Reasons to Be Thankful

Hello my dear family!

What a wonderful time of year. I was a bit worried about the holidays when I came on my mission. I was worried about being homesick and wanting to be home but to tell you the truth I Love being a missionary during these times. It is so fun. There are so many reasons for me to be thankful. I thought I would just list a few of the things i am grateful for right now! Not in order.

The Gospel. The Scriptures. My Mission. My Family. My Bed and sleeping  (those are first) :) Hot Chocolate. Singing and Music. PB & Js. Sunshine. The wonderful members of BC 2. Miracles. Hermana Hill says the spirit...:D so I guess i have to be grateful for her too. haha just kidding. I love her! Laughing. All the wonderful people I get to be in contact with.  

It sounds like you all had quite the week! :) I am glad to hear that everyone is doing so good. I appreciated your funny stories. They put a smile on my face. How awkward about the new years happening! hahaha :D ohhhh crazy memories. I guess he didn't think it was that bad because he still put in a good word for kendra! :) He is a good person.  I have to apologize...you will be getting double duty letters in the mail this week. I didn't quite get them all done and then I was going to finish tuesday morning and send them off but it didn't happen. I just decided on wednesday that I would send them with the boys...so forgive me. I am a little slacker. 

I am glad that Brother Jarmen is willing to help me. Honestly, I haven't prayed or even really thought about anything when I come home but I feel like that would be a wonderful and beautiful opportunity for me. As for now...that will have to wait, I can hardly stay awake during my prayers for things that are most important right now let alone trying to figure out other things. It might also be that I am in big time denial as well but that is besides the point. It is almost december! how is that possible? There is Christmas music playing in all the stores. It is fun to hear it! We have been holding off to sing the christmas hymns until December but I am getting excited. Christmas is really wonderful on the mission. It is the perfect time to help people because their hearts are more open to a message about Jesus.

La Familia Argueta: I have the most beautiful miracle to share for this week. Last week on exchanges Hermana McCleary stopped us and told me that we needed to contact this family who was outside. We pulled over and walked back to their house and started talking to them. We set an appointment and then this last wednesday was the day of our cita. We went and it was awesome! We got to know them more and explained about our purpose. It is a family of 5 and 6 with the grandma who lives there. The abuela was there but the mother wasn't. We felt really good about all of them but I was worried about if the Mom would be open. We set a cita for saturday and when we went back we met the mom and taught the restoration. It was a really great lesson. They all were involved and asking great questions. Then here comes the good part. We invited them to church and they said they would come. Sunday came and the most beautiful family walked in the door. They have 3 beautiful girls 14, 12, 10 and then the mother father and grandma. The mother wasn't able to come because she had to work but they came and stayed all three hours. The girls LOVED young womans and they told us that after we left they all read the book of mormon and prayed together and personally about joseph smith. They said they felt really good about the feelings they felt. It was just such a miracle. I feel like they are going to be baptized. I feel so blessed to be able to work with such wonderful people. 

ps: dad right now mary did you know is playing...i can't help but think of you when i listen to this song! :)

Alicia: Another wonderful miracle. We have still been teaching her but she hasn't come to church and it has been hard because she can only progress so much until she comes. She told us that she doesn't want to do this by herself and that she wants her family to be involved. We hadn't been able to meet her husband and talk with him and so that was one of our goals for her. We told her that we wanted to meet him. One day we went over and then he ended up coming home early. We got to meet with him and we shared a message about prayer. We sang as he and hermana hill played the guitar to nearer my god to thee. It was awesome and he told us that if he didn't work on sunday that he would come with alicia to church. They didn't come but it was a step forward that we could meet him. I think this week we are going to try to set a cita for when he will be home! 

