Go Here. Watch This. It will strengthen you.

C Jane: This is what I know

I love Spring.

First days in Beja

Luis asked if I'd post some of my journal entries from just after we arrived in Beja. I'll read through and post some other excerpts from my time in Beja in the coming months.

December 30, 1991

I cannot believe this happened. I cannot believe I'm here. . . (where?) . . . BEJA!
Okay, so it's like this. This morning we went down to call Elders Baird & Brohamer with weekly stats. Elder Brohamer greets me with, "Sisters! I've got news." That's Zone Leader Code for Transfers. I thought only Sister Edwards would be going—but he started off with me! I couldn't believe it. . . I kept telling him that if he was kidding, I'd be so upset. Beja, and with . . . Sister Holsinger! I had under one hour to pack, but I got it done. Elder Bangerter & Elder Harvath arrived to take me and my companion to Beja. It is beautiful—Our area is Sweet (According to the Elders)—Our house is great and I just wrote a note to Elder Williams to tell him that "my companion and I are now the first sisters in Beja." (A little side note for those who may not know. Elder Williams was my MTC teacher. He'd told me that there would 'never' be sisters in Beja. . . Ü. . . so I was particularly happy to send that letter to him.)


That was such a perfect transfer. No words. I know I'll be very happy here. Sweetness!

Love,
Sister Turner

December 31, 1991

I love our area. It is incredible, old, and beautiful. Sister Holsinger and I wandered around the streets, after our two grand tours, in pure excitement and admiration.
I feel like the sprint in my mission is on. . . I feel like we are ready to see some great miracles in Beja. The President wants to see Beja branch grow, so that construction can begin on the new chapel. The President is right! I know Heavenly Father will help us to find those who are seeking the gospel. we already LOVE our area. We're great as a team. Her Portuguese is better than mine, and I'm grateful for that. I need to speak. I want fluency. I thought it was funny—No one understood me today. I felt kind of tongue tied. Nothing was coming our right. I was tired.

I think I heard the New Year's Eve celebration. Ü

Love,
Sister Turner

Some Photos and Some Quotes.

Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction. —Al Bernstein

Penicillin, X-rays, rubber, even Silly Putty and Post-It Notes

were all fortuitous by-products of looking for something else.

—Hirsch Goldberg.

Every exit is an entry somewhere else.

Remember that Columbus was looking for India

when he found America.

—Tom Stoppard

In every problem or set back there is the seed of an equivalent

or greater benefit—if you will only stop and look for it.

—Bob Moawad

quotes from the book think big. . . compendium incorporated

Journals.

For or Against? I am for. Here is why. . .

A while back I was feeling low. Life was so challenging, I felt as though I was struggling through each day. I decided to go back and read through some of my journals from 2005 to 2008. I was dumbfounded. As I read over those words, my words, it was as though I was standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, looking down into its depths. I was astonished at how deep my pain had been. I was sobered by those memories.
With that perspective, I recognized the simple joy of NOT BEING THERE ANYMORE! My challenges are different now, to be sure. I am living a LIFE. It is confusing sometimes. At times, it hurts—even now. Truly, though. . . life is good. I was so grateful to have my journals, to be able to reflect and truly see how far I've come. The pains are different up here on the canyon overlook. They are not nearly so overwhelming. I have so much more hope for happiness now and in the future. I am so grateful to be where I am now.

Keep a journal. You may need it someday.

Just something beautiful to contemplate.

I took this a few years ago from my back porch. In this world we are blessed with so much beauty all around us. The greatest beauty, to me, being the loving relationships between family and friends.

I just added. . .

An album link. Please no one run for cover. Ü No matter how any of us change, I still see us this way.

The link is on the side bar, but I'll put it here, too.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=379698&id=659509987&l=d113683db6

Enjoy!

I was just thinking of you!

For a couple of weeks now I've had the feeling that I needed to go into a little store near my house. They have fun things, but I'm pretty poor right at the moment and I couldn't figure out why I would have that feeling. Well, today, I found out. I had a few free minutes and decided to go there. Within 10 seconds of entering the store someone called my name. I turned to see a friend that I haven't seen for more than a year. We had been in CNA training together, and along with another girl, had become good friends. I had lost contact with her and was a little sad about it, but didn't really know how to find her and let it go.

