¡Hola!

Hey,

 

All the libraries in the city were closed yesterday and Monday. So sorry for not updating you until now. But it was great to see everyone on Christmas. I wish I could have talked longer but it was a great Christmas present. Being away from family, even for this short of time, has made me appreciate everything they do and helped me stay motivated to become a great missionary. Yes it is hard, but it is all worth it. I have met so many people that have affected my life so much and am so looking forward to all the experiences the Lord has in store for me.

 

But last week was a little hard to get in with people because of the holiday season. But we still managed to get in with Mario Fica. He is currently in the hospital because of bad circulation in his legs and we hope to see him up and walking here soon. But we went and visited him on Monday in the hospital and he seemed to be doing well. He was excited to see us and and is always telling us how much he likes us. It makes us feel good, even though we know that we did not do that much. We just stopped by and said "hi" about once a week. We also met with the Cruz family again on Christmas Eve and sang a Christmas carol. Por su puesto, we sounded horrible and gave them some cookies to make up for it. It was really fun last week as we got to go around with about 3 other sets of missionaries and sing Christmas carols to members and investigators. I really could feel the Spirit of Christmas and found out that people are still receptive to good old fashioned Christmas music sung by Elders with bad voices. Luckly we had some sisters with us to liven it up.

 

On Christmas Eve, we stopped by some less active members homes and also some people that we are trying to teach. But we then were invited to go with the zone leaders to dinner and play board games with people in their ward, the Stebners. We had a blast playing Uno and Cranium. Christmas Day and Christams Eve, starting at 6 p.m., were non-proselyting days. So we got a little break to spend some time with members. The Stebners gave us all pajamas and I told them that this was the best gift ever because we always got pajamas from our parents on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day we went to church and were asked to give our testimonies in Spanish. It was nerve-wracking but I got through it and I think it sounded somewhat ok. The Lord really helped me out on that one. But then we were able to go over to Brother Raydom's, a less-active member, and make him some steak and potatoes. He had no one coming over for Christmas and it felt good to spend half the day with him. We then headed over to the Anderson's home. The wife is from Chile and a lot of her family was there. It was a great experience to share Christmas with people that we have grown close with.

 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and that we can always remember the real reason why we celebrate it. Keep strong and keep faithful!!!!

 

Mucho amor

Elder Kipp

¡Feliz Navidad!

¿Comó están? ¿Dónde están sus sonrisas? ¡Porque es la Navidad!

 

Well this week started out pretty brown - ha ha. Not a lot of snow has been falling lately and finally yesterday we got some snow. We have been hoping for a white Christmas. It really makes it seem more like Christmas when there is snow on the ground. Everyone here is truly in the Christmas spirit and we love going to member' houses and sharing Christmas messages about the true meaning of Christmas.

 

On Wednesday, we visited la familia Cruz, the less active family that we have been working with, and finally met the people that were living downstairs: The Contreras family. They are all from El Salvador and they are actually leaving this week to go to El Salvador and wont be back until January. But it was really good to make contact with them and meet them. We also visited Mario Fico, our little Argentinian friend on Thursday. He was really sick because of his diabetes and could not walk at all. We felt that we needed to help him and asked him what he needed. He responded that he needed eggs and chocolate milk. So we went to the store and got him that. He was so thankful and we then gave him a blessing. I hope that he can get better. He is going to the hospital and hopefully they dont have to remove his legs.

 

We had dinner with the Cuevas family on Friday and they insisted that we try their fried jalepeños. They were so hot! Elder EZ was practically dying and could not feel his face. It was a funny experience. They were proud of us for trying them and asked if we wanted more. Ummm, definitely not! Spanish people really know how to cook.

 

On Saturday, we had Vianney's baptism. It had to be one of the happiest moments of my life. From the moment he walked into the church he had such a big smile on his face. If you guys remember we started teaching him and then had to turn him over to the other Spanish missionaries because he moved. But I remember when we started teaching him and thinking that he would be baptized. He had such a light to him and he seemed ready. It truly is a miracle to see someone that you just met enter the waters of baptism and see the joy in their faces. It makes you so happy. It is so hard to explain and I will never forget it. But Elder EZ got to baptize him and it made him so happy and honored. It gives us both motivation to find more people to teach. I want more people to feel the joy that he felt.

 

Yesterday we met with Ruban and Cindy. They are both very religious and study the bible a lot. We are going to need to bring reinforcements (the bishop) because he knows the bible inside and out. But he has great faith in Christ already and is really happy to be meeting with us. We shared our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and they both said they would read it. We are going to start working with them and hopefully we can get them to church on Sunday. We then had some more time before we had to go home and so we tried an ancient address in our area books. We showed up and found a man from Africa that speaks Spanish. He speaks many other languages so we do not know what language he will want to be taught in. He was a great guy and was happy to talk to us. The crazy thing about it is we looked back later and saw that the address we put in the GPS was wrong. The work of the Lord goes forward.

 

Spiritual Thought: I was reading about the 2000 stripling warriors this morning. And I love the verse that talks about how they were taught by their mothers the ways of the Lord. (Alma 56:47-48) This is so true. I give a shout out to all the mamas that taught their children the right things. Always remember 

where you came from and who taught you.

 

Mucho amor!!!

 

Elder KIPPPPP

¡Hace frío!

¡Hola muchachos! ¿Cómo están?!?

 

Well, last week was a great week. We had no snow but it is still getting pretty cold. The lowest we saw last week was about -13. I feel myself getting used to it a lot more, but when it hits -40 I don't know what I am going to do. I just pray that the Spirit can warm me up. I just hope that we can have a white Christmas.

 

This week we had a lot of our lessons cancel, but many little experiences made up for it. We had to say goodbye to one of our best members named Modesto. He is from Mexico and is up here for work. His family used to live here about two years ago but they left and he stayed behind. He has decided to move back to be with his family. But he is a truly great man. I met with him about 4 times in my time here and he helped us find a great person to teach. He is really missionary minded and I really am going to miss him. He is probably one of the most humble people that I have ever met. I will truly miss him and hopefully I can stay in contact with him.

 

We were teaching a younger guy named Vianney and we had to turn him over to the south side when he moved. He was one of the first people that we taught while I was here and I was really sad when we could not teach him anymore. But we are happy to hear that he is getting baptized on Saturday and he asked if Elder EZ could baptize him. We are really excited that he has made the choice to be baptized. Even though we did not get to teach him the whole time, I recieve joy that he is going to change his life for the better. He was really funny in the beginning because he had so many good questions and he was honestly interested. AHH I'm so excited.

 

I have to tell you guys about an experience we had on Saturday. We went to try to visit a less-active member and they were not home. But, as we left the door and started walking into the street, a car pulled up and a young man yelled out his window and said, "Are you mormons? I want to ask you some questions. Get in my car and we can go talk." We explained that we could not get into his car but we could follow him to his apartment. We went and started talking to him and noticed that he has a Spanish accent. It turns out that he is from Argentina and had a lot of good questions for us. We invited him to the ward party that night and he came! He met some of the Spanish members and he seemed to have a good time. He has to work and is going to be out of town until January. So we are going to get in contact with him then and meet with him. Elder EZ and I really felt the Spirit strong when we were talking to him. He seems like a great guy. I'll keep ya posted.

