempted more; more able to endure,
As more exposed to suffering and distress;
Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.
`Tis he whose law is reason; who depends
Upon that law as on the best of friends;
Whence, in a state where men are tempted still
To evil for a guard against worse ill,
And what in quality or act is best
Doth seldom on a right foundation rest,
He labours good on good to fix, and owes
To virtue every triumph that he knows:
Who, if he rise to station of command,
Rises by open means; and there will stand
On honourable terms, or else retire,
And in himself possess his own desire;
Who comprehends his trust, and to the same
Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim;
And therefore does not stoop, nor lie in wait
For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state,
Whom they must follow; on whose head must fall,
Like showers of manna, if they come at all:
Whose power shed round him in the common strife,
Or mild concerns of ordinary life,
A constant influence, a peculiar grace;
But who, if he be called upon to face
Some awful moment to which Heaven has joined
Great issues, good or bad for human kind,
Is happy as a Lover; and attired
With sudden brightness, like a Man inspired;
And, through the heat of conflict, keeps the law
In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw:
Or if an unexpected call succeed,
Come when it will, is equal to the need:
He who, though thus endued as with a sense
And faculty for storm and turbulence,
Is yet a Soul whose master - bias leans
To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes;
Sweet images! which, whereso`er he be,
Are at his heart; and such fidelity
It is his darling passion to approve;
More brave for this, that he hath much to love: -
`Tis, finally, the Man, who, lifted high,
Conspicuous object in a Nation`s eye,
Or left unthought - of in obscurity, -
Who, with a toward or untoward lot,
Prosperous or adverse, to his wish or not,
Plays, in the many games of life, that one
Where what he most doth value must be won.
Whom neither shape of danger can dismay,
Nor thought of tender happiness betray;
Who, not content that former worth stand fast,
Looks forward persevering to the last,
From well to better, daily self - surpast:
Who, whether praise of him must walk the earth
For ever, and to noble deeds give birth,
Or he must fall to sleep without his fame,
And leave a dead unprofitable name,
Finds comfort in himself and in his cause;
And, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws
His breath in confidence of Heaven`s applause:
This is the happy Warrior; this is he
Whom every Man in arms should wish to be.

By William Wordsworth

"It is my prayer that perhaps we can all become happy warriors." -JTL

The Good News...

Friends and Family,

So when I wrote that post a few days ago, I was exceptionally down. Frustrated and felt more or less useless.

I have great news that I am actually ready to share! I have accepted a new position with a company in Indianapolis that offers appropriate compensation for my skill and career level in addition to offering full medical benefits for my family.

I want to thank all of you for your prayers and publicly thank Heavenly Father for answering them. I am grateful for all that I have and excited at the fact that I am going to be able to take care of my family as I am commanded to. Now, the hard work of getting our lives in order can commence and I couldn't be more ready start it!

Look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

John

In Loving Memory of Margaret Mary Palermo

Nana passed away this morning at about 7am. While I am sad that she is gone and I miss her. I can't help but be joyful in my heart that she is now in Paradise, meeting up with our family already passed. The reunion must be joyus, much like the joy we feel when a new child comes into our mortal world.

To the woman...

...who drilled me in my multiplication tables until I got them right.
...who I loved to play cards with on Saturday mornings.
...who I told that I was going to get married first.
...who loved my wife like her own granddaughter.
...who I shared my new faith with first.
...who shared my love for Jesus Christ.
...who loved me unconditionally......

I love you and adieu.

Your Grandson,

John

C O L O R B L I N D

I look at society, I look at my coworkers, my family and my friends...

What is the first thing you see when you look at a person?

Do you move away from people who are different then you?

Do you write off one persons actions to represent their race?

I propose that when it comes to race we must become colorblind. We must not judge people by what we see in popular media, we must teach our children that the substance of a man is in his character not his color or creed. It is not enough to "not" teach racism, we must instead teach love. We must become neighbors, go outside of our comfort zones, learn about different peoples and places. Respect the diversity of culture and the richness of the peoples of the world.

The time is near that all the things we have won't be enough, in fact, it has come. The only race we should all recognize is the human race. We must reach understanding, that can only be had through love and service to others.

So, to the world I say... Become COLORBLIND! It is long past time....

My thoughts on a Sunday afternoon.

