Highlights From Fabulous Franconia

Hey Everyone!

I hit my 6-month-mark on January 9, 2015

It's been a few weeks. Last Monday was a holiday, as you know. Then, when I went on Wednesday to email from the public library, the computer system was down throughout all of the Fairfax County Libraries. I couldn't use the computer. But here I am, finally. 

My Preparations Days are full of preparing for the next week:  laundry and shopping, emailing from the library and doing some sight seeing. Today I went to Old Town Alexandria with the other sister missionaries serving in Kingstowne: Sister Kennedy and Sister Malufau. We had such a good time. 

Last week, Elder Hallstrom and Elder Perkins, two General Authorities from our church came to speak to the missionaries. They taught us some amazing things. One gospel principle they focused on was FAITH and how to build it. One point that sticks out in my mind is that FAITH can be a power in your life. It can be a power IF we have a desire to build it. I've realized that on my mission, the truest form of power comes through faith, hope and charity. If we can acquire these things in our life, nothing can stop us. I am so grateful I am learning this essential principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Highlights of my new life in Franconia: 

- My companion, Sister Wright and I befriended a girl in our ward who is training to be an Olympic boxer. She's the coolest person ever.  I love being around her. 

- There's also another woman in our ward who is training to be a Special Agent for the FBI. Amazing. 

- Every Wednesday, we go to a less-active's home to translate documents from England in the early 1800s. I'm literally indexing family trees and baptistery names that were written over 150 years ago. Sometimes I feel bad touching these "ancient" papers but the lady trusts us and we touch them minding that our hands are NOT greasy...  

- We are teaching this awesome 16 year-old girl who is hopefully getting baptized soon (we are just waiting for her mom's consent). She is wonderful for many reasons. She has such a desire to learn more. Another great part of our friendship is that we have totally bonded quoting lines from "Mean Girls" and "Scandal." Recently, I was telling her about my decision to serve a mission and how I was actually planning on doing a Study Abroad first. I had a strong feeling to put studying abroad on hold and serve a mission first. After I said that she said, "I'm so glad you decided to serve a mission first Sister Kelly, otherwise I wouldn't have met you!" Having her tell me that literally made my entire week! It's nice to hear every once in awhile that you're making a difference...because sometimes you feel like you never are.

- We are teaching another boy who is getting baptized in February. This young man is solid. He comes to church every Sunday...in a suit! He's 15! Last week his mom came to church with him and loved it. Hopefully, we can teach her too.

- My friend, Tian, from the Oakton Ward (baptized inAugust 2014) is taking names to be baptized in the Washington DC temple this Saturday. My companion and I have permission to go with her. I can't wait!  

With Tian at her baptism, August 2014, in Oakton, VA

AND FOR THE BIGGEST MIRACLE OF ALL:

Sister Wright and I have a great relationship with an awesome recent convert who has a 15 year-old daughter who has not joined the church yet. The daughter either hasn't clicked with the missionaries or she became too attached to them. Well...she is obsessed with the British Boy Band, ONE DIRECTION. (AHH. So am I. Went to the One Direction concert with my cousins, August 2013. Do I need to mention we were on the third row?!?!) I clearly understand what this young lady is talking about. She told us that she will not sit in on a lesson that we teach, unless it involves something to do with ONE DIRECTION. 

Problem solved. 

We found a life size cut-out of HARRY STYLES at a party store. It was really expensive. We shared our situation with a member in our ward and she gave us money to purchase our very own "Flat Harry Styles." We purchased him and will be getting a missionary name tag for him that will say, "Elder Styles." He will be attending every lesson we have with her. Elder Styles is even coming to the district meetings we hold with the other elders and sisters. Not sure if Elder Styles has been invited. Who cares? We are sooooo funny!?!? 

Remember that FAITH can be a power in your life. Thanks for reading. Thanks for your support and love. 

xoxo Sister Kelly

In Old Town Alexandria with Sister Malufau, Sister Wright, Sister Kennedy and me.

Confused. 

It was raining really hard and when that happens, our mission president does not allow us to
drive our car. So we walked. In the rain. For about four miles. We got drenched.

Car inspection time. Clorox Bleach wipes were a lifesaver.

Just another Franconia sunset. 

