There and Back again: Week 44 Deer in the streets

In Illinois it is illegal to put green waste in the garbage can. Everyone has to take their grass, branches, yard clippings, etc to the town burn pile just outside of town. It's a perpetually burning mountain of trees and brush and old farm produce (apples, corn, tomatoes, etc.) FLY heaven. Elder Cullen and I go here at least twice a week. As we pulled out we saw these two deer...perhaps a mom and her baby having quality time together? We stopped and just enjoyed them.

My father paints deer in the forest often. It made me think of him. Then we drove a hundred feet down the road and saw this.

It made us sad and horrified. What we saw as we got right next it to is was not photographable. A terrible sight. It changed my thoughts of the first scene from a fun mommy-child walk in the woods to a terrible scene of a family searching for a lost child/sibling. It just made me think, you never know what's going on in someone's life. What appears to you like the ideal in someone else's life may be very far from the truth, and what may seem like a tragedy may also be very far from the truth. You just don't know. The Holy Spririt might tell you if it's your business or God wants it to be your business, but mostly we should just be loving and non condeming or jealous of anyone. It's never what you think. And that is the parable of the deer in the streets. Here's an amazing video about physical and spiritual healing.

There and Back Again: Week 43 BEAUTY inside and out and Words from Elder Cullen

Reg/Elder Cullen says, "Today is Saturday, August 23, 2025. Sister Cullen and I went to a Classic and Antique car show held at Plymouth, IL which is a tiny hamlet with a population of 400. There were plenty of wonderfully restored and minutly detailed cars from every decade from the 1900s.

That is: Ford model T, Model A, Chicago Gangster Sedans from the 1930s;

it just went on and on and on in a wonderful display of colors, shapes and horsepower!

There is a small town square in Plymouth, but enough variety of craft vendors and food trucks and carnival rides to make the visit worth while. The BEST part was an artist offering FREE charcoal caractures. So we waited in line and his drawing of us is shown below.

While we were sitting for our characture, Heather/Sis Cullen asked some local girls to get us a lemonade from a vendor across the path and they did so cheerfully. Previously I tried to buy a slice of German brownie Cake from an Amish Vendor, but they didn't have change for a $20. So I eventually found the cheapest craft I could and bought a $1, magnitized, needle pointed pumpkin...mostly to get the change needed for the Amish brownie cake. When the girls got Sis Cullen the lemonade, I gave the pumpkin to the girls as a tip. They refused the $5 Sister Cullen tried to give them. So it all worked out nicely: I got the German Brownie Cake and I didn't have to take the pumpkin craft home. I think that in the characture, Heather looks like Spring and I look like a young farmer! We'll likely frame this drawing and Sister Cullen may colorize it with water colors. When the artist asked me to smile more I started to sing, "When you're smiling, when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you!..." Unexpectedly, he started singing along and we had an impromptu duet on the town square in Plymouth! We love serving the Lord in Illinos!"

Today I was looking at the flowers in my front yard and thinking how wonderful Heavenly Father and Jesus are. How artistic and fun. You can tell how they are by how they express themselves in Nature. The scriptures say "All things testify of a creator" and it's true!

Also, In our companionship study we read this in the hand book, "Throughout your life. As companions: Love, respect, and strengthen each other. Study together every day and pray together frequently throughout the day. Be humble and recognize each other’s strengths.

Treat each other as you would like to be treated. Avoid criticism and contention.

Avoid speaking negatively about each other to other missionaries, Church members, or family and friends at home. If you notice any inappropriate situation or behavior, discuss it with your companion. If the matter is not resolved or if your companion is being abusive, have the courage and love for your companion to ask your mission president for help (see 3.9.2)

Whenever you see any missionaries, of any age or gender, this is what is in the handbook. So feel free to help them follow these guidelines.

I am grateful for these reminders. I can do better at some of this. I am getting better and better at not speaking negatively about anyone. I am thankful for the Grace of Jesus Christ that helps me want to be better, gives me the strength to be better, and the only thing I have to do is be willing to change.

