Homecoming Video!!! - It's Here!

This special moment was the icing on the cake of Elise's Mission.  We loved every part of the Mission, but having her come home was the Best part!

We had this sweet video put together by Inpire Me Video!  Great Job Camilla Fisher Hancock!!

I hope you enjoy it!

https://vimeo.com/126232661



Elise is doing great!  She is currently in Provo, Ut with her sister Morgan looking for a place to rent for the Summer school semester of BYU.  She is still in Missionary mode by sharing the Light of Christ everywhere she goes.

I hope you have enjoyed her journey and ours as much as we have.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is True!  He wants you to follow him.  "Come Unto Christ"

Enjoy the Journey!
Ryan

The One Where She Returned

While the 18 month journey has now come to an end, I wanted to let everyone know who followed Elise's journey along the way; that we appreciate you so much.  The kind words, the prayers and thoughts of others toward our daughter and our family has been wonderful.  We loved having a missionary out in the world serving unconditionally.  We feel we were blessed greatly in so many ways.

Both Sheryl and I were both so happy to see her come down the escalator last Friday.  The anticipation of that day and then the 45 minutes we waited at the airport was truly a wonderful feeling.  Lots of emotion of tears was shed when she turned that corner and came into sight.  Hugging your child after 18 months was wonderful; but more than that I was appreciative that my Heavenly Father was kind enough to bring her home safely.  I learned one important lesson on her mission; that we are all His children and as parents, we are in charge of taking care of His children.  It gave me a warm feeling to know how much He must care for all of us.  I Love being a father and I love my family here on earth.  I love my Savior and thank my Heavenly Father for the Gift he has given all of us...The Atonement of Jesus Christ.

If any of you would like to know more about the spirit that has been felt over these last 18 months; please reach out to us and ask.  We would love to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with you and your family.  The plan of Happiness is real and it is available to everyone that wants it.

Elise's Father....Ryan Ellison

THE LAST ONE

    Every Easter my understanding of the Atonement changes. Easter is my favorite holiday and this one has been just as extraordinary as any past. I found a new love for my Savior this holy week. I know that I am a sinner. I know that I sinned, I sin and I will continue to (although less and less), I think; out of all the people in the world I need the most forgiveness. I understood better this week what my Savior did for those sins. He was betrayed (“Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master, and kissed him.”), left alone (“Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.”), falsely accused (“For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.” “What think ye? They answer he is guilty of death.”) spit upon, smote and mocked (“Then they did spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, saying prophecy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?”). He was stripped and embarrassed. He was crucified (“And they crucified him and set above his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS”.) He was forsaken (“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? This is to say, My God My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”) and all was our cause my cause. It was for my cause. It was for your cause.

   "He is despised and rejected of men; man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and (I) hid as it were (my) face from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne (my) griefs and carried (my) sorrows; yet (I) did esteem him stricken. smitten of God, and affliction. But he was wounded for (my) transgressions, he was bruised for (my) iniquities; the chastisement of (my) peace was upon him; And with his stripes (I AM HEALED)."   I know that he suffered for my sins, he took the blame and the penalty for my errors and choices! He was oppressed for my sake and he opened not his mouth. Because he loves me. Oh how I love and need him.

   This week more than ever. I took blame and harsh words this week that I've never felt before, I'm not perfect, I make mistakes and my case is not the same as that of our saviors but I felt just the tiniest bit of what my Savior felt. He was able to do all that he did because he loves us and he loves his father. He was able to withstand mocking, spitting and stripes because he knew he was perfect, innocent and just in His cause. He did it for his father, He did it for us.

    As I passed through my own small Gethsemane, I came closer to my Savior. Throughout my whole mission I've had times to question "Why me? What can I do? What did I do wrong?" As tears came down my eyes, This Saturday night before Easter Sunday, I asked him just one more time, but this time I heard his sweet voice say, "Don’t you want to be like me?" I know that the trials and struggles and joys and everything wonderful I passed through in this year and a half has been so that I can become more like Christ. So that I can learn to use my agency to obey his will and become more aligned with the Fathers will, so I can do things that the Savior would do. So immediately my tears of sorrow become tears of gratitude, gratitude for all the Father has given me! Especially his beloved son. "How could the Father show the world of love and tenderness?" How could he show me more love in this world then to send his only begotten son to save me? I stand all amazed my the love the Savior has for me. I love him so much. I want to be just like him. I may be the person with the most sins in the world, but I can't imagine anyone else wanting to serve the Lord more than me. That's how I feel in my heart, everyday I woke up and wanted to be here and no where else. Everyday I woke up and I was happy, everyday I Loved Him. I want to serve him with all of my heart, might, mind and strength. My mission has brought more joy in my life than anything else. This has been the happiest year and a half of my entire life. I could not be happier. The most beautiful, sacred, special moments of my life have come to pass in this beautiful country.

