What a sweet and darling girl! I love you, Natasha!
So Darn Cute!!
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Author Archives: Joy
Angels Among Us!
If you visit ourjoyfulnest very often you will know that life has been extra busy.
In the month of May, my oldest son got married, and my youngest daughter left on a LDS mission. Both of these events can, and usually do, require a lot of time for planning and money to make them happen. I am a firm believer that we are truly blessed, and we will continue to be blessed with the things we need (Key word: need). We are always blessed by a loving Heavenly Father. We live in a wonderful neighborhood, and have amazing friends. We have had so much help from others. Our friends and neighbors and family have been amazing.
So during all of this planning and spending, getting ready for the wedding and preparing our daughter to leave for a year and a half, the thought crossed my mind a few times, “Are we going to have enough money?” Then I would push that thought out and think, “Of course we will, we have to!”
One day while busily going about my day, an envelope showed up on the back porch. One of the kids said that it was just sitting there. I opened it not knowing what to think. As I got to the card I could see cash peeking through from inside the card. The card says, “Just thinking thoughts of you”. On the inside of the card written by hand it said, “You’ve prayed me here, now what will you do with me.” My eyes filled with tears as I counted the money, lots of money.
An angel or angels came to our home and blessed us. Straight from Heaven. I cried and cried thinking about how thoughtful people are. It was truly a miracle in our lives. I hope to someday be able to thank those angels who blessed our family. I don’t know if it will happen, but I will most definitely pay it forward. I love you angels!
Out on a WIM! #5
#5
Hello my most beautiful family in all the world 🙂 It sounds like it’s cray cray out there in Utah! Ok so let me jump right in! It is crazy here.
Monday: We had a great P day! I’m sending pictures through the mail because let’s face it… The internet and computers here are stinkish. But it was great! P-days are the best day of my life. I have never liked Mondays until now.
Tuesday: We had District/Zone meeting. It was legit! I love getting to meet everyone 🙂 We met this awesome dude M.!!! AWWWWWW he is so solid! He’s been taking our lessons and has a baptismal date!!! July 6th. He is literally the coolest Rasta man I ever did meet. They talk so funny here… Instead of saying “her” they “she” So people say “I love she bad” Which means “I love her a lot”. I WILL NEVER SPEAK LIKE THE PEOPLE HERE. Or even understand them for that matter! It is so difficult. I’m still working on understanding them.
Wednesday: We had a lesson with this Investigator M. SHE IS WONDERFUL! She is reading the BOM and asking tons and tons of questions. Soaking it all up 🙂 Then we visited M. and M. M. asked me if I was 14……………………….
Thursday: BEST DAY EVER! We didn’t have our car for the first half of the day so we walked an hour and half to a recent Converts house and almost died of heat, sweat and blisters 🙂 We went to see E. She is the best old lady EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALmost as good as LaRee. Speaking of which will you see how my cute old lady is doing? Tell Toby to tell her hello for me and that I love her with all my heart ok??
Friday: WORST DAY YET. I was really sad on friday and no one would listen to us and it all just felt like a hopeless cause. M. wouldn’t call us back and two other of our investigators… I WAS SO TIRED I thought I would die! But it’s all good.
Saturday: Lots of cancels….. Oh wait…. That is erey day. We played cricket at the YSA activity! We went to a baptism… Which gave me hope because people here DO NOT listen and it’s good to know!
Sunday: Was great! We mostly visited recent members and had a few lessons! We are working so so so hard. And our numbers actually look fantastic! It’s the commitment that is hard and people will set up appointments and then say they are too busy or not be home at the time we go back… It is rough but I’m learning so much here and I love my companions very much. We all work great together. We have great times and laugh so much and just enjoy each other! I’m going to start driving here soon!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I also have the worst tan lines in the world. I’ll send a letter and postcard soon.
Mommy: Hello you beautiful mom! How are you?? It sounds like you are doing awesome!!! I LOVE YOU! Will you send some physical pictures to me? Some of the fam and some of me and my friends and one of me and Keat??? You can get some off of facebook and everything too! I really love it here a ton! Tell Melis that I love her so much and I’m proud of her. And not to scare you….. BUT it is pretty skecth here! It is cool I am being safe.