There and Back Again: Week 42 MY BIRTHDAY!!!

I'm writing this early because who knows what the weekend may bring. Tomorrow is my Birthday! I'm starting off with a much needed massage. I must say that this week there were several projects that taxed my muscles with lots of hauling of heavy things, and repetative motions. That being said, the Lord has strengthened me and brought me up to the task!

One of the heavy things I had to do this week was help my dear friends pack up to move. They are going home 2 months early due to health issues. They are a miracle. They are actually MUCH MUCH stronger and clearer of mind than when they came but a recent accident neccitated better resting and recuperations that can only be done at home. Like the early saints of Nauvoo, they are being driven from the place they want to stay at by their trials. AND like the early saints the last thing they did before leaving was to attend the temple with friends and renew their covenants with God in order to have power to triumph over the trials of the next phase of life. The sister in the wheelchair is one of our Blue Belle Shiners, hard working and dedicated. The brother worked in Carpentry with Elder Cullen until we were moved to Carthage.

It was a real spirtual experience that all our close friends were able to attend that last session with them. We really do live in a covenant community. It's very wonderful. They also got to have their last Surrey Ride and we all waved "Hurrah for Israel" Flags as they passed. For those who don't know... in the early 1800s,two of our modern day apostles got called on 5 year missions to the Brittish Isles. They were very sick and so were their wives and children. As the men lay in the back of the wagon heading off on their mission, one said to the other, something like...."It's breaking my heart for them to see us leaving in this condition. They must be so worried! Let's give them a cheer" So they struggled to their feet and shouted "Hurrah! Hurrah For Israel" upon hearing this, their wives struggled out of bed sick but laughing and stood clinging to the door calling back "Hurrah! Hurrah for Israel!" Meaning that the gathering of Israel was going forth despite their trials. They were cheered. So as our friends are being sent home we shout "HURRAH, HURRAH for Israel!!!" Because we know that even after our missions, and despite our trials we will continue to lift our voices in declaring truth and those who are of the House of Israel will hear that truth and come out of the world and join themselves with the body of Christ.

In other fun news, I just picked TWO cucumbers and a tomato from my garden. I know you California people have been feasting all summer lol but this is my first attempt at gardening here and it's weird. I had these things in the ground back in May and I'm just getting results. Delicious results I might say.

Also Elder Cullen and I made another fun video! It's a parody about life as an FM Missionary in Carthage. PLEASE enjoy. And LAST but not least. If anything is stopping you from coming unto Christ. Please consider this.

There and Back Again: Week 41, 60 year wedding anniversary and raking at night time

This week my parents celebrated their 60th Wedding anniversary! How many people do you know are still married after 60 years? My parents came from very differnt and sometimes troubled backgrounds. HOWEVER, they had both been converted to Jesus Christ and had committed their lives to Him and the building of His Kingdom. I am the oldest of their 8 children. Our childhood was full of creativity, gospel learning, family activities, and camping/loving nature. I believe that the healing power of Jesus Christ was invited into their lives and it has been healing them ever since. Every year is better than the last even if only by millimeters. They are an example to me of obedience to God and perseverance. Thanks mom and dad! I love you. Here's to 20 more years!

The other day as evening began, Reg, who I think is fighting a bug, was asleep by 5:30pm. I was "boink" awake and felt like I had too much energy so went back outside to weed and rake. It was still very warm outside and the evening light was so soothing and lovely. As I worked my way down the the lawn near the pavers, a little family pulled into the parking lot. They got out and started walking down the path, reading each monument. I smiled and said, "Welcome to Carthage!". They replied. "We know you're closed, but can we please just look around?" Of course I said they could. Carthage grounds actually never close. After talking to them I discovered they were driving from St. Louis to Chicago and would not be coming back any time soon. I offered to take them on a tour. They were amazed and expressed worry that it would delay my work...not a problem. I called two different Sr. Missionary couples and Elder D. GRACIOUSLY offered to accompany me and spot me. AND SO I gave my FIRST tour. I did pretty good. It made me want to study the notes more and do it more often. I loved it. The family was so grateful. I was very glad I was out there weeding or I should have missed them for sure. After the tour I continued to weed and rake until 9pm. It was so nice. I came in when it was too dark.

