P.S. {8/26/13}

It's me again. I forgot a couple things so I'm back. 

Our ward doesn't feed us much--they're really great, it's just a long story I don't feel like going into. So anyway, we're left to our own devices most nights. The other night we didn't have time (or miles) to get home for dinner so we decided to grab something. Well, in this particular part of town, Mt. Carmel Tabasco (seriously, that's what it's called), they don't believe in restaurants. So, we bought $1 bagels and cereal at Kroger. We quickly realized we had nowhere to eat! After wandering aimlessly outside for a minute I spotted a patio furniture display. So, we sat and enjoyed our meager dinner on the Kroger lawn furniture. I now realize how all of those crazy Mormon rumors start! :)

Mom, you are probably dying over this.

We do weekly service projects with a group called Inter Parish Ministries here. Our ward got involved with a project called Feed Ohio (mom and Dad, Did Mark Blackham send you the video about this??) and we collected a ton of food for their food pantry! This morning Sis P and I got an emergency phone call to come help sort food! So we did and it was wonderful! They were so grateful. They said their shelves had been nearly bare and then we came and stocked everything to the brim! Everyone there loves "the Sisters" (some of them actually thought we were nuns until today haha) and we love planting those seeds! :)

Ah, there is so much more but there is just not time. I love you!

Move forward with faith!

xoxo
Sister Rolfe

I'm terribly sorry for the terrible grammar in my emails. I'm in such a hurry to tell you all of these good things!

I Got that Jesus Glow {8/26/13}

Hello Hello!

Another week has FLOWN by! Where to start? How about with the apostle of God. That's right people, yesterday I shook Elder Dallin H. Oaks hand twice! Ah! You can rest assured I will never wash my right hand again (just kidding). Seriously though, wow. I can't even describe to you the feelings I felt yesterday. Talk about a spiritual high! First of all, we got to go to stake conference in the morning and listen to him speak. I've never seen so many people in a room in my life. 

Then we headed to our mission meeting with him. Our whole entire mission met together-- that never happens! It was so cool! I got to see my district buddies from the good old MTC (Sister Ellis yay!!). We took a group picture of our whole mission so you'll have to go to the Ohio Cincinnati Mission Facebook page and check it out. We also took one with Elder Oaks! Here's something exciting-- we were all in line, filing into the gym to take the picture, and waiting for him to get there. Sis P and I were standing right next to the doors and suddenly everyone is bustling around is opening the doors and shushing the missionaries. So, I look out the window (and what do I see? haha:) and here comes Elder Oaks walking around the car. The second I saw him I had the strongest feeling come over me. The Spirit confirmed to me in that second that he is an apostle of God and that because of that this is the true church restored to the Earth. It was amazing. He walked in and actually got to talk to Sister P and I for a minute while the picture was still being set up! He told us to "do what we can" He said don't carry around guilt just do what you can! Then we all got to shake his hand and I was just smiling and smiling and couldn't even think of any words. I take that back, I think I said "Rolfe" because he asked the girl in front of me what here name was haha. What I can tell you about our meeting with him is that the Spirit was seriously so thick you could cut it with a knife. He explained things so simply yet so powerfully. At the end he told us 

"I was going to end on time but I had more to say!" None of us were complaining about that. Then our whole mission sang the Army of Helaman song and the Spirit grew ten times if that was even possible. Of course by this point the tears are flowing and I'm just smiling and crying and never wanting to leave. I have always loved singing that song but I can't even describe what it's like singing it as a missionary, surrounded by missionaries. Wow. It hit me especially hard yesterday because so many of our investigators right now are young girls who have no self respect of self worth and it is so so sad. It breaks my heart to see how these girls let themselves be treated and they seriously don't even know there are guys out there who actually know how to treat women respectfully. They laugh at us when we tell them that! So hearing all of the Elders singing the Army of Helaman and thinking about all the men (Dad) that I grew up around and always having the priesthood in my life made me so grateful and so humbled. Thank you Dad and all you other priesthood holders in my life! You are literally one in a million.

Okay, time for my random tidbits. 

