Here is the letter that took 25 hours to get to our email!!!  Yay- it made it :)

Hola!

It´s been a crazy week here in the Dominican Republic. Monday was my last day in the CCM. I absolutely loved the CCM, and I was pretty sad to go. I loved my district and the other district that came with us, and it was sad to see most of them go to Puerto Rico. I was also really sad to say goodbye to our awesome teachers. Hermano Nunez made the sisters hairbows with his mom. haha It was so sweet. It was hard to say goodbye to these people that I probably won´t see again, but I loved being there.

Something I forgot to mention is that we missed Elder Holland by a week! He came to the CCM just a week before we got there. What a bummer! But we got to listen to a few of his MTC devotionals, and they were so awesome. 

Tuesday morning, I woke up with a sore throat, and I had lost my voice. That made for a fun first day! I didn´t lose it completely, but it hurts to talk and my voice is pretty squeaky. haha I bet everyone thinks that´s how I talk! haha Hopefully it goes away soon so I have an easier time being understood my the people. 

So Tuesday morning, we woke up bright and early and sent off the Puerto Rico missionaries. We left about an hour later and headed to the bus station. There were 12 latinos, and 3 of us gringos. We arrived in Santiago at 10, and President and Sister Douglas were waiting for us at the station.  As soon as I got out of the bus, they said ¨We know you already! You´re famous!¨haha They are such awesome people. Hermana Douglas is such a wonderful lady. She started a charity in India for people with leprosy, and it´s incredible. You should look it up if you get the chance. They are terrific people. We stayed with them Tuesday and had orientation. They went over the rules in the morning, and we went on splits with the missionaries in the afternoon to place our first Book of Mormon. It was so awesome. The people here are so receptive to everything we say. That night, we went over more rules and had our interviews with the president, and the assistants talked to us as well. One of the APs is from Mexico, and he is pretty much what I imagine Captain Moroni was like. The APs are great missionaries. Before we went to bed, he brought us into his office and showed us where we are going.

My first area is Jarabacoa! It´s in the mountains, and it´s beautiful. It´s about 45 to 60 minutes away from Santiago. It´s cooler than the rest of the island, and I really like what I´ve seen. My companion is Hermana Hunsaker, from Idaho. She´s great. I´m really excited to have her as my trainer, and she´s really sweet. I think we´re going to get along really well. Because today is P day, I haven´t had the chance to meet the people or to see much of the area, but I´m so excited. Tonight at 6 30 we have an activity with the branch, so it will be so fun to meet everyone. 

Well, adios for now! Hopefully I´ll have some exciting stories to share with you next week!

Kelsea with her new President and his wife- John and Becky Douglas

This is from Kari- Kelsea's mom

Sadly, this week we had a a problem with our Charter email (the family account) and so we didn't get the group letter from Kelsea.  I think it got lost in cyberspace while the email was down.  So sad for us who waited all day for it!  Luckily, she sent us emails to our private accounts.  But in those letters she told us that she was going to give all the details in her group letter.  So we will have to wait until next week for the details!

But, here is what we have based on the info she gave us in our emails and the letter we got from her new Mission President.  She got to her mission in Santiago on Tuesday.  She stayed the night in the mission home and then on Wed. got to meet her new companion.  Her new President said this  "Her trainer is Sister Camille Loye Hunsaker from Rexburg, Idaho.  She is an excellent missionary and will take good care of your daughter.  They are assigned to the Jarabacoa A Area in the LA VEGA Zone."

One exciting thing is that a lady from the ward I grew up in is serving a mission there with her husband.  They serve mostly in the Mission Office.  But Kelsea is going to the area where they are so she will get to see them each Sunday.  Linda Carroll has really taken her under her wing and is being a "grandma" to her.  That warms my heart!

Kelsea told Eddie that her area is in the mountains so it is a little cooler.  Here is what Linda said about that  "When we say "cooler in the mountains" that is relative. Right now it's not cool except in air conditioned areas. There is no evening cooling off like in Denver. It's not as bad as Phoenix, though!"

So, that is what we have pieced together so far.  Kelsea is so excited about all of her friends that are leaving to go on missions, too.  Thanks for all the support you give her!