 

On Friday we had our Christmas conference. It was super fun. We had some trainings by President Campbell and his wife to bring us into the Christmas season and then we had a great lunch. It was super delicious and it ended with the best dessert...cheesecake. Then we had a talent show. Many people in our mission are musically talented, by not our zone. So we performed Johnny Lingo. It was super cheezy but super fun. Then Elder Ez planned a funny skit with President. To get his hair cut in front of everyone. They planned to just have President call up a volunteer to demonstrate proper hair length. It was a surprise and everybody bought it. We all got gifts from our wards and got to sit on Santa's Lap. Ha ha!  It was a older elder from the office. But a fun day to help us remember Christmas and the real meaning.

 

But my Spiritual thought for the week is not a scripture or any deep doctrine. Probably the most simple thing that the Savior taught to us: Just go out of your way to say hello to someone and share a smile with someone. The Saviour taught us that we need to treat others with kindness, not just around Chirstmas but all the year. Let this special time of year remind us that we are trying to be like Jesus. This is what will make us truly happy.

 

¡Les amo muchísimo! ¡Feliz Navidad!!!!

 

Elder Kipp

HOLA!!!

¡Buenos Dias! ¿Cómo está todo en el mundo afuera de la misión?

Well, this week it started out snowing a bunch. It is not so cold but it is turning out to be a white Christmas. I haven't seen a white Christmas in a long time. But everything is getting colder and whiter. I pulled out my overcoat to keep me warm and snow boots to help me not slip this week. Alberta is weird like that. It will snow a bunch and then get hot so it all melts. Then it all melts and freezes. So it can get a little dangerous. I have only fallen once. Thank goodness, because the thing in the mission is if you fall you have to buy your district doughnuts. That is a good purk, except when you are the one falling!

This week was really good. We started off rough with a lot of people cancelling on us and not showing up for appointments. But that just gives us more motivation to find more people to teach. We have been working a lot with the less active members and getting their trust in order to get them back to church. We met with a older lady named Sister Orellana. She is so sweet and her little dog loves me so much for some reason. Both times we have visisted her, the dog has jumped on my lap and won't move. We talked about faith and tried to get her going to church. But she is going back to El Salvador for about a month and hopefully she will return and get back to church. Also, we are working with the Cruz Family from Columbia and they are really hard to get a hold of but have been back to church once.

We went on exchanges with the the district leader on Tuesday. It was really fun to be with Elder Skousen again, even though he is a goofball. We helped someone move for about 2 hours and it brought me back to the summer when I worked for Muscular Moving Men. The woman that we helped move reminded me of mom during moving times. She was super OCD about the placing of her things and where she wanted them. It made me laugh. But we met with a return missionary that went to Chile. His name is Brother Myer. He is super cool and I got to share the message in Spanish. It was a little nerve racking but i got through it.

We were trying to get in touch with a former investigator that Elder EZ knew and couldn't for a long time. But we were near her house and it just so happened that we found her. We talked for a while and invited her to one of our ward's Christmas parties. Her name is Marcela and her mother's name is Synthia. They want to go to church but they both have to work. So I'll keep you posted on their situation. Yesterday, we were asked to help out with a recent convert's baby blessing. He is actually in Mexico trying to work out his citizenship here. But it was a great experience and we were honored that we where able to help. We then went over to a member's house named the Cristanshens. He is from Columbia and they made us dinner and we watched the Christmas devotional. It was really exciting. I recommend it if you have not seen it yet.

I also recommend pupusas if you have not had them yet. A member made them for us and they were amazing. But everything is going good. Still trying to keep the work going and doing what we can in the vineyard. Thanks for all the support and prayers. Keep the faith and the fire of Christ burning always!

Mucho amor,

Elder Kipp!!!

HOLA de CANADA!?!?!

Como estan ustedes?!? It has been a fun week full of spiritual experiences and challenges that are making me grow!

First of all, we started our Spanish class this week and tried to make it really fun. We have two non-member people there so it should work out good if we can start teaching them. They are both not very good at Spanish so it is helping them to learn some English that they can use in their work. We also met with our stake representative for Spanish this week and he gave us some great advice on getting some of the less active members back to church. We also met with a man named Jaime and his family. They are interested in going to church and we are hoping that they can get involved with the members. We also stopped by the house of a woman that was a potential but turned out that she was a less active member. So we are going to try and get her back to church.

The work has been a little slowed down from the snow. But we are still pushing along and trying our hardest to find new people to teach. I'm sorry I don't have much time today but just know that things are going well. I went on exchanges with my zone leader on Friday and it was so fun. We worked really hard and I felt accomplished when my head hit the pillow. It is a different experience going tracting -ha ha.


Spiritual Thought: We talked in church on Sunday about the final judgement and exaltation. It is very interesting to hear all the opinions on who and how we will be judged. Read the last chapter in the Gospel Principles manual. This lines out the things we must do to receive exaltation and live with our families forever. Also Read Matthew 25:23. This is what I want to hear when I get to heaven.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipppppppppppp

Hola! Bienvenidos a la nieve y el frio!

Hola!

It is snowing a lot in Canada! Thats for sure eh. But nothing is prettier than looking out my 11 story building window onto the snow covering the city. It has been a little scary because the temperature keeps going up and down so there is a lot of ice. On Thursday it was -10 celsius. But with the windchill it was -35! It was incredibly cold. I cannot believe that it is going to get even colder. I enjoy driving because it is a new challenge. And I was suprised to find out that the drivers in Canada are very good in the snow. But that still does not change how many accidents there are. It makes it a little hard because we cannot book appointments with people too close together. And because we have such a big area we find ourselves in sticky situations. But the work still goes on and we are still trying to find people to teach.

Last week we made invitations to an English class that we are going to teach twice a week. It should be very fun. And hopefully we can get a lot of people there that are interested in the gospel as well. I don't know how good of English teachers we are but I am looking forward to helping people out. We figured we can promote the Book of Mormon by reading from it during the class. And then stress that it will help them with their English. BOOYAH! We are sneaky.

This week was a little slow because we are getting used to the snow but we have still been able to meet with some new people that seem interested. We still do not have any progressing investigators and that is difficult. But we excercise faith everytime we go out the door or call someone to get into a lesson. I have been praying very hard and I am learning that things never turn out the way that you think. People that are interested in the blessings of the gospel are never the people that you expect. That is why I constantly need to remember that we really do not have that big of a part in this whole process. We are just kind of "pushing" people in the right direction. But we are trying to find new ways to keep up the motivation.

I got the opportunity to teach gospel doctrine yesterday. It was such a fun experience because I found out that I was teaching during sacrament meeting! But I taught about the postmortal spirit world. This topic always is interesting to me because it gives the answer to where do we go after we die. There was an investigator that had been taught the plan of salvation but he had a lot of questions. We had a great conversation about what the world will be like after we die. It will be a great time for missionary work and the people that choose to follow Christ will find great joy.

