Family History Friday (FHF): Slow and Steady!

Life is busy!

 I've been feeling that, more than ever lately!  My son, Alex gave me the best advice years ago! I needed a reminder and thought you might too! For this week's Family History Friday please read about what my son told me here!

Remember this story when life is overwhelming. I do! Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

If at first...

     ...you don't succeed! 

What? Try again? Or decide maybe you're not that great at growing corn.

My darlin's first attempt at growing corn! 

You can't really tell here, but they are only half the size of a regular corn stalk. He just laughed. 

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Elder Flexy 4:4 -email-

Mama,

              This week has been great we have had some powerful lessons after hearing from Elder Holland it has been powerful. we had a missionary return home to our ward due to sickness so he has been coming with us to be a member present. its been great!

1. acually Elder martin is staying for another transfer so either i'm staying in my greeny area for six monthes or next transfer i'm leaving Elder Martin here. but i don't know whats gonna happen.

2 Have you run into the senior couple Elder and Sister Ward? Their daughter is on the missionary moms email group?
2.i think i have met them but just breifly i haven't spent much time with the senior couples.
3.no i heven't met him. Swaziland is a six hour drive from where we are so we don't see them much.
4.Ya Swaziland is kinda coveted but it has its downfalls too. the missionary work goes great there because the people are humble... but the power co. has to be paid with our alotment so you have to budget like crazy there which is something we don't do well.
5.no i haven't heard about the nativties but i'll check them out if i'm sent there.

6 I am going to send your Christmas box this week. I will send some good stuff. Any requests, besides letters?
6.well i would love some pictures and any food that you think could survive the trip. but i don't mind what you send whatever you send will be appreciated.
7.investigators are doing good they are slowly progressing but they will come around.
8.ya we saw frank the other day to do service, help him put up curtains, and we had a powerful lesson afterward it was awesome.

9 Anything new on the pictures? Ask one of the senior couples if they can help you make a cd to send home?
9.I know how to make a CD its just that sending anything thicker than paper in the mail and they open it and take whats inside so i just don't want ti risk anything like that. 

10 Do people have cats and dogs as pets? are there any unusual pets, but common down there?
10. they have basicly the same pets here there are just more parrots than back home. but one family we teach has a pet tortoise that is pretty cool!!!

11 Do you often see safari type animals? you know giraffes, elephants, etc.
11.not at all those animals are only in game reserves now it kinda stinks but we will go see them sometime. but there are lots of Vervet monkeys we see tham almost every day!
12.the zone conferances are held in a very simmilar place as where we work so its about the same.
13.people are nice as long as they are not racist then it gets pretty scetchy!! but the people are super nice 95% of  the time.

14 If you could say something to someone who is struggling with life, what would you say, and how would you encourage them?
14.well when you struggle you should look at it like God is telling you that you are tougher than you think you are. Because its true He won't send anything you can't handle and the harder it is the more God knows how strong you really are. so take that as a challange and be the person God wants you to be.
anyway things are going great. Love you tons!!!!




                                                               Love, Elder Flexy

 

  

Baba,
         I went last Mon. with mom and dad to the lake to winterize it. Ya remember pulling that dead skunk out of the trailor man that was truely aweful!!! I miss mountains there are none here there are just pasy hills but they are pretty to but i want to see big rocks!!!! thats good that your getting all that work done i'm proud of you Baba! Love You

                                                             Love Elder Flexy  

Grandbaby!

Natasha is so happy her daddy is home!

Sunday Best!

Guess what the talks were about in church today? One of my favorite subjects,
 Family History! 
We had two speakers. They both did an excellent job. They were talking about how doing family history has been a neat experience and has blessed their lives. 
The first speaker, Carolyn, talked about an aunt that lives across the country. This aunt is able to go to cemeteries that their ancestors are buried in and do some of their family history. She said that relationship has been so wonderful. She has learned so much from her aunt about her family's history. I was wishing I had a distant relative like that. Maybe that is one thing I'll have to work on. 
The second speaker, Wendell, was talking about how he did a "google" search for his ancestor and didn't find him. So he tried doing a google search for the wife of the man he had already looked for and found them both. Wow! He was even able to take a trip over to England and Wales to do research for his family. I would love that too! It was neat to hear how other's are doing their family history and loving it. 

If you want to have a neat experience learning about your family history, a good place to start is here!

**************

"You may be confident that your deceased people know where their records are, and you can obtain help through inspiration....if there is anywhere on the earth anything concerning them, you will find it. ...but you must continue to work. The spirit of your heart turning towards them will come upon you, and the way will be opened in a marvelous manner, and if there is a scrap of evidence concerning them upon the earth, you will find it. When we have done all that we can do ourselves, the Lord will come to our rescue." 
                            -Melvin J. Ballard

Hope your Sunday was the Best! 
Love, Joy

Family History Friday (FHF): Journals!

