We received two letters in the mailbox, all on the same day! They were postmarked in Salt Lake City, and I don't know how they got there, but Ashley wrote the first one January 23rd (enero 23) and the second one January 30 (enero 30). That's right, the months of the year (as well as days of the week) aren't capitalized in Spanish. Just so you know.
enero 23 1014
Mi familia!
Today is p-day. I emailed you but accidentally deleted my well constructed email. Short choppy words replaced it and I'm sorry. I'll try to do my best to share what I couldn't with you.
So first off flying was an adventure. I know I was blessed to be able to make all my flights. When we landed at the Phoenix airport (which is huge) we got off the plane and were outside. Everyone was just standing around not really knowing what to do. I sat by a woman on the plane who said that she had been to the Phoenix airport many times. She said that this was new for her to be dropped off outside. So she started to walk towards the airport and I followed her. We started to get to an areas where it didn't look like we were supposed to be. I looked around frantically and saw some other people walking in another direction. So I quickly walked/ran to where they were, jumped a rope, and followed the crowd. It was good in this case. By a miracle I was able to get to my terminal and make my plane. (Sorry if I repeat somethings…I'm not really sure what I told you in my email since I deleted the first one.)
So as I was waiting to board the plane I think I smelled some kind of drug for the first time (that's what happens when you live in Firth). It smelled so bad and gave me a headache. I knew the Lord was protecting me and I felt blessed that I didn't sit by the person I could smell the drug on. He kept looking at me which made me uncomfortable.
Luckily on my last and third flight of the day I was able to sit by Olivia. I'm not kidding when I say we seriously quoted Frozen. It was fun! I was talking to Javier, her dad. He said when I got on the plane that I looked familiar. I said maybe we were supposed to meet. He said, "I think so." Sorry I may have already told you that. The flight from Arizona to Mexico was long to say the least but at least I got to have fun with Olivia. I shared my fruit snacks and she talked away. I told them that I was going to Cali for my mission and Olivia was saying that she wished I could stay in Mexico. It was funny because every so often she would say, "I am 5!" and then again a while later, "I am 5!' Haha
So we have an investigator here. She's actually a member of the church but she acts as though she's not. It's been fun trying to teach her in Spanish. I can't say a lot but my companion, Hermana Huff, helps me out a ton. She is 21 years old and is from Pennsylvania. She is always so patient with me. She's great! It's funny because when people ask my name and I say Killpack they are always like, "Wow, that's such a cool name!" I guess it's unique. Haha, I'm happy to be Hermana Killpack.
So yesterday we had an elder in our district that was struggling. I guess he's having back pain and missed a friend's funeral after he left. He was seriously considering going home. In class yesterday we all got on our knees and prayed for him. Prayer is wonderful. I think he's doing better and will stay.
So I can't believe how well I 'm doing here. I haven't been homesick at all. I haven't been stressed. I just have faith that everything will work out as it should. I know it will.
So funny story, the other day one of the hermanas felt like she was getting sick so she wanted to use some oregano. We all decided that we would use some. Word of advice, don't take oregano without milk! We bonded as we laughed and gagged as we gulped water trying to put out the fire. I don't think we will be doing that again unless we have milk. But it was funny.
In our casa there are 5 rooms that hold 4 girls each. So far only 2 rooms are full but I bet we'll get more girls soon. We don't spend a lot of time at our casa. We have a lot of study time which is great for studying the language or preparing a lesson for our investigator.
We get to be outside sometimes and it's so wonderful. I just know that I'll be coming back the the States tanner. Who would've thought you could tan in January?!
So while here I experienced the COLDEST shower of my life. I will tell you about it. So there are 2 knobs in the shower and I tried both trying to figure out which one was warm. I couldn't find it. I turned one knob, that was cold. I then turned the other knob, that was glacier cold. I though I was going to be taking cold showers for 6 weeks. Thankfully not. One of the hermanas figured out the trick. You have to turn on the bottom knob and then let it run for about 3 or 4 minutes before it gets warm. Haha the cold shower really didn't bother me because it made me really appreciate warm showers. I probably shouldn't have tried shaving my legs in my cold shower. I was freezing and shivering so much that I cut my legs all over. If I was a hemophiliac…I would be dead! But no worries, I'm not! After my shower I just felt such gratitude for all the blessings we have in the United States that we don't even realize. At first I thought it would be cool to serve a foreign mission, and it would. But now I feel so blessed to be serving in the States. I'm way excited to go to California!
