A Sign

Hola a Todos!

This week has been crazy because we havent really been in our area with so many things coming up and meetings and everything. But it has been great still!

This week we helped a new covert put up a Christmas tree. She was jewish before she was a member and didnt know anything about Christ or Christmas a year ago. It was fun. Her mom isnt a member and the other day went to drink some alcohol. Gloria, the new covert, goes ¨Mom, you know that isnt good for you.¨ Her mom says she knows but she needs a sign from God to tell her not to to be able to stop. And just then the alcohol caught fire and exploded the whole oven. If thats not a sign I dont know what is. :)

This week we taught Edwin, Katty, and Josefa (and the younger siblings) again. They are the FAMILY that we will be baptizing in December. They are so amazing. We shared about tithing. I realized just how grateful I am for parents that have taught me to pay my tithing. I testify that tithing brings the blessings of heaven. Always. At the end Edwin prayed and he prayed that when they get baptized that they can continue to be faithful members for eternity. :)

Something I learned from my studies this morning is that a synonymy for the atonement is joy. As we use the atonement we are joyous. 

Oh! And to answer your questions. The Chileans dont even know what Thanksgiving is. It was a normal day. And Hermana Stauffer and I celebrated by eating cereal at night. Haha. The mission life. 

My companion and I came up with a new idea to help the ward. It has to do with the churches program of light the world.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJmAV0gTp_Q.
We have the 25 days of Christmas that go along with the videos. We have challenges each day like sharing the videos on facebook, giving away a book of mormon, or having FHE with a nonmember. There is a point system and everything. The members are so excited and so are we! 

I love you all dearly!

hermana kelson

leah.kjeldsen@myldsmail.net

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Hermana Leah Kelson

4 Norte 1112 Casilla 631 
Viña del Mar, Chile

 

Preview YouTube video LIGHTtheWORLD — Follow the example of Jesus Christ. Share His light and serve as He served.

There She Goes... There She Goes Again

Hola todos!

What a crazy week! A ton has happened! First of all, I have been transferred! I only had 1 transfer in my last area but it was still hard to leave. How is it that people can steal your heart with only 6 weeks together! Including companions. But I know that change can be a good thing. Actually this change is EXACTLY what I needed to give me the boost that I needed.

I am now in VALPARIASO again! I am so excited! I have been called as a sister training leader and am in the same apartment that I did exchanges in my first 6 months of the mission. It is crazy. I finally saw the ocean again after like 6 months and I realized I missed it! This ward is great and HUGE. It is like a USA ward but Chilean. :) 

My companion is Hermana Stauffer. She is from Conneticut and my first gringa (nonlatina) since my trainer. She went to BYU before the mish and now we are together! She has 10 months in the mission and we get along really well. Shes super fun and a great missionary. Her parents are actually mission presidents in Peru right now.

We had Consejo de Lideres this week that is like a meeting for all the zone leaders, hermana leaders, and the office. My whole MTC group was there. We took pics and remanissed a bit. 

We had another capilla abierta! So great! And Christmas Choir practice. I just feel like I have been in a bus all week to have to travel to Viña but its been good. 

I have learned a lot about obedience this week. Obedience gives us power over Satan. Obedience gives us hope and motivation. Obedience isnt just for missionaries with mission rules but for all of Gods children. Obedience to the commandments, leaders called by God, and the promptings of the Spirit. 

I love you all dearly! 

Hermana Kelson

leah.kjeldsen@myldsmail.net

WRITE LEAH!

Hermana Leah Kelson

4 Norte 1112 Casilla 631 
Viña del Mar, Chile

17 Miracles

Hola Todos!

Capilla Abierta with the zone.

 

 Exercise in Belloto.

 

What a week! Hard moments and good ones. We have literally seen SO many miracles. More than 17 but I dont have time to tell you all of them so a few will have to be sufficient. HECK! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! But its hard. But great.

First of all we did a lot of service again this week. We are trying to find new investigators so serving is what we do. We are called to serve, afterall. One of these service occasions we helped a 13 year old with math hw and english hw. Afterward I asked to share a scripture that helped me when I was preparing for big tests. We talked with her and her mom about prayer and it was super powerful. WHAT A MIRACLE!

