Becoming a Trainer!

This week has been crazy! I have left Mattawa and have been transferred up to Toppenish! The City Of Murals! It was super sad to say bye to everyone but they all have a special place in my heart and I will forever cherish the time that I had in Mattawa forever! Now to this crazy week! 

On Wednesday, we had transfers and came down to Mattawa where I met my trainee Elder Englestead!! He is so tight!!! We have a ton in common and I love his work ethic! He comes from a small town in Utah called Panguitch and he's got a little southern accent haha but he's super cool and I am so glad I am able to finish his training! I have already seen tons of improvement in him since I have met him! We live inside a neighborhood in a nice apartment but let me tell you it is so nice to be able to hear cars at night and have neighbors for the first time in a couple months! Haha but anyways Toppenish is basically dead with work right now, so somehow me and Elder Englestead have to get things going! I am super pumped because we have already been able to find 3 new people and have lessons with others! We do so much tracting right now but I love it because I get to speak with all my brothers and sisters in Spanish!!! 

-----Miracle-------

Last week when I got the assignment to train I was super nervous and didn't think that my Spanish was good enough to be able to train, to be the senior comp and be the go to guy in the lessons yet! I just felt super young in the mission but I kneeled down and said a prayer and got the feeling that everything was going to be alright because I wouldn't have been called to train if the Lord didn't have a plan for me! When I got here to Toppenish I just had the confidence in the Lord and in the Gift of Tongues and we went out and did work! And I can't say how grateful I am for the Gift of Tongues and interpretation because now I feel like I can go to any Spanish speaker and talk with them about the gospel and just about life! I am able to understand things that I know for a fact that I wasn't able to understand last week! It feels like a Spanish speaking confidence/speaking light switch just got turned on in my head! It's seriously crazy! Being in this position has helped me be more focused and more reliable on the spirit and trust in my gifts that the Lord has blessed me with! I know that if I stayed Jr. comp, there was no way I would've pushed myself this hard and been able to be where I am now! It truly is something amazing! I have been able to see the power of prayer, faith, and trust in the Lord! And now I have a stronger testimony of what the Lord can do with us as we trust in him and do our part by working hard and being obedient! He will Bless Us!!!!

Something that is super cool about serving in Toppenish is all the cool murals around - it seriously looks like a little western town!! It's so dope and you already know me and Elder Englestead are about to have some tight pics coming soon! haha but another thing that is cool is that there are 2 other elders here that serve in the same ward and branch with! One of the elders is Elder Keller and him and I have been together since the MTC! Haha it's so fun to be able to see other missionaries all the time! 

Other than that I am seriously loving the mission so much! Elder Englesteads and I's attitude about this transfer has really pumped us up for serving and sharing this wonderful message with everyone! We are finding ways to have fun but get work done as well and it's lit! You know what they say happy missionaries are obedient missionaries lol! I love you all, Have a good week! 

Con Amor,

Elder Kaili

Time to leave Mattawa....

Man WHAT A WEEK! 

This week was so GOOD! The Holy Ghost was able to convert on one of the kids that we were teaching and he was baptized last Saturday!! Miracleeeeeee! He was one of the first kids that I met when I first got here to Mattawa so it was super nice to see him enter into the path back to our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ! The Baptism was so spiritual and we had some bomb food afterwards.... CARNE and Tampico.... My favorite things to put into my body! Lol! Sunday he was able to become a member of the church of Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Ghost ! After everything I asked him how he felt and he said, "I feel new". Man when he said that the Holy Ghost was so strong and it just added to my testimony of the strength of baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost! Its so nice to be able to see the change the gospel can do to the people that we work with and teach and eventually end up in the waters of baptism! Seeing the Holy Ghost testify of truths and comfort them in times of doubt, it is truly something amazing! 

