Carey Family

Scott and Sue Family

January updates from Elder Brian

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January 4, 2011
Sunday: I am 20!!! Wow, I am old. That is crazy. I am not a teenager. I am 2 decades old. Craziness. In the evening [a member family] had a birthday party for me. They decorated and made me a cake and everything. It was super nice. Then we came home and ate more food! Thanks for the pizza.

January 11, 2011
Friday: Leadership Training!! I love leadership training. We woke up super early and then we drove over to Vista, I played piano. The training was really good, we just practiced, practiced, practiced. I love it, such a spiritual experience. It is 100% focused on the spirit and you receive SO much revelation and inspiration and excitement.
Saturday: More leadership training! In the afternoon we practiced finding by the spirit and so the zone leaders were all given situations and we were supposed to be real characters and the missionaries were going to contact us. It was super fun. We dressed up and had props and everything and it was really fun.

January 18, 2011
Wednesday: We went to district meeting and then we had a few appointments fall through which was too bad. But then in the afternoon we had to go to the library and take an online mission survey for the mission department. Then we are also being instructed to go on to the new mormon.org and learn about it more, so that we can help members use it too. It is basically this huge social networking site, and I don’t know if you guys have heard the success that it is having in our mission and the world. Truly it is miraculous! The amount of referrals that missionaries are getting are higher than ever because of this website.

January 25, 2011
Sunday: We started with Cinnamon Roll Sunday and then we had ward correlation and then ward council. Then…[an investigator family] came!!! This was the second week in a row for them, and it is SOO exciting! Way spiritual experience, when one of my recent converts actually blessed the sacrament. The Spirit was so strong for me, and I couldn’t help but cry. It was definitely a tender mercy from our Heavenly Father, telling me that he is proud of the work that I am doing. In Sacrament Meeting I actually performed. I sang “I Know that my Redeemer Lives”. My companion, Elder Kidd, played piano and it was an arrangement that we wrote on Saturday, and it turned out SOO GOOD!!! The Spirit was so strong and wow…it was great. Cool story: one of the other missionary’s investigators was there and she felt the Spirit while I was singing and started bawling and it was the first time she had felt the Spirit, and then that night she accepted a baptismal date. It was one of the most spiritual performances of my mission. Also, the most spiritual Sacrament Meeting that I can ever remember. It was great.

A new scrapbook

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In September of 2009 Scott and I went on a trip for our 25th anniversary to Washington, D.C. and New York City.  Before we left I had read about a technique of making an album using a 200-slot photo album of 4×6 photos and journaling blocks,  and then embellishing the pages.  I thought I would try it for this trip album and finally started on it late last year.  I got it all finished up this afternoon and I’m pretty happy with the result.  I liked using the new technique to create an album and I especially like having it done!

2010 Reading Stats

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I keep a book journal and here are my statistics for 2010:

Books read: 152

Pages read: 46,899

Of the books read:

* Non-fiction: 3
* New-to-me novelists: 37
* Continuing series: 25
* Re-reads:    19
* Audio-books: 28
* Challenges completed: 5 of 5
* Ongoing tally of Newbery winners: 50 of 89

2009:
73 books; 23,576 pages; 3 non-fiction; 31 new-to-me novelists; 36 continuing series; 5 re-reads; 48 of 88  Newbery

2008:
79 books; 32,031 pages; 8 non-fiction; 15 new-to-me novelists; 31 continuing series; 19 re-reads; 42 of 87  Newbery

2007:
44 books; 17,069 pages; 3 non-fiction; 8 new-to-me novelists; 15 continuing series; 13 re-reads; 38 of 86 Newbery

One Little Word 2011

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In 2009 I began an adventure I learned from Ali Edwards, one of my favorite scrapbook designers.  She challenged her readers to join her in choosing a word for the year that would help define who she wants to be at the end of the year.  I chose SERENE for 2009 and CREATE for 2010. I have enjoyed choosing a word that influences my state of mind throughout the year and creates a structure and framework for my life.

