Emma Smith is my HERO!

In May of June of 2008, the movie "Emma Smith: My Story" came out in theaters in Boise. Levi, Estrella, and I went to see it together. It was an amazing movie that I love soooo much! Emma is a wonderful woman and someone that I aspire to be like. To quote the most recent addition to my collection "She has been called 'a rare good woman,' and she has been called 'a liar.' She has been praised, and she has been vilified. Her name has evoked strong emotions, for and against her character. Her name was Emma Hale Smith..." She suffered so much because Joseph suffered so much. She loved Joseph with her whole soul and he loved her too. After watching the movie I had the desire to be like her. I went to girls camp in June of 2008 and our parents and siblings were asked to write letters to us and at some point during camp they were given to us to read. Levi wrote in his letter, "When we were watching the Emma movie, I kept thinking, I want my little sister to be just as wonderful, beautiful, elect and as strong as her someday. She was and is a great example, just like you!" That gave me more motivation to be like her and I hope that someday I really can be like her. She is such an inspiration to me and I truly love her! In the Red Brick Store, in Nauvoo, they were selling a replica of the gold beaded necklace that Joseph gave to Emma. She wore it every single day. I wanted to buy one so bad but it was $35 and I couldn't spend my money because I was and still am saving for school. Here is the website though so you can see what it looks like, nothing special really, but I love it!http://www.redbrickstore.com/custom/cart/edit.asp?p=121297 Someday I will buy it...someday... :)

As for my favorite pictures of Emma... Liz Lemon Swindle is my very favorite. I have four favorites that I hope to own someday as well. I will be purchasing the necklace before any of these though because my oh my! They are expensive!!! haha!

First one is called: Elect Lady

Of One Heart: Emma On The Ice
Going as a Lamb
Tiny Hands
P.S. the first picture up there is missing one book, someone is reading it right now... :)

Letter From Levi-September 13, 2010

Levi sent this letter to me in Rexburg and it makes me cry without fail, every time I read it. I love my brother so much!

Marnie,

I love being a missionary, I love the Spirit, I love President Monson. I love Joseph Smith and I love Jesus Christ. I also love the gift of uplifting music.

My hope is that I can act on the promptings of the Spirit more fully to be able to be an answer to the prayer whom someone offered in need. I hope I've done that already.

I don't even know how to fully express what it has meant to me to be here on a mission. I feel the love of the Savior for investigators---for people whom I normally wouldn't even consider speaking with.

The Lord has truly allowed me to share my talents and helped me to develop talents I didn't even know that I had---I get to sing for investigators and member and help them feel the Spirit of Christ through music.

Well...I just felt like telling you how much my mission means to me personally. I could never express what it means to me fully---I've definitely grown my testimony here. I've grown to love everything about the church. I KNOW this church is led by a prophet of God. I also know that we have the responsibility to the rest of our brothers and sisters who haven't heard the gospel.

In this church, we know the truths that were lost, and if we don't truly understand how big of a responsibility this great work is and how true the restoration is---we should stay on our knees until we do---and until we feel the love of our Savior Jesus Christ.

I'm humbled to say that I am a missionary of the Lord Jesus Christ---to carry forth his Spirit and his gospel.

Well...I've said a lot but its all true...its just what has been in my heart this day.

I'm so happy that you are such a wonderful daughter of God. I am grateful that you love the temple. I'm happy you go there often. You're an example to me and you'll always be an example to many. You always do the right thing---even when it isn't easy.

Be good at school. Do your best. Always do your homework before playing. I'll try to do the same when I come there. :)

Did you know that the church will have a predicted 260 million members by 2080? Yep. Imagine that day. It's unlikely I'l be living---but I'll be around long enough to see 100 million, or even 150 million. Wow. I can't imagine that day, but as membership goes up, so does the number of missionaries, as well as the number of people who know members and members who share the gospel. The greatest season of the history of the church is about to come upon us, or so, I believe. Its a wonderful time. Oh, how I love the gospel.

Well...I want you to know how grateful I am to be here at this time. I'm grateful to know someday I'll be able to send my own sons and daughters out in the world to preach the gospel. It will be a blessing in their lives and in mine.

