Sunsets, Service, and Praying to Find "Drunk Food"

From the Letter to the President:

Life is just splendidly wonderful! :) This week was amazing! I've really seen the Spanish work pick up quite a bit here in Santa Paula! It is such a wonderful area to serve in!

My family is doing fantastic! They are experiencing fall in Idaho with the dropping temperatures and blowing winds. That is the kind of temperature that lets me know it's fall. I suppose the calender with have to do for this year in California. :)

This week we had a bit of a surprise. We were planning on S's baptism this past Saturday. We were supposed to have several lessons with him this week. We went over to his house and his family told us that he was in Texas. We were able to get in contact with S and he had been called away on an emergency to Texas. He told us that he doesn't know how long he will be there but that he still wants to get baptized. He told us that he would call us when he gets back to Santa Paula. We were looking forward to S's baptism this Saturday, but we are trusting in the Lord and His plan. :) 

This week we were able to find some new investigators by following the promptings of the spirit. We were talking with an investigator when I felt prompted to ask her if she knew of anyone that might be interested in our message. I pushed the thought aside, thinking that it was silly, because we have asked her before. The thought came again and I asked. Our investigator referred us to her neighbor. A woman named B. She was so very nice and let us right into her home. She normally isn't home because she works a lot. She was home that particular day, that particular time because she was sick. It was such a tender mercy of the Lord to find this woman. She has a lot of potential and we are excited to keep working with her!

I am so grateful for my companion Hermana Young. I feel like we both learn so much from each other. When I first met Hermana Young I told her that the words "Junior companion" and "Senior companion" didn't exist in our companionship. I wanted her to know that we work as a team, as equals. I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn so much from her everyday. I love the patience and the faith that she has.

As I have listened to the whispering of the spirit this week, my testimony of the Holy Ghost has grown. I think too many times I take for granted that I can have a member of the Godhead with me at all times, if I am but worthy. I know that this is Heavenly Father's work. He gives us the best tools to be successful. One of the most important tools that He has given us is the gift of the Holy Ghost. I'm so grateful for His help is this work! :)

We had the pleasure of giving service this week for a woman in our ward. Her mother passed away several months ago. She left behind a trailer full of all her personal belongings. We got to help this sweet sister in our ward clean out her mother's trailer. I'm so glad that we have the opportunity to give service every week. I know the sister in our ward really appreciated it. 

This week really flew by! We saw miracle after miracle! It is such a joy to be a missionary at this time in my life! I know that every day I am able to learn more to become the person that Heavenly Father wants me to be. I love it!

Mom! Thanks so much for your package! I was really surprised! Yes, that lip gloss, yum! And the lotion! And the hand sanitizer! And everything! Thanks so much! Haha I laughed when I opened the laundry bag. It's pretty big! I even climbed inside kind of. And then I put it on my head and tried scaring Hna Young this morning. 

Benson and Owen are so cute! And that was a mean trick Amber played!  

(From the Mom:  Since Amber married Brady, she has become even more of a jokester ..she called from a phone number I didn't recognize and when I answered, she said, "Mom, this is Ashley..." and she sounded JUST LIKE ASH!  I felt my heart in my throat, thinking that if Ashley were calling, it couldn't be good...but we can laugh about it NOW because my daughters really do sound alike.)  

You're right, I wouldn't call you unless I was in trouble! I tell people that the only way I go home early is in a body bag. That's kinda what the laundry bag was like haha ;)

We had a really pretty sunset! It reminded me of Idaho!

Haha that Spanish sister! Haha I know how she feels! 

(From the Mom:  At a recent Relief Society Super Saturday activity, a Spanish sister came up to Aubrey who wasn't doing anything and said to her, "You are boring...will you put my craft together for me?"  What she meant was "You are bored..." and we still laugh about Aubrey being "boring".)

It can be difficult learning a new language. I've had my fair share of sharing the wrong thing to people. It happens to me all the time!

Believe it or not, I miss Idaho weather. I miss boots, cardigans, scarfs, and jackets. I keep trying but I really can't wear cardigans in 80 degree weather. I'll keep waiting! Haha

I want to send you a letter again this week. We'll see if I can. It seems that just so many funny things keep happening! I want to be able to explain in more detail. I'll try to whip that out today. 

So [for transfers], we get called by our zone leaders, who get called by the assistants to the president, who get called by the president I think. But I know when my companion Hermana Brown (the first) was called to be a sister training leader the President called her. So yes, we will be finding out soon. I'm pretty sure I'm leaving SP. So many people have been hitting on me! It's really weird!

