10/20/2011

Oh how I miss you all. I am dying because this Saturday is Bears baby shower and I just want to be there SO BAD, UGH! I bet it will be the cutest thing in the world like her wedding. Can you please take 783 pictures and send them all to me? PLEASE? And... HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYY!!!! TO Lindsay, Hector, Britt, and Tawn. I hope your package gets there before the shower and before your birfdays. It's really lame I had to put it together in like 5 seconds cause that element of time is non existent in the mission. and I just have been waiting for the news of Britt's pregnancy for 7 years and I just WISH I WAS THERE TO participate in the JOY!!! ahhh. I can't imagine how much you guys are just lovin your lives right now. Kind of like on Father of the Bride part 2 when they just hang out and have fun being pregnant together. Is that how it is? DO YOU LOVE IT!? I Just so happy for you all!!!!!:::::::))))))))))

BUT as trunky as I may sound, I am seriously loving it over here. I love love love love it. I love bikes. I can not get over how BEAUTIFUL it is. Las ojas estan cambiando. We get to ride our bikes through the pleasant weather with beautiful colorful trees everywhere, to go to appointments with the most amazing legit people ever, to speak el idioma de los cielos. I love my comp. I love that my family is getting blessed!!!!!!!!!!! It's the best. I love ELiana and I love that yesterday she told us she finally wants to get baptized! She is just like my mom. She was on the phone yesterday and said, "Why don't you come over and put your feet in some hott water?" while in the background is the Christian channel talking about natural health cures. MOM!? She gave me 14 karat gold CROSS earrings and I laughed and then got really confused what I should do about that. Anyway so we have been fasting and praying lik crazy for her, with the specific intent that she would not only feel comfortable being baptized, but WANT it. And yesterday, someone called her during our appt. and she goes "ooo I am getting baptized you must come I am buying cake blah blah blah, and then you hear her say, nooo ME QUIERO BAUTIZAR!!!"" It was an EXACT answer to prayers. She even gave up coffee which she used to drink multiple times a day!!! And Shirley is just so excited for her baptism inviting everyone and her mom is getting baptized too! And it's all super fijada. I am just really excited. AND STEVE AND JOSE AND JANETTE ARE THE BEST!!! (Steve, if you are reading this, HI! And get baptized! It's fun!) - Steve informed me that he found my blog and read about he is investigating. SO maybe I should be careful what I write haha. So this week has just been super great. And Jose and and Juan my favs ever accepted bdates and are just the cutest happiest people. We are just so busy and I love it. We have four appointments tonight at 6 when pday is over. Not sure how that is going to work. We had 2 planned so we were going to do intercambios, but we got a message that a family is feeding us at 6 and another from Jose where he says "Hello Sisters, I want to learn about this chapted I read in Alma 40 you left me, I will be at the Visitor's Center tomorrow at 6"- JA! I love those little milagritos. Oh and every day this past week I've gotten self referrals in the VC! We just are getting the most golden people coming in. On Saturday there were 1300 people just in the first few hours and of everyone there I felt like talking to a young man who looked very mormon? I evenran to the back to find him cause I felt like I should for some reason. Turns out, not a member and searching for truth. Upperboxed right there and said he is looking forward to learning more. We had a big fireside with the former Treasurer like of America come in and I had to translate for her! It was so scary. But it went well. And to answer your questions mom, yes sometimes we eat weird food, but it's latino so it's all good. And actually since we are on bike and have been so busy we haven't had time to have member meals. So we just grab very simple foods on the run. Last night though we didn't ahve time for dinner after VC so we ran out and said a little prayer in my head that someone would feed us. All three of our appts had like big meals ready for us soo my prayer was a little too answered. Okay please be so happy dis week, have babies and love your life cause this is just so exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are all in my prayers all de time

PS WOW!!!! I can't not believe about the accident!!!! And that they are all okay!!! ahh wow that's so scary. I am so so happy everything is fine. I love that little family. That is no less than a MIRACLE