We visited an elderly lady in our ward this week who lives up in the hills and has a ton of WW2 trucks, airplanes, bunkers, etc (I'll send pictures). Anyway, she is so sweet and I just love her but she's a little crazy! Haha. She wanted to introduce us to her cat so we go and see him and she tells us "He's Mormon too!! He doesn't drink or smoke!" Hahaha :)

Remember the lady we talked to who prayed for our salvation in the street and begged us to stop proselyting but ended up taking a Book of Mormon? We went back and visited her and her heart had been completely softened! It was amazing. She went from begging us to stop to telling us how proud she was of us for serving missions. We watched the restoration movie with her and the spirit was so strong. Her husband (who was worse than she was) even came out and said "Yep, these girls have got that Jesus glow!" Haha. I'll keep you updated on her! She's reading the Book of Mormon right now! :)

Mom, you said that someone asked how we get people to church. Here's our big secret-- Families! We really try to find families because, well, the Plan of Salvation is a family plan! And they have an automatic support system. It's wonderful.

I thought I would share a few temporal details you might be wondering about.. 

We switch off driving every other week, so I know the area pretty well! 

We run for 30 minutes every morning and I love it. There's always a beautiful sunrise and lots of days we see deer in the field behind our house!

We get $150 a month. 

hmmm.. anything else?

Feel free to ask me questions when you email me back so I'll know what you want to hear about :) Oh and next week is transfers (crazy!) so I won't have P Day until Wednesday. So don't freak out when I don't email Monday-- I'm alive and well!

I love you!
xoxo,
Sister Rolfe

Sister C and I after we shook Elder Oaks hand twice!

The Spirit of God, Like a {Camp}Fire is burning {8/19/13}

Happy Missionary Mail Monday!! Does anyone else love Monday as much as I do? :)

How are you?? 

Things are still rolling along in Cincy, Ohio! This week has flown by so I'm not quite sure what to tell you because I'm not quite sure what happened this week and what was last! I'll do my best, but I'm sorry if anything is a repeat.

We knocked on a door last weekend and a little girl answered. Her Dad told her to tell us to come back later. As we were walking away her Mom pulled up. We started talking and she invited us in!! We were a little worried to meet her boyfriend because it didn't really sound like he wanted us there. Well, it turns out, he prayed us there! When he found out who we were he was shocked, He told us that he had been praying that day that God would give him a sign and that he would "crack the door" then we knocked on his door! Sorry, I just realized I think I told you this last week. But anyway, update on this family. They are praying about a baptismal date in September!! Jeff told us last time we were there that he loves having us in his home because the Spirit is "oozing out of us."

Every sister missionary who has lived in Eastgate has had the impression to tract Powderhorn. I thought it stood out to me because we lived on Powderhorn but we knew we still needed to knock those doors. For one reason or another (the advesary?! haha) no one has ever gotten around to it. Well, the other night we did!!!

*Insert miraculous story*

^^ I wish. Unfortunately, It was the orneriest street we've ever been to! We had doors slammed in our faces and get this-- we were called heretics. Seriously. But don't worry, we were invited back into the Fold. HAHA. It was the strangest thing!

Don't worry, though. I am not discouraged! It was actually a little comical. The Lord's work will move forward and nothing will stop it-- even heretics ;)

This week we had Zone Conference. It was so good! I took over 8 pages of notes so I'll just share my favorite part with you. President Porter told us that Elder Perry did one of the Mission President trainings that he was in and he told them that we are the [missionary] class of 2013. This is the most remarkable era of missionary work in the history of the church. It ranks with the first vision, the translation of the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of the Priesthood. We will look back one day and fondly remember and revere this time as we do the First Vision. This is no longer a time of preparation--the hastening of the Lord's work is NOW.

Wow! Can you believe that?? I can't. Well I can, but I can't wrap my mind around it! I feel so blessed to be a part of this incredible cause-- a part of this army. I am extrememly humbled and I know I have a lot to work on as a missionary but I am so grateful to play my humble part in the class of 2013!

Speaking of powerful people in the Church.... Elder Oaks is coming to speak to our mission this Sunday!!! Our whole entire mission is gathering together for a special fireside. I am excited beyond belief. I'll try to get a picture.

I cannot believe Megan Ryan is serving in Cincinnati!!! WHAT?! That's insane!!! What are the chances?! She is the only girl cousin around my age that I have!!! I know the Lord's hand is in this. Tell her I am so excited for her and that she is coming to the best mission in the world. Seriously. I already told President Porter (and my whole zone haha) and Sister Porter said I should train her and I said YES I SHOULD! President Porter said "I asked for more of you and I got it!" haha. Everyone is very excited and anticipating her arrival! :) In an ideal world I would train her and we would stay in Eastgate and spend the holidays with the Blackham's. Everyone pray hard!

