Close Your Eyes 2/15/16

My people, 

We teach a menos activo lady, who is super nice, but sometimes she confuses me. Whenever we ask her to say the prayer, you have to be ready, because she will just go for it, and it's hard to tell, cuz her eyes stay open. It's really quite creepy. I don't know if we need to teach her the lesson in primary that you need to CLOSE your eyes and not beat them across the room back and forth rapidly as you speedily say the prayer. 

We also had a conference with Elder Moriera from the seventy. I loved him. I think he is now my favorite. He is a goof, and so stinkin' funny, and fuerte, and very spiritual at the same time. Something he said stood out to me, he told us never to go to bed angry. Not now in the mission or when we return from the mission back home. Not sure why, but I'm gunna put it to the test. 

He also talked about the fruits of repentance, which are 

1. Change of habit 

2. Change of thought 

3. Change of belief 

4. Change of attitude 

5. Change of behavior 

He also told us we must not just watch our investigators change, we change with them. I don't know, that was a cool thought. 

I actually got to hear from him twice, because last week I forgot to tell you I went back to Madrid for my residency card. At last I'm getting one, after 8 months or so after I got robbed. And when I went back it happened to be the day of the conference there in Madrid. Hoot, hoot. It was weird cuz I traveled alone. So I was alone for a long time. I felt lonely, and I tried to share the gospel in the plane like you hear in all the fast and testimony meetings, because normally it's impossible because you always travel with other missionaries and sit by them. But because I was alone, I tried my best to preach, but no one wanted to listen to my Tarzan grunts, they wanted to sleep.  hey now. 

This week we met with Carmen and taught her the plan of salvation. We then invited her to be baptized and she said  yes!!!! She than began to cry and told us she was getting 'that good feeling again'. It was honestly amazing. We as missionaries did nothing, but the spirit and the Lord prepared her so much. 

celebrate good times come on...du du du du du... 

That song just fits. 

This week I learned a lot about repentance. I can't really explain it. I have seen the power of the atonement work though so many people, and me as well. All week my thought has been the same as Enos, "Lord how is it done?" I still don't fully understand the atonement, and don't think I quite ever will in this life. But this I do know, that it works. In Matthew 11:30, one of my favorite scriptures says "for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Why is it easy? Why is it light? Because of His atonement. 

Love, Hermana Kelemen 

Two Goals Ruined 2/8/16

My people,

First goal:
So for my diet—
We had a lesson with a recent convert named Marcos. He is the best person here on this island!! And when he came to the lesson, he was carrying a huge bag. In our heads we were like, 'what the?' He then told us he brought us a gift...and lo and behold, inside were 36 cartons of juice. *Hand to the face*, he is so nice. So I ended that goal, of not drinking juice. 

Finally, we met with Carmen again. She honestly is so awesome, but she is always in bed, or at the hospital, because she has problems with her knees. But she loves reading in the Book of Mormon. The other day we had the elders come and give her a blessing. Let me just tell you the two elders in our area are very new. One just finished his training, and the other only has one more than him. But the blessing they gave was one of the best I have ever heard. It was so simple, yet the presence of the spirit was so strong.

I think I said this my first week, Hermana Campillo and I are pretty much in a trio because there is a girl in our branch that is always with us named Alejandra. She is amazing, not only is she with us 24-7, but she is always inviting everyone she knows to church. We began teaching one of her friends named Cassandra, but we call her wawa. (Little random fact: wawa in the islands means bus) it's a very long story why we call her that, but we do. (I promise, I'm not a weirdo, and it's a normal thing.) Anyways she is amazing and had some of the best questions. She is very very interested, and really wants to know for herself if there is a God. Can I get a hoot hoot!?

Second goal...or dream:
So I got the worst news in the whole entire world. I wish I could say I'm happy about it, but I'm not. For some reason, due to some problems, no one in my group can extend.Hermana Smith, a hermana I came in with, too was told she could extend and we were so happy. We got a letter asking if we wanted to extend, and then President wrote us an awkward letter saying psych I thought it was possible, but it's not.  Ugh, so my new date is May 31, that's that, and I don't want to talk about ending my mission anymore.

Love Hermana Kelemen

P.S. for p-day today we went to the dunes. It's on a beach and there are a ton of rolling hills of sand. In Moab, we like to run down the sand hills, and it's the same here. It was so much fun!! But I have sand EVERYWHERE. We got sand in our eyes, clothes, bags, food, water,
ears...everything. But it was worth it!

Star Spangled Banner, Diet, 30 Day Challenge 2/1/2016

My People,

Good news—my comp is staying!!! Hoot hoot hoot!!! I'm so happy! 

Being with Hermana Campillo is very fun...and very different. Everyone still calls me baby face. And when our investigator Alexis found out how old I was, he refused to call me by my name, and now calls me 'mi Nina'. Everyone thinks I'm a baby missionary...because my companion is 34. But little do they understand that the majority of us are babies, and she is actually the odd one out, but whatever. 

