hermana k. rife goes to texas: From Your Missionary Girl in Texas

Wellll Hello My Family Dear. Happy Days to come to you all year...if I had a wish then it would be....That all of you would be full of GLEE!!! :)

Okay, We are on a music fast this week - Day 1 - and I am already thinking of songs to sing in my head! :) but it is worth the sacrifice because....we have the baptism of JUAN SOLANO this week! Woooo hoo :) I am totally soo super excited. He is an amazing man. I am so proud of him.

A really neat experience happened this week that I want to share. :) Meet Cindy, Jeff and Donny.

So the other day we were going to a dinner appointment at Hna. Lopez's home with a recent convert of Hna. Busenbarks Jose Luviano and his nephew Javier Santamaria whom is our investigator and is around 45. We went over to Jose & Javiers apartment so they could follow us to Hna. Lopez's house. So as we are turning in we see this van turn in and they looked familiar to me but I didn't say anything. Then Hna. Rivera says...They look really familiar and Hna. Busenbark says the same thing. We hurry in behind them and we get out. We just went up to them and asked if we could share a quick message and a prayer. One of them was like...umm I don't think I have time but the older brother said...Donny you need a prayer if anyone does. So we start talking to them. Jeff is the older brother and Donny is the younger one. As we are talking this woman is looking out the window and comes out. She was their mom. Her name is Cindy. We asked them if their was something we could include in the prayer. Jeff said a new start, or a better life, change in the world, (he has this huge tat on his arm that says let their be peace on earth or something like that), Donny said a place to live with my budget and cindy said the confidence and strength of my ancestors. So we start to pray and with a lot of people they want to hold your hands so we all get in a little circle and grab hands. They had a really strong good energy when we were talking to them but when we all grabbed hands it was like electricity was flying through my body. We are praying and I can feel the spirit so strong. I really really felt that we had angels surrounding us. We talked to them a little bit about the energy we felt with them. They were like we can feel that too. It was so cool. They were very grateful and invited us to come visit them this week. We are excited to go back. As we were going to Javiers and Joses all three of us were talking about it.

Juan Solano:

We taught Juan last week with this guy we met named Joseph Sanchez. Joseph just barely moved here and I know that he was sent to meet us for a reason. He has been a convert for 9 years and has an energy and passion for the gospel. He loves. it. So 4 hours before we have our appointment with Juan we start taking to him. He was talking to us and we felt like he was a perfect fit for Juan. We asked him to come with us to the lesson. He said of course. Juan had been struggling with some things but He has such a strong testimony that it was hard to see him falling again and letting Satan get him. So Joseph goes with us and we just start teaching. He asked Juan what his doubts were and he just tells us. He was worried about the book of mormon as well as his wife who is catholic and a few things like that. At the end of the lesson, he was committed to baptism and he really wasn't going to back out. He like knew it and he knew that it was the right thing to do. He told us of how he felt like Satan had been binding him and it was hard for him to get free. The next night, he had a blessing from our Bishop (who is great) and when it was done juan stood up and said...Wow. He was so touched by the spirit. It was a really neat sight. The appearance of him is changing. Over this last week you can see the changes and the Light of Christ that is in him. Yesterday he asked Bishop Escobar to baptize him this Saturday. We are very excited. This week we are visiting him everyday and just keeping him encouraged and ready to enter the waters of baptism. :)

I have been keeping Christian in my prayers. Please keep me updated. That is so so sad and hard. Hopefully he will recover. Its fun that dad got to speak at Trevin's court of honor. Tell the Ebmeyers Hello from me! :) I love them. I am glad everyone on the Jensen side is doing well. I got a letter from Grandma Jensen. I am going to write her today.

Response to your questions and emails. I am so glad to hear every one is doing well! I loved all the notes and little character smiley faces and mom the crab was my favorite! :) With out fail every week I am always tearing up as I read your letters from home. I am not home sick. I love it here but I love love love hearing from you. It always makes me so excited! :) I love getting the letters in the mail as well. I got a letter from grandma this week. It was fun to hear from her so thanks Grandma! :) I am glad everything went well with Whitney's Wedding! I want to see some pictures even if they are just from facebook! :) As for my health. I am a lot better than I was but I am still having a lot of sinus nast. Its not fun and I have to use my inhaler cause I can't always breath super well with my cough but I only have a few little coughing attacks a day. My allergies are acting up here as well. But I am doing and feeling a lot better than I was. I am not taking the cough medicine at night anymore and normally i just wake up once and pop a cough drop in and get some water. Speaking of water. The water here is SOOOOO NAST. Ew. We have to just buy it bottled and the tap water tastes like bleach. But i am adjusting. I really have not much to complain about. I feel lots better than I did and with time I will adjust to the weather, and allergies here and then it will be good. So just keep praying for my spanish to come and my health will keep improving. I am taking my vitamins most days. Some days I forget but most I remember.

Did you get my letters and pictures? I am sending the boys letters today. I also send Kinley a picture of Me and Tucker so she can remember us. :) haha. I need to get going but I love you all so much. Keep reading the book of mormon and praying as a family and personally. (OH yeah!!! we found a family with a single mom and 5 children! :) They are so special - we have a fhe with them tonight!) I love this mission so much. Everyday is better and better.

one more fun thing. The other night we went out to eat with recent converts of hna Rivera and it was a mexican resturant. the lady asked me what i wanted to drink in spanish but I didn't know if it was in spanish or english. I just knew that I understood what she asked me. It was like woah!!! I just understood and had to really think if i needed to reply in spanish or english cause i didn't know what language she asked it in. :) haha. Nerd but that is really cool.

I am going to try to send some pictures and a video from a talent show last week. I don't know if it will work but I'll try

Love you lots and lots and pray for you always!

Remember who you are and Whom you belong to.

Off finding the 10s of 1000s.

Love Hermana Kynsie

Here are a few pictures that Kynsie emailed to us...