March 18, 2013

Hello family!

How is everyone doing? Everyone has grown so much from what it looks like in the pictures. Happy (late) 16th Birthday to Colten! Congratulations on the 100% on the driving test. I was telling everyone about that after I found out. A lot of the Elders here were super impressed. Also Happy (late) 8th birthday to Klarie!! I am so excited for you! You are now 1/2 the age of Colten. 

Colten with his new Boston t shirt for his birthday  from Karee

Klarie with her new Boston shirt for her 8th birthday!

 

There have been some really great experiences here on the mission already, but I have the highlight. ELDER M. RUSSELL BALLARD CAME TO VISIT THE MISSION AND I SHOOK HIS HAND! He is such a humble man! We had a mission conference and he, Elder Craig Christiansen of the seventy, and Elder Matthew Eyring all spoke to us. It was wonderful! (I will probably be sending a copy of my several pages of notes just to save time now and because it was just so great! So look forward to that update)

I think that the only way to explain this past week is STRESSFUL! Both physically, mentally and emotionally. We had the transitioning period where Hna. Hildenbrand was trying to get packed up to go home while trying to explain things to me so that I could be ready to fully take over, while still keeping fully scheduled days. I am pretty sure Hna. Hildenbrand went home looking like what Elder Craig Christensen would call a FABULOUS missionary/dead tired! If you know me, change is kind of hard and so saying goodbye to my companion was really hard emotionally. Plus add the stress of being a trainer and I was what some people would call an emotional wreck...  ok so I wasn't that bad, but there were a few things that would make me tear up. One was a lesson with Maria and Margarita. A mother and a daughter who we have been teaching new member lessons to. Hna. Hildenbrand has been working with them for a long time and she loves them so much and they love her. It was hard for Hna. Hildenbrand to be spending that last evening with them. We had decided before that I was going to have to talk quite a bit. I shared a scripture (Alma 34:8 I believe) and talked about how it had effected me and then started to tear up. After the lesson and after we had left the house, Hna. Hildenbrand and I both started crying. I hadn't really noticed how much we had both grown since becoming companions. It was a tender moment and I am so glad we got to share it together.

 

Karee with new companion Hermana Hileman on right and her old companion, H. Hildenbrand

 

Hermana Hildenbrand, Karee, and new companion, Hermana Hileman

goofy picture at zone conference

zone conference before transfers

Found this on the sidewalk. Honest I didn't do it

Karee and Hermana Hileman at the Boston Temple

Hermana Hildenbrand getting ready to go out in the bad weather to play some volleyball at the church

The other stressful part was actually taking over. I have a new companion, her name is Hna. Hileman. She is from Colorado, but has been living in Hawaii (yea sweet!) for the last three years. She is super excited to be out in the mission field and will for sure stretch me and keep me working hard. It is a little stressful because I am still trying to figure things out myself, but we will learn together. This week we are actually fortunate enough to have an extra more experienced sister to be with us to help us get things under control. Hna. Figuredo (I am not sure if that is spelled correctly) will be leaving to go home in a week and a half so she is going to be going around helping me and other sisters who are training early (There were four of us total that were training after 5 weeks, I am the only language trainer, but our mission president shared that he was assigned to be a trainer after just three weeks....so I have nothing to complain about.) Being a trainer doesn't make me any better or have any superiority I am just helping (trying) introduce different aspects of missionary work and teaching her how to apply them in what we do. Since I am still kind of new at it I will be learning too. 

Something that really touched me that Elder Ballard said was in the blessing he gave to all the missionaries and that was that our families would be blessed while we are serving. He also said that the twelve and the first presidency pray for us and our families every Thursday in temple. I knew that there are many prayers given by many around the world for the missionaries, the twelve and the first presidency are men called of God to serve and teach the people and have many responsibilities, yet they still take the time to remember the many young men and women who are serving as missionaries. Pretty neat. But think about our family. Soon there will be two of us serving (Calvin and I) but there is also Grandma and Grandpa in Sweden, Ben in Mexico and Lindsey in Japan!. How neat! I love the Gospel! I love serving! I love my family! And I know that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and all of His children.

Love always,

Hna. Brown