¡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

¡Hola Muchachos!

¿Cómo estamos?

 

We had a very successful and fun week her in Canada speaking Spanish!! We found 3 new people to teach and they all seem super sweeeeet! Funny story: we actually called a member that we have never met. It turns out that he is extremely inactive and was really surprised when he answered the phone. He is a returned missionary from Chile and owns a construction company. We were really surprised when he told us that he had like 5 friends that are interested in learning about the gospel. We had a lesson and met Emilio, one of his employess that just got here from Chile. He really wants to stop smoking and when we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon he treated it like it was a treasure. We are really excited to help out Pierre, the inactive member and also teach Emilio, who seemed super interested. Also, the Bonnie Doon ward has been pulling through. That is were we have most the people we are teaching and a member from Mexico just got here to work. We stopped by his place and he wasn't there. But his 4 roommates were and they were really surprised that we spoke Spanish. They invited us in and really wanted to hear what we had to say. They asked "So what do you guys exaclty do, Ernesto has told us a little bit about you guys?" Perfect question! We found out that one guy named Manuel lost his six month daughter about 2 years ago. He was really confused because the Catholic church said that she was damned because she was not baptized. He blamed himself. It was really sad and he felt really good when we told him that that was totally false. We shared Moroni 8 with him and he was already reading more when we left. I cannot wait to share the Plan of Salvation with him. He is a great guy. And the perfect situation to have a member there to answer any questions.

 

All of the other people we are teaching are doing good. Mauricio, German, Gerardo, and Cloti all came to church. German's wife is still feeling a little apprehensive about her husband getting baptized but he told us that he is 100% ready to be baptized and he is for sure going to get baptized in Mexico, if not here. We are still working with Mauricio to get him on date to be baptized. We were not able to met with Alexandra but we are going to this week. All these people are so amazing and it is a pleasure getting to know them and helping them and thier families find true happiness. Something sweet happened this week as well. So we have been asking the Edmonton North Stake for a long time to get a representative for Spanish work in the stake. We got someone. Hermano Alejo already is really listo to do missionary work and he is going to be able to cross ward boundaries and act as our ward mission leader to relay information to the Stake. We met with him last week and he is really excited. He is already having a fiesta on Saturday and inviting like 6 of his friends that might be interested in the gosple. Booyah!! This will help a lot. This work is so true it's not even funny! I have been thinking a lot lately about being truly humble. If God really wanted to convert his children in his infinite wisdom, do you think he would really need our help? He needs our help because we need His. He needs our help because of his choice to give us agency. If we could all help one person find the happiness or lift their burden a little, everyone would be covered. Working with individual people is what matters. Remember DC 18:15. "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one ^asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!", This can mean your own soul.

 

We always are sharing our testimonies in our missionary work so I thought i would bear you my testimony....in Espanol.

 

Yo se que con todo mi corazon que Dios vive. El envio su hijo Jesucristo para que tengamos felicidad en todas las cosas. Se que Jose Smith vio El Padre y Su Hijo y por cunducto de el tenemos El Libro de Mormon que es verdadero tambien. Se que las familias pueden ser eternas y estamos en un camino para cambiarnos y llegar a ser como Dios. La Iglesia es verdadera y no hay otro camino que podriamos tomar para ser salvos. Mi Padre Celestial me conoce personalmente y El sabe mis problemas y dudas. Yo hablo con El cada dia y siento El Espiritu Santo que me da tesimonio de todas de estas cosas. Estoy feliz, y se que mi felicidad viene de un poder que no podemos ver, sino senitr. Nunca voy a negar las cosas que yo se. No podria hacerlo. Estoy emocionado por el dia en cuando puedo ver mi Salvador con mis propios ojos y darle la gracious que el merece.

 

TRANSLATION: I know with all my heart that God lives.  He sent His Son Jesus Christ so that we could have happiness in all things.  I know that Joseph Smith saw The Father and His Son and that through him we have the Book of Mormon, which is also true.  I know that families can be eternal and that we on a path to change ourselves and become like God.  The Church is true and there is no other path that we can take to be saved.  My Heavenly Father knows me personally and He knows my problems and doubt.  I talk with Him each day and I feel the Holy Ghost that gives me a testimony of all these things.  I am happy, and I know that my happiness comes from a power that we cannot see, nor touch.  I will never deny these things that I know.  I couldn't do it.  I am excited for the day when I can see my Savior with my own eyes and give Him the thanks that He deserves.

