changes

Hello Everyone!

This week has been pretty crazy! My companion was sick with the flu
for the first part of the week. So I did a lot of studying and journal
writing. I always enjoy moments when I can do that. I learn so much
and it is nice to not have a limit on my studying of the scriptures.
We got some great news this week! Our investigator Ashley Nielsen
moved up her baptism date so we will be having it this Wednesday the
25th. We ar very excited for her. The Lord had truly been preparing
her. She had come to church with a friend for the last year and a
half. We taught her two times but there was no need to continue the
lessons because she already knew what she needed to. We also got
transfer calls this week. My companion is being transferred out. She
is going to be going to serve in Coltman with one of my MTC
companions. I will be getting two companions. Sister Koka which came
out with me but had spent 2 months in the MTC and Sister Dingel who is
a brand new missionary. Sister Koka and I will be training her
together. I am kind of nervous about being in a trio because I know it
will be hard but excited to be with Sister Koka. She is an amazing
missionary, right now she serves on BYU campass and is in my district.
Sometimes she is hard to understand sometimes but she definitely
speaks by the spirit. I am really not excited because I will now have
to be the driver. The only good part about that is never having to
back again. I will miss Sister Johnson but I am excited to see what
these new sisters will bring to the area. I am so grateful for the
guidance of the Lord each day. I really feel his love and each day I
know more and more that I am a child of God. I love you all and I love
hearing from you!

Love Sister Kylee Owens


NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use

address change

New Address:
Sister Kylee Owens
2387 Littletown Dr

Rexburg, ID  83440.

looks like Halloween leftovers

We had to move NEW ADDRESS

New Address:
Sister Kylee Owens
2387 Littletown Dr.
Rexburg, ID 83440

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Hello everyone! The holidays have been so wonderful! Thank you for all
the love! The holidays are slow for missionary work but I love them.
We have seen so many great things happen. We were able to get an
appointment with a former investigator that we have been trying to
contact ever since I go to Rexburg. Her name is Denise, she is 22
years old and has 4 children. Her grandma is a member but she wasn't
raised in the church. She has a desire for someting more in her life
and it will be really good for the kids. I am so excited to start
teaching her. Some other good news is that we got our Investigator
Brian to Come to church this Sunday! He has a baptism date set for the
21st of January. We are thinking it might get pushed back though
because just after the sacrament was passed he walked out. He said he
just wasn't feelin it and his wife was in tears. It is hard when we
see how many blessings someone can have but they just won't let them
in. He knows what he should do but is really fighting it. I am
grateful for the knowledge I have of this gospel and my SAVIOR and the
comfort that brings. I love and miss you! Love Sister Kylee

I can't seem to get the pictures downloaded but they are soon to come.

Sandra from Chile

Hello Friends!

These last couple of weeks have been amazing for my companion and I! We have so much fun together and have been having some wonderful success. This last week we started teaching omeone new. Her name is Sandra and she is a senior in high school from Chile. Sandra lived in Idaho with her parents until she was 4 and her parents got a divorce. Her mom then moved with her back to Chile. Sandra always wanted to come back to Rexburg because she remembere the good feeling it had here. Her mom is a less active member so she had been familiar with the missionaries but didn't really know much about the church. She convinced her mom to let her come back for her last year of school. She lives with a woman in one of our wards who saw in a ward program that there was a girl from Chile that needed somewhere to live. Sister Zollinger saw that and knew she wanted to do it so she talked to her family and it all worked out. Sister Zollingers husband died of brain cancer a week before Sandra arrived. It has been a blessing for both of them to have Sandra here. We have taught Sandra twce and she is very recptive. She is reading the Book of Mormon and attends seminary. We are sooo excited to see what happens. She has defintely been lead to this point from Heavenly Father.

In other news we heard from Antonio. He is the big guy from Detroit who gets transferred a lot for work. He has had a lot of trials thrown at him and is currently on his way to Alaska where he will be for a while. So hopefully that means he will get to come back soon. We talked to him last night and he had another huge trial thrown at him. He was on his way to Alaska when he was rear ended by a drunk driver on the highway. He was going 70 mph and the driver was going 122 mph. He is doing alright but is a little shaken up and really sore. He recognizes it i just Satan at work. Please keep him in your thoughts. I love yall
Sister O

Grateful for a good companion

Antonio

Many of you remember Antonio - He looks like he has a fun personality.  I know he was a pleasure to teach.

