A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

{photo by jaelyn lovell of complexions photography}

stalwart

focused 

determined 

strong 

worthy  

dedicated 

faithful  

true  
steadfast 

valiant

this picture sure pulls on those heart strings of mine. 

yet, it also makes me smile. 

proudly. 

that was a time when so much was asked of my little brother.  

but i'm in awe of the determination in his face and his ability to put one foot in front of the other and press on - literally and figuratively.  

elder ellsworth gets home in may.  
excited doesn't even begin to describe how i feel about it.

chris is an incredible missionary, 
just like his dad and brother.

he loves the people of Japan

and they love him.

chris shared this story recently and it is one of my favorites: 


  "During a companion exchange, an elder and I went over to the Hiroshima Peace Park, where the atomic bomb memorial is. We found a man sitting on a bench by himself just staring at the ruins from over 60 years ago. I sat down next to him, and we started talking about the weather ( it was freezing cold) and other things like that. To my surprise, he opened up quite a bit, and got into some deeper discussion. After talking a little while, I learned that he was 11 months old when the atomic bomb went off, and both of his parents were killed in the blast. He never really knew them, nor could he remember what they looked like, but still he goes to that same park every single day to remember them. I told him about the experience we have had as a family over the past year or so, and then I told him about the Plan of Salvation, and promised him that he could see his parents again. He didn't believe me at first, but I did see a small change in his countenance. He accepts the fact that there is some power greater than us on the earth and in the heavens, but he wasn't sure what. We finished up talking, introduced ourselves (after talking for about 30 minutes), and then we rushed off to catch a train. I'm not sure if I'll ever see him again, but it was an experience I'll never forget. We seemed to just connect, two complete strangers, didn't even know each other's names, but we had enough in common. It made me realize just how thankful I am for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And how wonderful it is to know of the eternal Plan of Happiness which has been provided by a loving Heavenly Father."

it's hard not to worry about chris when he's halfway across the world.

but then i hear of his experiences and read about the people he's teaching and all the things he's doing and responsible for and i'm reminded that it's a blessing he is so far away.

it's a blessing he is serving a mission and learning and growing.

it's a blessing he has had to rely on the Lord more than ever during this time.
it's a blessing that he's been serving and doing missionary work,
just as we know my dad and brother are right now.

i look at that picture and see someone who has conquered hard things.
and will continue conquering hard things.

he is willing.

in chris's own words:

"I’ve come to know that there is great joy to be found in the service of the Lord. It’s fulfilling in a way that comes from no other source than from Heaven. I know that when we redouble our works, diligently, and patiently persevere to the end, there will be indescribable amounts of joy waiting for us there. I sure am thankful for this Gospel."

i sure am too.

** dallin's birthday is - jan 26th.  as a fun way to remember him we've decided to start the tradition of Hawaiian haystacks for dinner, on that day, every year.  join us if you'd like!