Alex's baptism!‏

Hello again,

I've only got about 10 minutes so this is going to be super short! 

We had 2 zone conferences and they went great :) We were super exhausted, and left at 4 in the morning for one of them, but the trainings went great and hopefully we will all be using the Book of Mormon more in teaching. It really is the key! Read it everyday!

I've had to give a departing testimony twice now, and man, it's such a weird concept, to stand in front of everyone and share what is deep down in your heart. You feel so vulnerable, but there is nothing more powerful then a simple, pure testimony about the truths we have gained from the witness of the spirit, and evidences all around us. The feeling is incredible. 

Lastly, Alexandra got baptized on Saturday!! Almost her entire family came! Even her dad and her brother all the way from New York! Her dad was able to baptize her and it was one of the most tender moments I have gotten to witness on my mission. I love Alex soo much! She is going to be such an asset to the Stonegate ward! The members already love her and have been strengthened by her testimony! She is incredible. 

Love you all! This church is the Savior's church on earth. I know it, and I love it. 

Sister Kraus

Never slowing down...‏

Hello! Life never slows down over here. I seriously feel like last Monday was just yesterday. Strangest thing of my life.

So we start zone conference tomorrow, and have them twice a week until the end of the transfer, so it's going to keep me busy and going so I won't think too much about....well...you know..

We'll be giving a training about how to use the Book of Mormon more effectively in teaching :) I'm super pumped and hope that it will help the missionaries (especially the new ones) become much more powerful teachers. The book of Mormon really is everything. There is NO WAY that Book is not written by prophets through the spirit of prophecy and revelation. I know it's true. There is not a single doubt in my mind.

 We had a super rough lesson the other night when this inactive member invited us in (he was a referral) then proceeded to bash on everything the church stands for. It was pretty intense, but after he was done, all we could do was bear a simple and pure testimony of the truths we had gained through the spirit. He didn't change his mind, but I could feel the spirit when I was talking and bearing testimony vs. when he was throwing down on us. It was literally black and white. Light and dark. Happiness and misery. After we left I just felt sick to my stomach, but we prayed for the spirit to be with us, and for us to be able to have a powerful next lesson with our investigator Alexandra who is getting baptized this next Saturday. When we walked in her home, immediately I felt better and more at peace. The whole experience strengthened my testimony of how real the adversary is, but also how light always over rules the dark and brings peace and joy when you are seeking it. 

Our little investigator Gary (from Sister Blanchard and I's past area) got baptized on Saturday! He is soo cute and was so thrilled to be getting baptized. His whole family was there to support him. We sang/played I am a Child of God,at his request, and it was so neat to reflect on the words and the importance of the knowledge the song brings. I especially love the line "Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do to live with Him someday." Such a cool song 

We also had the privilege of having the director of proselyting come to our mission to train all the leadership at MLC. He had lots of cool insights and helped us see how we could teach even more simply and powerfully. He gave us some great ideas on how to use the Book of Mormon in street contacts, especially since the Book of Mormon musical is here in Las Vegas.... prettty crazzy apparently, but hey, any publicity for the church is good publicity, as long as we know how to use it to our advantage! like" The play can entertain you for a night, but the Book can bless your life forever."

Lastly, we got to go to the temple on Friday with the new missionaries... again. What a blessing. I know it is God's house and that His spirit resides there always! The personal revelation and blessings we can receive from going to the temple regularly is what we need in our lives to be happy and become who Heavenly Father wants us to become. And becoming who He wants us to become is the ultimate quest of this life..the ultimate quest that leads to eternal bliss. Heavenly Father's plan for us is THE BEST!

Love you all!

Have a stellar week.  

25 out and 25 in!‏

Pic 1. Best trio ever! Had way too much fun..

Welp. It's been a super crazy week, but SO MUCH.FUN.

We got to go to the temple Tuesday morning with all the departing missionaries. It's a huge blessing to get to go twice a transfer! The spirit is always so strong, and the feeling of peace is unbeatable.  So weird to be there with missionaries going home in 2 days. I'm so grateful that's not me.... Yikes. The departing testimony meeting was great. We have to sit up front next to President and Sister Snow, which means I sit there and try to keep the tears inside my head, which always leads to me having a massive headache by the end of the meeting. My favorite. But it's so neat to be there and hear their powerful testimonies. The church is in good hands! 

