LAST LETTER!

FAMALIA MIA...

Yep last one...Kinda pointless writing one seeing as I'll be seeing you in less than 24 hours but it was an amazing week until late last night soo I’ll write all the good stuff and then explain.

This week was the most perfect end to my mission-- we had sooo many great lessons and awesome investigators we have been soo blessed lately. I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to come back to Tempe. This ward is my little family. They’ve spoiled me all week. So many members cried saying bye and gave me little presents and letters. Many of our investigators surprised me with little gifts (flowers, teddy bears. chocolate) and were bearing their testimonies thanking us for knocking on their door and changing their lives. The ward threw me a surprise party yesterday too, which was super sweet. They are amazing I already am missing them and I can't wait to come back. They all live in these tiny humble little trailers and invited me and my family to come and stay when them when I come back to visit. I love these people they live charity.

So bad news....

OUR AREA IS GETTING WHITEWASHED WITH ELDERS:( :( :(

Didn't see that coming at all. Well maybe a little actually. We figured my two companions would stay this transfer especially because our area is thriving right now it would be so stupid to take them out...We were shocked last night when we got the call. We were saying bye to some members and they started crying too. They love sisters for some reason our ward doesn't like elders at all. There’s always been two sisters and two elders in our ward and for some reason we always get weird elders that lose the members trust or don't work hard or offend somebody. There’s been a few that have been good though...so now the members are really upset...Us too. What the heck?! I know it doesn't technically affect me because I wont be here but I'm more mad because I’ve spend basically the last year in this area and I’m worried about what will happen with our investigators- especially the one getting baptized this weekend. And I’m worried that no one will visit my recent converts...But I’m sure that Heavenly Father knows what he is doing and that there must be someone is our are that the elders need to teach...But I’m still upset.

Well I guess it wasn't a total surprise we are being taken out. President has been worried about our area for a little while. I guess now that I will see you tomorrow I can tell you all this...So our area is HUGE but we mainly stay in certain pockets where all the Hispanics are which happens to be the high crime areas because the apartments and trailers parks that they live in don't require background checks, socials and are super cheap so it attracts some crazy white people that the majority just got out of prison and are on a variety of drugs. Which usually makes our lives pretty entertaining and gives us fantastic quotes. But the last month all this weird stuff has been happening and we had a couple of experiences where the spirit told us we weren't safe and to literally get up and run. We have about 5 investigators that all live in these apartments and that is where so much of our work is. Unfortunately there is always bad stuff happening there and on the streets that surround it. At the beginning of the transfer there was this rape and stabbing and then two weeks ago there were 2 murders. One of them was a recent convert in one of the English wards. There is just a lot of cocaine and heroine in Tempe. Lots of desperate homeless people who have lost their minds and every day it gets a little crazier. It's never really scared us until lately when it's just been one thing after the other and so many of the people we talk to on the street are asking us to have sex with them and stuff. For some reason it's just gotten worse over the last 6 weeks. Well we hadn't really told Pres about any of it because we knew he would pull us out of the area because he's protective of sisters but the same night of the murders he called us and said he had a bad feeling and was worried about one of our investigators being a "predator" which just made us super defensive because none of our investigators are predators they are all sweet hearts. So we were really mad at Pres for saying that but then the next night in that same apartment complex we were teaching one of our recent converts outside and we just got this overwhelming terrible feeling that we needed to leave immediately. I have never been so freaked out in my life. We tried to ignore the feeling the first time because there was no obvious reason to leave. Then this guy that lives there who creeps us out really bad started pacing around us in circles for like 10 minutes and then finally came up to us and asked us for drug money. I believe he is the predator president was trying to talk about. He creeps me out so bad.  We were all so freaked out that while our recent convert was saying the prayer we all had our eyes open I didn’t dare close them. And we all felt an almost audible voice telling us to get the heck out of there. He ended the prayer and we booked it. Literally we didn't walk...we ran to our car. We told Pres about it the next day and we all decided it would be better to have all of our lessons at the church and to not go back to some of those apartments especially at night. So we've had all our lessons at the church this last week and it's been so amazing! But he's still pulling sisters out.

I'm mad about it but at the same time if I think about all the weird things that have been happening I think Heavenly Father has been warning us all transfer to be safe. LAME.

But I’m thankful for the miracles we saw while we were here we were definitely supposed to be here together and find some of these people. Hopefully the area cleans up a little and sisters can go back..

ANYWHO..

I have my final interview with Pres in like two hours and then I'll be with him and Sister Howes and the other 5 missionaries going home for the rest of the day/night.... and then Pres is picking me up at like 4am for breakfast and taking me to the airport...and then I WILL SEE YOU!!!

LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU

Email 1/30/12 - What could be the last email!

