Que Calor!

Mi querida familia,

Que calor! WOW. I feel like I'm laying my face on the stove when we go out--it is so hot! I think we passed 100 this week and it was 97 and 95 other days. I've been making great headway to a very promising farmer's tan. But I will not complain--I'm the one from Texas and Sister "No vaca" (no cow) is the Alaskan. She's suffering and I keep chugging away at the boiling water! But with the determination and work we were able to do this week, we have SIX investigators to church yesterday! Yay! I love when Sister Schow says, "YAY!" and does her little fist pump. It's nice to have a cheerleader at the house when we come home at night.

We taught the Ro family the word of wisdom, law of chastity and tithing--and they've come to church three times and have a baptismal date of June 16--so they are firm for baptism! We're praying that everything goes well and that we'll see three baptisms in a few weeks! I absolutely adore this family. The 7 year-old J still reminds me of Asher (nephew)--they do the same things with their eyes; like how they're checking that you're looking at them. I don't know how to explain it but we are great friends! (Probably because I give him candy of each lesson.) We also had another family come for the first time--la familia Sa (Ed and Mi). They're going to tell us their thoughts about church on Wednesday--we'll see how it goes! We haven't been able to teach them a whole lot--just some of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Restoration. They have two children--one of which reminds me of a little friend in Manteca who was our little missionary (came to a lot of teaching appointments with us!). And the last investigator who came was a girl who lives across the way from a family in our ward. We didn't really get to talk to her a whole lot, but we have an appointment with her on Thursday and she wants to meet in the member's home--bingo! She's almost 21 and has Spanish heritage--one of the first Spaniards I've met on my mission! We're excited to start teaching her--and she just showed up at church. Wow.

I went on my first two exchanges this week--real exchanges like the elders going on splits. (In the past the exchange sister has come with both of us at the same time.) It was really fun! I went with some of the English sisters who actually cover a teeny tiny piece of our area. I got to teach in English and it was a beautiful thing! I know I was called to Spanish work for lots of reasons--one of which was to be humbled a LOT. I have been humbled! Many times! And now I appreciate sharing the gospel so much more, being able to share it in my native tongue. The people that we taught are all so wonderful and I would be just fine if President wanted to transfer me to English for a transfer. Actually, I'd probably not like that so much--I would miss my people a lot. I suppose I'm just fine with going on English exchanges every once in a while! I'm going on my next one on Saturday with the English sisters in Folsom.

We had Zone Conference this week and it was perfect. We prepared talks about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Our numbers have been less than stellar these past few months, although Elder Holland came and said that these next few months would be the best this mission has ever seen and that they would essentially be talked about in years to come. After that our numbers went down and President made a lot of changes to how we administer in the mission--with more focus on ministering, thank goodness--so that we would be a Preach My Gospel mission. Well, I think we're all adjusting to the new changes, which are great changes, and this week we saw a great jump in our numbers. Our companionship alone saw success from it! In Zone Conference President had us think about and answer certain questions like "What lack I yet?" and "What wilt thou have me to do?"--questions that Jesus was asked in the Bible. I received what I needed from the conference and am really grateful for President and the things we learned about being better disciples of Christ.

We had a missionary activity this week at the chapel. The attendance was rather poor, but the ten of us missionaries had a fun time planning and setting up! We made the church into a human Plan of Salvation, decorating the rooms according to the different phases of our lives. Sister Novakovich and I were in charge of heaven, of course, and decorated the Celestial Kingdom exceptionally well--well, with the limited resources we have! We brought in lamps and lots of pictures of temples and Jesus Christ and our district leader made treats and we had music playing. It was a great experience and I think--I hope--the ones who came were touched by it.

Love you all!! Hope you have a great week and don't melt in the blazing hot sun.

kates

Miracles!

Buenos dias mi familia maravillosa,

I was happy to hear that y'all got together this weekend for Ryland's baby blessing! Verna tells me that Ryland is a really cute baby, and I just realized that I haven't seen a single picture of him! Somebody this week was giving directions in Spanish, and they mentioned something about "Ryland." I had to stop them and ask them to repeat that because I hadn't heard the name before, but they were just pronouncing the name of a grocery store here--Raley's--in Spanish. I almost found another Ryland...

