I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas {12/22/13}

Holy Cow.

 

Oh wait, first I should say Merry Christmas!!!!

How grateful I am for the opportunity to spend this season focused on my Saviour, Jesus Christ. The miracles that I have seen throughout my mission, and this past week, would not have been possible if it weren't for His grace. I know that.

 

So, this week. Wow! We had our Mission Christmas Party in Muncie on Thursday and it was one of the best things to ever happen to me on my mission. We had a talent show where all of us missionaries got to make fools of ourselves, all in good fun of course. It was so nice to be able to laugh and have fun together. Usually when we're all together it's pretty serious and very spiritual--which is wonderful, don't get me wrong! But every needs to have a little fun every once in a while :) My part in the craziness was dancing in a reindeer rain dance. Yikes. Be glad you didn't have to witness that! One of my favorite parts was Elder Chambers reading a Kentucky redneck version of the Night Before Christmas in his best hillbilly accent. It was only that much funnier because our mission covers Kentucky :) Oh and guess who was there! Well, all of the missionaries I love that I told you about from the last Muncie conference but also Sister Christianson!!!!!! (I lived with her at the Blackhams)! It was a joyous reunion!! Our whole district (besides Sis Parker :( ) was there! Good times. After the talent show we moved into the chapel for the spiritual part of the program. Missionaries alternated reading about Christ's life and singing. Sister Farr and I sang Come Follow Me. I was so nervous! I've never sung a duet in front of a group of people before, but the Spirit was there so it actually went pretty well! The Spirit was SO strong throughout the program. Afterward we shared our testimonies and I never wanted it to end! I've said it once, I'll say it a million times, being with a group of missionaries is powerful. I know that we have truly been set apart from the world by God for this time.

 

We chatted and caught up afterward (oh and got Christmas cards from the 1st presidency!) until they kicked us out of the building. Sister Fox and I drove down with the new senior couple in our district--the Mcclellans. We love them! They're from Morgan, Utah.. as most of our mission is :) They took us and the rest of our district out for shakes after and sent mom a picture :)

 

Okay, let's fast forward to Sunday. Wait, Saturday night was the branch christmas party and it was great. Okay, Sunday morning. Sister Fox and I have been working so hard to get our investigators to church!! The past couple weeks we've had 8 or 9 lined up but the adversary works on them and one thing or another comes up sunday morning. This week we were determined not to have that happen. One particular couple, Dorothy and Rex, have been tryign to come for weeks but Dorothy's health is terrible. So Saturday night the elders went over with us and gave her a blessing (I love the priesthood!). After, she had tears in her eyes and said, "I felt that all the way down to my toes." Wow. Sunday morning comes around and she is feeling wonderful!!! She got a full night of sleep for the first time in over a year!! People, the priesthood is real!! God has restored it!! If this isn't a testament of that I don't know what is. Dorothy and Rex were able to come to church along with SEVEN more of our investigators. Yes, 7!!!!! We had NINE investigators at church!!! If you don't know, that's HUGE. Talk about a Christmas miracle!! Oh and we had 96 people at church which is also huge for our branch. So, let's do a little math. One tenth of the people at church were investigators! Woot woot!! Sister Fox and I sang in the choir and Sister Slavin and I performed Joy to the World on our violins and the whole thing was lovely. Most importantly the Spirit was there and it was strong. And our investigators felt that. Hallelujah. The Church is true.

 

One of our new investigators, Mike, came to the Party and Sacrament with us. After, we were talking and he told us the past two days he had had more positive conversations/experiences than he's had all year and he can't wait to learn more. He has been so prepared for the Gospel.

I honestly cannot think of a better way to spend my Christmas season than bringing my brothers and sisters closer to their Prince of Peace (didn't you love that talk in the Christmas devotional?) Jesus Christ. This truly is a time to celebrate Him!

 

Okay, one more miracle. Lori and Ian fell off date for baptism this weekend. Yep, Satan is the worst. BUT, he will not prevail! Because God is merciful, they were both able to get back on date and we are on for THREE baptisms this weekend! More than Kendallville has had in 3 years. It is going to be a white Christmas in Kendallville! :) The work is Hastening and will not be stopped. God is gathering and preparing His people. Let us all do our parts in hastening this great work of salvation and sharing the light that is within us with our brothers and sisters! And please pray for lori, Ian, and Joe!

I love you all so much and do not know what I would do without your love and support. I hope you all have the loveliest of holidays and remember the true meaning of Christmas. If you'd like to do a little reading to get yourself in the mindset I'd suggest Mosiah 14-16, Alma 33-34.

 

Also, President Porter encouraged us to read our patriarchal blessings and make a list of  "I Am..." I've been doing in and it's powerful!