Every person should keep a journal 

and every person can keep a journal. 

It should be an enlightening one and should bring great blessings and happiness to the families. If there is anyone who isn't doing so, will you repent today and change --change your life?  Spencer W. Kimball Ensign -May 1979.

-------------------------------------------------------

I found a funny journal entry from one of my journals I thought I'd share with you. The date is July 16, 1977.
I was 15 years old.
***
"I will probably never go cherry picking again. We picked from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm and I only made $3.40. My friend Trudy made $5.20, because she had a whole crate more than me. I was so beat when I got home, I was almost asleep on my feet. Me and Trudy were gonna ride the bus from where we were picking cherries  home, and we ended up in another city. I had to call my mom to come and get us and bring us home. After Trudy left, I slept till 10:00 pm, then I woke up took a shower and wrote this in my journal. At least I know what it's like to pick cherries, and I'll probably never do it again!"

***
I haven't always written in my journal. And I don't always do it now, but I am always glad that I did write the things I have written. Years later, it means so much to me. I have to believe it will mean something to someone else. Imagine my grand kids reading, about me cherry picking and laughing, about the way I describe it or how little money I made. If you haven't written in a journal yet, try it. I is an experience you won't regret, and neither will you posterity.
---------------
 Theodore M. Burton counseled: “As a people we ought to write of our own lives and our own experiences to form a sacred record for our descendants. We must provide for them the same uplifting, faith-promoting strength that the ancient scriptures now give us” (Ensign, Jan. 1977).
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Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy 

We all have gifts!

This is Caitlin. 

She is my niece. 

She has a very special gift.

 She can flex her toes like no one's business!!!

This isn't the best example...

But this... now this is amazing!!! I tried to flex my piggies and they just don't do this! This is a 90 degree angle! So then I had my darlin try it. He could do it too. Amazing!!! Some people have the most amazing gifts! 

Dream Come True: You won't believe this!

This is Kelsey's purse!

It's teeny! 

It's like 9" wide X 4.5" deep X 3" tall. 

You will be amazed @ what fits in 

this teeny purse!!!

Here it comes!

Wait 

for

it!!

WOW!

This is amazing!

In case I have cramps and a cold! Chloraseptic, Midol, Lotion, hand sanitizer, receipts, prescription.

What's with the Beano? Head ache medicine, eye drops, red pills (I think it's Sudafed), Blistex, Chapstick.

I might need the little green marble, you never know!

Cell phone, iPod, cash (good to have), knife (from Cabela's), pen.

Mascara, 2 lip glosses, check book, wallet, gum, Tums, bobbie pins, hair elastic, two little coin disc things, Zicam, keys!

She is one amazingly prepared girl!! Hey Kelsey! Can I have one of those Beano's!?

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Elder Flexy 4:3 -email-

Mama!

1. this week was awesome we did some amazing work our stats this week were probably the best i've had on mission!!! we have two more B-dates and we had about ten investigators at the conferance with Elder Holland!!! it was a power week! we had the soccer game on saturday the missionaries vs Berea ward. And we stomped them 4 to 2 and an Elder named Sechinga did a awesome bicycle kick it was sweet!
2.Elder Martin finds out if he is leaving tommorrow so i will let you know whats the deal next week.

3 Have you figured out how to send pictures yet? I was thinking maybe a member has a computer at their home and would make a CD for you to mail home.
3.sorry i haven't figured it out yet i want to send pictures but i'll find a way.
4.ya i'm getting letters from home i have received letters from lots of people and they are so nice.
5.yes we do our own laundry

6 Do you have to hang it out to dry? and do you have to iron it to get rid of those flies? (like Uncle Ian used to in Zimbabwe) 

6. we hang dry our clothes and we have to iron them before we wear them but idk about the flies i haven't seen them.

7 Where do you do your laundry?
7.in our boarding
8.ya we eat at members house sometimes and they make really good food so its great.
9.ya we met Elder Holland we had a meeting with him with just the missionaries. it was freakin SWEET!!

10 Did he say anything specific to South Africa and the missionary work there?
10.ya he in roundabout way said we stink at doing missionary work and we need to improve. :) it was kinda funny
11.no we still haven't seen conference

12 If so, what was you favorite talk and why?
12. -

13 If someone asked you if they should go on a mission, what would you say? Are you glad you went?
13.Heck Yes!!!! you should go on a mission when the gospel is all you eat, sleep, and drink you come to realize how wonderful it truly is!!! yes i'm very glad i came out on mission its Freakin Awesome!!!
Its so nice to hear all is going well at home. well see you in a minute!! love you.