10/13/2011

I literally have 5 minutes to write cause I think you all felt bad for not writing me for 3 WEEKS and others too so I had to respond. BUT CAN I JUST SAY THAT I AM SO HAPPY YOU GUYS ARE ALL BEING SO BLESSED RIGHT NOW!!!! WITH BABIES!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I so happy! this will come in a later letter

Things are SO GOOD. SO OVERWHELMING. I have never been so tired in my life!!! It's a great tired though. We ride our bikes so fast appointment to appointment to VC and have no time for absolutely anything else (we even just have to take a sandwich with us for meals) and just crash at night. I love it! Shirley finally chose her bdate and she is SO EXCITED and so solid. AND she is planninh on going on a mission. ANd her mom is not only finally on board now, she is fasting today to know what day she should get baptized. They are great. SO remember the Pakistan man that everyone told me not to worry about cause he is in the middle east? DOn't even worry, just emailed me and told me he met with MISSIONARIES in PAKISTAN and wants to get baptized!! YES! The best part about this mission is you get to take part in the fulfilling of prophecy and help open up countries! There were so many miracles this week but I have no time, so here is a quick one. Man comes into the VC. Russian, atheist. No one was talking to him cause he appeared to just be a member wandering on his own, but he was proactive and came up to me and started talking about how everything is explained without a God. He is a scientist, super intelligent physisist and he said he had no intentions o changing. We had the most incredible conversation and the spirit was so strong, I wish I could tell you all about it, but the conversation resulted in him asking for the directions to the church building, requestin to meet the missioonaries asap because he now feels that there is more and wants to learn all about it. It was evident he felt the spirit SO STRONG and I just am so amazed by how good God is at what He does! One HUGE principle I have learned on my mission is that even though God does not have the power to take away our agency, he has the power to soften a heart. I never fully understood that until now and honestly of all the miracles, changes of hearts are my FAV! Well love you all so much sorry for being high maintenance the weather is better now but it will get colder again soon so I appreciate yor concern and willingness to help! Sorry I am so high maintenance. I just like my family so much I get so excited all week to hear from dem. PS there is nothing more beautiful on the face of the planet than DC/Maryland in the fall. It's very heavenly to me. I need to send you pictures I have never seen like colors and trees and stuff? just palm trees. K LOVE YOU!

10/05/2011

FAMILIA!

I thought the "forget your daughter/sister exists" comes after like a year not 6 months! But it's okay... I still love you. I am just worried. Just send me even a little email that says "we're alive" and I will be totally happy with that! Thanks:) And I don't know if you sent that package with the tape (so maybe I look for it every day cause I am so excited to hear your voices), but I am totally content with that for a time :) I just need to hear WHAT HAPPENED WITH BRITT, I am SO CURIOUS! ANd Luke is due like any week and I am so excited and want to hear how everything iz wif dat.

