Category Archives: Yellow Rose Blooming-Missionary Stories

Airplanes

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Airplanes are amazing.

Definition: A vehicle designed for air travel that has wings and one or more engines.

I used to love to watch airplanes as a child; flying across the sky, landing and taking off to who knows where. It always made my imagination waunder and I’d wish I could go on a trip to many places.

While in junior high school one of my teachers had his pilot license. He offered to take several of us students for a ride in his airplane. One thing he required was a note written by a parent stating that they would be ok with him taking us. I got the note and couldn’t wait to fly. I believe there were 3 of us kids. We all met the teacher after school, and he drove us out to the airport.

I felt no fear. I was so excited to fly! It was such an unusual experience. Something I’d never felt before. The teacher flew in a small twin engine airplane. He did a few tricks like climbing straight up and then coming down fast. We felt weightless when we came down fast. It was one of the first experiences I’ve ever had that I felt so adventurous. As I look back on it now, I’m surprised my Mom let me go, but I had so much fun and was so glad I went.

While growing up we really never took airplanes on trips. If we went, which wasn’t very often, we drove. Flying was too expensive. We went to Oregon, Washington, California, and even back to Minnesota, all in the comfort of our family car. No A/C, no seatbelts, just windows down and music playing. All of our trips took days, or weeks.

Just out of high school I flew with my best friend Julie to St. George. Her Dad had a pilots license and flew us down. I had barely had to have stitches in my knee from a horseback riding accident, and had to thread my left leg through the middle of the two front seats. That was an adventure. At least it didn’t take very long to get there.

My first commercial airplane ride was when I left on my mission. I was so blessed to represent my Savior and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I served in the Texas, San Antonio Mission. I was excited to fly there, but nervous to leave home. It was so different than the little twin engine plane I road in with my teacher in junior high school. I served my mission for 18 months. All of us missionaries would keep track of who was getting close to going home, and tease them about being “Trunky” which means you’re having a hard time working and concentrating on finishing your mission with gusto, because you couldn’t wait to leave and fly home. It is a real thing that happens, but I think all missionaries try to stay focused and finish with honor and dignity. So when the other missionaries found out I was leaving soon they would tease me. They called my going home -on a airplane and not returning my “Deplanage”. They bought me a little tie tac that was an airplane and made me wear it. It was all in good fun and the airplane ride home from my mission was wonderful!

Since then I’ve flown on planes many times. It is more nerve racking now than it was back in my younger years. I don’t really like the “leaving” part of going on trips, I love to be home. Once I’m there though, I’m so glad I’m there and really enjoy the trip and the places we see.

One of the best things about airplanes is that they take us to places we may never be able to go to in our lives if we couldn’t fly there. I’ve been so blessed to fly to San Antonio, Boston, Seattle, Atlanta, Charleston, Los Angeles, and New York. They allow us to experience the “trips of a life time” and for a lot of us that is such a grand experience!

Most Memorable District Meeting

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When you’re a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are many meetings to go to. We would meet with our district about once a month and zone about once a quarter. Our district leaders were two young men, also full time missionaries.They would check to see how we were doing, and give us counsel. They would give us a little lesson, pertaining to how to be our best as missionaries.

One meeting one of the district leaders asked us if we’d like a piece of cake. Of course we said, “Yes, please!” The cake was on the table where we could all see it. It was decorated very nice with the word Gospel written across it with icing. The elder proceeded to bring out a beautiful china plate and carefully slice the cake and put a piece of cake on the plate, with a lovely silver fork. The plate was then carefully handed to the first person. It was so nice!

The next person in line for cake waited with anticipation for the beautiful cake, plate and fork, and the delivery which was expected to be just like the first piece. To our surprise the elder took from a bag a paper plate, then while holding the paper plate with one hand, took the other hand and grabbed a hand full of cake and plopped it on the paper plate. He got a plastic fork, put it on the paper plate with the cake and shoved it at the next person, and said, “Here!”

We were stunned. I think we all just sat there for a minute with our mouths open.

I feel like the lesson is obvious. At least it was to us. And the question was asked, “How do you share the Gospel?” Are you polite? Do you prepare and is your presentation a lovely and pleasant experience for those you’re sharing it with? Are you rude, or pushy? What about your appearance? Are you clean, well groomed and smell and look nice? Do you leave people with a good and happy taste in their mouth? Is the Gospel truth you share leave them wanting more?

This was such a memorable experience. I have been thoroughly grateful for it. I did then and do now, try to present my testimony and belief of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a loving and pleasant way. What a great lesson!

Learning To Love Everyone

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While on my mission in Texas, I had an experience with a ward mission leader that I will never forget. First I need to tell you about my first ward mission leader. He was a young dad. He was married to a wonderful supportive wife, and the daddy to a quiver full of children with one on the way. He was in the Air Force and was always doing missionary work, and sharing his love of the gospel with anyone who would listen. He opened his home to us missionaries many times. Whether it be to eat dinner, or teach a friend about the restored gospel. He was consistently reliable. He loved to support us, and follow through with anything we asked of him or needed to be successful missionaries.

