Love you all!

Soooo this week has been great. We got to see our investigators (the family) and they are still on date for Dec. 12. PLEASE pray for them! They need the gospel so much. It's seriously the best thing ever. I never realized how grateful I am for it, or how much I love the gospel until I came on a mission. Seriously, it's the best!

Also, We had an amazing miracle! The missionaries around the area I serve in decided to have a movie night and invite people to come watch Meet the Mormons (I highly recommend it! It's awesome) and we didn't think we'd have anyone show up. Because NOONE could come. BUT THEN we prayed really hard and right as we pulled up, a sister in our ward (Sister Pfeil) and her non mormon friend, Shirley, showed up!!! And they loved it. It was such a tender mercy and a miracle. We were so happy!

Anyway, the work rolls on slowly but surely! Love you all! 

Also...we had 3 thanksgiving dinners (plus two thanksgiving lunches!) we were so stuffed, and let me just tell you I am SO grateful for stretchy skirts :P

BUT..I am so grateful for those who fed us. It was such an uplifting day and full of fun memories and people!

Sister Kramer

LAST WEEK...

Hey there lovely family and friends,

Boy this week has been a roller coaster and a huge mess of emotion! I seriously am so excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it's gonna be SO weird not being home with everyone. THEN I also have transfers coming up super soon, and I have NO CLUE what's happening. AND I have such huge mixed emotions about leaving. Cause I totally love this area. Like, so much. Silverdale is so gorgeous and amazing. I love the members and our investigators (no matter how flaky they may be...but I digress) with all my heart and soul and it would kill me to say goodbye. However....getting to see more of the mission would be so awesome and I know that I would have an amazing time wherever I go. So, I have no idea how to feel!

BUT as I have been focusing on Thanksgiving and Christmas, I realized how fitting it is to be able to focus on gratitude right before focusing on the Savior and what He did for us. And I have truly come to be so incredibly grateful for my Savior. Think about it....the most powerful, perfect human being to walk this planet died for US, imperfect as we are. He loved us so much, so perfectly that He suffered for our sins so that we would have a chance to live with our Father and have happiness again. ALSO, He died knowing full well that some would completely reject Him and that not everyone would be saved. How selfless, and how perfect He is. I am so grateful that I know my Savior lives, and that He walks beside us everyday, to wipe our tears, silence our fears, and rejoice when we feel joy and happiness. 

I am also so grateful for my mom, and for all the women who have been an influence in my life. I know I am who I am because of my mother's gentle, guiding hand, and for all she did for me. Both my mom, and all of you wonderful amazing women in my life who have helped me grow and progress and learn. Truly, as Elder Holland (one of the leaders of the church) said in a talk he gave this past October: "No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child." 

I am also grateful for my dad, and for all the men in my life who have also helped me. I am a daddy's girl. My dad was always the one to kill the bugs, chase away the boys, and rescue me from all the scary monsters in my room. I never failed to feel loved and supported by all the men in the church, and I am so grateful for their example of righteous leadership and love. I have seen their example in supporting and honoring their wives and helping provide a safe environment for their children. I know that through my father's example, I have come to know more about my Heavenly Father and His love for us and our relationship to Him.

I am also so grateful for the scriptures. I feel so blessed to have the words of the prophets and feel the peace that comes from studying the words of the Lord and His prophets. I know that the Lord is there for us, always, and that He hears and answers our prayers. Maybe not in the manner or time that we want or expect, but in the way we need. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to share this amazing gospel with others! I love you all. Thank you for your love and support and prayers. I definitely feel and appreciate them! 

Love,

Sister Kramer

Sarah at the airport

Holy Smokes

Hey there lovely family and friends!

So, another cool story I forgot to tell you all about was that the other week, Sister Trost and I were knocking out by the shore and we saw a little group of Sea Lions, just splashing and playing around! It was the coolest thing ever, especially for this city girl and animal lover. I seriously thought it was the coolest thing ever. haha. I was pretty excited about it.

Anyway, this week was a little slower, but it's definitely been so amazing at the same time. The Lord seriously knows exactly what we need and when we need it, and there are so many blessings that come from being exactly obedient. For example: in our mission, we have 5 things we are supposed to do every day. 

1. get up on time (6:30)

2. get out on time (10:15) 

3. Be on time to our 5-7's (every day we knock from 5-7 PM) 

4. Talk to 20 people (not knocking on doors, just opening our mouths to those on the streets)

and 5. update our area book (the record of who and what we've been teaching) 

in my area, there are usually not 20 people milling around on the streets. We talk to everyone we see, but it's not 20. Also, it can be really hard to get to knocking on time, because members can be really chatty. We love them, but they can be chatty and that makes it a little harder. So our district leader looooves to say HOLY SMOKES if we don't do our 5 things, and asked us to try a little harder to reach those goals. So sister Trost and I have worked really hard this week to accomplish them, and although we haven't seen tremendous miracles, I can definitely say that those are the days when I'm happiest and come home and feel great. It's definitely been such a testimony builder. Because although I wasn't being disobedient, when I stretched myself a little further and tried a little harder, I was happier. I know the Lord provides everthing we need and in the time we need it. I'm grateful for His blessings, and for the commandments that He gives, because I KNOW that He gives them to us out of love and to help protect us!