This week was good. I will be honest I am so overwhelmed! I just feel bad for my poor lil babe (I actually hate the mother/daughter lingo cause I find it degrading so I don't use it)- but I just am still really clueless about a lot of things. Our new DL added all these key indicator numbers that we have never counted before and it made me feel imcompetent that I didn't know what  they were and then Hna Shannon I bet was thinking "WOW why are they letting HER train" - JA. But it's okay. She is is like the SWEETEST and I really love her and we have lotz of fun and drink hot chocolate. Cause it's like 5 degrees. For real. It is so cold I can't bare it! And we still ride bikes in it! Today it was better though. But we don't have a heater so we always do our studies (when we get them) in like 5 blankets and huge jackets and gloves and beanies. I feel like CC and Hilary in Beaches. I hate to be a pain in this clearly hectic time, but if I have any long sleeve shirts or jackets or winter clothes laying around, can you send them to me? If not, that's fine. I  have a big jacket and they have some good winter coats here, but I need more to layer with is all. ANyway this week was good! Habia muchas investigadores that came to conference! It was INCREDIBLE to see how perfectly some of the talks applied to the investigators and how inspired it was that certain investigators came to certain sessions and needed to hear exactly what was spoken. They are truly inpired men! Benny and Shirley were like "I learned that we should refer to ourselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, not mormons" Yeah- they call themselves members, but won't get baptized! I actually think SHirley will be baptized in a couple of weeks. She is ready and has a solid testimony. We also had a miracle with the Sahonero familia. Sister missionaries have been working with this family for years and yearrrsss cause the wife is a less active. But they have never in any way progressed. They just are a really fun and nice family but never come to church or are willing to commit. We had a lesson and sister Shannon committed them to be baptized and they actually really pondered and very seriously looked us in the eyes and said "yes" - but of course we have the doubt to work through. He says, "when I get baptized my whole family will and my life will change, so it will take a while" Luis and Eliana came to the baptism this past weekend and were asking about baptism the whole time and are poco a poco overcoming their doubts. So this whole mission thing requires a TON of patience cause all of thesepeople are SO SOLID and READY but they have this silly little duditas it's so ridiculous. BUT. they will be baptized and SUPER solid members. NO DOUBT. We also found some super golden people to teach this week and the way we found them was miraculous! One we invited on the street to come to conference and he actually came! Unfortunately we were in VC so it was in English and I just had to translate for him.AND I am SO STOKED cause we are teaching a bunch of Brazilians! They are sweet and I am practicing portuguese. We have no problem communicating though (except for on the phone) when I speak Spanish and they speak Port so we'll see if I actually learn any. Anyway pray for them. By name. It works. PLEASE! You are all in my prayers I love you so. Please tell me how you are doing. LOVE YOU! 

9/28/2011

FAMILLEE!!!

Oh how I miss you. WHAT IS HAPPENING!!?? What happened with Britt... I need to know ASAP!!! How huge is Bear? Is she about to pop? Tawn are you in school working? I don't even know! MOM what's new wif you? I miss you all soooo. So this week has been no less than interesting. You will never guess... Di la luz!!! Like da bear. I got a message from the mission president that says, "Sister Allen, it's President Matsumori (He is really great, but has a really deep american business man intimidating voice!) - If you have appointments Monday at 10, cancel em. I need an hour and a half with you. This was Saturday. So I didn't sleep Saturday nor Sunday. I was soo preoccupied every thought crossed my mind. "My whole family died and he wants to tell me in person" or "They are switching me to English program" - I had resorted that they were switching me to English. Turns out, I am training::)) I AM SO EXCITED :) BUT SO NERVOUS!!! I didn't expect it AT ALL cause I have 3 transfers and the first day of my mission the pres said that training is not a right in this mission. Not everyone will get to and it usually comes at the end. And I hope it doesn't sound like I am boasting cause obviously it's because the average mission age has lowered I just want to express what a SHOCK this was to me cause there were still some older sisters so I thought there was more time to like not know what I'm doing! But I know God qualifies whom He calls sooo let's hope I don't ruin her mission. But her name is Sister Shannon and she is the sweetest nicest girl from Utah so I am super excited. I have a feeling I will learn alot from her. Everything in the area is great we have 7 people on date so I just hope and pray that they can each overcome their duditas and seguir adelante. Quick milagrito. So we met a friend of Luis 2 transfers ago named Shadreck, who is IMPOSSIBLE. He was the most intense, degrading bible basher I had met. We saw him again last transfer and he made Sis Marcy cry cause he was so mean to her! And she, like me, doesn't cry. Like.. it was bad. But we still left him with the Book of Mormon and told him that he couldn't know  unless he read it. That a spiritual conviction would surpass any of his evidential claims. One day we were on our way to Luis' and we decided to pray that Shadreck wouldn't be there. Well God quickly chastened us and made His will known because he was there. BUT let me just testify to whoever might be reading this that the Book of Mormon changes lives. I have taken t his book for granted my entire life and I am finally IN LOVE with it. Anyway, but he looked us in the eyes and says, "I am SO sorry about last time. Iread this book and it is really beautiful. I want to hear what you have to say"- WHAT! Let me tell you, of all  miracles there is nothing more miraculous to me than to see a change of heart. Because I think that can be more difficult than even defying science or walking on water. Changing a heart is MIRACULOUS. SO he wasn't in the area and the elders started working with  him. I guess he already associates himself as a mormon and has given up a TON to move forward. So he came to the VC this past week and we gave him a tour and invited him to be baptized. He still is really rough on the edges and was like "I do thangs my own way!" - but I guess he had a dream have 2 noches that Luis (our struggling investiagor who is now the hard one) was stabbing him with a sword and Hermana Marcy and I were protecting him with our mujerdocio (haha apostate) so who knows really where this dream came from, but to him it was enough! So much more happened this week, but I am out of time. Just know I love you all and pray for you every second of every day. Please be happy and safe and so so happy all de tym. <3 <3 <3

