Hello family! This week has been great! I love my new area and my new companion! Her name is Sister Hopkins and she is from Provo and has been out almost a year. We get along great and have lots of fun, almost too much fun! haha! So the apartment that we are in has had missionaries for a really long time and there's a bunch of random stuff in the apartment. We have two bedrooms and there's one bedroom with a bunch of bags of clothes and other random things, so we decided to go through it on one of our lunch breaks. The clothes were ridiculous...definitely from the 90's. haha. Sister Hopkins put on almost all of the clothes, at the same time. We took a picture and we were laughing SO HARD. I will send you that picture in a different email. :) We also found a Nerf gun and a little spud shooter. We have been having fun with those during our lunch and dinner breaks. haha. Missions are so much fun! :) 

Now to explain the subject of this email. To make a long story short, there's a kid that lives in our apartment complex that is a complete spaz. He sort of terrifies me. haha. I got out of the car one day to go eat dinner and he came over on his bike and was trying to run my feet over. Yes, this little 6 year old kid was trying to run my feet over with his bike. I was trying to get away from him and so I put my hand on his shoulder and kind of jumped to the side. He then screamed out, "haha!!! You touched me! Now you're a slobber zombie!!!" I almost died laughing. This kid also likes to tell people that he's John Sena (I think I spelled that correctly). He came up to us one day and said, "I'm John Sena! You can't see me!!!" and then told us we had better good or he would get us. Hence, why the child sort of terrifies me. haha.  

Now on to more important things. :) We had a lesson with one of our investigators who is basically a less active member, but has never been baptized. He went to the singles ward in Everett for 2 years and loved it and was taught all of the lessons, but wasn't baptized. We asked him how his Book of Mormon reading has been going and we were a little disappointed because he said he hadn't really read. But then we asked him how his prayers have been going and he lit up! He said that he felt like he had been forgiven as soon as his prayer was done. And that he felt so good inside and that the feeling was almost too much to hold inside. We read Doctrine and Covenants 9 with him and explained that that was the Holy Ghost. We invited him to be baptized on May 10th. He is now praying about that day! We texted him a few days ago and asked how his prayers have been going he said that he felt enlightened. Hopefully he will recognize the answers to his prayers, along with that great feeling!

Did you all get a chance to watch conference? I hope so! It was so good! If not, it should be online in the next few days! I loved every second of it! Conference is like Christmas to missionaries! And it comes 2 times a year, not just once! :D I really liked the talk about being grateful. I can't remember who gave the talk though. He said that we shouldn't be grateful FOR things but that we should be grateful IN our circumstances, no matter what they are. He told a story about a man that went to a restaurant to eat. At the end of the meal, the waiter came and asked how the meal was. The man replied with, "It was great, as usual. But more bread would have made it even better." The next day the man came back and the waiter doubled the amount of bread. At the end of the meal, the man still had the same reply. The same thing happened the next day when the waiter, again, doubled the amount of bread. Finally, the next day the man came back again and the waiter had a great idea. She grabbed a 9 foot long loaf of bread and cut it in half and gave it to the man. At the end of the meal she asked how it was. The man replied with, "It was great, but I see you're back to only giving 2 pieces of bread." I hope that we can all be grateful in our circumstances, no matter what they are. There is always something to be grateful for. Last night we were talking with a family that are potential investigators. We told them this story and her young boy said, "What if I'm being bullied at school? Is there something good in that?" His mom looked at him, concerned, and was about to reply when her son said, "Well, I guess if I got pushed to the floor, I could find a lucky quarter!" We established that her son was not being bullied at school and kind of moved on. I thought about his comments after we left and realized, that even in the worst of times, we can find that lucky quarter. The Savior is that goodness for us. He understands us completely and unconditionally. I am so grateful for that! I hope that this week we can find the good in our circumstances, no matter what! 

I love you all! Have a great week! 

