Monday, September 26, 2016

Love You Appropriately


I am obv a mermaid ;)


So the elders in my district decided they want to be part of my journal/blog lyfe so they borrowed my alphasmart3000 and apparently have some things to say...
#nofilter

out the night that covers me black is the pit from pole to pole i thank the god that made me for my unconqurable soul

in the felt clutch of circomstance i have not winced nor cried aloud, under the bludgenings of chance my head is bloody yet unbowed

beyond this place of wrath and tears looms but the horror of the shade and yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid 

it matters not how strait the gate how with punishments the scroll, 
I am the Master of My Fate
I am the Captain of my Soul

sister whites bike got tooken and now has the sad.   (to be continued...)
-- Elder Wall

Once upon a time there was a young man named Joey, he was the coolest and best lookin guy ever, but that has nothing to do with this story.  Anyways, once Joey was super bored so him and his friend hopped on their longboards to ride around, but forgot that they lived on a big mountain with really steep hills, so they started riding down a hill and started going faster and faster and before they knew it they were flying down the mountain!!  They had no control over their boards so they knew that their only option was to leap for their lives!!  And so our brave young Joey dove for the grass, but alas it was in vain for he slammed into the pavement, rolling down the hill, and watched his poor skateboard fly into a curb and exploid into millions of pieces!! THE END

              --Elder Hollinger




Sorry I didn'T GET THE TIME!!!!! Had to go to Dinner
-Elder Ellsworth





There you go ladies and gents. 



Here are some actual factuals about the life I'm currently living.


I am 35 pages away from finishing the BOM (Book of Mormon)



I started this one July 4th so I'm excited to have it finished by 3 months. I've never read it that fast.
(also let me tell you how hard that even was.. life is so busy as a missionary and there is so much to prepare for, you're lucky if you have more than 20 min a day to read the good book)

but of course speed is not the most important thing, thank goodness.



I started reading the Book of Mormon separately at the beginning of this year, and I have been studying it like never before. It has taken me this long to get to Mosiah and I have LOVED every moment. The Book Of Mormon is amazing.



It doesnt matter how long you spend trying to figure out one verse, or if you read the whole thing in two months. YOU ARE GOING TO 
1. Learn something new.
2. Feel something familiar.
3. Understand something better.

I promise.


Moroni Promises.



God promises.




Read the Book Of Mormon. Even if it's one wimpy verse a day, read daily.





Two fit humans walked up to a bunch of very overweight humans and said
"Hey we know a great weightloss program. over 15 million people say it has worked for them and we love it so much, and 80,000 of us well, we just walk around everyday telling people about it for free. We actually pay money to be able to tell people about it because of how good it makes all of us feel about ourselves. We are happy, confident, and we know you will be too. The program is actually free itself and all it really takes is some time out of your busy schedule to try it out"








The overweight people don't pay it much mind.





Over 15 million fit, and in the process of becoming fit people tell one of their friends about this same program that is free, takes some time, but has amazing, perfect results.


These people try it out and 15 million more are converted to the program.



30 million people tell one friend about the program.



and so on and so forth.



The key is member missionary work. 



Does that make you sick or scared thinking about it? Those are the only two options.
Circle which is yours
a. Scared
b. Sick
c. I don't want to read this anymore.





That's satan, tell him to go to hell.



Buck up.



Hand out a Book of Mormon.



Pray for the strength to be an instrument in God's hands.







Invite the missionaries over and another family to have Family Home Evening.



We can do it people. I know it's hard to go  the extra mile, but it's only hard because we sometimes listen to the wrong voices.







Basically, the most uncomfortable thing as a missionary is just talking to strangers. There's no magical switch that makes you feel comfortable about talking to people about what helped them through the roughest point of their life, or how they felt when they held their child for the first time. These are personal things that require us to be personable and loving when we approach these topics that lead into the gospel of Jesus Christ. 






but here's a crazy secret about it:




the hard part is not actually doing it.




 It's the build up. Getting the courage to walk up to the guy fixing his car. Getting over the justifications in my head 



"he's busy"










Too busy for eternal life?!? So busy that God doesn't love Him? NAY.






I see over and over again that after we just walk over and open our mouth the Spirit accompanies us and the Lord makes up for our weaknesses, and get this. IT FEELS GOOD. It feels great. Talking to a sibling under God about what has brought us close to Him feels wonderful. NaturalHighsOfLife









#GetLitWithTheSpirit2kEternity










Now I know that if you aren't a certified missionary it's illegal to talk to strangers about the gospel.






