So, with much thanksgiving, we were able to speak to Kaity on the phone on Christmas Day. It was only a 45 minute phone call, but getting to hear her sweet, happy voice was worth it. We were able to conference call with her grandparents in California for a couple of minutes and I know they truly appreciated it. She is doing wonderfully. She sounds so very happy and excited to be teaching others about their Savior, Jesus Christ. I know she would want me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas for her.
With love from her mom
Sunday, December 26, 2010
New Jersey Times: Un viaje al templo...y cada cosa mas.Monday, December 20, 2010
FAMILIA Y AMIGOS!
Okay. Sorry about last week. It was a crazy story. Mommy, I know I might have stressed you out a bit, but all is well. You see, we get to go to the temple twice a year--once in June and once in December. The thing is that the day we go to the temple becomes our Preparation Day...entonces, I didn't get time to write last week...not even my Mission President. It. Was. An. ADVENTURE. Haha. Want to know what I learned from it? Number 1, I will never live in New York City. Number 2, don't eat New York pizza right after it comes out of the oven. Number 3, 30 blocks is a long way to walk. Number 4, contacting in the City is kind of fun. Number 5, there's a difference between the SUBWAY and the New Jersey Path System. Haha.
But, really...the temple was a blessing...an absolutely wonderful blessing. I don't know how many of you have been to New York City, but the streets are loud. It's as if nothing can quiet them down. BUT, once I walked into the doors of that sacred building, it was nothing but silence. It felt like HOME. Not home like Las Vegas home, or Utah home (even though those are wonderful too)...but HOME, Home with my Heavenly Father. It has been way too long. And it makes me sad to think the next visit won't be for another 6 months. I was thinking about this the other day...how long it has been...and it made me think about how long it's been since I WAS in the presence of my Heavenly Father. His House--the temple--brings so much peace and joy that I cannot even describe. I can only imagine how much MORE peace and joy and happiness I will feel when I get to live with Him again...forever. I know I've said it before, but I challenge each of you to make a new goal, recommit yourself to go to the temple this year--once a month, once a week...I don't care, just go. I hope you will. If for no other reason, go because I cannot. You will receive blessings...I can promise you that.
Family and friends, I love you. I know this Gospel is real. You want to know one thing that gets to me...like really gets under my skin? When people say, "it doesn't matter what religion you are, we all worship the same God." NO! It DOES matter. And that "matter" has eternal significance. God has one way. He has one Church. He has one Plan. Like Sister Evens said yesterday, "Christ wasn't baptized in 6 different ways." There is only one church with the authority of God. And that Church, if I might so boldly declare, is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Heavenly Father wants all His children to be with Him after this life, but they must enter into HIS way, they must be baptized by someone who has HIS permission--not credentials from some religious school. I testify to you, to all of you, that Christ is real. That God is real. That He has a Plan in which you can be eternally happy. Who doesn't want that? :-)
Family, this work is not easy. It’s not easy to wake up at 6:30 every morning, it’s not easy to walk into a store and hear “worldly music” through the speakers, it’s not easy to teach a family who reminds you of your own, it’s not easy to go out day after day searching for those that are chosen, it’s not easy to eat plate after plate after plate of Hispanic food, it’s not easy. But, how can I expect it to be? I am a Disciple of Jesus Christ. I wear His name. I share His Gospel. I do His work. Life was not easy for Him. BUT, His promises are real. The promise of joy—that pure joy—is available to all. I certainly have nets that I need to straightway leave, I mustn’t look back to say goodbye. I have a work that I have been called to do, and my dear family, I’m going to do it. The Lord will have my heart, my soul, and my might…and through Him I will help those precious souls to taste of eternal life.
Jacob 6:5 “…and cleave unto God as He cleaveth unto you.”
That imagery is beautiful. I cleave unto God because I know His way is and always will be the best. I cleave unto God because I cannot do this alone—this work right now, this life I have. But, what does HE cleave unto ME? I picture a daughter embraced by the arms of her father. His embrace alone gives her hope, it gives her strength. But why does He do it? He doesn’t NEED her. His work can be accomplished just fine without her—He could do everything Himself if He wanted to. Why does he cleave unto her? My theory? Because He loves her. He. Loves. Her. He may have mansions prepared above, but if there’s no one to fill those mansions, is that life really going to be true happiness—for either of them? His arm isn't just hanging there just in case--no, His arm is EXTENDED and it is extended "in the light of day." Finding Him isn't difficult, you just have to get on your knees. It's not some sort of treasure hunt, His hand is in plain sight. Walk tall, you're a daughter, a child of God. Be strong, please remember who you are. Try to understand, you're part of His great plan. He's closer than you know--reach up, He'll take your hand."
I really do love you all. I wish you the Merriest Christmas ever. I hope to be hearing from you all soon...I'm still expecting those STORIES!
- Hermana Kaity Word
ALSO, correction on my address:
99 N 12th Street
Prospect Park, NJ 07508
Okay. Sorry about last week. It was a crazy story. Mommy, I know I might have stressed you out a bit, but all is well. You see, we get to go to the temple twice a year--once in June and once in December. The thing is that the day we go to the temple becomes our Preparation Day...entonces, I didn't get time to write last week...not even my Mission President. It. Was. An. ADVENTURE. Haha. Want to know what I learned from it? Number 1, I will never live in New York City. Number 2, don't eat New York pizza right after it comes out of the oven. Number 3, 30 blocks is a long way to walk. Number 4, contacting in the City is kind of fun. Number 5, there's a difference between the SUBWAY and the New Jersey Path System. Haha.
But, really...the temple was a blessing...an absolutely wonderful blessing. I don't know how many of you have been to New York City, but the streets are loud. It's as if nothing can quiet them down. BUT, once I walked into the doors of that sacred building, it was nothing but silence. It felt like HOME. Not home like Las Vegas home, or Utah home (even though those are wonderful too)...but HOME, Home with my Heavenly Father. It has been way too long. And it makes me sad to think the next visit won't be for another 6 months. I was thinking about this the other day...how long it has been...and it made me think about how long it's been since I WAS in the presence of my Heavenly Father. His House--the temple--brings so much peace and joy that I cannot even describe. I can only imagine how much MORE peace and joy and happiness I will feel when I get to live with Him again...forever. I know I've said it before, but I challenge each of you to make a new goal, recommit yourself to go to the temple this year--once a month, once a week...I don't care, just go. I hope you will. If for no other reason, go because I cannot. You will receive blessings...I can promise you that.
Family and friends, I love you. I know this Gospel is real. You want to know one thing that gets to me...like really gets under my skin? When people say, "it doesn't matter what religion you are, we all worship the same God." NO! It DOES matter. And that "matter" has eternal significance. God has one way. He has one Church. He has one Plan. Like Sister Evens said yesterday, "Christ wasn't baptized in 6 different ways." There is only one church with the authority of God. And that Church, if I might so boldly declare, is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Heavenly Father wants all His children to be with Him after this life, but they must enter into HIS way, they must be baptized by someone who has HIS permission--not credentials from some religious school. I testify to you, to all of you, that Christ is real. That God is real. That He has a Plan in which you can be eternally happy. Who doesn't want that? :-)
Family, this work is not easy. It’s not easy to wake up at 6:30 every morning, it’s not easy to walk into a store and hear “worldly music” through the speakers, it’s not easy to teach a family who reminds you of your own, it’s not easy to go out day after day searching for those that are chosen, it’s not easy to eat plate after plate after plate of Hispanic food, it’s not easy. But, how can I expect it to be? I am a Disciple of Jesus Christ. I wear His name. I share His Gospel. I do His work. Life was not easy for Him. BUT, His promises are real. The promise of joy—that pure joy—is available to all. I certainly have nets that I need to straightway leave, I mustn’t look back to say goodbye. I have a work that I have been called to do, and my dear family, I’m going to do it. The Lord will have my heart, my soul, and my might…and through Him I will help those precious souls to taste of eternal life.
Jacob 6:5 “…and cleave unto God as He cleaveth unto you.”
That imagery is beautiful. I cleave unto God because I know His way is and always will be the best. I cleave unto God because I cannot do this alone—this work right now, this life I have. But, what does HE cleave unto ME? I picture a daughter embraced by the arms of her father. His embrace alone gives her hope, it gives her strength. But why does He do it? He doesn’t NEED her. His work can be accomplished just fine without her—He could do everything Himself if He wanted to. Why does he cleave unto her? My theory? Because He loves her. He. Loves. Her. He may have mansions prepared above, but if there’s no one to fill those mansions, is that life really going to be true happiness—for either of them? His arm isn't just hanging there just in case--no, His arm is EXTENDED and it is extended "in the light of day." Finding Him isn't difficult, you just have to get on your knees. It's not some sort of treasure hunt, His hand is in plain sight. Walk tall, you're a daughter, a child of God. Be strong, please remember who you are. Try to understand, you're part of His great plan. He's closer than you know--reach up, He'll take your hand."
I really do love you all. I wish you the Merriest Christmas ever. I hope to be hearing from you all soon...I'm still expecting those STORIES!
- Hermana Kaity Word
ALSO, correction on my address:
99 N 12th Street
Prospect Park, NJ 07508
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Kaity's email from 12-06-2010, mom is slow!
Familia y amigos!
How have you all been!?! I'm kind of lacking on the "update" end. SO, I've got a homework assignment for each of you. If you could sit down and write a little 1 page summary of a miracle you’ve seen in your life—whenever in your life—and send it my way, that would be wonderful. I’d love to hear how you’re all growing out there, what has made you who you are. And you can mail it to:
99 N 10th St
Prospect Park, NJ 07508
Thank you in advance! I love you all!
As for me, Jersey is great! It is getting cold, that's for sure. I'm now wearing two pairs of tights each day...and I hate tights. SO, if that's not testimony to you that this work is real, I don't know what is. Haha. The people here are wonderful. I want to let you all know, I had some Colombian, Peruvian, and Dominican food this last week. All of it was WONDERFUL! So much better than that junk you find at those "authentic" restaurants. YUP, I said it. The food here is DELICIOUS! (Minus the fish. BLEH!) Got transfer news today...and I'M STAYING IN PATERSON! And so is Sister Evens. Which means, another 6 weeks together! I'm super stoked! We've got some wonderful baptisms lined up this month (9 to be exact). You prayers will be very much appreciated...as they always always are!
Anyway...on to the rest of this letter...
Remember Martin and Matilde? Matilde didn’t know if she was going to have the custody of her children, they didn’t know how or where they were going to move…? SO thanks to the blessed members here, Martin and Matilde finished moving into the apartment Hermana Socorro (her name means “relief” in Spanish) was living in. She’s allowing them a month to get the money together that they need to pay for the place. Also, last Wednesday was their court day…and Matilde GETS TO KEEP HER KIDS! AND, the ex-husband is now legally obligated to pay child support. This next Thursday they’re going to sign for their marriage license, the wedding will be next week, and their baptism the following Sunday (the 19th). Certainly, they still have a million things that they need help with, their troubles are not miraculously GONE; but, they have hope. Their countenances have changed. It is absolutely incredible to watch the blessings of the Gospel work in the lives of others…even before they’re baptized.
Remember last week? I talked about how Satan just tries his hardest, in his subtle little ways, to stop the power of a companionship. Funny, because last Monday was probably the peak of all of it. After I thought all was well, it seemed to spiral downward at an extremely rapid pace—for me. Those “little things” were magnified times a million. I kept trying to brush them off, praying for strength, praying for the help to talk about them if that was the will of my Father in Heaven. Some things need to be forgotten, but some things need to be discussed. I finally talked to Sister Evens last Monday night. I. Had. A. Breakdown. Like, breakdown. And she was just the BEST. I had originally thought my “problem” was with the actions of another; but it turned out that it was much deeper than that…it was with myself. I had been struggling with feeling like I’d not been doing my best; I had been down on myself without even realizing it. I had tried my best, but inside I failed to accept that…and it started to eat away at me. My wonderful companion, who I’d thought was some sort of a “problem,” was an angel for me that night. She showed me love. She helped me to see how far I had come. She gave me “homework” that helped strengthen my faith and rebuild my confidence. She was a missionary to me. President Bahr, our companionship is doing fantastically well. I want you to know. I learned a great lesson that day: We need to look inward for the problems before we turn our eyes outward, all the while trusting in God, not losing hope, recognizing the good and accepting it.
I know that my Father in Heaven helps me. He doesn’t want me to feel sad. His plan is the Plan of HAPPINESS. That is His message. And, if I am going to share it, I must start living it. I know that He knows that I truly am trying…even if no one else does, even if no one else sees it—myself included. I know that He loves me individually. He knows me. He helps me. He sees the good and helps me to see it as well.
Scripture – Jacob 5:50
Here, the Lord of the vineyard has just about given up. All his trees are bringing for evil fruit, they’re cumbering his ground; he’s ready to hew them down and cast them into the fire, for that seems to be the only solution. Then the servant says, “Spare it a little longer.” How often is that the case?! The Lord has said 3 times now “What more could I have done for my vineyard?” and the servant is saying, “You just need to wait now. You’ve done all you can, now just WAIT.” So it is with my Heavenly Father—He will always help me if I do ALL that I can. Sometimes that “ALL” means trying different things, different ways…and before I decide to just give up and abandon all my works because they SEEM, at the moment, to be unfruitful, I must “Spare. It. A little. Longer.” God will help, He ALWAYS will, but in His time. President Smith at the MTC once said, “When you’ve reached your limit, that’s when you’ll see the Lord step in.” I’d venture to say that that “limit” is not the limit in your eyes, but it’s the limit in the eyes of God. Sometimes you need a little more testing, a little more trial. Sometimes it’s physical and sometimes it’s more profound—it’s spiritual. Sometimes it’s more work, but sometimes it’s just PATIENCE. But, the promise remains that He WILL step in. Trust that.
Family and Friends, I love you all. This Gospel is true. I know it will all my heart. Joseph Smith was called of God to restore His Gospel in these the Latter-days. Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today and he leads the Church under the direction of Christ Himself, for this is Christ's Church. I hope you enjoy this wonderful season of the year. I certainly love it!
See you in a few!
- Sister Kaity Word
PS - Can you forward this to Jacob, Teen or Natalie?...and to Todd, Sister Corbett?
Mis Amigos
“The more I read the more I trust the things that I'm reading. Every commandment, promise, and piece of advise is always for their benefit and happiness. Christ learned that selfish wants only lead to the shortest of pleasure, but by using all of his time to make sure someone else was happy; the happy feeling off that person in turn filled him with joy that would last. God, our Heavenly Father, knows who we are. He knows what we need for food, for clothes. He knows about our bills and our studies. He knows about the friends who may have let you down or the one who may your day. He knows your personal situation and has told us what we should do to be happier. So, as a servant of Jesus Christ, I've seen people's smiles get a little bigger by following Christ's example, and I invite you to do the same. You may already feel that you're following Him, but I can tell you that unless you want to give up everything to do so, there's something more you can do.” – Elder Stucki, Morristown NJ (11/29/10)
“But Satan wants not ONE good thing to happen. And I read that I wrote down in one of my notebooks from the MTC that Satan has been watching us for YEARS. So HE KNOWS what pushes our buttons, and what weakens us. So no matter how hard he tries to get me to think I'M out here for the wrong reasons, I need to recognize and think about how happy I've been when I have seen somebody's life helped from me being here. Of all places I could be helping Heavenly Father iN THE WORLD, He chose me to be here.” – Sister Batchkoff, Albuquerque NM (11/29/10)
How have you all been!?! I'm kind of lacking on the "update" end. SO, I've got a homework assignment for each of you. If you could sit down and write a little 1 page summary of a miracle you’ve seen in your life—whenever in your life—and send it my way, that would be wonderful. I’d love to hear how you’re all growing out there, what has made you who you are. And you can mail it to:
99 N 10th St
Prospect Park, NJ 07508
Thank you in advance! I love you all!
