MOTHERS
I am so grateful for my mom year round but love that there has been a day dedicated to remembering her (this year probably will go down as the best Mother's Day ever because I got to Skype and talk to her and the rest of my family, from way down South in Rockwood, Tennessee) and I hope that all you women out there had a wonderful Mother's Day. I have been blessed by so many of you in my life. Sheri S. Dew once said, "every one of us can mother someone- beginning, of course, with the children in our own families but extending far beyond." I have been blessed by so many mother figures in my life both in Utah and now in Tennessee. So thank y'all!!!
I'm so grateful for my mom's example and influence in my life. Watching her eyes light up and hearing her laugh as I listened to her stories from her own mission in L.A. is what first sparked the fire of my own desire to serve a mission. I remember watching her and one of her best friends (who was her missionary companion, and another huge influence and mother figure in my life) laugh, shop, clean, and work together. I wanted to have a friendship like that one day. As I grew up that desire deepened from a social motivation to a spiritual motivation, I am here to help people around me come closer to Christ and receive the blessings of the restored gospel. I am here because this Gospel has so blessed my life and my family's life. I know it will continue to bless my current family as well as my future family. But I, like the stripling warriors am out here in large part because of my mom, I have been "taught by [my] mother that if [I] did not doubt [I] would be delivered by God" (Alma 56:47)
By word and example my mom has taught me so much . She has taught me that every story has multiple characters and points of view, I'm not just talking stories in books either... stories and experiences of people, each one has multiple sides. She helps me be more emphatic, trusting, and Christlike. She has taught me to laugh things off, life is more joyful and less embarrassing when you just laugh it off. She has shown me how to love and care for those who are more elderly, and for those in need. And oh my gosh she can throw parties like no other!!! Lunches in high school were always over the top as well as every other holiday and birthday celebration that she decorated for. We've always teased her that Christmas/Easter/Birthday/Halloween/etc "throws up in our house" each time it comes around. And I can't neglect to mention the fact that every month since I've been on my mission she has sent me packages to decorate our house for the corresponding holiday, including but not limited to Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, and Easter. She has taught me that relationships should be trusting and communication is important. She is quoteable has been known to say: "less is more" and "we've beat Satan once, we can do it again!" I'm grateful for my mom, we're always told we are twins and sometimes I feel like we are sisters, because we really are best friends. I tell her everything, vent everything, spill news, tell secrets, and share inside jokes. Oh my goodness if mom and I didn't laugh together I don't know what I would do. She values education she didn't want us to miss school hardly ever when we were little. She loves this gospel, the temples, and being a mother in this time, she always said, that she was growing up right along with us and that she "hasn't ever been a mom before" but I think she has done a pretty amazing job with me and Bridger and we've grown up a lot together.
Another thing she always says is "it takes a village to raise a child" I am so grateful for all of my "village mothers" There are many of you: young women's leaders, friends' moms, neighbors, trek mas, aunts, grandmas, cousins, friends of friends, primary teachers, relief society sisters, missionaries, cousins twice removed, teachers... moms. I thank you for your righteous influences and outpouring of love in my life. I'm so blessed.
MISSIONARY
I'll try to keep this brief because I've already gushed enough, maybe I'll make it "kindly like" a bulleted list... yeah that'll work.
• Had a lady during the most powerful and spiritual part of the restoration lesson when shown the painting of Joseph Smith with the pillar of light and Heavenly Father and Christ above said, "Oh I'd just poop my britches if I saw that!!!" I've never bit my tongue harder to keep in the laughter, it worked... for a minute.
• We ate alligator at a recent convert's house, they wouldn't let us know what it was until we started eating it, it was pretty dang good though, but the birch beer (don't worry its not against the word of wisdom or the missonary handbook) to wash it down was not my favorite.
•Also ate gumbo at a different house, they are from Louisiana and apparently made it the "real deal" you cook it two days in advance and then refrigerate it to let the spices mix well. Other than the huge sausage chunks it was way yum!
•We delivered over 20 mothers day cookie and note gifts to mothers around the ward. I love my mission "village moms" out here!
•We had Bible study with a less active and he shared a thought about Matthew 19:24 that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Apparentkly back in those days there were entrances into city walls only big enough for a person to enter, they were called the eye of a needle. If you were to get a camel through it you would need to take off all the carpets, trunks, and cargo. In other words: riches, and have it crawl through the door and tunnel. So it is with our journey home "straight is the gate and narrow is the way" we have to strip ourselves of riches, desires, and baggage and crawl at times, in order to get through tough times and stay on the path home. I had heard the explanation of that before but the crawling part struck me, sometimes we crawl on our journey... humbly... on bended knee. I honestly love the Bible so much. During comp study when we share what we study I blab on and on because I'm learning so much and it is so dang amazing!!!!
•Pretty much every day we would daily plan and it would be a solidly booked day and then as we'd go about it we would reschedule everything about four times because people would cancel and it at times I was really frustrated. Hermana Munoz my CCM comp would always say "the easiest way to make God laugh is to make plans..." He was laughing a lot this week. But we continued to make plans and He continued to always provide a way. Even if it felt like we were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, it worked out. We visited the people we needed to, the children He needed us to help
•We moved furniture onto a lady in the ward's front porch so she could get her carpets cleaned. She turned to us and said "my porch looks like a redneck's!" She is the same woman that said she wasn't going to do temple work for her family just yet because they were such hoodlums they need to "sit there and stew about it!" Oh my goodness we were rolling, I just adore her!!! And her house is so clean and well kept and elegant it's so refreshing!
•Our primary president duct taped three of the boys to their chairs and when a mom scolded her about it she said "well I'm not even going to repent because I would do it again!!!!"
•Emergency WalMart trip for calamine lotion because somewhere I came into contact with either posion sumac or posion ivy
•Found three different ticks crawling on me on the way to, and during a lesson
•One lady we took a mother's day gift to is taking care of her neighbors goat named Peanut that honestly thinks she is his mom, he will only take a bottle if it's from her and follows her around everywhere. It was so cute!!!
•Another elderly lady we talked to could not hear jack squat so I would write notes on my tablet and hand it to her to read and she would read and it was always something like "you inspire us" "thank you for sharing that" "you're a good example" and she would gasp and then say well Thank you honey! " and ramble on again, so cute!!!
Well, it's been a great week, and Sunday was the cherry on top talking to my sweet family, I just love and appreciate them so much and am again grateful for my sweet M.o.M.
Have a great week and keep on celebrating mothers day!!!
Love,
Hermana Hall
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