Fwd: Transfer #4 Week #5 Part 1

Oh my goodness!!! What a wonderful week (even though I had a sore throat and stuffy nose) But there is sooo much to tell and I might not get through it all so bare with me.

First off ZIONS was AWESOME!!! We had sooo much fun there!!!

We went with two familys luckily it was free to go to zions because of presidents day :)

Two young families, the kids really did keep us entertained the whole way there and back lol we had such a good time. But I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

All My Best,

Sister Karen Hollander

St. George, Utah Mission

107S. 1470E. Suite 304

St. George Utah 84790

United States

Transfer #4 Week#5 Part 2

So after the hike we had a few lessons at less actives :) Mondays are hard to get lessons cause we are encouraged to not go to members homes. Think we are sorted tonight.

So tuesday all our apt fell through before dinner time but after dinner everything went right. well sorta. We were able to visit with the native americans that we are teaching and what an experience, so our first lesson the lady we were teaching had a huge migraine the days prior to our meeting with her and she was kinda recovering i guess and but she still wanted to hear what we had to say - so this is the lady who we both felt prompted to invite to be baptized but didn't and so we were able to speak to her about the restoration and watched the restoration DVD and then we invited her to be baptized!!! and before we could finish the invite she said yes, before we could give her a date she said yes... well we are hoping that she really does truely  understand but we will check on how she is doing this coming week and explain things more to her :) But we are excited for her!!!

Then we taught a 13 year old girl and her brother and wow, we asked a few questions to get to know them and things, to get them to open up and then all of a sudden we could not get them to keep quiet!! lol it was quite the experience. So we were late to our next apt with Judith, who is so prepared! but needs to make some changes in her life and she knows it. Her work colleagues are reallly preparing her so much they taught her the plan of salvation before we could but she had so many great questions!! But her mom seems to be a bit of a hindrance. Reading all this anti mormon things on the net and trying to get her to not meet with us and things. And even while we were there she called and wanted to speak to us giving us all scriptures (from the internet) from the bible to try get us to doubt our words and things. But it did NOT That was the second time we have been bible bashed in a week and the second time we were able to stand firm and immovable. Judith also stood up for the church and she wants to get baptized. I love her courage and her conviction. I hope it stays with her. she loves meeting with us and we love meeting with her.

Well Wednesday was the beginning of another miracle. So I don't know if I mentioned before, but when sister Hee had to go to the doctor last time we were able to meet this young medical student, she is pretty and great! Catholic. And super cool. Sister Hee and her were able to make an immediate connection since It was Sister Hee and Doctor See, Her parents are both from the Philippines. The both interested in medical field and both love art. (it was love at first sight lol JK) Anyway so we met Dr See at a restaurant for a casual meeting to kinda get to know her and she did not want any members to be there for it (cause the doctors that she works for has really been pushing her a bit to meet with us and she has many Mormon friends at the hospital) so she was kinda doing it in secret. Well turns out we must have done something good because that night she went to her one close friends house and they were talking about it and then we got a phone call saying that she wants to meet with us every night before she leaves!!!! (cause she was only here for a month and this is her last week here) so she studies in Salt Lake, originally from Cali, but LOVES KANAB. And she has not been approached about meeting with missionaries in salt lake or before she came to kanab, and she likes church but thinks its a bit noisy. She said she decided to listen to us here with the people she loves and we have also really gotten to love her soooo much!!! We would really like to see her baptized, and it would really be a miracle if we could have the baptism here before she leaves but that might not happen just yet - she is not ready to commit. But we really do love her and hope she is able to find what ever she is looking for. One of the things that she loves about the church is that we are very family orientated.

Well we were able to put another of our investigators on date for baptism but we realized that we did it for the weekend of general conference so that might not work out too well. But we are just so excited that things are making more sense to hima nd that he is ready to commit.