I also now am not Bella from Twilight, but everyone tells me I look like the girl from 'Pirates'. I know it's because I have crazy hair all the time. 

With the start of a new transfer, I thought I would set some new goals. Here are my three: 

1. Teach Hermana Campillo the Star Spangled Banner

2. A Scripture challenge:

"Would you be willing to try an experiment for 30 days?

Daily kneel and thank your Heavenly Father for the scriptures. Tell Him the one question you most need to have answered that day. Plead to have the Holy Ghost with you as you read. Then open your scriptures anywhere, and read until you find the answer. Try it for 30 days and see what happens." - Wendy Nelson 

 3. And I am starting my February diet. 

The first one my comp is psyched about...maybe. 

The second, I started today, and I want to invite everyone to try it out with me starting today.

The third one is because I've gotten a little obsessed with the juice and pastries here. 

We are teaching a guy named Alexis who we were about to drop this week. Every time we teach him and invite him to do something, he always says the same 'I can't'. But the last time with met with him, we found out he has stopped drinking alcohol and coffee! He told us he still has problems with the other things like the word of wisdom, but he is trying his best. When he said this, honestly, our jaws dropped. I couldn't hold it in and gave him two hard knuckle pumps. I was so happy! It really made our week. 

Sometimes at night when I say my prayers at night I cry—because I am so blessed. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky to be out here on this island with my companion. I don't know. This week we were contacting a ton, because we really are looking for people to teach. People say Telde is hard, and it is, but at the same time, I always feel so stinkin' spoiled I don't really know how it explain it. 

God not only loves us, but he spoils us...at least I think so. 

Love Hermana Kelemen 

P.S. I have a new duty to bring cheese to every correlation. 

No More Weird Sounds 1/25/2016

Dear family and friends, 

My companion has a new goal for me this week, not to yell so much—and to be a bit more normal. I don't know if you remember family, but I love to yell and make loud sounds when I'm happy in the house; and I have fallen back into that habit when I'm in the piso. (I know mom just did a hand to the face when she just read that).

My foot is now almost better. My companion made me buy this band to wear on my foot. I told her wearing a 'magic' sock wasn't going to to anything. But weirdly it did. 

This week was a bit long because again none of our investigators could meet because they were sick or out of town. But all is well. We found some cool people this week. 

Something I've learned this week, 

I've been studying a lot about the spirit. Sometimes I pray and seek for council and sometimes I feel like I'm not getting answers. And then I worry that I'm not listening to the spirit. But this week I found a talk that I love and was an answer for me:

"Actually, He will reply in one of three ways. First, you can feel the peace, comfort, and assurance that confirm that your decision is right. Or second, you can sense that unsettled feeling, the stupor of thought, indicating that your choice is wrong. Or third--and this is the difficult one--you can feel no response. What do you do when you have prepared carefully, have prayed fervently, waited a reasonable time for a response, and still do not feel an answer? You may want to express thanks when that occurs, for it is an evidence of His trust. When you are living worthily and your choice is consistent with the Savior’s teachings and you need to act, proceed with trust. As you are sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit, one of two things will certainly occur at the appropriate time: either the stupor of thought will come, indicating an improper choice, or the peace or the burning in the bosom will be felt, confirming that your choice was correct. When you are living righteously and are acting with trust, God will not let you proceed too far without a warning impression if you have made the wrong decision.

I love this, I feel like most of the times, as a missionary, I get the third answer. The Lord wants me to come up with an idea. Sometimes my ideas aren't the best, and I need to think of a new one, and a new one, until I get it right. Like when Nephi was commanded to go back to get the plates with his brothers. Why didn't God deliver Nephi the plates the first time? Why didn't Nephi just get an answer the first time of how to get the plates? 

Because we are here to grow. The point isn't just to give us all the answers when we need them. That's not a good teacher. I had a math teacher in high school and whenever we had a question about a problem he just gave us the answer, yes, no, a, b, c, 25, or -6. We loved it because he freely gave us the answers to our homework. We thought that was the definition of a 'good teacher'. But of course it backfired quick, and when it came to the test, we had no idea what to do. A good teacher doesn't give you the answers, but rather shows you how to find it. I'm trying to work the same way with the investigators we have. And not just give them the answers, but show them the chapter where to find it and let them do it. 

So if you feel like you're not getting an answer and your putting in all your effort, give thanks, God trusts you! And then work it out, and if it's not right he will help you until you figure it out. 

Yikes transfers are this weekend and I think I will die if Hermana Campillo leaves. I'm crossing my fingers hard, cuz she is the funniest person ever! She is me but in Spaniard form and I am her in American form. That's the only way I know how to explain it. 

I love you, Thanks for everything. 

Love, Hermana Kelemen

Learned a New Word & Made a New Friend 1/11/2016

Dear Fam and Fri, 

​

Right now as I'm writing you,this is my view:

I'm sitting on the beach, in the sun. 