Kari

Ps.  Kelsea's mission President's wife has a blog.  Her last 2 posts were all about the mosquito disease that has struck the Dominican Republic.  This last post tells some very uplifting experiences the missionaries have had dealing with the people who have Chikungunya.

http://beckydouglasparadise.blogspot.com/

July 24, 2014
Hello hello!

It's been another great week here at the CCM! And I only have 4 days left! Ah! I can't believe this has already happened.

Last Friday, we went tracting with the sister missionaries for 5 hours. It was so real. For some reason, I thought being at the CCM in Dominican Republic was like having "the experience," but I was so wrong. Being with the people is so different. It was so great. I can't wait to start serving. It was pretty difficult, because I understood about 5% of what people were saying to me, and about 45% of what my companion was saying. (Mom-she's from Honduras, San Pedro). So I never knew what they were talking about. haha But it was really fun. I've realized that my ability to speak the language is going to come much faster than my ability to understand. That's what the elders told us. All of the natives were impressed with how much I could speak, but I couldn't understand them. haha But I'm really looking forward to learning the language, and I can't wait to be with the people. I'm so ready! We're going tracting again tomorrow.

I love the devotionals we watch here. We watch them every Sunday, Tuesday, and now every Thursday because the temple is closed. In one devotional that Elder Bednar gave, he said that when he meets converts, he always asks them what they thought of the missionaries. He said that almost always, they say "I had no idea what they were talking about. They didn't make any sense, but I could feel the Spirit so strong when they were there." Something I've learned here is that it doesn't matter how much I know, and it doesn't matter how well I speak Spanish. The MOST important thing is having the attributes of Christ. If you exemplify the attributes of Christ, the Spirit will speak through you, and He will testify that what you are saying is true. We're just a bunch of 19 year old kids trying

to teach about the gospel all around the world. Sometimes we make mistakes, but it's just a testimony to me that this gospel is true, because the Spirit will testify to them, even when we make mistakes. And I'm bound to make tons of them, so I'm grateful for the Spirit's help. haha

I don't have a ton to say this week, but I'm just so grateful to be here at the CCM. I love being here. I love the teachers, and I love that I can get to know all of the missionaries here. It's be so much fun, and I'm so sad that I'm leaving in a few days, but I'm so excited for this adventure. I've been waiting for this my entire life, and I'm so grateful that it's already here. 

Thank you for your examples to me, and for your love and support. I am so grateful to have you all in my life. Adios!

A Day in the DR:

The "neighborhoods" are so different here. The streets are so tiny and sometimes you have to squeeze through them. All of the houses are connected, and everyone lives so close together. But I love it, because everyone is so laid back and friendly and a part of each other's lives. It's much different than our culture in the U.S. I wish I had a picture to share, but I'll send some once I get out into the field. 

July 17, 2014 Letter

Hola friends!

It's been a great week here at the CCM! The past couple of days, our teacher has challenged us to speak on Spanish until the end of the CCM. I can't say that I've been doing it 100%, but it's been really great. It really challenges me to think, and I've learned a lot. I'm so excited for the day that I finally understand everything. :) I love learning Spanish. I finally understand all of the grammar, now it's a matter of knowing the vocabulary, and then is the daunting task of understanding the people. On Tuesday, the Haitian sisters left, and yesterday, all of the Latinos came. There are some from places like El Salvador or Mexico, and they are pretty easy to understand. And then the Dominicans started speaking and all I was thinking is "This isn't the language they're teaching me in the MTC." haha

 

So last Friday, we went to the Univeristy to teach again, and we had an interesting experience. I was talking to a man about the Restoration of the Gospel, but he wasn't listening to a word I was saying. He was staring at Hermana Oborn! haha He cut me off and was asking how long she'll be here, if she has a boyfriend, and how well she speaks Spanish. He told her that she was beautiful, and reached out for her hand. Hermana Oborn can't understand a word of what these people say, so she just gave him her hand. He wasn't letting go, so I pushed her hand away, and told him that we weren't staying long and that we had to go. After we walked away, we told her, and she was so embarassed. She had no idea! haha

 

Our district loves to sing, and we sing all the time. We have someone covering each part, and we sound pretty good. I love singing with them, and I know that I need to cherish it, because I hear that most of the natives can't sing. haha But I've really started to appreciate how incredibly blessed I was to be a part of Concert Choir at BYU, and I can't wait to get back and sing with them again. I have a new appreciation for the power of music.