It is our second week as being a split ward and it went really good. I love our ward and new bishopric. Tonight we have an FHE with the bishop and his family and one of their neighbors so we are just a bit excited about their efforts to share the gospel. :)

I have been reading the book of mormon. As I have been reading it this time around I feel a special spirit. I feel like I am understanding a lot more that I didn't catch before. I know that the Book of Mormon testifies of Christ and is true and will help us through all of the experiences we pass in our lives. I know that when we read it that we will feel the spirit and have a better day. I love that book and i hope all of you are continuing to gain a stronger testimony of the principles that are inside of it. 

Well. I hope your thanksgiving is soooo great! Don't eat too much. Enjoy it though. I love you all a ton and hope you all can feel it! I will talk to you all next week! Thanks for all your prayers, support and love. Remember who you are and to whom you belong to.

Off finding the tens of thousands!

Hermana Rife

At Transfers!

Hermana Rife and Hermana Hill

Sisters Cardona-paul and Correia

(Love them)

No fun title from Kynsie today! :) Guess she has run out of ideas!

Well Hello Hello Family! 

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week? Oh my goodness...I can't! I am really hungry right now though so I think that I am ready for some good food. :) What are your plans? It sounds like you have had another busy week. I am sorry to hear that mom is sick. I think it is a rife problem because I have  been a bit sick this week as well....but I am not that sick. I just have a small dry cough and a bit of a sore throat. It has been getting better though. I made a lime, hot water and honey mixture. It was surprisingly gross but worked pretty alright as I was drinking it. I do agree that mom should go to the doctor though. The weather has been really up and down and so I think it has influenced me getting sick. esta bien. I am sorry to hear that grandma still isn't doing wonderful. You will have to let me know how her appointment goes tomorrow.  I have been praying for you grandma!

We have been a trio for the last 5 days. Hermana McCleary's companion finished her mission and went home so she has been with us. It has been fun to have her. We have been working in both the areas though so it has been a bit hard too, trying to balance all the things but we did it. I have loved working with Hermana McCleary. She is so special. She has been through a lot in her life and I am learning a lot from her sweet spirit. She is such an example to anyone she is around. She will be getting a new companion tomorrow. I will not be getting transferred so another 6 weeks in the creek of bear. :D haha only the people who know spanish might think that joke is funny...even though it isn't really funny. 

okay well i am done rambling...I need to tell ya'll some good miracles of the week. As you know we have been working with some less actives in our ward. Olivia is one of them. She is so special. I love her a ton. She has been through so much and she is trying to break free of some things. One night she was pretty fed up and we had felt to go over there. We went over and she was going to leave. We ended up helping her make dinner and clean up a little bit and then she came out with us on a lesson. She wanted to stay in the car when we got there but I told her that she needed to come. She came and we contacted this referral that we received. Olivia bore a super strong testimony about how she came to know that this church was true. She also told them of how even though she isn't perfect she is trying and the gospel helps her. It was so special. She said that she felt really great after and that she was going to be okay to go home. She went home and informed us later that night that everything was calm with the things that were happening before. She also texted us this week before she went out and did anything that she knows she shouldn't do and so we were able to go over for a few minutes so that she could remember the perspective. 

I feel like we have had some really good moments with Olivia. She told us in one of the moments this week...wow I am blessed. She knows that Heavenly Father has a better plan for us but sometimes we really have to struggle through other things in order to get to that point. Yesterday she came to church and she started work today. I am grateful that I could be with her for many moments when we have seen how the Lord has worked in our lives. It also has been a huge testimony builder to me of that when we do things the Lords way  he will prepare a way for something better. I know that it is true. All of the things we go through will prepare us for something more and make us better people.

We had a lot of other special things during the week but I would say that those were my favorite. I am so happy to be here. All of these moments are just so special. Well I hope you all have a great week. I will talk to you sooon. Thanks for your cute halloween card. (I forgot to send Kynsie the Halloween card I had purchased for her back in September!!!)  I loved the announcements too. (Justin's and Steinia's wedding invitations) I hadn't seen them, so thanks for letting me see them. I love you all tons and keep doing the good things in life. Reading especially and praying especially. I started the book of mormon today. I am excited to read it. I am going to be able to do both the book of mormon and the bible. I am in psalms now and so I am close. :) 

Okay BYE! I am sending you a lot of pictures from zone activities and just one from today. I'll be off finding the 10s of 1000s. remember who you are and to whom you belong to.

