Message From the Editor

Again, my (Becky, Katherine's mom's) most sincere apologies for the extensive gaps in Katherine's email postings!! She has had a wonderful mission and is in her final week now. We will most likely post all of her back-emails in the near future. She has had a beautiful, miracle-filled mission. Thanks to everyone who has supported her!

12/14/11, Mayfield/Kirtland

Hi everyone,

I can hardly believe I'm going to see all of you next week--wow! Nothing has really sunk in, though, and things are going along mostly as normal here in Kirtland.

So, I was transferred to Mayfield. It is another Cleveland suburb, west of Kirtland and north of Solon. It's a great area! All city, lots of Jewish and black people, and only about 15 minutes from Kirtland. It feels a lot like Solon.

My companions are Sister Scott, from Joplin, Missouri, and Sister Denison, from South Jordan, Utah. They are both great, but it is weird being here and knowing I am leaving in just a few days. I'm trying to work as hard as I can, but I think triple-ups are just slow and cumbersome by nature. I feel a little bit like I'm trying to run, but I have weights attached to my ankles... Oh well, we have found one new person since I've been here, and I'm pretty excited about that! Her name is Latoya and we have a lesson scheduled with her on Friday.

Last week turned out to be a little traumatic with everyone else going home, but yesterday we had our sites training meeting, and it was a really great time to refocus on the work. Have any of you seen the Mormon message, "What shall I give?" They just produced it, and it is taken from President Monson's Christmas devotional talk. It is so lovely!

I've also been calling lots of Spanish referrals from sites--I feel frenzied to get them done before I leave! I'm sure Heavenly Father will help someone else learn how to talk to them, though. I just love Spanish people. Last night there were a few people from Solon at the VC, and I was talking to this one lady who just moved into the ward. I told her how I had been in the ward before they put in Spanish elders, and she said, "Oh yes! We have so many Spanish-speakers in this ward!" Which I loved hearing, because that means more are coming than when I was there! Heavenly Father really does have perfect plans for the missionary work in every area.

I've also been getting ready to sing at the temple this Sunday, and Sister Higbee (one of the senior sisters) has been coaching me a little bit at sites! I love it. :)

Well, I love all of you! I can't wait to see you next week!

Love,

Katherine

Solon/Kirtland, 6/15/11

Hello everyone!

 

I hope you're all enjoying summer vacation! It is STILL cold in Ohio (well, some days it's fine, but some days it's cloudy and cold), but everything is going great. We just have one week left in our transfer and I'm a little worried, because I've been in Solon forever but I don't want to leave! We'll just have to see.

 

A few highlights of this week:

 

--Nini and Nina. Did I tell you about them last week? They are best friends, both 15 years old, and they came to church on Sunday! The very first time that we invited them. They really enjoyed it! The ward did so well with them--the YW teachers completely redid their lesson plan on the spot, and ended up teaching the entire plan of salvation and gospel of Jesus Christ. That makes our job easier...

Then, the best part was last night, when we met Nina's family. They are so special. Nina lives with her mom, a sister, and two brothers--we just met her mom (Tracy) and her sister (Sheray) last night, and taught them the restoration. At the end of the lesson, Tracy said something like, "When Nina told me you were coming over here for a lesson tonight, I didn't think much about it, but now sitting here and listening to you, I've realized I've got a lot to think about." Then she told us that she had been confused for years, and that it was difficult to find a church that she felt comfortable with.

At one point during the lesson, we taught about the church Christ established when He was here on the earth, and then I asked Tracy to explain the difference between that church versus a church established by man. She understood so well, and talked about how even if people are well-intentioned, they can't duplicate the blessings that would be available to us through a church established by God. She said she wanted to be baptized! And so did Sheray. I love finding people like this.

 

-Community of Christ picnic. All the Kirtland sisters were invited to this Monday night. It was so interesting! Sis. Devenport and I sat with one of the Kirtland Temple guides and asked him all about his religion and his life as a temple guide (since they're basically our equivalent). Something I didn't realize was that since the 90's, the Community of Christ has been an ecumenical church--meaning that they do not claim to be the only true church, but rather one "tributary on the stream of Christianity."

 

-Frederika. She is an 89 year old lady from the Netherlands, and she wants to learn the gospel! She came to Kirtland on Friday with 3 other ladies from Hamlet Hills, the retirement center in Chagrin Falls where we have done a lot of service. While they were taking the tour, we said something about eternal families, and she said, "That's so interesting. How is it that you believe that? That's not common to Christianity." We then explained that it came as revelation to Joseph Smith, and she said, "Oh! I'd like to learn more about that," and then she checked the box on her comment card that said she'd like more information about the Church. She is such a cool lady--fluent in Dutch, English, French, and German, and used to work as a translator, translating philosophy books from English into Dutch! She also has a cool accent. We're having another lesson with her tonight!