Well transfer calls are coming up this week saturday, so we will know next week who goes and who stays. hopefully we both stay. We are finally getting our investigators to where they need to be and we love them so much. But I have been here almost 6 months so its almost time I go to a new area.

Yesterday we spoke in 2 wards back to back. luckily both times we were the final speaker and the speakers before us took up most of the time we only had 5min each to speak and I love being able to rely on the spirit to know what to speak about.

Well my spiritual thought comes from the first thing that our mission is memorizing

THE STANDARD OF TRUTH - Joseph Smith (Wentworth letter)
The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly and independent , till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

All My Best,

Sister Karen Hollander

St. George, Utah Mission

107S. 1470E. Suite 304

St. George Utah 84790

United States

Presidents day in ZIONS

Well Just as normal I do not have much time today - we are cutting it short so we can go to ZIONS national park :)

We are going with some members here. it's a public holiday and so they are taking the kids and we are hitch hiking.

We had a GREAT week!!! Wow really feels like forever ago but we got 2 NEW investigators this week! One that the Kanab sisters have been working with and the other is a native american that I feel is pretty golden! When we were visiting with her Sister Hee and I BOTH felt impressed to put her on date for baptism but unfortunately the conversation took a turn and we were not able to. Our Fellowshipper likes to talk ALOT. But it is good fun. But I think thanks to her we did have one of our Native American Investigators at church. We are teaching 3 and 2 were at church!! we are SUPER Excited!!! We hope to get more and more and eventually have a native american branch out there. but we also wasnt to have a branch in Co city and there are just not enough whites who live in Mocciassin itself to have their own ward without cane beds and co city so we may need to make some sacrifices. But I am really excited!!!

We had 5 investigators at CHURCH yesterday!!! And Wow we are excited that they are showing some commitment! Hopefully the others will soon follow. 

Well as for Sue (who I tried putting on date twice) she is definitely progressing!! I love her sooo much!!! Bishop has been able to work really well with her and Jim. He spoke to her about  baptism and how important that authority is. They have finally found Jims church records and he is a teacher in the Aaronic priesthood. Bishop has told Jim that after they meet that that they can speak about setting him apart as a priest and then he could baptize Sue. and now this idea has been mentioned a few times by the members around them and well I hope that they do not push her away. BUT she is still going to church so I guess not :) Holding thumbs for this week!!

So we had exchanges this week and we ended up having all 4 of us in the kaibab area, good thing we have two places where we could sleep otherwise we would not all fit in our lil apt. So Sister Sordes (From Tulus France) and I went to Cane beds and Sister Hee and Sister Davila stayed in Kanab.

Sis Sordes is AWESOME!!! I love her so much and well she does not have a licence at all and so I was the designated driver for the day! Ahhhh it was so scary to be driving again it has been so long! almost 6 months! But it was good! I only tried to put the clutch in once! haha :D It is strange driving on the other side of the road though.

All My Best,

Sister Karen Hollander

St. George, Utah Mission

107S. 1470E. Suite 304

St. George Utah 84790

United States

Life on the Kaibab Part 3

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

All My Best,

Sister Karen Hollander

St. George, Utah Mission

107S. 1470E. Suite 304

St. George Utah 84790

United States

Hiking in Co City

Good Morning!!!!

It Snowed last night!!!! There was a fast for "moisture" this weekend and we got it! yay! Miracles!

Well Dont have much time today as we are heading out to Colorado city to hike and celebrate our District leaders Birthday! And cause we can. Hope it is not too snowy out there but should be good fun! Cannot wait!

This week was interesting. Alot of what we planned again fell through. But it is ok.

We had some real spiritual experiences with some of our 'gators and less actives we teach. one especially was last night when we watched the testaments with a less active. it was great to see him in tears as Christ speaks to Helman by name and heals him. 

I love this work.

The Church is TRUE!!!

All My Best,

Sister Karen Hollander

St. George, Utah Mission

107S. 1470E. Suite 304

St. George Utah 84790

United States