Secondly Ignacio is doing great! After church last Sunday he told us he was going to dress more formally the next time. He showed up the next Sunday in a full on suit with his shoes nicely shined. He asks lots of great deep questions. This week we put a baptismal date with him for the 3rd of Diciembre. He has doubted Jose Smith before but when I asked him this week if he knew that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God he says, ¨Yes¨! AAH! I asked how he knew and he said he couldnt explain it, he just knew. That is the Spirit working in people.

We also taught a family this week the Restoration. SO POWERFUL! I love Joseph Smith!

 

 

Visitas with the Young Women! We love them!

 

 

 

We were in intercambios this week and I stayed in Castillo Blanco with Hermana Sterling! She is awesome. At the end of the night we had like 15 minutes before it was time to go in so we started contacting. Hermana Sterling offers a pass along card to this 19 year old named Javiera. We laugh and chat for a minute and then tell her that we talk about a plan of happiness. She begins to cry. We explain the Book of MOrmon. I have never met someone so eager to pray. We are so excited for her!

 

Smile! God loves you! This was on every bus seat!

 

 

 

And finally we had a Capilla Abierta. It is like a church tour but Temple Square Style. We start with a voice over with a Christus and talk about the Restoration and everything. They see the baptismal faunt and talk with members. It is the coolest experience. The sisters do the tour. I LOVED IT! The Spirit was SO strong as we testified of Joseph Smith and the Restoration. I am SO grateful for Joseph Smith and for the Restoration of the Gospel. This truly is God´s church. 

Love you all. SO MUCH! 

Hermana Kelson

 

PS Chileans know more about US politics than I do. I have heard nothing but ¨Donald Frump¨all week. Haha.






My Districts attempt at the fish face.

 

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Eating Rabbit for the first time :)

 

Hermana Leah Kelson

4 Norte 1112 Casilla 631 
Viña del Mar, Chile

Turning up the Heat

Dearest People,

This was not the easiest of weeks. Whenever there are baptisms there is always a fall in the work. Dont know why but it always happens. BUT we have still seen miracles. Padre Celestial is so good to us. 

We did a lot of service this week. Weeding doesnt mean the same thing here in Chile. Imagine trying to be a human weed wacker. It is something like that. In really hot weather. It is gotten a lot hotter lately. But it has been fun. :)

This week we were in desperate need of new investigators. We decided to pray specifically. I prayed before we left the apartment to find a mom with her young daughter. A woman of about 35 years old who was willing to hear the gospel. We walked outside the apartment and started down the hill and there she was! I know that God answers specific prayers. WHAT A MIRACLE!

We´ve had several other weird things happen like less active fortune tellers, helping with Harvard courses, pulgas (fleas) and locking ourselves out of the bathroom. Always an adventure with Hermana Flor and I in Castillo Blanco. :) 

I love you all dearly and testify of the love the Savior has for each of us. Sometimes He has to turn up the heat to mold this hard metal into what He intends us to be. Everything passes for a reason. 

All my amor. Olay!

Hermana Kelson

leah.kjeldsen@myldsmail.net

WRITE LEAH!

Hermana Leah Kelson

4 Norte 1112 Casilla 631 
Viña del Mar, Chile

Godliness is Manifest in the Ordinances Thereof

Hola Todos!

SAMMY, ROMINA, and VALENTINA got baptized!!!!!!! We are SO happy! But lets just say it has been a crazy week. Satan knows when we are about to make good decisions and tries to stop us. This is true for missionaries and investigators alike. So Valentina is the cousin of Sammy and Romina is Sammy´s mom. In Valentina´s family there were some trials that all came in this week right before the baptizm. We have prayed so much for this family this week. And you know what? Everything worked out and they were baptized this weekend. I even sang a musical number and they all cried. Romina shared her thoughts afterward and it was so powerful. Godliness is truly manifest in the ordinances thereof. (DYC)

I have also been studying the New Testament. Thanks to President Diaz our whole mission is studying the New Testament and loving it. I was reading right before Christ goes to the garden of Gethsemane. I learned that shortly before, I believe the day before or a few days before, the details are unclear, Christ goes to the temple. And then that very night he institutes the sacrament. These two covenants: the temple and the sacrament, were necessary to give Him the strength he needed to perform the atonement. As I thought about this all week I realized the necesity we have to partake of the sacrament and go to the temple. Renewing these covenants gives us the strength to live our lives. 

