Things that help me through the rough times...

My mom, she helps me so much. She understands when I'm hurting and she empathizes with me. When I cry, she cries, when I smile, she smiles. I know people always say that "when mom ain't happy ain't nobody happy" but I think that a mother feels what her children are going through and has a type of "sympathy pain" for how they feel.
Tonight I looked at her and started crying because I miss Elder Peterson, (I don't cry very often any more, but sometimes it's hard to be strong) the moment my eyes filled with tears, hers did as well. When I told her that I miss him, she hugged me and told me that she knew, she understood more fully than any one else could. She really understands my heart, and I think she knows it better than I do.
I am so lucky to have that support system behind me. I don't know if I'm a special case, but I think that there have got to be some more great moms out there. So if times get hard, go to her, or some other strong understanding figure in your life. Someone who will just hold you and cry with you. It really helps.

Speaking of mothers, I am so blessed that Elder Peterson has such an amazing mother and family. They send me emails, cards, letters, and I even got a package from them for Christmas. Keeping in touch with them has made such a difference! They have helped me through some of my roughest patches without even knowing it, I am truly blessed.
I know that maybe not everyone has these ideal circumstances, but if you can, try to stay in touch with your missionary's family, it really can help you to feel a little more connected. They know what you are going through too, chances are they miss him just as much as you do. Plus, you might develop some great relationships that you will cherish for the rest of your life, trust me, I know. I've often found myself talking about Elder Peterson's family as if they were my own. It can help so much to keep in touch.

Recognizing the joy that the gospel brings to my life, and realizing that he is out bringing that same joy into the lives of so many who do not have it is something that always helps me to get through. When I take a moment to ponder on this and to also ponder on the joy that the gospel can bring into my life every day, it helps me to be humble and to realize that the work that he is doing is much bigger than myself, that he is giving his time to the Lord and His plan. He is helping others to have joy and is impacting the lives of many people for generations. Missionary work is truly a wonderful thing, and when I understand its significance, I am better able to understand that the Lord wants all of his children to be happy, and that includes me.
Gaining a testimony of missionary work has been a very vital part of me being able to get through the rough times. If you take the time to try and understand why your missionary is out serving the lord, it will help you to endure with more patients and joy. Reading Preach My Gospel has had a great effect on my understanding of the work, and also reading about the different missionaries in the scriptures. I also find that when I seek for opportunities to share the gospel, I start to love missionary work more. So give it a try, pray about it and search it out, the lord will help you.

What are some things that help you to get through those rough times? Please share! :)

-Katy

What to do for Your Missionary During Christmas

Merry Christmas!!! Yay! I love this time of year! Christmas is in a week and the family is all together, life can't get much better than this!
So, as the tittle of the post says, I'm going to talk a bit about a few ideas I had about what to get that special missionary in your life.
As I was scouring the internet a couple of weeks ago for the perfect present, I got a message from Elder Peterson. I had asked about what he wanted for Christmas, and he had replied that there wasn't anything in particular that he wanted, but that he was still the same person as he was when he was at home, so if I found something that I think he would love, I should get that. Lucky for me, we have very similar, very nerdy tastes, so finding him a gift would be easy. So gals, just think about things that he's in to, and go off your instincts. Hopefully you know enough about him to know whether or not he'll like something, and hey, if he suggests things for you to get, that's even better! That way you know he'll love it
Might I also recommend getting a gift that has a use, it can be a titanium spork, or a football tie clip, as long as he can use it while he's on his mission, you're good to go. You don't want to give him something that he'll have to lug around as dead weight for 2 years before he can use it.
I know that as a poor college student, my funds are very limited on what I can spend on my Christmas shopping, so I also had to keep that in mind while looking. But I also got some advice from a very wise woman who told me to "send him something to let him know you care". Remember when you were little and you always made the silliest homemade gifts for your family? Well... They aren't lying when they say "it's the thought that counts". For me, not having a large amount of funds meant that I had to get creative. So make him a homemade card with a special encouraging message, or sew him a new tie. Really anything you send will be appreciated and cherished.
Another thing to make sure of is to make sure that you don't make them too trunky with whatever you decide to do. It's good to let them know that you care, and that you are there to support them, but just make sure that you don't go to over-the-top with mushiness.

