To Dad

The District

Hi Dad!!! 

     Thank you so much for writing me! Its so cool that I can get your letter the same day you typed it! I did get both of them from dear elder. Isn't it cool how that works? 

 It is so cool that you are reading in Mosiah! I think we are in the same spot! I just read that chapter the day before you sent it to me! Thank you for sharing it :) I have also been reading in JSH. It is cool to me how in vs 11 i believe it was.. where he says "I felt like i was going to sink into despair and destruction" and right then when he felt like giving up, he didn't  and then the Lord proceeded to show himself unto him. Isn't that incredible! It made me realize that right when we feel like we are about to give up.... that feeling of inadequacy is from Satan  and he is working his hardest on you at that very moment because he knows something great is about to happen, he knows we are extremely capable of miracles and he will do anything to destroy us. So just remember that! I try to remember that when i feel like giving up, its because he wants me to not do the incredible things that i am capable of. 

Thank you so much for sharing that feeling you had about grandma Pauline. I think that is so neat :) I really appreciate that. I was reading from one of my journals from a long time ago and I remember i had a dream about her and so i wrote it down. I need to write things like that down more often. I am so happy to hear that you enjoy your job! Thank you for everything and thank you for writing me! Also- if you think of any experiences that you had or that i had, please share them with me! And if you ever want to bear your testimony to me, that is good too :) thank you so much dad I love you so much! Have a good day!

con amor

krista

Half Way Already!!

Cool package from the Holman's!

Their quote board.

Is that Sam Pham?

Easter package from Julie Holman! 

Hi Mom!!! 

    I have been here a whole three weeks and I only have less than 3 left because we leave on Monday. It is so weird! and it is hard because I've already made such great friends. I really like the people in the district that got here the week before us. One of them, Hermana Ihler, goes to 

BYU Idaho and when we both get home, we are going to be roommates! Its going to be sad to leave and I am sure when I get to Texas I will freak out just like I did my first few days being here... but I hope I will get used to it. I am nervous. But anyways, its the same every day nothing really new. Sister Fowles sent me a card! That was so sweet of her. Also, I get a letter from Julie EVERY day and I have gotten 4 packages from her haha Can you please tell her thank you so much for me? I will write her a letter today. Also, I got both of your packages!!! Thank you so so much mom! It was so cool to get some of Tiffany's wedding treats! :) 

So on Sunday I think a general authority is going to come and speak to us! I hope that I can make it into the room where they have it, because there are so many people here now!   I am so excited for conference too!! If you get a chance, you should re-listen to Henry B Eyring's talk from last conference i think... but it is called Mountains to Climb." and it is one of my favorite talks.

On Sunday nights we get to pick a movie out of 3 to watch and I picked to watch a devotional by Elder Bednar called "The Character of Christ" I would paraphrase it for you but if you can find it somewhere you should definitely listen to it. It was given on a Sunday on Christmas in the MTC. He talks about how The Savior turns outward when the natural man would turn inward. He compared the natural man to cookie monster- "ME want cookie NOW." And he said, who cares what you want. It doesn't matter what you want, it's not about you. Then he referred to Matthew 4:11 and he said in the footnote b in verse 11 he said was a translation and that the Savior actually sent angels to minister to John- in the midst of his own suffering and hunger- he didn't ask angels to come help him. instead he was worrying about John and sent angels to John. He prayed for the peace of others- He turns outward when the natural man would turn inward. Anyway  he gave a lot of other examples and it would take a few pages if I copied my notes but I hope you can find it! If not I will type up my notes because it is so good. But basically we need to become more like Christ  and learn of his character- so that we can learn how to be like Him. And it reminds me a lot of you and dad. you both are just like Christ- when you have every right to feel sorry for yourself- you never are but are always concerned for your children- which is a huge example to me and I hope I can learn that attribute and be a mother like that.

A scripture that I read reminded me of Tommy and it was Mosiah 4:21-22 because it reminded me of how Tommy has such a desire to help those in need.