Spiritual Thought: What do we need to do to take away power from Satan? And will Satan be bound in the millenium or will the people living have no desire to sin? (Hint: 3 Nephi Chapters 18-27)

I know this is the true work of God. I know that my Savior Jesus Christ lives and guides this work. I feel happiness when I do what is right which brings me closer to my Heavenly Father. I know with all my heart that the Book of Mormon is true. I have read it and prayed about it. Read it. Pray about it. You will recieve an answer. This answer will bring you joy in your life.

Mucho amor para ustedes.

Elder Kipp

It Snowed!!!

Hola! ¿Comó estan?

It has been a very cold week here in old Canada and I am happy to say that I am staying warm. I feel really bad about the people that are homeless here because they must be so cold. We meet a lot of them and we try to help them out as much as possible. But it is snowing officially in Canada! It did not stick very much but everyone is telling me that it is going to get worse. I am ready for the snow though! It is so white all over and so beautiful. People tell me that it is some of the purest snow in the world because it is so far north. But remember to not eat the yellow snow!

Last night we went to the Spanish broadcast that they had at the conference center for all Spanish speakers. It was very cool to hear everything in Spanish. I could not understand most of it, but my companion helped me out a lot and I could feel the Spirit and that is what matters most, right? There was a slim turnout but the people that attented said that it was what they needed to hear and it was definitely inspired for the Spanish community. They talked about keeping our covenants all the time and constantly remembering why we made them. Also, they talked about the blessing of having the Holy Ghost in our lives. If you get a chance to read it or listen to it, I recommend it.

But we are continueing to meet with a lot of members and sharing the benefits for everyone when they participate in missionary work. We have been having a lot of work coming out of one of our areas named Castledowns. The bishop and one of his counselors are Spanish speakers and there are many families that are members as well. The English missionaries there are on fire and we are thinking we can tap into this as well. We don't have any investigators at the moment, but we have faith that the Lord will help us find people to teach. We went to an area in this ward boundry that is prominently Spanish. The first two doors that we tracted into let us in and allowed us to talk and share a message with them. This is always very exciting.

It was the end of the tranfer today. It is very funny how missionaries get so worked up about moving around into new areas. I am trying to stay out of it, but it is really exciting and sad at the same time to see people come and go out of your district and go to new areas. We just need to remember that it is all the Lord's work and he knows better than us the people that we can affect. I have realized such a big difference in the times when I focus on myself and when I focus on other people. You find more joy when you are working for other people and not for yourself. When we focus on other people we find that we get even more for ourselves and we grow even more. The Lord does know us and our weaknesses. The mission really does show you your weaknesses because the Lord wants you to fix them through serving others.

Spiritual Thought: Read Mosiah 5. This chapter outlines what it means to be followers of Christ and how we can grow and have his name upon us all the time. I always love hearing this in the sacrament prayer. That we will ALWAYS remember him and take his name upon us. We as missionaries need to do this all the time. Hopefully we can be followers of Christ in our actions and the way we treat others.

Everyone have a great week, and have a cup of hot chocolate for me.
Mucho Amor

Elder Kipp

¿Comó le vá?

This week has been a good week full of the roller coaster of missionary work. I don't think that at any other time in my life have I had the oppurtunity to do so much for other people. It makes you so happy. It really gives you a new attitude and I can see the difference in perspective I have gained. But it has been getting colder and colder. On Thursday it was -10 and the wind chill was pretty high. But I am staying warm. It has not snowed yet but maybe this week we will be receiving some nieve.

All the members up here that speak Spanish are so cool. When we go eat dinner they just keep wanting to feed you. But I love it. Not going to lie - it keeps me sane when we get to meet with members, share a message, and get them interested in missionary work. One ward in particular called the Castledowns ward has been helping us out a lot with finding people to teach. There recently-called bishop is from Mexico and there are a lot of Spanish members in that ward. So we are hoping for great things from this ward. One of the referrals that we received from a member in this ward is great. Their names are Carlos and Ofelia and they are really interested in the gospel. He is a member and wants to come back to church and wants his wife to get baptized. He is from El Salvador and she is from Columbia. She speaks super fast! Sometimes I have to look at my companion because I have no idea what she said to me. But I am looking forward to meeting with them again and sharing my testimony with them.

Elder EZ had leadership training this week for two days. It was really draining for him but I think he got a lot out of it. I got to work with Elder Skousen and it was really fun. We went and visited a man named Frank. He is pretty awesome. I think he has autism and is has been a member of the church for about 8 years. He invited us in ang gave us some frozen lemonade and some cheese puffs. He loves meeting with the missionaries and I wish I could visit him everyday. He is so fun to talk to and you can feel his caring personality from the minute you meet him. I love people like Frank because we can learn so much from them.

My Spanish has been growing but it is hard because we are not being immersed in it. But I pray everyday that I can learn more and keep having faith. People keep telling me that I need to drink a lot of hot sauce to keep my Spanish up. Anybody have some good tips on how to help my Spanish more? I can tell that it has grown so much in the little over a month that I have been here. I will come back a true Spaniard. Something that was hard yesterday was that we had to turn over an investigator named Vianney. He has been progressing well. He lived on the border and we thought that we could keep teaching him, but we learned last night that he needs to be taught by Spanish south. It is hard to not be able to see him anymore, but we know that it is the Lord's will and we hope the best for him.

Spiritual thought: Read 1 Nephi 8: What does the fruit represent and how can we grow our seed into a fruit. Compare to Alma 32. You will find that faith is the most important aspect of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mucho Amor

Elder Kipp

Feliz Noche De Brujas!

Happy Halloween!

Que Tal? How is everyone doing? It has been a very interesting week, full of challenges and great times as well. Edmonton is started to show us the cold shoulder. I had to break out the gloves for the first time this week and my cheeks have been rosey red. I have learned in my short time here that life as a missionary is very unpredictable and it just seems like things are hard, but in the end it all works out. Today is going to be a little weird because we have P-day until 6 and then we all have to be in our apartments because there are going to be a lot of crazies out there. I keep telling people that we get to dress up too: Just as full-time missionaries. People get a kick out of that.

But we met with a lot of members this week and are trying to get in touch with the Spanish members because there has not really been a presence of Spanish missionaries here in about a year. But one ward in particular is getting really involved in the work and we received 3 referrals this week, which is really rare for Spanish in Edmonton. But Elder EZ had a very good idea to give members a copy of the Libro de Mormon and ask them to put a picture of their family and their testimony in the front. Then, they can start fellowshipping people into the ward. We need to remember that we are called as full time teachers and the members are full time finders. It really does make missionary work more effective when the memebers help out a lot. One of the recent converts is getting deported to mexico and he recently had a baby. He is going to spend about 6 months there. It is going to be hard for him but he is such a stud because he is being so positive about it. He finds it as an opportunity to see his family and share the gospel with them. I am going to miss seeing him every week.