Daddy: Sounds like a lot of driving! I’m ssorry! I have to start driving on the wrond side of the road soon! Today actually! I hope you are doing great! Happy Late Fathers Day 🙂 🙂 I love you and I am so glad i have you for my dad.
Have a great week everyone!!!! I love you guys so much and I’m so glad to be out here working my bum off (I wish, I’m getting chunk status) Anyway thought for the week…. While we were walking and didn’t have our car we were talking about how uncomfortable it was. And I said hey that is just missionary work. If you are not uncomf you’re not being a good missionary. You have to talk to people who glare at you (everyone here). You walk all day. Sweat your guts out. Get rejected. It is very hard but such a good experience! The church is true! If it wasn’t I wouldn’t be out here! I LOVE IT HERE! Besides the hard times the good always outweighs it 🙂 Tell Colin I say hello and I think he’s awesome. LOVE YOU!!! Love, Sister Emily
Happy Father’s Day!
I want to wish all the Father’s, Daddy’s, and wonderful men in my life a “Happy Father’s Day”!!
We all need a father. I love you all!
Also thanks to my Daddy for being the most amazing and wonderful father! I love you!
Oh and, Thank you my sweet darlin’ for being an amazing and wonderful (and sometimes Disneyland) Daddy to our children! You’re the best!
Little Helpers!
My darlin’ was out pulling weeds the other day. Getting all the grass that was growing in the Bishop’s Weed. Next thing you know all of the daycare kids are asking if they can help. It was amazing how excited they were to help. They are like most children at that age. My own children were always happy to help (before they were old enough to really help). Helping when you’re 3 or 4 years old usually means someone else is going to have to come along later and do a better job.
When my kids were very young (about 3) we started letting each child help. One of the things on the list of chores was washing the kitchen windows and the sliding door. All the chores were done consistently, including the kitchen windows, but sometimes it looked worse after the job was done. But you know what? I never really worried about how it looked. Honestly, unless we were having company over, I usually just let them practice.
So when the kids want to help, don’t stop them or discourage them. They will practice and get to be pretty good little helpers!
A Place for Everything.
One of my favorite books about organizing your home is called,
It is written by Daryl Hoole.
She is a genius!
Probably my favorite thing she says in the book that helps in having a house of order is,
“Have a place for everything, and keep everything in it’s place.”
Since I started doing daycare I have told the children, “Your shoes need to be either on your feet or on the stairs.” That way we always know where they are.
When they have quiet time or they’re playing in the house, they can take their shoes off. Which means they need to be on the stairs. I walked past the stairs one day and this is how their shoes were. I thought it was so cute. Usually each pair is on the same stair.
Very creative, and darling!!
The Zombie Apocalypse.
You never really know…
Out on a WIM! #4
#4
Ok! Hello my wonderful family 🙂 It sounds like you guys are doing great! I AM DOING BETTER THAN EVER! I love it here so very much. I already feel like it’s home. I feel weird when I see white people…. Everyone here is black. Well like 95%. Ok so surprise! I am in a tripanionship. There is three of us! I like it! I’m with Sister T. and Sister C. and we are tearing it up!!! So after I spoke with you at the airport we flew into Trinidad. Can you say coulture shock? Yeah it is…. How do I put this lightly? “Sketch”. The people scared me oh so bad. But I’m used to them now. I’m DEFINETELY not in Utah anymore. We got to the mission home very late. I layed in a bed that the Apostles have layed in!! AH!!!!!! 🙂 It was awesome. Sister Mehr’s parentals are my senior couple 🙂 They are so nice! I love them already! OH!
Wednesday: I said goodbye to my MTC district. We went out with some of the sisters in Trinidad… EVERYONE hits on you here… All the guys try to sweet talk you. It’s cause I’m white. Not because I’m good looking or anything… Because lets face it, I look like poop here. Some guy told me I had an amazing, exquisite face? Hahaha weird. I know. I met both of my comps!!! They are adorable. I love them. We all get along fantastically! At first I was worried because they have known each other for a long time and I just came in and didn’t know anything. The first night was hard but it is much better. I feel like it’s home here already.