I hope that everyone is doing well! I pray for each of you everyday and I hope you know that I love you all so much! Please let me know when Tommy gets his call! I have something I want to send him. I wish I could be there when he gets to go through the temple! It is such an incredible experience  Do you think you could send me dads email so that I can email him back to the letter he sent me? I love you so much!  Let me know how everyone is doing!

Much love

ps HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!!! Do you think you can ask Kayle Searle and Linzee Cole to send me their addresses please!? And tell Emily Rose that I wish I could be there for her wedding!! Thanks mom :)

Week 2 at the MTC!

At the Provo Temple.
Great way to start the day!

March 21, 2013

Hola Mama!

I have been here 2 whole weeks and a day!!! I am no longer new! YAY! It is so fun when the new people come in (And you know they are new because they have a giant orange sticker on their name tag) So we always shout at them "Bienvenidos al CCM!" it is so fun :)

Funny things that happen at the MTC

Spotted: Elder smuggling 5 bananas and 6 oranges out of the 2 M building (cafeteria and sacrament building) and he says "Hola hermanas!" as he walks past us... hahaha what!

So our classroom is on the 5th floor... that is a LOT of flights of stairs. Seriously. Hna Lockheart and I were studying at the top of them and so many people that get to the top act like they are dying. One guy dramatically collapsed on the floor haha. We have to be silly or we will lose sanity :)

After gym we got a sack lunch and ate outside because it was so nice out.  In one of the walkways there is a part with uneven concrete that EVERYone trips over. So we sat there and watched everyone trip, and curse the concrete as they walked by. It’s funnier in real life, I promise.

Also on the wall of the 4th floor of the stairs- it is like bricks... but one of them is hollow.... so everyone knocks on it when they pass it on the stairs, so it has like a oil mark of people touching it... its kinda weird.

I also hear there is a tree here that smells like cream soda? maybe its a joke. But I havent found it yet.

Also- Elder Clarke´ has a girl writing him... and during study time... he just sniffs his letter... the whole time.. HAHA Tommy... dont let girls do that to you. please.

Also whenever you walk by the bathrooms at night... you will hear a chorus of girls singing hymns in the showers :)

Also, Elder Evans wrote Hermana Lockheart a poem, asking her on a date in 2 years... hahaha only at the MTC. (Don't worry, she said no of course)

I just want to apologize for my last email being so negative. I think I was struggling with adjusting. And although I still am, I realized that I am here for a reason and that I need to get over myself. So I have been praying so hard that I could have the spirit be with me, and be able to overcome my weaknesses. Here in the MTC they teach you the importance of goals. So my companion and I always are coming up with goals for our investigators and goals for ourselves. Goals of what we want to study, goals of things we need to work on, ect. So I decided to come up with my own personal goals. And I have a lot of them. But one I want to share with you is my goal of ¨¨Everytime I find myself thinking ¨¨I wish¨¨ I change it to ¨¨I am thankful for¨¨. ´´ and you know what? It is super hard for me. BUT. through earnest, and somewhat desperate prayers, and studying, I know that the Lord is able to turn my weaknesses into strengths. I prayed that I would be able to find scriptures to help me and you know what? I sure found em! Alma 32:41 and Alma 36:3 (Alma is the best) If I trust in the Lord, He will help me in my trials. I know I can get through them with His help. Also Ether 12:27 He will make my weaknsses strengths.  and Ether 12:12 God cannot give miracles to me unless I have faith. Wow! Those have totally changed my whole attitude. Then there is also Joshua 1:9- the Lord is with me wherever I go! Even in Texas! and Deuteronomy 31:6-8 -Be strong and of good courage. Also on Tuesday night I had a cool experience. We have devotionals on Tuesday nights. Tuesday morning was when I read all those scriptures and decided to change my attitude. Then Tuesday Night at the devotional, Sister Whiting said "Whatever you do, do it with your whole soul. Just go and do. Swallow your fear and give yourself completely to the Lord." DUH KRISTA. I mean hermana. But yeah. also during that devotional the spirit was speaking so strongly to ME personally, and the things I learned that night were completely different from what was spoken in that meeting. I've heard of that happening before but I have never really experienced it. So I thought it was pretty neat. Ah there has been so much I have wanted to tell you and now I just forgot it all. I will make sure that I write it down next time. Sorry!  I have learned so much here. I still have SOO much more to learn. I so much look forward to the day when I can confidently speak to someone in Spanish, and even change their lives!

