Letter_Week 12_Sister Karony

Hey Familie!!!

I'M STILL ALIVE!!! XDK
This past week was exhausting. I was stuck inside for 3 days straight because of what the Doctor confirmed was walking pneumonia... CABIN FEVER!!! I was seriously bored, because you can't read scriptures 24/7, as much as I would love that, and I even started folding plastic bags into triangles like Ahnaang taught me.

.. Sister Fletcher cleaned and reorganized the entire basement, which looks livable and

 human friendly now! 

It was awesome to finally get out on Friday, I've never been so happy to

 work in free

zing rain!

*Mom Note: Lisl was one of those kids who were bullied.  However, Lisl has a great sense of self-worth! She may have been victimized, but she was NEVER a Victim.  After dealing with a difficult member this last week, she wrote me about the experience.  Her poem about her view really put me on my backside.  She has an interesting theory as to why she has been asked to deal with so many unpleasant individual in her life -- She is sooo awesome!  Back to Lisl:

I learned a lot about my childhood bullies this week... how much they must have been hurting themselves in order to do those horrid things they did/0r said to me. I hope that those wounds have healed with time or that they've tried to become better people. In a way, I'm glad they chose me to pick on, because I can take everything someone could ever choose to dish out, then walk away like "whatever". 

I know that I can take, so I'd rather been the victim than somebody else who doesn't have that ability to walk away from it. And I'm not saying that I'm not affected by all those things I've been through, I have the mental scars to prove it, but I've realized that I have the ability to deal with it along with my many other purposes and overall mission in life.

Two days ago my poetry started up again and the inspiration gave me this:

~~~~

You thought you were forgotten,

but you're not, you silly goose,

y

ou had friends, those you needed,

but then you chose to bring the noose.
Everytime that I'm called names,

you 

get angy and upset,

whilst you're taking part in it,

in whispers under your breath.

When you are called silly names,

that are obviously to endear,

you hurt because when you do it in return,

you're not joking, you really mean it all,

and to know that, really hurts.

This isn't how you want to be,

on this path of self-destruction

,

and so He's sent you me,

who He's prepped to do this very thing,

Of helping you come back to Him.

It's always been about you,

a fact that's clearly seen,

and now He's let me see you,

so that We can help you be.

Help you be who you truly are,

be who, without the scars,

be exactly as He sees you to be,

A view that He has shared with me.

And so you have an ally,

to who you truly are in soul,

who's seen your very worst,

and sees how you can soar.

Remember the Atonement,
Christ knows you, don't forget

,

He knows exactly how you feel,

He knows exactly how you've felt,

So He knows exactly how to heal

,

So He sent you one who wouldn't keel,

who could withstand all that you've dealt,

who'd love you with His passionate zeal,

and loves you without fault.

And so He sent you me,

a fact that's plain to see,

so here I am,

I've made my stand,

I'll fight Satan tooth and nail for you,

To show you the freedom you CAN choose,

because WE ALL love YOU!

Please don't let yourself forget.

~~~~

Now I understand. 

For those the Lord has and will sent me to, they've got a lifelong friend. 

Since we didn't do much this week, there's not much else to write. I can only say that my eyes have been truly opened to something I've struggled with most 

of my life to understand. They say that your mission is 50 years of spiritual growth packed into 24 or 18 months... they were absolutely right!

I love being a missionary! I wouldn't trade this for the world!

Now I'm off to go spiritually punch 

Satan in the face by teaching the Gospel!

POW!!! ..... Mwahahahahaha!

Love,

Sister Karony

Letter_Week 11_Sister Karony

Hey Familie!!!

The baptism went amazingly well! A bunch of members and nonmembers came, filling all the chairs! They got confirmed yesterday in Sacrament meeting too! Sister Fletcher and I gave the talks on Baptism and the Holy Ghost. I did the Holy Ghost. Everything went smoothly and people were tearing up... and yes me too. The spirit was so strong. The Ward really took them up and it's as if they've always been there. They're making a smooth transition to relying completely on the ward. They're so wonderful! The daughter is so excited for girl's camp and she's already talking about going on a mission! The older sister who isn't baptized yet, b/c she's terrified of water, is also being welcomed and not singled out at all. She's the sweetest kid and she's hilarious. They're such a spectacular family!

So, you really don't know who you're gonna be teaching, it's an ex-con, ex-drug dealer, etc... it's crazy to see how people are able to turn their lives around without the gospel! Makes me so grateful to have it, because if it's hard with the Gospel, you have to have a herculian will to do it without that! It's so rewarding to teach them though about the truth and the Atonement. I love being a missionary and getting to see the change happening within them as the Spirit works in their hearts. The members here are awesome and we're getting help from a few Sisters who are helping fellowship our investigators. We have three more people on date for later in March to get baptized. The end of my training is coming in faster with each week. I'm not trying to think about it, but I keep getting the impression that I'll be the one transfering out of here. However, that only pushes me to work even harder to teach more people and leave the area better than I came to it. 