                                                                                                Love Elder Flexy

Baba, 

            Its probably a good thing that you switched classes it helps your teaching skills. Ya i get to teach the investigators class in church once a month its pretty fun! so we met this racist guy yesterday he was so funny he was this old white guy and he spoke to us right after the conferance with Elder Holland. He is very interesting man and we might teach him at some point. :) Ya there was a bike race in the city so finding parking for the conferance was super hard but we finally found one. anyway better quit. Love you

                                                                                                  Love Elder Flexy

Sunday Best!

3 Nephi 23:1-3

1 And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah. 2 For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles. 3 And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.

------------------------------------------

Today, just to mix it up, 

I taught Gospel Doctrine 

instead of Primary. 

That's a switch! 

I went from teaching the 7-8 yr olds

 to teaching adults, Isaiah. It takes a little more prep time.

Two things I learned while preparing this lesson. 

1-Christ approves of Isaiah. 

He tells us Himself that 

Isaiah's words are "great."

2-You can understand what 

Isaiah is saying, 

by study, and by the spirit. 

It was a great experience! 

I love when I'm challenged. 

Hope your Sunday was the best! 

Love, Joy

Grandbaby!

Playing in the yard, last Sunday evening. 

What a sweetheart!!

She is still getting used to Daddy being home. But she snuggles up close to him and gives him big kisses. 

Family History Friday (FHF): Merit Badge!

Did you know there is a 

Genealogy Merit Badge? 

The Boy Scouts of America is a great organization. Along with all of the other fun and interesting Merit Badges young men can earn, there is one that is near and dear to my heart. The Genealogy Merit Badge is one your son or grandson can earn. You can learn about it here!

Both of my sons earned their Eagle Scout. And both earned the Genealogy Merit Badge. It was a fun experience for them to learn about their ancestors and to put themselves for the first time as the #1 person on a pedigree chart. There are Family History Libraries and Centers who have devoted volunteers who would love to help a boy accomplish earning this Merit Badge. To give you an example the Riverton FamilySearch Library is holding a class in November. You can read more about it here!

When you get to their site, scroll down until you find the class listed. What a fun way for a young man to work on his Scouting and get to know his roots at the same time. Check it out! Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Elder Flexy 4:2 -email-

Mama,

this week was good Elder Martin has been very sick this week so i have had lots of study time. they say i might have to get checked but i'm not worried i feel awesome. that makes me happy to hear riley is home tell him to write me a letter!!
1.no we still havent seen conferance but this sunday we get to meet with Elder Holland as missionaries and he is speaking to our stake as well.
2. transfers haven't happened yet, they are next thursday.

3 Do you have investigators that are progressing?
3.ya we kinda have progressing they are at the very beginning of the journey though.
4.we had an experiance when we came to a return apointment and we had commited this man Squinsico to read from the book of mormon and we came in and he told us he knew it was true that was pretty powerful.
5.we actually have a car because our area is too large to walk and public transport is kinda dangerous the taxi drivers are terrible.
6.i don't think there are any that ride bikes just walking areas.

7 Have you met any Elders from back home? Like the Dame's cousin?
7.Ya i met Elder Shaw the Dames cousin and some other elders from utah.
8.ya they drive on the opposite side of the road and the car!

9 What is the weather like? is it getting hot?
9.it is hot hot HOT and very humid which makes it even worse but i'm enjoying it.
10.we wear our suits for important meetings and church but other than that its just short sleeve shirts.
ya mission life is going great i'm doing the work and having fun. Love You!!


                                                           Love, Elder Flexy 
 

Baba!!

Woop i made my first goal in soccer man it was freakin awesome. i'm getting better and better. we are playing the Elders Qourum in our ward in soccer on saturday and its gonna be great we are going to massacre these old guys!! ya yesterday the Berea Elders had four baptisms its awesome. but we work just as hard as them and no one in our area is ready for baptism it kinda stinks but oh well. anyway things are going great I'm getting used to this place and i'm growing to love it. anyway thats all for now. Love you Baba.

                                                                     Love, Elder Flexy

Family History Friday (FHF): Traditions!