A Journey Thirty One Years in the Making

Shortly after I established contact with my birth mother Linda, I determined that I needed to go visit her. I thought about this for several days, then I contacted Helen (Linda's Mom) and told her that I wanted to make plans to visit Linda, but wanted to surprise her. She said she would get the message to Don (Linda's Husband) to call me. The in the next day or so I received a call from Don, got his blessing on the plan. Within a few days I had tickets to fly out to JFK late on December 30th, the red eye flight. Don agreed to pick me up at the airport, at 6:18 in the morning.

I spoke a lot to Erica about this, some friends, some colleagues at work. I spoke to my mom and dad, all asked if I was nervous about the trip. I had to say, "No", I have been at ease with Linda and Don since I first started talking to them.

I flew out to New York, arrived just before it started snowing at JFK, very tired and without much sleep. Don picked me up and drove me home. Linda still was not aware of what was going on. On our way home we met with several of Don and Linda's friends. As a welcome to me a number of Don's friends who are bikers got up early in the morning, met us on the Long Island Express Way. To honor Linda and I they they escorted us as far as they could, in what were slick and snowy roads.

We arrived home in a full blown snowstorm, I walked in, Linda was upstairs, Don walked ahead of me. He said to Linda, "Your Son." I then walked up the stairs and for the first time ever was embraced or even touched by my birth mother. I cannot describe the emotions present in me at the moment, the weight of 31 years of not knowing was gone. Linda was speechless.

In reflecting on this moment and the experiences I have had over the weekend. I will say that I am a changed man. For the love that Linda and Don have had for my brother and I over the last 31 years, I have to express my thanks to Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the decisions that were made, by both Linda, my mom and my dad. I am also grateful for Erica's support in this whole process and the patience she has shown me. I am also impressed and touched by the love that exists in Don's heart for Bill and I, he came into Linda's life after she gave birth to us, he choose from that point to love us as Linda had, as his sons.

I have much more to write, stories to share about my family, but I will leave off with pictures of both my sister Michele, brother Pete and me.

A Thanksgiving to remember.

Well, as many of you know I don't post on a daily occurence like my wife. Usually I post about a political issue or something that is on my mind. This time I have a story to tell.

In 2004 my son Gabriel had a siezure, he was just an infant, as parents do, we panicked, we had dozens of tests run on him. After about 6 months of personality changing medication and consulting with his doctor, we decided to wean him off of the medication. Since that time he has not had any seizures, we have come to the conclusion that they were development and that he would grow out of them, and that he seems to have done.

At that time I decided that I should find out any medical information I could about my birth parents. So I researched and found out about a mutual consent adoption registry that the NY Department of Health has online. I submitted my information to it. What I got back was a form stating very basic information about my birth mother, her age, race, etc. There was no medical information of any value, so I believed I had hit a dead end at the time. The form also stated that if she registered we would both get a "final consent" form for identifying information to be exchanged, I held hope that perhaps she would register at some point.

At this time I was driven to find out more information, so I searched the internet, even went as far as to call the hospital I was born at, all led to dead ends.

So we fast forward to October 2008, I have moved several times, relocated to Arizona, doubled the size of my family. I received a final consent form in the mail. This could only mean one thing, my birth mother had registered and also recieved that form. I decided it was time to move forward with things. So my wife and I filled out the form, got it notarized and sent it via certified mail to the State of NY. I was hopeful that within days I would hear something.

On November 21st I recieved the information, my birth mother's name is Linda, she lives on Long Island, NY. (I am sparing additional details out of respect for her privacy.) I was in shock, almost 31 years have elapsed since I was born and given up. What would I find?

Late Sunday night I received an email from Linda. She told me a little about my birth family, she told me that she remembered my birthday every year, that she prayed for and worried about what happened to my brother and I. She told me that I have another brother and a sister, a niece and a nephew. She told me that her and her husband, who she met after giving birth to us have thought about us throughout the years.

I responded with my story and was thankful that she made the decision that she made. I told her about my wife, kids and my brother. She went from having 2 grandchildren to 10! She is thrilled!

I am truly thankful for the very adult selfless decision that Linda and her parents made when she was only 16. I believe that God put things in place so that we could all be happy and eventually come back together to heal a family. I have room in my heart for my birth mom, my new brother and sister, cousins, niece, nephew, uncles and aunts and grandparents.

I hope as you read this you think about your family's blessings and they bring a smile to your face.

