KAELEY'S LETTER FEBRUARY 3RD 2014

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                                                                                                                                            February 3^rd 2014

   WOW! What a crazy week. I honestly don't even know where to begin.  Well...first, I probably should fill everyone in.  I have been thinking about extending for another transfer out here and have been praying about it and working on it with my mission president. And I found out a couple of days ago that it did not go through :(  which was kind of sad but also very happy at the same time!!!  BECAUSE THAT MEANS I AM COMING HOME MARCH 5TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WHAT?!?!? Crazy right!  I kind of had a freak out this weekend because of how truly close it is and just realized how short of time that is! I am excited and sad and just about every other emotion in the book but that is okay!  I gave it to the Lord and said I would stay if you need me to but the Lord knows best and he will send me to where I need to be!

    For this week,  we have had some crazy stuff happen. Some not so good stuff and then some amazingly amazing stuff happened.  But it was a testimony to me that no matter how bad things may seem or get...there is ALWAYS good that will follow. ALWAYS. And that is because the Lord is in charge not us.

  For some reason, the last couple of weeks have been very challenging for me personally and I had no clue why. It was beyond frustrating and I was trying to understand why each day was such a struggle for me because I had no reason to be sad or unhappy. I am so blessed to be where I am at and know the Lord's hand is over me.  It was a hard and difficult time and almost every night ended with me on my knees in tears pleading for the peace and relief I so desperately wanted and needed from Heavenly Father but wasn't really getting. I didn't understand and just tried to do my best with what I could for each day. And that helped. By the end of the week I was so tired of crying and not understanding why, that I finally just gave up and gave it to God.

    I don't tell you this to feel sorry for me but rather to make a point.  Over the weekend, we had a few less-actives and investigators that seemed to be going through something similar to me. I didn't realize it till a few days ago that maybe I went through all that so that I could relate to the people we are teaching. I was able to tell them my experience with the Atonement and prayer and help them to understand maybe a little of what they were going through. It was an amazing experience for me, because in a very real way, I was able to help them and I would not have been able to otherwise unless I had just experienced what they were struggling with.  And Because of that, they stayed and they keep learning.  They keep growing and wanting to be a part of the church.

   I don't really like that I had to go through all of that for a couple weeks but I am also very eternally grateful that I did because it helped someone else come closer to Christ and Heavenly Father. I told Him he could do that again if needed but please, a little less tears next time would be nice :)  I think that made Him smile. My relationship with my Savior and my Heavenly Father has been so strengthened and I am so grateful for the Love and patience and the Atonement, and prayer, and church and the sacrament and the Scriptures and everything Heavenly Father gives us to help us and make us happy. We go through things in life no matter what, and the Gospel is given to help us make it through things and be well. It will be hard, it will hurt and it will push us and pull us and sometimes tear us apart, But iF our foundation is in Christ, NOTHING can ever tear us down to the point where we can't get back up. I have truly learned this for myself and it is something I am very grateful for!

    Now, on to the happy news!!!  We were praying for one of our investigators that has a baptismal date because she has some concerns and we haven't been able to get them from her. So we prayed that she would open to us so we could help her prepare for baptism. So that night, we got a phone call from her and she was crying and just told us everything that she is struggling with and how she didn't know what to do. We were able to help her and she received a priesthood blessing and she knows that the Church is true and wants to join but she has some big changes to make in her life  but she really wants to make them !!! She is amazing and knows that she can with the help of the Savior! She is one of my favorites and I know that the Lord is guiding her to what will make her happy!  

 Then we had a wonderful lesson with the family we are teaching! They really want to know that is it true and they are doing what they need to do to know and I know that they will get baptized. It may take some time but they will get their answer.

  Church was amazing as well!  We had 85 people at church and that is the fullest it has ever been. I got to play the organ and on the opening song, I have never heard them sing super loud, but this time it was so loud and great! I had to turn up the organ because I couldn't hear it! And we had a couple of members bring non-members to church and there was a lot of less-actives that came and they even bore beautiful testimony that brought the spirit in so strong! There was just a very sweet spirit in the building and one that I hope will keep coming every Sunday. We had a break the fast dinner with all 7 missionaries  and a celebration for how amazing this week has been and the many miracles. Calling down the powers of Heaven really do work and the Lord is just waiting to provide miracles and help us return to Him. I love the Lord. I love His Gospel and I am so grateful that I am serving Him and His children. This is the greatest work to be a part of. I love you all and am grateful for the prayers and the love from all of you. I hope you have a wonderful week! Love, Sister Haws

KAELEY'S LETTER JANUARY 27TH 2014

                                                                                                                                                      

HELLO !

