Author Archives: Joy

Out on a WIM #48

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Darling Sisters-Pre Mission

#48

Hey my most amazing, awesome, amped up, family!!!!!!!!!

How’s it?? Well dang. It sounds like you are all having a great time. SAY HI TO BABY JULIAN FOR ME 🙂
Sounds like all went well!!!! I loved the pictures. Speaking of which sorry I have not sent any in a while it is a little more difficult here in this area.
Tell Krissy hello for me and that I love her a ton. Tell Bryce I send my “support”….. Ok yeah I may or may not be a little awk.
QUESTION ANSWERS:
1. Yes I will skype you on Mothers Day and yes I will figure out the details.
2. I email at a little internet cafe!!
4. The branch is doing good 🙂 Still moving forward slowly but surely. It’s definitely a work in progress.
So pretty much this week has been CRAZY! I know I pretty much say that every week but it always stands true.
This past week we met D.. I think I told you about him. Anyway he is so humble and loving and so open to the gospel and wants to change his life.
Spiritual Experience: We were in a lesson with him and we were teaching him about the Book of Mormon and answering his questions and we had a set a goal to invite him to be baptized on a certain day. The spirit was so strong and he looked up at us during a pause and he said I have one more question…. when can I be baptized?? He wanted to this week@!!!! But we told him there are some things he needs to learn first and after he comes to church. So we will keep working with him 🙂 WHAT A BLESSING FROM HEAVEN!!! You don’t find someone like that everyday!
I decided I need an increase of Faith in setting goals and such! Sister K. has helped me with that… Sometimes I am just thinking man that is kinda silly but then I realized she has much faith and has not been hardened by experiences. So I should take what she says and go with it 🙂 Awwww…. She is a doll. Gotta love them greenies 🙂
Oh man we actually had some struggles this week. One of the less active’s basically told us off and was telling us she didn’t have a testimony anymore and wouldn’t listen to anything we said.
On sunday the 2 people we are preparing for baptism didn’t come to church and D. wanted to come but he didn’t have any money for a bus!!! Awwww it’s so sad.
But all is well 🙂 I am loving it here. There are struggles but most of the time they are lessons that need to be learned. And the people here are such beauts (beauties) Oh man…. Hahah I love them bad.
Ok that is pretty much all for this week. I super love you all and again I am so grateful for all the love and support!
I know that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ with all my heart and I am so blessed to be a part of the Lords work.
P.S. Today we watched the Best 2 years and I cried half of the movie!!! Hahahaha who knew right?? I am such a softie! That show is so much better and also funnier now that I am a missionary.
Keep me posted on the baby and on everything that is going on 🙂 LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Take it easy.
Love, Seesta Emily

Sunday Best!

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Mosiah 2:41

“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.”

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“We cannot keep all the commandments without first knowing them, and we cannot expect to know all, or more than we now know unless we comply with or keep those we have already received” -Joseph Smith

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Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

 

St. Lucia Teal!

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I have had a red front door for many years.

I have loved it! It was time for a change.

This is a picture of our old red front door.

Sorry, I couldn’t find a better one. I’m sure you get the idea.

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I found this color called St. Lucia Teal. It had to happen.

Isn’t it beautiful!?! I love it!

I think the front of the house will look awesome when we get our flowers planted.

I will be thinking thoughts of my little missionary serving in St. Lucia every time I see St. Lucia Teal!!!