As for me, Jersey is great! It is getting cold, that's for sure. I'm now wearing two pairs of tights each day...and I hate tights. SO, if that's not testimony to you that this work is real, I don't know what is. Haha. The people here are wonderful. I want to let you all know, I had some Colombian, Peruvian, and Dominican food this last week. All of it was WONDERFUL! So much better than that junk you find at those "authentic" restaurants. YUP, I said it. The food here is DELICIOUS! (Minus the fish. BLEH!) Got transfer news today...and I'M STAYING IN PATERSON! And so is Sister Evens. Which means, another 6 weeks together! I'm super stoked! We've got some wonderful baptisms lined up this month (9 to be exact). You prayers will be very much appreciated...as they always always are!
Anyway...on to the rest of this letter...
Remember Martin and Matilde? Matilde didn’t know if she was going to have the custody of her children, they didn’t know how or where they were going to move…? SO thanks to the blessed members here, Martin and Matilde finished moving into the apartment Hermana Socorro (her name means “relief” in Spanish) was living in. She’s allowing them a month to get the money together that they need to pay for the place. Also, last Wednesday was their court day…and Matilde GETS TO KEEP HER KIDS! AND, the ex-husband is now legally obligated to pay child support. This next Thursday they’re going to sign for their marriage license, the wedding will be next week, and their baptism the following Sunday (the 19th). Certainly, they still have a million things that they need help with, their troubles are not miraculously GONE; but, they have hope. Their countenances have changed. It is absolutely incredible to watch the blessings of the Gospel work in the lives of others…even before they’re baptized.
Remember last week? I talked about how Satan just tries his hardest, in his subtle little ways, to stop the power of a companionship. Funny, because last Monday was probably the peak of all of it. After I thought all was well, it seemed to spiral downward at an extremely rapid pace—for me. Those “little things” were magnified times a million. I kept trying to brush them off, praying for strength, praying for the help to talk about them if that was the will of my Father in Heaven. Some things need to be forgotten, but some things need to be discussed. I finally talked to Sister Evens last Monday night. I. Had. A. Breakdown. Like, breakdown. And she was just the BEST. I had originally thought my “problem” was with the actions of another; but it turned out that it was much deeper than that…it was with myself. I had been struggling with feeling like I’d not been doing my best; I had been down on myself without even realizing it. I had tried my best, but inside I failed to accept that…and it started to eat away at me. My wonderful companion, who I’d thought was some sort of a “problem,” was an angel for me that night. She showed me love. She helped me to see how far I had come. She gave me “homework” that helped strengthen my faith and rebuild my confidence. She was a missionary to me. President Bahr, our companionship is doing fantastically well. I want you to know. I learned a great lesson that day: We need to look inward for the problems before we turn our eyes outward, all the while trusting in God, not losing hope, recognizing the good and accepting it.
I know that my Father in Heaven helps me. He doesn’t want me to feel sad. His plan is the Plan of HAPPINESS. That is His message. And, if I am going to share it, I must start living it. I know that He knows that I truly am trying…even if no one else does, even if no one else sees it—myself included. I know that He loves me individually. He knows me. He helps me. He sees the good and helps me to see it as well.
Scripture – Jacob 5:50
Here, the Lord of the vineyard has just about given up. All his trees are bringing for evil fruit, they’re cumbering his ground; he’s ready to hew them down and cast them into the fire, for that seems to be the only solution. Then the servant says, “Spare it a little longer.” How often is that the case?! The Lord has said 3 times now “What more could I have done for my vineyard?” and the servant is saying, “You just need to wait now. You’ve done all you can, now just WAIT.” So it is with my Heavenly Father—He will always help me if I do ALL that I can. Sometimes that “ALL” means trying different things, different ways…and before I decide to just give up and abandon all my works because they SEEM, at the moment, to be unfruitful, I must “Spare. It. A little. Longer.” God will help, He ALWAYS will, but in His time. President Smith at the MTC once said, “When you’ve reached your limit, that’s when you’ll see the Lord step in.” I’d venture to say that that “limit” is not the limit in your eyes, but it’s the limit in the eyes of God. Sometimes you need a little more testing, a little more trial. Sometimes it’s physical and sometimes it’s more profound—it’s spiritual. Sometimes it’s more work, but sometimes it’s just PATIENCE. But, the promise remains that He WILL step in. Trust that.
Family and Friends, I love you all. This Gospel is true. I know it will all my heart. Joseph Smith was called of God to restore His Gospel in these the Latter-days. Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today and he leads the Church under the direction of Christ Himself, for this is Christ's Church. I hope you enjoy this wonderful season of the year. I certainly love it!
See you in a few!
- Sister Kaity Word
PS - Can you forward this to Jacob, Teen or Natalie?...and to Todd, Sister Corbett?
Mis Amigos
“The more I read the more I trust the things that I'm reading. Every commandment, promise, and piece of advise is always for their benefit and happiness. Christ learned that selfish wants only lead to the shortest of pleasure, but by using all of his time to make sure someone else was happy; the happy feeling off that person in turn filled him with joy that would last. God, our Heavenly Father, knows who we are. He knows what we need for food, for clothes. He knows about our bills and our studies. He knows about the friends who may have let you down or the one who may your day. He knows your personal situation and has told us what we should do to be happier. So, as a servant of Jesus Christ, I've seen people's smiles get a little bigger by following Christ's example, and I invite you to do the same. You may already feel that you're following Him, but I can tell you that unless you want to give up everything to do so, there's something more you can do.” – Elder Stucki, Morristown NJ (11/29/10)
“But Satan wants not ONE good thing to happen. And I read that I wrote down in one of my notebooks from the MTC that Satan has been watching us for YEARS. So HE KNOWS what pushes our buttons, and what weakens us. So no matter how hard he tries to get me to think I'M out here for the wrong reasons, I need to recognize and think about how happy I've been when I have seen somebody's life helped from me being here. Of all places I could be helping Heavenly Father iN THE WORLD, He chose me to be here.” – Sister Batchkoff, Albuquerque NM (11/29/10)
Monday, November 29, 2010
New Jersey Times
Mi FAMILIA y amigos!
Um, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Hope it was wonderful for all of you.
My day started out with a little run up "the mountain" with one of our awesome members here, Hermana Socorro (it really is just a little hill-ish thing...not at all a mountain. Haha.) Made. My. Day. I could've died and gone to heaven, not even kidding. :) Then I vowed not to eat anymore food...a very wise decision (we had two dinner appointments). I can tell you I was certainly treated to some WONDERFUL food! :) Not even kidding. Like, delicious! We went over to President Castillo's house and ate with his family. Martin and Matilde and Matidle's daughter Janet came too (the investigator I wrote about last week). It was perfect. Hermana Castillo knows her stuff. (I'm attaching pictures...hopefully it all works). Then went to Hermana Sara's house and ate with one of our investigators, Herminda. Loved it.
As far as a little story from this week...we've been stopping by every once and a while for one of our less-active members. Her name is Melissa. Awesome lady. We went by on Friday, but her car wasn't there. After knocking a couple other houses, I asked Sister Evens if we could go back. I didn't know why, but her name would not leave my mind. Turns out she was home (her car was at the shop). She'd been having a rough couple of days. We read with her portions of Elder Holland's conference talk, after which she said "I found something today and this talk just reminded me of it." She ran to her room and brought out her patriarchal blessing. She had been cleaning off her bookshelf trying to find her Book of Mormon (because we had invited her to read it the time before) and her blessing fell out of her Bible. She read a part of it to us and began to cry. Melissa knew that God loved her, but I think she was reminded of the significance and the power of that love on Friday. I can tell you I was. There was an absolutely undeniable spirit in that room. We invited her again to read the Book of Mormon. Right before we left, we gave her "homework." Melissa got SO excited when we told her it was homework (she's studying to be a teacher). She even put reminders in her phone and everything to make sure she gets it done. It's been ten years since she and her husband stopped going to church, but she knows there's a different feeling in her home when we come to visit.
You know what, it is interesting to me how hard Satan tries, how subtle he is in his plan to stop the power of a companionship. Now, before you start to worry, nothing is wrong. Sister Evens and I are as happy as ever. :-) But, I was able to see this past week a portion of "his little ways". Sister Evens works hard, she is a living example of charity, she IS a missionary. But for whatever reason those tiny little things that we don't even realize we do decided they wanted to bug me this week. Time and time again, I sat there praying to my Father in Heaven that He might take those thoughts away, those thoughts of frustration or sadness. The words of an Elder Holland talk came to my mind over and over and over again, "Too often we think...that they must've meant to hurt us, must've meant to do us wrong...Assume the good and doubt the bad." I knew she wasn't intentionally doing things to bug me or 'hurt' me; in all reality, they were the littlest of things anyways. After much prayer and pondering, I'm happy to say I'm doing better. This companionship is stronger. The work is moving forward.
I have been feeling lately that I haven't been doing all that I can or should be doing in order to be the BEST missionary the Lord would have me be. As Sister Evens and I were walking the other day, I thought to myself, "I don't want to just be doing missionary things, I want to BE a missionary." I want to BECOME someone the Lord can trust with His children, someone He can trust to fulfill each prompting that He gives. I'm not here for a year and a half just to knock some doors and learn some Spanish. No. There are people in New Jersey, even right now in Paterson, who have been or are being prepared to hear the Gospel from ME and I will not allow laziness on my part to keep me from finding them--because the Lord can't trust me to listen to His promptings. I have been CALLED, and now I must go and DO. I know that this is the work of the Master. I know that these are His children. I know that each has a potential greater than anything I could imagine, and I will give all that I have if it means that one of them is able to reach that potential.
Scripture: 2 Nephi 27:23
"I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today and forever." He reallyl DOESN'T change, and I'm so grateful for that. I feel that if the people today just understood the nature of God, it wouldn't be so hard for them to accept the Gospel..."I work not among the children of men, save it be according to their faith." Faith is so incredibly essential. It's not that He doesn't want to work among us, but we have to show Him we want Him to, we have to show Him we believe and have full confidence in Him.
Family and friends, I love you. I truly do hope all is well. To all my missionary friends, Keep it UP! People need this Gospel. To all of you: remember your potential as children of God.
My invitation to you this week is to sit down and read your scriptures, even if only one verse each day. I promise you that you will be able to see more and more the blessings God has given you, and you will be able to feel more and more the love He has for you.
Until next week,
Hermana Kaity Word
Citas de mis amigos de la mision
“I've been working harder on trying and trying and TRYING to figure out exactly what it is Heavenly Father has guided me to do in this exact spot right now, because of all the places in the world that I could be, Heavenly Father wants me HERE. So I've been searching and searching to try and figure out what He wants me specifically to try and do for Him that could help His children...Heavenly Father has [so much] in store for him...every single trial and weakness we go through builds our character to be able to make us strong enough to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do.” – Hermana Batchkoff
Monday, November 22, 2010
New Jersey Times - Poniendo Dios primero
Familia y Amigos,
SO, I may or may not kind of cheat with these emails. You see, I write a letter to my Mission President every week...and since I spend a great deal of time on those, I've decided to copy and paste parts from it (mainly to save me time). BUT, I love you all still the same (just in case there was any question at all).
The Power of Faith.
Matilde is wonderful. She knows who Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are, she has a solid testimony of the Gospel, she reads and prays frequently, attends church, has had all the lessons...the only thing holding her back from baptism is a marriage to her boyfriend. And the only thing holding her back from that is a court date with her ex-husband over the custody of her children. Apparently the court has told her she cannot marry or get a job until after that date (doesn't make sense at all). They're struggling for money, as in: they have none. Friday after the training we were going to help one of our members set up for the activity that night. When we ended our companionship prayer, we got a phone call from the member and found out she didn't need help yet. SO we decided to head over to Matilde's to teach her a little about 3 Nephi (she had had questions). When we got there we found her terribly saddened. Apparently things had happened with her kids, she had gotten thrown in the back of a cop car, her boyfriend Martin hadn't been home all day because of something that had happened with them the night before--her life was falling apart. We sat down. We listened to her. We prayed with her. We read with her. We loved her. She knows what she needs to do--"seguir adelante"--and she's going to do her very best to do that. It is absolutely 100% miraculous to me just how having a knowledge of this Gospel can bring peace in a life full of difficulties. Elders Wall and Davies came and gave both her and Martin Priesthood Blessings of comfort last night. What an incredible experience that was! She spoke with us afterwards, asked us how we knew to come over Friday night. "I didn't tell anyone. No one knew what was going on." I can't tell you that our impression to go over there was anything more than "Oh, well we can't go set up now so we'll visit Matilde." And that, to me is a miracle in and of itself. It's a testimony to me that we don't need to wait for some grand sign in order to move our feet. If we live as we should, we should trust that the Lord will guide our feet. I do not know why we went over there, but I can assure you that Heavenly Father knew His precious daughter was suffering...and we got to be angels that night. We may know what the Lord would have them do, how all the situations are going to pan out, but we know that all will be well...and she knows that now too.
When He is First
This week I have come to see a little bit more how wonderful my Father in Heaven is. Remember last week when we tried and tried and TRIED to reach our 5 SINCERE new investigators? This week, we had 4 by Tuesday night. We taught the family of a former investigator (who, might I add, had no reason for being "dropped"). She is awesome, her kids are awesome. Each one of them has offered a prayer now...and they're excited to do it. And, in each prayer they've given thanks for their family (which just brings a smile to my face everytime). They came to our Branch activity Friday night, attended church yesterday, and last night we invited them all to be baptized on December 26 (we want to teach the dad too)...and they accepted--Marina and her 4 "baptizable" children: Amy, Kelger, Shayla, and Mario. Miracle? YES! It's incredible what happens when we put the Lord first, isn't it? I've learned a least a little more this week about the significance of making sure He is FIRST in our lives. I know that this is His work, I know that He has a plan for each and every one of His children, and I'm ever so humbled to have the opportunity to be apart of it. When we put the Lord first, miracles happen. End of story. They can be big and grand, or small and seemingly insignificant (at least in the eyes of the world), but they will happen.
Scripture - Come Unto Me - 2 Nephi 26:25
"Come unto me all ye ends of the earth..." Christ's invitation to all of us is to come unto him. When I read this, I thought to myself, "I may be baptized into His Gospel, but there's so much more 'coming' that I must do." Coming unto Him doesn't end at baptism, it doesn't end when we die, it doesn't EVER end. Either we choose Him always, or we choose Him not. So what will it be?
Anyway, I love you all. I've got to get going (mom needs an email! :-) Keep it up, like I always say.
OH, and do me a favor, will you? Trust in your Heavenly Father. Put Him First...and write down your experiences so you can always remember them.
I'll be back in a sec!
- Hermana Word
Also, I've decided to add little parts from emails I recieved from my fellow missionary amigos! They are ever-so-wise, and I am grateful for their dedication to this wonderful work as well.
"Similarily I testify that God knows each of us personally and loves us more than we can possibly comprehend. He rejoices over our triumphs and weeps with us when we struggle. Our Heavenly Father knows our weaknesses as well. He knows we are not perfect, but he does not love us any less. No matter who we are or what we have done his hand and heart is streatched out still. When we see him again we will be suprised by how familiar he looks, by the warmth of his embrace, and by the overwhelming love that we feel. Love beyond our comprehension. Satan is real, and he is mean. But God is stronger." - Hermana Jarman, Albequerque New Mexico
"Giving up your life to find the Lords work. I love my family and friends. That is honestly the hardest things to give up. However, as the Lords continually shows me: when I try to put my letters and my wants first, He says nope. I'm sorry if this crushes the hopes of some to receive a letter from me, but the Lord comes first for me now...However far the distance though, I know I'm in good hands. Mostly beacuse they're the hands that save us all. They may not appear the most beautiful with mud caked in every pore from a tear wiped away and a fallen brother pulled from the dust. It seems at times that I'm not worht enough to even look at those hands with the scars proclaiming the work he's done for me, but the hand is stretched out still and He begs I'll take that hand." Elder Justin Stucki, New Jersey Morristown
SO, I may or may not kind of cheat with these emails. You see, I write a letter to my Mission President every week...and since I spend a great deal of time on those, I've decided to copy and paste parts from it (mainly to save me time). BUT, I love you all still the same (just in case there was any question at all).
The Power of Faith.
