Querida Familia y amigos, I received a call from the mission office last Thursday that Chris was called to serve in the Guatemala Quetzaltenango mission and I told the person that called me: "I am the happiest person in the world!" I really think that I am. I instantly knew what mission it was because I happen to have a friend from the MTC who is serving there right now. She will be gone by the time Chris gets there though. Honduras, not too shabby of a guess, eh? I was really feeling Central America. Yes! Also, about half of our branch here is Guatemalan so I have talked with a lot of them about Chris' mission call. They are all so happy even though they're from other parts of Guatemala. They told me that Quetzaltenango is cooler than other parts of Guatemala (in a good way, not like Minnesota cool) because it is more mountainous over there. They also told me that almost all of the missionaries there learn a dialect because the mission mostly covers indigenous areas. One member said that if learning another language is really hard for a missionary some don't ever end up serving Spanish, they just stay in one area and learn the dialect there and speak that dialect their whole mission and other missionaries learn Spanish and a dialect. Also there are a few different dialects. Pretty cool. I love Guatemalans!
My new companion, Hermana Peak, is great. She has a very strong testimony of the gospel and so much faith. Most missionaries are nervous and don't want to speak a lot when they first arrive but she loves sharing her testimony so she is always willing to open up and speak. She also has a lot of love for the people already and she was very prepared to be a missionary. I know that we will see great miracles together.This week has a been a whirlwind. I have never trained before and it can be a lot of work. I want so much for her to have a good experience and to start her mission on the right foot. It is the best thing that could have happened at this point in my mission because it keeps me on my toes and the duty helps me to be an even more diligent missionary who seeks the Spirit.
Things are great here. Being a missionary is the greatest thing. I love you all so much!
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Pura locura
Hermana Kinghorn in her first white shirt and tie (she was just trying it on to see if it would fit a new member who is about her size)
Hola Familia y Amigos,
I love you all so much! I'm sorry that this will be such a fast email but Hermana Rodrigues and I have to go to a transfer meeting. She is being transferred and is being white-washed into a new area and training and I am training too so we will be gone all day at the training meeting. Things are going well here.
Also, I am guessing that Chris is going to Honduras if it's out of the US and New Jersey if it's in the US... We'll see! Hermana Rodrigues' guess is Florida or New York for the US and New Zealand for out of the US. Love you all.
Hermana Kinghorn
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
La Expiación
Querida Familia y Amigos,
Hermana Rodrigues and I were able to give talks in sacrament meeting yesterday about the Atonement. We were nervous because it was the first time for both of us to give 20 minute talks in Spanish but everything turned out well. I learned a lot from my study of the Atonement. Mine was about how Christ had the attributes and qualification to bring to pass the Atonement. I learned about His humility and love even before he was ordained to be the Savior and His sense of duty and how that strengthened Him to live a perfect life. I love my Savior. I love the restored gospel and how the more we learn the more we realize we have yet to learn. We had a quiet little miracle last night. Hermana Probst and I contacted a lady that is the neighbor of one of our members a few months ago. We tried to organize a FHE with them and the members but it didn't work out. Then just a few weeks ago the lady mentioned to the member that she wants to learn more. The member couldn't remember her name, phone number or where she lived just that they always talked when they were waiting for their children to get off the bus. Her work schedule changed and she was no longer able to see the other lady until last night we went to the member's home and she told us that she had finally contacted her and that we'll see her this week at a Stake Relief Society activity.
Transfers are next week so I'll let you know on Tuesday what happens. I love you all so much. Have a fabulous week.
Hermana Kinghorn
Hermana Rodrigues and I were able to give talks in sacrament meeting yesterday about the Atonement. We were nervous because it was the first time for both of us to give 20 minute talks in Spanish but everything turned out well. I learned a lot from my study of the Atonement. Mine was about how Christ had the attributes and qualification to bring to pass the Atonement. I learned about His humility and love even before he was ordained to be the Savior and His sense of duty and how that strengthened Him to live a perfect life. I love my Savior. I love the restored gospel and how the more we learn the more we realize we have yet to learn. We had a quiet little miracle last night. Hermana Probst and I contacted a lady that is the neighbor of one of our members a few months ago. We tried to organize a FHE with them and the members but it didn't work out. Then just a few weeks ago the lady mentioned to the member that she wants to learn more. The member couldn't remember her name, phone number or where she lived just that they always talked when they were waiting for their children to get off the bus. Her work schedule changed and she was no longer able to see the other lady until last night we went to the member's home and she told us that she had finally contacted her and that we'll see her this week at a Stake Relief Society activity.
Transfers are next week so I'll let you know on Tuesday what happens. I love you all so much. Have a fabulous week.
Hermana Kinghorn
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Dios obra en maneras misteriosas
Querida Familia y Amigos,
Wednesday I went on an exchange in Enumclaw. There are great things going on there and they have a great area. It was nice to go back because it has been a long time since I served over there. (It was part of our area in Kent). They are trying to start a Spanish branch there!