 

With all of the love in my heart,

Sister Kayla Rolfe

 

Oh wait I can't go without sharing a funny story! Ian (9) was sitting next to us at the Christmas dinner. He asked our investigator if he knew Tom Hanks. So we get to talking about Tom Hanks and Ian leans over and whispers to me "I'm wearing Toy Story underwear but I don't think that's appropriate to say in the church. Am I right?" Hahahah :)

 

Ah, sorry, one more thing. Our mission is doing a social media split next month. Members will be with us all day taking pictures of us and posting them on social media sites. I'll be sure to have them tag me so you can share them!! Woot woot for the gospel being spread through social media!

 

Peace and Blessings, ya'll!!

Mail from your favorite missionary! {12/16/13}

So, I don't let myself read any of your emails until I write this one or else, let's be honest, I would never get to it. But, I'm just so excited to go read all of your emails sometimes I rush through this one. Sorry!

What a week!!

I feel like my past few emails have been all spiritual/serious which is fine and great, but let's start this one off on a lighter note. Yesterday at church this guy told me, "Sister, it's so nice to know a blond who isn't ditzy!" Hahah, hmm, I'm not sure wether I should take that as a compliment.

Thursday morning we woke up at 4 a.m. so we could head down to Muncie by 5 for zone conference (Muncie is about 2 hours from K-Ville). We got there and we were the first was there and the building was locked! Soon enough the rest of our zone showed up so we sang Christmas carols until the Muncie zone leaders came and unlocked the building. Brrr!!

ZONE CONFERENCE WAS SO GOOD.

I don't even know what to say. It was just really, really, really, good. Elder Perkins of the first quorom of the 70 was there and we were spiritually fed. Okay, we feasted. I never wanted to leave! Before I tell you about what I learned, get this. Elder Stradling, Elder Chambers, and Sister Ellis were all there! In case you're confused, that's all of the missionaries from my MTC district I came out here with. Reunited and it felt so good! AND, Elder Tanner and Elder Fivas from Eastgate were there!! (they're not in Eastgate anymore) AND Sister Palmberg, my grandma, was there!!!!!!! It was like a big family reunion! Ah, it was so exciting. It's amazing how close you get to the other missionaries. Sister Fox and I decided it's like a really close singles ward without all the awkward relationship drama. I love my missionaries!

Anyway, I learned so much from the conference I don't even know where to start. Basically, I'm ready to take on the world-- or at least, Kendallville. Most of it was focused on how to be a better teacher of the gospel. It was powerful. One of my favorite things, though, was what he shared with us about our weaknesses. If you couldn't tell from my last email. I've been finding a lot of those lately. Elder Perkins said that when satan works on you and tell you your no good it's disparing, but when the Spirit shows you your weaknessed, there is hope that you will be able to overcome them. Don't get confused! Trust me, I have, and it's not a good thing. Heavenly Father will never make you feel overwhelmed with your weaknesses and inabilities. Whew! Good to know.

After our meeting with him, all of the sisters got to stay and have a meeting with his wife. We sat in a big circle and talked about our feelings and our divine role as Sisters/women and as you can imagine there were a lot of water works. Especially coming from me. The spirit just overwhelmed me. As one of our investigators used to say, it was a spiritual punch in the face. I could feel Heavenly Father's love for my sisters and me so strongly and I knew how great our divine potential really is. The world has women stand for all of the wrong things these days and we, the minority, are here to change that. What a sacred and special privilege. As women, we're really hard on ourselves and naturally comapare ourselves to each other (which is really lame and unproductive). Sister Perkins told us to stop doing that. All of sisters are working toward the same cause, we're on the same team and we each have our own individual mission. The same is true in life. I really needed this reminder. We also brought up President Hinckley's wise words-- Try a little harder to be a little better. I love that. All we have to be today is a little better than we were yesterday. Just like Dad has taught me my whole life-- my toughest opponent in life is myself.

Wow that was a huge tangent!

