Email...August 17th

Hey Family,

Dad thats awesome that you met Chip. Crazy connections. Small world.

Mom... Plaque... i would like oak wood and my favorite scripture Ether 12:19 And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad.

Wow sounds like shan is gonna have fun!
i didnt know matt and sariah were moving.. sad. YAY for gettin peanut! and a new baby.. they are gonna be busy.. :D

This week has been a blast!On monday night we had Sis Hall (one of the arco sisters) stay the night with us on exchanges. we had so much fun. we were not a sleep till at least 11:45. oops. LOL. but on tuesday we had an adventure. we lost our phone for most the day. it was quite fun to try and get a hold of people. but we found it in the Arco sisters car in a bag of Kisses for Deesa. it was crazy. i dont know how you did it dad with out a cell phone. :D

We had an amazing lesson with Laurie Beaman on thursday. she was very dissatisfied with the catholic chruch.. so she has alot of the same basic beliefs as we do.. we gave her an conditional baptism commitment. which she accepted. We also had a lesson with AJ Olsen. who is 17. the spirit was so strong at the lesson.. and his friend aubrey has a power house testimony. she made it so much stronger.

the other night at the VC sister harrison and i were plannin and she said she would be right back. but after 5 min she didnt. so i went to the desk to ask if either of the elders saw where she went. they didnt.. so i figured she had gotten distracted. so i went and played the piano for a few minutes and then she came in, laughin.. she totally spaced what she was doing and went on a grounds tour with sis gardner. it was really funny and we had a good laugh about it.

we get to watch saturdays worriers with Joseph and Susan this week it was really funny when they asked us to get permission from president colton to watch it.. he just said dont forget the popcorn!

I got an email today from Calli Tiechert. she was went on her mission when i was up in arco.. she is so awesome!

I Love you all!
Love
Sister Stradling

Email....August 10th

HELLO ALL,

first i'll answer questions then i'll tell you more about my week.

Is Elder Finch the one that told Steve that he shouldn't come see you? No that was Elder Freeman
Is he (Elder Finch) easy going and a little fatherly? yes and no
Who else is engaged besides Bethany(Scarbrough) and Ty (Ivins)? LACIE AND BEN november 14 in the mesa temple! YAY!
Have you had your fill of potatoes yet? i wish people think that we don't have a microwave at the VC and so we get cold sandwiches and you know how much i love those... almost as much as spaghetti. UGH!! lol.
So are Joseph and Susan getting close to baptism...was the three hour lesson because they were asking questions or was it just turning into a visit? we set a date with joseph for the 31 of october, the lesson turned in to a visit.
When is Bryan's baptism date and how old is he? Bryan is 28 and we have to push back his date.. but its all good.
Who are Keigan and Brent and how long have the missionaries been working with them? Keigan is Brent's (LA) son.. they have been workin with them for about 8 months.
What is his baptism date? Sep 19
Was Sis Harrison one of the missionaries working with Jeff when he got baptized? yep
How long ago was he baptized? about a month and a half.

so the work here is crazy! we are currently teachin 19 investigators and 9 less active members. so we are crazy busy.

at the district meeting/ interviews on friday sister colton role played with sister harrison and i.. it was fun.. she gets so into it. she keeps us all on our toes and laughin. she makes life fun.

the VC has been a little dull lately but thats ok. we do get alot of stuff done that we probably couldnt get done other wise. well thats about it this week!

LOVE YOU ALL
Love
Sis. Stradling

Email....July 27

HEY
the blue book of mormon challenge was the one that elder bednar gave to read and just look for "in the strength of the lord".

Sis. Harrison is awesome. shes been out for a year. and she has been workin at the VC for at least half of that time. the calls are just from referrals that we recieve from who ever comes into the VC.

Zone Confrence was.. Different. it was alot more casual than with president somers. but it was alot of fun.. i really like president colton. we do interviews with him in a few weeks. the elders that are going home this transfer were soo silly. they kept wantin to take pictures with the sisters. which is a bit unsusal.

dont really know why District meetin was so boring.. it just seemed to drag.

im glad im walkin.. i gained some weight in arco.. no we dont have a car. members are alot more help here.

The Arco sisters stayed with us wednesday nite and told me that george gets baptized on the 25 and lauri was getting baptized on the 26.. i was so excited to hear that..

so you will have to let aunt twila know i ran into her sister in law michelle hall in one of the trailer parks in my area the other nite. it was crazy..

did you ever have a teacher in school in snowflake with the last name Brezee (sp)? thats about all thats new here.

