Mother's Day Video Phone Call!

Honestly I was a little nervous to talk to her. I know how phone calls home can be hard on missionaries, causing homesickness and lack of focus. Unfortunately it caused this for me too! But the minute her sweet face popped up on the screen I just cried. She looks beautiful, happy, sweet, full of life and spirit and just plain amazing. They were tears of sweet joy that I need to feel. Being a missionary mom is not always easy, yes the blessings come and you do feel a sense of peace most of the time about your missionary serving but there is a piece of a mother's heart that goes with them and the ache is tangible and other times so hard to move forward without missing them more. 

My favorite part of her video phone call was the chance to have her fill our home with laughter and love. Megan has always had that ability to bring light to each room she enters. Last night at 7:00pm the room filled with her light. It was magical! She had curled her hair so nicely and looks a little older and much wiser. She has grown up... is a lovely women and I could not be more proud of her.

The chance to have all my kids and my new (almost) daughter with us too was a special gift I will forever treasure. We panned the room so she could see everyone there but I kept the camera on me! It was Mother's day after all. We all asked her questions and specifically about what she loves about being a missionary. What miracles she has seen, her response was she see's one everyday! 

We even sang happy birthday to her, since her birthday is in two weeks. That was fun, she didn't want us all to sing but we did :) She wants a hair cut for her birthday.. done!

At the end we asked her to share her testimony. What power and conviction she shared. I cried another round of joyous tears as she testified of the Book of Mormon, of prophets, of the restoration, of a Savior who atoned for her sins and ours, for a loving Heavenly Father and her love for the priesthood power and eternal families. Really it was all encompassing. She also shared that she KNOWS she is supposed to be where she is now, serving the Lord. She expressed gratitude for a loving family, companion and opportunities. 

We closed with a family prayer that John offered and blessed her with protection, feeling the love from home and gratitude for the blessings our family receives as she serves. 

It was hard to say goodbye but we did it. Could I love a daughter more? I bet as the years continue I will. She is a gift Heavenly Father knew I needed and knew I would cherish! Love you with all of my heart Sister Monson, Megan! May the Lord continue to bless you with experiences that will shape, mold and prepare you for now and your future.

Love, Mom

Forget Me Not

When you are on foot for an evening and you don't know where anyone in your area lives, you just kind of have to knock doors all evening. So that's what we did Tuesday night. The Elders had to borrow our car for a baptismal interview which left us on foot without any idea where we were supposed to do. So we started knocking.

Door after door was slammed in our face, many people had quite colorful words to use for us knocking on their doors at 8 o'clock. We had no other ideas, so we kept on knocking. We came across a door that had 2 "no soliciting" signs. One means "don't knock on my door." Two means "I will seriously be peeved if you knock on my door." With a little trepidation we knocked on the door, not knowing what response we would be greeted with.

Holding my breath I waited... To my surprise a sweet little old lady answered. She wasn't interested in our message, but she asked if we would like to cut some flowers out of her garden so we could have fresh ones in our home. We agreed and she brought us garden clippers and gloves. We filled bags full of beautiful flowers and talked as we made bouquets. We learned that her name is Mary and her husband is in a care facility on the other side of the state. She told us that she had been so very lonely and had been praying for a  friend that day. What do you know but we knocked on her door!

As we gathered flowers I found one that I had only heard about before but had never seen, little tiny blue flowers called "forget me nots." They reminded me of a story that President Uchtdorf told in General conference several years ago.

forget me nots and so many more beautiful flowers

A while ago I was walking through a beautiful garden with my wife and daughter. I marveled at the glory and beauty of God’s creation. And then I noticed, among all the glorious blooms, the tiniest flower. I knew the name of this flower because since I was a child I have had a tender connection to it. The flower is called forget-me-not.

I’m not exactly sure why this tiny flower has meant so much to me over the years. It does not attract immediate attention; it is easy to overlook among larger and more vibrant flowers; yet it is just as beautiful, with its rich color that mirrors that of the bluest skies—perhaps this is one reason why I like it so much.

And there is the haunting plea of its name. There is a German legend that just as God had finished naming all the plants, one was left unnamed. A tiny voice spoke out, “Forget me not, O Lord!” And God replied that this would be its name.

Heavenly Father did not forget Mary that day, and He has never forgotten any of us. The Lord is so very aware of us and He wants to give us the blessings we desire and deserve. I know that He loves us. He cares deeply for us, whatever our circumstances. Forget not that He is there for you.

All my love,

Sister Megan Monson

She lives in a beautiful area, Bremerton. Many people ride the ferry to Seattle each day for work. 

flowers from a sweet ladies yard

Happy Sisters!