¡Hola mis amigos!

 

This week was another one that was on and off rain. It is really nice to get both the rain and the sunshine because it makes everyday a little different. And in the terms of missionary work there are always surprises when you are walking down the street. We actually had a funny experience with one of the members downtown. We were at Justine's apartment to pick up Cloti to bring her to a dance on Friday night. Sister Kramps was walking with us to the door and these two people stopped and wanted to talk. Sister Kramps just started to share the gospel and how much it has helped her life. It was really a cool experience not having to do anything. They related very well and we gave them our phone number. Hopefully they will call us. It was just a testimony to me that everyone in the church that has the wonderful understanding of the gospel should share the gospel, any chance they get.

 

We met with German twice this week and he is progressing very well. He visited some "not so approved" websites talking about the church and he came to us with some questions. But for the most part he just pushed it aside and said that it was not important. He is learning very rapidly. We had to move his baptismal date to July 7th because he needs more time to talk to his wife. He is so motivated to get his family baptized and he wants the blessings of the temple so much. Mauricio made a big step last week. He decided that he really needed to just repent fully and get his burdens lifted away. He has opened up so much and it is really cool to see the change in his life. His new thing is to apply the faith  and show that he is growing. So, he will be baptized on the 7th as well. We are excited!

 

We met with the Bravo family and we talked about the plan of salvation. They really liked it and I think we were able to resolve most of their doubts. They also made us this really good Colmbian food. That is one good thing about being Spanish speaking in Canada is that you get to try food from all around the world. But they cannot meet with us until July so hopefully they will do some of their "tarea" and gain a bigger testimony. Justine and Cloti are doing well. Cloti has been reading the Book of Mormon a lot since she doesn't have much to do during the days. Justine has been working a lot, but it is really good for her and her daughters. We are meeting with them tommorrow and we are teaching the Plan de Salvacion, always a hit with souls searching for the truth. ha ha. We also met with Bi, the guy from the Ivory Coast that lives across the street. We brought a member that speaks French and he taught a lot about the Restoration. It was cool to feel the Spirit in a language that I could barely understand. We are going to be handing him over the to the other missionaries soon and we both feel like he is interested.

 

Oh man! On Thursday we helped some former investigators clean up their backyard. We borrowed Bro. Turgeon's weed wacker and went to work. It took about 4 hours because they had a field of just dandelions about to my waist. I wish I would have taken a picture before and after. Super fun and they really liked it. They even cooked us some tacos!

 

I challenge anyone that wants to see the miracles from missionary work to start opening your mouth. I have realized that members are so powerful in bringing others to the truth. Having people in your home and the missionaries teaching is such an amazing experience for everyone. The Spirit that can be felt in member's homes cannot be repeated. People can really feel it. What have you really got to lose??

 

I realize more and more everyday that this gospel is true and that the church provides the best way that we can live it. I love my Savior and He is the one that can help us out everyday!

 

Mucho Mucho amor!!!

 

Elder Kipperony

Hola mis amigos!!

 

Missionary Work is the best. And like Dad always says, "There is nothing bad about missionary work, it benefits every party involved." It has been raining a lot this week and that makes it even more green! I am not looking forward to the snow that is coming in 4 months so I am going to remember what it looks like now.

 

We were able to meet with both our investigators who are getting baptized on June 23rd. German is progressing very rapidly. This past week he read 10 chapters in the BOM, watched "Between Heaven and Earth" , and also read D&C Sections 84 and 89. He is so prepared and we are so excited to see him continue to grow in the gospel. But his wife is Jehovah's Witness and she has been giving him some opposition this weekend. He does not know whether it would be better to get baptized here and then show them the gospel, or whether he should get baptized there so they can see it. He is praying to find out what would be the best for his family. Mauricio is opening up a lot and is letting us know a lot of his feelings. He is a little more timid to get baptized but they announced his baptism in elder's quorum yesterday and so we think that it kinda put it into perspective more for him. They are both doing well and we are so grateful to the Lord for the chance we had to meet them.

