¡Hola Mis Amigos!

¡Hola mis amigos,

Hey, sorry for not sending you guys an update last week. We have just been so busy we are even teaching on P-day. But it is good. Elder Crocco goes home next week and I'm going to get a brand new Elder. It is going to be fun and a great learning experience. But I have been doing super good lately. We are seeing miracles happen and even the little things keep your testimony strong.

For sure the highlight of our week was the wedding of Chris and Alex. They got married on Saturday. Bishop McMohan from the Londonderry ward performed the ceremony. It was really small. Only Chris' mother and Alex's two aunts and families were there. It was what it needed to be. It was more for them to make a committment to follow the commandments so that Alex could get baptized. The whole attitude of the marriage was so that they could go to the temple and make their committment for eternity. Even their vows made evidence of their desire to spend eternity together. It was funny because Chris' were really poetic and Alex's weas a little scampled because of her English, but she portrayed how she felt very well. We are so excited for them and it was really cool when we drove away. We both said that we felt real joy. We almost felt better than if someone was getting baptized. We figured that it was because they were both making a committment to help them both stay together for time and eternity. I have to say that I know Heavenly Father was looking down on that little ceremony and was smiling in happiness. Chris will be working for the next month to get worthy to baptize her. So in a month's time she will enter the waters of baptism hand in hand with her husband. They are so sweet!

We had to say goodbye to a great friend on Friday. German left for Mexico. But he has a great reason to go. We had dinner with him on Friday with some of the members that have been influential in his conversion. He expressed his testimony, which is so solid. I pray that he can get to Mexico and convert his family. Show them the joy that he has found and show them through his example. I am sure that he will be a great instument in the Lord's hands. I am going to miss him and we are staying in contact so that I can know everything that is going on in his life. He has changed my mission and I will never forget him.

Mauricio is going to be baptized this Saturday and we are actually eating dinner over there tonight so we will finalize everything. He is doing so good. He looked so happy yesterday at church and you can tell that repentence is taking a big part in his life. It is so exciting. We are having a Spanish activity for all the people that live in the city to get together and socialize and also say goodbye to Elder Crocco. It will be fun. He keeps saying that he did not think that it would be this hard to say goodbye to everyone. I am nervous to have to do that. Cause if I left next week I would be super sad...sorry mom. But this is the place I know I should be. I get that reassurance everyday. We finally got to teach Gabriel's kids. He is the less active and his wife is a Jehovah's Witness. We know that they felt the Spirit when I recited the First Vision. Their young Spirits were touched. So hopefully we can help them recognie that more when we go over next week. And by the way, pupusas are the best things in the world! Some members had us over last night to say goodbye to Crocco and they made so many. I had like 12. And if you know how big they are, that is crazy. But if you have a chance to have them, do it!

Mucho amor amigos, que les vaya bien!!

Elder Kipporoni and Cheez

¡Qué Chévere!

Hola mis amados amigos! 

How is everything going? I can't imagine being in the heat of some parts of the US. Like Arizona, where it is 112. That is crazy as it has only been about 80 a couple of days here. Elder Crocco and I are dying. I can't imagine being in Reno where he is from. He is going home in 3 weeks and is is going to die of the heat.

We were able to go to the Spanish session at the Edmonton Temple on Saturday. The temple truly is the place where you feel closest to Heavenly Father. I love the feeling you receive and also the fulfillment you get from doing the work for our ancestors. I have to say that the session is a lot more beautiful in Spanish. It is a lot better when you can understand a lot more. Ha ha But I encourage all that have the opportunity to go to the temple to just go. Choose a time that works best and just do it. No questions asked. It will be good for you and for the people that came before you as well. It is the greatest manifestation of love to give your time to perform the saving ordinances for someone that cannot do it for themselves.

We had a good week. Mauricio unfortunately did not get baptized on Saturday. It was a bummer, but it is better for his situation in the long run. He still has a desire to be baptized, if not more now. He just needs a little more time to get things straightened out. The people in the ward are really helping him keep up his progress. We are meeting with him tomorrow. He is planning on doing it on August 25th, the same day that Alex and Chris are going to get married. We are not worried about him, he is making so many steps forward. He will be fine with the Lord's help. Alex and Chris are really excited to get married and they are looking forward to going to the Calgary Temple open house in September. It will be a great thing for them to do. Ah, we are so excited for them! Oh my it was so fun. We had dinner with Vianney and the YSA sisters on Sunday night. He made us really delicious Mexican food including ceviche. The sisters were complaining that it was too hot but it totally was not. But he is so sweet. He is progressing a lot and it is so crazy how much we have both grown since we met.  He's a new person and he loves the gospel. I could not be happier for him. German is leaving to return in two weeks. Actually the 25th. Thats going to be a great day for a lot of people. We are getting everything ready so that he can get baptized really soon when he gets there. We are so excited for him!

