Not going to do a cheesey joke about "HAIL".

Hello Everyone!

Greetings from the-hail-storm-tornado-weather-here-is-almost-as-crazy-as-I-am-Colorado!

What a week.  Every day starts out sunny and beautiful and by 4 o clock there are tornado sirens and pouring rain which turns into hail.  One day the hail was ping pong ball sized. (I sent a pic of it in my hand.) the houses here look like they were all shot at. sooo sad. 

It was getting so green and springy and beautiful then NOPE... CHUCK TESTA... it will look like winter again because all the leaves from the trees were destroyed. crying.

The work here is going really well! We have a few more incredibly prepared people just placed in our laps to work with and teach and love.  Heavenly Father is soo good to me. I don't know why sometimes, but I'm so glad.  I love teaching Le'Cregia & Cornelius (and now their daughter Alexandria) because the Spirit is soo strong in their home, and always at the end of the lesson they fill like the Spirit and the truth filled a hole that they didn't even know was there. They already know it's true and they can't wait to get baptized and be strong members of the church. She is seriously a future relief society president. INCREDIBLE!

We were able to go to the temple this week, and as I was just pondering, right past me walks Brother and Sister Wells from Tallyn's Reach (who I lived with for 6 months)!!!!!!!!! Completely silent, I FREAKED OUT! They are seriously like parents to me out here and have made SUCH an impact on my life. They are an example of what I want my family to be like someday.  We gave hugs and just smiled! It felt like heaven. That's a small taste of how I will feel seeing my family and friends again, and that's just a glimpse of how it will feel being reunited in Heaven.  I love this gospel and the knowledge and peace and happiness and light and love it brings to us.  I know that this is right and true with all my heart. 

Some people think that they have to go on a mission to experience an awesome change of heart, but that's not true at all. A mission certainly helps.... but why?  It's because we eat, live, and breathe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Gospel gives us access to Christ's Atonement, which is what changes us.  He has power to change us down to our very core, but it takes us handing us over to Him to happen.  The light and peace that ensues is soo worth it.  We all can live the Gospel intensified.  Just do the basics. Read and really study the scriptures. Pray and really talk with Heavenly Father. Go to church and serve your brothers and sisters.  You can't do those things with a sincere heart and go unchanged.  And that's the whole point.  I love it.

I love my Savior and I love His gospel.  I'm grateful I can change, and that I have changed.  I love you all and miss you. Before we know it I'll be back home, but til then I hope we all can come a little closer to Christ in the meantime. Because that is happiness.

Onward Christian soldiers!

From me to you, Kinzie Lou 

Finder turns into Findee!

Hello Everyone!

Greetings from I-don't-understand-why-there-are-so-many-nasty-moths-EVERYWHERE-Colorado!

Yes yes yes my arch nemeses are in town, all 25 billion of them.  I'll just wait this storm out folks. 

What a week it has been here in Green Valley!!!  First off... hit my year mark. WHAT? yes. Time is going by so fast and I can't even believe it! 

I want to tell you about an AWESOME MIRACLE we had this week.  So in regard to the subject line "finder turns into the findee" (which doesn't make much sense... just go with me here) the point of my existence as a missionary is to find people to teach the gospel to... well what happens when I get a voicemail on my phone from a woman who had taken missionary lessons in the past and can't wait to continue them with me and is excited for her and her family's "transition" into our church. WHAT???? Let me tell you how often those voicemails comes. never. It was a MIRACLE! We called her and taught her and her husband on Saturday and she told us she received confirmation from the Holy Ghost that this was true RIGHT THEN AND THERE. They came to church yesterday (one day after meeting with us) and she announced in relief society that she is getting baptized on June 7th. There was an audible excited gasp from the sisters and oohs and aahs and congratulations. It was incredible!

How they were introduced to the church was through a member friend they had who was 1) a great friend and example 2) simply invited them to church 3) invited them to learn more from the missionaries.  They were active in their southern Baptist church for 15 YEARS.  But after attending church with their friend and going back to the Baptist church they knew that there was something special at our church.  They were prepared by angels! Seen and unseen... How cool that I and all of you can be that angel in someone's life if we just follow steps 1-3 written above. so simple. And the blessings are immeasurable.

