So Let's Start Giving...

So I have a question for Lionel Richie. Are we the world? Or are we the children? I just don't see how I can be both. I mean, I could try, but I'm pretty busy.

First things first. I LOST the Amp Challenge. I don't want to talk about it.

Would you like a new FHE idea? Check the Ensign! We were at a Family Home Evening this week where we taught about Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life. Then the activity [from said Ensign] was so supremely simple and quite epic. Sister Anderson and Grandma held two ends of a broom handle [iron rod], kids and mom held on tight, and dad [adversary(no hate)] tried one by one to peel them off. He finally succeeded 10 minutes later, but not after having mom in the air with fingers still wrapped around whilst children attacked dad from all angles. I took pictures and fell to my knees laughing. So good.

We are starting a new program put in place by our Stake President. It's called "Preach my Gospel Members."

In the Missouri St. Louis Mission we are Preach my Gospel missionaries. We study and execute the plans, ideas and principles found in that manual to the best of our abilities.
Did you know there are 13 chapters in PMG? and only 1 of them contains the lessons we teach investigators. The rest is full of stuff that is useful in every facet of life.
The 'Preach my Gospel Members" program is implemented at the ward level by encouraging family home evenings, Teachings of Our Times lessons, and auxiliary opening exercises to be focused in Preach my Gospel.

As missionaries, we visit at least 7 active families a week for four weeks. During those visits we teach them the principles contained in each succeeding lesson and prepare them to teach us the next week. We also invite them to commit the principles in each lesson to memory.
This is something I did in the MTC that has helped me immensely as a missionary.
...Can you do it?

These are the 8 principles found in lesson 1:
God is our Loving Heavenly FatherThe Gospel Blesses FamiliesHeavenly Father Reveals His Gospel in Every DispensationThe Savior's Earthly MinistryThe Great ApostasyThe Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Through Joseph SmithThe Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus ChristPray to Know the Truth through the Holy Ghost.

If you commit them to memory you are allowed to come find the missionaries after church on Sunday and pick from the bucket-o-fun!!! [full of healthy-ish treats and little toys]
It's an awesome program!!!

I challenge you to try and memorize these. Especially my family [Stephensons/Smiths/Dubois' included].

There are so many cute little kids here!!!! And a four year old who can read better than me! I'm not joking, we put stuff in front of her she's never seen before. AMAZING.

We live with members here. I'm not sure I've mentioned that yet. Their names are the Watters and they are really cool. They have 3 little kids, a 5 year old, a 2 year old and an 8-month old. These kids are seriously cute and seriously good.

I love how Sister Watters runs her home. First off, She's from Bend, so I liked her already. But seeing how much she loves her family, how she melds the necessary and mundane with the creative and fun, and how much she can get done in a day inspires me and makes me more and more excited to be a mom and makes me feel able to one day, have it all [per Liz Lemon]. Just this morning I came upstairs to eat breakfast and the kids were already dressed, sitting at the table doing crafts. And they didn't have to make anything in particular, they just had a bunch of cool stuff they were just...creating with. That is so my style. I dug it.

3 separate [but equal] AWESOME investigators, a temple trip, and lots of service later, I stand before you ready to close this blog.
end.

Be cool, be good, repeat.
Peace and Love,
Sister McDonald