Hello everyone! Can you believe that this time has come?! I am leaving the MTC! It feels so crazy! Time has flown by! Before I get started, Happy New Year! And, if you want to receive letters from me, please, email me your address and if you have already sent letters or dearelders, let me know if your addresses have changed. For example: Taylor, I've sent you a couple letters but your dearelder address says belmont and I don't think that's right. Kendra, where are you now? jayci, are you in Alaska? Megan W. are you in Boston? So, cases such as these, let me know the changes! I want to keep in touch! Shoop, I never got your address! And Liz Turner, I'd love to send you a note!
So, I am done with my training and am finally leaving! It feels weird. I feel prepared, but at the same time, I am scared out of my mind! I mean, this is the next 16 months of my life! It is going to be an amazing adventure! This week has been a lot of lasts for me. Last time with my district in everything. Last time teaching here, last time at the RC, last time at my branch here with my pres, getting released from my calling... It's hard to leave! Sunday was very nice. Hna Cottle and Elder Montgomery were called to speak, so scary for them! They did great. And then a member from the branch presidency and his wife spoke, Brother and Sister Ohman. He shared a wonderful story about a young man who was disabled. He couldn't speak well and always got words mixed up and the order and everything, just hard to understand. A boy is his ward at church died, only 8 years old, and he went to the funeral. All throughout it, he wanted to think of something to say to the parents to show them how he felt. A poem just came to mind and after the service, he rattled it off perfectly, with no mistakes, as if it came from the boy himself. I thought the poem applied to my mission, so here it is:
I am yet alive.
There's no need
To mourn over me,
I am not far away at all
Just across a distant sea.
I am yet alive,
Just in a distant sphere,
Teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ
To all of those who'll hear.
I am yet alive,
There is no need to fear,
I am always with you,
My Spirit always near you.
I am yet alive,
And look forward to the day,
When we shall be together again,
There will be so much to say.
I am yet alive,
My family it is so,
I love you all so very much.
I just wanted you to know
I am yet alive.
That is how I feel, like I am yet alive! People may wonder how I am doing and if I am alright. It is important to know that I am so well! I am alive! This is a wonderful work that I am doing, one that makes me so happy and feel alive! I loved that poem that he shared!
Sunday afternoon we had our own Hasta Ver. I'm not sure if I've told you about Hasta Ver. Every Sunday we as a zone go up to the temple grounds and sing "God be with you till we meet again" and then those who are leaving that week bear their testimonies in Spanish. It was very beautiful and I loved to hear the testimonies of those that I have grown so close with. Besides that, it was the coldest I've ever been in my life! Let's just say that I am happy to leave this weather. When all you have is a rain coat and it is like, in the teens and 20s, I don't even know cause I have no way of checking, but you get cold! I'm done! Yay!
So Sunday was good and happy, and then Monday had to happen, and that sucked! Basically my entire district of 9 left Monday. Only me, Elder Bratt, and Elder Montgomery remained. It was SO HARD to say goodbye! They have been my family for the past two months! Having my comps leave made me cry, not going to lie. It was weird to be the comp of two elders yesterday. Elder Bratt left for Phoenix today, so if you see him, say hi and be nice! So now it's the two ecuador missionaries left! I leave brightand early, and then the real work begins, talk about exciting!
Oh, and tell Sister Dawson that Elder Montgomery and his family knows her and Tammy Stevenson's family! They are related somehow! Small world!
So friends, the next you'll here from me, I will be in Ecuador. I will be teaching and finally working. I am so excited, nervous, but excited for what is to come! I love you all and my mom will give you more info on how to reach me in Ecuador. Feel free to email me! I'll have an hour time limit, so longer to read! Love you so much!
Kaylee
aka Hermana Sorensen
