Monday, November 26, 2012

Short and Sweet letter from Kaeley November 26th 2012

Hey,

Hello,
Things were pretty good this last week. It was pretty slow going because a lot of people were out of town so we didn't have a lot of lessons. We had Thanksgiving at a member's home! It was fun to be there and it was just traditional which was nice. People asked us how many we went to and we said just one and they acted surprised. Kind of funny! We have a new investigator. 11 years old and she is wonderful! She is getting baptized on soon which is really exciting! Baptisms are wonderful! The spirit is so strong and it reminds you of the covenants you have made.  Friday, my companion went to the temple with all the departing missionaries so I was on exchanges with a Girl that is serving in the Granda Hills area.  It was a fun day and it was cool to be in a different area and work with the people she is seeing at this time. And you learn a lot of new things that can help in the area where you serve. Saturday and Sunday we stayed pretty busy and it finally hit us both sunday night that my trainer and companion was going home and I would have a new companion on tuesday!  I am so grateful I get to stay in Chatsworth! I love it and there is a lot of work to do and I am glad to be apart of it. So today my companion is going through things and and getting them ready to pack!  Weird to see it but I am so happy for her to see her family! And she is really excited to go home as well.  Its kind of a bitter-sweet moment I will miss the friendship her and I have she is a great person.  It surprises me how fast 12 weeks has gone since I got here !  Thats why they say enjoy every minute of life! It goes by fast!

 My back and neck are ok. They have been hurting a little the last couple of days but hopefully it will go away! and currently...I am not feeling well! Hopefully I won't get the flu! it has been going around like crazy this last couple of weeks!  I love you lots and miss you! Stay nice and warm!!! I love you Sister Haws

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

NOVEMBER 19TH 2012


Hello all,                                                                                                             November 19th 2012

This week has been kind of difficult in trying to find people to teach. We had a couple of investigators drop us for no reason but it happens. A couple of the less-actives we have been working with aren't doing so well and it's so hard and sad because you have taught them everything they need to know and asked them to do certain things to help build their testimony and they don't do it and then they get frustrated and we have no idea how to help them because we have told them everything we can! It can be so disappointing and just makes my heart hurt for them. There is definitely a time and a place for all things and that can be difficult in just turning it over to the Lord, But that is all you can do when that happens. Things will work out how they need to and even if they don't find the truth out now, they will be lead back to it. We had a district training meeting on Friday morning that was just amazing! It was all about the Book of Mormon and the role that it plays in our conversions to the Gospel and also our investigators. And I know that that is true. That is where my conversion came from the Gospel! The Book of Mormon is amazing and sets our church apart from all the others as it contains everything we need to make it back to our Heavenly Father. If you want to know if the Church is true or not, read the Book of Mormon and pray about it! That is when true conversion happens. It has been made very clear to me this week, how simple and beautiful the Gospel really is, and the difference that it can make in our day to day lives. There is a saying in a talk that I read this week that says" Life before joining the church isn't easy, neither while you are joining nor after you have joined." I just love it. Life isn't easy, but with the Gospel, it makes it possible.

      I think today was, "Come out, all unique people day." We met some...interesting people today. One guy was "King of Planet Love." yep, you read right. That was fun conversation. He kind of dressed like a hippie and had a wooden flute something  and he  played us the song of love. He was really nice but just had weird ideas. He told us that he believed we already lived on planet love and didn't need to die to find it and that we(Sister Mix and I) were queens of planet love and that we are trying to save people and that is just great. My favorite thing he said was "When you give away things you grow, that is love." I have no idea what that means but it was great! He grows 5 trees everyday and showed us a picture of him catching a white shark with his bare hands and a knife and he feed 200 people of that shark. Made our Walgreens trip very entertaining. Earlier this week, we were behind a Budwiser truck with it's blinker signaling left but he turned right! We got a kick out of it and also backed off just incase! :) We have a less active that is working on going back to the temple!!! We are so stinking excited for her and she is the best. She is the only member in all her family and just has really struggled but has a beautiful and strong testimony and has a desire to be there and we are so proud of her! I love the area of Chatsworth! There are great and wonderful people here. The ward members are just wonderful and we love getting to work with them. It is a beautiful work and a work of our Heavenly Father and our Savior.

