Wet. Very Wet. Email- August 23, 2008

The title says it all. I am very wet. Yes we are in the midst of a tropical storm. Which means that it rains and rains and rains and the wind blows. It started raining Thursday night and has yet to stop. No one seems particularly worried. We got a text from the mission office yesterday telling us to "Drive Safe". That would be fine if we had a car.

I got your card and the night shirt from Disneyland - I was planning to take a picture of me in it but forgot. I'll get around to it soonish. I love the shirt, I've missed my big old shirts that I swiped from dad. I got the wedding invites too. Busy summer looks like.

We went to FAMU for the first time this week. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was a bit of a let down. Just a normal college campus with people. They were much nicer to us than people at FSU. Three of the people I talked to had several Books of Mormon at home, apparently we (missionaries) are so nice that they just like talking to us even though they have no intention of joining. While there we got invited to lunch at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. We figured why not? We had a good time and met lots of people. One in particular was Jean - he is from Haiti and speaks fluent English, French, and Spanish. He loves soccer and the ward has a soccer game every Friday - we got him a ride - I hope he had fun doing that.

Later that same day at FSU there was a big Christian Fellowship gathering - I saw a lot of people that I talk to on a regular basis there - I'm not going to lie - I was kind of frustrated to see no LDS students there. After pondering that night I went to talk to Br. Bowcutt. A large part of the reason we don't have the opportunity to teach much is that people have friends in their church groups and are not to willing to give that up for something new. I was hoping to integrate more LDS kids there so that they would have LDS friends and help make our teaching pool bigger. LDSSA, the student organization on campus, is not part of the Christian Fellowship. While talking to Br. Bowcutt he sensed my frustration and asked me if we worship the same God they do. I replied that yes we do - he pushed me to think deeper. They believe in one God who is 3 things all at once. We worship a God made of flesh and blood. That is why Mormons aren't considered Christian. I never knew why we weren't considered Christian, and now I do. But we came up with a new plan of action. School starts on Monday, and we have about two weeks after that to get people involved at the Institute, make friends there and then convert them. Yesterday we made fliers and Sister Bowcutt was mad that we couldn't use color on them, since we had to stay in all day because of the weather we sat and colored all the fliers. We're not finished yet, but we should get that done today.

I'm sending pictures of our place but the one I have of the inside I deleted 'cause it was really messy - I'll take another one and get it to you Monday. The other picture I'm sending is just for kicks and giggles. We were going to a dinner appointment and this guy on a bike was riding by us and his shorts were falling off - so I took a picture.

I think that's it. I love y'all. Thanks so much for all the love and support you give me. This is not an easy experience - but totally worth it.

Lots of love, Kelli

E-mail - August 18, 2008

I got your card the other day - it made me smile - thank you. So the sister missionary movie looks good? I'm afraid I've lost faith in most LDS movies - one of the Elders has the sound track to Sons of Provo, I don't know if you remember watching that, but it was really bad. The Best Two Years and The Other Side of Heaven are the only good ones I've seen. Let me know if I can find hope in LDS films again.

When I send those shirts home I will send a memory card with them. Amanda has all Benny's pictures on her computer so I want to get those as well.

Yesterday was a fun filled day. We went to two wards, we will be teaching a soon to be Sorority girl. Rush starts later this week, there is a rumor that the Tri Delts initiation involves the Elders, getting a tie or name tag or something like that. We also had two dinner appointments yesterday. It was my first time - I have been assured that it won't be the last. They were about two hours apart so it wasn't too bad. At the first one we played Go Fish for about an hour then left to our next one. We were teaching Mileena and they fed us. We did the Armour of God with her, and she may be able to stay - we'll see as time goes by.

Anyway - that's me. Thank you so much for all you do. Love you lots - Kelli

E-mail - August 16, 2008

Bible Study Group
Back row - Adrain, Blaire, Benny, Kelli, Janelle
Front row - Scorseby, Kathy, Shaday

Zone Picture
Back row - Russon, Holemo, Carroll, Christensen, Dial, Call, Young
Front row - Scoresby, Benny, Kelli (eye's closed) Costello, Smith

District Picture
Back row - Christensen, Russon, Dial, Call, Bowcutt
Front row - Scoresby, Benny, Kelli, Bowcut

Everyone is talking about Michael Phelps. Amanda was telling us after one of his races, where he broke his own world record, that he was upset because he had done it faster and better before. That kind of drive is amazing to me.

