Two in One Week!!! What??!!

Okay so im in Mississippi... What!!!! this is so crazy. Yesterday we got off the plane and they were all waiting for us right outside the gate. We loaded up a trailer with all our luggage and then drove to the church just a couple miles from the airport. We had an amazing meal! We had homemade pasta and we were all saying how it could have been roadkill and we would have still thought it was amazing because we were so hungry, especially for homemade food. After we had a meeting just going over some of the mission rules. After we went back to the Mission house and it is sooo pretty!! We had some more food, the President did some interviews and we all got to know each other a little more. The president and his wife are amazing! They are the kindest people. That night all the elders stayed at the mission home and us sisters stayed at some members homes. We stayed with the Boone family and they were so kind. The houses out here are so pretty and i love all the trees. It is really humid but ill get use to it.

This morning we got to sleep in and we were so grateful after being up since three in the morning. We had breakfast and then met up with everyone else at the church down the road. So right now we are all emailing and separating luggage and finding out where we are all going. I am going to Texarkana and me and my companion are opening an area! Everyone who finds out who my trainer is keeps telling me she is amazing and so im soooo excited.Her name is Sister Brog! It is a six hour drive so ill be driving lots today. NAP time!!! I will send pictures later today! Love you lots. Thanks for all the love and emails!!  

Jackson- i loved! your letter. Me and my companion were laughing soo hard. I am glad you are having so much fun and are not being scared of girls lol i can't wait for you to be in high school and seminary. Make the best of it.

Harrison- im so sorry you didnt get to go cliff jumping. I would have been soooo annoyed too! Good luck with everything in Stuco and being the amazing person you are. Prepare as much as you can now for your mission. Start reading, studying preach my gospel. it will be a blessing to you! 

Mom- i love you! your emials are amazing and are just what i need to read. I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now and i can't really figure out why. But the plane rides weren't bad. thank goodness! it is weird being outside the MTC! lol 

Dad- your the best bishop ever. Keep up the good work and god will bless you. I love your email! and can't wait to see the video of you doing the ice challenge. 

Tess- PDays are the best! im gladd you are being prepared :) 

Love you all i have to go. 

Sister Kelly

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Okay! so travel day was crazy.

We split into travel vans (TVs) and then headed on our way. There were ten missionaries in my van. We drove two hours and then dropped off two people. Drove another hour and a half and dropped off two more people. Drove an hour dropped off two people. And then drove another hour, that was our last stop... in the vans. We all got out there, unload luggage and bikes and then reloaded them into me and my companions car. We loaded our luggage plus three other elders into our car. It was packed to the top! when we were done loading we went and got subway. By this time is was like 7:00. We drove another two hours (following another car of elders) and ended up in Texarkana. We stopped at walmart and bought a GPS so we could get around our new area. We had no idea where we were going. My companion had a GPS but it stopped working and she didnt want to buy one because she will be leaving soon. So logically i bought one, ill use it more. anyways, we got out of the car at walmart (after driving for two hours) and the back tire of my back had fallen off the bike rack. We don't know how long it was like that but it was barely off the ground and so nothing happened to it. MIRACLE!  After getting the GPS we drove to the nearby church where we met up with another car of elders. We unpacked our car of the elders things and then left for New Boston, Texas... another 40 minute drive. So we didnt get home till late last night. We drove up to our apartment complex and had no idea which one was ours. Sister Brog was going to get out and go find which one (our building has two floors and only one side with doors) a man came down the stairs and approached the car. He is a member of the ward and lives next door to us. He is married and two little girls. They had waited up for us and he was so kind to help us take our luggage up to our room. Their daughter also made us cookies. We already feel welcomed by the ward!

We didnt stay up late last night. We unpacked what we needed and then went to sleep. This morning we had studies and then unpacked! it was nice to be able to set everything up today. you know how i am haha our apartment has two rooms but with the rules our beds have to be in the same room. So one is our room and the other is our office. we each have a desk, it is really nice! The bathroom isn't very large and the washer and dryer are in the bathroom... apparently it is a southern thing.. kinda weird. lol but whatever. All the appliances are oldddd. haha but whatever works works right.

We went to walmart and bought some food and then she didnt email yesterday so we are today! two emails in one week. lucky you hahaha We are meeting the bishop tonight and are also teaching a BOM class. I guess they havent had success with people showing up so it will be interesting to see what happens tonight. There wasn't too much going on here. The elders that just left the area said they had a hard time finding people. So hopefully me and sister brog will have more success than they did. She is a really hard worker and is also really obedient so i think we will have a good time here!

I love you lots! and will try to send some pictures right now. (she needed a cord to send the pictures but has to buy one so we will have to wait until next week for pictures.  :(  )

Sister Erika Kelly

1 Week at the Provo MTC

Yay it's PDAY!!! okay, where to begin?? I have only been here a week but every day feels like a month! I have learned so much, it is amazing to see how far me and those in my district have come in such a short amount of time!

 
Well I was able to see Kaiden Thursday night and talk to him. I saw him a couple times but he left on Monday! Sunday all the sisters meet for Relief Society and Sister Eddington found me. It is so nice to see a face that I recognize sometimes. Sunday night we had a devotional and Mackenzie (or sister Bruggeman) found me in this huge crowd of missionaries. We got to talk a lot before the meeting and then got to take a picture afterwards. Soo kind of crazy I was in the cafeteria a couple days ago and the elder standing next to me looked really familiar. When I looked at him closer I realized it was Ryan Meservey! We were able to talk for a little bit. He has been her for 6 weeks and still has 3 weeks to go, I felt bad. Missionaries are so sick of the MTC by that time and I could tell he was ready to be done here.