We have a transfer meeting. So if I or my comp is being transferred we pack up and take our suitcases to the church (stake center) in Ventura (It's where we go to the Spanish Branch every Sunday) We then leave our belongings outside on the grass and go inside for transfer meeting. If you are training that transfer you go early for a training meeting. After everyone meets and we sing, listen to the President, and hear the "dying" testimonies of the missionaries that are going home. After they leave the mission they are "dead." :-) Then the new missionaries are introduced, their names and hometown. After that is when we find out who will be training who. So 2 transfers ago "Hermana Killpack will be training Hermana Young." We hug, they pick up their things and then come and sit by us for the rest of the meeting. It's cute. Haha so that is transfer meeting. 

I put the puzzle together!

Haha don't worry, I know what it really is (not a puzzle)! 

(From the Mom:  I sent her these window clings but had to cut them apart to fit inside the mailing box.)

Thanks for letting me have fall in California! :)

Thanks so much for all your love! I am so grateful that you are my mother! I am so blessed! I know that the Lord is blessing all of our so much! 

So last week Hna Young was the saying the prayer before we left the apartment. She was praying that we could find cheap food at the store. She meant to say "barato" which means cheap. Instead she said "borracho" which means drunk. We were both laughing so hard. She prayed that we could find drunk food. Next time, I'll say the prayer ;)

Hahah have a great week! Love you tons! :) 

P.S. Hermana Young says "Hi"

Love your favorite child!

Hermana Ashley Rae Killpack

Tan Lines, Sleep Talking, and Packages

From the Letter to the Mission President:

I'm doing so wonderful this week! My family is doing great! My cousin was recently married in the Rexburg Idaho Temple! I would have loved to be there, but I am so happy for her and for her decision to get married in the temple. A decision, I know, they will never regret. My family is healthy and happy! :)

We witnessed so many miracles this week! We loved watching Meet the Mormons! It was amazing! I know that this movie will open up so many more missionary opportunities for all members of this church! How exciting! :) We also loved having interviews! Thank you so much!

This week we have been preparing S for baptism. He had his baptismal interview on Saturday and passed! He was also able to attend the baptismal service the English Elders had on Saturday. He could have been baptized last Saturday, but he wanted to wait so that his son could make it. We are planning on his baptism this Saturday. He is so excited and so are we!

S is very sincere to do what Heavenly Father wants him to do. He such a honest man. I know that the church will benefit greatly from his church membership. 

I love serving with Hermana Young. She is amazing! She really teaches our investigators in a way that they can understand. That is exactly the way that Jesus Christ taught. She is able to connect really well with the people that we are teaching. They all love her and I do too! 

I have been learning more about conversion. Conversion is an ongoing process that is experienced over a lifetime. I know that being a missionary has really helped me to strengthen my own testimony of this gospel. I know that the church is true! The more I learn, the more I am amazed by the grace of our Heavenly Father and of Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father's plan is perfect! He loves us so much! I know that as I desire to learn more, Heavenly Father will bless me with the capacity to understand. 

This week we were able to give service to a less-active. The service in it of itself wasn't hard. We were helping to put up some home decor. However, I feel that our presence in this sweet sisters home was most beneficial. I know that as missionaries, we can bring the spirit of the Lord into people's homes. I am so grateful for the opportunity and blessing to do so. 

I love being a missionary! I love everyday! I know that when I am in the service of my fellow beings, I am only in the service of my God (Mosiah 2:17). Serving Him is truly the greatest privilege of my life. I love this work! I know the church is true! 

Mom! You are my hero! Really! You are the best! I'm so glad that you are one of my best friends! Hahah when it's time to write letters, I always want to write you first! So yes, IBU is ibuprofen! That would be great, thanks! Also thanks for sending me a pic of Jess. She sent me a wedding invitation and it is adorable. I sent them a wedding card last week.

Benson and Owen and SO cute! Hahah I'm so glad to know that I am in his prayers! When does Spencer E get back from his mission? 

Interviews went good! They also go by so fast. We don't have a lot of time. I said the opening prayer for the interview in Spanish and President Felix was surprised to find out that I didn't know any Spanish before the mission. :) I know there is still so much I need to work on pero poco a poco.

No, we don't really have fall colors here. I'm glad you sent some! That was a good idea! 

So this week I guess I was sleep talking again. Hna Young said that I was going on for a good 5 minutes telling someone all about the Light of Christ in their face. Hahah whoops!

Also I heard from another missionary that the Jehovah's Witnesses call us "Black tags" We call them "J- Doubs" (Like the first syllable of "W") haha kinda funny!

