21 New investigators, say what?!?‏

Hello! 

This week was awesome!

Monday. Started it off by having a delicious BBQ with a family we've been teaching for a couple months. Brother Knauls is an amazing cook!! His wife is a member, and he's read the Book of Mormon, but he's still got a few concerns/questions he needs to figure out before he'll commit to baptism. He loves missionaries though, and loves what the gospel has been doing for his kids over the past couple months! We also found 2 new people to teach! Kendra and Caesar. They are so cool, and excited to learn more :)

 

Tuesday. We had lesson with Amanda, a lost sheep we found the other day. She has had such a hard life, but it was so neat to be able to bear testimony to her of the power of the Atonement, and how Jesus Christ truly can heal her emotionally, as well as spiritually. She was so greatful we came by and is looking forward to coming back to church. We also found a new lady to teach named Adjanae, who is super sweet and said her boyfriend's cousin just passed away and that it was the perfect time for them to learn more about the gospel! Miracle!

Wednesday. Went on exchanges with the MSTL Sister Hope (aka Sister AP). We got to have lunch with my favorite companion ever... Sister Mayfield and her companion Sister Decoster! They are both out with Bronchitis, so we went and blitzed their area for 5 hours and visited some of their investigators. It was super fun! We had a couple super powerful lessons in the evening.. one with a lady who they street contacted into, who is now dating an active member of the church, who didn't even know she was taking lessons..haha. He was there at the lesson and was practically beaming. God's timing is so incredible!

Ohh, and Sister Robinson in our area taught a follow up lesson with 2 of they our new investigators, and they called in all of their family in the house... all in all, there were 12 people in the house, all baptism age, and they all said yes to baptism!! Talk about miracles...

Thursday: We found another 6 new people to teach. We seriously can't keep up... North Las Veags is exploding! Bobby and Leann were especially elect, and were really excited to start meeting 3 days a week. She just got diagnosed with cancer and is really looking for strength right now in her life. 

Friday: Had a pretty good lesson with our investigator Boogie. He's started reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. When we asked how his prayer had went, he explained that he tilted his head up to the heavens when he was listening for his answer and God didn't say a single thing to him. We had a really good lesson about how to recognize the spirit, and he was excited to keep praying and asking!

Saturday. Oh man. Started out as such a hard day. We had 9 lessons set up, and almost every single one of them fell through.. even our members flaked on us... I was on exchanges with our Brazilian Sister missionary Sister Morceli. We kept working, and around 7:30 at night, we street contacted into a middle aged woman sitting out inside the front of her house. As we talked to her for a minute, she expressed that she didn't speak much English. We asked, "well, what language do you speak?" "Portuguese!" Sister Morceli: *freak out for a minute* "NOOO WAYY!! I speak portuguese!" Turns out, the woman also had just moved from Brazil! She was super sweet, felt the spirit touch her heart, and is another new investigator! Another miracle!! Ahhhh. Heavenly Father is too good to us. 

And Sunday was splendid as always :)

Lastly, i'm getting transferred tomorrow morning (a week early) and am going to be with Sister Hope! I'm a bit overwhelmed, and not sure what to expect, but i'm excited for the new assignment! And can't wait to work more closely with President and Sister Snow  :)

Have a great week!

Sister Kraus

pics. saying bye to some of my favorite people.

pic1. Janelle! love this girl!

pic2.Delimonts..requested I played devil went down to georgia while they sang it via karaoke

I love people!

Hello!

It's been a blur of a week. But it's always just so fulfilling. Every single day, we get to meet more and more of Heavenly Father's beautiful children that chose to follow Him and His plan! How incredible is that? I. love. people. Sometimes we don't love their actions, but seeing the incredible potential in each and every one of God's children is truly mind blowing.

We had a really neat lesson with our investigator Larry this past Monday at our members house. We talked about the doctrine of Christ from 2 Nephi 31, then invited him to be baptized on May 23rd.. though he said he wasn't sure he would be quite prepared for that day, he definitely is progressing and feeling the spirit as he reads and prays, and he even stayed for all 3 hours of church on Sunday! 

