¡Háce un poco frio!

¿Que tal amigos?

 

It snowed again!! It is still snowing in March and they are expecting another snow storm. Isn't that loco. But it is ok because it is not that cold. Only about 1. And remember that is celcius.

 

This past week was pretty hectic. I got a new companion. We are still covering the North but we got a new apartment away from downtown. His name is Elder Crocco and he is from Reno, Nevada. He has about 5 months left on his mission and he was sad to leave the south side. But he is bringing a new fire that this area needs. He is excited to get going and brings many good ideas with him. We have started reorganizing things in the area books and all the people that we are currently working with. It is big task, but it needs to be done and it will help us out in the end. We are also making a "mini area book" to put in the car. The new apartment is super groovy (we are trying to bring this word back) and is a lot more spacious than our other one.

 

Elder EZ and I spent Monday and Tuesday cleaning the apartment, packing and saying goodbye to a bunch of people. Elder EZ was really sad to say goodbye to Vianney but he will see him again. We will be able to meet with him still and he is excited that there are still Spanish Speakers in his area. Wednesday was transfer meetings and it was sad to say goodbye to EZ because we have been together for so long. We are technically common law in Canada because we lived together for so long. We had to move everything out of the old apartment and unpack everthing in the new apartment. It was a super busy and hectic day. Elder and Sister Woodruff are the housing coordinators for the mission and they are the coolest people ever. They helped us out so much. So far we have been getting a lot done reorganizing and finding all the people that we fell out of contact with. Especially Mauricio. We have not talked to him for about 2 weeks, so we are going to stop by again tonight and see if we can get in contact with him. Ruban and Cindy are meeting with us this week so we are hoping that we can help him get to church.  I hope that this new program is one can help him with his lungs.

 

On Friday night we helped Hermana De La Fuente move. La familia Mesen was there and we got a lot done. Cool story. Her son-in -law Trevor was there helping us out and he was questioning us about what we do as missionaries. We had a sweet conversation while we were moving about how God really does answer our prayers. He has a hard time believing that "almighty god" would listen to him. We reassured that He really does.  But we talked for a long time and invited him to meet with us, but he denied. We left our number so hopefully we can get in contact with him again. We also were out in Sherwood Park (about 20 minutes outside the city) visiting the members and we went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries. It was super delicious. You guys need to try it. But the lady that took my order happened to be a member that just barely moved here from Florida...and he husband is Mexican!!! They live in the south side but they are looking to go back to church. The Lord truly does but you in the right place at the right time.

 

I know my Savior lives, He indeed lives. He has gone below everything to help us have a friend in Him because He truly "knows" us. He desires that we "know" Him as well. I hope anyone that is looking for the truth can look to Him who can offer it. If you have not read the Book of Mormon, read it. It can change your life. I know it is sounds crazy, but that is why it is true. Either it is true or not, try it. We are son and daughters of Heavenly Father and He loves us. Alone this knowledge can help anyone get through this challenging life.

 

Stay Strong and Faithful. ¡Para Siempre!

 

Elder Kipp

¿Comó están amigos!?!?!

 

Tranfers calls were this morning and...... I am staying in the North side! Elder EZ is going to the South to serve with Elder Ashton and Elder Crocco is coming up here. But I am staying in the same apartment in the downtown area. I know that the Lord knows where I need to be to learn and grow. I am excited and nervous at the same time. It will be good to continue to work with a lot of the same people. I have faith that this area will continue to grow!

 

This past week was fun and anxious at the same time. We got to see Vianney and he was sad that one of us was going to leave. But we had lunch with him and I hope that he continues to go to church and fulfill his calling. He is the greeter for sacrament. So it is a good calling for him because he gets to practice his English. But I am excited to continue to see him. But we also finally got a hold of a family that lives in the Northern part of our area, la familia Maravilla. Unfortunately, they have no desire to come back to church for a while. They were very upfront with us and I makes me sad that they don't even want to meet with us. But we pray that they will eventually go back to church.

 

We also met with Arturro Pratt, the Socialist from Chile, and he surprised us a lot. He had the Book of Mormon right next to his bed! He is actually reading. Hopefully he can keep reading and start to ask us more questions. But we were not able to get in contact with Ruban and Cindy or Mauricio this week but hopefully next week. We had a really cool experience with our neighbor on Saturday. We had forgotten something at the apartment so we ran back. We saw our neighbors and they invited us in to eat some food. He is Canadian and she is from the Philipines. They are super nice and the food was super good. The conversation got to what we do and we talked for a half an hour about prophets and invited them to watch conference at the end of the month. It was a very informal conversation but we introduced some gospel principles and hopefully we can have the English elders start meeting with them. We also visited Hermana De La Fuente that evening. I feel bad for her because she is moving and she lives alone. Her kids see her a lot but she seems lonely. She said it was nice that we stopped by and we could talk to her for a little bit.