Matilde is wonderful. She knows who Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are, she has a solid testimony of the Gospel, she reads and prays frequently, attends church, has had all the lessons...the only thing holding her back from baptism is a marriage to her boyfriend. And the only thing holding her back from that is a court date with her ex-husband over the custody of her children. Apparently the court has told her she cannot marry or get a job until after that date (doesn't make sense at all). They're struggling for money, as in: they have none. Friday after the training we were going to help one of our members set up for the activity that night. When we ended our companionship prayer, we got a phone call from the member and found out she didn't need help yet. SO we decided to head over to Matilde's to teach her a little about 3 Nephi (she had had questions). When we got there we found her terribly saddened. Apparently things had happened with her kids, she had gotten thrown in the back of a cop car, her boyfriend Martin hadn't been home all day because of something that had happened with them the night before--her life was falling apart. We sat down. We listened to her. We prayed with her. We read with her. We loved her. She knows what she needs to do--"seguir adelante"--and she's going to do her very best to do that. It is absolutely 100% miraculous to me just how having a knowledge of this Gospel can bring peace in a life full of difficulties. Elders Wall and Davies came and gave both her and Martin Priesthood Blessings of comfort last night. What an incredible experience that was! She spoke with us afterwards, asked us how we knew to come over Friday night. "I didn't tell anyone. No one knew what was going on." I can't tell you that our impression to go over there was anything more than "Oh, well we can't go set up now so we'll visit Matilde." And that, to me is a miracle in and of itself. It's a testimony to me that we don't need to wait for some grand sign in order to move our feet. If we live as we should, we should trust that the Lord will guide our feet. I do not know why we went over there, but I can assure you that Heavenly Father knew His precious daughter was suffering...and we got to be angels that night. We may know what the Lord would have them do, how all the situations are going to pan out, but we know that all will be well...and she knows that now too.
When He is First
This week I have come to see a little bit more how wonderful my Father in Heaven is. Remember last week when we tried and tried and TRIED to reach our 5 SINCERE new investigators? This week, we had 4 by Tuesday night. We taught the family of a former investigator (who, might I add, had no reason for being "dropped"). She is awesome, her kids are awesome. Each one of them has offered a prayer now...and they're excited to do it. And, in each prayer they've given thanks for their family (which just brings a smile to my face everytime). They came to our Branch activity Friday night, attended church yesterday, and last night we invited them all to be baptized on December 26 (we want to teach the dad too)...and they accepted--Marina and her 4 "baptizable" children: Amy, Kelger, Shayla, and Mario. Miracle? YES! It's incredible what happens when we put the Lord first, isn't it? I've learned a least a little more this week about the significance of making sure He is FIRST in our lives. I know that this is His work, I know that He has a plan for each and every one of His children, and I'm ever so humbled to have the opportunity to be apart of it. When we put the Lord first, miracles happen. End of story. They can be big and grand, or small and seemingly insignificant (at least in the eyes of the world), but they will happen.
Scripture - Come Unto Me - 2 Nephi 26:25
"Come unto me all ye ends of the earth..." Christ's invitation to all of us is to come unto him. When I read this, I thought to myself, "I may be baptized into His Gospel, but there's so much more 'coming' that I must do." Coming unto Him doesn't end at baptism, it doesn't end when we die, it doesn't EVER end. Either we choose Him always, or we choose Him not. So what will it be?
Anyway, I love you all. I've got to get going (mom needs an email! :-) Keep it up, like I always say.
OH, and do me a favor, will you? Trust in your Heavenly Father. Put Him First...and write down your experiences so you can always remember them.
I'll be back in a sec!
- Hermana Word
Also, I've decided to add little parts from emails I recieved from my fellow missionary amigos! They are ever-so-wise, and I am grateful for their dedication to this wonderful work as well.
"Similarily I testify that God knows each of us personally and loves us more than we can possibly comprehend. He rejoices over our triumphs and weeps with us when we struggle. Our Heavenly Father knows our weaknesses as well. He knows we are not perfect, but he does not love us any less. No matter who we are or what we have done his hand and heart is streatched out still. When we see him again we will be suprised by how familiar he looks, by the warmth of his embrace, and by the overwhelming love that we feel. Love beyond our comprehension. Satan is real, and he is mean. But God is stronger." - Hermana Jarman, Albequerque New Mexico
"Giving up your life to find the Lords work. I love my family and friends. That is honestly the hardest things to give up. However, as the Lords continually shows me: when I try to put my letters and my wants first, He says nope. I'm sorry if this crushes the hopes of some to receive a letter from me, but the Lord comes first for me now...However far the distance though, I know I'm in good hands. Mostly beacuse they're the hands that save us all. They may not appear the most beautiful with mud caked in every pore from a tear wiped away and a fallen brother pulled from the dust. It seems at times that I'm not worht enough to even look at those hands with the scars proclaiming the work he's done for me, but the hand is stretched out still and He begs I'll take that hand." Elder Justin Stucki, New Jersey Morristown
Monday, November 15, 2010
New Jersey Times - Una semana de milagros
Familia y Amigos,
How are you?! Thank you again for all of your awesome letters of support and encouragement. I want you to know they keep me going (as do the scriptures and prayer and, well, preaching the Gospel :) I hope life is treating you well. Christmas is just around the corner and I am entirely elated, and somewhat impatient. What an awesome time to teach about our Savior, Jesus Christ! :)...and what an awesome time to experience the bitterly cold winter of New Jersey? Haha.
Pues ("well" in Spanish), another week has flown by, and OH, have I seen miracles!
My Daddy wrote me a letter!!! Yup. Miracle Number 1 (first one since I've been out).
Miracle Number 2: The faith of the people here. I am and will forever be impressed with the faith these members and investigators have. Even amongst all the dedicated (and sometimes hard-hearted) people here, we're able to find those who are just waiting to hear His Word. We visited a less-active member this week, Melissa. She and her husband haven't gone to church in years because of misunderstandings with people in their ward (Please show love to everyone. I get kind of tired of hearing about people leaving the Church because members were inconsiderate. Granted, they shouldn't let that affect them, but we shouldn't treat them in a way that it would affect them. I know we're human, but we've been asked to overcome that - Mosiah 3:19.) Anyway, we taught her a lesson on how God will bless her even more if she takes time for Him. It was incredible to watch the change in her countenance throughout the lesson, and then to hear her prayer when all was done. Our investigators seem to be doing well. Danny (our Puerto Rican) has decided he's moving to Las Vegas for work (Tyler Payne and Devon Graff, I've decided you're befriending him...and you're going to help him with his smoking problems. K thanks! Love you!). Luz and Alex know the Church is true, they're just hesitant to be baptized. Martin and Matilde were ready 4 weeks ago, but they need their marriage license. We taught them an awesome lesson about temples and how in them they can be married for time and ALL OF ETERNITY. That those aren't just words people say, but that they're giving by God and performed by men who have the authority to do so. I was able to show them pictures I had taken of different temples and then one of my family when I received my endowments. It was absolutely wonderful!
I want you all to know that Heavenly Father has a plan for you. And that plan is made possible through the ordinances of His restored Gospel. And those ordinances and the authority to perform them resides in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are called Saving Ordinances, because they do just that--they allow you to be saved, to return to His Presence. Without them, you cannot enter into His Kingdom. First is Baptism and Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The other ordinances are performed within the walls of His sacred temples, His dedicated temples. In them, and ONLY in them are families sealed for eternity. I urge you all to plan to partake of these ordinances yourselves. Uncle Dean, if you want to be with your awesome wife and your precious little girls forever, this is how it is done. Grandma Julie, Aunt Pam, Grandma Rosaline...any and all of you...this is how it is done.
Miracle Number 3: Our Goals. We had set the goal to get 6 new investigators this week (yes, 5 is now the mission standard). By the end of Saturday, we only had 1. We had been praying and praying all week. We had taught a couple new people, but they were English Speaking, or not within our boundaries (friends of Rosana, one of our investigators), or we didn't have a return appointment for a lack of commitment. SO, we had 5 new investigators we needed to find yesterday. All our appointments were with potentially new investigators, people with families as well. The first two fell threw. Even our backups were not happening. By 9:00 last night, we had a total of 4 for this week. We may not have actually MET the mission standards; but, OH what a miracle those 4 people were!
That was a huge huge HUGE trial of faith. I was brought to my knees night after night asking for His help, pouring out all that I had, telling Him that I had "commandments" I had been given and that I was going to be His hands and His feet and His voice in order to fulfill those commandments. I knew that there is not any commandment given that the Lord does not help us accomplish. I knew that I couldn't just pray and not do. I asked for strength, I asked for knowledge, I asked for hope. I was determined to do what was asked of me. I wanted so badly (and want even now) to find those people who are READY. That is what our goal is all about, is it not? Yesterday morning as I ate my breakfast, I decided to read from the Ensign. At the very end of President Eyring's talk "Trust in God, Then Go and Do" he says, "You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer in this conference, you will find it. And, if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you." That is what it is all about. Covenants are a two-way promise, that's something I've known since I was a little girl. Why would something like faith not be the same. I am asked to trust HIM but I must also be someone HE can trust. That means doing all that is asked, no matter how out-of-the-box it may sound. It means stopping and talking to the lady you waved hello to. It means showing love even when others don't seem to show it back. It means having a smile not only on your face, but in your heart. That is my testimony today. That God answers prayers, He always does. And, He answers them in accordance with our faith, with our trust in Him and His trust in us.
Miracle Number 4: Hermana Evens. She's just awesome. End of story. A trooper, really. She's been sick the past couple days, she has a little cold and what not. She's been smart about keeping warm and taking medicine, it's just something she has to wait out. BUT, despite it all, she's continued to give this work her absolute best. AND, I am ever so grateful for that, to have a companion who doesn't give up because she has somewhat of a valid excuse. Love her!
Scripture: 1 Nephi 2:19-20. This week I started reading from my Spanish Book of Mormon each day, outloud. I came to this scripture the other night and suddenly felt an overwhelming amount of love and gratitude. I didn't entirely know what it said, actually I really hadn't any more than the slightest idea. BUT, I knew it was an answer of peace given to me from my Father in Heaven. I looked it up in English yesterday, and it hit me even harder. "...Blessed art thou [Sister Word], because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart. Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to [the land of New Jersey]; yea, even a [people] which I have prepared for you; yea, a [people] which [are] choice above all other [people]." Talk about an answer to a prayer. My Heavenly Father knows me. He knows what I need in order to continue moving my feet. He and I both know that I am not perfect, but scriptures like this help me to know that He looks past my imperfections and blesses me more than I "deserve" to be blessed.
I want to promise you I will continue to do all that I can. I'm learning more and more and more about truly giving all of my heart, might, mind, and strength to this work. I promise you as I promised Him, that I will do just that. It will take some work, but I am here to help my brothers and sisters enter the waters of baptism, and I will do it. End of story.
I love you all, I truly do. Keep it up out there in that oh-so-awesome world we live in. Never lose your faith, no matter how hard Satan tries.
- Hermana Kaity Word
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Primero Semana en Nuevo Jersey!
Sent November 1, 2010
Okay family and friends! I thought I'd have more time in the field to write to you, but this week I do not. You see, I accidently erased my entire letter to my Mission President right before I sent it...so I had to write it all over again. The Lord certainly has His ways of teaching us those ever-so-important principles, doesn't He? Haha, I love it! :-)
SO, what is it like here? Beautiful. They don't have mountains; but, I knew that before I came so I think I'm almost at peace with that. BUT, they do have TREES! And, the trees have LEAVES! And, the leaves are a BILLION different colors. Whoa!
Um, want to hear a cool story? I got to go to Ellis Island on Thursday. Turns out the Sisters in the Morristown Mission get to serve there every other week. They have a little Family History Search area and I got to help people search for Ship Manifests with names of their ancestors. Just like Grandma Rosaline has at the end of her hallway! Neat, huh? I guess the Church helped them develop the program they use or something. We're the first sponsor listed on the first page. The Church is True! I never knew how much the world loved family history. I hope we're all working on our own right now. I promise you'll receive blessings for doing so.
Also, might I mention that that place is fantastic?! Ellis Island. It's so full of history! Hopefully next week I'll remember my little camera cord and I'll send you some pictures.
Leaving Salt Lake was an adventure last week. Our flight was delayed an hour and a half-ish. When we finally got to New Jersey we met our Mission Presidents and set off to the heart of Newark to do the "Fearbuster." If you don't know Newark, just liken it to Watts in LA or the ghetto of Las Vegas or Fairfield, CA. :) Each of the 18 new missionaries were paired up with a temporary companion and we went contacting. Met some super interesting people. Boy was it an adventure! Not as scary as I had thought it would be. But fun, that's for sure. I was able to sleep in my own queen-size bed at the Mission home last Monday night. That was wonderful. Tuesday I got my NEW COMPANION! Hermana Evens. She is absolutely, 100% fantastic. I couldn't have asked for a better missionary to train me. We are serving in Paterson, New Jersey. Lots and lots of Spanish speaking people. So far I've met people from Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia...and I don't even know where else. And, they all speak Spanish differently. SO, that's fun. :-) It's been absolutely great. I'm happy to finally BE HERE! I'm going to be honest with you though, I don't understand but 10% of what the people say. BUT, I know I will eventually. I pray for faith each and every day. If I remember to have faith, everything else will fall into place. I have been blessed with the gift of tongues; but, I'm must show my Father in Heaven, through my faith, that I am able to receive it in its fulness. Missionary work is not easy. Faith is so essential. My Savior has always been, is now, and will forever be Right. By. My. Side. This is His Work. I wear His Name. I've been called to help His Children remember. And, the only way I'm going to be able to do that is if I HAVE and EXERCISE faith. Spanish will come. Understanding what they say will come. Listening to their heartfelt words and applying the Gospel to their needs will come. Knowing what to study will come. But, only if I exercise that faith. I have a testimony of it. It is the First Principle of the Gospel for a reason. At times when I feel down, at times when I feel terribly inadequate, I just remind myself that I have faith...and any sort of doubt or fear seems to find its way out the door. I know it takes time. I know I need to have patience. I know He will help me.
Family and Friends, this Gospel is REAL. This Church is TRUE. I had my first Church experience all in Spanish yesterday. I may not have understood a whole lot, but I know what I felt and I can testify of that. The Holy Ghost speaks to each of us in the same way, no matter what the language. Cool huh?! :)
I want to leave you with a couple quotes from a talk from President Hinckley (February 21, 1999). It's about member missionary work. Family and Friends, might I say with all that I can muster, You get out there and you HELP those Missionaries. You have a duty. I never quite understood it before now, but we as missionaries need you. You all have friends that don't know the Gospel. All of you! SO help. Please? I challenge each one of you to talk with at least one person this week, someone new. Talk with them about your beliefs. Don't be afraid, just do it. I will be checking up on your progess next week. Thank you. :)
K, so President Hinckley:
"Let there be cultivated an awareness in every member's heart of his own potential for brigning others to a knowledge of the truth. Let him work at it. Let him pray with great earnestness about it. Let each member pray, as did Alma of old (Alma 31:34-35)"
"People must be taught until they are fit candidates for baptism" - Joseph F. Smith
"Now, my brethren and sisters, we can let the missionaries try to do it alone, or we can help them. If they do it alnoe, they will knock on doors day after day and the harvest will be meager. Or as members we canassist them in finding and teaching investigators."
"We have full confidence in your capacity and willingness to do it."
"If you do not know what it is like, you try to imagine waht it is like"...here he is talking about fellowshipping new members. If you don't know what it's like to jump into a new religion with new phrases and ways of life, then you try to imagine. Do all that you can to help them feel welcome. ALL that you can!
Anyway, that's all I've got today. I love you all! Keep it up. There will be more next week, promise!
LOVE YOU!
Hermana Word!
My Address (for at least the next 5 weeks)
99 N 12th St
Prospect Park, NJ 07508
Scripture - 1 Nephi 17:3 "...and thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled..."
If we keep the commandments, God has promised that he will nourish us, strengthen us, and provide a means by which we can accomplish His will. Over and over again it says this. I need to remember it, especially here, especially in New Jersey. I know that God will help me to keep His commandments, I just need to do remember and do all that I can. Satan will try to discourage me; if he didn't he wouldn't be doing his job. I have a knowledge of this; but, like the scripture says "the commandments of God MUST be fulfilled." Satan will not win. I will not let Him. I'm on God's team and I can promise you I will not ever drop my jersey and walk off the field.