Tuesday we had exchanges with the Spanish Sisters, so I had yet another opportunity to expand my Spanish vocabulary... haha. I mostly ended up with a massive headache from trying to absorb it all, but it was a great learning experience! We also got to have a zone wide service project at a huge food bank, so that was pretty neat! There's a church wide Just Serve website that is getting started here, so we'll get to do other service projects in the future with different churches around the area! How cool is that? Also, Sister Espinosa and I street contacted a 7 foot tall man named "Big Beast."  He was standing next to a big black motorbike, wearing a cut off leather vest that had his name stitched in.. So when he said his name was Big Beast, I said "Ahh, I can see that. How'd you get that name?" He thought we were pretty funny and actually opened up to us and said we could have missionaries go visit him and his mom! Woot woot! 

Wednesday, Garebear went to the MTC! AHHh I'm so proud of him :) He'll be in Farmington New Mexico a week from today!!

Thursday we had Zone Conference. Wow. Just wow. So much revelation! President Snow gave us an amazing training about how special and sacred the scriptures are and how we can utilize them more in our personal lives and proselyting efforts. We watched a video called "Scriptures Legacy" which strengthened my testimony so much of the scriptures being preserved for us in these days. They are such a necessary part of our lives! I encourage everyone to look it up! :)

We also street contacted into a less active member who had just moved to Vegas and was wanting to come back to church. We saw her walking, right after we inspire knocked on someones door that totally wasn't interested. It was amazing to see how Heavenly Father works :)

The rest of the week was great, but i'm out of time! bit we had exchanges again Saturday and found a rastafarian man and his Jehovah's Witness wife that are interested in having us come back to teach them more! That should be fun.  Ohh and we started teaching a new guy named Boogie..nicknamed that because he likes music, not because he has a stuffy nose. 

Last but not least... I got to skype my familia on Sunday! love them to piecessss. :) 

A couple insights from studies/church: "Look up to God. Not around at what others are doing."

"Nothing will be with held from those who keep their covenants." 

"I have been sent to earth at this time because of who I am and what I have been prepared to do."

Love you all! Have a great week :)

sister Kraus

pic. 1. Our musical prodigy investigators Kaleeah and Josh

pic.2. skyping the fam!

I'm. super. happy.‏

Hello!

Yet another crazy busy week has gone by. Good news is, I've survived! And i'm getting better from my cold.. and i'm happy! Super happy. But super tired. Those two always go together on the mission. Because when you're working hard, you have the spirit, and when you have the spirit, you're happy.

So this week really was sort of a blurrrr...

We've been teaching an older man named Larry, and he is really starting to progress! We decided to  start one of our lessons with "Savior Redeemer, of My Soul" on the violin, then just ask him some questions to discern his needs and get to the root of his questions. It was so neat to feel and see the spirit working on him throughout the lesson, and at the end, he said he was really excited to start praying before he reads, asking specifically for understanding and to know the truth. He has never prayed out loud in front of us, or his wife (who is a member of about 3 years) but guess what.... HE DID! He gave one of the most simple, heartfelt prayers I have ever heard. It was beautiful. 

We had a lot of meetings this week... which are always really spirit packed, and therefore, I always leave feeling drained, and slightly inadequate, but it's always great to receive lots of revelation for our areas and for our missionaries! One of the main topics at our MLC was becoming a Full Purpose missionary. It was all about how we need to be fully converted, in order to teach others to become converted. We talked a lot about the WHY of the gospel, and the HOW. Why we are missionaries, why we want others to accept the gospel, and how we can teach more like the Savior so that others will fully understand WHY they must live His teachings. It was a stellar meeting :)

We then presented those trainings/councils to our zone the following Saturday, along with what ever we felt like they needed to hear. It's always such a humbling experience for me, being able to receive guidance and revelation as I prepare and study for the trainings Heavenly Father wants us to give. This really is His work! And He really does care about each missionary and their eternal progression, as well as those in our areas. He is SO willing to give us help, we just need to be open to it and earnestly seek it! 

The Elders had us all do a zone wide 3 legged race to build unity...so that was pretty awesome also! We've got a great zone :)

Welp, i'm about out of time once again.. but remember. THIS CHURCH IS GOD's KINGDOM ON THE EARTH TODAY., preparing us for the second coming. We must be anxiously engaged in missionary work at all times :) I love it!

Love you and have a great week.