Speaking of the world's best mission, we officially have a mission scripture!! D&C 39:1,6 D&C 38: 32, D&C 39: 13 in that order.

So you my be wondering about the subject line of this email. The other night Sister Parker and I got home and I commented that it smelled like something was burning. Without thinking, Sister P said The spirit of God! Haha! We went inside and found the Blackhams waiting for us with Smores ingredients! They led us to the backyard (the woods basically) where bro. Blackham built us a bonfire! Have I told you how much I love them?? Our sista roommates and the Blackhams and us made Reeses smore's. YUM. I love my little missionary family!

Well, I love you all a whole lot. 

Have a splendid week! Invite missionaries over for dinner and take pictures of them and send to their families!!

xoxo
Sister Kayla Rolfe

Sis. Palmberg had a birthday so we had a party!

Sis P and I got lost this week, as always, and ended up in Kentucky!!!

We did a service project/food drive with our Ward called Feed Ohio and I got to wear one of the awesome yellow Mormon service vests you always see pictures of.

Darrin was baptized!! And our investigator from Lebanon came and asked Sister Parker if she was the Prophet. Hahaha.

We had lunch with Sis. Blackham today at the cutest diner!

Bonfire that I told you about!

Blog Art {Feral Pony Etsy Shop}

I'm not sure if you've noticed the mint, peach, and gold chevron design in Sister Rolfe's address graphic (in the blog's right sidebar). If you haven't, go look at it--it's super cute. If you have noticed the art and loved it as much as we do, you might be interested in checking out the original art here in Feral Pony's Etsy Shop. Thank you to Molly, the artist, for the usage of the art!

Porkopolis {8/12/13}

Lovely people,

Did you know Cincy used to be called Porkopolis? Seriosly, look it up. People have all kinds of flying pigs everywhere. It's so great.

Anyway, another MIRACULOUS week in the great Ohio! (please see D&C 38:32). Wow, the work is moving forward and nothing is going to stop it. I am just in awe being a part of it! 

Monday and Tuesday I was on an exchange while my trainer went to the mission home for training. I was actually back in a good ol' trio! I ended up being the 'senior companion' because we'd been out for about the same amount of time and we stayed in my area. It was a little crazy, I mean I've only been out for a couple weeks!, but it was a really good experience. I definitely learned a lot!

Okay, here goes the randomness. Bear with me.

We go visit elderly ladies at a nursing home by our house and I just love it. Last night we were talking to 2 ladies, Helen and Virginia. As we were walking away, Helen leans over to Virginia and says, "Grandma (even though she's older than virginia), I like those girls." It was so funny and cute and just melted my heart. We asked another lady there if she knew anything about the church and she said, "Yeah, I read the Book of John Smith." Haha.

We talked to a lady outside her house yesterday who prayed for us multiple times to be forgiven for what we're doing. She was so concerned about our salvation and was literally begging us to stop being missionaries because we're so young and

don't know what we've got ourselves into. She also believed the Book of Mormon was made up because Mormon wanted to get famous. Oh boy. Well, I'll have you know, miracle of all miracles, by the end of the talk she asked if she could buy a Book of Mormon because she wanted to read it!! She wouldn't even look at it at the beginning because she thought she would literally be struck down and when we left she told us she would take Moroni's challenge. What?! God is amazing, everyone. That was not Sister Parker's or my doing.

We had zone meeting this week! The missionaries from Adams County told me theres a million Rolfe's up there! Seriously, they said most of their ward is Rolfes. What?! I need to go there!

Also at our zone meeting, I had a quick interview with President. He told me he didn't really need to interview me because he's knows I'm doing amazing (haha) but he wanted to tell me to soak everything in now because Sis. Parker and I are both going to be leaders in the mission sooner than later. Wow, time to start working even harder!

Okay, time for a couple miracle stories of the week.

First is Jamie. Jamie is celestial. Seriously I have met very few people as in tune with the Spirit and as close to Christ as her. We took her on a chapel tour for our first lesson and she loved everything! After I recited Joseph Smith's own words from the first vision we were all silent, pretty much in tears the spirit was so strong, and she looked up at us and said I feel so peaceful. It was a moment  I will never, ever forget. We seriously could have told her every piece of doctrine we know and she would have accepted it all.  In fact, she's on date for baptism at the end of this month!! She's already planning her first trip to the temple to do baptisms! She has definitely been prepared long before we knocked on her door.

