Last email 8.14.13

Wow.... We went to the temple today, and it was simply marvelous. All the missionaries that are going home next week were there, and President and Sister Morgan as well. It was a beautiful session!

 

For my last email, the only thing that I want to do is bear my testimony.

 

I am so grateful for my mission and the chance that I have had to serve the Lord. I feel that He has done more for me than I have for Him during this last year and a half. It's very humbling to reflect back and see all that the Lord has helped me to overcome and become as I have simply done my best to serve and obey Him. I know that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer I cannot wait for the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is the Savior of the world. He died for our sins and suffered for our sorrows. He is central to my life. It is His message that I share. His truth has been restored on the earth. His truth, His priesthood, and His way. We must follow Him, and help each other. We need to help each other make it back to Heavenly Father. There is nothing more important than that journey.

 

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His church. I know that the Book of Mormon testifies of Him. I know that this is the way to happiness, and it is available to all those that are willing to come.

 

My mission has changed me. I will never be the same. Never ever ever!

 

I love you! And I can't wait to see you and give you a huge hug and besito!

 

Love,

 

Hermana Kindlespire

Always uplifting! 8.13.13

I'm grateful for this chance to share a few experiences from my time as a missionary. I had the desire to be a missionary since I was a little girl. When I was 20 years old, I prayed to know if I should go on a mission, and the answer was no. A year later, at 21, I prayed to know again if the time was right, and the answer was not yet. I prayed to know again at 22, and the answer was that it was my decision. After studying it out in my mind, I decided that it wasn't the right choice at that moment. And when I was 23, I decided that the time was correct. I filled my papers out immediately and received my call in about a months time. I am so grateful that the Lord has allowed me to serve a mission, and that I have served at this point in my life and in the history of the church. What an exciting time to be a missionary! And I am so grateful that I was chosen to serve in the New York New York North Mission. It has been a privilege. There are many many things that I have learned, and I wanted to share a few experiences that have made a huge impact in my life.

My second day in the MTC, full of nerves and worries, feeling very inadequate and unable, I remember learning how to bear testimony in Spanish. My worries and my nerves calmed, because I knew that I would be okay. I could serve a mission if all I ever learned was to bear my testimony. Throughout my mission, I have relied so much on “Yo se que”. At the beginning of my mission as I struggled to learn Spanish, until the end when I gratefully defended and proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ. And every time that I have given my testimony, the Spirit has testified of the truth that I know. I'm so grateful for the promise found in Doctrine and Covenants 100: 5-8

“Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;

“For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, the very moment, what ye shall say.

“But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

“And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.”

I have seen this promise fulfilled many times during my mission. When we were sharing the story of Joseph Smith with our investigator, Macy, the Spirit directed me to mention how he prayed vocally. I thought that that was a weird thing to mention, but I mentioned it any way. It was one truth that meant so much to Macy. She had seen the power of private, vocal prayers in her life. I didn't know that, but the Spirit did. And the Spirit taught her that the story of Joseph Smith was true largely due to the fact that he offered his humble prayer vocally.

Even with my testimony and my desire to serve, one of my biggest stumbling blocks during my mission, was my fear. It took me quite a long time to learn to rely on the Spirit. At the beginning of my mission, I was struck with so much fear. Fear of making mistakes, of being rejected, at not being successful. I didn't have faith that I could be made an instrument in the hands of the Lord, because my weaknesses were so great. Many times, when the Spirit directed me, I was too fearful to obey his promptings, but that changed.

It was when I was called as a trainer the changed occurred. I learned that because the Lord trusted me, he had called me to be a trainer. If the Lord trusted me so much, then I should trust myself too. I should trust that I can. I have learned that I can. I can do whatever the Lord commands. The day I was called to be a trainer changed my mission. I began to speak with more people, and sure enough, I could do it. I allowed myself to make mistakes and learned to laugh at them. I saw myself in a different light. I began to be the missionary that I had always wanted to be, because I knew that I could do it. The Lord trusted me! I'm so grateful to the Lord, to President Morgan, and to the missionaries that I trained, for having confidence and trust that I would be able to train, preach, speak, whatever it be. I could do it. I can do it, as I live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet was one that we used at the beginning of my mission. One that I thought wasn't important, and pretty boring. But I have learned that it is the most important part of our message.

My faith has been tested everyday during my mission. From knocking doors in the Bronx, to contacting in Manhattan, to being able to eat all the food that was put in front of me in Connecticut, I need faith. It was necessary in every step, and every phase of my missionary work, and in my life.

I have recognize that repentance is a joy. As the Anti-Nephi-Lehies declared, God has forgiven me of my many sins, and has taken away the guilt from my heart (Alma 24:10). What a blessing it is to repent. I need it everyday.

