Week 47 - September 16, 2013

Querida Familia!

Happy Birthday Kara!!!!!  I am so lucky that the Lord sent us someone as special as you to complete our family.  You are the best little sister in the whole wide world (except maybe me to Kristi ;) )  What's more you are born on the Independence Day of Mexico!  One of our investigator families is having a little fiesta with us tonight, so that should be fun!

Ok so I am not sure when I changed missions, but I did.  This past week I am pretty sure I was reassigned to the Vancouver Washington Mission. :)  The weather was ridiculous this week!  We were having flash flood warnings texted to our phones every hour.  But then I did the most unwashington thing ever and actually used an umbrella!  The one time I didn't use the umbrella and I was soaked from 30 seconds out in the rain.  Another funny rain story - we went to go and talk to a few sisters, but when we got to the apartment they weren't there.  So we decided to go back and in wait in the car.  There was a little river flowing down the street and Hermana Fallentine suggested that I just chill in the backseat so I didn't have to cross the river, but I easily stepped over it and went and sat on my side.  We waited for about 10 minutes and when the sisters got there we got out of the car and what once was a little river had turned into the size of the Columbia River!  I couldn't get to my companion!  I had to walk a little ways down the street to find the smallest part and still got my shoe all wet when I crossed.  It must been something like that back in the old days when the poor pioneers crossed rivers and they tried to look for the smallest part.

For most of the week the sky looked just like Washington clouds and the roads were all flooded with water.  I have some great pictures of the roads and this water-sucker truck.  Yes the drainage is so bad here that they have these big trucks that go around and suck up the water.  I got a kick out of those.  Texans!  But now we are back to more normal weather, but I have come to the realization that I am going to freeze this winter.  When it was raining and it was 70 degrees outside I was admittedly kind of cold!  Oh no I've turned into a "cold" weather pansy!  All those people that I use to snicker at last winter in jackets all bundled up is going to be me this winter.  I think there is some scripture about "pride goeth before the fall" and I am pretty sure winter is colder than fall. :)

So this week was all about exchanges!  We have survived through three exchanges, but we have three more exchanges this week.  I went on back to back exchanges this week and that was interesting.  Both with English sisters and it just happened to be in the same apartment because one of the sets of sisters doesn't have their apartment yet.  They were good exchanges.  I love getting to see other sisters work and how their wards work with the missionaries.  The Lord has really blessed me with the chance to see so many different stages of missionary work and it has been such an eye opening experience for me.  I love getting to help the sister as well.  We celebrated one of the sisters birthdays and we made her a cake and we scared her as we jumped out of the closet to wish her happy birthday.  One of my favorite part of exchanges is that one of the sisters had a huge thing of nutella and every week I resist the urge to buy nutella because I will just eat it, but when it's just at their apartment I don't feel bad stealing a few spoonfuls of wonderful goodness!  I am sure the sisters think I'm odd when I'm happily sitting on their couch munching on nutella, but that's missionary life.  It's also wonderful to know that Hermana Fallentine and I have a great companionship because whenever we get back from exchanges we are so happy to get to be together again, but it always seems so short lived and then we are off.  I think I might miss lunch naps the most.  We never get those anymore.

Everything is still going great.  We had an awesome lesson this week with one of our new investigators, Stella.  We met her outside watering her lawn and she asked if we wanted to leave her with some material to read.  We said yes, but that we would love even more to come talk to her.  She invited us back.  We have only had a few lessons with her and she is awesome.  She says she feels good when we are teaching her and that she loves the plan of salvation because out of everything she has learned from studying religions, she says it gives the most hope for humanity.  She doesn't go to any specific church right now, but on our second lesson she said she had received an answer that it was time for her and her grandson to find a church.  She is reading and learning and she really wants to know if this is true.  We have testified that if she really wants to know, she has to read the Book of Mormon.  At the end of our last lesson she just held the Book of Mormon and while looking at it said "Who would have thought?"  It is amazing watching people learn about the restored gospel and then pray to ask God if it is true and then act on those answers.