We Wait Until Wednesday...Again

Dear Family and Friends:

We received an email from Elizabeth via her iPad. The libraries are closed today because of the Federal Holiday. Those in her mission received permission to email on Wednesday. So, "We wait until Wednesday...Again."

What she did tell us in her short email is that she loves her new area and ward. She knows this is where she should be. 

Best part of the email was that she was able to finally meet Jonathan Stewart!!! He is in the Alexandria Ward which meets in the same building as Sister Kelly's new ward (Franconia Ward). He is the ward mission leader in his ward. Jonathan's parents, Ralph and Judith, have been friends with Craig's family for years in Menlo Park. They have been such a part of Craig's family, that they feel like family! Ralph and Judith attended our wedding in the Los Angeles Temple. Even better, they were one of the first people to ever see Elizabeth, right after she was born, in the Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, CA. Such memories. Thank you for making the effort, Jonathan. 

Until Wednesday. Thank you again for reading.

Love,

Marya  

Feeling Fine in Franconia

Hey Everyone! 

It happened. I got transferred. On Thursday, January 8, 2015, I was told by our mission president, President Riggs that I will be moving or transferred to the Franconia Ward in Alexandria, VA. Which really means I am that much closer to one of my new favorite places, Old Town Alexandria (this town sits right along the Potomac River). I knew it was time to leave the Oakton Ward when I started calling some of the members by their first names. I would have been totally fine serving the rest of my mission in the Oakton area. But much to my dismay, it was time for a change. 

I felt so loved in Oakton and there are so many people there that changed my life. Seriously! They all touched my life in such amazing, unique ways. First off, I am going to miss Lee...the mailman. He was awesome. All missionaries appreciate the mailman. I left a part of my heart in the Oakton Ward. The people, the memories. SISTER ROSSI!  Shoutout to that rock star. I don't know what I would have done without her.

I was actually terrified of transfers. I had so many amazing experiences in Oakton, I was convinced it was all going to be downhill from there. So you can only imagine how sad it was to leave. I kept my composure (sort of) for most of the families that I said goodbye to. I started to really shed tears leaving the Noels. It all just didn't feel real. Until the next morning when we were driving to "transfer meeting." That's when the waterworks hit. I could not stop crying. I had bottled up the tears and they would not stop. It was so embarrassing. I had to say goodbye to some missionaries (Sister Richins) who were going home. It was so hard. I felt sorry for my new companion who was watching all of this tear shedding.  

SPEAKING OF WHICH

My new companion is SISTER WRIGHT! She is from Clovis, CA. She has been a missionary for one year.  

Sister Wright is so so sweet! Wow, do I love her! She is super easy going and is an incredible missionary. I am so blessed to have her as my new companion. We work really well together. It's funny how God just knows where you need to be and who you need to be with. I was so afraid of the adjustment of a new area but the Franconia Ward has made the adjustment super easy. I'm already starting to really love it here. 

The missionary work in Franconia is on fire! We are teaching a 15-year-old boy named Andrew who is so awesome. His friend, Ryan, invited him to church a few months ago and he's been to church every Sunday since then. He reads the Book of Mormon (what?!?!) and prays on his own (double what?!?!). His mom finally agreed to allow him to get baptized so now we just have to wait for his dad to say, "Yes!" We are also teaching a 16-year-old girl named Whitney. She is from Cameroon and already has a firm knowledge of God's love. We have people to teach and are super busy and...it feels great! Everyone in the Franconia Ward is on top of things. It's a huge reason the adjustment has been so easy. The Oakton Ward was really on top of things as well. I have seen some amazing leaders who really understand missionary work.

A fun fact about Sister Wright...she has amazing music. It's Christian music. I love it! 

And Sister Kennedy is in my district. Even more good times!

I will have more photos in a few weeks. I'm in a new library and I don't really know how these computers work. But for now, here is a pic of me and Sister Kennedy emailing our family and friends at the library. And, here's a pic of my new companion, Sister Wright, doing our laundry.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week! 

xoxo Sister Kelly 

Here Is What We Know...

Good Evening Family and Friends:

Elizabeth's mother here. This will be the shortest blog post ever because, simply put, Elizabeth never sent a blog post. She sent us a quick email saying that she didn't have much time because the Noels from church were taking her and Sister Rossi (drum roll please) to COSTCO. Another wish come true for our Sister Kelly. 