So talk to friends and family instead:)








When someone asks you today, tomorrow, or next week this very question:








"How was your weekend?"














(you know they will)



Simply bring up the fact that you went to church and it helped you to
(fill in the blank)






find peace
feel focused
feel God's love for you




whatever



That's literally all it takes to share a seed with someone.


Whether or not they plant it in their hearts and let it grow that minute, the next day, or years down the road, that's up to them.


God does not ask us to baptize everyone but He does command us to invite every creature to come unto Him.


INVITE



When you Invite you do your job. When you accept invitations to help Him bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children, you in turn are furthering your own conversion and dedication to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of yourself.


Plus it makes you feel good.






 It makes you feel


great.



So that is my invitation. Think of the Savior, your family, and church when someone asks you








"How was your weekend?"



When you open your mouth with a prayer in your heart, please recognize how you feel.







Good. Great. Happy. 














"Well done."










simple as that.












Fun stuff this week. 


***transfers***



I want to share an insight my mission president shared with us during our conference call it was awesome.










When Lehi left Jerusalem, he traveled three days then built an altar to sacrifice something for God. 






We read this every time we read the BoM or first Nephi (let's be honest we all have read 1st Nephi way more than we have the rest of the BoM)






but we have no idea the significance of it.






Keep in mind Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the 1820's










and in the 1940's research discovered that in Lehi's times, if you wanted to make a sacrifice to God on an altar you had to go to the temple in the city to do so. UNLESS you were three days travel or more away from the temple. In which case it was okay by spiritual law, to build your own altar and have your own sacrificial ceremony.







Lehi was commanded to leave Jerusalem. But he waited three days to build the altar. Exactly the amount of time as was custom. Which customs were not commonly known on our continent until the 40's. (Actually they're still not commonly known)


but somehow Joseph Smith was able to mention the random fact that Lehi waited three days traveling to built that altar. 



How is that possible? The Book Of Mormon was not written by Joseph Smith it was translated by the power of God and brought to pass at His hand. Joseph was the instrument in work he didn't even fully understand. We don't understand it, not even close but as time goes on the proof is there.




The Book of Mormon is it's own proof. But just like you'd never know if a weight loss program works even if their are 15 million saying it does unless you try it out yourself, you can never know the Book of Mormon is true even though 15 million members testify that it is, unless you READ IT pray over it ponder how you feel and ACT.












Okay next item of business. Sister White had to get a.. procedure done for the comfort of her foot. The doctors appointment was in PENSACOLA


so guess what.






We drove through GULF BREEZE on the way to it and scared the heck out of pypsy and my "grandaughter", Sister Corbett.



They were doing studies and I knew a secret way into the apartment that I will not disclose for safety reasons. 



Long story short Pyper poked her head out of the study to find me standing in the living room unlocking the door to let sister white in and she screamed bloody murder.






And laughed at the same time and freaked thinking I was a ghost because I was back to haunt our apartment.















I LOVE THEM







And gulf breeze









for lunch I called Paula and she made us some corn dogs, we pulled up and Paula didn't tell Paul we were coming.




He was out in his driveway and we pulled up, he saw me and dropped the stuff in his hands, his jaw dropped, and he just about had a heart attack.







later with tear filled eyes he said 


"I can't believe this. I have been praying you would come. I knew you wouldn't step foot in this house as a missionary ever again. But I still prayed for it. I don't know why God answers my prayers so well.. but He sure does."







yeah... I am blessed.









WAY UP I FEEL BLESSED.



painted some stuff for my fave Deloris
Me and Deloris












I also love you all so much.


(appropriately) 



After transfers one of my favorite Elders, Elder Delamar yelled










"LOVE YOU APPROPRIATELY"




He's a homie. We have many of those, but we still have boundaries people. 
So we love each other in a friendly brotherly sisterly and appropriately way. 









MAKE IT A GREAT DAY


Honorary Giraffe


-SeeesterSaunders 


Huge rainstorm...



















ps






my birthday is coming up














I REPEAT















MY BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP

























DO YA'LL COPY?!?!?!?!?!?!







OCTOBER 9th!







I will accept cards, small gifts, thoughtful notes, and even hatemail. 
For my address ask my mom :)) ;)

















Happy General Conference Weekend, remember to write down questions you have because if you prepare, and ponder, listen to the prophet and pray, they will all be answered it's super legit. 









<3