~~Hooray for Winter!!!~~

First of all…I must say to one and all…I’m so sorry for not being better at individual communication!! There are so many of my friends and family that I haven’t written to yet! In months! But please know that I think about you all the time!! And I’m trying to get letters out.

I don’t have much time to write home during the week, and when I do, a big chunk of it I spend writing this e-mail. But, with that said, if you write to me, I will write back…eventually. Way eventually. (sorry!) And I can write back via paper letter (that’s the best. Most sincerely hyggelit). So if you write me e-mail wise, please send me your mailing address and I can get back to you.

Now…back to what I was saying…..…~~Hooray for Winter!!!~~

So, yesterday was my companion’s, (Sister Fox) birthday!! Hooray! We are going to Café Rio tonight to celebrate. I’ve never been, but I hear it’s yum yummers. (Says my pregnant hermana). Sister Fox is a doll. Very sweet. She kind of reminds me of Paige Knudsen. You know, always has something nice to say about other people. And every once in a while will surprise you. For example, precious Sister Fox was the captain of her high school boys wrestling team. Go figure. Sassy.

I’m grateful for technology. I think it’s kind of funny. God has a bit of a sense of humor methinks. You know, 18 months later, Amy Harmer may not know all the words to the latest Beyonce, but she will still be able to insert hyper-links and format spreadsheets like nobody’s business. Ugh…I miss Beyonce. Queen B. Love her. (P.S. I saw the new Taylor Swift CD at Target. I had to wipe off the drool from my face a little bit). I’ll be ready for grad school (or credential school) right when I get home.

I’m so grateful for this experience. I really am. At first, I was tired. ALL the time. Now I’m still tired, but not as much. And I keep meeting people from all over the world who are curious to know if there’s more to life than what they are living. I love this video (from www.mormon.org) about Daisy (CLICK HERE to see it). Most of the people I meet are like her. In fact, she reminds me of a lot of my friends. She’s happy. Loving family. Great morals and values. And then curious to know if there might be some more to life. More purpose. More happiness. More. And I love what she does. She finds out FOR HERSELF. That’s what I had to do. I’m serving a mission because I figured out that I am not just walking around being happy. I’m still figuring it out. It’s taking me a long, solitary (and consistent) journey. But over time, I’ve come to know a few things. For myself. I am a child of God. We all are. It’s that simple. God really exists. He knows us. And wants the absolute best for us.

This week…I am thankful for Patrick. He’s homeless. He frequents one of the corners at Temple Square. I am grateful for him, because most nights, on our walk home, he is sitting, playing his harmonica. With a big toothy grin. And whenever I say “Have a good night Patrick. It’s good to see you”, he responds with, “ Good night Sisters” + an over exaggerated eye roll + that same big toothy grin.

Thanks for everything!! Don’t let the Christmas camels overshadow the Thanksgiving turkey. On the reals, let’s not forget Thanksgiving.

Love you all!! MUCHO GRANDE!! Keep it real and fresh!!

-Amy Carol

~~Hej everyone~~

Well well well. Halloween has come and gone. To some, I wore the spookiest costume ever- I was a sister missionary. Ha! If you would have asked me 3 years ago, I would have said so myself. Oh, life. Well, a humongo CONGRATS to my buddies the San Francisco Giants!! I am proud of you!! I'm sure you all read my blog. Attached like glue. Hooray! I will eat garlic potatoes (closest thing to fries) in the near future....in your honor.

Here is a picture of (left to right) Sister Peets from Canada, Sister Javier from Arizona/Mexico, Sister Fox from Massechuetts, and Sister Harmer from San Jose, CA.

A few of us got to go do a little community service. WHICH, if you know me at all, is my volunteer style of choice. Pretty fun actually. We got to help clean up/ tear down the Haunted Village at Heritage Park here in Salt Lake. Post-spook week. So, here's me thinking...ok. No big deal. I'll put skeletons in a box and call it good. NOPE. We went into this old pioneer vintage house. Inside= the creepy doll room. Cheese cloth + spider webs + doll limbs + creepy doll eyes = our adventure. So fun actually. And they had creepy music that played in the background of kids laughing and playing. I thought it was a brilliant creep factor. I'll throw in a picture or two.

Check out this week--bullet points methinks...

• THANK YOU Tiffany for the Halloween treats and LOVE!! You'll be getting a leetttttteerrrr!!
  