 

Justine and Clotti are progressing as well. Justine found her job and unfortunately has to work some Sundays. We talked to her and she is going to speak with her boss to see if one her days off can be Sunday. But Clotti has read a lot of the Book of Mormon because she is not going to school right now and she has a lot of time. We hope that they can continue to see the blessings of the Lord in their lives. It is a miracle being able to see the hand of God so much guiding them toward peace and happiness. Ruben and Cindy have both been pretty hard to get a hold of and they don't really have that much time to meet. It makes us a little scared that they are not making time for us like they used to. They are so faithful, but they just have trouble applying that faith. That is one thing I have really learned on my mission is that in order to grow your faith, you must be willing to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. It is an amazing principle that the Savior taught, that without works, faith cannot grow.

 

Dad will be happy to know that we helped a member on Saturday frame his basement. Something funny in Canada is that none of the homes when they are built have completed basements. So you either have to hire someone to build it for you or build it yourself. So we helped him out putting up walls on his basement. It brought me back to all the projects that me and dad did in the garage. Fun times.

 

Just know that I love being a missionary and love the daily miracles that I see. I love the Lord and I love serving Him. I hope my testimony can grow even more of the miracles that can come to pass through faith in Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless you and nos vemos hasta pronto.

 

Mucho Mucho amor,

 

Elder Kipp

¡Hola mis amigos! ¿Qué tal?

What's going on? How was the week? Canada has some super beautiful summers I have to say. Especially because we live near the river valley. It is so green! It is just a reminder to me everyday that there is a God up in heaven that is watching over us.

Incredible things have been happening all around us these past couple of weeks. I can really see the Lord's hand in people's lives around me. First of all, I need to tell you about Justine. She is from the Congo originally but moved to Spain ten years ago as a refugee. Because the Spain economy is terrible, she looked online where to find a job. Edmonton Alberta came up on her search first. So she got her two daughters, Cloti and Sophie, managed to get three tickets to Canada one way, and showed up at the airport 3 weeks ago. There was a women that discovered her situation and amazingly handed her the keys to her apartment because she was leaving to go to Montreal. So Justine and her kids went to the apartment and then the next day went to a humanitarian place to get some food. A returned Spanish missionary found them there and invited them to church. They loved it and the bishop stepped in and started taking care of them. Then we were introduced to them and started teaching them. She wanted us to come over like everyday because she "didn't want to waste anymore time. This past weekend she found a job that would give her a work permit so she went down to the border yesterday and re-entered Canada as a worker. So now she can work and her daughters can go to school. We thought that she was just investigating the church because it was helping her so much, but she said that God provided a way for her to get to Canada and she wants to keep learning and have a better life for her daughters. There is no way that you can look at her situation and not see God's hand. When German, our other investigator found out about her situation, he said that there are too many "Diosidencias" (Godly coincidences). It is a testimony to me that God is really watching out for his children. How crazy is that !?!?

German is coming along so well. We feel like we are not doing anything. When we met with him on Saturday he had read a bunch and studied about the Priesthood on the church website. He is really excited to keep on learning and he says that his desire to learn is just getting stronger as the days go by. He is still looking forward to his baptism on June 23. Mauricio is also working toward that day as well and they both came to church yesterday. Alexandra came to church as well with Chris. We are going to talk to them about their marriage date and see if we can move it up, because that is a long engagement.

We are meeting with a new family that we met last week. They are former investigators and they are pretty cool. We think that Carlos, the father, knows that it is true because he comes to church occasionally by himself, but his wife is holding him back a little bit. It turns out that they have a daughter with autism. She is really funny and reminds me a lot of Cass. They have the same thing where they have a different thing they are focused on like every six months. It was pretty cool. We talked about Cass and their daughter Tatyana for like a half an hour. They are really cool and we are excited to teach them again. It will be better this time because the time before it was in English. They seem more excited this time.

I have to tell you a funny story. So we were driving up in a more remote part of the north part of the city and the GPS told me to turn onto a road. There was a "dirt road" like right before it and I turned onto it. Elder Crocco was yelling at me and I went into panic mode. It turns out that is was a walking path and it weaved through a bunch of trees. Super funny! Luckly, we did not hit anyone and we got to a place we could turn around. It reminded me of something mom would do. just kidding mom...

I love this gospel and I testify that it is true. I want everyone to know the joy that I feel from simply following the Savior and choosing to Haz Lo Justo. Stay strong and keep the faith.

Mucho Mucho amor,

Elder Kippy

P.S.  If you know someone that can make "arroz con pollo", ask them politely if they could make you some. ¡LO MEJOR!