Training 4 Ukraine : let's do this thing!

Getting Kylie's Emails makes my heart happy! She played an April Fools Prank on us telling us she had been reassigned missions...little stinker! Her Email address is kylie.karren@myldsmail.net if you want to write :) Her P. Days are on Wednesdays.

FAMILY!!!

How is it already Wednesday?! I am so happy. :D

Well first off I think that I have become an ultimate player of charades. Because my companion is constantly laughing at me as I act out words to her. For example: "smash" How do you describe that word to someone who doesn't know it? Well you put your body between the wall and the door and you "smash" it on yourself over and over, making an aw! aw! aw! sound. ;) She starts cackling and you know you have done well. Cectpa Rubio now understand the word "smash".

So far I have made some silly mistakes in Russian when teaching. Would you like to know some of them? OK.

-I told one investigator that the church is a "worldwide war" meaning of course world wide church not just American.

-I told another investigator that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the legopiece of God. (meant power of God).

-And another investigator I told that we feel the Holy Ghost in heat. I meant in our heart!

Gotta laugh right?!? ;P

The days are blending all together so this email is hard to write. Maybe I will just tell you some thoughts from this week?

Our Sister Training leaders just left the MTC for Ukraine wahoo! Before they left they gave us "an extreme pep talk" as they call it. How do you feel the spirit? RIGHT NOW get out a pen and paper. Yes, you reading this. Do it, I dare you. Anyway. Write down specific instances in your life where you have felt the spirit or how you feel the spirit.

I feel the spirit during a beautiful sunny day, it makes my heart happy. I feel the spirit when my mom stays up late with me and we just talk about this gospel. I feel the spirit when we go scuba diving exploring the ocean and this beautiful planet God has given us, all the creations. I feel the spirit when I sit down and just play the piano. I feel the spirit in a laugh or a warm hug from someone I love. I feel the spirit as I have learned to deal with physical pain - learning to feel grateful for my body and knowing God loves me and is teaching me strength and perseverance. I feel the spirit on a bad day when an angel, a friend comes to cheer me up. I feel the spirit as a swimmer when I would jump into the water lungs burning, racing, because I know that I can do all that I can do, BECAUSE of God. I feel the Spirit in a smile, in goodness, in all things. I feel the Spirit when I pray because Heavenly Father and my Savior are my best friends. I get to talk to them all day. Remember that only good comes from God, and that your spirit is good.

I just want you all to know I am committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I will do anything the Lord asks me, because I am dedicating my life to Him. All of it!

This is the best thing ever! I love the "growing pains" because through those "growing pains" I am able to grow taller and stronger than I could without them. Not because of myself, but because I have God and my Savior helping me every step of the way. I have never been happier.

What a privilege it is to work with my Savior. And guess WHAT?! Mission or not we are all a part of this work. We will chase away darkness from this world. We are the ones ushering in Christ's second coming. We are at the forefront. HOW COOL IS THAT?! All previous dispensations have ended in apostasy. BUT NOT THIS ONE. Christ is coming back. He is COMING! I know it. Let us prepare. Prepare the world to receive her Savior. Everyday we need to ask ourselves "am I a convert today? Have I grown stronger in my conversion today?" -Jeffery R. Holland

Don't just endure. ENJOY. Life will always have its hard moments. Find joy in this gospel and in Christ. Rely on His atonement. Do hard things, do it because we love Him. As we work for Him, we will become increasingly closer to the person who created all, who created us, who loves us more than anything we can imagine or comprehend. He sent His son to atone for us, to die for us so that we may live again. What a beautiful gospel. It just doesn't get any better than this. Nothing the world offers even compares. Who cares about all this instant gratification stuff only the world has to offer? It doesn't matter. When we truly rely on the Savior and His infinite, continuous atonement you will feel joy like you never have before, you will feel peace, you will work harder, you will love unconditionally, because how can we not when we know all we know? Jacob 4:7, and Jacob 4:12, then Mosiah 27:29 then Mosiah 28:3 (READ THESE seriously so good).

We are so blessed to know we are children of God. Christ is our light and we can have joy because of HIM.

SO LET'S DO THIS THING!

I love you guys so much. Know I pray and pray and pray all the time for you. So excited that I get to spend eternity with you. Know that I am OK. Because this is God's work- it is His time and I absolutely love it. I hope and pray you are all doing alright also. I love you.

I will talk to you soon. Thank you always for notes and packages. Reading letters always makes my LIFE. You are all my heroes and examples. You make my heart happy. How lucky and I am to have you guys as my dearest family and friends. Thanks for all you do for me. I love you.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Love,

Cectpa Karren

PS: Happy April. Me and Cectpa Rubio totally ganged up on our district today and silly stringed them up. (Thanks mama for knowing my pranking SOUL). Then we turned and sprayed each other. Pretty epic.

PPS: secretly hoping you all going to Hawaii in April is an April fools day joke but if you are it is fine you little stinkers going back after 2 months without it. ;P

always training for ukraine and I love you!