yoyoteacher

I have been in my branch of maybe 50 members for about 7 months now and have managed to not give a talk yet. A girl who moved in 3 weeks ago gave one last Sunday. I'm not complaining because I wouldn't mind speaking, but it's been a while since I got to stand up and speak in front of a group of my peers on a Gospel subject.

I listened with my boyfriend as we drove up from visiting his mother for dinner. It was really good, though it sounded like there were some visuals that went with; may have to watch again.

Like you, I've always felt jealous of the Mormon ancestry of others and the family history stories they have as a result. As a convert, it's more of a yearning for an interesting connection to church history, even though there are benefits that come to being a convert when it comes to family history and research. It turns out, however, that despite being the only member in my living family, I am not the first person in my family to become a member of the church. My fourth great grandfather, Thomas James Britt. joined the church in Hastings, England in 1851. The first moment I learned this, my heart absolutely soared. Shortly after joining the church, they began the process of moving to Utah, coming over the Atlantic on the Emerald Isle in December of 1855. They landed in New York City on December 31st and made their way with the nearly 300 other Saints from England. My family made it all the way to Winter's Quarters and, for reasons I've yet to find/suss out of distant relatives, ended up converting to the Episcopalian church in Omaha and moved to the St. Louis area. My late grandmother, from whom I got much of my research and my "genealogy bug" was adamant about disagreeing with their being LDS, despite church records that I still see evidence of every time I go onto Family Search. When most of the baptism dates for your family are from you performing the work, seeing an 1855 in there does wonders to make your heart sing with delight.

I thought it was a wonderful talk, and one I'm glad to have heard. I don't have the strongest role models in eternal companionship, as I am a convert with non-member parents, so when I hear talks and commentary on relationships and marriage I tend to file it away in my 'for the future' stack in my brain.

Ohhhhh, I could probably answer that question. But it wouldn't be very nice of me.

I absolutely LOVE the Cape area! I have a geocaching event coming up in March that will be in Jackson, and I can't say how excited I am to get back to that area of Missouri. There was a time where I seriously considered looking for teaching jobs in the boot heel because of how much I thoroughly enjoyed working down there in the summer. I should probably add the diverse landscape of Missouri to the list of reasons why I love it so much :)

Palerider, we're practically in the same area. Cool beans. I did some summer camp work down near the boot heel (which I realize isn't an hour south of STL, but still...over in that region that is Southeast Missouri/close to the Mississippi but south of STL), and I really loved the area and the people that were there. Wonderful times! In a youthful lack of judgement, I went out to a friend's house last night to play board games with others from my YSA...the roads were kinda iffy when I left at 10:30, and it took a good 30 to 45 minutes to drive what normally takes 15 to 20.

1) Eowyn, I attend the Columbia YSA branch so your mention of Columbia perked me up! 2) It took me 30 mintues to make a 15 minute drive tonight. The weather is ridiculous. 3) Now I'm really curious where these other Missourians live...

Hey, if there is a slightly smaller get together in the Midwest, within reason, I would potentially go. Then again, that Friday I am performing in an Easter cantata with my stake choir.

I didn't know that mission.net existed! I have been trying to figure out my "other" missionary's name and how to get a hold of him for a very long time. I had a very short conversion process, but about a week before my baptism, one of the elders who taught me was transferred. I was really sad, as I felt a connection to him, but he was able to call me from his new spot and talk to me the day before my baptism. I've kept in slight contact with the other (he and I are friends on facebook), but now that I am preparing to enter the temple to receive my endowments, I really want to be able to send them both a note and thank them for teaching me and helping me find the gospel and happiness in my life. I have friends who converted more recently who are facebook friends with their missionaries, but being baptized in a world before that makes this a little more tricky. All I remember is a small piece of his last name (we jokingly called him "Sunny Valley" because of where he grew up and his last name), but looking at the timeline I think he's the guy. So thank you for posting this and helping another convert along the way!

Adam-Ondi-Ahman is a beautiful spot, another one of those rolling green hills sorts of places. Northern Missouri is full of those. I won't claim to know a lot about church history, as in many ways I'm still learning, but I do know that it's a very peaceful place to visit. I went on a youth conference trip prior to joining the church, where we visited several church historical sites. We visited Liberty jail, Far West, Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Haun's Mill. I would love to travel back now as a member, because I think those places would make more sense to me now. But that trip really opened me up to a lot of information, and I remember standing up during testimony meeting at the end of the conference and briefly saying something about how I just felt so moved by everything and the experience and that I loved how friendly and kind everyone had been and how much I wanted that for myself....at which point my friend said it might be time to schedule some meetings with the missionaries at her house. The next year we traveled to Nauvoo and Carthage. Again, very meaningful experiences there. I'm a total Midwest girl at heart. I went to BYU for a short time and I saw lots of beautiful landscapes, but there's something about four seasons and rolling pastures that just makes me feel 100% at ease.