Also: On Sunday, our investigators didn't come to church and the chapel was kinda empty, and so I was sad and kinda sat through the first meeting in self pity. BUT then in third hour, I was frustrated with myself for only thinking of me, and decided to try and talk to everyone in the class. I went to each of them and gave them hugs and asked how they were doing. Seriously, I've hear so many times "if you aren't happy, turn out. Serve others." but it's true. Even the simple act of talking with them was enough to lift my spirits and totally turn my day around! It was awesome. Serving others is the real medicine for the aches and pains of the soul!

Anyway. this is super long, so sorry about that! BUT I love you all. thank you all for your love and support. I am so grateful for all of you!

Love,

Sister Kramer

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER-this was last weeks email

Man...this week has been so crazy! 

Soooo...I forgot to tell you that last week (it was Halloween, actually), Sister Trost and I ended up walking in to a public restroom, and there were, like, three guys and a few girls in the GIRLS bathroom. It smelled like smoke, and they were all lined up. They were like: "Sorry, we're in a meeting." And, mind you, marijuana is legal here.....so....it was something worse than marijuana. Yep. We walked into a drug deal. 

Also, we heard a few gunshots last week. I'm very easily startled, so I literally RAN to Sister Trost and grabbed her arm. It wasn't close by or anything, but it startled me pretty bad and I got scared. So....yeah. I screamed. Sister Trost thinks its SO funny.

That same house we were walking up to when that happened, the guy ended up interrupting what I was saying and gave me the "Live long and prosper" hand sign from Star Trek. He asked if I knew what it was, and I said yes, and he goes: "Live long, and prosper." And shuts the door. I was like....ummm. Okay, then! It cracked us both up!

Okay, so the more spiritual side of things....

We were FINALLY able to get our family on date. Sister Trost and I literally got into the car and screamed the whole way home! We were so excited. Of course, they've fallen off date, and we are hoping they don't fall off again, but we just really want this to happen! So here's the story: We have been going over there and leaving scriptures, trying to uplift them and help them progress, but still be sensitive to their situation and not overwhelm them with Gospel. We've been praying a lot for them and about them, trying to discern what to do. It's funny, cause the lessons that I really just don't know what to say, so I just tell Heavenly Father to take the lesson, are the most amazing lessons. Michelle, the mother, just out of the blue was like: "You guys should come do lessons when you come over. You haven't been. We want you to read the Book of Mormon with us!" (we were leaving scriptures and talking about gospel things, but trying to make sure they knew we loved them and not overwhelm them with Gospel lessons). So we told them we would be happy to do that. We explained that we wanted to help them toward baptism and to teach them, we had just wanted to be sensitive to them. So then I was just like...okay. Do you want to pick a date for baptism? Because that's obviously something you want. So then we talked about a date and, as a family, they chose December 12!! Please please pray for that day to happen! They need to get baptized! It's really amazing though. The Lord really, truly knows what we need, what our investigators need, and the times that we rely on Him are the times that He helps us. Even when we feel like we are alone or don't know what to do...if we trust Him, He will always have our back. 

Also, we knocked into an investigator, Kelly, a few weeks ago and she had met some other sisters but had moved. So we are starting to teach her, and she is really amazing! She's so prepared for the gospel. She just kept saying "It just makes sense! It all fits!" and I'm so excited to keep teaching her! 

AND...I don't know how this happened, but a brand new set of scriptures just showed up in the church last Sunday in a bad with my name on them. I have no clue how they got there or who bought them, but the other sister Kramer in the mission told me that they weren't hers, and there aren't any other sister Kramer's in the ward....So I don't know how, but I just got a new set of scriptures, which is funny cause I'd kinda been missing my old set. I left them at home, and was just using an extra set that we had because I wanted to be able to make fresh markings, but I really missed my old ones. BUT the Lord gave me a brand new set. I don't know how or why, but I'm grateful for them! so...yeah. I will always remember that! The Lord works in Mysterious ways!

Also...the primary program was this week and it was the CUTEST THING! Man I hated the primary program when I was younger BUT I love it now. The spirit was soooo strong and three people showed up at church with friends, so that was AMAZING! So yay for missionary work!

Okay, I love you all. I know the church is true and I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have of the atonement and the peace and forgiveness that come when we trust the Lord!

Love, Sister Kramer