On Friday we went to a baptism in Kent because we had an investigator and I had been asked to give the closing prayer. It was the husband in a part-member family who we had visited often while I was there but he was never interested. It was sweet to see how the atonement can change peoples hearts. They looked so happy. Also, it looked like our investigators weren't going to go because we couldn't get a hold of them. We had been waiting for them to arrive and were running late because they hadn't gotten there. Hermana Rodrigues and I went into a closet in the church and prayed that our investigators could go to the baptism. We called one of them who had committed to go and he said that he couldn't anymore. We still couldn't get a hold of the other one. Then right as we were about to leave to do something else he called and told us that he was on his way. It was a miracle and we know that he felt the Spirit in the baptism.
This week in my Book of Mormon reading I was able to read Mosiah 26 where Alma is concerned about the wickedness of many of the members of the church. He doesn't know what to do so he goes to the Lord in prayer. I love the way the Lord speaks to him and gives him specific answers to His questions. I know that we can also communicate with the Lord through prayer.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Wednesday I went on an exchange in Enumclaw. There are great things going on there and they have a great area. It was nice to go back because it has been a long time since I served over there. (It was part of our area in Kent). They are trying to start a Spanish branch there!
On Friday we went to a baptism in Kent because we had an investigator and I had been asked to give the closing prayer. It was the husband in a part-member family who we had visited often while I was there but he was never interested. It was sweet to see how the atonement can change peoples hearts. They looked so happy. Also, it looked like our investigators weren't going to go because we couldn't get a hold of them. We had been waiting for them to arrive and were running late because they hadn't gotten there. Hermana Rodrigues and I went into a closet in the church and prayed that our investigators could go to the baptism. We called one of them who had committed to go and he said that he couldn't anymore. We still couldn't get a hold of the other one. Then right as we were about to leave to do something else he called and told us that he was on his way. It was a miracle and we know that he felt the Spirit in the baptism.
This week in my Book of Mormon reading I was able to read Mosiah 26 where Alma is concerned about the wickedness of many of the members of the church. He doesn't know what to do so he goes to the Lord in prayer. I love the way the Lord speaks to him and gives him specific answers to His questions. I know that we can also communicate with the Lord through prayer.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Monday, March 28, 2011
Por medio de cosas pequeñas y sencillas se realizan grandes cosas
Relief Society activity
Querida Familia y amigo,
This was a great week! We were able to go to Issaquah on Tuesday to get our car fixed. It is very beautiful over there and it was a nice drive. Then on Tuesday night we had a lesson with a recent convert and his wife who is our investigator. We had invited her to pray about the message to know if it is true and when we talked to her she said that she finally had started to pray with a sincere heart, but that she did not yet want to be baptized. Then as we began teaching the lesson which was the second half of the plan of salvation it came to me that she needed to read The Book of Mormon and that it would help her testimony because she was doing basically everything else. My companion was teaching about the Spirit World and a scripture that I happened to have studied just last week came into my mind from 2 Nephi 29:11 about how we will be judged from the scriptures and that is one of the reasons that God has given us scriptures. It was my turn to teach about judgment and it was the perfect scripture. She really understood it and the importance of reading the Book of Mormon to know if it is true. I am grateful that God helped me to recognize that impression even though it was something small. At church on Sunday the gospel principles lesson was about the scriptures and she shared a comment about how important it is to read the scriptures so that we can be prepared for the second coming. She has really come a long way since her husbands baptism last year when she didn't have any interest in the church and now she goes every Sunday. She even participated in the program for the Relief Society anniversary dinner. She played the part of one of the former presidents of the Relief Society. We really love this family.
I read Mosiah 2-5 this week and I love those chapters. I hope all if going well for you.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Monday, March 21, 2011
Otra semana
Querida Familia y amigos,
Last week was transfers and Hermana Rodrigues and I both stayed here in the area.
We had branch conference on Sunday. The stake presidency came and talked about living our lives more openly so that we can have missionary opportunities. They talked about the importance of inviting other people into our lives and our homes and of being genuine friends. I was able to interpret the second hour for the two members of the stake presidency. We watched a video that went along with the 2011 mutual theme: We Believe. It was about these young men who went from just one active young man and how he invited a friend who invited a friend who invited a friend and now they have 26 active young men in their ward. If you can find the video on the internet I highly recommend it.
Things have been going well. Not much new has happened this week.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Last week was transfers and Hermana Rodrigues and I both stayed here in the area.
We had branch conference on Sunday. The stake presidency came and talked about living our lives more openly so that we can have missionary opportunities. They talked about the importance of inviting other people into our lives and our homes and of being genuine friends. I was able to interpret the second hour for the two members of the stake presidency. We watched a video that went along with the 2011 mutual theme: We Believe. It was about these young men who went from just one active young man and how he invited a friend who invited a friend who invited a friend and now they have 26 active young men in their ward. If you can find the video on the internet I highly recommend it.
Things have been going well. Not much new has happened this week.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Milagros en cada ricon
Querida familia y amigos,
This week we had an incredible lesson with our investigator and invited him to be baptized. We plan to meet with him again this week to help him. On Friday we had a lesson with him and when we showed up he said that he had invited his friend (great!). By the time we went to get his friend and go to the church for the lesson there wasn't much time left so we just went to the Samoan ward's activity that they invited us to. It was so fun and I know that they enjoyed it. I think it was there first time doing something in the Polynesian culture.
