Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Memoir from Marci

Merry Christmas 2015

2015 has been a great year! GW was released from the Lakeside 6th ward bishopric last month and was called to serve in the Provo West Stake High Council. He has been assigned to work with the Stake RS Presidency. That will be is exciting for me since I'm still serving as the 1st counselor. GW went to his first meeting last Sunday and is feeling a bit over whelmed, which is putting it mildly, so we will continue to pray for him!!

Jacob is dating a really nice young woman named Brittany. We really like her and I think Jacob does too.  He continues to go to UVU studying computers and works at one of my favorite stores. (Costco!) I'm glad he still comes home to eat and do his laundry or else I would really miss him.



GW and I took Jen and Jewels on the FrontRunner Train last week so we could visit one of Jessie's former companions who served in San Diego.  Her name is Sister Weidman and she is from Switzerland. She is now serving back at Temple Square and was a delight to visit!
Before meeting Sister Wiedman we had dinner at the Lion House and took Jewels around to see some of the lights since she has never seen them before during Christmas. It was a very cold and windy night!!

On the way home one of the FrontRunner trains south of us had hit a deer near Lehi Utah. We waited a loooooong time to get going again. In fact we were asked to get off our original train and wait for the UTA bus to come pick us up.  It was a very cold hour waiting outside in the dark. One baby wouldn't stop crying and an elderly man was struggling to keep warm. We all tried to huddle around one of the rest stops that weren't designed very well to keep the wind away. GW was a good sport even though he had wished he brought his thick winter coat!

When the bus finally arrived there were too many people to accommodate, so a new train arrived and couldn't continue. We quickly got on #2 train and even though it wasn't moving we enjoyed the warm heater!! Jewels had her Ipod so we played fun games with it and made fools of our self. Nobody really paid attention to us since they were listening to their own electric devices and it helped the time pass a way. Finally we were on our way back home and the time was around 9:00 pm when we arrived in Provo. We left Salt Lake City at 6:30 pm so it was quite the adventure for FHE.



Jen finished another semester at UVU in Biology Education. She seemed very happy once it was over and has really enjoyed the Christmas Break.. Right now as I write this post she is with the rest of the family watching the new Star Wars movie. Jacob bought tickets last Friday and reserved the seats. All last week Jen, Jewels, and Dad watched all six former Star Wars movies so Jewels would be prepared for the new Star Wars today. I've had a cold all week so I will see the movie another time.

Jen quit her janitor job at the end of August and started a new job at UVU as a tutor for one of the Biology classes on campus. She was a janitor for almost four years before she left on her mission and then she got hired back with Provo School District last year. I think she is glad for a change and it will probably be a good experience for her to help teach Biology since she starts her student teaching next year.


Jewels is wearing the new San Diego hat Jess bought for her birthday. Sister Weidman had it in her locker at Temple Square so she could give it to Jewels when we showed up. Jewels has had quite the year starting with a fun summer trip to Washington D.C.. She went with some of the Dixon Middle School students and teachers. She was gone for five days and had a great experience. Then she participated in Provo High's Summer Marching Band. During the fall the band took 2nd place in most of their competitions. The end of October the band got on two buses and traveled to California. Jewels has been very busy with Band, BYU Dance, piano, and homework!!



The highlight for me this month was talking to our Jess on skype for Christmas. It was so nice to hear her voice and feel her love. One of the hardest things for me as a mother has been letting go of our children as they have grown older. If the gospel wasn't true I think I would be a basket case sending our missionaries to different places in the world. My testimony has grown so much and I'm thankful for the Holy Ghost who has comforted me. I am truly blessed!



Tonight GW and I get to tour our new Provo City Center Temple. I'm really excited since it is only eight minutes away from our home. Jen has been a Temple worker this last year up on the hill. She hopes to be serving in the new temple after it is dedicated.

               
                                                          Families are Forever!

Sunny California in December!


Skype was great :)
Love you guys!
On to this week!
Some highlights? Goat service. Scooping goat poop!! Some sisters where dry heaving. It was
hilarious. I HAD SO MUCH FUN!
That same day we taught D again and his sister had literally had
locked up the Coffee so no one can drink it. I laughed pretty hard.
D seems to be really progressing and even picked a baptismal
date! But he won't tell us what it is because it's "close to his
heart". What?

Poway California, 65 Degrees Outside!

So much to say! So little time... HA!
Transfer meeting!