Love, 

Sister Keele

Transfers: Monday April 1, 2014

Hello family!! SO this week is transfers...and I GOT TRANSFERED!!! I'm going to the other side of the mission in Graham. I'm really sad to leave Tiffany Park, but I know Graham will be great as well. I feel like I am leaving home. I love the people here so much and I could stay here forever. It was sad saying good-bye to our investigators and members. But, I know that this is the Lord's plan for me!

So this past week was a great one! We had a lesson yesterday with our investigator, Angie. When we first met her, she wasn't sure if she believed in God or not. This week, she bore her testimony to us of the Savior and how she doesn't need to rely on anyone else, but Him. It was amazing and we were all crying. Yesterday, we had a lesson with her, and I had to say good-bye. It was one of the hardest good-byes I've ever had to say. But, we also committed her to be baptized on April 26th, so I will be back in Tiffany Park in no time! It is amazing the love that you have for the people you teach. It is unlike any other love!

I'm not sure what else to write this week. But, I'll send lots of pictures to make up for it. I have learned so much here in Tiffany Park and I'm so grateful that the Lord sent me here! I am going to miss it here and I'm going to miss Sister Carlin, but I am going to love Graham! Heavenly Father knows what is best for us, and I trust Him! :)

I love you all!

Sister Keele

March 24, 2014

Hello! I hope all is well at home! I can't believe how time flies while serving a mission! I'm about to be finished with training! So crazy! It is amazing though! I love serving and I love the people here. You don't even begin to grasp the concept of loving the people you serve while preparing for a mission. It isn't until you get here that you truly understand. I feel like I've been here forever and that I've known these people my whole life. I love them so much!

Anyway, this week was great! We started riding bikes and had some fun experiences with that! The first night we rode our bikes, Sister Carlin's bike started having problems with the brakes. The brakes were stuck so going up hills felt like climbing Mount Everest. And it feel like climbing a mountain anyway. So she was exhausted. We finally decided at around 8:15 that we had better start walking home because there was no way we were going to get home on time. So we started walking and all of a sudden there was a woman walking next to us. She had gone to pick up her car, but the mechanic wasn't there and she was afraid to walk home alone in the dark, so when she saw two missionaries walking, she figured she would be safe if she walked with us. We got to talking and found out that her husband passed away about 5 months ago and she is having a really hard time coping with that. We were able to teach her about the Plan of Salvation and how we KNEW that she was going to see her husband again. It was an amazing experience and I know that meeting Pinky was the reason we were having bike problems. Heavenly Father watches out for each and every one of us! Luckily though, one of our other investigators was able to fix the bike the next day so Sister Carlin can actually ride now!

A few days ago we got home a few minutes early and we decided that we needed to stay out until 9 to be exactly obedient. We then met one of our neighbors that I had never seen before. She invited us into her apartment and we got talking about the gospel. She love understanding other religions and reads about them a lot. However, she had never heard of The Book of Mormon before. We were able to teach her a little bit about it and she committed to read it! It was amazing! She is coming with us to church next week!

This week has been absolutely amazing and I can't wait to share all of these wonderful experiences with everyone in person. Being a missionary is the greatest blessing in my life! I get to witness God's love every day, every moment! I love it so much! I know that Heavenly Father watches out for each of us, no matter what. He wants to help us, His arms are already extended towards us. All we need to do is ask.

I love you all!

Sister Keele

P.S....Happy birthday papa-san!

P.P.S...happy birthday c-town!! 

Captain's Log Month 3

Hello family!! How is everyone? I hope you are all well and safe after the earthquake this morning :) Tomorrow is my 3 month click day! So crazy that so much time has passed already! It is weird to me that there are missionaries who have been out for a shorter amount of time than me. And that soon I am going to be 2 transfers older than some missionaries. Crazy! Anyway, this week has been absolutely fantastic!

We had a new member fireside last night and Karen, who was baptized on Feb. 9th, got up and bore her testimony!! It was the sweetest thing! She is only 16 and is the only member in her family. She's actually from Long Beach and knows where we live! haha! It's a small world!

Also, the most exciting news is that we now have 3 progressing investigators! We would have more, but in my mission the investigator has to go to church in order to be progressing and we had 3 investigators at church! There is almost nothing more exciting than having people progress!

