LOVE love LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOY!!

 

Family that I love and miss everday!!

 

What a week for Elder Pauly and I! we have been truly blessed this week, and our hard work has payed off. We were able to find 3 new investigators this week! One is a lady named Allison, who really needs the gospel. She has been commited to baptism on the 22nd of June, so keep her in your prayers! we have only had one lesson with the other two, and I will keep you updated with how they are progressing as we continue to teach them.

 

This week we continued to see Susan, the girl from last week who was such a miracle. She is such an amazing woman, and has been prepared basically her whole life to receive this gospel.  We taught her about the restoration on thursday, and everything just made so much sense to her. she has always thought her whole life, it didn't make sense that heavenly father, jesus, and the holy ghost were the same person, and loved hearing that she was right! When Elder Pauly asked her to commit to baptism on the the 15th of june, she said "I thought it was going to take me 2 years of coming to church everyday, committing basically no sins" and then we explained to her that she was definitely ready! She started crying! she is so exited to get baptized, and felt the spirit so strong that she coudln't talk for like 5 minutes! it was almost like someone was asking a girl to get married, they cry for 5 minutes and then say yes. It was so amazing, and we all felt the spirit on fire! I know without a doubt, that we were sent to that home, because she has been prepared to receive the restored gospel.  She came to church on sunday, and loved it! she loves singing hymns, and the sacrament meeting. We are so exited and so blessed to have been able to have the opportunity to find Susan. 

 

I finally got the package this week at zone conference!! Dad, thank you so much for your package! I definitely did need some new scriptures, and the popcorn is awesome as well. more than anything though, I appreciated your testimony at the beginning of my scriptures. I really felt the spirit testify to me that the things you had written down are true. and I already knew they were true! I am so grateful to have you in my life, as someone who teaches me by example, how I need to love my savior, and this gospel, and receive the blessings that the restoration has to offer to us. thank you so much dad, I love you!

 

At zone conference it was so weird hearing the departing testimony's. I'm so grateful that I still have so much time to learn, and grow to become the missionaries that they are as they are leaving. it was so interesting to here the difference in their testimonies, but one thing that all of them had in common, was their testimony of the savior, his atonement, and the book of mormon. 

 

I'm getting really comfortable teaching by the spirit. It's really cool and undescribable! all I know is I'm not thinking at all, and words are coming out of my mouth that make perfect sense! I am blessed to have the spirit with me everyday. 

 

We are moving out of our current flat, because it's basically falling apart. something pretty cool- Elder Ballard served in Eastwood, and it's possible that he used the same flat that I'm in now! crazy eh? but even though it's possible that an apostle was in the same flat, i'm exited to leave because it's kind of a dump haha. 

 

I'm glad you guys had fun in Idaho, and that's so cool that Spence and all of his friends are kickin' it just like old times! J.P. told me that he got to play ball with spencer and catch up a little bit!

 

Not much else to add this week family, sorry! Just know that My testimony has grown so much even just this week. I know that if we work hard and listen to the spirit, we don't have to do much else! I love this gospel, and am loving every second in Eastwood. Love you so much!! Have a good week, Mom, sell some houses for me :) Thank you for supporting the t-wolves this week! Means a lot to me and to them! Take Care

 

Elder Harris.

WHAT A WEEK!!!! May 20-27 2013

We all went to the State play off game...I'm sorry they didn't win Bam...but it was SO GOOD to be there! I had been up since 2 am that morning and could barely keep my eyes open...shows how much I love them!!

The Coop with his miniature teacher:)

 Max's farewell is on the 26th of June:)

 Megs and Laura went to DUCK BEACH in North Carolina to meet NEW men and it looks like they DID! Can't wait for her to get home tomorrow for the update!

Look who was on Meg's FLIGHT!!! Yep...he's went to ask the DAD for permission to marry her!

 

This is such a great pic of Mike and Spencer...he went in this morning. The pic below it their last MAN FEAST that Spencer made.