So, that night we drove to Ft. Wayne with the sisters and went to their ward Christmas party. I forgot what it was like to be in a ward. So many people! We had a sleepover and went on exchanges the next day. When we woke up we were literally in a winter wonderland. Holy cow! It took us 30 minutes to get to a house that's usually 5-10 minutes away. Craziness. And I was driving!! Yep, first experience driving in a snow storm-- check! All of the elders and sisters met at a recent converts house (8 missinaries total) and we cleaned it top to bottom! I cleaned cat hair/droppings out of places where they do not belong. Poor woman. It was so neat to all come together and do this for her though! We sang christmas hymns to her after and she cried and told us how special we are. When we tried to leave our cars were stuck in the snow so the elders had to dig us out. Oh and we made snow angels :) The rest of our day was great/crazy/cold. Foxy and I drove home that night and were very careful, Mom. Sunday, we both spoke in church. It was on the Divine Mission of Jesus Christ and we've been studying the atonement the past couple weeks so I had a lot to say and could not narrow it down. I honestly had no idea where I would go with it when we got to church and was praying really hard. Then, surprise!, the stake presidency was there!! Really? Well, my prayers were answered and it went so well! Thank you Dad for blessing me with the love of public speaking. And thanks to the Spirit for guiding my words/thoughts, of course. I talked about the reason behind his divine mission-- love. And how we need to follow His example, in order to become like him, and love all men. I closed with "let us make it our divine mission to exemplify His." I'll leave the rest up to your imagination. The stake pres was there because we got a new Branch President! President Powell who we're actually spending Christmas with! We're so excited! His daughter is the one going to ken's mission. After church we spoke at the Young Women in Excellence program and you know how I feel about talking to women of the church (I love it! Women are great. Sorry men.) So that was good. Their theme was happily ever after (please, girls reading this, go read Uchtdorf's talk about this) and all the girls dressed up like Disney princesses and talked about how their lives relate. It was so cute!

In Ft. Wayne we went to Panda and my fortune said I would bless others lives through music or something along those lines. This week I'm singing a duet at our mission Christmas party and playign the violin in church for the Christmas program. Please pray for me!

I love you all dearly and can't wait to talk to my family members in 9 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

peace and blessings y'all,

Sista Rolfe

"Place your burdens on Jesus Christ. When you feel overwhelmed by expectations and challenges,
do not fight the battle alone. Follow the example of small children, and drop to your knees in prayer.
Jesus Christ has commanded us, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”
Doubt, fear, and worry indicate we have taken all of life’s burdens and anxieties on ourselves.
When plagued by thoughts that you are inadequate, confidently say, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Then as you “cheerfully do all things that lie in [your] power,” you can rest assured that the Lord will do the remainder and things will work out all right.
The Savior promised, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
As you “cast [your] burden upon the Lord,” you will feel the peace of the Spirit."
Elder Anthony D. Perkins

The missionaries in our branch were assigned to set up the Christmas tree!

Missionaries from my MTC district

Snow day!

Christmas Miracle {12/9/13}

It's snowing outside! I can't believe it's December and I can't believe how much more it feels like Christmastime when the ground is white. So beautiful!

I heard St. George had a snowstorm this week too?? WHAT?! That's definitely not the St. George I grew up in!

Anyway, this week has been a good one. Actually, a great one. 

My dear Lori, who I love with all of my heart, is BEING BAPTIZED!!! Wow. I could not imagine a better Christmas gift! December 27th will be a day I never, ever forget. Lori is so special and has been so prepared by the Lord. She really had a desire to be baptized, but wanted to be sure she was doing the Lord's will, so she took it to prayer. Of course, because the adversary is annoyingly aware of our spirituality, she started facing all of these trials. We had a powerful lesson--one of the most spiritual experiences I've had yet on my mission. We came back two days later and she was completely at peace.. she had received her answer! She prayed about it that night, then opened her Book of Mormon because she is brilliant and knows that the Scriptures are a window to heaven/revelation, and wa-la! The page she turned to was all about baptism. She knew then and there 100% God had spoken. I told you she is amazing. This is what the Spirit of Christmas is all about: bringing people unto Him!

We watched the Christmas Devotional together last night and the Spirit was so strong. I never wanted it to end! I am so grateful for a modern day prophet who received direct revelation from the Lord. What a privilege and a blessing! A couple of my favorite things last night.. "The way to find real happiness is to make others happy"  "The wonder and awe of Christmas is just the beginning" and "Let Jesus Christ be your personal Prince of Peace". Earlier in sacrament I was studying peace in the scriptures (it's been a bit of a hectic week) when the speaker from the high council got up and shared a beautiful talk on finding peace. Then, the concluding talk last night by Russel M. Nelson was on personal peace! I'm pretty sure they were both just for me. Don't you love when that happens? Just another witness that Heavenly Father knows and loves me.

Today I read a talk by James E. Faust that said "When we strive to come unto Him, we come to see how He will then make our weaknesses better known to us, sometimes painfully, in order to help us progress." I feel like that explains this past week perfectly, so I'm glad to know it's Heavenly Father working with me. There are so many things to focus on as a missionary and I feel like I'm falling short on so many of them. I've been a little overwhelmed this week with all of it. But, looking back, I know that it's only helped me to draw closer to my Savior and that He is showing me my weaknesses so I can become better. It can just be a little painful, like President Faust says. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of the restored Gospel. I know that at times like these I can find peace in my older brother Jesus Christ because he has been through exactly what I'm going through. How comforting! What a beautiful time of year this is-- a time to celebrate Him and all that He has done for us. He is the reason for the season-- the reason for everything, really.