 This is my last week with my Trainer, and it is going to be a great week but also a sad one when it gets close to the end. Sometimes it hits me she is leaving and I will be the one that is supposed to "know" the area! It is going to be great though no matter what and there is so much work and potential here in Chatsworth. I am so glad I get to stay for a while longer.   We have had so many invites for thanksgiving but we are going to the Bishop's home and that will be great!  This week will be great for finding new investigators because everybody will be home!!!!  My back and neck are doing better going to the Dr. helps there is a Chiropractor here that is a member of the church that helps missionaries.  He doesn't charge for them and made a promise to the Lord that he would take care of his missionaries!  Kind of neat and he is wonderful. I am feeling better which is good.  Still sore every once in a while.  Thanks again for the love and support!  HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE !!!!  Love you Sister Haws

Friday, November 16, 2012

November 2012 - Pictures from Kaeley


Sister Haws and Sister Mix looking so convincingly happy ? 
Add caption

FOR ALL HER FAMILY THAT ARE ALABAMA FOOTBALL FANS !  

Monday, November 12, 2012

NOVEMBER 12TH 2012

Hey Everybody !! NOVEMBER 12th 2012
Well, This week has been crazy busy!!! Which has been great but we have been constantly running from place to place. We seemed to have all the lessons we normally teach in about 2 days and then the other days, I don't know why we were so busy but we were! The weather has finally changed and it feels like fall, kind of. :) still 65 during the days and gets about 55 at night but I have been freezing! Thank Heavens for leaving in Oklahoma so I could handle the heat here but goodness! My blood is so thin now! It makes me laugh when I say its cold and I think of Idaho and its about 50 degrees cooler! We found 2 new people to start teaching and they are both wonderful! They have a desire to learn and that is so important for them to begin to understand because it is not easy to understand something that you haven't lived with your whole life. The one is a 21 year old girl who is really struggling with life and we promised her that the Gospel would help her. And she is so bright! Some of the questions she asked us were so brilliant and she has already learned so much and wants to keep learning. There is as lady in the ward that is having a lot of health problems and she served a mission and so we go over there with her and study with her. She has such a strong testimony of the Gospel and she is a huge help to us and the lessons we prepare for! We really enjoy going over there and meeting with her and this week, we got really lucky and got to spend time with her 3 days this week. She is really having a hard time and the thing that helps her is reading in the Book of Mormon, so we read with her and that cheers her up!
There is a power in the Book of Mormon that is indescribable and I have always known that but I feel it so much more strongly out here when we testify to people that it is true! I love the Book of Mormon and there is so much I learn every day just by reading a few words!
We had an amazing lesson with a former investigator. He started meeting with the missionaries about a year ago but never finished and he is so nice! We called him and got to meet him and talk to him about why the message of the restored gospel is so different from others and it was a powerful lesson! He has read the book of Mormon before but never prayed about it and when we asked him to pray about it, it was really cool to see his reaction and he said " I have never thought about praying about it." It was powerful! He will be a wonderful member of the Church!!
I had the chance to play the Piano yesterday in sacrament meeting. They never have musical numbers, always rest hymns so I told them I could do one if they wanted and of course they jumped at the chance but it was a piece I had just learned since being out here in the mission field so I was a little nervous! But the spirit definitely helped me through it and it was great! I always forget how much I love playing the piano till I don't get to do it as often as I use to so that was fun and it gave us a chance to invite all the people we have met but that aren't interested in learning but we have developed friendships with them to come! There is one lady, she is the sweetest person in the world! and she showed up with flowers but she couldn't stay but that was just so sweet of her to do that! There are some amazing people here in Chatsworth! The ward is wonderful and so many amazing people are members of it! There has been 2 less-active members coming back to church which has been so fun to see them return and enjoy it!
We went on splits yesterday, (which is taking a ward member with us to tract or contact referrals) and we met a guy that keep calling the angel Moroni, Macaroni. It was really hard not to laugh because we think he was being serious but he was a great guy and fun to talk to! We have another crazy busy week ahead as I have SO much still to learn before my trainer leaves for home in 2 Weeks!!! I never thought it would be here but it is and I have learned so much but still got so much more to learn!!! But with the Lord's help, it will happen!! I hope all is well! I love you and miss you all!!! Thanks for all the love and support!
There is a talk by Elder Ucdorf from this last conference. I believe the Saturday morning session. You should read it! It is beautiful and I loved it! Thanks so much for everything! I love you lots and miss you tons but am so happy to be out here. Everyday is hard but I love it. love you lots Sister Haws