This week we went to go find a less-active member that we met on the street last week. We knocked on the door of her house but no one was home. I realized that my first week in the area I had knocked the door across the street and they told us that someone that wasn't home at the time might have interest. We had never gone back so we decided to knock the door this week. When we knocked the door, Margarita answered and told us that she had learned from the Mormon missionaries in Oaxaca, Mexico for a year and went to church but never wanted to be baptized. After a year she finally decided to be baptized and then found out right afterward that she was coming to the United States and was never baptized. We have a lesson with her tonight. What a hope-promoting experience. I imagine that the missionaries were so sad when she left for the US but now we are receiving the blessings of their work. Truly, no effort is wasted as missionaries!
I am amazed at the love that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for every missionary (and for every one of their children) and for the small ways that they manifest that love daily.
Love,
Hermana Kinghorn
This week we had an incredible lesson with our investigator and invited him to be baptized. We plan to meet with him again this week to help him. On Friday we had a lesson with him and when we showed up he said that he had invited his friend (great!). By the time we went to get his friend and go to the church for the lesson there wasn't much time left so we just went to the Samoan ward's activity that they invited us to. It was so fun and I know that they enjoyed it. I think it was there first time doing something in the Polynesian culture.
This week we went to go find a less-active member that we met on the street last week. We knocked on the door of her house but no one was home. I realized that my first week in the area I had knocked the door across the street and they told us that someone that wasn't home at the time might have interest. We had never gone back so we decided to knock the door this week. When we knocked the door, Margarita answered and told us that she had learned from the Mormon missionaries in Oaxaca, Mexico for a year and went to church but never wanted to be baptized. After a year she finally decided to be baptized and then found out right afterward that she was coming to the United States and was never baptized. We have a lesson with her tonight. What a hope-promoting experience. I imagine that the missionaries were so sad when she left for the US but now we are receiving the blessings of their work. Truly, no effort is wasted as missionaries!
I am amazed at the love that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for every missionary (and for every one of their children) and for the small ways that they manifest that love daily.
Love,
Hermana Kinghorn
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Dientes
Querida Familia y amigos,
This week we met A nice couple. She met with the missionaries three years ago in Sacramento, California but was never baptized. She did, however, seem to have a very good relationship with them and went to the farewell for one of the elders when he went home from his mission. The interesting thing is that her husband doesn't believe in God. He feels like he hasn't received any blessings and that he hasn't noticed any difference in his life when he has prayed and when he hasn't. But he does have a sincere heart and my companion Hermana Rodrigues shared one of the most powerful experiences and testimonies that I have heard in my entire mission. After that he basically committed himself to read The Book of Mormon and pray about it. It was a good experience.
I loved the Book of Mormon reading this week. I love 2 Nephi 25 and all of the prophecies about Jesus Christ. Verse 20 talks about how there is no other name whereby man can be saved. I know that is true that only through Christ can we be saved.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
This week we met A nice couple. She met with the missionaries three years ago in Sacramento, California but was never baptized. She did, however, seem to have a very good relationship with them and went to the farewell for one of the elders when he went home from his mission. The interesting thing is that her husband doesn't believe in God. He feels like he hasn't received any blessings and that he hasn't noticed any difference in his life when he has prayed and when he hasn't. But he does have a sincere heart and my companion Hermana Rodrigues shared one of the most powerful experiences and testimonies that I have heard in my entire mission. After that he basically committed himself to read The Book of Mormon and pray about it. It was a good experience.
I loved the Book of Mormon reading this week. I love 2 Nephi 25 and all of the prophecies about Jesus Christ. Verse 20 talks about how there is no other name whereby man can be saved. I know that is true that only through Christ can we be saved.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Monday, February 28, 2011
Siempre se fiel
Querida Familia,
A few weeks ago I received someting in the mail that the mission office had forwarded to me. Because it was pretty heavy the postal service was going to charge me an exta seven dollars for forwarding it to me; however, there was a note attached to it that read: "Dear Sister Kinghorn, No worries about the postage due, I've paid for it. Thanks for serving the Lord. Your Mail Carrier." Isn't that sweet? I'm pretty sure our mail carrier is a member.
This week we visited someone who has a terminal auto-immune disease. She had a flare-up and was admitted to the hospital a few weeks ago. It was sad to see her there looking so week when we're the same age but it felt really good to be there to encourage her. I was reminded of the frailty of our bodies but the divine nature and strength of our spirits to overcome the trials of life. In the lesson with her I felt very strongly (almost more strongly than ever before in my mission) the love that Heavenly Father has for her as His daughter and I was able to share that with her.
The importance of following the promptings of the Spirit was confirmed to me this week. As we were praying to leave that morning I felt that we should change the audio version of a General Conference talk that we were going to share with an investigator that day. Then when we arrived I second-guessed myself because the original talk was about parenting and I knew she was having some concerns with her sons. She watched it and liked it alright, but when we were leaving she said the closing prayer and mentioned specifically how she was feeling bad about not being able to see her father before he died. The other talk I had felt impressed to give was President Monson's about the resurrection. I recommited myself to follow the promptings of the Spirit.
