Hello 05/16/11

Hello everybody!


How in the world are you all doing!?  I am doing so great!  It was such a great week!  It went by so fast!  I can't believe I've already been with Sister Craig for a week. So crazy!  Man I love her so much. I am just having such a great time. The work seems easier and it is so awesome!  Sister Craig is an amazing missionary!  So anyway... I hope you all had a great week.  I decided that I would tell you of the little miracle that happened to us yesterday.  So last transfer I met the Hixon family. The dad is a member, but he was less active, and his wife Becky is a 7th day Adventist.  So they all the sudden just started coming to church.  She said that having two separate religions was hard and it wasn't good for their marriage. So she said that she would go to church with him.  So like my first or second week in Puyallup we were having dinner with some members. (The Stutz family, they are AMAZING) And so we go over there and sister Stutz says, "sisters I invited the Hixons over for dinner." So Sister Soelberg and I were like this is great!  So they came over, and we just talked with them and I don't remember a lot of it but I do remember that the spirit was there for sure. Me and Sister Stutz and Sister Soelberg, and Sister Hixon (Becky... haha I already call her Sister Hixon, lol) just cried.  It was mostly when I talked about families, and why I was on a mission.  It was way cool. So anyway Becky told us that she didn't really have any time to meet with us because she is never home she is so busy. Which really is true haha sometimes people just tell us that but she was being for real.  So we didn't think to much about it.  But Becky and I instantly had a connection because she is an athlete! So she likes me haha.  So anyway... I just felt like she would come around sometime.  So the past couple of weeks Sister Stutz said, "sisters I have a great idea... we can just teach Becky during Sunday school because she is always at church and that would be the only time to do it."  So I have been kind of nervous about it because Becky is really knowledgeable about the bible and stuff like that.  So anyway... I didn't ever really think that it would happen, but yesterday Sister Stutz gets to church and comes up to me and gives me a huge hug and says, "guess what? Becky wants to meet with you guys during Sunday school and she is really excited about it and she wants to start TODAY!"  I was so excited but so scared at the same time haha.  But it was so awesome! So I fill Sister Craig in on the whole situation and she said, "okay... what should we teach her?" and Sister Stutz had said we should teach the restoration because Becky still has a problem with the priesthood.  So we said lets pray about it haha.  So all through out Sacrament I was just praying and praying.  And this week Sister Craig and I talked and I was just like. I feel like my prayers get so mechanical sometimes.  I mean I probably pray over 50 times a day and its kind of just the same thing. And Sister Craig said that the answers were in the scriptures.  So I prayed and prayed and then during sacrament I decided to open my Book of Mormon to a random spot. And I turned to Helaman 5 and it was talking about Faith.  So at that moment I knew that it was all going to work out and all I needed to do was have Faith.  So sacrament ends and we go in and we start teaching the Restoration.  It was so awesome!  I'm pretty sure as I recited the first vision Becky got a little teary eyed. And it just went so great, and Sister Stutz is amazing!  And so Becky is going to pray, and I promised her that she would get an answer! Yay!  It was pretty cool. Then the next thing we were just talkin and Sister Stutz said, "last week I told Becky that one of the sisters was getting transferred, and she looked up and said, "Which one!? Not Sister Balmforth?" And Sister Stutz told her that it wasn't me. haha. That made me feel really good. Then Becky said, "well I really like Sister Soelberg too, but me and Sister Balmforth have a connection because we are both athletes. Haha I was just lovin life haha. What a great day! Then last night we were having dinner with one of our Relief Society Presidents and her family. (The Stecks) and we asked her if there was anyone that she would like us to visit. And she said, "Oh yeah you could try Patti Bates" So we were like okay we can do that. Then she told us about her haha it was so funny.  I guess this lady stabbed her husband once, and went to jail,and then stabbed him again and went back to jail haha.  It was so funny we were just laughing. Brother Steck was like "her husband probably deserved it." ha ha, so I am excited to meet Patti Bates!  Well anyway... last week was a great week. I have learned a lot this past week, about myself. I have learned that I need to have more Faith.  Faith is everything. "We won't receive a witness until after the trial of our Faith." I have also learned that the power of prayer really is one of the most amazing powers. It is our only communication to our Heavenly Father, and we shouldn't take it for granted.  I think I do everyday, and I am really going to try harder to make my prayers more meaningful!  I love this Gospel so much. Being a missionary has changed my life. The Book of Mormon is true. That was another thing that I learned this week. I thought about it and I thought about my own conversion. And mine I feel is very different. Just because I never saw a vision or I never heard a voice telling me that it was true. But it was a gradual process. And it has taken 21 years but I think I am close. I have never felt so close to the Savior in my whole life, and it is amazing! Anyway... sorry this was so sporadic haha I hope you all have a great week! You are amazing and I love you so much and pray for you everyday! Have a great week! I love you!

Love, Katee