 

Nettie at the sign directing us into the reunion. I am dead tired so I will give you more details later, but we are related to HAPPY people. What a gift. Everyone asked after you. Josh went...I LOVED that! And so did 11 dogs (didn't love that so much---even though they were pretty good)

 I think Aundt Rene is 77? She is something to behold...wish you could have seen the HIGH HEELS she had on in camp the whole time! And her body! I want it NOW...she does Yoga every day...and she swears by eating 7 raw almonds everyday to keep cancer away. So interesting to visit with her...and her kids are AWESOME SAUCE...I LOVED LAUGHING with everyone!

 Here is the DONALD DAVID HARRIS LEG of the 14 kids...

 This is everyone who came....

 Josh and Cassie visiting...this is Mac's oldest daughter who did NOT come with him when he visited in March...she's been at University of Arizona. LOVE THESE WOMEN!

 Amber is the love buddy. Kelly and Julia treated us all to a catered dinner Saturday night in celebration of their wedding:) SO YUM

 Me and Bernadette...so MANY INCREDIBLE WOMEN!!! I wish I was in the sister loop with her sisters...I laughed and laughed and laughed...GINA lives in a 400 sf (really, that's all) apartment in NYC...she and her husband were a DELIGHT. At one point Ron says ---you don't know it, cuz you stopped at 5...but after 7 kids you get a second wind:) I wish I could remember HALF the stuff he said to me...you'd be laughing now too!

 Leland, Ted's son and his wife...he starts WALDORF schools ( I have friends here from my book group who have done the same...so INTERESTING to talk to him about Anthroposophy. When I told him that I have Rudolf Steiner's birthday he said NO, I have his birthday...I said oh...so we are ALL born on Feb.27th...and he smiled and said NO, his REAL date of physically being born was the 25th---HIS birthday...but they count the day he was baptized (the 27th:)) Learn stuff everyday.

 SO SO SO MUCH LOVE for all these people!

 SO...here is Gino (dad) Catherine, Gina, RON, Rene (14th and baby) and Mike...Mike is our new family musician...wish I had taped something of him and Ron...his strumming was fascinating...reminded me of the movie August Rush. He can sound just like Johnny Cash.

Great pic of Ellen. I LOVE this woman.
I LOVE YOU BUDDY! YOU WERE MISSED!!!
I can't wait to hear every detail of the past week!
Off to sleep...meet you there...at the reunion...we will watch the little kids impromptu "shows"...you'll probably get yourself INTO them somehow.
YOUR MOMMA
XXOOXXOOXXOOXXOOXXOOXXOOXX
PS...ONE DAY just our family is going to have a reunion and we are going to FILL a campsite with all those babies coming to me...just think of it! I can smell and feel them now...

 

Love from Sam 20 May 2013

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!! ma boys won their first 2 games in the tournament!! they are gonna take it! please go and support them family!! You know how much they all mean to me, and you know how much I wish I was there! if at all possible, video the cool moments of the tournament ok? anyways I was way stoked to hear that they are playing well, and coming through in the clutch.  I know they have a game tuesday at Kearns, and then after that it will be at UVU.

 

Yesterday me and my companion got in a pretty big fight haha ended up in us physically fighting, and wrestling. anyways after we were exhausted he said something funny and we just started laughing, both of us laughing way hard! and then we became friends again. it was a rough 10 minutes! but I honestly think that in the end, it made us stronger as a companionship. don't worry we are totally fine now and laugh about it!

