Exchanges, Service, and Miracles

This week went by fast. I'm not really sure what to write about. We had an opportunity to do exchanges with the Windermere Sisters so Sis. Muhlestein and I spent a day over in the Windermere area - which is the apartment where Sis. Homer and I will probably be moving to next transfer. We were able to be on bike during the morning, both of us getting sunburned - oops!

Also this week, we were able to participate in Temple Service. We were able to continue replanting the flowers on temple grounds, taking out the winter flowers and planting the summer flowers. It was a lot of fun! It seems like missionaries are able to do Temple service once a transfer. Also, I was able to help out a bit at the Mission Office with a few of the other Sisters as our companions were participating in a ZLDLC (Zone Leader District Leader Council). Something I really like about this mission is how there are three Sisters called to be "Senior Sisters" as they watch over the Sisters of the Mission, doing exchanges and building unity. Sis. Muhlestein was just called as a Senior Sister last transfer so we follow her around when she has these meetings to attend.

We continue in our teaching and helping our investigators with their concerns. It's been hard this week. We haven't had any progressing investigators come to church in the last two weeks. Also, our baptism hasn't been sealed with a confirmation yet, so we are doing a lot of mighty prayers to give us help and strength. The work does continue forth and we have a lot of great investigators we are working with.

This Sunday, Sis. Homer and I had an amazing miracle! We learned that there would be a baby blessing for a Deaf couple in the Oviedo Ward. One of the interpreters called us up and willingly drove down to pick us up and bring us to Oviedo. It was amazing! We stayed for church then were invited to a dinner afterwards. We were in Oviedo for seven hours conversing with Deaf members from the Oviedo, Winter Park, and Hunter's Creek Wards. It would appear that these will be the wards we will put our most focus on as the Deaf members are working themselves to grow in size and combining together to get the work moving forward. They were so excited to meet the new ASL missionaries! They have been waiting for us for a long time and are hoping to have two more soon so there will be missionaries for the north and south, since the Orlando mission is quite huge in size! Sis. Homer and I were grateful for the opportunity to begin to get to know the members, see how we have progressed in the language, and gain more of an understanding what we need to do for the new ASL program. It was awesome! We are really excited for the upcoming transfers.

Ups and Downs

Our companionship is awesome! We have fun talking about everything! -- gospel related, of course -- Our biggest topic this week is how much our journal entrees and letters and day to day living makes us appear to have constant mood swings. Feeling the greatest joy in one moment, then the greatest sorrow the next. It's crazy! I survive quite well, just adapting to every situation we come across. It is interesting, though to think about our days. Every hour, we have a different appointment with a different person with their own struggles and concerns and need for spiritual nourishment. We as missionaries have to quickly switch from focusing on one person's need to another. One hour, we may be overjoyed with their strong faith and seeing them commit to baptism. Then the next hour, we see another of our investigators slipping away and being overcome by the influences of the world.

This past week, we had an amazing baptism. Monday morning, right before FHE in the Singles' Ward, one of our investigators was baptized and she is simply amazing. The spirit was so strong and she bore her testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. What was amazing is the fact that we started teaching her the Wednesday before. The spirit testified the truth to her and she knew it. However, as Sunday approached for her confirmation, her family tried to work on her to convince her of the choice she made. Saturday, she was still excited to come to church and said nothing would keep her from going. Then Sunday came. Her family wouldn't let us talk to her - over the phone or in person. She was unable to come to church. It's so heart-wrenching to experience that. We just continue to pray for her and seek for inspiration to know how to help her.

We have been blessed with eight new investigators this past week. President Darrington told us that the people in Orlando that are the most prepared to hear and accept the gospel will be the college-age. And I can see that it is true. We are doing great things here in the Singles' Ward. I love it!

As it relates to the ASL program, I'm not sure what to do right now relating to that. P-day is dedicated to writing all my MTC teachers and district then waiting for replies. So, right now, I'm looking for advice in how to start and run a program. Even basic advice works right now. I've got a basic outline plan at the moment, but I'm wondering what kind of schedule to follow day by day, if there are responsibilities and tasks that need to be accomplished on a weekly basis. Also, how to organize and map a huge area, working with three stakes to bring together the Deaf and hard of hearing, the correct line of authority and leadership to organize the ASL program with the ward level and stake level, etc. I'm sure as soon as the next transfer starts, we'll be able to figure things out - but the more advice and help, the smoother I hope it will go.