I don't know if I told you guys, but we volunteer at an adult home every other week. We went there this past Thursday and there is a new lady there. She is so young and from what I can gather about her, she lost her memories after being abused by her husband. It is so sad to see these people there who are so confused and it is by no fault of their own. I just can't wait to see these people in the next life and see how amazing they are. I love these people so much. There is an older couple there and everytime we go they are always sitting on the couch together holding hands. It is so cute!

We also met with a part-member family that we have been working with since I got here and we were able to understand many of the concerns that he has had. We also figured out that he has had missionaries teaching him for 20 years. That is a LONG time! But I know that Heavenly Father is continually preparing him to hear the gospel!

I don't have much else to report, but I love serving here! I absolutely LOVE being a missionary and being able to witness miracles every day! I know that I was called here for a reason and that when we are on the Lord's errand, we cannot fail! I hope that all of you are having the opportunity to come closer to our Father in Heaven every day and that if you don't know who He is, that you are searching Him out. He WILL answer our prayers.

I love you all!

Sister Keele

March 10, 2014 AMAZING

Hola Familia! How are you this week?! I have had an absolutely amazing week! There are several reasons why, but in case I run out of time, I'll tell you the biggest reason. Just keep in mind that an email will never do this story justice. I mentioned Isaiah last week in my email and said that I would tell you guys about him when I got home. But, the most amazing thing happened with him this week. So last Wednesday, we had to go get gas and for some reason, I felt like we needed to check the tire pressure. It was 10!! That is horrible! And we had checked it two weeks ago and it was 10 and we filled it up. So obviously, there was something wrong with our tire. So we called the car coordinator and he told us to take it in asap and get it fixed. So when we got to Les Schwab, there was a man stuck in between the door and the brick wall. A lady went to walk inside and because he didn't move when she said "excuse me," she SHOVED him out of the way. As the door was closing, he stumbled inside. When Sister Carlin and I got inside, he was clutching a pole in the middle of the shop repeating, "What? what...what...what..." The same girl that shoved him out of the way said, "Could you shut up?! No one wants to hear you!" This man was clearly on drugs and needed help, yet no one was helping him. He could barely stand up so we put a chair behind him, helped him sit down, and told the people to call 911. As we were waiting for the ambulance, I talked to him and got his name. His eyes were shaky and he was not aware of where he was. This was Isaiah. A police officer got there and told me to leave him alone and started laughing at him, along with everyone else. He called an ambulance and just stood there, waiting. I was devastated. How could everyone be treating this child of God like this? So what, he was on drugs. We all make mistakes. But he needed help. Not persecution. I started to cry. My heart was continuing to break for him every second we were there. Something in me was just connected to him in a way that I can't possibly explain. I could not get him out of my mind for the next week.

Then, the next Wednesday, our plans had fallen through and we decided to go see a potential we met my very first week here. We knocked twice, and no one came. All of a sudden, we saw two people walk past the house we were at. Without hesitation I pointed and said to Sister Carlin, "That's Isaiah!" We called his name, but no one turned around. So, like the stalkers that we are, we got in our car and went to find him as he had turned the corner. He and his friend had separated and we found him walking by himself. I jumped out of the car and said, "Are you Isaiah!?" He looked shocked and said, "Yeah....why?" I then freaked him out more by saying, "Were you in the hospital last week?" He looked even more freaked out and said, "Yeah...who are you?" I explained to him who I was and how I knew who he was. It was the most amazing experience. He told us that he had a really bad day that day and that he has been drifting away from God and so he turned to drugs. He explained that if he hadn't had medical attention when he did, he would have died. He said, "Out of all the people in the world, it was you two that helped me that day. And out of all the people in the world that were driving by me just now, it was you two. People that are spreading His word. That is not a coincidence." At that moment, I knew that I have been called to this mission for certain people. Isaiah being one of them.
I know that we are each called to be where we are in life, for a reason. God has a magnificent plan for us. And it is amazing when we realize even a part of that plan. I love you all! Have a great week!!