    WHAT A WEEK!!!  So many changes all at once. Sometimes it is hard to take it all in but that is exactly why we have the Gospel and have a Savior.  I can tell you that this week has brought me closer to my Savior which I am so grateful for. Monday,  we had a lot of fun as it was our last day as the original sister missionary trio here in Bishop.  Then we woke up at 4 am to get ready for our trip down to transfer meetings in Bakersfield.  It is about a 4 hour drive and we had to be there at 9:30 AM so we left about 5. It was a very early morning but a lot of fun. Sister Wilkin is now serving in South Bakersfield. And we have a new sister from McCammon, Idaho!!! Idaho is the best!! She is fresh from the MTC but certainly doesn't seem like it. She is very in tune with the spirit and has a wonderful desire to serve the Lord. We are excited to have her here.

    We weren't able to meet with a lot of our investigators this week, due to a lot of illnesses, which was kind of sad and affected our church attendance this week but we did have a few less-actives at church which was awesome!!!!

   This week is very full of people to visit and trainings and meetings with our investigators. I probably have mentioned before that our mission has a goal of 50 baptisms in the month of March and that means that Feb. has to be hit hard with finding, teaching, and committing so that we can be ready for that!!! We already have a couple of very promising investigators and we are just praying that the Lord will keep softening their hearts and bring them closer to baptism. We are seeing miracles.

  This week, I have been very aware of the tender mercies of the Lord and the Love that he has for me personally. Which honestly has been much needed. Change is not easy and never will be, but change comes regardless of whether we have the Gospel or not. I am so grateful for the Gospel and the Peace that it can bring to us during trials. I am very grateful for the priesthood. The power of God is real and I can feel it every time I receive a blessing. Heavenly Father's love for us is eternal and never ended and I am so grateful for that Love. That is why He wants to bless us so much and bring us peace. As we stay faithful and serve and keep the Commandments, He blesses us more and more. The Savior lives and loves us as well. He is the only one that understands what we go through and what we can become. It is through His atonement that we are made whole and complete and I am forever in His Debt. I love you all and thank you so much for all your prayers! I hope everyone has a wonderful week!!! Love, Sister Haws

KAELEY'S LETTER JAUNUARY 20TH 2014

Hello!                                                                                                   January 20^th 2014

   Well Hello, I have a lot to spill this week !     

    1) my companion with the hurt knee...doesn't have to have surgery!!! We fasted as a zone and we KNOW that the Lord helped with that one. It is still hurting her but it is getting better.

 2) Transfers are tomorrow. :(

 3) I am not getting transferred. :)

4) Sister Kimball and I are staying together :)

 5) But Sister Wilkin is leaving :( and she will be training and opening up a new area for sisters. She will be AMAZING! But dearly  missed. It has been the best 4 1/2 months with her and I have definitely made a dear Friend forever!!!

6) Sister Kimball and I will be training a sister coming in from the MTC together, here in Bishop. (Didn't expect this one, But it is all good.)

7) Our investigator family came to church yesterday and they loved it! :)

8) We had an amazing Stake Conference with a broadcast from Salt Lake that was all on Missionary Work and how the members and missionaries working together.

9) We got to go to the Ridgecrest church and sing in the evening Adult session for Stake conference. It was a lot of fun and the spirit was so strong.

10) We set a Baptismal date with one of our investigators for March 29. We are super excited for her.

11) We started the Book of Mormon class that was simply amazing and the spirit was so strong and we had a really good turnout from the members and less-actives that came.

12) It has been one crazy, amazing, stressful, emotional, joyful week and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Missionary work is the best. It can heal hearts and bring peace and joy. And the Lord has asked us to be a part of His work. What an honor and the trust that he places in us mere mortals. But He Loves us and wants us to have joy. And one way to get that joy is through sharing the Gospel. And the Lord knows that. It is truly amazing. Let us all pray for the chance to share our testimonies with those around us, not only through our actions but our words as well. The Lord will place those in our path who need to feel His Love and through us, they can feel it. Thank you for all the Love and support. Love, Sister Haws

KAELEY'S LETTER JANUARY 13TH 2014

Hello!                                                                                            January 13^th 2014

    It has been another wonderful week! Last Monday for p-day we went up the Mammoth and it was so beautiful up there! Tuesday we had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders and they were really good.  One of them actually got sick when they got here so she slept most of the day to get feeling better.  So The other one took a couple of us out and worked and went to appointments and we had some really great appointments too. We meet with 3 of our investigators that day and all the lessons were so spiritual and just amazing. One of them was our family that we are teaching and we watched the Restoration DVD and talked about prayer and how to receive an answer.  The dad afterwards said, I really want to get an answer.  We thought that that was really cool. We also taught the 13 year old girl who is an atheist and had a great lesson on Agency and the Love of God and how we can know that God is there through prayer.

