Showing posts with label kids-Johnny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids-Johnny. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Happy Birthday Johnny!!!

22!!!
Johnny came home for his birthday along with his roommates and friends for dinner. We had a big oriental buffet and it was fun to meet his new roommates and catch up with his friends who also just returned from their missions. It is very weird for me to think that I was Johnny's age when I gave birth to him.
We are so proud of Johnny and the great young man he is. He is very self driven and always trying new things. He is in the chemical engineering program at BYU. He has a great part time job doing research for one of his professors. He is a great example to the rest of his siblings and they all look forward to the times when he is home. He is just an all around nice guy!!! We love you Johnny--Happy Birthday!!!!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Johnny's homecoming

Johnny came home from Greece last night. His flight was 4 hours late so many of the extended family members were unable to come. Opa and Oma stayed up late with us to welcome him home. Caroline took the video and Jake the pictures. Words can not express how wonderful it is to have him home.

Monday, December 7, 2009

14 DAYS TILL JOHNNY COMES HOME!!!!

I can't believe it has been two years since Johnny left for his mission. Time has flown, except for the last few months as I anticipate all my children in my home again. We are all so excited and can't wait to see, hug, talk to, hang out with, play with, and be with him. I feel like I did when I was nesting for a new baby. I have been deep cleaning the house, making up menu plans and cooking. I guess thats what moms do when they are excited. I know he will be surprised to see how some of the kids have grown, especially Natalie, Jake and Caroline. Jake's goal was to be taller than Johnny when he came home. :) I will post a before picture and after picture once he is here. This is a little excerpt from his letter today. I guess he is starting to think of coming home too.

"This week while in church i realized that I don' t really know what I have been used to do in this country, but God knows. Only He knows how many people I have been used to influence. I hope that this last few weeks I can influence as many people as I can. I am grateful for the experiences that I have had here and for the people that I have got to know here. It has been an amazing two years, that won't compare with any to come, but hopefully not the best (in other words I hope it only gets better:) full of happy and difficult times. I love this country and the language, and the poeple who live here. I will miss them.
But I love you and I can't believe that I will see you soon. I am very very excited."

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Missionary update/news

Here is just a little excerpt from Johnny's letter today. He is an AP and has been traveling to different parts of the mission lately. He comes home December 21. For Christmas we are giving Johnny a trip back to Greece with us so he can show us the sites he been to and people he has met while over there. His mission president's wife has a blog about the mission, it is greeceathensmission.blogspot.com.

"Well this week went well. First off we went to Cyprus, and it was amazing there. Very hot, but amazing. There was a different spirit there. The zone conference went great, and then we had the opportunity to do exchanges with the missionaries. In Cyprus they teach a lot of foreigners who come there to study at foreign colleges. Most of them are from Nepal, India, and China. They are really humble, and about seventy percent of the members whom are in Nicosia are foreigners, there is not a single Cypriot member in the branch (similar stories in the other cities of Cyprus).

The first exchange was with the zone leaders there, and we taught a few lessons, one to a nepalese man, who was really humble, they had taught him the word of wisdom from before, and asked if he had started following this, and he said, “We must follow.”, and then we continued to teach him the law of chastity and tithing, and when we asked him if he would follow, it was the same answer, “Of course. We must follow.” It was amazing to teach someone so humble and so ready. Also, a Chinese girl, and she was very accepting, but also in a different way –so very childlike, but not childish if you understand what I mean. these people are so different than anything that I have encountered in my mission, it was amazing to teach, and really easy to talk to them. I loved it.

The next exchange I did with a german elder who is struggling because his companion is not wanting to work so much, and so we did a lot of contacting on our exchange. It was good for me too. We did street contacting during the night and our goal was to get ten names. We ended up with nine names in one night, and gave out a Book of Mormon. I almost beat my record for amount of names. Also, while contacting I talked to a few young Cypriot young people. And the language Cypriot is so different from Greek it is absolutely amazing. Sure I could understand a little, but I had to have him repeat it a few times, because they use different accent, words, and word order. It was fun though, I learned a few phrases while I was there."

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

It's Greek to me!!

Johnny's mission president sent a dvd of the interview and training he did with Johnny and his companion.  This is a little clip from that dvd.   It was fun and a little strange to hear Johnny speak Greek so fluently.  I really enjoyed watching this even though I have no idea what he is saying.  Its Greek to me!!! ha ha

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Corny Thanksgiving Post

I received an extra letter with a mp3 song from Johnny on Monday.  He did not send it with these pictures, but I did not know how to post just the song by itself so made it into a video with pictures.  My kids say it is corny with the pictures.  I love it and it is one of the best Mom "payday" I have had in a long time.  These are just some of the pictures he has sent home from his mission in Greece.

Dear Mom,
I heard this song this week from Elder Rimmel and I thought of you.  I hope you like it.  I love you.

What a wonderful Thanksgiving gift.


Sunday, September 21, 2008

Johnny is 20!!!




Happy Birthday Johnny!!!

Johnny sent these pictures today in his email.  I was excited to see that he received our birthday package in time.  I sent him the ingredients which they don't have over there to make his favorite brownies (Becca's recipe). He is doing great and enjoying teaching and getting to know the people in Greece.  He is in a beautiful city called Kavala which looks over the Aegean sea.  I can't believe he is 20 years old---I was engaged when I was his age!!  We love and miss him and are very proud of the young man he has become.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Johnny transfered to kavala, Greece

Johnny was transfered to Kavala, Greece.  Johnny's apartment is at the top of a hill that has a great view of the Aegan Sea.  It is a beautiful city.  It was recently open for missionary work so Johnny and 3 other missionaries are the only members of the church there.  He is excited about this new area and says the people are a lot friendlier than in Athens.  His companion is from Norway and was on Norway's national soccer team.  The other two missionaries are from Germany.  Johnny said last week he only spoke a few words in English.  We miss him but are so proud of him. 

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

The Belly button of the universe

Johnny sent this picture from Greece.  On his p-day he traveled to some ruins in Delphi.  The ancient Greeks considered this place to be the belly button of the universe.  My kids thought this was funny.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Monday, February 18, 2008

Johnny leaves for Greece

Feb 18,
Johnny called from the airport.  It was so wonderful to hear his voice.  He is excited to go to Greece.  He will arrive on Wednesday morning.  He will get a temporary companion and go tracking for the day.  They will then go up Mars' hill where Paul preached so long ago (Acts 17) and have a testimony meeting.  He will stay overnight with his temporary companion and then meet with the mission president and sent off to his new area.  
It is such a joy as a mother to have a missionary out serving.  It makes me so proud and happy to see him excited to share the gospel and hear as his testimony grows.  These are truly joyful moments of motherhood.  I still don't have a picture of him in his missionary suit with tag--hopefully he will send us one soon.  This picture was taken in December.