So the biggest miracle of the week is the family we are teaching.  We have been working for the 28th for the baptism and last night was the first time they didn't say we'll see, but instead asked, so who is going to baptize us?  They are awesome.  I love them all so much and they are wonderful.  They fed us the yummiest dinner on the mission last night. We had chicken fried steak Texas style.  I could get use to that kind of food.  Then this whole week we have had such good lessons.  One of which Amber came to and bore her testimony on how she felt a little afraid before her baptism too, but now she just feels loved.  It was exactly what they needed to hear.  We are so excited to see their whole family be baptized and in a year go to the temple and be sealed together for time and all eternity.  When it is all said and done that is one of the greatest blessing of this gospel.  I love each of you so much.  Have a great week!

Con Amor,
Hermana Klaus

Umbrella in the rain

Week 46 - September 9, 2013

Querida Familia,

Hmmm it feels like just yesterday that I was writing to you.  Even more so than normal because of the short week!  So after I last wrote, we received permission to get our car cleaned because it was really dirty.  Well we didn't really think it through very well because shampooing the seats meant that the seats were wet all the way up to ALBQ.  Yeah we all sat on plastic bags and towels and all of our skirts were a little wet by the time we got  there.  Other than wet seats it was a very enjoyable ride.  As we passed the check point, the man asked if we were all citizens and then he asked us where we were going.  We told him ALBQ for a meeting.  He then asked us if we were with all those boys in white shirts and ties who came through a little earlier and we said yes.  He said interesting and I gave him a card and told him if he wanted to learn more about what we do he could visit mormon.org.

So then we are driving along and we are literally in the middle of no where.  There are no cars around us and I start seeing things crawling in the road.  At first I thought they were frogs then some of them were colorful so I decided those were butterflies, but there was this brown creeping thing and I could not figure out what it was, but I was running over them with reckless abandon.  So because no one was around us we decided to find out what it was.  We slowed down and pulled over and we discovered that they were grasshoppers!  Huge gross grasshoppers.  Well as we were sitting there, two cars passed us and then we received a text from our Zone leaders asking us if we were on the side of the road.  Then we realized that the two cars that passed us were all the Zone leaders from down south.  We had gotten in front of them because they had all stopped for dinner.  We gave them a bad time for not stopping and seeing if we needed help, but then it was fun because we carpooled the rest of the way up, so we didn't have to be lonely any more.  My favorite text we received from them was "Just got an alert for a stolen vehicle: white Malib" Our poor Malib is a laughing stock!  We made it to ALBQ just fine and we stayed with some sisters.

On Thursday we had another great Mission Leadership Council.  We had a brother come talk to us about leadership.  One thing that he said that I really liked was that we can't set unrealistic expectations and we can't expect more than the Lord expects.  For example "I am such a more dedicated missionary because I get up at 6:15 instead of 6:30."  This principle also applies to church life as well.  "Oh I am such a better member because I study in the scriptures 2 hours every day or I pay 12% tithing."   It does not make us any better or any worse.  The Lord has set his expectations and simply asks us to follow them and as leaders we can't ask more of someone then what the Lord expects of them.  He taught us a lot of other great things as well.  As always it is a pleasure to hear from President Miller.  He is a very inspired man and he knows exactly how to help motivate us as missionaries.  I just love it! 

We drove back home Thursday.  Then on Friday we had Zone training.  Sister Fallentine and I gave a training on the new stress management packet for missionaries.  We provided the missionaries each with a stress-ball.  Ironically Sister Fallentine and I were stressed trying to make the silly stress-balls!  Hehe but luckily we were able to give them a few squeezes and we felt better.

We had two little miracles this weekend.  On Sunday we finished dinner and we were heading to contact some former investigators, and decided to take the freeway.  Because we took the freeway, it took us by a complex that we had tried the day earlier with no luck, but the thought popped into my head, we should try again.  So we pulled in and as we started to walk to the apartment Sister Fallentine said we need to talk to that man.  I hadn't even seen anyone, but from her side of the car she could see a bench and there was a man sitting there who had apparently been starring at us the whole time.  We went over and started talking to him and learned that his wife just had a new baby and that they would be interested in learning more about our message.  We are going back today, but it was the feeling that was different.  We felt very peaceful and something different - it's hard to explain.  Meeting him felt very orchestrated from some unseen force from promptings between both of us.

