Patience, rest, and a HUGE Christmas gift!

Thanks for family, friends and the ward at home for all the packages :) FELIZ NAVIDAD!

WOOOOOOOOOOOW. by far this has been such a crazy week!!!!!!! I am so beyond excited to Skype home on Christmas that I had a dream last night that I was skyping home. haha :) well here is my random week. 

Monday was of course an awesome lesson with our investigator on date, S. AH is so soo prepared :)

Tuesday we taught S again, we taught about the word of wisdom and law of chastity... it was the least awkward lesson I have been it, it went so well!!! again like I said, she is so prepared and gave up coffee. SCORE! ah it was such an awesome lesson. It amazes me how much people will give up so that they can have the gospel. I am so blessed to help her make this change in her life.

Wednesday was transfers, and officially we are a tripanionship! it is the best! we cover 5 stakes... its crazy! but we never run out of things to do :)

Thursday.. well I couldn't sleep. and then woke up early and was throwing up. yucky. so I caught some bug and had to sleep all day. I cried because I miss my mom, I didn't realize really how much she does for me! and my dad! and my sibblings! that when I was sick they would help me with everything :) but the branch here is just like family, a member gave me a blessing and another member brought me crackers, soup, and medicine. soo yeah Thursday nothing happened.

Christmas Angles!  Hermana M, Hermana R & me
(thanks to a member for this photo)

Friday I was feeling soo much better, I just had to rest to get my energy back! we had a branch Christmas party and we wanted to go, so we did. and good thing!! we had 3 families of investigators come to the party that we are currently teaching!!! it was a great turn out :) I love the Spanish people, they make the best food and know how to have a fun party with dancing! even though I wasn't allowed to dance :/

Branch Fiesta!  I wanted to sit on Santa's lap then
I remembered I'm not allowed to do that haha

Oh yeah I'm not allowed to dance as a Missionary ...
sad day ... you don't know how bad I want to dance :/

Saturday was great, we had a huge breakfast (like we do every transfer) with all the missionaries in the stake. and after that we went to Portland for zone meeting. and after to a baptism for a little girl in the branch.. and after that to dinner with a family from the branch. their little boy said the cutest prayer! we were saying a prayer to bless the food but this is what he prayed for instead "dear Heavenly Father. we are baptized to go to church. we go to church to be missionaries. we become missionaries to be sealed in the temple. we got o the temple to be the prophet. in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." hahah it was so adorable! we also went to visit R, J, M, and V! they are a family Hermana M and I found in August when we came here!! they were so happy to see me and I was so excited to see them! it was an awesome visit, J wants to get baptized and everything!!

sunday, surprise!!!!! my huge Christmas gift, I couldn't ask for anything better... R, J, M, and V all came to church! FINALLY after 4 months of trying they came, and they loved it :) the branch loved them! ahh it was a wonderful day!! they are planning to come back fro activities and they want us over to their home so that they can make us food from el Salvador! we are so super excited :D they literally are a miracle family and I love them so much! 

well over all it was an amazing week. and like I say in every email, so many miracles. big and small! but my favorite miracle of all is the miracle of people coming to church and feeling the spirit their :)

I am so grateful for my Savior and for his birth.. without this time we wouldn't have anything to celebrate, so remember the reason for the season and share your love to all! Feliz Navidad to all and I cant wat to see my family in 2 days on 

Skype!!

Feliz dia del pavo

Happy day of the turkey everyone :) haha or in English, Happy Thanksgiving!! This week is a great week to take a little time to remember then blessing we have in our life! 

hmm.... well, i just had to take this picture for my future kids when one day they say "wow mom, you werent able to use facebook on your mission?"  Capture the moment.

