Last One!

Hola mi familia y amigos,

So as I come close to the end of my mission and my last week as a missionary, I am happy to say that I am happy with my performance. The Lord has helped me and shaped me into the servant that He wanted. I have loved being a zone leader at the end and training the missionaries. It has been such a great blessing the get to know them and I am happy that a lot of leadership came from our zone this transfer. I have taught, I have testified, I have served, I have prayed really hard, and I have done what the Lord wanted me to do. I go home with a heart full of joy and a testimony ready to share at my side. I am so excited to go home and be a fantastic member missionary. This is not the end, there is more to come from this guy.

I have come to love the Latin people. Learning their language and eating their food (he he) has made me appreciate so much more the culture. I know how you feel dad. But I love the people I have been able to meet and they will forever be written on my heart. As I move on to a new time in my life and new challenges come my way, I leave those that I have come to love. I will never forget them, but I move on because the Lord needs me in other places. I am so happy that I now have the determination to serve all my life and remain faithful to the things I have learned as a missionary. I will continue on and always be grateful for the experiences I have had here. This time and place is now holy ground for me.

I would like the world to understand my testimony, so I leave with it. I know this work is true and brings the most happiness. Heavenly Father lives and loves me. Jesus Christ is my Savior and I love the relationship that we have. I love the feelings of the Spirit and credit my testimony to Him. Joseph Smith was a prophet and he really did see our Father and His Son. I know he translated the Book of Mormon, and it is the definite word of God. Living the Gospel is the straight and narrow path, and we will find God on it. True happiness comes from that.

Esoty feliz, estoy contento, y estoy bendicido.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

Hilo!

Hey hows it?

We had a great week working with our ward members. They are really embracing the new program we have of teaching them out of PMG and having them teach us the principles. We are seeing success as many more members are inviting their friends to meet us. One of the youth that we have been working with, Dallin Higham, is inviting his girlfriend over on Sunday for dinner and to meet us. Also the same family has some nieghbors that we talked to as we were tracting. They are working on having them over as well.

So, one of the sisters in our zone had to go home this week. Crazy story. At our last ZTM, she was really not feeling well, so she asked for a blessing. She asked me to give it and the first thing that came out of my mouth was, "go to the doctor". It was repeated like three times in the blessing. The Spirit was super strong and you knew that she was receiving very specific revelation. So she went and saw a bunch of doctors here in Canada and they couldnt pinpoint what was wrong. Some said gall stones and others kindey. But the day she got back home they discovered that she has hundreds of gall stones and her gall blatter is inflamed and filled with fluid. She she went into surgery today. It just shows that we can receive revalation through blessings and the Lord know's what is going on.

Don't have a lot of time, but I am looking forward to a great week. I will make it a good one.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

¡Hola Familia!

Hey peeps,

 

So I know that time is short but I feel like I am at that time of the marathon where you can see the finish line and so it gives you a little boost of energy. You are tired but know that the excitement and contentment of success is just a few steps away. I am still motivated and still trying to work hard everyday.

 

We are going on a lot of exchanges this transfer. I really like that because it gives me a chance, with the newer missionaries to leave my last two cents and motivate them to keep going strong. I have loved being able to work with our young zone and helping them discover how to be obedient and how to work effectively in their individual areas. We had my last Zone Training Meeting and the theme was Christmas in July. So Epic! Everyone wore an ugly sweater and we decorated the relief society room with lights and streamers. We had a great meeting full of the Spirit. We talked a lot about commitments and extending them more often and in a better way. I got the chance to bear my last testimony in front of the zone and I got an overwhelming feeling of, "You've done good!" It hit me pretty hard. I have loved being down here in Red Deer serving these amazing missionaries.

 

The ward is really reminding me that I am going home. I have gotton really close with a lot of these families and they are really treating me well. I love working with the youth up here as well, helping them get out on missions. The youth just seem to be getting more solid as time goes by. The work is hastening and the attitudes of the young people just keep getting better. They know what needs to be done and they are happy to do it. Bishop Anderson and his wife are going to have a "Goodbye Elder Kipp" activity the night before I go up to Edmonton and it is going to be really great having a lot of the ward there.

 

We got to see Colin again this week. He has not been to church for a while and he really opened up to us why, for the first time ever. He knows everything is true but he just has one thing to get over. He does not know who he can trust to open up to. We urged him to fast about his situation and talk to the bishop. I love him and hope that he can make the further steps to get back to church. Member work has really picked up and we are looking forward to a lot of potential. Remember the girl from Estonia that was going door to door? Turns out that 3 members have met her and all invited her to come over for dinner! This girl is really being led by the Lord. Also there is a foreign exchange student that is living with a member and he really wants to learn about the Mormons. We left him a Book of Mormon in Japanese and he is really excited to read it. The missionary I was with picked it up before we gave it away and was like, "Dummies, they printed the title on the wrong side.." Japanese is backward he he. But the work is picking up.

 

I love it and I will be sad to leave it. I am excited to see what the Lord has waiting for me. I am happy to serve wherever he will send me.

 

Mucho Amor,

 

Elder Kipp

 

P.S.- I was able to see Elder Schubert, Martha, and Mauricio when we went up to Edmonton. Great to hear the both Mauricio and Martha made it to the temple for baptisms for the dead. Makes my joy full!!

Hola Familia y Amigos

Hello my fellow missionaries,

So as the call for missionaries has been emphasized lately, we are all in essence being called to hasten the work together. "The field is all ready to harvest and lo he that thrusteth in his sickel with might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul." We are all in this together, so let's take the load and make a difference.

The members in our ward have really stepped up in their efforts. A member called us last week and said that she has a few friends that would like to meet with us. Boo-yah. Cool story. We were tracting by the members house that we were going to eat with one night. The whole time there was another lady going door to door right after us. She knocked on the member's house and they had a long conversation. The member said, "We have some missionaries coming over in a few minutes would you like to come and talk with us more." Esther, the woman, agreed to come and eat. Unfortunately, we had to leave before before she came back, but she came and they had a great conversation and we are going to get in touch. Talk about talking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us by the Lord. We are all excited for the emphasis the ward is putting on missionary work.