    I have grown and changed so much. My heart has been exchanged for a new one, I have passed through a refiners fire. Whether from learning to carry someone who’s fainted, showering out of a bucket, getting sick, trying new foods, learning about the Atonement, inviting others to follow Jesus Christ or hearing his voice in my prayers; I have loved every second. I am made new and I have still so much more to do.

I’ve never felt so complete and happy as I do now, looking back at my mission and saying, I have done as the Father asked and looking forward to say, there is so much more to be done.

 I invite you to come unto Christ. Hes' calling for you. He's calling your name! He loves you. I know that he lives.

"Behold I am Jesus Christ, Whom the Prophets testified shall come unto the world. And behold I am the light and the life of the world... Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world." 3 Nephi 11: 10-14

Hermana Ellison

"Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much." Luke 7: 40-47

http://www.mormon.org/easter

WEEK 78 - The One with the First Vision

   Every time a week goes by I have less and less to say, but my heart changes and grows every time. I feel like a person of very small words but with very big actions... And that has made all the difference. The other day I was in a taxi and we were talking to the taxi driver and we were talking about life and the gospel and how they go together. We arrived at our destination and he asked, "But there are so many churches, how can we know which one is true?" without even thinking I immediatly starting telling him about Joseph Smith and his expereicene as a young boy and he had that same question. I told him what he decided to do was read in the bible, where he found in James 1:5 "if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, and it shall be given unto him." I told him how he then decided to ask of God, so he went to a quite near by wooden area where he could in peace, pray to the almighty God and ask him which of the churches was of him. Then all the sudden the words came out of my mouth as if they were mine own, this taxi driver could hardly even look me in the eyes as if he already knew the words I would speak were true, I said in Spanish,... "And this is what Joseph descirbes, ¨"I saw a pillar of light, directly above my head, above the brightness of the sun. The light gradually descended until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me, I saw two persongages, standing above me. One of them spoke unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other; This is my beloved son, HEAR HIM." " Then I shared with him the truth that this young boy Joseph saw, God the Father and the son Jesus Christ. And the Savior spoke unto him and told him that none of he churches were correct, but that they were all in error and that the Lord needed to restore his church to the earth. I invited him to do as Joseph did and pray to the all knowing God and ask him if this was true and if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was the true and restored church that the Lord has brought back to the earth. He looked at me and said, "That's what I need to do."

   I know that this is what we all need to do. If we have doubts and lack wisdom, we need to ask of God. To all those who read this blog and are not yet members of this beautiful Church of our redeemer, I invite you to get down on your knees and pray to your Father in Heaven and ask him if these things are not true. I promise you that you he will reply in your hearts and I promise you that you will find a new life, a new joy and perspecitve that you have never had before. It changed my life forever. To those of you who are members and doubt these simple truths I invite you as well to get down on your knees to pray to God and ask him to soften your hearts to understand these truths once again, and he will tell you in your hearts what you need to do to come back to him more fully. To those of you that are members and are firm in the faith, I invite you to share what you know!! You never know who is ready to here this sweet message and I promise you, There is always time to share the gospel.

 

Hermana Ellison

 

PS....  I almost forgot...a dog peed on my companion yesterday...it was so funny!!

 

WEEK 77 - The One with the Wedding

This week has gone by way to fast and been way to amazing. The family I was talking about last week was married and baptized this week and I don't think I've ever felt such a peaceful spirit. I didn't do anything. The members did everything for them and we just came and sat in the back and watched a beautiful ordinance be performed. I love this work so much! I know that it is of the Lord. He loves his children and he loves the family. The family is so important. It's the most important social unit in the world. With powerful, good moral standing families we can change the world. I love seeing the hand of the Lord in my life....Oh how he loves us!

 

Here are some photos.   

 

Hermana Elise

 

 

 

 

