Because I love Him.

Every birthday gives me a chance to remember what happened to me at age eight that changed the path my life could have taken.
46 years ago I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Having attended Primary after school only a couple of times, I knew very little about the Church or why I needed to be baptized. My mother was a convert of only four years then, and she had no support in the gospel from my father. With the help of many people along the way, line upon line I've come to know and understand more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and why it is so very important crucial in my life. And here I am today, serving a mission, teaching others about the love our Heavenly Father has for them, and how the Atonement of Jesus Christ can help us be clean of our mistakes and return to live with Him when our life on earth is finished.  We've seen so many miracles and tender mercies of the Lord while serving here in Kansas. Heavenly Father wants all of his children to return to Him. Of that I am sure. I bear testimony that God lives and He speaks to us through a living Prophet, beginning in this dispensation with Joseph Smith, and today our Prophet Thomas S. Monson. I am so grateful for this knowlege and I am happy to follow their counsel. Because I love Him. Amen.

*****

Happy Birthday weekend & Mail Shout-Outs!

I had a great Birthday weekend. My companion gave me a weekend instead of just a day to celebrate my birthday. I love that guy so much! He decorated the apartment with the recycled decorations from my birthday last year. Erin sent us a "birthday in a box" last year, and we've used them over and over.

 Here are some cards from family and friends. The flowers

are from a sweet sister in the ward, Melanie Perry. I LOVE tulips!

 

 Got a pkg. from Janae with all kinds of

Gluten free goodies in it...all things I LOVE!

 

My sister sent me some Gluten free bread...

and these little cuties! These "I'm Salt/ I'm Pepper" shakers

have a story behind them that I'll share in another post sometime.

(are ya diggin' the painted nails?? A member gave me the polish for

Christmas, and I had to show her that I used it..it's sparkly too!!)

 My hubster/companion gave me this awesome infinity scarf

and this K.U. magnet. Who couldn't use a K.U. magnet??

 

Our ward members were so kind to me also. One family had us and a few other couples over for a birthday lunch on Sunday, and she made me the most delicious Gluten Free pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting..sooo good! Another family made me a birthday dinner and gave me some awesome slippers from Guatemala. I will post a picture of them and the beautiful scarf my sister Debbie gave me, as soon as I get a picture of them.

Ok, here are the pictures of the sandals (slippers I call them) that the Arkell's gave me.

Sister Arkell is from Guatemala and she bought these for me
on her trip back there last year. Pretty cute, eh? Can't wait for
warm weather so I can wear them. For now I'll wear them indoors.

My sister Debbie gave me this gorgeous scarf. This picture, taken
with my crappy camera doesn't do it justice. It's beautiful.
 

This is probably my most treasured birthday gift. It's a 12 page hand-written

letter from my sweet friend Becki. Need I say more?

 

So many kind, thoughtful people are in my life. I love you all.

***

 

Birthday gratitude shout-outs go to: Mish-Sisters McQuay, Mortensen & Bradshaw for the fun/most amusing cards! My dear friend Sister Mackey for the lovely note and delicious meal(s) you serve us! The Chamberlins and Melanie for the sweet cards and kind words. The Mays for the birthday card~and everything else! Sister Arkell for all you do and the card, and Vanessa Arkell for making my sweet card with a wonderful birthday message in it. The Abram's for the artwork and letters (and the hysterical song)! My sister Debbie, always kind thoughts in your card. My sister DeeDee for the Oh-so-true-and-hilarious card and box! And to my amazing companion/ husband who always makes me want to be better than I am~thank you for choosing me.

*****


A day to 'play' at the farm

The missionaries went out on the Brinkerhoff farm to help put up fence.

I said they "played", but it was really hard work. They came back to the house

with windburned, dirty faces, and then went back for more after lunch.

They rolled out barbed wire and tied it to fence posts

called T-bars that they pounded into the hard ground.

 

This is Kevin giving Ron lessons on what's what on a tractor.

Then look out!

That's my companion, boy howdy!

I'll tell you what, he had so much fun on that thing! Seriously, he

was like a little boy with a new toy! (A new BIG toy!)

Ron was a natural on that big tractor! He moved right up to the

 T-Bar and tapped it ever so gently with the bucket into that

hard Kansas ground and it went in smooth as butter!

***

I was so afraid someone was going to get that bucket dropped on their head...

Sister Bradshaw came up when one of the Elders was going down

with one of the T-Bars, and she caught it on the cheek. But she was

a trooper and we got her cleaned up lickety split! (She's awesome!)

***

I spent the morning with Sunny back at the house. We got the windows washed,

cracked a few bags of pecans and had some great "girl talk". I love that lady!

*****

See why we love our missionaries??

They sent us a little love note!