Okay family and friends! I thought I'd have more time in the field to write to you, but this week I do not. You see, I accidently erased my entire letter to my Mission President right before I sent it...so I had to write it all over again. The Lord certainly has His ways of teaching us those ever-so-important principles, doesn't He? Haha, I love it! :-)
SO, what is it like here? Beautiful. They don't have mountains; but, I knew that before I came so I think I'm almost at peace with that. BUT, they do have TREES! And, the trees have LEAVES! And, the leaves are a BILLION different colors. Whoa!
Um, want to hear a cool story? I got to go to Ellis Island on Thursday. Turns out the Sisters in the Morristown Mission get to serve there every other week. They have a little Family History Search area and I got to help people search for Ship Manifests with names of their ancestors. Just like Grandma Rosaline has at the end of her hallway! Neat, huh? I guess the Church helped them develop the program they use or something. We're the first sponsor listed on the first page. The Church is True! I never knew how much the world loved family history. I hope we're all working on our own right now. I promise you'll receive blessings for doing so.
Also, might I mention that that place is fantastic?! Ellis Island. It's so full of history! Hopefully next week I'll remember my little camera cord and I'll send you some pictures.
Leaving Salt Lake was an adventure last week. Our flight was delayed an hour and a half-ish. When we finally got to New Jersey we met our Mission Presidents and set off to the heart of Newark to do the "Fearbuster." If you don't know Newark, just liken it to Watts in LA or the ghetto of Las Vegas or Fairfield, CA. :) Each of the 18 new missionaries were paired up with a temporary companion and we went contacting. Met some super interesting people. Boy was it an adventure! Not as scary as I had thought it would be. But fun, that's for sure. I was able to sleep in my own queen-size bed at the Mission home last Monday night. That was wonderful. Tuesday I got my NEW COMPANION! Hermana Evens. She is absolutely, 100% fantastic. I couldn't have asked for a better missionary to train me. We are serving in Paterson, New Jersey. Lots and lots of Spanish speaking people. So far I've met people from Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia...and I don't even know where else. And, they all speak Spanish differently. SO, that's fun. :-) It's been absolutely great. I'm happy to finally BE HERE! I'm going to be honest with you though, I don't understand but 10% of what the people say. BUT, I know I will eventually. I pray for faith each and every day. If I remember to have faith, everything else will fall into place. I have been blessed with the gift of tongues; but, I'm must show my Father in Heaven, through my faith, that I am able to receive it in its fulness. Missionary work is not easy. Faith is so essential. My Savior has always been, is now, and will forever be Right. By. My. Side. This is His Work. I wear His Name. I've been called to help His Children remember. And, the only way I'm going to be able to do that is if I HAVE and EXERCISE faith. Spanish will come. Understanding what they say will come. Listening to their heartfelt words and applying the Gospel to their needs will come. Knowing what to study will come. But, only if I exercise that faith. I have a testimony of it. It is the First Principle of the Gospel for a reason. At times when I feel down, at times when I feel terribly inadequate, I just remind myself that I have faith...and any sort of doubt or fear seems to find its way out the door. I know it takes time. I know I need to have patience. I know He will help me.
Family and Friends, this Gospel is REAL. This Church is TRUE. I had my first Church experience all in Spanish yesterday. I may not have understood a whole lot, but I know what I felt and I can testify of that. The Holy Ghost speaks to each of us in the same way, no matter what the language. Cool huh?! :)
I want to leave you with a couple quotes from a talk from President Hinckley (February 21, 1999). It's about member missionary work. Family and Friends, might I say with all that I can muster, You get out there and you HELP those Missionaries. You have a duty. I never quite understood it before now, but we as missionaries need you. You all have friends that don't know the Gospel. All of you! SO help. Please? I challenge each one of you to talk with at least one person this week, someone new. Talk with them about your beliefs. Don't be afraid, just do it. I will be checking up on your progess next week. Thank you. :)
K, so President Hinckley:
"Let there be cultivated an awareness in every member's heart of his own potential for brigning others to a knowledge of the truth. Let him work at it. Let him pray with great earnestness about it. Let each member pray, as did Alma of old (Alma 31:34-35)"
"People must be taught until they are fit candidates for baptism" - Joseph F. Smith
"Now, my brethren and sisters, we can let the missionaries try to do it alone, or we can help them. If they do it alnoe, they will knock on doors day after day and the harvest will be meager. Or as members we canassist them in finding and teaching investigators."
"We have full confidence in your capacity and willingness to do it."
"If you do not know what it is like, you try to imagine waht it is like"...here he is talking about fellowshipping new members. If you don't know what it's like to jump into a new religion with new phrases and ways of life, then you try to imagine. Do all that you can to help them feel welcome. ALL that you can!
Anyway, that's all I've got today. I love you all! Keep it up. There will be more next week, promise!
LOVE YOU!
Hermana Word!
My Address (for at least the next 5 weeks)
99 N 12th St
Prospect Park, NJ 07508
Scripture - 1 Nephi 17:3 "...and thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled..."
If we keep the commandments, God has promised that he will nourish us, strengthen us, and provide a means by which we can accomplish His will. Over and over again it says this. I need to remember it, especially here, especially in New Jersey. I know that God will help me to keep His commandments, I just need to do remember and do all that I can. Satan will try to discourage me; if he didn't he wouldn't be doing his job. I have a knowledge of this; but, like the scripture says "the commandments of God MUST be fulfilled." Satan will not win. I will not let Him. I'm on God's team and I can promise you I will not ever drop my jersey and walk off the field.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Kaity's Miracles
This is Kaity's mom and I have something wonderful to share with all who will listen. Today, Kaity left the Missionary Training Center and flew from Salt Lake City to New Jersey. She was allowed to call her family from the airport before she departed. I was blessed to speak with her for almost an hour. Then I got worried she would not have time to call the rest of her family, but the Lord provided by delaying her flight for over 1 1/2 hours!
When we spoke she told me an amazing story that I know she would love to tell everyone, she just does not have time to put it in her email. Last Wednesday, only 5 days before she was to depart the MTC, her district was playing softball. She had a little mishap running to first base and hit the ground hard. She came out of it with a scraped up knee and shoulder and somes aches. But then, when she was playing outfield, one of the Elders told her to watch out because the ball would be coming her way when he was up to bat. So she geared up to catch it. It came flying her way alright, but hit the ground and rolled toward her. When she reached down with her glove to try to catch it, she missed and because she is a soccer player at heart, she instinctively stuck her foot out to stop it from continuing. "Smack!" came the super loud sound as it hit her ankle bone! Everyone on the field heard the sound and came running. She dropped to the ground in extreme pain, praying in her mind that it might NOT be broken since she was supposed to leave for her mission on Monday. The thought of not being able to leave on schedule hit her hard and she was not able to keep back the tears any longer. She was unable to walk on it and had to be carried in to the trainer. They checked it out thoroughly to make sure that it was not broken and it wasn't, but it was super bruised and painful. They gave her crutches to use and ice packs.
She returned to her room with her companion. She was trying to be strong, but when her companion innocently asked her, "What if you CAN'T leave on Monday?", she broke down. "Don't say that." she begged. The thought was more than she could bear. She cried in despair, but kept getting an overwhelming feeling that Father was trying to tell her, "Don't worry, Kaity. I have not even told you if you will leave on time or not, so do not worry about it." She decided to give it to the Lord and leave it in His hands.
That evening she went to class on crutches. One of the sisters passed her a note to ask if she was going to get a Priesthood blessing. She did intend to ask for one after class and she did. The Elder that was going to give her the blessing asked if she wanted a blessing of healing or a blessing of comfort and peace. Silly to say, but since she had just had a healing blessing the week before when she was so very sick with Bronchitis, she did not feel like she should ask to be healed again, so she told him she would like a blessing of comfort. As he began to give her a beautiful blessing of comfort and peace, in her mind she was totally struggling. She kept thinking to herself, " I just need to know if I will be healed in time to leave the MTC on Monday. That is what I really need to know. Why didn't I just ask for a healing blessing? I just really need to know if I will be able to leave!" Such a struggle within herself was so NOT like Kaity. She is normally very receptive to the Spirit and would quietly listen and accept the words of the blessing. But this time was different. It was quite a struggle and she felt guilty. She apologized in her mind, saying, "I know I have faith to be healed...I know my faith is strong, why am I struggling with this so much???"
Then she heard the Elder's words as he pronounced upon her that she would be healed....Her thoughts went to:" yes, I know I will be healed eventually, but will I be healed in time????" Then he said that she would be able to leave the MTC...and he paused. During the pause, her mind went crazy again, " Obviously I will be able to leave, EVENTUALLY, I can't live here forever...." And then the blessed words, "On Monday" came from his lips and she KNEW they were straight from the Lord, in answer to her burning question! And she broke down in tears! Father had heard her, and had answered her through his messenger, this young priesthood holder. Her companion heard the words and gave Kaity a hug and said, "see that! you WILL be able to leave on Monday!"
By Thursday morning she was able to walk on the ankle without the crutches. On Saturday she had to be medically cleared to be able to leave Monday. They made her run and jump and twist and do all sorts of things and she was able to complete them all, with no problem at all! She said, "Mom, it was truly a miracle."
I testify that it WAS truly a miracle. There is no way on the earth that it would have healed that quickly without the Lord's help. The lesson that Kaity learned is that she MUST trust in Heavenly Father. Her faith is strong, but trusting, instead of worrying, is an obstacle she must work to overcome. I know that there have been so many times that I have learned this lesson, over and over again. When I get in the midst of a trial, and I start to worry like crazy about how it will come out, the only way to peace is to turn it all over to the Lord. When I can trust Him, that no matter what the outcome may be, it will be for my very best benefit, and Father in Heaven knows that way better than I do, the peace that overcomes me when I let it go is indescribable. Kaity has reminded me of this. She wanted me to share it with all of you. Trust the Lord. He truly knows what is best for each of us. He has a plan for each one of us, and the rewards will be glorious. I testify of these things,in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ. Amen
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Update from Mom
Kaity leaves the Missionary Training Center on Monday, October 25, 2010. She will arrive in New Jersey approximately 4pm. We do not have her address there yet, but mail can be sent to her at the mission home address:
Hermana Kaitlyn Word
New Jersey Morristown Mission
1719 Route 10, Ste 309
Parsippany, NJ 07054
We are excited to report that we will get to have a phone call from her before she flies out!!!!
Hermana Kaitlyn Word
New Jersey Morristown Mission
1719 Route 10, Ste 309
Parsippany, NJ 07054
We are excited to report that we will get to have a phone call from her before she flies out!!!!
Estoy Saliendo en LUNES!
Buenos Dias Mi Familia y Amigos!
How are you all? Hope life is treating you well! I can tell you missionary life is pretty awesome, so if things aren't so great, just go on a mission. :)
I wanted to take the time today and write a couple things that I don't ever want to forget about the MTC, things that I've learned here. I hope you're able to find application to them in your life as well. I promise if you read this with a prayer in your heart, you will.
1. The undescribable, absolutely undeniable strength of the Spirit I feel when sitting in a room full of hundreds of individuals, called by God and set apart as I am to be Representatives of our Savior Jesus Christ.
2. My absolutely wonderful companion, Hermana Rebekah Jarman, with her constant happy nature and her random "Te amo, mi companera" comments. They always make my day.
3. Sitting in the Celestial Room of the Provo temple, all of us dressed in white, taking in every ounce of peace and love that sacred room has to offer. The power of the knowledge that we will be together once again in the presence of our Father in Heaven. The Hermanas (Jarman, Batchkoff, Holland, and I) standing in our little "hug circle" at the end of each session there.
4. Kneeling in prayer with our District each night before going to our rooms. The power of unity that simple, yet profound act has brought to our little "family."
5. Singing each day before class began--the beauty of each word as it would leave our mouths and touch our hearts. The power and strength of the Spirit that accompanied our harmonies.
6. The difficulties that I experienced Every. Single. Day--and the pure joy I felt from turning it over to my Savior, from being given the ability to overcome those difficulties.
7. The LOVE that is within the hearts of each individual here. The unity in purpose that we all have. The desire to help others come to know their Savior that is ever so present in the way each missionary and teacher and Branch Presidency member lives their life.
8. Noticing the colors changing on the mountainside. Pointing it out to my companion day after day after day. The smile that would come on my face when I'd hear rain outside our window or see the illuminating light of lighting. Standing in line for sack breakfast so early in the morning that I could see Orion's Belt still in the sky.
9. Devotionals and Firesides and Large Group Meetings...the endless amount of spiritually edifying meetings. The pages and pages and pages of notes I have from each one of them.
10. The love and support of my dear family. The prayers and the letters and the packages of everything I could ever need. That has meant alot, you know.
I honestly feel like I could go on forever, but I don't have the time. I want you all to know that I love you very VERY much. If there's anything I hope you know, it's that you have a Father in Heaven who loves you. You have a Savior who has suffered so that you do not need to. You are not alone, don't you ever let yourself think that you are.
Stay strong. Turn to Him. Endure to the End.
Until next time,
Hermana Kaity Word
"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge, where is the knowledge we have lost in understanding." - C.S. Lewis
How are you all? Hope life is treating you well! I can tell you missionary life is pretty awesome, so if things aren't so great, just go on a mission. :)
I wanted to take the time today and write a couple things that I don't ever want to forget about the MTC, things that I've learned here. I hope you're able to find application to them in your life as well. I promise if you read this with a prayer in your heart, you will.
1. The undescribable, absolutely undeniable strength of the Spirit I feel when sitting in a room full of hundreds of individuals, called by God and set apart as I am to be Representatives of our Savior Jesus Christ.
2. My absolutely wonderful companion, Hermana Rebekah Jarman, with her constant happy nature and her random "Te amo, mi companera" comments. They always make my day.
3. Sitting in the Celestial Room of the Provo temple, all of us dressed in white, taking in every ounce of peace and love that sacred room has to offer. The power of the knowledge that we will be together once again in the presence of our Father in Heaven. The Hermanas (Jarman, Batchkoff, Holland, and I) standing in our little "hug circle" at the end of each session there.
4. Kneeling in prayer with our District each night before going to our rooms. The power of unity that simple, yet profound act has brought to our little "family."
5. Singing each day before class began--the beauty of each word as it would leave our mouths and touch our hearts. The power and strength of the Spirit that accompanied our harmonies.
6. The difficulties that I experienced Every. Single. Day--and the pure joy I felt from turning it over to my Savior, from being given the ability to overcome those difficulties.
7. The LOVE that is within the hearts of each individual here. The unity in purpose that we all have. The desire to help others come to know their Savior that is ever so present in the way each missionary and teacher and Branch Presidency member lives their life.
8. Noticing the colors changing on the mountainside. Pointing it out to my companion day after day after day. The smile that would come on my face when I'd hear rain outside our window or see the illuminating light of lighting. Standing in line for sack breakfast so early in the morning that I could see Orion's Belt still in the sky.
9. Devotionals and Firesides and Large Group Meetings...the endless amount of spiritually edifying meetings. The pages and pages and pages of notes I have from each one of them.
10. The love and support of my dear family. The prayers and the letters and the packages of everything I could ever need. That has meant alot, you know.
I honestly feel like I could go on forever, but I don't have the time. I want you all to know that I love you very VERY much. If there's anything I hope you know, it's that you have a Father in Heaven who loves you. You have a Savior who has suffered so that you do not need to. You are not alone, don't you ever let yourself think that you are.
Stay strong. Turn to Him. Endure to the End.