I have done a fair amount of scrapping and quilting this year, along with more gardening than the previous year.  I also got out my paints and brushes and made some Christmas ornaments which turned out to be more satisfying than I had expected.  I also used other definitions than just causing something to come into being, specifically to cause to happen by intention or design.  I worked on that in my professional life and my personal life as I caused things to happen by design and not just by accident.  That has also been fulfilling.  So my efforts have been a success this year, even if I didn’t get to craft as much as I would have liked.

Now on to 2011.  I have considered several words and almost settled on transition because that will be a big part of my life this year, but gave it up in favor of BALANCE.  With the health challenges that I have been facing in the last six months, balancing everything has been a real exercise in mental control.  I know I haven’t done a great job at it, so the thought of keeping that word in the forefront of my life this year seems wise.  I need to balance my needs and my family’s needs, as well as my ability to cope with life and it’s unforeseen curve balls.  So think of me on a teeter-totter as I try to stay in balance this year.

December updates from Elder Brian

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12/7/2010

Lunes:  Not much happened during the day until the evening when we ate dinner with Los Salvador and then we went to this big noche de hogar that we arranged.  We had it in the bishop’s home and we invited all those that were investigating and those that had been baptized within the year to come.  It got started an hour late, but it was a good success.  We were pretty happy.

12/14/2010

Miercoles: In the afternoon we went and checked up on this former investigator and we had a sweet lesson with him.  He had a lot of unanswered questions from former missionaries, and we were explaining about the true church of Christ and then the First Vision.  The most powerful/spiritual First Vision moments of my mission.  He was crying and then afterwards we were silent for about 2 minutes.  Really sweet.

12/21/2010

Friday:  It started raining hard on Friday and it has not stopped once since.  There is SO much water and thank goodness we have a car.  We have been soaked the last 4 days, and tomorrow it is supposed to rain too.

Sunday:   We saw so many miracles.  In sacrament meeting, we didn’t have any investigators…but Elder Kidd and I sang a song, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, and Hna. Yturralde played piano.  It was beautiful and it sounded really good, REALLY strong spirit.  I also gave the opening prayer.  So afterwards in gospel principles there was this guy that was just sitting there dressed in shirt and tie that looked familiar.  We started talking to him, and turns out he isn’t a member but has come to the ward like 4 times.  No one knew that he wasn’t a member!?!?  And he is in our area.  Practically is a member already, has a friend in Encinitas who is a member.  We are going to spend Christmas Eve with them, and the qoute was that “I am going to work hard, to get my wife involved in this!”  And he has never actually spoken to missionaries before!  So great!  We got home after church so happy.  We ate dinner with a member family, Los Salvador, and we are going to be over there for Christmas calls and such.  They are an awesome family.  Great day, and miracles continue.

12/28/2010

Friday:  Christmas Eve!!  We went at 9:30 to pick up Elders and then we drove them to Vista for the party.  We had all the packages divided up and we gave them all out to our zones.  There were a lot of them.  Then we practiced for the talent show for a little bit and then mingled with everyone.  We had lunch catered by some members for free and it was delicious.  Then we gave President Cook a present from our zone.  Last week when we were at the library the librarian said that they were going to be throwing out their collection of the encyclopedia of mormonism, but that if we wanted them, we could have them.  So we took them and then we got them all signed and gave them to President.  he LOVED them.  P.S.  This is the one that Grandpa Walker is in.   Then I also played piano for the devotional.  It was super good, and then at 6 we left.  During the devotional I received some intense revelation, that the Lord is going to place in our path someone who is very ready to recieve the gospel.  So Elder Kidd and I have to go find him now.  We got our transfer calls, and I am staying again with Elder Kidd here in Escondido!  So it will be 9 months and counting of being here in Escondido.  Crazy.  When we got home, we went over to Los Madrigal and we ate dinner with them.  They are an investigator family, and actually it was the first time that we visited them.  Super nice.  Super ready.  We ate Pozole and tamales, and it was really good.  We picked them up as new investigators and we had a sweet lesson!!!