Sister Bruggeman & Sister Kelly

Our district it awesome! We have all become really close and really do treat each other like brothers and sisters. Me, Sister Garner, and Sister Johnston all get along really well and teach really well. We have definitely been blessed.  We are all going to Mississippi except for Sister Johnston. She is going to Independence Missouri, visitors center. We have another district in our zone and guess where they are going... Las Vegas! So you have to look for them. I have a picture attached and I will get all of their names before we leave so you can look for them. They are all way awesome! Our Branch presidency is amazing as well. The second councilor introduced himself and said, "I would kill tigers for my wife." It was adorable! hahaha

Elders headed to the Las Vegas West Mission

MTC District

MTC Zone

Sister Kelly, Sister Garner, Sister Johnston

 

My time here has been so awesome. The only time I was really struggling was on Saturday morning. I just felt like this was going to be too much and I wasn't suppose to be here. But after personal study I was able to refocus and get past it. They really kick you into teaching as soon as you get here! So we have already been teaching two women. The first one is Cindy. Now Cindy isn't actually an investigator, she is actually our teacher but she is pretending to be an investigator that she taught while she was on a mission. So even though she isn't actually going to be baptized it is a good practice and we have really come to love Cindy as a real investigator. She has started praying and our last lesson we invited her to be baptized and she said yes! yes, it's not real, but still exciting we were able to get to a point of baptism. 

The second lady we are teaching, her name is Sarah Mae. So the MTC has workers who are either recent converts, inactive members, or non-members that we have the opportunity to teach. At first me and my companions thought that she was just playing a role and was actually a member but after the second lesson we found out she really isn't a member and it has been so fun teaching her. We were really struggling teaching her but she started eating lunch with us and our relationship with her has been growing. We actually taught her today and it was the best lesson ever. She has been having a hard time trusting God and so hasn't been praying. She was refusing to move forward. We found out she loves to sing and that when she is singing she feels like God is actually listening. Long story short we got her to commit to pray and today she finally did! AND she felt the spirit. Then we were talking about baptism, challenged her to baptism... she didn't say no or yes, but that she wants to know more. So we are really excited! 

Me and both my companions were called to be the Sister Training Leaders in our branch and so we were able to meet the new missionaries yesterday. They are all going to be amazing missionaries and I am so grateful for the chance I have to be able to help them with whatever they need. 

 

I loved all your letters!! Harrison i am so excited that your retreat went so well and can't wait to hear about how amazing your senior year will be. I am glad you are still rocking the pink phone case ;) it's like a part of me is with you hahaha  

Jman... You're going into hs... that is still hard for my brain to comprehend. But you are going to love it! you're way more confident then I was at that age. 

Mom!!! i love you lots and loved reading about all your adventures. I miss being home and hanging out with you. And YES i get to call home at the airport. I have already bought my calling card. We leave here at 4 in the morning so i am not sure what time i am going to be able to call but it will probably be around 6:30 your time. Can't wait to talk to you all!! 

Tess... i like you! and love you! you better say it back ;)

Dad! I am loving the MTC just like you did. It is such a spiritual place and i can't believe how much i have learned. 

I attached some photos! The big group is my zone. The small group is my district. The group holding up LV are all the Elders going to the Las Vegas Mission. Of course me and my comps. And then Sister Garners family each sent us a bag of candy.. so good!! The picture of the door is of the sisters that came in yesterday. haha we are crazy. I feel like i have left so much out but i love you all so much and know that our Heavenly Father loves you too!! I just want to leave with you all with a quote, "The Lord doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies those He calls." I know that is true. I know without Him and the Spirit there is no way I would be able to learn as much as I have in such a short time. I am so grateful for this work and that I get to be a part of it.

Love you all,

Sister Kelly 

Mmm, Sugar from the Garners

 

 

 

 

It's me!!!

Hey, things are going soo well. I am loving the MTC and i have only been here for a day. My companions name is Sister Garner and she will be going with me to Mississippi. Im actually in a trio because another sister in our district, her companion never showed up on Wednesday. Her name is sister Johnson. She is from Illinois and is going to Missouri. There are two other Elder companionships in our district and they are all awesome. 

 

Last night we were able to split into groups of about 50 and teach some investigators. It was the coolest experience and i am so excited to continue to learn and grow. I was surprised at how much i have already learned. The spirit is so strong here and it is the best environment to learn how to teach the true gospel of Christ. 

 

Quick stories because i dont have a ton of time... while i was walking up to enter the MTC with my host i ran in to Elder Demill (Idk if that is how you spell it) anyway got to talk to him for like two minutes. I still havent seen Kaiden though so that is kind of crazy. As for Sister Winkle (the one from Snow) i saw her today for the first time. We aren't in the same district which is weird but im still so excited to get to know her!! 

 

I met someone that knows Madi, another girl who was roommates with Mikaela Winterton and Mislan. And then this girl who knew a ton of people from snow.

 

We arent allowed to call each other "guys". We are suppose to call each others elders and sisters. One Sister on the MTC presidency said that the "guys" aren't in the MTC, they are all at home dating your girlfriends. It was pretty funny! 

 

I have to go and won't be able to write till next Thursday. So i love you all!!

 

Sister Kelly (still getting use to that)

 

sorry the letter is so crazy! 

 

Picture Day!