Week One! :)

Week One. Over and out. It has been a CRAZY week!! Welcome to Temple Sqaure!!!

First of all, a few MAJOR shout outs are in order:

1) Happy anniversary Mom & Dad!! I hope Nicole gets you a really nice gift on behalf of me, Brett and Nicole. :) I hope you get to have a really delicious dinner and celebrate!!
1.5) Nicole, please follow up on #1. :)
2) Happy Birthday to you Lisa Elizondo!! Gorgeous friend!!! (A little somethin' somethin' will be coming your way!! It's in the works...) I hope you have an incredible birthday!! :) (And I loved your letter too! I was cracking up when I was reading it. I just totally imagined you talking to me. Hahaha!! I love our friendship so much!!)

So...this week at Temple Square has been really amazing. I can't even begin to tell you how many people I have met from the Bay Area. (I had the special treat of seeing Doug and Kathy Pulley this week!! Yay! And Spencer Nance, Sheena Arnold and Calle's Mom!!) But there are lots of people here from all over the world that come to visit Temple Square. Lots of summer tourists driving through on their way to Yellowstone, cross country trips, the works. My companion from Argentina is amazing. She has been here for 17 months--so she's almost finished. And she said, that she hasn't met this many people from the Bay Area in such a short period of time. I really think that every person I've met has not been a coincidence. I am learning so much about the world! Go figure. In Salt Lake City.

And, since I've been here, I am learning so much about how to be the best missionary. It isn't to just tell people things or facts about buildings, but really, the best thing to do, is to create a space where people can feel safe to explore for themselves. Silence is golden (Mandy! Maria Hess! :) Love it) As a missionary, I am happiest when I can create an environment where people can LET their hearts be moved in a positive way. So basically my thought of the week is that SILENCE has really helped me listen to what I am feeling. I've heard a lot when I don't say words.

Thank you all so much for all of the love, support and thoughts. I feel so fortunate to meet all of the people I have met since I've been here.

And some other shout outs (If you sent me a letter, I will be writing you all back in a longer note by letter *hopefully* today)
~Lashelle!!--Thank you for your letter!! I love you cousin!! I am sorry that I haven't gotten back to you sooner (it has been a really crazy month!). You really gave me a boost! Thank you. I hope you are doing well!
~Kjestine!!-- I got your darling card and letter!! Thank you so much!! I will take your advice about the pigeons. :) I'm glad to hear that you are back in the lovely Denmark!!
~Calle og Inez!-- I saw Calle's Mom at Temple Sqaure!! I started talking to her in Danglish!! :) I think I freaked her out at first. "Uhhh...excuse me, where are you from? What's your last name? Are you Swedish?" Haha! But it was so so refreshing to see her! I love her so much! We had a really sweet conversation...full of hygge. Loved it.
~Paige- you are such a doll!! Thanks for the picture!! Sassy thing!! I'm so glad you got to go to the country concert! I was cracking up when I read that. I can just imagine you and Andie with your matching belts and bandanas. Perfect. :) Your letter seriously gave me an emotional and spiritual boost. Thank you friend! I love you!
~Aunt Debbie-- WOW! Kyle sounds like he is having some really incredible experiences! I love the pictures. Thank you. And the stories behind them are even better. I think about him all the time!
~Aunt Lisa---I am so proud of Mr. Craigski! He is so amazing! I am so glad we got to spend so much time together at his eternal mission district.

Love you all!!
~Amy~

I'm a Square on the Square... :)

Buenos Dias people!!

Yup....it's Friday. Fridays will be the day I send e-mails for the next 6 weeks (at least). Let me just tell you all: WOW. It just got really real. On Wednesday I moved up to Salt Lake City, Utah. After I chose to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I could have been called anywhere in the entire world, but I was called to serve here in Salt Lake City. Although Salt Lake City may sound a little bit "commercial" or "typical", I have met so many people from all around the world. While at Temple Square, most of the visitors that I have met are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). I have met people from France, Korea, Switzerland, Florida, Washington, England and Guatemala (to name a few). Not to mention, the female missionaries (called sister missionaries) that also serve here are from all over the world too. There are sisters from Japan, Germany, Kenya, Nepal, India, Cambodia, Uganda, Canada, Hong Kong and so everywhere else you could imagine. There are tons of sisters from California too. I have a new companion, Sister Montana, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a spit fire! I love her! She has a really positive attitude and really has a wonderful way of connecting with people. She is showing me the ropes and helping me so so so so much as I keep trying to figure out what I am doing. I feel a bit dazed most of the time as I do my best to figure out where everything is. I really don't know much yet, but I have a pager, so I feel pretty official. :)