The Bowcutt's told us about the French and how the commentators were amazed that the US had won. Apparently you could hear the shock in their voices.

Dad, I have to say that your play by play was brilliant. I could hear it in my head and visualize it. Maybe you should change careers and commentate for sports. I'm just saying.

As for politics, I found a thing that has Obama's and McCain's platforms side by side so you could compare them. I read them both and was so mad that I had to throw the paper away. I've decided that I hope the worst one gets in so that after he ruins the country we will look and say, "Huh - I think the founding fathers had the way of it" and then go back to our roots. Would it be a Bush - Clinton thing if I voted for a 3rd party? Oh boy. This morning we were studying Hope and I found new meaning in Ether 12:4 "Wherefore, whoso believeith in God might with surety hope for a better world..." So conclusion, I believe and trust God. He has promised hope for a better world - I hope that the world he meant was the one we live in - not the one here to come.

Anyway - moving on ... this has been a very eventful week. Or maybe not really eventful. One big thing happened that changed the whole week. Benny went home on Wednesday. President called at about 12:30 on Tuesday and told her she was on a plane at 5:30 am Wednesday. She cried for a bit, but she ended up being more excited as the day went on. She missed Amanda's patriartical blessing. By the by - Amanda's blessing was all sorts of cool. Tuesday night we had our Bible study group and one of the girls had run into Janelle and the Elders at the park so Janelle was there to say goodbye to Benny. But the best part was when Janelle laid the smack down on the group for purposefully misinterpreting a passage in Hebrews. I was so proud.

I miss Benny lots, but now that she is gone Sister Scoresby is opening up lots more. Yesterday during comp study I couldn't get a word in edgewise - so it's going good.

I haven't received the Liquid Veggies or card, but if you sent the veggies to the mission office I probably won't get them till Zone conference. The card will probably be here today or Monday. It's fine to send stuff through the mail, we live in a cul-de-sac that is kind of cut off from the rest of the street so I'm not worried about that. I will make sure to get you a picture on Monday. I will definately get a measuring tape 'cause I'm dying for some new clothes. It's too hot to wear all the sweaters we bought and two of my shirts are long sleeved so I pretty much wear the same 4 shirts, well 3 now since one is busted, over and over again.

That's cool that Dan is meeting with a former Florida Tallahassee Missionary. Someday I will be one of those too.

Anyway that's about it - Love ya - Kelli

E-mail - August 11, 2008

Not much has happened since Saturday. We went to church - Mileena's parents forgot about our appointment so we got a ride with Melanie and did less active visits and tracting. Today the Bowcutts are feeding our entire district (about 15 missionaries) lunch - I love them very much but they are a little nuts!

I forgot to tell you - Amanda is trying to transfer to BYU. She is going to do Fall Semester here and apply in the Winter. The Institute Director here says he can pull a few strings for her especially since she is a recent convert. Amanda is also getting her Patriartical Blessing on Wednesday.

No - we don't get to watch the Olympics, but the members usually tell us a little about what is happening. Thank you for getting me my green juice - I'm so excited to get my souvenir - mail is the best thing ever.

If I send two of my shirts home can you fix them? One needs the zipper replaced or just to be sewn so there is no more need for the zipper and the other has a hole in the seam. I think that should be easy to fix. I could probably do it by hand but I don't really want to. Let me know if that is OK.

I love Whitney's henna tatto - it's in the same place I got mine - twins!

Have a great week and I look forward to hearing from y'all Saturday. Peace and Love, Kelli

E-mail - August 9, 2008

This week for me has been a little crazy. We moved on Tuesday and we're all sorts of excited about that. We are in a duplex that is really quiet which we love. The Elders helped us move and managed to break most of our furniture in the process - but it's OK - they had tape and they fixed it all up for us.

