Las Angeles de Kent

Hermana Kinghorn and Hoskins holding their ceramic houses

Querida Familia and Friends,

We had zone conference last week and it was great. We were able to learn about the importance of baptism. We were also able to hear from President Moffat about how important it is that we have charity. Our mission is having a 40-day fast that starts next week and ends with the mission attending the temple together. We are doing this as an expression of faith that we will be able to find people to teach and baptize and to prepare our mission for our new mission president, President Larkin, who will arrive in July. We are excited to apply all that we learned.

Hermana Hoskins and I found a new investigator named M. two Sundays ago. We set up a return appointment for last Sunday, but when we arrived there wasn't a woman in the apartment and he was on his way somewhere. He seemed apathetic and since we have a very full teaching schedule we asked him if he was really interested and he said he was. We showed up yesterday and were teaching M. and his roommate C. outside when one of their roommates looked out of the window and said hello to us. We waved at him and he told us that he was going to come outside with us. When he came outside he brought two ceramic houses as gifts for us, called us angels and handed them to us. We thought this was strange and perhaps he was trying to flirt with us so we didn't know how to react. Then he told us that his name was E. he had read the Book of Mormon and he had one with him. He told us that he was a member of the Church but was lost. Apparently he was baptized in Honduras when he was 16 and was the only member of his family. He grew up and married and had children, and decided to move to the United States to work. At first he went to church in Florida, but their work is such that there is a large group of men who all live together in a group of apartments and they are moved around every few months by their boss depending on where there is work for them. As he moved around, he lost contact of the church and started to get involved in drinking and other activities with the men he lived with. He started crying because he told us that he had been looking for the church by asking everyone he knew if they knew there was prophet on the earth because he knew that if he could find someone that believed that, he would find the church. He told us that he had been trying to save money to go to Utah because he didn't know where else there was a church around here. He said he had been driving on the freeway and had seen something he thought was the angel Moroni but wasn't sure and we told him that he had driven past the Seattle Temple. He testified to his friend, M. of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon and told us he wanted to come back. What started as a strange situation made so much sense in the end. He told us we were his angels and that the elders who baptized him were angels and that he wanted us to keep the houses to show our grandchildren one day what we did for him.

We visited a member this week that we had visited my first day in the field. I had been wondering how much I was really improving in my Spanish or if I was improving at all, but I witnessed a miracle from Heavenly Father when we visited her and I was able to understand practically every word she spoke. It was almost as if she were speaking in English. I know that when we seek gifts with the intent of blessing the lives of others and we humble ourselves, God will pour out the gifts upon us and show us his hand in ways that we cannot imagine.

Estoy muy agradecida por la opportunidad de servir la gente de Kent. Cada día veo milagros en las vidas de ellos que leen El Libro de Mormon porque ellos pueden aprender de su salvador, Jesucristo. Yo sé que Jesucristo es el Hijo de Dios. Lean Mosiah 4:9-12 para aprender mas sobre como podemos recibir las bendecions de aplicar la Expiación de Jesuscristo en nuestras vidas diariamente. Los amo mucho. Cuidense.

Translation: I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Kent. Every day I see miracles in the lives of them who read the Book of Mormon because they can learn of their Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Read Mosiah 4:9-12 to learn more about how we can get benefits as we apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our daily lives. I love a lot. Cuidense.

Con amor,

Hermana Kinghorn

Saludades de Kent

Querida Familia,

How are you all doing?

About every week the Spanish-speaking sisters go on exchanges. This last Thursday I was able to serve with Hermana Beukers in Federal Way. Federal Way is right on the Puget Sound and is beautiful. Hermana Beukers was also really good about encouraging me to speak to people in Spanish even though the people we visited knew her better than me. We were able to talk to a lot of people and set up several return appointments for her and her companion Hermana Galarza.

Cultural Lesson of the week: "Agua" which means "water" in English doesn't always have the same connotation in Spanish. "Agua" pretty much means something that is mostly water. You can imagine my surprise when someone asked me if I wanted "agua" and what they handed me was not a clear liquid (but rather white or orange with some sort of fruit floating in it). "Agua natural" means the clear stuff we call "water".

On Tuesday we had a lesson with a new investigator named R.. He was the first lesson I've had with someone that I initially contacted. We first knocked on his door to deliver a DVD that his roommate ordered. The roommate wasn't home, but R. answered and we set up a return appointment with him. When we came back, there wasn't a woman in the apartment so he told us we could just have the appointment outside even though it was sprinkling. He is in his late twenties and was telling us that he first moved to the US because he wanted more money and he saw that material things were important, but he has since learned that material things aren't as important as he initially thought. He also told us that he used to want to go out and do wild things on the weekend but then he learned that those things were fun for a little while but that fun didn't last and now he prefers to read, listen to music, or practice cooking oysters for his job. We have another appointment with him on Tuesday.