But a lot of our lessons with investigators have been cancelling and it is really hard to stay in contact with them. But we are staying positive and trying to widen our teaching pool. No effort goes unnoticed in this work. Everyday I learn that our part in this work is very minimal compared to the Saviors. But I really love meeting new people and just learning about there background and seeing how the gospel can help them in their lives. We may never realize how we affect people and how the Lord's plan for them has us involved. I have learned that we are not only asked to follow the commandments in our own lives to make us happier, but to be an example to others and help them find that happiness that we so much enjoy.

Funny story. We were really late to an appointment last night because we got lost, so we just called them and tried to reschedule. So we went back to our apartment and went street contacting. Even though we don't find many Spanish people while we do this, we find that we meet many people that other missionaries can teach. But we met some very funny homeless people and they asked us if we had any money. I made a fatal mistake. I said "I don't have any Canadian money, all i got is some American dollars." I was done. Before we realized there was about 10 homeless people surrounding us asking for money. I told them that I would not give them any money but I would buy them some food. They all left except this one older woman and she was telling us some crazy stories and I eventually bought here some wonton soup. It was a funny experience. I love living downtown.

Spiritual Thought!: 2 Nephi 33:11 - This is a great scripture that testifies of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. If you believe in Jesus Christ you must believe in the words of this book because they testify of his divinity and life. If you believe in the words of this book, you will believe in Jesus Christ as well. They go hand in hand. So if you want to grow your testimony in Christ, read this book. It is the best way to do it. I also stress to get involved with your ward and missionary work. Pray about people that you know and be listening if they are ready to hear the gospel. The members are a major factor in the finding of people for the missionaries to teach. All you have to do is pray, open your mouth and be a friend. Everyone wins in missionary work!

Well have a great Halloween and don't eat too much candy!

Mucho Ammmmmorrrr!

Elder Kipp

Tengo gozo en mi alma hoy!

Hello from Canada!

It has been getting a little colder. Today it was -2 degrees Celsius but still pretty chilly. But it is funny how you do not worry about the cold when you are busy in the work. This week was a little busy but it was hard too because a lot of people cancelled their appointments with us and all the potentials were not home when we stopped by. It is difficult to plan our days out perfectly because our area is so big and we are teaching people on all sides of our area. But I am learning so much about everything that is going on in the mission and all the areas as well. Spanish has been coming along better every day and I am trying to grow a little bit every day as well. Elder Ez said that when he got out here he studied so much that he burnt himself out and did not want to speak Spanish very much anymore. So I am taking his advice and trying to take it day by day and talking with a lot of Spanish people. But it has been fun to learn such an amazing language. It is going to be hard in Edmonton because I am not being immersed in it, but the Lord will provide. He wants me to learn Spanish and he will provide a way to do so.

This week we went on exchanges with the zone leaders and we are going to do it again this Wednesday. But I spent the day with Elder Skousen and he is in the same transfer as me. He is great! We worked really hard all day and met some pretty amazing people. But I especially loved the experience I had talking to a woman. It was the last woman we talked to that night and we started a conversation about her religious background. I then found out that her son had autism. I got the chance to relate him to Cassidy. She was very interested and I knew that I was supposed to talk to this woman about Cass and the incredible miracle she is. She became really interested after we talked about this and hopefully she can meet with the other missionaries. But It is amazing how much the Lord's hand truly is in the work. My testimony is growing of this every day.

Yesterday we went to the North Stake center to meet with the Castledowns ward. Their bishop is from Mexico and is really enthusiastic about the Spanish work. But we are going to meet with him in the next few weeks and try to get his input and ideas on what we can do. But when we got to sacrament, we were pleased to find out that it was the Primary program. I was like "Sweet!" I have so many memories of the primary program in the San Diego ward and how amazing they were. This program was so great and the Spirit is so strong when children and running the meeting. But they sang my favorite song, "I Like to Look for Rainbows". I was brought back to the day that I was baptized.

We met with this old man that week that is a less active member. His name is Mario. He is such a funny man and has a problem with drinking. But he still comes to church and has a firm belief in El Libro de Mormon. I love talking to him because I can’t understand everything he says and I get lost sometimes and he just laughs at me. But he is great man and I hope we can continue to teach him every week. He is the kind of person that you just need to stop by and see how he is doing. We are also still teaching Vianney. We watched the Restoration video with him yesterday and I feel like he got a lot out of it. We are going to teach him the plan of salvation next week and see if he wants to get baptized and when. His girlfriend is at BYU Idaho and is really supportive of him. I pray that he can find that desire to continue to change his life. This next week is going to be very busy because we have dinner with a Spanish member every night and have several appointments.

But all is well in Canada and the work is growing on my heart. Thanks for everything!

Mucho amor y bendiciones,

Elder Kipp

PS: I have a joke. How did the canadians name Canada? C-eh-N-eh- D-eh
ha ha

3rd Week in Canada

Hola. Como estan?

Hello from cold Edmonton Canada! It has started getting cold in the city these past couple of days. It hit negative 2 degrees yesterday. But don't worry - that's in Celsius. So probably only about 30 farenheit. It is still cold and people keep telling me that it is going to continue to get colder. Last year they had the coldest winter they have had in about 10 years. So hopefully it isn't as bad this year. But I am actually excited to see how much it is going to change in the next few weeks. I will send you pictures of how much snow there is when it comes.

It has taken a little while to get things situated. It is difficult because our area is so big and we have so many wards to look over. But I am meeting a lot of members that speak Spanish and have been teaching some people as well. I have been learning a lot about the logistics of the mission and how things work. We are just so different than the other missionaries because we do not have a centralized ward and no ward mission leader. So we are kind of on our own. But we are getting things going and I know that we can make a difference and help people out.

We met a young man named Vianney from Mexico the other day. We started talking to him over the phone and seeing if he was interested. We found out that he had been going to the church for three weeks and he is dating a member. We met with him for the first time yesterday and taught hime the first lesson. He had so many great questions and was very interested. He just seems like the Lord has prepared him and he is ready to change his life. He is Catholic and shares many of our beliefs. But when we started to talk about prophets and Heavenly Father's authority on the earth again, you could just see a light turn on in his eyes. We are going to keep meeting with him every Sunday and hopefully he can progress.

We are also meeting with another man named Eric. He is unfortunately moving back to Mexico in a couple of weeks but we want to get him comfortable with the gospel and hopefully he can find the missionaries down there. He has been going to the English classes provided by some other elders and loves doing that. I hope that he can keep progressing and he can find the joy in the gospel that I have found.

Elder EZ and I also have been trying to meet with a lot of less active members. There are a lot of Spanish speaking less active members and we realize that it will be a great benefit to start getting them to chuch. My testimony has grown in the aspect that the Lord puts people in your path to talk to. We sometimes go tracting near our apartment and see if we can get things called QGC's (quality gospel converation). It is a really good way to introduce people to the church and we believe that if we can find people in English, than other missionaries will find people in Spanish.

Spirital Thought: I have been reading in Ether and the account of the Jaredites. I love the story when the brother of Jared sees the finger of the Lord. Because he has so much faith in the workings of the Lord, the veil is taken from him and he can see the Lord and many other things that we are not permitted to see because of the veil. I hope someday to have faith like this.

I send my love to all and hope everything is going well.

Cuidense mucho y tenga una buen dia!

