Ark Blueprints

Hoooo-rah. (Shameless plug for Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. Love that movie)

Hey, so amongst other things, I am officially not tan. After a little over 6 months, I am back to my natural pasty white. Mmmm... wonderful.

Hey---BIG WEEK IN HARMER LIFE! (Well, Roberston life I suppose...) BIG MAC!! Welcome to the world!! Are you out of that warm condo that is my sister yet? Bring a jacket. It's cold.

(AND what about Inez's baby out there in Denmark!?!?! Are you here yet? Amy Wrang?)

So, this week has been fabuloso. We've met--refreshingly--lots of people here for the Sundance festival. My kind of people. Seriously. Park City is pretty close to Salt Lake, so in the winter, we get lots of ski visitors.

Different local events bring different crowds. There's also a convention center that's close to Temple Square that brings out all kinds of people. Breeds of people if you will. In a few weeks, there's going to be a Western Wildlife Outdoorsiey something or other. Definitely a crowd. Science conventions, educators conferences, and even professional scrapbookers. Oh man. Life is pretty sassy here.




So best line of the week from Sister Hirata (my amazing Japanese companion)... After I said something that made Sister Hirata laugh, she said to me: "I was enslaved by your joking funny". LOVE HER. In all honesty, she has an amazing story. She's actually 27 years old. She studied fashion design and cosmetology. She actually grew up Buddhist and joined the church when she was in her early 20s. She has an incredible heart--which is refreshing to be around when we meet people from all over the world. She just helps people feel so loved and welcomed. I am learning SO much from her!

Something else that has been a new adventure lately has been the Beehive House--that's where Brigham Young lived. Brigham Young was the prophet that led the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into the Salt Lake Valley from the U.S. East Coast. They arrived in the valley in 1847, after walking crossed the country. Joseph Smith, the prophet prior to Brigham Young, was killed in Illinois before they arrived, so Brigham Young was the first prophet that was here in Salt Lake City.

Well, the Beehive House... that's where he lived. We are only there for a half-day once a week. Sister Hirata and I got to take a few tours of the house. And by a few, I mean 2. Very slow day. And with a few sister missionaries + mid-January....welp. But, here's the thing...Sister Hirata and I were just sitting there. In this home where a prophet of God lived (from 1855-1877). And we were thinking how awesome it was! Can you imagine hanging out in Noah's house? You stumble upon ark blueprints.....no big deal.

Well, life is great. I love learning and stretching. It's healthy. I'm so grateful for all the letters and packages and notes I've received from you all!! Flor!! Heather! Chelsea! Mara (hilarious!) Paige! Kjestine! Charlene! Jennie! Brittney D!!

I will respond to you all!! Sorry it takes me FOREVER to respond...sometimes weeks or months. I have so little time, but hey....one more year of this snail paced communication, then BAM. Harmer is back in your life--whether you like it or not. :)

LOVE YOU ALL!!!
THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!!!
Sister Amy Harmer

You are a rock

Another week in Salt Lake my friends....another week.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHELLY!!! My wonderful beautiful cousin!!! We are so going on a bike ride when I get home...hahahah!! Love you!! CELEBRATE!! MUAH!!

Well, let me tell you. Sister Hirata from Sendai, Japan is AMAZING!! Hilarious at that. The other night, she went to go take a shower. 10:12pm...ish. I was just sitting and reading. She leaves the room, comes back in, grabs her bag of tortilla chips, and leaves again. Like a thief in the night.

Seriously though, she is refreshingly humble. So patient. AND ALWAYS laughs. JOY JOY JOY!! Hooray! She told me that I was a rock today.

Sister Hirata: "You are a rock".
Sister Harmer: "Why thank you. What do you mean by that?"
Sister Hirata: "Oh. I mean, you rock"

Just a gem.

THANK YOU Heather for your wonderful letter!! I am so grateful for you!! I loved the shameless plug for "hygge". I keep telling people all about it here. It sounds like you're staying VERY busy! I racked my brain trying to figure out what kind of class you were taking. It sounds tough, but you can handle anything. Send Simon and Angela my best! (You'll be hearing from me more in letter form later! :) Oh technology...)