-John

A open letter to our new President Elect, Barack Obama

Mr. Obama,


First let me congratulate you for running a very long and hard fought race. You brought many Americans together for a common cause, for this I commend you.

I am a conservative who voted for John McCain. I disagree with you on many social issues, but as the President Elect, I will support you in your office. I sincerely hope other conservatives will join me in this. I do have some specific concerns of a very personal nature that I want to address.

I am an adoptee, born to a mother of sixteen years of age in 1977. I do not know the circumstances around why she got pregnant, but I do know that she made the decision to put the value of my life and my twin brother's life ahead of her own. She made a selfless decision to give up 9 months of her life to carry us to term, and then give a my adopted parents a the gift of something they could not obtain without her help, twin baby boys.

I ask you Mr. Obama, should we not be promoting this sort of behavior? Should we not have better programs to allow more young women to give the gift of life to another, instead of taking it away?

I'm not asking you to outlaw abortion, as I know that is not something your party will allow and it does not seem to be where your mind is, what I am asking is for you to take up the cause of helping to decrease the number of abortions every year by working with other lawmakers to develop programs that promote life by supporting young mothers who wish to carry their babies to term and give them up for adoption. We can provide hope for young mothers, show them that they aren't alone, give them the chance to give a gift of life.

I sincerely hope you or one of your staff will read this and consider my words.

Sincerely,

John T. Leschorn

Frustrations and Second Guessing.

As you all know, I unfortunately had to make the decision to not go to Nauvoo or Indiana this summer, due to various financial issues it simply wasn't reasonable.

I had requested vacation, but cancelled the request as I wasn't going to take two weeks off to sit at home and do nothing.

Friday morning I get a call from my wife at work, Her mom decided last minute to offer to pay for her to go out for the week for the family reunion. I of course approved this, as I feel it is important for my kids to get to spend some time with their cousins.

Unfortunately I could not with no notice take the time off of work. So, here I am alone. My entire family, wife and kids are probably in MO at this point, and I am here.

I'm terribly frustrated with this situation. I will make my peace, but just had to write my thoughts.

100 Not So Random Things About Me and My Progeny

Well guys, you did it, this time I am the follower.