Mucho amor,

Elder Kipp

I am in CANADA!

Hola!

How has everyone been these past couple of days. I haven't been able to write because we did not have a Preparation Day until Monday. But yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving. So, we could not get time to get to the library to write. But Canada is beautiful. It truly is. We live downtown on the eleventh story of an apartment building. It is a very diverse city and there are many different cultures here. I love being in the middle of the city.

But the Missionary work is a lot different than I expected. There are only 4 Spanish missionaries in the city including me. The city is divided into 2 areas. Each area has two stakes. Both of our stakes have about 7 wards and/or branches in each of them. So you can imagine how big my area is. We have a car because we are moving around all the time. And what is special about our area is that it was just opened after being closed for about a year.

My trainer's name is Elder Erhenzeller. Most of the other missionaries call him Elder EZ because his name is kinda hard to pronounce. But he is great and really committed to the work. He is from Virginia and his Spanish is very good. he told me that it was kinda hard for him to continue to learn Spanish at the beginning because he was not thrown into it. But he knows that I will be able to learn it better if I just commit myself to learning it everyday. I feel like I will be able to retain it easier once I am off my mission because I still have to use English a lot of the time. But I know that we are going to do great things for the Spanish speakers of this area.

We haven't had that many lessons because it is hard when you open a new area. There used to be a Spanish branch about 8 years ago, but it was closed and there are a lot less active members. We are really working on finding people to teach as we go through our area books and meet people. I plan on working hard and at this point just being a support to Elder EZ as we preach. We are going through a new 12 week program for new missionaries. It is hard to get three hours of study in the morning but we need to do it. I feel like it really will help us in the end. I love getting my daily fill from the Book of Mormon. It gives me a burst of energy and I am learning so much. There is a lot of potential in this area.

I have to tell you a funny story. We were studying in our apartment one morning and being really quiet. We have a giant window in our apartment where we can see out to the city. All of a sudden a giant rope fell down and a man starts repelling from the the ceiling. He was washing the windows! He was smoking and had a very funny look on his face. But I had Elder EZ stand next to the window and I got a picture of them. I was wondering the whole time if he was going to fall.

One family that we have been seeing a lot is the Hernandez family. The father, Carlos, was baptized four months ago by Elder EZ and his wife was baptized about a year ago. They have two children and one is only 26 days old. I can feel his faith when we talk to him about his conversion and that his testimony has grown so much. He is from Mexico and spent a lot of time in New York. He used to be a gangster, but through the gospel of Jesus Christ, he has found true happiness. I have also met some of the members in various wards that speak Spanish. They have been wonderful. I have come to realize already that people really do notice us and they love talking with us. I am so ready for this new experience.

More great news to come. I love you all.

Tenga un buen dia!

Elder Kipp

Elder Kipp Made It To Canada

Colby made it safe and sound to his mission this past Tuesday. He was greeted by his Mission President and Wife, President and Sister Campbell. I just checked the weather and it is a "balmy" 52 degrees. We feel so blessed and know that the Lord will keep him and protect him.

Hola! Como estan? Tengo gozo en mi alma ahora!

Porque estoy saliendo el martes! A las 4 de la manana! Que loco, no!? It has been a great week in the life of an elder at the MTC. It is so incredible that I am leaving in less than 4 days to head off to cold Canada. I met an Elder that is from Edmonton at lunch yesterday. He was overjoyed to find that I am going to where he grew up. He told me that the members and the people are just amazingly nice. He also told me that it is really cold, but I would get used to it. He worked for a construction company over the summer and said that there are lots of Spanish speakers but not many spanish members. Most of the latin people that are in Edmonton are there for the work so it is hard to keep a branch. He told me that my mission president is great and I would love him. This gives me a lot of motivation to get up there and start pushing the work for the Spanish members. The field is really all ready to harvest. I pray that I can have the companionship of the Savior and the Holy Ghost to lead me to people that need the gospel.

I got my travel plans last Friday. My flight leaves on Tuesday morning at 7:10 am from the SLC airport. I have a half an hour layover in Denver ad then off to Canada. I will be arriving in the cold at about noon. I am so excited to finally be going. I love the MTC and I have grown so much here but it is time to leave. I am ready to use the skills that I have learned and focus on the people rather than me learning. Yesterday me and Elder Anderson where given the chance to demonstrate "How to Begin Teaching" to a group of new Elders that arrived yesterday. We were placed in a room with about 30 new elders and we got to teach 2 investigators (actors). We started the lesson off with conversation about religious backround and introducing principles of the gospel. At an appropriate point in the lesson we were cut off and the new elders got to take over. It was a great oppportunity to help other Elders and also to strengthen my teaching skills. I have realized since I got here that people are just people. They want to just have a conversation and learn new things. Everyone has different needs and different questions. Our job as missionaries is, with the Spirit, figure out new ways to present the gospel to people and build their relationship with Heavanly Father. The gospel is for everyone, it helps everyones problems in a unique way. That is what is so amazing about this church. We are all part of a church run by Jesus Christ with standards and values, but it is also incredibly individualized. Anyones problems can be fixed by the Savior and gaining a relationship with Heavanly Father.

On Tuesday, the devotional was given by Elder Clark of the Seventy. It was the perfect talk to be leaving on. He said something that really touched my heart. "Don't just go through the mission, allow the mission to go through you." Meaning that we need to allow the mission and the work of the Lord to become all we are about for the next 22 months. It is hard sometimes but I have faith that I will become a tool in the Master's hand and have a front row seat to the greatest miracle on earth, the true change of heart through the gospel of JesuCristo. Another thing that he mentioned was that it is not intelligence that converts people, but really diligence and realization of the Spirit. We as missionaries are not capable of solving other people's problems or converting them without the Holy Ghost. We are simply providing an environment for the Spirit to teach people.

Spiritual Thought: Read Mosiah 18:9. Think if you have made a difference in the life of someone else today.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

OH MY!

Hello from the MTC,

This week has been a great week. Can you believe that I only have about 12 days left in the MTC!? It is completely crazy. As many people know, it feels like I have been here for years and at the same time it feels like I just got here. But I wouldn't trade this time that I have had for much of anything. It has surely exceeded my expectations. I went to the temple today and got the chance to do sealings. I feel like this is one of the more important ordinances in our church. There are so many blessings and gifts that are associated with being sealed to your family forever. I marvel at the blessings that spill from heaven when you follow the plan that Heavenly Father has laid out for us. It is so simple. All we need to do is follow the example of His Son.

Umm....guesss....what! I have now heard from 3 apostles of the Lord in the last month. First Elder Holland and then Elder Ballard. On Tuesday we where priviliged to hear from Elder Russel M. Nelson. He spoke on the power of The Libro de Mormon in conversion. The new copy of the Ensign was received by every missionary in the MTC. I encourage everyone to get their hands on a copy. It is almost like scripture. The more I read the Book of Mormon and the more I understand, the more I realize the small amount that I know. The study of this divine book is a lifetime pursuit. I realize that it was meant for our day and and I have a testimony that all the prophets that wrote in it, saw our day.(Mormon 8: 34-35). When you study diligently every day, it really does have the most positive benefit of any other book. And Elder Nelson stressed to start that book from the title page. Because this was written by Moroni and was translated by Joseph Smith.