 

We had a pretty sweet Miracle this week! Do you remember that girl I was prompted to knock on her door on P-day?? well we went to go follow up with her on Wednesday, because we tried 3 or 4 times before that and she wasn't home. she was finally home. and the first thing she says when she sees us, is "Oh my gosh I love your book so much! I feel the spirit so much when I read it!" she has read every pamphlet, and scripture we have given her to read so far. and she is going to read the Book of Mormon front to back in about the next 2 weeks she says.  Also, she said, "Getting baptized sounds so exiting!! can I bring my friends and family?... oh and is it ok if I give my really good friend this book, because I think she could really use it!" so basically she's doing missionary work for us and she's not even a member yet. such a miracle! I know the spirit directed me to that house, and she's has been prepared for many years to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!! We are now teaching her, and she is going to get baptized. so yeah how about that? and also, she is obsessed with reading the same kind of books that mom is.. anyways about 5 minutes after we visited her, she flipped open this book about personal improvement, and the first paragraph she read was about Joseph Smith and our church. she thought that was a sign that maybe she should read what we gave her too! Also, what she does for a living is sells natural medicines just like mom! I told her it was such a blessing to meet her because, even though I don't have my actual mom, I have someone just like her!

 

The spirit has been really strong this week. We don't have any new investigators besides her. (Susan)....but we have had a lot of really sweet potentials and referrals for once! it's so amazing when the hard work actually produces some results that you can immediately see. We are taking Spencer's advice, and working with less actives like crazy. We have gotten the ward to have a night in a couple weeks, where we go and share a message with a bunch of  different less actives. 

 

P-day was awesome. we spent the day in Nottingham with a few sets of Elders, and just hung out, got some a new backpack and some other stuff that I needed.  We climbed the roof of our flat, because we were really bored, and found a sweet cave thing hidden in the attic! it was awesome! Elder Pauly was called to be a district leader on monday and he is way upset! he wanted to slip by his mission without any leadership, who knows why because he is going to be an awesome DL. 

 

I got informed this week that the more it rains while finding people, the better looking our wives are going to be. so..Due to all of the rain.. watch out Harris family, i'm going to have a smoking hot wife :)

 

that's about it for the week! I love you all so much!! I love reading mom's blog, seeing all of your faces, and hearing about how you are all doing! take care this week, and go and support the baseball team please!! 

 

Love you!

Elder Harris

 

p.s. sorry for no pictures again..I forgot that my battery is charging in the flat. next week double! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19 May 2013 Spencer's Homecoming

I'm GRATEFUL for the birds bursting in song in the dark as my run and morning begins....the reminder they are for me to "consider the lilies of the field".  I am so prone to think WHY are they happy when they know they have another day of WORKING and SURVIVAL ahead of them??-- and from what I can't see or understand, no connecting relationships to make that song worthy? What ARE their relationships? HOW DO THEY FEEL? What are my relationships? How do I FEEL? Grateful, just grateful for the feelings and thoughts that come to me from everywhere.

I'm GRATEFUL for the feelings I had the day Sapphire Cannon was born. I was so relieved for Shannon and Cole and everyone. As I sat in my relief it was literally as if she was speaking to me. She told me how perfect this whole experience was for her and that she carefully CHOSE it for herself! I knew that I too would have chosen those exact loves to come and support me through it. Just as I HAVE CHOSEN those exact LOVES to support ME through my life experience!  I felt awed and wondered at myself that my "imagination" would be so strong. She was born with tumors in her brain and on her heart. She left us yesterday to go back to another place of LOVE....but who would ever doubt that THIS Place of LOVE was less supreme than the one she came from or the one she is in now? I have NEVER thought of THIS life in THAT way. NEVER. I had always thought of the next life as a more supreme dwelling, with much purer LOVE. A quiet, fierce KNOWING is the gift she gave me and I never even got a sniff or a snug of her. Sapphire gave me JOY in  "my knowing"  instead of sadness.

My Facebook love note:
I can hardly take it in . In MY world this loss is unspeakable. Yet, there is this OTHER world that keeps finding cracks in MY world and lets a sweet light through. I had the strangest sensation of peace and LOVE wash over me the day she was born and I felt that SHE FELT that everything was PERFECT for her, and that YOU my loves were part of that complete perfection. I was awed that I would FEEL her so strongly...and even now, as I sit in this news, ASTONISHED at the gift her life has been FOR ME...one so removed. LOVE is everywhere in this. How humbled I feel to be apart of such beauty.

I am GRATEFUL for SPENCER. His Homecoming talk was today. He spoke on Humility and emulated his talk. Each of my kids fill such a different space and with such a variety of BEINGNESS. His mission brought him home to me a man of peace and sureness. It feels so good to be in his assured, happy space. I love the dreams he is dreaming and the plans he is planning. He will work at Unita Golf and go to school in fall. Right now he's working with Cole Wharton mowing lawns. I really am not sure what it's going to look like for me when they all REALLY ARE GONE and out of our house creating their own worlds. I breathe deeply and smile as I am old enough now to know that EVERYTHING has only gotten better with time.

I am GRATEFUL that Mike King leaves a week from tomorrow to head back out to TONGA...I will hate to have him gone for 2 years...but HE is thrilled to be going, and I have to love his excitement.

I AM GRATEFUL to Brene Brown. My Sister. Mother. Mentor. My Friend. I am her newest disciple. Look at the shine in her face! What I would give to spend a day with her.  So...DARING GREATLY was off the charts for me...THE GIFTS OF IMPERFECTION topped even that! I just want EVERYONE to STOP what they are doing and read this woman's light and air---and then CONNECT with me and be vulnerable with me. I WILL live a WHOLEHEARTED LIFE! As I was searching for a pic of her to share and saw this last photo where she had written on her feet...I gasped...for those of you who know I do the SAME thing...pretty funky that we BOTH would do that right???? I LIKE HER SO MUCH!!! I KNEW we were kindred. AND she loves Ann Lamont...AND she dances in her kitchen!!!It makes me sad I didn't find her before now....and also makes me wonder WHO ELSE have I missed that I am dying to love and emulate? COME TO ME!

 Her blog is  www.ordinarycourage.com

I am GRATEFUL for Patrick and Allyse Sedivy and the Do Terra ride I am on. It is kicking my butt and honing my skills and letting me see more of the rough spots "I's got's". I feel frustrated not knowing how to motivate when others aren't motivated by the things that motivate me. The dream and honeymoon of it is over and the work has set in....I LIKE work...but I am seeing that other's ...not so much as me. It is a challenge and a blessing. I love people. I love making a difference. I LOVE learning and growing!

I am GRATEFUL for you SAM. When I hit road blocks and want to be smarter and better and more EVERYTHING so I can succeed I think about you and the frustration you voiced on Mother's Day followed immediately by your "I got this" smile and attitude. I wanna BE like you. We BOTH so HAVE THIS! We are perfectly enough just the way we are. I imagine sometimes you being on the other side of my door knock....I can't help but know that MOST of the people who open the door KNOW they've got someone special there when they see your smile and you make them laugh. You were missed today. You are missed EVERYDAY. I have started a shrine for you above my white board.xxooxxooxxooxx....yes, a MOTHER CAN build a shrine to a living child that is NOT in arms reach! I say so.

Rise and SHOUT! Play and REST! Feel JOY! MISS ME:)
The Momma

I FOUND YOUR RETAINER!!!!

Or JOSH did....it was just sitting on your cubby shelf when I came in your room to day to lay on your bed and try to SMELL YOU....
SO A PACKAGE will be on its way SOON!!!
LOVE YOU BUG!
xxooxxooxxooxxooxxooxxooxxooxx
Mom

Letter from Sam...pics at END :)

family!! WHAT UP!!

 

so mothers day is obviously this week!! and I will most likely be calling at around 4:00 birmingham time... I hope that's o.k!! it's going to have to be, because I really want to go to the members house that we're going to.