This week we also had Transfers and sadly the time has come to leave Mattawa! This tiny little town will always have a special part in my heart! I have grown so close to so many people in this area and they have really taken me in as family! I will forever be grateful for them! Especially the Garfias and Yorgesen families, they are family forever! But my new area I will be getting transferred to is....... Toppenish! I'm super excited to go there and meet my new comp Elder Englestead! He's super new... like 6 weeks into the field new haha and I will be finishing his training! I'm high key scared because I feel like I still need training haha because I still feel new in the mission but with a lot of fasting and praying... we should be good with my 3 transfers under my belt... we should be good lol!  The thing I'm most excited about this transfer is that I am senior comp now so I get to DRIVE haha! No more backing up the car in the cold weather! haha but yeah this transfer is going to be lit! 

On Tuesday we did Service and I got bit by a dog! Haha check that off the mission list! No but it was crazy, the little habit ripped my nike joggers ): I was walking up to the door and saw the dog run across the yard and then saw it start running back and then bang it was on the bag of my calf haha! and Elder Cox just stood behind me and watched me get bit haha not even a heads up or nothing! It barely got my skin though but it messed up my pants lol! But then our luck just got worst and it started snowing and we didn't really dress for the wind and the snow so it was FREEZING but you already know we got that service done! 

This Wed we had exchanges with the zone leaders and that was super fun! We blitzed our area in Mattawa and got tons of work done! Elder Thiel and Parkin are such good missionaries and I was able to learn a lot from both of them! Sad that they were only my zone leaders for a transfer but learned a lot from them! This Friday we cooked so much carne asada with some of the people we visit and it was so bomb! We cooked and cooked and cooked so more! I learned how to make some bomb carne and tortillas so letsss goo! Me and m new comp bouta be eating good! lol

Such a good and spiritual week! The next time you her from me Ill be in my new area! I love this gospel and I know its true! I love you all and hope you all have a good week!

Con amor, 

Elder Ka'ili

Dia de los Reyes Magos (Spanish Holiday)

Happy New years everyone! This first week of January was so good! Me and My comp Elder Cox were grinding this week and got a lot of stuff done! Sadly this upcoming week is the last week of the transfer and we don't know if we will stay together! But we will find out this Saturday #TRANSFERCALLS! But overall this past week was awesome!

On Tuesday we had interviews with President Jackman. We did them as a companionship over the phone and it was so nice to get advice from President Jackman about what we can do better in our area and how we can improve as missionaries! He seriously is the best and someone I look up to a lot!

Yesterday was soooo weird! 2 hr church has officially begun! We went from being at church for 6 hrs to being at church for only 3! Me and Elder Cox cover a branch and ward and now there at the same time so its has its pros and cons like not being able to attend both sacrament meetings but I really like it! Testimony meeting was so nice, hearing others bear there testimony and being able to feel the spirit is something that I'll never get tired of! Also yesterday for all my Hispanic people was Dia de los Reyes Magos! Dia de los Reyes Magos is a holiday to celebrate when the 3 kings visited baby Jesus to give him the gifts! We eat this super good bread called Rosca, but inside the bread there are 3 plastic baby Jesus's and if you cut a piece and you have one of the baby Jesus's you have to cook for the rest of the family! Haha it was so funny watching everyone try and cut a piece and hoping that they don't get the little plastic baby! We did it last night with our recent coverts haha and it was too funny! Luckily I am a master cutter and didn't get the little plastic baby!

On Thursday Elder Cox and I did a lot of tracting in the morning and went by some referrals we had! We went to a place that I have never been in Mattawa.. its basically on the very edge right by the Colombia River but we had to walk like a mile and a 1/2 to get to this one house. haha on the way back to our car we were walking and just talking and saw these 2 guys in a dirt driveway chasing this pig looking like they were trying to corner it or something so Me and Elder cox kind of just stood there and watched. 2 min later we see one guy have this gun and straight up shoot the pig in the head, then got on top of it with a knife and slit its throat. Me and elder Cox were like oh shoot, I think its time to go hahah it was crazy!

This week we were able to get in contact with our on date for baptism for this upcoming Saturday! I am so pumped and excited for him but I just hope it goes through and nothing gets in the way. I know the gospel is what he needs in his life right now! The gospel just brings this peace that nothing else will and right now he needs that peace!