All is well! We're doing great! The Lord continues to bless us daily with His tender mercies. Onward and upward with the missionary work in Florida!

News to Tell!

Well... HELLO FROM ORLANDO!! I am at the Family History Center in the Stake Center across the street from the Orlando Temple. It's awesome!! Also, it's a gathering spot for all the missionaries in our zone to email home. It's an exciting place!

I am in the Buena Vista Area, serving in the Buena Vista YSA ward. So, something funny about this, when I was planning on moving to Orlando last year, I was totally planning on moving to this ward and in this area. I love how the Lord led me to the place I wanted to originally go. It's so funny! My companions are Sis. Homer and Sis. Muhlestein, both from Utah (Sandy and Kaysville). When we have transfers in April, Sis. Homer and I will be companions to start the new ASL program. Right now, I'm helping her learn ASL so we can be prepared for that challenge. Our area is huge! Because it is a singles ward, we have about five areas in our area - so we run into other missionaries a lot - or see the Elders on bikes every once in a while. It's a lot of fun! So far, I've met a friend from high school and the elder brother to another friend from high school. Oh how small the world is. It also helps that this Singles Ward is where the people in the Disney College Program go to.

It's been quite a transition because I'm learning the rules of this mission. Not many are different, but I have to adapt to a few changes I wasn't use to before. I am glad to hear that this is also an exact obedience mission and they have something called "The Lord's Battle Plan" which is totally amazing! It focuses on the leading principles of Faith & Hope, Charity, Unity, Obedience, Urgency, and Virtue to help continue for the work in having "One Lord, One Faith, One Hundred Baptisms".

Our companionship is simply amazing!! We get along very well and have a variety of experience - Sis. Muhlestein on her 14th month, I'm on my 6th, and Sis. Homer on her 3rd. We came up with an equation for how we can help our investigators:

(Excitement + Exactness) x (Urgency + Unity) = Exaltation

Everything is going great! We are doing well! And tonight is a baptism! I am truly being blessed in the start of my new mission area. Lots of Love!!

Wow . . .

Well... I have to say, it really hasn't hit me yet! All my things are packed into the car and as soon as we are done here, I will be driving with Sis. Gardner to Plantation. Tomorrow morning I will be driving with the departing missionaries to Orlando to attend a session at the temple, then I will be in my new mission. I can't believe I've been transferred to the Orlando Mission. Not only that, I will be a part of starting the new ASL program in the mission. Wow! I can't believe the Lord trusts me that much. It changes my perspective on things. It's amazing how the Lord puts so much trust in us to help us see what our potential truly is. I know that for the next few months I will constantly go back to remembering a phrase I've made sure to write in my journal:

President Hale has faith and confidence in me. The Brethren have faith and confidence in me. The Lord has faith and confidence in me. With so much faith and confidence from others, how can I not have faith and confidence in myself?

Something that I am most excited about is being able to attend the temple. I love the temple! It's been so hard to imagine going eighteen months without entering within those doors and partaking of the blessings of the temple. Now, I will be able to go to the temple tomorrow to start my service in Orlando, and I may be able to attend regularly to assist in interpretation. I truly do not know what is ahead of me, but I am up for the challenge. I feel so blessed to be able to help the Deaf members in the Orlando mission.

So, here I am spending my last day in Boca Raton. I have spent four months in this city loving the work, getting to know the members and those that we teach. The greatest blessing I have received was being able to attend a baptism on Saturday. It will be my first and only baptism for my time in the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission and it was perfect. The new member is so strong and has an amazing testimony of the gospel. I feel so blessed to have been able to teach him and help him enter into the church. The Lord is truly blessing me with wonderful tender mercies each day. At the baptism, we had five investigators attend to watch and I am able to leave the area knowing that miracles are on their way and great things are happening for Boca Raton.