The plan this week is to spend part of my time during our breaks to create lesson plans for a 6-week English as a Second Language program geared toward Spanish speakers that we can use as a weekly service project and a way to better get to know the local Spanish-speaking population. Three years ago I volunteered at an ESL program in Provo. I couldn't have seen it then, but it is amazing to see how the nine months I spent there prepared me to be of more use here.

One thing that I have come to appreciate more than ever before is how my testimony really is my greatest possession and I should do everything I can to protect it and improve it.

Los amo. Cuidense mucho.

Carino,

Hermana Kinghorn

We made homemade tortillas and they were delicious



Andrea's first day in Seattle with Sister Hoskins.

La primera semana en el campo

Querida Familia y Amigos,

Saludades from Kent, Washington. I am serving in the Kent Hispanic Branch in the Kent Stake. My trainer is Hermana Hoskins from Salt Lake (Rose Park), UT. She graduated from the University of Utah in Athletic Training and then decided to serve a mission. She is really great to have as a companion. She loves the people, is obedient, has an amazing gift in Spanish, and is patient with me.

How are you all doing?

Right now we have three investigators with a baptismal date in March. One of them is J. who is set to be baptized on March 20. I wasn't there when the Hermanas first contacted him, but they told me that they felt like they should give him a Book of Mormon. It was a very short conversation, but he showed up at church on Sunday (when they hadn't told him where it was) and by the time they first met with him, he had already read up to Alma in the Book of Mormon. When they talked about it in the lesson, he decided he didn't understand it enough so he started over and read more slowly. Hermana Hoskins and I have taught him about the Law of Chastity, and the Word of Wisdom. He is so willing to follow commandments and is a good example to me.

One of our investigators is named G.. He is very prepared for the message and loves going to church and reading the Book of Mormon. His wife is L. and they have a four-year-old daughter named M. who is very cute. G. works 4 hours away during the week and is with his family on the weekends so during the week we visit L. and teach her and M. doctrines like God is Our Loving Heavenly Father. It is important that L. is accepting of G.'s desires to join the church (and hopefully they will join together). We also sing primary songs with M.. She loves "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" and asks us to sing it every time we come over. It is amazing to see the power of primary songs in softening the heart of L..

I thought I wouldn't like tracting, but I actually love it. We don't have to do it very often because we get a lot of referrals from the elders in our zone who go tracting and run into families that speak Spanish. But when we do, it gives an opportunity to meet new people that might be interested in the message.

For our schedule every day we study until 11 am, proselyte until 2 pm, then instead of having a lunch and dinner break, we have one break from 2 to 4 pm where we eat and study. From 4 to 9 pm we proselyte again.

Yesterday during our break one of the members in our branch, Hermana Torres, taught us how to make flour tortillas from scratch. It's pretty easy and they taste really good. So far I've had carne molida, a lot of salsa, beans, and some sort of soup with corn (I can't remember it's name). The funny thing is that after we ate the soup, the investigator told me the reason there were bones in the meat was because I had just eaten a pig head. I was so glad that he told me that after I was done. :)

Spanish is coming along. I'd say I can probably understand 80-85% of what is going on. Although, often times the 15-20% I can't understand are differences that can be very important in what questions people are asking or concerns they are expressing. That is why I am so grateful to have Hermana Hoskins. Every day I am trying to say a little more in our lessons.

Yesterday I was studying about fasting to prepare to teach an investigator. I thought it was interesting to see the assocation of "fasting" with "joy" that is found so often in the scriptures. What do you think this means? How has fasting brought joy to you? I am still thinking about this.

Los amo mucho,

Hermana Kinghorn

"El campo blanco esta ya para la siega"

MTC Service day. Hermana Kinghorn and Rockwood received valentine socks.

This letter came a couple of weeks ago and I am just a little late in posting it.
Last week, February 23, Andrea called from the airport on her way to the
mission field sent a written letter that let me know that she arrived safely in
Seattle and that she loves her mission president and his wife, the Moffats.

Querida Familia,

It has been a bittersweet week. Five of the eight of us in our
district left for  South America on Monday morning. I'll admit
it, I cried when they left. I was  surprised at my reaction,
but after being with them all day for 9 weeks,  teaching with
them, eating with them, laughing with them, and testifying
with  them, it was hard to say goodbye. I know they will be
great missionaries. And  since they have dubbed me the "mom"
of the district, I am sure they will all  have the experience
of hearing at least once the voice of Hermana Kinghorn saying,
"Elder, that is probably not a good idea."

This week, the three of us that are left are going to have a
lot of  opportunities to practice teaching and evaluating
ourselves. We are also going  to speak Spanish with our
teachers for the whole day. Tomorrow we will host the  new
missionaries coming to the MTC.