It was interesting what i heard from someone last night... We were knocking doors last night to reach our goal of talking to 70 new people this week(and the first time ever on my mission we accomplished it!!) 1 man we talked to last night expressed his gratitude for the things that he has in his life, especially the savior. he said to us "i am grateful for so many other things, i could talk to you all day about what i am grateful for!" WE truly are a blessed generation to have so many things in our life today! As this week is here me and thousands of other missionaries will being using Facebook as a daily thing.. no not to get distracted about things at home, but to help those at home and those where we are serving. I am super excited to be apart of all these crazy changes!!!!! This is an amazing time.... Just as The Lord promised in Doctrine and Covenants 88:73 "Behold I will hasten my work in its time." That time is now. It is a blessing to be here on the earth, we all agreed to come down at this time to help our brothers and sister, to lift and strengthen each other! Another commandment that was given in Doctrine and Covenants 88: 77 "and I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom." I don't think we realize all these other commandments that God has revealed to us through the restoration of the gospel! ahh the scriptures are so true!!!! I can never read enough of them! We must teach our friends, family, neighbors, strangers, everyone! they must know about this gospel and what they can have!

aww my wonderful family sent me a box of
"Christmas junk." hahaha i love it all!
i already decorated!

Well the time is quickly passing here and i cant pause it :/ I am so grateful to be here, I actually enjoy being busy for 16 hours of the day, every day, being out in the cold freezing, but being filled inside with the spirit :) I love talking to people about Jesus Christ, our Savior!! I love expressing my love and gratitude for him! even when people don't accept our message of the TRUE restored gospel at least we can all agree about the Savior.  

well we have had some great miracles this week :) since my companion is a sister training leader and she has to go on exchanges with other sisters a lot, i get to do it with her :) so this week i got to be with my old companion Hermana V in her new area!!! it was so great and fun :) i also brought out an english sister with me to my spanish area. we talked with 24 new people that day and taught 4 lessons! my brain was so full i felt like my head was about to fall off! it was an amazing week here in Vancouver Washington :)

My little living space!

Les amamo muchisimo! que tengan un feliz semana. Toman este tiempo el jueves para recordar de sus bendicones!  (dont judge my spanish, i cant spell or speak perfectly! haha poco a poco :) - Hermana Kelsey Jaeger

New companion, New area.... Again

Sending some love to all

What a great week :) Happy Birthday to my amazing father!!! I love you dad :) Hermana R is great!!! This is both our first time not training, so we are enjoying that!! There is so much excitement here in the Spanish Branch, especially to have a ton of baptisms this month. Ojala! we are praying to have a miracle this transfer! There are tons of people who we know are ready. :)

Tuesday was fun, there are two new Hermanas in the mission, so my comp and I got to take one out for the night.. it was such an amazing night, we had 1 OYM (open your mouth) that is where you talk to someone about the gospel! this guy was deaf so we communicated with him on a paper, got his information and he was so excited, we passed him on to the ASL sisters :) that night we also taught an older couple and it was such an amazing lesson, it was the first visit with them and we set the standards why we are here teaching them... they became two new investigators :) woohoo, the new missionaries bring so much success!

Doing the "Baptism" sign in sign-language.

Well the time with Hermana R is already going by fast :) she is an awesome missionary and I am so blessed to have her as my companion! we both got doubled into our area, but still working with the Spanish branch, which is a blessing. the hard part is there were no appointments set for us to teach the people here and this area had 20 investigators in the area book... or so we thought, as we went to visit some of them this week we realized  that none of these people have a desire to change.. no one is progressing! we decided to clean through and see who truly wants this! we have had some amazing success in discerning who is interested and who is not. with that saying.... we got a new investigator at the last minute last night!!!!! it is an amazing and adorable part-member family. they have come to church before, and they are okay with us coming over and teaching the whole family :)  yay!! we felt such a special spirit with this family, we hope this is the baptism we are here for!