Honestly, I'm at a loss for words. I don't really know what to write. My journal is full of things I've learned - both spiritual and humorous, but that is all packed away now. It's actually funny that Sis. Gardner decided to make a copy of these past two transfers since she hasn't written a lot in her journal. She copies sixty pages! Actually, I have a little more than sixty pages in my journal before I am going to need a new one. That will be about two months worth of entries. So no worries about info. I just don't know what to write to you. Sometimes I just want to say, "Wait 'til I come home and you'll be able to read a day by day account of my mission." :-D I did just send home another picture CD for you to view and a package of odds and ends that I didn't have room to pack. Hope you enjoy it :-D

I am sure that the next time I write there will be plenty to say. For now, I love you! All is well! I am looking forward to whatever the Lord has planned for me in the future. I am quite curious about what is planned for me for tomorrow. Wow...I still can't believe it!

Change of Assignment - Happiest Place on Earth

On March 3, 2010 Kristi was interviewed by Pres. Hale and received a change of assignment which had been discussed with and approved by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. She has been reassigned to the Florida Orlando Mission to “lead the charge” in organizing an ASL program in three stakes there and eventually to set up some magnet wards as well. This transfer takes place on March 10th. Her new mission president will be Pres. John C. Darrington who ends his mission July 1st. After that, her president will be Pres. Garth Vaughan Hall from Idaho. That will make four mission presidents in ten months (counting the MTC)!

Pinewood Derby, Anyone?

Again, we continue to have little surprises from the weather. We plan our day around biking the streets of Boca - especially trying to spend time biking the A1A (the road that runs parallel to the intracostal and coastline) - but we wake up in the morning and gray skies greet us. We even kept our bikes on the back of our car, but all the bikes got was a nice shower from the rain pour. Oh well. One of these days we are going to do some contacting on the A1A! One fun experience was contacting on foot through an apartment complex. We go to this complex often so we don't mind walking from one end to the next. Unfortunately, we didn't realize the rain was going to pour on us. None of the buildings were connected so we walked from one to the next, getting soaked through and through until we finally reached our car. Yay for Florida rain! I can't wait to see what the summers are like!

An activity our ward is really looking forward to is the annual Pinewood Derby. This will actually be the second year the ward has done one, but plans are underway to hold them more often. Who doesn't like a Pinewood Derby? And, we just got a brand new forty-two foot aluminum track that has four lanes. Apparently, aluminum is the best material for a track. We have a member in our ward who is quite proud of it. :-D Sister Gardner and I have completed the cutting, sanding, and painting of our cars. Her's represents the baptism by water and by fire while mine is the CTR shield (CTR of course being in Chinese). I actually had a bit of fun with mine. I read a few tips from a book - another member in our ward LOVES Pinewood Derbys - so my car was baked to evaporate any water weight, I sanded it smooth, painted it, sanded it again to smooth it out, then put on some auto wax for a sleek shine. :-D Don't worry - we only worked on our car during P-Day or right before bed. We'll see whose car is faster!

Right now, for personal study, I am having a lot of fun reading old conference talks. Our apartment has Ensigns from 1984, so I flip through them each morning and read two or three talks. The only thing we can take with us after this life is our knowledge, so I might as well use my time trying to add to my mental library. Maybe I don't remember much of what I read now, but I like to pretend that my mind is a mini library and any book I read here, becomes a book in my mind and is placed on the shelf for a later time. For now, I collect my favorite quotes by writing them down in my scriptures and/or my journal. It's funny how my journal is more of a collection of quotes and stories than an account of my daily activities.

I am so glad all is well with the family. That is awful to hear about the experience with the truck. I couldn't imagine what that would have been like. I'm so glad Mom is safe and the only thing we lost was the truck. I kind of feel proud to say I've driven the whole border of the Boca area and the length of probably every major road. I'm even trying to conserve time by making use of I95 that goes through our area, but I'll make sure to keep driving defensively. I still have my goal of driving no higher than the speed limit - although at times I will follow the flow of traffic if it's safer to do so. With bikes, we should be driving less and less - if the weather will permit. To make contacting easier, we bike on paths and sidewalks instead of the main roads. Also, we make sure to pray for safety each time we leave our apartment.

Lots of Love!