August 26, 2013, Email Bonanza!!

I had written a bunch of random emails to Sister Sarah Noakes, hoping they would make her smile a little when she opened them! One of them was a series of questions, which is the first one she responded to in this list. Enjoy the random conversation!! I put in a few comments where I thought it might help clarify the conversation.

August 26, 2013

HEY MOMMY!!! :) :) I figured answering these questions would be a good email because Sister Jensen has been sick all week soooo we didn't really get to do much. I read a LOT of Preach My Gospel and Jesus the Christ hahaha.  Okay SO:

I asked Sarah about where they were living, an apartment, etc. And about funds, because being new to the mission parent business, I didn’t know how it all worked.

1) Yes we are in an apartment. Just a 1 bedroom, 1 bath thing but it's well updated inside in terms of new carpet/paint. Appliances/bathroom not so much but whatever, it doesn't have to be fancy :) And yeah, I have that MSF card that we use for pretty much everything. We have like $140 a month, which isn't a ton, but we always get dinner from members so it works out okay.

I had sent Sarah a couple of emails/addresses.

2) and 3) Thanks thanks :)

Asked her about clothes needs and a skirt we’d considered making but hadn’t gotten around to doing before she left.

4) I need to remember to do measurements!! Maybe later today. Or something. Hahaha. You'll get them eventually :)

I reminded her she could mail her SD card from her camera to me and I could pull the pics off and return it to her.

5) Yeah I figured :) These computers at this library just don't have SD card slots (at least, not all of them do haha), so I'll send the SD card to you when it's a bit closer to full. I haven't taken a ton of pictures yet, because there's not a lot of time for that and yeah. 

This was about Courtney, Sarah’s roommate her freshman year at BYU.

6) Well I already mailed off my letter so hopefully it got to her. If not her parents can probably forward it. And you sent me her email so I can bug her too ;)

I applied for a job that I thought I’d really enjoy, but didn’t get it. … and I griped about my upcoming root canal.

7) I've been praying for you guys every night. I hope things get better. I know no matter what you will be blessed for having a missionary, but I can't tell you what those blessings might be. But you're always in my prayers.

I said I missed having her sit on the end of the couch watching Say Yes to the Dress and So You Think You Can Dance with me. It was our “girl” time …

8) Gahhh I miss it too! But when I get closer to home, start savin' up some Say Yes's, okeydokey? :) :) And I approve of the final 6, even if I can't remember who some of them are hahaha.

And in response to one of your other questions that I remember: Grand Junction is a lot like here. Hot and dry, but a much higher elevation. There's not really mountains, but there are mesas all around. Sometimes I forget where I am because the climate is so much like home, but then I see a mesa and I'm like "Oh yeah, Colorado" hahaha. But it's been raining a TON here the last couple of days. Colorado's been in a drought, so they need it.

Uhhh yeah. This last week we didn't teach anyone, because we basically spent Sunday-Thursday in our apartment. We had zone conference (two zones, trainings taught by the mission presidency, the AP's, etc etc) all day long. Oh and at that meeting we were informed that all sisters in this mission are going to be required to wear makeup. Oh boy hahahaha. So Sister Jensen taught me and I'm getting better, I think. I'll figure it out. Also our zone conference wasn't even our zone, because we couldn't go to ours because Sister Jensen was sick. So that was interesting.

What else?? I feel like I had thoughts haha. OH! Could you send my sparkly flats? Please and thank you :) not right away just eventually :) Also could you burn/get the EFY 2012 cd for me? We borrowed it from another sister in our district and there's this one song that I adore. I don't know what it's called but a guy sings it and it's about going on a mission. It makes me cry. MOM NOTE: This song is called "Give It All to Him," sung by Tel Dyer. And it made this momma cry, too.

https://soundcloud.com/mom2mykids/give-it-all-to-him/s-hXhBO

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!! You guys are the greatest. I got your two packages on Friday - the pictures and the VP cd and the hot tamales and the LETTERS :) :) which made my day. I'm doing better homesickness-wise, but it's still hard (I'm not crying everyday about it, so that's good haha) I'm just scared that as Sister Jensen and I get back into teaching and disappointments it will be hard again. If I keep feeling this way I'll definitely ask for a blessing. They're lifesavers :) But I've been getting better at it. I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU but I get to talk to you every week :) :) and if you could keep snail mailing me letters I would love that :) I don't need packages every time!! But the notes make my day and honestly make it a little bit easier. You guys are the most amazing family :) :) I love you so much. Thank you for praying for me :) I can tell!!

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

**********

I emailed Sarah about the wind/rain/thunder/lightning at our house. I took a picture and sent it, tried to send a video also but it was too big and didn’t go through. I’ve also been finding quotes subway art and scriptures online, printing them, and sending them off to her.

MOMMY!!! This came at the PERFECT time :) :) I think I answered all of your questions in the other email I just sent. We have had some thunder and lightning here too, and it is AWESOME!! Love it. Also I think we might be able to do the monument on pdays, but we haven't done anything like that yet. It's a bit damp out so I don't think today is a good day hahaha.