Akaward speed limit sign

the other night we were walking on the street at 8:30pm, we needed people to talk to! so we found these 2 homeless men.. both named D, D 1 wasn't a very happy guy, but D 2 was! D 1 was mad at God and had heard false things about Joseph Smith, we tried to correct what he had heard, but he wasn't interested... meanwhile, D 2 was so interested and so grateful for the things God has given to him in his life! I'm glad I listened to the prompting to give him a Book of Mormon, because he gladly accepted it :) and I bore my testimony to him of how no matter what we have in life, big or small, the book of Mormon will fill our heart and soul and teach us of truth! :)

it is amazing to me to see how hard hearted people are and how some are so open... I have seen a lot so far on my mission and it has changed how I talk to people. just the other night we were visiting with a lady who recently started coming back to church. as I listened to her and talked with her, I was touched and started crying!  its amazing and beautiful when people go down a path but then stop and analyze where they are... they see what they need to fix and they fix it, they see how good the Lord has been to them even though they never acknowledged him.. its amazing :) its amazing how much the Lord loves us so much! he continually wants us to have happiness in this life!!

it has been just a great week! hahahaha we were talking to a funny guy and he burped super loud and acted like it was nothing, then he continued on to talking about how he is like a cat with 9 lives... hahahaha it was super interesting!

awesome note, remember the guy B and how we found him? walking outside, listened to the prompting to cross the street and talk to him at the bus stop.. he then came to church 2 times, has been reading in the book of Mormon and the English elders are now teaching him.. well the elders said he is getting baptized December 8th! woohoo!!!

there are 29 missionaries in our stake here in Vancouver, its pretty crazy... we are all going to play soccer today for pday!

Thank you to a sister from the ward who always sends me talks to read, I have been reading and realizing new things :) thanks!!!

 "Going on a mission teaches you to live the law of consecration."

 "the mission will be what you make it, it will be what you decide."

 "we are the Lords little group of warriors in this tiny corner of the US.... we matter to Him!"

the time is here, and its slipping out of my hands.... I'm hanging on and changing now to do more!!!

Love you all <3 Hermana Kelsey Jaeger

1st Baptism & I'm in the New Vancouver Washington Mission!

I love my companion Hermana V!

Well..... I am now officially in the NEW Washington Vancouver Mission! Crazy changes continue to happen here in the mission field :) My address will change as of July 1st, but i will inform you all next week what is will be :) Side note for all those new missionaries coming out... be prepared for ANYTHING!!!! 

1st Baptism :)

Well this week was amazing! after being in the field for 9 1/2 weeks, we finally had a baptism :) C. M. M! He was so prepared and so excited! Even though we dont have a spanish branch, he loves the English ward and his new "family." EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD, welcome in investigators and recent converts, they are so nervous!!!!! But they are amazing people :) they are taking a HUGE step of faith to change their life. C had never tied a tie before.. when he came to church on Sunday for his confirmation, he had on his adorable blue tie(that previous Hermana A sent to him) and he looked so happy! I am so blessed to be apart of this amazing change for him. The whole baptism program was in spanish, and his confirmation in church on sunday was in spanish too... the ward is so excited :) THIS is the start of the spanish branch! we hope haha. Many exciting changes here in the Hood! New baptsim, new mission, new language. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

Our last names are so similar

One cool thing, I got to hug President Greer and Sister Greer, since they are being released this month.. I love my "mom and dad!"

President and Sister Greer!  I am going to miss you.

V Family's adorable kitty

Well as for crazy things that have happened.... I've had some interesting conversations in spanish with many religions, mostly the Jehovah Witness... I thank them for their efforts... but I still read the Bible(the correct one) AND The Book of Mormon.. I am satisfied with my religion and my beliefs, because I KNOW with out a doubt, that THIS is the true church!! The spirit bore a powerful testimony through me, I started to cry... Many people appreciate the work and service we do, no matter if they accept it or not. The people here are so kind, they just need to open their eyes and see the truth right in front of them, at their door, in a very simple book, testified in simple words by two girls, who are trying their best in a language they have only learned for a few months. How can anyone deny this work and The Spirit? THIS is the truth that everyone is searching for!

(I LOVE this Crazy Beautiful weather here in HR OR

Well I am truly happy for C and  his choice to be baptized, he is so excited for these amazing changes for himself! It's crazy how much i have learned in almost 4 months.... the time goes by too fast. Time to find more people who are ready!!! LOVE YOU ALL! Have an AMAZING WEEK <3

Cuidase!

con amor,

Hermana Kelsey Jaeger