We had a zone activity today and went to the Botanic Gardens. It was a blast. Photos attatched. 

What a blessing it is to be a missionary!

Love you all!

Hermana Kelson

leah.kjeldsen@myldsmail.net

WRITE LEAH!

Hermana Leah Kelson

4 Norte 1112 Casilla 631 
Viña del Mar, Chile

1 Year

Dearest Everyone

1 year. I have been in Chile for 1 year. It has been SO wonderful and I have grown SO much. Truly. I feel so blessed. 

This week I had intercambios with the one and only HERMANA WALKER from my group from the MTC. We had so much fun and saw miracles. And we even went running in the morning for exercise which was so good for my body!! I LOVED IT!

We found a new investigator: IGNACIO this week. He is 20 and has some very severe physical handicaps. He sits at home with no one to talk to all day every day. We found him through his dad that didnt want anything to do with us but wanted us to teach his son. Ignacio was so without hope and was angry with God. But through the Book of Mormon and the Plan of Salvation he has found hope and peace. Actually, I have found more hope in the Book of Mormon and Plan of Salvation too. It is truly amazing how loving our Father in Heaven is to give us a plan perfecto with an instruction book right along with it. The atonement is real folks. 

Also Sammy, Valentina, and Romina are still doing awesome! They will be baptized this Saturday!

We also had interviews with the mission President and he is literally perfect. 

Love you all!

Hermana Kelson

leah.kjeldsen@myldsmail.net

Hermana Leah Kelson

4 Norte 1112 Casilla 631 

Viña del Mar, Chile

Series of unfortunate and VERY FORTUNATE events

Hola Todos!

I am so sorry for the quick email last week. We were cut on our time to email because the internet cafe was closing and I freaked out. But thats chill. :) 

This week has been LOCO and FUN and GREAT and all the things. 

Unfortunate events:

As you all heard we flooded the apartment last Monday but it is just a leak in the kitchen which our District Leader and Zone leaders fixed. All in well en Sion. 

It has rained a ton this week. LIke more than ever. ANd we were super wet. BUT it made for a funny experience. We bought chocolate for a yw in the ward for her birthday. We were trying to put in in my bag to keep it from getting wet and it fell into a little river made my the rain and fell through the front gate of someone to their front door. In Chile everyone has gates and you cant go through them. So we frantically yelled for the owner to come out and were laughing so hard when she came out that we didnt even give her a pass along card. But it made for a great story.

We lost the cellphone for a few hours only to find it in the hood of my jacket. .. how it got there I will never know.

Very Fortunate events¨

Sammy, Romina, and Valentina are all progressing toward baptism really well. They all came to church on Sunday and Romina even gave her testimony! She said that before taking the missionary lessons her life was dark and lonely and since taking the lessons she feels so much light and life. She and her husband were without work before the missionaries met them and now they both have jobs. She says it is because she is following the light. MIRACLES!

Pamela didnt come to church because it was raining. But we passed by to see how she was doing. We are helping her to stop smoking. I came up with a great idea to have a competition thing with her. I have promised to stop biting my fingernails if she stops smoking. There you have it folks, the only way I will every stop biting my fingernails.

I love my companion Hermana Flor. She is from Ecuador. I have the record for latina companions I think. I LOVE IT! She thanked me for being crazy the other day. Jaja.

Due to General Conference and Stake Conference the last 2 weeks we hadnt taken the sacrament in a  LONG time. I finally had the opportunity to take it this week and the spiritual relief was amazing. The sacrament really truly gives us the strength to move foward. It is like charging our battery. LIke it says in 3 Nephi when Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament: And it came to pass that they did so, and did drink of it and were filled; and they gave unto the multitude, and they did drink, and they were filled.. 

I testify that the sacrament fills us.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Hermana Kelson

leah.kjeldsen@myldsmail.net

WRITE LEAH!

Hermana Leah Kelson

4 Norte 1112 Casilla 631 
Viña del Mar, Chile