Happy March

Hello Family,

I hope everyone is doing alright. I am sorry to hear about the passing of Grandpa but I am glad that he didn't have to continue to suffer. I actually felt to just send him a quick email last week but I didn't. When I heard after in your letter that he was going down hill, I understood why. I told Heavenly Father though to have His Will be done though so that if i would be able to send something I could but if not then I would understand as well. I felt bad that I didn't follow through on that prompting. It just shows how easily we can be distracted from the Holy Ghost and how he isn't going to keep forcing it if we don't listen. I will be praying for you all at this time. Especially you Mom, and Uncle Scott. Life is a beautiful thing and how blessed we are to know of the bigger picture but at these times in life it still seems to shake our worlds a little bit and really remember what is most important in life. I remember when aunt amy died how i pondered about a lot of things. It helps you to recognize that life is to short to waste it and that we have to use and cherish the time fully that we have while we are here.

I just wanted to add a few of my favorite memories with Grandpa Cherry and a few of the things he left

-His willingess to always give of what he had. I have no idea how many packages of gum he went through when he would visit us. He would come with a full pack and leave with like 3 pieces every time he came! He always had a pack in his back pocket though. :) As well as his willingness to give of formula and any other things he had to offer. Including his famous plastic bag wrapping jobs of a candy bar and 20 dollars. haha

-I always enjoyed our christmas trips to chuck -a- rama and all the laughs we would have there with our family and cousins. As well as how we would eat plates and plates of food until the point that I thought I was going to die! I think we all felt that way. It was always fun

-How he would always do his best to support us in our activities that we had. Piano recitals, sports activities, band and choir concerts.

I hope that you all are finding comfort in this time. If I know one thing it is that Jesus Christ knows how we feel. There is a beautiful scripture in Alma 7:11-12

"11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

He went through everything that we have to go through so that he would know how to succor us and how to help us. I  know that we can find comfort in this. I know that it doesn't always make the things we are going through better but that we can at least have a bit more peace and we will be strengthened in our burdens and be able to carry them with out feeling it as much. It doesn't matter if it is a pain of loosing someone, of trying to forgive, of trying to repent, or anything. He can give us the peace we need. Let me know if there is anything I can do. I am sending my hugs to Provo! :)

It was a good week this week. It went by really fast again. To answer your questions dad. It is a 12 week training when you go out to the field so I got done in December. I don't really know if there is a thing as jr or senor companion. If there is President Pingree hasn't said anything to us or any of my companions so I don't know if they do it in this mission. I am sure that my training will never end on my mission and that I will always be trying to refine things. The Zone Leader Council is something that the Zone Leaders go to every month. President Pingree invites about 4 companion ships of sisters to attend depending on who he feels needs to go. I have had the opportunity to attend 2 times. It just depends on what he thinks. At times the Assistants to the Presidents, The Zone Leaders or the District Leaders will ask us to participate in part of a training, at interviews or meeting. It might be something little or teaching part of the class. It just depends on what they feel. It is fun to be able to study and participate.

I am glad tanner got his little project done. I remember doing lots of good little activities and how wonderful mom and dad are to always help us. The other day I was thinking about that pizza valentines box that I mad. Silly silly. Well A few things that are going well. We are working hard to gain the trust of this branch. I think that because of a few of the experiences with past missionaries the trust here isn't as strong as it should be. We had a little discussion yesterday in ward council. It was a bit...awkward so we have a work to do. I have been feeling ever since i got here that the members have a weird thing with the missionaries. They are a fantastic branch but we need there confidence in order to help them and help our investigators. We have been praying for opportunities to fix that. I think it will be good.

We had exchanges this week. I stayed here in Oak Crest and Hermanita Rowe came with me. She was in my district in the MTC so it was fun to be able to spend some time with her in the field. We saw a bunch of little miracles during the day. We went knocking in the day and we were able to get 2 return appointments. One was with this Man named Eddie. He was home alone and he invited us in but we told him that we weren't going to be able to come in. He said well we can talk outside. Let me grab some chairs. We had a beautiful little lesson about the atonement and about how we can be cleansed from sin through Christ. I asked him how he would feel if that principle were really true. He just breathed out and said. Really Really Good. We testified of its truth and how God is our father and how he has a plan for us. We invited him to Pray because that is of course how we communicate with God. He was really nervous but ended up saying the prayer. It was very simple but very strong and beautiful. He thanked Heavenly Father for sending "these girls her to tell me and remind me of you" It was touching. He has a little bit of a hard time talking because he was shot in the head and he is partially paralyzed and it has effected him a bit. He told us that is why he gets nervous. He started crying at the end of the prayer and I know he could feel the spirit. He is a very humble and sincere person. I can see he has a special spirit just in his eyes and smile! I am excited to see him tomorrow.

I can't remember if I told you this but we are teaching an english class. We have a few people that come. We did it a little different and sang a song in english and then gave a thought about learning at the end. I just felt the spirit was there more and that we could help our friends learn english better. One of them is Hermano Arsac. He is from Argentina and I love that man so much. He just gets so mad that he can't speak and he says I don't understand I don't understand in english. He is learning though and I think he enjoys coming. When I see him I always try to talk to him a tiny in english to review what we have learned. Sometimes he just smiles and responds to me in spanish haha but then he will say. I am good. How are you in english. Earlier this past week we had dinner with their family. It was good. They talk so fast and it is hard to understand sometimes. Elder Barney, an elder in our ward was just sitting there and he said yeah...I don't have any idea of anything that just happened in that last hour. haha. Poor guy. It is his 2nd transfer. I was lucky to have a teacher in the mtc with an accent so I think that is why I can understand as well as I can.

Last night we had another lesson with Alex and Brenda. We taught them Plan of Salvation. We had our scriptures ready and whipped out all the bible and book of mormon answer. I had been studying hard to have this lesson ready for Brenda's Bible Questions. "WHERE IS THAT IN THE BIBLE?" haha :) She is so cute. We were able to help her over come everything but The 3 different kingdoms. She said that is the only thing she still isn't positive on and she even believes now in baptisms for the dead. Woo hoo! Alex just kept saying. This just makes sense. We are children from God. He is our maker and this is just right. It was so cool to see the spirit working in him. Alex and Brenda are complete opposites. Brenda is the evidence and Alex is the feeler but also knows lots about the bible. They seem to be doing good but aren't reading and praying like they should so we are going to try to help them with that. They just don't pray with specific questions but we told them to last night and I think they will. When we were leaving I said we love you two and they normally don't say much but Brenda looked at me straight in the face and said. We love you too! I think they can feel how much we care and that we really want the best for them. Hermana Ruiz - our first counselors wife came with us and her little sister who lives with them - She was so great and really helped the lesson too. Members can do amazing things.

Well I am going to go now but I love you all a lot! Let me know how everything goes and give my condolences to Mary and his side of the family.

Remember who you are and to whom you belong.

off finding 10s of 1000s

Hermana Rife

Pictures with The arsacs and Elder McKnight and Barney and with Hermana Rowe, Gutierrez, and Stockton.

The Arsacs

A sweet couple that Kynsie and her companion are teaching English to

Reunited with Hermana Rowe who was in the MTC with Kynsie

Also Hermana Gutierrez and Hermana Stockton