Also sometimes here in Santa Paula it's kinda like Mexico. We here people playing their Mexican music so loudly. It just makes me laugh. 

Haha I was talked with one of the Zone Leaders and he was surprised to find out that I was Caucasian. He said, "I thought you were brown." I told him that I was white. He didn't believe me so I showed him our family picture. It was really funny. I really don't think I'm that tan...  but it's awesome! :) 

I did receive your letter. I loved it! You are simply so wise mother! You always just know!

This is what the Pres. said, so if you want you could send my package this week.  I know.  I am spoiled!

"Transfers are in two weeks, so if family or friends need to send you something, they ought to send it this week."

I am planning on sending you a letter this week. I loved the package! Thanks so much! The camels are perfect! :)

Love the leaves!

Well Mumsie and Fam, I hope all is well with you! I love you and pray for you every day! I know that Lord is blessing us! Thanks so much for your love and prayers! I love you all so much! :) 

Tenga un buen semana!

Con amor para siempre

Hermana Killpack :)

P.S it was Junior's B-day and we gave him a cupcake! He is so cute and 8 years old. He is a member's little brother!

One of the Best Week's of My Life

From the Letter to the Mission President:

This week was one of the best week's of my life! This is truly the Lord's work! Every single day this is reaffirmed to me. I love this work! I love being a missionary! It is simply the best! :)

My family is doing wonderful! :) They are so supportive of me! It helps me so much to know that I am in their prayers daily. They truly are the best family ever!

This week we saw a HUGE miracle! We have been working with a man named SG. He has so much potential! We had taught him most of the lessons when he started working around 80 hours a week. For weeks we would call him, go to his house, and text him with hardly a response back. He is 61 years old. I can only imagine working so much was very exhausting for him. Finally this past Saturday, we found S again! We taught him about the 10 commandments, Sabbath day, and all of lesson 5 about laws and ordinances. It was a lot of material, but it made sense to him. S absolutely loved learning about the temple. He is excited to be able to go there one day. He actually works with a member of the church. As we were talking about the temple he said, "Now it makes sense!" His co-worker had been telling him about the temple and it finally made sense about eternal families and that through temple ordinances we can be with our families forever. It was such an amazing lesson!

S just needs to be interviewed and get work off so that he can be baptized. It is hard for him to get work off, but we have been praying and fasting for him. Yesterday he came to church. He told us that he had experienced a miracle. He said, "This morning I was praying to Heavenly Father and I asked him to show me if this was the right way for me. I wanted to know if this is the church I should follow." He told us about how he asked for a sign from God. He then went to watch a movie. He put in the movie. The first thing that he saw was Joseph Smith! He said that he knew that was his sign from God. It was such a miracle! I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers! We are so excited for S! He also bore his testimony in sacrament yesterday! It was such a huge miracle! :)

Hermana Young is doing amazing! :) I love her so much!!! We have so much fun together! We love being companions! We are seeing so many miracles together! I love that Hermana Young always works so hard and she never complains! She is the best!

This week my testimony was strengthened so much! I know that Heavenly Father truly does listen to our prayers! He is so mindful of each and every one of us. He is our Father and He loves us beyond comprehension! 

We had the opportunity to serve with our district this week for a local food pantry. We were moving canned foods and other food items from the basement to the upstairs of a very old Methodist church. It is over 100 years old. It was such a marvelous opportunity to be able to serve and help the community out. It was so fun! We all had a great time! :)

Hey Mom! Thanks so much for the letter you sent me! It was so cute! I was touched that everyone signed it. I didn't know that Josh has such nice handwriting! Haha

So if you haven't sent that package I might add a little more to it. But if you already have, it's okay. 

So this week, we got to go to a wedding! It was awesome! An investigator of the Elders has been waiting to get baptized because she needed to get married first. So we were able to help out with her wedding. Her wedding cake came and was in two boxes. Whoever made the cake didn't stay around to assemble it. It was weird because she had frosted the second layer to a board. Hermana Miller and I put it together. We found out that both you and her do wedding cakes. Everyone was watching us as we carefully lifted the second layer of the cake and put it on the bottom one. It wasn't perfect, but we made it work. Hermana Miller is so cute! I love her! :)

Oh Becca is getting married?! I am so excited for her! That is so thrilling! Who to? And Rachel?! She is going to be an awesome missionary! :)

This week we have President's interviews so we also get the chance to watch Meet the Mormons! I'm so excited! I've heard it's really good! Maybe it can help me to become a better missionary! 

Love the sunrise! It is beautiful! I do miss the brisk fall of Idaho! The other morning when we were going to church I was so excited because it was 57 degrees. It was a "cold" morning some Californians might say.