Love you
Love
Sister Stradling

P.S. need $...spent too much on things for investigators at the bookstore ! Thx

Email....July 22

Hiya!

How is everyone doin? so we have a few new changes around here:
1. P-days are now going to be on MONDAYS so today we went to the temple.
2. no more nightly phone calls YES!
3. well probably get more tomorrow at zone conference. so ill let you know on monday.

i saw a really cute tile with vinyl letters on it the other day that said this:
Missionary A missionary will leave her family for 18 months so that those she teaches will be with their families forever. :)
my first day at the Visitors Center wasnt so bad. even makin phone calls. cause you actually have an excuse for callin the people.

Our lesson on wednesday night was cool because the guy we are teachin is so ready to learn the gospel. he even went to the singles ward and then to the regular scarament meeting with his grandma. it was awesome.

we have another appointment with him tonight. Joseph and Susan(LA) are really a neat couple.. they kinda remind me of George and Bonnie. :) once joseph quits smokin, and him and susan get married he will get to be baptized. they are going to feed us dinner on monday and then we are going to have a lesson with them after word.

Sundays are a killer.. we have meeting and church from 630 in the mornin to 400 at night. and we have to do splits because we cover so many wards and they run at the same time half and half.

i finished my little blue Book of Mormon challenge that we got from elder bednar my first transfer out here. so im startin it over again.

My district meeting on monday was so boring.. it was so slow. i couldnt believe how bad it was.. i was going to die.

Guess what?!? Zebbie and Randy are gettin married finally! yay! sister Kohli told us that the other night. i guess Zeb and Randy came into the VC and told sister kohli. we are all so excited.

I finally found a place i can play the piano.. can you believe it! there is one in the Visitors Center. i was so happy when i discovered that yesterday. been needin one.

There has been lots of walkin here. which is good. im startin to look like an arizona girl again. at least my arms are. lol.but thats about all thats new here.. hope all is well at home.

Love you guys
Love
Sister Stradling

PLEASE,

Please leave comments when you visit my blog so Mom can send the comments to me! I can't actually visit my own blog, so just know I'll get your messages! AND thanks for checking in!

E-Mail...July 8th

Hi Everyone!
sounds like 4th was a bit of a bummer. it sure was here! there was absolutely nothing going on. and we even had a partial p-day! sounds like camp was fun too. thats pretty funny that taes gettin into my old house! thats awesome at the same time too. im glad someone other than us are getting her excited for school. last night we came home for being out and someone had completely mowed our yard and pulled out the stumps too. it was crazy cause people have been askin us if our house is as bad as they have been told.

This time for church they have given us topics to talk on. its on elder christoffersons talk from conference. but i havent started it yet. We are singin in arco this coming sunday. Lauri and Bear are helpin us get it right because sister white hasnt every sang in public. its been really fun.

Yes i liked president colton and sister colton. they are pretty neat people. it was funny cause president sat his glasses on his chair while he was talkin then when he sat down he squashed them. it was pretty funny. the interview was good. they asked where i was from, what you two did for work and if the family was active, and then something that i have learned so far since i have been out on my mission. i really dont know if im gonna get transferred this next week. i kinda want to go but at the same time i dont. this last week we didnt get to have a lesson with Radley and Landon. but its all good.

i dont know if sister hooker is related to the hookers in nm. ill have to ask her.

the wedding went very very well! We got the RS room all set up and then sister white and i went over and took bonnie to Davian's shop and she did her hair for her. this is the first time in Bonnies life that she had ever had her hair done by a professional. then we got her in her dress and took her over to the church. deesa took pictures for them. they really turned out. then we had some refreshments afterword. bonnie told us that that was the best day of her life. (and she is Less Active)

On friday we took Lauri to the Visitors Center. it was a really neat experience. we got to watch the new Joseph Smith movie. it was really quiet neat. she even went to the distribution center and got a quad. her son keeps antagonizing her but she just bears her testimony right back at him. she is keepin very strong. she came to church on sunday and bore her testimony in Relief society. there wasnt a dry eye in the room when she was done.