    The next day we did service for a less-active member who is coming back to church and then we headed for Lancaster. We had a Zone conference on Thursday and since it is about 4 hours away, we drove down Wednesday. We got to see 2 of our old District leaders while we were there and the great thing was I also got to see one of the guys that I taught who got baptized a couple of months ago !!!  He is doing really well and loving the Gospel and the Church.

   The Zone conference was amazing and very inspiring. Our mission President has set a goal of 50 Baptisms in March, and so to reach this each night at 10 pm, we are praying as a mission for the powers of Heaven to come and help us reach this Goal. And we are fasting for this purpose the next 3 fast Sundays! It is really exciting when you think about it and this area is picking up so fast and we are finding more and more people interested in learning and really catching on. I love being a missionary there is so much going on and seeing all the Miracles happening.

  Friday and Saturday, Sister Kimball got super sick so we were inside for most of the day letting her rest and get better. But we had lots of good bonding time and studying time and we even painted for a while. You kind of go crazy when you are inside for that long as a missionary !  So we took it out with Painting! :)

  Sunday was really good! Our family we are teaching came to church again and they loved Church. They are so different now after hearing the lessons and the spirit is so strong around them and I know they will and are being so blessed because of the Gospel. We also had a couple of lessons with Less-actives that went really well.  Then we planned for the Book of Mormon class we are starting up this week that we are really excited about!  Overall it was a very good week full of miracles. I know the Lord hears and answers our prayers and He loves us more than we can comprehend. He is real. I know he is. I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life and the difference it makes in the world we live in. Keep pressing forward no matter how hard things get. The Lord is there and we just have to put complete trust in Him, He will never lead us astray. Love, Sister Haws

January 6th 2014

January 6th 2014

Good Morning!!!  And HAPPY NEW YEARS! 2014! This is going to be an amazing year! I can feel it! So many wonderful things are happening, especially with the Church and spreading the Gospel.

   We have had a wonderful week, full of miracles and tender mercies from the Lord.   Last week, I mentioned that we planned a Family Home Evening and it turned out SOOO good.  Seriously. The feeling that was there was amazing and the members seemed to really enjoy themselves and we even had a couple of our investigators come and they loved being there. We had pizza and salad and lots of junk food left over from Christmas and then we played boys vs. girls pictionary!!! It was so much fun and we felt so good about it and had such a great turn out that we are planning on doing it once a month from now on.

    Then we had an amazing lesson with a former investigator who knows the Book of Mormon is true, but wants to do things as a family and her husband really isn't on board anymore . But we talked a lot about her setting the example and how eventually her husband would see the happiness in her and want to be a part of that. We also talked about putting God first in our lives and the blessings that come because of that.  She is amazing and we really feel good about her this time.    We then had a little New Years party with all the missionaries at the senior couples apartment. We had some fun games to play and an amazing dinner that was provided and we made prayer rocks for our investigators. It was a lot of fun and a great way to bring in the new year. We had a curfew that night as well so we got home early and got some extra sleep, which was really nice.

  I ended up with a cold last weekend and gave it to my companion, but it hit her harder than it did me so she rested for a couple of days to get feeling better but we were able to go on splits with a member in the ward so 1 of us was still out working and met lots of wonderful people.    We also had a great lesson with a part member family. The daughter is 13 and not baptized and claims to be atheist. BUT she knows more than most members! :) seriously! She is amazing and she is willing to learn and open up to know if there is a God so she is one of our new investigators and we feel really good about her.  We had a great lesson with the family we are teaching and they seem to love the Gospel and are taking it all in. We invited them to be baptized and they all said yes! We haven't set a date yet but we will soon!

   We also were able to get in with a couple more less-actives this week that we are going to start to teaching. One of them is a convert of about 5 years and has been inactive for about 2 years but she wants to come back so bad and loves the Church and the Gospel and has such a strong testimony of it! I love being around her and her spirit.