Mom and Stace--thank you for the shirts! And the Skittles! I think I'm going to use those in lessons to illustrate the principle of tithing. Kids love learning about tithing when candy's involved.

This week was amazing!! We taught the familia Ro, family of six. The mom, L, was baptized fifteen years ago but has been less active for quite some time. When we first approached her--did I tell you that we were going to visit a potential and I saw two of her sons in the distance, thought they might speak Spanish, and then went to talk to them? In our first visit she told us that her husband was Catholic and basically told us that it was worth a try because he'd stay Catholic--even though her whole family was LDS. Ra (the father) is starting to change a ton. They keep all their commitments--reading from the Book of Mormon, praying as a family, watching videos that we leave and conference talks that we pull up on the computer. Last night he called because he thought they were watching the wrong talk and he wanted to double-check--aww. They loved church yesterday (it was their second time to go), and when we stopped by last night and without even asking him how he felt, Ra told us that he's noticing a big change in himself. He wants to spend more time with his family and wants to be a better person--that's the Spirit at its finest! The three in the family who are baptismal age accepted a baptismal date of June 16! When I asked one of the sons if he was excited about his baptism last night, he told us he was and that he wanted the missionary who returned to her country to baptize him. haha We haven't really talked about priesthood in depth... We sister missionaries can't do the baptizing!

We actually had four investigators at church yesterday. The fourth was a 25-year-old man from Michoacan, Mexico named Bo. He is incredibly shy and quiet so it's really hard to discern his needs/what he's thinking, understanding, etc. We called him yesterday before church and asked if he wanted to follow us to church this week--his sister told us that he actually tried coming last week with the map we gave him but kind of got lost and returned home. We were so surprised to hear that so yesterday we went to his home and he followed us all the way to church. And he loved it! Actually, we're not sure how he liked it since the communication is extremely limited, but I'm sure he was thrilled. He even started reading from the Book of Mormon and is on page 15--I don't know if we invited him to start reading from the beginning, but we're definitely okay with the initiative! Unfortunately he might be moving out of our area soon--and he accepted a baptismal date of June 16 as well.

We taught another family from Vera Cruz, Mexico--Mi and Ed this past Thursday. We've met with them a few times before but the lessons were a little here and there about the gospel of Jesus Christ and getting to know them. We taught them about the Restoration and knocked their socks off and by the end of the lesson Ed was flipping through the Book of Mormon, reading bits and pieces and looking at the pictures at the front of the book. They are an amazing little, young family. They have two cute kids--K (5 maybe) and B (2)--and they have a wonderful relationship. They actually married siblings--sister sister and brother brother. We're going to meet with them again on Thursday, which I'm really excited about, and they told us they'd come to church next week because they wouldn't be able to make it yesterday.

We're seeing a lot of progress in East Sac Spanish! Hopefully we can keep using our charm--and other helpful resources like the true gospel, the scriptures, prayer, all those good things--to help people progress to the waters of baptism, the door to the kingdom of God! 

Love you all,

kates

P.S. Happy birthday, Grandpa!! In a few days. And happy Memorial Day!

Happy Summer in One Month

Mi querida familia,

Sister Novakovich and I are trying our best to tackle East Sac. We realized that we're polar opposites, just in the sense that she's from Alaska, I'm from Texas. She's the oldest of five (2 girls then 3 boys) and I'm the youngest of five (2 boys then 3 girls). Other than that we mesh really well! We've been able to hold the fort down relatively well. After working frantically on Thursday through Saturday inviting people to church (and running around like mad women on Sunday morning calling people, arranging rides, reminding people about their commitment to come to church, and going to their homes to wake them up and help them get ready--we're really good cheerleaders), we had one to church! Woo hoo. We were expecting at least seven, but that will come in due time.