Well, if you're wondering what I finally decided to get Elder Peterson, I'll tell you, but it's super cheesy and dorky, so don't judge me lol. I got him a doodle frame, it's a picture frame with 80 sheets of paper around it that you can draw on and tear off if you wish. So I decided to put a picture of us in the middle, and to draw on every page o.O Crazy, I know. I'm still not done, but I've started it, so we'll see how this goes. I'm decorating it with silly, funny, random things that he'll find entertaining. There's also a few with inspirational quotes, and some with a little note from me to him. I also got him a little light up Star Trek emblem thingy lol, it's silly but he'll like it :) (pictures to come soon)

That's all for now, I hope that helped a little, if you have any other ideas and/or questions, feel free to post. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

-Katy

Updates

Sorry it's been so long since we've updated on here, with school starting and life moving on, we've been a bit distracted.

So here's the update:

Erin is engaged! :) She met an awesome guy at BYU and is going to be married near the end of December! I'm super excited for her, and she is so happy! Congratulations Erin!

Watch Tower and Green Arrow, I don't know the details there, but I think things are about the same.

As for myself, I'm doing just dandy! I've been dating some different people through the summer and fall, and just enjoying life. College has been quite the adventure, I've been contemplating changing my major from dance to something else, not sure what, but we'll see. I have wonderful roommates who have become some great friends, and I'm growing and learning so much about the gospel and about myself.

Elder Peterson is doing great! I just got some pictures from him today and it looks like he's having a blast. He's having some awesome experiences and he loves serving the people in his mission.

I guess that's all for now, I'll try to update some more soon!

Hey, if any of you have any questions, please ask, and I'll try to answer them best I can!

The Ladies in Waiting Team...

Alright Ladies, we would like to introduce ourselves to you, to let you know where we are in our waiting process, and a little bit about ourselves and our missionaries. So here goes!

• Well, first off, we've got Erin and Elder Mayo:

Stuart and Erin

How we met: Primary

How long we've been dating: 1 year

Where he's serving: Tijuana, Mexico

How long he's been out: 6 days (as of 04-26-11)

My dating status: Fully intend to marry Stuart, but am all for getting out and going on a fun date. Honestly, the large majority of my dates have been with friends just for fun and that's the way to go -- no pressure, no awkwardness, just two people having a blast.

Our story: Stuart and I have been best friends since I moved to Oregon when we were both four. We were at each other's houses several times a week. We went to Primary and Kindergarten together, then we did home school together. He introduced me to Veggie Tales and I introduced him to jumping off tall ladders onto the trampoline. I played with his lego door bell and he built cities with my blocks. 

Stuart moved to California on Halloween when we were ten. We kept in touch and spent two weeks together (one week in California and one in Oregon) every summer for the next five years. As we entered our teen years, I finally decided it would be okay to like my best friend (I'd been very adamant against my friends' teasing up to that point). One summer we sat down with some friends to watch Phantom of Opera and he made his first move. I still love that movie. ;) 

We missed our annual visits for three years. I moved to Utah. We dated other people. In fact, I remember calling to tell him about my first date and he had just gotten home from his first date too. Though I was loving my dating life, Stuart was still often in my thoughts. Finally, I got him out to Utah during my spring break last year. The awkward getting-to-know-you-again phase quickly moved on to, "I really, really like you," and "Oh! You really, really like me too!" The week ended. He went home. We started talking for way too long on the phone every night and I thanked my lucky stars that my last semester of high school was a breeze.

We've now been "dating" (650 miles apart) for a year. All told, we've had three visits and about two weeks together since March 31, 2010. We've both been on dates with other people in that time. We're both still pretty stuck on each other. 

• Next up we've got Watch Tower and Elder Green Arrow:

I’d like to use code names for myself and my missionary.

I’m WatchTower and my missionary is Green Arrow. We met at BYU in line for textbooks. Being only just barely five feet, I was easy to spot when carting around four feet of books on a trolley at the cash register line. It was even easier for him to spot me as he is around six feet and two inches. After chatting in line, we would end up finding each other in the same Book of Mormon class. He hung towards the back and walk me to wherever my next destination was. We talked constantly. Eventually he even walked me all the way to my dorm and staid in my kitchen for two hours just talking about things from Star Wars to politics to new temples. I had never had so much fun just talking to another person. He is going to Texas. He starts in three weeks (as of 04-26-11). I’m going to wait. He’s worth every minute.

• And last but not least, there is Katy and Elder Peterson:

How long we've been dating: Ten months

Where he's serving: Spokane, Washington

How long he's been gone: 1 month (as of 04-27-11)

Our Story:

Jason knew my older sister Amy from the spring semester at college in Nauvoo, Illinois. I guess she talked about me a bunch (we're best buds) and it peaked his interest. So that summer while he was visiting some family in Utah, he decided to come over and pay my sister a visit. I wasn't to keen on the idea of my sister hooking me up with one of her college friends, so I was going to sleep in that morning, lucky for me I fell asleep on the couch.

