Week 27: Hearts Knit Together

Standing in a forest on Christmas Day

Presents!

This week a wonderful member of my ward here asked me about my hobbies, I told her about how I knit, (because on the inside I am a 72 year-old lady!) and her eyes lit up. "I have something for you!" she told me, and then proceeded to pull out bag after bag of YARN. My eyes opened wide and my mind started racing with possibilities of what I could do with all this yarn. What did I come up with?

    In the past week and a half I have taught three people how to knit. One was my companion, I will not even hide the fact that she and I struggled with unity this whole transfer, but knitting was something we could relate with. I knit to relieve stress in a productive way. It has been my outlet for a year now and it has helped me in so many ways. And now it is helping my companion.

    The scriptures talk about knitting only one time, but that's more than they talk about my other hobbies! (i.e. Snowskiing, wakeboarding, etc)

     Mosiah 18:21 And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.

     Knitting brought us unity, and gave us a greater love for each other. And now I will be making room in my heart for another Sister! Sister Philippi will be transferring to Olympia and I will get Sister Ireland! I have known Sister Ireland since the beginning of my mission and we will have so much fun! I am very excited to get to work with her!

     Christmas was great, I got to talk to my family! How I love them! That was the most bittersweet present I have ever received. Sweet because I just love my family and love talking to them. Bitter because I had to say goodbye all over again! But families are forever, because of Christ, and that makes everything okay!

    I love you all! Happy New Year!

     Sister Megan Monson

Bingham Missionaries, pick and shovel Elder Devenburg, Elder Pipe, Sis Monson

Christmas day with a wonderfully kind women

Christmas Eve present, sent with love

Christmas Eve with district

Foodbank

beautiful location

Add caption

presents

Snoopy

Standing in a forest Christmas Day

Christmas Day: phone call

Really and truly we could not ask for a better Christmas present than to SEE and HEAR our daughter, after 6 months of missing her like crazy! She sounds so good, so happy and doing well. Missionary work is hard and can be discouraging and yet she does find the joy in sharing the gospel in whatever way the people around them will listen. She enjoys serving in the local food bank each week and said that they spend 10 hours a week doing service, up to 25 hours a week tracking the streets of Shelton and Union. Sister Monson said the ward does so much for the missionaries. They feed them every night, stock their pantry with food, refurnished their apartment with newer furniture, drive long distances to pick up a new box springs for her bed, and provide space heaters and lots of blankets so they can stay warm in their old little house. She mentioned how much she has learned from each companion and how much they mean to her. Sister Belliston taught her how to deal with girls, Sister Bird was a wonderful trainer who really helped her learn about herself and what she was capable of and how to be an excellent missionary. Thanks to her! Sister Webb was a very hard working companion and they trained each other. From Sister Philipi she learned compassion and love. She told us that missionary work is HARD, harder than she could ever imagine and harder than anyone ever told her. 
She has 1,400 miles per transfer to drive on her car and it is not nearly enough to see her whole area. She spends time mostly in Union and Shelton. Lots of miracles and special experiences. Working with Ben and Chantelle and Becky. Or the funny experience where they (Sister Bird and Sister Monson) had to ask the homeless man leave from the door of the church where he was charging his cell phone. Scared them to death. She tells it much better than I can write it. 

We laughed at stories and cried at others. She was too emotional at the end to share her testimony, she said she would cry, that it was too tender and too special not to. We ended with a family prayer, grateful for a chance to have John pronounce a blessing on her. By that time we were all bawling. That is when we just had to push the disconnect button... the hardest part of the day! We love our Meggins, Meggers, Meg, Megan, Sister Monson so very much! It was a choice experience to talk to her and we can't wait until Mother's Day! Merry Christmas Sister Monson! Love you to the moon and back.

waiting for the call

She's on!

enjoying the special addition for Christmas!

Darn she is so cute!

This family could not be more happy!

Sister Monson sent us a package with little gifts for each of us! A Seattle Seahawks hat for Jaymes, a stuffed bear for Tyler, a Space Needle pencil sharpener for Brayden, a snoopy figurine for John, a handmade hand band for Me and some fun home listing papers from streets she tracked in Lincoln. A small glass lady bug from the glass museum a little elephant and coloring book. A WATAC ornament and Marvel book. Special time opening hand picked presents for each of us!

gift from Megan

special package

WATAC ornament

family picture Christmas Day!