Hermana Allen

9/22/2011

Hola Familiaaaa!!! Les extrano muchisimo!!!!

How is everything? When do we know about Britt?!!!!!!!!! I am dying! When is Luke due? !!!!!! Tawn I am having a bunch of elders write you cause you are so pretty if that's ok. Mom how's VIDA!? I miss you all!

This week was good! SO craziest thing. This man named Johnathan came into the VC 2 weeks ago Sunday. He was GOLDEN. I took him on a temple "tour" (Although it's really a tour) He was crying cause he felt the spirit so strong and he just was glowing and said he wanted to meet with missionaries and get baptized. So yeah I was like wow that's great blah blah blah I will call you in two weeks to make sure the missionaries got to you. Well before I even got around to calling him we had the "Why I believe" program Sunday and there were hundreds of people there. And he gave the closing prayer (In french!) and said I got baptized two hours agO!!! What!!! He took less than two weeks to get baptized! HE is so golden and now we are like bff we were so excited to see each other after! It was so great!! OTHER AMAZING news... So Enrique (our recent convert (right before I got to GP)) the one that moved back to Peru? 17 years old? Remember him? So we would work with him every lesson to work on being examples to his family so they can follow his example and join the true church. And he said "No my dad is Jehova's witness and my mom is really strong Catholic, it's impossible" So it's only been like a month and we just got news that he just baptized his ENTIRE FAMILY!!!! AHHH!! Isn't that so beautiful!? It just makes me so happy cause I just love him so much! It made me feel better since things in our area are struggling. Eliana keeps moving her bdate cause a new doubt arises. This last week it was "I can't give up my virgin mary!" But she really is progressing. and we are just best friends. She is so much like mom I just want you to meet her! Sometimes she even holds my hand when we walk haha. Then Luis had a dream about counterfeited money and thinks that God wasd trying to tell him Joseph Smith isn't really a prophet. JA. Pray for him. He still is progressing as well though. Always comes to church and reads and has a testimony. He just has some things to work through. Beni and Shirley can't contact. BUT Steve we finally saw him and his family last night and (his mom is less active) and his dad and him both accepted baptismal dates for the 23rd of Oct (for Tawn and Britt's bday). Then we found 2 GOLDEN people this past week. Alex was a potential we checked on and we thought he wasn't home but as we were leaving he said "SISTERS!" and he was laying on his hammock and we taught him a whole lesson asi, and he just agreed with every single doctrine and said he would be baptized the 9th of Oct if he receives an answer that it is true. THEN another GOLDEN man named Emerson we just met on the street, and he was a missionary in his church for 6 years and agreed to come to the VC that night. He really did come and just ate it all up. He felt the spirit so strong and said that if the Book of Mormon agrees with the bible, it's the word of God, and if it's the word of God he better get baptized by the right authority found in this church- and is praying about Oct 16th. SO even though we are dealing with some pruebas, we also have some milagros! God compensates us for every loss. And I am aware that someone forgot to take out a part in my last emaillll that was not supposed to be therreee, BUT I am in the humbling process and realize I can not cast out the mote in my brother's eye and not recognize the beam in mine. SO things are good. Transfers are this week. I love the mission. Even though it's been freezing and raining and I have to ride my bike in it- I actually love it. It's like the realization of my DREAM! PS I had to speak again in the big theatre the other night and it was scary. I still don't love speaking. I love you all so so so much you have no idea. Some of the sisters were talking about how their desire to write their family has lessened, and although I admire their focused nature, I am not as good and I still just as much love you guys and get excited to hear from you. LOVE YOU!

