Thejoyfulnest is 2!!

It's true! I have been officially blogging for 2 years! 
It has been a wonderful thing! 
What has been my goal for the past two years?

• To have a joyful and happy place for people to visit!
• To write fun and interesting stories about life and family?
• To be informative about how to get started doing "Family History!"
• To make a history of my family and my darling missionaries!
• To tell the world that I believe that life is wonderful, and challenging, and if we "just keep swimming" it will be great!

My goals for the future of thejoyfulnest?
More of the same! I will hope for a few more visits and new friends! 
Love, Joy

The "Grapefruit Poem"

"I wish I was a grapefruit, 

and here's the reason why

when you came to eat me, 

I'd squirt you in the eye!"

That  my friends, is the first poem I ever memorized when I was a little kid. I just thought I 'd share...for posterity!

Totally "Fort Worth" it!

Dear Family,

Sister Sagers and I want you to know that your missionary has arrived safely here in Texas. We look forward to serving together in accomplishing the Lord's work. We hope you enjoy the attached picture of your missionary, as well as knowing that the missionaries are in good hands here as they are in the Lord's service.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Sagers

Howzit-Elder Flexy!(for real)

We got an email today. I am so glad.

Elder Flexy 10:3 -email-

Make,
sorry i didn't Email yesterday was a national holiday so no email shops were open but I'm doing fine we hiked Execution Rock again, it was super fun and we had a brai(Barbeque) on top. So apparently i still have my hiking skills because i smoked the other elders! Life is good we are teaching like crazy, we are having three baptisms on Sunday its gonna be sweet. I went on exchanges with Elder Henson the native American and it was great we taught very well, it was fun. I'm so glad Ariane is coming back to church. Thats so good to hear. this week we successfully outdid a Jehovah witness without even losing the spirit, now that is dang near IMPOSSIBLE!! and we stared down a dog that could have eaten us. but ya its been a awesome week. i love you.
    Love Elder Sebenele (Swati name)


    

Baba
dang i thought that might happen the last time we fixed that pipe but (note: a secondary water pipe broke in the yard). wow that story about Adam is pretty funny that reminds me of me being called a Tokoloshi in my last area which is a little demon the witch doctors summon to get there enemies. but ya, mission is pretty sweet i'll let you know about the baptisms next time. love you
    Love Elder Dirkie

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

Just an FYI, Kelsey left for Texas this morning! 

We talked on the phone, she is nervous and excited. 

Please pray for our missionaries!

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

So it's Monday at about 7:10 p.m.

I have been checking my email account

 off and on all day, and nothing. 

Our darling Elder has not sent an email. 

Paranoid me says, 

"What's wrong? Is he ok? 

Maybe he's just too busy today." 

Faithful me says, 

"He is great! Doing the Lord's work!

 He is definitely safe, the Lord will protect him. 

You need to relax!" 

Momma me says, "That little stinker! 

Doesn't he know I worry? 

Can't he at least give me a few lines?!" 

It will all be just fine, but it is a challenge for me. Who knew when I decided to name Alex's posts "Howzit-Elder Flexy", that it was prophetic. That there would be times many times when I wonder "Howzit?"

I thought I would tell you a story about Alex when he was five. Just to keep my mind off the fact that I haven't heard from him, and to give you all something to read today. 

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

The school was having a talent show. Because we're not that talented at our house, I've never been a big fan of them. But this time Alex decided on his own, that he wanted to be in the talent show. I never heard a word about it. I found out after the talent show was over, that Alex had indeed taken part in the talent show. He signed up and on the sheet he said he was going to whistle. I'm sure that the teachers thought he was going whistle a song, a tune of some kind. But when he got up to do his talent, all he did was whistle. Just one note, for about 3 seconds, then he sat down. Everyone applauded. And Alex felt super. The teacher who told me the story started to cry when she told me. She said it was the sweetest thing, to see this little boy sharing his whistle with his peers. He believed that they would think that was so neat. I need to tell you here, that there were kids who could play the piano, sing, and all kinds of talents that the parents had spent money helping their child develop. I didn't have to spend any money, 'cause Alex's talent was to whistle. What a darling little boy! He has always been such a great kid. Always happy and easy to please. I know that he is a blessing to the people of South Africa, and I am happy to share my wonderful son with them. 

