I was born and raised in central California on a fruit farm, then attended and graduated from BYU, served a mission to South Africa, did humanitarian work for 3 years in Nigeria, was an editor for the LDS International Magazines, and married when I finally my met husband, John on a blind date when I was 31. We have 3 fabulous kids: Adam, Claire and Aaron. We enjoy traveling and doing what we can to help each other navigate this journey we are all on.
We recently returned from Yakima, Washington, where we opened a new LDS Mission on July 1, 2015. We served there for 3 years. Now we are living in West Africa, serving another LDS Mission in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire and Bamako, Mali. We are so happy here!
These are the things I love:
Family history, humanitarian work, writing, reading, making quilts, changing seasons and homemade soup.
I’ve taught a semester-long Family History course in Orem, Utah and have had 1000s of students.
I’ve also been a Leader with a fantastic organization called Days for Girls. We make feminine hygiene kits for girls in developing countries, which helps keep them in school every day of the month. We have 100os of women all over the valley working on these kits every week. You can learn more about it here: http://www.daysforgirls.org/.
Ann, We just read your blog and marvel at your intuitiveness and the variety of experiences that you cherish. We are proud to be part of your life experience. We are looking forward to your continued blogs and hope that they will inspire us to write our own experiences and personal history. Love, Dad and Kris
I would like to suggest a correction. The poem “History” By Frederick G. Williams was written by Frederick Granger Williams IV. He is currently a professor at BYU. Here is a biography. http://spanport.byu.edu/directory/fgw5/
I know he wrote the sonnet because I was in his Ward in Wisconsin when he wrote it.
Thanks Very Much. I’m glad to know this. I’ve loved this poem for years and have always attached it to the wrong FGW. Maybe I’ll go meet him at BYU and shake his hand!
Ann, you are one smart cookie! By the way, thanks for coming to my dad’s funeral. It was great having you and John there!
Dear Ann, we can’t believe you kept us out of this wonderful blog of yours till Adam got married!! What a great way to see the family grow up and read your stories! We love it! I can see you are still quilting as well. I am Marjo’s biggest fan and am so impressed with her latest work that I will send you a picture of her last piece of art (in my humble opinion 😉 ). Great to see Adam’s wedding pictures as well as see him growing up – which we were lucky to see apart of as well -.
What a great family you have!! Love from South Africa!
Hello.
I am a member of a Bountiful Ward. We have been challenged with making these kits to donate at our annual Women’s Conference.. I would like to continue on making these hygiene kits. Can you please tell me how I can contact you so I can know where to take them as they’re finished.
Thanks,
Judith Hegewald
801-298-3051
Ann, I would love to attend your family history classes! please let me know where they are being taught.
I will email the information to you now. Thanks for asking!
Our Relief Society would like to get involved in Days for Girls. Could you please call me. Jeannie Burnham 801 225 7321 . thank you, Jeanniie
Ann, my wife (Marcia Ogden) attended your class last spring, and because of all the glorious things she began doing in family history she made me jealous — I wanted to be in your class also. I’d love to attend your fall classes but I’m teaching my BYU classes during the day and serving in the Provo Temple in the evening. HOWEVER! I noticed you have your classes online. Is there a way you could send them to me so I can download them and listen to them on my iPod while I’m on the treadmill?
http://www.familyhistorycourse.com/
Hi Bro. Ogden. Here’s the link to the website with the audio recordings of my FH classes. Most are posted here. Feel free to listen in!
Dear Ann We have been blessed by by your classes and inspiration. Thank you and unlimited success in the mission field. I will always remember my mission president and his wife. We always looked forward to the times we would be taught and inspired by them. We look forward to the Trees lecture in January. I may choose to attend both sessions hoping to pick up in the second session what i might miss in the first. With respect and gratitude. Barry and Linda Brown
Dear Mrs. Lewis,
I write for a voluntary youth newspaper. I would love to write an article about “days for girls” and like to ask you some questions about it. If you don’t mind, I’d love to hear from you.