Until next time,
Hermana Kaity Word
"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge, where is the knowledge we have lost in understanding." - C.S. Lewis
Friday, October 15, 2010
PERSONAL NOTE FROM KAITY'S MOM
The blog entry this week is shorter than usual because Kaity spent most of her allotted time writing a personal email to the family. She did not want me to post that email, but I felt like you should all get to see the following information she gave us. It appears she has been very sick, to the doctor twice this week, even had to have a chest x-ray done. Her spirits are so good, considering what she has been through. It is a constant witness to me of the strength of her testimony. I am 100% certain that she is in Heavenly Father's hands, and he will take care of her. Her faith is soooo strong:
If you're wondering, I have bronchitis :) It's been an interesting little week. Really difficult to figure out what I need to be doing. My body needs to rest, but I also need not take too much time doing so because I'm on the Lord's errand. I was able to get a blessing Wednesday afternoon. Always a neat experience. I had asked Elder Clark in our District (he's our District Leader now). It turns out it was his first time ever giving a blessing. It meant an awful lot to me. I've continued to pray for strength and energy. I know it is through my faith that I'm able to be healed. It's absolutely incredible how much energy I DO have. You know how I am when I'm sick...I can't do anything...especially with bronchitis. BUT, this truly is the Lord's work and I truly am His Servant. It's amazing the miracles I've seen even just this week. I don't tell you this to worry you; I hope it allows you to see how wonderful the Lord really is. Know that I am in His hands. :)
If you're wondering, I have bronchitis :) It's been an interesting little week. Really difficult to figure out what I need to be doing. My body needs to rest, but I also need not take too much time doing so because I'm on the Lord's errand. I was able to get a blessing Wednesday afternoon. Always a neat experience. I had asked Elder Clark in our District (he's our District Leader now). It turns out it was his first time ever giving a blessing. It meant an awful lot to me. I've continued to pray for strength and energy. I know it is through my faith that I'm able to be healed. It's absolutely incredible how much energy I DO have. You know how I am when I'm sick...I can't do anything...especially with bronchitis. BUT, this truly is the Lord's work and I truly am His Servant. It's amazing the miracles I've seen even just this week. I don't tell you this to worry you; I hope it allows you to see how wonderful the Lord really is. Know that I am in His hands. :)
10 mas dias aqui!
Yup, only 10 more days here! It's crazy how time flies, I'm not even kidding.
I've got 8 and a half minutes left, so I apologize but this one is going to be pretty short.
TRC experience last week: We taught the most wonderful investigator in the world. Her name was Blanca, and she was an Atheist. When I first found that out, I didn't really know what to think or how to go about teaching her...but my companion and I prayed and listened. We decided it would be best to testify much of the things we know to be true. We needed to help her have a spiritual experience while we were there. Hermano Rivera has told us how incredibly important it is to make sure we leave them with that--something they can always fall back on. THOSE were our goals. SO, we went in after the initial contact and testified that God lives; that he loves each and every one of us; that His Gospel brings us peace in our lives. She asked us way we were there, why we decided to serve missions. I was able to testify to her of the importance of the Gospel in my life, in the life on my family. As the lesson went on we talked about how the Gospel brings joy and happiness--asked if she felt those in her life and what things helped her to feel that way. She said she was, "Uh, happy" She loved her dog. Her family was good, but they didn't get along well. But she didn't know why she needed God in order for her to be happy if she was already happy. I told her of my parents and how they were happy before they joined the Church, but they've seen so much more joy IN it. I'd never shared that in a lesson, I didn't even know what to say or how to say it in Spanish--but, I did :) I shared scriptures we hadn't even plannedo n using...which would normally be alright in English becasue I could at least read the verse before and know wahat it was about...but I couldn't really in Espanol. It was truly a miracle. I'd been praying for help to remember scripture stories and what not and He helped me. After a while I just testified to Blanca. I told her I didn't know what she was going through but that she did and her Heavenly Father did as well, all she needed to do was pray and He would help her---pray with faith.
There's more, but time is up. :)
I love you all. I know this Gospel is true. I wouldn't be here if it wasnt. It brings me happiness and it can for you as well!
- Hermana Word
I've got 8 and a half minutes left, so I apologize but this one is going to be pretty short.
TRC experience last week: We taught the most wonderful investigator in the world. Her name was Blanca, and she was an Atheist. When I first found that out, I didn't really know what to think or how to go about teaching her...but my companion and I prayed and listened. We decided it would be best to testify much of the things we know to be true. We needed to help her have a spiritual experience while we were there. Hermano Rivera has told us how incredibly important it is to make sure we leave them with that--something they can always fall back on. THOSE were our goals. SO, we went in after the initial contact and testified that God lives; that he loves each and every one of us; that His Gospel brings us peace in our lives. She asked us way we were there, why we decided to serve missions. I was able to testify to her of the importance of the Gospel in my life, in the life on my family. As the lesson went on we talked about how the Gospel brings joy and happiness--asked if she felt those in her life and what things helped her to feel that way. She said she was, "Uh, happy" She loved her dog. Her family was good, but they didn't get along well. But she didn't know why she needed God in order for her to be happy if she was already happy. I told her of my parents and how they were happy before they joined the Church, but they've seen so much more joy IN it. I'd never shared that in a lesson, I didn't even know what to say or how to say it in Spanish--but, I did :) I shared scriptures we hadn't even plannedo n using...which would normally be alright in English becasue I could at least read the verse before and know wahat it was about...but I couldn't really in Espanol. It was truly a miracle. I'd been praying for help to remember scripture stories and what not and He helped me. After a while I just testified to Blanca. I told her I didn't know what she was going through but that she did and her Heavenly Father did as well, all she needed to do was pray and He would help her---pray with faith.
There's more, but time is up. :)
I love you all. I know this Gospel is true. I wouldn't be here if it wasnt. It brings me happiness and it can for you as well!
- Hermana Word
Friday, October 8, 2010
Conferencia General!
Hola Familia y Amigos!
I hope this week has been just as wonderful for you as it has been for me! Thanks again for all the words of encouragement, I don't know if you'll ever understand how much they mean to me. Question though...for anyone who wants to take on this challenge...Can you track down a friend of mine? Justine Trotter Banks is her name. I don't know if she's alive or what anymore. :) (Just kidding, I know she's alive). And tell her it would be awesome to just here if she's got any kids on the way and a house to put them in yet or not? Thanks :)
SO on to this week. Last Friday I was able to be apart of a super neat experience. Each week we teach an "investigator" at the TRC (I think I've told you this before), and each week we have a situation that we've planned for...and the investigator is given the same situation. Well, last Friday was our first lesson in Spanish. They were kind of short on investigators, but all was well. We went in to find out our investigator, Expedida Slade for the Dominican Republic, hadn't been given the same situation we had planned for...which was actually awesome. So we came and taught her about the Restoration (which we actually were prepared for). I asked her to read a scripture for us--Amos 3:7. As she read, she began to cry. I wasn't quite sure at the time why, but she stopped in the middle of the verse, looked at us and said (in Spanish) "I'm sorry, but I'm going to break character for a second. I left my ring and my lentes (glasses) at home." She went on to tell us that she cannot read without her glasses...like CANNOT read with out them. BUT, she was able to read that verse...and every other one we asked her to read after that. How incredible?!?!?! The Lord is great, isn't He? I just want to testify to you that He can help anyone to do anything, we just have to have faith. Have confidence in Him, have confidence in your Father in Heaven, show Them that you're willing to move your feet. Expedida could have easily told her she couldn't read because she didn't have her glasses, BUT she didn't. She took the scriptures and she read...and it was a powerful experience for us as well as for her. The Lord works miracles everyday, we just need to open our eyes!
Also, CONFERENCE!!!! How was General Conference for all of you? If you didn't watch all the sessions, I challenge you to do so. There is honestly nothing better to be doing with your time, promise. How often do you get to hear the words of the Lord spoken directly through His Prophet and Apostles for your well being?! Take advantage of it...even the Priesthood Session, Sisters...and the Relief Society Meeting, Brethren. It's up on LDS.org, go listen to it. :) AND, all the talks will be out in the Ensign next month.
It was so exciting to listen as a Missionary this time. I took it upon myself to write down only the thoughts I had during the talks. There's no need to write down the words, because they'll be in the Ensign to look at for years to come...but my THOUGHTS, my FEELINGS I will only ever remember because I chose to wrote them down. And let me tell you, there were quite a few. I lost feeling in a portion of my thumb for a day or two because I couldn't stop writing. It was kind of exciting :) BUT, I just want to share with you a couple things I learned from that as well. First of all, President Uchtdorf's talk on Slowing Down A Little Bit. I know it's easy for all of you to get caught up in the who's and when's and where's of life in the real world...I know because I was there once. We give ourselves a million things to do and not enough time to do them...and even then, are all those things helping us to come closer to our Father in Heaven? I'm not sure, that question is for you. But, I can also tell you that the same rings true for me as a Missionary. Everyday I feel like I have a million things to do and not enough time to do them. President Uchtdorf said "It's rather easy to be busy...but we unnecessarily complicate our lives...any viture taken to an extreme can become a vice." How true that is! I need to be sure not to let those virtures become vices. Especially as a Missionary, I need to search for those BEST things. I need to make sure I SIMPLY share the truths of the Gospel with those I am to teach. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." I need to master the fundamentals and help others to do the same. I must not let anything become a "heartless chamber of isolation." This Gospel is SIMPLE. The Plan is SIMPLE. I just pray we might take the time to see that.
Also, one last thing. Did any of you notice as I did how many talks were on the Prophet? How many little bits and pieces were testimonies that we have a Prophet today? The Savior is coming again and we, as a people, need to be sustaining and TRULY following the Prophet before anything else is going to happen. If we can't do the little things like our visiting teaching or loving our family and friends, how are we going to be able to do the big things? I know that we have a Prophet on the earth today, and his name is Thomas S Monson. He IS the Lord's mouthpiece for His people. This is the Lord's Church. It is undeniably true. If you doubt my testimony, find out for yourself. If you doubt your Prophet, find out for yourself. I challenge each and every one of you to take a talk from Conference and find those things that testify of the truthfulness of this Gospel. Share them at Family Home Evening. Write them in your Journal. I don't know, do something. Your testimony grows when you share it. Trust me, I've come to know that more and more since I've been here.
I love this Gospel, I really do. Thank you Mommy and Daddy for raising me in it. Thank you for finding it so I didn't have to. Thank you for accepting it so that I could be born under the covenant. I love you both very much. And my siblings, Ashleigh and Lauren and David...I couldn't be more lucky to have you in my life. I want you to know that you've helped me in so many different ways, each and every one of you. SO, thank you. Stay strong. Go to the Temple. Help each other! I pray for you all the time. Know that you are WHY I am here!
Read your Scriptures, Say your Prayers, and Write in your Journals...always!
Hermana Kaitlyn Word
I hope this week has been just as wonderful for you as it has been for me! Thanks again for all the words of encouragement, I don't know if you'll ever understand how much they mean to me. Question though...for anyone who wants to take on this challenge...Can you track down a friend of mine? Justine Trotter Banks is her name. I don't know if she's alive or what anymore. :) (Just kidding, I know she's alive). And tell her it would be awesome to just here if she's got any kids on the way and a house to put them in yet or not? Thanks :)
SO on to this week. Last Friday I was able to be apart of a super neat experience. Each week we teach an "investigator" at the TRC (I think I've told you this before), and each week we have a situation that we've planned for...and the investigator is given the same situation. Well, last Friday was our first lesson in Spanish. They were kind of short on investigators, but all was well. We went in to find out our investigator, Expedida Slade for the Dominican Republic, hadn't been given the same situation we had planned for...which was actually awesome. So we came and taught her about the Restoration (which we actually were prepared for). I asked her to read a scripture for us--Amos 3:7. As she read, she began to cry. I wasn't quite sure at the time why, but she stopped in the middle of the verse, looked at us and said (in Spanish) "I'm sorry, but I'm going to break character for a second. I left my ring and my lentes (glasses) at home." She went on to tell us that she cannot read without her glasses...like CANNOT read with out them. BUT, she was able to read that verse...and every other one we asked her to read after that. How incredible?!?!?! The Lord is great, isn't He? I just want to testify to you that He can help anyone to do anything, we just have to have faith. Have confidence in Him, have confidence in your Father in Heaven, show Them that you're willing to move your feet. Expedida could have easily told her she couldn't read because she didn't have her glasses, BUT she didn't. She took the scriptures and she read...and it was a powerful experience for us as well as for her. The Lord works miracles everyday, we just need to open our eyes!
Also, CONFERENCE!!!! How was General Conference for all of you? If you didn't watch all the sessions, I challenge you to do so. There is honestly nothing better to be doing with your time, promise. How often do you get to hear the words of the Lord spoken directly through His Prophet and Apostles for your well being?! Take advantage of it...even the Priesthood Session, Sisters...and the Relief Society Meeting, Brethren. It's up on LDS.org, go listen to it. :) AND, all the talks will be out in the Ensign next month.
It was so exciting to listen as a Missionary this time. I took it upon myself to write down only the thoughts I had during the talks. There's no need to write down the words, because they'll be in the Ensign to look at for years to come...but my THOUGHTS, my FEELINGS I will only ever remember because I chose to wrote them down. And let me tell you, there were quite a few. I lost feeling in a portion of my thumb for a day or two because I couldn't stop writing. It was kind of exciting :) BUT, I just want to share with you a couple things I learned from that as well. First of all, President Uchtdorf's talk on Slowing Down A Little Bit. I know it's easy for all of you to get caught up in the who's and when's and where's of life in the real world...I know because I was there once. We give ourselves a million things to do and not enough time to do them...and even then, are all those things helping us to come closer to our Father in Heaven? I'm not sure, that question is for you. But, I can also tell you that the same rings true for me as a Missionary. Everyday I feel like I have a million things to do and not enough time to do them. President Uchtdorf said "It's rather easy to be busy...but we unnecessarily complicate our lives...any viture taken to an extreme can become a vice." How true that is! I need to be sure not to let those virtures become vices. Especially as a Missionary, I need to search for those BEST things. I need to make sure I SIMPLY share the truths of the Gospel with those I am to teach. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." I need to master the fundamentals and help others to do the same. I must not let anything become a "heartless chamber of isolation." This Gospel is SIMPLE. The Plan is SIMPLE. I just pray we might take the time to see that.
Also, one last thing. Did any of you notice as I did how many talks were on the Prophet? How many little bits and pieces were testimonies that we have a Prophet today? The Savior is coming again and we, as a people, need to be sustaining and TRULY following the Prophet before anything else is going to happen. If we can't do the little things like our visiting teaching or loving our family and friends, how are we going to be able to do the big things? I know that we have a Prophet on the earth today, and his name is Thomas S Monson. He IS the Lord's mouthpiece for His people. This is the Lord's Church. It is undeniably true. If you doubt my testimony, find out for yourself. If you doubt your Prophet, find out for yourself. I challenge each and every one of you to take a talk from Conference and find those things that testify of the truthfulness of this Gospel. Share them at Family Home Evening. Write them in your Journal. I don't know, do something. Your testimony grows when you share it. Trust me, I've come to know that more and more since I've been here.
I love this Gospel, I really do. Thank you Mommy and Daddy for raising me in it. Thank you for finding it so I didn't have to. Thank you for accepting it so that I could be born under the covenant. I love you both very much. And my siblings, Ashleigh and Lauren and David...I couldn't be more lucky to have you in my life. I want you to know that you've helped me in so many different ways, each and every one of you. SO, thank you. Stay strong. Go to the Temple. Help each other! I pray for you all the time. Know that you are WHY I am here!
Read your Scriptures, Say your Prayers, and Write in your Journals...always!
Hermana Kaitlyn Word
Saturday, October 2, 2010
"Safety for the Soul"
HERE IS THE TALK THAT KAITY REFERRED TO IN HER EMAIL. I HAVE NOT YET FIGURED OUT HOW TO ATTACH THE VIDEO OF IT, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY COPY AND PASTE THE PRINTED TALK FOR ALL TO SEE. SORRY FOR MY LIMITATIONS. I WILL STILL TRY TO GET THAT DONE. MEANWHILE ENJOY READING IT.
Safety for the Soul
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world . . . that the Book of Mormon is true.
Prophecies regarding the last days often refer to large-scale calamities such as earthquakes or famines or floods. These in turn may be linked to widespread economic or political upheavals of one kind or another.
But there is one kind of latter-day destruction that has always sounded to me more personal than public, more individual than collective—a warning, perhaps more applicable inside the Church than outside it. The Savior warned that in the last days even those of the covenant, the very elect, could be deceived by the enemy of truth.1 If we think of this as a form of spiritual destruction, it may cast light on another latter-day prophecy. Think of the heart as the figurative center of our faith, the poetic location of our loyalties and our values; then consider Jesus’s declaration that in the last days “men’s hearts [shall fail] them.”2
The encouraging thing, of course, is that our Father in Heaven knows all of these latter-day dangers, these troubles of the heart and soul, and has given counsel and protections regarding them.
