Happy Week :)

Well.... there goes another week already!  Tomorrow is April and today the weather actually feels a bit like Spring! Unfortunately I think it is supposed to get cold again for the rest of the week but... we are going to enjoy this good weather while we can. :)

Snow and it's almost April.... :(‏

This week was another good one, as usual! :) 

Saturday we had the opportunity to go to the Temple. We had to wake up super early and drive there, but it was totally worth it! :) It has been a year since I have been able to go so it was really nice to be back there again. It makes me realize how grateful that I should be to have so many temples around me in Utah. Growing up with it, it seems like the normal thing, but then to be here and see that most people have to travel an hour or so to get to the temple I realize how truly blessed I am to have so many temples so close. And then not being able to go for a year also helps me to see that I need to go often when I get home. I think a lot of people know the temple is there and know that they can go at any time so they put off going.  It is always important to remember to go... even if we feel like we are busy or don't have time. That is one thing that I have learned not being able to go to the temple. :) 

Outside the Temple

     Elder Healey and I‏

           Elder Prochnow and I

Sister Puruganan and I 

We have also been talking A LOT about Family History work in this ward and the ward is getting really excited about finding family names and taking them to the temple so that they can perform those ordinances for their ancestors. Family History work is something that seems to be a big focus of the Church lately... so.... go do some family history, kids! You won't regret it! :)

In front of our Chapel 

Sister Fragapane and I even did the sharing time in Primary yesterday and taught the kids about Family History... It really is for everyone to do, and I think that is pretty exciting.

Saturday night was the General Women's Meeting and we got together with some of the Sisters in the ward and watched it at the chapel.  The meeting was really good... I would suggest watching it if you haven't already. There are some really good musical numbers in it and it is super powerful. The main message that I got out of it is that as sisters in the Gospel... young and old,  we  need to be united in our purpose. They also talked a lot about how age isn't a barrier, and I think I have really come to learn that on my mission. I sit in church here on Sundays and look around and see all of the friends I have made and realize they all are different ages. I feel like I am as good as friends with Sister Young who is in her 80's as I am with Audrey who is 4 years old, as well as all of the other sisters in between. And I love it... I have met so many amazing people who have influenced my life and they are all of different ages and have different stories.  Anyway.. I just thought that was a pretty cool thing that I learned and.... now I am just super pumped for General Conference this weekend. :)

So crazy to think that I was in this area 6 months ago when General Conference came around and now I am here again! :) For what will be the last General Conference that I will have on my mission! Pretty excited for it... after listening to Elder Bednar two weekends ago, the Temple and Women's meeting this past weekend, I am good to go for General Conference which I still claim to think that for missionaries General Conference is like the Super Bowl. haha 

Bishop Pockett shared this quote From Elder Holland with us yesterday at church that he got from the LDS.ORG website....

" If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you.” —Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

And I know that is something that is so true... So... everyone watch General Conference this weekend and listen for those things that will be answers to your specific questions. Conference really is such a great opportunity to learn the things that we need in our lives. :)

Things are great here! Amanda, Janet's daughter, should be getting baptized April 13th and Janet's other daughter Treena was baptized yesterday in another ward. Pretty incredible, and I am so thankful that I am able to be a part of it. :)

I hope that everyone has a great week!   (More pics below )

On our way to Brother and Sister Sellar's house.... Sister Fragapane's first experience with the Mennonites, she was pretty excited. She tried to get a picture of the horse and buggy but she ended up just getting the horse.. still a pretty cool picture

We went to visit Anne with Sara and we thought it would be a good idea to walk through this puddle because we were all wearing rainboots.. well turns out both Sister Fragapane and I have holes in our boots... 

Anne is like 78 I think, and getting an Ipad, so look at the book that she has started to read.. I told her she has to get a Facebook now so that we can keep in touch easier after I get home

At P-day last week

Elder Parker, Sister Mak, Sister Hsuing, Me, Sister Fragapane, Elder Koceja, 
Elder De Wall and Elder Prochnow

We wanted to plan some sort of party and it is happening!
We are going to have an Easter Brunch on Good Friday. We were at the Olsen's making the poster and the invitations and stuff to advertise for it. 

Wonderful Week !

Another week has come and gone at what feels like record speed. Time is going by so fast these days! I guess the closer I get to the end, the faster it is going to go which is really sad. :( I just keep learning more and more every day that I need to make the most of every second because time is slipping away too quickly.

Sister Fragapane and I

The Relief Society had an activity this week and at the end of it one of the sisters showed a slideshow of pictures that she had put together of the ward and... I am in a lot of them. haha I was here for Halloween, Christmas, various baptisms... I look like I am a member of the ward!