-Alyna Reading 🙂
Hi Alyna
I’d love to visit with you! I love Days for Girls.
Please call or email at 801 376-3417 or annlewis@byu.net. I’m generally at DfG events every evening, so mid day is a good time to visit.
Thank you for your interest.
Ann
Hi Ann, you may or may not remember me from our missions in S Africa. I was your Zone leader briefly in the Sandton area. I stumbled across your Facebook page on Sis Wood’s Facebook, and I stumbled across her’s when I was looking at someone else’s from South Africa last night, I think Roy Swartzberg. Anyhow, it is great fun to see familiar faces from a wonderful time in my life. It doesn’t seem like it was so long ago yet when I see how some of us have changed over the years I realize I’m not 19 years old. In fact I will soon be and grandfather in here in a few more months – ehhh! I live in Colorado Springs and a few weeks ago my wife participated in a stake wide service project making these sanitary pads your organization does. I don’t know if they did it via your program or what. I’ll have to ask my wife when I get home. I just flew in to SLC last night to spend the rest of the week with my folks in Pleasant Grove for Mother’s Day. I’ve always remembered you and your companion because you were such wonderful, mature, and dedicated missionaries. If you wish to contact me my email address is drbarkdull@gmail.com I do have a photo of our zone at the Lion Park maybe, we’re all standing out in front of a grass hut. I’ll send it to you if you are interested and give me your email.
Warm regards, David Barkdull
Elder BARKDULL!!! I’m a little embarrassed to say that I just noticed your comment here from FIVE YEARS AGO! Yikes. At least I can’t see now if I replied then. Sorry if I didn’t. It’s great to hear from you! I’m back in Africa, West Africa this time, on another mission. We are serving in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire and Bamako, Mali. Live is good. It’s good to be back on this continent. I’d love a copy of the Lion Park photo. My email is annlewis@byu.net. Thanks for finding me! Love to you and your family! Sis Laemmlen
Sister Lewis!
Beth Whitaker is the “mother” of my singles ward in Provo and I just received my call to serve in the Washington Yakima mission, on August 26. I can’t wait to meet you next Sunday at your farewell.
Sincerely,
Madison Averett
I am so excited to meet you, Madison! I LOVE Beth. She’s like a sister to me. She’s told me all about you. We are going to have some fabulous experiences together.
Tomorrow Elder Bednar will set us apart. I’m nervous and excited. I’m so glad you live nearby so our friendship can easily continue for a long long time. Thanks for writing! Sis. Lewis
Sister Lewis,
I met you a couple years ago at a Days for Girls event in Orem. Since then, I have taken time to read your blogs and follow some of your ideas on Pinterest. You are an amazing person and I admire your many talents and skills. Thanks for being such a great example and inspiration to me in so many ways. Lately, I have been listening to your Family History Courses online and love the information. Thank you so much. Is there a way that I can get the handouts that are connected with your classes? I would love to have them, if possible. If you are too busy to respond, I understand! Also lessons 11,12, and 13 are no longer accessible, is that on purpose? Is there anywhere that I can get access to those lessons?
Have a great day!
Debbie Andersen
Pleasant Grove, UT
Hi Debbie! How nice to hear from you! If you can send me your email, I’ll send you the handouts and info. My email is annlewis@byu.net. I’ll check on the last lessons and see what’s up. Love from Yakima!
Sister Lewis,
Thank you so much!! My email is ddandersen1@gmail.com. I appreciate your taking the time to do this. I know you are VERY busy!
🙂 Debbie
Hi Ann –
I read your article from the June 1980 Liahona on the Holy Ghost and wondered where I could get the article with the actual illustrations and graphics included. The link on lds.org just has the unformatted text. Do you know a good source for either scanned versions of the Liahona and other maganizes or do you still have the info yourself? I thought this would be perfect for an upcoming FHE – it’s really great.
