There and Back Again: Week 75 Grand Journey to Georgia and KC

Last year we had a NEW type of grass appear in the lawn. We looked it up and found it was nut sedge.

I WISH we had actually researched it. I wish our "Grounds Boss" knew something about nut sedge. He told us to not worry about it and just mow over it. BAD advise.

Pulling the tops and mowing make it multiply faster..WAHHHH This year after a warm rain THESE popped up! Attack of the tribbles.

We couldn't just pull the stems, we had to dig them out by their DEEP bulbs! It's a labor intensive thing. So the lesson is, do not put off until tomorrow or take the easy way...no mowing over your sins to hide them.

JUST PULL THEM OUT by the bulbs through repentance. Because of Jesus we can root out our sins. Because of Jesus, Elder Cullen and I will somehow have the ability to get these things out of the lawn for good!!

Speaking of Jesus, our youngest son Ephraim played Jesus in a musical this weekend. Our older son, Ben, and his wife helped write and perform the music and lyrics, the producer is a friend of theirs and they have been working on it for two years.

Last night we got to watch it and it was AMAZING. So professional, so inspiring, so much talent. We were given permission to leave the mission for a week. So Monday We drove to celebrate Easter Monday with Autumn and honor our Slovak Heritage.

Even though it was a literally a 6pm to 8am visit we made the most of it! The boys showed us all their latest triumphs in bike riding, art, and music.

Autumn and the kids created a delicious Slovak Easter Meal. And we spent quality time together. I particularly enjoyed bedtime stories with Emmet and Taran.

Then we went down to Elder Cullen's cousins and had the BEST time doing family history, going to museums and just catching up.

 We LOVE the Davis's!

Then we visited the Cahokia Mounds...the oldest City in North America. It's timeline perfectly matches the people in the Book of Mormon.

It was amazing to climb the Monk's mound...amazing because we didn't have a heart attack, and amazing because the view was SO SPLENDID. We could see St. Louis in the distance.

Then spent the night at my BYU roommate's house and really enjoyed catching up with her and her husband and meeting her kids and grandkid.

We got to Kansas City on Friday, played with baby Wells, Ben and Courtnie,

watched the musical then got home Saturday (today) to find the Young Sister Missionaries had heart attacked our door!!

What a lovely REST and it feels so good to be back "home" We will enjoy it to the fullest for the next four weeks!!!

There and Back Again: Week 74 HAPPY EASTER!

The TULIPS HAVE OPENED!! A True sign that Spring has come. We've had a warm rain for two days now and everythings is SO happy.

The grass turned deep green and got lush looking, the flowers opened and birds are everywhere.

We have so much to rejoice in! Click here for a Happy Easter! Our Comedy Night went wonderful. Our Palm Sunday Music program was inspired. My Healing Herbs Workshop was well attended. I am grateful that Jesus Christ created plants that can heal us! Our Living Christ Project Performance was well received Wednesday night.

This weekend we culminate our month long Easter Rejoicing with General Conference! Click on this link to find out how you can watch on Saturday or Sunday. Each session is unique, uplifting, and inspiring. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/feature/general-conference?lang=eng

General Conference This is a time to listen to REAL Apostles and Prophets and know what Jesus would have us prepare for and work on for the next six month.

We're also having a delicious lamb feast on Sunday. I am grateful for My Savior, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Love he offers me, for the ability to repent of my sins and turn my weaknesses into strengths. I LOVE Him with all my heart and am willing to die for Him as well as live for Him. I invite you to come to Christ and believe that you can be healed in all ways as you develop a personal relationship with Him. Find out how to do that at the General Conference Link above! He is RISEN!

And because He is risen, you and your family can be together forever even After Death!

There and Back Again: Week 73: Unlikely Miracles

Yesterday was Elder Cullen's 72 birthday!! I am so glad Elder Cullen was born. The world is certainly a better place because he came. My life is wonderful because he came. Happy Birthday Elder Cullen!

We Celebrated with a delicious Breakfast and then giving him the day to do whatever he wanted which was work on his comedy sketch for the stand up comedy show tonight! If you want a recording of this private message me. LOL

We are truly just marching on through life. My patriarchal blessing tells me that most worthwhile things need to be done NOW and if I don't take advantage of my time here on earth my heart would "CRY OUT" for a turning back of the years. As a 14 year old girl that thought of my heart "CRYING OUT for a turning back of the years" really alarmed me.