I was more than just a little surprised to see her today, and very happy. As I approached her, she and the woman she was helping at the register both started to laugh. She told me that she had just been saying to the other woman, "You remind me of someone." Then, she had said my name out loud and looked up to see me walking in. I can honestly say that I've never had an experience quite like that. It takes the "right place at the right time" scenario to a whole new level. I was really glad to see her, but even more? She really needs a friend. It surprised me how many of her concerns I can be of assistance with. I wished that I had listened to that little voice in my heart just a little sooner. On the other hand. . . the timing today did make for a pretty great story.

Here's what I've been thinking about since then. We just never know who we've touched, and how deeply. I've been very grateful to be back in touch with many of you recently. I hope that a priority for me will always be to let my friends know what they mean to me. I feel that a great deal of the loneliness and struggle in life would ease if we leaned a little more on each other, sharing not just our joys, but the mundane as well as the pain. Life is difficult, but life is precious and we each matter deeply to Our Heavenly Father. The fact that I was drawn into that store at the precise moment a friend needed me speaks the truth of that to me. What I want you to know most of all is that YOU matter to me. I hope I can be there for you when YOU need me, as well.

Have a GREAT day!

The greatest memory device

I have noticed when I read your comments, that the Love you feel for the people and each other, is something of a "high watermark" in our lives. It was that way for me too, be it Brazil, Portugal or Cabo Verde. The feelings I have for our missionaries, and the people in these countries, may dim with time and trials, but is never forgotten. It rings true, and allows us to know whether we have the Spirit now, based on our feelings then, and experiences with the Spirit. Bless you both
President

Letter from Beja, 30 December 1991

Dearest family,

I can't believe it! After almost four months in Amadora, I was called late last night and told that I'd be transferred to BEJA, and that I needed to be at the mission office at 10 this morning. I stayed up packing until 5 AM, slept until 7, left for the bank at 8 to get my money for the month, and at 9 a taxi came to pick me up, along with two full suitcases, two carry-ons, and a few plastic sacks. There was only time to say goodbye to one investigator, Joao, who fortunately lives on our same street, and incidentally, is scheduled to be baptized on the 8th of January. So I've been transferred just in time to miss my first baptism in Portugal. Chatisse. They'll have to send photos.

I'm with Sister Abby Turner here in Beja, in the middle of nowhere. We're the first sister missionaries to walk the streets of Beja and we're very excited. Sister Turner and I were in the same freshman ward at BYU four years ago and remember each other well.

I think there is something special/important for us to do here in Beja. The President said to me this morning, "We're counting on you!"

With love from Beja,
xoxoxoxo Al

Longing and Happiness.

This is from my journal a few years ago. SO much has happened since then, but I feel like I've been fairly successful living in accordance with these thoughts. I hope you all enjoy them, AND your beautiful lives. I love you!

Life is full of longing. I’ve heard so many people say this in different ways. Leaning to live in the moment, I think, is much more than just eschewing consequences. We want things to happen quickly. We don’t want some things to happen at all. If we have to endure those things, we can’t just wait until they are “over.” I don’t think that it’s ever really over. I think that no matter what is happening in life, we could be wishing that there was some magic pill that could instantly transport us to an easier place, where life will fall into it’s “correct” rhythm and THEN we would be happy. If we could just get such and such accomplished, we would be satisfied. Whether we realize it or not, most of us quickly pass by almost without acknowledging those things when they DO happen. We find some other reason not to be happy.That is the longing I’m talking about.

I hope that I am able to make the very most out of those threshold moments in my life as the years ahead pass by. I want to be happy now, and not wait until some big event comes along. I think that, in not putting off my happiness, I will be able to truly savor and cherish the good things to come. I don’t want to rush through anything just to get to the next thing. I know that there are going to be so many challenges. I want to take each day with courage and live deliberately. I think it’s really the only way to live. I think that living any other way isn’t really living, it's actually putting off living your lifeuntil some future time which you will never allow to come. I don’t want that. I want to be alive, now. I want to live my life with purpose and do things for good reasons. I want to be able to look back and say, “I learned this.” or “I’m different now because. . .” and build each day on the choices of yesterday, and do it happily.