I want to say something here about weeds...Two months ago I noticed a strange weed that looked like a little tree was trying to grow in the middle of the lawn. I tried to pull on it, but it was quite strong, so I decided just to mow over it instead. After a month or so I noticed that more and more of these little tree weeds were popping up. I decided last week I needed to actually dig them up. OH how I wished I had dug up that one little weed two months ago.

The more I mowed them, the fatter and stronger their roots had gotten.

AND they grew runners! I dug and dug and pulled and chopped until 30 of them were out of the lawn and there was no sign of any others. WHEW! If I had just dug up the one when I first noticed it!

So there's a metaphore here. When we sin, if we just cover it up and not root it out...it may look manageable/OK for a little while, but every time we cover it/mow over it, the root of that sin becomes stronger and stronger and starts birthing other sins and then you're lawn is ruined. BUT JESUS is our deliverer and healer. There isn't anything you can break, including your life, that He can't fix. I love the following quote from "Your Repentance Doesn't Burden Jesus Christ, It Brightens His Joy" by Sister Runia. "Your worth isn't tied to obedience. Your worth is constant; it never changes. It was given to you by God, and there's nothing you or anyone else can do to change it. Obedience brings blessings; that is true. But worth isn't one of them. Your worth is always "great in the sight of God," no matter where your decisions have taken you."

Tools of the Master Gardner! In other fun, Elder Cullen and I fed some young sister missionaries twice this week. They were SO adorable. They made up a thank you song and sang it to us. What creativity and hilarity. I really love those young sisters!!!

LAST of ALL...I performed the hula with my friends at the mission luau! One of our polynesian sisters and her companion taught it to us. May you ALL learn to dance and feel the love of your body like I do!

There and Back Again: Week 40 surprises, jokes, and parodies

We had a happy surprise a couple weeks ago when one of my adored cousins texted and said he and his family were in Nauvoo! SO fun. I love those texts. We were able to meet up, have a delicious lunch (we're loving that tradition here) and made a funny movie for his dad who is a trucker, one of the best.

So the scriptures warn us against light mindedness, but they also tell us to have joy even in our trials. I believe God has a great sense of humor. So what is the difference between light minded and light hearted? I think light hearted means to be happy and joyful and take a bad situation and see it in a hopeful, Godly view. Light minded on the otherhand is when your desire to be entertained or to entertain crosses lines of poking fun at sacred things, or distracts from God and His teachings. I claim that I am guilty of both sometimes and striving to tend away from light minded and would rather light heartedly poke fun at my trials and adventures which really does relieve them. It's like having a cup of tea to settle your nerves, or something like that.

So think of that when my next music video comes out....heh heh but that may take a week or so.... IN OTHER NEWS....I am experimenting with some chemical solutions to take care of mossy, moldy issues in Carthage. Elder Cullen WOULD have been experiementing with me but he's in bed with a sore throat, poor man.

I was told D2 would take care of the problem. It's not harmful to plants or animals and "gets the job done". I read so on the bottle that FM gave me when they also gave me the pressure applicator back pack. I felt like the exterminator. So the bottle says to spray on and let dry then when it rains nature will wash it off and the unsightly stains will go off with it...in a few months

So this morning bright and early I spray all the benches and the fence which was also turning green.

I was bothered that it wouldn't take care of the problem sooner. The bottle also said for more immediate results to let sit for 10 min and scrub with a plastic brush so it won't damage the stone or concrete surface. So I tried that too. Just on ONE bench to see if it made a difference.