This great church sends us out at 19 or 21 years old to carry the gospel. If this church was not true---do you think the brethren would send out the young 19 year old teenagers to take the gospel and proclaim it? I don't think so.

Well...I could keep going and going...but I bear all these things to you as my testimony of missionary work...this work is true. And I write these things to you in the name of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I love you.

As Always,

Elder L. Paul Strasser

I am so grateful for Levi's example to me and I miss him dearly but I am so happy he is doing the right thing. I can't wait for him to come home! :)

Well it certainly has been awhile....

My oh my! It has been awhile since I have even looked at this blog, but I decided I would go ahead and do a little update, mainly because I'm bored but also because I miss reading others blogs and perhaps they miss reading mine too. One can hope. haha! So my life in a nutshell since I last updated...

I graduated from high school a year early. The day after I graduated I moved to Wyoming and was a nanny. I love living in Wyo with Joe and Lila and so close to Cody and Carter. I loved playing with Calvin and Bailey everyday and miss them dearly. I spent a lot of time with Cody's kids and I miss them too :( Just got news that they are moving to PA and I'm real sad but happy for them. I only lived at home for two weeks and then went to school at BYU-I and have now finished one semester of college.

Levi has me writing every elder in the Wisconsin mission and to quote from the most recent letter from a one Elder Pfleger: "We both know your brother is awesome. I don't know if you know this, but he says you are his favorite all the time. All the time. You do sound pretty worthy to be his favorite. I was very impressed that you went to the temple early in the morning before school. So you are very spiritual, you're very smart too because you graduated early. See how much your brother talks about you? You're his pride and joy!" I miss Levi so much! I'm glad that we are such good friends and he says good things about me. Makes me feel good inside. However, there are times that I wish he didn't have me write to all these elders, I worry that he exaggerates me or something and I don't want them to have the wrong idea of me whenever they meet me. That would be terrible, but I guess he is probably truthful. I am grateful for Levi's example to me, I want to serve a mission so bad but I've been told many times that I will never make it to 21. We shall see I guess. I would love to go!

School at BYU-I has been wonderful. I definitely miss it after not living at home for six months. It is a big change to be here again and I am looking for a job. I need one so I can go back to school. I've filled out about 20 applications but nothing yet. :/

As for some goals of mine... I want to someday go on a roadtrip across the United States. I want to go to every temple in the U.S. I want to serve a mission. I want to be a mom. I want to be married in the temple to an RM. I want to learn how to play the piano, more than I know now. I want to make a t-shirt quilt and I want to make a skirt out of neck ties. I want to be more service oriented. I want to go to the temple once a week again. I want to get better grades next semester. I want to be more outgoing. I want to share my talent of singing more. I want to learn more about church history. I want to go on a trip done by BYU-I that is an American and Church History trip. I would more specifically want to serve a mission in a place that has church history sites but I would love to go anywhere. I want to finish a quilt that was started by my grandma Strasser. I want to go to a BSU game. I want to be more crafty. I want to figure out what to do with my life. And I want to have closer relationships with my nieces and nephews, I want to be someone they can trust and talk to.

This post is all kind of random but I want to end with my testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am so grateful that I was born into this church. I'm grateful that I have the knowledge I do about the plan of salvation. I am blessed to be able to talk to people in a way that will bring them back to the straight and narrow path. I love to see people change for the better and I hate to see them fall astray. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that Joseph Smith translated it. I know that if the book was false he would not have continued translating it because no man would go through the things he went through or put his family through the things he did for a book. He would have given in to the mobs and admitted it was false for his own safety and the safety of his family but because it was true there was no denying it. I know that my Savior live and loves me. I know that He is there to help me. I know that the Atonement is real and that we can repent when we make mistakes. I know that the Savior suffered for everything. For every pain, sorrow, and sin that I have felt but also for the pains and sorrows I have caused other people. I know that there is a living prophet today and he receives revelation for us. I know that families can be together forever. I know that the temple is the only way to be married and the only place I will settle for being married. I love the temple so much and I am blessed to have one so close by and I know that if I go there each week I will be blessed.

Well that is all for now, I am off to bed! :) Goodnight!

No more up and down in the boat

Newest Strasser music video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAaAzO81HGI