The Zone got to meet President and Sister Manion this week. We also got to sit in council with him on Saturday. He is ready to go. He feels like the new mission president and they are super excited to have him here. We already love him.

Heavenly Father lives and His Son guides us. Forgiveness is a real thing and works.

Mucho Amor,
Elder Kipp

¡Aquí Estamos!

What a crazy great week. President Campbell left on Saturday. We now have President Manion. He is from Texas and we are really excited to meet him this Thursday, We are also excited to council with him on Saturday at Mission Leadership council. Missionary work is really picking up in all areas of the world and it is so great to be a part of it. I feel so blessed that the Lord trusts all of us with this work. I learn more and more every day how much we, along with our Heavenly Father, are involved. The Spirit guides us and we are privileged to have his companionship so prevalently in this work.

We were on two exchanges with our district leaders this week. Elder Laceste is from the Philippines but he moved to Vancouver a while ago. He is so fun to work with. We had some cool experiences tracting, just getting out and talking to people. He has a great ability to just bear his testimony with everyone, no matter the situation. I learned a lot from him. I then traveled to Innisfail which is about 30 minutes away. Elder Marsh is a great missionary that is heavily involved in the work. We celebrated his birthday on the exchange.  hehe You will get a kick out of this. I was thinking in the morning, what should I make for him for breakfast? So I made pancakes, and I looked everywhere for candles, couldn't find any. So I grabbed a q-tip and a stuck it in the pancakes. He got a kick out of it. Q-tips really work well. We have such amazing elders and sisters in the Zone!

I gave a talk in sacrament meeting on Sunday. It was on member missionary work and the desire that grows as we do it more. Our ward mission leader Bro Swainson and a ward missionary Sis. Tucker both spoke with me. It was a great meeting. The Spirit really testified to us that the work is being hastened, so we need to hasten what we are doing. I think it helped because we got a phone call from a member today telling us that she has friends that want to meet with us. We are excited.

I have been been studying and practicing prayer a lot lately and it has really brought me peace. Whenever I am having a tough day, I pray until I feel better. It really is the coolest. I urge anyone that is having a hard time to get on their knees. You never stand taller that when you are on your knees.

I am living it up here in beautiful Red Deer. I love life and I love sharing this time with the Lord.

Que Dios les cuide y bendiga.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

¡Hola Amigos!

Como va todo,

This week was pretty crazy with all the rain here. If you haven't heard, a lot of areas close to Calgary are getting flooded out. We are lucky to be farther north, but they were pretty scared that the river here in Red Deer was going to flood. We kept watch but everything is looking safe now. It is looking beautiful and sunny here now.

The missionary broadcast was a highlight last night. The hastening of the work is amazing and it is such a blessing to be a part of it during this time. If you haven't got a chance to watch it, I highly recommend it. But it talked a lot about the importance of member missionary work and how the full- time missionaries can be more involved in the ward's missionary work. It made me excited to go home and become an awesome member missionary. We are going to be going to our ward council in a couple of weeks and helping them impliment the ideas we have and also find out what they need from us. Our ward is really cooperative and I am excited to help the members find more missionary opportunities. Next week I will be talking along with our ward mission leader in sacrament meeting. I am really pumped to give some guidance.

Working with the youth of the ward that are preparing for missions is still going great. They are all making great steps and we are happy that we are a part of it. We are even starting to practice teaching so that when they get to the MTC they will have a little leg up. It is also a great missionary opportunity because they are trying to invite some of their friends to listen in. We are also working with a less-active member named Sister Jabbar and she has come to church for the past 2 weeks. It is really cool to hear her say that she is feeling better and the Spirit is stronger. She is the example for her family and she is making great progress. I love working with less active people because most of the time they get it, they just need to be reminded of it.

The 4 new greenies in the zone are doing great. We are happy to have such a new zone. It brings fire and obedience into the work. I love being a leader, even though it can be overwhelming at times. I love the work and I know the Lord concecrates all my efforts. Anyone contemplating whether to serve or not, just do it. You will not regret it. The work needs you and you need the work. Like Dad always says, "There is nothing bad about missionary work."

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

Hey everybody!

How is everything rollin?

 

I don't have a lot of time today because of tranfers. We have to get everything set for people leaving and coming to the zone on Wednesday. Elder Vega will be killing me off. Or in regular lingo, he will be my last and final companion in the mission. He is hilarious. He said "I am going to kill you so hard!", when we didn't get a transfer call. But there are a lot of changes in our zone and we are looking forward to it. We are getting like 4 greenies. Booyah!!

 

We got a new investigator this week. Her name is anna and she is marreid to a less-active member. They are really cool and she is really interested. We are really trying to push the importance of the Book of Mormon with them, and she is really excited to find out about the church. She asked a golden question as well, "So what made you know its true?" And you know missionaries love sharing about their own conversions. I love the spirit that comes with talking about spiritual knowledge. They look promising.

 

It was really good to see Wilson and Misty. We had a great time and I am looking forward to seeing them again.

 

I love this work. I know I say that a lot, but its true.

 

Mucho Amor,

 

Elder Kipp

I Love This...

Hola muchachos,

How is everything going in the lives of everyone that reads these? I hope that you get some inspiration from these letters because I sure am having a wonderful time out here. I hope that all my experiences will help someone out. Thanks for always reading and I can feel all your prayers.

So things are going good. This week was full of days of Zone leader things. We got to go on exchanges with Sylvan Lake. Really different going on exchanges within your ward, just another part of it. They are doing great work out there and we are really moving the work forward with the ward. We are having a lot more correlation with the ward mission leader and the ward missionaries. We are going through our ward mission plan and seeing how we can modify it to meet the needs of the ward. There are a lot of members of the ward that are missionary minded and we are trying to focus the effort so that we can help more people.