   Sunday was an amazing day. One of the best Sundays since being up here. The spirit was so strong and we had 4 investigators at church and they all loved it! I also got to play the organ again which always makes me happy because I love music! The whole atmosphere in the Church was different and amazing. I remember the first Sunday we were here, I just remember feeling overwhelmed and discouraged because of the work and everything that we needed to change. But yesterday, made everything worth it. It was amazing and I am so grateful that the Lord trusted me enough to send me here. It is a very sacred place and the Lord loves the People here so much. Sometimes when we are driving or walking down the street, I look at people and feel as though I can feel the love Heavenly Father has for them. It is really cool. I love serving the Lord and am so grateful for the things that I have learned and been able to do.   This Church is true. Christ is at the head of His church and speaks through a living Prophet today.  Heavenly Father is real and hears and answers prayers. Jesus is the Christ and our savior and redeemer. And my best Friend. I would be so lost without him. The Book of Mormon is true and has an amazing power to heal and comfort and guide and direct. I am so grateful for the Gospel and the chance to share it every day with God's Children.

 love you and miss you all!    Love, Sister Haws

KAELEY'S LAST LETTER OF 2013 DECEMBER 30th

 

 

Skyping with Kaeley on Christmas Eve it was so good to talk to her, she just looks and sounds so happy and is loving being in California serving.  Sorry this was not posted Monday, we had some computer issues . 

  

HAPPY NEW YEARS !!!                                                               December 30^th 2013

 

 

     Can you believe it!  It’s almost a brand new year! 2014! So crazy! But I can feel that it will be a wonderful year full of new adventures and new hope and faith!

  This week has been great! It was a wonderful Christmas as we spent it with members and decorated people's doors with snowflakes! And getting to see my family! It is always a wonderful time!. It is weird to see them through a screen just because you get use to just emails and then see them. It kind of plays with your mind! :) In a good way though.

   It was a very good week. We found 1 new investigator who seems to really want to learn!! We weren't able to meet with a lot of our investigators this week but we did hear from them and were able to see them for a few minutes. We have 2 investigators that are doing so well and so in tune with the spirit and we know that they will get an answer. 

   We had a wonderful Sunday. Our stake president came into town for the day and also the Elders in our ward gave amazing talks on raising the vision and we will see miracles. It was so powerful and for me personally, changed my view of goals and the way I see things. I am really grateful for that and really needed to hear some of the things were said. The stake president also made some amazing comments that I believe and pray inspired people to share the Gospel with their friends and families. The Bishop also gave an amazing presentation on missionary work and how we can be a part of it, members and missionaries. And that is the whole vision of hastening the work, members and missionaries working together to bring the harvest of souls. Members are so important and make the difference between investigators that stay and walk away from the Gospel.

  I love the Gospel so much and am so grateful for the chance that I have to share it each day. It changes lives every day including mine. I am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father loved me enough to push me to come.  It is the best decision that I have ever made for my life and has changed my future forever.

   We are having a Family Home evening tonight at the church with the members and our investigators that we are super excited about! We are having pizza and games and it turned out to be a lot bigger than we thought but we feel so good about it and are excited!!!

 I love you all and am grateful for the love, prayers and support! All my love, Sister Haws

KAELEY'S LETTER DECEMBER 23RD 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL    !!!!!!!                                       December 23^rd 2013

 

     I can't believe it's Christmas! This month has gone wayyyyy to fast. And Christmas should be an everyday thing  because I simply love Christmas. We saw a lot of miracles this week! We actually found 3 new investigators that are very promising. They all came from member referrals and have amazing questions and truly want to learn more. We feel very good about them. We also had a chance to go caroling with some of the members. That was so much fun!! We prayed over our ward list and caroled to those that were less-active or were just in need of a pick-me up. The members really seemed to enjoy it and we had fun. One night was very cold but we were able to have fun and that made it "warmer" you could say.

   On Wednesday, our Bishop's wife had her baby girl. Which was super exciting but then we realized,  she was our choir director for the Christmas program. Then we got a text message saying  "Sister Haws, We know you have heard that the baby was born and we are looking for a new choir director”.  It made me laugh but I had the amazing chance to be a part of it. We only had a couple of days to prepare but it was amazing and the spirit was strong. There were quite a few people there as well and that was neat to see.

  Sorry this is so short but I will see a lot of you tomorrow!!!  I love you all and am so grateful for this time to celebrate the Birth of our Savior, and Redeemer. He Lives, I know he does. I have felt His healing power and strength.  He is my best friend and I know that He is real.  I hope you all enjoy this wonderful Christmas season with family and friends! It is truly a season for celebrating the good news of the birth of our Savior and to share our glad tidings with the World that through the Savior, Jesus Christ, all my return to Heavenly Father.

   Love,  Sister Haws