Hello Everybody!

 Pretty good week this week. We have four people on date to get baptized. Two of those people are solid. And three out of four on date came to church. That was pretty exciting! I really love working in YSA because the members are doing the finding and the missionaries (me and my companion) do the the teaching. And they're great fellow shippers. They text them daily, invite them to the activities and make sure they pick them up for church, so they don't have to drive by themselves. It's a good lesson for me on how to be a good member missionary and a good fellowshipper. So if the missionaries ask you to fellowship someone this is how you do it. 

Funny Story...So last night we went to dinner and they made Hawaiian haystacks..for those of you who don't know what that is its a Utah thing where they have rice and put creme of chicken and pineapple, coconut, Chinese chips (the stuff in the salad) cheese whatever else they want on it. So we sit down and the mom doesn't want to say Hawaiian because she knows that we don't have this at home and she doesn't want to offend me. So she says, "So tonight were having.....hay stacks." And I tell her you can call them Hawaiian hay stacks I won't be offended. Maybe you had to be there, but it was funny. 

Our investigators are awesome young adults, like me :) who are just looking for truth. They have reached a point in their life where what their parents taught them isn't sufficing them. And a lot of them, because of good friends have turned to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They see their friends go on missions and come home and just be so happy. And they want that, they want a temple marriage and to be happy not just in this life, but into the life to come. It's so exciting to be here and to teach them. And it's a testimony  to me of how we don't know how we will affect someone else's life. We don't know how our example will influence those around us. 

So on Thursday I hit my 1 year mark! Wow! I only have 6 months left on my mission. It's pretty exciting to say that I've been on my mission for a year. I never thought I would make it here.  I can't explain or tell you everything I've learned in this year. But what I have learned is that people can change. We can't lose hope with anyone. Because we truly don't know when they will return. Another thing that sticks out to me is that Heavenly Father is aware of all of us! He knows our needs, he knows when we are struggling and when he needs to put someone in our path to uplift us. I know that this gospel is true. I don't have a doubt in my mind that this isn't Christ's church on this earth. I know that our Heavenly Father loves us and that we have a Savior who died for our sins, pains and weaknesses so we wouldn't have to bear them on our own. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that through the power of God he translated the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon has so much light in it, that we can't help, but feel at peace when we read it, a chapter that has really helped me through out my mission thus far is Mosiah Chapter 4. Like King Benjamin says we need to remember God, we can only gain Salvation through our Savior Jesus Christ and we need to remember Him always. Like King Benjamin says, we need to believe that we don't comprehend all the things God comprehends, but we keep going in faith. And we keep building our faith everyday. The gospel is true. Where ever you are at in this Journey of life, we all need to pray and ask Heavenly Father if this is true. Even if you have already done it, we need to continually ask and feel the spirit testify to us of truth. One last thing I want to add to my testimony is the power of forgiveness. I have seen contentious people forgive and love those around them. In order to have true Charity we need to forgive and to love those around us. I am grateful for all of you and for your support and your prayers, I hope you know that I feel them. And them help me everyday. I love you all!

-Sister Kaytie Ku'ulei Swain