Sunday Best!

Easter Sunday! 

What a beautiful day!

He is Risen!! 

I love Him and I am so grateful He atoned for my sins and was crucified! I know he was resurrected and lives!

Love, Joy

Family History Friday: What Are You're Ancestors Telling You?

New York Times-picture

Have you ever read

a journal or 

a story of an ancestor, 

and thought that what they were saying in word or in the life they lived might be for you? 

I'm sure it was for you and anyone else who is a descendant. Just like we love our families and those who will come after us, the ancestor's of those in Japan loved their descendant's too! 

I found an amazing article about a village in Japan whose ancestor's left a message for their descendants. 

It was a warning on a stone, 

that said not to build their homes below a certain spot. Apparently, many stones were found, but not all headed the warning. You can read more about it here. 

Our ancestor's have left messages for us. 

They may not have written all of them down, but when we research and find the stories about their lives, they will speak to us. If we are listening with our hearts, we will hear what they are trying to say. Think about your ancestor's, their lives, the way they lived, and what it all means. When I think of mine, I think they might want me to know, life is full of hard work and wonderful. They are telling me, "It was hard sometimes, but I did the things that I needed to do, you can do what you need to do. Be amazing!" I love them, and am so thankful for the messages they have left for me. 

Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

Totally "Fort Worth" it!

Kels and Em!

Hermana Kelsey 2:5 -email-

Madre,
My week has been good. A little bit stressful, but just because I have a lot of things to do before I leave, and I'm really worried about making weight. My bag is like 15 pounds without anything in it so I'm hoping that I can fit everything I need and still be under what I'm supposed to be. I might buy another luggage piece from the bookstore. I hope that is okay. :)

I'm so excited you get to watch T and G. I miss those little boys so much. Tell them I love them. There is an Elder that was in our zone that just left on Tuesday, and he reminded me so much of G. He was really tender and sensitive, and he even looked like him, only with darker coloring. Pretty funny. It was really sad when that district left. They only got here a week before us so we've spend the most time with them. We had a really hard night the day they all left, because we were so sad. They are such great Elders, and I can really say that they are some of my best friends ever.

I'm glad you are staying busy. It is really good to be doing things a lot. I feel bad for all the time I wasted when I didn't really have any purpose in my life. It's kind of sad. But things will be different from now on.

Spanish is coming along. I feel like I don't know near enough, but everyone tells me that I know enough to get by, and I'm not expected to actually learn Spanish in the MTC. You learn it the most out in the field. So hopefully I'll be learning A LOT of Spanish in the field. :) I'm looking forward to seeing some of the people that I met in the MTC that went to my same mission too, so that should be really fun.

In other news, we had our last devotional on Tuesday, and guess who came to speak to us...Elder Richard G. Scott! Yeah the apostle! It was so great. We haven't had an official member of the twelve this whole time, but we lucked out that we got one before we left. Some people never get to see an apostle. It was pretty neat. He did an amazing job of course, and he blessed us, with the authority of his apostleship, with the gift of tongues. It was so amazing.

Anyway I was wondering if there was anyway, you could send me my address for in the mission field so that if I decide I want to send something there so I don't have to pack it, I can. That would be fantastic. Gracias!

I will be sending pictures this week. I tried to this last week, but there was an issue in the bookstore so they didn't get printed off. But now they are, so they'll be coming soon.

I better go now I love you lots. Love, Hermana Kelsey
---------------------

Padre, I'm glad you are doing good. Bye. :) Love, Hermana Kelsey
---------------------

Emmysaurus Rex,

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with the baby. (Note: Emily had one of those babies from Child Development, it cried for hours last night) When I was in high school, it was extra credit to do that, so I never did it. Anyway, I better go now. I'll write you a real official letter once you write me one. :) Love you lots. Love, Hermana Shelton

P.S. How is Sandy doing?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Skipping!

Riley says, 

"She has mad skipping skills!" 

What a cutie!

"Bonus Baby" is 17!!!

