Two cuties

My oldest daughter Michelle and her family came for an overnight visit. They went to the Tulsa zoo yesterday and got here late. This morning we all went to church together. The girls wore their adorable new dresses that Michelle made them. They are the prettiest flowers in the garden!

orange lily after the rain

I just had to add one more picture of this beautiful orange lily. We just had a sudden cloud burst and the raindrops on the lily are really fantastic. To really get a good view of it, click on it to enlarge it. WOW!

Lilies in bloom

My lilies are blooming. They are so gorgeous. There are only a few that have burst forth so far, but there are tons of buds coming along. I love to go outside and look at them. I can see them from my kitchen window and it gives me joy to look outside and see them so tall and beautiful along the fence. I have dark pink and medium pink ones, and orange ones blooming now. Soon I will have deep rose colored lilies blooming and finally huge pure white lilies will bloom. What fun!

Our Mother's Day Phone Call

Last Sunday was Mothers Day. It was a wonderful day. A day of family and church and enjoying the many blessings of motherhood. It was also a day to talk to my son, who is serving a full time 2 year mission for the LDS church. We only get to have a phone call on Mother's Day and Christmas, so it is extra special. We talked for about an hour, (oops, it was only supposed to be for 45 minutes).
He sounded wonderful. He is only 20 years old, and he is living far from home, learning another language, and working hard everyday to share the message of the Gospel with God's children. I can't express how much joy it brings me to see how mature and strong he has become. He has always been a great kid, but his mission is refining him into a wonderful man. His love of the Lord and the people of Brazil is a shining light in his life. I miss him tremendously, as he misses us, but we all accept and recognize that this is his time to serve the Lord exclusively.
He walks everywhere, gets very tired, struggles with the heat and humidity, and sometimes doesn't get enough to eat, but he gains far more than he suffers. He gains joy, peace, happiness, and satisfaction. He sees lives changing for the better. He sees people accepting the Lord's message and turning their lives around. He has learned to rely on the Lord like never before in his life, and he is gaining an understanding of the great love our Father in Heaven has for each of us. He fully understands how important his family is and how much his family has done for him. He is very thankful for all his blessings.
How do I know these things? He has communicated them to us in letters and in the phone calls. Also, I too, served a full time mission. I may have walked different paths, but I walked similar paths. I know what it is like. So does his Dad. There is just nothing like a mission to turn a lump of coal to a diamond. The diamond may need some more polishing as time goes on, but the foundation is laid for life.
Even though he can't read this now, "I love you Matt (Elder Lee)".

My Mother's Day message from the Santa Maria Mission

Mother's Day is in one week. This is a very special day for the families of LDS missionaries because we get to have a phone call from our son. We only get phone calls on Mother's Day and Christmas, so it is a much anticipated event! I was pretty excited to check my email yesterday and found that I had a Mother's Day message from Matt's Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Myhrra. It had this picture with it. Matt looks marvelous and happy. I can't wait to talk to him.

I emailed the mission office and asked for the names of the other Elders. Elder Christensen emailed me back and this is what he said, "Hi this is Elder Christensen, the Financial Secretary from the Brazil Santa Maria Mission. I arrived here in the mission just 1 transfer after your son, and he was in my zone during the first few months of my mission. He´s a really good guy. I can´t tell you exactally when it was taken, but I can give you the names of the missionaries ok? (Left to right) Elder Marinho, Elder Moreira, Elder Lee, Elder Frame, Elder Leite, and Elder Meireles. I hope this helps!"