• One of the things I do now is talk with people who come online and have questions about the church. Well, if that's the case, I'm sure you all know, we're bound for weird-os. One guy came on and was asking for dating help. When we told him that unfortunately we weren't dating experts, he replied, "Well, a friend of mine said that he came on to this site and got some really good advice. Can't you help me? Come on. Mormons date, right?"
  


• Sister Fox and I met a wonderful couple this week. My heart was a little bruised for them. I think they are misunderstood by the world, big time. But they reminded me of SO many pieces of different friends of mine. They were in their late 20s. Kind of grungy. They had been traveling for a while. Dahlia, Josh and their precious black lab puppy, Gravy Train. (a name I love). They were both wanderers of sorts. I felt like I could relate a little to my traveling days in Europe. You really rely on human kindness when you are on your own. Josh was raised in a Mormon family. He even reported proudly that he had attended 5 years of seminary. (4 + a make up year). Dahlia was raised in a Jewish home. She even lived in Jerusalem for about a year. Now, they both are this wonderful wandering spiritual couple. Even though Josh didn't consider himself a member of the church, he wanted to stop by Temple Square on their travels. He wanted to visit the Temple. We talked, shared some warm conversation and they were on their way to find a motel for the night, before it got too cold. We went down to the kitchen and I grabbed my unimpressive excuse for what I had packed dinner. Before they left, I gave them the bag with an orange, some yogurt, some bread and of course some chocolate. I remember those travel days! France= Corn Flakes.. Loved them. I hope I can meet them again someday. I am so curious to see where their journey takes them.
  

Love you all!!

Miss your guts! Hooray for THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!

I better start my "I'm thankful for...." in these e-mails. :)

Love you all so much!!
-Seeesterrrr Ahmmeeee

4 sassy Donny Osmond fans

HELLO WORLD!!! AND HELLO AUTUMN!!

True story: today= SNOW. The snow didn't stay on the ground, mainly because I was outside catching it with my hands. No big. SNOW! There's snow on the mountains!! Which means, yep, it's cold. But really, who are we kidding....it's not terrible. I like it really. Crisp. Fresh. There was a guest who put it well: The snow brightens up the gray skies. Perfect, methinks. Hooray for scarf season. And hooray for new one liners. "Hi! Welcome! Where are you visiting from?....Wow, you've come a long way!...Oh. I'm from California....Yep. It is a little different. But I like it" Probably with 1/2 of the people. I plan on spicing that up. Through people for some loops.

Well, perhaps the change in weather is a good indication that it's time for change in life. It's that time again. Time for change. Another 6 weeks have come and gone. Sister Kemsley is a Zone Leader now!! Hooray!! I am so excited for her!! She is an incredible leader. Really needed too. She keeps the gospel real, applicable and Christ-centered. Get ready world...Sister Kemsley is going to rock this transfer.

Here's the new scoop for this upcoming 6-week transfer (Transfer #3 out of 10!!)

1) My new companion is Sister Fox from Massachusetts
2) I am living in the same place (AKA no moving this time around!! Hooray!)
3) I will be in a zone called "Teaching". Basically, I will be on the square for about 1/2 of the day, and during the other half, I will be working with people who are curious about the church via e-mails, phone calls and other sources. Sounds like I'll be busy! :) Busy=good. Bored=bad.

I am really growing to appriciate this experience. It's hard. But really really incredible.

I met these 4 ladies this week from Denmark--go figure. 4 sassy Donny Osmond fans who were on their way to Las Vegas to see him perform. The four of them met online--apparently through mutual adoration for Mr. Donny. Ha! Well, they loved it here at Temple Square. One of the four ladies was already a member of the church, while the other three were not. (I meet Donny fans all the time. Hahahahahaha!!) After spending a few days here at Temple Square, they told me that they could really feel something special here. The 3 wanted to learn more about the Book of Mormon (eller Mormons Bog paa dansk) when they go home. I LOVE when people continue exploring after they leave Temple Square. Love it. So much.

---This week-- a belated shout out to the dear ANGELA TAM!!! LOVE YOU!! Congrats Annie!!! Hooray!! It was so nice to see you!!

---And I hope you feel better Grandma Harmer!! Sorry to hear about your leg! I will be writing you a letter today!! Ask Lisa to get you lots of Taco Amigo!! :)

---Uncle David. I needed that e-mail. Quite refreshing. So true. I meet people EVERYDAY who need to know that this gospel is not about tie pins, Pioneer Days and treats after the lesson. Thank you!!