 

News for this upcoming week. Friday we have a zone conference in Muncy with a member of the 70. His last name is Perkins if you're curious. The next day we'll be on an exchange in Fort Wayne. The next day I'm talking in church. That night we're talking at the young women Night of Excellence. Two days after that I'm singing a duet (all SIX verses of Come Follow Me) at our mission Christmas party. I don't know who got the idea that I can sing! Oh and Christmas Sunday I've been volunteered to play the violin in sacrament!

Activity is the genius of the church, right? :) 

 

Oh, one more thing. We're supposed to do a lot of service at Christmas, right? I have a service project for y'all. Write me letters!!

I love you all dearly!

xoxo

Sister Kayla Rolfe

We had a lovely Christmas party at the Nelsons' this week!

The 4 sisters in our zone!

Choose Faith {12/2/13}

My dear, dear loved ones!

What a week. Thanksgiving didn't slow Sister Fox and I down. We broke our records for member presents (10!) and total lessons (32!!!) in one week!! And we still managed to find 6 new investigators!! The Lord is really moving this week forward in Kendallville! We also got 2 new elders. Elder Chambers-- who was in the MTC with me AND in Eastgate with me (crazy!), and Elder Mcfarland who is brand new!

Thanksgiving was lovely. The Thuillards and Salzgabers made us feel right at home and we ate just as much food as usual. Sister Fox and I even baked pies that morning so our apartment really smelled like Thanksgiving :) It was really special to be able to spend the day visiting members and investigators and share a message of gratitude, rather than the usual Thanksgiving day activities (watching movies, Black Friday ad scanning). I think I caught the true spirit of the holiday this year.

 

That evening as I was pondering the day and the many things I have to be grateful for, I received a call from President Porter. He told me that Grandma had passed away. He also told me that we are faced with 2 battles-- the war in heaven and our Earth life-- and she has won both. I had an overwhelming peace wash over me and I knew, without a doubt, that she has returned to our Father in Heaven and is in a far better place than she was here. I know that the glorious Plan of Salvation that I teach my investigators is indeed true. I don't know how I could cope if it wasn't. I feel so blessed to be able to share the knowledge that brings this peace with others. I was blessed enough to receive a priesthood blessing from my zone leaders and one of the assistants to the president Saturday night. I had the same peace come over me. That was the Holy Ghost or the Comforter, just like I've been promised in John 14:26-27. I know it. I've been blessed with a companion, leaders, and a branch family who love me and take care of me. I've been blessed with an earthly family who love me even more. But, most importantly, I've been blessed with an even stronger relationship with my Father in Heaven. I know that He has heard our prayers. He has blessed me with 3 guardian angel grandmothers.

 

Yesterday I read a talk about choosing faith. Faith requires action, so we are responsible for our faith--or our lack of faith. Isn't that cool? How much faith we have is completely up to us. If you feel like you're struggling, choose to act on the faith that you do have. It's your choice! As for me, I'm choosing not to fear. I'm choosing not to let myself get depressed or apathetic. I'm choosing to draw closer to God. I'm choosing to take His yoke upon me. I'm choosing to access the atonement because I know that my Savior, Jesus Christ, knows exactly how I feel. I'm choosing to be happy. I'm choosing faith.

 

Yes, I'm cheesy. Yes, I love you all!

xoxo

Sister Rolfe

 

Oh, I almost forgot! I didn't believe it when I heard Sister Ryan is in Eastgate. Seriously, I didn't. When I found out it was for sure true AND she is with Sister Parker I almost had a heart attack!! WHAT?! It's pretty obvious who is in charge of this work. I don't know what God has up His sleeve, but I can't wait to find out!

 

Sorry, one more thing. We got to take our investigator, Lori, to a baptism in Fort Wayne with us this weekend. When the lady came out of the water Lori leaned over to me crying and said, "I love how emotional this is! I just feel so happy!" I, of course, was beaming. "Lori, that's the Spirit!"

It was so sweet.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The 12 days of Christmas is the best thing that has ever happened to Sister Fox and me. Mom and Lyn, you're angels!!

Happy Thanksgiving from Indiana! {11/25/13}

Happy Thanksgiving Week!!! I cannot believe Thanksgiving in four days. I just can't. But, I do have a LOT to be thankful for! Wow, where to start. This week has been a whirlwind, but it's been another amazing week. It is such a blessing to see the Lord's hand in my life and in the lives of so many around me every single day. This weekend in particular!

It all started Friday with the annual Kendallville Branch Thanksgiving Dinner that the branch, for some reason beyond me, thought it would be appropriate to put Sister Fox and I in charge of. The Thanksgiving dinner is Kendallville's event of the year that everyone comes out to. It is not to be taken lightly. So, we were a little stressed. But, the Lord was on our side (and the Hoovers family) and it turned out smashingly. Yep. The decorations were lovely, the food was delicious, and the company was great. They were right, everyone comes out to the Thanksgiving dinner! I was so happy. I love our little branch so much. I really feel like a part of the family. One nice thing about having a branch is that you know everyone! I love it. AND Laura and Lori, two our investigators, came!! Laura brought her son Isaiah and Lori brought her mother in law and aunt! Wow! And one of the Elders investigators came! It was so great.