 

Well, I love you all so much! I love reading your emails and hearing everything you've been up to. Keep writing me!

 

Love,

Katherine

 

P.S. The picture is of Sister Devenport and me on one of our car trips home from Kirtland (we always carpool with the Twinsburg sisters). On this particular one, we accidentally took a wrong turn, so then we got on the freeway to get home fast and correct it, but then we missed our freeway exit....We ended up taking over an hour to get home!

Solon/Kirtland, 6/8/11

Hi everyone!

 

It sounds like you're all doing well--thanks for your emails!

 

Michele was baptized on Sunday and it was wonderful! All of the residents from her Praderwilli's home came to support her! It was a double baptism with Nate, who just turned 8, so the relief society room was packed--some people had to stand out in the hall to watch!

 

I have been worrying a lot about her and if the ward would take care of her once she was baptized, but things have fallen into place. Sister Taylor, the relief society president, sent all the relief society sisters an announcement about Michele's baptism, and in it she included some information about Praderwilli's, so all of the sisters know what's going on. Also, when Michele came to church this past Sunday, she wanted to go up to the front and bear her testimony! She has no inhibitions about anything, apparently.

 

She started off something like this: "I don't know all of the proceedings of this church, or all the proceedings of the life of Joseph Smith, but I do know that it's all true." Then she talked about how much she loves the Book of Mormon, and how it can help her in any situation, and she said that this has brought light into her life. Then she said, "My family doesn't understand why I want to be baptized, but I know that my extended family here understands (here she was pointing toward the congregation), so I want to invite all of you to my baptism tonight."

 

I was so happy for her! She's been meeting with missionaries since 2007 and has had such a long road to travel. And we still have a lot of work to take care of her as a new member!  Anyway, the baptism was wonderful, but we had some funny moments because of all the young children/Praderwilli's patients in attendance. Michele has normal mental capacity (well, better than normal), but some of the other women in her home do not. During the talks on baptism and the Holy Ghost, Michele's friend Yvonne was quite vocal in answering questions that were actually directed to 8 yr. old Nate. And her answers were somewhat off-base, for example:

 

Sister Patterson: "Now, who is the Holy Ghost?"

Yvonne (from the back of room): "It's the devil!!!"

 

Well, enough of that. I've attached a few pictures:

 

Picture 1--Me, Michele, and Sister Devenport before her baptism

 

Picture 5--Sisters Devenport, Wattles, Lyman, Hatch and Edman (the site director's wife). We stay the night in Kirtland twice a week now, and this night, we were celebrating Sister Edman's birthday!

 

PIcture 6--Maple Heights--much nicer without snow :-)

 

Well, I love you all!

 

Love,

Katherine

Solon/Kirtland 6/1/11

Hi everyone!

 

Thanks for all of your emails! I love hearing from all of you. Good news: Demarco was baptized on Saturday! I'm sending you a picture (Picture 3). The man on the far left is Ben, who baptized him, and then it's Demarco, Sister Devenport, and then me.

 

The service went nicely, but none of Demarco's family came! The Rust family has taken him in, though, and brings him to church every week. They are such saints. I was thinking during his baptism about how much he will bring to the ward--he has grown since we first started teaching him, and I just know his comprehension will continue to grow. The Holy Ghost really does enhance increase our capacity to understand things!!

 

Now that he is baptized, we are focusing on Michele's baptism coming up this Sunday!  We met with her on Monday after her baptismal interview, and she was just laughing the whole time because she was so happy. She started meeting with missionaries in 2007, and she has had so many things to overcome before getting to this point, but it just goes to show that people really can overcome barriers and progress! Michele used to think she would never be able to come to church, or she would never get permission to be baptized, but everything has gradually just fallen into place.

 

Pictures 6 and 9 are from our Memorial Day dinner at Kirtland. Picture 9 is from a skit--they had some of us improvise Kirtland-inspired skits using props for post-dinner entertainment. My group did a Wizard of Oz version of the journey to Kirtland, and then this group is retelling the revelation of the Word of Wisdom in the school of the prophets, but with a superstar Joseph Smith (sunglasses removed for this picture). Can you see it? Well, it was all fun, anyway.

 

I love you all!

 

Love,

Katherine

Kirtland/Solon, 5/10/11

Hi everyone,

Sorry, I hardly have any time to email today, so I will just have to send out one email! It was so good to talk to all of you on Mother's Day. 

Mom, today we are going to the Italian section of Cleveland! It's called Little Italy. I will send you pictures!

This week has been wonderful. I will just send you 3 pictures and explain each of them:

1. This is Chente, our Mexican investigator. He doesn't speak any English! But somehow, we are teaching him. We have only had 2 lessons so far, but at the last one, we didn't have a member with us, so it really tested our Spanish skills! We ended up talking a lot about the Book of Mormon, and about the Virgin Mary. He had asked us some questions about her last time, so we read 1 Nephi 11 with him, and he loved it. I love hearing the Book of Mormon in Spanish--it gives me chills.