Then I went to mow the lawns. As I mowed, I looked out west and saw a black wall of clouds in the distance. It made me stop and wonder what exactly I was looking at. I thought, "Wow...is that a storm coming or just letting loose over at Nauvoo?" then I continued mowing, thinking dang I'm going to have to reapply that D2 because it's supposed to sit for 12 hours before rain or hose. I begged the sky to hold off for just 12 hours and started trotting with the mower. 15 min later Carthage got DARK. I could hardly see the mower lines in the grass. This is weird, I thought. No wind, no rain, just darkness....creepy. I finished two lawns and went to blow and of course suddenly the wind picked up..what's the point of blowing in a windstorm? I began to sing Mr. Wind is a Mischief and packed up all my equipment into the new cart FM gave us and hurried to the tool shed. Then lightning struck and water came down in BUCKETS. I ran back to grab the mower and hurry it to the tool shed. In 5-8 minutes the shed was locked up and I was back at the cottage...DRENCHED. As if I had been swimming in my clothes. I stripped down and changed to dry clothes and check on Elder Cullen. Gave him more water and medicine and came out to the computer to work on this blog. It's been a couple hours of rain now, I'll go out and take a picture of the scrubbed bench verses the unscrubbed and see if there's a difference. FIVE DAYS LATER

OK, so unexpectedly three rain storms later...it does look better. I am pleasantly surprised. I was totally doubting that process. Let that be a lesson to us all. Follow the process on the bottle and give it time to prove itself. We can do that with the gospel. There may be things we doubt or start feeling wibbly about. BUT if we actually follow the instructions (i.e. pray for answers, read scriptures to receive answers, and meanwhile keep keeping our covenants while waiting for answers) eventually time will tell whether the thing is true or not.

Last night was the LAST night of pagaent. Boo hoo and what a relief! LOL Every night for the past two weeks I've been playing in the country faire band and it's been really fun!

I wrote my part for the recorder and the BEST moment happened when a THIRD grader came up to me and said, "Hey is that a recorder? I play recorder too" Being a past recorder teacher it warmed my heart. He was genuinely proud that he ALSO played recorder. I hope he never stops playing. It's really not a toy and when played well is so satisfying to listen to.

After the band finished their 1.5 hour gig for the night, Elder Cullen and I had pagaent security duties to fullfill. It was so pleasant to sit in the warm night air and hear the pagaent going on in all it's glory in the distance and just chill and chat.

We also used that time to call various relatives and chat and tell them we loved them. AND of course my favorite thing about Nauvoo...where ever you are you can see the temple. It's like a beacon in the night reminding you that Jesus is coming and our covenants are helping the living and dead prepare to meet HIM and Heavenly Father.

ALSO last week one of our church historians made all the Carthage missionaries a Tongan Curry feast. Elder Cullen and I provided homemade ice cream. It was very fun.

It's the method where you put a cup of half and half, 2 TBS sugar and a drop of vanilla in a ziplock sandwich sized bag. Then bag it again in a second bag to prevent leaking. Then in a GALLON sized bag fill 1/3 with ice and add a third cup rock salt. put the double sandwich bagged item in the salt and ice and seal that gallon bag tight. Then put that whole thing in a pillow case. Two people each take an end and shake it like crazy while singing your favorite songs. After 8 min. The ice cream is hard and ready to eat! HAVE a GREAT WEEK. ps To come full circle to the light minded vs light hearted issue...this quote came to my inbox today “As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are invited to cultivate the gift of reverence in our lives in order to open ourselves to a deeper communion with God and His Son, Jesus Christ, simultaneously strengthening our spiritual character. Had we more of such feelings in our hearts, there would be undoubtedly greater joy and delight in our lives, and there would be less room for sorrow and sadness.” Elder Ulisses Soares “Reverence for Sacred Things,” general conference, Apr. 2025, Gospel Library That is why we shouldn't be LIGHT MINDED...it's irreverant. Light hearted is just that...light hearted and still respectful.