Sister Fernandez made it safely home to the Dominican Republic on Thursday night. Wow, the California Sacramento Mission is going to be completely different without her. I mentioned last week that I was called to be a trainer and the next morning President switched our transfer calls. The next morning after that (Wednesday morning), we were at the mission office making the swap (dropping "Fernanda" off and picking up "Nova") and President asked if I would be one of the three exchange sisters. Yikes. So now I'll be going on exchanges with three companionships each transfer and share all the wisdom and knowledge I wish I had! I'll be going out with the Spanish sisters in the other ward in Sacramento and two English companionships (it's nice serving in English work but very, very strange at the same time).

Happy birthday a day later, Stace! Hope everything was spectacular. I said happy birthday out loud to you a few times during the day--hope you got the message. And happy birthday next week, Grandpa! Hope you enjoy the Texas HEAT!

We had a very cute Relief Society activity on Thursday. The sister in charge of visiting teaching made dinner for all the sisters and gave us crowns and reminded us how we're all princesses and daughters in the kingdom of God. She set up little castles and had sparkly tablecloths and all sorts of treats. It was very well attended and I'm sure the messages that we skipped out on were very inspiring.

The man who came to church yesterday, Is, has a lot of interest in giving up drinking and learning more about God and changing his life. We see a lot of promise in him (he lives with members! They were baptized a little over a year ago and are slightly less active but we're working on changing that.) and hope that he will continue to come to church although he has to work right after. We taught the Ra family again and were expecting them to come (at least to one hour like they said) but don't know what happened. The Ra are a family of six--Lucy, the mom, was baptized about fifteen years again and her parents are sealed and the brothers are all active. We had a great lesson with them about the Restoration of the gospel and R the dad said a beautiful prayer at the end of the lesson. They were waiting for us to come and eat! (didn't know about that) and we had tostadas with cueritos (pig skins soaked in pickled vinegar mmm).

Well that's about it, folks. Love you! Glad that life is moving forward happily and healthily.

Love,

kates

Change of Plans

Buenas tardes mi linda familia,

It was great hearing your voices a few days ago! I felt like we were all together in the family room imitating Wyzowski and laughing about our dear brother Manitas. I hope all your mothers had a very special Mother's Day and that your husbands spoiled you for everything you do. You're raising little future missionaries! There are about three little boys in our ward (from 4 to 7 years old) here who wear tags every Sunday that say "Future Missionary." They are adorable, and it makes me think of my six nephews (six, right?) who are going to serve and change so many lives! And it all starts now. So thank you for the special work you're doing now.

We got transfer calls last night. Sister Fernandez was right--I was called to train!! President called at about 6:30 last night and extended the call and I was very happy and excited to accept. My baby is going to have a sister! I've been thinking of all the cute things I can do for her to make her feel welcome and at home. Sister Schow is excited to have a baby in the home, too. I feel much more prepared this time around--poor Sister Beale went on a roller coaster ride when she first got her because I felt like ahhhhhhh!

This morning we had a zone activity in a members' home where we played ping pong and pool and air hockey. President Lewis called me and told me that a few things came up and that he needed to change my call... So Sister Fernandez thought I was going to train (and I was) and I thought I was going to be with Sister Novakovich (and now I am!). Oh wow--Hermanas Brinkerhoff y Novakovich. That's going to be REAL fun. We were at a recent convert's house last night and one of the girls who lives there told me that my last name is too hard and that she was going to give me a nickname. My new nickname is Lily. I'm excited to finally be senior companion! Sister Novakovich is two transfers younger than me--she came to Stockton when I left and has been there ever since. I'm sad that I won't be training, but I have more opportunities to do that with the five transfers I have left. I still feel like I'm going to train again, but if I don't I'll be okay!

Oh boy, the mission just keeps giving and giving. Like I told you, we have an investigator who's preparing for baptism this Saturday but we were supposed to meet with her today and she wasn't there. We do have a lot of promising people and the family of 6 who came to church on Sunday and who are planning to keep coming to church. We had to endure a lot this transfer--a lot of rejection at the beginning, not seeing a lot of success. President sent the mission a letter last week and he sounded disappointed in the numbers we had--this week he was a lot more enthusiastic because all our numbers are up. There have been a lot of changes in the mission recently with how we're to contact people, the meetings we have and such so we can focus more time on seeing nonmembers. With any change, we need a little time to adjust and then recover from the changes--I think we've leveled out and are now climbing.

