Endure to the End

Our Awesome Spanish District!!

Well hellooooo everyone!!!!  It has been an interesting week!! I have never felt myself change so much in such a short amount of time!!! I am interested to see what my brain spits out onto the keyboard to type home this week... haha lets see how this email goes!   I realized I talk so much about my investigators in my emails and not so much about what I am experiencing!!  so that is my email this week :)

well this email is a little more personal. while I have the desires to serve a mission, for the past 8 months some times its very difficult... so many things built up for 8 months and that I feel like I am fighting against myself! we had interviews with President Taylor this week and after talking with him I just felt a huge relief and an untangle from my jumbled mind! I cant wait to write my whole story down of my life from the past year.... so much of the ups and downs I cant even express! President Taylor said he said he can see me radiating and he feels of my sweet spirit... I wrote a whole page of things we talked about :) I still don't understand to this day of how or why I am here on a mission... Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, I understand, is how I am enduring my mission! but I don't understand why me, why he has allowed and helped me to stay out here on a mission! I am so grateful for this. I have been so hard on myself the past 8 months because after all that I have been through. I know he needs me here, I know I want to be here.. who wouldn't want to serve the lord!? 

I always think of the scripture we recite every day in Spanish, Doctrine and Covenants 4... "if ye have desires to serve God; ye are called to the work." I have desires to serve him! He knows that. my heart is right, my spirit is right... only half way into my mission, I still have time to change and to serve him will all my heart, with all my might, and with all my strength! This week I seriously took to heart what every missionary needs to hear "the Lord needs you... WE need you." its so true, after all that has been said and done. How great and glorious the day will be when he comes again! I want to find those that are ready, I want them to know! like I've always heard, WE, as missionaries, must be the lords true investigators. the greatest success we can have on a mission is truly converting ourselves and I know I will leave my mission at least doing that!  I love how President said to me "remember why you came out and why you are still here.. you and your sister will have a joyful reunion together!" Hermana Jaeger and Elder Jaeger, I am out here still because of you two.. know that you two have left a huge impact on me and that is why I am still here... I wouldn't want to serve a full mission without you two. and what a BLESSING it is to be serving with two of my siblings... I know the Lord is blessing my family so much! I know this opportunity to be here is the biggest blessing I can have.. I will endure till the end, I promise! I will serve faithful and with love, doing all that I can to leave my mission with no regrets.. truly! I know I am called to serve, I know The Lord needs me here, or else I would have gone home that first week in the MTC.. I think of how far I have come and how much more I can go! EVERYONE needs to keep doing His work, He TRULY needs us ALL!

Doctrine and Covenants 34: 4-6 "and blessed are you because you have believed; and more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my gospel. To lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming."

now, about the work here.. its slowly going! haha I think that's what every missionary says, or else its just booming(in the words of my sister serving in Texas!) we just have to be patient and keep working :) we have walked sooo much this week... literally more that I walk at Disneyland! HAHA we had many little miracles this week and we were able to talk and meet and teach people, not as many as we had hoped, but again.. numbers don't reflect effort! it was still a great week :) a great week of food and walking and talking!

cool fact, as we were driving to a member who lives 45 minutes from Vancouver he told us and pointed to where part of the Twilight movie was filmed.... right on the side of where we were driving! its in Kelso/Long View Washington.. its sooo gorgeous, but of course, cloudy :) haha I can not wait to come back up here and just drive everywhere!!!!!

Halloween was probably the highlight of the week, we are with the M from the branch. we first had to make a mask to wear at dinner.. then at dinner we ate food as a game, we ate for like an hour! haah as seen in the picture I had to eat my spaghetti with a giant spoon! it was such a  fun night! the work is great :)

Halloween was the best!  Dinner was a game.
Yep, I ate with this big spoon and was so full!  

Love you all so much, I hope you have a wonderful week. take care!

