Monday, September 22, 2014

GAOLI "Beautiful Moon"

It's been an amazing week in Kenosha! Sorry this might be the shortest email about my week. I've been stressing to try to get my application for BYU done. It will come together!! Okay quick update, theres this girl, "M" that sent me a letter when I was in the MTC telling me that finding my blog was an answer to her prayer. Well she lives in Georgia and we kinda became pen pals. She just got baptized! I am so happy. She's been investigating my whole mission and she has written me updates of her ups and downs in wanting to get baptized and she finally did! So excited for her!!!


Monday was alright. I was sick most of the day so I just tried to rest up. I slept on the stage while Sister Reed played sports with everyone else. She won a push up competition with one of the elders. My companion is a beast everyone! Later we had dinner and FHE at the Sake presidents home and the "B"s were there too. It was hilarious! The kids were accidentally saying swear words and we were cracking up. We went to say the closing prayer and the youngest son said, "I wanna sing Hachau God" LOL, so we sang I Am A Child of God, aka Hachau God.
 

 
Tuesday was district meeting and we combined with the Racine district because our district leader was sick. Well the DL of the other district hates me for some strange reason so he was being rude and disrespectful the whole meeting. It was a very irreverant meeting and not appropriate. The struggle is real. So after spending 2 hours praying for charity, we finally go to leave. Ah! Then we went and had the best lesson ever with the new family that we are teaching. This family is so prepared. So we just met the daughter walking on the street last week and we had no clue we would find a family of 5 who have been searching for a church for over 8 years! The mom was hilarious! She asked the best questions and has a sincere desire to know if what we believe is true. They all accepted the Book of Mormon with an open heart. It's a mom with 4 daughters who are 11, 14, 16, and 21. They loved the restoration and kept asking questions about the plan of salvation so they are totally excited to keep learning. Then later we had dinner at the "B"s and Sister B pretty much told us her whole life story. It was so great to get to know her better and we had a blast talking about her experiences. I love her!
 




Wednesday we had exchanges in Lake Mills. I went there with Sister Alder. These are the sisters that have been really struggling this transfer so it was an important exchange. Sister Alder came out with me but the whole thing with her companion has really shot her confidence down. She's just enduring the rest of her mission, so I spent the whole day trying to show her how to work hard and have fun. It makes me so sad that people don't enjoy themselves and they just grin and bear it. Also, we spent most of the day finding and tracting. I came back to Kenosha sooo grateful for how receptive the people are here. Almost nobody would even let us pray with them in Lake Mills. I felt very blessed to be in an area that has so many prepared people. We met with a less active Hmong family in Lake Mills and he gave me a Hmong name! Mine is Gaoli which I guess means beautiful moon. Haha. Then we met the sisters at the stake center to switch back and they were having some huge CES fireside about preparing for college. So I snagged a packet and a cute BYU pen. The packet has great info! I also got to see the Bishop from the West Allis ward along with some of my favorite members there. I miss that place!




Thursday we did weekly planning and actually got it done! Then we had a couple appointments and our dinner appointment cancelled and then "R" offered to feed us. Shes so sweet! We had a nice dinner with her! We visited a family in our ward that bishop asked us to visit and they are amazing. We had a whole lesson on recognizing the spirit and the spirit was so strong there. I love lessons like that one. :) 

Friday we volunteered at the Shalom center and they made lunch for all the volunteers. It was nice. Then we came home and I got a package from Gram and the sparkle letter from Kristen. Thanks gram, I love the new Mercy River cd. :) People are going to start fighting me to burn it for them. Missionaries go crazy over new music. Then we had a lesson with the "F"s. Bro. F has a hard time accepting the details about the gold plates and Joseph Smith. he said "It's just too amazing to believe it really happened." Then he later told us, "I want it to be true!" He's getting there!! Then we had a day full of appointments then at night, the YW/YM had a talent show and it was hilarious!!!!! Seriously the greatest talent show ever! The miamaids and laurels did a glow stick dance and it was so funny because they turned out the lights and you could only see the glow sticks they taped to their body dancing. It was great! I love the young woman in our ward! 
 

 
Saturday we had correlation and then a great lesson with some of the girls we are teaching. The mom was sick in bed, but we read from the Book of Mormon with the girls and the 16 year old girl we met on the street is super interested and loved it! Things started clicking for her! Then we went with the "A"s to get my dress altered. Stressful stressful! I am praying it turns out alright! Then we ran around visting people and then had a dinner with Sister "O" and we practiced our song we are singing in sacrament meeting next week for her because shes the choir director in our ward and then we had a whole lesson on music and the power that it has to bring the spirit into our lives and she even sang a little for us. Later, we had a lesson with "R" and she's understanding the Atonement now! She's still coffee free! :)

Sunday was the primary program at church. CUTEST THING EVER!!! Then we had a day packed with appointments. We went to visit a less active sister the bishop asked us to see. The elders usually work with them because they are teaching her husband whos not a member but the bishop asked us specifically to visit her, so we went with Sister Z and while we were there, her sister in law came to visit them and was super interested. Sister Z offered for us to teach her and then kind of giggled knowing the elders might get mad if she isnt in our area, well turns out she lives right by our apartment, in our area. So we are totally going to start teaching her. Everything happens for a reason! Then we went to visit Sister "P" and then went to a BBQ and dinner with the "T"s and they had this super fun game planned for FHE called "Stump the missionaries" we had to come up with an anology with a random object with some gospel related. It was fun! They didnt stump us!
 
 
Overall it was a wonderful week and I am looking forward to the couple weeks I have left in Kenosha. I don't want to leave this place! I love it! 

Thanks for all your love, support and prayers! I feel them everyday! Have a great week! I love you!!!

Sister Karlie Marie Tanner <3

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