Another thing I wanted share was something that Bryce told me. "For everything that you don't do that you're supposed to, a blessing is withheld.  I just thought that was cool because we can all always be a little better at being obedient, and I realized that when we are not obedient, we are only hurting ourselves. I can’t do this work alone without the Lords help or His blessings, because without them I am only Krista. But I know that I have the potential to be so much better than that! Just think of how awesome I already am... I could be so much more awesome if I obeyed exactly and had His help in everything.  J  It’s just cool to think about haha.

So in the temple today... we go at 7 am... so I fall asleep often... but the power of prayer is SO real! I prayed to have understanding and inspiration come to me so that I could learn more- and it is so incredible that although I was not 100 percent conscious the whole time, I still learned! I learn more and more every time I go, and I think that is so incredible.

You are right.... I don't have to eat so much haha I am trying to be better at that. But for SOME REASON... hem... I feel like I have to finish my entire plate. haha so I am working on not eating so much. But yes! I would love a bottle of vitamins! Sorry this email is so long. But thank you for sending me those pictures of Tiffany!!! She looked so beautiful I wish I could have been there!!! That is so neat that she was in the same sealing room as you and Dad!!! I can't wait to go to the LA temple when I come back! That was sweet of Christian’s mom and dad to say that about me :)

I am so glad that Dad loves his job and only has a 5 minute drive! What a blessing!! I miss running with you up that giant hill!!! I really miss it a lot. Sitting all day drives me insane. I wish that I had that hill to run up still. .I also like how you compared me to running up that hill.  You are so right and that is an awesome way to think of it :) The hill didn’t change, I did. My trials won’t get any easier but I will get stronger! woo hoo and I canNOT wait for that to happen. But ever so patiently, I am waiting... I am sorry I didn’t have a chance to respond to everything you said, but I am out of time, I will continue to write letters! I love p day!!! And I love you all so much!!! thank you for always writing me! Also, Will you tell Julie thank you so much for the CD and the package of cinnamon rolls! And the letters everyday!! She is too sweet to me. I will write her back though :)

I love you and thank you for everything!

Don’t forget to read your scriptures! They change lives :) like mine

Much love

Tu Hermana Krista

What a great lesson to us all.  Choose to be positive.  Choose to be obedient.  Search the scriptures and pray with all your heart.  Then watch the Lord's hand touching your life.  I love my girl!   Thanks to those who have written her.  It helps SO much.  If you have not tried the website, DearElder.com, check it out!  It's fast, it's easy and it's free!  Her address is at the top of the blog on the left hand side.

First P Day!

March 14, 2013

Helloooooo!  Oops, I mean Hola!  
I finally get my first P day!  It started out by going to the temple early this morning while it was still dark out.  I was sooooo excited and happy I got to go to the temple!  I missed going every day.  I still have to say that the Newport Temple is the prettiest.  Still my favorite.  Thank you so much for writing me via DearElder!  That site is wonderful.  I have gotten so many letters!!!  I am so blessed.  I am so excited to write everyone back today.

