Friday, June 27, 2014

Happy Father's Day (Yesterday)

Hi everyone!!

I hope everyone had a good Father's Day yesterday!! All you past, present and future dads, I hope you got spoiled! I love all of you! :)

Things are going great here in Albany! We've found a couple new people to teach and I believe they are prepared and ready to hear the gospel. We're meeting with them all again this week so I'll have stories soon I'm sure. A few of them are on date for baptism in July and I love that, but I really hope I can see them enter the waters too! I love it here and I want to stay so badly, at least for one more transfer but I know that because I keep saying that, Heavenly Father is going to say "Um, nope! Nice try, let's move you and teach you more that you need to learn on your mission." So I don't know! Transfer calls are this Saturday night, so I can tell you next Monday whether I'm staying or leaving. How crazy is this--if I stay, I will spend six months in Albany, 1/3 of my mission!! Time is FLYING by and it's insane! There's so much to learn, so much to do and such a short time to do it all! It really teaches you to enjoy every moment, it will all be gone before you know it. Last transfer we would always sing the country song "You're Gonna Miss This" because we know that these are some amazing times and I will miss them more than anything when they're over. BUT the future still holds so much and I'm excited to live it! This week will just be one filled with anxiety though as we prepare for that conference call, and depending on what's said, next week could be stressful too. But, we will see! Can't change anything so it's not worth it to worry. (At least not today, later this week though for sure) ;)

I'm learning bravery here! We've been helping someone clean her house and when I say clean her house, I mean it. It's infested with cockroaches... *shutter* Oh my it's so bad... getting better though! The difference is night and day. Then when we were teaching someone else, when we got up to leave and were walking out the door she decided to tell us her house was infested with fleas. They bite, you know. Mosquitoes and other bugs are finally deciding they like me too, they backed off for so long...but summer is almost in full swing and my legs are becoming very colorful--white with red polka dots--cute!! :) Haha, bugs and all, I love it here. 

Here's a story for y'all... so the elders brought us this can thing with a lid on it, told us there were cookies inside of it, and I ignored my gut feeling that there was probably something else in it and opened it anyway. An lo and behold, a frog was released into our apartment. So nasty. The next day, Sister Trout and I found a dead snake on the side of the road. We put it in a box, a ward member gave us a gift bag to put it in, and some random guy in the parking lot of Walmart was super awesome and transferred it from the box to the gift bag so we could give it to the elders :) We were so proud of all the effort we went through, and they didn't even react!! It was so lame. Should've gotten a live snake... haha, just kidding! I'd never touch it, I didn't even pick up the dead one. As you can see by pictures, that was all Sister Trout's doing :) We really did have fun with this one. They're giving us one more chance, they said if we do anything like that again the war is on. Now it's time to be careful. :)

Anyway, I did want to tell y'all about how amazing the youth are that we are teaching. We've been teaching Cori (11), Chea (12) and Chea's sister, Angel (11). These kids amaze me. They are so humble and truly desire to learn more about the gospel. We've seen Chea's mom and uncle that we were also teaching really turn against the Church because of harsh words from their Preacher and him telling them not to meet with us and such, but Chea is still there 100 percent. He knows his mom isn't interested anymore but that's not stopping him. Luckily at this point in time she's not holding him back and did allow him and Angel to come to our Book of Mormon study, so we're praying she will still be accepting, at least of letting her kids participate. Seriously this kid will go so far. I'll definitely have to get a picture with him this week so you can all see him. He really does know the Church is true. He knows how to put his trust in God and ask God instead of man. I believe he's done that and that is why he is so steady and sure. Just like some other people, I don't want to leave the area because I don't want to leave people like him. His mom is trying to move and we're so afraid that Chea will lose contact with the missionaries. We're praying that missionaries will be able to find him when he's 18 and he can get baptized like he wants to. Please keep him and his family in your prayers, they could use them. 

Yesterday especially I was reminded of one great principle: "When you leave everything in God's hand, you will see God's hand in everything."
That really is a true statement. This is God's work and we are simply tools in His hands. He's using us to bless the lives of His children everywhere. Let Him do it! You have to be willing to give yourself to God, that is the time where He will begin to use you more fully. He will help you magnify your calling, whatever that may be. You don't have to wear a black tag on your chest for Him to use you to share the gospel. You are each Sons and Daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and that right there makes you special. That makes you royalty. If you give yourself to God, He will help you live up to your divine potential. A thought that I love :) 

Have the most wonderful week everyone, I love you!!

All my love, 
Sister Kaylee Applegate









 Just a couple more. Scripture mints... only in the South?




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