July 25, 2011

Hello family and friends!


Okay sorry this email will probably be short because we got to our computer time late.  Oh my goodness I hate feeling rushed!  But that's okay it will work.  Okay so this week in Rochester has been weird.  Kind of like Colton the work has been slow.  So Sister Fisher and I have been knocking A LOT of doors!  Tracting is hard for me... But I know that if we are diligent the Lord will bless us!  So I will persevere and keep doing it.  My feet are sore but its okay!  So as of right now we have two investigators.  And guess what!?  They DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH!  That's right they are Russian!  So we are struggling with that too.  But they are great.  We called Pres. Weaver because there is an Elder serving in Tacoma that is from Russia, so him and President Weaver are coming to Rochester tomorrow to help us teach them.  I LOVE THE WEAVERS! They are great!  So we are excited for tomorrow!  So the weather has been good.  It was cool on Monday and Tuesday and then it has been way hot.  Yesterday it was 90 degrees!!  I haven't had heat like that in months and it was so great!  But we knocked doors for two hours in the dead heat!  Luckily some nice christian guy gave us some water.  My poor body is pretty burned haha but its okay.  I love being a missionary!  Yesterday in church I realized how much I want to be a mom some day.  It was so great... this little seven year old played the piano in church and you should have seen the proud look on his parents face. It was so great!  I want that some day.  Yesterday the Young women also sang a song and it made me miss my young women and serving with our old presidency!  We had some fun times!  This week I also learned the power of prayer. One night we came home and I was physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained.  I don't even know where the tears were coming from but they were coming.  I went to say my prayers and I just pleaded with Heavenly Father.  I basically told him that we have been working so hard and I just need to see some sort of tiny miracle.  I am struggling with that because we have been working so hard.  But the next day we had a really great lesson with Venus (the Russian lady) and it was way awesome!  We went there and she sat down and just started to cry.  She was frustrated with her house, and her new husband because he is messy.  So we looked at her and with the Russian English dictionary we told her that God sent us to help her.  And she cried some more.  It was amazing!  I can't wait to see them tomorrow.  So I know that Heavenly Father hears me.  Even though it was just a little tender mercy it was all I needed.  So I am sorry that this is so short.  But I hope you all have a great week.  And i am still working on letters so please be patient with me!  I love you all so much!

Love, Katee

Great Weekend!!!!! 07/18/11

Hello family and friends!


How are you all doing!?  I hope you are doing well.  Okay so... this week has been pretty good for Sister Fisher and I.  So I have a great story to tell all of you.  So the past couple of weeks we have been getting used to President and Sister Weaver, and they are great.  I already love them. T hey are like total opposites of Pres. and Sister Bowen.  So I think it was like Tuesday at 9:15 at night we get a phone call from Sister Weaver.  And she called us to tell us that her and president were going to have a sisters retreat on Friday night.  And that they wouldn't want us to drive back to our areas that night so we were all going to sleep over!  We were shocked!  We were thinking, what is going on haha Pres. Bowen would never do something like this.  And all we could think about was missing our proselyting time.  Way weird.  So Sister Fisher was pretty distraught about it haha and I was was stoked, because I knew that I would get to know Pres and Sister Weaver better and also because I got to see Sister Craig!!!!!!!!!!  It was great!  So Friday came and we had to leave our area just a little after four o clock in order to get to Tacoma in time.  So we had a nice little drive in the Olympia traffic.  We finally get there and we are the first ones there! Hahaha we felt dumb and didn't want to be the first ones so we drove around the block.  Well then we pass the house again and President Weaver is standing on the front porch waving us in haha it was so awkward!  But it was great!  So we go in and then more sisters start showing up and it was so fun.  And of course Sister Craig freaks me out and is the last one to get there.  She walked in and gave me the biggest hug!  I really think this retreat was an answer to prayer because I really needed to see her.  So we had a great dinner and then we had a devotional.  Sister Weaver is great. haha she has president wrapped around her finger.  After the devotional we did manicures.  And you can all probably picture the look on my face when she said we were going to do that but it was good. haha.  I went along with it.  Then it was dessert time and then time for bed.  I skipped dessert cuz I was talkin to Craig!  Then we got ready for bed.  Sister Craig looked at her Greenie and was like "well have a good night... " hahha it was so funny.  So we slept on the floor in the living room. Me, Sister Craig and Sister Fisher haha.  Sister Fisher was out like a light, and then Sister Craig and I probably talked for a good hour or so... maybe more. haha.  I know know, but the lights were out almost on time haha we just weren't asleep.  So it was great!  I really needed to talk to her, and she really needed to talk to me. Transfers are in two weeks so we will probably see each other again soon.  I am thinking I will most likely stay in Rochester.  Cuz Sister Fisher has been here for 6 months.  So we will see.  Then we woke up the next morning and had breakfast, and studied together and then we hit the road.  I got back to Rochester and finally got a haircut!!  So I will send pics soon.  Then Yesterday Amanda was baptized and it was a great service!  I love when we have a great weekend!  Now we just need to find some more people to teach and baptize!  I am still working on letters to everyone who has written me.  Sorry I will try to hurry!  I love this gospel so much.  Sometimes as a missionary it is easy to feel a lone.  But I just have to remember that I am never alone.  I am still trying to love Rochester.  Sister Fisher said that it took her 3 transfers to love Rochester!  So I am really trying.  Hopefully it will hit me soon.  I have decided that all missionaries have reasons that they come on missions, but when we get here we have to find reasons that we are staying on our missions.  I have already found one of those and that is my eternal family, so now I am working on finding another one.  I think it is so I can learn to overcome fear and to gain faith!  I love being a missionary and I am so thankful that I have this opportunity and that I have so many people like all of you supporting me.  I know that this work is the most important on earth and it is our way back to heavenly father.  I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Remember to Stay Strong!