Out on a WIM #47

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#47

Hello to the most greatest people in the entire world 🙂

How are you my dears?? All is well here in St. L.!
It sounds like you all are having crazy awesome things happening and also like you all enjoyed Conference.
I am excited to see the baby and hear how everything goes.
So this week was yet another crazy week. We are having at least 4 hours of study everyday with training and language and all.
Sister K. is doing really well. Just jumps right into missionary work. She reminds me of a peculiar mixture of Aunt Tiffany, Sarah H., Rachael C., Kiera Knightly and Mulan. Go figure that one out!! She is a lot of fun. Such a doll. I love her a lot.
We are working hard and finding lot of “ripe fruits”. Hahaha I try and make it fun for her and we always pick a fruit for the day and we’ll watch for “ripe bananas or mangos” Or whatever fruit we feel like. (looking for people who are ready for the gospel) 🙂
2 Funny things that happened this week:
Us: “Good afternoon!” Little boy: “Hey babes!” Sister K.: “He’s like FIVE!!!”
Hahaha she’s still getting used to getting hit on All day ery day……
We also met this really nice and prepared man who has met the missionaries before, we walked away “Wow that was one righteous mango.” We have fun with the work… In fact most the time I like to think of it not as work at all!! “Missionary work”… psh… more like missionary service, missionary fun, or something like that 😉
Oh this week our bathroom got flooded, there is a leak and our water went out a few times! Adventures I tell you. Also we caught a giant Cockroach!!! There are too many awesome things happening.
Oh man General Conference was exactly what I needed. All of the questions I went in with were answered 🙂
In fact when cool story: The other day I was just thinking of how great the Lord is and how much he helps us! And I came across the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 talking about how his angels are all around us bearing us up and that he’ll be right near us. And then someone mentioned that in their talk and it really was a tender mercy from the Lord.
I am not sure if I could pick only one talk that was my favorite but I noticed they talked about Love and Charity a ton. And also about how whatever struggle we have can be fixed by a positive attitude and the gospel 🙂 SO TRUE!!!!
I liked so many things though I can’t narrow it down. I took like 2 pages of notes on each talk 🙂 Ahhhhhh… It’s the best.
Ok so remember how I said before my mission that I wouldn’t get fat?? Well……… uh….. jokes on me!!!! I’m getting a little fluffy.
Um so pretty much there is quite a bit of drama that is going around the branch… But I really love the branch they are so wonderful!!!!
There are still some challenges but they can be fixed with love and patience 🙂
I almost missed Conference because of technical difficulties…
We are still working with L. trying to help her feel supported and loved and help her prepare to be baptized she is so great. LOVE HER BAD.
And also T. is the best. We are helping him. He wants to start teaching us and he shares the gospel with his friends!!!
Anyway Life is so lovely.
Life is great over here. Thank you everyone for your love and support.
God be with you till we meet again.
Love forever and always, Sister Emily

Sunday Best: General Conference!

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My favorite weekends are General Conference weekends.

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This weekend it has been General Conference.

It is a very important time for all the world. The Prophet Thomas S. Monson, and other church leaders for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints give talks at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. This meeting happens twice a year. Every six months. It is a much anticipated and favorite time of year.

Here are some of my favorite quotes for Conference:

“Defend your beliefs with courtesy and kindness, but defend them.” -Jeffery R. Holland

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“I must testify of the blessings of daily scripture study and prayer and weekly Family Home Evening. These are the very practices that take away stress, give balance to our lives, and protection to our homes. Then if pornography or other challenges strike our families we can petition the Lord for help and expect great guidance from the Spirit knowing that we have done what our Father in Heaven expects us to do.”-Linda S. Reeves

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“Each of us carries a load. Our individual load is comprised of individual demands and opportunities, obligations and privileges, afflictions and blessings, and options and constraints. Two guiding questions can be helpful as we periodically, and prayerfully access our load. #1-Is the load I am carrying producing the spiritual traction that will enable me to press forward with faith in Christ on the strait and narrow path, and avoid getting stuck. #2-Is the load I am carrying creating sufficient spiritual traction so I ultimately  can return home to Heavenly Father. Sometimes we mistakenly believe that happiness is the abscess of a load, but baring a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of happiness. Because our individual load needs to generate spiritual traction we should be careful to not haul around in our lives so many nice but unnecessary things that we are distracted and diverted from the things that truly matter most.”-David A. Bednar

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“Love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our exemplar. His life was a legacy of love. The sick He healed. The down trodden He lifted. The sinner He saved. At the end the angry mob took His life. And yet there rings from Galgotha’s Hill the words, ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do.’ The crowning expression in mortality of compassion and love. There are many manifestations of love such as kindness, patience, selflessness, understanding and forgiveness.With all of our associations these and other such attributes will help make evident the love in our hearts. Usually our love will be shown in our day to day interactions one with another. All important be our ability to recognize someones need and then to respond.”-Thomas S. Monson

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I love the gospel of Jesus Christ!

You can watch General Conference HERE!

Hope your Sunday is the Best! Love, Joy

Sausage!

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photo (24)This cute little pooper is Sasha. We love Sasha. We tend Sasha from time to time for my friend Rosilee. She is a sweet dog.

One time when we were tending Sasha my dad was here helping in the yard. Sasha came up to my dad and my dad says, “What’s your name? (To Sasha)” He says, “Is it Sausage?”

