SHE HAS RETURNED!

From Mom - Everything has been taken care of, and Christine was cleared to return.  She flew out last Saturday, and is quickly settling in to her new trio-companionship.

I'm well. It was coldish when I arrived- 65 degrees or so. Not so bad but I was dressed expecting heat. Oh well. It's warming up again... 74 degrees isn't so bad, but it’s muggy as all get out.

I'm in a trio in Iowa City. My two companions are Sister Dilworth, a 4 month old Idahoan, and Sister Carter, a 7 month old Sacramento native. We bonded immediately over being Californian.

The area is nice- we're more or less in suburbs, close to a college city. So we have a lot of options here. We share our area with a set of Spanish speaking elders. One is from Honduras and speaks barely a word of English. Poor kid. But he's a convert to the church so he's definitely a champ for putting up with this.

My companion from Cedar Rapids (from before she left the mission field) called and we had a nice chat. We'll likely see each other at transfers at the end of September.

Trying hard not to have home sickness. It’s kind of difficult starting totally over in getting comfortable and in the groove. Such is life.

I should be good for stuff for a while. I bought a bunch of things I forgot today (toothpaste woops)...

All my love

Sister Kurt

home for the moment

Christine came home recently - expecting that she'll take care of a few things at home, and then likely return to complete her mission.  We'll see how things go in about 6 months.

car crash and curly hair

Sister Kurt and Sister Chandler

Ew, sick! We've been pretty blessed. My last companion got pretty sick for awhile, but knock on wood, I haven't been seriously sick while I've been out here. Lots of water and lots of rest!

So I'm fine, but after the letters home last week, we got rearended pretty good. Our Nissan Frontier was more or less fine- the little Chevy Aveo got pretty crunched. She slid into us. Ice sucks. So we missed out on a lot of our Pday because of it(running around getting paperwork and stuff done.)... At least its all superficial damage, but it's still going to take a week to repair, and we're going to be walking for a week. The truck goes in the 18th. We get it back the day before transfers, a week later.

I've started kinda curling my hair in an attempt to use the flat iron a little less, and I think it looks interesting.

there's my companion, Sister Chandler.

Our blue truck, and her red 4banger.

We're still working with a mom and daughter, but their date got moved back because mom works the whole weekend. We're now shooting for the 28th. Pray for them- life's really hard right now, so we're just trying to keep them point so they can have the Holy Ghost to make some decisions that are coming up fast.

We're also working with Jackie still, but her date will also move back, as she hasn't been to church yet, and as she has been very sick, she won't be able to attend for awhile. But its a matter of time for her, so I'm not worried.

We've been given good direction from other missionaries and leaders, so hopefully we can get this ball moving a little faster. WE're in some serious need of new investigators right now. Pray for our courage to talk to everyone we come into contact with.

The church is true. The Atonement only stops being an abstract concept when you use it in your life. The spirit speaks to you all the time; you just need to recognize its there.

I don't think the Groundhog thing works here? We only recently got snow and its projected to only get colder right now. Crossing fingers. But I'm also told the summers are brutal too. I have mixed feelings.

I love you!

Christine

Much snow!

So we got like a foot of snow in the last 48 hours. I'm not pleased, because it meant that we were grounded Sunday. But we're allowed out today (Monday), as the snowing has STOPPED, but now there are ridiculously sized piles of snow everywhere. It also doesn't help that it rained just before it snowed, so we have ice under the snow. It’s a wonderful day to have 4-wheel drive on our little Nissan truck. The poor elders don't have a garage (apparently my having had one in two of my areas thus far is incredibly rare and I need to shut up), so they spent 45 minutes digging it out this morning. Oh the joys of Iowa.

So we have two investigators from before, and they're doing okay, and we just got a new investigator who more or less fell out of the sky into our laps. She was originally being taught by the missionaries here months ago, but they thought she was a less active (she had been in a bunch of foster homes and joined a bunch of different churches and had a bunch of different last names, so they couldn't find any record on her, but hey.) She disappeared, and we prayed to find her (since my companion knew her briefly), and we found out where she was the very next day. She was in another area, so they started working with her (and figured out she wasn't a member)... She moved back into our area just after they set a date with her. She's golden. Oppa.