1. What BJ didn't tell you is that just after our Patriarchial blessings we both stayed at the Patriarch's house for a stake conference.
2. I don't ever let BJ forget that I baptized him, as he may be my only ticket to the Celestial Kingdom.
3. I hate the college classroom and because about 90% of college students care more about the next weekend's parties then the next semester.
4. I always wanted a saltwater fishtank, but settled on a freshwater setup.
5. I'm also waiting for the fish to die.
6. My wife doesn't eat enough, so I eat for her.
7. I need to loose 50lbs.
8. I just hurt my back.
9. I am getting a bike this week, hope my back feels better.
10. My superhero persona was "CHIP" a cyborg guy.
11. The personas were actually drawn up by Elder Stone, a missionary who helped teach me the discussions.
12. I didn't choose my persona, but it fits.
13. I married my best friend.
14. She is one of three girls that I ever knew that fit my qualifications for marriage. (I'll bet ya'll wondering what/who they are...)
15. I'm not going to share.
16. I love living in the desert.
17. I love warm winters.
18. I dislike hot summers, but that's what AC is for.
19. I miss my friends, BJ, Cali, Corey, Shiloh, Will. (Note I put this in alphabetical order as not to offend anyone)
20. I'm looking forward to our summer reunion.
21. I've had wild ideas about us all moving back to Brazil, IN to restart the now defunct Brazil Branch.
22. Yes, I know that's silly.
23. Nauvoo will be a blast.
24. I love my kids.
25. I think the world of them.
26. Rose and Sarah will both make the kind of wifes' that would have made my list up above, still working on Hannah, Margaret and Abbey. Their husbands will be lucky men.
27. I've been called "bold" recently by a good friend, had no idea I had that trait.
28. I think perhaps I was more "bold" when this particular friend was around, this individual is good for my self confidence.
29. I still love DnD.
30. I don't play DnD any more.
31. No close social group to play with, too many kids, too little time.
32. Ammon is our super boy, does everything he is told with exactness.
33. Malachi has an awesome imagination.
34. Gabriel is very loving, forgiving and affectionate.
35. My wife loves me.
36. Oh yeah..... I love my wife. (She is reading this over my shoulders right now, just bit me.)
37. She has been a real trooper in the last 11 years.
38. We've moved 13 times. (Insanity)
39. The moves and job changes almost match up with each kid.
40. I have managed to break that habit.
41. I like bike riding. Haven't had a bike for a number of years. Will be fixed, see number 9.
42. I like hiking with my wife and all the kids, and yes we get the looks also...
43. I am learning that living in the "bubble" has unique challenges.
44. Instead of "Baptist Mormons" we have "Gap Mormons"
45. We shop at Walmart and Target and are proud of it.
46. We drive appropriate vehicles for their tasks.
47. I have a small commuter car, good gas milage lots of airbags.
48. My wife has a big Ford van, not so great gas milage, but hey with 8 kids, what else can you ask for...
49. I don't like when people drive Surburbans and Escalades for their 1 child. It's wasteful.
50. I want a jeep when I grow up to...
51. I really don't like when people commute to work in gas guzzling trucks for no reason.
52. My night vision stinks, ask will he's had to guide me out of a few hairy situations.
53. I don't ever need to wear sunglasses.
54. I love swimming.
55. I miss having a pool.
56. We have a neighborhood pool, but I feel guilty about going without my kids.
57. I think I need to worry more about my own health.
58. I'm worried about getting to 100 without boring you to tears.
59. I like to take pictures.
60. I'm a closet photographer.
61. I'm growing tired of computers.
62. I can't believe I am 30.
63. I can't believe I could be a grandparent at 40ish.
64. I'm hoping to retire at 50.
65. That's not terribly likely.
66. More like 60.
67. I'm the only Priesthood holder in my family. (Leschorn Family)
68. I am the oldest Priesthood holder in my immediate extended family, (In-Laws)
69. I've recently taken and interest in working on my family history.
70. I'm Irish/Italian/Scottish/German/French (German and French are debatable, I am from a region that was disputed for centuries by Germany and France, yep, just learned that.)
71. I feared going to my last youth conference.
72. I knew that I would meet and marry a girl at the conference.
73. Rodney convinced me to go.
74. Look what happened.... :)
75. The Cunningham girls never let me lead in dances.
76. It all changed that conference.
77. Cali should have never let me lead, it gave me to much confidence...
78. I ended up meeting and dating my lovely wife.
79. My wife still doesn't let me lead in dances, (Perhaps she is more wise for that.)
80. I don't have any non-wrinkled clothes for work tomorrow.
81. My wife is pondering teaching my 9 year olds to iron. (Scary)
82. I wish Romney stayed in the race, and Huckabee never existed.
83. I wasn't going to vote for Romney b/c he was a Mormon.
84. I was going to vote for Romney b/c he was a temple worthy Mormon.
85. My wife doesn't like 84.
86. My Dad was also pro-Romney, voted for Clinton twice.
87. I can't stand when people polarize issues in politics.
88. Right and wrong are simple, moving the population to the correct mind frame is not.
89. My wife really doesn't like 88.
90. I'm a Reagan Republican.
91. I don't watch TV with my wife.... ever.
92. We have started "blogging" together.
93. We don't have cable.
94. I want the Gov't out of my life and my paycheck.
95. I dislike liberals.
96. I was an Elder when BJ was ordained.
97. Who's first for HP? (Will, BJ or John)
98. I share my Priesthood Lineage with Will.
99. Will Baptized me. (Like you all didn't know that.)
100. I belive in Christ.

Mary or Martha?

I have taken some time to review the last 10 years of my life. As we have explored, it has had many ups and downs. My marriage to Erica my sweetheart has been a tremendous growing experience. My faith is strong, I love the Lord, have a sure testimony of the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel, I could not deny it any more then the blue sky or the warmth that the sun provides.

But I have come to a realization. I am a "Martha" not a "Mary". Both loved the Lord with all of their hearts, they looked to serve Him and wanted to be taught by Him. But while Martha was running around preparing for the Lord, Mary sat at His feet and wanted to be taught by Him. Martha even took offense to Mary's actions and Jesus rebuked her. He told her that Mary chose the greater part.

My concern is this, I work hard every day for my family, to provide for them, we home school our kids and desire with all of our hearts to teach them the Gospel to give them a sure testimony of its truth. But I feel that perhaps we are missing the "greater part" that we need to take more time to slow down and teach the lessons of the Saviour. The problem is this, it seems that whenever we try to take a time out to do this things fall apart. This is a frustrating scenario, that Erica and I are working to approach with much thought and prayer. But I want to put this out here to my friends to see if anyone has any thought on this, perhaps those with more wisdom or experience can help us along in this process...