I have loved making covenants with the Lord and helping others prepare themselves to make those covenants as well. Baptism has become more sacred to me.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost has been with me, my whole mission. He has lead me, and warned me, and kept me safe. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost.

I have continued to increase my faith, to repent of my sins, to make more promises with the Lord and be worthy of the Holy Ghost to endure to the end. It is the perfect process to become more like Jesus Christ.
These things that I have learned have caused me to view life in a completely different manner. I have changed from the pessimistic, sad person that I used to be and have clung to the happiness that comes from God and His gospel. One of my favorite scriptures is Doctrine and Covenants 50:23 “And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.” I have come up with the motto: Always Uplifting. My goal is to uplift all those around me at all times, and I know the only way to do so is through the doctrine and atonement of Jesus Christ. I have developed hope in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and in God's love for His children. I know that He loves us. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Baptism in Danbury! 8.7.2013

We had a wonderful weekend! P***** is the newest member of the Danbury Branch. Her baptism was just full of the Spirit. She was nervous at first, but then she just sat in peace and soaked it all in. We started 20 minutes late which is WAY better than the hour lateness that we are used to, and a great amount of ward members came to support P*****. The Spirit was so strong and it was just beautiful! 

I'll have to send pictures next week. Sorry!

O******* is the sister of I*****. She has been seriously studying and praying so much to find out if this is true. And yesterday she decided to fast to show God that she wanted to know. She's fasting today, as are we, to find out if what we have been teaching is true. She wants to get baptized as soon as she finds her answer. I think she could get baptized next week. And the thing is... she has received her answer, she just needs to recognize it. She is filled with happiness and peace. I've never seen her smile as much as she has been smiling. She has completely changed. I love that girl and her beautiful family so much!

We have a lot of eating appointments this week. :'( My poor little stomach. Yesterday we had two lunches, we have dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow, lunch and dinner on friday... Man... hahaha. But I am grateful. I sure do love my habichuela y arroz. It's so delicious!

Today for Pday we are watching 17 miracles and we took a few pictures around the city. I even had a nap already! It's been a great Pday! Next week is the final temple trip. Wow!

I love this gospel so much and I'm so grateful for the year and a half that I have been able to give to the Lord!

Love,

Hermana Kin

Still not trunky. Hahaha, but I'm having my "farewell" on Sunday. We will see what happens after that. haha. I'll still give 100%.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! 7.31.2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTI, SISTER SANDERS, AND NIKKI!!

We've had a great week! It's been wonderful. 

O******* and C****** got back from Florida and we were so excited. We told them last week that we were going to start from square one and teach them everything, and we asked them to sincerely pray and look to see if this is true. They both are doing so. We had two lessons with them last week and they came to church on Sunday. They are doing great. :)

My last zone conference was on Friday. It was amazing. One of the best conferences that I have been to my whole mission. I was so grateful. We focused on the talk entitled, "A Consecrated Missionary." which I highly suggest for missionaries and members alike. :)

We taught P***** the Word of Wisdom which she accepted and has been living ever since. She is very well prepared for her baptism this weekend, and we are excited to help her with this big step in her life. :) We also started teaching her cousin. He is 9 years old, but looks like his 14. He has been reading the book of mormon and wants to do "bible study" whenever we come over. He is awesome! 

R***** who got baptized at the end of June goes out with us often and came out an taught the Plan of Salvation all by herself - pretty much - to a less-active member. It was amazing to realize all the answers and peace she had received from finding the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It moved me to tears watching her teach the truths that she had recently discovered. 

We received a Relief Society President in our branch on Sunday! We haven't had one since the branch opened up in March. We were thrilled. It feels more complete already. :)

We went on a split on Monday. I went to Poughkeepsie with Sister Dunn. We had a blast. Found three new investigators! And ate some sketchy meat at a picnic. :) haha. 

We met with J******, the new RS President, and asked her how we could help and stuff. She is a timid woman who will do what the Lord wants no matter what. A great example to everyone. :) She talked to us about how any chance that you have the opportunity to share your testimony, it's a privilege. We thought about that a lot, and we know it's true. It's an absolute privilege to be a missionary and to be giving testimony of Jesus Christ everyday. :)

I'm grateful for all the awesome experience that I have had, and all the experiences that are still coming. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

Love, 

HK

Commitment and Gratitude, 7.24.2013

 I've had a lot of themes during my mission. One of them being "Todo Saldra Bien" Everything will turn out good. And I have so much faith in that saying. I know that no matter how it starts out, and no matter how it is in the middle, in the end, it will all be good. :)