I wouldn't be so quick to sell Missouri short. Perhaps I have a major bias here, but I've found such a variety and plethora of natural beauty in the Show-Me State that our more Western neighbors cannot offer. I've seen cave springs with water a deeper blue than you ever thought possible. I've hiked a multitude of river bluffs and have had my breath taken away at the display of God's creation every time. I've seen beautiful waterfalls and gorgeous green rolling hills of country side, untouched prairie and the most beautiful sunset that I believe can only truly come after the worst of severe weather in the heart of tornado season.

Monday was still a little iffy as far as feeling 100%, but the last two days have been fairly normal, despite parent/teacher conferences last night and tomorrow on top of a class Valentine party tomorrow. Busy week for teachers in my district!

My temperature spiked for only a four hour time and then was back down to a normal range. Sunday I was feeling really well in the morning and by the time I got to lunch before my 2:00 meeting for activities committee, I was so nauseated I could not sit in the same room with everyone else eating because the smells were so strong. I was lucky that there were still a few priesthood holders at church and they were willing to give me a blessing. There was a slight "turf" battle of sorts because there were three of them, but I was very grateful. It's hard to ask, not being used to having those opportunities available to me from birth. It was humbling and amazing at the same time to know that my friends were there and willing to help me in my time of need. And the missionaries both where I live and in my YSA branch are sisters, so while that option would have been a great one to pursue, it wouldn't have worked out. But thank you to everyone who had thoughts to share with me.

That's part of why I don't feel I should go, but I also am a 30 minute drive away from my branch, and I don't want to put anyone out by making them drive to me. I'll figure it out.

If I knew who my home teachers were, I'd totally go that route. Thanks for the advice, Jane_Doe. It is very much appreciated.

Oh, be still my math loving heart! I recently taught these divisibility rules to my students this year. The number 3 is pretty similar too, in base 10. The difference being that the sum of the digits is a multiple of 3.

I'm pretty good at asking what seems like obvious questions here on the forums. I have been sick the last 48 hours, unable to keep food in my system for very long and now I am sporting a spiking fever to go with it. I am the only member in my family and attend a YSA Branch. Would it be out of the norm for me to approach my Branch President tomorrow and ask if I could have a priesthood blessing? Do I just lay it out there bluntly? I've only had one before, and it was a father's blessing before the start of my senior year of school offered by my bishop (whose family I was close with and attended FHE with at the time; his children were receiving them and so he offered to me as well), but it was not something I asked for. I'm still at the point where I'm trying to weigh my options of whether I should go to church tomorrow because of illness. It feels like it's where I should be, but at the same time I don't want to get the other YSAs sick in the process.

I can understand the reservations. Granted, I don't know a lot on the subject because while I thought about it at a younger age (late teens when I converted), I was inactive at the time when it would have been possible for me to serve a mission. Funnily enough, if the ages had been lowered sooner, I probably would have despite my concerns. For me, the big concern stemmed back to: what would my parents think, how can I afford this financially (because I know my parents would not have supported such a decision), and the delay in starting my career. Obviously every situation is different, and serving a mission is an honorable decision, I can understand the hesitation for a late teen convert, as well, having been there myself at one point.

Let me just sit here in the corner and sing some Michael Buble. I just haven't met him yet. /o\

I was in Girl Scouts growing up, and ended up earning my gold award and am probably one of a very few LDS women who were. That process, which is extremely demanding, is far more accurate to comparison with an Eagle project, than my YW medallion. I value both of them highly and appreciate what they both did for me throughout the earning process, but I spent far more time working through the sustainable project required in girl scouts.

I make a sort of homemade hot pocket that's pretty good on the calories depending on what you put in them. Take pre-made pizza dough (you can find it with the biscuits and cinnamon rolls) and spread it out into a rectangle. Put the ingredients in that you want (I go with cheese and ham/turkey most often, but I've made some with pizza sauce and pizza toppings too). Roll it up and pinch the ends so the dough stays together. Cook for the time amount listed on the package. Super simple. I had 30 minutes on Monday between coming home from work and leaving to go to YSA FHE and I was able to get it prepped and cooked and sliced before needing to leave. Had to eat it while driving but it's very manageable!

Wow, I sure feel encouraged and hopeful about my future now, being a single 27 year old LDS woman! Good to know I'm the equivalent of a second class woman!

I can see where this response is coming from, but if I were in the same shoes I would have to say yes, I am upset. First of all, knowing that my grandma that recently passed was a deeply rooted Catholic, she nearly went ballistic on me when I mentioned that some of our ancestors converted to the church in England because she was convinced they were Episcopalian (they were...after they immigrated to the United States). I hope I'm not stepping on the OP with my opinion, but I would be upset that the rules and regulations that pop up every time you submit a name for temple work were being blatantly ignored. I would be upset that the saving ordinances were being performed without the permission of her husband or her children or grandchildren. And, on a very selfish note, I have found great joy in being able to perform those saving ordinances for my ancestors. To lose the chance of doing such for my grandmother, or someday watching my children (that I hopefully have) be able to do such for her, in the future would be heartbreaking for me.

Forever and ever, on and on.