Two Christmas Dinners - Princess Five in NJ

Hola Hola!

•on Christmas Eve we had district council and one of the senior couples went all out! They made a whole banquet, and then one of the members that owns an ice cream factory walked in dressed as Santa and started throwing the ice cream rejects at us. Let's just say it was not the most effective district council, but it sure was fun!

•That night we had 2 Christmas eve dinners, and we were so stuffed!

•on Christmas day, we took all the hot Chocolate packets we had in our apartment, which is a lot, and we taped pass a long cards to them, and we went to the streets and handed them out. Sister Braer contacted a man, and he ended up calling us a few minutes later asking if he could come to church! And then at night when we were driving home, we still had some left so every time we saw someone walking we would stop them and give them one, most of them were very confused but appreciative.

•on Thursday we had interviews and president is incredible and so loving and understanding!

• we were knocking doors at night and we saw a woman, walking to her front door, her hands were full of groceries, so I offered to open her front door for her, but she hadn't seen us and so she was scared and instead of screaming she froze and sang a single note, like an opera singer, she was not very happy with the whole situation, we felt bad, but we didn't do it on purpose and it ended up being way funny for us.



• a miracle that came for me this week was that we have been teaching a woman named Elyn, she has seemed curious but not very interested in the gospel. But last week when we met with them we met her husband, Cos, the appointment was a little contentious, and you couldn't feel the spirit at all, so this week we were determined to change that, and we did and our appointment was AMAZING. We ended up just reading about the great apostasy with them and talked about what the fullness of the gospel meant, and it was just so good, most importantly the spirit was there! During the lesson we became a little distracted but Cos was super focused and interrupted us and said, "escúchame"(listen to me) and then he started reading the pamphlet. He had very sincere questions it was incredible!

I hope you all had a Merry Merry Christmas! Thank you for all your prayers and also all the cards I was sent!

Cuídense
Hermana Princess Five

My First Accident in nearly 30 years - Ice took a Toll

My girls were so sweet to help me in the yard on Christmas Eve and we didn't quite finish 

Princess Four decided to come home after my family skating party the day after Christmas as she wanted to help me finish the last two piles in the back yard. However, the good weather we had couldn't hold forever so the snow hit and we weren't able to finish the branches. 

Princess Four had taken out six cans full of branches and about five bundles of branches for the garbage men and was so sweet to bring in the cans after the garbage men took all the branches. 

The weather didn't get any better and it was so cold and snowy Saturday that I  didn't leave the house. 

This morning I could see that it was still icy and cold. I headed out to church but worried about the roads so I went very slow. We have a small hill over a canal in our neighborhood and there is a T at the bottom of the hill. I know of 2 people who have hit that wall due to ice on that road so knowing that my car isn't good on icy roads, I decided to go really slow. 

I had pushed on my antilock off switch the other night when it was snowy and I am wondering if it got frozen or something as I was going so slow and kept tapping and stepping on the brakes and NOTHING happened. I tried to hurry and turn but knew I was going to hit as I didn't have any brakes at all. 

Knowing I was going to hit the wall, I thought if I kept trying to turn I was going to broadside the wall damaging the entire side of my car and knocking out a larger portion of the wall. I decided to turn my car into the wall and try to hit it head on. I did worry that if I hit it on any portion of the front of the car that my air bags may deploy and total the car or cause injury to my face but I was going quite slow so I thought that was the best options. 

It is funny that all those thoughts can go through your mind in the few seconds before gravity and ice caused me to hit the wall. Worrying that the air bags would deploy I lifted my arms up to protect my face. I was actually shocked when the air bags didn't deploy but was relieved as well. 

My car was still running, the wall was dented in but didn't come down on the car. I put the car in reverse and was able to get it back a few feet but was stuck in a rut. I had two neighbors stop in their trucks on their way out and about so they pushed the front of my car after I pulled off some of the bumper that was hanging down. 

With their help, I was able to get out and turn the car around and head home. I really think that I had some ice on the brakes as I wasn't able to even push the anti-lock button when I was driving before the accident. I was able to drive home and park with no problem so I think it was a combination of things that caused the accident. 

I got a ride to church with a neighbor and left a note on the door of the home that owns the wall with my phone number. I arrived home after church and spent a few minute unscrewing the rest of the bumper that was hanging down. I did have to cut off a big piece of the bumper that was hanging but the screw wouldn't come out of the metal portion. 

Once I had taped the light plastic back together, I drove to the home where I hit the wall to make sure they got my note. I noticed my note was still in the door so I knocked and they came to the door and let me know they didn't hear anything. She came out and looked at the wall and I told her I got the name of a brick layer and would find out when they can do it and hope it can be taken care of quickly. 