The other little miracle was on Saturday.  We had about 20 minutes before dinner.  For a while I have had a name of person that Sister Cruz and I had taught back in January, but she dropped us.  I think I wrote about her and how she was one of the first people that I talked to while I was backing Sister Cruz up in the car.  She kept nagging at my mind, but I was a little worried because she said that her church told her not to read the book of mormon and she never responded when we tried to talk to her more.  So we were right in the neighborhood and we decided to go knock on the door.  I was really nervous not sure what she would think seeing me back on her doorstep.  She was nice, but at first she told us that it would be a waste of time for us come and that she wasn't going to any church right now.  Then we kept talking to her and she started to explain all her feelings and how she is going through a really hard time and she doesn't know what to do.  We listened and then testified of the Savior and his atonement and how we were there on her porch for a reason.  That Heavenly Father knew her and her situation and that he loved her.  We only talked for a short time, but she invited us to come back and we are going to start teaching her again.

There have been a lot of little reasons why to me it has felt very inspired that I was suppose to return to Rio Grande.  I am so grateful that Heavenly Father knows where we are needed and I know he will continue to place his missionaries in the places they can do the most good.  Have a wonderful week!

Con Amor,
Hermana Klaus

Week 45 - September 4, 2013

This letter was later than normal because the libraries were closed on Monday and then yesterday they were preparing for meetings in Albuquerque…

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Querida Familia,

Ok wow things are crazy!  I love mission life!  We have been go go go and it's about to step up even more!  Well this week was transfers.  Hermana Fallentine and I had been praying that we would stay together and our prayers were answered!  We are so happy that we have another 6 weeks together.  One of the Elders in our ward was transferred north and we gained another set of Elders in our ward.  One them is a brand spanking new missionary from the Mexico MTC.  He doesn't speak any English and when he was trying to look off his trainer's planner for the phone number it brought back memories of when I had no idea what any one was saying to me.  It also made me feel old to realize that now I am the fourth oldest spanish speaking sister in the mission.  My mission "mom" hermana Cruz goes home today!  Wow that doesn't seem real to me.

In other transfer news, last transfer we had 7 companionships and now we have 9 sets of sisters!  It doesn't seem like a lot more, but that means 9 exchanges!  Plus we have two trips up to ALBQ for MLC and one for the temple trip and we have one zone conference!  Hijole!  The Lord really is hastening the work, but he hasn't lengthened the days to help us get all of the work done!

Transfers are actually pretty fun to go to when you're not being transferred and you are just driving other missionaries up and down.  It's amazing the logistics that have to go into planning and moving 250 missionaries.  I love being a part of this great work!

Hmmm this week has gone by so fast and I hardly remember what we did.  We did have our car taken north and nobody told us that it wouldn't be coming back down, so now we have to track down some of our stuff.  We are now driving a Chevy Malib.  It's not a Malibu because the "u" is missing from the back from all the bike racks. hehe  It has definitely been an Elders car it's whole life and it needs some serious cleaning!  Poor little thing. 

One funny thing that happened this week was with our ward getting 3 sets of missionaries we lost some of our teaching area.  One of the houses we lost is a foster home for adults.  The lady who runs it is a member in an english ward, but one of her workers is spanish speaking so we teach her.  However, the whole house loves us and we love all of them.  One of them is a man named Ralph.  He lost his leg about a year ago, but he still has a super positive outlook on life.  Plus he is hilarious!  When we told them we were moving, he told us he was going to call Utah about this whole moving thing.  Monday when we went to visit him we were talking about how it was our day off.  He was confused and asked what we were doing at the house then and we said that we started working at 6pm on Mondays.  Then he responded "Oh I am definitely going to have to call Utah now!" It's nice to know we're loved.

The work is going really well.  I think the reason I really like being Hermana Fallentine's companion is that even when everything gets stacked against us and when our investigators are dropping us like flies we still have a really positive attitude and it's like "ok well what can we do now."  When we have that positive attitude the Lord always provides little tender mercies and everything looks brighter.  Carmen's family is still doing great.  It's amazing the miracles we get to see everyday as missionaries.  I am really seeing how the Lord really does love us and he knows everyone of us individually.  As Texans would say "I love ya'all too!"