This week for my Book of Mormon reading the main thing that I want to share is from 2 Nephi 19-20 when it says that after all of the things His people were doing, His arms were still extended. I know that the Lord is always there with open arms waiting for us to repent. Just like Dad said a few weeks ago, if we draw near unto Him, He will draw near unto us.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
A few weeks ago I received someting in the mail that the mission office had forwarded to me. Because it was pretty heavy the postal service was going to charge me an exta seven dollars for forwarding it to me; however, there was a note attached to it that read: "Dear Sister Kinghorn, No worries about the postage due, I've paid for it. Thanks for serving the Lord. Your Mail Carrier." Isn't that sweet? I'm pretty sure our mail carrier is a member.
This week we visited someone who has a terminal auto-immune disease. She had a flare-up and was admitted to the hospital a few weeks ago. It was sad to see her there looking so week when we're the same age but it felt really good to be there to encourage her. I was reminded of the frailty of our bodies but the divine nature and strength of our spirits to overcome the trials of life. In the lesson with her I felt very strongly (almost more strongly than ever before in my mission) the love that Heavenly Father has for her as His daughter and I was able to share that with her.
The importance of following the promptings of the Spirit was confirmed to me this week. As we were praying to leave that morning I felt that we should change the audio version of a General Conference talk that we were going to share with an investigator that day. Then when we arrived I second-guessed myself because the original talk was about parenting and I knew she was having some concerns with her sons. She watched it and liked it alright, but when we were leaving she said the closing prayer and mentioned specifically how she was feeling bad about not being able to see her father before he died. The other talk I had felt impressed to give was President Monson's about the resurrection. I recommited myself to follow the promptings of the Spirit.
This week for my Book of Mormon reading the main thing that I want to share is from 2 Nephi 19-20 when it says that after all of the things His people were doing, His arms were still extended. I know that the Lord is always there with open arms waiting for us to repent. Just like Dad said a few weeks ago, if we draw near unto Him, He will draw near unto us.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Mas santidad dame
Querida Familia y amigos,
We had Zone Conference yesterday. The theme for this zone conference was holiness and becoming a more holy mission. There was a very strong Spirit present there. I was asked to give a talk about holiness. We all have to prepare a 5-minute talk but we never know who is going to give it until the moment he calls our name to come up to the podium. I was so thankful to learn more about holiness from the Bible Dictionary in preparation for my talk. My study taught me that I can become more Christlike so that those I teach can have more blessings in their lives because they are better able to know their Savior from my example.
This week on Tuesday we received a call from the zone leaders in the morning telling us that they had prayed and received a strong impression that of all of the areas in the zone, ours was one that had someone that would accept the invitation to be baptized that day. We were a little nervous because we didn't have any set appointments but we took it with faith and got to work. Then a few hours later we received a voicemail from the assistant who told us that President Larkin had asked him to pray and then to call two areas in the mission that he felt impressed had someone in their area who could be invited to be baptized that day. Hermana Rodrigues was confused because she thought that we had already deleted that message then we realized that it was another message. We called the zone leaders and they said that the calls were completely unrelated and they were so excited that they had independently received impressions of the same thing that the assistance received. So then we really got down to work and that night we went to a family and even though they had been having some doubts they accepted the invitation to prepare to be baptized. It was an amazing miracle!
I am reading The Book of Mormon this time looking for the different ways that the names of Christ are used throughout. I am impressed at how much I am marking references to Christ in The Book of Mormon. Almost every single verse makes mention of Him.
I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and the eternal perspective that it gives us so that, as it says in 1 Nephi1:5-7, we can arrive at our promised land and know without a doubt that we were brought there by the hand of God.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
We had Zone Conference yesterday. The theme for this zone conference was holiness and becoming a more holy mission. There was a very strong Spirit present there. I was asked to give a talk about holiness. We all have to prepare a 5-minute talk but we never know who is going to give it until the moment he calls our name to come up to the podium. I was so thankful to learn more about holiness from the Bible Dictionary in preparation for my talk. My study taught me that I can become more Christlike so that those I teach can have more blessings in their lives because they are better able to know their Savior from my example.
This week on Tuesday we received a call from the zone leaders in the morning telling us that they had prayed and received a strong impression that of all of the areas in the zone, ours was one that had someone that would accept the invitation to be baptized that day. We were a little nervous because we didn't have any set appointments but we took it with faith and got to work. Then a few hours later we received a voicemail from the assistant who told us that President Larkin had asked him to pray and then to call two areas in the mission that he felt impressed had someone in their area who could be invited to be baptized that day. Hermana Rodrigues was confused because she thought that we had already deleted that message then we realized that it was another message. We called the zone leaders and they said that the calls were completely unrelated and they were so excited that they had independently received impressions of the same thing that the assistance received. So then we really got down to work and that night we went to a family and even though they had been having some doubts they accepted the invitation to prepare to be baptized. It was an amazing miracle!
I am reading The Book of Mormon this time looking for the different ways that the names of Christ are used throughout. I am impressed at how much I am marking references to Christ in The Book of Mormon. Almost every single verse makes mention of Him.
I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and the eternal perspective that it gives us so that, as it says in 1 Nephi1:5-7, we can arrive at our promised land and know without a doubt that we were brought there by the hand of God.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
"Y los hemos instruido en sus calles..."