I'm so grateful for Heidi and Jason, and that I can live with them and help them and their family. It's a huge blessing for me! I hope I don't tire them with my mission stories and my spanish. :)

A few stories from this week. We saw Cui! Cui (koo-ee) is an Ecuadorian delicacy. You wil know it as... guinea pig. That's right! A Chewy! We didn't eat it, because when we came out of our lesson it was gone, but I hope I will get to eat it eventually. :) 

President invited all the STL to the mission home for a nice breakfast and training. It was so great, and so useful. We talked about what success is. It's not baptisms, it's not lessons... Those are often fruits of success, but success is commitment, and gratitude. Being grateful for the chance to wear Christ's name and preach His gospel is a huge part of success, and a lesson that I have learned a lot of during my mission. I'm so grateful!

This week, we taught the law of chastity to P***** and D******. They are already living the law of chastity and accepted it full heartedly. We were thrilled. And P***** will be getting baptized on the 4th. (Thanks Nikki, for sharing your birthday!) She is so excited, and ready for this committment. D****** is going to Utah a few weeks after that. He's going to Salt Lake and Temple Square. I'm sure it will be an incredible spiritual experience for him. He is so ready for baptism. We talk about it in every lesson that we have. He just needs to choose a date. 

A******* is a new investigator that is praying about baptism too. She is so wonderful. We taught her the plan of salvation this week, and she just soaked it up. We showed her around the church and she really wants to come. Keep her in your prayers!

We've had a wonderful week. And we will keep having really great times and experiences!

We are also in a prank-war with the elders... I think we are winning, but the tables could turn at any minute. Any pranks that you have in mind, please let us know!

Love you!

HK

Working as hard as ever! 7.17.13

I got your peanut butter treats and the notes. Thank you so much! You are the greatest! :)

 

I'm so glad that you got to meet Sister Beazer. That family is so happy and helpful. They have answered a lot of the prayers that we've given for our investigators and members. 

This week was great! We found a new investigator named A*******. She's been in the United States for two months. She's really excited about the english class that we offer and will be attending this week. We taught her the restoration this week. It was one of the smoothest lessons that we have had. The Spirit was just flowing and she was really understanding the need for the restoration. I love teaching that lesson. It is so powerful. 

D**** is a less-active that was able to change around her schedule so she can attend church every week. She is so thrilled. She really gets the gospel. She's only been a member for a year and a half, but she knows how important it is. Whenever we see her, she tells us about  "the awesome missionary experience I had this week." She has so much excitement to share the gospel. It's amazing!

M******* told us that she has decided to keep going to the other church. We were so sad. She received an answer from the Spirit, recognized the answer, bore her testimony, but after all she has experienced she doesn't want to follow it. We asked her if she had "counseled with the Lord" (Alma 37:37) in the decision that she had made. And the answer was no, and she agreed to pray and ask God if that was the decision that He wanted her to make. Again, I'm so grateful for the Spirit. That if we treasure up the words of life, we don't need to fear or doubt. He will tell us what to say in the moment. It's just a comfort to me!

We have had to change P*****'s baptismal date due to church attendance, but she really wants to be baptized, she just needs a bit more time. We haven't set a new date, but as soon as she starts attending church we will. :)

We met with a great investigator named M******* this week. A few weeks ago, she wouldn't even let us pray with her. She never had a smile on her face. It was so sad to see her in that situation, and this week, she was laughing and joking and let us say a prayer with her. Completely 180! Love that woman and I hope that she will start progressing soon. 

We also met with a less-active sister that is simply amazing. She really wants to start coming back to church, and she will. :) 

Also... Peruvian food is delicious. Dominican and Peruvian are my favorites. So you should go and find a peruvian restaurant and try "causa rellena" and "papalahuacayana" something like that... still haven't figured out how to say that word. 

It was a great week! We are working as hard as ever!

Love, 

Hermana Kin :)

Last transfer, staying put! 7.10.2013

Wow! Lots of awesome things happening. I think it's great! It's funny that they are happening during my last transfer. I'm going to have to stay really focused because those are some amazing blessings that I can't wait to participate in.

We've had a great week in Danbury... and we're going to have 6 more awesome weeks together here. I'm not leaving!! Danbury to the end! :) I am really excited to keep working here. I'm still Sister Training Leader too. I'll be working with Sister Richardson and Sister Peterson in Monticello, Sister Dunn and Sister Aguirre in Poughkeepsie, and Sister McCurdy, Richeson, and Wilkys in Newburgh. It'll be a great cycle for sure. :)

For the 4th of July we went to Brother W*******'s house with M***** and her friend. We had a great day there and then visited with I***** and I*****. It was a fun day. We visited with O******* in the morning right before she left on her trip. She'll be back in three weeks.