Sister Kraus

ps. SHOUT OUT TO MOMMA KRAUS. happy 50th bday! :)

pics 1. Tiffany and James (recent converts from Anthem) came took us out for dinner! LOVE THEM!

pic 2. North Zone!

My Baby Is 22!!!

Levi's card I'm 22!!!!!

 pic.1

Tyler got baptized!! 

pic.2

My sister made me the cutest missionary sculpture ever and sent it to me for my bday :) 

pic.3

Sister Robinson and I freezing at the ward Pig in the Park.. What is this weather?? but hey, no complaints! Summers a coming...

This week was stellar

Hello!

This week was stellar. Isn't that a great word? And it perfectly describes my week :)

I got my new companion Sister Robinson and she is simply amazing! I have been so blessed with my companions and we've already seen how inspired this companionship is!

We've been slightly sleep deprived all week due to trips back and forth to the mission office to pick up a new missionary in our zone, and for a new STL meeting, but it really made me appreciate the time we had to just go out and teach some lessons and proselyte! There really is nothing that makes me happier :) 

Even though Sister Robinson and I didn't get much time to plan lessons/roleplay, we were able to teach the Restoration 2 different times to families and a sweet 14 year girl, and the spirit was practically tangible. A total of 8 investigators accepted baptismal dates this week! We were ecstatic. And exhausted. And a bit slap happy at times to be honest.. but we kept that contained to inside our apartment. No worries. 

The 14 year old girl we taught this week named Serenity is so cool! We had a "Meet the Mormons" movie night in one of our wards and her friend Victoria invited her and she came! She told us right after the movie that she wanted to meet with us and start taking the lessons :) Woot woot! Member missionary work is the best!!

                                                        Sister Robinson's stellar poster!

Andd Saturday was like the best day ever! It was my birthday,for one, so that was pretty sweet :) Sister Robinson made me a stellar breakfast of eggs, fruit, and nuts, and put a big poster up on the wall that said "I don't know about you, I'm feeling 22." She's a huge T swift fan, if you couldn't tell..

We walked out of our apartment after our studies and had our first street contact of the day with a cute 20 year old lady named Janelle. She was so friendly and excited to talk with us, and said that her and her mom just moved in and had been looking for a church! She also said that she had been feeling a weight on her shoulders and knew that meeting us was a sign from God that she need to start studying her scriptures more and getting closer to Jesus Christ. WHOA. talk about a birthday miracle! Our investigator Genesis got baptized this Saturday as well!! And to top it off, Sister Brooks, our relief society president, took us to Outback for dinner. Yum. It was so fun :)

And last but not least, Sunday! We had out investigator CJ decide he wanted to come to the "Why I Believe" fireside last minute and it was phenomenal. One of the speakers, when telling his conversion story, said that as he was sitting at a stoplight, with just 20 seconds until it turned green, he told God that he was either going to be all in and become Mormon, or all out and stop taking lessons and going to church. He said right after he said this little prayer, a car pulled up to his right and his eyes turned to the cars license plate which read "BE MORMON." And we all know the rest of the story. How incredible is that???? I know that there are no coincidences in this life, and that God absolutely answers each and every one of His precious children's prayers. This is the most stellar gift we have in our lives, along with the life and sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. I love Him with all my heart. 

Have an amazing week!

love you all

Sister Kraus

Genesis' baptism!

Transfers.already?‏

ANDDD, another week has gone by already.

Monday: I got asked to play "I am a Child of God" on violin at a baby's funeral. It was such a special service and the spirit testified to me once again that the Plan of Salvation is REAL, and that Heavenly Father loves us and knows us, even when really hard things happen. Trials are to help us become like Him. Without them, He would be robbing us of that opportunity! The baby's parents aren't members of the church and don't have a strong foundation on Christ, but I felt strongly that this baby came to earth to help his parents find the gospel. 

Tuesday: We had a miracle inspired knock! We felt prompted to knock on a random house, and this young man named Jose opened up and immediately invited us in! It shocked me, because people usually hide behind the door, or say they're not interested.. but Jose is actually a less active member of our church and wants us to come back and teach his family! His girlfriend and kids aren't members.