Thursday: We went out and taught a bunch.. And contacted! We have a “hard” area.. But I don’t think so. 🙂 We just work hard and we meet such awesome people. We found this guy named E. and he will be a tough one to get. But we enjoy teaching him. N. is awesome she is a progressive investigator 🙂
-Random note: It’s really hard to write everything that happens because there is so much. But I will do my best.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: We met this way awesome Rasta guy! His name is M. and we have been teaching him. And C.! We inspiredly ran into him yesterday and taught him sooner. He said he wants to know if we are angels and he is very sweet! We went on exchange with a ward member so we divided and conquered! It was wonderful. We are working so hard. SO SO SO hard. I’m being obedient and I can feel the Lords hand in my life 🙂 Basically, my feet hurt, I’m so tired. I just want people to understand but I’m not kidding you when I say this. My heart is so happy. I feel a love for these people and I can’t contain it. I feel a love for this gospel and I must share it. I feel the spirit so strongly and I feel like it doesn’t fit inside me so I might burst! It feels great though!! Ah! There is so much to tell. We have been tracting a lot. And have SO many people to teach. Every day is filled.
We drive on the wrong side of the road here and wrong side of the car. And I’m going to have to learn how to drive soon I’m a little scared!!! People are CRAZY drivers here.
Mama: I love that jar analogy! Kris did a really neat thing for Sharing Time today. She was talking about how the Holy Ghost communicates with us, but we have to be listening. We also have to be choosing the right and doing the best we can. She brought a mason jar and put a penny in it. She shook it around and said, “Can you hear the penny?” Then she handed each of the children a cotton ball. They each took turns putting their cotton ball in the jar. Every so often she would have one of the teachers shake the jar. As more and more cotton balls were added the sound of the penny was quieter and quieter. Finally all of the cotton balls were in the jar with the penny. You could hardly hear it. She went on to tell all the kids that the penny represented the Holy Ghost and the cotton balls represented the sins we commit and the things we know we should do, like go to church, read our scriptures, etc. When we have issues with sinning and not being actively involved with living the gospel, we may not be as in tune with the spirit and what He is trying to teach us. I thought it was a great lesson. Maybe you could use it as a missionary. It is great here! I LOVE THE PEOPLE. It is beautiful. It is so HOT. Sometimes I think I’ll die of sweating and the heat. I literally am never dry. ever. But it all good 🙂 Yes please. (everyone here says yes please instead of yes. No matter what, even if it doesn’t make sense.) It is funny! It sounds like you guys are so busy just like me. Hang in there ok? You are in my prayers and in my heart always. You are the strongest lady I have ever met and I know that you can do hard things. And so can I. And I am. I will probs be training soon! Which is insane!!!! Also I may not be having to learn to speak a language, but I have to learn to understand one! They talk crazy! I hope you have a great week. I love you more than Peanut Butter Twixs and more than the extermemly humid air I breathe in everyday.
Daddy: Sounds like a lot of fun in Bear Lake 😉 not!!! Hahaha I remember when I would help you do that! Sounds like you are doing just so great! I love you so very much! Have a great week! Stay strong!
I know this is where I am supposed to be and I am so happy to be here. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! I love all of you so much! I am doing great! Don’t worry about me. I’m being taken care of. Have a great week one and all! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 Love, Sister Emily
Sunday Best!
“With the decline of religion in our society, many people have come to feel that they are sufficient unto themselves and have no need of a higher power. Wrong. A loss of religious faith implies a loss of faith in anyone greater than oneself. . . .
“It can at times be easy to fall into the erroneous thinking that we ourselves are capable of handling anything that comes our way, that we have all the answers, and that there is no need for assistance from a higher power. When we realize, as one person put it, that ‘we are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience,’ we come to understand where our main emphasis should be and on whom we are reliant”. -Thomas S. Monson
My Kiddos!
A few weeks before Emily left on her mission the kids were all out on the west lawn doing gymnastics and having fun. All of my children took gymnastics lessons for a period of time in their life. It is so fun to watch them playing and having so much fun together. They each took turns seeing how many back hand springs they could do in a row. Then they decided to have a hand walking contest. That’s when my darlin’ had to join in. I love time together with my family. What a wonderful experience to be a parent. I know I am so blessed to me Mama to these 4 people. I am so grateful for the love, lessons, experiences and time together for all the years we raised them. I love them so much!!
Family is a circle of friends who love you. -unknown