Sad thing though, it sounds like they will be losing either one set of missionaries, or both sets, and this ward doesn't understand how good they have it with two sets of missionaries. So I don't know how long I'll be in this area. Sad day.

Ugh, pasta sounds delicious. Think Nick will make me some when I get home? (Of course he will!  Nick received a pasta maker for Christmas and he made WONDERFUL things for us to eat!)

I've been studying the Atonement lately. Good study. I've learned a lot, though a lot of it I knew, but now I guess on a mission it's in more focus now? It's interesting how you don't understand stuff until you start realizing how much you need it in your life.

Snow sucks, its cold, I don't like it. Madly grateful for a garage and for jackets and for fleece lined leggings.

My companion's great; she's super loving and supportive and even-keeled. Total blessing!

I'm really sad to hear about Frito... I hope he is in a better place. If all things were created spiritually before they are temporally, his spirit has got to go someplace.  Sad day. I'm heartbroken, but not surprised. Down to two. (Frito, our cat passed recently and we have two cats left)

I love La Brea! I miss the museums down that way. (we took our Cub scouts to the La Brea Tar Pits recently) I had gone in the last year or so, but I don't remember why... Glad the scouts had a good time! And mom embraced the tour guide thing, huh? It’s nice to be able to share what you know.

I love you!

The church is true, despite the imperfect people in it.

Christine

Snow and knocking

Sounds like so much is going on with the scouts! (We tell her about Cub trips and our adventures in teaching other leaders)  I wish I could be more involved in the scouting here- it looks like they're pretty gungho. But alas.

We see many cats, and I try to give them an extra pet for the cats back home... It's weird not getting to go home. I have a year, almost to the day! That's ridiculous, and a little surreal.

Things are still relatively rough here. We haven't been able to visit our investigators on date, as Michelle is now working full time, and while that’s a blessing for their family, that makes it hard to meet with us right now. Hopefully things will settle in enough for us to visit. We've spent a lot of time knocking, and visiting less-actives. Trying hard to reactive right now.  We talked to a less active the other day who told us the reason she doesn't go is because the church asked too much of her time. Woops. While on the other hand, we see strong, faithful families keeping strong and passing that legacy on to their children and whoever else they get to work with.

We have two new investigators, a pair of cousins. Both are 8 years old, and very enthusiastic about talking about Jesus. Their family attends a Pentecostal church, so we're expecting to hear speaking in tongues soon. The dad of one of them let us in, but he disappeared after telling us that they believe that God is one being, not 3. I was somewhat disappointed that he didn't stick around, because I wanted to talk to him about that. Oh well. They both want to be baptized, but I don't know if they totally understood the authority thing. So we'll likely go over again. I'm hoping the family will start sitting in with us, so we can start teaching, but grandma also made herself scarce after we settled in and started trying to talk to her, too. I'm not sure how long the two will stay investigators with this background. But we're hoping their enthusiasm will pull their family in. We hope to find more investigators.

We have a couple of potentials we're trying to work with, but there's a HUGE problem with people calling back. It’s just the polite thing to do, and no one does it. Ughhh.

It started snowing yesterday, much to my dismay. But it is warm enough for it to melt during the day and then turn to ice at night. So I'm especially displeased. But we have 4-wheel-drive and I drive like a little old lady when there's ice/snow on the ground, sooooo. The natives can tough it out. (Keep driving like an old lady!  Yes!  No trips to the hospital, please!!)

We also have a washer. Just a washer. No dryer. The dryer we got was a gas dryer, which does us no good (no hook-up, I guess), so just a washer. The washer hadn't been used in a year, so it was pretty dank (any tips on how to help that? We ran it a couple times and wiped out most of the strange debris and lint we found in it), but it seems all good (I sent some solutions in a paper letter). Also any tips on how to get a bathroom to smell less like Comet after you've used it? (Not sure about that one) I'm probably not ever going to use that cleaner again (the apartment just happened to have a bottle of it), because the smell lingers and it’s not a good one.