Tiffany Call. You're a breath of fresh air! Incredible at that. It was a JOY to see you. You're a pioneer.

ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Well everyone. I love prayer. That's my simple nugget of spirituality for the week. It's real. Prayer is refreshingly real.

Let me know if I can do anything for you!

Love love love,
Sister Amizzle to the Harmer

P.S. Lady Gaga is coming to Salt Lake in March. That is the purpose for the picture....

Babies

I am such a baby. (Shameless plug for Big Mac. Hey...I'm trying to relate).

I have been a little tearful lately. I think it's a combination of a lot of things. I just got over my cold. Let me tell you, cold + being a missionary = anti-climatic. But I'm back to 100%. Healthy happy. So, naturally, I'm super grateful. I have been trying to have a better attitude about everything. And not just "oh happy happy..." but like, grateful. Noticing the blessings in my life. And appreciating them. The people and the experiences in my life.

Yep. So that leads me to today. New transfer. Starting Wednesday, I will be in Transfer #5 (of 12). Can you believe it? Wow. There are lots of Sister missionaries who have just finished their missions who I will miss mucho grande amounts. Amongst others, Sister Cumins, So-Cal (Carly Rodrigues' old college room mate) and Sister Everett (my last companion from Hawaii). Ugh. I guess it's more like....see you soon! ROAD TRIP in 1 year!! YEEE!!!

Here's the new scoop:
Living situation: SAME APARTMENT! (AKA no needing to move. If you know me, you know how stoked I am about this. I can't even begin to tell you. Tears of joy).
Companion: Sister Hirata (from JAPAN!!) Yay! Word on the street--errr...the square--is that she is the sweetest thing. I don't really know her well. She is currently serving in Washington for her "outbound assignment". So...I'm excited to get to know her! And serve with her! DOMO ALIGATO!!
Assignment: We are in a zone called "Extended". I'm not sure my specific assignment yet. I could be working at Welfare Square, the Humanitarian Center, one of the desks, or a plethora of other things. I'll find out Wednesday...
New Preparation Day: SATURDAY
Sister Kemsley---She's heading out to Georgia for her outbound assignment!! She gets back early April. But I'm going to miss this woman's presence. Truth.
Enough of the stuffy logistics...on to the juicy stuff:
Uhhh...Bella (my precious dog) has a husband? Who is this Bailey character? I am so excited for the puppies!! March? Yay! I hope he dotes on that little lady. Did you paint her nails? So fabulous. All the best to the happy couple!
I was cracking up. Ransacking a 86 year old woman for those homemade raviolis? You would. I can see it now! "STOP THE CAR!!!" I love my family.
This week, a group of about 15 boy scouts from South Carolina came to Temple Square with their leaders. No one in the group really knew much about the church, more or less Temple Square. But oh man...we all hit it off with the whole boy scout connection. I proudly informed them of Dad's involvement with the boy scouts over the years and made a very supportive comment to the green socks that complete the Boy Scout experience. TO WHICH, one of the scruffy boys presented his wool green socks. Thank you Boy Scouts. Always prepared.
Sister Kinman and I met a man from Australia this week. Happy really nice guy. 2 kids back home in Sydney and a wonderful wife. He was so curious about us and our faith. He asked us why we would leave our families for 18 months. "Isn't it hard for you to be away from them for so long?" Ha! OF COURSE! Especially when my sister (and dog) are having babies. Or when people I love pass away. Or when friends graduate. Or when people have birthdays. Or anniversaries. Or weddings. Or Saturday mornings at the Farmer's market. Or boring Tuesday afternoons in March. Yeah I miss all of that. Yeah it's hard. But honestly, the blessings I am receiving for this short period of service, far outweigh the sacrifices. I told Mr. Australia about a sign I had taped next to my door growing up in high school. It said, "What are you willing to sacrifice for something better?" Everything I am sacrificing, I'll see, or talk to, or visit again. But the lessons I'm learning, the experiences I'm having, and the character I'm developing....those are things that cost sacrifice in order to gain. Introspective. No?
Well, time is short. I must go. Alas. Love is in my little heart for all. Fare thee well! I must start brushing up on my Japanese!! :) YAY!!!