The next morning Foxy and I woke up to snow! Yikes. By the time we headed to our first lesson it was sticking to the ground. We drove out to the country and gathered around Rex and Dorothy's kitchen table in their warm country cottage and talked about the Restoration of the Gospel with their family. It warmed my soul! Rex, Dorothy, Colleen, and April have been so prepared for this message! They eat it up. They've all been reading the Book of Mormon above and beyond what we ask. They just can't get enough of it! As we talked the Spirit was so strong and I could just feel Heavenly Father's love for this precious family. I could also feel Rex's anticipation. He knew the baptism invitation was coming and he was so eager and ready for it! We got on the topic of the power of music and Foxy and I sang I Need Thee Every Hour for them. The Spirit was practically tangible. Then, we invited them to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority and they ALL said yes!!! Even Dorothy who has had issues with the authority because she's already been baptized. It all just clicked today and they knew that this is the true Gospel. I was practically in tears!!! When we left, we had to walk through a blizzard (basically) to get to our car. Rex came running out after us and said "Sisters! I really am ready to be baptized! I don't know about the others (haha) but I am so prepared!!!" We were beaming. We assured him that we knew and that, yes, he definitely was. It's going to be a white Christmas in Kendallville in more ways than one! How blessed I am to watch a family enter the waters of baptism this Christmas and enter the gate to becoming an eternal family.

That evening was the adult session of conference in Ft. Wayne. It was all about the hastening of the work. Our stake president read the letter from the first presidency that I'm sure you all heard in your conferences and as soon as he read the line "called to serve" all of us full time missionaries marched into the chapel from the foyer singing Called To Serve! It was so powerful!!! Actually, it was a little awkward for us missionaries haha but SO powerful it didn't even matter! There are 24 full time missionaries serving in the Ft. Wayne stake in case you were wondering. Everyone was crying and the spirit of missionary work was just so strong. President and Sister Porter talked and were wonderful, as always. Our stake president followed and talked about us missionaries love for president Porter. He said we would follow him through a fire. I thought about that and I think we really would. We are so blessed to have such a powerful leader (and wife!!!). I love the Porters with all my heart.

Throughout conference I felt such an urgency for the work. We truly are living in the last days and cannot put off sharing the Gospel!

The next morning Lori, our investigator, came to conference with us and brought a friend. She's such a good little missionary already! I absolutely love Lori. We sat in the back with a million kids around us and it was mostly about the temple (we haven't gotten that far with her yet), BUT the spirit was there and she felt it.

Conference Notes

President and Sister Porter spoke again as well as the Chicago temple president and his wife and the stake presidency. It was SO good! A few of my favorite things were about the temple. It was said that no work is of more protection, more spiritually refining, or gives us more power than temple work. And there will never be a time we need spiritual protection more than now! We ARE living in the last days! We will be better wives, mothers, fathers, husbands, missionaries when we go to the temple. For it is there that we call down the powers of heaven to become (I love this because I've been obsessed with the talk the Challenge to Become by Elder Oaks on my mission). It is in the temple that we find our "real" selves. We should be comfortable in our spiritual skin! We spend too much time not realizing that there is one simple lesson to learn in becoming perfected: kindness. And according the the temple president, that is what we learn in the temple. We personally can't convert anyone, that's the Spirit's job, but we can provide situations for people to feel the Spirit. We don't have to share planned out Gospel lessons-- our family can be our message. And our homes can be the spiritual environment where we share that message. We need to have a speace of peace and joy in our homes. The spirit will leave as soon as there is contention and any decisions we make will not be influenced by the Spirit. We will suffer serious consequences for those decisions.

The last talk was all about marriage and although I'm a missionary and my heart is locked I loved it. I'm saving it for a couple years down the road. For you married folk-- don't miss the opportunities to do the little things because in the end they are not the little things at all! A lie is never a white lie. Your spouse should be the most important person in your life and they should know it (actions speak louder than words). Show it; talk is cheap. It isn't just a temple marriage; it's an eternal marriage.

Okay, my rant is over. As you can tell stake conference was a spiritual feast. Even better than the feast we'll have this week for Thanksgiving in my opinion!

I am so grateful to be serving the Lord in Kendallville, Indiana! I love this gospel with all of my heart. And I am so very blessed to have all of you praying for and supporting me. I pray for you all every day! Enjoy your turkeys.