We've had two baptisms in the branch the last two weeks. R***** from Brazil was baptized on the 30th of June  and then C**** was baptized on the 7th of July. We sang a song in Portuguese for R*****'s baptism. That was a pretty fun day. P***** came and we had a wonderful lesson. And A**** and A******(D******' grandchildren) came to C****'s  baptism the following week. They are great girls... A***** is ready for baptism, but A**** isn't ready. We will keep preparing A***** and hope that A****ll understand and make the decision to be baptized. She wants to follow the Lord.

We had our Leadership Council again last Friday. It was good... Those meetings are always a lot of fun.

We started meeting with an amazing sister named D****. She was baptized a year and a half ago, but recently moved from Washington. She hasn't been able to go to church, but we encouraged her to fast. And just a few days later she texted us and told us that she now has work later on Sundays so that she can go to church. She was thrilled!

P***** is doing great and still preparing for the 28th of July. Now her boyfriend is taking the lessons as well and he has a lot of interest. Unfortunately he doesn't speak Spanish. We are still going to teach him though. We will be issuing him a baptismal date soon. :)

We had a miracle happen the other day. (Well.. they happen everyday). We went to go pick up I***** and we had 20 extra minutes, so we decided to tract. We had only knocked three doors when we found C*****.  C***** was baptized five years ago in the Dominican Republic. He wants to start coming to church again and he has a beautiful little family that we are going to start teaching tomorrow.

I love the Lord! I love that He gives us the Spirit to direct us and guide us and we don't have to rely on our own limited understanding and abilities. I'm so grateful for my mission and the chance that I have to serve!

Love,

Hermana Kin

Happy 4th of July! 7.3.2013

Happy 4th!

We had a wonderful week!

OH! I forgot to tell you! Sister Wankier threw a surprise party for me the day after my birthday (such a good daughter!). All the elders went over to Elder and Sister Eberhard's house and she made nachos and tostados. The elders made a three-layer cake that was super impressive. :) I love my distrito!

This week...

M**** read from the Book of Mormon. We have been working with her for 2 months! She refused to read from the Book of Mormon. But last week, she asked us why she felt empty and why she didn't have peace... We told her that it is because she is not keeping all the commandments. We asked her to pray about what the Lord wanted her to do, and promised we would come back the next day to follow-up. When we went back, she had read the Book of Mormon. She really is looking for peace, and I know she will find it. We read the 3rd paragraph of the introduction to the Book of Mormon with her. 

We went to R******'s wedding. It was beautiful! It was supposed to start at 5:30. We showed up at 5:30, and then at 6:30, and then at 8:00. haha. But finally she arrived and we were able to be there for a little bit. 

When Sunday came around, O*******, C******, and P***** came to church. They all loved it, and are wanting to come back. O****** told us that her husband is making bad decisions and she realizes now that she needs to do even more to be a good example to her children. She loved church and will be coming back after her vacation this next week. 

C****** is O*******'s daughter, and she loves church. She wanted to be baptized last summer, but her mom told her she needed to wait. Maybe it's her time now. :)

That family has started to read the scriptures and pray together everyday since school got out. It's obvious the difference it has made. :)

P***** loved it. She made lots of friends. She knew all the young women already, because they had mutual this week and P***** joined them. I love watching them make friendships and get involved. 

She is getting baptized on July 28th. She came to the baptism afterwards, and was just so excited. We talked about how baptism means that you have promised to stand as a witness of God. It was a great lesson!

We also had D****, L**, R***, M*******, and M****** come to church too. 

D**** is 14 and has been nervous to come. Even Sunday morning, we called to remind her and she really didn't want to come, but she did. As she left that building, she had a huge smile on her face and you know that she had missed her friends and the teachings. 

L** came, which was an absolute miracle. R*** is her son and he passed the sacrament. We have been working with this family from week 1 here. They were offended years ago and haven't been back very often. They still have their testimonies though. We are hoping that they will be able to forgive and keep coming. 

M******* is doing great. She loves what she learns at church and know that it is Christ's church. 

M****** is another sister we have been working with. She has been coming regularly and I consider her active now. We need to check with the bishop though. We love her and are so happy that she keeps coming. :)

It was an amazing week in Danbury. I'm so grateful for my time here. I hope I can stay another cycle, but I think I may be leaving. We will find out this week though. 

Love you so much!

Love, 

Hermana Kindlespire

This is my letter to President this week... I cried while writing it. This is truly how I feel. 

Hola Presidente!

Wow... What an amazing humbling week we have had. 

The Lord has seriously proven all of our faith. Not one prayer has gone unanswered. 