With sincerity and greatest devotion (and a dash of sass...)
Amerillo

Hellooooooo 2011.

Parties are over. It's the new year. The lights at Temple Square are off. But the magic of Temple Square stays on. This has been an incredible week. I've come to realize that weeks 4 and 5 are really the best of each transfer. That's when the work really catches on fire. Thank you all for the updates from home. My family has also experienced lots of death the past few weeks. A close family friend and my grandpa's brother both passed away. It's beautiful to know about the plan that Heavenly Father has for us. It's reassuring to hear that there is so much support for each other back there. I feel SO blessed to have you all in my life. Seriously. It's a beautiful thing to have so many diverse, incredible, talented, sassy and supportive people in my life. I loved hearing about all of the GOOD that's been happening amongst all of the recent events in our lives. Thank you for your examples of pure charity.

Well, here's one for the books.....
This is the funniest story of the week. So, I got to talk with a member of the church on the phone. HILARIOUS. He's from Texas. 67 years old. He needed some help getting in touch with the missionaries out in Massachusetts. When I asked him what for, oh boy...did he have a story.~~~~I shall paraphrase: "Well. I saw this guy at the airport a few weeks ago. He was there. Sitting. And a woman (who I assume was also a Mormon) was showing him her copy of the LDS Hymn book. There is no other book I know that's that color of green. Nope. Don't know of any other one. Well, I went over there and asked him if he'd like his own copy of the hymn book. He smiled and said how he would love that, as he recognized some of the songs from his own church. Well, I got his address, and I happily sent him his own copy of the hymn book. But I didn't stop there. I thought I'd be nice and I sent him his own copy of the Book of Mormon, the Gospel Doctrine manual, the Family Proclamation, and the Living Christ. Funny thing is, they don't just send one copy of the Family Proclamation or Living Christ...they only come in 25 packs. So, I was hoping he'd share with his friends and neighbors.......".

Yep. That happened. Made my week. So funny. So sincere. Real. (Here's links to the copy of the "Family Proclamation", and the "Living Christ" documents for your personal reading delight).

Also, they started taking down the nativity sets here at Temple Square. Me, I'm a bit of a chatty Kathy. So I struck up a conversation with the maintenance crew people. The first day of the take down, they had already packed away the baby Jesus, and some of the sheep. I said, "Whew. Christmas is over. It looks like the baby Jesus is the first to get packed up, eh?" Actually, come to find out....the night before, someone kidnapped the statue. Yikes! Looks like someone wanted to keep the spirit of Christmas for themselves. Uh-oh....

ALSO...I really liked this video on mormon.org this week. It's all about a lady named Sally. She keeps it real.

We met a man on the square this week named Herb. He taught me the biggest lesson. He was so nice. After talking to him for a while, we came to find out that he has been baptized in 3 different christian churches! THREE! He thinks he'll be covered when he makes it to the other side. His life reaffirmed my testimony of the restored gospel. We were able to share with him our unique message. He wasn't interested in learning more back home in upstate New York with his local missionaries (he seemed a little jaded by all the baptisms). But, we had the opportunity to help him understand just a hint more about the lost power from God that has been restored to the earth.

I keep learning (and stretching...even if it's uncomfortable) every single day. THANK YOU for everything! Please let me know if I can do anything for you!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!! Thanks for everything!!
Ahhmee Harmizzle.

P.S. Are you there Big Mac? February ___? If it's anywhere near Valentine's day, can we get Big Mac to be my Valentine? Thank you. That'd be great.

This is no disco

~~Hi everyone~~

Well, this week is a little bitter sweet. It's exciting to have 2011 here. A new year. A fresh start.