All my love,

xoxo

Sister Kayla Rolfe

Oh, and transfers are tomorrow! Someone will have to write me and tell me where Sister Ryan is sent because I won't be there! Hooray for Thanksgiving and Christmas in K Ville with Miss Foxy!! BOTH of our elders are leaving though! CRAZY!!

The lovely Thanksgiving dinner set up before the madness!

Volunteering at the Library and getting things ready for the Hunger Games premier!! The library ladies love us and we love them. One of them came in and asked "are you the sisters?!!" "yep!" "You're just as cute as they said!!!"

Our branch found out I have some violin experience. There isn't much musical ability here so there are never musical numbers. So, I've been nominated to play in the Christmas program! YIKES! Please pray for me!!

We're not in Utah anymore {11/18/13}

I'm alive!

If you haven't heard, there was a tornado warning up here yesterday. Holy cow! It was windy.

At church everyone was telling us to be careful because there was a tornado watch so we were a little freaked out. We hadn't heard anything from the mission though so we went about our work. By the time we got to Sister Cox's house we couldn't even get out of the car it was raining SO hard!! It was insane. Finally, it let up the slightest bit so we ran inside and she gave us blankets she had quilted (she's a sweetheart!). We waited it out there for a while until things seemed to have calmed down. We went on our way to the next house out in the country-- literally in the middle of nowhere. It was crazy windy again and we couldn't find the persons house! The best way I can describe what it was like is the beginning of the Wizard of Oz. Seriously. We checked our phone and found a text from our zone leaders saying: ZONE TAKE SHELTER!!! Get to a members house NOW and get in their basement!!!

And of course we are in the middle of NOWHERE! So we're freaking out. And I'm trying to stay calm and keept it together but I'm really about to have a panic attack. What do we do? What do you think we did? Yep, you're right. We prayed!! We prayed hard and took a few deep breaths and headed to the closest members house. Within a couple minutes though the storm had totally died down and we got another call saying we were fine to be out and about just be careful. Wow. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions. We spent the rest of the night at teaching appointments we already had set up and got home safe and sound.

Got to love living in Indiana!!

 

In spiritual news, Sister Fox and I continued to be blessed by the hand of the Lord!! Seriously, He has big plans for Kendallville and I am feeling pretty blessed to be a small part of it. I feel like there is so much more I can be doing and I am so grateful that because of His grace there is still a mighty work coming forth--despite my shortcomings. All I can do is try a little harder to be a little better and keep relying on Him. Our sacrament attendence has continued to go up!! 2 weeks ago it was 80 which was really good for K Ville. Last week it was 99 which was phenomenal and drum roll please.........

This week we had 104 people at sacrament!!!!! That is nothing short of a miracle!! Sister Fox and I couldn't contain our excitement! Seriuosly, we were giddy. The Elders too.

2 of our investigators were there-- Laura and Lori (just a little bit confusing). And let me tell you the miracle story of Miss Lori...

We've been trying to contact an inactive family who lives on our street since we got here but haven't been able to. The other day we were walking up to their house when a lady pulls up and parks. So, we ask her if she lives there and she says yes!! We start talking and come to find out she doesn't actually live there, she was confused about we had asked her or something. Anyway, she's going to see her friend Becky--- who we're teaching! What?! She gives us all her information, tells us she's always wanted to be a sister, and drives off.

What just happened? We don't even know.

A couple days later we get a call from her. Yes, we get a call from her. Yes, it's usually the other way around. We chat and set up an appointment for the next day. The next day (saturday) we visit her and invite her to church Sunday. She says yes! And on Sunday she was actually there!! Woohoo! This is one of those miracle once in a mission stories. Oh and she's bringing like 5 people to our Thanksgiving dinner this week. Wow. I still don't even know how all of this happened. Well, yeah I do. God is great.

One more miracle of the week: Rex and Dorothy. I think I told you about how we miraculously met them last week. Well, we had a lesson with them Tuesday and find out that some random lady in Utah sent Rex a book of Mormon like 20 years ago. He doesn't even know her! But, she sent him a B o M with her picture and testimony inside and he's tried to read it multiple times but doesn't really understand what it is. Well, that's what we're here for! We talked about the restoration and told Rex how we got the Book and how it enriches and complements the Bible and he was just beaming. He kept telling us "This makes so much sense! You wouldn't have to be dumb to not see how they go together!" I agree, Rex. Why can't all of our investigators be like you?

Moral of the story: Missionary work works. Even if you never see the impact you have. Plant those seeds!! This lady sent a Book of Mormon to a stranger across the country and here we are teaching him the gospel 20 years later. Coincidence? I think not. Actually, I know not because I don't believe in coincidences. God is in all the details! Trust Him and He will provide you with missionary oppoprtunities. I promise.