 M**** opened up the Book of Mormon for the first time in 30 years. We have been working with her for two months. 

O******* and her children came to church. She is reading the scriptures and praying everyday. She has been talking lessons on and off for a  year. 

M****** let us in to visit her after we came by weekly for a month. She has recognized the Spirit again and has been coming to church for the past two weeks. 

And several other miracles. Danbury has taught me so much. I love this place and the people here. I would love to stay here my last cycle. But like I said in the interview, I will go wherever I need to be. :)

Love you so much!!

Hermana Kindlespire

"It's Me!" 6.26.13

Hello! Have fun in Lake Powell! I sure do love that place!

We went to the temple today, and it went much smoother than it did last time. :) We got Metro-North figured out... Almost. The trickiest part now is Grand Central Station. It's like a maze in there!

Our investigators are doing great! P***** (Dominican) is reading the scriptures faithfully everyday. We just need her to come to church. I'm so grateful for I*****, who has been a member missionary since her baptism last year. 

B**** (Ecuador) is doing great too. The Spirit is working in her, and she is learning to listen. We just need her to come to church too, and get married. 

Speaking of marriage, R****** (Brazilian) is getting married this weekend, and she invited us to attend! We are excited. We only taught her once, but we must have made an impact for her to invite us to her wedding. We are hoping that we will be able to meet with her more often. 

A**** and A***** (Dominican) are the grandchildren of D******. They are adorable! They need a lot of support, so we are helping them a lot. Baptism seems to be pretty far away with them, because their mom won't give them permission, but we are praying for her heart to be softened. 

We saw a miracle with a less-active sister. M******* was baptized five years ago, but fell away shortly after. We have been trying to meet with her for weeks, and she just wouldn't buzz us in to the building. The last time we went, When she asked who it was over the door buzzer, instead of saying "The Missionaries." like we always do, we said, "Me". She let us right in! And we had a wonderful lesson! Haha! :) We talked about how the Spirit will tell you the truth and invited her to come to church again. AND SHE CAME! It was amazing to see her walk in that door. But the most amazing part was during sacrament meeting, she passed us a note that said, "I've received my answer." She knows that she is in the right place, and she is thrilled to keep coming. 

What I find interesting about her story is that, I wasn't ever once worried about the outcome. When we first met with her and her Jehovah Witness friend in the house at the end of May or beginning of June, I wasn't even concerned. I was sure we had planted a good seed and was happy with that. I had no idea that we would be reaping the reward of that planted seed!

I'm so grateful for these experiences. God is so merciful! The mission is so great!

Love, 

Hermana Kindlespire

Happy Birthday Hermana Kindlespire, 6.19.13

Hello Mami!!

First things first: There is a play coming to the Hale Theatre called "The Heights." Can we go?? IT's about Inwood and Domincans! It would be so awesome!

The Newsies was so awesome! I highly recommend it. It's weird that I am at that point in the mission.... That's what old missionaries do!

P****** has a baptismal date! She is a friend of I*****, a new convert. We are so excited for her! She is geting baptized in July. Definitely a miracle. I'm so grateful for members and the examples they set for all their friends. Because of Isamar's example, she is interested and ready. She has seen the difference in her friend. 

I'm sorry the letter is so short this week! We are really short on time. It takes a few hours to get to the city and everything. But I love you! 

I love you. I am so grateful for a loving and merciful Heavenly Father. He's the best!

Love, 

Hermana Kin

Right in front of her. 6.12.13

We had a wonderful week! So excited for my Birthday because... I'm going to see Newsies on Broadway! Pretty sweet, right? I'm really excited.  (note: The missionaries in this mission get to see one Broadway show during their time there...usually near the end of their missions. Fun that Lindsay gets to go on her birthday which is also P-day.)

We are staying super busy in Connecticut. The members have been getting really involved in the missionary work, which has been so awesome! We have received 8 referrals in the last 10 days. Yeah... It's been wonderful!

We are working with E**** (17 years old). She was baptized with her extended family in Peru, but then came here and her parents are not members. The elders have been teaching the mom, but she hasn't been listening very well. We keep encouraging and teaching her though. We had a lesson with her daughter about the Atonement. And she didn't even know what it was! She's been a member for 5 years or so. We just talked about the Atonement for the longest time. It was wonderful. I really realized the importance of family home evening and family scripture study in understanding the doctrine especially for kids and youth. 

We taught M****. She is a less-active member that doesn't believe in the Book of Mormon. We go and read the Bible with her, and share scriptures from the Book of Mormon too so that she can see that they are both the word of God. She is desperately looking for truth and peace, but hasn't been able to find it, because she doesn't know where to look. We hope that she will look, because it is right in front of her. :)

We had a Mission Leadership Conference again. All the zone leaders and sister training leaders get together with the President and his assistants, and we talk about the needs of the missionaries. It's so inspiring! I sure do love President and Sister Morgan!

