This seriously cannot be happening right now!

January 30, 2012

This week has been literally the most interesting week of my whole mission. Seriously. Blows my MIND! With transfers at the beginning of the week, Sister Zamora and I had to get use to each other. HA! Not really, we are like the same person. (Last night we were pulling in and one of us said the word rude and then it was quiet and it was like we had telepathy because we both said "Don't interrupt, rude." Just like Bon Qui Qui. Then we both just looked at each other like I can't believe that just happened. SO FUNNY) It is really quite funny because when we go knocking, we tell jokes and funny stories in between houses so when we go up to the door we are always really happy. Oh man, we have fun. I have a CD of pictures I am sending home today and you will see some of her on there. She is the crazy one. :) Anyways, this week has been a REALLY rough finding week! Every day we came home thinking what did we do wrong and how can we be better in order to find more new investigators and then we would start the new day and have the same result. It was getting kind of hard because we were doing all we could. Well, the Lord blessed us more than we could handle yesterday at church. Literally, we had the best day ever that I just can't even begin to show my gratitude for!

Okay so we have three wards, back to back to back so we are at the church from about 10:30 to 6:30 every Sunday. We had an awesome sacrament meeting in our first ward and even had a lovely surprise visit from President Trayner himself. (This ward we have a very small chunk of and most of it is a HUGE orange grove so we never have investigators but we are working with a less active family so hopefully we see them next Sunday). Next we have our Spanish ward where we had a surprise visit from C____! She is C____'s (recent convert of a year, preparing for a mission, total rockstar) sister and we taught her once this week and didn't think much of it. We were shocked but super pumped that she showed up. Then we also had M____ and M____ there as well. Love them both. They will get baptized soon I just know it! M____ is M____s' niece. Then we have another English ward. Here is where is gets NUTS! We had the lovely F____ with her daughter, L____ with her four kids, and A____ with her two kids. Uh huh. We were spread quite thin! F____ was late to church and we almost had a fit because they HAVE to be there the date of their baptism (SPOILER ALERT) so Elder Jacobs made me go find her while Sister Zamora stayed with everyone else. (Yes, I had a member with me) But when I go to her house, her mom said that she had already left for church. We had nothing to worry about. F____ is such a rockstar. Then we had to get 4 kids settled in primary, one in yw, one in nursery, and then the 3 moms in gospel principles with us. BAM! Then we all shuffled around for a combined lesson which was great! I had L____ and F____ with me and Sister Zamora had A____. LOVE IT! We introduced them to tons of people and I think that was key for them because then they can start making friends. O man! Then church was over and L____ said, "Oh, it's already over? I thought we had one more hour." SHE WANTED TO STAY FOR MORE! I said well we have a baptism and guess who stayed for the baptism. Yup, you guessed it. L____ and her kids! It is L____ then V____ (12) N____ (10) G____ (8) and G____ (1). Guess which 4 are getting baptized on February 19th! YUP! They are so excited especially after coming to the baptism yesterday! But seriously, who goes to church for the first time and then wants to stay another hour or so to go to a baptism! We are so blessed with the world’s best investigators ever! I know that none of this was the work of Sister Zamora and I. The Lord just blessed us so much! O man, I was on cloud 9 yesterday. I was so stoked at church that our district leader said Sister Giles, your fire gets me all fired up about the work too! O man! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I am just so excited thinking about it! 

This mission is so interesting because the people are SO receptive! I can't even believe the miracles I have seen! One miracle is the lovely F____. I love her so much! We found her on 12/21/11, she accepted a baptismal date on Christmas, and had the best day of her life yesterday when she got baptized! My first baptism where I saw the whole thing! O my gosh! It was so great! It was also probably one of the craziest baptisms ever! We combined with the APs so there were two lovely ladies getting baptized, both from the same English ward. Here is the kicker, both of their families speak Spanish so we had to get people from the English ward that speak Spanish to help us out. Not too difficult down here but did I mention the fact that E____, the other girl, is deaf? Oh, I didn't? Ya, she is deaf. So we had to translate from Spanish to English to ASL. O my gosh! The 4 of us just laughed about it because how often does that happen! It was such a great baptism though and F____'s family loved it and now I think they are all going to get baptized too! I don't know about the mom yet but her dad and brother totally want it. I told E____ (brother) that I would make him brownies if he came to church on Sunday so I'm pretty sure he'll be there. (The things we do for people...)

Well, my time is up but I love you all so much! I will try to be better about telling stories more often. Love you all!!! AND LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE! (did I mention love?) the living room! It looks so great! 

