03/14/11

Hello Family and Friends!
How are you all doing? So I feel like I have a lot to tell you but then I don't really know where to start! Last Monday after I emailed I got the mail and had a ton of letters! Thank you all so much for writing me! You are great! I am working on writing all of you back so please be patient! I will hopefully have all of the letters written today and sent tomorrow! Yay! Okay anyway... So this week has been good. First I will start off with just some funny things that have happened. So this week we had interviews with President Bowen! He is great. Mine was pretty short because pretty much he looks at all your records to make sure you are doing things right and then he says can I do anything to help you, and thats about it haha because he has so many other missionaries. But the older missionaries usually talk to him for a little while longer because they know more of what to say. So anyway... Poor Sister Directo came out crying because she is really having a hard time with the thought of her having to leave Washington next month! She loves it here. But she loves Temple Square too! So she has mixed emotions about it all. But she is excited to get back to Salt Lake next month so she can meet all of you! I believe she leaves Washington on April 13. So you can probably go see her sometime after that. I am excited for you to meet her. She is so amazing! She has only been a member of the church for five years and her testimony is so strong! I can't imagine being in her shoes right now. Her parent sare not members. Her older sister is, and then she has a couple of less active brothers and then the rest of her family are not members.... YET! Haha we always say that. Anyway she is amazing and I can't wait for you to meet her! Sister Nybo is amazing as well. It has been different but I am starting to realize that change can be good. She is a great missionary. Sometimes it is hard for all three of us to communicate but I'm sure that is the case for most missionaries. And it is hard for Sister Directo to just because of the language barrier and things like that. But its all good, and we all love each other. Idon't know if I will ever love a companion like I love Sister Bradley but I'm sure I will love them all. Speaking of Sister Bradley!......She called me last night!! I'm not sure if that is technically allowed or not, but she always says that she usually calls the people she trains to check up on them, and she said that yesterday she had been thinking about me so she called to see how things were going. She is so great and I miss her like crazy. We talked for a few minutes and I mostly told her about all the people that have died in Sequim the past few weeks! It is so crazy! Sequim is a retirement place though so it kind of makes sense! Lol. So anyway... funny things that happened thisweek. Sister Directo was writing a letter to her family and forgot her address hahaha it was way funny. The funny thing is, is that it is really not that funny but EVERYTHING to a missionary is funny. I mean we laugh way hard at the dumb laffy taffy jokes. (okay i may or may not have done that before my mission...Hope haha) but really everyl ittle thing is funny to us. So she had to call the mission office to get her home address and the sweet sisters there thought it was pretty funny too. Another funny thing that happened was we went to this house with a split, and they had dogs everywhere! Seriously probably six or so dogs and some cats and ferrots everywhere! So I walk in and look down and I was like whoa! Thats a pig!!! hahaha don't worry it wasn't a pig it was just a really really fat dog that looked like a pig! It was so great haha! Me and sister Kieth (our split) couldn't help but laugh! and we were grateful that the owner had walked out for a minute because seriously we could not help ourselves, and of course when we left i was weazing haha but don't worry mom I have only had to use my inhaler a couple times on the mission. But thank you for sending another one by the way. And sister Kieth was sneezing like crazy because she is way allergic to all that stuff too. haha it was way funny. Mom and Dad THANK YOU so much for the package! It was perfect!The conference cds!!!! Excellent! And thanks for the Reeses haha you shouldn't have lol but thank you so much. The peanut butter m&m's are my favorite!!!!! I am glad that Calee is doing good. I am so excited for my little nephew to get here!!! Its so exciting! How is my little Brenna, Ter, and Clara doing? Mer sends me pics of them with every letter that she sends and I CAN'T BELIEVE how BIG they are!! Its crazy! I've only been gone three months and they are huge. I totally just see little Brenna being a Diva haha so funny. Anyway... how is the ward? How is Kels, and Hope, and Brooke, and Court doing? Is everyone excited for Conference!!!??? I can't wait!!! Transfers are on the 28th. So don't plan on an email for that day. I will find out the saturday (26th) if I am getting transferred or not. I hope that I stay in Sequim for at least one more transfer. But if not its okay. I know I will go wherever the Lord needs me. (maybe to aberdeen with Sister Bradley :) hehe just kidding. But really I know that I will go where I am supposed to be. No matter how hard or easy it is. So how about those crazy Tsunami's. We heard about that and were amazed! The Farleys (amazing members here) are retired and they have sailed around the world! And they actually live on their boat! Its pretty cool, but they had a warning and so they were out in their boat all day. I was like oh my goodness that is the last place I would want to be lol. So daylight savings is a hard thing for me. My schedule is kinda messed up but its not to bad. Hopefully I will get enough sleep. Every night I go to bed and when the alarm goes off in the morning it feels like I have only been asleep for like 20 minutes. But I LOVE IT! I love being tired! This past week we had stake conference and it was amazing! Being a missionary is probably one of the most rewarding things that has ever happened to me. I am starting to realize and recognize that if I live worthy I can have the spirit with me ALL the time. And it is so great because I am starting to recognize that I do have the spirit with me, and I feel it all the time. I love how I feel. This morning I was telling Sister Nybo that I don't know if I have ever felt so happy. And it was funny because I said "well, in this kind of way."Because that day when we beat skyline... That was happy. But that only lasted for so long. I am really happy! Even though I have hard days. And some days I just want to stay in bed and cry because things are hard, I know that Heavenly Father is going to make everything okay. I am almost to the point where when I get frustrated or things are hard,I can't even cry anymore because I know that Heavenly Father is going to make everything okay. So I am very happy! And in that sense I don't think I have ever been this happy! Does all that make sense? Sorry if it doesn't but I don't have time to go back and read it haha. So this week we were able to contact some people that we haven't been able to get a hold of forever! So that was great! Remember Shirley that lives on 111 Petal Lane? We got a hold of her yesterday and I am really excited! I was able to share a scripture and my testimony with her and we are hoping that she will come to church on Sunday! We think or I think that she may just be our Transfer Miracle!! Pray for her!! Family and Friends... I want you all to know how much I love every one of you! I love this gospel with all of my heart and I know that it is true! Sometimes I feel like I don't know everything... well I know that I don't know everything but I do know that it is true. And I knowi t is true by the feelings that I get when I live it! I am so grateful for a latter day prophet who leads and guides us! I am so thankful for the prophet Joseph Smith who gave up so much for us, and who died for this great cause. I love the Book of Mormon! I don't think I have ever loved any book so much! And I think the reason why I love it so much is because it testify's of our savior Jesus Christ! I KNOW that he lived and I know that he died for us so that we can all return to live with him again! I love that i will be able to be with all of you. And I can only imagine how that day will be... when we all meet around him and feel his hands and feet. And I only hope that he will be able to look at me and all of us, and say, "well done, thou good and faithful servant.. welcome home!" I love him, and I love all of you! I think about you all every single day and pray for you always! Have a great week!!!! I love you so much!
Love, Katee