I don't think I mentioned this, but the beds we have here are memory foam, which is super awesome, but I impressively still wake up tight and sore. Hrm. Something's definitely wrong with me.

Anyhow, the Gospel's true. The Atonement works for those who seek to use it. The Church is true, despite the imperfect people in it.

Christine

Cedar Rapids

I transferred to a larger city- Cedar Rapids! Sister Chandler and I are serving along with a set of elders. We're spoiled in that we both have cars, and that we're close to many other missionaries (so we can meet together on P days and play lots of games)... My companion has only been out 3 months, making me the senior companion. Woops. So we're feeling this missionary thing out together. It’s good though, because she's more confident than I was at 3 months, so I'm not afraid of ruining her.

Cedar Rapids City Flag

It's been in the 40s the last few days, so we've been knocking, but that also means the snow is melting. It feels more like the winter I know than the winter it's supposed to be. I keep hearing that this means that the summer will be brutal... But who knows. Everything weather wise is in flux. I wonder if I brought the drought with me... Because they need a certain amount of snow per winter to maintain the desired water level out here. Uh oh.

I wish I could have gone! (We went out to a favorite BBQ place to celebrate her and her Uncles birthdays) Some good barbeque would have been nice. But alas. At least we had a member meal out here. I guess they have a real problem getting members to feed us out here. (uh oh, she’s going to have to cook more…) I suspect I'll be seeing a lot of the same people over and over, if and when we have meals at a members house. Sad day.

I've been seeing more and more Native American stuff, so it makes me want to get back in to the Scouting and Pow Wowing and such. I miss it. And more and more people asking me if [blank] Kurt is a family member. I have no idea, but very possibly?

I'm blown away that 6 months have gone by, that I'm 1/3rd of the way done. I felt like this day would never come, and now it’s blowing by. I have mixed feelings about it, but it’s good. I'm way more confident in my ability to teach and listen and work (YAY for more confidence!) (though I'm still not totally sure what to do when people want to slam their door in my face).  Anyhow, excited to be here, because it seems like there's a few people I might be here specifically for, and I'm hoping to help get this ward moving. We only have two investigators right now, the wife and the daughter of a less active we're trying to reactivate, and there doesn't appear to be any concerns, but they are moving slowly. Crossing fingers.

Anyhow, thank you for the birthday wishes and the birthday box. I was quite excited to open it. :) I'll be mailing a few things home, since I didn’t get around to it before transfers.

I believe we've planting seeds. We spend a lot of time planting what other missionaries will harvest; as long as they get harvested, we've all on the same team.

Aw, I hope you and mom keep having those experiences and planting seeds and loving the missionaries. (Christines Mom and Dad have had many conversations about the church and missionary work since she left to serve.  Especially when we bring her face with us.  Brave people will ask why I have the photo, most others just look at me oddly, and then I’ll explain that we’re bringing her with us because she is away serving a mission.  We’ll take photos of her with us and let her know how much fun she is having with us.  Some might see it as odd, but we think it’s funny and gives us a chance to talk to others about her work.)

(And we feed our own Sister Missionaries here, about once a month.)

I love you!

Christine

INFORMATION ABOUT CEDAR RAPIDS...

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Rapids,_Iowa

Cedar Rapids City Seal

The town is named Cedar Rapids for the rapids in the Cedar River at the site, and the river itself was named for the large number of red cedar trees that grew along its banks. Cedar Rapids was incorporated on January 15, 1849. The city covers approximately 72 square miles and has a population of more than 125,000. (For reference, Santa Clarita is about 68 square miles and 102,000 people.) 

Also known as the "City of Five Seasons" - the fifth season being "the time to enjoy the other four".

