A Trip to the Motherland!

IMG_3381.JPG (1)

My parents went on a lovely trip to England

with my baby brother, his wife, and her parents.

What a wonderful thing to do!!!

I almost climbed into their luggage.

In this picture they are visiting a place called Rollrightstones, you can read about it here!

“The Rollright Stones is a ancient site located on the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire border in England. The complex consists of three main elements, The Kings Men stone circle, the King Stone, and the Whispering Knights.”

I may never get to go on a trip like this, but I have been traveling with them as they go. You might wonder how. The answer is…the internet. I have their itinerary. I know what their plans are, and I can search and see what they are seeing on the internet.  I am having a blast on their trip!!!

Hopefully I’ll be able to share some more pictures. So come visit and I’ll share what I can.

Missionary Monday: Elder H. in Texas!

6/1/2015

So I am loving this area!! The City is built around a university and its got lots of hills and trees. My comps name is Elder C. and he is a stud! He loves to talk to people so its nice to not always have to be the one pushing to go out and do the work. I have a great zone here! Our branch president told us that he was really concerned about a part member family that lives on the bank or the river. with all the rain the last few weeks there has been a lot of flooding in many of the areas around! and there is a wall of water coming and will get here around Friday which will raise the river another 5 to 6 feet. when we went to go see them the road was flooded with about 4 feet of water so there was no way that we could drive in. we were given a bag of potatoes and some other garden veggies and not sure what their condition was like we waded about 100 yards through 4 feet of water then walked a little over a mile to their house. the husband of the family was blown away to see us walking down the road. they have been stuck out there for 2 weeks. we did what we could to get his stuff on higher ground but there is only so much you can do with that amount of water. pray for them. they will be safe but their home and property could get washed away.

Life is good and I’m loving the work here

-Love Elder H.

Memorial Day!

MemorialDayPhotoLarry

 

I have so much love and gratitude for those men and women who have fought to protect our freedom.

It is amazing to me.

I have never been asked to be involved in a war, or to help fight in a conflict. I cannot imagine what that would be like, how they could be so brave.

I feel so blessed to live in a country where people who are brave like that have lived and died so that we can live our lives the way we would like to.

So many people, so much sacrifice.

All of those who lived before us and made so many contributions to the wonderful world we are blessed to live in…I am grateful to them, and for them.

Happy Memorial Day!

Sunday Best!

Who is Jesus Christ - page1

“How can the gospel bring peace to the world and help us to love our fellow men? What is our purpose on earth, and how can we find happiness in this life? From the feet of the Christus statue on Temple Square, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf answers those questions with this declaration: “As an Apostle of the Lord, I testify that Jesus Christ lives today.” He explains how the Savior and His Atonement provide answers to our questions. The Savior’s gospel, he says, can “bring great joy and happiness to the world.” Watch the video of President Uchtdorf’s testimony of the Savior and His ability to lift us above worldly things to find peace.”

I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful to know why I am here on earth and to have help in finding direction and purpose in my daily life.

I hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Family History Friday: A Legacy of Service.

This next week marks the end of a era.

My amazing parents have served at the local Family History Center/Library for many years. I think it’s been about 18 years.

hanson-emilMy awesome Dad is being released as the Director after serving in that position for 14 years. This is a position with out pay, a calling, and pretty much “Full time” hours.

They are an example to me, that you always have something to contribute, something to share that blesses other people. You don’t really retire, you just start up a new career somewhere else. Only this one doesn’t pay with income.

It pays with blessings. 

They love the Lord, and others, and desire to help others, then because of their selfless service, the Lord blesses them. One of the things they have been blessed with is good health. They are both in their 80’s and you would be amazed what they accomplish in a day. Father in Heaven has sustained them as they serve. We have all been blessed with a very close family. We love each other so much, and get together frequently as an extended family. They have always had their needs met financially. They are very frugal and have a humble income, but if you asked my dad how it is, he’d say, “They live like Kings!”

They truly are a blessing to all who know them!

MibsyPoo

Thanks Mama and Daddy

for being the awesome parents and examples that you are!

Missionary Monday!

photo (30)

Don’t you just love seeing the missionaries walking along the side of the road?

In this picture you will see our missionaries. They are awesome and I love them. I love all the missionaries. When you see two young men or two beautiful young ladies, working and serving in a neighborhood near you, they may be them.  If they have black name tags on, placed carefully on their left chest over their heart, that says Elder ____ , or Sister _____, that’s them for sure. You may also notice that the name tag says,

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

Listen to them. They are very special and have a wonderful message.

I have decided to share some of the wonderful missionary experiences that the missionaries we know, and love are having as they serve their missions…so, every Monday from now on will be

Missionary Monday!

Sunday Best!

Sunflower

“My wife, Mary, has always loved sunflowers. She rejoices when they, in quite improbable places, appear on the roadside. There is a dirt road that leads to the home where my grandparents lived. When we started down that road, Mary would often exclaim, “Do you think we will see those amazing sunflowers today?” We were surprised that sunflowers flourish in soil which has been impacted by farm and snow removal equipment and the accumulation of materials that would not be considered ideal soil for wildflowers to grow.

One of the remarkable characteristics of young wild sunflowers, in addition to growing in soil that is not hospitable, is how the young flower bud follows the sun across the sky. In doing so, it receives life-sustaining energy before bursting forth in its glorious yellow color.

Like the young sunflower, when we follow the Savior of the world, the Son of God, we flourish and become glorious despite the many terrible circumstances that surround us. He truly is our light and life.” -Quentin L. Cook

We spoke in church today at our new ward. We spoke on this talk by Quentin L. Cook. You can read it here! It is an excellent talk.

I hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Sand Rock!

FlexyPreschool

When Flexy was a little guy, he started preschool. He loved his teacher, and did very well. There was only one problem. He had a hard time pronouncing her name. 

Her name was Roxanne! 

He would tell us about meeting his teacher “Sand Rock” and how much fun she was. We would say,

“What is her name?”

asking him to repeat hoping that we would be able to tell what he said. It wasn’t until Roxanne came to visit our home that we realized what her name was. Flexy had mixed up the first part of her name “Rox”…with the last part of her name “Anne”. We all got a kick out of that, including “Sand Rock”!

What a cute little guy!