I know that this is the perfect gospel of Jesus Christ. I know our Savior lives and loves us and has provided a way for us to be clean and happy and to learn, change and grow. I am grateful for His mercy and grace and am forever indebted to Him for His loving sacrifice. I am grateful for all of you and your examples. I read a quote on Sister Schow's fridge that talks about 1 Cor. 13--though I have all faith and all knowledge and sacrifice, if I do not have charity, I am nothing. I'm trying to focus on the two great commandments--love God and love my fellow man as myself. I think that's the only way to find true peace and happiness in this life.

Love you all,

kates

Milagro!

Buenos dias mi querida familia bonita preciosa,

Well this week flew by. That's becoming a common thing. In one more week Sister Fernandez will be gone and I will be missing her like crazy. But such is life--such is the mission.

This week we went on exchanges with the exchange sister, Hermana Ashton. Sister Ashton was in Stockton with Sister Carlos just before I came (she's 3 transfers older than me). Ever since I got here I've wanted to serve with Sister Ashton, but it doesn't look like that'll ever happen since we're some of the "old" sisters in Spanish. We went on actual exchanges--Sister Fernandez went to Elk Grove with Sister Ashton's companion, Sister Randall, for a day while Sister Ashton came to East Sac with me. Then I went to Elk Grove for a day with Sister Randall while Sister Fernandez stayed in East Sac. I know that's typical for the elders since they always switch with the district leader and zone leaders, but it's a little different for sisters since there aren't many of us. It was neat getting to teach with her, especially since she was just in East Sac for six months, so she knew some of the people we visited, and she was my walking GPS.

Sister Fernandez said that miracles always happen while the exchange sister is here. When Sister Ashton and I were doing language study, I got a call from some missionaries in Roseville. Our area borders the Roseville Mission, and Sister Fernandez and I may have actually driven over the border a few times without realizing it...  So anyway, the Roseville Spanish elders called and told us about a sister they were teaching who had a baptismal date who moved into a different apartment because she wanted to be closer to the church building. She had gone to church about five times and didn't want to have to get rides from members, and from this new apartment she could just walk to church. She accidentally moved out of the Roseville Mission and into ours! We've been able to meet with her a few times and are preparing her for baptism. We have a few things to teach still, but we're really excited about that miracle (and sad for the elders who have been teaching her for three months). But it's the same work!

Well, everything's pretty much the same. Wish I had something more to report on! I read President Uchtdorf's talk this morning on The Merciful Obtain Mercy. That is such a wonderful talk. I love the bumper sticker he refers to that says "don't judge me because I sin differently than you." I had just heard a talk by President Uchtdorf on my iPod this morning that talked about the two great commandments--love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and love they neighbor. Basically it's been drilled into my head lately how much we need to love, not judge, others because we're all children of God, brothers and sisters.

Love you all,

kates

Where did April go?

Buenos dias familia,

Congratulations, Parks family!!! Welcome to the world, Ryland! Now you have to tell me where/how you came up with that name because it was not in any of my lists--and apparently Miller hadn't heard it before either. :) It sounds like Mom is having fun in Houston with Miller and Emers. Y'all are doing a good job at keeping all the birthdays in April...

Dad, I will be praying that everything well with your surgery on the 9th. Not a fun way to celebrate your birthday! Just remember to take it easy and treat yourself nicely--I'm expecting to jog a little bit with you when I come home!

Happy Mother's Day! Well not yet, but it's already time again to talk on the phone. I'll be calling on May 13th--we have church from 11-2. What time will work best for y'all? That's funny that I'm with Sister Fernandez again for the phone call. We spent the two most important holidays together--Christmas and Easter.