Kate

6 Weeks - First Transfer - Staying Put

January 23, 2012

Can you even believe that I have been in Texas for 6 weeks today! I can't either! We are getting in a new batch of missionaries tomorrow and I am SO EXCITED! Sister Bricker leaves tomorrow and I get my new companion who is none other than...drum roll please...SISTER ZAMORA! She is one of the other missionaries that I live with so I already know her well and have gone on splits with her. She is a hoot and I already have some funny pictures of her to show you. If I had remembered my camera cord, I could attach them here at the library, but I forgot so I will just get the pictures at Walmart today. She goes home at the end of this transfer so I am killing my first two companions. I am starting to get the rep of a comp killer. Yup, that's your daughter; the comp killer. But anyways, Sister Zamora will be my companion and Sister Cooper is training a newbie. Because she doesn't know Spanish, we are thinking we are going to get one of the sisters from Mexico which would be AMAZING! Four sisters are coming here and only 2 are leaving so we think they might be opening another sisters area! We're hoping Hidalgo! At least I am, and the Hidalgo ZLs. We chatted yesterday at church and they said they wished they had sisters and they gave me yummy life savers. Since when are the 5 flavored life savers good? I was so happy! I told an Elder that I was stoked and because he is a native Spanish speaker, he didn't get it so we had a conversation about the word "stoked" and what it means and how it translates to Spanish. O man. SO funny.

As far as the work goes, it has BLOWN UP! I can't even believe it! One of our wards is doing a 40 day fast for missionary work and it is amazing to see what has already happened. Last week in our district (3 companionships) we had 29 new investigators! Is that crazy or what! We have been focusing on families so we set 3 or 4 baptismal dates at a time! February should be SO CRAZY!

We also had a miracle story yesterday. My second day in the mission we talked to this man named I_____ but that was it, I never saw or talked to him again but yesterday morning he called and said he got work off and wanted to come to church! It was so awesome! ! J_____ (my first baptism) was such a great little fellowshipper! I loved it! We have an appointment with him on Tuesday, but we will see what happens! I think one of the greatest lessons you learn on your mission is how to handle rejection. :) We still have faith here but we don't get our hopes up. :)

Well, as of right now, we have a lot of investigators we are working with. We have 10 baptismal dates set right now, but I don't know if they will go through. Then we have another 6 or 7 that are getting there. They want to get baptized, they just don't have a date. If they don't set a date within the next few weeks, we will have to move on.

But in more exciting news, F_____ is getting baptized on Sunday! She had her interview yesterday and ROCKED it! She is so great! We went over last week and made s'mores with her and went over the interview questions so she would be ready. She is scared about getting the Holy Ghost in front of the whole ward, but I think she will be fine. She is just one of our really good friends now. Love it!

Yesterday was awesome at church because I got to do sharing time in primary! I LOVE PRIMARY! I wish I could do Primary every week! The little kids are so smart and they are all going to choose the right this week and next week they are going to tell me about it and get a sticker! Guess I have to go get some stickers at Walmart today!

THANKS FOR THE PUMPKIN BREAD! I am already a fatty down here with the Mexican food but now pumpkin bread too! O man! Best package I ever got! We had to drop off Sister Cooper for a training last week and I picked it up and I totally knew what it was and the office missionaries were very jealous. :) I am so loved! (and p.s. yes, I am getting fed. Too much in fact. This past week we had one and sometimes 2 meals a day. I came home sick EVERY DAY! Way too much food! Sister Zamora is going to cross off days next month so we don't have to be super stuffed all the time. Smart, I know)

Two things you can look for for me. Red scripture marking pencils (they have a black outside. just the basic kind) and a baby PMG. I have seen them smaller and I was wondering if you could see where you get little ones. The big one is just hard to carry around sometimes. Could you look around and let me know what you find? Love you! 

Well, today is crazy getting stuff ready to go home, but it should be fun too. We are thinking of going to a thrift store to find something crazy. No se que yet but we will find something good. I'll take pictures.

Sorry for not sending the email last week. I guess I pressed a different button than send but thank goodness it was just saved in the drafts today. I hope you got it this time. I love what you are doing in the living room with the paint! I can't wait to see it in person! Crazy! And I was figuring it out the other day (this in no way makes me trunky, just curious) that my homecoming will most liking be on Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day mom! hahaha.

Love you all so much and I love getting your letters! Keep 'em coming!

Kate

Oops! Sorry I forgot to send this!

(I guess I never sent this. Sorry!)

January 16, 2012

YOU FINALLY PAINTED! O I am so happy about that! I feel right at home here in the library (McAllen, the "new" one) with all sorts of different colored walls, so I love that you painted too!

Can you do me a favor and get me some stickers that I can give to little kids at church? I have seen some at Dicks or whatever that have CTR or a temple or something churchy? I just want them so I can give them something at church. You know how kids are.