Oh and good news! Janet's daughter, who is in the other ward and being taught by other Sisters, is getting baptized April 6th! Pretty amazing to see how the Gospel blessed not only Janet, but she is now able to share it with her daughters. 

We were all in Brampton to see Elder Bednar and then this is all of us eating lunch after. A TON of missionaries

So our special training meeting with Elder Bednar was on Saturday and it was incredible. The meeting was at the Stake Center in Brampton and all of the missionaries in the mission were able to attend. 

The people at the meeting were; Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 

Elder Bednar

Elder Soares of the Presidency of the Seventy,

Elder Soares

Elder Foster of the Second Presidency of the Seventy, 

Elder Foster

and Bishop Davies of the Presiding Bishopric

Bishop Davies

 as well as their wives. That is a pretty good group if you ask me. At one point Elder Bednar made a comment of how an opportunity like that will never happen again in our lives and... he is right. haha Truly a once in a lifetime, incredible experience. I really don't even think words can describe how great it was. It was a 3 hour meeting that did not feel that long at all. I probably could have sat in that room for a week and learned from all of these great men and their wives. I learned a lot and I know it is an experience that I will never forget. We really are so fortunate to have Prophets and Apostles on the Earth today. Being able to be in the room as one of them really helped to strengthen my testimony of that. I really wish I could describe all the things that were talked about and the Spirit that was there, but unfortunately that is one thing that can't really be conveyed. So I will just take what I learned, and my testimony of it.. and go and share that with others. :) 

Elder Palmer, Elder Healy, and I 

And Elder Wihongi and I... He was my Zone Leader in Hamilton

It was a wonderful day and it really got me excited for General Conference. There is so much to be learned and I am so grateful that it is time for General Conference again. We also found out this week that we will be able to go to the temple this weekend!! It has been a year since I have been able to go to the temple so I am really looking forward to it. 

Toronto Ontario Temple

This will be a fun couple of weekends! I really have been so blessed to have all of these experiences!

Meet Sister Fragapane !

Hi everyone!! Meet Sister Fragapane, my new companion! 

St. Patrick's Day - we decided to wear the same outfit !

So first off.... I bet you are wondering how you pronounce her name... I will try and explain it here. "Frag-a-pawn-eh" It is an Italian name and most people have a hard time saying it, but the ward is slowly starting to figure it out. Sister Fragapane was born in Argentina, then moved to Germany when she was 5. So she speaks both Spanish, German, and English (which she only learned her English in the past 9 months since being on her mission and her English is SO good, it is very impressive!)

Sister Colvin and I drove to Brampton on Tuesday morning and got our new companions. 

Sister Colvin and I 

Transfers are always fun in the sense that we get to go and see a lot of missionaries that we haven't seen in a long time. It is always a nice reunion, hence all of the pictures from the day! (See more pics at the bottom of the post)

Elder Washburn, Elder So'o, Sister Colvin and I

Elder Vanderstel, Elder So'o, Sister Fragapane, and I

The MTC...........

Sister Zerkle, Sister Lamb, Sister Colvin and I

I haven't seen Sister Lamb since the morning that we arrived in Canada, so it was fun for all of us to be together again!

And ONE YEAR LATER !

After transfers,  we got back to the area and got to work! Things are going well! We are needing to work on building up our teaching pool again, that is the problem when you baptize people.. there is no one left to teach. haha But... as Elder Prochnow once told me.. it is a good problem to have. :) 

The weather is still pretty Canadian here.... We went from +7*C Tuesday to.... 5 inches of snow Wednesday and about -10*C... and then it has been pretty cold ever since. Some of the snow is starting to melt. I saw some grass for the first time in what feels like a century so that was good. :) But really is is still freezing when we are out working. I have the faith that someday it will warm up but.... just not sure when.

So I have some pretty sweet news... At our last Zone Conference President Scott told us that there was going to be a Special Meeting March 22nd and they told us all to prepare spiritually and that all the missionaries would be able to go and that we would need to look out best... So we knew that someone pretty "high-up" in the church must be coming.. but we didn't know who. Well... now we know who is coming and we are all pretty excited about it. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum 12 Apostles will be here... in Brampton... this Saturday.. and we all get to go and listen to him speak! I am really looking forward to this once in a lifetime experience! It is going to be pretty amazing so I look forward to letting all of you know how that goes next week. :)

Elder David A. Bednar

Things are good here! Lovin' my new companion and am grateful to still be here in Kitchener Waterloo! 

Elder Lasley and I
He got transferred to another part of the mission. I served with him in Hamilton and then here in Kitchener.

Finally got Elder So'o to do a real smile in a picture :)‏

          Sister Taylor and I‏

              Sister DeRuvo and I‏

                                 Sister Raymer and I‏

 I never see her enough but I love this girl! She was in the same ward as me my freshman year of college, I never really knew her, but then we met each other in the MTC and we knew that we knew each other from somewhere. She is so great. She is going home in July to go back to school as well. 