My dad is a funny guy.  

Since that day, half the time we call her Sausage, too.

Here is a picture of Sausage begging for food in the kitchen. So Cute!!!

Out on a WIM #46

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#46

Hello my heavenly family!

How are you my favorite people??
YES I did get my package. THANK YOU! I loved it ever so much.
Ok so my new companion is……………………….………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. AWESOME! Her name is Zuster K. She’ll probs only be here for 6 weeks. So basically I have six weeks to train her to be the 1st Dutch sister in Suriname!! Talk about pressure 😉 Just kidding I am doing just fine. Sister K. is a doll. She is so outgoing, energetic, fun, hard working and a little spaztic I might add 🙂 She is absolutely adorable though. She reminds me a lot of me when I first came out. I am so grateful and know it was meant to be that I am training her. I really feel like because we are pretty similar I can help her most effectively. She is So full energy just like bounces off the walls. So I was thinking how I used to be that way until I learned to funnel my energy into more productive things like being mature, sharing the gospel and getting important things done. I still have a long way to go. But I have seen this change in me and hope to continue that change.
ANYWAY it’ll be an awesome six weeks for sure!! 🙂
So we had Zone Conference. It was the best ever. I loved it. I got to learn so much. We learned about using time effectively and planning and I know that is something we all needed.  President M. and Sister M. shared experiences from when they were younger and mistakes they made and stuff and it was wonderful to hear. I am so grateful for the Atonement because I know that I am very far from perfect. But I will keep setting goals and striving every day to be better…
Sister M. went out teaching with us and we had a great lesson on the BOM (Book of Mormon) with T. (one of our progressing inv.) It was such a great lesson.
I love all the people in this mission they are angels.
It was SO fun seeing all of the missionaries. Seriously these people are like my best friends. We are all one big family 🙂
Oh goodness it sounds like everything at home is going well. Lots of things are going on!!! Wow thanks for the update.
This week I have been thinking so much about the Savior. The way He was and the things He did. I love the example He sets for all of us. I am really learning more and more to forget myself. That’s when we are most happy. I always seem to look back and think woah look how much I have changed and learned! I love it!!
I am so glad that I decided to serve a mission. I love missionary work, and boy is it work!! It has been such a challenge. But the most wonderful thing ever.
We have a lack of Priesthood holders in the branch and it really reminds me to appreciate the priesthood and so we are doing our best to find more and strengthen the ones we have.
There is so much going on. It’s so busy over here in St. L.!! I am just loving life.
Thanks for everyone’s support and love.
I love you all so very much! Don’t forget to read the scriptures, pray daily and go to church that’s where growth comes and happiness! The church is so true. And we are so blessed to have it in our lives so lets go share!!
Love always, Sister Emily

Sunday Best!

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“A subtle but significant blessing we receive is the spiritual gift of gratitude that enables our appreciation for what we have to constrain desires for what we want. A grateful person is rich in contentment. An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment.” -David A. Bednar

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Family History Friday: Recording Events!

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We had a Family Reunion this last week in St. George, Utah. My darlin’s granddad passed away in St. George 45 years ago. It is a neat story and is a legend in my husbands family. He had just teed off while golfing and said, “That was a beauty.” He had a heart attack and died. He was a semi-pro golfer. He loved golfing. We feel that there isn’t a better way for him to go than while doing something he loved so much.

So my darlin’s cousin set up a golf tournament in honor of their granddad. After the tournament, we all gathered at a park and reminisced about granddad.

Well, I opened an app I recently downloaded for my Iphone. It’s called Voice Memos. It is free and has come in very handy for event’s just like this. I recorded the conversations and am now in the process of typing them up. I can email the audio to others and give the paper copy to a few that don’t have a way to receive it digitally. Don’t you just love technology? What a blessing!!! Try it and see what you can record that will help with your family history.

Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

Scary!!!

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We had a nice little trip to St. George, Utah last week end. It was beautiful!!! I kept thinking how nice it would be to live there….except for one thing. 

photo (22)We were getting ready for bed and we wanted to take the dog out to go potty before we put her to bed. My friend said,

“Take the black light and you’ll be able to see if there are any scorpions out on the patio.”

I was thinking, really? We went out with the light on and this is what we saw right outside the door. Yes, I was not very interested in staying outside. I let my darlin take the dog out and I went inside. I think I’ll keep living “up north” as they say in the south.

SCARY!!!