Querida Familia y amigos,
It has been a long week. We decided to focus our efforts on "finding" this week and we were out all day long some days just talking to people in the street. Within five minutes our first day of really making the effort to talk to 80 people in a day, we talked to Cuauhtemoc (Aztec name) and had a lesson with him in the street. He told us that he had been to a lot of churches looking for the truth. He said that a lot of people say that whatever is said about God is good but that he had to believe that since the ideas were often contradictory that some of them had to be right and others wrong. He was also disappointed because he felt like everyone interpreted the Bible in a different way. We committed him to read the restoration pamphlet that we had and to pray about the message. The Spirit was very strong and we have a lesson with him tomorrow.
Then yesterday after talking to a few people who did not speak Spanish we talked to our first Spanish-speaker, Francisco, who is from Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. He said that seven years ago the missionaries in Mexico taught his sister and that he had a friend who was a member who always talked to him about the gospel. He said he had never read The Book of Mormon before so we had a lesson with him right there at the bus stop and left him with a copy of The Book of Mormon to read. His bus came by twice in the time that we were talking but he didn't even flinch to try to get on because the Spirit was so strongly present. He asked why Jesus was baptized at 29/30 and alsmost all churches baptize younger than that. It was a fair question and I can say that no one had every really asked me that but I am so thankful for the Spirit that guided us to scriptures in the Book of Mormon to answer his question. I love being a missionary. I know the message is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior. I love you all!
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
It has been a long week. We decided to focus our efforts on "finding" this week and we were out all day long some days just talking to people in the street. Within five minutes our first day of really making the effort to talk to 80 people in a day, we talked to Cuauhtemoc (Aztec name) and had a lesson with him in the street. He told us that he had been to a lot of churches looking for the truth. He said that a lot of people say that whatever is said about God is good but that he had to believe that since the ideas were often contradictory that some of them had to be right and others wrong. He was also disappointed because he felt like everyone interpreted the Bible in a different way. We committed him to read the restoration pamphlet that we had and to pray about the message. The Spirit was very strong and we have a lesson with him tomorrow.
Then yesterday after talking to a few people who did not speak Spanish we talked to our first Spanish-speaker, Francisco, who is from Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. He said that seven years ago the missionaries in Mexico taught his sister and that he had a friend who was a member who always talked to him about the gospel. He said he had never read The Book of Mormon before so we had a lesson with him right there at the bus stop and left him with a copy of The Book of Mormon to read. His bus came by twice in the time that we were talking but he didn't even flinch to try to get on because the Spirit was so strongly present. He asked why Jesus was baptized at 29/30 and alsmost all churches baptize younger than that. It was a fair question and I can say that no one had every really asked me that but I am so thankful for the Spirit that guided us to scriptures in the Book of Mormon to answer his question. I love being a missionary. I know the message is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior. I love you all!
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Monday, February 7, 2011
El Evangelio
Querido Familia y amigos,
This was an amazing week. Two beautiful daughters of God were baptized on Saturday! I love my new companion, Hermana Rodrigues (the S is because she is Portuguese). This is basically her second transfer and she has a lot of enthusiasm for the work. She has such a good attitude and is willing to try new things and share her testimony and teach new principles. Sometimes an investigator will ask me a question that I know she can answer so I will turn to her and say, "What do you think, Hermana Rodrigues?" She says she panics a little bit when I turn to her but then she realizes that she can do a lot more things than she thought she could. Having a newer companion makes me stay on my toes to always be a good example. I am thankful to be her companion.
One Sister's baptism was perfect. Just the way she wanted it. Her husband's family came out of town from Idaho and Montana and she was baptized and confirmed by her brother-in-law. She was so happy to be confirmed a member of the Church and cried when she partook of the sacrament for the first time. I feel really privileged that I could be a part of her baptism.
For one baptismal interview we met with her and her mom just before to review the questions. She is so smart and has a testimony of all of the questions. We had taught her some hand signs for the ten commandments that she loved and was so disappointed that it wasn't a question in the baptismal interview so I told her to just show the elder that interviewed her that she knew all of the ten commandments even if he didn't ask her about them. She was very excited and did.
One of the recent converts baptized her and it was his first time. He did a great job. On Sunday we taught Janeth's primary class. They are all the girls between the age of 8 and 12 but most of them were baptized within the last six months. As we were talking about the childhood of Jesus Christ she raised her hand in the lesson and out of nowhere said, "Yesterday I felt like I was floating." I thought she was referring to the fact that she had to be baptized four times because she wasn't completely immersed and the words were just a little off so I said, "Is that from being baptized so many times?" She said, "No. It was after I was baptized. I was so happy I just felt like I was floating." She is so cute. Then all of the other girls wanted to talk about how they felt when they were baptized and they just all started talking about how they feel the Holy Ghost in their lives.
I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. My testimony of Him grows every day.
I love you all very much.
Hermana Kinghorn
This was an amazing week. Two beautiful daughters of God were baptized on Saturday! I love my new companion, Hermana Rodrigues (the S is because she is Portuguese). This is basically her second transfer and she has a lot of enthusiasm for the work. She has such a good attitude and is willing to try new things and share her testimony and teach new principles. Sometimes an investigator will ask me a question that I know she can answer so I will turn to her and say, "What do you think, Hermana Rodrigues?" She says she panics a little bit when I turn to her but then she realizes that she can do a lot more things than she thought she could. Having a newer companion makes me stay on my toes to always be a good example. I am thankful to be her companion.