I love you all dearly!

xoxo

Sister Rolfe

 

P.S. I just need to testify real quick of the power of fasting. I don't really know how it works, but it works. Sometimes I wish I could fast every day of my mission (without dying of course) because so many miracles happen. Okay love you bye!

 

Missionary thought of the week:

 

"You and I, today and always, are to bless all peoples in all the nations of the earth. You and I, today and always, are to bear witness of Jesus Christ and declare the message of the Restoration. You and I, today and always, are to invite all to receive the ordinances of salvation. Proclaiming the gospel is not a part-time priesthood obligation. It is not simply an activity in which we engage for a limited time or an assignment we must complete as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rather, missionary work is a manifestation of our spiritual identity and heritage. We were foreordained in the premortal existence and born into mortality to fulfill the covenant and promise God made to Abraham. We are here upon the earth at this time to magnify the priesthood and to preach the gospel. That is who we are, and that is why we are here—today and always."

-David A. Bednar

Kendallville Branch Relief Society Christmas Picture!

Quilts dear Grandma Effie made Sis Fox and I when we got caught in a storm at her house

I had another exchange with Sister Widdison this week!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas {11/11/13}

I'm sorry if this letter isn't long. My fingers are still thawing.

It snowed last night! Yikes. That means it's way too cold! Other than that, it's been a miraculous week in Kendallville! And in Ohio, actually. Last week I had the privilege of attending a leadership training in Ohio (home sweet home)! Here's what went down...

Monday night I got a call that I was invited to a mission leadership meeting Wednesday. Tuesday we headed to Fort Wayne to exchange companions. Sister Fox stayed in Fort Wayne with another Sister and I headed to another part of Indiana with my sister training leader, Sister Widdison. We had a slumber party with 5 other sisters going to the meeting. We woke up at 4:30 and headed down to Ohio! The drive was long and kind of crazy. Instead of taking a freeway we had to take a bunch of back roads and actually a few dirt roads. It was fun to drive through all of the little towns though! And when we got there we were sure in for a treat. All of the zone leaders and sister training leaders were there and a few other missionaries who will apparently be in future leadership positions of the mission (I have no idea what this means for me!). So, I got to see all of my past leaders including.... SISTER PARKER!!! I may or may not have cried. Okay fine I definitely cried. It was so weird, it felt like we had been apart for months. What a joyous reunion!!! Anyway, the meeting. President Porter talked to us and two leaders from missionary headquarters. It was so powerful and definitely changed how I will do missionary work! They talked a lot about understanding our purpose as missionaries (to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. yes I recite that every day). I would tell you more about it but it was pretty specifically for our mission.

Here is what I will share with you: The Missionary Next Door. It's a talk by Diana something or other. Go find it and listen to it!! It will change your life. Seriously, so good.

(Here it is!) (or link here)

<iframe width="960" height="720" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HHDwoxU6bE0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Back to my story, we drove and drove and drove and eventually I was reunited with Foxy (hooray!!) and we didn't get home until 10:45!! It was a very long couple of days but oh so worth it!

Now, it's miracle time. The time you've all been waiting for, I know.

The other day we went to an appointment with a new investigator, Julie. Her husband was there and they had invited a friend over for the discussion! (what?! Let me tell you, that never happens!) We had a great lesson about the restoration and the two men became new investigators. Woohoo!! Richard, Julies husband, is actually a minister. What is up with Sister Fox and I teaching all of these ministers?!

Later that evening, after having dinner with a family in Avilla (a small town outside of Kendallville) neither of us felt good about our plans to see other members in the area. We discussed our options and couldn't come to a conclusion of where we needed to be. So, we prayed. After our prayer we decided to look through our former investigator binder (we had luckily brought with us!) and one woman was sticking out to us. We headed to her house, that ended up being in the middle of nowhere, without much time in the evening left! It was black as night and her house honestly looked a little deserted. But, we took up our courage and knocked on the door. Long story short, we were let it, invited to sit around the kitchen table, and left the house 30 minutes later with 3 more new investigators!

WOW! Miracle of all miracles!

Sister Fox and I have been so blessed. The Lord has some big plans up his sleeve for Kendallville and I feel very humbled just to play a small part in helping them come to pass.

Random story time!

Foxy and I meet the most random people. Kendallville is very eclectic. This week we've met people who raise horses, make stained glass, make ceramics, crochet out of plastic bags, and have mastered a Pilipino boxing technique. One of my favorite things about being a missionary is all of the people we meet every day! Everyone has a unique story. It's really amazing if you thing about it.

This is all for now. I love you dearly!

xoxo

Sister Kayla Rolfe

Scripture of the week: Alma 37: 44-46 Do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way!

From Amish Country to Farmville {11/4/13}

The worst thing about writing letters is knowing where to start. This is me, not knowing! Too many things to talk about this week!

So let's start with miracles because they are probably our number one priority here.