Kristen's story

I am still LOVING being in Rexburg! I have way too much fun with my companion and love the people we associate with. In the last couple of weeks I even ran into some of my best buddies KELLE AND QUINN! I love when that happens! It always makes my day. This week we weren't able to teach a lot of lessons because there is some sort of stomach flu going around. So we got to do a lot of service. We helped set up for a carnival at an elementary school and we were able to rake some leaves for an elderly couple. I love that we get to serve like that especially when I feel like it is in my own community.
This is a story about someone I have had the opportunity to meet and teach on my mission. Kristene Rose. When Kristene was younger she got married to Jeremy.  Jeremy is a member of the church, though he wasn't active, his family on the other hand is really active in the church. Throughout various times in their marriage Kristene listened to the missionary's. In January of 2010, Jeremy was working in Hawaii doing construction on the temple, when he was serevely injured in a construction accident. With out knowing all of the details, just that it was critical, Kristene asked for a blessing and headed to Hawaii.
Meanwhile, Kristene's old bishop, who is now in a stake Presidency, President Parkinson, had been struggling with health problems and was in dire need of a liver transplant. Upon arriving to Hawaii, Kristene learned that Jeremy wasn't going to survive through the accident. Eventually she decided to have his organs donated. President Parkinson ended up being the reciepent of Jeremy's liver. Over the past two years he has maintained a close relationship with the Rose family. As well as Bishop Siddoway and the rest of the Hibbard 4th ward. This spring the missionaries started meeting with Kristene and her youngest daughter Brindy. Everything was come and go for a while and taking things at the pace Kristene was most comfortable with. And in April Jeremys family had his temple work done. After the summer calmed down we started going to teach them again with our fellowshipper Sister Winn. The first night back Kristene said she had finally gotten her answer after all of this time! The night before we met with her, instead of watching TV or reading the newspaper, she read the pamplets we had been giving her the last 6 months. And she said her answer came while everything was just calm and quiet. Then we set plans for a baptismal date for her and Brindy. Originally it was for 11/12/11, but through the help of our fellowshipper it was moved up to 10/20/11. It was the most special baptism, and everyone is confident that Jeremy was on the other side just as happy as we were here at the Henry's Fork stake center! Many people from the Hibbard 4th ward were there for support, as well as many from the Rose family, and their old ward. It has been such a great blessing to know her and to feel of the great spirit surrounding her. I know the Lord has definitely been preparing her and she will be able to be sealed to her family forever. I love being on a mission because I get to experience and be a part of these great miracles!
I LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!
Love Sister Owens

Just a side note;  Kylee's Great Grandmother is a Rose.  I sent her geneology and we will let you know later if they are related.  It is interesting how in these days the gathering of Israel happens. 

Mom still trying to get this blogging down. Pictures promised by christmas

For some reason I got locked out of the account so that is why the delay this week.  I just thought you all might like to know something kind of interesting about Sister Johnson.  Sister Johnson is a convert to the church of just a few years.  She is from Tampa Florida which is where Kylee's brother Josh served his mission.  She was converted while he was in the mission field so they know some of the same people.  Sister Johnson remembers one of the Elders talking about writing Kylee.  It is a long about connection but is interesting how our lives can cross paths in so many ways.

Life is GOOD!

Life is GOOD! I am loving being Rexburg with my new companion Sister Johnson. We get along so well together and have so much in common. I think that helps us have a lot more success in our missionary efforts. We got some great news from one of our investigators this week. She decide to move up her baptismal date. She was going to be baptized on November 12 but decided she could move it up because she is ready. We had some almost bad news this week as well. We had Antonio (he is the one from the hotel who was getting baptized on the 8th) get transferred to New York unexpectedly. We were so upset that he wasn't going to be able to be here with his friends to be baptized. Then he decided he was just going to fly back here so he could. We were so excited, he had his baptismal interview before he left and we got special permission to call him every once and a while when he is gone. My favorite part of the week was being able to watch general conference. For those who don't know what that is, it happens twice a year. Instead of going to church we get to watch the prophets and apostles speak to us. You can watch it on TV, online, or if you are close to Salt Lake you can got there for it. We got to watch it with all the elders in the area. We made breakfast and all pitched in for lunch on Saturday. It was so nice to be with other missionaries. I loved all of the speakers, but I especially loved when they spoke about the power of repentance. We all have a wonderful opportunity to repent for our sins and come unto Christ, through repentance we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again, the only way we can truly repent is if we are baptized by the power of God.
I LOVE Y'ALL. I hope you are doing well! I would love to hear from you!
Love Sister Owens