We know that this week, Elizabeth will be moving out of Oakton, VA and to...who knows? It's called a, "transfer." New area, new companion, new ward, new everything. She said in her email to us that the goodbyes this week haven't been that hard because she knows she will see so many of her new friends again. Sister Kelly loves the Oakton Ward and Sister Rossi.  

So, that is what we know and it is all we know. Hopefully, we will be hearing from Elizabeth before next Monday so that we know where she is "hanging her hat." 

Much Love,

Marya/Elizabeth's Mom and the rest of Elizabeth's family.

My Christmas in Virginia

Hey Everyone!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Sister Rossi and I kept thinking that snow was going come to us....but it never did. It rained instead. 

Last night as we were sending in our numbers for the week, Sister Rossi and I looked at each other and wondered why our numbers were so low....we realized it's because we pretty much Christmas Carol'd around Virginia every night instead of proselyting. Oops. We sure made a lot of memories.

On Christmas Eve, Sister Rossi and I were on our way to give some members little gifts we made for them when we stumbled upon our Methodist friends and their LIVE NATIVITY! We waved to them from our car and they summoned us to come join them. Somehow Sister Rossi and I got roped-tied into being a part of their Live Nativity. I was Mary and Sister Rossi was the angel. We had a time shift and everything. It was funny when some members of our church came to take pictures of the camel and ram only to see us with our missionary badges and fake baby Jesus. When Sister Rossi gave her talk yesterday in Sacrament Meeting, the Bishop introduced her as "The Angel of the Methodist Nativity". 

One of Sister Rossi's Christmas Eve traditions is to watch a movie and the mission wasn't going to stop us from that tradition. So, we pushed our beds together to make a MegaBed and watched a movie our church produced called, "Johnny Lingo". It was pretty much our only option. It was a good time. After some self-reflection, I realized that on a good day, I am most likely a, "three-cow-woman." 

Christmas Day was so wonderful. We spent it with members and we felt so loved and appreciated. It was so good to talk with them and laugh. Shout out to the Jensen family for having the funniest mission stories. And for the Noel's for talking about movies with me while Sister Rossi skyped her family. 

Skyping my family was wonderful. I thought I was going to be a mess but I kept my composure. My dad used the timer on his phone to keep within "mission rules." Each of them talked to me for eight minutes alone but apparently my dad went over time (he was giving me words of advice) and so my mom ended up going over time as well. Then they all joined in for the last ten minutes. I included Sister Rossi in these last ten minutes because she has such funny stories. We cried just a bit but mostly laughed.   

The day after Christmas half of the missionaries in our mission gathered for a Mission Conference directed by our mission president, President Riggs. As always, I learn so much about myself at these conferences. President Riggs always knows what to say. He talked about "Being All In" while serving mission. He discussed the importance of staying focused and devoted while serving a mission. Something I need to work on. I am excited to improve myself in this area. Sometimes I get distracted by thinking about the future and all the things I want to do AFTER my mission. What I really need to be doing is to consistently think about the things I need to be doing DURING my mission. 

Today we went to Mt. Vernon with two other sister missionaries in our area whom we love so much. We're quite a clan and it's going to be really hard leaving them this transfer. At Mount Vernon, I saw the bed where George Washington died. We also saw his tomb. It's so beautiful there! It was a wonderful way to spend my Preparation Day.

Happy New Year To All...

Love, 

Sister Kelly

Who Would Have Thought?

Merry Christmas To My Family and Friends:

As I look back at the last two weeks, I am so grateful my mission is interesting every single day. This week I would like to dedicate my blog to "the many wonders of it all." 

First off - Who would have thought I would be serving my mission near Old Town Alexandria, VA where my mom and dad met...

Just look at those cobblestoned streets.

A Walgreens to the right and a Lulu Lemon to the left...not bad.

Second - Who would have thought I would have so much fun decorating a Christmas Tree? Here I am with Pastor Dawn Singleton in her home making another memory. 

Decorating the Christmas tree at Pastor Dawn Singleton's home.  