At the same time, I just heard about Bud Wilson's passing. Bud has been a good family friend for as long as I can remember. Honestly, the news came as kind of a shock. Bud is about the same age (if not younger than) my parents. Bud has been such a great mentor and friend over the years. My heart is going out to Denise and the whole Los Gatos community. I am so grateful to know that through the promised blessings from God, we can all see our loved ones again, after we die. It definitely doesn't make death easy, but I think that it makes life a little more bearable. Here is a wonderful clip all about HOPE.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

In other news...here are some great stories that evolved from the week:

• THANK YOU FAMILY!!! Nicole, Brett, Mom, Dad (and L to the Q)...you all really made the holidays extraordinary. THANK YOU!! I can't really find the right words to explain how grateful I am for all of you. Other than thank you. Sincerely. I love you al SO much! You bring me JOY! Not just happiness. :)
  
• Sister Kinman and I were talking to Gertrude (yes.) in Ghana. Her brother is exploring more about the Book of Mormon, and has been meeting with missionaries there, so he asked if we could call her to see if she'd be interested in learning a little more about our faith. When we called, she was SO nice. Very friendly. She has a strong belief in God and in Jesus Christ. Here's what I loved the most though--she asked us a very valid question: "So, do you sing and dance at your church? Because to me, I go to worship, not to disco". Amen Gertrude. Amen.
  
• THANK YOU Kjestine for the AMAZING Dansk box!!!! I was SO happy and pleasantly surprised!! THANK YOU!!! What a wonderful treat! I tore open the Dansk garland and wanted to wrap it around my body. Danish love. Thank you so much!! And tak for ris!! So sweet of you. You are seriously one of the most thoughtful people I know. Pure hygge. 100%... Tak!!!
  
• And THANK YOU to the Redwoods Ward! I was so giddy to see the treats and letters from all of you! I miss you all so much! Thank you for thinking of me. It really meant a lot. I definitely feel the family connection. :)
  
• Just a thought I had today: I am really looking forward to getting to know Big Mac. (AKA Nicole + Brett's baby child). Today, I was thinking "I really want to hear Mckenzie burp". Yep. I thought that. And I started laughing. Because I know she will! Hahaha!! And it'll be SO darling!!
  
• To the infamous Mr. Hurley: thanks for your letter!! Bagel shop?! That's awesome! Blueberry bagel + strawberry cream cheese for me. Toasted. And wrestling coach? Perfect. You'll be hearing from me soon.....

>>>AND HERE's one of the miracles for the week: RENE.

Sister Kinman and I met The Olsen's a few weeks ago. Amazing family. So sweet. Rene is a friend of theirs. She is incredible. When we talked to Rene, she told Sister Kinman and I that she wanted to learn more about the beliefs that make the Olsen's so happy. She shared with us that she had recently had her leg amputated and was really struggling to adjust to her new life. She wanted to know how the gospel of Jesus Christ could help her, or not. With confidence, Sister Kinman and I assured her that no matter where we are in life, understanding and applying the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives can help improve our lives. We called her twice, each time talking to her for about 10 minutes or so. She was studying the Book of Mormon and other materials on her own, in between time. The third time we called, she was ELATED. She was happy to report that she had been meeting with her local missionaries and had visited church a few times. Then she broke the news, "Sisters, I just have something to tell you...I am so excited! I want to be baptized. I'm getting ready for January 22!" The reason why I love Rene's story, is because, she really did everything. We just came in and invited. We invited her to learn for herself. That's the biggest thing we do as missionaries. No forcing. No convincing. Just inviting, offering and helping. I love that.

I love you all so much!

Thank you for the ENDLESS support.

I am so grateful for you all!!

Thank you!
Sister Amy (so 2011) Harmer
http://www.mormon.org/ (obsessed with this site).
http://www.lds.org/ (and this one too)

P.S. the pictures are all about the 2011. (Well, who are we kidding? 10:20pm on December 31, 2010). Godt nytaar!!

P.P.S. I love the new video: "Look Not Behind Thee"