2. This is Sister Devenport, me, our investigator Michelle, and Sister Patterson, who has become a good friend for Michelle. She came to church for the second time in a row on Sunday! She is the sweetest lady in the world, and her baptism is coming up soon! She bears her testimony of the Book of Mormon to us every time we go over there--she always says that she feels better when she reads it, and she has just been eating it up. I think she's in Mosiah now?

3. This is me at pioneer school! It's that season again, as well as the season for giving more tours at sites-yay! We're starting to see more groups from Utah--people coming out for summer vacation. Lately, I've been trying to focus my tours more on the things that make Kirtland unique--well, not unique, but the main reasons Kirtland is important, like the revelations received here, the Kirtland temple, the stories of the people who were prepared here to accept the restored gospel, and the priesthood offices that were restored here in Kirtland. I love this time in church history, it is so hopeful and is all about restoration of everything! (You should all read up on our ancestor Edward Partridge, by the way--he was one of those people who was uniquely prepared to accept the gospel.)

I love you all so much, and I'm sorry this email couldn't be longer! Have a wonderful week!

Love,
Katherine

Kirtland/Solon 4/27/11

Hi Mom!

 

How was your trip to Disneyworld? I like your idea about contacting the Italian missionaries! I will do that. (I just contacted some Irish missionaries with a similar request the other day, so I'm sure it would be fine.)  When is Jocelyn's senior recital? I'm glad you are teaching yourself, too! When are you going to ID, again?

 

We've had such a good week here! We started teaching another new investigator yesterday (Chente, the Spanish-speaker I told you about) and we now have four investigators with baptismal dates!

 

Just a couple of highlights: I know I've told you about Sister Smith and her grandchildren (CJ and Lati/Ladybug). Well, since Lati officially became an investigator, the tone at their lessons has changed. Before, lessons with CJ and Lati were chaotic, but now that Lati knows she can get baptized, she has started focusing more and asks us more questions. We taught them the plan of salvation on Saturday. I love how you can become great friends with people you never would have expected--that's how it is with Sister Smith and CJ and Lati. When I first met Sister Smith in January, all I knew was that she was a less active lady in the ward who has had the missionaries over every week for ages. But I've come to admire her and love hearing about her life (she grew up in NYC and has some crazy stories), and now we're preparing her grandchildren for baptism! If there were a motto to sum up Sister Smith, it would be: "We shut the door and don't let the devil in here. He stays outside!" (She says that all the time.)

 

Another highlight this week was with our investigator Demarco Sanders. Did I already tell you about him? We found him tracting and had a somewhat sketchy first lesson (he lives in the worst part of town and some rowdy neighbors showed up), but this past Friday, we had the most miraculous lesson with him! We had decided to meet at the waterfall in downtown Chagrin Falls at 5:00 on Friday. Well, Friday came around, and we had forgotten to call and remind Brother Sanders about the lesson, and it was raining hard, so we thought he probably wouldn't show up. But we went to the waterfall at 5:00, and we saw him standing out there in the rain! Not only had he remembered our lesson and found the meeting place, but he had walked straight there from work (he doesn't have a car), and he had thought in advance that morning to pack a change of clothes and his Book of Mormon in a little grocery bag that he brought to work with him. Isn't that cool? He had also read the first 10 chapters of 1 Nephi, even though he doesn't understand much. He doesn't talk a lot either, but we've been so impressed with the effort he's putting into this. Also, we committed him to baptism on May 28th! And we committed him to coming to church on Sunday, and he came!

 

But, back to that lesson on Friday: after we found Brother Sanders, we weren't sure what to do, because we didn't want to sit outside and get soaked. We wandered around downtown Chagrin Falls a little bit, but a lot of the shops were closed. We finally decided to go into this tourist store called the Popcorn Shop, and it was perfect! There were 3 seats in the corner, and it was next to this huge window overlooking the Chagrin River. So pretty! And it was a blessing to find somewhere quiet for our lesson--I was worried that we would have to cancel it. 

 

We also had a great Easter here in Ohio! We had a dinner for all the Kirtland missionaries, and Sisters Debenham, Kingston, and myself sang This Is The Christ, which was nice. In sacrament meeting that day, Brother Norman, a member of the Solon Ward, gave a wonderful talk on doctrines of the resurrection that are unique to latter-day saints. He has a Ph.D. in religious studies from Harvard, and it showed in his talk. I felt like I was back at BYU for a few minutes. Education really does improve your understanding of the gospel! (See D&C 50:24, revealed in Kirtland :-)

 

 Well, that's probably enough from me. I hope you're doing well!

 

I love you so much!!!!!!!!!!

 

Love,

Katherine