Email 11/17

Okay!

Let me answer a few of your questions first..

Haven't used the bike yet I live in a forest..but it looks good?

Yes it is literally a cabin on a dirt road in the woods it's kind of fun. We got the fireplace working which was the highlight of my week!

Oliver- who now is Oliverio. I love him. Last night he may have slept on my bed..yes technically that is against the rules to have a pet. But I don't see him as a pet..he is a visitor who was in need of a warm place to sleep and cuddle and he walked right into our house and I couldn't kick him out and I promised my comp I wouldn't feed him..after the tuna fish. I see it more as service...

Speaking of service we did our first service this week. We helped paint a room at a member's house. She has cancer so they have more important things to worry about. She's amazing. She's been a member almost a year and they are preparing to go through the Temple so we have been teaching them the new member lessons. We have a little social group who pretty much makes up our branch of her and her husband, Hmo R of course, and another family. They are everywhere. They are the branch they hold it together. Every time we go to an investigators or a less active family they end up showing up there too. And they try to be sneaky by showing up 5 minutes apart and acting like it's a coincidence. Literally everything is a fiesta. It's impossible to leave their houses they never want us to go and keep feeding us..speaking of while we were painting she made us lunch and told us to stop by everyday for lunch and eat with her because she eats alone but anyway she made some type of enchilada (which I've had about 50 kinds) and fed us like 4 of them I was so full. Then she took my plate and I was excited because I thought I was done but NOPE then her husband slapped down a new plate with a GIANT pancake. NO MORE FOOD! Luckily we are in charge of our breakfast and lunch usually and we will not be taking her up on lunch lol. I really don't want to be obese.

Another funny dinner story. Another investigator of ours wants to progress and he's been so sweet and nice to his wife and us. He wants to have us over for steak..? We had dinner with them the other night and it was by far the hardest I have laughed in a really long time! I felt right at home lol. So dinner was hilarious and then she had made or attempted cookies. It ended up being one giant cookie because she put them too close together and it was completely burnt. Her son started making fun of her and I thought she was going to yell at him because she has a little bit of a temper and then in English she was like "I MEAN DA DO DAT EZ A PIZZA COOKIE DUDE SO I CAN SLICE IT WITH DA PIZZA CUTTER" I was crying I was laughing so hard. We all ate the giant burnt cookie lol. Oh ya and the chicken that she made was super spicy but it was good..the daughter started complaining it was too hot and Hma Bravo pointed at me and was like "she's eating it" What is that supposed to mean? lol love them, we will be going over there more often.

There's another investigator who is married to a member that has been inactive for five years. He has also taken lessons for years but no one could ever get through to him. We had the strongest feeling that we needed to start him back up. He is the kindest sweetest man I feel like I was defiantly supposed to meet him. We have had the best breakthrough with him! I kind of connect with him he loves animals and his wife is always mad because he is always bringing home animals sound familiar? Anyway we went over there the other day and there was the CUTEST puppy in the word who slept on my lap the whole lesson and it opened up a conversation which broke the ice. Anyway we started the lesson and the spirit was sooo strong. His wife was putting in good thoughts too and she started crying 4 or 5 times when we talked about Eternal Families. Originally we were talking about Joseph Smith and the Restoration. But lessons never go as planned. His wife out of nowhere looked at him and started crying and saying she wanted to go back to church and go through the temple and then she started talking about him and how he has a testimony and she doesn't know why he's not baptized because he believes in all of it but she just wants to support him. We just straight up asked him "Do you have a testimony of Joseph Smith". "Si" Do you believe that what we've taught you is the truth and this is the true church of Jesus Christ? "Si" THEN WHY AREN'T YOU BAPTIZED? He laughed and said he didn't know!!

He said he couldn't deny the spirit and he felt that it was right but it never felt completely right before and he wasn't ready. We asked him to prepare himself and to pray if this is his time and he said he would. I honestly believe he has been waiting for us. I think he needed sisters to love him and help him through the process. His main concern is that he wont be perfect after his baptism and I told him all about the atonement and he was so much more calm. It was a powerful lesson and conversation! He's such a good man I know that Satan knows that and is working against him because he knows that once he is a member he will be a leader. But anyway it was soo cool! Lessons like that make everything we go through worth it. When stuff like that happens and when the spirit is so strong its a very cool experience when you know why you're here. Lol he's cute he helps me with my Spanish and finishes my thought a lot. Being a missionary is rewarding because you feel Heavenly Father's love for his children soo strong. I just kept saying that throughout the lesson to him, I don't know why just kept saying Heavenly Father loves you soo much. I could just feel it.

Excited to see what happens with them!

Okay well I'm out of time i will write a letter later:)

Love,

Kaitlyn