 

If you can't understand, just get someone that speaks Spanish to translate. I love you all and love this gospel.

 

Mucho amor y abrazos

 

Elder Kipp

Man It's Hot!

¡Hola mis amigos!

¿Cómo están todos?

Pues, tuvimos una semana increible. Sorry, I am loving Spanish lately. It just flows better. But this week was super hot and humid. It would rain at night and then be about 90 degress farenheit during the day. But it was good and I cannot complain because it is better then the "super cold".

We were able to be meet with mostly everyone this week. It was really good. Justine told us that she wants to be baptized in the beginning of September. We were not able to meet with Cloti but we are pretty sure that she will have the same desire. They are learning a lot and they love how much kindness and service they have received. The ward has just taken them in. It is just a testimony to me of the way that the Church is supposed to work. German is doing great but he will not be getting baptized this weekend because he is still waiting to hear if his wife talked to the missionaries in Mexico. We talked to him on Saturday about sharing his testimony with his wife and how it is the most powerful thing that he can do. We are still working with him and preparing him to convert his family. I love how he is looking past the hardship of this time and seeing his family being together forever. He has so much faith and I love him for the example he is to me. Maurico is currently praying for a date to be baptized and he is having a tough time with his family. But we are still helping him see the change of heart that he has had. He is doing good and we know that he will receive an answer to his prayers.

Oh my! Something crazy happened on Friday. So we havn't met with Alexandra for a while now and she left to go on vacation. I got a prompting to text her and see how she was doing. She responded that she was doing good. What followed was a crazy conversation. She said that she had been reading in Alma when he baptized many people and how he established the church. She said that she had butterflies and desires to be baptized when she read that! We were shocked because we were expecting to be handing her off to Chris' home teachers. But she is going to talk to us when she returns and we are really excited to explain what that feeling was and that if she really wants to get baptized how good of choice it is in here life. It is amazing what the Book of Mormon can do. We also talked to Linda and talked to her about gospel dispensations. She asked if we were in a dispensation or an apostasy and we of course answered a dispensation. She said, "Wait, we have a living prophet and I didn't know about it?" She was excited and the room went silent, the Spirit was really strong. She also asked "Why did I not know this before?", and we were like "That's why we are here." I think this is a turning point for her and her progression. The Spirit rocks.

Another cool thing that happened was I called a guy yesterday that we have never been able to contact. He never answers his phone and the address we have on record is wrong. But he answered yesterday and said that he had been waiting for us to call him. He is an RM and has been inactive for a while now and he wants to meet with us and come back to church. He also has a friend that is really interested in the gospel and he wants to meet with us. We are excited to meet them and hopefully it will work out for the best.

Thanks for all the love and prayers. It is amazing how much of a blessing the gospel is in our lives. I want everyone that reads this to know that no matter how hard the times, Christ has already preformed his amazing Atonement and He is the one we can trust in. I love this fact and it keeps me going. Have hope in Jesus Christ and let that be your motivation to get through the "suckiness of life".

Mucho mucho amor!!!

Elder Kipparoni and Cheez

Hace Calor in Canada

Hola mis amigos! Como estamos?!

Hace calor en Canada. Its been really hot lately. Around 90 degrees Farenhiet. So it reminds me of summers back in San Diego. Too bad we cannot go jump in the ocean like we used to. Don't get me wrong it is not as bad as the   -40, but it is still hot!

This week was really fun. We were able to help a lot of people do fun service. There was a member in one of our wards that was re-doing his garage and he called us to see if we would help him do the drywall and everything that it entails. I never thought that it was so much work. We took about 2 hours during 2 days this week and it was really fun. I now know what to do (somewhat) if I ever need to drywall me garage. I love all the members up here. We have meet a couple that we have not been able to meet with either because they are busy or they are less-active. They are all trying to do their best to learn English and it is amazing the courage they have to come to a country were barely anyone speaks there own language. You were right Dad, you get to love the people you serve more than you have before in your life. Hermana Delafuente cooked for us last night and she is one of my favorite people out here. She is always correcting my Spanish and tells me that I need to move to Peru to meet a nice wife. She always says that if I go, to any latin country for that matter, that I would be married in no time at all. She is hilarious. It has been funny learning the way that peolpe from all the different countries speak. Their humor is different and you got to know the context in which they say some things. I have thought that people have said the worst things, when they are actually really innocent phrases, according to them.