Newborn Emily

My darling Emily turned 17 today!!

My how time flies! It seems like I was just doing a post about her sixteenth birthday. What a fun girl!!

Em and Natasha

So here goes, 17 things I love about Emily (in no particular order):
1-she is funny
2-she is a good friend 
3-she gives the best hugs
4-she is entertaining
5-she isn't afraid to talk to people
6-she is a good example
7-she is creative
8-she loves to keep her room clean
9-she is beautiful
10-she is very helpful
11-children love her
12-she has lots of friends
13-she is tender
14-she loves the Gospel
15-you can count on her
16-her laugh is contagious
17-she loves Heavenly Father and Jesus

So when she was born the Dr. said, "She's a little peanut!" She was tiny, and was such a blessing then and now. I am so grateful to be her mom and to have such a wonderful daughter!! I love you, Emily! 

Happy Birthday!!

What a beauty!!!

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Swaziland Flag
Elder Flexy 10:2 -email-

Make,

man that is so good that Ariane came to church and with the cute baby that's awesome. but ya this week has been awesome we had some planned STRIKES (I think this might mean coming to church) happening but its kinda funny cause the people get all exited and ready to strike then they end up staying home and doing washing instead. so nothing really happened. 
1 Are your investigators doing well?
1.yep they are doing awesome the main ones will be baptized on the first of may.
2 Did you see conference? I can't remember if I asked.
2.we only saw one of the sessions but it was vary good the one with the announcement of the Rome Italy Temple.  

3 If so, where did you see it?
3.at the chapel yesterday.
4 Do you want me to send you a copy of the Ensign when it comes?
4.no the mission office gets some so you don't need to.

5 Have you done anything fun this week?
5.well other than missionary work not much....ha
6 Favorite scripture?
6.Mosiah 18 the whole chapter.
7 When will you get to see the game reserve?
7.well we saw a small one but idk when it will happen again.

Special question:

8 What advice would you give to someone who wants to come back to church and it's been a really long time since they've been?
8.well i would just use the wisdom of someone else and tell them that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step so you might as well start now and keep going slow and steady!
anyway all is well here in swaziland. love you
Love Elder Dirkie(my Afrikaans first name)  

Baba
ya sounds like you are still staying busy. that is so good that Alex came over to help has been to church since i left. i was so happy to see him at my unfarewell but you should give him fire for me and tell him to come back to church. but ya i'm glad he bought a honda i miss cruzin with Riley in that old beater. but ya mission is starting to feel like we do the some thing every day but i guess thats appropriate because that is what we do every day but its good and its fulfilling. anyway i hope life keeps you on your toes. love you dad
love Elder Flexy

M
thats so good that your pull your grades up i'm glad your going to all the dances and stuff its good and vary fun. but anyway sorry i'm running short on time but i love you my little seester. 
Love Elder Flexy  

Sunday Best!

Matthew 18:2-5

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

***********

Hope your Sunday was the Best! 

Love, Joy

Family History Friday: Location, Location, Location!

Location isn't just important when buying a home. When trying to research our families, having the right location is important, because territories, state lines, and counties have changed over the years. Since most records are found at the county level, it is important to know the date when the county was formed. Most Family History Centers, Genealogical Libraries, and even Public Libraries have books available such as "The Red Book" and "Map Guide to the Federal Census". But today, with so many places to look on the internet, we can find the same information there. Be careful not to get so caught up in one location where you are researching, that you forget to look in the surrounding areas. These surrounding areas may have been part of that county or state at one time. My mom was helping a patron at the Family History Center who was trying to locate her Pioneer ancestry. She was moving backwards in history looking at Census records. She had already looked at 1870, 1860, 1850 records. My mom noticed that she was standing with a puzzled look on her face and asked her if she was having a problem. The woman said, "I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I can't find the film for 1840 in Utah." Then she smiled and said, "Oh yeah, they didn't even get here until 1847!" At that point she said, "I guess I'm going to have to look someplace else." And my mom said, "Yes, you will." She was successful at what she had been doing, but momentarily forgot that there was a change in location. That's why it's important to always check the year and the location. 

Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

Totally "Fort Worth" it!

Hermana Kelsey 2:4 -email-

Madre,

Hola! How are you doing? I hope you are great. I am doing fanstatic! I had a couple days when I was struggling a lot with the language, but it has been getting better. I have to constantly remind myself that I have come so far. Before I got here I didn't know any spanish, and now I can somewhat speak it. Anyway, I would say the best way to learn spanish is to study a lot, and to speak as much as you know all the time. We have to speak spanglish pretty much everyday, but we learn a lot that way.

Anyway, this week was good. I found out that my male teacher, Hermano Haderlie, is two weeks younger than me, so that was weird. His birthday is in August. It's crazy.

Anyway, there are all kinds of crazy funny things that happen here, but most of them aren't even worth writing about. There are just funny things that keep us from going completely crazy. So I've decided that I am terrified of the real world. I want to live in the bubble of the MTC forever. :(

Anyway, I better go now. Love you lots. I'll be sending some more pictures soon, so look forward to that. :)

Love, Hermana Kelsey  

Padre,

Hey, so do you remember that guy who stood up in stake conference and talked about his mission, but didn't say where he was called? I saw him here at the MTC a little while back and he is going to South Dakota, Rapid City mission! Isn't that cool?! I told him about Ron, so he's going to watch out for him. Anyway, I'm glad you got that tree taken care of. You are such a good example to me of hard work. Anyway, I better go now. Love you lots.

Love, Hermana Kelsey

Ileray! (Riley)

You need to write me a letter. It is necessary for my salvation!! Love you lots, bye! 

Emmaline!

I'm glad you are doing good. You better write me a letter! I need mail!! Just kidding. But seriously. Keep doing great in school. Remember, that your grades now will affect you in the future. I wish I had tried harder to get good grades. I'm not sure what else to tell you. I've gotten bad at writing in my journal, and that is usually where I get things to write home about. So I don't really have very much to say. Sorry. I better go now though. Love you tons. Be good.

Love your sister forever, Hermana Kelsey

Fifty Fifth!

A very happy thing happened on this day, 55 years ago. My in-laws, Nancy and Pearce were married. We went to celebrate with them tonight. 

(I'm taking the picture, that's my darlin on the right and all my in-laws)

What a great accomplishment, to be married for 55 years! They are examples of 

true love! 

I love you both! 

Happy Anniversary!

Love, Joy

I am so thankful for Gratitude!

A lot of us don't talk much about gratitude when it's not November, but hopefully we express it everyday to Father in Heaven. I choose to "receive all things with thankfulness". I am a work in progress though. I found a wonderful post about raising grateful children, that I wanted to share. Ann Voskamp at "a holy experience" posted it and you can read about it here! What a great idea! Teach children while their young to be grateful, and I'll bet they grow up to be grateful adults. I think the world could use as many grateful adults as possible. I am going to do this with my daughter Emily. She's the only one home now, but I think if we do it together and invite my darlin, her dad, there will be so much gratitude in our home, that it will be bulging at the seams! (does a house have seams?) Anyway, it will be a great experience! I know it! Let's all be more grateful!! 

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Flexy the day he got his mission call!


Elder Flexy 10:1 -email-

Make,

this week has been a good one we have a new elder in our district Elder Reeder. he was previously an AP (Assistant to the President) so we are even more obedient than ever. we are having fun. so today we played basketball, football(american) and rugby it was very fun. 
1 How did you like your B-day package?
1. It was awesome the oatmeal was a good idea i've been a little more low on food lately and the almonds from dad are all i have left but the other elders in the zone appreciated it a lot too.
2 Pictures?
2.sorry we have been so busy i haven't even thought about it lately.
3 Who is your new companion?
4 Where is he from?
3.4.its still Elder Diseko from Johannesburg
5 How is it going?
5.great he a good guy there are differences between us but all is well.
6 How are your members?
6.great we are going to do a activity to help with unity.
7 How are your investigators doing?
7.well we have three that will be baptized on the twenty fourth of this month.
8 Who are you teaching that is progressing? We would like to pray for them.
8.well pray for  Sipiwo, Kathuktula, and Nokwanza those are our B Dates.
9 Have you done any fun P-day activities?
9.just sports lately.
10 What kind of service have you done lately?
10.well we cleared this big front yard cover with weeds with slashers and pangers(bush knifes). 
11 Is the weather getting colder?
11.ya its nice i like the cold weather. 
12 When is your next Zone Conference?
12.i'm not sure but it will be in probably three months.
13 Favorite scripture or story?
13.well we talked about Samuel the Lamanite so that one is the best.