Hermana Rife

Her Trio for a few days

Hermanas McCleary, Rife, and Hill

A Zone Activity - November 2013

(Kynsie is on the far left)

Kynsie's zone at the Temple 

Another Zone  Activity 

(Kynsie is in the middle)  

:)

Hermana's  in Texas!  

"Kynsie's chain" is almost finished!!!  Need to add an airplane!  :)  She is finally coming home in 87 days!

Kylee and the rest of us are a little excited.

"Kynsie's chain" is almost finished!!! Need to add an airplane! :)

"Kynsie's chain" is almost finished!!! Need to add an airplane! :)

"Kynsie's chain" is almost finished!!! Need to add an airplane! :)

aloha ohana dis us missionary from Bear Creek =) das wassup

That was elder langinbelik he is the Poly in our district. He just typed the subject line! :)

Hello Dear Family!

 

I am relieved to hear that Grandma is doing well. I know that the Lords plan is perfect but that doesn't mean that it isn't hard sometimes. I have been a bit worried for her this week. It was a relief to receive your letter mom on saturday and to hear that she had been doing well. It was good to hear a "she's recovering" report on the email as well. :) Keep it up grandma! I am sorry that all of you are sick though. Get better!

 

This week was another week of beautiful miracles and experiences. The Lord is good to us. He is so good to me. I always feel like He gives me and sends me exactly what I need. Sometimes it doesn't get easier but it does give me the strength to push on. This week we had a specialized training on conversion. In the Bible Dictionary under the section of conversion. We find the following."Denotes changing one’s views, in a conscious acceptance of the will of God (Acts 3:19). If followed by continued faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism in water for the remission of sins, and the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, conversion will become complete and will change a natural man into a sanctified, born again, purified person—a new creature in Christ Jesus (see 2 Cor. 5:17). Complete conversion comes after many trials and much testing (seeLuke 22:32; D&C 112:12–13). To labor for the conversion of one’s self and others is a noble task, as in Ps. 51:13; Dan. 12:3; James 5:19–20; Alma 26; D&C 18:15–16."
Well, I feel like the mission has brought me conversion in many aspects of my life. I feel like through the hard stuff that is how conversion really happens. It is living the gospel when it gets hard that brings us to be able to endure to the end. It gives us the hope that there is something better. Ether 12:4. It never ends though...conversion increases and grows stronger and stronger and we always have to work for it. It is through the miracles that I know the gospel is really true and that the principles within it are true and real.

JR: I think it has now been 4 times that JR has come to church. He looks like a regular on the pew. He may still have his earrings and has a few tats but he is going strong and he is there with desires and a smile. It brings a smile to my face every time I look down from playing the piano and I see him. He has been reading and praying. He is working on some things. He has been doing good about keeping the word of wisdom. He is so special. You can see more light and the endurance that is coming from his conversion. He is pressing on and fighting even though it isn't easy.

 

Juana: Did we receive a prepared person this week or what? I would say "YES". Wow. She is super prepared. Juana was a referral given to us from a different set of elders.  Her boyfriend is a Member and she has been going to church with him. She invited us over for dinner and we talked to her about a lot of things. She was asking all the "hard" commitments and questions. Law of Chasity, Word of Wisdom, and Eternal Life. We would explain her the reasoning in spanish and then she would look at shane and say...ohhh baby, I love it. I love what they are saying to me. :D haha She is darling. At the end, we invited her to be baptized on the 30th. She told us. Oh that isn't a problem for me. I want to be a mormon but I have to talk to my family and i want you to teach them so they understand why I am making this decision. She is just lovely. I really enjoyed being with her. She told us how much getting to know shane has blessed her life and how he makes her a better person. Shane told us straight out...I want a temple marriage and an eternal family and she is very aware of that. :)

 