i have told sister white that i dont like the phone several times but it seems that she doesnt care that much. dont get me wrong i do like her. we do have fun. we did have a little blow up on the 4th. she told me to grow up and share my feelings like an adult. said im childish in things that i say sometimes. it hurt a bit. and i still had a hard time explaining my self when she wants me to. you know that thats something that i have always struggled with.and when i bear my testimony she doesnt think that im bearing it from the heart. because it so short and simple. i dont think she understands that im a person of little words. ill say what i want then thats it. no she doesnt know that i talk to kyle a bit each wednesday.(except today it seems like. i think he may be at work)

i really liked the pink shirt thank you. with the backpack im not sure where the bladder is. but if you can find it it would be great to have. i sent a package your way today. it has my purple skirt in it. the hem is coming out so if you could rehem it and then send it back i would really appreciate it. i promise that im gonna quit askin for things. have you been able to find a recorder? have you thought of a digital one? that might work we would just have to send it back and forth. which wouldnt be bad. i was wondering if you could get the picture of the sister missionary that is standing in the mirror and the reflection shows the armor of god.

thank you!
i love you!
love
Sister Stradling

ps is this letter long enough for you? :)

E-Mail......July 1st

its wednesday!

HIYA!
so im doin good. had a few up and down days. but whats new. we have been tryin to keep as busy as possible. we talked in the YSA ward on sunday. my knees were shakin so bad. and we get to sing in arco in two weeks.
the presidents switched on monday. they had about four hours overlap and that was it. the zone conference was in Blackfoot. and it was good. alot of people shed some tears but thats normal for those that had president somers for most of their mission. we get to meet president colton tomorrow at zone council. hes going to be doin two min interviews with each of the missionaries.
George is doin great quittin. Him and bonnie are gettin married on sunday.... (this was decided on saturday) so this week we have been pullin together a small weddin. thankfully Sister Hooker has alot of wedding stuff left over from her daughters' wedddings. and bishop is willing to do the service. and hes gettin baptized on August 1st!
Brandon is in Primary and Justin is in YM. they have only been members for a few months.
We did a walking lesson at the church on monday with lili, billy, and tina. it was fun. we taught the plan of salvation. and went room to room for each step. they really enjoyed it. Wendy Radley and Landon are our investigators from Howe. shes less active and the boys are over aged youth. they are really commin along though. we have another lesson with them tonight. we hope they like it.
wow. nan and pop are really serious about movin down arent they? the flowers kinda reminded me of nanas. we can do service on any day but the weekends.
the sister that took us to IF was Roxanne Lewis. when i talked to brother lewis yesterday he said that grandma great and his grandma were cousins. so we are related some where in there. i think he was raised in SJ.
so i think that some of the things that are buggin me are that i still have a hard time teachin. and talkin at door approaches. (sp) and im sick of makin all the phone calls. if i forget one sister white gets mad at me. i hate it! cause she wants most of the calls made in the car. and she wont even talk on the phone if shes sittin in the drivers seat parked. its annoying.
sorry thats a whinnie paragraph. but when life gets tough just buck up right? its kinda funny cause i think she is more annoyed with kyle than i am that i havent gotten a letter in the past month or so. :)
so another request is... could you send me my yellow camelpack. you might have to call ty to check the store room. my big one is just too big for just my quad and visuals. its startin to make my shoulder hurt again. and could i get a picture of the snowflake temple? :)
sorry no pictures this week i forgot my camera cord at the house. you will have to tell me all about girls camp!
Love you all!
Love
Sister Stradling

Email...June 24th

Hey all!
So here is all the news! Last week we had zone conference. and sister white and i can trade clothes so i wore a pink blazer of hers and she wore my gray suite. we didnt think any one would notice. but sister Somers did. it was really funny to have her come up and say its neat when companions are the same sizes. ( and yes she is that much taller than me)

so one of aunt ruths grandsons lives here in arco. we figured that out because his wife took us to Idaho falls on monday. he had told here that stradling was a St johns name. i told her that i was related to just about everyone is sj. pretty funny i know.
George has quit smokin on monday.. at yesterdays lesson he was so ansey. but its ok,, cause he just keeps tellin us "all you need is faith."

Lili's baptism was amazin. we had almost 60 people there to support her. her grandparents were there and you could tell that they could feel the spirit. and lil sang the closin song when jesus christ was baptized. it was so neat.

