Getting To Know Larna Jensen!

Sister Larna Jensen was born in Cleveland, Utah. Her mother died when Larna was just under two years old. Larna's dad lived with his in laws, Larna's grandparents, until he remarried. Larna has two brothers who both live in Cleveland, one brother in Bountiful, a sister "who doesn't know where she lives but she has a home in Cleveland." Her mom is 91 yrs old and still lives in Cleveland but her father died a little more than 15yrs ago. Larna grew up in Cleveland, was baptized by her father in Orangeville when she was eight, and when she married Fred she made the BIG move to Elmo. Fred's brother's, Glen and Ted, live here too.

Larna can't remember the first time she met Fred. He was her stepmother's cousin but she does remember thinking he was dumb because he got on the bus every morning without a coat. Later she learned he didn't have a coat to wear. They both attended Clarasee and Del Rae Brotherson's wedding reception in Cleveland. After the reception Fred took Larna home.

She always knew she wanted to be a mom and she and Fred went on to have five children.(Fred died while all their children were still at home.) Their girls, Lylis and Nan and the boys, Lavar (Pres. Jensen), Doyle, and Earl who is deceased. They have 27 grandchildren, 14 greats and one more great expected in May.

All time favorite movies? White Christmas and Parent Trap. She doesn't have a favorite book but mysteries are her favorite read. Her favorite song is "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day". It has helped her through some difficult times in life and she is especially fond of the fourth verse - "Then rang the bells more loud and sweet - God is not dead nor doth he sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on Earth, good will to men."

Larna insists she doesn't have an imagination and hated English and writing stories and poems, however, she authored and directed the Christmas pageant that was performed in Elmo for several years. And, wasn't she the one who had the run in with the Grinch?
We love you, Larna. You are such a great example to all of us and we are grateful to have you here in Elmo.

His Image

A wonderful young missionary returned last week from serving in the Netherlands. She began her talk Sunday with the following poem. It was written by Bob Moorehead. She was kind enough to give me a copy. I was very moved by it and thought this might be appropriate for our Blog. Before you read it remember what Joseph Smith said to the early saints, "When you joined this church you enlisted to serve God. When you did that you left neutral ground."

I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed.
The dye has been cast.
I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made.
I AM A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST.
I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.
I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.
I don't have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded.
I now live by Faith, lean on HIS presence, walk with patience.
I am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven.
My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ.
I must go till he comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till he stops me.
And when He returns for His Own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear.

Is that so wonderful?! It is this sisters prayer that we might each live our lives so when we meet Him he will have no problem recognizing us. His image will be in our countenance.

Getting to know Celeste Johanson!

Celeste is the wife of Larry who grew up in Elmo. Her full name is Celeste Robinson Johansen and she moved here from Castle Dale to be Larry's wife. She grew up in Springville (where her HS mascot was the Red Devil), and most of her family still live in Springville, Roosevelt and Milford. Celeste and Larry had a mutual friend who introduced them. They went on their first date to the Lamb Fry and then the Castle Valley Pageant and she even remembers the exact date; July 27th of 2004! Celeste and Larry have 5 children. Dani, Shane, Shelby and Tayler and Shane's twin, Andrew, who passed away at age 4 mo.
Celeste was born in the church, baptized at eight, and wanted to grow up to be a Veterinarian.
Celeste's favorite movie is "Sound of Music", favorite song is "Mountain Music" by Alabama, and her favorite book is the Book of Mormon. However, she and daughter Shelby have been reading a lot of Winnie the Pooh books lately.
When asked if there was something she loves that others might find unusual she answered, "I love old cars, hence the name Shelby (Shelby Mustang).She also loves animals, dogs, cats, horses...
On a limitless menu she would order soup, she is really good at doing dishes and would love to see Australia some day.
When Celeste is overloaded she likes to de-stress by soaking in a nice warm tub with the lights off.
Her favorite wardrobe item is one of Larry's shirts and he's the one who makes her laugh. Her "feel good" food is soup and her "live by" motto is "Everything happens for a reason."
We LOVe you, Celeste. We are so blessed to have you here in Elmo and are so glad Larry found you!

A Brand New Week With Lots of Good News!

Let's begin with all the GOOD NEWS of the week. We've got lots of new grandkids being added to our list of loved ones. Sister Pam has a new granddaughter, her name is Anga (I may be spelling it wrong) and she is 17! Now THAT is the way to get KIDS but I'm not sure about grandkids! While up north visiting Anga, Pam got to attend the open house of the new Draper Temple and said it was the first time she's been inside a temple and it was "so cool". We look forward to you seeing the inside of the Manti temple soon! Congratulations Pam.

Sister Shirley is the mom of Travis (grew up in Elmo) and Amber and they have had a new little one.Grandson, Keaton Lad Coyne is five days old today.

Sister Gloria has a brand new granddaughter-that's were she was last week-visiting a new little one!We missed you Gloria but glad for your GOOD NEWS.

AND...Elmo is getting just a tiny bit larger with the summer arrival of a new baby for Sister Hailey. She announced to the sisterhood today that they are expecting their third in August. How fun for ALL of us!

Sister Irving expressed her thanks to Elmo for the quick recovery of their "heat" at home. Seems they have been experiencing a Co2 leak from their furnace and into the house. The fire dept. had to turn the furnace off till it can be fixed which may take a few day. Before the fire dept could clear out, space heaters were gathered for each of their bedrooms and firewood provided for their fireplace. Hopefully their furnace will be up and running this week sometime. In the meantime, if you hear of a job for a driver, her husband has his CDL and is looking for a new job. Put the word out, Elmo style!Linda says she has learned, "In any emergency this town is at your door before you even think the word can get out." Those of us blessed enough to live here for any amount of time know what she says is so true!

MORE GOOD NEWS
Sister Tammy (Funk)'s daughter, Kylee was chosen as 1st attendant at the Sweetheart Dance. AND, son, Chet took 9th at region wrestling. Great kids!

PICTURES of US are wanted from the RS presidency. The activity isn't till March but the weeks are rushing by and they need them as soon as possible so lets try to remember. Baby or very young child pictures please!

BISHOP Curtis reminded us to be grateful for each of our blessing; express our gratitude and SHOW our gratitude by being happy. He reminded us that we are going to be as happy in the Celestial Kingdom as we have learned to be here on this earth.
Sister Janessa Rassmusen gave a great talk and taught us to prepare carefully to go to the temple, and Bro. Guymon of the Stake High Council urged us to attend the temple more often, making it a priority in our lives.

New Bloggers!

Sister Alert! We've had two more sisters join our blog list! Molly and Kelly have both agreed to share their blogs with us. Take a look at the the fun families they have!

Sunday's lesson on Repentance

Christy Reed gave us a terrific lesson Sunday on Repentance. Repentance, we learned is more than changing our lives, it is letting the Lord guide us towards a new and better change. It is more than stopping a habit or action, it is allowing the Lord's atonement to act in our lives. Christy did a great job and we are so blessed to have her serving as our Relief Society President.

Reminders and more stuff- Temple, pictures,cleaning

If you want tickets to the Temple open house get in touch with Christy Rasmussen. She has a few but will turn them back in soon.

Don't forget to bring a picture of yourself (as a baby or small child) to one of the RS presidency. Write your name on the back so it can be returned to you. It is for our RS Birthday party on March 18th.

And, we have some good manners training to do! We've been asked to wipe our feet before entering the church (which, sister's I think means we are letting our husbands and little ones forget to do this). And, when we leave the classrooms on Sunday we need to stack the chairs so cleaning can be done easier.