Meowy Christmas

Third - Who would have thought I would have such an amazing experience teaching Haksong the gospel. He leaves for Korea on December 28th. A Korean family, the Moons, in the neighboring ward helped Sister Rossi and I a lot while we were teaching Haksong the lessons. Brother Moon confirmed Haksong the next day at church (yesterday) and he said the first part of the prayer/confirmation in English and then finished the prayer in Korean. I had never seen that done before and it was such a spiritual experience. 

Haksong's baptism.

All of the Oakton Ward Missionaries and Haksong.

Photo taken by Brother Noel - our ward mission leader.

Celebrating a really good week with some Sparkling Apple Cider.

Fourth - Who would have thought I would want to be in Activity Days again so that I could hang with these girls? I love them.  

These young ladies are quality!

Fifth - Who would have thought I would finally meet Katy (Calhoun) Banks! She is one of my mom's bestest friends ever in the whole wide world. Since I am a "Facebook" missionary and she lives in my mission, I found out today via Facebook that today is her birthday! I wished her happy birthday and told her that Sister Rossi and I were off to the Tyson's Corner Shopping Center. Thanks to email and Katy's knowledge of Tyson's Corner (shout out to her years at Nordstrom) we met at 1:30 pm at "The Shake Shack." I have heard about Katy my whole entire life and I have always wanted to meet her. She is everything I always thought she would be and more. Beautiful, funny and...I could go on and on. Thank you for making the effort Katy...oops! Sister Banks.

Finally, Katy Banks. A Christmas Miracle we met up!

We own this shopping center...we put a new spin on "Mall Rats." 

Sixth - Who would have thought I would have a 40 minutes only Skype conversation with my family on Christmas Day? I will let you know next week how it goes. 

Love to everyone,

Sister Kelly

Penguins...my kind of people. I took this photo for my siblings. 

I Need Thee Every Hour

Dear Family and Friends:

It was a Wednesday of adventures that is for sure. Sister Rossi and I decided to switch things up and we went to the Washington, DC Temple today and then we went to Old Town Alexandria. 

It was a good week but there were some hard times. Sister Rossi and I had some tender moments with some families in our ward that have been hit with some challenges. One evening, while we were with a family, I was able to play my violin. I played, "I Need Thee Every Hour," and "Lead Kindly Light." It was a sweet experience. Hymns mean more to me everyday. Hymns ease the pain when there are hardships. This I know. 

Coincidentally, we have been meeting some people who happen to be friends with members in our ward. This past week, while visiting some people with our ward mission leader, we met a couple who recently lived in Utah and they went to the University of Florida. Go Gators! I know all about Gainesville, FL. I lived there and I am a huge Gator Fan. I love making these connections. We invited them to the Washington, DC Temple Visitor Center's Christmas Light Festival. Who would want to miss that!? So grateful the Visitor Center and the Temple are so close.

What a beautiful sight.

Then today in Old Town Alexandria, Sister Rossi and I met an attorney from Norway. We talked and talked to him then we invited him to the Christmas Light Festival. We are excited that even though it was our Preparation Day, we were planting seeds along the way in Old Town Alexandria. The most of me is Icelandic and Sister Rossi is very Norwegian. We have this "Roots," thing on lock.

My mom wanted me to describe my mission thus far with 3 likes and 3 dislikes. Here goes...

Likes - 

1.  Driving slowly through beautiful neighborhoods in Virginia to see if we can get a glimpse of people's Christmas Trees.

2.  Getting stories from my DC friends who know: Mitt Romney, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and George W., Obama and George Clooney. 

3. The love that I'm surrounded by each day from my family, friends, Virginia family and most importantly, our loving and understanding Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.

Dislikes - 

1. Having a Costco only seven miles away and not being able to go because it is not in my designated area. All I want for Christmas is a Combo Pizza.

2. People giving Sister Rossi and I the wrong address ON PURPOSE. Shout out to "Reese" (if that is even your real name) who made us go on a two hour scavenger hunt to try to find "her house" that didn't even exist. THANKS GIRL.

3. When people think I'm foreign because I come from a mysterious place called...MILWAUKEE. Knocking my hometown hurts. Words hurt.   

  

To wrap it up, I am having an incredible experience studying the Savior in the New Testament during this Christmas Season. It is a scripture reading experience I will never forget.

Merry Christmas Everyone! 

Love,

Sister Kelly 

Photo taken at the end of the day...we still have our smiles.

   

A Great Day in Old Town Alexandria