Kaeley's Letter January 28th 2013

Hey!                                                                                              January 28^th 2013

    Another week has flown by .Time is just passing faster and faster.  Part of me loves it and the other part says SLOW DOWN!  I feel like I finally catch my breath and it's the start of a new week!  This last week was slow when it comes to finding and teaching but busy because we were busy working. We had a wonderful Zone Conference this last Wednesday that was very inspiring and helped to motivate us to work extra hard. We talked about moving mountains and walking with the Lord and that if we do that, we would see Miracles. And we have been.  We had a lady who is kind of interested in the Church just for information that came on Sunday to see what it was like and my companion and I accompanied our ward mission leader as he sang! It was beautiful! The Spirit was there and it was a lot of fun. We played "Come thou font of every blessing." But that lady came. It was so fun to have her there and she has become someone that I just love so much! She is an amazing person who has so much faith. We also had another less-active lady come to Church for the second Sunday in a row. She has not been to Church in over 40 years! She is really trying to change her life around and become truly converted to the Gospel. We just started working with another less-active lady that came to just Sacrament meeting but it had been years since she came to Church as well! The Lord is really working miracles in our area. Another miracle, we taught this Gentleman, in September, the first lesson and it went so well! The spirit was so strong and he started to read the Book of Mormon. And then he basically fell off the face of the Earth and we couldn't ever get ahold of him but this week we FINALLY got a hold of him and have an appointment to teach him more!!! That was really excited.

     Now, for the bad news. One of our investigators, the 14-year old girl that was progressing so well, she is no longer living in our area for multiple reasons.  We found that out last night, and my heart just dropped.  My heart still drops if I think about it too long. We had been teaching her since I first got here and I loved her a lot! It is amazing how fast things can change. I just keep praying for her and hope one day the Missionaries will be able to teach her again, maybe when she is a little older and can understand better.

    Back to the good news.  Training is going well! My Companion is doing really well and is just diving right in to missionary work. She is really trying to progress and it has been fun to see this side of things. I remember when I first got here and everything that I was thinking, and now to see the other side, the trainers point of view, it's quite interesting to make connections to things I did and how my trainer must have felt with me. I love it! The Lord has really helped me to know what to do! I still feel lost but the Spirit is definitely guiding me and directing me.

I am so grateful to be out here and to truly see who the Lord is preparing to receive the Restored Gospel. I love being an instrument in his hands and seeing his power and mercy, not only with me but with the people we come in contact with. Thanks so much for the Love and support! Love and miss you! Sister Haws

P.S. It is true you never really appreciate communication until you don't have it! and texting is great! It works really well with people who don't like to answer their phone so its a great missionary tool! :) I can't believe how fast time is flying. 6 months on the 15th!  That is so weird. Training is a lot of fun and a lot of work.  It takes a lot of patience and I completely admire my trainer and the patience she had with me because I know that I was difficult at times just transitioning into things and such. But the Lord is really helping me to know what to do because I have no idea what I am doing. It's a weird sensation to know that you are training yet not have any clue what to do or how to do it.

Sometimes missionary work can be so discouraging and so joyfully all at the same time. That is how I feel right now. I love this work so much but the whole thing with that girl just has me on the edge of tears. It is so hard to see someone come so far and then it all just ends. I love her so much and she needs the Gospel so much! But things will work out on the Lord's time. It always does!  I hate to imagine where my life would be without the Gospel. It is the greatest thing one can have to help shape them and help them to grow and make it back to Heavenly Father!

OH! another P.S. If you ever see missionaries walking around by the house!  Offer to feed them and talk to them! It means so much to Missionaries to have a good meal and a place that feels like home and to teach a lesson or give a thought! :)  and  well today is kind of cold but :)  Its almost 75! HAHA,  I love it! Sorry it's so cold and snowy there, that is a bummer.

Kaeley's letter January 21st 2013

Hey,                                                                                                          January 21 2013

Seemed just yesterday that I was here emailing. Days just seem to be flying by. This last week, we stayed pretty busy. We have a lot of members that have been less-actives for years that are starting to come back to church and truly change their lives around. There was one lady that we felt we needed to visit and she was so nice and expressed to us that she had felt that it was time to go back to Church. It is so cool to see the hand of the Lord helping us to find those that are in need of our help. We went to a new missionary training on Tuesday where we learned that there are a lot of changes that will be happening to help us to meet our goals this year! The Mission President is so in tune with the spirit and when we get to see that first hand, it is amazing. We have Zone Conference this week where a lot of those changes will be announced again and implemented.

The 14 year old girl we have been working with is doing well. We are really working with her to get her ready for Baptism and helping her to understand the importance of it. She is praying with us during our lessons and she has prayed to get answers to her questions! She is doing so well and it truly is a miracle from Heavenly Father.