My spiritual thought this week is again going to be about doing our best.  Too often we think that our best has to involve us being "better" than another person at something... we have to "be the best"... good, better, best - right? best is obviously the top dog, number one on the podium...   So many of us love to play sports in which we learn that someone has to be better to win and hopefully it's us. This is not the case in the Gospel, and with our Heavenly Father. Each and every one of us has the chance to do our best and to follow what Heavenly Father wants us to do.  If we do our best at that and give it our all Heavenly Father is pleased with us.  Is my best now equivalent to what my best was 5 years ago? Not at all... We are always learning and growing and hopefully we have the capacity to give more that equals our best as we go along.  So I just want to encourage you to give your best to the basics this week.  Give your best prayers.  Have your best scripture study.  Be the best sibling or parent or child that you can be this week.  And most importantly don't get down on yourself or compare yourself to others - our best is  independent of anyone else's best.  Heavenly Father loves us all individually, and recognizes when we are just doing our best. 

I love you all, and am so grateful for the cards and letters I have been receiving. I have THE best friends and families in the world!!!  I pray for you and hope that you all are well.

Onward Christian Soldiers!

From me to you, Kinzie Lou

pics:

 year mark wee woo

rainbow... attempted to follow it to find a golden investigator at the bottom of it... to no avail.

Mother I Love you, Mother I dooooo......

Hello Everyone!

Greetings from had-to-bust-out-my-winter-boots-to-cope-with-this-crazy-weather-Colorado!

It snowed on Mother's Day.  It kind of reminds me of playing softball and shoveling snow off the field before practices and games, and applying kitty litter to the dirt.... the things we do to cope. 

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE BIRTHDAY LETTERS AND PACKAGES!  I FELT SO SPECIAL AND THOUGHT OF ALL WEEK. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I just have the best family and friends in the whole world. I'm so spoiled! thank you!!

What a marvelous week it was, I GOT TO TALK TO MY FAMILY! It was soo awesome to see everyone's faces and to hear my nephews talk in full blown sentences!  and my niece was just squealing up a storm. and Haden was making faces, being Billey.  I loved every single moment!   It just made everything ok.  I know that life is hard, but knowing that no matter what I have some people who are crazy just like me and they love me.  It is so good being a part of a family. 

This week we started teaching a PRECIOUS family from China.  soo awesome!  the little 5 year old girl came up to me when I first met her and in the cutest little high pitched Asian voice you can imagine she said "I SPEAK CHINEEEEEEESE!"  adorable.  We taught him about the true nature of God, and about how he could have his family with him forever.  He was just ENTHRALLED by everything we said. 

The beloved Claudia!

update on Claudia: her husband (Daniel) heart is changing!!!! already!!! incredible. Thank you so much for the prayers in their behalf! she is doing so well and can't wait to be baptized!

My spiritual thought is about how the Gospel blesses families.  As the world gets ickier by the minute (yes, I just used the word ickier) the light of the Gospel stands out brighter and brighter.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to have faith in Christ, repent, make covenants with God (such as baptism) receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and to endure to the end.  So knowing that that is the gospel, how does it bless our families? 

Faith in Christ gives us hope, direction, peace, trust, and happiness. We know that with Christ, everything will be ok.

Repentance allows us to change. We are never stuck in a rut. We can let go of the burdens that weigh us down, and we feel forgiveness. Which = happiness. How many families needs a little bit of love and forgiveness? We need repentance.

Making and keeping covenants gives us the assurance that if we try our best to do what we promise to do, we KNOW that God will bless us as promised. These covenants allow us to have spiritual power, and the potential for a forever family.  

Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost is being able to have a member of the Godhead with us at all times if we choose.  We can have unlimited amount of direction, knowledge, light, joy, happiness, inspiration - talk about the ultimate parenting guide. A Spirit filled home is a REFUGE and safe haven from the storms of the world.

