Gina's Thanksgiving Missionary Package

Gina is now HALF-WAY through with her mission!

Time flies.  As this is the first, and only, Thanksgiving Gina will spend out in New York; Mom and I put together a "Thanksgiving-dinner-in-a-box" package for her.  We included:

• Chicken flavored stuffing
• Sweet Potatoes- in a box
• Butter and Herb Mashed Potatoes
• Mint M&M's (Gina asked for those)
• and 2 mini Sparkling Ciders

Contained in the sealed envelope is the following story . . .
(Found in the November 2013 Friend magazine) 

A Helping of Gratitude By Jennifer Maddy
 Liza stared out the window as the rain drizzled against the glass. She felt as glum as the dark clouds outside. She pictured the warm beach near her grandparents’ house and how she and her cousins always went swimming in the ocean on Thanksgiving—it was their tradition. She thought about her aunts’ pies lined up on the kitchen counter, ready to be eaten. She thought about her grandparents’ big smiles when her family pulled into the driveway.
 Liza squeezed her eyes shut tight, trying not to cry. This year there wouldn’t be any of those fun things. Dad had been out of work, and even though he had just started a new job, they couldn’t afford to make the drive to Grandma and Grandpa’s. Liza’s family would be spending Thanksgiving on their own.
 “Time for dinner, everyone!” Mom’s cheerful voice called out.
 Liza turned away from the window and trudged to the dining room. She got there as Dad set a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table. Her brothers, Mike and Justin, slid into their chairs.
 “Smells great!” Mike said.
 “Yeah, those potatoes look awesome!” Justin added.
 The delicious smells of Thanksgiving dinner didn’t tempt Liza’s nose. “I don’t see what they have to be so happy about,” she grumbled to herself.
 “Liza, are you all right?” Mom asked.
 Liza shrugged. “Sure.”
 “Even though we can’t be at Grandma and Grandpa’s this year, I’m grateful we can still be together as a family,” Dad said.
 Everyone smiled—everyone except Liza.
 Dad said a prayer, and they passed the food. Justin and Mike eagerly began eating the turkey, potatoes, and stuffing they had piled onto their plates, but Liza nibbled at her yams and thought about her cousins having fun without her.
 Dad cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking we should start a new tradition, since it’s just us this year,” he said.
 I bet it’s not as good a tradition as swimming in the ocean, Liza thought.
 “Let’s go around the table and each say something we’re thankful for,” Dad continued.
 Liza couldn’t think of anything she was thankful for right then.
 “I’m thankful I was able to find a new job,” Dad said. “I’m glad I can provide for our family. How about you, Justin?”
 Justin stopped eating his mashed potatoes long enough to say, “I’m thankful for good food!”
 Everyone laughed, and even Liza managed a small smile.
 Mom said, “I’m grateful that we all have healthy bodies and that we are able to do so many things.”
 Liza started to feel a little less gloomy, but she still couldn’t think of anything to say.
 “I’m glad I can go to college next year,” Mike said.
 Now it was Liza’s turn. She squirmed in her chair. “I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”
 During dinner Liza thought about what everyone had said. She was glad that Dad had found a new job and didn’t look worried anymore. She was grateful for the good food Mom cooked for them. She was happy that her body could run and dance and swim. And even though she would miss Mike when he went to college, she was glad he could go. Liza’s heart felt lighter. She missed being with her grandparents and cousins, and she missed the traditions they had together. But maybe new traditions were good too.
 “I’m thankful for all of you,” Liza finally said.
 “We all have wonderful things to be thankful for,” Dad said.
 “Maybe we could go around the table again,” Justin said, spooning up some more mashed potatoes. “We can always have seconds on gratitude!”

We were sure to include this story because we have the same family tradition!  We too, go around the table and say things we are thankful for, and because Gina is serving the people of New York, she will miss our family tradition this year.  We each took the time to write thank you notes, special for Gina's Thanksgiving away from home.  We wrote why we are thankful for Gina, something random we are grateful for, and lastly, why we are glad to have the gospel in our life.

And there you have it- a Thanksgiving package fit for a missionary  Peace and blessings folks!

Gina's Birthday Missionary Package

                Gina has been out on her mission for 8 whole weeks now, and her birthday is coming up, Cinco de Mayo.  As this is the first she will spend without family near,  my Mom and I put together this charming birthday package for her to celebrate with, so she wouldn't feel forgotten or alone on her special day.  Included in the package, is this delightful birthday poem:

A Special Day

May 5th is a very special day we celebrate each year,

The day that you left heaven to begin your life down here.