The owner told me that she had two large garden boxes just behind the section of the wall I hit and it I had hit on the side where I was headed, I probably would have gone through the wall and the bricks would have ended up on the car. So, I was feeling very blessed that I hit where I did. 

I am hoping that I can get the brick layer on it as soon as possible. I will try and find some parts at a wrecking yard to replace the ones that got damaged. I think I will be able to replace the light and bumper that got damaged and pray that there isn't any more damage that I can't see.

Please be safe in driving on Icy Winter Roads! 

Very Long Boxing Day - Its after 4 a.m.

I wanted to post about my day, but I am tired and need sleep. Have you ever been so tired that you have fallen asleep in the bathroom? Not saying I did, or have, but just saying I am tired. ha ha

Hope you had a Blessed Boxing Day!

Talking to A Princess In NJ For the Last Time Together - Maybe

We had a wonderful Christmas Day today. We slept later than we ever have on a Christmas Morning. 

We stayed up late working on different projects so none of us were worried so much about getting up early, and I didn't have Princess One and the grandchildren this year, so we were all happy sleeping in until later. 

I woke earlier, but went back to sleep for another hour. After waking, I visited with Princess Three for an hour or more before we went and woke up Princess Four. 

We did our "line up" in the morning,(see posts about that here) and a "Trail of candy" ritual and decided to include Princess Five in our line up by holding up a photos and a sweat shirt for her. It was fun! 

Princess One video chatted us with the grandchildren mid-day and Princess Five had her family call at 3 p.m. our time. It was a very fun call, and we enjoyed visiting.It wasn't until we were off the call, when Princess Four asked me how it felt to have my last "missionary" call? 

I thought about Mothers Day when the missionaries also get to video chat with the entire family, and thought that this may be my last video call, but in looking up the day that Princess Five will be arriving home, we found out this week that she will be arriving home May 12, 2020 and Mothers Day this year is May 10th! 

I may get another video call with the entire family after all! ha ha. Looking at all those cute faces on video is so fun! There is a bit of a delay but it is still good fun. 

Christmas Eve Work Party - Cutting up Wood In the Yard

We spent the day working on several projects. My girls were so helpful today. I worked a few hours one day cutting up branches and was so surprised that I spent two hours cutting and didn't make a dent in the piles. From the house, you couldn't even tell that I had worked on the pile. 

Today, the girls helped bundle up twigs, stack the wood that I cut up on the log pile and helped rake up all the  smaller twigs and leaves and put them into the garbage cans and put them all at the curb. 

They were so cute dancing as they worked listening to music and the other daughter helped cook and serve our Christmas dinner as we like to eat it earlier so we have time to eat all the leftovers through the holiday.  

It was not a typical holiday Christmas Eve but I appreciate that the girls were so helpful and willing to help me get some of the items off my "to do" list. 

I wish we were able to finish both wood piles, but we were able to get at least most of the bigger pile cut down. I think if I work a full day, I will be able to finish the rest. It will be good to finish the entire yard finally! It seems that I always have a "list" of things needing to be done in the yard and if I can get that pile done, my outside "to do" list will be done! 

Merry Christmas to us all! 

We Are Not Your Uber - Princess Five in NJ

We received a Facebook referral from the sisters in a neighboring area, and found a new friend named Julio! He came to a baptism we had in the branch!

We were parked outside of a library waiting to go into an appointment, and a lady tapped on our window because she thought we were her uber. She was super embarrassed 😂

We met with our friends Jany and Alfredo twice this week, they work so hard they don't have time to do much, but we are always welcome into their home!

We sang in sacrament meeting this week and it was super fun, I miss singing we sang silent night, Hermana Brads was super good to sing with me even though she didn't really want to.

Josie, our recent convert, came to church for the first time in about a year! It was so good to have her we were so surprised, and we hope to continue to see her come!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Feliz Navidad!
Hermana Princess Five 

Us wrapping Jesus Pictures for our friends.

Jany and Alfredo made us some Peruvian food.

Doing Our Favorite Christmas Tradition - Singing and Passing Out Candycanes

My girls came home for the holiday a bit early so they could help me with a few projects I wanted to work on this week. 

For many years, we have gone to the local hospital, care center, and rehabilitation centers and sung to the patients. We sing their favorite Christmas Carol or their favorite hymn (Easter). We also give out a gift or treat. I took stuffed animals, keychains and candy canes with us and shared with the patients and the workers at those places. 

