HANDMADE LOVE

November 18 2013

oh my gosh Julia.. is absolutely GORGEOUS. tell her to write me :)

So this letter might be scattered but I'm just going to tell 3 stories! the first one is great! So sister garn and i visit this old lady who speaks English.. (its more of a service) but we share the gospel of course with her.. I don't know how to explain her she literally knows EVERYTHING about the gospel and temple and stuff we do inside.. all from dreams... shes 82!! Anyways i ADORE HER. I absolutely have grown to just LOVE HER. So we see her twice a week and she calls us "her 2 beautiful angels" nothing else. Literally doesn't even know our names! No one goes and visits her and literally she has no one. Since being here she has made me 2 hats and 2 scarfs! Hand knitted! Well, she found out that I'm most likely leaving in a week (cause i told her) hahah so she wanted to give us our Christmas presents early.. drumm roollll A BEAUTIFUL SWEATER! hand knitted.. She pretty much cried when we put them on, she just couldn't believe she made them! haha It is SO ITCHY! But we wore it out of her house.. :)you've got to just love her! you'll see pictures :) oh yeah and shes from Syria.. COOL RIGHT?!

So another cool story from last week! So last week we had an appt with Edwin on Thursday. On Thursdays we don't have our car and he lives a good 20 minute drive or over an hour walk. So we decided to take the train to Rutherford (a city not much closer to him we just wanted to take the train haha) Then since the train only comes at a certain time we were there way early and decided to do some of our weekly planning in a little cafe! It was a super cute cafe with yummy snicker doodles! Then we ended up contacting the guy who works there (hes a new investigator). Then walked (still an hour long walk) to see Edwin and it was freezing cold and pitch black. When we get there and he ISN'T HOME! We called him and he told us he couldn't see us that night and gave us a bunch of lame excuses. So we just looked at each other like there is no way we just walked to Moonachie for no reason, just to walk back. So we said a prayer. There HAS to be a reason we were there. Someone in that area needs the gospel. So we decided to try a referral from the English sisters close by. But Hermana Jorgensen has to use the bathroom so we decided to just knock to see if she cold use the bathroom and we found out that Americans are SO rude! Every time we ask an American if we can come in or use the bathroom they say no and just shut the door. Then we find this Colombian woman and ask if we can use the bathroom and she says yes! So we go inside and are talking to her and her husband and she makes us delicious dinner and then after the lesson we tell them we have to go because we have to walk an hour back to Rutherford to get a train home and they offered to give us a ride! They were the nicest people ever! They were seriously an answer to our prayer. It was really cool and we just gave a prayer of thanks that night. We really were so grateful for them. We know that God wanted us to go to Moonachie. Maybe not to see Edwin and even if Dolly and Chargoy don't get baptized, we learned a lesson. We are so grateful for that experience. And we can say we rode the train :) 

Okay now the next story is a little spiritual!

SO we had this noche de hogar (family home evening) with the ward. Well they wanted to watch a movie and then have the missionaries talk about it.. why i ask you?  Well the movie was about.. TEEN PREGNANCY.. haha like what the heck? Who shows that at a family night for the whole branch? Worst idea ever! But we just did as they said and as companionship's we prepared something to teach and talk about with the people. So we all sit down and literally the prophet comes on.. talking about the temple.. HAHA we all just looked at each other and were beyond confused! No warning or anything and we all had to get up in front of everyone.. individually and talk about what was just said in the video.. the Spanish video.. haha Who actually knows what they said! But we all did our part.. nervous as ever! But then the elders asked if they could show this video called "enduring love" on lds.org go look it up.. its about love obviously well there are no words so we watched it.. of course.. I'M JUST CRYING! haha me and 1 other person were crying. Well one set of elders who found the video get up and start talking about it. Through out them talking one of the elders started crying and the other elder was telling his story about his mom. His mom was in an accident 7 years ago and was in a coma and is completely not the same person she was before. He talked about how she will become perfect and how because there family is sealed all is okay. So, then of course the spirit is just incredibly strong. I felt impressed that I should get up there.. who knows WHY?! haha Why the hey would i volunteer to get up in front of everyone to speak Spanish which i don't even know how to speak.. but i got up there.. not knowing exactly what i was gonna say. But then, I spoke about aunt Kellie and little Ellie and how hard it was for them and for Chauncey but because they are sealed everything is okay. I struggled of course telling this story in Spanish because one crying and two talking is hard.. crying and trying to think of how to say it in Spanish and the saying it.. IMPOSSIBLE!  Then it happened with the help of people who could help me translate a little but everyone pretty much was crying.. Maybe this story wasn't significant to you guys or to them.. but to me i have learned that there is no other place i will be than in the temple with my husband to be sealed for time and all eternity. I know that God loves us. He has given us temples to do his work but also to be sealed for time and all eternity. I got on my knees that night and just so many thoughts were racing through my mind about my family I have now (you guys) and how grateful I am that my parents had made this decision to get sealed. People don't understand the importance about well first of all families and second of all being SEALED for eternity. I love my family. I cherish our relationships and for as nephi would say "goodly parents" that have held us strong to the rod! i love you guys i hope you have a beautiful week!

ps. super jealous of you guys going to china... I WANT TO GO!