 

The coolest thing happened yesterday! We got the information about a less-active guy from one of our areas and we decided to see him before his ward started. We got there and at first he seemed that he did not really want to talk to us. But he invited us in and we started talking to him. It turns out that he was baptized 3 years ago and he has not been to church for a long time. He asked what time church started and we told him 1 p.m. We were suprised to hear that he wanted to go! He hopped in the shower and he met us there. We are hopeully going to get to know him better and he can get reactivated. The Lord really does put you in the right place at the right time.

 

Spiritual Thought: Do we sometimes forget all the Savior did for us? It is really cool to pick one of the gospels and read it all the way through. It really makes you appreciate what the Savior did for you. I personally love Luke, but you can pick any one!

 

Mucho amor,

 

Elder Kipp

Mi Semana

¿Qué hubo amigos?

 

Man it has been getting warm and all the snow is melting away! I am hoping that Spring is here and that the snow will be going away. But everyone tells me to not get my hopes up.

 

We started off the week by going on exchanges. I was with Elder Weber. He is a new missionary from Boise and is really funny. We were able to meet a lot of cool people. We met with Crystal who is one of their investigators that moved into the ward from another. But she is Native American and one thing she found was that she could still keep her culture and join the church because they are very similiar. It was amazing talking to her about how she had felt the Spirit before, but she just did not know how to recognize it. She told us that the Book of Mormon really stood out to her because it was about her ancestors on the American continent. She is super solid and is due to get baptized next week along with her 10 year old daughter. We also met with a guy named Estar from Central Africa and he speaks French. It was really hard for him to understand us but wants to keep meeting with the Clairview elders. They are just going to have to bring someone that speaks French. The sisters gave us a referral that afternoon and we had time so we went and contacted him. His name is Steve and he is really interested the importance of family within the gospel. We could only talk to him for about 10 minutes, but the Spirit was very strong. It was cool because we both told each other that we recognized each other, but I have never met him. It is crazy the people that are put in your path as a missionary.

 

We were able to meet with Anselmo this week and talk to him about the Book of Mormon. He still thinks that nothing can replace the Bible, but we explained to him that the LDM and Bible are to be read together and they compliment each other. He is going to met with us again this week and he is going to have his son there who is a avid member of another congregation. Hopefully it goes allright. We also met with Ruben and Cindy and he is starting a new program that should help him greatly with his lungs. So hopefully he can get feeling better and go to church. We watched "Como Hallar Fe in Jesucristo" (Finding Faith in Christ) and they responded very well to it. The Spirit was strong and I hope it touched their hearts. I urge anyone that has not seen this, to see it. We also are meeting with a former investigator named Alexandra who is dating a less active member. We are going on splits when we see them with the zone leaders, so Elder EZ goes and I go with the other zone leader. We need to work something out because Elder EZ does not feel like she is understanding very much when they talk in English. We had our English class this week and its funny to find out that there are a quite a few words in Hungarian that are bad words in English. Its really hard not to laugh.

 

Spiritual Thought: Read Gal. 5:13 and ponder on why we serve others. This really hit me this week and I thought a lot about, "What is our true motive in helping others?" I also heard a talk yesterday in church and one thing really stood out to me. The woman said "Do you resent the things that will help you grow to your divine nature?" I find myself doing this. It's hard not to, but if we can realize in the moment that the Lord is wanting us to learn something, we will be happier in our trials. Always stay strong and keep the faith!

 

Mucho amor!!

 

Elder Kipp

¡Hola mis amigos!

¿Cómo le vá?

 

Hello from white white Canada. It has been snowing a lot lately but managed to stay at a good temperature. Haven't really had to wear a jacket because the snow is fluffy. We have been shoveling a lot of snow and people love to see the Elders working to clear their snow.

 

This week was a little hectic. We had to get a new tire because we were turning and slid into the curb. It was a little scary but we were totally fine. It did take a while to get everything fixed, but it's all back to normal. We had combined Zone conference on Wednesday and Interviews with President Campbell on Thursday. Zone Conference was really good and you always learn a lot from other missionaries. President talked a lot about raising our goals in every aspect of the work. He is always helping us see progress but is always looking for more as well. We are now not only making weekly goals, but also monthly goals to help the progression keep going. But it really opened our eyes at all the potential we really have if we trust in the Lord. One thing that I also liked was that he expressed his love for us. You can really see his concern and true Christlike love for us. But the lunch was really good. It was like a Cafe Rio sweet pork burrito. The Best!! (ha ha dad) We then listened to a talk by Elder Bednar to the new mission presidents. He talked about "How to Become a Preach My Gospel Missionary". It really inspired me to try harder and make personal goals to become the missionary my Savior wants me to become. I recommend it if you have time.

 

We were not able to meet with any of our investigators last week, but we are meeting with them all this week. We met with Hermana Delafuente and helped her move a bunch of stuff around her house because she is moving soon. She made us brunch. She hass to be one of the best cooks I have met out here. We got asked to help with a move on Saterday night of a return missionary from Ecaudor. He was moving his sisters friend who was in a bind and needed our help. His sister is less active. It was a great success for missionary work because 6 missionaries showed up to help and she came to church the next day! It really is amazing how much service really does help people. Hopefully her friend will also find an interest in the gospel. Last night some of our appointments cancelled so we went street contacting. I love going out on the street and talking to peoeple. It is fun to do because you always meet all kinds of different people. Be Strong and Keep the Faith.