WEEK 76 - The One Where we Need to Get back Into the Water

W had a lot of miracles this week. A daughter of God was baptized this week... I've never experienced such a beautiful, powerful baptism in my whole mission. Everything was planned so perfectly. Her sweet uncle, who was going to baptize, her had been practicing with the Elders to get the ordinance just right, the music and the decorations were all set, the members present; but I guess I needed to learn something. When it was time for the ordinance, the water was very hot for both of them and we took 10 or 25 minutes trying to cool it down. Madelin was very nervous to get into the hot water so we said a prayer before she stepped into the water so she would be able to bare it. They got into the water with intentions of doing the ordinance quickly and then getting out and that is not how it turned out. The sweet brother was very nervous and couldn't seem to get the words right. After about 10 tries he spoke the sweet words and the attempt to put her under the water was not complete. After about 6 or 7 more tries of putting her under the water, the witnesses said it was done. She got out of the water devastated, embarrassed and heart broken. With that, we knew that this saving ordinance if done correctly would not leave her feeling that way. We knew that she had not completely submerged in the water and completed the ordinance. After the Bishop prayed and talked to the witnesses, they decided it would need to be done another time. That means that me and my companion would have to go in and explain it to Madelin. I didn't know what I would say to her... We walked into the bathroom and she was completely dressed in her clothes with tears in her eyes. I prayed so much within my heart. I told her that because our Heavenly Father loves us so much and because He is perfect and wants us to be perfect one day, his ordinances have to be perfect. I testified of the Lords love and my companion as well and then I said, "Sister, will you put the dress back on? We need to do it again?" She looked down at the floor and she shook her head "No".  My heart sank within me and I couldn't believe it. I held her tight and told her its the only way we can enter into the kingdom of God. It doesn't matter about anyone else, but this was an ordinance with her and God. My companion promised that if the ordinance was done right she would not feel this way. I've never talked with so much of my heart, it all came down to... if it was really true, if this ordinance was really true if it really mattered. We stood close and my companion offered a powerful prayer and asked the Lord to give us courage to enter into the water again. We asked her again "Will you put on the dress?" This time with courage she put the dress on. It was a long walk into the font.  We prayed with in our heart and the ordinance was done perfectly. I'll never forget when she turned around that corner and we saw that smile on her face, she felt the spirit testify that it was right. We put the towel on her and she said thank you.
The Lord loves us so much and wants us to prepare for eternity. This is his perfect church and it may take us our whole lives to get something right, but he is right there beside us giving us as many times as it takes, till one day we can be perfected. I pray that we can all be humble like Madelin and get back in the water Get back in the water and remember the covenants we have made with the Lord and do whatever it takes to keep them again. Put the things of the world behind us and put the white dress back on.

Another miracle with a member. We have a family that had plans to get married and baptized this weekend. After working with them this week we realized that they were struggling and it wasn't their desire to be married this weekend. We as missionaries testified of gospel truths but more then that, we collaborated in our ward council to save this family. We talked with members and made assignments. We had lunch with on of the second councilors and we used our time with wisdom. We talked of references and talked of the investigators. We invited them to visit this family today instead of the following sunday. Later that night as we were doing our numbers we took this family off the baptismal list and prayed for them. After giving our numbers, the family called us and told us that the bishop and his second counciler had visited them and they decided it was the right thing to get married and are going to be baptized this weekend. We are so grateful for the members and we knew it was a miracle from the lord. The members can do things that we as missionaries some times can't. We are so grateful for the ward council and all they do.

 

I've been thinking a lot about what I've learned this week. And I've been thinking a great deal about a talk I recently read; "The Lord has a Plan for Us" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/the-lord-has-a-plan-for-us?lang=eng   and I was thinking so much about a question he poses, "If you continue living the way you are living, will the promised blessings in your patriarchal blessing be fulfilled?" I love this question! and its a question we need to ask ourselves everyday. We need to remember what is going to bring eternal happiness. Because this life is short and what we do here determines are eternal life! It determines our eternal state that we will take after death. I've learned here in the mission what things are most important. I'm a big dreamer and I want to learn and do just about everything, but I know that I need to keep an eternal perspective. I need to keep the blessings the lord wants for me in my mind constantly. I love you all so much and don't forget to keep progressing and doing what the Lord would have you do.

 

Hermana Ellison

WEEK 75 - The One with Happiness

For this week... I love you all! Just remember to smile and be happy. Life is so good and struggles and challenges are apart of it. Take a moment to breath and tell God; thank you and that you promise to learn from what he wants to teach you. As for me I'm so happy and I love working. I just love to work, work, work! Just so you know how much I've changed, I love to work, get up early, talk to people and hug and kiss everyone! We have so many wonderful investigators right now. We are teaching a wonderful girl; Magdlain and she is a dream, she is such a wonderful example to us. We shared with her Mosiah 18 this week and after we read the qualifications for baptism that are found there and the example of this amazing people, we asked her if those too were the desires of her heart (to be baptized, to enter in the redil of the Lord, to serve and love others and to be a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places) and she said "Yes! These are the desires of our heart!" She is so wonderful, she will be baptized this Saturday. We are also teaching a wonderful family, they have come so far and are making so many changes in their lives. They have plans to be married and baptized on the 21st. We are so excited for them. They gave us lunch this weekend and they seem to love us too because they gave us SO much food. As always.

   My companion was sick for the first time in her mission this week! Awesome experience for every missionary so I was excited to be there for her for that. I also got to teach her how to wash clothes by hand. haha!  Can you believe she trusted me to teach her how to do that? I have the best companion!!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes I can feel your love and your prayers!! Love you all so much.

 

Hermana Ellison