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| Kristen got her first of two boxes, in just 2 weeks (vs. 3 months going through the office.) Warm clothes have arrived! |
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| Hna Kristen Tuft with Hna Morales contacting in the streets of Calama. |
I truly am having a difficult time starting this email..... :) I feel like I just talked to you all yesterday....oh wait... :) And this week has been pretty tranquila, BUT nevertheless it was a great week and we have had a great time working here in Central Norte. :)
Just a few small things that happened this week. We are working on a musical number as a zone for a conference with Elder Spannaus of the Seventy this week, so we prepared that a little bit last week as the zone. We also headed to Tocopilla again (3 1/2 hrs away) so that was great as well. Truly Tocopilla is the cutest little port town and the missionaries there are truly working many mighty miracles. I love going there to visit and see how excited they all are. :)
We also have been working a lot with a lady named Jazmin and her family. She has 5 little kids and 3 of them normally join us, but we haven't found out a way to get the other 2 oldest to come down yet... Tarea por esta semana... :) Jazmin was an old investigator of Hna Morales and Hna Richins and kinda disappeared one day and then reappeared when we were walking by a park and she invited us to her house the next day. She is progressing great and she made it out to church yesterday! She got pretty sick during Sacrament Meeting... But the ward was great and helped out a lot and we got her home safely. :)
We also had a pretty incredible experience with a lady whose whole family are members of the church, aka siblings, and she never joined... Her brother was the stake president here in Calama a few years back and has since moved, but we did get to meet with Edith this week. I met her when I first got here, but she never has been able to receive us. I truly have a strong testimony that when we are prepared and rely on the Spirit to teach, instead of what we think we can do ourselves, it makes all the difference. Edith felt the Spirit as we testified and we hope that things will continue working out for her as far as her desire to learn and grow closer to our Savior.
I wanted to close by sharing my testimony that I truly know that this Gospel is true. I don't know if I say that in every email, but I truly do know it. I know that as we bear testimony of the truth, we have the gift of the Light of Christ inside every one of us and as we bear witness of Him, the people will be able to see and feel the difference. The things we know as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are not new. We knew them before we were born, and had to relearn them and walk by faith in order to come to know again for ourselves. Heavenly Father loves us and He answers our prayers. I am so grateful and humbled to know that He knows each one of our needs individually and specifically. I am so grateful that He gave me the opportunity to learn and grow these past few weeks with my companion, Hermana Morales. She's headed home next week, but she is such a strong and wonderful example to me. I love my family and I am SO grateful that I could talk to them for a bit yesterday. I know that we will be together forever, whatever happens in this life as long as we are faithful. The work of temples is true. We are an eternal family, and all families can and will be together forever, according to their faith to act accordingly. Our Savior, Jesus Christ lives! I know that He lives and because He lives, we have the hope of beautiful future in the world to come.
Con MUCHO amor de Calama,
Hermana Tuft
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Hello Mom and Dad!
First of all can I just say you all looked great and happy and it was good to chat. :) I love you lots and lots. :) It was great also to talk for a couple minutes with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Karen, too, for a couple seconds. :) It was really hard for me to hang up, but I know that whatever happens will be the Lord's will. Grandpa didn't sound too great.... He sounded really tired and sick... I hope that he isn't in pain and that they both will be alright. I was talking with Hna Morales last night, and it was interesting because I had a wonderful memory that came to mind as I got to go to the Brigham City temple with the both of them before I left and I got to be in the prayer circle with Grandpa. It brought a couple tears of joy to my eyes, and with that I do know that things will be okay. He'll be a wonderful missionary on the other side and I know that he'll be mindful of what we are doing here.
I did get the one package this morning and hope to get the other soon... :) Keep that as a little prayer in your hearts! :) Thank you very, very much. I'll get that 120 to Elder James somehow. And truly Hnas Quevedo (Yanina and Rosita) are wonderful people and I love them lots!! That's awesome they're going next summer!! They were going to go this fall for General Conference, but I guess not... Fun stuff. :) I also haven't had any problems with bed bugs or fleas, although there are a great handful of sisters here that have had their fair share of lice that I hope to stear clear from... Yich... :(
I saw that senior pic of Spencer and about DIED!!! He is not the little kid I know... But he looks like a missionary and that is exciting and wonderful. Glad he finished the season well. I'm also glad that I could help a bit with voice/acting up stuff. :) So sad to hear that she doesn't want to finish with piano.... She will regret that... I use it as much as possible here, because nobody plays.... I hope your surgery also goes well this weekend!! And that no headaches follow....
I would be so very grateful if you could put Jazmin Varas and family on the prayer roll, as well as Khymena, Edith Gonzalez, Mario Aguilar and family, Jaqueline Rojas and family, and Isabel Neyra, as well as Pia Diaz. Thankkk youuuu. :D
AND quickly, before I forget... I took a picture of our Spanish line that I'll send... :) Prooooff. Very interesting... It comes from the Tuft side!
We didn't get the chance to make apple pie, but HOPEFULLY this week. We have made brownies and banana bread though and they're big hits. :) Glenda and Agustina have been on hold.... But I'll keep you posted... Thank you so very much also for your thoughts, Dad. I loved that thought from Dr Griffin. :) Hna Morales does well with English, but definitely understands it better when she reads it so I let her read that part and we both liked it lots.... :) Thank you. :) It truly does make an incredible difference when we give our whole heart to Him. He can make it whole, but sometimes we do hold it back. It's incredible how that ties in with Charity and Hope, and also faith. I've loved studying that chapter of PMG, along with the Atonement. And with that, I have been meaning to ask you both if you had your own Preach My Gospels that you've been studying... I heard that challenge from Elder Ballard again this week, and I would love to be able to share bits and pieces with each other of our weekly studies... Just a thought. :)
I would also like to thank you for your experience of your journal entry from last week and memory from this week. I took a moment to write all the things I'm grateful for in my journal and didn't even touch the tip of the iceberg, but it's nice and good to remember all that the Lord has blessed us with. I also have been reflecting a lot on Grandma's experience, along with that of all the ancestor stories you both have sent (and I have loved those by the way, thank you!) and I have been reflecting on my own conversion... I have been so very blessed to know that these things are true, but there isn't a moment that I could explain that would be considered "my conversion story". It's been a journey of 20 years. :) I have put Moroni's challenge to the challenge every time I read it, and I always get a very warm and reassuring feeling that yes, it is true. I can almost hear our Heavenly Father say, "Kristen, you've known it all along. It is true." And that every time has come as such a warm and reassuring comfort, that even though I know, He will always give reassuring moments of "Yes! It's true!" And I feel that every time we share the first lesson. It's a daily recurrence that I am so very eternally grateful for.
I love you both lots! Happy Mothers Day again! I hope it was a fantastic day. :)
All my love,
Kristen
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