I really like the scriptures you sent!! I've always liked them. Thanks for the reminder :) And I had forgotten but now I remember you talking about your homesickness too. It really is getting better :) Pday is a little tough because I feel closer for a bit and then suddenly, back to missionary life! So it's hard but I'm getting the hang of it. I feel bad for making you cry :( I won't ever quit. I know without a doubt I'm supposed to be here. It's just really hard to "forget myself and go to work" sometimes. But, I don't know if you've read my patriarchal blessing yet, but it tells me a couple of things. 1) I responded quickly to my Heavenly Father's call. So I KNOW He called me, without a doubt. And 2) There are people who ONLY I CAN TEACH!! That is both amazing and TERRIFYING!!! Hahaha. But if I came home now, I would for sure be a better person. BUT I would feel SO ashamed. I know I haven't found those people yet. I'm going to spend the next 18 months looking. It's promised to me that if I find those people, teach them and bring them to the gospel, and then remain faithful for myself, those people will enjoy the highest degree of the celestial kingdom and call me blessed. That part always leaves me in awe. Can I really do that for people??!? I guess if Heavenly Father says I can, then I can! What an amazing blessing. I hope you've read it. You should tell me your thoughts :) :) I want you to know that you guys are AMAZING. I wouldn't be who I am without you for my family. Always remember that!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!

*******

Yeah the video was too big to play but whatever, I've been in a downpour myself down here HAHAHA.

Oh my goodness I LOVE that picture of Samantha!!!!!!!!! Who let my best friends get married and stuff?? She looks STUNNING. Holy guacamole. (This is about one of her friends from high school who got married this month. There was a beautiful picture of her coming out of the temple with her new husband, which I snagged off Facebook and sent to Sarah.)

Thank you daddy for the conversion story :) I know bits and pieces but not the whole thing. I look forward to it! Don't worry about the shoes too much!! How about we wait til next transfer :) Which will be September 24th!

OH before I forget! Next Monday you might not get an email from me. It's Labor Day and the library will be closed. We're thinking of asking permission to use a member's computer, but don't be scared if you don't get something, okay? And Tuesday might not even happen because my comp and are doing exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders on Tuesday!! So an email might not come til Wednesday next week. I hope I'll survive hahaha.

Sister Jensen is feeling a bit better, but the cold keeps moving around from head to nose to cough and chest and yada yada yada. I haven't gotten it (knock on wood). But we're going out and doing stuff now, so that's good!

I LOVE all the random emails. It makes me feel more at home, like you just randomly wanted to tell me something.

Haha keep lookin' for my blessing. I actually wrote down a lot of it in my study journal and then my thoughts! I wanted to annotate it. So maybe I'll send you my copy in a few weeks if you can't find yours. Haha.

LOVE YOU!!!!! Miss you. BUT LOVE YOU!!!!

*****

I asked if she minded if I put some of excerpts of her handwritten letters on the blog. Not all of the letters, because some of it is really personal, but I think some of what she wrote would be inspiring to other missionaries/future missionaries/families of missionaries. I know they’ve helped me, as her mom, understand what she’s going through and maybe inspiring us as her family to make sure we pray for her and support her and love her.

Excerpts are fine! Like, I don't want patriarchal blessing quotes on there haha, yeah, but I think it's important for people to know that I'm out here for a reason! :) And I will definitely do as Bro. Finger suggested. I think it's a great idea! Did I tell you the Lindes wrote to me while I was in the MTC? I wrote them back last Monday. And Mark and I have been sending letters back and forth. Also Kourtney Grisham wrote me, and Emily and I have emailed a bit. I was thinking of sending an email to Courtney, but I have to find the email you sent me with her email first hahaha.

LOVE YOU!!!

*****

She said her companion’s been sick and I as a mom hassled Sister Sarah about making sure she stays healthy. And to buy some Mucinex or the equivalent if she starts getting congested. At school she literally had a cold that lasted months because she didn’t get enough rest and didn’t buy the medication. Kids!

Yeah we wanted to buy mucinex for sister Jensen but it's spendy and end of the month and yeah. But I will remember!! I'm listening :)

Hahahaha I'll suffer too!!! And yeah, transfer weeks will be hard because you won't know where I'm at for a week!! But like you said last time, no news is good news. So yeah.

Does Spencer start school tomorrow???

***** 

Yep, Spencer starts school tomorrow! He starts at MCP, anyway. Then Wednesday his Tri-Tech class starts, so he’ll be at MCP 7:30-10:30, then Tri-Tech from 11:30-2. Busy boy! He’s gonna have to lay off the computer when he gets home and concentrate on “real” work. We’ve already discussed this at length, ha ha!

Yeah he is a busy kid! Get his butt to work! Hahaha. He'll do well. Is he doing home study seminary? Because seminary is important!! And we have an indefinite amount of time? I'm kind of just waiting til my comp says she wants to go. Hahaha. As long as we're not here for over 2 hours we're good. WOOHOO! So I'll keep this up and send a quick "goodbye" message when we leave.

LOVE YOU!

*****

OH AND LOVE YOU!!!

(from Sarah)

*****

Talked a bit about Grandma Noakes and family vacations, which would be boring for readers. Told her about Grandma Noakes’s phone biting the dust and that she replaced it with an iPhone.

Oh and you told me that Grandma got an iphone.... HAHA. I can't believe that she actually got one. I'm trying to picture it.

Deleted some really personal stuff that I just want to keep for ourselves.

Okay I have to get off now!! But always remember that I LOVE YOU!!! Talk to you soon :) keep the emails comin'!! :) LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU :)

*****

I mentioned I needed to get off my duff and write to Elder Mark Ingalls, Sarah’s cousin, again.

Yep Mark is still in Council Bluffs, like he's been the whole time haha. There's a sister in our district (Sister Quist), who's been in GJ for NINE MONTHS. Hahahaha. Watch that be me. But that's okay, I like it here :) Apparently when they send you out west they never bring you back ;) but she's getting transferred next transfer.

Anyways.... LOVE YOU!!!!

So that is the stream of consciousness email session I had with Sister Sarah Noakes this past Monday. I don't know if I can handle NOT having a similar session this week, with the holiday and no library access for her. Boo hiss. I will get through it, though!