LAST THING...Earlier this week, we were talking with Skyler. Skyler works on the grounds as a gardener. He's about 20 or 21 and grew up in Salt Lake. Sister Kemsley and I were talking to him a little about life, the gardens and his awesome 2-toned beanie. One of the things we were talking about was the Atonement. Sister Kemsley and I, in our aim for authenticity and REAL, have really tried to make the Atonement of Jesus Christ an every day source of strength and comfort...and not some non-applicable feel-good story. So we decided to come up with a few answers to the phrase, "The Atonement is...".

Here's some of the things we came up with.
...a cold glass of water after a good run.
...a warm puppy who will listen, when no one else will.
...open 24-hours
...time.
...sunshine.
...100% hygge.

We asked Skyler what he would say. The next day, when we saw him again, he gave us an awesome one. He said that the world is kind of like a crazy snow storm. And the Atonement is like a car that can withstand the storm. You can go fast or slow...any speed you want really. And in the car you're safe. And the heater...that's God's love. Oh yeah. :)

I liked that. Agreed.

I hope you all have a SppPooooKy Week!!

CHEERS! LOVE YOU!!!!!
-Sister AmarilloooooooaOOoOO

Drop your pita chips

Wheewww!! What a week.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYs all around the world!!!
DAD!!!--Happy birthday!! I hope Mom makes German chocolate cake or Mud Pie........Yuummmmm.....And I hope you GeoCache to a treasue too!! :)
Sweens!--Happy birthday you!! I haven't talked to you in AGES! I hope Scout (and of course Quinnie) purrrrade around and sing to you. Maybe Rose's does cakes. :) Love you!!
Miss Brittney Davis!!!!--I love your guts!! I hope that you have a wonderful birthday cousin!! Full of love and no sweaty bike rides.

Tons of stuff went down. Let's start with the basics--the weather has been unusually gorgeous. Hooray for that. My happy meter is sky-rocketing. Today, I am getting a fabuloso hair cut. I've been anticipating this for a solid 3 weeks now, at least. So I am READY. Nothing crazy. Don't fret World. I just don't know what to expect. Andrea (my rockstar cousin) is the only person I really trust with my hair. So, here goes nothing!! I'm still super tired. Curses to the terrible Mono that plaques my life.

So, the story of the week has to do with a guy named Will. Good old Will. He's actually not old, but you get the picture. He is from West Virginia. Quiet. Logical. Shy. Engineer. Quirky. Here for a conference.

We met Will at the North Visitor's Center at Temple Square. We were talking with a family and took them through a 15-minute presentation about the importance of families. He came in and joined us too.

Most of the time, this presentation leaves people loving everyone 10 times more than usual and grateful to know that after we die, we can live with our families again. Will just didn't really get it. It was a little to tender for him. He likes logic. Things need to make sense to him.

Will: "How do you know? Do you really think God sends you messages?"
Me: "Well, not necessarily a text message, but I really do believe that God answers my prayers".

We ended up talking with Will for about 25 minutes or so. He requested to learn more back home in West Virginia. We kept talking about experimenting to really test our faith. Great convo. Then Sister Kemsley and I had to go to our next assignment.

Will: "Well, will I see you both tomorrow?"
Sis. K: "Maybe"
Will: "Well, how can I see you tomorrow?"
Sis. K & Me : "Pray". Haha!
Will: "haha.. Got it. Oh ok."

Well, with over 180 sister missionaries, 35 acres of places we could be and different assignments, that is really a challenge. Sister Kemsley and I prayed (and fasted too, for a boost) to see Will the next day.

Que next day...we were sitting outside, enjoying the sun in a spot we normally don't sit for lunch. With 5 minutes of our break left, I see a guy and say, "Hey! Sister Kemsley! Is that Will?"

Sis. K: "No...." Then she looked over her shoulder and sees a guy walking down the street. "BUT THAT looks like Will". We dropped our pita chips and booked it down the street! Haha!
"Will!!" Yep. We found him. He was just about to leave Temple Square.

Me: "Prayer so works!! See Will!! God knows you! And knows your heart!"
Sister K: "Will, did you pray to see us?"
Yep. He had.

I love it.

I hope you're all doing well!!

Love and friendship!

Happy Halloween!! I hope you have a SPOOoOoOooOktacular Week!!!
-Seeester Scary Harm

Good afternoon crazy world!

Good afternoon crazy world!

Life is so funny. You know, I figured that middle school was crazy. Then I got to high school. Then I thought, whew...scratch middle school. High school is loco. Then came life at college. And Res Life, Denmark, graduating, Willow Street and summers in California. And now--I'm in Salt Lake City, on a mission......Life is crazy. And wonderful.