G'bye Sister M. and Mail Shout-Outs

One of the hardest things about serving a mission is having to say goodbye to great missionaries we've loved working with and just plain loved!

Sister Mortensen is for sure one of our fave's. So kind and genuine, always willing to lend a helping hand, and always making us laugh with her very dry sense of humor.

 Because this wasn't the regular transfer she was alone on the bus : (

...and she looked like a deer in the headlights.

But we were all there to say our goodbyes, and

 we gave her a 7 missionary send off...

Sister's Williams & Bradshaw, Elder's Pettit, Sweeten, Ibarra & Turner

(Elder Williams is taking the picture)

*****

BIG ol' gypsy shout-outs to my sweet friend Becki Blackner, and to Mary VanDriver for taking the time to write us and keep us updated with the goings-on in the "outside" world. Seriously, we love you!

Our Third Companion

We have to pay tribute to our trusted 3rd Companion.  He (or she?) has been with us every step, or should I say all of the thousands of miles we have traveled on this mission.   He has been very reliable, rarely complaining and has suffered plenty of bumps, bruises. (see photo)

 We try to keep him happy, but often neglect him, such as letting him get quite dirty (see photos). 

But through it all, he has been a trusted, reliable 3rd companion, taking us everywhere we have asked him to go.  

He is often patiently waiting in the background as we attend yet another activity,  (See background)

 

 

Truthfully, we feel that the Lord has greatly blessed us with such reliable transportation on this mission, so this post is actually an acknowledgement of his hand in this blessing and an expression of gratitude to Him for answering many prayers to keep us safe.    So thank you!   And here's hoping and praying you can yet keep us going safely, all the way to the end.

Many hands make light work

One of the funnest things we get to do out in the mission field is give service. Monday morning we got an early call from a great family in the ward who needed help unloading a moving truck. Monday is our P-day, and there's so much to get done in a very limited time...not so much for us Sr. Missionaries, but the younger missionaries only have Monday to do laundry, write letters, check e-mails, go grocery shopping, and other tasks. So I wasn't sure they would want to give up that time to help. Boy was I wrong. They were all there with a smile on their face. As they jumped into action we made short work of emptying out that moving van! I love the missionaries we get to serve with.

Top row: Sister Mortensen, Ron, Sister Bradshaw, Elder Sweeten, Elder Ibarra

Bottom: Me, Elders Pettit and Turner

***

The world has need of willing hands, and hearts that know and feel.

Come help the good work move along, put your shoulder to the wheel!

*****

To: legalron36 From: oahubaby60

Happy Anniversary to my kind, loving companion and my best friend.

XO~K.
***

"In Friendship…we think we have chosen our peer. In reality a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another…the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting—any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances.
A secret Master of Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,” can truly say to every group of Christian friends “You have not chosen one another, but I have chosen you for one another.” The Friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of others."
--C.S. Lewis
*****

Here's to a great 2014!

This has been a crazy first week of 2014. I love a new year...like everyone else, it gives us a fresh new start to be better at just about everything. We have our annual "purge the house of any leftover candy"marathon. This was especially fun this year because remember the gingerbread house I made with the sisters?



Well, before Christmas the guy who serves as Young Men's President spoke in Sacrament meeting and told about when he was a little boy his mother would always put a gingerbread house under the tree and then tell him not to pick the candy off of it. So he would lay under the tree and lick the candy on the gingerbread house, which I found hysterical. So last week while we were boxing up and throwing out, we decided to box up our gingerbread house with a little note that said "Dear Brother Harman, you don't have to lick it, you can actually pick it! Enjoy!" Then we took it to his house rang the doorbell and ran. They aren't sure who put it there, but we aren't even on their radar for this one, which makes it even more fun. I mean, who would suspect two sober and dignified senior missionaries, right?

***

We attended a fun New Years Eve party at the Brinkerhoff's home out in Montezuma.

(we were home early)

 This is Brother Chamberlin, our ward mission leader. He's such a good guy.

This picture makes me laugh every time I see it!

***

We had our good old reliable, unfancy, camera "misplaced" after a Christmas activity in Garden last month. I was so bummed, because not only did it have pictures that I didn't have loaded on my computer, but it also had 3 picture/card/ chip thingies in the little case, AND we have to have a camera, so we ended up buying a super cheap camera just to get us through the end of our mission and it takes super crappy pictures. Grrr! So if you think our pictures have a weird 'sparkly' look to them, that's why. Double Grrr!

***

Last Sunday we had two baptisms, which was way awesome! (said in a sing songy voice) : )

Ron spoke at one of them, and I said the prayer at the other one.

12 year old Janeth and us after her baptism

 Nothing is more flattering than florescent lighting~said no one, ever!

Cute little Abbie Dameron (8)

What a great way to begin the new year!!

*****