Wednesday was an early start! As in 3 am..We took 25 missionaries to the airport, and picked up 25 greenies a couple hours later. Their wide eyed, fresh from the MTC faces were priceless. One got lost trying to find his terminal, and we spent 20 minutes searching the airport for him. Eventually he came strolling down the elevator, with a clueless look on his face. ha. It was the best! We packed them all in the mission vehicles, Bertha, Hank, and Jessie. Yes. they have names. Sister Snow welcomed them with a big hug and loving smile, and we started making them breakfast. After making hundreds of pancakes (you can call me Sister pancake flipper Kraus), they were finally satisfied. The missionaries all passed out within 10 minutes of breakfast, and we had the privilege of waking them up and telling them they had another 2 hours of trainings to sit through. They were a bit groggy, but excited to be there! We then went to the mission office for their companionship assignment meeting. Helping President Snow decide who should train who was one of the coolest experiences of my mission. When we discussed, then decided on the particular companionship we felt was best, the spirit filled the room and let us know that Heavenly Father agreed with our decision. It was incredible to see how intimately involved He is with every detail of His work. The companionships matched up perfectly :)

Thursday we had another meeting filled day as we trained the new missionaries from 9-3:30. I'm starting to get more comfortable with training in front of large groups, so it's not quite as stressful anymore. Good thing, because we've got zone conferences coming up, and 2 Mission Leadership Councils we're supposed to train at as well. Woohoo. The mission has definitely made me get out of my comfort zone, in more ways then one!

The coolest part of this week, other then feeling super loopy/slap happy from lack of sleep, and being with the best companion ever, has been seeing God's hand in our day to day work. We always see the little miracles, but especially when we only have a few hours to proselyte each day and He blesses us with lots of lessons and new investigator still. It just blows my mind. I know without a shadow of a doubt that He lives and watches over all of His children. He is aware of every detail of our lives and provides us with experiences and trials that mold us and refine us so we can become more like Him. The process is a painful one at times, but in the end it brings us incredible joy! As long as we have the right attitude and stay close to the spirit. I love my Savior and feel so privileged to get to do His work!

Last super cool thing. We've been teaching an athiest named Julian (though he's no longer an athiest...). We street contacted him, and gave him our card to call us because he wasn't comfortable giving us his contact info. He texted us 30 minutes later, and now we've had 5 lessons with him. He's prayed, FASTED, and is now starting to ask questions about the Plan of Salvation! It has been the coolest thing ever to see the spirit working in him, and to see him start to make steps that are bringing him closer to God. He feels a difference in his life already! Evidence once again that the gospel is true and that it brings happiness to anyone who will let it change them. 

Pic. 2. Sleepy new missionaries

Have a sweet week! Love you!

Sister Kraus 

Pic 3. Lunch with APs and president Snow and his wife!

Fireworks and a fiddle‏

 Best 4th of July ever! We had an amazing week, but Saturday was  definitely the best. We went to a big park and some other missionaries had a booth set up advertising free family pictures. If the families wanted the pictures delivered to their homes, they wrote their names and addresses down. At the end of the day, the missionaries had around 60 families that wanted the missionaries to deliver the pictures and share a simple message about how the gospel can bless families. It was amazing! I was responsible for standing by the booth and fiddling to get people's attention, and we also had some singing and dancing going on. It was quite an experience :)

     After the evening was over, we walked back to our car at the church building and got to watch the fireworks for few minutes. Sister Hope and Blanchard proceeded to nudge me to get my fiddle out once again and play some hymns. There was a little family sitting on the church steps watching, as we found out they had just moved to the area and was looking for a church! ! What a blessing. Heavenly Father definitely puts us in the places we need to be to bring His children closer to Him. 

    We've been teaching a lot, seeing lots of miracles, working hard, and loving every minute :) doesn't get better then this!

Love you all, have a great week!