 

Mucho Amor,

 

Elder Kipp

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!

¿Qué pasó?

¡Hola Amigos!

 

This week I have been thinking about how crazy it is that I am up here in Canada trying to learn a language that only about 5% of the population here speaks. It is growing and I hope that my knowledge and testimony of this gospel will as well. The Spanish is coming along slow, but the Lord seems to be teaching me patience.

 

But this week we were super busy. We beat our record for lessons and were able to get in touch with a lot of the people that we are working with. We met with Mauricio and the main thing that he needs is friends. He is looking for something that he can be assosiated with and find friends. He is very sincere and I hope that he can find the right motive to keep meeting with us. We also met with the usual less-actives and we have really been trying to establish good relationships with them. We ate with the Cruz and Contreras family yesterday and they made us these giant sandwiches with chicken and all sorts of vegetables.  And then after that a member had us over as well. And they fed us this Peruvian dish that was to die for... and for dessert...Tres leches cake. I almost died! I was so full. But this family has to be one of my favorites. The Reatmozos. He is from Peru and she is from Argentina and they met on their mission in Chile.  Their kids are crazy and they are really good member missionaries to top it off.

 

Oh man...we lost our phone on Monday after we left the church. It was like we lost our left foot. It was hard and we felt so naked. But we were lucky that the zone leaders got it from a memebr and they gave it to us. Tip of the day: never lose your mission phone!!! Also Vianney was at work and he cut his finger with an insulation knife. When he called us on the phone he seemed very stressed. We went and saw him on Thursday and he seems like he is doing well though. He got 15 stitches!!

 

We are excited to see the progress that is going to come in the next weeks and have been trying to get our humble name out there. Still sometimes when people hear Spanish missionaries in Canada, their reactions are funny. But we are still pushing along. I have really pondered a lot this week on how we as individuals can grow everyday. It is hard some days to see the progress and find something to be happy about. We can be happy because we are children of God and we know the plan of salvation.

 

I love you all!!

Elder Kipp

¡HOLAAAAAA!

Querido hermanos y hermanas,

 

WHHHAAATTTSSUUUPPP!

 

At district meeting this week we had a member cook all of us a "greenie" meal. Even though 3 of us are now 6 months out it was funny and literally everything was green. It tasted better than it looked and I realized that food can still be enjoyed when it is different colors. I was on exchanges again this week with Elder Skousen and we went and helped out at the Edmonton food bank. It was really fun and the people there are really nice. Other missionaries regularly give service there and so hopefully we can find someone to teach. But something funny happened. I was sorting through the bins of food and pulled out a giant bag of old shoes. I was like that is not food. But this organization is helping a lot of institutions throughout the city.

 

We are about to start a new English class at a more central loaction. We are really trying to get the stakes on board to help us advertise this class. We are meeting with one of the stake leaders this week and talking about the help we need. But we were able to meet with some of our investigators this week. Eric Aguialan and his family are doing well. We got in with them but really didn't get to teacht them anything. We are going to meet with them on Tuesday and hopefully get them to church. We finally got in contact with Salvador again! He has been working like a dog and he told us he is interested in coming to church and having us over again. We cannot get ahold of Ruben and Cindy, but hopefully we can meet with them this week. This week at the Mesen's we shared a message about gratitude. As I started to bear my testimony, i broke down...hard. I just realized how ungrateful I am for everything the Lord has blessed me with. They probably didn't understand much with my balling and severely broken spanish. But I am so grateful for all the families I have met and the little miracles that I see everyday. The Lords hand is really in this work. We make so many mistakes. Without his help nothing would happen. I have faith that little by little, and day by day I will learn this language in a place where about only 5 percent speak it. Challenges are put in our path to help us realize the help we receive. Heavanly Father's plan is so much more then we realize.

 

Last night we had a Spanish devotional and testimony night. Unfortunately, the Superbowl was on and there was only about 30 people there. But the Spirit was definitely there and the people that shared their testimonies really strengthened mine. One in particular was an investigator from the south side that had came with some members that he works with. He got up there and he seemed very comfortable. But he talked about how there was another reason why he was here other than work and he is exited to learn more about the church. President was there and he was able to get up and talk (with a translater of course). But he came up to us after the meeting and gave us some suggestions on how we can help the people in our areas. But he also told us that he feels like Elder EZ and I should stay together another transfer and we would not be getting a call this morning. It is funny after this transfer is over we will technically be under common law. ha ha Technically I can take half of his stuff at the end of this tranfer. But there is something that we need to accomplish in this area together and I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for all of us.

  

Mucho mucho amor, 

 

Elder Kippppppp

 

P.S. Don't let dogs sit on your lap while wearing a suit.