Dear Family,
In my defense... I did say that I was sick... But I shall strive to be more honest, I just don't want to complain.
But since I am striving to be more honest... What do you do for shin splints? It's no fun walking on shin splints and my right leg is letting me know that.
Taft, I hope you are having loads of fun practicing, it's a really great experience that you get to have! Guess what! You know how you gave a talk on Sunday! So did I! We're practically twinners! Except mine was in Swedish... so yours was probably better written.
I did write it all (and then translate it all) myself... with occasional help from Syster Richins when the dictionary failed me... (The DICTIONARY failed me... it nearly broke my heart...)
Keana, you don't like Pre-Calculus? I think I can understand that, I liked it, but then... I was weird... I hope you get everything worked out class wise though.
Oooh, I hope you can make your videos more engaging... but then, I didn't understand everything in the videos I did... so maybe they were really engaging and it all just flew over my head.
That's a feeling I have a lot these days, that things just go... Zoom... right over my head. (Good thing I'm short or it might hit me straight in the face and I'd end up with a broken nose...)
Alrighty, this week... what has happened this week. (I have to pull out my planner... the days just all start blurring together, it's CRAZY!)
On monday we went on a hike... sorta, it was a walk really, but it involved a playground, a waterfall and food... It was amazing... (Isam was with us... he was the one who provided the food... and the idea... and yeah, so it was all thanks to him...) I LOVE playgrouds. For the record.
Nana has a baptismal date! It's so exciting. I don't really remember if I've mentioned Nana, that was a full week ago... But he's from Ghana and he's really nice and positive and he's... just great! He already lives the WoW, follows the 10 commandments, lives the LoC (Law of Chastity for future reference)... Everything. He's reading the BoM... He's a little worried about committing... so we'll see how that goes... But! Yay!
Mikael had to push his baptismal date back, just because he'll be out of town for the next few weeks and won't be able to come to church. Although we had a really hard lesson with him last time... not hard as in he was having a hard time with a principle, hard as in, he talked and I just sort of sat there and said to myself. I'm understanding Nothing right now. Like... Nothing. (Maybe like 5 words per 4 sentences...) It was a little depressing... But, he's doing GREAT!
We met a woman named Lila, and she... I'm searching for words to describe her. She has SO much energy. She was in a pretty severe accident a while back where she lost all of her children and she burned 90 percent of her skin (in an unrelated circumstance her husband passed away at the same time) and she has cancer, but she's pretty positive about everything. We went to her house one time and when we left she treated us as though we were best friends. She's lived in Sweden for 20 years but she's from Brazil. I don't think she feels as though she belongs. It was sort of heartbreaking. She came to church on Sunday and she cried, because people shook her hand, and talked to her, and made her feel welcome, she'd been to several other churches and she said that people would find reasons not to sit next to her... I was so grateful for the members of our ward for welcoming her.
It's so important that we treat everyone we come in contact with as the Children of God that they are. We have no idea what is in people's pasts, what they are going through now, we don't KNOW them... But we do know that they are God's Children and that he loves them. And that should be more than enough for us. They are our brothers and sisters. 'Ohana... Family means no one gets left behind.'
And we took Emy to Bonnie's house and had dinner and taught the plan of Salvation. Emy really enjoyed it and he asked really great questions... and Bonnie was such a GREAT teacher. She's a wonderful teacher, wonderful at just being warm and welcoming, and just plain wonderful!
Quick story... We were doing planning, and I was trying to call people... And I try to start talking to someone... and... complete nonsense came out (Well, they were words, but not in the right languages...) And I was so confused... Thankfully the person just laughed and set up a time with us... But it was SO embarrassing... Syster Richins is a brave soul trusting me with the phone... But it's really nice that she is doing that. I am NOT a fan of trying to understand people on phones (even in English...) And I really dislike talking on them (especially when I have to leave messages...) But it is so good that Syster Richins is putting me out of my comfort zone and having me work on calling people to set up appointments... As you can imagine there are times when I'm so lost as to what is going on on the other side of the phone that I just say 'Ett ögenblick' and hand the phone to Syster Richins... It almost always ends up being something super simple like *my bus will be five minutes late...' or  'Can we do it next week...' I like to tell myself that they used big words to express that to me and that I'm not completely hopeless... but It's really just me... being a little hopeless... It's kind of funny! (At least after the fact...)
Oooh! Syster Richins gave me the kindest compliment... She said I was like a duck! (Well, she didn't use that terminology... but that was what she meant...) And I feel as though Mom and Dad always tell us to be more like ducks! So I'm at least improving in that!
Oooh! I just remembered! Mom, can you send me the recipe for No Bake Cookies... Hawaiian Potatoes... um... I forget which other ones I wanted... but if a recipe stands out to you as in 'Kjanela would like to attempt to make this and it doesn't have a lot of super strange ingredients and it's unlikely that she'll be able to mess it up and give her companion food poisoning...' then you should send it... (Not that I think I'll give Syster Richins food poisoning... but better safe than sorry...)
I've been thinking this week about the wise words shared to us by... I don't remember who... But she was the wife of one of Mom's colleagues.... I think. But the words were. 'Embrace your world.' And then I thought of the other saying we liked so much at that time *Blossom where you're planted*... and then I was reading in Helaman where Nephi is on his tower wall and he says he wishes he was in the times of his forefather Nephi... but he seemed to have forgotten all about Laman and Lemuel... and it all just culminated in this thought that... We just need to be happy with where we are. And then strive to make the very best of it. We need to Embrace Our World! Because it's OURS! We should be so grateful for where we are at, and what we have going for us, and of course we should always strive to improve ourselves and what not, but we should... just... Embrace our World.
Yeah, I probably could have summed up that paragraph with... 'Remember when that woman told us to Embrace our World... well, that's something we should all strive to do...' But you were lucky and got the long version... and the short version too... whoops... You must be Really lucky...
I feel as though there is so much more to say (but then I always seem to think that don't I?) What I do know is that my companion has the patience of a saint... (And I DO work on not chattering on and on, and focusing and being a good missionary...) But I'm still the Kjanela you know (and love) and I adore asking questions and talking and learning and what not... Like I said, she must have the patience of a saint. (I'm going to be... blessed/doomed with a child just like me...)
Anyways I approve of the blog title (title? is that what it's called? I'm having a blonde moment...) ... of course if Dad or you or... anyone thinks of a better title... go with that! But let me know!
Well, I love you!
Jag Älskar Dig!
Med Kärlek,
Kjanela Sydni Fawcett
There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.
When life gives you lemons... make grape juice.
When you are at the end of your rope... tie a knot and hang on.