7 months and 70 pounds later

Querida Family y Amigos, 

How are you all doing? If you are on this email chain, you know that you are the best of the best. So congrats to each one of you. 

Saturday was a special day (and not just because we got ready for Sunday). I hit my 7 month mark and we got transfer calls! Both Hna B and I were so so nervous so we just did sit ups until the call came, lol. Sister Bushnell got her call first and when they said she was going to Borger, TX to be with Hna Donis, i just lost it. I was crying SO HARD I couldn't even talk to hear my call. I was so happy for her. She is going to LOVE it there. She is going straight into the arms of my Irene and my Hermana Donis. The Lord loves her. They told my that I would be staying and my new compa was coming from her training area of Alpine Texas and was from the Dominican Republic. Her nae is Hermana Castro. I sobbed out a reply and hung up and Hna B and I just hugged each other and ccrriieeddddddd. It is so hard to keep saying goodbyes. That's the worst part about Missions. But the spirit was so strong because these calls are what the LORD wants and it feels so right. I am SO excited to show Han Castro around Portales and go out and WORK! 

Sister Bushnell and I have have gotten to know each other so well in these 7 weeks. I talk to her in all my weird voices and she talks back to me in a Stitch voice. In Relief Society, they where talking about how someone's family motto was "it will all work out" and then she asked, does anyone else's family have their own motto? And Sister Bushnell leans over to me and whispers "Kynaston's don't take dares". HAHahahah. She is so sharp, I am going to miss her.

My talk in the Spanish Branch went really really well. I was SO SO nervous before hand and I stayed up all night tossing and turning, repeating Spanish vocab in my head.. But I prepared well, and when I got up to the pulpit, my mind was clear and the Lord blessed me with the gift of tongues and the spirit was so strong. I was able to speak what was in my mind and my heart and I talked about the Savior and shared scriptures. I really love the Branch. I am so glad I am staying with them.

I am so grateful for all the opportunities the Lord gives me to improve. If He didn't care about me, he wouldn't care about giving me trials to overcome and I just wouldn't ever progress. But he is behind me and is pushing me along my mission, even when i am crying and upset and have given up, He keeps pushing, haha. I am so grateful for that. He knows the end destination and can't wait to get us there. Trust in His perfect timing. that is probably the hardest thing, but the most rewarding. Keep moving forward! Seguir adelante! 

love, 

Hermana Kynaston

Pascua poo

Herro Family and fwends. I love you guys! I hope you have been having a wonderful week! :) My week has been preeetttyyyy dumb. 

First off, we were walking home one day and we went through this other street so we could say hi to our investigator, JJ, but we saw all these cop cars and fire trucks and stuff around it, and we see his home just burned to a crisp. And we like run up and are like, "Is the person who lives here okay!?" and they are like, "we cant talk about it, be on your way" And we are like "We know him though!!!" And this detective guy (who looks 15) comes up and is like Oh you know him? I am going to need to see your ID's. So then they ask us all these questions for like 45 minutes and it was really creepy and they went through our planners to see all the days we had seen him, it was so annoying. Then a member in the branch texts us late that night and says she saw on the news that they had found 2 bodies in the house that were taken in for an autopsy. Next day they said that the bodies had been shot and killed and that their house was burned to hide the murder or something like that. So Hna B and I have been so freaked out and sad these passed couple of days. North side of Portales is known for being really sketchy and that's our area, lovely.  

A lot has happened this week. i don't really feel like writing all about everything so I will just give you a few points of stuff:

I have really missed Pier 49 this week so I make Hermana Bushnell roleplay and pretend to call in orders and I pretend to answer and tell her all about our specials, hahah. So duuumb 

We had to go to Lubbock for some dumb mission thing that lastest 30 minutes. Total waste of miles. But we had an awesome road trip! We just sang our lungs out to Vocal Point (family: BUY THE CD Vocal Point Lead Kindly Light) and we took some awesome pictures, i will send you them :)

Since it is spring, all of the animals that live by us are having babies! I guess that happens in the Spring? But it is so cuuuuuute! Kathy has a baby horse now and there are baby kitties and baby lambs and baby llamas and baby rams and baby spiders and baby humans. S'cute

I have to speak next Sunday in the Branch and I am like what's the topic and he's like missionary work. And I am like uh on Easter Sunday? And he's like, uhh yeah. Missionary work and Jesus. HAhaha.. Pray for me.. 

We were invited to a Catholic Service (in Spanish) on Saturday.