Next is Dave. He's a recent convert and is really struggling. He's in and out of the hospital all the time and went in, again, this week. Sis Parker and I felt very strongly we needed to go see himThursday but we had district meeting, While we were getting ready we both had the prompting again so we dropped our blow dryers and called. Turns out he was out of our area! Ah, but we were prompted!! So, we called the Zone leaders and got permission and were off to downtown Cincy! Miracle of all miracles we didn't get lost. (Mom, we drove past the mall you and I went to and I was about to text and tell you, haha still getting used to that). So we get to the hospital and realize we only have about 20 minutes and we have no idea what to say but it better be powerful because we've used a ton of our miles and we're way outside our area! When we walk into his room, he's surrounded by doctors and social workers and things are a little crazy. Finally we sit down with him and still have no idea what to say. So we read a scripture and suddenly it hits both of us: Dave and his wife need to go to the temple to be sealed. We ask him what he thinks and he tells us there's no way in H he wants to be with her forever. (seriously?) So we keep talking. And we are filled with the spirit. And we are BOLD. And the words are not ours. And for the first time since knowing him I'm able to have a serious conversation with Dave (he's the biggest tease/joekester/sarcastic person I've met). And the things we say actually hit him and he tells us to pour his coffee down the sink. After I said the closing prayer, Dave was in tears and told us we had no idea what this meant to him. He asked when we were both going home and told us we would go to the temple with him and his wife before then. Wow! wow wow wow. If you only knew Dave you would know this is a miracle!! We were in awe. Our Father in Heaven knows our needs. I am so grateful every day to be a tool in his hands. My testimony grows every time I open my mouth because it is never my own words that come out.

Please please please ask Heavenly Father how the Spirit speaks to you personally. He will show you!! Listen to those promptings, and ACT on them! The more you act, the more Father will trust you, and the more revelation he will pour out upon you. If you have any good thought, it is of the Lord, I promise!

I love you all so incredibly much. You all tell me how many people are praying for the missionaries, but I want you all to know that a missionary is praying for you multiple times a day!

xoxo

Sister Kayla Rolfe

Sis. Parker and I stumble upon the cutest cottages in the woods!!

I got my Cincinnati chili :)

We're definitely in Redneck Country (Outhouse)!

Greetings from Cincy! {8/5/13}

Lovely people!!

How are you?! I want you all to know how much I love you. Seriously. So much. I haven't read your emails yet, so sorry if I don't answer questions and what not, but I figure I'll send out this big one then see what I can get to!
So, apologies for another all over the place letter.

This week has been AMAZING! Sis. Parker and I have been literally seeing miracles every day. Pres. Porter has all the missionaries in our mission (almost 200 right now) pray at 6:30 every morning that we will be able to find the elect. We can see the power in that--wow!! I'm so amazed by the people we are led to and the circumstances that lead us there. Just last night we were visiting a less active family. Their little girls wanted us to visit their friend but we had to be home soon so we were going to leave. Well, we decided just to go over with them for a minute. We found the most amazing lady!! Wow. She recognizes the hand of God in her life and has the strongest testimony of him and his love for her. She is definitely one of the elect. We fell in love with her, she fell in love with us, we're meeting with her this week and she wants to go to church with us!! 

Another fun story. Sis Parker and I are both very directionally challenged. Luckily we have a GPS (but only for a few more days, yikes). Anyway, we still end up getting pretty lost sometimes. The other night we were trying to find a former investigating family and ended up driving along this little 2 track road. The gps told us the house was at a power plant and we got stuck on this little hill in the trees without any road at all. We had a good laugh. I'll send you a picture so you can have a good laugh too :) I checked the address again, realized we typed it in wrong, and we found their house!! They only had a minute but we talked with them about the articles of faith and set up a return appointment. They ended up cancelling appointment BUT they asked if they could come to church! Uh, YES!!! So their family of 7 came to church yesterday and LOVED it!! They are such an amazing family. We know that they are going to be baptized! Their 7 year old daughter sat next to me and kept telling me "this is the best church I've ever been to!!" It melted my heart. Every time we would sing she'd say "Well, this is fun!" Oh and she told me my fingers are big (long) and skinny just like I'm big and skinny. Haha. She is so cute! Speaking of investigators at church, between the 3 sets of missionaries in our ward (yes, 3!) we had 17 nonmembers at church!!! WOW. The Lord is blessing us here in Eastgate so so much. It's amazing. It was the perfect day for them to be there too because our investigator (now member!!) Sarah was confirmed and her baby boy was blessed. What a sweet, sweet sacrament it was. Ah, I love it! I wish I could tell you about all of our miracles. 