Oh yea, my companion, Hermana Huff, is also called to serve in the Ventura California mission. I'm so glad we get to fly back to the US together.
Good news, I have yet to see a cockroach. When we first got to our casa there were some mosquitos but we killed them off pretty fast. I used that oil you sent, Mom, and only got one bite. So far I haven't seen anymore mosquitos since.
The sunsets here are beautiful but I feel like the sun is setting on the wrong side. It's weird. In the mornings and evenings it's a bit cold but during the day the weather is perfect. I know it's probably like 20 degrees there and you all are probably thinking that I've forgotten what cold really is. Haha don't worry, I haven't. So right now we are doing laundry at our casa. It's nice that we have a washer and dryer here. I don't know that every casa does.
There is a saying here at the CCM that days feel like weeks and weeks feel like days. It's so true! I feel like I just got here.
Something else that is funny (sorry if I already told you) is when someone sneezes you say "salud" which means health or bless you. In my district when someone sneezes we say "salad!" Haha one elder said it wrong I think and it kinda stuck.
I loved getting everyone's emails. I was able to read them all (Mom's, Dad's G-ma Betty). However, I wasn't able to respond to them all, sorry. Next time I will try not to delete everything. I am so excited to be a missionary. Sometimes it still doesn't seen real that I'm a missionary because I'm still in the MTC. It is very beautiful here and everyone is very kind. La tienda is great! I bought some cookies called Chokis and they were really good. But after, I started craving our homemade cookies. Maybe when I get back into the States…? Haha.
So Mom, guess what? Do you remember when we were packing my suitcase and the top part kept falling down like it was being weighted down with something? Well it was! I thought I had unpacked everything from college but I unzipped the zipper to find 2 pairs of skinny jeans. Haha whoops! I don't think I can wear them so I'll have to send them home sometime. They are some of my favorites. I even have my red pair of skinny jeans.
Thank you for your kind/sneaky letter you put in my journal along with the picture of our family. I showed Yanis (our investigator) our family picture and she immediately saw Andrew and was like pelirojo! (I don't think I spelled that right but it means redhead). Haha. I joked that he was adopted. She really liked looking at our family picture and I love it too. It makes me happy. Also please tell Emily thank you for her kind/sneaky letter. She snuck that in when I wasn't looking!
Guess what? I still hear trains here. That is exciting. Oh and driving here is crazy! We got so close to other vehicles it's amazing we didn't have any accidents. I don't recall even seeing a stop sign but maybe a flashing light once or twice.
So even though we can't go to the temple I hear we get to go to the visitor center. I think we'll go in a couple weeks. I love being a missionary and I know the Lord doesn't call the qualified but qualifies the called. I know that He is helping me to become an instrument in His hands. It's exciting to think how much I've already grown and how much I will continue to grow. The gospel of Jesus Christ (El Evanglio de Jesu Cristo) brings such happiness when we live the commandments.
I am happy. I haven't missed TV, computers, having a phone, radios or anything. But it gives me comfort to know that I'm still popular on Facebook…I guess I can stop losing sleep over that one (WINK). Haha.
Don't worry about me but pray for me. As I pray for you, I know the Lord is watching over you and blessing your lives. I want to keep telling you everything but I could probably go on for hours. I love you all very much! I pray for your safety and happiness. Thank you so much for your love and support. It's through the example of my wonderful family that I had the desire to serve a mission. Study Preach My Gospel and learn how to more fully commit yourselves to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not just for missionaries but for everyone. Sorry this is a long letter. I just wanted you to know that I'm having a wonderful time and learning everyday. You guys are the best! Please have the Best Day Ever! Life is beautiful! La iglesia es verdadera!
Love, Hermana Killpack
P. S. We have a maid! I thing she only comes on P-day but IDK. I think she just cleans the floors and maybe the bathrooms but I don't know for sure but still pretty cool!!