 

Because the temple is closed for the next few weeks, we didn't go this morning. Instead, we watched an MTC Devotional given by Jeffrey R. Holland. It was so powerful. Here are some things that he said:

"Missionary work isn't easy because it was never easy for the Son of the Living God. You are going to have to prepare to feel thos esame emotions.

The road to salvation always goes through the Garden of Gethsemane.

I don't know a disciple that didn't do what the Savior did, or didn't follow where the Savior went.

Salvation is not a cheap experience. It's going to take everything, and it's going to give you everything, and it's going to make you everything that you can possibly be."

I obviously can't relay how powerful his words were through and e-mail, but for those of you who know just how powerful his words can be, you can imagine how he made me feel.

 

Something I love about watching devotionals, is afterwards, we get together as a district to discuss what we learned. I love it because that's when I learn. I get to talk about what touched me, and I get to listen to things that I hadn't picked up on my own. I know General Conference is a ways away, but I challenge you to discuss with others the things that you learn at church, during personal scripture study, or anything. When you share and discuss what you've learn, it's when the Spirit can speak to you and that's when you can receive revelation.

 

A Day in the DR:

There's a virus going around called Chikungunya. It's passed through mosquitos, which are everywhere, and it causes joint pain. None of the missionaries have gotten it yet, but a lot of the teachers have. I really hope that my stylish mosquito net will protect me from it, because it sounds painful!

 

Well, I love and miss you all so much! I love hearing about your lifes, and I can't wait until I see you all! God be with you until we meet again!

Kelsea said- The two districts I've been with the whole time. I love them. They're so great. :)

Kelsea and her companions with one of their teachers, Hermano Rubio

Week 3- July 10, 2014

Hello everyone!

Thanks for all your letters! I love hearing from you! Sorry I'm not a very interesting story teller, I hope I'm not too boring. ;)

Anyways, it's been a great week here! On Friday, we went to the University (it's the first university in North and South America! It's really cool!) and tracted! I was SO nervous before. I thought that I was going to screw up so badly and ruin someone from ever listening to the missionaries. haha But as soon as we started talking to them, it became really fun! The people here talk so fast, so we had to ask them to speak really slow so we could understand. haha But we gave out 9 pamphlets and 2copies of the Book of Mormon. The ladies we gave them to were so nice and sincere. I was on Cloud 9 the rest of the day! Talking to the people and sharing with them the most important thing in my life was such a wonderful experience. It makes all of the rough days at the CCM worth it! I just can't wait until I go out into the field and do that all day!

After we got back from the University, we had a big Fourth of July feast laid out for us for dinner. It was so sweet and so delicious. Dominicans do American food better than we do! haha :) It was so fun.

 

This last Sunday was our first Fast Sunday. We started our fast on Saturday after lunch, and Hermana Halling and I were dumb enough to play Ultimate Frisbee after lunch. We learned out lesson. haha But it was a cool experience.

We play ultimate frisbee every day. I love it.  The teachers always play with us, and it's so much fun. 

 

We are so lucky to have the temple right across the street from us. We've been able to go three times. Unfortunately, they're closing it for maintenance until we leave the CCM, so today may have been my last time for the next year and a half. Unless I have an investigator who is going through for the first time when I'm in the field. :)

 

In my district, I know the most Spanish, and it's been a real blessing. I spend a lot of time working with the Elders or with Sister Oborn (who knows no Spanish, just French) and teaching them about different verb tenses or about pronouns, and it's really helped my Spanish. Even though I can't speak it perfectly by any means, I feel like I understand everything. Now I just need to learn how to speak it and how to understand those crazy fast Dominicans. :)

 

A Day in the DR:

Well, I haven't had a lot of time outside of the CCM, but whenever I get the chance to talk to the people, I fall instantly in love with them. They are the kindest, friendliest, more compassionate people I've ever met. They all treat me like their best friend, and they are so patience with my Spanish. haha I can't wait until I understand them and can teach them. I'm so grateful to be here.