Thank you!
Matt
Hello Ann,
My name is Carolyn Hale Louie, and I am the daughter of Shirley McFedters Hale (now Aubertine). As you may remember, our mothers were roommates at UCLA. I have great memories of going to your farm in Reedley as a child and all of the magical country opportunities you had there. I also remember happily receiving your hand-me-down dresses!
I’ve lived in Salt Lake City for the last 34 years and somehow I came across something you wrote, and your name caught my eye. I subscribed to your blog and have loved reading it for awhile now. When I saw the photos of your father today, I thought — I really should let Ann know that I am one of her followers! We have some things in common: besides being active in the Church, I have a great love of family history too, as my mom does. She will be 89 in December and lives with her 93-year-old husband in Eugene, Oregon. She is doing great, swimming three times a week, but definitely slowing down. My two brothers, David and Gregg, and sister Nancy live there too.
Just thought I would tell you that I am a fan and enjoy the way you share your knowledge and talents.
With love,
Carolyn Louie
Dear Carolyn! I’m sad to say that I never got a notification when you left this wonderful message and I’m just seeing it for the first time. I’m really sorry about that. Thanks for the note. My mom loved your mom. Last summer I scanned all of my mom’s UCLA scrapbooks and there were clippings of your mom there. I can send them to you if you’d like. My email is annlewis@byu.net. My husband and I are on another mission now in West Africa. Maybe you noticed that. We are happy and loving it here. It sounds like you have a wonderfully happy life too–filled with lots of good. Thank you again for the note. Maybe when we get home, we can get together and meet! Ann
Hello Ann, I am trying to figure out how we are related, My great grandfather was David Kunzler, Who married Julia Barker, the daughter of Leroy barker, and Mary Ann Cragun. I would love to have a chat about our family History. I instantly felt the love of Christ, when reading about our family and learning about the amazing things they did, and how they would have endless mercy towards others!
Feel free to contact me at Jake1999on@gmail.com
Thanks for all your hard work, love, Jacob Kunzler-Fassett
Hi Jake. Sorry I am only just seeing your message from several months ago. I must have some notification button turned off. It’s very nice to hear from you. I will email you with the details of how we are related. Have you found my family history blog called Ann’s Stories? There are lots of stories there about our family members. I think you’ll enjoy them! Here’s a link: https://annlaemmlenlewis1.wordpress.com/ We have a wonderful family. I’m happy to know you are there! Ann
Hello Sis. Lewis! Greetings from VA! I have no other way to reach out to you so i thought of leaving a reply on your blog. My name is Pam Quizon. I came across your blog several years ago when my kids were serving their missions and so grateful to be able to share with them some of the inspired thoughts that you’ve shared in your blogs. There is one particular entry i remembered from 8/13/13 about a bridal shower where you posted the framed gifts that your daughter Claire made for the couple. My son will be getting married next month and i thought about giving a similar gift to both of them. I was wondering if you or Claire would let me know how she did the lay out or if she can direct me to whoever did it? I hope you get this message on time and would appreciate if you can e/m me back at pam_quizon@yahoo.com. Thank you so much and hope all is great with your stay in Africa. I know how much you love the wonderful people where you served and continue to serve at this time.
Hello Ann,
it was your Immigrant Case Study of Peter Heinrich Bastert’s family which re-established a contact between U.S. and German sides of the Bastert Family. Peter Henry Bastert was one of the three sons of my granddad’s grandfather who emigrated to the U.S. since there was famine in his home area of Westphalia. Thanks again for publishing the results of your research. We’d never have gotten to know each other without it.
Scott Wyatt was just called as Mission Leader for Ivory Coast – just an fyi.
I LOVED Remembering Joseph, but couldn’t bring it with me to the Philippines for our 18 month assignment (weight). Where can I find Joseph’s toast to the Nauvoo Legion involving a concrete canoe? Herm Olsen