Elder Anderson had a rough week. He got pink eye the first part of the week but got that taken care of. Then on Tuesday he sprained his ankle very badly playing volleyball. Yesterday it was the size of grapefruit and dark purple. But he did walk to the temple and back. It seemed fine. But he did get his visa so that is a good thing. But I was able to be a host yesterday. These are the missionaries that get to help the new missionaries get situated. It was a fun experience to experience the feelings again that go through your mind as you enter this sacred place.

Remember this gospel is true! Christ lives! and remember that when you choose to follow the Savior, he is obligated through love, to carry the load of life with you. Much Love!!!!

"Today is the tommorrow that we worried about yesterday"

18 Days Left!

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

Como le va? Que pasa? Well it has already been close to six weeks in the MTC and I can hardly believe it. I have been having so much fun. I cannot wait to see the excitement that awaits me in the field. I saw Alex Jafek today in the cafeteria and he seems to be doing very well. He is looking good. It is always exciting to see a familiar face in the MTC. Also Dad you might be excited to hear that I met someone on my floor that knows the Berthas very well. He has been family frineds for a long time and I told him that you know Sandy very well from seminary. His name doesn't come to mind at the moment. Is Devin still working here? Because I have not seen him once.

Umm you wont believe this but we were treated to another apostle this Tuesday night. M. Russel Ballard spoke to us. Thats two apostles in 2 weeks! I know you're jealous. But the Spirit they bring with them is amazing. From the moment they walk in you can tell that they are true apostles of the Lord. He spoke about many things pertaining to missionary work but he mainly spoke to us about keeping the teaching simple. Why make something more complicated that it should be? He also stressed the importance of having a solid testimony in Christ. That is the reason why we are here and he is the center of this doctrine. It was amazing! One thing that I have been thinking about this week is that when we choose to follow the Savior, he is obligated through love, to lift us up and comfort us. I don't remember who said this but "Two men can do anything; as long as one of them is the Savior."

I feel like I am finally in a groove here. After a while you find what you are good at and also very quickly realize your weaknesses. I have been trying to work on my weaknesses when I teach most of all. It is nice to have practice teaching sith people almost everyday, but I am so excited to get out there and help real people. My purpose is to bring people closer to Christ through his glorious Atonement and gospel so that they might gain joy in this life and the next. (3 Nephi 3:15) I started the Book of Mormon about 3 weeks ago and I am already in Alma 20. I have loved getting myself acquainted with the BOM stories once again. There is so much converting power in this book. I have also made it a goal to read through the entire "Preach My Gospel" with all the scripture refrences by the time I leave. It will be difficult but I know it will help me. Also reading the scriptures in Spanish has become a favorite thing for me. It is amazing the amount I can understand. The gift of tongues is a real thing. I taught a member of my old ward in the TRC on Saturday. It was a great experience.

We got some new roomates yesterday. Elder Underwood and Skiles are both from Washington state. They are very excited to be here. They are going to Brazil speaking Portugese. I told them about Brock and the wonderful time that he had. Hopefully they will not have to heat up water with a battery! But I am excited to get to know them. Elder Anderson has not gotten his Visa yet to go to Mexico. So I hope he can recieve it soon. I think if he got reassigned he would be great wherever he went.

I want to thank everyone that has been able to write. It really means a lot.

Spiritual Thought: I challenge you to read over the story of Ammon and King Lamoni in Alma 18. This conversion story is amazing to me and it brings me a lot of hope for the work that my Savior has for me. Also read Mattew 11; the last three verses. Some of my favorite in the scriptures.

I love this work with all my soul. It is a privilege to serve my Lord everyday and become the best I can through Him.

Mucho amor,

Elder Kipp

Como le va?

Hola mis amigos! Como esta su dia?

The good old MTC is treating me very well these days. I cant believe it is already September. The time has gone so fast but the experiences are getting better and better everyday. The language is getting easier everyday to understand and reading has become easier as well. But I cannot wait until the day that I am fluent. And feel comfortable talking to anybody about anything. I have discovered that this language is very simple and beautiful. My teachers have been very helpful in everything that I ask and everything I have been improving on. The elders in my district have become like brothers to me and I am striving everyday to be an uplifting person.

The flu has hit my district and many people on my floor. I have luckly been able to keep healthy and not get too sick. But it is hard to stay away from the sickness because you are with these people all day long. A regular day at the MTC includes six hours of class, 2 hours of meals, and 3 hours of personal study time. You spend all of it in a classroom with the people in your district. But that is why you are so close. As I have said before, this place is truly unique. You can have the most fun and the most spiritual experiences of any place. When we were at the devotional on Tuesday, we were told that we were the most prayed over group of individuals on the planet. This is really amazing to think about. The responsibility we have and the truly unique call that is put on our shoulders. I marvel at the chance to be in the same boat as Paul, or Hirum and even Alma. We are called to change the world. It is fascinating. But I have realized that it does not end after our missions. We are just doing it full time here. We need to carry the same attitude on the mission and bring it with us the rest of our mortal lives.

Some members of my district and I are doing a little "Biggest Loser Competition". It has been going very well so far. I'm not going to say how much I have lost because that doesn't matter. What really matters is that we are getting healthier to serve the Lord. It is somwhat difficult to do with the food choices we are given but it can be done. The winner gets a tie from each of the losers at the end. I plan on working hard and winning but we will see.

I have had some questions this week about Canada and the people I am going to teach. I wonder if I will teach many different latin cultures and if it is diversified like America. I just know that there is at least one person that I am going to affect that speaks Spanish. And I realize that I am learning this language for my benefit throughout my life. I urge everyone to learn different languages and broaden your cultural understanding. I hold it against myself that I did not learn any other language better until now. I can't wait to speak with my friends, all my uncles, and my dad. Get ready when I get beack to have long conversations in Spanish!

Spiritual thought: Read Helaman 11; it talks about faith and outlines many examples of faith from the bible. But the first verse gets me everytime. Faith is like the seed (as it says in Alma 32) that grows ones testimony that is as a tree. I hope someday that I can have a giant Sequia forest for my testimony.

Yo creo en Dios. Se que Jesucristo es mi Salvador y amigo. Yo se que Dios tiene un plan para todos Sus hijos y quiere el mejor para nosotros. Yo se que este Iglesia es verdadera y contiene la plenitud del Evangelio de Jesucristo!

Nos vemos,

Elder Kipp

PS: Tell Brock and Layne and Staci and Bacho thnaks for the packages. I love you!

Booyah!!!

Hola! Como estamos?

This past week has been great. I am learning so much and feel like I am understanding more everyday. How is the outside world? It has been about a month but it goes by so fast. To see the progress I have made is amazing. As always on Thursday we get to go to the temple. It is probably one of my favorite things to do every week. And today more that other weeks it was beautiful. Provo is perfect at this time of the year. Not too hot, not too cold and the sun is always shining. I better take it all in before I go to the freezing cold Canadian weather.