Update on Janelle - who is amazing - she had a lesson with the Elders and one of them started to bare his testimony and she stopped him in the middle of it and said, "You don't need to tell me this is Christ's Church, I already know!" Can you say amazing? Her husband is coming to the next lesson. I will keep you updated on the situation.

I had my first experience with the spirit practically yelling at me to talk to someone. We were up by the Library on campus and I felt/thought I should go up to the fountain. It was almost dinner time and I was ready to go so I thought - "Kelli you're being stupid - time to go." As we continued walking the feeling got stronger and stronger - it was the strangest thing I've ever felt in my entire life. So I drug everyone up to the fountain and I'm standing there going - "OK I'm here - now what?" I talked briefly to a girl reading Eclipse and figured it must have been an obedience lesson until Elder Call telephoned later that night and said that he had talked to this girl who said that she had just met some Mormon Missionaries and she gave him her name and phone number - so who knows. Maybe she wouldn't have if I hadn't gone up there. Mysteries of the world.

We went to FSU graduation this morning - it was long and boring but we were supporting Melanie and Casey. Anyway - I've have to go - I love you - Love Kelli

E-mail - August 4, 2008

The ward I am serving in - by the end of this month will have had 14 weddings this summer. Oy with the poodles!

I had the best day yesterday, we went to Mass with one of our investigators and that was interesting if nothing else. They had a baptism going on too. They don't sprinkle - they put your head over a basin and pour 3 cups full of water over you representing The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I got to chant. I felt like I was in the The Sound of Music. After that we taught a lesson to a 10 year old girl. Her name is Mileena. She is so smart. She was asking questions about the Godhead and how Christ was both the Son of God and the Son of Mary. We did the first lesson and had a bunch of cups with different things that Christ's church had when he was on earth - then with the Great Apostasy we smashed the church and then with the restoration we built it back up again. Tomorrow we are going to play "The Plan of Salvations" it's like the game of life but at the end we go to the Celestial Kingdom and get a Burger King Crown.

Keep me updated - Love - Kelli

E-mail - August 2, 2008

I'm in a very democratic area, that stomp competition I went to last week was also a partial Obama celebration. We're really not allowed to talk politics but what we do is say that the church encourages us to read, learn and understand what is going on and vote according to our own conscience - a lot of people seem to like that.

We are teaching a girl named Brandy who has been raised baptist but hates it. We don't get many baptists so it's fun to see someone that sees all the flaws in it. But she still has the southern view of being Saved. I've been studying grace 'cause that's all these southerners talk about and they don't seem to understand that yes we are saved by grace but we can also fall from grace. It is one of the biggest challenges we face - that and the Trinity. Today we're meeting with our Inter-faith discussion group to go over the Articles of Faith and the Biblical scriptures behind them. It will be an interesting meeting.

The web address I gave you for jewelry - Janelle - has been reading the Book of Mormon. We have been buttering her up for weeks - this week she has read through the first 13 chapters of Nephi. She loved the tree of life and sees many of the parallels with the Bible. She also believes that Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ are separate beings which makes our job so much easier. She is married so her husband will be a huge deciding factor on how this progresses - I hope and pray that they will be able to be baptized together and then become an eternal family. Janelle is amazing - I love her with all my heart.

We will be moving whenever we get the AP's help. It's a little duplex and it has a washer and dryer so I am going to save a butt load of money on laundry! Interestingly enough it doesn't have a dish washer. I'm going to learn something new.

Funny news, we play "Squirrel Tag" on campus. It is something Elder Dial introduced and we have all failed. This Thursday Sister Scoresby tagged a squirrel. Elder Dial nearly wet his pants with excitement.

Casey, the girl who will be staying with y'all for the week of Conference - she is so excited. Her almost boyfriend has plans to introduce her to his entire family. It's fun to see her so excited. She thinks you are amazing and professes her love to me and you often.

Amanda is back, she will be taking us to the grocery store later and we get to hear all about her trip and see all the pictures.

I love you all and thanks for the letters - they make my heart glad! Kelli