Flood of 2008

During the Iowa flood of 2008, the Cedar River reached a record high of 31.12 feet on June 13, 2008, the previous record was 20 feet surpassing the 500-year flood plain. More than 10 square miles were severely damaged, on both banks of the Cedar River (14% of the city's total area). It is estimated 1300 or more properties are to be demolished in the Cedar Rapids area because of the flood.

Economy

Fortune 500 company Rockwell Collins is based in Cedar Rapids, and Aegon has its United States headquarters there. A large Quaker Oats mill, one of the four that merged in 1901 to form Quaker Oats, dominates the north side of downtown. Other large companies that have facilities in Cedar Rapids include Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, General Mills, Toyota Financial Services and Nordstrom.

The location of present-day Cedar Rapids was in the territory of the Fox and Sac tribes.

Education

Cedar Rapids is home to two four-year colleges: Coe College and Mount Mercy University. The University of Iowa also has an evening MBA facility there. Kirkwood Community College is the area's only two-year college, while Kaplan University (formerly Hamilton College) and Upper Iowa University also have campuses there. Cornell College in Mount Vernon and the University of Iowa's main campus in Iowa City are both within 30 miles (48 km) of Cedar Rapids.

Sports

·         Cedar Rapids is home of the minor-league baseball team Cedar Rapids Kernels.

·         The ice hockey team Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are a member of the USHL .

·         Cedar Rapids Titans are a professional indoor football team.

·         And a roller derby team, the Cedar Rapids Rollergirls.

Sports facilities include Veterans Memorial Stadium, Kingston Stadium, Cedar Rapids Ice Arena, Hawkeye Downs Speedway, and the U.S. Cellular Center.

Website: www.cedar-rapids.org

Progress and Improvement in the New Year

It’s okay here. Things are better. We went on exchanges (a set of two trainers split up with another set of two Sisters that are having difficulties and help them figure out how to more effectively work together) and the Sister Training Leaders really helped us sort things out. It was super cathartic to go into another area with a super supportive companion to just hear me. I needed to see for myself without the fear and anxiety that I’m totally capable as a missionary. (YES SHE IS!) Afterwards things weren't perfect, but things are increasingly better. I'm less anxious and my companion is more amiable. There are still a couple of sore subjects and we still have our moments, but we laugh a little more often together.  Things are better! (YAY!)

We have a 9 year old on date for this Saturday... hoping it goes well. She needs the support and guidance of the Ward and the Spirit. One couple has resolved for the New Year to quit smoking, so they're on date for the 13th. Prayers for them to overcome and quit. Our other investigator with a date, Robyn, has had 3 people die in the last week or so and isn’t really talking to us because she's so overwhelmed. I don’t blame her; she needs the light of the Gospel to illuminate her life.

There's snow on the ground now, and they're projecting negatives in the next few days (see the weather report below). It’s been single digits all today. I am not pleased, but I got a few more thermals and warm things during the post-holiday sales today. The roads are crazy icy, and we’re rethinking our plans to go out to some of our more obscurely located member's houses this week; it does us no good to get stranded when it’s offensively cold outside (that description makes me laugh…).

I'm on a tablet today; it’s surprisingly irritating and exhausting to write on them, so I’m only writing one letter this week. ASUS. Perhaps more next week... unfortunately I won’t know until the end of next Monday if I’m being transferred, and we write in the morning. So two weeks until you guys know if I’m moving! If I don't move... I’ll be okay. The Lord will take care of me. I have to trust that the Lord will take of you guys while I’m gone... trust that the Lord will take care of me while I’m here. :)

I love you.

The gospel is true.

The Atonement is real.

Trust in the plan.

Christine

Just for reference....the forecast for the next few days…..

Day                        date       high temp / low temp

Tuesday                     1/6             12* / -8*

Wednesday                1/7             -5* / -12*            (what?)

Thursday                   1/8             23* / 3*                (warmer!)

Friday                        1/9             6* / -3*

Saturday                    1/10         22* / 14*             (it’s warm again today!)

Sunday                      1/11          25* / 13*             (even warmer!)

No snow, mostly sunny, partly cloudy