Guess who had to give a talk? Not me ;)
SISTER WHITCOMB! Guess who's a new Sister Training Leader? SISTER
WHITCOMB!!!! I was SO excited when President called her name! She gave
an amazing talk and played wonderfully on the Piano. The AP's asked me
to lead the music so of course I said yes! Felt like we were back in
the MTC! It also felt like we were in the MTC because we're BOTH
Sister Training Leaders now :) yep. I don't even know.

Oh and MY NEW COMPANION IS!!!!!!! Sister Stewart! She was my Sister
Training Leader with Sister Starr in Poway! Sister Starr left and is
White Wash training in La Mesa! She's amazing. SO Sister Stewart is
AWESOME! She TRAINED SISTER WHITCOMB! She's from Arkansas. HILARIOUS!
She makes me laugh allllll the time. I literally don't think I've
laughed more in my life than I have in the past 6 days. Except maybe
with Sister Weidmann and OH MY GOSH! Thanks family for visiting Myrtha
:)
Those pictures made me smile REEEAAAL big! I'M SO GLAD YOU ALL MET MY
SWISS SISTER!

Transferred to Poway California

Ouch.
IT HURTS!
I love these people... so much.
I honestly don't want to leave but the Lord needs me else where. I
love the people here in the UC 2nd ward.
Hmmmm.. well. I have no time.
Music Status:
Yesterday, Sister Hendrix and I sang in the ward choir! One rehersal.
It was amazing! Got to sing this cool descant part.
Sister Richardson also gave us a call and said that the songs we will
be performing Monday for the Missionary Christmas Devotional will
again be performed for the Marines Christmas Day. EXCITING!
Mission Tour:
L. Whitney Clayton is a man called of God. What can I say more? My
mind is blown haha! I learned so much...
I'm looking at the clock and Sister Hendrix and I have to run along
soon.... I know this is super lame, but here are my notes from the
tour IF you care to read them.
Keep in mind that some of the things I wrote were what I learned from
the spirit and not actually what was said. 
Sister Hendrix's mom sent her this beautiful tree.

Good bye La Jolla Sisters

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Guess what?!?!
Sister Whitcomb is sitting next to me... 😊
My life is complete.
Sister Richardson (over music) called me up a few days ago and asked
to speak to me: "were you planning on coming to audition for the
Christmas Devotional?"
"....no"
"WELL PLAN ON IT SISTER CARLSON! We need you."
So, this morning Sister Hendrix and I drove 22 minutes away to the
institute AND ALAS! Sister Whitcomb, Sister Cava, Sister Atwood and a
whole bunch of other sisters I love were there... So I took Sister
Whitcomb home with me ;)

Sister San Diego

Why hello :)
This week was amazing.
FIRST! MTE's were Friday/Saturday. I was honored to have gone on an
exchange with sister Wilson. She's one of those Sister Missionaries...
that you really want to be like. Haha! She graduated from BYU and was
the Cougar's Track Captain!!!
I learned so much from Sister Wilson and we truly did see so many
miracles. Something profound that I learned not only from her but from
the Mission Training was that the Lord will put those prepared in your
path. We may have had plans to see C, but the reason we were
there was to meet A on the street. That day, Sister Wilson and I
added 5 investigators. What? We may have had rough patches talking to
those on the street, getting shut down, but then talking to the next
person a few feet away who was prepared.
And of course... I've been learning to simplify! We taught the
restoration so much that day, each time getting more simple, and more
inspired. "By small and simple means are great things brought to
pass". That's how God works. This theme of simplifying keeps
manifesting itself.
All together we added 8 people this week. Exciting, though some we
will be passing off. I love to have contributed. I love this work.
This Thanksgiving we will be going to Grandma's for dinner! I'm excited.
Today was Sister Kaiser's Birthday! 23 ;)
President's concluding thoughts after training started with: "So I ran
a half Marathon this morning". Of course. HA! Love that man. He then
connected his running with Les Miserable.. Jaun val Jaun (spelling?)
singing "bring him home". THEN he connected it all with missionary
work and it was amazing. I sat in awe.
I have some pictures on my camera but alas... we didn't go to the
Library today. We ran to the temple with sister Wilson, Starr, and
Celis. Party.
Another full week of laughter! If your not having fun... you're doing it wrong.
Love, Sister Carlson                                 
                                                                             Grandma's House

November weather