My first assignment here is in Welfare Square!! :) I only spend a few days a week there, while the rest of the week, I am in the general area of Temple Square. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Welfare Square!! It is incredible. I have only spent one full day there and I have already learned so much more than I ever knew. Most of the people that come to Welfare Square particularly are already members of the church. Thursday, my companion and I took 60 people on tours of Welfare Square. But many people (members or otherwise) aren't very familiar with the really amazing things that Welfare Square does. I, for one, have learned SO SO much!! I've learned about how the giant white grain silos store 16 MILLION pounds of wheat!! Wowza!! (On one of the tours, there was a lot of kiddos. I initially told them that the big white silos were where we produce the marshmallows in the entire world....ba dum ching. Don't worry, I told them about the wheat too)

I've learned about the church's LDS Employment Center too. Basically, people can utilize the LDS Employment Center to improve their job skills and learn more about how to get (and keep) jobs to support themselves.

There is so much more about Welfare Square for me to share (you'll learn more over the weeks!). I love the 3 main goals of the Square. Essentially, the purposes of providing these programs for people are to:
1) Help take care of the needs of others
2) Help empower others to take care of themselves
3) Help others learn how to care for others.

I love it!! HELPING!! I am so grateful for the chance that I have to learn about different pieces of the church that so many are unfamiliar with. I know that Welfare Square serves as an example of the gospel: the teachings of Jesus Christ in ACTION. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a church of SERVICE and action. I am reminded of that everyday. I keep learning new things everyday! :)

Thank you all for your love and support!! I love you!

Love,
Sister Harmer

Hola Hola! ! :)

Hola Hola!! :)

It's another beautiful day here in sunny Provo. First of all thank you so much (again!!) for all of the sweet notes, thoughts, and warm wishes!! It's always so nice to hear from home.
Mom and Dad--I am reading all of your silly comments every day. It doesn't even seem like we haven't stopped talking on the phone! I love it. Oh and Mom, here are my 5 top favorites of "the little things":
1) baking in aprons
2) looking at really old pictures (especially at the hair and clothes) laughing and telling stories.
3) Farmer's market--the crew, the samples of oranges and pitted fruits, and the awesome folk music players who usually have scraps of paper with pictures and info inside sheet protectors.
4) Exploring new towns/ cities/ shops/ PLACES....just ADVENTURING!! :)
5) Early evening walks
I sound like a grandma. (not like I haven't heard that one before...MOM). I love these things so much. It was really nice reading your list!!! :)

Nicole--you are so hilarious!! I can't stop snickering in classes about the hallowed out corn husk issues. WoWWwwwww...
And Lisa, Tiffany, Paige and Grandma & Grandpa...I will be getting back to you all sooooonnnn...Thank you all for the fantastic letters. I will be sending some paper love ASAP.

It's been a really incredible week. On Wednesday, I started my Visitor Center training. (There are over 30 sister missionaries in my class (which is pretty huge for a class size here at the MTC. It's usually about 10-15 people per class).Most of the sisters are going to Temple Sqaure, but about 5 are going to Winter Quarters (a pioneer site in Omaha, Nebraska) and the Mormon Batallion site in San Diego, CA---hey Lisa! :) whoop whoop!!)

Visitor Center training has been a really incredible experience. There are women from all over the world in my class!! Besides all over the U.S, we have sisters from Austrailia, Germany, Hong Kong, Finland, Switzerland, The Philppines and Mongolia. It's pretty incredibile to be surrounded by so many amazing women. One of the sisters, Sister Wu, is from New York City and was born in China. She shared with me a little bit about her background one day at dinner and how she got to be here, serving a mission. Her story is a HUGE contrast from mine. Sister Wu joined the chuch about 5 years ago in New York. None of her family supported her decision. So, when she chose to serve a mission, her family became even more upset. They consider this next year and a half a waste of her time and money. Her goodbyes with family and friends didn't seem as happy and warm as mine did. After sharing her story, I was so impressed with how much courage she had to follow her heart, no matter if she had received support from others or not. She has such a strong conviction about the wonderful experiences people have when they choose to serve others and knows that her family will be blessed too.