9/15/2011

FAMILIA!!!! Can I just sin and say I get homesick sometimes and miss you? Okay... glad I got that off my chest. I love you all and hope life is just oh so wonderful. I am emailing early cause we had fall sports day today. The whole mission gets together and we play Hero ball (it's like squittatch (NO CLUE HOW TO SPELL)- famous to the mission. We had tons of teams in their own colors and we dominated the whole thing! It was pretty sweet. Oh and I saw my cousin. Like Lori's nephew? We're franz. Anyway so this week was good! We found a myriad of new people to teach! ALonzo's family have always been like ANTI listen to us, but miraculously came in on our lesson with us this last time? And their hearts are opening a little bit at a time. She says "Soy catolico y no voy a cambiar!", pero cada vez, poco a poco, her heart opens a little more. Eliana is to be baptized this Sunday. We are going to see her tonight because she is stil kind of switching back in forth between this week and next week. I just want you guys to meet her so bad!! She is just this funny funny old lady who is so dramatic and sweet and hilarious. She reminds me of mom! Which is why I love her so much! Not the old part, just funny and sweet:) But she was one of those "Soy catolico y no voy a cambiar!", and welp, now she is getting baptized! So remember that woman I met outside of the temple the first day of my mission who was like "I need to get inside this building, I felt God tell me I need to come here and get a gift from God"- so we got her info and gave it to the missionaries? well she came to the VC and has been baptized! I have been praying to see the fruits of my labor a little more cause sometimes it's hard in the VC, but recently the fruits have been a little more prominent and evident! A couple days ago, another GOLDEN man came into the VC. I was already off shift and I tried to hand him off, but no one would take him so I made my comp impatiently wait as I gave this Pakistan (OF COURSE!) man a temple tour. And he said "How do I get in the temple?" and usually people say "Oh sorry it's just for members" - but really... that's only slightly the case. I always say, "OH yeah all are welcome! Just need to get baptized and prepare for a year and live worthily and then you can enter"- To this he said, "Okay... where do I start?" - he accepted a bdate for 2 weeks and it's sooo frustrating cause I have been working with him on the phone since, but the missionaries haven't visited him yet!! Sometimes it's hard putting your trust into a simple text message or email you send a referral to the missionaries. BUT he is SO golden! He said he just felt something pulling him to the VC that day! And he walked up to me like he was expecting a tour or like we knew each other already. That's why i couldn't give him up! There are some people that you just feel you knew them before this life. He was one of them. Another man who I am working with on the phone I feel that with. He just got out of jail and I read D&C 39:5-10 with him and it was written for him, now he wants to be baptized! ALSO I have been working with church headquarters to get the man in Pakistan (Naveed) baptized! I HAVE to send you his email you would cry at how beautiful his conversion process has been! And this past week he told me he was going to go to INDIA to meet with a man from the church, but is on bed rest cause he has Leukemia :( sad huh. But we still talk on the phone and he's great. And I am working on getting copies of the Book of Mormon to an ENTIRE ministry of this PRIEST in Pakistan who is interested! We met on chat and he doesn't know I am female so he calls me "Brother Kelly"- it's super cute. That's one AMAZING thing about this mission is we get to be part of fulfilling prophecy in that the work of God will go forth boldly nobly and independent until it has visited every country, swept every clime, and sounded in every ear. SO Pakistan is one of those countries being prepared to be opened right now. IT'S GREAT! This week was also on the rough side. Don't put this in the mass email, but I'm struggling with my comp alot. And the spirit can't be there when there is tension so we lost multiple of our bdates and I feel we are at fault. Even though they used thier agency. They are still getting baptized, but just not this week (Beny and Shirley) as planned. She says she needs to study it more. But Shirley was SO excited!!! :( It's just hard... I didn't realize how important comp unity is. So it's something that no matter if she changes or not, I just have to grow and learn patience. It's a process but it's coming! And I do love her she is great. OKay done let me know how everything is going!!! !Tell bear I have dream about her baby!!! AHHH!!!! And I want to know what's going on with all yall I have no idea!!! LUVVZZZ