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30 enero 2014
Dear Family,
I am loving the CCM! It has been an excellent opportunity to learn and grow. I fly out in 25 days for California! At times it still feels like I'm not a missionary yet because I'm not out in the campo (field) but it will come soon. Right now we're doing laundry and I have been waterproofing my shoes.
I feel like I told you a lot in my last letter so I'm trying to think of things for this one. So on the casas are small propane tanks, at least that's what I think they are. And to flush the toilets (or most) you can step on a pedal on the ground and flush them, which is most convenient in a skirt.
Before my mission I'll admit that it took me a while to tell time from a normal clock. I was so used to the digital numbers from a cell phone or computer, however, now I can look at my watch and instantly know the time without staring at it for a couple seconds. Haha it's a good accomplishment.
So if you're wondering, I haven't gained any weight. We have 3 meals a day and we get to exercise everyday except Sunday. It's weird because Saturdays don't feel like Saturdays because we still study, read, and go to classes. Sundays are different but we still do lots. We pray a lot here. I don't know how many prayers I say in a day but it's a lot. I can't always understand what my teachers are saying but I know they love us and have a testimony of prayer. So our investigator Yanis is actually one of our teachers now. That was a surprise. She is amazing and so loving. Last night we were leaving and she called us hermanas her daughters. It was cute.
So right now I'm teaching Hermana Hooper how to sew, how to thread a needle and tie the knot. She is trying to sew a slit in her skirt. I'm glad I had some practice before I came out but I am more than happy to teach her what I know.
So for our service project that I already told you about in one of my emails it was so nice to be able to wear jeans. It felt so good. Dresses can be fun, but nothing can replace a good pair of jeans.
So I just went to lunch and this girl we sat by was like "Killpack is a unique name." She said she remembered it from somewhere but didn't know where. After some thinking she remembered. The girl's name is Hermana Martinez. She is from Monterey, central coast of California. She took a humanities class from a woman named Mrs. Haddock. Mrs. Haddock's son was/is Weston's companion in Bulgaria, the companion who was originally from Bulgarian and found his mom and family there. Apparently the article about Weston and Elder Haddock was published and Hermana Martinez's sister (who was then taking a class from Mrs. Haddock) gave her (Hermana Martinez) the article to read. Hermana Martinez remembered the name Killpack (talking about Weston) and today she made the connection by finding me. Isn't that crazy?! It's a small world after all, even in Mexico! So that's my cool story of the day.
It's funny to watch what some elders do for fun here. This morning I saw some elders "shooting" each other with their banana guns as they made sound effects. I must say some of the elders here look so young! Almost like they just barely turned 18 or something. Sometimes you can tell by the way they act.
I can't wait until we have the chance to go to the temple visitor center. I hear that it's pretty nice. Even though it's not the temple I'm excited to be able to get out of the CCM for a bit. I love the CCM, it's beautiful, peaceful, safe and nice, but we see it everyday. I'm excited to see something new. Chances are, by the time you get this I may have already gone.
Oh Mom, I wanted to thank you for the make up you gave me for my birthday, especially the eye shadow. It's one of my new favs. I also bet you're doing a great job keeping up my blog. I wish I could see it but I have complete faith that it is the most well compiled blog out there, haha!
We did have rain here a couple days ago. It sounded like it rained hard at first but it didn't last long. It smelled good, though.
So there's this plane that will sometimes randomly fly over the CCM. I think it's some kind of advertisement. The elders in our district say that it's actually an announcement that a war is going to start. Somehow I think the first idea is a bit more logical. Even so, the first time the plane flew over the elders went and stood in the earthquake circle. I think they thought that the plane was the sign or signal (we're supposed to have a siren sound when an earthquake is coming) that there was going to be an earthquake. But so far I haven't heard the siren once. I know I am safe here and that the Lord does protect His missionaries. I am so grateful and blessed to be a missionary! thank you for all your love, prayers and support. I am so glad I have a fan club. It's always been a goal of mine hahaha! Well I love you lots and lots. La iglesia es verdadera!
Love, Hermana Killpack
P. S. We (my district) all get excited for "P-day eve." We don't really do anything on "P-day eve," just get excited for the next day which is P-day. Haha.
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