Enduring to the end is just keepin on keepin on and gives us the direction we know we need to head. We just walk one foot in front of the other and go. 

The Gospel has blessed my family immensely.  No one person is perfect and we all make mistakes and sometimes say things we later regret. The gospel allows us to change and forgive each other, and to become more Christ-like.  It helps my family be more united.  Mostly, it makes us happy.

How could the Gospel more fully bless your family?  How could the basics help you to be happier? I invite you to ponder those questions and do as the Spirit guides you.

I love you all!!  Just 6 months and then I'll be home... weird. But til then, here I am.. lovin ya. From a distance.   Also can I just apologize for my terrible grammar?  I reread something I sent out and was so embarrassed... spell check... ain't nobody got time fo dat. I only have 2 hours folks. So thank you for bearing with me. haha.

Onward Christian Soldiers!

From me to  you, Kinzie Lou

pics... Rosetta decorated my room for my birthday. sooo sweet!

May we all do a cinco de mayo dance?

Hello Everyone!

Greetings from-happy-cinco-de-mayo-and-tomorrow-is-my-birthday-wee-woo-21-years-old-Colorado!  I just have to say... I love my mom.  She is soo sweet. She put together a timeline of my whole life (including the awful awkward ugly years... seriously why did she let me out of the house looking like that!)  I just died laughing looking at all of the pictures and reading the funny quotes and memories.  thanks mama.  :) 

Thank you so much for the prayers for Claudia and her husband.  I know that this minor set back is allowing Heavenly Father the chance to show a miracle, soften a heart, and bring a WHOLE family into the Gospel, and not just Claudia. I have the faith, and she does too. She is sooo incredible and is praying to know what to do.

What a week!!!  We had 4 of our investigators come to church yesterday (which is a big deal for me... it is usually 1 if we are blessed haha)  and they all looked soo happy to be there.  One girl that we are teaching, Mary, came and knew ALL OF THE KIDS THERE! She goes to high school and has classes with a lot of them. She felt right at home. It was so awesome!!!  Our ward mission leader by himself put together a member MTC and it was soo fun to see the ward talking about missionary work.  The ward is soooooo different from when I came 5 months ago.  (it's not me, I know it's the Lord) 

They just seem to be happier, and not so weighed down and weary.... why?  Because Bishop Whetten has been encouraging everyone to get back to the basics. Read scriptures individually and as a family every day.  Say prayers individually and as a family every day.  Invite someone to learn more about the Gospel. Go to the temple once a month.  Those things are so simple.  They aren't easy to do ALL the time, because mostly we just get busy with the day to day... but I can't think of a more important way to spend 10 minutes than by speaking with my Heavenly Father and asking for His help for my day and feeling His love.  20 minutes to read scriptures that allows me to feel the Holy Ghost so I can be led and guided and protected throughout the day.  2 minutes talking to someone about how the Gospel makes me happy and it will make them happy too - therefore feeling joy that comes from missionary work.  And taking a few hours to get away from the CRAZY world to just feel true peace.    What a little investment for the huge return of blessings that will help us for the other 23 hours we have in a day.

Sorry... I don't want to preach.  I just love you all and I have seen for myself and in the lives of others the VISIBLE difference in countenance and happiness when I and others do those small simple things.  And I want that happiness for you too!!!  

So my invitation is like a little challenge.  See if you can go 5 days consecutively reading scriptures and saying your prayers.  If you miss a day, start the 5 day countdown over and see if you can accomplish this at least in 2 weeks.  Was that super confusing directions...? my b.

I know that God loves us.  I know that He is proud of the good we do and are. I know He wants us to improve and be better, only because He knows that happiness awaits us as we take that journey.  I know He doesn't leave us to improve on our own.  That's why He sent His son. I love my Savior.  I love this Gospel! I love this church too.  I love you and think about and pray for you often. Weirdly, I'll be home in two shakes of a lambs tail! (imagine a cute little lamb tail... lol.)

Onward Christian Soldiers!

From me to you, Kinzie Lou