In light of that, it has always been significant to me that the Book of Mormon, one of the Lord’s powerful keystones3 in this counteroffensive against latter-day ills, begins with a great parable of life, an extended allegory of hope versus fear, of light versus darkness, of salvation versus destruction—an allegory of which Sister Ann M. Dibb spoke so movingly this morning.
In Lehi’s dream an already difficult journey gets more difficult when a mist of darkness arises, obscuring any view of the safe but narrow path his family and others are to follow. It is imperative to note that this mist of darkness descends on all the travelers—the faithful and the determined ones (the elect, we might even say) as well as the weaker and ungrounded ones. The principal point of the story is that the successful travelers resist all distractions, including the lure of forbidden paths and jeering taunts from the vain and proud who have taken those paths. The record says that the protected “did press their way forward, continually [and, I might add, tenaciously] holding fast” to a rod of iron that runs unfailingly along the course of the true path.4 However dark the night or the day, the rod marks the way of that solitary, redeeming trail.
“I beheld,” Nephi says later, “that the rod of iron . . . was the word of God, [leading] . . . to the tree of life; . . . a representation of the love of God.” Viewing this manifestation of God’s love, Nephi goes on to say:
“I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, . . . [who] went forth ministering unto the people. . . .
“ . . . And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; . . . and they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.”5
Love. Healing. Help. Hope. The power of Christ to counter all troubles in all times—including the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal or public days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins, and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.”6 That phrase—taken from Moroni’s final lines of testimony, written 1,000 years after Lehi’s vision—is a dying man’s testimony of the only true way.
May I refer to a modern “last days” testimony? When Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum started for Carthage to face what they knew would be an imminent martyrdom, Hyrum read these words to comfort the heart of his brother:
“Thou hast been faithful; wherefore . . . thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.
“And now I, Moroni, bid farewell . . . until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ.”7
A few short verses from the 12th chapter of Ether in the Book of Mormon. Before closing the book, Hyrum turned down the corner of the page from which he had read, marking it as part of the everlasting testimony for which these two brothers were about to die. I hold in my hand that book, the very copy from which Hyrum read, the same corner of the page turned down, still visible. Later, when actually incarcerated in the jail, Joseph the Prophet turned to the guards who held him captive and bore a powerful testimony of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon.8 Shortly thereafter pistol and ball would take the lives of these two testators.
As one of a thousand elements of my own testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon, I submit this as yet one more evidence of its truthfulness. In this their greatest—and last—hour of need, I ask you: would these men blaspheme before God by continuing to fix their lives, their honor, and their own search for eternal salvation on a book (and by implication a church and a ministry) they had fictitiously created out of whole cloth?
Never mind that their wives are about to be widows and their children fatherless. Never mind that their little band of followers will yet be “houseless, friendless and homeless” and that their children will leave footprints of blood across frozen rivers and an untamed prairie floor.9 Never mind that legions will die and other legions live declaring in the four quarters of this earth that they know the Book of Mormon and the Church which espouses it to be true. Disregard all of that, and tell me whether in this hour of death these two men would enter the presence of their Eternal Judge quoting from and finding solace in a book which, if not the very word of God, would brand them as imposters and charlatans until the end of time? They would not do that! They were willing to die rather than deny the divine origin and the eternal truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
For 179 years this book has been examined and attacked, denied and deconstructed, targeted and torn apart like perhaps no other book in modern religious history—perhaps like no other book in any religious history. And still it stands. Failed theories about its origins have been born and parroted and have died—from Ethan Smith to Solomon Spaulding to deranged paranoid to cunning genius. None of these frankly pathetic answers for this book has ever withstood examination because there is no other answer than the one Joseph gave as its young unlearned translator. In this I stand with my own great-grandfather, who said simply enough, “No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.”10
I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day work—and thereby find the fullest measure of peace and comfort in these, our times—until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies. If anyone is foolish enough or misled enough to reject 531 pages of a heretofore unknown text teeming with literary and Semitic complexity without honestly attempting to account for the origin of those pages—especially without accounting for their powerful witness of Jesus Christ and the profound spiritual impact that witness has had on what is now tens of millions of readers—if that is the case, then such a person, elect or otherwise, has been deceived; and if he or she leaves this Church, it must be done by crawling over or under or around the Book of Mormon to make that exit. In that sense the book is what Christ Himself was said to be: “a stone of stumbling, . . . a rock of offence,”11 a barrier in the path of one who wishes not to believe in this work. Witnesses, even witnesses who were for a time hostile to Joseph, testified to their death that they had seen an angel and had handled the plates. “They have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man,” they declared. “Wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true.”12
Now, I did not sail with the brother of Jared in crossing an ocean, settling in a new world. I did not hear King Benjamin speak his angelically delivered sermon. I did not proselyte with Alma and Amulek nor witness the fiery death of innocent believers. I was not among the Nephite crowd who touched the wounds of the resurrected Lord, nor did I weep with Mormon and Moroni over the destruction of an entire civilization. But my testimony of this record and the peace it brings to the human heart is as binding and unequivocal as was theirs. Like them, “[I] give [my name] unto the world, to witness unto the world that which [I] have seen.” And like them, “[I] lie not, God bearing witness of it.”13
I ask that my testimony of the Book of Mormon and all that it implies, given today under my own oath and office, be recorded by men on earth and angels in heaven. I hope I have a few years left in my “last days,” but whether I do or do not, I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true, that it came forth the way Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the latter days.
My witness echoes that of Nephi, who wrote part of the book in his “last days”:
“Hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, . . . and they teach all men that they should do good.
“And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day.”14
Brothers and sisters, God always provides safety for the soul, and with the Book of Mormon, He has again done that in our time. Remember this declaration by Jesus Himself: “Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived”15—and in the last days neither your heart nor your faith will fail you. Of this I earnestly testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
NOTES
1. See Matthew 24:24; see also Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:22.
2. Luke 21:26.
3. See History of the Church, 4:461.
4. 1 Nephi 8:30.
5. 1 Nephi 11:25, 27–28, 31.
6. Moroni 10:32.
7. Ether 12:37–38; see also D&C 135:5.
8. See History of the Church, 6:600.
9. Joseph Smith, in History of the Church, 4:539.
10. George Cannon, quoted in “The Twelve Apostles,” in Andrew Jenson, ed., The Historical Record, 6:175.
11. 1 Peter 2:8.
12. “The Testimony of Three Witnesses,” Book of Mormon.
13. “The Testimony of Eight Witnesses,” Book of Mormon; emphasis added.
14. 2 Nephi 33:10–11; emphasis added.
15. Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37.
Safety for the Soul
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world . . . that the Book of Mormon is true.
Prophecies regarding the last days often refer to large-scale calamities such as earthquakes or famines or floods. These in turn may be linked to widespread economic or political upheavals of one kind or another.
But there is one kind of latter-day destruction that has always sounded to me more personal than public, more individual than collective—a warning, perhaps more applicable inside the Church than outside it. The Savior warned that in the last days even those of the covenant, the very elect, could be deceived by the enemy of truth.1 If we think of this as a form of spiritual destruction, it may cast light on another latter-day prophecy. Think of the heart as the figurative center of our faith, the poetic location of our loyalties and our values; then consider Jesus’s declaration that in the last days “men’s hearts [shall fail] them.”2
The encouraging thing, of course, is that our Father in Heaven knows all of these latter-day dangers, these troubles of the heart and soul, and has given counsel and protections regarding them.
In light of that, it has always been significant to me that the Book of Mormon, one of the Lord’s powerful keystones3 in this counteroffensive against latter-day ills, begins with a great parable of life, an extended allegory of hope versus fear, of light versus darkness, of salvation versus destruction—an allegory of which Sister Ann M. Dibb spoke so movingly this morning.
In Lehi’s dream an already difficult journey gets more difficult when a mist of darkness arises, obscuring any view of the safe but narrow path his family and others are to follow. It is imperative to note that this mist of darkness descends on all the travelers—the faithful and the determined ones (the elect, we might even say) as well as the weaker and ungrounded ones. The principal point of the story is that the successful travelers resist all distractions, including the lure of forbidden paths and jeering taunts from the vain and proud who have taken those paths. The record says that the protected “did press their way forward, continually [and, I might add, tenaciously] holding fast” to a rod of iron that runs unfailingly along the course of the true path.4 However dark the night or the day, the rod marks the way of that solitary, redeeming trail.
“I beheld,” Nephi says later, “that the rod of iron . . . was the word of God, [leading] . . . to the tree of life; . . . a representation of the love of God.” Viewing this manifestation of God’s love, Nephi goes on to say:
“I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, . . . [who] went forth ministering unto the people. . . .
“ . . . And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; . . . and they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.”5
Love. Healing. Help. Hope. The power of Christ to counter all troubles in all times—including the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal or public days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins, and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.”6 That phrase—taken from Moroni’s final lines of testimony, written 1,000 years after Lehi’s vision—is a dying man’s testimony of the only true way.
May I refer to a modern “last days” testimony? When Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum started for Carthage to face what they knew would be an imminent martyrdom, Hyrum read these words to comfort the heart of his brother:
“Thou hast been faithful; wherefore . . . thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.
“And now I, Moroni, bid farewell . . . until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ.”7
A few short verses from the 12th chapter of Ether in the Book of Mormon. Before closing the book, Hyrum turned down the corner of the page from which he had read, marking it as part of the everlasting testimony for which these two brothers were about to die. I hold in my hand that book, the very copy from which Hyrum read, the same corner of the page turned down, still visible. Later, when actually incarcerated in the jail, Joseph the Prophet turned to the guards who held him captive and bore a powerful testimony of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon.8 Shortly thereafter pistol and ball would take the lives of these two testators.
As one of a thousand elements of my own testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon, I submit this as yet one more evidence of its truthfulness. In this their greatest—and last—hour of need, I ask you: would these men blaspheme before God by continuing to fix their lives, their honor, and their own search for eternal salvation on a book (and by implication a church and a ministry) they had fictitiously created out of whole cloth?
Never mind that their wives are about to be widows and their children fatherless. Never mind that their little band of followers will yet be “houseless, friendless and homeless” and that their children will leave footprints of blood across frozen rivers and an untamed prairie floor.9 Never mind that legions will die and other legions live declaring in the four quarters of this earth that they know the Book of Mormon and the Church which espouses it to be true. Disregard all of that, and tell me whether in this hour of death these two men would enter the presence of their Eternal Judge quoting from and finding solace in a book which, if not the very word of God, would brand them as imposters and charlatans until the end of time? They would not do that! They were willing to die rather than deny the divine origin and the eternal truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
For 179 years this book has been examined and attacked, denied and deconstructed, targeted and torn apart like perhaps no other book in modern religious history—perhaps like no other book in any religious history. And still it stands. Failed theories about its origins have been born and parroted and have died—from Ethan Smith to Solomon Spaulding to deranged paranoid to cunning genius. None of these frankly pathetic answers for this book has ever withstood examination because there is no other answer than the one Joseph gave as its young unlearned translator. In this I stand with my own great-grandfather, who said simply enough, “No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.”10
I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day work—and thereby find the fullest measure of peace and comfort in these, our times—until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies. If anyone is foolish enough or misled enough to reject 531 pages of a heretofore unknown text teeming with literary and Semitic complexity without honestly attempting to account for the origin of those pages—especially without accounting for their powerful witness of Jesus Christ and the profound spiritual impact that witness has had on what is now tens of millions of readers—if that is the case, then such a person, elect or otherwise, has been deceived; and if he or she leaves this Church, it must be done by crawling over or under or around the Book of Mormon to make that exit. In that sense the book is what Christ Himself was said to be: “a stone of stumbling, . . . a rock of offence,”11 a barrier in the path of one who wishes not to believe in this work. Witnesses, even witnesses who were for a time hostile to Joseph, testified to their death that they had seen an angel and had handled the plates. “They have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man,” they declared. “Wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true.”12
Now, I did not sail with the brother of Jared in crossing an ocean, settling in a new world. I did not hear King Benjamin speak his angelically delivered sermon. I did not proselyte with Alma and Amulek nor witness the fiery death of innocent believers. I was not among the Nephite crowd who touched the wounds of the resurrected Lord, nor did I weep with Mormon and Moroni over the destruction of an entire civilization. But my testimony of this record and the peace it brings to the human heart is as binding and unequivocal as was theirs. Like them, “[I] give [my name] unto the world, to witness unto the world that which [I] have seen.” And like them, “[I] lie not, God bearing witness of it.”13
I ask that my testimony of the Book of Mormon and all that it implies, given today under my own oath and office, be recorded by men on earth and angels in heaven. I hope I have a few years left in my “last days,” but whether I do or do not, I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true, that it came forth the way Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the latter days.
My witness echoes that of Nephi, who wrote part of the book in his “last days”:
“Hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, . . . and they teach all men that they should do good.
“And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day.”14
Brothers and sisters, God always provides safety for the soul, and with the Book of Mormon, He has again done that in our time. Remember this declaration by Jesus Himself: “Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived”15—and in the last days neither your heart nor your faith will fail you. Of this I earnestly testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
NOTES
1. See Matthew 24:24; see also Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:22.
2. Luke 21:26.
3. See History of the Church, 4:461.
4. 1 Nephi 8:30.
5. 1 Nephi 11:25, 27–28, 31.
6. Moroni 10:32.
7. Ether 12:37–38; see also D&C 135:5.
8. See History of the Church, 6:600.
9. Joseph Smith, in History of the Church, 4:539.
10. George Cannon, quoted in “The Twelve Apostles,” in Andrew Jenson, ed., The Historical Record, 6:175.
11. 1 Peter 2:8.
12. “The Testimony of Three Witnesses,” Book of Mormon.
13. “The Testimony of Eight Witnesses,” Book of Mormon; emphasis added.
14. 2 Nephi 33:10–11; emphasis added.
15. Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37.
La Expiacion de Jesucristo es REAL!
Buenos Tardes, mi familia y mi amigos!
I'm already out 5 minutes on this thing. So I'm just going to jump into what I'd like to say today. :)
Last Sunday we had a lesson on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The other Hermanas in my District taught it, and let me just tell you...it was wonderful. We all went around and talked about what the Atonement means to each one of us. It was incredible to hear how it has been applied in the lives of others. One of the Hermanas said, "LOVE. The Atonement is LOVE for me." In all reality, that is EXACTLY what it is. Your Savior died for YOU because He. Loves. You. He wanted each and every one of us to have a way by which our lives could be made a little bit easier, a way by which we'd be able to repent and return to live with our Heavenly Father. If He didn't love you, He wouldn't have gone through what He did. It was not easy, but it was essential. He suffered so that you might not have to suffer as badly as you would have had to without it. Don't you ever for one second think you have it bad. Life can be difficult, I can certainly attest to that...but it would've been even MORE difficult, and worse than that, you would've been cut off from the presence of your Father in Heaven forever. We may not fully comprehend in this life how devasting that would be, but I promise you it would not be something you would want. SO, take advantage of it. Ask for help. Repent of those things that need repenting. He has prepared a way, now start walking. He is always there. He is always there because He CAN always be there. When you're feeling like you can't make it, when you're feeling like no one understands, when life seems to be the worst it's ever been, you turn to Him. He knows what it's like to be abandoned. He knows what it's like to feel pain. He knows what it's like to feel like no one understands. He knows it all. So you turn to Him.
We were watching a video yesterday. The District 2. You missionaries know what I'm talking about...but for those that don't it's a video series about a District in California (I believe) and the people they taught. The lessons were videotaped as well as everything else. It is absolutely incredible. Anyway, we watched this video on an investigator named Jynx. She had been taught much about the Gospel, she was very much dedicated to God, she wanted to know His will for her. She called up the missionaries one day and told them she had received her answer, the church wasn't for her...God didn't want her to join it. The missionaries were devastated. How do you approach something like that? I'll tell you...with the Spirit, it's the only way. They went and talked with her. They listened, they TRULY listened to what she had to say and one of them asked if she had been reading the Book of Mormon, if she had sincerely been reading it. She responded, "I would be lying if I said I have been." Then one of the Elders said (and I'm paraphrasing) "The Book of Mormon is key. Everything in this Gospel hinges on it...Everything. If this Book is true, then Joseph Smith was a Prophet. And if Joseph Smith was a Prophet then this Church is God's Church. You're holding this book in your hands right now, and you're telling me us you haven't read it?" As I write this I'm reminded of the power of that comment. She began to realize that all those Elders were asking her to do was read the book and pray about it. And they'd been asking her that every visit, she just couldn't ever find time. When she knelt down and said the pray at the end of the lesson, you could tell she sincerely wanted to know. It was absolutely incredible. She asked for energy to be able to read, she said she thought it might be Satan trying to keep her from reading, she asked to know if this was God's church.