Sister white and i have challenged Brandon and Justin (two of our RC's)to an ice cream party if they memorize all the articles of faith. they were so excited! it was pretty funny!
With Radley and Landon we did a game where they were blind folded and wendy(their mom) was bein the holy ghost and we were bein the world tryin to lead them astray from findin the picture of chirst. i think that it helped them know how to recognize the spirit more.
that neat about nana's house. what are they going to do with the one in taylor? and she sent me the conference cd.
the other day we did weedin for a little old lady that had the most beautiful flower garden. i will have to get a pix when we go over there again.
the other night we had the best dessert that i think you would like. its was ice cream.. so sister gregory took a can of lemonade. put it in the blender with a carton of ice cream. then put crushed graham cracker in the bottom of a pan. pour the ice cream in pan and re freeze.. and sprinkle crackers on top! it was amazing!and i was at someones house the other day who had a bit mounted the wall that was the TP holder. it was pretty cute!
so now a few requests:sister white and i had an idea for tshirts.. so because we both have boys at home we thought it would be funny if you could embroider this for us..Front: Girls worth waiting for!Back: Sister White & Sister Stradling Arco ID
Do you know if bishop has ordered me a mission plaque?could you reburn the hilary weeks cd... it get to #7 and then says error.i have discovered that all the sisters around here wear queen sized knee highs.. so could i get a box of those?and could you send me any new blog comments?

well love ya!
Love
Sister Stradling

Fathers Day....June 21st

About 2:10 this afternoon the phone rang and Alex answered it and heard the following: “This is Keith Mc Bride from Mackay ID. Your daughter just got done eating dinner here. They get to call home for mother’s day but they don’t get to call home for fathers day and she wanted me to relay this message to you …Happy Fathers day and that she loves you. She’s doing awesome. Thank you for raising such a wonderful daughter.”

Alex said “I wish you could give her a big hug for me but I know you can’t”

Bro McBride: “Well, we can’t do that but we will express that to her.”

Alex said "Thank You" (through his tears)...he is a very proud dad today.

E-mail.......June 10

Hello from Id
(mom sent a fill-in-the-blank letter...SO here goes:)

Heya All

so im game for this kinda letter!

How are you? Im doin good. tryin to stay busy. Had president interviews this week. i think president is tryin to get to the whole mission before he leaves.

Did you get my letter? yes i did it was wonderful. i was really surprised about the weddin announcement... but thats ok and pretty cool at the same time. i was glad to read that you got to visit with kyle. i think when the business cards come into the office president opens it and takes one out.. thats the only way i could figure that he can find that out.

Did you like the pix? i loved the pictures! they are awesome!

did you write a letter back? no i didnt. i just got it yesterday. and i cant write any other day other than wednesday. its against the rules.

Are you printing the emails? once and a while i am printin the emails. it just costs sixteen cents to print at the library. so i only print them when i know its something that i might need to reread later.

Who else do you get emails from? i get an email from amy once and a while. but other than that its just from you.

Is it better to forward Garrett & Logans letters or print and send? either one is ok.

Do you like Sister White? yeah i do. shes pretty cool.

Do you get along well? yeah we do. i have a little harder time bein more open with her though.. maybe its because she hasnt really opened up to me.

Are you happy? yeah pretty much.

Are you learning lots? always. its hard not to.
Who have you been teaching? we are still teachin Lili bill and tina. we just planned lili's (inside tire swing) baptism this week. its next week we are soo excited! cant wait. it has been on the books for a while now. George and Bonnie are doin pretty good. not progressin very well though. Zebbie and Randy just found out that they are goin to get the disability so we are going to get to start helpin them plan a weddin. so excited then they are on the way to baptism.

What have you been teaching them? with all of them we have been tryin to teach havin faith before the miracle.

How do you know what ward you will be going to which week? not really just depends on what is goin on in that ward what week. we are singin in Lost River this week. and next week we are goin to Mackay for lili's confirmation.

Are you going to start writing us looooong letters so we can miniemail you on p-days? ill try

Do you need anything? not that i can think of at the moment. maybe some more purple paper. i cant seem to find any at wally world.

What can we do besides pray and write? not much just keep goin! what is T and Trishas address... i need it so i can send their thank you card that i worked on last week. Could you send me some Jenny Jordan, and Hilary Weeks? i need some new music.

and when i was lookin at pictures i noticed that tae had my keys.. has she been drivin my truck lately? i dont care just curious.. nice to hear that blue is doin ok..

i was eatin dinner with one of the families in the arco ward when i mention that i was from snowflake he asked me if i knew a Gail Larson.. i told him that he was my neighbor for years. Brother Danny Lance was one of his mission companions way back when.. i thought it was awesome! (mom called Gail his mission was in 58-60)

we have had rain every day since last wednesday its been fun to tract in. ive got to tell ya i miss monsoon rain.. its too cold up here.

the scripture for the week is:and as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and, they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about with fire; and they angels did minister unto them.

the two pictures: 1 sister white and i 2 lili and i

hope you enjoy!

love you

love

Sister Stradling

i really like the fill in the blank keep 'em commin!