But we are getting everything ready to go for the North Side Spanish work if I get tranferred when Elder Crocco leaves. We are super excited because we just got a Spanish work representative in Bonnie Doon, our other stake now. We have a ward mission leader in both stakes. Finally! It is so exciting to see our efforts are being recognized and we are receiving the help we need. I kind of do not want to leave this area even though I have been here for about a year. We will just have to see what happens. We had a really good day at church on Sunday. We had 5 investigators come to church and also a less active family that we have been inviting for a long time. It was a big surprise, but I need to start getting used to surprises on the mission. They are happening every day. I love this work.

Cool experience we had on Thursday after district meeting. We met a guy outside the restaurant that left the church and was actually excommunicated. But he said that he had seen missionaries more than ten times in the last two weeks. He wants to come back and resolve all the problems in his life. But it is just a tesimony to me that it is never too late. The Lord wants you to come back. His hand is never stayed. He never gives up on you and always wants your benefit. We are going to meet with him and begin working with him. This work is amazing.

Mucho amor muchachos,

Elder Kipp

¡Hola Amigos!

¡Hola mis amigos!!   We had the opportunity this week to go to Heritage Festival. About 50 missionaries were there collecting donations for the Edmonton Food Bank. It is an amazing festival where about 100 countries are represented. They bring their food, dances, and customs. Six Latin countries were represented and we were able to talk to a lot of different people that speak Spanish. Also, the food is really delicious! Especially the Piña Colada (virgin ofcourse) and the pupusas. It was a great way to get the name of the church out there and collect a lot of mony for the food bank. It was really hot though. And there were so many people. An experience that I will never forget.    We had a really successful week. Mauricio is getting baptized on Saturday! We met with him on Wednesday and he picked out his own day and he is ready. He is really making the best decision for his life.  He also went to Heritage Festival with some members yesterday and he is really getting some friends in the ward which is essential. But we are looking forward to it. We also are really excited because Alex and Chris are getting married on the 25th of August and her baptism is going to be the following week. She has done a complete 180 and all because of the Book of Mormon. This is truly a miracle. Three weeks ago she didn't even want to get baptized and not get married for a year. The bishop is amazed because he has known them for a while and it is just surprising how much their desires have changed. Elder Crocco has been talking a lot about how repentance is really a change of desires. Your desires are what motivates everything, so if your desires change, your whole being changes. We were super busy this week and it is exciting and good too because Elder Crocco is getting ready to go home. I cant believe he is leaving in 4 weeks. I love that guy, he has helped me out a lot.   German is leaving to go back to Mexico in 2 weeks. He is getting in contact with his bishop in Leon. He is really excited to see his family and share all that he has learned with them. We figured out that since the time we met him, he has been to church every week without fail. He even went to another ward so he did not miss the sacrament. We are hoping that he can get in contact with the right people once he gets there. He is so amazing and so ready to be baptized. We are so excited for him.   Can you believe that I have been on the mission for a year?!? It is so crazy how fast time has gone by and I am so excited for the next year and all the challanges, excitement, and miracles that are in my path. Thanks for all your support up to this point and I am ready to make this a year to never forget.   Mucho amor!!!!!!   Elder Kipp

Hola mis amigos,

 

Mormon.org is in Spanish!!!!! We are so excited and it is helping so much already. The Spanish people are finding relief in this website because it explains every basic unit and core belief in the church, and now that it is in Spanish, more people can access it. Sweet!

 

Don't have too much time this week, but we had a good week meeting with people. The people you meet on your mission you will never forget. Mauricio was able to attend a baptism down in the south side and it really affected him. He really had a different attitude the next day at church. It is amazing the Spirit that you can feel at a baptism. Alexandra let us know that she believes the Book of Mormon to be true and she wants to be baptized. It is really a miracle how much power the Book of Mormon contains. She explained the feeling as having "butterflies in the tummy". She is progressing very well and she is currently praying to know what to do about her marriage and getting baptized. Hopes are high! We got to talk to Germans family on Skype the other day while we were teaching him. They seem super cool and we know that once she goes to church, her opinion will change. Our new investigator Manual came to church and he loved the gospel principled in Spanish. We are looking forward to meeting with him soon. He already started reading the book of Mormon and he likes it so far.

 

Tranfers didn't do too much to our district but we got a new sister, named sister Attikson from Pocatello, Idaho. She seems super cool. Elder Crocco got his travel plans and he is getting really excited to go home. But he is torn because he is excited to go, but also he really is going to miss everyone and everything. So it is funny talking to him. Everyday is different, but we are still working hard. I love that guy. Thanks to everyone for the letters and emails, they really mean a lot.

 

Shoutout to Papa!! Keep in there big guy! I send you my love and my prays. I can't wait to see your new leg.

 

Mucho Mucho Amor,

 

Elder Kipp