I look forward to your feedback.

-John

Look at the mess we got ourselves into...

I have been thinking alot about the whole tax rebate deal that just went through congress and President Bush signed.

We are in a war, an expensive one. We have a huge budget deficit.

On the other side of the issue. The american public has gone off the deep-end. Due to the loss of our industries our economy is based on consumption of goods. Our "wealth" is false, it has nothing to back it up. Like drug addicts we always want more.

Banks and lending institutions reacted to our "need". They created loans that allowed us to purchase more house then we could afford. Being addicted to more, we bit, millions of people who wanted more house than they could afford purchased houses with unreasonable terms.

So our false wealth combined with our need for more has gotten us into a heap of trouble. Our government is just a reflection of it's people.

So this is what I propose.

As a country:

We complete the war in Iraq, withdraw after we have completed our objectives within a reasonable amount of time. Offer substancial incentives via tax breaks and federal R & D money to american companies who are already beginning the process to build an infrastructure of clean energy.

This would serve two purposes, first the short term benefit, within 10-20 years, we would free ourselves of the worlds oil, drastically reducing dependence on foriegn countries and fickle governments.

Secondly as a country we would gain an advantage in the renewable engergy industry, we could then export the technology and products to other countries. We must also begin to pay down our national debt by reducing unnecessary government spending and bloated entitlement programs.

As families:

We must live within our means, not purchase more vehicle or home than we can afford. We must save, cut up credit cards. We must teach our children the value of hard work, even low paying sometimes dirty hard work.

As individuals:

We must conserve within reason. We must vote in leaders who are not on the right or left, but who are thinkers, who will look at our current problems and work with intelligence and reason. We must take responsibilities for our own actions, we must not expect the government to bail us out of every mistake. We must also continue to educate ourselves throughout our lives to be prepared for a more competitive global economy.

We must also respect each others differences and tolerate those who do not think like us. This does not mean we should be afraid to profess our theological or political views, it means that we must come together as a people and realize that our common goal is our hope for a better future for our children, one where race, gender or ethnic differences are celebrated and a fabric of unity as a nation bind us together. If we work hard together we can enjoy exploring our differences and learning from one another. We are blessed with an amazing heritage of providence, our founding fathers of many different faiths and backgrounds had the wisdom build our country on laws, of a Judeo Christian base that can ultimately give everyone basic rights to freedom, liberty and security in the pursuit of happiness. We must not allow ourselves to become another page in the history books, another failed democracy.

We must realize that life is full of compromise and unless we are willing to give a little we will not move forward as a country. Our God given democratic republic will loose its purpose as a light to the world. Once we have lost our purpose, we will eventually and inevitably loose our country and our cherished rights and freedoms.

A (not so) brief history of me, John Leschorn... (Part 3)

Another entry in my history. Wow, where to go now?

My senior year in HS was a blast, most of the jocks respected us, (I'd helped them a few times with computer stuff...) I actually became fairly good friends with a few in the "popular" crowd, as good as that can get.... I was finally a member of the church I had so long desired to join. In my second semester I took 1/2 days to go work at my internet business, that was fun, I had lots of freedom.

Then came summer... I had quit Hardees, but went back, while the internet business was a blast, it was a "break even" proposition at best. Then came my final youth conference. I actually had made the decision not to go. Rodney requested that I go, I told him, "If I go to YC I will meet a girl and marry her." Well I went, and about 7 months later I got married. This was a tough time, on one hand I wanted to go on a mission and serve the Lord, on the other hand I was in love with a girl and wanted to marry her. For various reasons I chose to get married. I married Erica Dawn McCullough, she was a beautiful girl from Terre Haute 2nd Ward.