Traditions are a fun thing! In a family, things are always changing. School starts after what seems like a short summer vacation, kids move up to a new grade in school with a new teacher, family members grow up enough to move away, leaving the younger siblings at home. What is it that keeps us all connected? Well, one thing is our family traditions. Take a moment to think about your favorite family traditions. Some of them have been celebrated since you were a child in your family growing up. Maybe you have forgotten or would like to know some of the traditions celebrated in your family history. What did you grandparents or great grandparents do for fun? When my maternal grandma, Norma, was a little girl a extra special treat would be to share an apple around the kitchen table. In our home, an apple is not a treat. It is one of the servings of fruits and vegetables we must sometimes force ourselves to eat each day. But knowing and remembering that it was a treat for my grandma helped me to be more grateful for apples. They really are a sweet treat! Another tradition my family has had for generations is to go on a picnic up one of the many canyons near where we live. I haven't done this for a while, so I'm going to make a plan to do it soon while the leaves are beautiful. We would take the dog, pack up the car and stay for hours. Us kids would play in the stream or river close by, and mom and dad would take a rest in the camping chairs, sometimes dozing off. We would collect rocks and leaves. What fun! With the holiday season coming up, think of some of your family traditions from the past that may become forgotten and bring them alive! Another thing you could do is research traditions that were common in the land and places your ancestors came from and make them a part of you our family traditions. As I've shared with you in the post you will find here, my  maternal grandpa's family were Welsh. A tradition in Wales was for a man to give a love spoon to the girl here wanted to marry. Because I know that was a tradition in Wales it means more to me. I think my ancestors would  have liked that tradition too. 
One funny family tradition that started years ago was this. First for many years and mostly while my children were small, we would watch "It's a Wonderful Life" on Christmas eve. Then one year we couldn't find the movie. We looked and looked. So one of the kids said, "Lets watch 'What About Bob?'" We love that show at our house, but it's not a very "warm fuzzy" Christmas type of show. My darlin' and I said, "OK!" So now "What About Bob?" is our traditional Christmas eve movie. It's fun to have traditions! They make family time the best time! Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

First Born is Home

Riley came home last night!!!!! 

It is so good to see him after 5 months. 

Back home to stay, or maybe deployed, we'll see. 

Good job, soldier!

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Elder Flexy 4:1 -email-

Mama,

1.This week has been awesome! Elder Martin had two 7 hour meetings and a three hour meeting this week so i went and worked in Bluff with Elder Sechinga and Elder Reike it was very fun i enjoyed it a lot.
2. We didn't get to see any of the conference but we will get a DVD of it soon.
3.our investigators are doing well thay are very stubborn people so they don't like change much but they will come around.
4.Frank is playing hard to meet so we haven't seen him in a while but we will i'm not worried.
5.when we can we are teaching him.

6 Did you check into sending a CD or attaching photos? We would love to see some of them.
6.I'm working on that I'm going to copy them on to CDs and then send them Via email and then i can clear the memory cards so i can take more pictures.
7.ya we have roaches but we just use Elder Martins deodorant spray and burn them. its kinda fun in a twisted sort of way.
8.Transfers are in two weeks and i'm pretty sure Elder Martin is leaving they don't keep Elders too long in our area its a tough area.
9.shoes and clothes are doing fine the shoes are starting to get a little worn but they are doing great.

10 We are planning on sending you a package at the end of October. It will probably be your Christmas package. Any requests?
10. For my package just fill a box with letters from anyone you can think of. also if you can/will send me some Arizonas preferably mucho mango, watermelon, and strawberry kiwi that would be awesome!!!!

11 Do you need more ties? 
11.no my ties are doing fine plus Elder Sechinga knows a place to buy cheap ties so i'm good for now.

(Colter is Alex's best friend. He just got his mission call to Utica, New York.)

12.Colters Call is awesome I wish he was going foreign just cause its such an awesome experiance but he will do great he is steadfast in the gospel and he will kick bum!!! I've noticed since I came out that you don't know "anything" about the world till you leave the U.S. this place is so differant. anyway things are going fine. Love you



                                                      Love, Elder Flexy

Baba!

Thats awesome that you get to play sports. this coming week we(the missionaries) are playing the ward in soccer its gonna be sweet and we are gonna kick bum!! i'm getting a lot better but these African Elders kick me to the curb they are very very good. Ya i got a letter from Tiff and i haven't had a chance to write back. MAN!! these letters from home are so nice its great to know everything is going great back home. anyway i better stop. I love you.



                                                  Love, Elder Flexy 

Sunday Best!

Newborn Emily 

I know that each of us has a vital and essential role as a daughter of God. He has bestowed upon His daughters divine attributes for the purpose of forwarding His work. God has entrusted women with the sacred work of bearing and rearing children. No other work is more important. It is a holy calling. The noblest office for a woman is the sacred work of building eternal families, ideally in partnership with her husband.

—Sister Silvia H. Allred

*******************************

What a blessing to know I am a child of God. To know He loves me and has blessed me to be a mother. I do believe it is a sacred and holy calling. I am so grateful for my children and have enjoyed so much watching them grow up.

Hope your Sunday was the best! Love, Joy