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Kaeley letter November 5th 2012


Hi everybody !!!                                                                             November 5th 2012
       California is great! Still hot as ever...well not as bad as 107 but it doesn't get that cold either!  Which is a blessing, unless your our in the sun but I would rather be in the sun than in the snow trying to find people to teach! This last week was FULL of up's and down's. We had people canceling right and left on us and that led to tracking, (which isn't my favorite, and not very successful all the time,) but it still is great because that is one way you find people to teach. We had one less active man who the missionaries found him back in Virginia and brought him to church and then he moved back to Chatsworth, which was where he was raised and he decided to keep investigating the church to see what it could offer him and he was going to drop us and we were able to meet with him and just let him talk it out and let all his frustrations out and then we were able to help his see how the Lord is really looking out for him and how much he is loved! It was a very neat and touching experience and the spirit was so strong! So we are really going to work with him and helping him build his faith in Jesus Christ for the next little while! He is so great and has such a strong desire to learn and a desire to have that faith!
We are also teaching another less active that we are the first missionaries to talk to her and her to allow into her home. She hasn't been to church in 40 plus years and she told us that it was so weird that when we came to the door, she thought "it's okay, it's time." We just adore her!
   We had the neat experience to attend another worship service with a couple that we have developed a friendship with. They aren't really interesting in joining the church but they love to learn and are the best Christians we have met her so far of another faith. But they invited us to attend church with them. The church the go to is like a mega church and is more of a modern church so they had the drums, guitar, piano, Saxophone ( which was awesome to hear) and a whole bunch of gospel singers. It felt like a gospel rock concert and it was pretty cool. I think it helped them realize that we respect them and trust them  a lot and I know that this will open doors for the to find the truth.  It was a neat experience! It was cool too because we had just had dinner with them on Thursday and shared a thought from the Ensign. It was standing together for the cause of Christ, by Jeffery r. Holland and the dad was impressed because he really didn't know what our leaders stood for and he loved that, the call to unite as Christians! They are a neat family and one day they will get to experience the blessings of being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This really is Christ's true church upon the earth once again! and I am so grateful to be a part of it and to be out here on a mission serving the Lord. This Gospel is a miracle producing gospel and I love getting to see those miracles each and everyday! It is not easy but those miracles make each and every day worth it!  Like today, we were walking into the library and this guy holding a beer stopped us and asked who we were and we started talking to him and found out he had read the Book of Mormon before and we are going to try to start teaching him more. He is really having a hard time right now and we were able to say a prayer with him and he had tears in his eyes and I know he felt the Holy Ghost comfort him! It was a MIRACLE!!! :) I love this gospel, I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior! That I can be out here each and every day serving him and giving him everything I have to help find those people who need this truth! Thanks for all your love and support! I love you all! P.S. if you haven't read 1 and 2 Corinthians, you should! They are great and full of great messages about missionary work!
I was also wondering if I could get a recipie of banana bread and some easy quick crockpot recipes to make so that we can have some good stuff! I really love to cook and just want some easy cheap things to make that are good! I was also wondering if you would send me a copy of the November ensign from conference that I can keep with me? That would be wonderful!!! It is so good to hear about the family and tell them HI!  Tell grandma I am thinking about her and grandpa !  I love it out here! It is so hard but each day brings a new challenge and new hope!   I love you lots!!  Thanks for the pictures and the mail this week!!! I love them! :) and I love any other mail I get, hint, hint everyone J  love you lots and miss you more!! Sister Haws

Missionary news from Kaeley

I wanted to send this, it was an e-mail from our mission president, thought you all might like to read it! It is exciting news !!!  Sister Haws
 
I know that this is the time that that the Lord will hasten his work. We found out this week that the approved number of missionaries for our mission has immediately been increased from 190 to 250! In fact, all missions in California have had their missionary complement increased to 250 young missionaries! So amazing!! Some 18 year old men and 19 year old women have already received their calls and we could begin to see some of them arrive in the next transfer or two!

Elder Marcus A . Aidukaitis of the Seventy told us this past week that the average for missionary applications per week had been averaging 300 per week and there were 4500 the first week after General Conference, 4700 the second week and another 2700 half way through the third week!! Instead of about thousand applications since Conference, there probably have been close to 14,000!! Now that is a true “hastening of the work!”