We started dating in August, our first date was at Turkey Run, (A familiar haunt...) We quickly decided that time was spent better together then apart. :) I purchased a ring for her in Honey Creek Mall, on my wonderful salary. (I think I was making about $6/hour at the time.) I proposed to her right their in the mall. During Thanksgiving dinner we announced our intent to marry, my family was pleased with the decision, my friends, not so much. This was understandable, we were both young and brash, but we moved to the Greater Cincinnati Area and got married January 16th, with no great affair in a courthouse in Boone County, KY. I won't pull punches here, this was against our Bishop's wishes. He was not supportive of us getting married, but my oh so wise stake president told me, "You had two good choices before you, you could have gone on a mission or chose to get married. Since you chose to get married now we need to get you to the temple." So that was that, in March of 1998 Erica and I were sealed in the Chicago, IL temple with most of our ward present. It was a wonderful experience, one that I had hoped for since I met Erica. We had a rough start but had made ourselves right with the Lord and were ready to begin a real family, and that we did in short order...

On June 18th of 1998 Erica gave birth to a pair of wonderful twin girls, they were very small and very beautiful. In a few weeks we were able to bring them home. Then the real work started, up all night, Erica trying to nurse two babies not having any past experience, me attempting to hold a job and be a good husband and dad. My parents had just moved to Hawaii, we were trying to go at this alone in KY. I think it's safe to say that the stress got the best of us. Erica ended up going back to IN and I followed shortly after, around Thanksgiving.

So in Indiana with no job or place to live I got very busy very quickly. I got a job at a small internet providor, called Terre Haute Internet Services, moved into a small rental in Rockville and worked to strengthen our family.

More to come later...

A (not so) brief history of me, John Leschorn... (Part 2)

I read my history, and I thought that this wouldn't pass as a biographical history, as I am only really writing about choices that have affected my life. But then again, what else matters. I mean I could write about all of my jobs heck even the video games that I played at each step of the game. But to me I believe we will all be judged by our choices for good or evil. I also think that satisfaction in life is very much dependent on the relationships we have and keep with our "soul mates", perhaps I am using the word incorrectly, but I think of a soul mate as a person who I will be friends with now 10 years from now, 50 years from now and into the eternities. In writing this blog I have mostly been journaling, didn't expect to have an audience, besides a few family members. But what I have found out is that my good old friends still want to know what is going on in my life, you know who you are, my soul mates.... I love you all.

So without further delay, here is a continued history...

The time between my fall and my Baptism was a whirlwind. I continued in Seminary, also took part in Clay Community Theatre (I have the pics, hope to scan and post soon...), continued in school. I started a business, internet service for Rockville, IN, played DnD with my buddies, and dated dated Cali and Shiloh in rotation (something about not dating the same young man twice in a row...)

So for the time of my baptism...

Well as I have previously written I investigated the Church for two years before I was was able to get baptized, my dad was not the issue, he really didn't seem to have an opinion on the matter. (Something about the fact that he saw aliens in Vietnam, really, and that if that is the case he isn't so sure about God...) My mom blocked it each time I asked, and did I ask and push and pry and ask and push and pry... We had several false starts and it just didn't happen. Finally in October of 1996 my Mom prayed about it, (FINALLY), low and behold she had her answer and let me get baptized. So things were put in motion and a few weeks later I was baptized, the whole Brazil Branch was present, my parents and my friends. It was very exciting, as I think about that day, I remember the feelings of love and the testimony of the Holy Ghost and of all of those who played a role. I remember when Daryl Cunningham conferred the Holy Ghost on me and the feelings I had at that time. My life was changed.

Wow, feels like an eternity ago, but at the same time, it could have been yesterday!

I think I will pause at that note, good night, more will come later...

January Updates (Due to popular demand.)

Actually I wrote a nice detailed update a week ago, but when I attempted to publish it the system lost it. So here is another attempt.

Let's start with Abigail, she is growing, those cute little pitiful pre-mee cries she had are now much louder and less cute. She is over 6 lbs, and judging by how fast her eyes are getting lighter she may have very light eyes like her big brother Gabriel.

Maggie, 1, is a sweetheart. She just turned 1 and thinks she is one of the big kids. She loves Abbie, she shows it by whacking her on the face if we leave her on the floor. (Seriously we think she is just excited to have her here...) She also gives her kisses.

Hannah, 2, is my princess, while mom was in the hospital we spent a good month together and let me tell you, she really has a lot of personality. And for some bizarre reason she talks with a "Bostonian" accent. She is very clever, probably not as cute as I think, but I'm her daddy and she's pretty much got me wrapped around her finger.

Gabriel, 4, is a super boy! He really aims to please both Erica and I. He has a magnetic personality and his eyes are beautiful. My biggest concerns for him are how much trouble he may get into when he notices girls... or they notice him...