                              Sister Willoughby and I‏

She is no longer a roomie here in Kitchener.. she was transferred to London

A bit of a shock - I'm staying in Kitchener Waterloo !

Transfers!! 

After thinking that I was a goner for sure... giving a "farewell" talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday... and saying goodbye to everyone...... I am not leaving! I will be staying here in Kitchener Waterloo for at least another 6 weeks! It is pretty crazy! I am still in a bit of shock about staying. For the first time in 4 transfers, though, we did have a bit of a change.  Sister Colvin will be headed to Mississauga and I will be getting a new companion here.  She is from Germany and  has been out about 7 months..  I hear she is super funny.

It is pretty crazy... I am excited! It will be different to be here without Sister Colvin.. that will be a big adjustment! It will be good... I love this ward and this is going to make it even harder to leave when I finally do have to. Because that day will inevitably come.... but until then. Kitchener for a bit longer. :) Pretty exciting! 

Today we have a fun P-day planned to say goodbye to everyone who is leaving so I will make this short..

I hope everyone has a great week! :)

With a cute little girl from our ward

We had the largest District in the mission, but now after transfers our District is going to be much different and probably a lot smaller.

With the Mitchell Family

With Henry Mitchell
He and his mom and little Brother and little Sister left for Utah yesterday for 3 weeks so he was saying goodbye to us at church because he didn't know if he would see us again. He is the cutest little thing. He kept asking when he would see us again and he didn't want to have to say goodbye. He said he was going to miss us if we left. He also asked me if I liked "rainbow loom" bracelets, I said yes, and then right after Relief Society he came in and gave me one that he said he had made the night before. I am going to keep it for forever! 

With Sister Rowden (ward member)

All our name tags on the fridge.  Both Sister Colvin and Sister Willoughby will be leaving. Sister Mak will be staying and getting a new companion and we will all still live together.

With our Ward Mission Leader, Brother Olsen and his wife.

With the Despain Family

Last week before transfers...........

Well it is a nice, crisp -18*C here (-18°C = -0.4°F)  in Kitchener Ontario this morning....... And I can't believe the pictures I am seeing from Morgan, Utah where there is NO snow because... some snow piles we have around here are at least 8 ft high. haha I think this place might thaw out by the time I go home in July... maybe... A Sister can dream! :)

Karly's backyard in Morgan, Utah

Karly's backyard in Kitchener Waterloo

This week is the start to the last week of the transfer... so crazy. This has been a really fun transfer and a lot has happened. We have been so blessed with all of the baptisms that we have had and this past weekend we added to the list of Max, Janet, and Norm when Ethan was baptized on Saturday!!

Ethan is the grandson of Sister Tenny, who was baptized a few years ago. Sister Colvin and I started to get pretty close with Sister Tenny over the months that we have been here and we have also gotten to know Ethan.  Missionaries had taught Ethan before but he never seemed interested and never expressed to us that he was interested so we just let it go and never really talked with him about baptism. When we didn't get transferred this past transfer I really didn't know what I was doing here anymore.. I just felt like I didn't know why God was keeping me here so... I asked. The night that the transfer call didn't come I prayed to ask why I needed to still be in this area. And.. after I said my prayer I was laying in bed trying to sleep and then I got a distinct impression that Ethan was the reason that we were still here. So.. the next day we set up a time where we could go and meet with Ethan. We went and talked with him and when we invited him to be baptized he agreed and he picked the date of March 1st. And the rest was good ever since. We taught him all the lessons again and helped him to prepare for baptism. He is a really sweet kid and I know that his grandma was excited. The baptism went really well. I spoke and Sister Colvin sang. It is just amazing how timing is so important in everything. This whole time Ethan had been developing his Faith in Christ and all he needed was to be invited to act on that. He is a very special kid! 

Ethan and his grandmother

Sad to think that my time may be close to over here in Kitchener Waterloo. I don't want to ever leave. This has become a very sacred place for me... but I know that if I do have to leave I will go wherever I am meant to be! 

Us with Janet's daughter Amanda who we are now teaching

Oh we also had Zone Conference this week, which is always great! We drove to London and were there most of the day. I got to see a lot of people that I haven't seen in a long time.

Sister DeRuvo and I.. I haven't seen sister DeRuvo in about a year now so it was great to see her.. especially considering she goes back to Italy in a week. :(

Sister Tebbs and I 

So yes... things are good here. :) Still living the dream!   (more pics and video below)

Sister Howey a member in the ward‏

Sister Rose Young really is the most incredible woman EVER...

So classy and such a role model for me

Sorry - I can't get this video right side up !