Alright so on Saturday we did Mormon Helping Hands as a stake and went to a high school and did yard work. Of course since we're in the California, they have huge courtyards and lots of places for plants and trees. Our ward actually had a very impressive turnout and completed our section really quickly and moved on to another section to help out the other ward. Oh it looked really good--and when everything was said and done, with bark spread over the top and everything, I realized that the car/house keys that were in my back pocket were missing. My camera was still in the other pocket but the keys... I'm afraid that they were also planted. The missionaries all tried looking for them, the ward, the stake. People keep mentioning it to me--people I haven't even talked to. I'm the one who planted our keys in the ground. The good news is that I didn't freak out at all. The really bad news is that the car keys cost about $300 to replace. So Mom, I would like you to put $300 of my OWN dollars in my debit account so that I can pay for those. We'll be going to the Ford dealer at noon today to buy the new keys--I'm expecting the worst-case scenario; that it really will cost that much (that's how much Elder Clifton who's in charge of cars in the mission said it was) and that I'll be the one paying for it. They probably think I'm such a ditz. Hey, but it's a good story. Expensive story, but a classic from the mission. I'm still determined to get my hands on a metal detector and scope it out...

We met a lot of really wonderful people this week! We didn't have anyone to church again, but we're being patient. We met a great woman from El Salvador who started crying at the door as we started talking to her--have an appointment tomorrow. We met a man who's talked to missionaries before but is ready to act--of course he got a job interview yesterday after months of not working! We have been really blessed this week to see some of the fruit of our labors and are excited to really start teaching them and seeing the progress. Thank you for your prayers--they're working! We noticed this all happened after we fasted for a day and are planning on doing it again.

At Mormon Helping Hands we met a guy who served in the Dominican Republic who baptized the branch president in Sister Fernandez' branch. That was really neat! He said where she live was his favorite area--he invited us to come eat at his house next Sunday. Small small world.

Love y'all,

kates

Mom, I got your letter last Monday and am loving it! I've read a little bit every day since I got it last Monday. I love all the details and your adventures!!

Hello Blazing Sun

Buenos dias familia,


Hermana Fernandez tells me that the sun is shooting off "ráfagas." We're not really sure how to translate that, and I want to know what's happening to the sun. Is something going on? Well it is sweltering in Sacramento. We went through a pretty short spring--I actually had allergies one day--and now we're in summer.

This week has been somewhat of a challenge--well, this transfer has been. There haven't been a lot of baptisms over the past few years in the area. We're scouring our area every day to find people to even teach. Even though our area is huge (we've been using a LOT of miles in the car but can't get too crazy because we have a certain number for the month--thank goodness we don't ride bikes or walk), we've been searching everywhere for (a) people who speak Spanish, (b) will let us in to teach them, (c) will have an interest to come to church. It's amazing how the economy affects missionary work. On one hand you think it would humble people and make them search themselves--what they could be doing differently to find peace when the money isn't there. On the other hand, people are working night and day, Monday through Sunday to try to make ends meet. So it's hard to get in the door because of work schedules or changing work schedules and then the Sabbath day is not a day of rest. Sister Fernandez proposed that we make a law to shut down all the businesses on Sunday. The Sabbath really is something so important that we need to observe. I know that even for me, there are things I need to do, or rather not do, on Sundays to keep it holy. When did we throw the importance of the Sabbath day out the window? And it's interesting that that is one of the ten basic commandments that most people try to follow.

So anyway, that's the opposition we're up against. We don't really have any investigators (okay so we have like four but two are basically dropped and the other two aren't progressing). We're on the battlefield right now in the front line, but Sister Fernandez did remind me that the gospel is true. The gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect. We were talking to a woman yesterday and giving it our all and I told her, "We're representatives of Jesus Christ. It's as if Jesus Christ were standing here talking to you, inviting you to learn of Him and His gospel." She still rejected it. I know what it felt like, to a TINY degree, for the Savior. This is something so pure, completely true doctrine. This is from the Savior himself--all you have to do is have a desire to believe and pray about it. That's the invitation--it's so simple!

We'll keep fighting this week to see some progress. We're still looking up, keeping the faith and having hope. Love you all!! Hope you're doing well.

Love,

kates