Brothers and Sisters, Family and Friends, I testify to you that the Book of Mormon IS true. That it contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel, as does the Bible. I testify to you that if you read and if you pray, the Lord WILL answer you. It says in the Introduction, "We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost." It's all about you. I could sit there until I'm blue in the face and testify to you, but it would do YOU no good. YOU have to find out for yourself...if you so desire. And I would hope that you do. Elder Holland testified in October General Conference last year about the Book of Mormon. (Mom, if you could look up "Safety for the Soul" and attach the video to the blog, that would be wonderful). He said...and you think about this, please...he said, "No evil man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it...unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so."
I know this work is the Lord's work. I love it. I love being apart of it. It's difficult, but it is absolutely wonderful.
Enjoy General Conference this weeked! (One of the Elders in my district is singing at the Priesthood Session!...Elder Munk!)
I love you all, and so does your Heavenly Father and your Savior, Jesus Christ!
- Hermana Word
"God always looks for the good--and He always finds it...always in you. Satan, Satan looks for the bad and he finds it...thety both find what they're looking for. God is the happiest being in the universe and Satan is the [saddest]....because they both find what they're looking for."
I'm already out 5 minutes on this thing. So I'm just going to jump into what I'd like to say today. :)
Last Sunday we had a lesson on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The other Hermanas in my District taught it, and let me just tell you...it was wonderful. We all went around and talked about what the Atonement means to each one of us. It was incredible to hear how it has been applied in the lives of others. One of the Hermanas said, "LOVE. The Atonement is LOVE for me." In all reality, that is EXACTLY what it is. Your Savior died for YOU because He. Loves. You. He wanted each and every one of us to have a way by which our lives could be made a little bit easier, a way by which we'd be able to repent and return to live with our Heavenly Father. If He didn't love you, He wouldn't have gone through what He did. It was not easy, but it was essential. He suffered so that you might not have to suffer as badly as you would have had to without it. Don't you ever for one second think you have it bad. Life can be difficult, I can certainly attest to that...but it would've been even MORE difficult, and worse than that, you would've been cut off from the presence of your Father in Heaven forever. We may not fully comprehend in this life how devasting that would be, but I promise you it would not be something you would want. SO, take advantage of it. Ask for help. Repent of those things that need repenting. He has prepared a way, now start walking. He is always there. He is always there because He CAN always be there. When you're feeling like you can't make it, when you're feeling like no one understands, when life seems to be the worst it's ever been, you turn to Him. He knows what it's like to be abandoned. He knows what it's like to feel pain. He knows what it's like to feel like no one understands. He knows it all. So you turn to Him.
We were watching a video yesterday. The District 2. You missionaries know what I'm talking about...but for those that don't it's a video series about a District in California (I believe) and the people they taught. The lessons were videotaped as well as everything else. It is absolutely incredible. Anyway, we watched this video on an investigator named Jynx. She had been taught much about the Gospel, she was very much dedicated to God, she wanted to know His will for her. She called up the missionaries one day and told them she had received her answer, the church wasn't for her...God didn't want her to join it. The missionaries were devastated. How do you approach something like that? I'll tell you...with the Spirit, it's the only way. They went and talked with her. They listened, they TRULY listened to what she had to say and one of them asked if she had been reading the Book of Mormon, if she had sincerely been reading it. She responded, "I would be lying if I said I have been." Then one of the Elders said (and I'm paraphrasing) "The Book of Mormon is key. Everything in this Gospel hinges on it...Everything. If this Book is true, then Joseph Smith was a Prophet. And if Joseph Smith was a Prophet then this Church is God's Church. You're holding this book in your hands right now, and you're telling me us you haven't read it?" As I write this I'm reminded of the power of that comment. She began to realize that all those Elders were asking her to do was read the book and pray about it. And they'd been asking her that every visit, she just couldn't ever find time. When she knelt down and said the pray at the end of the lesson, you could tell she sincerely wanted to know. It was absolutely incredible. She asked for energy to be able to read, she said she thought it might be Satan trying to keep her from reading, she asked to know if this was God's church.
Brothers and Sisters, Family and Friends, I testify to you that the Book of Mormon IS true. That it contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel, as does the Bible. I testify to you that if you read and if you pray, the Lord WILL answer you. It says in the Introduction, "We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost." It's all about you. I could sit there until I'm blue in the face and testify to you, but it would do YOU no good. YOU have to find out for yourself...if you so desire. And I would hope that you do. Elder Holland testified in October General Conference last year about the Book of Mormon. (Mom, if you could look up "Safety for the Soul" and attach the video to the blog, that would be wonderful). He said...and you think about this, please...he said, "No evil man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it...unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so."
I know this work is the Lord's work. I love it. I love being apart of it. It's difficult, but it is absolutely wonderful.
Enjoy General Conference this weeked! (One of the Elders in my district is singing at the Priesthood Session!...Elder Munk!)
I love you all, and so does your Heavenly Father and your Savior, Jesus Christ!
- Hermana Word
"God always looks for the good--and He always finds it...always in you. Satan, Satan looks for the bad and he finds it...thety both find what they're looking for. God is the happiest being in the universe and Satan is the [saddest]....because they both find what they're looking for."
Friday, September 24, 2010
Cuatro y medio semanas sobre el fin...en el CCM.
Family and Friends,
YUP! Four and half more weeks in the MTC for me. Crazy business, I tell you.
First of all, thank you all for your love and support. It always awesome to hear from you! I've got a proposal though: If you've got an email to send, could you send it through DearElder.com? Just not much time to read and write each week and I'd love to be able to look back at them whenever I want, instead of only on Preparation Days...also, they stress that the missionary email is strictly for family. Thanks so much! I love you all, I really do!!!!!!
K as for this week...you ready?
I sang a musical number in church on Sunday. My friend, Elder Boyes, created this neat little piano arrangement of "I Know Heavenly Father Loves Me" and Hermana Holland, Elder Stucki, Elder Munk, and I all sang it. It was absolutely incredible. I just love any chance I get to sing--to sing praises to my Father in Heaven...and to do it with others who recognize the significance of music as well, who have a love for it. Hermano Priest (member of the Branch Presidency) went to speak after we sang and he was a little choked up--you have to understand, Hermano Priest is not one to get emotional...EVER. He loves the Gospel--like, LOVES it--and he's always going a million miles a minute, I don't know if there's ever time FOR him to do so. :) SO after we sang, he got up there with a couple tears in his eyes and said, "I was going to crack a joke, but I can't after that song. I have a great attachment to it..." I guess when he was in first grade he heard (or sang, I can't remember) that song and it was ther first time he had ever felt the Spirit. And, he remembered it. It stuck out to him so much that he was reminded of that moment on Sunday. It really was so wonderful.
OH! Also, if you ever get a chance to learn Spanish and sing Families Can Be Together Forever in that Spanish, let me know what you think. :) We sang it as a district the other day and the words were a million times more powerful in Espanol. Beautiful, I tell you!
We had a goal for this week to not murmur. Everytime one of us did, we had to put a "point" in our little "Laman and Lemuel" box on the board. If we got to 10 points--together as a class--we were supposed to keep our letters and not open them until Today (Preparation Day). We hit 10 on Tuesday. Hah. It's interesting to see how much those letters mean to missionaries. They are absolutely wonderful and entirely encouraged, but I think our hearts aren't always focused on the right things. I walked into class on Tuesday and Elder Hicks was talking to Hermano Rivera. He wasn't trying at all to complain, I'm not even entirely sure what was said but Hno Rivera eventually stopped and said in English, "I'm not saying this will make or break your mission, but your attitude will." He said it with such fervance and sincerity that it honestly pierced me. The whole point of the "Laman and Lemuel" box is to help us to have better attitudes, to have a better outlook on the things that happen. Not everything I do or everything that happens to me is going to be the best that it could--I doubt it will be often--but it CAN be even better or even worse depending on my attitude. The principle behind it is SO much greater than the little "game," if you will. I encourage you all to strive to see the good in everything. You all know that is what your Savior would do. Keep a positive attitude. You WILL notice a difference. Promise.
On Wednesday we watched a Devotional from a couple years ago given by Elder David A Bednar. It was entitled "Recognizing The Spirit." Having the Spirit is so essential, yet sometimes--actually, more like OFTEN--I find myself searching for a spiritual confirmation, wanting to feel and know that what I'm going to do or say is right. BUT I must not. We must not. More times than not, you or I will not get that confirmation until later, and even then sometimes we never will. BUT we must move forward in faith. "When you're sitting there, you are not under the impressions of the Spirit," said Elder Bednar, "You get GOING, you get BUSY, you get DOING what you need to do and He WILL guide you." How true that is! You and I need to just open our mouths, move our feet, and exercise FAITH. As long as we're doing all we can, as long as we're following the commandments and striving to do His will, He WILL guide us. Listening to the Spirit isn't something so complex that no one ever really understand it. No! It's SIMPLE. I hope we all remember that throughout our lives...I hope I remember it especially while I'm doing this work. Elder Bednar promised us, under the mantle of his Apostolic Calling, "If you will be a good boy/girl, remember and honor your covenants, and keep the commandments, as you press forward, your steps WILL be guided, your utterances WILL be inspired and you CANNOT go amiss." Brothers and Sisters, I know that is true. Heavenly Father wants to guide us, He's not couldn't to make that process complicated. All we need to do is make sure we're living as He would have us live and the Spirit WILL be with us.
I want you to know that I love you. I love this Gospel. Take the time to know for yourself, if you don't already, that what I say is true. Take the time to know for yourself that this IS His Church established again on the earth. Take the time to talk with your Father in Heaven because He wants SO badly to talk with you. He has such an incredible love for you, and you, and YOU that you may not ever understand...but I encourage you to start TRYING to understand it. Read Moroni Chapter 7. Faith begins with Charity...and charity is the pure love of Christ...and Christ's love is the same as the Father's love. Know them. Love them. Build a relationship with them. I promise you will start to see blessings in your life that you've never recognized before. And I can promise you that because it is true. The Spirit testifies of truth, and I can promise you what I say and what I do is directed by Him.
Keep on keeping on, my dear Family and Friends!
Until next week,
Hermana Kaity Word
Also, Sister Covey, thank you for your note last week. I promise you will be getting a letter back.
Justine Trotter, you best be writing me a letter...because I love you
YUP! Four and half more weeks in the MTC for me. Crazy business, I tell you.
First of all, thank you all for your love and support. It always awesome to hear from you! I've got a proposal though: If you've got an email to send, could you send it through DearElder.com? Just not much time to read and write each week and I'd love to be able to look back at them whenever I want, instead of only on Preparation Days...also, they stress that the missionary email is strictly for family. Thanks so much! I love you all, I really do!!!!!!
K as for this week...you ready?
I sang a musical number in church on Sunday. My friend, Elder Boyes, created this neat little piano arrangement of "I Know Heavenly Father Loves Me" and Hermana Holland, Elder Stucki, Elder Munk, and I all sang it. It was absolutely incredible. I just love any chance I get to sing--to sing praises to my Father in Heaven...and to do it with others who recognize the significance of music as well, who have a love for it. Hermano Priest (member of the Branch Presidency) went to speak after we sang and he was a little choked up--you have to understand, Hermano Priest is not one to get emotional...EVER. He loves the Gospel--like, LOVES it--and he's always going a million miles a minute, I don't know if there's ever time FOR him to do so. :) SO after we sang, he got up there with a couple tears in his eyes and said, "I was going to crack a joke, but I can't after that song. I have a great attachment to it..." I guess when he was in first grade he heard (or sang, I can't remember) that song and it was ther first time he had ever felt the Spirit. And, he remembered it. It stuck out to him so much that he was reminded of that moment on Sunday. It really was so wonderful.
OH! Also, if you ever get a chance to learn Spanish and sing Families Can Be Together Forever in that Spanish, let me know what you think. :) We sang it as a district the other day and the words were a million times more powerful in Espanol. Beautiful, I tell you!
We had a goal for this week to not murmur. Everytime one of us did, we had to put a "point" in our little "Laman and Lemuel" box on the board. If we got to 10 points--together as a class--we were supposed to keep our letters and not open them until Today (Preparation Day). We hit 10 on Tuesday. Hah. It's interesting to see how much those letters mean to missionaries. They are absolutely wonderful and entirely encouraged, but I think our hearts aren't always focused on the right things. I walked into class on Tuesday and Elder Hicks was talking to Hermano Rivera. He wasn't trying at all to complain, I'm not even entirely sure what was said but Hno Rivera eventually stopped and said in English, "I'm not saying this will make or break your mission, but your attitude will." He said it with such fervance and sincerity that it honestly pierced me. The whole point of the "Laman and Lemuel" box is to help us to have better attitudes, to have a better outlook on the things that happen. Not everything I do or everything that happens to me is going to be the best that it could--I doubt it will be often--but it CAN be even better or even worse depending on my attitude. The principle behind it is SO much greater than the little "game," if you will. I encourage you all to strive to see the good in everything. You all know that is what your Savior would do. Keep a positive attitude. You WILL notice a difference. Promise.
On Wednesday we watched a Devotional from a couple years ago given by Elder David A Bednar. It was entitled "Recognizing The Spirit." Having the Spirit is so essential, yet sometimes--actually, more like OFTEN--I find myself searching for a spiritual confirmation, wanting to feel and know that what I'm going to do or say is right. BUT I must not. We must not. More times than not, you or I will not get that confirmation until later, and even then sometimes we never will. BUT we must move forward in faith. "When you're sitting there, you are not under the impressions of the Spirit," said Elder Bednar, "You get GOING, you get BUSY, you get DOING what you need to do and He WILL guide you." How true that is! You and I need to just open our mouths, move our feet, and exercise FAITH. As long as we're doing all we can, as long as we're following the commandments and striving to do His will, He WILL guide us. Listening to the Spirit isn't something so complex that no one ever really understand it. No! It's SIMPLE. I hope we all remember that throughout our lives...I hope I remember it especially while I'm doing this work. Elder Bednar promised us, under the mantle of his Apostolic Calling, "If you will be a good boy/girl, remember and honor your covenants, and keep the commandments, as you press forward, your steps WILL be guided, your utterances WILL be inspired and you CANNOT go amiss." Brothers and Sisters, I know that is true. Heavenly Father wants to guide us, He's not couldn't to make that process complicated. All we need to do is make sure we're living as He would have us live and the Spirit WILL be with us.
I want you to know that I love you. I love this Gospel. Take the time to know for yourself, if you don't already, that what I say is true. Take the time to know for yourself that this IS His Church established again on the earth. Take the time to talk with your Father in Heaven because He wants SO badly to talk with you. He has such an incredible love for you, and you, and YOU that you may not ever understand...but I encourage you to start TRYING to understand it. Read Moroni Chapter 7. Faith begins with Charity...and charity is the pure love of Christ...and Christ's love is the same as the Father's love. Know them. Love them. Build a relationship with them. I promise you will start to see blessings in your life that you've never recognized before. And I can promise you that because it is true. The Spirit testifies of truth, and I can promise you what I say and what I do is directed by Him.
Keep on keeping on, my dear Family and Friends!
Until next week,
Hermana Kaity Word
Also, Sister Covey, thank you for your note last week. I promise you will be getting a letter back.
Justine Trotter, you best be writing me a letter...because I love you
Friday, September 17, 2010
Semana Numero Quatro
Hola Mi Familia y Amigos!