We went knocking yesterday and found the most wonderful family!!! The mother is named Mari and she has 7 boys!!! She's like Irene but reversed. She invited us in and we taught about the Plan of Salvation and she had so many good questions. Then she invited us for dinner on Wednesday and is going to teach us how to make tortillas! HURRAY!!!!

I love you all. And I am tired, So i am ending this email.

Love, 

Sister Kynaston

Best and worst week.

oh Family.. This truly has been a week of SO much growth. ( I can hardly focus though because there is the most annoying old guy sitting next to me BREATHING SO LOUD!) But anyways, all is well. Estoy siguiendo adelante!

So i will start with the bad first. This morning we woke up to having a flat tire. And instead of being allowed to drive it slowly to the car store place, we had to CHANGE the TIRE and then drive it. So, in a SKIRT, I got out the jack and the spare and some other tools that i found in the trunk and I flippin changed the tire. #WhoNeedsElders? Also this week, my brain turned to mush and I became a depressed bed potato. I couldn't get up. I didn't want to talk to anybody. I didn't want to look in a mirror. I seriously was just DONE! My poor companion.. So I called Sister Heap and she is helping me a ton. But it has been very slow going for me this week. I've been to a bunch of doctors and we are figuring this out! Everything should start to improve. I just hate feeling like that, because that's not what I came out to do.. i don't want to lay in bed. i don't want to be sick. I want to FIND, TEACH, AND BAPTIZE! The Lord is so good to me and is teaching me the best things. I am learning how to take care of myself, and how to be humble enough to let others take care of me too. Mainly those are just the things that have made this week dumb. 

BUT THIS WEEK HAS BEEN SO AMAZING! BECAUSE I GOT TO SEE MY BORGER FAMILY! We woke up really early and rode down to Lubbock with our favorite RM named Julaine. We got to the temple and I knew that the Borger ward was coming in like an hour, so Sister B and I did initiatories for a second and then ran down to the baptismal font. I walked in there and Bishop Long gave me the biggest hug! Then Sister Long! Then Sister Cochran! Then Mario! Tears just streamed down my face. Sister Long and I just looked at each other and smiled and cried for like a whole minute. My heart was going to explode. Then i walked towards the Sister changing room, and I opened the door and in the reflection of the mirror, I see Irene's beautiful face and i LEAPED INTO HER ARMS!!!! And my heart exploded. I just lost myself and we cried and cried just hugging each other. I accidentally was like sobbing. But Irene just held me even though she's like SO pregnant. She was just saying "I love you I love you I love you I love you" in my ear over and over. I finally pulled away and BOOM there was HERMANA DONIS!!!!!! I just hugged the crap out of her too. Sister Long was in there and she's crying and saying "This is what Heaven will be like". Every time I reflect on that moment I tear up. I have never in all my life felt that much love. I was surrounded in the Temple by people who LOVED me. And not only loved me, but genuinely CARED about me, people who prayed for me. And there they all where, hugging and kissing me. I felt like the most beautiful person in all the world. I got to sit with Irene as we waited in the confirmation room with Irene's hands on top of mine, feeling little baby Savannah kick around, and I had Sister Donis's arm around me. I just closed my eyes and thanked God for this perfect moment in His home.

Irene and I got a few minutes to ourselves outside the temple. We walked around and talked about life. She is such a rockstar. She is the Relief Society secretary! She loves it. She just held my face in her hands and thanked me for knocking on her door. For saving her and her babies. She said that no one will ever replace me. She told me her girls and she still hadn't gotten over me leaving and that they talked about me all the time. Irene said that I was the brightest light in her life. Then we promised each other to meet back in the temple one year from her baptism. AND THEN WE FACE TIMED HER GIRLS! They are so beautiful and they just screamed when they saw me. Oh you guys.. my heart is so full. I can't even begin to explain the joy that i have in my heart. What if I had not come?

As I kneeled down in prayer that night, I just cried to my Heavenly Father in the utmost gratitude. I explained to Him how much love I felt and how beautiful I felt around those people. And then He took that time to teach me about HIS perfect love for me. I knew that if I truly understood HIS love, I would always feel beautiful. I would always feel enough. When i am around Irene, do i even give one thought to my weight? Stretch marks? Complexion? NOOOOOOO! So if I understood Heavenly Father's love, would I give any thought to those either?

Words cannot describe how much I love this gospel. It gives us a new life. Not just when we sin. But through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we are offered that new life and new start everyday. After a hard week. After a long winter of depression. After a loss of a testimony. We are offered a fresh start. A budding blossom of love and peace. 

I love you each so much. I love my mission. I love these people. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father. i feel like i haven't even done anything, but He has blessed me beyond belief. 

Love, 

Your Sister Kynaston