As far as transfers go, they are next Tuesday and because Sister Bricker is going home, I am like 99% guaranteed to stay in my area. That and we had interviews with President this week and he asked me if I was ready to take over the area. So yes, I will be staying here. There is a new program where you are trained for 12 weeks so I am pretty sure we are all staying where we are and that I am getting a new trainer. We will just have to see who it is!

I am sad to say that my body has adjusted to the Texas weather because it has been in the 60s this week and I have been FREEZING! I am a disgrace, yo se.

I just wanted to inform you that in every picture I have seen of Annie since I have left, she is wearing my clothes! I have my eye on you little missy! (And yes, I did get your letter and I am writing you back today). And no mom, I haven't gotten a package from you in awhile, maybe the ZLs will bring it to me today.

Dad keeps talking about going on a cruise once I am done with my mission. I just want to inform you that I will not be released from being a missionary so that cruise would not be super fun. Just saying. And if you wanted to go on a cruise AND see my mission, that would be like at least a week and a fast, so I am still trying to decide what to do with that. I will probably end up doing whatever Sister Holmes does because her family wants to go on a cruise too. We would be down with going together. :) She is so great, you will love her. And speaking of which, we want you and her parents to go to dinner or something sometime. I was going to email you their information, but she didn't come over before we left this morning. Because of this, I will just write it in a letter to you.

And Brooke and Tyler could have their reception at the Eaglewood Clubhouse. That would be cool.

This week has been so great! It has been amazing to see how the Lord truly has a hand in the work. Last night for instance we were on our way to a less active member's house when we got out of the car and Sister Bricker said I don't think we should be here and I said okay so we got back in the car and didn't know where we were going so I said okay turn right and we just tried to think of people in the area and we decided to go to Sister P_____'s house because she was right there and she was actually outside of her house when we got there. She was unloading stuff from her car from a trip up to San Antonio for one of her college friend's funeral. She was having a hard time and she was amazed that we came at that exact time. I told her that we were just as surprised! It wasn't us at all that decided to visit her. It was what the Lord needed us to do. It just strengthens my testimony that while I am out here, accomplishing my daily/weekly goals (numbers) is important, but it is more important to throw the goals to the wind when there is someone who needs us. It is exactly what the Lord would do if He were here.

We also had an experience with a new investigator last Tuesday who has been kind of interested in the church but she has a little trouble with the Book of Mormon. She said if it wasn't for that book, she would join the church and that she just would get a headache whenever she thought about the book and after the lesson was wrapping up I was feeling bold (The Spirit) and said have you ever thought that maybe Satan is trying to get you not to read that book. Maybe he knows that this is the right path for you and is trying to stop you? She COMPLETELY changed right after that. It was as if a light bulb went off in her head. She knew we were right and ever since she has just been a rockstar and when we asked her to be baptized on 2/12/12, she more or less said, well duh! It was awesome! The church is exactly what she needs. It is so great!

Well, I love you all! This week is going to be great! It is Sister Bricker's last week so she has to leave it with a bang! Wish me luck!

Kate

4 Weeks in the Field Already??

January 9, 2012

Can you even believe that I have just finished my 4th week in the field?!?! WHAT IN THE WORLD! I can't even believe it! It is truly crazy!

So you wanted to know more about our investigators, here you go:

M___ didn't end up getting baptized. He is still planning on getting baptized, but he has to figure some things out first. We are going to go to their house for Family Home Evening tonight and we are going to teach them about the AntiNephiLehites and we are going to have them write down something they can give up on a paper sword then we are going to bury them. Hopefully that helps!

We have a baptism this Sunday with P____. They found P____ the week before I got here so they only taught her once before me. She is 16 and is the perfect investigator! She is so strong already! We are just waiting on her parents to sign her permission papers, then she can have her interview and then get baptized!!!

We have another baptism on the 22nd with a girl named F____. She is 20 and has two kids. She really wants to change her life around and it is truly awesome to watch. I was actually part of the finding process with her which is AWESOME! She accepted a baptismal date on Christmas. Best Christmas present ever! She has been to church twice now and really likes it!

We found another family who are so great! The mom (E____) is more hesitant to change but her three sons are GOLDEN! G____ is 13 and L____ and J____ are 12 (Twins). We have only taught them twice but they are so excited already!

Those are all our investigators with baptismal dates. They are all progressing really nicely and they are totally all going to be such great members.

This week has been good. We went to look at cowboy boots, but sad news, I didn't get any. It is because the ones I loved weren't in my size so I am going to wait and hopefully get transferred to Corpus where real cowboys are and get some up there. I am praying for Corpus in the summer! (Coolest place in the mission).

New comp training was so great because we got to see everyone again! Elder Peterson said that he and Elder Root had been talking and both said "Oh I bet Sister Giles is so pumped for this." They were right, I was so stinkin' excited! And it was just really nice!