We had a less-active that hasn't been to church in over 40 years decide she needed to come to Relief Society, because "something" just insisted she get out of bed that morning. MIRACLE. That is one of the things that our mission president is truly emphasizing is developing our faith to find. Because teaching doesn't happen till we have someone to teach and we have to increase our faith so that the Lord can work miracles in our area so that we can find people to teach and we are really starting to see that. We had an opportunity to serve a young lady who just moved out here from the East Coast for school that was dragging a small fridge up the sidewalk by herself. We were able to help her and talk to her for a minute and hopefully we will be able to start to teach her as well. The Lord provides little tender mercies when we need them the most to just keep going.

We also ran into this guy while door contacting that was so nice. He wouldn't really tell us what his religion was but he was very nice and just kept saying, "We all hope there is something after this life." He didn't really want us to teach him but we left the Plan of Salvation for him and I pray that he will read it and find the answers he is looking for. It is truly amazing the questions that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can answer. That is something that I am really starting to notice is how much peace and joy we have from the knowledge we have and the answers that we have received. It makes me so sad to see people reject the Gospel before they even know what it can do for them. We had a wonderful religious conversation with a family who I absolutely love. They don't really want to learn right now but we have developed a friendship and they ask questions and we answer them and just talk. I love them so much and they seriously are one of the best Christian Families I have met since being here. They live their Religion to its fullest and that is so important. It amazes me the difference that it makes in people's lives but it is also a Testimony builder for me personally.

There is a lady in the ward that is a convert to the Church and we had dinner with her on Saturday night and her story was just amazing and it was so cool to see how she has truly embraced the Gospel and just allowed Christ to heal her and help her. She was so motivating to listen to and to know that there are people out there waiting to receive this Gospel. On Sunday we had the chance to go into Young Women's and talk about the age change for Sisters and the benefits of considering and preparing. It was a lot of fun. The Young Women's president had her 2 sisters-in-law come that had just received their mission calls and talk about their experience and then the missionaries who had been out a while. It was a lot of fun reflecting on how I got here and why I am here and helping them to understand the options they now have more fully at their hands. Next Sunday, We are doing a musical number. I am playing the piano and my companion is playing the Violin and our ward mission leader is singing. It will be really fun! I have truly enjoyed how much I have gotten to play out here. I was kind of worried that I wouldn't get to play as much, but the Lord knew that I needed it. It is one way I just relax and He has provided a lot of opportunities to play and I am so grateful for that! I love being out here and serving my Father in Heaven. Thanks so much for all the love and support. I hope those in the family that are sick will be able to get better quickly! I love you all! Sister Haws

New letter from "cold" California ??? January 14th 2013

Hey!                                                                                                                                      January 14^th 2013

 Well, it has been another COLD, yes I said cold week in California. Now for everyone that lives in Sibera, AKA,  Idaho... I realize you are 10 times colder than here but for California this is cold. It got down to 30 the other night! That never happens! And I have been freezing. I think my blood has thinned a little too much because I just shake and shiver all the time. My new companion even got me in a pair of tights. For those of you that know me well...I hate tights. That’s how cold it's been here.

 Anyway, enough of me complaining! :) This week has been awesome. The Work itself has been rather slow but it is picking up again. My new Companion had that nasty cold this last week. She had it in the MTC but it sparked up again with flying out to California, so we have been trying to get her over that. She is from Salt Lake City, Ut and she is absolutely amazing. She has been so well prepared to serve and missionary work just comes natural to her. She is basically training me.

 I love training. It puts you in a very humble position and you truly rely on the Lord more. I have seen the hand of the Lord helping me and directing me on how to teach and be that good example. It is not easy but it is really fun to see the other side of this. I just remember all the emotions that I went through when I first got here and to see it first hand is kind of weird but cool because I can relate (except I think I was more of an emotional wreck with my trainer than she is.) :) But I truly love it. We have had a lot of Luck in reactivating less-actives. We have started to pray over the Ward list we have and allow the Lord to tell us where to go and who to see. It is amazing to see the Lord directing his work in this area and all over the mission. We went to visit a less-active on Saturday  that received us with open, warm arms and talked to her about coming back to Church and she said that she had been feeling like it was time. Every time that happens it is a testimony to me that the Lord truly is in charge and aware of what we are doing.

We got to teach Relief society on Sunday and that is always a lot of fun. It is so fun to see the area growing the way it has over the last couple of months and to see the changes in people as they bring their lives in closer harmony to the Lord's teachings.

 That little girl that we are still working with said, "You know, I am starting to believe that these things are true." It brought tears to my eyes and I can't wait to see her make that covenant with Heavenly Father. I know she will some day! and soon! She is doing so so well and I just love her. A Lot! We have a new Missionary training meeting this week that will help me to understand even more my role as a trainer. I really do love it. I am so grateful to the Lord for this chance to serve him and I look back on how I even got here and see the Hand of the Lord in Everything I was doing before and how he truly prepared me for a mission without me even knowing!! :) I love my Father in Heaven and am so grateful for his Son and the sacrifice that was made in my behalf so I can change and become better each and every day! Thanks so much for all the love and support and prayers! I can feel it each and every day! 

