Kelsey's Mission Blog

So I have to hurry up and get this writing show on the road.

Hey!  Everyone! How is it going?  from what I've heard things are great, and I am glad that people are getting settled and motivated to work harder in life.

for me it is the same.  I feel like this week I have the potential to work harder than I have in all my time on a mission so far.  I just want to get out and walk and talk to people.  and hopefully that includes parking our  car, which may be hard since our area stretches far in both directions.  so wel'll see :)

My companion is great.  she is one of the ones I came out of the MTC with, and it is nice to have someone with a similar perspective and vision to work side by side with.  In lots of ways I am relieved about the transfer, I feel that things will go smoother now than they have before, now that I have someone that i can get along with and who can help keep me on track, and I can help motivate to work hard!

Sister Echols is from Pason Utah and comes from a smaller family.  she is very caring and sensitive, but at the same time is just as ready to laugh and make jokes, and sing with me for thirty minutes in a chipmunk voice :)  so it should be a good time.  but at the same time she has an amazing talent of being able to instantly connect with people that I can learn a lot from.  she is also really good at inviting the spirit into our lessons by highlighting simple truths and reminding people of their divine potential.

Our area is great, we have a family who is preparing for baptism, but the twist is that they're sepparated.  and we're teaching both of them. XD I won't go into details because I don't actually know them, but it is really interesting to see the difference that reading scriptures and prayer has, and how much they are both needed, especially since in this couple one will read and won't pray, and one will pray and won't read.  we're working on them both and hope that with time and repentance whatever they're working through will work itself out!

we also had a lesson with someone who's older and it was very sweet to see how much she loves her family and desires their happiness, and then how much more meaningful it became when she was able to apply that to her relationship with her heavenly father.

we also found a less active member who was very interesting to visit with.  she is older as well, probably in her 70's and though the lesson was on faith and how we can receive answers to prayers, somehow she related everything back to another story about how she was wronged financially throughout her life in different situations.  all I could think was how does that relate to anything we just said? and though she seems to be an altogether aware person I can't help but think something about having her boold drawn earlier that day and being on morphine had something to do with it.  that and the principle of you cannot serve god and mammon, and she is not really ready to repent yet.  we'll see if we can't spark something within her.

church was crazy!  I set a goal for myself to learn the names of 30 individuals, and man, it was hard.  I probably only know about 15, and I am still very weak at remembering names and face at the same time.  that and we were rushing about a lot, making copies and helping our investigator who came late with five kids, and teaching the youth the children's song army of Helaman, and getting appointments and so many things!  it was good.   crazy but good. 

we also had a dinner appointment about every day this week that we were actually available.  and the members feed us a LOT.  I will probably end up gaining a ton of weight.  or just learning to go without lunch, I haven't decided which.  there really aren't many options with this one.  I also ended up eating a slice of habanero this week, which was quite the experience.  it actually wasn't that bad, I could still taste stuff afterward, and there were no lasting side effects. but the funny part was that I started crying on impact.  it was a really weird reaction to just be sitting there totally fine but tears streaming down my cheeks.  and then elder Gross had a piece and didn't even blink.  made me feel like a lightweight but eh what can I say, I'm no rachael.

lets see, what else, there was sister's conference this week, and that was interesting.  President leavitt keeps waffleing about whether he'll have another one, it was kind of chaotic with just 24 sisters, I can only imagine it with 50.  it was a full 24 hours, we had lots of trainings on friday, and then ended up going to the temple.  on saturday we had a testimony meeting at 6:30 in the morning, and then breakfast before the sisters from Newfoundland had to go back.  it was fun.  weird but fun.  my old companion and I didn't talk at all.  and president leavitt broke our heads about key indicators.  and sister leavitt told us we can't wear large earrings and if we had super feministic feelings we needed to repent.  I had a hard time not laughing, and many parts were just fun and friendly jest, but then it got serious and I didn't know what to do with myself.

Ohkay spiritual thought for the week:  while I was in the temple I read some of Isaiah and found strength from 54:4, especially since I seem to have gotten into a rut of fearing to talk to people about the gospel: " Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth,and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood ever more." I just loved it because usually I have a hard time with isaiah and some other books in the bible, but this was one of those times where it felt like an answer to a prayer.  (never mind the part about widowhood XD)

Well I love you all and hope that you have the best week ever.

Love you!

Sister Christensen