Highlight= A motor coach full of Danes just walked into one of the Visitor's Centers one day. A huge group of them!! I almost had a heart attack. Like 40 Danes. All in the same room. After the "Hi, Welcome to Temple Square!! I am so glad you are from Denmark!! Welcome!!" [all in Danish], they smiled and said "Thank you. Now why can you speak Danish?"

Love the Danes.

One of my favorite things about serving a mission is really re-defining stereotypes. This week, Sister Kemsley and I have met so many people who have left Temple Square with fresh perspectives. We met this guy last week named Chris. He reminded me of a lot of my friends in California. His hair was about mid-neck, he was geared out in North Face, he had his water canteen and a bracelet from Africa. He grew up in Ohio, but was just stopping through on his way out to Kenya for a humanitarian service project. He came into the South Visitor's Center at Temple Square. In this Visitor's Center, we have a model of the Salt Lake Temple. It's essentially a giant doll house of the Temple. It's a cut-out that exhibits all of the rooms inside with interactive kiosks (that remind me of larger-than-life-iPads) nearby that help people explore and understand the rooms in detail. Chris was just staring at the Temple model, like it was a cake in a window. I walked up to him and we started talking a little bit. Sister Kemsley joined us and we talked for about a half hour. Chris was so annoyed with the culture of the church. He didn't like some of the things that people who are members of the church choose to do. Well, little did Chris know, he had just met two sister missionaries who do not submit to most stereotypes.

We were able to share with him our individual application of the same gospel in our own lives. To me, the Gospel is not always "culture". God's in charge of the Gospel. People fiddle with the culture. The gospel isn't about CTR rings, green jello and Donny Osmond.(Although I wouldn't mind a nice night in with a big bowl of green jello, listening to Donny and Marie with a huge bling-bling CTR ring...oh yeah)

The gospel is about the Atonement. Jesus Christ. Our Heavenly Father.

The gospel is simple, sincere and true. We can't always say that for people's cultural make up.

Chris left us that day with a smile. When he was leaving, we said, "Well Chris, hopefully you know now that Sister Missionaries aren't weird-os". To which he replied, "Well, people talk about diamonds in the rough, I just met two diamonds". Thanks Chris. We needed that.

I love the Gospel. It helps me find REAL happiness. The kind of happiness that doesn't fade in the wash. The kind of happiness that doesn't lose the fizzles after the cup has sat on the counter for 5 hours.

People are real.

Today, I miss the fam. And the amigos. Love you all. Thanks for all of the support!! Serioso.

Love you,
Sister Aimeister.

What a week!!

People. Really. It's been loco.

Primero.....CONGRATS NICOLE AND BRETT!!!!! MACKENZIE JANE!!!! I will definitely be calling her Big Mac.

Check out some of the talks from the Oct 2010 LDS General Conference for yourself: (http://new.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng). My favorite take home messages:

---SLOW DOWN in life.
---More gratitude!

There were about 100,000 people here at Temple Square this weekend. I bet I told about 80,000 where the bathroom was. And then about 65,000 where the drinking fountain was. True life. I am so tired. But happy tired. It's been a crazy week. Time to physically and emotionally recover.

Overall, this weekend was a wonderful experience. I was able to see about 100,000 people who had the chance to learn more about LIFE. Where we came from, why we're all here and where we're going. Love it. And the conference all started with one of my favorite songs, "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel". It reminded me of Lauren, so I kind of teared up...which out of context is a little bizzaro. The song is about having a good attitude no matter what. And there I was, whimpering. Hahaa!! I love that Lauren Quinnfield.

I got to see some wonderful familiar faces this weekend! :) Thank you all for love!! Hooray for the Los Gatos crew!! You're wonderful!! It was so nice to see you!

As wonderful as conference was, Sister Kemsley and I keep having so many wonderful experiences daily at Temple Square.

---Gotta love the regulars. Bob, one of our favorite regular visitors, has a speech impediment and is in a wheel chair. He always gives us a slow wave and usually a quirky, "A-LoooOoo-Hhaaa". Love Bob.

---Sister Kemsley and I have also been meeting so many searching and confused people. A guy named Dawson called in last week. He was from Portland. He said that he got a Book of Mormon from his friend Katie and had read some of it. But he was so confused. When I asked him what he thought about what he had read, he wasn't sure. He said that the things in the Book of Mormon made sense and when he read, he felt peace. But then he said that he was really confused about what to do. He was afraid about what his parents would think about him reading another book of scripture, in addition to the Bible. I am so grateful for parents who continue to let me explore my spirituality and my PERSONAL relationship with God. Thank you Mom and Dad.

