Katelyn's LDS Mission Service

Our sweet girl, Katelyn, has been gone 2 months now serving the Lord in a foreign country. There are times when I put my chin up and am totally fine with her being gone, and frankly there are times when I miss my girl. But she is LOVING the experience. That's not to say that she hasn't had hard times, and tears haven't been shed. But that's all part of this process. The growth I hear in her weekly emails is just astonishing. And they also let us know that she is still "our" Kate. Here's a few excerpts from her recent emails:

HOLA FAMILIA Y AMIGOS!

First of all I want to apologize for not writing a group email last week. I only have an hour and a half every week to write and I am still trying to figure out how best to use my time...and honestly I don´t know that I will ever fully figure it out....anyway bear with me.

Enero 5, 2016

      Today we worked super hard and had a schedule full of appointments. In one instance we were contacting a woman named Gloria inbetween appointments. Suddenly I realized that I hadn´t been paying attention and had no idea what had been said between her and my companion for that last few minutes. Naturally it was in this moment that my companion turned to me and signaled for me too talk. I laughed and muttered an apology in advance under my breath. And then I began to talk. And even now I don´t know what I said. But after I spoke she began to cry. The gift of tongues is real. And I am ever grateful that despite my shortcomings the Lord genuinly wants to help these people. 

Enero 6, 2016

      Today can only be described by what I ate....

      Ceviche de Pota. Yes that is ceviche de octopus...and its actually pretty good. And with that...sweaty fish. Which is interesting. The flavor is actually really good....the texture is that of your skin after a hard days workout....so thats fun in a different kind of way. But mom I´ll have you know I finished every single bit.

     And later thanks to the bishop I had pizza hut and chocolate cake so it all worked out.

Enero 9, 2016

   Today was the first day I cried this transfer. It was only a few tears but still. It was because a part of me came out on my mission thinking that I could somehow give Heavenly Father this time. That I could somehow pay part of my debt with this. But I realized that there is absolutely no way I could ever account for all the blessings he has given me even more so now that I am on my mission. But I don´t have to. The Atonement and His Mercy are infinite. I need only to my best. Which will never be enough. But his mercy and love are enough. And I am ever so grateful for it.

     It was definitely a rough day but it ended with a visit to a family in the ward that reminded me a lot of mine. There was the boy playing minecraft. The funny dad. And the absolutely wonderful mom. It reminded me that I have people waiting back home to hear about how hard I worked. And it gave me strength to keep giving my all even though I can´t ever repay the debt. Because it has already been paid.

Enero 10, 2016

    So everyone in the ward calls us either Hermanitas or Angeles. It is really sweet!

    Today we had 8 investigators come to church!!! It was amazing!!! 

   Afterwards all of our appointments were canceled because of a surprize meeting for the stake. I couldn´t focus because the sound of the mic made the spanish harder to understand so forgive me but, me and my companion planned our weddings since we didn´t have an any major part in the meeting. Forgive me but sometimes the brain needs to take a break.

   After that we made pancakes....they were pretty good but more like crepes.

All in all don´t ignore the miracles in your life everyday. Be grateful for all you have. For all you have to do and for all you can´t possible do without the help of the Lord.

       

Do you have LDS missionaries or other religious service groups in your area? Here's an article I wrote on how you can reach out and help them even if you aren't interested in their message. Click HERE to read.