Kaylie's E-mail 8-9-2010

Hola Mi Familia!

How is everyone doing!?! By you emails it sounds like everyone is doing so so well!!! Thanks for the pictures of baby Bella! She is beautiful!!! And Casey and Brynnie, oh my word another BOY!!!! Oh how exciting and how blessed you are to have three little missionaries and one little sister missionary that is so awesome!!! Congrats I love you guys!!!!

Well, as for me, yes my week was busy but so good! We worked our little Costa Rican bums off getting our investigators ready for baptism! And on Sunday a family and another boy from a less active member were baptized along with the elders investigators, who was a couple and a girl about 11. So we had 7 people get baptized Sunday!! Crazy huh? It was wonderful!! Well........ it could have been so so wonderful but the mom of our little family had doubts and she didn’t get baptized. So her husband and 2 son were baptized and she wasn’t. It was weird and I am not a hundred percent sure what happened but I guess on Saturday our district leader went with us to do the baptismal interview questions and she went into the room with him and she came out crying and the elder looked at me and shook his head and he said she didn’t want to be baptized. I was like “what? this is the first time she expressed doubt of anything”. So we took her in the other room. Hermana Vega and I and just talked to her she wouldn’t tell us why she said no but Hermana Vega bore strong testimony of baptism and how it can change and bless her life and at the end she was crying and told us yes she did. So Sunday we thought everything was good and she sat through church then when we were preparing for her baptism she said she was sick and she just closed her eyes and was rocking from side to side. She was weak and she couldn’t move and the member went and brought her food and she couldn’t eat it so they were feeding her. It was so sad. I didn’t know what to do. She is so skinny and I think she was nervous and all of it rolled into one I think she couldn’t handle it. So she sat there with her eyes closed and she didn’t even see her husband and kids get baptized. I was discouraged I thought why couldn’t she just be strong. Why does Satan come at the worst moments. But I realized that it is her decision and she needs to be 100 percent ready. And I know she will. But we did take her to the hospital and the doctors said she was anemic or lacking iron so they gave her medicine and so hopefully she will feel better soon and she will want to be baptized because I love that little family and I know they will be so so blessed to all be baptized. But it was a beautiful day and next Sunday they will receive the gift of the holy ghost!!

As for Antonio he is doing so so so GREAT!!!! He is a changed Being. He is so happy and he, guess what, received the Aaronic priesthood and on Sunday he passed the sacrament. He was so excited and he did such a great job. He even went out and bought a white shirt and borrowed a members tie so he could pass the sacrament. I think it really touched him that he was able to pass the sacrament. I was touched. I felt so proud and I felt the love of the Savior so much watching him pass this most sacred ordinance. It was awesome. It is amazing to see how much this gospel changes people. How much the Atonement changes people and creates a new person and a person of God. I love this gospel with all my heart!!! I know it is real and so so so true!! I know the Atonement is everything, Christ is everything!!! I love him! This work is hard and Satan very much wants to stop what we are doing and at times it is hard to know why it has to be so hard, this gospel, but I then remember salvation is not easy and it come with a price. If this work and gospel was easy it wouldn’t be true but because it is so hard I know with all my heart that it is true and that Christ lives. That he died for us that we could live together as families with our Father in Heaven forever!! I know the Atonement is real! I have used this amazing and precious gift while I have been here and it is real but we need to be humble enough and have faith enough to let it work in our lives. And once we use it It is BEAUTIFUL!! The Savior is beautiful!!! I love him and he knows us and he is with us forever and always!!

I am Healthy well........... sort of! I was bit by a spider I think and my ankle is swollen and sooooo sore!! It started to hurt really bad on Saturday and just got worse last night. The pain was so bad that I just laid on my bed and tried to have the pain pass. I didn’t know what to do and the hospitals here are scary and not good at all because the are socialist I think where the doctors get paid the same. Anyways I was scared that it would get worst and I would have to go to the hospital. So this morning early we went to see a pharmacist and they gave me 3 types of pills ,one for the pain, one for swelling and another to fight infection and now it feels better!! Still swollen and tight but not so much pain so I am so happy about that! Walking home last night as I was limping! I told my companion I wanted my mom and she just laughed but she is so good and took care of me! We called the president wife and she told me the medication was good and if it didn’t get better to call her! So I am not scared anymore!!

My companion leaves Monday!! I am so sad and scared because I will get a new companion and she will be new to the area. She will be senior but still the area will be new to her. So I have been really paying attention to the houses of our investigators and where they live and what buses we have to take so that I can help out a little. My companion is excited to leave and sad at the same time. It is hard being with someone that is going home because I think about home so much. So it will be good to get someone that is not leaving!! But I will miss her. We have so much fun together. It is hard sometimes bc of the culture and things like that but she is incredible and a really great missionary! I am going to miss her a lot!!

But to answer a couple questions. Yes I am the only blonde and I stink out like a sore thumb. I get whistles and creepy men saying things to me. So it is an adjustment but its OK. Just the other day a cute little old guy gave me a flower and then kissed me on the cheek! LOL!! I like the food and guess what mom you and Deb would love it here because they have aeropostle here all over! And each time I see it I think of you!!

Dad you are incredible! You little builder you!! You are awesome! I bet the house just looks so amazing you should send me pictures!!

I like it here. Being here though makes me miss Jerusalem a lot, funny huh?

But mom yeah you can just order the scripture case covers for me. But I have problem bc my spanish cases are bigger than my English case so I don't know!! But for the picture on my book of Mormon, I want the tree of life picture, you know the one with the iron rod leading to the tree and people are holding on to it and then on the back I want the I love you with Christ hands. And on my bible I want just the picture of Christ and then the one where he is looking off at Jerusalem. Or wait maybe just the picture of Christ on the Book of Mormon and the Tree of Life on the back then the one where he is looking at Jerusalem and the hands on my bible. That would be so great!!!

I love you all so much!! You are the best family ever! Thanks for all your love and support!! It means everything to me!!! I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Hermana Kaylie Tookie Turnbaugh