Then I was transferred to my second area. I had a great companion and wonderful area, but the mission leader was 100% different. We would meet with him to plan and discuss our work. He was always supportive, but never followed through. Typical one liners would be, “Sorry sisters, I dropped the ball on that.” or “I really missed the boat, there.” or “My week got away from me.” I’m sure it was just me, but he was so frustrating to me. I kept thinking we needed someone we could count on to be successful. I realized as time went by that I just really struggled with him.

In our apartment there was a collection of Ensigns (old religious magazines) and one day as I looked through the stack I saw an article that caught my eye. It was written by someone who was working with a difficult person. They needed the job, and couldn’t quit. They had been wondering what to do about the situation. I don’t remember how, maybe in the scriptures, but they found the inspiration they needed. The answer was to see this person, the coworker, the ward mission leader the way God sees them. How? They used prayer. They pleaded with God to help them to see this challenging person the way He sees them. Since we are all His children and we all have infinite worth and value, surely this would help. It did.

Slowly the coworker became less of a challenge to the person who wrote the story. They actually noticed some of the things this coworker was good at, and finally learned to love them. I was determined to love this ward mission leader, and so I started praying to see this mission leader the way God sees him. It didn’t take long. The next Sunday I watched him with his family. His wife looking at him adoringly, his children running to him arms out stretched, his tiny infant daughter smiling at him while he held her. Wow! I was amazed as I noticed how thoughtful and loving he was to his family. He provided them a safe place to live and grow. He loved God and was doing his best. I am glad to say that anytime he “dropped the ball” after that I was completely unaffected. I was so grateful to just love him, not judge him. It was freeing, and such a blessing.

These days I am not bugged very much by people I deal with, because I always go back to my experience learning to love and see another the way God sees and loves them. Of course I’m not perfect, and I’m sure there is someone out there who might have to pray to learn to love me. This life is tough. We all struggle, but the journey is better and more enjoyable when we get along and love each other. I hope I never forget this lesson. God loves us all.

30 Years Ago!

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photo 1 (5)This is a picture of me and my mission president and his wonderful wife. It was taken the day I flew home. It was August 17th 1984, 30 years ago.

On Sunday the 17th of August 2014 I spoke in church. I was asked to speak about my beautiful and darling daughter Emily who is serving a mission in the West Indies. It was so fun talking about her and I kept thinking about how life goes in cycles.

I had no idea on the day I came home from my mission that 30 years later I would be happily married to my sweetheart, and have 4 wonderful children, and that the last of those 4 children would be getting ready to come home from her own mission.

Isn’t life wonderful? I believe it is, and I’m so grateful to be living it!

My Cold Hot Water Bottle.

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When I was just twenty-one years old, I served an LDS mission to Texas. I arrived in March.  The temperature was beautiful and mild during the day, and became cold at night. For some reason, while packing to go on my mission I packed a hot water bottle that belonged to my maternal grandma. I don’t remember why I packed it, but at night when things cooled down, I would fill it with hot water and snuggle in bed with it till I fell asleep. Soon, it was summer and quite hot. We didn’t have air conditioning in all of the places I lived on my mission. It was quite difficult to fall asleep when it was so hot. Sometime between filling the hot water bottle to stay warm and summer coming the lid became stuck on the hot water bottle. I could not remove it, no matter how hard I tried. A nice benefit to not being able to remove the lid and summer coming was that now my hot water bottle was a cold hot water bottle. I would fall asleep moving it to various place on my body my, neck, legs, back, until I would finally be able to fall asleep. I was so grateful for my cold hot water bottle.

Heroes!

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Jacob de Jager

This is a picture of my companion, Sister Clark, Jacob de Jager, and me, when I was serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Texas many years ago. (Sorry, its out of focus.)

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As a missionary I would meet with many other missionaries often, these meetings were called Zone Conferences. We would gather to be taught and spiritually fed by wonderful leaders. One of the leaders I adored was Jacob de Jager. He was born in the Netherlands. He had a great accent, and a gift in expressing himself.

What a wonderful man. He was a spiritual giant. When he spoke I would be writing notes, and taking it all in as well as possible, hoping to be able to read what I wrote, and think about what he said again, and again.

On one occasion, a few of us missionaries were in one of the rooms of the church making copies and getting ready for the meeting that was about to start. Elder de Jager came in the room. We all stopped what we were doing to see him. He tip toed through the middle of the other missionaries, with his index finger up to his lips to say “Shhh.” When he got to me, he hugged me. He passed all of the other missionaries to give me a hug. Let me just say, these men usually don’t hug everyone.

He must have known I needed it.