---And the Danes!! Seriously. This is no accident people. I meet Danes every week. I am so grateful for these beautiful encounters!! I LOVE Danes! Just today I met Anita and Jacob from Aalborg, DK. Wonderful people. We talked for about 30-40 minutes about everything. Life. Denmark. The Book of Mormon. Danes. California. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jehovah's Witnesses. And ETERNAL hygge. The kind of hygge that doesn't end when our bodies die. I LOVE Anita and Jacob. Beautiful people.

---And speaking of Danes, TUSIND TAK Aunt Pernille!! :) Jeg elsker din sode danske chocolate!! :) What a wonderful surprise!! THANK YOU!! Jeg savner dig!! It was such a SWEET reminder. Thank you!!

Thank you everyone for your love and support. I tell everyone (from all over the world) stories about YOU. All of you.

Love you!!

Amy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA BRETT ROBERTSON!!!
May the cows call home and sing a MOOooOOoving rendition of the classic, "It's your daaaayyyy....its yourrr birrrthhhdayy... mmmaaayyyyy aAAAlaaaaalll your dreams come true! :) Love you!!!

And I quote.... "Baby Jesus! Baby Jesus!! Look Mom! It's Baby Jesus!!"

That's what a little girl was saying last night as she was sprinting up to a huge painting of Jesus and Mary in Bethlehem. At first I thought I was caught up in a scene from Talladega Nights. But no. Just pure simple love for Jesus. I think I love the things that kiddos say here at Temple Square the most. Pretty candid. Pretty real.

With that......

This week has been fabulous! I LOVE and adore Sister Kemsley. She is a breath of fresh air! Sassy and poised. Artsy and refined. AND she speaks Arabic!! I am so glad she knows Arabic! She likes to recycle too!! :) I appreciate her love for every single person we meet. No matter what.

Just to put everyone's nerves to rest, I received my flu shot this week. (Mom, you may now sleep with peace). Hooray for vaccines!

AND surprise treat of the week: I was able to attend the LDS General Relief Society Broadcast. AMAZING. The Relief Society is the largest and oldest women's organization in the entire world. It was incredible. I got goosebumps. To be honest, it's a bit of a challenge to explain what it feels like, so I'll try to paint a picture: IMAGINE: 20,000 women, all singing songs like, "Count Your Blessings", hearing words of encouragement, guidance and peace, and all from incredible women who are strong and respectful.... and then, in addition to all that, we were able to hear the living prophet. It was really a wonderful experience!! We definitely had a mini-tailgate of sorts beforehand. About 8 of us got together and sat outside in the warm, Utah weather and ate our dinner. Sandwiches and brownies. So delish. Thanks Mom for the brownie mix. J

After that, I am SO excited for this upcoming weekend--LDS General Conference. 21,000+ people come from all over the world. I like to think, "Well, what kind of environment would be here if Moses or Abraham or Noah were planning on speaking? What would I do?" I would try to find out what they said! That's for sure. And that's what's happening this weekend. The whole entire world has the access to hear a living prophet--via the internet, TV, radio and I'm sure a bunch of other avenues. I just have the privilege of being here where that will all take place.

You can find the LDS General Conference online at www.lds.org after this upcoming weekend. Maybe you’ll get goose bumps too. J

And here’s the bottom line for the week: I am grateful. I am really grateful for all of the friends and family members in my life. All of you. You’re all wonderful. Weird. And wonderful. And everyday at Temple Square, I meet people from all over the world—and it’s easy to love them, because most people remind me of someone I’ve met before. I am so grateful for CALIFORNIA!! Especially the Bay Area.

Please talk to people. Everyone. And more than that, LISTEN. People need listeners.

I’m so grateful that I can talk to my Father in Heaven anytime, anyplace. It’s wonderful to know that we all have a listener every second of every day. Hooray for God being a full time listener!!

Hooray for Nicole and Brett and Gummi!! TREAT!!
And thank you Montie and Margaret for all of your LOVE!!
Stephanie and Michael—you two rocked my week month. Sorry Steph if me clobering your face with my hand was weird. Thank you both for the loves!!

And to the following people….you will be hearing from me shortly!!!
Lisa-Loo-Who (I can't believe all the new juice!! And I am so SO proud of you + those (I'm sure) adorable kids!! You are perfect for this Lisa), T-Call (Michael Kors was a nice touch), The General (MB!! Hold down that Willow fort!!) and others…..

Love you all!! Cozy up!! It’s starting to become HYGGE weather!! J

-Seester Ahhhhmmeee