Special question:

14 How does paying tithing and doing fast offerings bless our lives and others?
14.well the blessings that you receive will out weigh the money you pay a hundred fold that's why we do it.
ya so i'm sitting in the Email shop and Numb by linkin park came on and all of the sudden i missed my older brother a lot. ish!!!!!! i miss you guys sometimes but its all good I'll plow through the rest of the time and all will be well right. its just a couple minutes. anyway love you guys an awful awful lot. love you Make

    Elder Flexy      

Baba,

ok so i have a story i guess i'll tell we were teaching this guy and we wen't to his house the other day and we knocked on his door and said to us "Guys... Go find some new friends." BAM!!!! and slammed the door it was the most brutal door aproach i had but now we kinda laugh about it. but we might get to see him again but ya we are teaching lots of good people maybe i'll send a real letter with some stories on it. but i hope all continues to go good. mission is going great love you daddy.

    Elder Flexy 

EM!! thats cool that all is going well i hope your keeping your grades up don't have the same senior year that i had it kinda sucked. so i'de like o share a quote with you..."a wise man learns from his mistakes but a wiser man learns from someone else s mistakes." so be the wiser person of the both of us you can learn a lot from the dumb things people do before you. anyway i love you my little sister.

    Elder Flexy

Sunday Best!

My young friend Karen gave a talk in church recently and she talked about how excited she was when she got up one morning for school. The reason she was excited, is because she was having a test that day.

 Well, really, the reason she was excited about the 

test, was that 

she knew the answers to the 

test

 she would be taking. She had studied and was prepared and ready. Then she went on to say, "This life is a 

test! We can be excited about this 

test

because we know the answers!" She went on to tell us that even if we don't have the answers right now,  life is an open book 

test. If we don't know the answer to a particular question we know were to find them. 

Where do we find the answers? Inspired family and friends. In God's word, the scriptures. Studying the life of our Savior. What would Jesus do? 

Listen to God's prophets and apostles! Listen to our living prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I am so excited for my 

test! I know I will do great with all of this help! You will do great too! I know you will! 

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Spring???

I can't help but think 

how beautiful the mountains look!

Family History Friday: I Totally LOVE this!!

There has been a series of shows on NBC called "Who Do You Think You Are?" I totally love them! They have invited several famous people to research their "Family Tree".  It is so fun to see other people enjoying their family history as much as I enjoy mine. In fact, I have thoroughly enjoyed the episodes that I have seen. Tonight my darlin and I watched an episode where the guest was Ashley Judd. Both my hubby and I were brought to tears as we heard about her ancestor, who fought in the Civil War. He had to have one of his legs amputated. Listening to the historian talk to Ashley about her ancestor, brought her to tears too. As I've always said, when we hear the stories, put the meat on the bones of our ancestors and start to realize what they did in their lives that made living better for me, it is always special and creates an almost sacred bond, between us and those who came before. Go check it out!! You will find the stories and episodes here!

Totally "Fort Worth" it!

Hermana Kelsey 2:3 -email-

 Madre,

Sorry I didn't send a letter this week. I've been getting more and more busy here, so it seems like I never have time to write outside of emailing. I might even get to the point where I'm as bad at communicating as Alex. :) Just kidding. But yeah. I'll try to write more real letters. Although, they are now really enforcing the rule of only writing letters on p-day, so I don't really have very much time to write. Anyway, my week has been okay. I had a really hard couple days, because I realized that I'm leaving for Texas in less than three weeks, and I don't know near enough Spanish to get by. It was really scary and stressful for me. But I'm doing better now. Spanish is okay. I feel like the new district that got here one week ago knows more Spanish than I do though. No me gusta la comida. Well it's okay, but not my favorite. I am happy for the most part. I still have hard days and sad days, but my companions and my district and zone are so great. They always are trying to build each other up. It is so fantastico.