One Sister's baptism was perfect. Just the way she wanted it. Her husband's family came out of town from Idaho and Montana and she was baptized and confirmed by her brother-in-law. She was so happy to be confirmed a member of the Church and cried when she partook of the sacrament for the first time. I feel really privileged that I could be a part of her baptism.
For one baptismal interview we met with her and her mom just before to review the questions. She is so smart and has a testimony of all of the questions. We had taught her some hand signs for the ten commandments that she loved and was so disappointed that it wasn't a question in the baptismal interview so I told her to just show the elder that interviewed her that she knew all of the ten commandments even if he didn't ask her about them. She was very excited and did.
One of the recent converts baptized her and it was his first time. He did a great job. On Sunday we taught Janeth's primary class. They are all the girls between the age of 8 and 12 but most of them were baptized within the last six months. As we were talking about the childhood of Jesus Christ she raised her hand in the lesson and out of nowhere said, "Yesterday I felt like I was floating." I thought she was referring to the fact that she had to be baptized four times because she wasn't completely immersed and the words were just a little off so I said, "Is that from being baptized so many times?" She said, "No. It was after I was baptized. I was so happy I just felt like I was floating." She is so cute. Then all of the other girls wanted to talk about how they felt when they were baptized and they just all started talking about how they feel the Holy Ghost in their lives.
I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. My testimony of Him grows every day.
I love you all very much.
Hermana Kinghorn
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
La hermana Probst nos ha dejado january 25
Hermana Kinghorn and Rodrigues at Alki Beach
Querida Familia y amigos,
After seven transfers here, my companion was finally transferred today. She will be in Kent with Hermana Fillmore while I am here with Hermana Rodrigues who was with Hermana Fillmore. Hermana Rodrigues is from California and went to BYU-Idaho before her mission. This is her secondish transfer and I am really excited to work with her. Last week was very busy and this upcoming one looks like it will be as well.
We have three baptisms planned for Saturday with three amazing women.
A few weeks ago Hermana Probst and I were riding on the bus coming home from South Park. There was a young Hispanic man sitting across from us who was leaned over and sleeping but shortly after we got on he woke up and we started talking to him right away. He was half Mexican and half Irish so he spoke English and Spanish. He said that he didn't know much about our church and that he had been going with his family to a Christian church and that they had all been baptized but that he wasn't yet sure if he wanted to be. So of course we started talking with him about the restoration and The Book of Mormon. His stop came up but we just got off with him and we were teaching him as we were walking toward his apartment. He committed to read The Book of Mormon (Enos 1) and to a church tour that Thursday. Then we could never really get a hold of him again. Then last week in district meeting the English elders in his area were telling us about this man they knew named Israel and we asked them if it was the same person... and it was! It turns out that the elders had contacted him before we met him on the bus (although he must not have realized at first that we were from the same church) and had a good talk with him on the street. Then he went out of town and they couldn't contact him. Apparently we met him right after he got back from out of town. When they contacted him again he told them that he had met us and had been reading The Book of Mormon. Pretty great! You never know the influence that you will have with other people.
Yesterday Hermana Probst and I were out contacting when all of the students were getting dropped off from the high school bus. So we decided to contact them. We were able to teach a group of four of them who are all recent immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries about the Book of Mormon and to commit them all to read it! We will be back on Thursday to see how it goes.
I love you all very much. Have a fabulous week!
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Muchisimo Amor
Querida Familia y amigos,
This was an amazing week for us. We invited three people to be baptized and they all accepted! The next lesson we had after we invited one Sister to be baptized she already picked out who she wanted to give talks, her hymns, a special musical number, and her witnesses. She said she researched on the internet how to plan an LDS baptism because she was so excited. On Friday they went on a double-date with another couple in the ward. She reads what we leave her and even more. She said that she feels like her testimony is really growing. We are very excited for her baptism!
The nine-year-old from Chiuhuahua is so cute. She hasn't been enrolled in school yet because they have to get some records sent over from Mexico so she has plenty of time to read the scriptures. She is so excited to be baptized!
Last week the English elders tracted into a 14-year-old named Jose who told them that they could send Spanish missionaries back because he thought his family would be willing to listen to our message. Often when this happens and we arrive the parents are upset that their child told someone to come back. We stopped by one day and were able to talk to Jose who was very charming. Then on Sunday we were able to meet the entire family. The mother looked a little confused when she answered the door but when I asked her if we could share a message with her family she invited us right in. In talking with the family they told us that they were raised Catholic but that they don't have strong ties to any certain religion. The mother just a week ago had what seemed to me to be an anxiety attack for the first time in her life just last week and she is very open to listening because she said that it startled her. They both said that they had never heard of our church but then as we started to teach the first lesson we asked if they had heard of The Book of Mormon and the dad said that he had and that he even had a copy and had read a lot of it. It turns out that years ago when they first arrived here in the United States and he had come up here to work while his wife was still in California that his bosses were Americans and members of the Church and had given him a copy of The Book of Mormon. He had never met with missionaries or anything so he didn't know that we were from that church. They said that before they went to a Christian church but they had a bad experience there and stopped going but that they are open to go to another one. I just can't help but think about the bosses of the dad who probably will never know that one of their employees from years ago would come in contact with the missionaries and accept the invitation to learn more. I am thankful for their missionary-mindedness and I hope that all of us have the courage to be missionaries and the faith to believe that we can participate in God's work to prepare the hearts of His children to receive the gospel.