We left Thursday night and went to Edmonton for MLC and exchanges with the assistants. It was fun staying at the assistant's pad for two nights. We are going to be seeing a lot of them because they are coming down tomorrow for zone conference on Wednesday. Talk about busy. We gave a training at MLC on effective studies and helping missionaries have more spiritual experiences with their studies. I have learned a lot about studying on my mission (you were right Dad). But it was President Campbells last meeting with all of us together. He is leaving in 2 weeks. But he gave the most powerful testimony I have heard from him and he pretty much handed the mission over to us and told us that we need to hold everything up as the shift happens. The spirit was incredibly strong and we all feel comfortable with the responsibilty. I love that man with all my heart and know he is called of God through inspiration. We are looking forward to Zone Conference this week and I will let you all know how it goes.

I send my love and respect,
Elder Kipp

Hola Amigos

Maloalale,

I am trying to learn some Tongan. he he I probably should stick with Spanish and English. Learning languages is so fun though. I encourage anyone who has the oppurtunity to take it. You never know when you will get to use it. Shout out to Elder Austin Kipp in el CCM in Mexico. Sounds like he is doing very well. I dont know how he couldn't be; he said that there are tortillas at every meal. AKA heaven! Espero que este bien amigo. We all love you and it is really cool to know that there are more than one Elder Kipp in the field serving the Lord.

We are doing great here in Red Deer. It has been so beautiful here in the amazing Alberta summer. We had a member invite us to go out on their boat in Sylvan Lake, and I just about said yes, but remembered that I was a missionary. I told him we probably would drown if we went so probably not a good idea. ;) But I am definitely excited to come back and enjoy the Canadian summers.

We have been doing something really cool. There are quite a few youth in the ward that are preparing to go on missions. So we are trying to meet with all of them individually and go over the lessons with them. They have been super spiritual and it is funny how they all want to go out with us a lot more. But it feels awesome to help the next missionaries gain a greater desire to serve. I can see why dad loves teaching seminary so much. We are also meeting with quite a few less active people trying to get them back to church. It is a littl more difficult now that the building we meet in now is 30 minutes away. But it is really a great oppurtunity to try and rekindle the fire inside these members that have lost their way a little. We had supper with a man that has not been to church for a few years. We are just trying to reestablish the relationship. We got talking about some of the misconceptions of the world about the church. It was really cool to see him defending the beliefs and actions of the church. It taught me that people that find themselves fallen away still have a testimony, but life is beating them down. It is up to us to remind them of their testimony and support them as they make their way back.

I just wanted to express my love for the Lord and His work. We can sometimes get discouraged in the work we are trying to do. But we must realize that we are not alone in it. No matter what calling we have or the difficulty of it, we must push on. Success is only truly judged by One, One greater than all of us. Anyone that is struggling in their calling, being a parent, at a job, anything, take courage and stand strong. The Savior is closer than we all think. He stands behind us to push us forward, in front of us to lead us, to our side to comfort us, under us to sustain us, and above all over us to pull us up. He loves you. I testify that there is hope in and through Him. Espero el dia cuando puedo estar con El y mirar en sus ojos, y darle gracious. Voy a ver las marcas en sus manos y sus pies y solo voy a poder decir Gracias.

Mucho Amor,
Elder Kipp

Hello Family and Friends

Hey peeps,
Another beautiful week from Red Deer. Sunny and warm, just how we like it. But this week was kinda hectic. We switched our apartments with the sisters. We both felt like it would be a good idea. They live in a sketchier part of our area and someone tried to break into their apartment a couple of weeks back. So we changed with them, especially because ours is on the second floor and theirs wasn't. But we like the place and we are already meeting our nieghbors. The guy that lives next door helped us move in and when we were finished he said, "I am not religious, but I know he is there." Really cool moment.

So I got news that Martha was able to go to the temple last week and do baptisms for the dead. She got to be baptized for her grandmother and uncle, and 20 other people. ;) She was like "10 was ok, but 20 was a lot of times to be dunked." She is so funny. She said she felt absolutly amazing and she can't wait a year to go back and see the rest of the temple. It is an amazing feeling as a missionary to see the people you taught progressing and having desires to go to the temple. Truly, nothing like it.

Mucho amor, Elder Kipp

 

Gracias

Hey everyone,

 

It was great to be able to call home yesterday. My last call, and I can't believe it. Time goes by so fast. I love how the prophet and apostles council us on enjoying the little moments in life. If I didnt I think that I would go crazy. Also I have been thinking a lot lately on how when we think "Wo is me", we should shift our focus on the things that we are grateful and remembering to say "Gracias". A thankful heart shoves all anger and sadness from a tough day. Let us all be thankful for what our Father gives us. Especially our families. Good to talk to my family, and I wish that more could have been there.

 

Well last week was pretty hectic (hence no email). But how did you like the qoute? Our area was split in two! We knew about it for a long time but we couldn't disclose the information. Secret Business. But we are super excited to have another set of elders in the ward and so is the ward. Elder Coomer is new and is from West Phoenix and Elder Rydalch is from Oakley, Utah. They are both here to work. A lot of the week was spent on getting them moved into their new apartment and helping them get situated. Also getting all the other missionaries situated becasue of transfers. We got three new elders and sisters fresh from the MTC. Our zone is pretty young. You know what that means GREENY FIRE. Its the best. We are seeing growth in number of investigators and eventually we will see more people entering the kingdom of God. Which os good for everyone. We also had to prepare a Zone Training Meeting for Thursday. It went very well with our three trainings. One on helping people understand the "Why" of going to church, another on teaching people and not just lessons, and also how conversion is directly related to obedience. I love being able to train missionaries because you end up learning the most.

 

We had a good week teaching less active members. We had a very powreful lesson with a couple that hasn't been to church for a while. We explained the PLan of Salvation and it was really cool how the Spirit directed the lesson to prophets. We ended up testifying of modern day prophets and the Spirit was really filling the room. You could tell that that was exactly what they needed. We are struggling to find investigators at the moment but not loosing momentum. The ward is really responding to us meeting their friends and just the challange to get to know us. We are excited to see what will come of it. We are going to find someone ready this week. I can feel it.

 

Luv you all a bunch and hope the blessings of heavan be upon you all.

