Week 23! One lucky Missionary who gets to go to General Conference!

This week went by so fast! A lot has happened. We have been walking a lot this week since we are running out of miles and don't get new miles until April so we are getting plenty of exercise in. I feel bad for the missionaries in walking areas. I think my feet are now callused or almost there. Sister shoes are not meant to walk in!

So this week we have met a Jehovah's Witness! It was my first one since I have been out! He let us in and we have a return appointment for tonight. We are so excited. We have been studying a lot this week for him! We are determined to get him baptized! He is very confused about his own beliefs.... hopefully by the end of this transfer we have him baptized or at least on date.

The other night we got a phone call from an investigator the English sisters are teaching. He is hispanic and wanted us to come over. So the next morning we went over. He told us their life story. He has been having kidney dialysis for 3 years now. He is 30ish. He is on disability and his wife has a bunch of medical problems. She got laid off of work a couple months ago and are really struggling financially. We are trying to get them food and some people in the ward have really stepped up to help them. They are a sweet family who have a lot of love for each other. The same day we went there we went back at night with some food and to teach a lesson. Hermana Reyes noticed some candles. I did too. One of them was Virgin Mary and the other was the Grim Reaper. Yes the grim reaper is a religion... it's the Holy Dead. It's almost voodoo/witchcraft. We were like oh man. So we are slowly working on them to get rid of them.

One of my favorite investigator families here are the Rodriguez family. The mom (Maria) and her 3 kids are taking the discussions. They are so ready for baptism. As soon as we put them on date for April 10 the oldest said that she has to wait until after her 15th birthday in October to get baptized because of her quinsinera. Her family wants her to have the catholic ceremony with it. She really wants to be baptized! Those kids are so smart. They are teaching us the lessons. Veronica (14) and Maria came to the General YW broadcast Saturday night. It was soo good! They both took notes and Maria was crying! We got tickets for them to go to General Conference this weekend!

The YW broadcast was amazing! You should go on and listen to it/read it. It was so good. Everyone I talked to was on the verge of tears if not already crying. I got a lot out of it about the 13th Article of Faith and how important it is for us to have these Christlike attributes. These attributes will help us reach the goal of the temple. The temple is a blessing and special place for us. Pres. Eyring spoke about testimonies. It was all SO good. After the broadcast I got a call from the ZL's telling me I am going to General Conference Saturday! I am so excited. My companions aren't going but I'm going with Sister Beck/Smith/Brignone and my old companion Tetelpa. I am super excited to be going.

So stories for the week:

1- We are teaching this guy Adolfo. He has read the Book of Mormon 4 times! He is ready for baptism. The other day we were teaching him and he asked me why I have a funny accent. I told him it was because I am American, I'm a gringa. I didn't know that I had a funny accent when speaking Spanish. I guess I do.

2. We were teaching Adolfo the last half of the Plan of Salvation and I was explaining the Celestial Kingdom. I told him that the Celestial Kingdom is compared to the south.... He corrected me and told me it was sun. I didn't realize what I said wrong until a half hour later. Oh man... words that sound alike or are very close make for good stories. Hermana Tanner does it all the time. It's funny.

3. We were out tracting all day yesterday. It was close to 8 and we were walking towards our house. We looked ahead of us and it was storming like crazy. We heard thunder and saw lightening. Every time lightening struck I would scream. It was close! Well we get about 2 or 3 blocks from our house and you hear the wind and it sounds like a heavy downpour of rain and leaves twirling in the wind. 2 seconds later it starts hailing! The hail was huge! So I told me companions to run to the house to our left that had a porch. Well it didn't lighten up and we were still being attacked. So I finally knocked on the door. The people answered and asked us if we were missionaries. It was funny. The ground was completely white after a minute and the roads were kind of slick.

Anyway, I love being out here! It is amazing. I love Payson. The people here are so good. I am so glad I am out here serving. I am learning so much. I love you all and am so grateful for you! Thanks for all that you do for me and for everyone else.

Love, Kelcie