We taught A**** and A*****. They are D******' grandchildren who have been coming to church for about a month. They are wonderful. We had a great lesson with them, and we hope that we can continue to have inspired lessons. 

We are teaching R****l. He works on Sunday (Darn work!) so he can't make it to church yet, but he really wants to come. We are hoping he can get the day off this Sunday. He has definitely been prepared by the Lord. 

D****** came to visit an old friend  with us. This appointment was so sad! We chit-chatted for a second, and when we said that we would like to read a scripture and prayer, M****** was disgusted and didn't want to. But D****** called her out! Told her that we need to center our lives in the things of God or our lives are centered in the things of Satan. Super strong. I was so glad she was there, because that coming from a friend is way better than it coming from a person you've only met two times. :) Members are so important in missionary work!!

We had a wonderful district meeting on Monday and talked about Luke 5:1-11. I highly recommend it. I've learned so much from that little story!

We met a less-active that we have been trying to meet since we got here! X***** was outside her house playing with her children when we stopped by. MIRACLE! She couldn't say no! :) It was wonderful to just talk to her and get to know her. She has left the church because the little Spanish branch is struggling. She is now attending the Catholic church. It's an interesting situation to be in. Not sure what she needs, but the Lord knows. We are excited to meet with her again next week!

Hermana Q**** is an amazing member of the ward that always feels like she doesn't do enough. (You know the type!) She has to work on Sundays, and can only make it to sacrament meeting, so she doesn't have a calling. But she absolutely does her best and is always looking out for the women that she visit teaches. She serves to the best of her abilities. We had a wonderful lesson with her about faith. We can do anything, with the help of God. I love Him!

We have had a wonderful week. I hope and pray that we can help all the people that we work with move towards conversion!

Love you all so much!

Love, 

Hermana Kindlespire

The Lord will provide 6.5.2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!

You are not older than dirt... Dirt is very very old. :) I heard that Nikki and Adam decorated the house too. That's so cool.  I'm excited to meet him. He better be awesome, because Nikki is awesome.

We went to the Yankees game yesterday, and that's why we are emailing today. It was awesome... we won. We got to see the majority of the mission too. Almost everybody went, including President Morgan. It was so much fun.

I'm so happy for Zach! The first weekend is expecially hard, so send him lots of dear elders! Also, what's his email??

We had a wonderful week.... We found two new investigators that we really interested and ready.

P***** is 18 years old and a best friend to a youth in the church. She has been reading the Book of Mormon everyday, and is excited to start coming to church. I think she already knows that it is true.

R****** is Brazilian and friends with a member as well (Members are the best missionaries). She has wanted to talk to the missionaries for years. She's Catholic, but she is ready and willing to learn. We are teaching her again tonight and really looking forward to it. She is very caring and giving. Her son is nine and also really interested in learning more. 

We are also looking into teaching two of D******' grandchildren who have been coming to church for a few weeks. Their mom is a less-active member, and these girls love coming to church. But the mom is super interested in them progressing in the church.

We were on our way to look up a referral that we received this week, but they had  a code on their door and we couldn't get in. Nonetheless, we knew that the Lord would provide. As we pulled into the complex, we noticed a homebound member sitting outside. We went and taught her a nice little lesson, and asked her if she knew how we could get in to visit this referral, and just like that she gave us the code. 

The Lord always tests our faith, and then He will always prove it.  Everytime that our faith is tested, we are really saddened and feel smaller than the dust, but the Lord always builds us back up again. Nothing is impossible with the Lord. He can do everything. 

I love this gospel! I'm so grateful for living prophets and for direct guidance from the Spirit. I'm grateful that the Lord trusts us with His children and His church. I'm grateful for His mercy. And I'm grateful for my family!

Love, 

Hermana Kindlespire

Memorial Day ... 5.29.2013

We had transfers today, but we didn't have any changes at all. Sister Wankier and I are still here in Danbury. Just one more after this, and I think I will be staying here. But who knows??

We had a wonderful week. We worked so hard, and I am sooo exhausted. :)  It's been raining almost all week, but Memorial Day was nice and bright. Tender mercy. 

We got in a car accident last Thursday!! It was so lame! It had been raining all day, and all the sudden it got really bad. We decided it wasn't safe to drive, and as we were pulling off into a parking lot to wait it out, we got in a car accident. :( Nobody was hurt, except for the car. We are going to need a new bumper. 