This past week I had a weird headache pain in my head. It wasn't really a headache, but my head was crazy itchy. And because of this always there was just an irritating feel in my head. I figured it was the new shampoo I had bought and thought with time it would go away. But it didn't and I wasn't sure what to do. So I took the advice of my mother, whenever there is pain in the body or something strange, this is her advice, "Drink more water and use the power of thoughts to get rid of it". So I tried my best...but then on Tuesday I found a friend named, Luis Jorge--a little bug, when I was in the bathroom. 

I showed my new buddy to my comp and asked her if she had ever seen this type of bug before, because for me it was new. She then asked me where I found it, I was hesitant, but at last told her I found this guy in my hair. She then asked if my head itched. I told her yes and she then told me "quiero que tienes piojos". I had never heard that word...but I knew what she was talking about and convinced her I didn't.  But then two days later, I found the son of Luis Jorge, Pedro in my hair...and I realized that I could no longer deny it, Luis Jorge and many of his descendants had decided to dwell among me. 

Spanish word of the week: piojos , which means lice (something you won't learn from watching Dora the explorer).

But we destroyed the civilization of Luis Jorge and my companion named the last piojo Moroni. Because he too was the last of his people. 

We found an amazing lady named Carmen, yesterday we taught her lesson one and at the end she asked, "when I receive an answer if the book of Mormons true, can I too serve like you?" She's 46, and we told her she could do other service for the church, that there's all types of service. She loved that and then asked if she could share the Book of Mormon with her friends...  then she told us, "This is exactly what I want. I'm sick of the Catholic Church. (Sorry to say, but to me this phrase was music to my ears). I'm done, it's not helping. I have questions and no one has answers. If you can I would want you to come over more and teach me more, and I want to ask more questions". When she said that I just thought....'Little do you know... This is why we are here!!!'  Celebrate good times. Come on that song too popped in my head after she finished talking. She is amazing. 

Also our 70 year old mission leader now likes me. My companion bought me two heaps of blocks of cheese and we brought the cheese to correlation and he too shares my love for cheese. 

Things are good. I'm happy. My companion's happy—now that she doesn't have to comb my friends out of my hair anymore. 

One thing I love so much are the hymns of the church. To me personally, it is the fastest way to feel the spirit. My goal this past week was to have the spirit be more with me. Because only with the spirit can we become like Christ. I don't know I found I'm more happy and can feel the spirit more strong when I do this. 

If on occasion you have found

Your language is in question,

Or ugly thoughts come to your mind,

Then here’s a good suggestion

Just hum your favorite hymn,

Sing out with vigor and vim,

And you will find it clears your mind.

Hum your favorite hymn.

 Before you say an angry word,

Remember you’ll regret it,

For once it’s said the harm is done,

And some folks won’t forget it.

Just hum your favorite hymn,

Sing out with vigor and vim,

And you will find it clears your mind.

Hum your favorite hymn.

I love you and you all have the best week of your life. 

Love, Hermana Kelemen

Pictures of the beach and me washing and cleaning lice out of my hair.

Kate and Grapes 1/4/2016

Dear Family and Friends—

So it's official, I never want to come home. 

Here in Spain, as some of you know, for the new year count down they have a tradition of eating grapes. Twelve seconds before the new year you have to eat a grape. You got to eat 12 grapes in 12 seconds. Us, being missionaries, we had to be in bed at 11. But because my companion is Spaniard I made her do it with me—to teach me the way of her people. So—we attempted it. I'll send you the video. I know in the video I am laughing and I look like I'm having a great time, but actually I am choking, gasping for air, trying to stay alive to see the next year. I was a little cocky before thinking this grape stuff was easy. I was humbled when I saw my life flash before my eyes. 

My companion and I found a new way to contact. 

This week we stopped a man in the street who told us he loves learning about religions, yet claimed he had not found the church of God and that therefore it doesn't exist. So being missionaries, we taught him part of lesson one and shared Moroni's promise. He then brought up questions about death, so we bore our testimonies of the plan of salvation. We were talking to him for 30 minutes trying everything, but he just didn't listen. We then realized we weren't getting anywhere and as we were leaving he starting asking personal questions. For some reason, I can't remember now, he found out that we ourselves are paying for our missions. And then he was silent. And said, "Now I am starting to have more of a desire to listen. This is bad." This was my fave when he said that and I thought...really? We share the restoration, plan of salvation, our personal testimonies, Moroni's promise—and nothing—and when we say we pay for our missions—that's what makes you want to listen?

But, oh well.

This week was really good and I learned so much.

I know I say that every week but it's true. 

This week we found an amazing family!!! We have taught them the first two lessons and the father is very interested. The mother is very catholic and claims she won't change religions, but when your companion too once was very catholic and said the same thing, and now is serving a mission here in Spain, I'm not worried  Having a Spaniard as a companion, you have extra power, because then people realize that it's not just an American church. 

I love life. 

Love, Hermana Kelemen