<3 Hermana Kelsey Jaeger

For thou art called to prune my vineyard...‏

I keep my family close to my heart!
Sister serving in Texas, Brother Serving in Chile & fam in Cali

"for thou art called to prune my vineyard with a mighty pruning, yea, even for the last time..." Doctrine and Covenants 24: 19

 "and it shall be given thee from the time thou shalt go, until the time thou shalt return, what thou shalt do. And thou must open thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with the sound of rejoicing. Amen." Doctrine and Covenants 28: 15-16

Well it was so good to see pictures of Austin and the family :) I miss and love you all oh so much! The night before and day that Austin left for his Mission I cried because I wish I could say bye to him and that I could be home loving and hugging my family!! I love you all so much! Austin I am so proud of your decision!! you will see so many miracles! I cant wait for you to hear the REAL Chilean Spanish, hahaha you will die!! its hard to understand them, but yet they have to most beautiful Spanish and are the most loving people, hopefully you gain a few pounds on your mission ;)

Well this week was good, we did and still have to do a lot of walking because we don't have many miles left on our car to drive everywhere, haha well at least its sunny(not so much warm though!) well Monday night we were walking to talk to a referral family, and we saw a dad R and his daughter so we talked to them and some how I got a book of Mormon in his hand, and he wasn't very interested at first! well when I asked if we could come by and share more he said he needs to talk to his wife first... so we didn't get his number or address, and we were sad :/ but as we kept walking to the referral family, we saw R walk upstairs to the apartment right above this family, MIRACLE! haha now we are going to go by and share more :)

Another miracle, A who missionaries have been working with for a couple months, came to church last Sunday, then the activity or Tuesday and then to another activity on Saturday night! it was pretty cool, and amazing work in progress.. she told Hermana K (her fellow shipper in the branch) that she wants to get baptized, but isn't sure about a few things!! hopefully another transfer here and we will see a miracle happen :) Ojala!

Well my bro Austin left on Thursday to Santiago Chile!! crazy how fast that came, but I'm so proud of him!!! well this was a good day, we were walking and met a nice English man and gave him a book of Mormon.. we walked a little more and a Russian stopped us to ask where our church is! HAA that is so rare!! he said he has attended many churches and wants to attend ours one day! his name is L, and he even knew a little bit of Spanish! its the funniest thing hearing a Russian speak Spanish! I have noticed the Lord putting many more Russian speaking people in our path because we talk to them!


We had dinner with a family from the branch, and as we were leaving the little girl wanted to show us "the lights she helped decorate!" so we followed her outside and out of the bushes the dad jumped out in a gorilla suit and we screamed!!! it literally scared the crap out of us because we didn't know that was coming! haha we then went back in the house because the dad wanted to take a picture of us teaching him in his gorilla costume!!! funny

Friday we had a cool little miracle... we only drove 7 miles! wow but a lot of walking. We got in and taught an amazing family from Honduras that we have slowly been working with. we then knocked a door and it was about 8;30pm... a baby started crying and no one answered the door. my companion quietly said a prayer.. then we knocked again and the lady answered the door and immediately said "Hola! pasense. hace frio!" so she let us in without us even saying a word... MIRACLE! we then told her who we were and she said she had recently met with the missionaries... so we set a return appointment so that we could talk with he elders and see fi they are teaching her. turns out the elders never taught her, but they have been trying to get in with her but she is never home.. haaa miracle :) we are going to start teaching her.

Saturday Sister T called us with 2 more referrals (people she had talked to) one of which we actually are teaching his wife, small world!! and another was someone that we actually talked to in winco (we cant remember that) baha but that's cool! we did lots of walking to, and as we were walking by a bus stop we saw a guy but it didn't phase us... when we double looked we realized it was L, a man we taught on his doorstep but haven't seen since! he ripped his ear buds out and was so happy to see us and so apologetic for not calling us... but he was so excited and wants us back over soon!

Fall in Vancouver Washington!!!

embarrassing moment of the week: I feel asleep on my knees for an hour praying Saturday night, hahaha I woke up so confused!

Sunday was a miracle!! remember the guy I mentioned before, B? the one that we talked to at a  bus stop and came to church last Sunday... well he came again!! he loved church! he read the first two chapters in Mosiah since we gave him a scripture to read! he loved it and is super interested to read and learn more... he is an English man so the elders are going to start teaching him :) AHH that little miracle has made me happy!!  lots of little miracles this week. 

Well I've been reading in Doctrine and Covenants this week, I love it!! I am so grateful for all the trials and patient Joseph Smith had, for all that he did to bring the gospel forward in its fullness for the last time! 

"Leave thy house and home... and speak freely to all; yeah preach, exhort, declare truth, even with a loud voice, with a sound of rejoicing... pray always, and I will pour out my spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing... behold, canst thou read this without rejoicing and lifting up thy heart for gladness?" Doctrine and Covenants 19: 36-39

...sorry, I love scriptures!!!  Adios! - Hermana Jaeger