A less active this week set up an appointment with us to come a visit on Tuesday morning. When we arrived, she had her Jehovah's Witness friend there sharing scriptures from the Bible.... That was interesting. :) She talked most of the time, but we listened nicely and bore our testimony when the Spirit prompted. At the end, we just invited everybody to pray. It was such a cool opportunity. I know that if M******* prays, she will find the truth again. If she is truly seeking it... she will find it. I love that we can have faith in that promise. Our message is true that anyone seeking the Lord, will be able to say that it is true. 

Our investigator B***** is having a hard time with the law of chastity... So many hard times with the law of chastity. But she wants to be baptized, so she really only has one choice... The missionaries have been teaching her for a long time, and she has just never been committed. Now she is committed... We are meeting with her tonight. 

We went on a split with the Sisters in Newburgh. Apparently, Newburgh City is super super sketchy. But don't worry, we were outside of the city. It was a lot of fun! Those sisters are doing great! We got two more sisters there for next cycle. I'm excited to go on splits with them too. 

Also... several members think that we have the priesthood. Haha. They've never had sister missionaries before, so they don't know. Kinda funny. :)

We had a wonderful week. It's been full of miracles and blessings. We are seeing changes... There very small changes, but I know they are being prepared for bigger covenants. 

Love, 

Hermana Kindlespire

"Who is winning today?" 5.22.2013

We had a wonderful week! Sounds like it was a lot similar to Katie's week too. It was a struggle. Our appointments canceled one after the other. On Thursday, everything fell through and we looked up person after person, tracted, contacted, and nothing. As we made our way to eat that night, we ran into a member of the church. She was so excited to see sisters in Danbury. She bought our food, and just made us feel loved. It was so sweet. I know that she was there to help us remember that we are loved and that we are doing our best. I'm so grateful to her!

 

We went to Monticello last weekend and did a split with Sister Barlow and Sister Richardson. We saw miracles there too.... It's a different world out in Monticello... very very different.

 

We met a young single mother of two that had all sorts of trials laid on her. She was a gang leader and an athiest years ago, but completely change because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was an honor to be there. I'm sad it was just for one day. The impact that woman made on my mission, is unexplicable. I'm so grateful!

 

We had Stake Conference this weekend. President asked us to attend the leadership and adult session on saturday. Little did we know that we would be singing in the choir that night. It was a blast! This stake had 24 missionaries covering their area as of January. And now there are 40 (10 sisters).

The Stake Conference on Sunday was broadcast from Salt Lake City and President Packer and Elder Perry spoke. It was a great experience.

 

We taught a less-active on Monday that is really struggling. The theme that we had in the lesson was, "Who is winning today?" If we are reading our scriptures, praying, and serving others, then we can say that Jesus Christ won for that day. On Sundays we can add attending church to the list. It was quite a wonderful lesson, completely directed by the Spirit. We went in planning on talking about the steps of repentance. I've never taught anything similar to "Who is winning today?" And just to find out, that Sister Eberhard (Senior missionary here in Danbury) talked to her about the same thing just a few hours earlier. The Spirit is the best teacher.

 

We've had two investigators tell us their testimonies of the scriptures. J*** saying, "It's more refreshing than my hour walk I do everyday!" and B***** saying "All the answers are here! I always find an answer." The two of them are so close to baptism. At this point, it is getting their lives in order. Please keep them in your prayers.

 

 

 

"Be All That You Can Be" 5.15.2013

Yeah. It was so good to see you on Sunday. I really loved it. I'm glad that Katie is doing well. She already has a baptism on the first. That's awesome! We don't have any baptismal dates yet, but I am really hoping something will come through. It's been quite a few months. But as we work diligently, we will be doing the Lord's work, whether there are baptisms or not.

We had a trying week, but it was such a testimony builder. 

On Thursday, we arranged to have tons of appointments... About 8. We were thrilled, but only three of those eight actually worked out. And they were the last three of the day. But we didn't give up. We tracted. We searched. We called. We just kept going. And we saw miracles. 

We then took D****** out with us to go visit her friend, but she didn't know where the lived. So we drove up and down a few different streets. She got out of the car, and being asking people on the street if they knew her friend. She kept searching and searching. And as she searched she felt that she should turn down the driveway of one house, which she did. She found her friend there! Both we and D****** experienced an increase of faith. As we search and stretch and struggle, the Lord really does open windows and helps us to become what He wants us to become. 

That's something else I realized this week. The Army says, "Be all that you can be." But in reality... we don't know what we can be. We do not realize our potential. But Jesus Christ knows. So we need to let Him mold us and helps us to become all that we can be. Without Him, we can become great men and women. With Him.... we can become so much more than that. 