This week we also went to the Gonzales for dinner which was a hoot! It was Elder Stone's birthday (one of the APs) and so Elder Stone, Elder Maldanado and the 4 of us Hermanas went over for dinner. The Gonzales' work in the mission office and they are so funny because they just talk and talk and are just hysterical. Yesterday at church Elder Gonzales told me we could be friends forever because I talk a lot too. Anywho, we had yummy fajitas and birthday cake! Yum!

The other two Hermanas are Sister Cooper (Nauvoo missionary) and Sister Zamora. I love them both so much! I really should send you pictures sometime. I just keep forgetting.

So fun to hear about the snow! And I love that everyone went snowboarding/skiing! I bet they had a lot of fun!

Kate

Arriving at the mission office Dec. 12th

Kate arrived in McAllen December 12th. Fifteen missionaries traveled together from the MTC to McAllen together.

Kate at the mission office. Kate's companion, Sister Oomrigar from the MTC is in the blue. 

 More arriving missionaries

 Getting their bags together. This is Sister Holmes, Kate's companion in the MTC

 Putting together their bikes. Sister Oomrigar and other missionaries. President Traynor supervising.

More bike assembling

Exciting New Year with new experiences

January 2, 2012

 Okay so first off...they are singing a song here at the library (the one on Lark) about putting on their glasses and opening a book. So cute! That is why we come to this library instead of the new one. We love the songs.

Second: I just want you to know that after I finish this email, I am going to a store called Boot Jack. Guess what they have there...yup, you are right, COWBOY BOOTS!!!! AND HUGE BELT BUCKLES!!! Yup, I'm going to go nuts! But I have already decided that if I don't fall in love, then I will wait to get some until I love them. I still have time down here to find some I can't live without. Sister Zamora and Sister Reese (Sister Holmes comp) have to get some because they both go home in the next few weeks! WHAT!!! So nuts!

Well, New Years was actually really fun down here. We did work until 4 then we got together with all the missionaries in the valley (Hidalgo, Edinburg, Mission, and McAllen) to eat pizza and nachos and watch 17 Miracles. Last year they watched Toy Story 3 so I'm hoping for a great one next year! :) Kidding, 17 Miracles is so great! But yes it was so fun to get together with everyone and just not have to worry about the crazy things going on outside for New Years. And I got to see Elder Jackson and Elder Reid! I was so stinkin' happy about that! But so were they so it's okay!

Mom-It is so funny you mentioned that Book of Mormon exhibit because I looked at it and on the 2nd page with all the nativities, one of my member’s artwork is in the picture! He is an artist and we go to their house for dinner every Wednesday night. His artwork is BEAUTIFUL! If you look closely at the picture, it has his name, Brother Gutierrez. So cool! I told him that if he ever wanted to make me something he could, he wouldn't even have to ask. So funny.

O and I almost forgot! O this is super important! Guess what I did! Okay, so we were at the Gutierrez' house, (I seriously love them. Second family down here. They have three kids, older two are married the other is an RM named Aileen who goes to the YSA ward, and they ALL come for dinner every week). Anywho, I got there and they said we are eating wings. I thought to myself, "O great! Eating meat off the bone...I CAN'T DO THAT!" But guess who just ate meat off the bone! Yup, I just picked it up and bit it. I am such a big girl now! My mission has made me do things I wouldn't have done before. But guess what Sister Bricker made me try...MENUDO! Sick, nasty, Bleh! I told her she was the worst companion ever. BLEH! She thought it was hysterical. Gross.

So last night it was 8:00 and we were going to visit one last member family before we went home to study Spanish. We pulled up and their neighbors were outside so we went to talk to them first because we talk to EVERYONE here. Long story short, we set two BDs. Yup. Both want to be baptized on 2/2/12! Down here we commit to baptism on the first visit every time. It is NUTS!!! We have 4 sets right now and more to come! We also had one of our investigators (F_____) come to church for the first time yesterday! It was great and she loved it! Because there are so many people here willing to hear the gospel, we have raised the requirements for baptism. They have to go to church 3 times AND have read 30 pages in the Book of Mormon and live all the normal stuff for baptism. I don't know what it is like in other missions, but we are making sure we can keep the converts we get.

So there are so so SO many stories I have to tell you but I am afraid some of them might have to wait until I get home. I started a journal this week (or will, for that matter) with all the crazy stories that happen so I won't forget any to tell you.

Well, I love you all so much and I look forward to hearing more from you! And keep sending pictures! I like it!

AND, P.S. Anyone can email me, I just can't email back, so if you struggle with writing, you can email me and I will just write you back on Mondays via snail mail.

O, a future member of the church just walked in named A____, gotta go talk to her! Love you!

Kate

(Kate also sent another e-mail that stated that the mission goal for 2011 was 1200 baptisms. They actually baptized 1182. So close!!! Kate said they will just make up for it next year.)