***Kaitlyn comes home February 7th. She may have time to write one more email but this could very well be the last email as Hermana Kaitlyn Norton!***

This week was AMAZING. We had so many good lessons and we had a lot of fun!

First of all. I LOVE FHE Monday nights. Last week was soooo fun! I took video and I can't wait to show you its sooo funny! We played line tag (tag but you have to stay on the lines of the basketball court)...it's just hilarious to see these grown men playing kids games and having such a good time doing it... They get so into it I love it! The sad thing is that we were incredibly sore the next day It's a lot harder than it was when we were little...GOOD TIMES. We loved it so much we are making it our morning work out. Usually us and the Assistants run on the track by the high school near by every morning but we are convincing them to come to a chapel in the morning instead and play line tag with obstacles. Pretty entertaining.

So many good things happened this week I don't know where to start!!

OH- “E” IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON THE 11th...Which is great but kind of kills me because I wont be here. I thought about asking him if he wants to do it before I leave ha-ha but that would be "selfish"...dang it. But he is AMAZING AND GOLDEN AND I LOVE HIM TO DEATH. He's so cool! We teach him almost everyday. His wife isn't interested and so he likes to have the lessons in the church. Which is a thousand times better for us too...it makes the spirit so much stronger when we have lessons in the church. He came to church yesterday and brought a bunch of little kids that are his nephews and nieces. He was so cute in gospel principles when he introduced himself he basically told his conversion story and testimony! He also thanked me for not forgetting him and for going back after all these months. SO COOL.... It’s so crazy if you would have told me last summer than “E” was getting baptized I wouldn't have believed you we tried so hard to set up lessons and he always no-showed and we were so bitter so we just gave up on him...and now he is the most golden guy ever. He brought his sons to Young men’s this week and now we are teaching them too. Its so refreshing teaching people that are interested and keep commitments!

We had 6 investigators at church yesterday! Hallelujah...

“M” and “F” came too and it was so fun to listen to them tell members who they are and we overheard “M” telling a member that he just loved the Book of Mormon and doesn't leave the house in the morning unless he has at least read a few verses...We have some dang good investigators right now it's so great.

OHhhh we dropped “P”..it was horrible. I cried. He cried. But it was mutual and he just isn't ready right now and much as we want him to be he kept saying " I know it's true but it's just too hard right now" (smoking) he breaks me heart and frustrates me soo much because he says that he's trying and he's doing everything but god just isn't helping him with smoking but he isn't doing everything. He doesn't keep half of the commitments. We tried to explain how faith isn’t just believing God will help you stop smoking. Faith is not buying cigarettes and reading and coming to church. Actually doing something about it instead of just sitting and feeling bad for yourself. Faith is not texting back the skanky women.. I yelled at him a little but it was good he needed it and he knows it's because we love him. A few days after we dropped him he sent us a text out of nowhere saying he was going to re-start the book of Mormon and find some strength...I really hope he can get it together. I'm coming back when he gets baptized.

Next...VOMIFYING..Oh my gosh it has been impressive some of the crazy things members have said to our investigators this week..haha it kills me and makes me never want to bring members to lessons..they can help or kill a lesson sooo fast! But this week there was something in the air or a disease that all our members caught in almost all the lessons where they all said some freaking crazy stuff to investigators...and gospel principles class is getting absolutely out of control with false doctrine. We try our best to clean up after but sometimes you can't clean up and the damage is done. I think this is the test of a true investigator if they are still interested after enduring some of our members puking random testimony all over them. For example...We were teaching the Restoration. First lesson to a new lady and we were teaching about what a prophet is and the member OUT OF NOWHERE starts talking about resurrection and how we all are going to be resurrected or go to outer darkness sooo she needs to learn how to pray the right way because her church that she is currently going to is wrong and she is only reciting memorized prayers and God hates that and so she needs to learn how to pray so she doesn't go to hell and burn... and how she should probably divorce her husband if he isn't interested or drinks or anything bad....????? AHHHHHH shoot me... so bad... I just want to say "don't associate us with this member they are crazy. That’s not doctrine. At all." The whole time all three of us are trying to cut these members off meanwhile they are vomiting and pooping their testimonies all over our investigators. It’s horrible. And their random stories that 1) aren’t true. Straight up false doctrine 2) Random and have nothing to do with what we are teaching 3) Are usually like 30 minute long stories...

Seriously it's impressive the things they can say in such a short amount of time to just KILL a lesson. ...Sometimes its funny but in the moment in the lesson it’s not funny at all my heart just sinks because a lot of the time we don't ever get a chance to teach that person again. But then again sometimes i think Heavenly Father muffles their ears and they let us come back still. i consider those miracles when they let us come back after crazy lessons.

These members say the darndest things.

WELLPP I’m out of time...Overall good week..

I’m not sure if this is the last email or not. I might right one last week before my exit interview...i dunno..

I LOVE YOU