On Friday we had zone conference. It was awesome! And on Saturday, we had a clothing exchange. A bunch of members brought things that they don't want anymore and just dropped them off at the church. Anyone could enter and take anything they want. I got 2 shirts and a purse FREE! It was great. 

We also had a mothers day party. Lots of food. We had a bunch of people from English class come and enjoy the party. It was great!

We are teaching this awesome Catholic women named C****. She is incredible. She has Christ in her heart and so much charity! I am really impressed by her example. Her best friend is a member of the church. We never would have been able to teach her without J*****'s help. 

I love being a missionary!

Love, 

Hermana Kin

Wonderful week! 5.8.2013

We went to the temple today. It has been an absolutely amazing day already. We left at 9am and got here at 11:30ish. It was raining on our way to the train stop. First time driving in the rain in a long time. And it was Connecticut rain. Thick and scary. But we arrived safely!

It has been a wonderful week so far. We are teaching so many Domincans, which makes me feel so happy. I'm really comfortable with them, which is weird because they speak horrible spanish and are the most passionate of all. I love them. 

We had a wonderful lesson on Priesthood this last week with J***. He really grabbed on to it. He is progressing wonderfully!

We found a new investigator last week named R*****. He also just grabbed onto our teachings really easily. He is studying and praying about the Restoration right now. We are excited to meet with him again. 

E*** is a less-active woman who came to church on Sunday! I almost cried! She was the first one in the church. And our meetings that Sunday were simply incredible, as people shared their testimony about clinging to Jesus Christ because He is "mighty to save". 

J***** also came! She is a 94 year old Brazilian woman. As faithful as you can get. She's just so fragile, she can't make it to church often. But she was there. The Spirit was so strong. 

We met with another less-active woman named Y****** on Monday night. She really wants to change her life. She is in the early stages of cancer, not sure what kind though. She has a lot of desire to repent and follow Jesus again. So excited to watch her progress. 

Sister Wankier cut my hair! :) It needed a trim super bad, but it kind of turned from a trim to a haircut.  It's at my shoulders again.  :) She did a good job! I can hardly believe she's never cut hair before. :) We have a great companionship obviously... lots of trust. 

We had the first Mission Leadership Council this last week. The first time with the new sister training leaders present . It was such a privliege! We learned so much! 

I'm so grateful for the chance that I have to serve in this unique mission of New York New York North. I'm grateful for the people I've met and the things that I have done. I'm grateful for the hard times. 

I've learned that ever hardship that we go through is an opportunity to become more like Jesus Christ, and it depends on our reaction. Will we forgive, as He did on the cross? Will we wait patiently, as He does with us? I hope we will all choose to act like Him more often. 

I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I love being His missionary and helping people live and find their faith in Him. 

Love, 

Hermana Kindlespire

"We are teaching...." 5.1.2013

There is so much work to do here in Danbury. We are keeping busy. We are teaching a man named J*** from the Domincan Republic (woohoo!). He is reading the Book of mormon everyday and came to church last week. We are meeting him on Saturday... his drinking day. bwahaha...

We are teaching B***** from Ecuador. She realizes that she needs to be baptized and is working on getting Sundays free so that she can come. So awesome. 

We are teaching S****, from the Domincan Republic, and P***** from Peru. They are great and we are excited to meet with them some more and get to know them. 

Lots of potential. 

This week was so great. We helped I****** (Ecuador) with her calling. She is the music director, but doesn't know how to lead. She said that this calling is the hardest she has had in her time in the church. We explained how to lead music, and she did a great job on Sunday. We are going to continue to help her with that. 

We had a training meeting last week with President. It was so inspiring! That man knows how to lead, and how to follow the Spirit. 

We met with a lot of new people this weekend, including P***** and S****. And a Less Active family from Nicaragua. It's been great! 

We had a lesson on Sunday with two almost-sister missionaries. One is leaving in a week, and the other is waiting for her mission call. It was awesome to explain to them what they could expect and what they should do to prepare. 

Then I went on a Split with Sister Dunn. She is serving in Poughkeepsie, and we had a great time together. We found three new investigators and learned a lot. 

When I got back to Danbury, we had appointment after appointment. We ate rice and beans and chicken, then went to a different appointment and ate rice and beans and chicken and salad and ice cream, then to another one and they had bought us a pizza, and gave us juice, and then to another one where we drank morir sonando. By the end of the night, I was almost in tears. My poor stomach. I hope that I can recover today. haha. These people are so giving. I love them!

We are all settled in in our new apartment. I'm even getting pretty good at driving. :) I love Danbury. I love the gospel and all the blessings that I have received from it. I love you too!

Love, 

Hermana Kindlespire