I love you all and I am grateful to be serving a mission right now! I am heading into my year where I will be a full-time missionary for a whole calendar #CALENDARYEAR. 2019 bout to be the one! I hope you are all excited for this year! Thank you to everyone for the emails and packages, I can't say enough how grateful I am for the support I get from all of you! Little testimony for you all! I know this church is the only true church on the earth today! I know the Book of Mormon is true! Read it! Ponder about it! Love it! It is truly the best book on the earth today! I know the atonement is real and through it we can feel peace and the love that our savior has for us! I love you all and I hope you guys have a good week!

Con amor,
Elder Ka'ili

Right before we saw a pig get murdered haha 

Getting lit for new years eve haha 

Facetiming the zone leaders for District Council

feeding the cows and the pigs for service! 

Elder cox at the clinic getting his ear fixed lol

Comp knocking out during comp study haha 

Pozole! So bomb 

Member dinner photo tradition

Plastic baby Jesus's in La Rosca

Dia de los Reyes Magos! 

La Rosca!!!

Five Months, Christmas and New Years

Happy Holidays and Happy New Years to everyone! Its crazy that I hit 5 months out today on my mission! It feels like I just got on the plane the other day to leave to the Mexico MTC (CCM). Time is seriously flying by! This year also flew by too but looking back at this year it was definitely one for the books! Every year my dad has all of us kids make goals for the year for what we want to accomplish and become for the upcoming year! My goal for 2018 was to go on a mission and read the Book of Mormon! Well I guess I can say I accomplished my goals this year because I am writing my family right now from my mission lol. Haha no but jokes a side this year I have learned so much and grown so much in this gospel and I am truly grateful to be a missionary right now! This gospel brings so much joy to one's mind and I am so glad that I can have these 2 years to set apart my life to just focus on sharing this gospel and nothing else! This Church is true, The Book of Mormon is true and Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us! Being on a mission is the best thing ever! It is truly a dream come true!

First Christmas on my Mission was so tight! In the morning me and my zone had a brunch, secret santa and watched The Incredibles! Also I got to talk with the family face to face and finally hearing their voices after these couple of months was so nice! Also seeing both of my grandparents, my cousins, and my aunties and uncles was the best present I could of got this year! After talking with the fam we went over to our recent converts house and I barbecued for them the famous teriyaki chicken! We straight up ate like kings though on Christmas and had another dinner too!

This week my companion went deaf in one ear haha! NO JOKE. One day he was cleaning his ears and stuck the q-tip down his ear too far and made himself straight up deaf. So for the last part of the week we have been doing every trick in the book to fix his ear. We have had members pouring stuff down his ear, lighting ear candles, and flushing his ear out with warm water. Haha its been the funniest thing because after all of that..... he's still deaf haha! During the lessons or when were knocking doors he always has to be on the right side of me so he can hear with his left ear haha! Seriously had me dying this week of laughter!

This week we were able to establish a temple date with our recent convert! It seriously brought so much joy when she finally agreed and said yes she wants to go to the temple on the 12th of January! I seriously cant wait to go! The temple lets us receive all those other blessing that the temple offers! I can't wait till she can feel that and feel of the happiness that come from attending the temple! We also this week got to attend a baptism in Moses Lake because the three kids that got baptized wanted Elder Cox to baptize them! Baptisms are seriously something so special and the spirit is so strong and each and everyone of them!

Since this is the last email of 2018, I hope all of you guys have a wonderful New Years! I hope everyone thinks of goals and ways they can come closer to our savior this upcoming year! With all these changes happening in the church already, I am sure there will be more coming up! I hope we all prepare ourselves the right way so that we can be ready to do whatever our Prophet needs us to do! I love you all and I hope everyone has fun at the gym this week cause it boutta be packed! Haha. Also thank you to everyone that sent me presents and letters this past week! Haha Shout out to my cousin Little Vete for the best drawing though haha! I am so grateful for all the support I feel from you all! Love you all and I hope everyone has a good week!

Con Amor,
Elder Ka'ili

Christmas presents

Pillow case drawings from my little cousins

Christmas presents

Our secret Santa presents

I BBQ the bomb chicken

our facemasks...

Its snowed here

fixing my comp's ear

Earwax to fix my comp's ear