So what's this talk about Ebola? In Africa? or Texas? Do tell, I am so unconnected with the world. What else is new?

Yes, this Wednesday is my 9 months! Which is crazy! Time is just flying! I can't believe that I only have 9 months left! 

Thank you so much for all of your love and support. I truly have the best family in the world. I know. No big deal... :)

I hope all is well in Idaho! I pray for you all constantly! Please have the best week ever!

Con amor,

Tu favorita hija/hermana/cunyada/tia :)

If You Don't Love Someone, You Haven't Served Him Enough"

From the Letter to the Mission President:

Oh how I love being a missionary! It simply is the best thing ever! This week was wonderful! My family, as always, are doing wonderful! I have definitely been able to see them receive the blessings that come from my missionary service. I have cousins getting married, relatives expecting babies, and other family members on missions and some preparing to serve. It is an exciting time for our family. :)

Santa Paula is doing amazing! We were able to find a really neat person named E this week. He had talked with missionaries a little before. He was having a hard time accepting the Book of Mormon. We were able to have an amazing lesson with him and explain the importance of the Book of Mormon. We read 1 Nephi 13 with him, and I think it helped him to understand a little better. He told us that he definitely needed to read the book to find out for himself. It was a miracle!

We also had the chance to go on exchanges this week! It was such a delight to be able to work with Hermana White! We had a lot of fun, saw so many miracles, and worked hard. It was a marvelous day! 

I love working with Hermana Young! She is an excellent companion and such a hard worker. I love her desire to be exactly obedient. We know that obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles. We are both working hard to be as obedient as we can be. I am so grateful for her obedience in all things! 

General Conference was simply fantastic! It helped to strengthen my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's prophet. I know that Jesus Christ truly is the Savior of the world, and that He will come again. I know that as disciples of Christ we have a desire to share with others, our brothers and sisters, that which means the very most to us. That is why we share the gospel. That is why I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that whatever trial a person may face in life, that the gospel of Jesus Christ can help. I know that everything unfair about life will one day be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and that I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life (3 Nephi 5:13).

As we serve others, we grow to love others. I once heard it said, "If you don't love someone, you haven't served them enough." I know that to be true. I know that when we serve others and truly love them, they will feel our love and concern for them. As this happens, new opportunities will open up to teach people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am eternally grateful to be a missionary serving in the great California Ventura Mission. I know that I was called by a prophet of God to serve in this part of His vineyard. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has given us this plan of happiness. For if we live the teachings of Jesus Christ we can truly know pure happiness, even joy!

Mom! Thank you so much for the CDs! Definitely a fun surprise! I've only listened to one so far and I absolutely love it! It's wonderful! Hmmm anything else I need? I'll think about it. I could never say no to lifesavers :)

Conference was so amazing! It went by so fast! The fastest conference I've ever since. Probably because I am a missionary and I watched it in the church with other missionaries. Conference truly is the best on the mission! A favorite? Yeah, that is like choosing a favorite child... I loved them all, but I really liked Elder Bednar's talk! I want to be able to show that to our investigators. He explained it perfectly! 

Um, can we please do Whole 30 when I get back? Or maybe Whole Every Day of your Life?! :) Haha that sounds lovely! Nice job Mom and Aubs! You are my Heroes. And yes mom, you are an angel, a humble angel 0:)

Oh I am so excited for Jessica! Tell her I love her and give her a hug for me! That is so exciting! 

We took these pictures before and after conference. In one, I didn't realize that I had the camera zoomed in. Whoops!

Oh funny story I just remembered! So I was talking with one of the Elders in my Zone. This is our conversation.

Me: Yeah, I didn't know Spanish before the mission.

Elder: Yeah, me neither... but I'm white.

*Pause*

Me: I am too! 

Hahaha it was so funny! Oh I love being tan :)

Haha also you know you've been speaking Spanish for a while if you say "The container of the Hermana's" instead of "The Hermana's container." 

Haha oh life is great! :)

Mom, I'm not sure what else to tell you to send me, but you can surprise me! You are good at doing that. Well maybe if you want you could send homemade chocolate chip cookies... But you know. :) 

Thank you so much for all your love, support, and prayers! I wouldn't be the person that I am without each and everyone of you. I love you Mom and Dad, Joshua, Amber and baby! And Brady, Benson and Owen. Emily and Adam! Andrew, Spencer and Aubrey! I love you all so much! You are constantly in my prayers! :)

Con amor para siempre,

Hermana Ashley Rae Killpack

We LOVE General Conference! :)