God placed you in our earthly arms, we loved you from the start.

I think before you were even born you lived inside our heart.

Twenty-one years can come and go much faster than you think.

Infant, child, teenager … before you even blink.

Today you leave all that behind, a woman you will be,

When you look into the mirror, a priestess you will see.

Someone who serves her Father above, just like she should,

And has become the righteous woman we all knew she would.

So make sure to have your companion, to celebrate with you,

Unroll and tape us on the wall so we can party too!

Wear those crowns, eat your cake, and blow your party horn,

And have a party, celebrating the day that YOU were born!!

                As the poem plainly states, we are all included in the package and all she has to do is unroll us and tape us to the wall so we can join the party.  Here we are, all ready to get our party on:

 Dad

 Mom

 Brent

 Derek

 Isaac

 Katie

 Robbie

Me 

AJ

 Samuel

 Lily

                Aren't those great/ slightly scary?!  But we didn't stop there, because you need more than that to get a bumping birthday party going.  The following is a list of the goodies we sent:  

• Cake mix
• Icing
• Sprinkles
• Spray Oil
• Candles
• Disposable Cake Pan
• Birthday Hats/Crowns
•  Party Horns
• Party Plates
• Napkins
• Drawings of Us
• Tape
• Gifts and Letters

                    

Updated 5/6/13: Pictures from Sister Rasmussen!

"THANKS for the birthday package-- it was awesome!  I had a TOTALLY fantastic birthday, and the south elders got me an Avengers Notebook to match the plates, napkins and cups!  So fun.  We will cook the cake sometime today.  I loved everyone's pictures, and Brent, trim those sideburns. :)  And Lily Bean!!  A big ONE year old.  Too cool."  -Sister Rasmussen

Gina's "Greenie" Missionary Package

                Gina is on a plane, right now, on her way to serve the people of New York!!  For Family Home Evening yesterday, we put together a "Greenie" Package for Gina.  I am putting this blog together for anyone else who would like to do something similar for their missionary.  (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, "greenie", it refers to a missionary who is fresh out of the MTC.)  You will soon see, this package is a play on the whole "greenie" concept.

The package contents:

• Mint M&M's
• Lifesavers Mints
• Green Picture frame with photo
• Green shower poof
• Green Whoopee Cushion
• Green Crayons
• Green Finger and Toenail Clippers
• Green Bubbles
• Scotch tape
• Giant Green Pencil
• Jello: Lime and Pistachio Pudding
• Little Green Notebook
• "Doodle Journal" AKA. Sketchbook
• Letters from Home

Then to top it off we paired each item with a scripture...

For example, the doodle journal:

Isaiah 30: 8  "Now go, [DRAW] it before them in a [journal], and [DOODLE] it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever."

And the shower poof:

Isaiah 1:16  "WASH YOU, make you clean."

M&M's:   Psalms 78:25  "Man did eat ANGEL'S FOOD."

Notebook:   Moses 6:5  "A BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE was kept."

Crayons:   2 Corinthians 3:3  "Written not with ink, but with the color of CRAYONS."

Nail Clippers:   1 Chronicles 20:6  "FINGERS and TOES were four and twenty."

Mints:   2 Nephi 33:1  "When a missionary speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost ... she needs FRESH BREATH."

Picture Frame:    John 13:15  "For I am have given you an EXAMPLE."

Bubbles:   D&C 78:18  "Be of good CHEER!"

Whoopee Cushion:   Psalms 126:2  "Then was our mouth filled with LAUGHTER."

Jello:   D&C 89:13  "Used only in times of WINTER, or of COLD, or famine."

Giant Pencil:   Acts 15:23  "And they WROTE LETTERS."

Tape ("Just stick to it"):   D&C 24:8  "Be PAITIENT in afflictions ... ENDURE them, for, lo, I am with thee."

Lastly, I thought it would be fun to give Gina a little sneak peak of the fun to come by writing "greenie" all over the outside of her package...

And Voila!  Go and think green!  Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Update Alert!
April 1, 2013:

"OK ... THANKS FOR THE PACKAGE!!  It was ubber cute, and the mint M&M's were AMAZING!"  -Sister Rasmussen