 

Mucho Amor

 

Elder Kipp

Hola Familia y Amigos

Hey guys,

So this week was good. We are enjoying significantly warmer weather. On Friday and Saturday we experienced about 20'C and it was amazing. So many more people are out to go and talk to. People seem to be more friendly.

We are doing something really cool within our ward. We are trying to work with the ward smarter and one way to do that is getting to know their friends. So we are inviting all the members to just have us in their home when they have nonmember and less active friends over. We are looking forward to just meeting more people in non threatening manners so that the Spirit can touch their hearts and they can begin to have questions. Its almost like the members are contacting for us. We are already seeing success from this. We met a lot of friends of the members we had dinner with and it was cool to see how they began to ask spiritual questions as they noticed that we are different than most people as missionaries. But also we are starting a thing in the ward called "Riddle Me Service". So we give a ward family a riddle and the answer is another familie's name. They have to do something to help them out and give them a riddle from us to pass on. We can already see that it is strengthening the ward and helping everyone to get to know us.

We also had a good experience yesterday. We walked out of our apartment and we met our neighbor Sung. He is from Korea and he is interested in getting to know us. We didn't talk to him too long but as we were walking out he followed us and asked us some more questions. I felt the Spirit as we were talking to him and I really feel that we can teach him. It is crazy to know that the Lord places people closer to you than you can imagine. Just by us asking him his name and getting to know him as a neighbor, sparked his interest and we are excited to see where it goes.

I challenge everyone this week to get to know one of their neighbors. Think outside the box and do something nice for them and share kindness. Service brings the Spirit faster than anything I know. The work is going great and I send my love,

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

Attached: Epic photo of Elder Vega and I walking into the field to harvest!

Cool Experiences Run Our Lives

Hola Amigos,

So the snow is almost gone. It is really funny that I am saying that and we are almost to May. But it is all good. Red Deer is so beautiful during this time of the year. The river is starting to flow without ice and everything is starting to turn green. I am looking forward to sending more pictures of awesome Canadian summers.

Last week we got to have ZTM (Zone Training Meeting). All the zone leaders take the info from ZLC and share it with the zone. They are really good meetings, but this one was especially good. Our zone is the best. All the elders in our zone want to work and are doing it hard if you ask me. We are trying to focus on getting some of the key indicators up and reminding them that we are all growing. We were able to give two trainings. One on helping our investigators receive personal revelation. The other on knowing God's Vision for your area. I love being able to share some of the things I have learned with others and train them to be the missionary God knows they can be. Elder Vega and I had a blast and the Spirit was there to unite us a little more.

So it is really cool that I was able to come down here with two other Spanish Elders. We are seeing the Spanish work down here grow. Elder Vega and I don't have a day go by that we don't talk to a Spanish person. Really funny to be talking to someone and then they turn to Elder Vega and start talking to him in Spanish. He looks at me and has the look on his face, "Help me.." He is amazing. But really cool experience happened the other day. We were walking to contact an investigator and passing a lot of houses. We passed one house and the Spirit almost stood infront of me and stopped me. I looked over and said, "We need to knock on that door." Elder Vega said "That would be funny if they were Spanish." Turns out she was from Columbia and would have the Elders over. I don't think I have a clear spiritual expression like that in a while. But showed me that God knows who he wants to talk with us, we just have to listen. We also met a man from Mexico like two doors down in our building! Crazy ehh? He is really humble and I feel like he would be a great person to teach. I love the Latin people. I think God knows that.

We are teaching a young woman named Courtney. She is the friend of a member in our ward. She doesn't know much about God at all, so we are excited to be teaching her, because everything is new and she is interested. She has already been to church and loves the "different feeling that she gets" when she is there. We feel like she will be very accepting. It shows me that we really do have a bigger influence on people by the way we live because she regards her friend very highly. We are trying to stress the fact that she is a child of God. Going well.

They announced that the chapel that we meet in is going to receive an expansion. It will take about a year to complete starting in May. But it is just showing that the church in our area is growing. Also the mission is growing a lot. We are already receiving 18 and 19 year old missionaries. They say by the end of the year that our mission of 140 is going to grow to about 250. Most wards will have 2 sets of elders. What a blessing to see firsthand the affects of the changes in missioanry work. We are part of the stone that is cut out of the mountain. We are rolling forth steady and sure. President Campbell is going to be replaced in July so we are all sad to see him go. But he has done so much for me and my testimony of spreading the gospel.

More to come. Loving life.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

¡Hola Amigos!

Hola my fellow amigos!

My apologies for no update last week. You get busy as a zone leader. Its pretty crazy but such a blast. Having the chance to serve so many other missionaries is such an amazing experience. I am already running out of time, but I will send you a big letter next week. I send you my love and my hugs!!

Elder Kipp

Saludos de Red Deer

Hola amigos,

I am here in Red Deer College enjoying the beautiful weather. It has been above 7C the whole time that I have been here. Red Deer is a beautiful little city. It looks like it's in the mountains but has a flat plain look as well. We also cover an area about 15 minutes to the west called Sylvan Lake. It is such a cool little town and I can't wait to see the lake not frozen over. I know that I will love it here.

We got here on Wednesday and it was pretty hectic getting everything situated. We had to get a lot of people down here and it was a little hectic making everything fit for 3 people in two cars. But the drive isn't bad down here. I had to be in meetings most of the day, but it made me excited to be a Zone Leader. Elder Vega is the man. Our key phrase is "One Speaks it and One Looks it." All the members down here get a kick out of it. I am trying to teach him, so by the end he should be fluent. ja ja But It is nice because he is letting me pray still in Spanish so that I can keep it up. It is a big change just covering one ward, but being a zone leader and being in charge of a big zone makes up for it. I love being able to get to know all the Elders in the Zone and helping them achieve all they can in their individual areas. Its crazy how you become genuinely concerned for someone's well-being when you have stewardship over them. So I am really looking forward to going on all the exchanges and giving training, cause you really learn the most when you are training others.

I like the area that we have. Red Deer 2 ward. Pretty big ward with lots of faithful members. They are willing to help us out and someone already fixed my pants for me. Dinner every night is a change as well, I am going to have to work out harder... The work is good here, lots of less-active and lots of potential within the ward already with part-member families. We were able to go out on Saturday and get a lot of QGC's (quality gospel conversations- a key indicator) I love just getting out there and talking to people. An example of why happened yesterday. We had about an hour before our dinner appointment so we decided to change our plans and knock this complex. We met a woman named Mary Jean and she started to talk with us, very friendly. It took her about 10 minutes to ask us "So why are you guys on my front door?" We started to talk more about the gospel and she just broke down. She explained to us that she had just been through a lot the past two years and her faith was dwindling. It gave Elder Vega and I a great opportunity to testify of the Savior on Easter. It was probably the most powerful expression of the Spirit working through us that I have felt on my mission at a door. I began to tear up as I felt the Lord comforting this woman and the Spirit testifying that what we were saying was true. We gave her a BOM and highlighted some things that might comfort her soul and we are going to followup with her this week. It was an amazing experience.

There are some good investigators here as well. The most progressing probably is the Sarmiento family from the Philippines. They are really humble and ready to follow the Savior. We had a powerful lesson and they are on date for May 11. The Spirit really helped us work through that. Looking forward to see their progress.

Mucho Amor,
Elder Kipp

Changes

Hello Mis Amigos,

The call has come. I am actually getting transferred. hehe. I am going to a city 2 hours south of Edmonton called Red Deer. Oh yeah, and I got called as a Zone Leader. Crazy eh! My two boys are staying in the city, both training. I am going to be a grandpa. The other Spanish elder is going to Red Deer with me and opening Spanish down there. So I am going to be teaching in English now. I got demoted he he. But I am excited to see a difference in the way missioanry work is done. My new companion's name is Elder Vega (go figure) and he is from California. He doesn't speak Spanish like his name portrays. I am really sad to leave my greenie area after like 18 months ja ja. The people here have become my second family and I have seen a lot of success here. I have grown up here and the miracles have changed my life. I am ever grateful to the Lord for the time that I got to spend here and the people that I have been able to meet. They have changed me, and I am blessed to say that they were changed by the Spirit through me.

I know with changes comes a mix of emotions. But you guys know me, I am ready to accept the things the Lord has in store for me. I am really anticipating seeing Elder Schubbert in a couple of tranfers. Training a new missionary really makes you grow more than most things on the mission. Apparently the ward were I am going is super sweet and they some cool people they are teaching. I am sad to not teach in Spanish. I dont really know how to teach in English. But should be good. I have been blessed to see my language skills grow a lot in the last few months. I am going to find some members to keep practicing with. I don't want to loose this gift the Lord has given me. I know if I have a desire to keep it up the Lord will help me.

But we got to teach Jesus this week. We taught him L3 the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We asked him where he thought he was in the path. He said he has a lot of faith so he decided that he is on the repentance step. We then really proposed our purpose and told him that we are there to help him to that. So he is making progress and what is really interesting is that he is going through some tough times with his family and things back home. It is amazing to me how people are willing to change so much more if they are going through hard things. I guess thats just the way that the Lord prepares people. I have had a great time teaching him and I have learned a lot. We also taught Hugo and read Alma 32 with him. The example of planting the seed really helps Spanish people visualize their desire to want to change. He loved it, and we asked him to get baptized. Unfortunately he declined because he said that as of this moment he feels the same with us and the Testigos de Jehovah. We asked him if he had a desire to find out if this felt better. He agreed and we both bore testimony that that is what he will find. It was really powerful. I love when the Spirit takes over. Being a facilitator of the Spirit is such a blessing, because "both are edified".

Oh ya! On Thursday we got like 1.5 ft of snow. We spent almost all the day shoveling snow. It was really bad. the worst snowfall this year. And attachted is photo of a wreck that happened outside of Edmonton and 100 people were injured. Glad that we are all able to stay safe. But just crazy to see so much snow. Probably wont see that much ever again in my life.

Next time you get a letter I will be in Red Deer. So, so long to Edmonton Spanish North. Where I learned Spanish and changed who I was. On to new discoveries and opportunities.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

¡Hola Amigitos!

Hey, how ya going? What's it doing? (said that to someone on the street this week. Elder Schubbert gives me a hard time about it)

We had a good week. Always do, even if it is a tougher one. You are somehow always content with what is going on in your mission if you are trying and doing what you are supposed to. Great thing to learn in life. So for everyone to know, we got hit by a gnarly snowstorm. We got a little over a foot of snow in the past 4 days. A lot of shoveling. It makes us stronger. he he The city is just blanketed with a white snow. It really is beautiful.

But we met some cool people this week. Karen is from El Salvador and the sisters found her. She is a great investigator because she says if she is confused about something. Usually when we teach people for the first time they just are like "oh, yeah I get it" and they nod their heads. But she is really open and wants to understand what she is learning. So we are excited to keep teaching her. She is a little hesitant because her boyfriend is Muslim and she doesnt want to start problems and she just got pregnant. You can tell that she is scared and is looking for God. I am excited for her to feel the light of the gospel. We are also meeting with Jesus again. He has been reading again, and he said, "I have temptations to go to church". We said that is a great temptation to give into. He is a funny guy and laughs at me how much we invite him to be baptized. He is a really open guy.

 

We had a really great zone conference and I learned a lot. We learned how asking questions can sometimes be the best way to teach. Because it allows the student to really think for themselves what the answer might be. It really gives a great time for the Spirit to come and teach them something. Also we talked about helping the people we are teaching have daily contact with Heavenly Father. We are trying to really emphasize daily scripture study and prayer. It really makes the difference in the world today. If we can have daily contact with our Heavanly Father, we can have a daily reminder of the path that we are on and the importance of staying faithful.

Luv You guys.
Elder Kipp

¡Hola!

Buenos Dias mis amigos,

We are doing great this wonderful cloudy day in Edmonton. Spring is on its way! Everything is starting to melt, and it is beautiful. If I was not going to BYU I would consider staying up here for school. The University of Alberta is beautiful and well renouned. I never thought that I would say that I love Edmonton. I truly do love it and I am so excited for the summer. BBQ's and mosquitos. ha ha

We received a new investigator this week. The sister missionaries were walking down the street and a lady stopped them in front of the church and asked them, "I would like to know about this church, do you know anything about it?" They were stunned and said of course. So they gave her a church tour and taught her about some doctrine. It turns out that she is from Mexico and is really ready to learn. We are excited to start teaching her. It is amazing to me how the Lord places people that he is preparing in your path. I am also convinced that if we are being obedient and sacrificing what we can, the Lord places more opportunities in our path. We just have to have the wisdom to look around and recognize them.

We also started another English class on jueves. A few people came including someone that we used to teach and also the family that just moved here from Spain. We are hoping that this can be another tool to get new people to teach. People really want to learn English. It is really funny because as soon as we walk in we say that they can't speak anymore Spanish. But we are finding ourselves slipping because we speak Spanish too. It is really hard for all of us to only speak English. But it is a great program that helps them in their work and everything that the need to do throughout the week. Like in school, at the bank, and at the store. We even throw some church stuff in there to spark their interest more.

We also had a pretty powerful lesson last night with a less active guy and his nephew. Elder Schubbert and I are really starting to find our groove in teaching. His Spanish has gotton a lot better and he has a lot more self confidence. It is really good to see that the Lord is preparing him to train. But the Spirit was really strong and we asked him "If you knew that all these things were true, would you get baptized?" The Spirit really hit him and he said "Claro". So that is the sign that he wants to be taught more. I love asking people that. Because the Spirit backs up that question more than most.

I love it up here more than ever and I am excited for what the next months hold in store. I send you my love and prayers.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

¡Boom Vatos!

Hey vatos,

I can't believe that it snowed in Arizona. I am stunned. Well I guess that is just the way it goes. Life would not be exciting if there were no surprises. I love the oppurtunity to change and learn in this life. We are given this surprising life to help us realize the happiness that can be found here and in the life to come.

So we are living comfortably in our new pad and we are trying to keep it super clean because it is a member's house. It is nice living beneath members because if you ever need anything they are right there. We actually had a cool experience. Sister McKeddie (our landlordy) has a friend named Len. He does electrical work. So on Friday he came to our apartment and he fixed the lights that were broken. Turns out that he is a big believer in God and he said something that will always stick with me. "All the time that I have been searching for God, I am always brought back to the same conclusion that I thought in the first place, that He exists. Its like an onion, we have many layers of learning, but they all start from the same point." We are excited because he is willing to meet with us and I feel like he will soak it all up.

So if you have never tried posole, have someone cook it for you. It is a mexican soup made with chicken or pork, and has hamini and many other great things in it. Dont forget the oregano. We had it like 4 times in the past 2 weeks. It is the best.

The recent converts are all doing very good. Martha is getting fellowshipped like crazy and had home teachers that are talking to her like once a week. She is just soaking up the Spirit and is learning a lot more about the doctrine. She went to a Relief Society conference this weekend and she asked us why she was crying. We were like "we dont know if it was your womenly feelings or the Spirit". We concluded a little bit of both. Eduardo still came to chruch yesterday after getting off the road at like 1 o'clock in the morning! Talk about dedication and fire in the gospel. He is exploring the scriptures a lot and loves his new quad given to him by the bishop. Haven't heard from Mauricio in a while.  He is still in El Salvador. But Alex and Chris are still stickin in there to get sealed at the end of this year. And we are finding lots of people through these recent converts. Such a good way to find!

Martha introduced us to her friend named Hilario. We taught a very powerful Restoration lesson and the Spirit was really strong in the middle of the library. He was like "I am not ready to change my religion yet, but maybe in the future." We know he will. You can just feel it with him. It is just a matter of time. He is interested in the BOM and that is one of the most important things. We also started teaching another family from Ecuador this week. They have been living in Spain for the past ten years and just got here to start work. The cool thing is that he looks oriental because his dad is from China. Really funny to be speaking Spanish with a guy that looks Chinese. But he is a member, and she is not. They have two young kids who really want to go to primary. So we are looking forward to teaching them more. Manual was going to get baptized but he is going up to Fort McMurry, like 5 hours away, to work in the oil fields. His member friend is going with him, so we hope for the best with him. He has become a really great friend. I have seen him change inmensely and I will be very content on the day when he makes the committment.

We handed over some investigators this week to some other elders. We found them when we had an impression to try an old potential in one of our areas. We knocked on the door and a very nice native women answered the door and said that she was looking for a church. She has 5 girls and is a single mom. Rough past but ready to change. Her whole family came to church yesterday and stayed the whole time! I just love how the Lord knows His children and the things they need. It reminds me that we need to follow the impressions that we receive because you never know what will happen. Another cool experience. We were calling to confirm an appointment with the Diaz family. There are more that one Diaz in our phone. I called the wrong one but it turned out that this family had a very sick daughter and needed a blessing right then. It was funny because I asked "Oh, I called the wrong family, but do you need anything?" She was stunned and explained the situation and we went over there. We ended up giving more than on blessing. Again the Lord knows his children. And the Lord knows the situation so well that he can even work through our errors.

Well, Elder Schubbert and I are still seeing miracles, how ever small they might be. I am still excited to be where I am. I love this work.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

Hey!

Hey vatos,

Yesterday was Family Day here in Canada. So the libraries were closed. But it is really sweet that they have a day like that here. Most people have the day off of work and they are encouraged to spend the day with their families. Only if everyday was like that. On my mission I have truly realized that the family is everything to God. Therefore it should be everything to us.

We have had some great expereinces this past week. I will share a few cool ones. We have been trying lately to split up our area into more managable "sectors". So we divided each ward up into about 4 sections. And we stay in the area already chosen for a couple of hours each day. Seeing who we can find and the people that we can serve in that little square. It helps us focus and talk to more people on the street. We haven't had a lot of time to try it out, but as we have tried it, it has really helped. One day we talked to this Muslim man for about an hour. The first thing that he told us was that "The mormons are the closest to Islam than other religion." We then talked about prophets and the beliefs that we share. We talked also about how they don't believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, but rather just a prophet. It gave us an opportunity to bare testimony and it ended up with him wanting to read the Book of Mormon. It was interesting, because I actually felt sad for this man, because he doesn't have the benefit of believing in Jesus Christ. This belief gives me hope and assures me that I am on the right path. Interesting testimony builder.

We were talking to a inactive return missionary this week and the Spirit was so strong. We were able to talk to him and get him to open up. The Spirit guided us to invite him to pray, more than once. It was interesting how easy it was for him to change the subject when we asked him to pray. He finally faced his fear and allowed the Spirit to teach his heart. He prayed to his Father in Heaven for the first time in 8 years vocally. It showed me that we need to be that much more righteous becasue the Spirit works through us. We both sat back and watched the Lord touch this broken man's heart. I love this work. You know that.

We are now volunteering at a nursing home here close to were we live and it is so fun visiting with these aged souls. They make us laugh and we are happy to help. I love how service has become something that I look forward to. And a cool thing that we discoved was that the main lady we will be working with speaks Spanish. She is from Columbia and she has known missonaries before. I love how the Lord puts you in unexpected circumstances to bless his children.

I dont know if you have seen the Mormon message called Earthly Father, Eternal Father, but if not, watch it. We have been showing this to all the people we visit lately and it is amazing the Spirit that is brings. To help people understand the simple truth that we have a Father in heavan that loves us. It helps me press on in the hard moments, which are sometimes many. This simple truth has been confused and is misportrayed many times and it is so great to have a living prophet on the earth to show us this doctrine that gives us motivation to keep on living.

Elder Schubbert and I are staying together for at least one more transfer. I am so excited. He is so fun and such a great comp. We are moving apartments though. With the influx of missionaries, we are moving to the basement of a member that lives across the street from one of our stake centers. It will be good because we can walk over every morning and work out.

Luv ya all,

Mucho Amor
Elder Kipp

Boom!

Hey guys,

How is everything going? Sorry for no letter last week. We had a crazy day helping getting all the new missionarie's beds into the storage unit. But everything is going incredibly great up here in the great North speaking spanish. I hope everyone is safe and having a smiley day.

Since Martha and Eduardo joined the church in December and January we have been really trying to find new people to teach. We have been going to our faithful members and they have been helping us get to know their friends. As I have been on my mission I have realized that this is the best and most effective way to find those that are searching for the truth. The Lord places people around people that already have the complete truth so that they can get to know the gospel in a calm and friendly manner. Retention is so much better this way and the church expreiences "truth growth". I love seeing people's friends enter into a covenant because both "are edified". To see someone that you have seen change continue on the straight and narrow brings a peace to your life like no other. We got invited to a Tamale Party through Martha's friends and met a bunch of people from Mexico and one family was interested. We are going to meet with them later on this week and we are excited. We also got invited to a baby shower by another member who had the sole purpose of having us meet her friends and seeing if they would be interested in meeting with us. I love the reaction when Spanish people meet a couple of "gringos" that can speak spanish. Even though there aren't that many people that speak spanish we have something different to help us get in with them. We were able to meet a lot of her friends and we got some info and some return appointments. Missionary heaven.

We also have started to teach this guy named Jack. He is from El Salvador and we found him through a former investigator that thought he might be interested. We started talking to him and introduced him to the BOM. Something interesting happened. He was like "I don't read Spanish, I only read English". As Elder Schubbert and I looking at each other surprised, he explained that he never learned to read or write in his mother tongue and when he got to Canada he took the opportunity to learn how to read and write in English. So we are teaching him in Spanish and he is reading in English. I never cease to be amazed up here. We are still helping Manuel progress. He is going to go to Mexico so his progression might be halted a little or it could grow as he sees his family. He still needs to quit smoking and drinking, but his attitude has really changed. He has taught me that your desire and attitude to do whats right has to change before you will change the action, or by changing.   But he is doing great and he is learning a lot. He was supposed to get baptized at the end of February, but we probably will be moving that back a few weeks. I am excited to see if he has changed when he comes back.

Some words of personal opinion and council. If you have home teachers, please let them come over and do their job. We have a less active family that we are working with and their home teachers are trying to get in contact with them. The family told us that they don't want to bug anyone and be a burden for anyone. They don't want people to worry about them. That is what home teaching is for. Home teachers feel an obligation to help their families and they do worry about their families. But that is what they should do! So please help them do their job. I promise you will be blessed and they will as well. Let the program that the Lord made bless your life and those around you like it was designed to do.

I love this work and I feel that the charity in my soul has really grown. I know that that happened because I am serving others. Mucho amor!!

Elder Kipp

¡Buenas Tardes Amigos!

Hola chicos,

It has been cold today. - 20 C is hard to get used to for anyone. But we are staying warm up here doing the work of the Lord. Have I told you guys it' the best. Probably have, but it is the best.

I have felt lost these past couple of weeks. My scriptures fell apart and I couldn't use them to teach. But I got them redone be this guy that the LDS bookstore here endorses. He did a wonderful job. They look better than they did before. And that is saying a lot. But we should not take our scriptures for granted. They are some of the most effective tools we have as missionaries. The word of God changes people's hearts. I am a witness of that. I know that if we prayerfully read the scriputres daily we can stay on the right path all of our lives.

Eduardo got baptized on Saturday. It was really an amazing experience. It has been such a pleasure to teach him. He was so ready from the beginning and we have learned through him that the Lord leads His people to His Gospel. Eduardo found a Mormon.org card in a Spanish shop and called in to have missionaries come stop by. Go tiendas latinas!! He is such a trooper because he was working all week and got pretty sick. We kept saying that not only was he going to get spiritually cleaned but that he would get rid of his sickness when he went down in the water. He felt really good and you could tell that he was really affected by the ordinance. His two youngest children who are both in high school were able to come. The Spirit was really sweet and his children where affected by it as well. It was actually quite funny. They were holding hands as he went down into the water. You could tell that they were both nervous, but at the same time proud of their father. Elder Schubert got to perform his first confirmation and it was a great one at that. He was like, "I can't even remember what I said." That's the best feeling ever. We are really excited to keep working with his family and we are so proud of our new friend and new brother.

Martha is doing great. She got to say the prayer in sacrament meeting, and totally in Spanish! Such a milestone for her. I love how the stake she is in is so flexible with Spanish work. We are still pushing along. Winning the fight with perservierance. I totally spelled that wrong. I have to tell you all that trying to learn Spanish in an English speaking place is really funny sometimes. Its kinda like I have two libraries on each side of my brain and a bridge connecting the two. And there is a little man running back and forth on the bridge switching between Spanish and English libraries. Sometimes he gets really tired and he passes out on the bridge. That is when I can't remember a word in English or Spanish. It is really fun.

Well, I love you all and hope that you are all pressing forward in the ways of the Lord. Remember to stand in holy places and leave enough room for other to stand there with you.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

Let It Snow!

Hola vatos!

¿Cómo le va el frio? I hear that it has been pretty cold down in the states. That is good. Now you all can know how we all feel up here in Canada. It hasn't been extremely cold here, but we are getting lots of snow. I call it heaven dust. It just looks so good on all the pine trees. The roads have been a little bit more slippery, but Elder Schubert is a great driver and we have a Subaru Impreza that is all wheel drive, so great in the snow.

I have to say that I am still happy to be here in this area. After almost 15 months in the same place, you really get to know the memebers and learn how to work with them. The Lord is blessing this area with people that want to hear the message and I am so grateful to be here to see it all pan out. We keep finding people to teach and that is the important part. It was hard to say goodbye to our Elder Doxey, but I know that he will do a great job down in the south side. Elder Schubert and I both looked at each other when we got back to the pad, we looked around and it felt quiet and empty. But we are doing better now. Still pushing the work forward.

We had a great week last week. We picked up some new investigators that we are hoping can start coming to church. One guy's name is Miguel and we met him through an inactive guy. He is from Mexico and up here working. Really humble and we feel like ready to hear the message we bring. We are also teaching Ruben and Cindy again. It has been about 6 months and we got to talking with them on Friday and they seem to be open again to meeting with us. But its amazing to keep in contact with people and see how much they have changed in six months. I am super excited to meet with them again. Eduardo is still on track fot the 26th of January. The underlying theme yesterday at church was true conversion. It really hit home with him and he is looking forward to his baptism. He is a little scared though to get into the water, but we reassured him that he could plug his nose. haha We found a guy in his ward that drives trucks as well, and they really get along. Remember to always keep yourself open to fellowship people that are trying to learn about the gospel.

I have been studying a lot lately on the "enabling power of the Atonement". It is really helping me realize that people who have a temple reccomend and are following the commandment, still need to utilize the atonement. Not to go from bad to good, but to go from good to better. It is really true. Missionaries use the Atonement so much to become more like the Savior. When there is a problem that we can't fix we rely on the power of heaven to give us strength. The Lord never really takes the problem away, but he gives us the strength so that it does not seem that bad. I love the Atonement and realize how infinite it really is everyday.

I love you all and I love this work.

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

Hello My Friends

¿Cómo están todos?

We got transfer calls this morning and......I am staying in the North baby!! Elder Doxey is going down to the south and Elder Schubbert and I wll stick around up here. We are looking forward to seeing what will happen in the coming months. But we are really sad today because the three amigos are breaking up. But they are making fun of me and saying that my posterity is already filling the land. he he It is good for everyone to go through change every once and a while. Some of you might be asking if I have grown tired of my greeny area. But I have to say I have not. I have seen so many miracles up here and we are expecting more. I love the people up here and I am excited for what the Lord has in store for us next.

Eduardo is planning to get baptized on Jan. 19th. He is really looking forward to making this important step. His children sat in on the lesson on Thursday and they really opened up to us more after that. We are hoping to see them progress as well and hopefully they can feel something at the baptism. I am so excited!

Don't have too much time this week, but I wish you all a happy new year full of blessings. Remember the Lord loves you...more than you know.

Mucho amor,

Elder Kipp

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Hey guys,

Hope everyone had an amazing time during the holiday season. I know we are all feeling a little more bloated than usual, I know I do. I think it is really funny how people think that missionaries are starving during the holiday season. We are probably the best fed of anyone. My favorite thing though has to be the tamales that almost all Spanish people make during this time of year.

But we had a wonderful Christmas week. I love this time of year because everyone is a little bit more kind and open. We were able to go to a members house on Christmas eve with 8 other missionaries and they made us dinner and we sang Christmas carols. It was a great time and it really reminded me of home. That night I opened up my pj's (family tradition). We woke up and were able to go over to the stake presidents house and have brunch. They gave us some little presents and a lot of food. It was good to spend some time with them. We played some card games and it was really good to just relax. But I have to say that I would rather be out working. Its crazy how much my desires have changed. We made phones calls home at the same place that we did last year. That was cool. It was good to talk to the fam and see how everyone is doing. We then visited some investigators that had nowhere to go for Christmas. It felt really good to make them feel a little less lonely. Begin away from your family is hard during the holidays but it was cool for them to have someone to relate to.

Martha's baptism was on Saturday. It was just beautiful. The Spirit was so strong and many of the people of her ward were able to come out and support her. We had some investigators there and it is amazing to me how people can receive answers to prayers at baptisms. One of our investigators Manuel expressed that he felt more comfortable about the idea of being baptised after seeing someone else do it. Other peoples baptisms are great tools for other peoples conversions. She is so funny and after the ordinance she didn't realize that we still had more program to do. So she was taking a long time getting ready and doing her hair. Reminded me of mom. Just kidding. But it was all such a good experience. She later said that she felt like a new person. I got the privilege to confirm her the next day at church and it was an awesome blessing. Repeatedly it was said that Heavenly Father was proud of her decision and that he is right there by her side. I love her and am excited to see her continue to progress. She loves the new feeling of the Spirit and keeps telling us that she feels "different", it's perfect.

I love this work and will continue firmly in it. I hope that I can continue to grow in the ways of the Lord. I got a long way to go.

 Mucho Amor,

 Elder Kipp