Con Amor,
Hermana Klaus

Week 44 Pictures - Amber's Baptism

Week 44 - August 26, 2013

Querida Familia,

So apparently it's been a hard week all around.  I am praying for Kara and I know that my superstar is awesome and will continue being awesome!

Our week was a harder week too.  These happen in the mission, but they aren't fun to go through.  We had one set of sisters calling us in tears this week, so we dropped everything and went out to visit them and try to help them.  It was a little frustrating because we had called multiple times to check up on these sisters and they always told us they were fine, but in reality they were struggling.  I know as sisters we like to be perfect and we want to serve so badly, but we can't carry the world on our shoulders.  After a long talk they were feeling better and we told them we were going to call and we said that when we asked how they are doing they had better be honest.  "We don't want to hear it's butterflies and roses when it's really cowpies and cockroaches!"  That is our new phrase :)

We had several people drop us this week, some over text!  I felt like I was in middle school again!  We had people hiding.  We had people driving by their house only to see us and keep going.  Blinds being shut right after we knocked and a whole bunch of other problems.  But what I love about my companionship is even with all these things we are so happy!  We still find things to laugh about and be glad about.  In the words of Sister Hinckley, "In this life you either have to laugh your way through it or cry.  I prefer to laugh because crying gives me a headache!"  Yep laughing is so much better and it's good for the soul.  I know that this week is going to be a butterflies and roses week and that the cowpies and cockroaches are going to stay in the past.  Speaking of cockroaches I had an epic battle last night.

So Sister Fallentine and I walk into the bedroom after planning, and we sit down on the beds and then I see a roach on the ceiling and gasp which sends her screaming across the room.  I laughed and then we got ready to kill it, but I decided I wanted to get it on camera.  We reenacted the first part and then Sister Fallentine went to kill it because it was over her bed.  She pushed it, but when she pulled the tissue back is scurried across the wall sending us both shrieking across the room.  This repeated itself and the cockroach fell and we didn't know where it went.  Both of our hearts were racing and we finally found him on the wall beside the bed and then I manned up and squished the little bugger.  I am so glad I got it all on video, but sad I didn't get our facial expressions.  I am sure that if we ever replay that moment in heaven we will be the laughing stock as two sister missionaries are outdone by a sneaky roach.

So even though there were some cowpies and cockroaches (literally!) this week there were also some super fantastic awesome butterflies and roses!  This week Amber was baptized!  I was able to go to her baptism and it was wonderful.  The spirit was so strong.  When she came up our of the water my heart was filled and it was a feeling like none other.  It was bursting with joy and love, and the spirit testifying that she had made the right choice.  When she got out of the dressing room she looked at me and that started the tears.  Then she bore her testimony and I was just a goner.  She said she didn't think that she would be this emotional either.  I know she feels different, and she told me when she received the gift of the holy ghost she felt different. 

Carmen and her family came to the baptism and they are preparing for their own baptism.  They are such a special family.  Amber was really glad they came because every time Ali would talk or be a little kid it made Amber feel more relaxed.  At one point I had to bring out the emergency stickers, so that Ali would stop trying to take off her dress!  I think the cutest thing Ali does is that she really has learned to say Amen.  After every prayer, she is right there saying amen.  In church you could hear her sweet little voice carry after every prayer and talk as she said amen.  This week Ali also saw something and was scared and the whole family was a little worked up, so they decided to read the Book of Mormon and say a prayer as a family and after they did that they all felt better and were able to go to sleep.  We also had a really fun Family Home Evening about keeping the Sabbath day holy and we ate sundaes.  We have another FHE with some ward members tonight, so I know it will be another great lesson.  Well I love you all.  I hope everyone has a great start to school!

Les Quiero Mucho!
Hermana Klaus

Week 43 Pictures

Chapas/Placas

Tea!

Tea Party

Week 43 - August 19, 2013

Querida Familia y one super cute new nephew!

I miss you all bunches and I was so excited to get on today and see my new nephew Owen.  Feel free to use the head shot of me and take a picture with Owen, so he'll know his crazy aunt was there in spirit!   What a special blessing!  The Lord has just poured out his blessings this week.  It has been an amazing week.  I know I say that every week, but this week has been exceptional!