German is still progressing really quickly and he is still working with his wife to get baptized. He is really wanting to get baptized but his wife is just not too comfortable with the idea. It is hard to have patience sometimes because I know the blessings that will enter into his life, but also I understand how hard it would be for his wife. I don't worry about him too much though, he will be just fine. Mauricio is doing pretty well, but he is just beign a little hesitant and getting baptized so soon. There is someone or something holding him back and I pray that we can help him get over this obsticle. Justine and Cloti are still reading and trying to recognize the awnsers from the Spirit. Colti loves church adn it was awesome yesterday. A returned missionary named Evan that had been in Spain for a year teaching English came back yesterday, and they instantly hit it off. He said that he will be able to come to their lessons from now on. Cloti asks the best questions too. It is soo great as a missionary when someone asks a golden question and te Spirirt just starts jumping up and down in the room. (that was a wierd description) But things are looking good here on the front lines and the Lord's work is still pushing along.

I have a strange incling to tell everyone to GO TO THE TEMPLE. I wish we had more time to go, but there are millions of people waiting for the blessings of the gospel but they do not have the means to obtainer the ordinances nessecary. It is such a blessing that we have to do this service for so many people. And it is time for you to relax and spend time with Heavanly Father.

Shout out to T-Stone who just got home from the field, and also to Nathan Neeley who is just beginning his amazing journey in the MTC. Love you both, may the Lord bless you!! And everyone else por supuesto!!

Mucho Amor,

Elder Kipp

Hola mis amigos y familia,

 

I have been thinking a lot lately about how blessed we truly are. To have the knowledge of the Restored Gospel is just an amazing thing to understand. I hope that anyone who wonders why we are so happy and really peculiar to read the Book of Mormon and find out who we really are. I am sure that you will be surprised.

 

If you have not gotton a chance to see the latest Bible Video on lds.org I reccomend that you go see it. It is about the woman that is healed from her "issue of blood" by simply touching the clothing of the Savior. (Mark 5:22-43) This is my favorite story in the New Testament because it demonstrates true faith in the Savior. We are all trying to get to this point and I hope that I can get to this point quicker in my life. But I know that it is a lot of work.

 

I am really red. I got sunburned yesterday while we were at P-Day. Yeah, I know that you are probably thinking that that is not possible in Canada, but I got fried. But it was really fun. On Sunday it was Canada Day. The Canadian equivalent to Independance Day. So one of the members had a BBQ for all the Elders in the Zone and we played beach volleyball, pingpong, and foosball. It was really nice of them and it was a good change from basketball, even though I love playing basketball.  I reminded me of the San Diego sand and it really felt good to ge the ol' toes in the sand.

 

We have been really busy these past couple of weeks. We are still meeting with all our investigators and most of them are progressing very well. German decided to move his baptismal date to July 21st because he wants his wife to be more okay with the decison. The missionaries down in Mexico are going to visit them and answer any questions that they may have. It is such a testimony that this work is true. Missionaries in two different countires are working to help the same family find the truth. He is still really learning a lot and he has actually been going to High Priests every week with a member in the Forrest Heights ward. Hermano Mesen is our Stake representative for one of our stakes and him and his wife are fellowshipping masters. They both served missions and love helping us out. But German is learning very rapidly and I cannot wait for him to recieve the Gift of the Holy Ghost so his learning can grow even more. Unfortunately, Mauricios' mother went into the hospital about two days after our really great lesson with him and his big change. So he has not been able to meet with us for about a week and a half. So we are guessing that his baptism is going to be moving back. But we are still hopeful that he will be able to keep pushing through adversity.

 

We are going to stop meeting with Ruben and Cindy. They are just not progressing and they are having some trouble committing to some of the concepts that we are teaching them. It is really hard to stop teaching someone, but sometimes it is necassery in order for the purposes of the Lord to move forward. It allows us to focus our efforts on someone else and also it allows them to ponder on the things that they have learned. But it is still hard. We are still meeting with Justine and Cloti and they are still going strong. They are continuing to read and Cloti has really been getting involved with Young Womens. She might even be going to girls camp next week. They got hungup on 1st Nephi 4 (Laban) but we cleared it up and they continue to have really good questions.

 

I give my love to everyone and hope that all is well.

 

Mucho mucho amor,

 

Elder Kipp