 ps I need amber creson's address!!! and figure out deferra;l thing!! LOVE YOU!

9/08/2011

Familia!!!! Sooo remember how much I miss you? Cause I do. Alot. I got that sweetest package ever from Brittany and annoying facebook statuses from Bear (THE BEST!) and I just love tawn and my mom soo just know how happy it makes me and how much I love you. So I have 7 min..

This week has been amazing! Alonzo got baptized Sunday! And we messed EVERYTHING up. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. I couldn't open the door to the font so I waded through the font that was being filled in my church clothes to trying to unlock it from the inside. But instead I cut myself and was bleeding everywhere and got it on the master program, which the copier was of course out of ink anyway. Then we forgot to set up all the food cause we were so preoccupied in finding transportation for our investagators. Then the joven we assigned to speak told us he doesn't speak Spanish?! So we turned off the water so we could fill more warm water right before it started, buttt forgot. And then we were so preoccupied we couldn't go over the words with Lino (who was baptizing him)- so he had to repeat it like 3 times and then the water was like up to his knees. I was so humiliated when they opened up the font and there was like no water. Then I guess we weren't clear enough on what to wear cause he came out in t shirt and jeans and a big cross, jaja. SO... lesson learned. I was so embarrassed and thinking about how I ruined the baptism that I missed the whole point. The ordinance was actually performed, and Alonzo made a sacred covenant with the Lord and will be eligible to enter His presence. I just get caught up in the little things I forget to look at the big picture. But that's really what it comes down to and I am SOO happy for him. He is so adorable I can't wait for you all to meet him! We thought Beni and SHirley (who were supposed to be baptized Sunday) dropped us cause they would NOT answer our calls for a week and a half. But Shirley shows up to church and says, "I know we were supposed to be baptized today, but my mom can't make it so can we do it next week?" WHAT! I was just so confused. We took her to fhe that night and she just lit up every time we talked about her baptism. She is so excited and SO GOOD! And there were some crazy miracles in the VC this past week. The most golden man I have ever met came in Sunday. I was taking him on a temple tour and before I even get around to asking if he wanted to meet with missionaries he says, "I want to be baptized"- and was crying cause he felt the sirit so strong. So he already met with the missionaries and they just informed me that he is getting bsaptized next Sunday! Then 2 others came in and pretty much begged me to self refer. One lady I was asking her friends if they knew anyone we could call and send a BOM and she said, "Um can I fill one of those out for me?" JA! That happened multiple times this past weekened. And I have been working with this man in Pakistan who sent me the most beautiful email ever! I just had sent him a link to the BOM the day before and he emailed me and said, "I have read the whole first book of Nephi and I believe this is the word of God"- he wants to be baptized, but there are no chapels in Pakistan. So I have been calling people all over the world to work something out for him. I have investigators in Lithuania, Africa, Germany, 2 in Pakistan, Turkey. It's pretty sweet. I like don't have to do anything cause these peopel are just so prepared. So I am out of time, but I love you all and want to hear all yo stories! PS I was bed ridden yesterday with stomach flu and still don't feel very good. So mom I wanted you to know I am going to drink asea.... yeah... thanks for dat! LOVE YOU! 

PS sorry I was going to send pics, but I forgot my camera in the apartment :( I will next week.