I LOVED conference! I got so much more out of it than I ever have before! Probably because I didn't fall asleep. :) Anyway, some of the speakers at conference have come to speak to us at firesides and devotionals, so it was pretty neat to hear from them. I noticed that since the last conference all of the general authorities and the prophet have aged so much. It's kind of weird to think that they actually are mortal beings and they will die at some point. It's sad.

I don't remember if I told you last time, but I've seen Andrew a few times. He seems to be doing great. Much better than I was my first week. He's going to be a fantastic missionary.

Yesterday, we got to host the new missionaries that came in. It was so fun! It was also strange, because just a few weeks ago I was in that situation. Anyway, the sister I hosted was Hermana Moody. She is from Wisconsin and she is going to Salt Lake South Spanish speaking. She was so adorable. I'm hoping I'll see her around. Her class is in the same building as Andrew's so I told them to say hi to each other when they see each other.

Anyway, I feel the spirit so much here on a regular basis. Sometimes we'll have an amazing meeting, and it's just so overwhelming, but on any regular day you can just feel the spirit radiating from all the other missionaries. It is so great.

On Saturday between conferences it was so nice outside, so we decided to go for a walk around the perimeter of the MTC. It was weird because we didn't have any inclination to leave. We could have just walked out of the MTC, but we didn't even want to.

Anyway, I better go now. I love you lots.

Love, Hermana Kelsey

God Is Everywhere!

There's not a tint that paints the rose

Or decks the lily fair,

Or marks the humblest flower that grows,

But God has placed it there...

There's not a place  on earth's vast round,

In ocean's deep or air;

Where love and beauty are not found, 

For God is everywhere.
-Author Unknown
------------
I have been thinking about the beauty of this world and how grateful I am that God blessed us with such a beautiful place to learn and grow. What we do with our life is so important, the choices we make, the things we accomplish with the time we have been given, the legacy we leave for our children. Others may not worry so much about what they do, or who it affects, but we can still choose to be amazing. I know our Father in Heaven is everywhere! I thank God for life, for this wonderful world we are so blessed to live in, and for the opportunity to learn and grow and to work on becoming what He wants me to be.
-----
Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:9

Be sure to pause the music at the
bottom so you can hear Louis.

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Elder Flexy 9:5 -email-

Make,

this week has gone by way fast we worked hard. but ya we got transfer news yesterday and Elder NGanda is moving to newcastle in SA. and Elder Mead is going to Richards Bay in SA. but all the rest of swaziland is staying the same. but ya i got my birthday package last week and it was too nice i loved it. but its already gone almost but hey it was good while it lasted. but ya i ate a chicken head and chicken feet. this last week so all i need to eat is the neck and intestines and i've eaten every part of a chicken. but ya life is still going well i'm working hard and getting better at teaching. but anyway all is well. love you 

    Love Elder Flexy 

Sunday Best!

LDS General Conference was the best!!! 
You can learn more here!

And it snowed for hours today,
 I'm so glad I was just able to enjoy 
"a beautiful day," 
before the storm!!!
Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

A Beautiful Day!

March is over, 

and Spring is here.  

I had to go out into the day!  

Have you ever had a day where the sky is so blue, the sun is so bright in the sky, that you have to get out there and enjoy it!! I hopped in the car and rolled down the windows and turned up the music! I leaned my head back against the seat, and put my arm out the window, feeling the wind as I drove.  

It was perfect! 

It was complete happiness!!

Family History Friday: They are amazing!!

There are some amazingly talented genealogy bloggers out there!!

 I thought I'd give you links to a few!

---- 

There's Renee at, you guessed it, "Renee's Genealogy Blog", you can visit her here!

----

And a very interesting blog "DearMyrtle's" you'll find it here!

----

And Kerry at "Clue Wagon", check it out here!

----

Like I've said before, do a google search for; "family history blogs", you'll find great stuff!! These people are amazing, and helpful!

Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy