A Week of LIGHT

APRIL 30 2017

Hey Buddy!!!

Oh man did we miss you ever this week. Everything reminded me of you. Sorry,

We did the Moonlight thing.... I sent pics and videos, let me know if you get those. 2 different emails. Dad and I volunteered on the first and second night. It was tons of fun but oh man was I sore!!!! We hauled all the dishes and stuff back and forth. The kids were doing ok but I got a couple of them that were so slow. So needless to say I had to help them out. We loved it though. 

Then on Saturday, we got to enjoy the whole thing. We had Elaina, her parents, and a neighbor friend of her parents on our table. Grandma Wood joined us really late cuz she was at the Miss Farmington pageant. ALYSSA won it all by the way. She is Miss Farmington. Holy cow. Anyway, Then Zac and Megan were on the table by us with her family and then the Hadleys were right up front. I was so jealous. Dad and Lexie picked out the back corner table for us but oh well, it was kinda cool because we could see the whole gym from our advantage point. Hadleys brought both grandmas. They had an amazing time! Hope you like the videos and pics. 

Lexie should be sending you some videos that I took of her and Spencer swing dancing. 

I got the pic of you and sister Blakeman.

She told me how much you mean to her. She reached out to me on messenger last week and told me how much you have been helping her out since you have been there. She said you are a great asset to the Plainview ward. Then she told me she was coming out here to Utah in a couple of weeks to visit temples and do genealogy. We are going to meet somewhere while she is here. You'll have to tell me about her. 

This pic is what happened all day after church, ha ha. Guess they were tired. I wish I was able to take naps. 

And then guess what!!! I finally finished my Personal Progress again!!! Yay, the Bishop presented this to me in Relief Society.

I'm so excited to have a temple medallion. It really means so much to me. I started working on it back when I was set apart as the Stake Young Women President. I know it took me a long time because I didn't stay focused on it. But the last 6 months I have been working hard to earn it. I can say it's definitely something everyone should keep doing. It makes you "PROGRESS PERSONALLY". It gives you things to work on and goals to make and achieve. Who does that on their own. Not many people. So I am thankful I finished. I loved all of my projects. Most of them, of course, had to do with developing myself to be a better leader at work and it has actually been paying off. 

I can't believe you are a district leader already. I'm sure that is coming with some challenges. But, you are the bestest. And I know that if something isn't going how you had planned, you will go to the Lord to figure it out. Rhet Kasparian speaks highly of you. He's still our home teacher and he loves reading your letters.

Oh and Lydia Adams mom told me Lydia is on Stanton Is. She was excited I said you saw her once. She and her companion are the only English speaking ones out there so they have been busy. 

I'm so way excited to go to Women's Conference this week at BYU. Amy and I are going to be roomies again and go enjoy the spirit. It's so amazing to get over 20,000 women all united in Christ in one place. My favorite is when we are all singing hymns. The spirit is just so strong and speaks truth to my heart. 

Then, Dad and I are going to go up to the Trek site to do our route review with 6 others. Excited to go see where we will be trekking. I pray that the snow will be melted so we can go on all the roads. Dad is going to bring a gps like tracker thing. So we can make sure we follow the right route. Then that night Dad and Lexie are in charge of doing the DJ gig for Rachel Rodda's wedding. I'll go hang out and help them set up and all but then I will be leaving to go to our Stake Conference. I love stake conference. I guess you can say I'm a spirit junkie!!

SO sorry this email got to be so long. I love you and hope you are doing so great. I put your name on the temple roll every week. Oh, had a cool experience this week there too but I have already bored you to death of everything else. If there is anyone else you need me to put on the roll let me know on Mondays and I will put it on Thursdays. 

Love you buddy!

Love, Mom

ELDER SNELL: Hi, Mommy! :)

Sounds like you had a pretty great week! Thanks for the pictures and
what not of Moonlight serenade! :) I love Moonlight. I saw the video
of you dancing with Zac, but I couldn't get the other video to
download... I am sure it was pretty awesome, though! I am sure you had
tons of fun working the floor as a waitress ;) hahaha Dad told me that
he danced a waltz with Elaina? How did that go?? Haha :)

Hahahaha I see you met Krista Blakeman over messenger :) She is a
member of the Plainview ward, but she came to Rego Park for some
reason yesterday. Krista was super excited to show me that she had
talked with you and is planning on meeting you. Small warning with
her: she is a little crazy... Super kind and really loving, but just a
little crazy. You will have to let me know how that goes :) :) :) I
told her to tell you hi for me ;)

YAY! That is super awesome that you were able to complete your
personal progress again :) It is super cool to see how those types of
things really do help us out in our every day lives!