We got two new teachers this week. We have had so many teachers these past couple of weeks. With Hermana Bauserman leaving and Hermano Arnold changing districts we have had 12 different teachers. It is nice to hear so many different missionary stories but it is also difficult because we don't really have a continuance of teaching. But these two new teachers, Hermanos Ackerson and Clayton seem amazing. Hermano Clayton went to Connecticut but spent his high school life in Argentina. He seems very interesting and I feel like I get along with him very well. Hermano Ackerson went to the Dominican Republic and has tons of chevre(cool) stories. When we teach lessons I am finding myself being able to just talk to people rather than struggle through memorized phrases. It is becoming more of a teaching experience everytime. Hopefully the next time we go to the TRC we will recieve a native speaker. Last week Elder Ostler and Elder Stevenson tought a native from Mexico and said they learned more than they taught. I have made a goal to read at least 10 pages in the Book of Mormon daily in English. It has helped me so much find things to learn for teaching and brought the Spirit that much greater. I challenge all to get into the scriptures daily. It will truly guide your life.

Elder Anderson, Elder Bigalow and myself are in a little Biggest Loser competition. Since the food here is not to healthy, we are limited on our options. But we are helping each other in the gym everyday and I feel so much better. The leaders of the mission have stressed the importance of eating healthy and exercising 6 days a week. It makes you focus more on studying and allows you to feel less tired. But I will keep going and keep you posted on the results.

We had a treat this week. Elder Holland spoke at the devotional this Tuesday. It was magnificent. This Spirit testified to me that he was a true disciple of Christ. He talked about the true importance of missionary work. He also stressed that we do not have the right to change the "perfect" image that the world has of missionaries. We are "apostles" with a lower case and we are declaring truth unto the world. I was greatly humbled that night and will remember it always. I will strive to receive that faith that he has and love people the way that he does. One thing that really stuck out to me was "Be better than who you are." Meaning that we can always be better than the person that we think we are at that moment.

I love Spanish hymns! "Tengo Gozo en Mi Alma" is my favorite. We usually sing two a day. I am so excited to find out what the latin culture is going to be like in Edmonton. I have already been thinking about the people the Lord is going to affect through me. I am so excited to have a front row seat for truly amazing changes. It will be hard but as long as I have the gospel on my side I will succeed.

Spiritual Thought: I have been thinking a lot this week about the character attributes of the Savior, especially patience. We need to have patience in every aspect of our life because we are being guided to become the best we can be. Sometimes things may not happen the way we want, but patience is necassary to truly be content in life. Patience with others is te most important aspect of this characteristic. If we do not realize that everyone has problems around us and are not understanding patience we cannot be happy. Let us not be offended when people us their agency. You can only control your actions. I will keep praying for Christlike patience and challange all to do as well.

Also Read Helaman 15:7 - this explains what true repentance is, a change of heart.

With mucho amor,

Elder Kipp

Hola Amigos!

Dear Mi Familia y Amigos,

Como estan? I have been doing really well this week. The MTC is always the same but always the best. It is really amusing to see the new missionaries come in every Wednesday. I hope that I did not look that scared or perplexed when I walked into these doors. I can't believe how much I have realized in these short 3 weeks. The days are long but the weeks go by so fast. It seems like I have been here forever, but at times it seems like it has wizzed by. It is hard to explain but all you return missionaries know what I am talking about. I am already so anxious to get to the field. I am not really ready for the cold just yet but I will bring the fire of the gospel to warm me up...hehe. Hermana Bauserman left on Saturday to go start her elementary teaching job. It was a sad day but we all had such a great time with her. We gave her a journal with all our testimonies in it and sang "God Be With You Till We Meet Again". The funny thing was that 4 of us had kazoos and we played it to the tune of the song. It brought a laugh to her mouth and a tear to her eye. She will be missed. We receive a new teacher today or tommorrow to work along with Hermono Arnold. We need two teachers because some days we have two class periods. Those are hard days because it can get really hard to focus. But we switch up the routine and learn new things.

The Spanish is getting better everyday. You are almost forced to learn it because it is everywhere. We teach all our lessons in Spanish and it has been difficult to get my point across about a certain doctine in a different language. But it is getting easier and easier as we learn new ways of teaching. I understand now when people say that you are just a tool and the Spirit teaches through you. It is truly miraculous. We also started doing door approaches. This is challenging, especially when you ask someone if they believe in God and they say no. But it is fun learning effective ways to spread the gospel. We have this thing twice a week called the TRC. This is where people from the "outside" world come and let us teach them. They play themselves. So sometimes you will get a college student or a bishop. It is really fun and allows you to use different ways of teaching.

We had a devotional on Sunday from Elder Allen from the 70. He talked about not being stupid missionaries and explained many stories of missionaries making stupid decisions and forgetting who they were on their name tag. He told us a story of some missionaries getting the great idea of making bombs (fireworks) and lighting them off in the street. The cops showed up and found a map on the wall with little flags on places throughout the area. (Area map) They were hauled off to jail and spent the night there. We heard from Elder Zivic of the 70 from Argentina on Tuesday night. He explained that we need to realize the responsibility we have and the potential we have. I have not really thought about it before the role of missionaries in the grand scheme of things. We are very important and need to picture ourselves as the best we can be. I will take this to heart and work hard to become the missionary I potentially can be.

Me and Elder Anderson have been rocking it on the volleyball court. The two of us and two other missionaries we get along with are all on the same team most of the days. We rock it! haha It is amazing how much energy you can get out during the 50 minutes they give you. It is probably because you are sitting in the classroom using your brain for 11 hours a day. But I am growing to love my companion and the people in our district. The Elders that were going to Peru left yesterday. It was sad to see them go. But Elder Dennis did not get his visa so he is still stuck here. I pray that he will receive it soon to get to Peru.

I feel some much love from my Heavanly Father and the opportunity he has given me. Realize you are loved as well.

ST: Read 3 Nephi 11; thats all I need to say

Mucho amor,

Tu Hijo

Colby's MTC District

Week 3!

Hola from the MTC!

How is everything going in the outside world? I am not going to lie but I really don't care about it that much.This place makes you focus so much on the work and learning that you find littel interest on what is goin on outside its protected walls. Today we went to the temple again. It is always a wonderful experience. As many know, Sunday's are the best at MTC. You really

Colby's Companion: Elder Anderson from Temecula, CA

Elder Rodriguez - one of his favorite elders in the MTC.


treat it like a day of rest. Richard Heaton (the director of Administration at the MTC) spoke at Sunday's divotianal. He spoke about success in the field and how many missionaries get hung up on the number of baptisms. He proceeded to say that success is bringing others to Christ and baptising, but it is also how pleasing you are in the eyes of God in our diligence. This is goin to help me in the field give everything I have and expect nothing in return. A mission is like tithing in years. I am about 20 and I am giving to years to the stregthening of other. Only fair.