I was determined to never waste my time doing things that didn't matter. I studied time management, efficiency, planning, and of course always in my prayers, "What should I be doing?". It has served me well. I was also promised that if I woud study from the Book of Mormon every day I would not procrastinate. I promise you I can TELL a direct correlation between time spent in my scriptures and my tendancy to procrastinate. It's why it's a morning routine and an evening routine. It's why I get so many things done.

So I have a story to tell you about this week:

Tuesday night we were heading to Nauvoo for District Training and I got a call from a Sister in the mission. "Elder S. is passing around a flyer for the Keokuk Easter Egg Hunt. They need help stuffing 6000 (thousand) eggs, but the egg stuffing is all in Keokuk. Can you arrange to have one here in Nauvoo?"

I was already so busy. I was in the middle of copying and binding 150 cookbooks.(Elder Cullen and I spend 2-3 hours a day on this and they were due by saturday. We had Thursday afternoon and Saturday all day blocked out for finishing),

I was running a dress rehearsal the next day for our Easter Production next week, I had a huge service project to participate in the next day (planting 9000 flower plugs, cleaning the women's garden, and then Friday was the Pie Contest and I had to have a slide show for the people in charge of the dinner tying in a metaphor between PIE and JESUS! LOL thanks AI for helping with that. Then our Stand up Comedy night was the next night. I guess what I'm trying to say is. NO.

No I can't arrange to have an egg stuffing event this week for next week's Egg Hunt. BESIDES, it was none of my business. So I explained this to her and she kept on the phone saying things awkwardly to try to get me to do it. I told her to please talk to Elder S, since he was already in contact with the flyer maker, and have him suggest it to the people in charge. I also asked her to call the mission president and see if they wanted to make it a mission service project and they could handle it. We hung up. I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like I had dodged a bullet.

15 min later I got a text from her saying the mission presidency thought it was a GREAT idea for ME to go ahead and arrange it. I blinked. I texted them directly, "Did you say this?...." they replied, "It's a great idea! Go for it Sister Cullen". I looked up and laughed. "Heavenly Father...you're funny."

I called Elder S, got the contact info and called the Keokuk guy. It turns out his biggest donner (Walmart) had delayed and delayed their donation until THAT night. Usually he has a month to stuff 6000 eggs. Now he had a week. As I called he was literally putting the plastic eggs and candy in his car and asking God to help him get these eggs done for the town of Keokuk! "Hello, I'm sister Cullen. We saw your flyer about the Easter Egg Hunt. Is there any way we could stuff some of those eggs for you in Nauvoo? Like 1000?"

WHERE are you? He gasped. I'll bring them over right now! I told him we were in Carthage but if he dropped them off at the Visitor's Center in Nauvoo Tomorrow I would meet him there and get them back to him by the following Tuesday. He said he could drop them off at 2:30pm after work and that he'd drop off 3000.

By this time I was already sure God was behind this and didn't protest that it was three times more than I wanted. I sent out a mission announcement that if anyone wanted to help with egg stuffing to meet in the NVC any time after 2:30 the next day and all week long they'd be there to work on.

That night I put in a work order for three tables to be set up in the Visitor's Center in the back. My hope was that the missionaries in the Visitor's Center who were waiting to give tours would stuff eggs in the "mean time".

The next morning I was in the green house planting flowers and the head historian called. "Sister Cullen why are you setting up tables in the NVC? I'm concerned about visitor experience." I groaned inwardly.

I had had a "pulse" impression last night to notify this woman and dismissed it because...I'm dumb. I explained the adventure that had just started at 6pm the night before. She asked if I could move it to the less busy SOUTH Visitor's Center. I explained there weren't as many missionaries to help there.

THEN I heard her receiving revelation AS we were talking...."Hmmmm well, if you made the tables look good, and we could show case that we're serving in the community....We could even invite guests to help if they wanted to...." I interrupted, he's really worried about people stealing candy, or eating some as they worked. "OK, I'll go get more candy to give to people who help" and suddenly not only was she ON BOARD, but brought three beautiful baskets of delicous candy for the helpers!! THIS ended up being a huge blessing as well...I'll tell you later. She also got some easter grass to spread about on the tables and in the baskets to make it look festive.