Malachi, 5, is a ham. He loves to pretend to be a super hero, sometimes the run of the mill ones, other times he makes up a new one. We are working intensively with him now to teach him how to read. He is really interested in history and science, and wants to become a scientist, I told him that the first step in that is to learn to read. I also got him a Marvel superheros poster that I promised him I would frame and put in his bedroom when he has learned how to read. He is great.

Ammon is 7 and getting baptized this year, in September (If anyone has a free weekend we would love to have you, I think it will be on the 20th.) I am really pleased that we are hitting this milestone. He is my first son born in the covenant and first to eventually get the Priesthood from his father. This is a big deal to me. We have found that he seems to have a knack for painting and art work. As you might be able to see in the picture he is missing several teeth, luckily it seems that all of his adult teeth are coming in to replace them.

Sarah, 9, is a beautiful girl. She loves to be pretty and dress up. We are working with her in all of the subjects, she is so loving and so affectionate, I can't believe she is 1/2 way to adulthood. It looks like I may be a grandpa at 40 (Shiloh you're about in the same boat...). I am excited for both of my girls, the next several years can be wonderful for them, I hope they are!

Rose, 9, is our responsible girl, beautiful and smart. Very typical first born personality traits. She will make her way in the world and will do very well. She is very practical and does things to please mom and dad. She has a wonderful singing voice, I look forward to hearing her develop it over the next few years.

Erica and I are also doing well, I need to loose some weight (Yea, perhaps now that we are done reproducing I can take a little time to care for myself). We are very happy overall, we purchased an '07 Ford E350 12 passenger van about a month ago. I am pleased with that, as our old van was short 2 seats and didn't have AC, that was horrible in the 100+ degree days in AZ. Our Ward is great, we are the largest family in the unit, (When did that happen???) Erica was just called as the Magazine Rep, I think they are afraid to call me to anything due to my large family, (I'm working in setting them straight.)

My job is good, working for a small IT firm, itSynergy, the owner is the most ethical person I have ever worked for and is really a good man. I am thrilled to be part of a growing organization that is really dynamic and honest.

I have heard whispers of the desire to attempt a "Brazil Branch Youth" reunion again this summer. I know a few of you have just moved, so money might be tight (TRUST ME. I UNDERSTAND.) Email me if you have some feedback on that, my best month is July, as I will be headed east for my wife's family reunion, we can do our reunion before or after. Email me if you want to discuss, if their is any real interest I will setup a private blog as a message board for us to share our ideas. My email: john dot leschorn at gmail dot com (It's spelled out to minimize spam.)

From a selfish standpoint I would LOVE to see all of you again. Looking back I really miss my friends from long ago, I owe all of you gratitude and thanks for loving me and showing me the Gospel, and especially for not judging me (too harshly) when I have screwed up (over and over again...). And I would love for our kids to meet eachother and get to know eachother better. We could even have the reunion in the TH area if that is easier for everyone. (I know Cunninghams and Shields have family out there as do I.)

Update on Abigail.

The sleepy baby.... :)

It's amazing to think that Abigail is only a week and a day old and it's only been four days since my last post. The great news is the Abigail has graduated to the Continuing Care Nursery, as she was in the NICU this is a big step up! She is now a "feed and grow" baby, although she is 4lbs 1oz, (if you didn't know, preemies tend to loose weight and then regain.) So she is gaining just under an ounce a day. We are blessed! Now we are hoping for her to be home before Christmas, but will count blessings either way. The rest of the clan is coming home tomorrow, I am looking forward to having our entire family together.

Announcing the birth of Abigail Claira Leschorn

Not long ago I posted that Erica was in the hospital, on December 10th they decided to go ahead and deliver the baby. So at 5:20pm on Monday Abigail Claira Leschorn was born. She is a 32 week baby, so we expect her to be in the NICU for a couple of weeks, she was born at 4lbs 3oz, 17 1/2 inches long.

Initially she was on a vent, but very soon graduated to a CPAP then standard room air. The medicine that they were giving Erica to help stop her contractions was at pretty high levels in the Abbie, this is why she needed assistance breathing. They are now feeding her by bottle and tube, increasing the feedings every 6 hours.

Look at that hair! She has more hair on her head then any other Leschorn did at birth!

More pictures are in the "My Published Albums" link to the right.