Wednesday: Had a mission wide conference call about ways that we can use to be more innovative in our missionary work, and to help the missionaries in our zone be more excited about upcoming holidays/events! Earth day is coming up.... so why not tell everyone why/how the earth was created in our street contacts?? Should be interesting...:)

Thursday: We taught a new guy named Dwayne about the restoration. He was So engaged! The spirit was strong during the lesson and he recognized it. When we invited him to be baptized at the end, on May 16th, he immediately said YES! What time?? It was awesome! He's so prepared.

Friday: Had a powerful lesson with our 11 year old investigator Genesis at the church building. She's getting baptized next Saturday (on my birthday!! woot woot) and is so excited. Another missionary at the church asked her if she had a brother named Leviticus, or Deuteronamy... she was a bit lost. Looks like we need to teach her a bit more about the bible..haha.

Saturday: Got to go back to Anthem for Zion's baptism!!! IT was such a blessing to be back, and  my sweet sweet member Sister Olenslager (who has 6 kids under the age of 10! Wonder woman!!) was kind enough to drive me down :) I loved getting to see Tawny and her family, and so many other amazing people that I love! The members there are amazing. 

We also had transfers and Sister Herman is going to Lake Havasu! I'll be getting Sister Robbinson, who already is in this zone, so it won't be too much of an adjustment :)

Sunday: Amazing as always. 2 wards is a bit exhausting, (we're at the church from 8:30-4) but it's awesome. We got a whole new bishopric in our  Mountain Shadows ward, and the new bishop is the brother of someone in my first ward on the mission! Crazy!!

It was fast week! But super fun :) as always. Missionary life is the best.

Have a great week!!

Hearing the music!!‏

Wow. What. A. Week.

Seriously the most spiritual of my mission. Well, at least that I can remember. 

We had MLC and received some of the most powerful, spirit packed trainings ever. One of them was all on the atonement and how we as missionaries MUST be accessing it everyday in order to be qualified to teach the gospel with the spirit. It also brings the power and joy into this work, and also into our individual lives! What an incredible gift our Savior has given us.

After MLC we turn around and give the same trainings at ZTC to the rest of our zones. I got to give the training on the power of the atonement in missionary work, and it was so neat to be able to receive revelation on how to present it, and specifically on who Heavenly Father wanted me to choose to bear their testimonies about this magnificent gift. I felt very strongly to pick a certain Elder and a certain Sister. After I asked them to share their testimonies, each of them came up to me and said that they knew Heavenly Father had inspired me to pick them, and that it was a sign to them as well that God is very aware of them. I KNOW that revelation is real, and that we must receive it everyday in order to do exactly what God wants us to do here. What a privilege it is to communicate with our supreme creator and to receive guidance in our day to day lives in order to reach our divine potential. I LOVE IT!

We also had a super neat experience on Thursday. We had planned a district blitz, and our whole district, along with 8 members, came together to work in our ward areas to visit as many people as possible. We had written up a bunch of lists of names that we had selected for each companionship to visit. Just a couple hours before the blitz we looked in the binder to pull out the lists to make sure  everything was ready. However, 3 of the lists seemed to be missing! We went into panic mode. After we had searched the car, we decided to drive back home and retrace our steps. As we walked up the side walk to our apartment, I looked on the ground to my right and found the 3 lists rolled up at the base of a small bush. They must have fallen out of the binder as we were walking to our car. They had been sprinkled on by the sprinkler, but we could still read them perfectly! The blitz was amazing and we found 5 new people to teach and got around 15 return appointments, from the combined efforts of the missionaries and ward members. It. was. amazing. I know Heavenly Father protected those papers so we could visit His sons and daughters who were ready to hear the message of the restored gospel!! 

And lastly, GENERAL CONFERENCE! Man. It was amazing. I left on such a spiritual high, and it's still with me :) I loved how much the prophet and apostles talked about families, and Heavenly Father's great plan of happiness, that is of course centered on our beloved Savior JEsus Christ and His atonement. However, to feel the true joy from the gospel, and to have the desire to live the teachings, we must hear the music! Then dance to the beat :) Otherwise, it's awkward, and no fun! 

This gospel=joy. Because God loves each of us. So go. Be happy this week! And LIVE what you  LOVE. Then SHARE it with others :)

Sister Kraus

pics. matching Easter shirts!

we love to match! MLC=revelation station