Our Memories, from Joe and Karyn

From Joe Bodell: 

A few weeks ago I came across some pictures of the trip to Merida I took with David and my Dad in 2002.  Since it was a few months before I left for my mission, it was a special, formative time in my life.  Learning about David's missionary experience firsthand and in the place he served really helped get the most out of my time as a missionary.  In fact, it seems that whenever I have spent time with David, his example was slowly and quietly changing me into a better person--more like him: caring, humble, and full of charity. I will also never forget how David met Christina on that trip, and I count it as a blessing that I was there for the beginning of such a special eternal relationship that has been a model for my own marriage. 

I also have to share the unbelievable--and slightly less serious--story of how we were driving a ranch truck  from Arizona when it broke down at night in the middle of nowhere.  After being stranded for an hour and running out of options, the idea came to us to use the propeller of the ultralight, which was strapped down to the truck bed, to push us up the hill until we could jump-start the broken ignition.  Sure enough, it worked and soon we were cruising down the highway in a fan-powered truck at around 30 miles per hour.  After the truck would not start for the second time, David, my sister, and I piled on to the ultralight frame  and drove it almost a mile back to the ranch.

From Karyn Bodell:

Last December for a Book of Mormon class I was taking, we were assigned to choose one area in our lives we wanted to work on for 6 weeks.  Since this class was a couple months after David’s passing, I remembered people at the funeral mentioning how they never heard David say anything bad about anyone.  He cared about everyone and you could feel the love he had for others.  During the funeral I thought how I wanted to be like David.  I wanted others to feel that same sincerity and love that David demonstrated in his life. I wanted others to be able to say the same things about me as they said about David.  So for those 6 weeks I chose to improve my language by not complaining, being sarcastic, gossip or say negative things about others.  I kept track of my progress by putting a tack in a jar whenever I caught myself saying something negative.  I tried hard to say kind things about people when others starting to gossip around me.  I kept a reflection journal each week and included things I was grateful for, which helped me not complain and be more positive.  I read at least one chapter in the Book of Mormon each day and a conference talk each week.  Lastly, I prayed each day for the strength and guidance to accomplish my goals.  By the end of the 6 weeks, I felt closer to my Heavenly Father and my love for His children greatly increased.  I know that many people admired David because he lived this principle in his life.  His example is one that I continue to follow in my life, and I feel blessed to have been able to know him