Remembering: Rastas & Animals & Rain! Oh my!

Aloha Family a me Friends,

For those of you who were wondering, about 50 percent of the people here celebrate Thanksgiving and use it as a time to get together with family and friends. But since it isnt a Bermudian holiday, school and work were all still in session so generally it felt like a normal day - however, spiced up with a little more gratitude and love in the air and in our hearts :)

Thanksgiving! What a great reminder we have to not only be grateful this time of the year but to "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon" us (Alma 34:38). The day before we had a "miracle line" or a conference call with the whole mission and President Teuscher shared with us something that has stuck with him since he was in high school. When asked what are you thankful for in a Sunday School lesson, one of his classmates said: "The Gift of Remembrance".

Wow. Isn't that true but isnt that something we often dont count when we "count our many blessings name them one by one" (Count Your Many Blessings, LDS Hymn 241). I dont know about you, but I am grateful for this gift as well. Because we have this gift, we have joy.

Because of this gift we can remember Christ and what He has done. We have this opportunity every single day to remember Christ. In turn we have the opportunity to be happy every day and to be forgiven and strengthened through His grace.

I am so grateful for the gift of remembrance. For when the hard times comes, I can remember my purpose as a missionary. Not only the scripted one in Preach My Gospel. But MY, Sister Ellis', purpose and "why" to a mission.

For when I feel alone, I can remember that that is a lie. The Savior walked a lonely path so that we don't have to. He did it all for us.

For when I need, I can remember the highs and lows of my life and "that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7).

For when it rains like crazy all day, I can remember as the olelo noeau or Hawaiian proverb says "ua ka lani, ola ka honua" (when the heavens cry, the earth lives; And may I add our water catchment system lives too ;). What a beautiful earth we have to live on and all its creatures and inhabitants. How so very grateful I am for the beauty of the earth and for the joy sent from above. :-)

(Oh. And I am grateful for remembering to email y'all every Monday ;) sometimes I am forgetful but most of the time I'm not. )

Randoms:

1) For some reason we have tracted into a lot of rastafarians recently (not on purpose I swear). We even went to go check up on a less active and he was definitely not in the right mindset lol and he had a thick Jamaican accent and slang. For a moment I was almost 100% sure this wasn't English.

2) Its been getting cold here. Who knew Bermuda would get cold. Not I. Anyways I probably should be mummuring about the 60 degree weather while the rest of my mission friends are in NYC with record breaking 20s on Thanksgiving day haha.

3) Last time President Tesucher came down a few months ago he gave the missionaries here a promise. If they focused on less active members that they would receive referrals from less actives. And guess what? The Lord always fulfills His promises. Whether it be by His mouth or the mouth of His servants..it is the same. So yeah. We got two referrals from less actives! Fyi member referrals are like the most precious of all referrals lol. #handlewithcare

4) If you just so happen to be in Manhattan this season...go check out the Light The World Giving Machines that will be outside of the Manhattan Temple starting tomorrow and will be running through the Christmas Season!! Give some and talk some to all my missionaries friends who will be manning the machines :) Also! The Manhattan Stakes are putting on some awesome Christmas concerts...if I were you I would definitely go check them out! Got some pretty talented members..just saying

Me ke aloha,

Sister Ellis

Believe, Love, Do

P.s. Enjoy my animal kingdom of Bermuda pictures haha