October Happenings

Well its been about a month since my last posting, lots of stuff is happening. Erica has been dealing with the challenge of preterm labor, so we now have her on a turbuteline pump, this nifty little device gives her a regular dose of medicine to control her contractions, good stuff. Of course it has to be the last pregnancy that we have a Doctor who cares enough to really help manage things... Not 7 pregnancies ago....

Erica let them carve their own pumpkins, and I am really impressed with the results. The pictures are a little blurry, (my lack of understanding of night time picture taking...)

Halloween was a great holiday for the family this year, Erica even took the pumpkin seeds and roasted them. The kids really enjoyed the day. For a long while I was very against Halloween, mostly due to what it has become in the world, but this year was great for the kids they had a blast.

(Click for additional Halloween Photos)

We are sending 4 or 5 of the kids (haven't quite decided yet...) to their Aunt in Indiana for 4 weeks, to give Erica an opportunity to rest. My dad has graciously offered to give up most of his week off to drive them to IN. Thanks Dad!

Moving day is here....... Again.....

A good friend of mine recently announced that she was putting up a blog to share family news and such. I thought hrrm, better update my blog. So here we go...

The biggest change in my life is the fact that we have moved from the West side of Phoenix to the East side, after moving in May... About a month ago I came home to a notice on the garage door of the house I was leasing. This notice essentially told me that the town is owed a substantial for a special assessment and was selling this "debt" to the highest bidder, I sat down with Erica and told her, our initial reaction was panic, but Erica being the industrious level headed person she is, called the associated lawyer and got the details. Essentially the town created a lien on the property and was raffling it on the 14th of September. We decided to call our landlord and find out their intentions. They claimed ignorance and told us they would take care of the issue immediately. So we gave them the opportunity. Needless to say the 14th of September rolled on by without the debt being paid. Now we were at a crossroads. We had to decide to stick out the year in a house that we have no confidence in it's status, or move on and try to re-establish ourselves. My wife and I went back and forth, contacted lawyers, even looked at a few homes in the East valley. I then came to a decision myself that it wasn't worth all the expenses to move, I'd made up my mind. We knelt down to pray that night together, and even though I had decided the matter we asked the Lord to guide us in the decision. Well, like the decision to come to Arizona, I woke up with a clear direction from Him to go ahead and complete the move.

We started to house hunt in earnest with the decision made. We found a few nice places, but didn't feel particularly inspired. One listing stood out to me, in fact when Erica and I looked at it I stated that it would be nice if we could have a place like that, but I wasn't holding my breath. Literally hours later we received an email from the owner of the house asking if we would be interested. (We posted a "housing wanted" ad on Craig's list.) So we went to see the house, and I fell in love with it immediately, it was close to conveniences (translate: WalMart), had several parks in the neighborhood and a community pool. Erica was a bit slower to warm up to it, but I think she was looking at all of the work involved. (Understandable...)

A few weeks later here we are... Now I must also mention, that the timing of this whole thing was/is providential, I received a performance bonus from my employer this month, I am grateful that the Lord is looking out for us. Without that bonus this whole process would have been a big struggle.

On to something else, as many of you know we homeschool our children. As of late we have been concerned that while we are doing fine on the core subjects, we have not been able to give the children the breadth of knowledge they need to be successful in life. So with much prayer and research (mostly on my wife's part), we found an organization called Arizona Virtual Academy, they are essentially a publically funded charter school that provides structure and curriculum to children in Arizona, they are approved by the State Board of Education and this program is equivilent to going to a public school curriculum wise. We decided to give it a shot, and let me tell you, every time I turn around I am more impressed with this program. First of all they tailor the classes to the student, for instance I have one child who is a little behind in reading and math, but is very into science and history, so this student has classes at different grade a level per subject, in fact all of my children have tailored curriculums. It is very nice, they all have the same teacher and she seems to be very involved and interested in each student's progress. Now being in the "public" school system we now have to keep attendence and follow the lesson plans. Where we were initially concerned about this, we came to the conclusion that Erica's time would be better spent with each of the children teaching them instead of constantly worrying about planning lessons and making sure each child gets enough attention. The hard work of lesson planning is taken care of by AZVA. They supply a computer for every two children in the program (we have 4 school age kids right now).

I look forward to sharing each child's progress with you in the coming months. I think we have found what we need to give the kids the education they need while providing them with the moral foundation to move forward in life to make good decisions that will please the Lord.