 

Holy cow spencer is home! that is so nuts! I miss him soooo much! and can't imagine how outstanding a missionary he was while he was out here on the field! that's so funny that ashlyn, taylor, and brynn went on dates with spencer's friends! that's rad! who did spencer take? how is he doing? be honest is he weird? If he's weird, it means he was a good missionary. so that's ok :) seeing the pictures of everyone made me a little trunky, but then my companion slapped me and said hey, quit being sad haha so i've been doing good ever since then!!

 

This week has been my favorite on the mission so far! a lot of really great things happened! I got a European style hair cut that looks pretty fresh I must say. this kid in my district cuts hair. we're a little worried that he's in the 2% because guys shouldn't be able to cut hair like he does haha.  We went to Derby on Monday and went to the big shopping mall there, and got some pretty sweet stuff. I got mike some shoes for his birthday, but unfortunately he's gonna have to wait a couple months.  We eat doner's probably twice a week! I love them so much holy cow. On wednesday we helped a less active move. here's the situation. she didn't tell her husband she was moving out, because she was afraid of what he would do to her, and so she called up the ward and said basically 'I need to pack up everything and be out of here in 3 hours. so I need as much help as possible!' so there we're probably 25 of us in her small home packing up her stuff, hauling it to her moving truck, and trying to get out of there before the husband arrived. thank goodness we did, and then moved all of the stuff in her new apartment. that's going to be quite a shock for the husband to walk in to his house and see that more than half of the stuff in the house is gone! sad situation and she was crying mostly the whole morning! keep Maria in your prayers. 

 

At district meeting on thursday, we ripped up dirty church shirts, and wrote on them our title of liberty! sweetest idea ever from my district leader, and now I carry it around with me everywhere! the spirit was so strong in the meeting as we all shared why and what we wrote on our each individual title's of liberty.  My favorite member went to the temple on saturday for the first time after getting baptized last year! and it was so great to hear all about her experience and it strengthened my testimony a ton.  Friday was so weird knowing the spencer had slept at our home! but on friday we went to Birmingham to have a meeting for the trainers and the greenies! it was so good to be reunited with all of my friends from the MTC, and also meet a bunch of new friends as well serving in the mission! this mission is full with amazing missionaries.. and is now the biggest mission that has ever been in Europe (number of missionaries)

 

Edward isn't really progressing. he is still smoking, and would feel uncomfortable at church because he does have to smoke! we are fasting and praying for him, and hopefully things pick up again with him! We saw Reg. and Kitty again on saturday! and they are always so great to be around, and so hilarious! we are planning on teaching them the restoration tomorrow!

 

Yesterday for p-day we made a harlem shake video that is pretty hilarious and I will try and get it posted as soon as it is ready! I love the mission! we have so much fun together! yesterday when we were on our way to play football, I had a prompting to knock on a door, however, Elder Pauly and I we're not in our proselyting clothes, and the impression I got was that we needed to knock on her door on our way back from playing football. We knocked on her door on our way back, and she had just walked in the door 30 seconds before we knocked! we then asked her if she was relgious.. the usual.. yada yada, then she preceded to tell us that she only listens to the holy spirit so she probably wouldn't listen to what we had to say! we started laughing and then explained to her we believe the exact same thing, she was super stoked to read the book of mormon and asked us to please come back and visit her soon this week! how cool is that?? another miracle! ~

yesterday we had to break into a members home because she gave us the wrong key to feed her cat while she's on holiday. that doesn't look fishy at all when two men who they've never seen before are breaking into their neighbors home! haha so many people we're getting upset at us. it was hilarious!

 

Everything is still going great! I love my family more than anything in the world, and you all mean so much to me. I can't wait to hear from you guys on sunday for mothers day!

 

Love you so much!

 

p.s. I've lost 15 lbs in England.. weird huh? i guess we just bike all the time or something! also, i found ramen.. so don't send me that! but still orville redenbacker would be nice!! Love you!

 Something about just SEEING where he is really brings me peace.

 Also seeing that they are still SO REAL and being BOYS does the same for me..