So I went on two exchanges this week.  The first exchange was to the university ward.  I was so excited to go and see Amber.  She didn't know I was coming, so I was excited to surprise her when she showed up for her lesson and I was there.  Amber is the girl who owns Princess.  I guess a sad note for the week is that I found out that Princess the little handicapped dog passed away.  I know that she came and fulfilled her mission in this life because without her and her funny little army crawl who knows if we would have started talking to Amber about the gospel.  Over a month ago I told Sister Mitchell I think a better name for her would have been Angel and now she really is a little Angel dog.  :)  So we were waiting in the institute for Amber and we were in the restroom when she showed up so when we walked out and she saw us I could tell she was screaming on the onside.  Hehe we were both were so happy to see each other.  What a special blessing from the Lord!  Amber is getting baptized on Saturday and I know that it might sound cheesy, but we are going to be forever friends and she will always be a miracle to me.  (hehe she is probably reading and this and is now embarrassed... oops don't be you're awesome!)

In other really exciting news.  I am not sure if I ever wrote to you about a man we were teaching.  He was deciding between two different religions.  We found him and started teaching while I was in El Centro and I was really sad to leave before he decided which Church he was going to join.  Well I got a special message from Sister Mitchell this week telling me that he has decided to be baptized!  He said that he prayed about it and it felt right to "become a mormon!"  It's a weird feeling being a missionary and being so filled with happiness because people that you found and helped teach are joining the church, but also a little sad that you can't be there for their whole journey

Oh before I forget - crazy thing happened yesterday.  We were driving down mesa and we saw this cop car come flying by us.  I was like wow he is hauling some serious tail!  Then we kept driving and a minute later we saw why.  We drove by just as the cop with his gun drawn was ordering some teenager to drop this huge black rifle he was carrying.  The kid dropped it instantly and was following the orders of the cop, so I have no idea what that kid was thinking.  Carrying a rifle in the middle of the city!  We were really relieved that the kid didn't do anything dumb otherwise we could have witnessed something very bad.

Ok so one of my favorite lessons of all time which will go down in the missionary history as being amazing happened last night.  So we were a little bummed because Carmen's family had been really busy the end of the week.  The couldn't come to church this week and so we were all worried and stressed about them.  We decided to stop by and see how they were doing.  They had just gotten home from Juarez a little bit before, but they were really excited to see us.  Carmen told us how they felt real bad that they didn't come to church and in the ending prayer of the night Sergio asked that they would be able to attend next week.  So last Sunday when they came to church they talked about the word of wisdom in gospel principles so we were going to go over it again.  We didn't even start the lesson when Sergio brought out some lipton's ice tea and asked if this was ok.  We told him no and they were bummed because they had just bought a brand new raspberry one.  One of the big containers.  So we started teaching the lesson and we had this little activity.  It was a piece of paper with a face and then a garbage can and then we had little drawn pictures of fruits, veggies, cigarettes, beer, coffee and tea.  So the purpose is to decide whether they go in the mouth or in the garbage can.  The funniest thing was the little two year old picked the tea and coffee picture and she put it right in the garbage can!  We cheered and even her parents were impressed.  She picked a carrot next and she put the carrot in the mouth.  I am telling you this kid is a genius!  So at the end of the lesson we committed them to live the word of wisdom and they said they would.  Then we asked them if they would give us their ice tea.  They were like "well I don't know...it's brand new we might take it Juarez to sell it.  I whipped out my wallet right there and pulled out the 2 dollars in cash I had and then sister Fallentine pulled out 2 dollars and for 4 bucks we bought both their big things of ice tea.  Carmen was like "man I really wanted to try the raspberry!" (I am so glad we got that out of the house :) hehe)  Right after we "bought" the ice tea Sergio looked at us very seriously and then asked if we wanted to carry out with paper or plastic.  We were just rollin on the floor. It was so funny. They told us to have fun throwing away the tea and we smiled and said we won't throw it away in their dumpster, so they wouldn't be tempted to go get it.  Another miracle is that when we started teaching them two weeks ago we promised that they would start to feel more in love by living the gospel principles.  Carmen told us last night that it is so weird, but that she has felt her love for her husband grow.  So many blessings!  Then when we got to the apartment last night we took great pleasure in flushing the tea down the toilet!  The history nerd in me...I had my very own Boston tea party last night!

I love you all so much!
Hermana Klaus