Love always,
Katee

Another week has come and gone! 07/11/11

Hello everybody!
How are you all doing?  I am doing pretty well.  We have had a really busy p day today.  So yeah.  This past week has been kind of a weird one.  I don't really know how to explain it.  I feel kind of emotional haha.  I think a missionary probably feels every single emotion that is possible and this week I think I have.  And it is hard because I am trying to not let my emotion show!  I hate when people see me cry. When I was with Sister Craig we laughed and cried all the time haha.  But now I am just trying to be strong and not let Sister Fisher see it.  Its hard... but its all good.  We are teaching a girl named Amanda and she is amazing! W e had a great lesson about the Godhead with her this week and she is getting baptized on Sunday!  I am excited because I haven't seen a baptism in awhile!  Yesterday I had to speak in church... so Sister Fisher was waiting for people to come to church at the front door and I was in the chapel going over my talk, and all the sudden I feel a tap on my shoulder.  I turn around and guess who was standing there!!........Matt, Emily, and the Gresser family!!!  I was so excited!  I just about lost it but I held it together haha.  It was the best surprise ever!  It is so hard some days because I feel like part of me is in Rochester and the other part is in Puyallup still.  And I am trying really hard to stay focused and be in Rochester but it is soooo hard.  I think about Sister Craig all the time. S he is struggling a little bit with her Greenie  I think.  But she is okay.  She emailed me today so that was really good.  And Becky is getting baptized TONIGHT! That's right, on July 11 my lucky day and DAD'S BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DADDY!  Okay so other funny things.  Last night we were at a less actives house and he has like a farm and one of his darn chickens decided to jump up and hang off my skirt by his mouth... flippin chickens! haha.  Rochester is the Country!!!!  I am still getting used to it but It is good.  I like it a lot.  We live in a mother in law apartment, and its cool.  Sister Jones is our landlord and she served a mission in Joberg South Africa!  So that's cool. Well I don't know what else to say.  Its been a good week.  If you could all pray that we find people to baptize that would be great.  I really need a miracle.  My faith is being tested and it is really good for me! Patti I got your letter!  THANK YOU!  I cried!  You are great.  And Marilyn and Janelle I got yours too!  I will write as soon as I can.  I love you all!  I know this gospel is true!  It is so amazing!  I truly feel my savior with me often!  I hope you have a great week!


Love, Katee

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

Vitamin D in Rochester 07/05/11

Hello family and friends!  How are you all doing?  I am doing good.  I am starting to get used to things here in Rochester.  I finally saw the sun in Washington.  It has been a long time.  I even got a little sun burned.  It is great.  I miss the sun.  The members here love us and they are so good to us. They buy us grocery's and its so nice!  So a few things that happened this week.  We have a few investigators and we probably had like ten appointments set up for last week and guess what?  That's right... they all canceled!  Ugh... it is so frustrating!  I need to have more faith.  Sometimes it is so hard! Ah.... haha but its okay Sister Fisher and I are still doing good.  She is a great missionary.  I still miss Sister Craig sometimes, and some days I just really wish I could talk to her.  Like yesterday was one of those days haha.  I totally had memories going through my head all day about where we were last year on the fourth of July... Nauvoo if you don't remember, and about every other year at Murray Park.  It was a weird night laying in bed listening to the little illegal fireworks that happened in Rochester ha ha, but it was good.  We went to a members BBQ and it was fun. But Pres. Weaver asked that we all be in early last night for safety reasons.  We met President Weaver the other day and he is so GREAT! Sister fisher has mixed emotions about him because he is  soooooo different than President  Bowen haha.  I think it will be a good change.  He even hugged the sisters!!!  That was way weird haha we all turned red.  He said sisters there is a new rule in the mission... sisters still can't hug but I can. haha.  So it was funny.  He really made me think a lot about faith, and I really appreciated what he said. He got up to the pulpit and said... "you don't know, how much faith you have."  I really liked that he said that... it was an answer to prayer for sure.  So Sister Craig text me the other day and said that Becky Hixon decided to get baptized!  I was so happy it was really a miracle because when I left Puyallup she said maybe in a year when you come back I will get baptized haha so I never thought that it would happen so soon!  So that is way cool.  Also this week I fasted for a miracle to happen and we went tracting and set up a church tour for tomorrow!  So that is great!  I hope the guy comes!  NO MORE CANCELLATIONS! Hahaha I might go crazy!  But anyway... I know that Heavenly Father loves me and that he is aware of me right now.  I am really thankful for him.  I am so thankful for a loving Savior who knows exactly how Ii feel, and who can help me with anything.  I know that if we stay close to them and read and pray we will be blessed.  I am so thankful for my eternal family!  I think that is probably the biggest thing I have learned so far on my mission is the importance of eternal families and the blessings of the temple!  What an amazing gift we have been given! Okay so I sent some letters off today but Ii am not done yet.  So if you have written me Ii promise you will get a letter soon.  I love you all so much and I hope that you have a great week!  Stay strong!


Love, Katee