Well...I can't believe I'm here at the MTC.  It freaks me out still.  Today in my scripture reading I was reading 2nd Nephi 20 and I had no clue what it was talking about.  Isaiah still confuses me.  I wish we could have gotten through the Isaiah part before I left.  So right now, my companion is Hna. Lockhart and the 2 other sisters that are in my room and in my district (my district is everyone who is in my class) they are Hna. Groesbeck who is from Missoula, Montana and Hna. Salcido who is from Utah Valley.  I'll be honest, I can't stand being with 3 other girls all the timeeeeeee everywhere. And I have to plan everything I do with them.  It is so annoying.  They even follow me to the bathroom...even though they don't have to...really?  Anyways....so yeah in our district there are 11 missionaries total.  Everyone is SO young!  I am the 2nd oldest by like 2 months.  I am pretty much the mom.  I have sewn on buttons and I have 2 pairs of pants to sew already  hahah.  I guess the elders are gaining weight too...haha but its fun.  It is very hard to study because the elders never study and are super loud and stuff.  So it's been hard for me to concentrate.  One of the elders is from Lolo, Montana and knows my friend Seth because he served there!  Ha, small world.  Anyway, all of the elders are 18 except one who is 19 and the sisters are 19 except one who is 20.  Anyways, I keep getting off topic.  So our district all teaches an investigator, well he is a fake investigator.  But we all teach the same person.  So far we have had 4 lessons with him and have one left to go.  My companion and I and one other companionship got him to commit to baptism.  WOOHOO that makes me feel good because no one else was successful at it.  And I was the one to ask the question to him.  It's super hard because we are already teaching in Spanish and well. I DON'T KNOW SPANISH.  So I write down a couple of words I will need to know for each lesson and try my best to get him to understand me.  My companion is pretty good at Spanish and I don't know any Spanish.  However, she struggles at knowing how to teach, and I feel like I am a pretty good teacher and good at getting my point across effectively.  So, I feel we are a good companionship.  

Everything here in the MTC is like...maximized.  It's like your life is put on a high speed conveyor belt.  It reminds me of the I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel get a job at a chocolate factory and the conveyor belt goes so fast that they have to stuff the chocolate into their shirts and hats hahaha yeah.  My meals are mazimized, my waistband is maximized, my studying is maximized, my emotions are maximized. I'm tired of the roller coaster of emotions.  It's super hard to handle!  I have so much respect for the RM's.  I don't know how they survived.  It's super hard for me.

Has Tommy gotten his mission call yet?  How is Tiffany????? I WANT TO GO TO HER WEDDING!!!!!! AHHHHH will you please tell her good luck and congratulations for me please!?! : ) AH so sad :(

Alec, Kris, Bryce, Lane and all of the Holmans have written me, well Julie twice and even sent me a package!  She is so sweet and I am so blessed!  Getting a letter every day seriously helps me so much.

Here is a scripture that is my favorite.  3 Nephi 9:14 - Come unto me, my hand of mercy is extended unto you.  Ah I just love it.
These are also some great scriptures:
Ether 12:4
2 Nephi 25:26
2 Nephi 31: 20
Jacob 6:5

How are Tommy and Dad?????  I want to know!  I can't wait to hear from you!!!!!!  Tell Tommy to write me a dear elder!  and Marc too!  I love you guys!!!

I hope all is going well.

Love,
Krista

I

Mis Hermanitas!

I found Kristen!

The District

The First Letter

We got Krista's first letter today and it was awesome!  She writes like she talks so you can hear her voice while you read it!  Here it is!

March 6, 2013

Hello Familia,

     Guess what!  My first day in the MTC is over and I LOVED it!  It's just like EFY but better!   The excitement is so fun!  I was constantly smiling :)  We practiced teaching for 3 hours, and you know how I was nervous before?  Well, I am way better than the Elders and other sisters!  I think they are thinking too hard.  It should be easy :)  But then again, it's only the first day so we'll see :)  I loved my first day though!  Right away I went to learn Spanish, then we went to that big room you guys got to go in when you took Marc and we just met the President and stuff.  Then we had dinner where I saw SOOO many people I knew.  It was so fun!  Then we learned to teach,  met our ZL's and got ready for bed.  Super easy day!  My P-day will be Thursdays so Thursday is when I can email you I think.  Also remember that "Sister Missionary" group on Facebook I told you about?  Well I'm companions with a girl I met on that page!  It's so cool!  Her name is Hermana Lockhart (Lindsey Lockhart) and our room is for 6 girls but there's only 4 of us and the other 2 Hermanas are really fun too :) (Grosbeck and Salcido)  Sorry Mom I left you with so much to do for me.  I hope you and Tommy had a safe drive back!  I will send you my thank you cards and you can address them, k?  Ah I love it here!! Oh ya, all day my mascara was smeared from crying when I got out of the car... no one told me and I didn't bother to look in the mirror!  Haha!  Love you! 

Love, 

Krista

What a joy to get such a wonderful letter from her!

Remember you can write to her on DearElder.com for free.  It will get to her either the same day or the next day, and it is quick, easy and FREE!!