Sister Wu's story made me really think about how grateful I am for her and her awesome example of sacrifice. I am also SO SO grateful for ALL of my loving friends and family who really love me no matter what path I choose. It's really refreshing to have so many wonderful people in my life, from school, work, LIFE....etc....who really love me for me and support ME. I keep feeling so grateful for all of you!! THANK YOU for everything.

Here's the scoop for this week. Saturday, we all get to go to Temple Square for a half day of on site training. I move to Salt Lake next Wednesday, August 4. I don't know when I'll be e-mailing again, but after about a week or so, I'm sure I'll have a more set schedule.

Thanks for all the love and support.

Love you all,
Sister Amy

Shoot I'm out of timee!!!!

Hello World!!
It's me again. Sister Harmer. Amy. Amerooski. Sister Sister. (Just don't call me late for dinner)....

Thank you all again for another incredible week of love, thoughts, prayers and sincere warm wishes. I can feel them!! I feel so so fortunate to have such a loving group of friends and family all over the world. :)

A few updates:
-- I leave the Missionary Training Center on August 4, 2010. I will be moving up to Salt Lake that day. :)
-- Next week, I will be e-mailing on Friday (instead of Wednesday).

So, a few things I thought I'd do--this may be really random, but I want to squeeze it all in and don't have much time to write. SO, follow along. You're in for a ride.

Last week my LOVE of a friend, Lisa Elizondo (hey you sassy thing!) wrote to me and asked me a few questions that I thought were worth responding to here. (THANKS LISA for the wonderful preguntas!! And like I said before, I will write you back via letter...like today!! :) ) I've gotten asked a few other questions in letters and e-mails a few times, so I think I'll address them all now.

Question #1: What's the food like at the MTC?
Answer #1: Here's what I usually eat (OBVIOUSLY not all at once...sometimes):
-cereal (Life, All Bran...the works)
-custom made wraps (I love sprouts, feta and kidney beans in mine. Key ingredients)
-FRUIT!!! (oranges, bananas, apples, you name it)
-veggies!!
-salad (I love the strawberry almond one)
-egg rolls
- buttermilk rolls
- DESSERT (now, this is SO stereotypical, and I usually don't feed into (pun) Mormon stereotypes, but it's so fitting: Mormon people know how to rock dessert) I LOVE the ice cream bar on Wednesday and Sunday and Lauren Quinn, it's true. The gospel...and the rice krispie treats. THEY ARE HERE!! In their gooey, buttery splendor. I've only had them once, but it was a special moment. (I thought of you Quinnie!! and was smirking the whole time!! )

Question #2: What's the coolest thing you've done?
Answer #2: I think one of the coolest things I've done here has been learning. I have such a wonderfully affirming feeling that I know this is where I am meant to be right now in my little life. It's really really cool to understand some of those reasons every day. In little ways. It's hard to explain, because it's like having an inside joke with yourself (and for me, with my Heavenly Father). Every time I figure out an "a-ha! that's why I need to be here, now" moment, I smile. I love how life does that.

Question #3: Have you gained weight?
Answer #3: I hope not! I have been really watching what I eat, while still enjoying my dining experiences (thank you Willow Street!!) haha! I go to a workout class every morning from 6-6:30 and often work out at the gym on my beloved favorite: the crosstrainer! (Lisa!! Tiffany!!)

Taking a page from Oprah's book, here's something that I know for sure:
- Planning helps in life! "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don'te set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life". Elder M. Russel Ballard

I know that's true. I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true too.

I love you all so much!! Thanks for everything!!!
-Sister Harmer



Sisters Carlton and Harmer (Amy MTC companion)



Sister Harmer with cousin Elder Young (he leaves for Mexico Monday 7/26/10)

HELLOOOOOO World!

HELLOOOOOO World!

WHEW!! Technology. I have about 20 minutes to crunch out a weeks worth of experiences....this should be interesting.

I GET ALL YOUR DEAR ELDERS!! SEND them!! LOVE THEM!! (I 'Cindy' will explain how you use this form of communication at the end of Amy's letter)

I am here at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah. I'm loving it here. There are about 2,000 people from all over the world (200 of which are Sister missionaries. So about a 1/100 ratio). I have made friends from Austrailia, Germany, Tonga, and all over the world. It's pretty surreal to be in a place where all of that is possible. Everyone is so respectful. Doors are held open, please's and thank you's are used, and encouragement for PEOPLE is everywhere. I love it.