So I put those roll tableclothes over the table and then used the same stuff to look like tissue paper in the laundry baskets I had borrowed to hold the eggs on the table. It looked amazing. After I finished in the Green House. I started working on the cook books.. The copier was a PAIN and kept jamming. I had to pray out five books at time and it was breaking down after 2 or 3.....ugh.

at 2:30 the Keokuk man showed up with three giant totes (1000 eggs each) and many many bags of candy. I went downstairs and got things rolling then scampered back upstairs to work on the cookbooks. around 4pm Sister H. Called and said her boss in the family history center said we could borrow their binding machine and asked if I wanted her to come over and help bind. YESS YESS YESSS!!

At 5:30 Elder D. came upstairs and announced that they had run out of candy. They had USED all the helper candy in the eggs and there were 100 eggs left. I was astounded!! Elder S. Packed everything up and took it to the Keokuk guy. They took down the tables, cleaned up and went home. I did NOTHING really... I expected that to be an ongoing thing all week. I sent out a mission announcement.."Eggs finished! Thanks for your help"

6pm I ran the musical rehearsal, 7pm Elder Cullen and I went back into the office and FINISHED THE LAST OF THE COOK BOOKS. I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENED, but having two binders made us FLY!! IT was a miracle. It was as if because of our sacrifice to help this good man in Keokuk with time we didn't have, God gave us time.. Thursday and Saturday were now FREE.

So give God what He wants and you'll never regret it. HE IS ALL POWERFUL. HE HAS ALL RESOURCES. GOD IS AMAZING!!!

And notice...that awkward sister missionary who made this happen? She was following inspiration even though it was awkward and she didn't know why she felt she needed to make me do it.

Now going from the sliblime to the disgusting...at the pie contest I anonymously brought a COW PIE for a joke (Cream Cheese, Heavy Whipping Cream, sugar, vanilla, cocoa, knoxx gelatin, and coconut for that "grassy" texture) and I won for MOST original!! LOL HAve a great week.

There and Back Again: Week 72 If you can't take the heat...take something for those hot flashes

Last Sunday there was snow, on Monday the sites were all closed due to ice and extreme cold. Yesterday it was 90degrees! Mother Nature is having hot flashes. We didn't let that stop us. Speaking of Mothers.....

On Tuesday night I participated in a readers theater performance of the organization of the first Female Relief Society. Several of my ancestors were among the first 20 women who organized themselves under the priesthood to do "Something Extraordinary" to create a force for doing good in the world.

Relief Society helps prepare women for the blessings of eternal life as they increase faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and His Atonement; strengthen individuals, families, and homes through ordinances and covenants; and work in unity to help those in need.

They are the oldest and largest women's organization in the world.

On Thursday our international women's day activity was WONDERFUL!

All the food was beautiful and delicious.

The music (songs performed in different languages) was very good.

I sang "Let the Holy Spirit Guide" in Madarin after much tutoring from my sweet daughter, Spring who served an 18 month mission in Taiwan. Then Sister Ballard presented a video of groups and individual relief society women from all over the world sending us a greeting from their country. Egypt, Uganda, New Zealand, Uruguay, Brazil, Portegal, France, U.K., Taiwan, Beijing, etc. It made me weep. I felt so proud to be a member of the relief society!

Elder Cullen was a super hero in the kitchen helping us to assemble the three veggie boquets. Everyone helped and no one had a heavy burdern.

On Friday we got to work in the GREENHOUSE! We helped pot over 2000 "plugs"

it's going to be SO beautiful.

Saturday we started printing and binding the relief society cookbooks I was in charge of assembling.

We will give every sister a free copy.

We also attended a wonderful community event called "He is Risen" there were many many displays with the atonement and ressurection theme and lots of beautiful musical numbers and free refreshments.

Then we attended a Nauvoo Symphony SPRING CONCERT which was VERY good especially for a tiny town! Such an uplifting way to end such an amazing week. So while Mother Nature gives us whiplash (There's a huge wind storm going on right now!) We continue to celebrate, serve, and support each other and look forward to Christ's second coming.

He is RISEN!