Sarah's baptism was so sweet. Everyone kept telling me how lucky I was to have a baptism my first week in the field and I feel like I was not because of the numbers but because of the amazing spirit that was there. Now more than ever I want all of my investigators to have that cleansing of their sins and to see the happiness it can bring them, just as it did Sarah and her family. Her family is a little crazy but I love them. Her mom calls us her babies and her dad calls me Sister German because apparently our last name is German!

Speaking of people I love (trying to tie things together here :) I LOVE the Blackham's, the family I live with. I can't even describe to you how much I love them. I feel like their house is my home and they are my surrogate parents. They do SO much for us and are so sweet and loving and fun. I can talk to Sis Blackham about anything (and I do!) and Bro. Blackham is hilarious and makes treats all the time, so of course I love him :) Right now we're helping them finish their basement for the missionaries. Like I said, they are the sweetest people.

I also love my companion Sister Parker!! I know without a doubt we were put together as companions for a reason. I could not have asked for a better trainer!! She is powerful. I've never met someone who is so intune with the spirit or listens to promptings as well as she does. It's amazing. I have learned so much from her and we work together so well! We both have the same quirky sense of humor and have lots of fun together talking in accents and making up songs. 

A couple funny stories quickly.. Yesterday we decided to do a little tracting. We choose a house at random--not the first on the street or anything--and this lady peaks around and tells us she's sorry but she's in her pajamas. So we tell her its okay but we're missionaries. She tells us she knows, she was at church today. We're both so confused!! Then she explains that yep she's in our ward and was at church with us today!! We felt so dumb!!! We totally tracted a member in our ward. Out of all the houses in our area (our area is huge) we happened to knock on a member of our ward's door and didn't even know her--oops! Later, we went to Care Springs-- a nursing home in our area. We visited a few ladies who were so sweet. One told us that she knew God sent us to her and we were her angels! She has been reading the Book of Mormon and wants us to come back and read with her!! Dad, I  felt so at home in this nursing home since I practically grew up in them! Here's the funny part of this touching story, we set off the alarm when we were trying to leave! Oops.. Okay, one more. We barely knocked a door and this huge guy opened it as we were knocking and we both jumped back and screamed. It was really embarrassing and he laughed at us. Then he told us a fake name (from an old movie apparently) and we didn't know who it was so we kept calling him Dobey, the fake name. We felt pretty dumb, but luckily we're real good at laughing at ourselves. 

So remember the cheesy Mormon movie baptists at our barbecue? The other night we had a Mormons at our Baptist BBQ experience. Some of our investigators invited us to go to a baptist BBQ with them so we did. It was so fun! haha. A lady told me she saw me on the news! :) And we ended up having a really good discussion with this guy about the Book of Mormon. We also met a lady from Russia and one from Hungary and all I could think of (Tayler) was "We're Russian here from Hungary!!" :)

I am so so happy we wrote down my setting apart blessing. I have already seen so many parts of it come about and It's only been a month! The other night we were talking to an investigator who is really struggling with her self confidence and with belief in god and many other things (Dad I want her to go through the SOLF SO BAD! it would be perfect for her.) We have become really good friends with her and were able to just sit and talk about everything. After she told us that she was feeling comfortable with the idea of church (it gave her anxiety attacks before!!). When she prayed she thanked God for sending us to her and for the relaxed way we talked and how comfortable we made her feel-- EXACTLY what I was promised in my Setting apart!!

Love your loving missionary,
xoxo
Sister Rolfe

P.S. I LOVE YOU

Lost in the woods!

The Johnsons, who are the sweetest senior couple that took us to lunch

Sarah's baptism!

Baptism!

Sis. Parker, Sis. Rolfe, Sis. Palmberg, Sis. Christianson

Twins! Sis. Rolfe and Sis. Palmberg

Comps in the cornfield.

Country girl at heart.