It was hard to say goodbye to sister Fili but I know I will see her again because she went back to the area that she started out in. She will be great there. I am sorry to hear about all the family injuries but some of them were really funny!!!  Give Everett and his sore thumb a big hug for me and all the other kids too! I miss them lots! I hope everything goes ok with kelley I will be praying for her !!

 Tell dad I can be a whimp if I want! because it is cold here. I have become a native California, but not a valley girl! :) I might invest in some boots and leggings cuz it's cold. I sometimes wonder if something is wrong cuz most of the time I just shiver and shake all the time. even in members homes if it isn't like 80! so strange.

 Our ward mission leader, Brother summers is a wood carver and he makes all these cool things and he made the cute Christmas ornaments for us. I really like it too! they are a neat family and you will love them when you meet them.

 I am grateful to be here with all these changes that are happening and that the Lord trusts me enough to keep me here. Tell Sister Mix hi for me and a hug if you see her sometime soon!

Well better go! Love you lots and thanks for everything! I love you more than a fat kid loves chocolate cake! :) all my love, Sister Haws

Pictures from Sister Haws

Kaeley's 2nd Companion Sister Filimoehala, Ssister Fili for short

Sister Haws and Sister Fili at the L.A. Temple

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Kaeley's Letter January 7th 2013

Hello!!                                                                                                                               January 7^th 2013

Another sunny day in California! It is warming up again which is so nice! 70 is the perfect temp. WELL....Some crazy and amazing things have happened this week! All last week, I was preparing myself to being leaving Chatsworth and knowing how hard it would be to leave and just when I thought that is was going to happen....It didn't! :) We got a call on Wednesday of this last week and it was our zone leaders calling to tell us that we needed to be in Santa Clarita at 1 on Thursday to pick up our new companion for the week! It was a sister that had been serving on Temple Square and because that visiting center is full-time, they have a program called outbound that they send them out to the field for the proselyting experience for a couple of transfers and we are the companionship that will have 3 Sisters for the next week till transfers.  And then we were told that my companion now, Sister Fili would be transferring out of Chatsworth and that her and the new sister would be companions in a new area and I would get a new companion. Never thought that would happen but there is always a twist in the story! But it has been so fun to be in a tri-companionship for a week! We have had some wonderful chances to meet awesome people and really keep this area going. This area is hard but that is what makes me love it so much because it's not easy!

Sunday Afternoon, I received another call from the Mission President, and he extended the call for me to train! Yep! I am going to be training a new sister from the MTC in the same area that I was trained in! I am so so so so excited!! And nervous too, and then I get all excited again! So I will stay in Chatsworth for 2 more transfers as we go through the 12 week program. When I leave I will almost have spent 8 months of my mission in the same area! I never thought I would have the chance to stay this long in one place but I am so extremely grateful that I get to because I love it so much and the people so very much!

We have some amazing people that have been less-active for a long time that are really trying to change their lives around! There is one man we are working with and I just love him! He has such a strong desire to change, just needs that extra push and has such a strong testimony of the Gospel. You can just see it shining through his eyes!

There is another lady that we have been teaching that has come back to church and she is just embracing the Gospel full on. It is such a blessing to see that change that happens in people as they come to truly understand the Gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She will stay up for hours annd has some of the best questions. She helps to encourage me to be better about how I study the Scriptures!

The little girl that we are teaching the Gospel to is doing so well and I almost cry every time we leave their apartment. She is now praying on her own and with us and I never, ever, ever thought I would see the day when she actually wanted to without us begging her. She is loving the Book of Mormon and is really starting to understand why this Gospel is important. It will still take a lot of time but she is doing so well and I am so grateful for the Miracles we have seen!

The mission president has challenged our zone to spend 30 hours a week in finding more teaching activities, and that by the end of the month we are to have 100 new investigators! I am SOO excited to be a part of that. It will be hard, but it will be worth it! Our zone and the areas in them have all been pretty dead for the most part but they are starting to come alive again and it is so cool to see Chatsworth grow and become what is has and I am excited to see where it will go! Miracles happen every day and I can't wait to see what else can happen with the Lord's Help. I know this Gospel is Christ's Gospel with all my heart and this is His Church. Heavenly Father truly looks over his children and hears and answers our prayers! One of my new Favorite Scriptures this week is Romans 8:18. "For I reckon that the sufferings at this time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that will be revealed within us." That might not be it exact but it hit me pretty hard. We truly are sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and the things we suffer with now or things we will face and NOTHING compared to what lies within us and our glorious futures with our Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father knows what we help us to grow and that is only to help us to learn our potential and what we can become and what we will become if we trust in him! I love that scripture so so much and I think it to myself all the time because it gives me the courage and strength to keep going even when things get hard! I am so grateful to be on a mission and the chance I have to train!

I meet hmy new companion tomorrow at our transfer meeting! I hope all is well! Always remember to pray and that the Lord loves you and is mindful of you!

Lots of love from Cali! Sister Haws

Kaeley LOVED all the Christmas ornaments family and friends made for her "tree", they meant a lot to her !!
 Thanks to all who helped !   

Skyping with Kaeley Christmas Day, it was so good to talk to her and see her beautiful face !!!