 

Here's a little inspiration from me to you. Hopefully it's right, I'm doing it from memory. haha

Y si los hombres vienen a mi, les mostrare su debilidad. Doy a los hombres debilidad para que sean humilde; y basta mi gracias a todos los hombres que se humilde ante me, porque si se humilde ante me, and tienen fe en mi, entonces hare las cosas debiles sean fuertes para ellos. Eter 12:17

That's my favorite scripture, and I've really been trying to apply it to my life. Being in a companionship of three can be hard, because we all have different ideas and opinions, but it has been a great opportunity for me to focus on my weaknesses and to become a better person. I know that with Heavenly Father's help, we can accomplish anything. We should always be looking for things to improve or change about ourselves, especially me. haha I hope you all have a great week and I love you to the moon and back!

Week 2 Letter

Kelsea’s friend/family letter -July 3, 2014

Hello everyone!

It's been another week here at the CCM! I'm really happy here, and I'm starting to feel settled. My companions are really nice, and I'm starting to feel like better friends with them. The elders in our district are a lot of fun, but sometimes we spend more time laughing than learning. We're trying to help them focus a little more. haha But they're great. They all like to sing, so we spend a lot of our time singing hymns together, and we sound pretty good! Tonight, Hermana Halling, Elder Bracken, Elder Stewart, and I are singing Abide with Me; Tis Eventide for Family Prayer. :)

On Thursdays we get to go to the temple. It's in the same parking lot as the CCM. It's so beautiful inside and we're so blessed and lucky to go. It's been really neat.

This week we got to go to the store. It was the first time we were allowed to leave the temple grounds, and it was so much fun. And so hot. We were dripping sweat by the time we got back. But it was so fun to see what the mission's actually going to be like.

So I can't remember what I told you last week, so hopefully I'm not repeating myself. There are 13 of us, and 10 are going to Puerto Rico. Two elders and I are going to Santiago. And last night, we got 25 new missionaries. 3 are Haitian sisters and they are serving in Haiti, and the rest are from the US serving in either Santo Domingo east or west. We just met them this morning so we haven't really had a chance to talk with them, but they all seem really nice.

Mom, I forgot to tell you that Sister Carroll stopped by last week and gave me the bag. It's a fanny pack. haha I died. Then I opened the bag and found a strap. Phew! She's really nice. :)

How's Grandpa Jorden doing? I didn't really hear a whole lot about what happened. Did he have to go to the hospital or anything? Does he have scars?

A few days ago, two sisters serving in the Santo Domingo East mission asked us to help them with their lesson. They were teaching a less active family, and they wanted to teach them about Lehi's Vision, so they had us blindfold the family and lead them around with a rope, we led them to the entrance to the temple, and had them hold to the railing and walk up to the temple ("iron rod"). Then they took off their blindfolds and had them look at the temple. It was a lot of fun to help the sisters, and it was a taste of what being a missionary is really going to be like. I can't wait!

A Day in the DR:

The culture here is a lot different than most Hispanic countries. The Dominican people still speak Spanish, but they are black (which in my opinion, is the best combination haha). The sport that everyone loves here is baseball, not soccer. It's been really fun to see what everything is like here. Last night, Hermano Rubio was telling us about his favorite foods, including cow tongue, pig ears, and pig lips. Bleh! I really hope I don't have to try any of that! haha :)

Well, hopefully I covered everything! Let me know if there's anything else I missed!

I love you all and I miss you lots, but I'm really happy to be here! I'm loving the language and all of the people, and I'm so glad I have the blessing of being a missionary.

Oh, a few more things I forgot!

We just got called to be the Sister Trainer Leaders. Basically it's just our job to make the new sisters feel loved and welcome. It's hard to communicate with the Haitian sisters, but we love smiling at them! haha

If I already mentioned this last week, don't put it on the blog, but I just love the teachers here. They are so inspirational. They all have such a strong desire to learn, all the time. They all speak quite a bit of Spanish, some are working on learning French, some are learning new instruments, and they are all always looking for new things to learn. It really makes me want to learn everything I can. Especially in Spanish. I really enjoy learning the language, and I feel like I learn a lot each day. A few days ago, we taught two lessons, and both time the people we taught told me that my Spanish was ready for the field! I don't quite agree, but it's really comforting to know that I'm doing well, and not falling behind. The picture I sent is of Hermano Nunez. He's not actually our teacher, but he hangs out with us a lot when we take turns teaching the investigator, and he has taught us so much about the gospel. He's also hilarious. He's actually from India, but he grew up here. We couldn't find our real teachers, but they are Hermanos Ramirez, Rodriguez, and Rubio, and their first names are all Jose. haha They're really awesome. :)