I've had either walking pneumonia or bronchitis for the past 2 weeks, and it's getting worse. At first I'd thought it was allergies or a cold, but I had no fever. Mom, this is the same thing I keep having episodes of every year. When I get a sore throat and my body has no fever but everything hurts and burns. Well, at least now I have a better idea of what it is. Needless to say that I'm getting anti-biotics, stat! It's getting ridiculous!

I loved getting an email from you Luka! Thanks! Keep working hard in school! Learn how to study well, you'll need it for your mission! Also, read your scriptures, it'll help you with school. It will bless you with the spirit which will quicken your mind and make it easier to learn more and more. I love you too bro!

Love to all!

Blog Letter_Week 10_Sister Karony

Hey all!

The weather went from snow and ice last week, to cool, dry, and sunny!

This week was cool with having the opportunity to have Zone conference and see President Ware. It was amazing! We talked more about how there are 4 Essential Truths that every investigator and member need to have a testimony of, in order to be truly converted. All issues stem from someone not fully understanding one or more of these truths.

1. Jesus Christ and His Atonement

2. 1st Vision (Restoration)

3. Book of Mormon

4. Priesthood

I've learned and been taught that we can only convert others as far as we are ourselves converted. It's so crazy how SIMPLE it all is. Of course, simple is what we're here to teach and then they get all that other stuff... but still SIMPLE!!! WAHOO! There are so many things that I never would have learned if I hadn't come out here.

Also, our two investigators passed their baptismal interviews and are getting baptized this Saturday! YAY!!!

Love ya'll's!

Sister Karony

Blog Letter_Week 9_Sister Karony

This past week we had an unknown # call us and this man was really adament about getting a Book of Mormon that day. He'd read the book "Eternal truths and said he'd though about it!!!!!! Of course, we're thrilled and get his address and say we'll be by at 6pm with a copy.

I told you this last week and now you get the aftermath:

So, 6pm comes around and it's dark out and we're driving down an unmarked road that our GPS's voice "Beatrice" insists is the correct one.  There are deep irrigation canals on either side of this dirt road, and nothing but fields for miles around. I'm not getting any bad vibes or warnings, so I'm just shining my flashlight out the window, being a dork, whilst Sister Fletcher is freaking out reminding me that no one knows where we currently are, and oh by the way, it's dark, and we're going to see a man who somehow got our number and seems "too good to be true…" The longer we drive, the more she figures it's a serial killer and we're fresh meat. You know me though, I'm just embracing the situation for what it is, BIZARRE!!!
So, we get there and I have to help direct the car over this sketchy looking bridge and guess what, there's a pitbull sniffing me. We get across it and Sister Fletcher's planning an escape route as I'm going "Cute doggie!!!" The guy is pretty eccentric, but not harmful. He leads us behind some hedges and to the front porch of his house. We give him a Book of Mormon and pray with him. When we prayed was the only time it felt calm or normal at all. He didn't want to talk to us, he just wanted to read the materials we'd given him, and he'd call us later. He'd actually found our number in the phone book, and only ours had still been in service, and he'd tried the other 7 that had been listed before that. He REALLY wanted a book of Mormon!
Anyways, I felt so drained after that. He was so spiritually starving that it was like he'd sucked us dry! Sister Fletcher and I talked on the way back into civilization about how that would've been the stupidest thing to do if we weren't missionaries. Never do what we did if you're not on a mission! It most likely WILL be a serial killer, or something else terrible, waiting for you out there in the middle of nowhere!

Man! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!

The weather here decided to go nuts! It was snowing nonstop for almost three days and the roads were terrible and we got stuck a bunch of times; and the Lord did bless us each time it happened and sent random strangers to help me push the car out of it's rut.

 The Lord really does take care of His missionaries as they strive to do His work and will.

The snow has stopped finally, and I hope it stays that way. At least the crops this harvest season will be good, what with all this moisture it's getting from all the snow. Living in farm country puts snow in a new perspective. For them it's vital in order to have a good harvest because that's what gives the fields the water they need to produce crops. They'd been having a really dry winter until the snow came. So, to most round here it's a blessing.

Cool, huh? Now, think about how that can apply to principles of the Gospel! (*cough cough* FAITH!)

Another awesome thing that happened this week was when we taught accounts of the Book of Mormon with Charades. We played the game we'd made up to do this with a bunch of our investigators and it was so successful! they all learned a ton and were more excited about reading those accounts in the Book of Mormon for themselves. "Hurrah!" for heavenly inspiration!!!

Well, got to get going now and finish up preparation for the week! :D

Love you all!