Princess Four says this is her favorite tradition that we do. Some years we can't get out if people are sick or we have the kids, but most years, at least some of us get out to share. We had some cute comments and one man sang along at the top of his lungs with his arms moving like he was leading a choir. Some sang along, others listened and some shed a tear. It is how it goes most years but for us, it is just part of our Christmas Holiday and other holiday events! Caroling is something we enjoy as we have been blessed with good voices thanks to many talented ancestors! It's in the genes. ;-) 

Here are a few links to some of our posts from other years! I usually forget to take a picture and only remembered on our way out of the last place tonight. I should have got us singing. We sounded fairly good by the last place having warmed up on the first two places. ha ha. 
Here is 2011 for Easter.
Here is me posting about it in 2010.
Have a Blessed day full of Carols!

Larger Sterling Silver Necklace and Earring Set and More Silver

I have children coming home tomorrow and may post a few jewelry sorting videos this next week with the holiday so I can spend more time with my family. 

I have quite a few that need posting so I am going to post a video today where I found some beautiful silver items. I will post more though next week and hope you enjoy them as you can. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and can get all you need done for the holiday this week!

It's Time For an Update on the Parasites - Major Joint Pain

I haven't made an update on the parasites in quite some time. I don't have much to share other than the pain in my hips is horrible. I have been having a large parasite moving around in my hip and pelvis area and it has caused me considerate pain in the hips. 

I had been feeling a bit better but think I must have eaten something that killed off some parasites as I feel like I have thousands moving in the lymphatic All my limbs and body in general have tingling feelings all over most of the time now. It feels like when your arms fall asleep and are just waking up and the nerves start tingling. 

I can't seem to get control of the larger parasite in my pelvis and it is so hard to get sleep when it is moving in the hip joint area. If I don't get enough sleep, it hurts more during the day. There are some times I can't sit, stand, or sleep due to the aches in the hip. If I can force it out of one side of the hip, it moves to the other hip or burrows around the pelvis area. 

I have pain and movement causing cramping, bloating, air bubble in the bladder and aching through the abdomen. It is difficult to give out such personal information but I do have women writing me experiencing movement in personal areas and asking if I have those experiences and I have been open and shared all the information about this parasite so feel that my own embarrassment takes a seat behind documenting all the symptoms no matter the personal discomfort to myself. 

Today, I tried a new method of getting the biofilm off my skin and used hydrogen peroxide on a paper towel and wiped the skin down. I let it dry for a second and then put alcohol on a paper towel and then wiped the same skin down and the biofilm rolled off. I then used another towel with peroxide on it and then rinsed it with water. 

It felt very clean, and I was excited about it, but then all the little parasites in that area started burrowing out of that area and then I had a hard time breathing as they went in my lungs. I then put on some rosemary oil which helped for about an hour, but when the oils wear off, the parasite start burrowing back. 

I wish I had better news to share of those of you suffering. I have ordered a few new products to try but they are on back order. I will update once I try them. 

Have a Blessed Day! 

Light the World Christmas Note From Princess Five in NJ

Holaaa,

Monday we had 2 people show up for English class, and so we just played the game where everyone adds a sentence to make a story, it was super funny.

Tuesday we had our HALF MISSION CONFERENCE! With Elder Haynie of the seventy, it was super good! I was able to see all of my passed companions except for my trainer, so that was insane! My favorite thing we talked about was about Peter and how even though he was weak, he was called to do a great work. And in Luke 5:11 it says,
" And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him."



They left everything they had to follow Christ, and we should strive to do the same.

That night we had a devotional with Elder Haynie in our chapel, but none of our friends came😔 it was super good. I realized that the Book of Mormon talks so much more about the birth of Christ than the old testament does, we have so much knowledge, we sometimes forget how blessed we are.

On Wednesday we went to Ellis Island again, we have been going a lot recently.


On Thursday we taught our new friend Jannicce, and we were able to explain to her why we don't baptize infants. She understood the principle really well! We invited her and her family to the branch Christmas party and they came and they really enjoyed it!

Friday was a day full of finding, and not much happened. But while we were knocking, we knocked a house that seemed pretty empty and then all the sudden we hear, "it's too late, they already saw me", before we had even seen or heard him, but then the kid snuck back into his kitchen.😂

Saturday was the ward Christmas party, we spent most of the day confirming that people had rides, and were coming. The party was super fun all the primary performed the nativity, it was funny, and way cute.

Yesterday the English ward gave us these huge packages! They were filled with treats and they also gave us hand made mittens! They are super cute! We were also able to watch "the Christ child" with a part member family. They really enjoyed it.
And if you have not seen it yet you should! It's on lighttheworld.org

Light the World Christmas 2019 | ComeUntoChrist.org This Christmas season, help us #LightTheWorld by thinking of someone you can serve each day—following the example of Jesus Christ. lighttheworld.org

as well as the gospel library app.

Ese es todo,
Cuídense
Hermana Princess Five

My beautiful companions!(yes sister Staff is completely on her tip toes)

Zone 6!

Ellis Island🗽

Christmas Party🎄