On the morning of June 8, 2010 I walked into my front room, sat down on the chair and said to myself "oh crap, he's cute..." We talked a lot that day, and he gave me an awkward man hug goodbye. But that night we chatted, and then every night after that, up until August 13, when I flew out a week before school started to stay with him and his family.

After that it was long road trips, and even longer visits. We dated long distance from the time I left his house that first week, up until he got set apart as a missionary, March 23, 2011.

I am fully convinced that we are going to have our happily ever after. But in the meantime, I will be going on dates and living life. I'll give guys a chance to make me as happy as he did, but I honestly don't believe that will ever happen. He was an amazing person before he left, and I can't wait to see the wonderful man he'll be when he comes home! (I just hope I can keep up)

"Now Julie, repeat after me. On my word of honor..." "On my word of honor" "I will wait for you." "I will w-w-w-w-WOLLY!"

As Ladies in Waiting, we make a vow, not to wait, but to do something to help ourselves and our missionaries:


We vow to never ever send a sappy letter. Whether it’s an anniversary or a day when we are just feelin’ the love, we will not put that letter in a stamped envelope. By all means write the letter, just don’t send it.

We vow that no matter how tough the going might get, our letters will be positive and spiritually uplifting. Our missionaries should always be able to feel good about going out and spreading the gospel after they have read our letters.

We vow to live our lives. We will not stay cooped up in our sad stuffy little rooms all day, we will get out. Hang out with friends, or if the situation arises, we could even *gasp* go on a couple of dates. Our missionaries are spending all day everyday talking to people, they will be social butterflies when they return, and if we don’t get out of our shell, we will be on completely different pages when they get home.

We vow to better ourselves, and grow in our testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our missionaries are spending every waking minute thinking about the Lord, how they can better themselves, and help to further His work. They will grow leaps and bounds, and if we want to be on the same level as they are, we better be working on it everyday. We can’t devote as much of our time as they have, but we can make small everyday changes that will help us grow closer to our Father in Heaven. Oh, and for heaven’s sake, go to institute! Not only will we grow immensely from the lessons taught, but we will have more to write about.

We vow to gain a testimony and love for missionary work, and the good that it brings into people’s lives. When we were dating our missionaries, we would find out about their hobbies and interests, and then we would become interested in them ourselves. It is the same when they are serving a mission, it is their one hobby, and only interest for the next two years, and as we learn more about what they are doing, not only will we understand them, and what they are doing better, but we will want to help them be better missionaries in any way possible. (Going to a mission prep class can’t hurt either. It can really help you to understand what he’s doing, and it will help you to become more excited for him.)

We vow to keep our confusion, frustration, and worry about our relationships with our missionaries between ourselves and the Lord, not us and our missionaries. We do not need to be worrying the Lord’s servants with our roller coaster of emotions and questions. We can, and should, go to God with our worries and doubts, He loves His daughters very much, and He doesn’t like to see us so stressed. Not only can He give us answers, He can succor us, and take away the small worries that at times may seem so big. The Atonement of Christ is a wonderful, glorious thing. Not only does it take away our sins, but it takes away our sorrows and pains. Though we may think that our struggles with having a missionary are too trivial for the Lord and His Atonement, they are not so trivial to Him. He has felt it all, and knows it all.

We vow to develop ourselves and our talents, whether it’s learning to cook, sew, or other things that will help us as future mothers of Stripling Warriors (or Liahona Ladies), or things that interest us, such as singing, painting, anything! We should also try to further our education or work experience as much as circumstances will allow. This is not only a time for our missionaries, but for us as well, a time to experience life, and a time for each of us to strive to reach our full potential.

We vow to not become bitter if we do not receive our letters in a timely manner. It’s hard, and seriously frustrating when letters don’t come when we expect, or if they don’t come as often as we’d like. But they’re on the Lord’s time, not ours.

We vow to try to do our own missionary work. We can find opportunities for this everywhere, and it will bring great joy into our lives as we share the great news of the gospel with others. Plus it give’s us more to write about to our missionaries.

We vow to remember, that they are the Lord’s missionaries, not ours. But we should also remember that we are the Lord’s servants too, just in a different capacity. He love’s us just as much!

Okay Ladies, I'm no pro, and these are just my personal opinions, so if you think that there's something missing, or something I need to remove, let me know! Please! Just add as a comment, with your name so I can give credit where credit is due. :) Thanks!