The Good Samaritan

Hello Family!! How are you guys this week? Life here has been exciting! I'll try to make this email make sense...But I can't promise that it will! :)

I have been thinking a lot this week about the Good Samaritan and how the Lord has told us to be like the Good Samaritan. There is so much around us and so many people around us. There are always people that are in need. We should be the ones to help those people even when people may think you are strange. We should be the ones that follow the example of our Savior Jesus Christ! We will be so blessed if we do! I would tell you the experience I had that prompted these thoughts, but I wouldn't be able to do it justice through an email. So remind me to tell you someday about Isaiah. :)

We have been working with a lot of members that are less-active and we have seen so much progress with them! They are starting to realize the importance of church and the sacrament!

Exciting news! We finally had an investigator come to church yesterday! Now she will hopefully commit to baptism!

Speaking of baptism! One of our investigators is committed to be baptized on April 5th! She is so great! I am so excited for her!

We also went on exchanges and our STL's told us that they are fading out tracting! So crazy!! It is so weird to not go tracting every day! But we are working with the member so much more! Our STL's from last transfer got white washed and so we have 2 new STL's from the other side of the mission. It's crazy, but I love them! We also got the AP's in our zone this transfer. Which is kind of weird too. But we are the biggest zone in the mission and we have the lowest numbers, so our speculation is that they are here to try and help us. LOL! But they are so great!

This week has been great in Tiffany Park! I have truly felt the love of my Savior! I know that He loves each and every one of us! He didn't just suffer and die for the righteous, He suffered and died for ALL of us! I know this because I have felt the Atonement in my life and I have felt it change me. You all can too. I know that as you pray with FAITH and with REAL INTENT, you can be healed.
I love you all! Have a great week!
Love,
Sister Keele

Good morning all!! This week has been absolutely amazing! I am so happy to be here in Tiffany Park! It's amazing that I get to witness miracles every single day! I could not be happier!!

For my first miracle: we have been working with a part-member family since I got here. The are so amazing...I love them SO much! The wife is a member, but hasn't been to church in YEARS. Her husband has taken the lessons before and has pretty boldly told our mission leader that he does not want the lessons taught in his home. Well, we go over there once or twice a week and share messages with them. We had been hardcore friend-zoned for like 2 weeks though. BUT, this last week, we shared a message with them and they were so close to coming to church!!! But, we all know that Satan works hard on the people that are having their hearts softened and opened. And they had a contractor coming to their house during church to look at their kitchen because they are remodeling it. They'll come to church soon though! I have faith that they will!

Second miracle: We have been trying to get in contact with all of the sisters in our ward that are less-active. This week, we have been able to get into some of their houses and teach a lesson or share a message. It's a miracle because no one has been able to do that in a long time! God truly is preparing people!!

Third miracle: We knocked into a guy named Art and he felt the spirit so strongly as we recited the first vision. I have never felt the spirit so strongly during a door approach! It was absolutely amazing!

Fourth miracle: we are teaching an 8 year old the lessons, even though she is a child of record, and it was amazing! She was so happy about the things we taught her during the first lesson! We asked her if she would pray to know if they were true and she turned to her mom and said, "Can I do it NOW?!" It was so sweet. She loves missionaries and even though she doesn't have to take the lessons, she wanted to anyway. And it is really helping her mom because her mom is less-active. I love this family so much!

I absolutely love being a missionary! It is the hardest thing I've ever loved! It is so hard having doors slammed in your face and people saying you believe in a crook. But when you find that one person that is SO ready to hear the truth, it makes it all worth it. You forget about what everyone else said that day. You forget about how discouraged you felt before talking with them. You remember that THIS is why you came on a mission. That God has prepared people to hear the gospel specifically from you. And it makes everything worth it. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the fullness of the restored gospel on the earth today. I know that with every piece of my heart and soul. And I know that everyone of us can know with 100% surety as well. We just need to ask our Heavenly Father!
I love you all! Have a great week!!

Love,

Sister Keele