Unicorns, Rainbows and Conference

To begin: A little joke. "A missionary in General Conference awoke to find a frustrated sister poking him in the side with her pen. 'Listen!' she said, 'If you're going to sleep through Conference, don't SNORE!' 'Yeah,' another Elder in the seat in front of him added, 'Some of us are trying to nap here.'"

I didn't say I thought it was a FUNNY joke.

Here's a "better" joke to make up for it: What goes woof, woof, tick, tock,?......a watchdog.

Well, although that first non-funny joke actually does describe some of my Conference experience, it was mainly AWESOME. I love hearing from the prophet, apostles, seventy, General Board and choirs. Elder Oaks' was my favorite talk, I will write more as I learn more about it.

We went to the YW general

broadcast as sister

missionaries on Saturday night while the Elders were in Priesthood, and though Sister Farr and I mocked it mercilessly by drawing rainbows and hearts and unicorns all over our notes, it was really amazing, as well.

We got to hear Vai Sikahema talk Sunday night, which is apparently a big deal. He was the first Tongan to play for the NFL. It was a great fireside about his miraculous mission experiences.

Two sisters in our room left for the field this week--one to Georgia and one to Connecticut. We had one sister come in, and unfortunately, she is an angel.

She may be translated before she even gets to HK (which must be a really huge problem for the HK mission presidency--sisters continually getting taken up like Enoch just when they were perfecting the language. No wonder so many sisters get called there... Good thing I'm here to make up for all the perfect people around me).

Seriously though, I am really looking forward to learning how to deal with a less than angelic sister before I get dropped off in HK... with Sister Farr and Sister Bishop, no such luck.

Sis Bishop is from Lindon, graduated from BYU-I and spent the last 8 months working for a troubled-youth survival camp in Arizona. Basically she's incredibly awesome and I'm planning on marrying her to Derick too AND she likes to run with me yay!!!

One amazing blessing that happened this week was finding out that we can run OUTSIDE on MTC grounds during our gym time and at 6 am. YES. I was getting so sick of our wonderful track, and Sis B and I have similar... canters. Similar... you know. Running-ness. Stride? Whatever.

This section is for Cami/Ian:

We woke up two nights ago at 10:45 (when's the last time you were ASLEEP by 10:45 pm? I'm speaking to the college age crowd, not Mom and Dad--old fogies who I used to wake up when I'd call after 7:30 pm...) to hear what sounded like an 80's tune blasting through our window. That's right, some girl had driven her car to the back of the MTC and was blaring "WAIT FOR ME, WAIT FOR ME, I'LL WAIT FOR YOOOOU" to her starstruck missionary. Oh. Brother. We got up and calmly closed the window, but not until we discussed if we should share some loudish words with her about waiting in the terrestrial kingdom. Who said that?---that section was specifically for Cami/Ian.

(post admin note: may have been last screaming stanza of " I'll wait for you"by Sherwood or some other song by hundreds of other artists anxiously waiting?)

I saw Carter from the home ward! He seems good, but typically he didn't say much.

I got your package! The cookies were in the most crumbled hilarious state I've ever seen... I still ate them. With a spoon. So. Good. I have more stamps than I know what to do with, thank you!!!

This week the miracle has been seeing the goodness of God. I take a small step of faith and am immediately blessed--like watering my seed of goodness (in Alma 32) and feeling it beginning to swell. It's much easier to water a tree than a seed, so I persist in (almost habitually) watering and weeding. Sometimes, when I turn back to this seedling of faith, I realize that it's become a TREE--and it's been growing all out of proportion to what I've given it.

Often, once I eat the fruit of my tree which I've nurtured and watered through steady work and scripture study and prayer, I'm surprised by joy--blessed by God's goodness that is given so generously, so kindly. He loves you and me, and He blesses us far more and lives with us far longer than we could ever expect from our small stream of faith at the beginning.

I realized this concept also from my relationship with Ian--I just got the best letter from him that has ever been written

in the universe, and I realized that the small steps of faith that I put forth in high school, just trying to strengthen our relationship have been rewarded and blessed a hundred fold. The blessings of family are so much more diverse, lasting and eternal than I have ever and can ever see-- and I am so grateful for God's love for us and for me, for each of his children as we take that step of Faith.

Love always,

SIster Dia Darcey