The hermanas in my room and I have been having so much fun
during gym time  lately. I have discovered my inner basketball
player playing knock-out everyday.  We have even mastered
4-square. I will really miss the hermanas. They are so  great.

My time in the MTC is quickly coming to a close. It has also
been an amazing  spiritual experience that I wouldn't trade
for anything else. I remember shortly  before I came on my
mission I had the desire that I would learn lessons as a
missionary that would truly convert my heart and my character.
In the first two months, that has already been true.

I have been working on setting goals for my mission that are
based on faith. One  thing that has become more clear to me
recently is the need to set goals with  the help of the Lord
through prayer. When I receive a confirmation that the goal
I am setting is the will of God, then I can have the faith to
do everything  within my power to achieve the goal and I know
He will make up the rest. I am so excited to serve the people
of  Seattle...it is less than a week away!

Amor,

Hermana Kinghorn

Fwd: La semana antes de la semana final!

Querida Familia,

Things have been going well here in the MTC as our time

is winding down. Five of the elders leave on Monday and

the rest of us leave the next week. On Wednesday we have

a "Dia en el Campo" or "Day in the Field." Our teachers

scheduled appointments in the TE (Teaching Evaluation or

a center where missionaries can schedule appointments to

practice teaching teachers and receive feedback) for the

whole day. I will be teaching 11 times. All of our

teaching scenarios are based on real people that our

teachers taught on their missions. We have loved preparing

to teach based on real situations and we are excited and

nervous about tomorrow!

Another activity that we've been working on lately and

that we did the first few days here is watching "6 Billion

Others" videos online. If you haven't been there, I really

suggest visiting their website. Basically it is just

thousands (I think) of interviews of people from all over

the world. The interviewers ask all the people the same

questions and you're able to get a sense of who all of
these people are and how their life experiences shape them.

We have watched Josif, Penelope, and Bruno. After we watch

their video we talk about where the person is spiritually,

what more information you would want from them to better
teach them, and how the doctrines of the gospel could bless

them.

Lately my companions and I have been practicing sharing our

testimonies in Spanish. On Sunday we're allowed to walk up

to the temple and usually there are several hundred

missionaries up there. We usually find missionaries with

Spanish nametags and ask them if we can share our short

testimonies. I love testifying in Spanish because I have to

think about every word that I say and the way that I say it.

The only way for us to testify in Spanish is sincerely, and

that is beautiful.

The sisters that are going to serve English-speaking in

Seattle with me arrived here at the MTC last week. I was

a host sister, which means I greet the missionaries when

they arrive and take them around, and I was able to host

Sister Hughes (one of the Seattle-bound missionaries).

This means that when they leave in three weeks, I will be

flying with them!

Tengan cuidado. Dios vive. El los ama. Recureden que son

sus hijos. Hablen con El in oración cada dia y los seguirá.

(That was missing some accent marks above the E in "El").

Su amorosa hija y hermana,

Hermana Kinghorn

Fwd: Muchos besitos!

Querida Familia,

Our class made a commitment to finish reading El Libro
de Mormon by April 21.  That doesn't give me much time
and requires me to read a lot of Spanish everyday, but
the reading becomes easier and easier as I familiarize
myself with  the language. In fact, yesterday I finished
1 Nephi! 

I have been translating mom's conversion story into Spanish
with the tutor we  have here. I am only three sentences
away from finishing. It has been really  great language
training for me and I am excited to share portions of it
with  the people I teach.

Last week we had two new sisters arrive in our room named Hermanas
Rooney and  Drussel. My last companion left last Wednesday so
now I am companions with  Hermanas Neubert, Rockwood, and Tew.
All six of us have so much fun in our room.  They are great,
faithful hermanas that I love to be around. Hermanas Rooney and
Drussel like to exercise in the morning so we have been waking up
at 5:45 to go  to the exercise class they have for sisters in the
morning.  They teach pilates,  yoga, aerobics, and kickboxing.
The classes are so fun and are almost addictive.

:D  Something wonderful happened this morning: My companion and I
were talking in  Spanish and... something felt right! What I mean
by that is in the conversation  we had to conjugate an irregular
verb we paused for a second and then just  conjugated it because
it felt right. That is a good sign that we are learning  the
language and that we are hearing it enough that we don't have to
look up every verb in the dictionary.

I love studying the scriptures in Spanish. Comparing the different
connotations  that words have in Spanish with English has brought
a lot of insight into my gospel study. For example, the word for
"to hope" in Spanish is"esperar."  However, in Spanish it also
means "to wait" or "to expect." This has helped me  to better
understand what it means to hope for something; it is more than an
empty desire but waiting or expecting for God to fulfill His
promises because of our understanding of His character.

Con cariño,

Hermana Kinghorn