I love you all very much!
Hermana Kinghorn
This was an amazing week for us. We invited three people to be baptized and they all accepted! The next lesson we had after we invited one Sister to be baptized she already picked out who she wanted to give talks, her hymns, a special musical number, and her witnesses. She said she researched on the internet how to plan an LDS baptism because she was so excited. On Friday they went on a double-date with another couple in the ward. She reads what we leave her and even more. She said that she feels like her testimony is really growing. We are very excited for her baptism!
The nine-year-old from Chiuhuahua is so cute. She hasn't been enrolled in school yet because they have to get some records sent over from Mexico so she has plenty of time to read the scriptures. She is so excited to be baptized!
Last week the English elders tracted into a 14-year-old named Jose who told them that they could send Spanish missionaries back because he thought his family would be willing to listen to our message. Often when this happens and we arrive the parents are upset that their child told someone to come back. We stopped by one day and were able to talk to Jose who was very charming. Then on Sunday we were able to meet the entire family. The mother looked a little confused when she answered the door but when I asked her if we could share a message with her family she invited us right in. In talking with the family they told us that they were raised Catholic but that they don't have strong ties to any certain religion. The mother just a week ago had what seemed to me to be an anxiety attack for the first time in her life just last week and she is very open to listening because she said that it startled her. They both said that they had never heard of our church but then as we started to teach the first lesson we asked if they had heard of The Book of Mormon and the dad said that he had and that he even had a copy and had read a lot of it. It turns out that years ago when they first arrived here in the United States and he had come up here to work while his wife was still in California that his bosses were Americans and members of the Church and had given him a copy of The Book of Mormon. He had never met with missionaries or anything so he didn't know that we were from that church. They said that before they went to a Christian church but they had a bad experience there and stopped going but that they are open to go to another one. I just can't help but think about the bosses of the dad who probably will never know that one of their employees from years ago would come in contact with the missionaries and accept the invitation to learn more. I am thankful for their missionary-mindedness and I hope that all of us have the courage to be missionaries and the faith to believe that we can participate in God's work to prepare the hearts of His children to receive the gospel.
I love you all very much!
Hermana Kinghorn
Monday, January 10, 2011
El día de milagros
Querida Familia y amigos,
What a great week! We had our first lesson with the English investigator who wanted to be taught by sisters. She is a very special person and she has been prepared over many years to accept the restored gospel. Growing up her best friend was a Latter-day Saint. She went to primary and young women a few times a long with some church dances. She has always believed in Jesus Christ and had a strong faith in Him. In college she took a class on world religions that caused her to think about her beliefs. She said it was then that she realized that she didn't know if she really believed in Jesus Christ or if it was just all that she had been taught so she prayed to know if Jesus was the Son of God. She describes that she felt an overwhelming and powerful feeling of peace wash over her and in that moment she knew that it was true. Then ten years later she ended up marrying a very less-active member of the Church; however, his sisters are very active members. Just a few months ago in the car home from visiting them in Idaho she said that she prayed to ask God if this message was true and if it was what she should do in her life and that there in the car she received an answer to that silent prayer in the exact same way she had now more than fifteen years ago. She is very prepared. We left her three chapters to read in the Book of Mormon as homework and she complained that it was not enough so we gave her the pamphlet and the testimonies at the beginning. The next day she called us and asked us to come over to meet one of her friends. When we got there she said she had already read "everything" that we had left her and wanted us to quiz her on it while her friend was there. Then she said nevermind she would just tell us everything that she learned. She recounted us one of the most beautiful and well-understood versions of the restoration that I had ever heard. It really is a privilege to teach her.
This week we were looking for a referral and knocked on the wrong door. At first I started speaking with the lady at the door in Spanish but then realized that she didn't speak Spanish and told her in English that we were just looking for a Spanish-Speaking family. She said, "No Español!" with an American accent and slammed the door in our face. Hermana Probst and I had to hold in our laughter until we got outside. For some reason quite a few people hear me speaking in Spanish and then when I start speaking in English to them I think in their minds they feel like I am speaking Spanish so they say they can't understand me. It was funny.