SO, it's been another great week. Thanks for all the letters and packages, they really do brighten my day. I apologize for not responding very quickly (or at all...). Being a missionary keeps me pretty busy. BUT, I will do my best. Keep them coming...if you'd like :)
Last week almost my whole district got sick. It hit me Thurdsay night and I went to the temple last Friday morning with a thing of tissues and hand sanitizer. I had a little bit of a different session that time. I came back and ended up going to the health office...one of my roommates had bronchitis and I didn't want whatever I had to go that far. I was told to take some meds and get some rest. (Hah, rest as a missionary? That word is foreign to us). SO, I did. It's incredible, however, how one little sickness can keep you from doing what you've been called to do. It was really starting to get to me. I felt like I was being a little over-dramatic, but it was kind of stressing me out because I didn't know when I would have time to get better. The thought came to me Thursday night to ask for a blessing and I was planning on doing so today, but I didn't know when to ask or when two of the Elders could. I went through all the normal Preparation day stuff and finally asked after dinner. It was interesting because one of the other Elders in my Zone came up and reminded all the Hermanas that we could get Priesthood Blessings...there were certainly enough Elders around to do it. :) Anyway, so around 9:00 last Friday night we went into one of the little computer labs. Elder Stucki anointed my head, and Elder Munk sealed the anointing and proceeded it with a blessing. I kept saying to myself, "I have faith; Heavenly Father says I have great faith..." Elder Munk spoke on how this missionary lifestyle has taken a toll on me. He promised me that if I have faith--:)--and if I do all I can, I will be healed. He said, "Faith without works is dead." He quoted the Word of Wisdom and promised that the blessing to "run and not be weary; to walk and not faint" is mine if I do my part. It was at this point that he began to get a little choked up. The Spirit in that room was so incredibly strong -- words cannot describe it. He went on to tell me some really magnificent blessings, blessings I knew were mine if I did everything I could. I'm here to tell you, family and friends, that the power of the Priesthood is real, the Power is God's. That blessing came from God, through those Elders. They were authorized by Him to use that Power to bless others. I know that my Heavenly Father knows me and watches out for me.
I feel like I have a million more things to write and for some reason I never have time enough to do so. BUT, before I go can I just say one more thing? Go to the temple. All of you. Whenever you can. Make it a goal and GO. Those buildings are not here just to look at, the work done within them is real, it is essential. Stop being selfish with your time--it's not really yours anyway. Remember that "great will be your joy if you bring save it be one soul unto God." It may not be easy, the temple may not be close, but you will be blessed for your "sacrifice." I know that. I see it in my own life, and I see it in the lives of all those missionaries that go with me each week. Families are central to God's plan. And the temple is what makes that family relationship possible after this life. I have a testimony of this Gospel, I want you to know that.
We watched the Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration movie last Sunday. I'm so eternally grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith and ALL he did to make sure this work came forth. When times get hard, I pray we remember what he and the early Saints went through, that we might remember the faith they had, the unwearyness with which they pressed on. I've no doubt they're looking down on this Church now, grateful for the efforts of all who have halped it to be what it is today. I know that the Church will only continue to grow until the Savior comes again and even after. This IS His Church. It IS real. I can testify of that. Do not ever allow yourself to doubt for one second. Joseph never did.
I love you all very much. I say that with all the sincerity of my heart. If there's one thing you learn on a mission, it's charity. You learn to see others as who they REALLY are: sons and daughters of God. With that in mind, who can treat anyone unkindly?
Keep up the work. Do your part.
Con Amor,
Hermana Kaitlyn Word!
SO, it's been another great week. Thanks for all the letters and packages, they really do brighten my day. I apologize for not responding very quickly (or at all...). Being a missionary keeps me pretty busy. BUT, I will do my best. Keep them coming...if you'd like :)
Last week almost my whole district got sick. It hit me Thurdsay night and I went to the temple last Friday morning with a thing of tissues and hand sanitizer. I had a little bit of a different session that time. I came back and ended up going to the health office...one of my roommates had bronchitis and I didn't want whatever I had to go that far. I was told to take some meds and get some rest. (Hah, rest as a missionary? That word is foreign to us). SO, I did. It's incredible, however, how one little sickness can keep you from doing what you've been called to do. It was really starting to get to me. I felt like I was being a little over-dramatic, but it was kind of stressing me out because I didn't know when I would have time to get better. The thought came to me Thursday night to ask for a blessing and I was planning on doing so today, but I didn't know when to ask or when two of the Elders could. I went through all the normal Preparation day stuff and finally asked after dinner. It was interesting because one of the other Elders in my Zone came up and reminded all the Hermanas that we could get Priesthood Blessings...there were certainly enough Elders around to do it. :) Anyway, so around 9:00 last Friday night we went into one of the little computer labs. Elder Stucki anointed my head, and Elder Munk sealed the anointing and proceeded it with a blessing. I kept saying to myself, "I have faith; Heavenly Father says I have great faith..." Elder Munk spoke on how this missionary lifestyle has taken a toll on me. He promised me that if I have faith--:)--and if I do all I can, I will be healed. He said, "Faith without works is dead." He quoted the Word of Wisdom and promised that the blessing to "run and not be weary; to walk and not faint" is mine if I do my part. It was at this point that he began to get a little choked up. The Spirit in that room was so incredibly strong -- words cannot describe it. He went on to tell me some really magnificent blessings, blessings I knew were mine if I did everything I could. I'm here to tell you, family and friends, that the power of the Priesthood is real, the Power is God's. That blessing came from God, through those Elders. They were authorized by Him to use that Power to bless others. I know that my Heavenly Father knows me and watches out for me.
I feel like I have a million more things to write and for some reason I never have time enough to do so. BUT, before I go can I just say one more thing? Go to the temple. All of you. Whenever you can. Make it a goal and GO. Those buildings are not here just to look at, the work done within them is real, it is essential. Stop being selfish with your time--it's not really yours anyway. Remember that "great will be your joy if you bring save it be one soul unto God." It may not be easy, the temple may not be close, but you will be blessed for your "sacrifice." I know that. I see it in my own life, and I see it in the lives of all those missionaries that go with me each week. Families are central to God's plan. And the temple is what makes that family relationship possible after this life. I have a testimony of this Gospel, I want you to know that.
We watched the Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration movie last Sunday. I'm so eternally grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith and ALL he did to make sure this work came forth. When times get hard, I pray we remember what he and the early Saints went through, that we might remember the faith they had, the unwearyness with which they pressed on. I've no doubt they're looking down on this Church now, grateful for the efforts of all who have halped it to be what it is today. I know that the Church will only continue to grow until the Savior comes again and even after. This IS His Church. It IS real. I can testify of that. Do not ever allow yourself to doubt for one second. Joseph never did.
I love you all very much. I say that with all the sincerity of my heart. If there's one thing you learn on a mission, it's charity. You learn to see others as who they REALLY are: sons and daughters of God. With that in mind, who can treat anyone unkindly?
Keep up the work. Do your part.
Con Amor,
Hermana Kaitlyn Word!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Tres Semanas en el C.C.M.!
Yet been another exciting week for me. Everything goes by so quickly, I can't even tell you. Return missionary friends I'm sure know what I'm talking about. :)
It hasn't gotten easier, that's for sure.
SO how has everyone been? No one seems to ever tell me how the weather is in Las Vegas. I need these kind of updates. Haha. For starters, I got the letter from Grandma and Grandpa. It did go all the way to the Mission Home first. She's so cute :) AND, you'll be happy to know I wrote her back. Also, Little Brother? Congrats on playing the Bass! You would take on the biggest instrument in the orchestra. Way to be a man!...and Chess Club?...and robotics whos-a-whats-it clubssss? and TRACK CLUB? Dude, you inspire me. OH! And thanks for correcting my spelling of "hamster," I no longer have any friends because they all think I can't spell. JK. (Just so you all know, my Little Brother is a stud) Lauren, thanks for the picture, and the letter. Made my day. It's kind of weird because all the Elders in my District, AHEM, all the Elders in the MTC are your age. Uncle Dean? Mom told me you dropped Shelby off at school last week? Said you "had to hold back some tears." I can tell you I didn't hold any back when I read that. I'm so excited you had the opportunity to watch your little girl go to school. She's going to be such a great little asset to that class, I promise you. AND, you get to do the same thing in 4 more years. Enjoy every second of it! Also, Gary Hardy? I hope you're okay. Hermana Gibson told me you were on your death bed. Just kidding (I hope you aren't). She said you had a little bicycling accident? I hope those liquid foods are treating you well. AND, good to see Rhees in the cafeteria the other day. It's kind of fun to have a little connection to "the outside world."
AND...moving on. Mom, you said you'd like to know what I do each day? It's really super exciting, so brace yourself. We have to be up by 6:30 each morning (sometimes mi companera y yo go to the "Sister's Exercise Class" in the mornings at 6:00). We have to be in class by 7:00. We study for half an hour and then go to Breakfast. After that the days are different each day. BUT, we have at least an hour of Personal Study and an hour of Companion Study each day. Usually class twice a day (I think our longest is like 3 and a half/4 hours long). We learn anything and everything having to do with Spanish and the Gospel. Sundays are different. Lots of meetings (no class). We have a Fireside every Sunday night, and a Devotional every Tuesday night. They finally started choir again at the MTC so I got to sing last Tuesday. The power of the Spirit that music brings is absolutely incredible...and to hear 500 young men sing is truly inspiring. Fridays are our Preparation Days. They seem to be the busiest. Temple in the morning then food and laundry and emails and letters and then we have the TRC (Training Resource Center) at night...where we go and give a lesson to "an investigator."
Anyway. That's about it.
Mi companera y yo were doing our contacts for the day. We were on our last one so we went into the hallway where our classroom is. The first Elders we saw were Elder Arnold and Elder Kendrick (they're both in our zone...both going to Nicaragua). We did a lesson with them on Saturday--tried to do it in Espanol--about the Book of Mormon. Anyway, they're so great. SO we saw them and decided to "contact" them as missionaries (instead of investigators). We asked them how their relationships with their families were. They truly shared how much they loved their families. It was wonderful. Then mi companera shared her testimony on families and her family specifically...and then I shared mine. I'm telling you, the Spirit is so strong here. It was only a "contact," but I was able to share my testimony, I was able to share with them how much my family meant to me. I couldn't get all the words out; tears began to fill my eyes. I tried to do it all in Espanol and it was amazing that I could say more than one thing. Afterwards, like within seconds of the end of my little testimony, Elder Kendrick said "I love you two! That was the highlight of my day right there; seriously. You have such incredible spirits!"...and THAT was the highlight of MY day. I just love them more than I could ever express. I'm beginning to realize that we all truly did know each other before. We were friends, even family before this life--and it's absolutely fulfilling to see my brothers and sisters doing what the Lord has asked of them.
I've been having a hard little time with learning the language. It's different then being in school and studying for physics or anatomy or accounting. I can't take the time I feel like I need to accomplish what I feel like I need to accomplish. This has been weighing quite heavily on my mind lately. And, it's hard because I want to teach with the Spirit--for that is how we learn--but then I have to teach in Espanol and it's not always easy to do both. One of my teachers yesterday said, "If you approach Spanish as an academic subject, you'll be fine...but if you put the investigator first, with them as your PURPOSe for learning Espanol, I promise you, you will learn it...make your goal: fulfilling your purpose in Spanish." It definitely made a whole lot more sense.
Yo se que las familias son un parte central de plan del Dios. Yo se que las familias son eternas. Yo se que Jesucristo es mi Salvador, y El expio por mis pecados. Yo se que el libro de Mormon es la palabra de Dios. Yo se que el Evangelio de Jesucristo es verdadero. Yo se que Dios vive y nos ama. Yo se estas cosas con todo corozon. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.
Lo siento. No mas tiempo!
LOVE YOU ALL!
Hermana Word
It hasn't gotten easier, that's for sure.
SO how has everyone been? No one seems to ever tell me how the weather is in Las Vegas. I need these kind of updates. Haha. For starters, I got the letter from Grandma and Grandpa. It did go all the way to the Mission Home first. She's so cute :) AND, you'll be happy to know I wrote her back. Also, Little Brother? Congrats on playing the Bass! You would take on the biggest instrument in the orchestra. Way to be a man!...and Chess Club?...and robotics whos-a-whats-it clubssss? and TRACK CLUB? Dude, you inspire me. OH! And thanks for correcting my spelling of "hamster," I no longer have any friends because they all think I can't spell. JK. (Just so you all know, my Little Brother is a stud) Lauren, thanks for the picture, and the letter. Made my day. It's kind of weird because all the Elders in my District, AHEM, all the Elders in the MTC are your age. Uncle Dean? Mom told me you dropped Shelby off at school last week? Said you "had to hold back some tears." I can tell you I didn't hold any back when I read that. I'm so excited you had the opportunity to watch your little girl go to school. She's going to be such a great little asset to that class, I promise you. AND, you get to do the same thing in 4 more years. Enjoy every second of it! Also, Gary Hardy? I hope you're okay. Hermana Gibson told me you were on your death bed. Just kidding (I hope you aren't). She said you had a little bicycling accident? I hope those liquid foods are treating you well. AND, good to see Rhees in the cafeteria the other day. It's kind of fun to have a little connection to "the outside world."
AND...moving on. Mom, you said you'd like to know what I do each day? It's really super exciting, so brace yourself. We have to be up by 6:30 each morning (sometimes mi companera y yo go to the "Sister's Exercise Class" in the mornings at 6:00). We have to be in class by 7:00. We study for half an hour and then go to Breakfast. After that the days are different each day. BUT, we have at least an hour of Personal Study and an hour of Companion Study each day. Usually class twice a day (I think our longest is like 3 and a half/4 hours long). We learn anything and everything having to do with Spanish and the Gospel. Sundays are different. Lots of meetings (no class). We have a Fireside every Sunday night, and a Devotional every Tuesday night. They finally started choir again at the MTC so I got to sing last Tuesday. The power of the Spirit that music brings is absolutely incredible...and to hear 500 young men sing is truly inspiring. Fridays are our Preparation Days. They seem to be the busiest. Temple in the morning then food and laundry and emails and letters and then we have the TRC (Training Resource Center) at night...where we go and give a lesson to "an investigator."
Anyway. That's about it.
Mi companera y yo were doing our contacts for the day. We were on our last one so we went into the hallway where our classroom is. The first Elders we saw were Elder Arnold and Elder Kendrick (they're both in our zone...both going to Nicaragua). We did a lesson with them on Saturday--tried to do it in Espanol--about the Book of Mormon. Anyway, they're so great. SO we saw them and decided to "contact" them as missionaries (instead of investigators). We asked them how their relationships with their families were. They truly shared how much they loved their families. It was wonderful. Then mi companera shared her testimony on families and her family specifically...and then I shared mine. I'm telling you, the Spirit is so strong here. It was only a "contact," but I was able to share my testimony, I was able to share with them how much my family meant to me. I couldn't get all the words out; tears began to fill my eyes. I tried to do it all in Espanol and it was amazing that I could say more than one thing. Afterwards, like within seconds of the end of my little testimony, Elder Kendrick said "I love you two! That was the highlight of my day right there; seriously. You have such incredible spirits!"...and THAT was the highlight of MY day. I just love them more than I could ever express. I'm beginning to realize that we all truly did know each other before. We were friends, even family before this life--and it's absolutely fulfilling to see my brothers and sisters doing what the Lord has asked of them.
I've been having a hard little time with learning the language. It's different then being in school and studying for physics or anatomy or accounting. I can't take the time I feel like I need to accomplish what I feel like I need to accomplish. This has been weighing quite heavily on my mind lately. And, it's hard because I want to teach with the Spirit--for that is how we learn--but then I have to teach in Espanol and it's not always easy to do both. One of my teachers yesterday said, "If you approach Spanish as an academic subject, you'll be fine...but if you put the investigator first, with them as your PURPOSe for learning Espanol, I promise you, you will learn it...make your goal: fulfilling your purpose in Spanish." It definitely made a whole lot more sense.
Yo se que las familias son un parte central de plan del Dios. Yo se que las familias son eternas. Yo se que Jesucristo es mi Salvador, y El expio por mis pecados. Yo se que el libro de Mormon es la palabra de Dios. Yo se que el Evangelio de Jesucristo es verdadero. Yo se que Dios vive y nos ama. Yo se estas cosas con todo corozon. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.
Lo siento. No mas tiempo!
LOVE YOU ALL!
Hermana Word