Life here is really crazy. I wake up at 5:40am to make it to my workout class. Love it. I have been to yoga, aerobics, the gammut. (sp?) We are in a groups of about 9-10 people called a "District". I have a companion, or a permanent buddy-system Sister missionary. Her name is Sister Carlton. She'll be my companion for the rest of my time at the MTC. She's fabulous. Sassy. But that's my style. She's only been a member of the Church for about 6 years too. She is a wonderful person. I see my cousin Craig Young all the time. He's awesome. He's getting ready to serve in Tampico, Mexico. We spend time together whenever we can.

THANK YOU so much to everyone who sent me some LOVE. Hopefully, I will be getting around to writing out some letter responses to all of you. So, for now, just know that I got your sweet words and kind wishes.
Stephanie and Dave Kroupa--you rock my world. Fantastic way to get the ball rolling. I was cracking up.
Bishop Knudsen--thanks for the awesome updates! Keep them coming! :)
Paigey Poo--love you. Thanks for such thoughtful words. You are really a gem of a friend.
Bishop McAdam--you're awesome!! I loved your stories and updates. I was so happy to hear from you!!
Brother and Sister Woodland--thank you for your really lovely note and stories!! I loved them!
Ressaa Elizondo!!---LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!! BCBG!! YES yes yes!! Go for it girl!! That sounds so fun!! And I am so proud of you Teach!! Expect mucho grade de mail...con stickeros. :)
LAUREN MARLEY--EXPECT a humongo response from me via POSTAL. I love you. Twitter Tweepppp....Hhahahahha!
Grandma and Grandpa-- I love that....Life gives us time and space. You're so sweet. That was what I needed. :)
Dad--Loved hearing about the Punching Elder. SO FUNNY. But awesome. And thank you so much for the updates. :) Love you!!
Mom--I am so proud of you for studying PMG!! You are so sweet. Check out the awesome quote from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland on page 185 in the middle about listening. GOOD STUFF. No joke--I wear the pink robe every day. I love that thing!! Haha!! And let's check out the moon at (Utah time)....either 6:00am or 9:30pm. Whatever you can make it to. I'll be doing the same. I found Britney Spears! So we're in the clear.

Well people, I'm still the same old me. I go around singing Whitney Houston, Simon and Garfunkel, Beyonce, some E-40, a little Aerosmith, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and when I'm in the mood,Blink 182. :)

Love and miss you all!! I hope you're doing well!!

Take care and be good to other people,
Sister Amy Harmer

Dear Elder Information (It's FREE)
For those of you interested in writing Amy an email that she will receive the next day at dinner time. Please go to www.dearelder.com
Click tab 'write a letter'
Under Letter Selection 'choose Provo MTC' and click Write a missionary'
An envelope will appear, fill in your own personal return address
Here is Amy's Address Information to fill in
Sister Amy Harmer
MTC Box # 255
Mission Code UT-TMSQ
MTC Departure Date 8-4-10

Tab and enter your email address, and tab to the empty box and write letter, push the send when you are ready to send it.
She will receive the emails the following day at dinner time.
Thanks for all your love and support
Cindy

Day 1 -- The Adventure Begins

Wednesday July 7, 2010 we took Amy to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) Provo, UT this is where she will be for approx. 4 weeks, learning what she needs to know prior to going to her area to serve in Salt Lake City, Temple Square. She made the goodbyes fun, of course it's Amy. She will be able to email this next Wednesday, we will be updating her blogs every Wednesday evening with Amy news.

We're OFF :)

It's Mom reporting in on Amy's farewells and departure. We wanted to thank everyone for all the love and support they have shown the past few weeks from phone calls, to visits, and all the rest. It has been an overwhelming feeling of love. We really know that Amy has been raised by a village. This morning we leave for Salt Lake City and she enters into the Missionary Training Center (MTC) this Wednesday. We should be receiving her first of many e-mails which I will post weekly starting in about a week.

Also, some of you may be wondering where the title of her blog came from: 'THE' Amy. Well let me explain.... Last year when she was living in Denmark, her Danish friends were chatting with some people who vaguely knew of Amy. Amy tried to explain to the new people who she was. She told them that she was the girl from California studying abroad. You know, Amy, the Amy that people talk about. After her Danish friends heard her call herself "THE Amy" they occasionally (lovingly) teased her for her bold self-description. From then on her Danish friends have referred to her as THE Amy. It just kind of fits and has stuck with her. :)

Again thank you, and we love each of you. I know she has shared her blog address with many, please pass on the address to those friends who might be interested in sharing this experience with Amy.