Another neat thing that happened was when we were trying to get pictures with our Zone and it was confusing for a minute and then I kinda took charge and started organizing people and saying things like, “You stand here.” And “you two move closer together.” I’m organizing and bossing people around while my mission president and Jacob de Jager watch. It was funny, because a few minutes after, they both looked at each other and said I was going to be a good Mama and leader in my life. I loved that!

When he was around I always felt very special and important. One time he offered to do the ceremony, later, when I got married. I tried to call him to ask if he was available about a year or so later when I did get married, but he was out of the country. It’s ok, I knew he loved me. He loved everyone. He was an example of a true disciple of Christ. What a blessing to have these wonderful memories. I am so thankful I met, and got to know my hero Jacob de Jager.

Sunday Best!

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John 13:15, 34-35
15 For I have given you an 
example, that ye should do
 as I have done to you.
34 A new commandment 
I give unto you, That ye love 
one another; as I have loved you, 
that ye also love one another. 
35 By this shall all men know that 
ye are my disciples, 
if ye have love one to another. 
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The dictionary says 
that a disciple
 is a follower of Christ. 
We can all be disciples- 
by following Christ and His example. 
When I was serving as a missionary in Texas, I had many great experiences with being a disciple of Christ. One in particular was with a man that my missionary companion, and I, were teaching. He was an older man, kind of set in his ways. As we taught him, he said he knew that the things we were teaching him were true. We asked him if he prayed about them. He said, “Yes.” But the thing that stood out the most, was how we acted, how we loved him. And also how we loved each other. This, to him, was the icing on the cake. He knew what we were teaching him was true, because we had the love that Christ is talking about in John 13:35. What a blessing in my life to help someone to know they have a Savior who loves them. 
Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy
***********

Fireflies!

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The first time I saw a firefly was on my mission. I’m not sure fireflies exist in Utah. When I was serving in Austin, Texas we had just arrived at a teaching appointment and gotten out of the car. It was dusk, which is about when they appear. I saw a flash, then another, then I said to my companion, “Look!” She wasn’t as excited about them as I was. I think she’d seen them before.

Why do they do that? What is the purpose? Maybe the creator has a sense of humor. “Let’s make these cute little bugs, and let’s make their bums light up at night fall.” Maybe that’s what He said. Well, it makes me think about the scripture in Matthew 5:16,

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

What if I were like this little bug, pleasant and did my best to be beautiful inside and out, and what if my actions and example caught someones eye. What if they said, “I like her! What makes her special?” And then they asked me why I have a little light? Why I am the way I am? What if I was able to tell them that I am special, but so are they! What if I told them how much our Father in Heaven loves them and that they have a little light, too?

I have been told I’m an example. I hope I’m a good example. I know I’m not the most spiritual, I’m just doing my best. I know I sometimes do silly things, but that’s not wrong. I hope I’m the kind of example who loves others, and brings a little laughter to life. I hope when others see my example they think, “She’s doing her best. She is good. She loves others.” And I hope that makes them want to do their best, be good and love others.

I’m so grateful for that little bug with the bum that lights up.

It just makes me happy!

Judge Not!

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While serving my mission in Texas, my companion and I found ourselves at the front door of our ward mission leader. Before we had a chance to knock or ring the doorbell, we heard what we thought was yelling and screaming coming from inside. My companion and I stood there with our mouths open, not knowing what to do. Should we leave? We would obviously be interrupting something. Honestly, the first thought that crossed my mind was…“Is he hurting his children? If he is, he’s not the man I thought he was…Hmmmmm.“ I came to the realization that if I left now, without at least knocking, I may never know what was happening and I would definitely always judge him. I wouldn’t really want to judge him, I just know I would always wonder. So I decided to knock. After knocking, I heard him from inside say, “Don’t open the door. I don’t have my pants on!!” Wow, that’s not what I was thinking would happen. Then his little girl, about 3 years old, came to the window by the door, parted the curtains and just smiled and smiled at us throught the window. My companion and I became more confused as the moments ticked on. His wife finally opened the door with this look on her face like, you will never believe what just happened. We were very interested in knowing what just happened. She told us the story of how as they sat down to dinner her husband was holding the baby (about one year old). As they were eating she noticed something on his leg, and said “Honey, I think you have a piece of meat on your leg”. He looked down to see a scorpion crawling up his leg toward the baby! He handed the baby over to his wife and swiped the scorpion off with his hand. The scorpion then started crawling back up his leg. Of course everyone is screaming. That’s about the time that we, the sister missionaries, got to the front door. As the scorpion crawled back up his leg, he dropped his pants, and killed it with a knife. About that time is when we knocked. It all makes perfect sense when you hear both sides, but to me, the concern and shock I was feeling in the beginning was very real. Can you imagine if I had left and never found out the whole story? I was ready to make a judgement that was very wrong. This was a righteous man, there was no reason to think otherwise. I made a decision that day, that I would not judge a situation like that again until I had all the information. In fact, I make a real effort to judge not!

Texas Bluebonnets