"It must have been the mistletoe" & mail shout-outs

Still enjoying the season...

I think I'll keep it up through 2014!

***

A GIGANTIC THANK YOU and Happy New Year shout-outs to all our wonderful family and friends who

so generously sent us cards, letters and gifts that made our Christmas so full of cheer!

Janae, Peter & kidlets, Debbie VanWoerkom, Sue Cousins & your Freshman Seminary class,
 Holly Weirsma, Gordy Parkhurst,

Doug Vanscoy, Becki Blackner, my sista Debbie, the Garretts, the Langlows, Elma Ray, Erin & Ben & boys,

Jon & Angela & the 3L's, Robin Smith & LaRene Garlock & your seminary class, Cecil & Helen, Freddie & Jeanne,

Deb Hill, Larry & Lorrie, Bob & Heather Call, Matt & Susan, Shannon, Dave & kiddos, Sister Mckay & Sister McQ.

We love you and wish you all a most wonderful New Year!

 

 



His law is love and his gospel is peace.

The Nativity by Carl Bloch

(Still my favorite Christmas picture and artist.)
If you want to see the Nativity through a child's eyes go HERE. It's sweet.
Feliz Navidad!

We brought some Christmas Cheer to the sister missionaries...

"We got spirit, yes we do! We got spirit, how 'bout you?!"

Doesn't get any better than that.

*****

The Most Beautiful Sabbath

 

Yesterday we had the most wonderful sacrament meeting. It was one of those meetings that was so full of the Spirit that you just wanted it to continue into the next two hours of the block. One of the things that made it so special is we had a mother/daughter piano, violin duet of this beautiful music, Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel. My favorite arrangement of this Christmas song.

 

Enjoy.

Deck the halls with old cow-boy boots. Fa la la la la la la la la!

This is how they decorate for the holidays

around town in Dodge City.

Poinsettia filled cowboy boots on every post.
Yep, this is Dodge!

*****

Hay hay hay!

We were early for our appointment in Hanston this afternoon, so we

saw some hay bales and thought we'd take our picture. Don't ask how

I got up there...it wasn't pretty.

I was so afraid that thing was going to roll right across the road

with us on it! See how I've got my arm around Ron's neck? Yeah,
that's nothing short of the Vulcan death grip!

*****

Mish. Christmas Conf. & Mail Shout-Outs!

Missionaries serving in the Garden City, Kansas Stake

These are all of the missionaries serving in the Garden City Stake, and our

 new Stake Presidency (3 men in aprons on top right)...they are the ones

who put on our dinner and the Christmas party after the conference last week.

We have pretty much the most awesome, generous stake in the whole mission!

***

Joyous mail shout-outs go to Julie & Dave and Hal & Judey for your lovely Christmas cards, Brother and Sister Webber for your ever-information filled letter, the Young Men & Young Women of the Chambers Creek Ward for the great pictures, snowflakes & cocoa fixins : ), President & Debbie Gessel for your "now THAT'S a Christmas card!" (what Ron & I said after we read it) Christmas card, and my Sister DeeDee for the delightfully funderful box of surprises that made our season bright! We love you sooooo much!



*****

Journey to Bethlehem 2

Last night we and the Sisters traveled up to Jetmore for their annual soup supper and

The Journey to Bethlehem, presented by the Methodist Church, just like last year. The scenery and

props are first rate, and while the telling of the Saviors birth is done simply, it's also done well.

Here are Sisters Mortensen and Bradshaw in the "market place". The merchants were

selling everything from dried fish, to baskets and small animals for shekels. They had some

pretty awesome animals outside...llama's, sheep, donkeys, cattle...

 

and these bad boys as well!



There were three camels for the three wisemen...

I didn't want to get too close to them, 'cause we all know

what camels are notorious for doing!

 

It was a great opportunity for us to mingle with the towns people, who, by the way have no

Latter Day Saints in the entire town. But everyone is super nice and we even introduced ourselves

to the Pastor of the Methodist Church and had a chat with him afterward.

*****

Ready or Not...

Here it comes!

This week has been amazing! Tuesday we had two of our investigators come to our Relief Society social, and had lots of good fellowshipping from the ward sisters.
Wednesday we took a trip up to Kinsley with the sister missionaries to teach the 'Stop Smoking Program' to one of their investigators. She is a darling young mother who has such incredible talents. She has such a good attitude, she just needs to remember that she is a daughter of God and she will be able to break that nasty addiction.
Thursday, again we went with the sisters to visit another investigator, this one was a referral here in Dodge, but she only spoke Spanish. The sisters are not Spanish speakers (neither am I) but Elder Williams taught her about the Restoration. It was noisy in the home when we first got there. Mexican music playing on the stereo, a little 3 year old girl who wanted to have the sisters' attention, and a bunch of caged birds in the next room that were squawking. I silently prayed that things could be calm while we were there, and the lady got up and turned off the music, the little girl crawled up in her grandma's lap and fell asleep, and the birds suddenly went silent. It was amazing. (Why am I always amazed when prayers are answered?? I'm not really. It's just super cool to be aware as it happens!) Ron gave the lesson flawlessly in Spanish and the Spirit was very strong. I love my companion so much.
Today we are heading to Garden City for a conference and Christmas party put on for all the missionaries serving in the Garden Stake. (BTW our stake is 60,000 square miles big). Ours is the only stake in the whole mission that does this for the missionaries. All the missionaries not serving in our stake have a party put on by the Mission President. Our stake has a reputation for putting on a pretty sweet shindig, so of course missionaries hope they are serving here at Christmastime. *Us Senior missionaries will have a Senior Conference and get-together later this month in Wichita.
I am so grateful to be part of this work, and to see first-hand how it is changing peoples lives.

*****

What do ya do on P-day when it's fr fr freezing outside?

... we decided to make Gingerbread Houses...

 Even though they were the already-put-together kind you find at the grocery store for $5.00, they each turned out unique.

...and we got a little sugar high and quite goofy. Such fun girls.

 

 Sister B. with her subliminal message to her parents...(Hi mom & dad heart U!)

 

Sister Mortensen meticulously setting each piece of candy. (Hers turned out the best)

 

Mine was pretty boring compared to the sisters' houses.

 T'was a fun activity to do on such a bitter cold day!

*****

 Love this card my sista sent us!

MOATW and Mail Shout-Outs!

 

Look what we found...

The Mother of All Tumbleweeds!
 

 OR...

Tumbleweed Snowman!

***

 

Mail Shout-outs and holly jolly greetings go out to: Tyler, for the awesome origami missionary shirt, my sister Deb for the lovely card, Erin & Jake for our first Christmas card of the season, and Sister McQ...We love you and miss you all!

*****

Newest Dodge District

This is our district. At least for now.

Things are always changing around here, and

transfers are coming up.

Back row: Sisters BraShaw (Bradshaw), Mortensen, Williams & E.Dub.

Front row: Elders Sweeten, Ibarra, Carlson & Turner.

Where did November go??

I can't believe we're into December already!

 

 

Sister's bring us a surprise!

Look what we found on our door!

See why we love our Sister Missionaries?