My companion Elder Anderson said something very interesting the other night while we were writing in our journals. He said "Going on a mission is like a business...the currancy is blessings and the savings account is for souls." Just a little comer para pienso. We began teaching Alejandra this week. She is from Argentina and smokes a lot. The lessons have been going smoother, but there is always room to grow. I am working on Spanish pertaining to each lesson and trying to utilize the scriptures more as I teach. I have faith that the Sprirt will help me a lot if I just prepare and treat people with care. We also learned this week that if you don't seem like you are interested in the person, they will not be interested in you.

I am growing to love my district. We study in the Heber C. Kimball building 8M and live in the Ray L. Pratt building 6M. I am realizing everyday that first impressions don't and shouldn't mean very much. There are people that have had very different circumstances than I thought, but because of how they acted, I put a label on them. I will be working on treating everyone with the respect they deserve because everyone is an iceburg. I challange everyone to do the same.


Spiritual thought: I read the story about the woman that touched the heam of the Saviors garment in Luke 8 the other day. This is one of my favorite stories in all scrtipture. It shows tremendous faith. I strive to obtain the faith that this woman had in her Savior. I challange you all to read this story and question your own faith. It will humble you.

I love you all so much and wish the blessings of heaven on you. I am working hard and trying to be the missionary my Lord wants me to be. Stay strong and know God loves you more than you can comprehend.

Much love,

Elder Kipp

I can't put pictures on the email until i get to the field, so ill send some pictures soon that I have printed out.

P.S.- If you want to send me messages during the week dont email me. I dont have enough time to read them all. I will in the field though. Got to dearelder.com and send me a message from there. I get it the same day usaully. Tell everyone do do that rather than email. Thanks!

I've Been Here a Week

Hello Mi Familia!

 

It has been a great week here so far in the CCM! The food has turned out to be pretty good. They have a lot of healthy options to choose from so that is bien. When I dont eat well I get stomache problems. So that is great motivation to eat healthy. We are always so busy that I forget to eat sometimes. But I am continuing to learn spanish. It is difficult, but to see the progress that I have made since I got her is amazing. Teaching the investigators has become easier and is getting better. I can understand more than I can say, but it is coming along. I know that I am learning Spanish for some reason and the Lord never gives us challanges that we cannot complete. I will continue to be dedicated and strive to learn as much as I can before getting to the field. I am already anxious to leave. I already feel a close bond with people I haven't met. Many feelings of joy and peace come to my heart when I realize where I am and what i am doing. It is all for the Lord and other people. I have also learned that no one ever looses in missionary work. I benefit, other benefit, the families of all involved benefit, the Church benefits, and God benefits. It is such an oppurtinity to serve.

 

Today I got to go to the Provo Temple and it was glorious! It was inspiring to go inside a temple that I had lived 1 minute away from for a year. I saw the work being done in a light different than that of a non-missionary. I went with my district. they are great and all have a desire to learn. I already feel a close love for them. There is one Elder and his name is Elder Guyman. He has to be the definition of a goober. But I love him so much. He makes me laugh so much and is so unique. He talks about his honey badger and how he misses it. Just the way he talks makes me happy. My distirct and I have become so close in a weeks time. Probably because we havee spend almost every minute with each other! We truly are borthers in the work of the Lord.

 

Elder Anderson and I have been going to choir practice. it is really uplifting and gives us a break from the language. You were right dad; to sing Called to Serve with hundreds of missionaries is absolutly breathtaking. The Spirit was so strong and eyes were wet. Obviously there is a lot of stress to learn the doctrine and the language, but there is also an amazing peace to be found here. I love the confirmation that I get from the Spirit that what I am teaching is true. I am so blessed to have the oppurtunity to invite others to come unto Christ and feel the Spirit that I do everyday of their life.

 

We have gym almost everyday. You would be happy to know that there is some mean ball in here. I love playing with people that love basketball as much as me and occasionally shooting over the top of a 6'7 elder! Know that I am safe and love you all so much. I want to tell everyone that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It is the only way to be truly happy and feel at peace. Endless blessings are in store if we just put our shoudler to the wheel and trust in the plan. Remember what Devon Rapp said, "If you say you are humble, you are not humble." So let us be humble and try our best to become better people through the Lord. Rome wasn't built in day; neither are our testimonies.

 

I love you all so much and send that love to everyone you know.

 

Mucho amor,

 

Elder Kipp

  

P.P.S - Spiritual thought

 

Cecil Samuelson of the Seventy spoke to us on Sunday and he read Timothy 4:12. "Be an example unto the believers. Who is the best example? Christ. And who is the best believer? Christ. becasue he believes in us!

First Weeek in the MTC! Whatsup! Hola!

Hola! How is everything going? My new life in the MTC is becoming more and more comfortable everyday that I am here. It is a very spiritual place and I have learned so much already. My teachers name is Herman Bowserman and she is the greatest. She only speaks in Spanish so that is a little difficult. But everyday I am able to comprehend more. My companion's name is Elder Anderson and he is from Temecula. Small world huh? He is here for the same reasons as me and knows more Spanish than I do. I have a feeling that we are going to make a great companionship. We teach each other new words all the time and try to speak as much in the language as possible. The days are long. Everyone says once you get past the first week that it goes by a lot faster. I am still waiting to see if that is going to happen. You try and push yourself all the time so getting tired is a natural occurance.

 

Some of the things are difficult as well. Yesterday Elder Anderson and I had to teach an investigator. All in Spanish! It is difficult when you know so little. It went well and you really do have moments were the Spirit takes over and it feels great. other moments are so good. I blanked for a few seconds but it felt like 10 minutes. Elder Anderson and me are learning to work together in the lesson rather just bear your own testimony. Yesterday we had to bear our testimony to dos personas diferentes and that was hard to. You have so much you want to say but you have so many words that you are limited to. Hermana Bowserman told us that if we think the lesson was a trainwreck, we need to understand that we do not realize everything we say. Besides it is only the first week and we are teaching someone in a language we know little about. I have learned a lot about faith already. I tell myself that I need to look at the big picture because I will learn everything step by step. It is like drinking from a firehouse. But the Spirit of the Lord is helping me comprehend and say things that I need. My branch president sadi worry more about the doctrine and the language will follow. We are on a brand new lesson plan. So I know that I am in good hands.

 

This place is truly amazing. To walk around everydayand see so many men and women wearing nametags and taking upon them the name of Christ is an incredible testimony builder. I feel the Spirit more than I ever have in my life in a more consistant way. I am incredibly blessed to have the oppurtunity to serve the Lord and learn a new language. I know that I was called to Canada for a reason and I am already realizing the love that I have for those people. Everytime I get discouraged or feel down I think of those people I am going to teach and I am comforted. Eventhough it will be difficult, I will grow incredibly through this experience. I am staying obedient and trying my hardest to keep the faith and learn as much as I possibly can. The gospel of Jesus Christ is absolutly amazing and I cannot wait to share it will the people of Canada in Spanish. I am happy and know that I am doing the right thing.

 

Spiritual Thought:

 

Read Matthew 5: I really love the first that talks about if we hunger and thirst after righrtousness we will be comforted. Let us all "hunger and thirst" for the truth in our lives.

 

How is everything? Tell me all you can about Cass's school and the cabin. I miss you guys and know I love you.

 

Love to everyone,

 

 

Elder Kipp