I am loving the opportunity the Lord has given me to serve my district
as a district leader! Yes, there are some aspects of it that bring a
couple of new challenges. But, for the most part, it is truly
incredible to be able to directly affect the lives of the missionaries
in my district. Heavenly Father has definitely become my go-to
counselor :) I am so grateful for what I have learned so far when it
comes to receiving guidance and inspiration from the Spirit. There is
definitely nothing else on earth that could teach me this as well as a
mission. It is truly an incredible experience! Sometimes I feel like I
am nowhere near good enough or qualified enough to do what the Lord
ask me to haha. But, I have learned that He is always there, walking
alongside me; sometimes dragging me behind him in a sled. Sometimes He
just picks me up and fireman-carries me on his shoulders. Other times,
we both grab a stretcher and carry others who need His help. I love
the Lord, my God with all my heart! I am learning lots from Him, too!
:) I don't know why Rhett speaks so highly of me hahaha Most times I
feel like I'm not doing anything at all hahaha :) That is super kind
of him, though. He is a great man! Tell him I say hello :)

That is cool that you saw Sister Adams' mom! Sister Adams is super
awesome, and from what I hear, they are killing it out on Staten
Island. Her MTC companion, Sister Persinger, is in my district here in
Rego Park.

Sounds like you have a busy week ahead of you! :) I hope you have a
great time at Women's Conference!

Thank you for always keeping me in your prayers as well as on the
temple prayer roll :) I really appreciate it. I don't always get to go
to the temple now, but when I do I always put your name on the prayer
roll as well :) Love you! Also, I would love to hear about your
experience at the temple if you would like to share it :)

Love ya!
Elder Snell

MOM: The other video is of Elaina and her Dad doing swing. Bummer you didn't see it. Then I sent you one with Grandma and Zac, Elaina and Brenna and then Lynette and Logan. I'm sorry you couldn't open it. I don't know how else to send it.

HaHa. Yup I can see that sister Blakeman is, well, special!!!! She sent me FB messaged uptill about 2 am. She says she doesn't go to sleep until 3am. :)

Jenn Corbridge and I went to the temple for visiting teaching. She really wanted to go. I drove and we talked the whole way there, then we parked and talked in the parking lot. She needed time for someone to listen. She is going through things I have gone through so I listened and let her know what really helped me. It was way spiritual. So then we went into the temple and the brother at the front said that the temple just closed one minute ago :( We were so sad that we missed it. We sat in the waiting room for a minute and then I wanted to at least add names to the temple roll. They let us go to the temple roll and then we had to leave. We sat just right out in the foyer and felt of the spirit and talked some more. While we were enjoying the spirit there, Brenna came out!!! I hugged her eyes out. ha Ha. I was so excited to see her. She is resuming her volunteering there until she will go back out on her mission which is in 3 weeks. She is so excited. I truly wish I could be a temple worker but I have to wait until Lexie is 18 or out of the house until they allow us to do it. I imagine it's one of the most rewarding service.

So Jenn and I still had an amazing experience at the temple but I still wanted to do some work so I went the next morning. I am so grateful for the opportunity to go weekly and to be sanctified each time I walk through the doors. I'm sorry you can't go often but I challenge you when you come home to make it a habit in your life and you will be blessed 10 fold!!!!

Love you! Thank you for your descriptions of the Savior and how he helps you. It was so vivid and I could feel the spirit.

Love you Buddy!

ELDER SNELL: That sounds cool :) that's too bad that it wouldn't download... maybe try sending them again individually? That usually tends to work :) 

That is such a neat experience you had at the temple! You are so amazing for being able to help out Sister Corbridge like that :) The temple truly is a holy place! I can't wait to make going to the temple a habit for after my mission! :)

Thanks for helping me feel the spirit again today :) I love you lots!!!!!

Elder Snell

APRIL 25 2017

Apparently you are supposed to meet Yoshi Sato in that ward :) a friends son was in this ward and she said he will send me lots of pics. Ha ha!!! 

Hope you are doing amazing!!!!!

ELDER SNELL:

MAY 2 2017

Hahahaha that is funny! The entire mission knows Yoshi! He used to
come to every transfer meeting and take pictures of all the new
companionships, but President Reynolds told him he probably shouldn't
come anymore....  he still takes pictures at church occasionally and
at every larger event for the church. Like at stake conference and
what not hahahaha. He posts all of his pictures on his Facebook page,
so just search him up on Facebook and you will have all his photos! :)
he is super funny hahaha :) I love him to death, though haha :)

MOM: That's funny that you all know him. I'll have to look him up. :)