Reyes: We had the chance to visit with a family in our ward. It was a great experience. We have been really trying to work with the members and help them to invite their friends. We have had a lot more people trying to share their dear friends with us. We stopped by the reyes family and we shared a simple message about the light of Christ and the gospel. The Hermano was very touched and he began crying and thanking us for our service. He said...it is a beautiful thing to represent the Lord. It just made me tear up. It really is such a sacred chance. He thanked us for our examples and for being in their home. We asked if they knew anyone and they told us about their sisters. They are going to talk to them and see if we can go visit them. I just thought it was so neat that they referred us to their family. Another Member Miracle was with the Aseveldos. They have 2 missionaries serving right now and in the closing prayer, the hermana was asking Heavenly Father to please help them have missionary experiences and to please help them find people to share the gospel with so that we could teach them. It was just a blessing and a testimony to me that Heavenly Father will prepare us miracles and help if we are doing what we need to be doing. We have been trying to work with the members and look at what is happening. They feel it. Speaking of the members...Yesterday, our ward split. We have less people but more room to grow and get people involved. I am very excited for the changes. I feel like it is going to be an awesome challenge. We received a new bishopric and we will have a lot of new faces to work with in the ward council! I feel like it is going to be GREAT!

 

I know a lot of other things happened but I think that is enough for now. :) I am so grateful for this gospel. It is an amazing thing. Hermana Hill is doing great. She is adjusting to the mission and I am trying to help her. We can always use prayers though. She is really sweet and i know I am with her for reason and purpose. Transfers are next week. I will be receiving the call sunday so I'll know by monday. Well family, I love you a lot! I hope you have a fantastic week and that everyone gets better. Take care and keep reading and doing the small and simple things! Remember who you are and to whom you belong to.

 

Off finding the Tens of Thousands,

La Hermana Rife

 

"The sky the Sky!  Got to love the skies of Texas!!!"

"It was Hermana McCleary's Birthday!  We celebrated after ward correlation with La familia Ramierez."

"With la familia Martinez.  A wonderful family who will be on the other side...or the different ward.  I'll miss them!  :)" 

What a week!

Hello Family! 

Oh my goodness, it sounds like you all have had one crazy week. I am glad to hear grandma seems to be doing better. I had a little scare there in my  heart. I am so grateful for the priesthood and the faith of the people present. I was just listening to a talk this morning by Dallin H. Oaks about the Power of the Priesthood and the importance of Faith in the blessings that are given. I will be praying for grandma and a full recovery. :) I love you grandma! It sounds like your week was quite exciting and eventful. I am glad you all got some good candy!

Well right about now my face is super numb. I just finished having my root canal about an hour ago. The good news is...Dr. Lecheminant is basically a saint for taking care of me so well. I feel like he gave me the best of care and he is an awesome dentist. I am so grateful for the medical help that we have. What a blessing it has been for us in Utah as well as in Texas. This week flew by...it seems to be happening lately. There were a lot of wonderful things in it. One of those things was on saturday night. I don't think I have ever loved "Fall back" time change so much. 9 hours of sleep as a missionary. You could say it was a celestial blessing. :D It was a beautiful thing. Normally I would have taken that as a chance to stay up an hour later, but not this year! 

We had zone meeting again this week and so on tuesday, we went to Mission Leadership Training. It was filled with a lot of good counsel and things we could do in our zone. We planned for zone meeting on Wednesday. Halloween on Thursday. Zone Meeting and Exchanges on Friday and Saturday and then Sunday was Sunday. We did squeeze a few fantastic miracles in the middle of all of that. :) 