A man of a non-Christian religion this week stopped us and started using logic to try to convince us basically that we were wrong to believe in Jesus Christ. The only problem is that he did not account for the fact that he was talking to two Latter-day Saint missionaries. His points may have been powerful against some doctrines but they sounded so hollow against the beautiful restored doctrines of Jesus Christ.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
What a great week! We had our first lesson with the English investigator who wanted to be taught by sisters. She is a very special person and she has been prepared over many years to accept the restored gospel. Growing up her best friend was a Latter-day Saint. She went to primary and young women a few times a long with some church dances. She has always believed in Jesus Christ and had a strong faith in Him. In college she took a class on world religions that caused her to think about her beliefs. She said it was then that she realized that she didn't know if she really believed in Jesus Christ or if it was just all that she had been taught so she prayed to know if Jesus was the Son of God. She describes that she felt an overwhelming and powerful feeling of peace wash over her and in that moment she knew that it was true. Then ten years later she ended up marrying a very less-active member of the Church; however, his sisters are very active members. Just a few months ago in the car home from visiting them in Idaho she said that she prayed to ask God if this message was true and if it was what she should do in her life and that there in the car she received an answer to that silent prayer in the exact same way she had now more than fifteen years ago. She is very prepared. We left her three chapters to read in the Book of Mormon as homework and she complained that it was not enough so we gave her the pamphlet and the testimonies at the beginning. The next day she called us and asked us to come over to meet one of her friends. When we got there she said she had already read "everything" that we had left her and wanted us to quiz her on it while her friend was there. Then she said nevermind she would just tell us everything that she learned. She recounted us one of the most beautiful and well-understood versions of the restoration that I had ever heard. It really is a privilege to teach her.
This week we were looking for a referral and knocked on the wrong door. At first I started speaking with the lady at the door in Spanish but then realized that she didn't speak Spanish and told her in English that we were just looking for a Spanish-Speaking family. She said, "No Español!" with an American accent and slammed the door in our face. Hermana Probst and I had to hold in our laughter until we got outside. For some reason quite a few people hear me speaking in Spanish and then when I start speaking in English to them I think in their minds they feel like I am speaking Spanish so they say they can't understand me. It was funny.
A man of a non-Christian religion this week stopped us and started using logic to try to convince us basically that we were wrong to believe in Jesus Christ. The only problem is that he did not account for the fact that he was talking to two Latter-day Saint missionaries. His points may have been powerful against some doctrines but they sounded so hollow against the beautiful restored doctrines of Jesus Christ.
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Monday, January 3, 2011
Feliz Año!
Queries familia y amigos,
Today someone in the grocery store saw our nametags and that they were in Spanish and started to talk to us. He said, "De donde sois?" Which if you speak Spanish is this conjugation called vosotros that they only use in Spain and in the scriptures. It was strange because I can honestly say that no one has spoken to me in vosotros in my entire mission so I did not understand what he was saying until I realized that he was speaking to me in what to us is basically scripture language. We told him where we were from. He was obviously from Spain.
We didn't baptize anyone in December. But we never lost our faith. I feel like I am a one hundred times better missionary than I was before this huge trial of our faith. I am better at leaving behind commitments and at sharing my testimony. We spend less time in breaks and more time working. I am happier as a missionary in every way. 2011 will be a great year.
We had someone at church on Sunday! We ran around all Sunday morning trying to help our investigators to get to church and none of them were home or awake. We were sitting in the chapel waiting for sacrament meeting to start when another one of our investigators that we had talked to on Sunday walked in with her six children. Her parents and brothers are members that I knew when I served in Federal Way. She loves the church and had a good experience there.
Also, one of the recent convert families that we have been working with and having member lessons with has seen some amazing missionary success. We promised them that it would happen for them in 12 weeks and we had a family home evening at their house on Sunday where they invited the father's brother and sister-in-law (she is not a member) and another friend who is not a member. The husband of the non-member has just started going back to church because of his brother and he told us that he wants his wife to be baptized.
Have you read Elder Nelson's talk from the Priesthood session of General Conference? I love it! It is so perfect about member missionary work. My favorite part is his story about the Book of Mormon. I am going to respond the same way he did in the future when someone asks me a similar question. Let me know what you think about the talk! I hope you all had a very happy new year. Love you!
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Today someone in the grocery store saw our nametags and that they were in Spanish and started to talk to us. He said, "De donde sois?" Which if you speak Spanish is this conjugation called vosotros that they only use in Spain and in the scriptures. It was strange because I can honestly say that no one has spoken to me in vosotros in my entire mission so I did not understand what he was saying until I realized that he was speaking to me in what to us is basically scripture language. We told him where we were from. He was obviously from Spain.
We didn't baptize anyone in December. But we never lost our faith. I feel like I am a one hundred times better missionary than I was before this huge trial of our faith. I am better at leaving behind commitments and at sharing my testimony. We spend less time in breaks and more time working. I am happier as a missionary in every way. 2011 will be a great year.
We had someone at church on Sunday! We ran around all Sunday morning trying to help our investigators to get to church and none of them were home or awake. We were sitting in the chapel waiting for sacrament meeting to start when another one of our investigators that we had talked to on Sunday walked in with her six children. Her parents and brothers are members that I knew when I served in Federal Way. She loves the church and had a good experience there.
Also, one of the recent convert families that we have been working with and having member lessons with has seen some amazing missionary success. We promised them that it would happen for them in 12 weeks and we had a family home evening at their house on Sunday where they invited the father's brother and sister-in-law (she is not a member) and another friend who is not a member. The husband of the non-member has just started going back to church because of his brother and he told us that he wants his wife to be baptized.
Have you read Elder Nelson's talk from the Priesthood session of General Conference? I love it! It is so perfect about member missionary work. My favorite part is his story about the Book of Mormon. I am going to respond the same way he did in the future when someone asks me a similar question. Let me know what you think about the talk! I hope you all had a very happy new year. Love you!
Con amor,
Hermana Kinghorn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)