Solon/Kirtland, April 6, 2011

Hi Mom!

 

Thanks for reminding me about Christmas!

 

Let me know how your missionary work turns out, I'm so glad you invited them to watch general conference! You're such a good missionary! :-)  (I'd be happy to call them and offer a missionary visit and the Book of Mormon, if they liked conference!)

 

That conference experience sounds wonderful. I completely agree with you: we can have peace when we're keeping the commandments, and when we're following the Spirit. Then, the Lord can do the rest. Right now, my favorite talk is Elder Oaks's.

 

About the Steidl's: I'm feeling a little hesitant. Have you been praying about it? I must admit I haven't been. I'll keep praying about it this week. Maybe it would be better if you contacted them??

 

We've had so many adventures this week in Solon, I wish I could tell you about all of them! On Thursday, I got to call Switzerland. There were some Swiss members who came to Kirtland last summer, so I called and asked them for referrals! Would you believe they didn't have any? But chatting in German (not Swiss German, thank goodness) for 10 minutes was a thrill.

 

Also, last night we had a lesson with the Berru family on missionary work. It went better than we had expected--maybe because of Sister Devenport's Spanish skills--but Natalia Berru (age 10) told us she has a friend who wants to take the missionary lessons and get baptized! Her name is Destiny. She spends the night with the Berru's most weekends, so she comes to church with them already. I'm so excited to teach her! As long as her mom says yes, which the Berru's are pretty sure she will.

 

Well, I love you!!!!! I hope you're having a lovely spring, I sure am! 

 

Love,

Katherine

March 29, 2011, Solon/Kirtland

Hi Mom!

Did you hear about Rachelle's mission call??? Chile Antofagasta!!!!! I am so excited! I was hoping she would come here, but Chile is perfect for her. Also, when are Hannah and Rachel having their babies? Are they girls or boys?

 

Sister Houston is being transferred tomorrow, so I'm super excited to see who will be my new companion. Also, our only 2 investigators are moving on Thursday, so we really will be starting from ground zero! It will be great, though.

 

Well, Sunday was the 175th anniversary of the Kirtland Temple dedication, so the Kirtland and Cleveland stakes put together a program to hold in the temple at 7am Sunday morning (the same time and date of the original dedication). Sister Houston and I were really blessed and got tickets to sit in the temple for that! It was incredible. They had the most beautiful choir and orchestra. And the speakers talked about the priesthood keys that were restored in the Kirtland Temple, for the gathering of Israel, the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, and the sealing of families.

 

I think about Jerusalem all the time here, because events here so often correspond to events there. For example, the messengers who appeared in the Kirtland Temple are the same ones who appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration to give priesthood keys to Peter, James, and John. And the pentocostal experiences the saints had all the time in Kirtland are like the pentecostal experiences in the early New Testament church--in both cases, it was with people who had just barely received the gift of the Holy Ghost, so I think they were extra sensitive to how that felt and had a special desire for spiritual experiences.

 

I hope you guys can come here to pick me up! I would love to give you a special 4 hour tour and tell you all the stories about Kirtland.

 

In other news, we set a baptismal date with Marlayn for April 30th! She's moving Thursday, but we've been in touch with her elders in Charlotte.

 

And, I'm sending you a picture:

 

Annie Smith, a lady in the ward. She has 2 nonmember grandchildren we've been teaching off and on, because they're often at her house. If only their parents would support them coming to church... (Sister Smith says they want to be baptized.)

 

Well, I love you!!!!  I sure hope you're doing well!

 

Love,

Katherine

XXXOOO