Last Monday Sister Fox and I were honestly feeling a little down. We have had a really hard time finding investigators here. Granted, we've only been in this area for a couple of weeks. But it was our mission wide conference call and everyone was sharing their miracles and well..... we wanted miracles!! So we did the only thing we know how to do-- prayed and fasted. The next day as we fasted of course a million opportunities arose to eat sweets! We had to bake cookies and cupcakes and we made goodie bags at the library for the Halloween party. Heavens it was hard! However, we held strong! We were determined to step into the realm of the miraculous-- as president says.

So, we typed in the address of a potential investigator in our GPS and when we pulled up to her house it was in the same neighborhood we'd been in that morning--and not had any success. We knocked and no answer. We knocked a few doors around her place and nothing. Where are the people?! Where are our miracles?! We headed back to the car and noticed that there was now a car in her driveway. Hallelujah! This could be our miracle! We knock-she answers (!) and we find out we're at the wrong house. Really? BUT, she said we could come back. Woot Woot we at least now have a potential. Then we realize we're on the wrong street! The GPS for some unknown
reason took us to meet this other lady instead. Hmm.. coincidence? I think not. The miracles are starting to happen, people. We head over to the real address and guess what? She's home! And she can't remember the Elders but she lets us right in anyway! And we teach her a lesson and get a return appointment and.... NEW INVESTIGATOR!! We're just basically ecstatic at this point. But wait, there's more. We decide to head over to another potential and when we get there we read her record and discover she doesn't speak English. This could be awkward. We knock her door anyway. Why not? It's a day of miracles right? Well...... no one's home. There's a good feeling at this complex though so we knock around meet a few people and then we meet Kenny (not my brother, unfortunately). And he's awesome and.... ANOTHER new investigator! Holy cow!! If I didn't have a testimony of fasting before, I do now. It was truly a miraculous day. It gets better yet-- if that's even possible. We have a little extra time and randomly decide to stop by the Frye's. They're a couple in our branch but the wife has health problems so we haven't met her yet. Well, we get to talking and find out it was their 2 year anniversary of being baptized! That day!! They told us their conversion story.. they had been one of those "let's just knock one more door" miracles. I cried as we talked and knew in that moment that there are Frye families waiting for Sister Fox and I right here in Kendallville. At the end of the day I could once again say.. I love missionary work!! The rest of my week continued similarly--filled with those experiences. We had zone conference on Halloween and an exchange with our sister training leader 2 days later so how could it not have, really? Man, am I blessed.

Oh guess what else we did this week! We spent some quality time in Amish Country. Actually, 7 miles from Shipshewana where I've been multiple times. So crazy! We got to drive through Amish communities (horse and buggies, clothes lines, bonnets, beards, the whole 9 years) and really enjoyed ourselves. We actually had lunch with a family in our ward who lives up there at an Amish buffet and got to see a bit of a horse auction. Since you all know me, you know that I was loving life. My favorite part, though, was probably the scenery! My word! It was definitely some of the most beautiful country I've seen. The trees were basically on fire and there are random lakes all over the places! Beautiful!!

More exciting news. We have two progressing investigators! Yep, 2! One of them, Laura, came to church with us Sunday. After, she told us she wants to come to church with us every week! I wish I had a picture of Sister Fox's and my face. Then, we had a lesson with her and her husband. You see, her husband used to be a minister for another church so he's a little intimidating to teach. Just a little though, because Sister Fox and I have been called of God and our authority is above that of Kings of the Earth (sorry, missionary humor). Anyway, he has been doing his studying. And I mean hard core studying. And... he's come to the conclusion that the church is (mostly) true!! This is HUGE For him! Well, for anyone, but especially for him. We definitely have a ways to come with a few particular teachings, but he is finding truths and accepting them and we are thrilled. Pray for Robert and Laura!!

 

Here are a couple funny stories of the week:

A couple of the kids at church found out my name is Kayla. Now they all call me Kayla! Oops! Yesterday one of them told me she had  a picture to show me. Next thing I know I'm looking at my

Facebook profile picture on her mom's Ipad! Haha it was so weird.

After church, we had lunch at our branch president's house. We were talking about home teaching less active members and he said. "I'm pretty sure they're on Facebook. Invite them to play Farmville!!" I think these were probably you had to be there moments. Sorry.

 

Things are great in Kendallville, Indiana! And cold! My mailbox is pretty cute and I love getting mail in it. Wink wink ;)

I LOVE YOU!!

xoxo

Sister Kayla Rolfe

New Address {10/28/13}

I almost forgot! Here is my new address!
139 1/2 S. Main Street #2
Kendallville, IN
46755

While I'm at it I might as well attach a few more pictures and a good quote, right?

“If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most.”         
                                     -Elder Uchtdorf

 Happy Halloween!!
xoxo