We had a beautiful lesson with EEA. Elisa, Eugenio y Alfonzo on Wednesday about Family History work and the purposes of Temples. I know it is kind of crazy for them because they aren't members yet but that is what we felt we needed to share with them. It was so sweet because while we were teaching them. I asked if they had any questions. We read about Elias (Elijah?) and the hearts of the children turning to their fathers and then we read about the temple work in the Doctrine and Covenants. Alfonzo told us. I didn't know this but you have showed me and if it is in the Holy Book (talking about the Book of Mormon) then I know it is true. I feel it is. He asked if he needed to do the work for each one of his ancestors and we said yes. He was thinking a lot. I know he felt it. We invited them to keep learning and take the steps of action in Mexico. Alfonzo told me...Hermana, You have lead us on the path and got us here. Now it is up to us to act on that. It is time for us to decide to follow or not. It brought comfort to me because at times I have wondered why they aren't accepting or different things but when it comes down to it. I know that I have done everything in my power to help them accept the Gospel and it really is up to them now. Heavenly Father knows why they didn't get baptized here. Maybe it is so their whole family can accept it there. They do have like 14 kids. They are so special. I love them a ton. We sang Para Siempre Dios este con Vos. Hasta Ver. :(:) but Happy too.

We ate enchiladas with them on thursday morning and went to go collect some pecans. It didn't work out so well but it was good to be able to be with them and show them our love. I am going to miss them a ton. They are really like family to me. I hope you all get to meet them one day.They invited me to come stay with them in Mexico for a month. haha :) I would love to take them up on that!  We were feeling a bit sad because we had lost them...but then a super special miracle was right around the corner...

Raul: My first transfer here in bear creek, we knocked into this woman and then ended up teaching her and her husband a bit about what we do as missionaries. We were never able to share the restoration with them but did give them a book of mormon and invited them to read. WE tried to get back in touch with them but never could get a hold of them. Last Saturday on exchanges, I told hermana draper. Maybe we can just try this house. We have talked to them before. We knocked and ended up talking to Raul. He said they had been busy but that we could come over the following friday. We went on Friday and it was a beautiful experience. His wife, was there but about doing things in the house and taking care of the grandkids. We tried to get her but she was busy. :( We ended up teaching Raul the Restoration. The spirit was so strong. We did the vision and the power of the heavens just came down and was present. Raul after a bit of silence said. I didn't know this happened but this is how this church was formed. He went on to express how the people probably don't like Joseph Smith because they feel like he is a big deal to us but that Joseph Smith doesn't want to be worshiped that He was just trying to help us follow Jesus more. He said, and if that is what he did...I welcome it. I bore my testimony of the truth of the message and he was almost in tears. He told us of the joy  that he felt in that moment as we talked about the message of the restoration of Christ's church. He understood perfectly what we explained. It was so beautiful to watch it click with him. He said he would read the book of mormon and that he would pray to know. He said, thank you so much for sharing this with me. I needed it. We invited him to be baptized. He told us that he would study and let us know. I feel it though. He is very prepared. It was probably one of the specialist? is that a word? I don't know. It was one of the most incredible lessons I have had. (Sorry, sometimes the sentence structure doesn't sound right to me- I don't know how you would say it though....hahaI think I'll probably need english classes when I come home) We have a cita with him tomorrow and let me just say. I CAN'T WAIT!

Well, time is up. I love you all a ton. I am so grateful for each of you and your prayers and support. It is a huge blessing to me. I can't help but get chills and tear up a little bit every time I sing Las Familias pueden ser eternas. I am grateful for my wonderful family and for all the blessings I have been given. I know that this work is true and life changing. I know that God loves each of us so much. I know that His plan is perfect. I know that Jesus Christ is our savior and through His Atonement we can be perfected and over come our bad natures. I love my mission.

Be safe. Keep praying. Grandma...Get better. We have lots to do when I come home. :) I'll be here..off finding the tens of thousands. Remember who you are and to whom  you belong to.

Love your little Hermana Rife

Alfonzo, Eugenio, and Elisa with Kynsie

(I hope that is Kynsie's tan line on her feet and not just dirty feet!!!)  :D

"My Texas necklace from Hermana Crandall's Mom!  So sweet of her."

Halloween 2013

Kynsie had told her little sister and niece in one of her letters a week or so ago that she thought she would dress up as a missionary for Halloween...

and I guess that is what she did!!! 

:D