Thank you g's diary

This week since Wednseday when we had transferrs has been amazing! I am loving my companion and my new area. I know that I was sent here for a reason. My companion Sister Johnson and I are already working so well together. We are on fire. This week have had so much success! I love that I am serving in Rexburg. I pass by Verizon and I get to see Calebs car, I saw this guy Kyle and his wife, and we get awesome deals everywhere we go. My favorite is when we go to G's dairy and we get free ice cream! The best part has been this new person Antonio we started teaching on Thursday. He is from Detroit and is here managing the hotel by Frontier Pies before it sells. We have taught him everyday since we got here and he is getting baptized on October 8th. The Lord has truly been preparing him to accept his gospel for a long time. So if anyone sees two Sister Missionaries going into the hotel know its me and my companion  and we are not up to no good.  I have soo much more that I want to say but not enough time! I love you all and miss you soo much! I want to hear all about your lives. Love Sister Kylee Owens
PS: I love life and this gospel! I have never been so happy to be a member of this church!

Please send packages to New Address

Sister Kylee Owens
4232 W 1000 N
Rexburg, ID  83440

10 memories of my first area

1. Austyn getting baptized
2. Bill getting baptized
3. Bird pooping on my head the first week.
4. Gaining another set of grandparents
5. Being attacked by a goat
6. Dancing to Motabs Circle of Life with Sister Clinnin
7. All the wonderful families I have met
8. Being able to see Randi in my stake
9. Getting a special delivery from my mom
10. All the wonderful letters I have received

Going Home already (and my mission has just started)

I am going home!! I just found out on Saturday that I will be transferred to Rexburg this Wednesday! I am sad to leave Rigby, I was really hoping I would be there for a while longer. We have so many wonderful things happening right now. On Sunday we found out one of our investigators was getting baptized. So I am sad I won't be here to follow that through but since I am close I will get to come back for it. The investigator (Bill) that is getting baptized is an amazing man and has had a great spiritual journey so far. His wife and kids are members and have been waiting for this moment for a long time. He has met with missionaries in the past and he gave up easily. This time he wanted it so bad. He had been coming to church off and on for a lot of years so he knows a lot. I almost feel like he should have been teaching us sometimes. The only concept he had  a hard time with was the knowledge that there was a God. We told him the only way he would receive his answer was through prayer. It was hard to get him to pray when he didn't believe in what he was praying to. Finally he prayed and got his answer that he is a child of God and that God loved him.  It has been such a great experience to teach him. I have never felt the spirit so strongly in a lesson in my life. I know God had prepared him for us and it was his time.
I am so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel that I have. I am mostly grateful to know that I have a Heavenly Father that loves me.
I LOVE YOU! LOVE SISTER OWENS

warm fuzzies 9/12/2011

When you are in the MTC they teach you how to conduct companionship inventory. For those who don't know what that is, it is a time set apart each week while you are planning that you and your companion sit down and tell each other what you are thinking about them, your relationship and your success. Most of the time it is when you discuss what is bothering you. So we were taught you say warm fuzzies and then you tell them what is wrong an then more warm fuzzies. So that is how I am going to do my blog today. Start with the good, deliver the bad, and end with some good.

 To start off my good news, I got a little suprise at a ward function the other day. I got to see my old roommate Randi, her husband and her little girl. When we first got o Rigby, her mother-in-law had dropped some food off for our dinner. I pointed out that I knew Randi and she told me Randi was moving into our area. So I had been waiting to see her and was constantly looking for her. When she walked in the room I ran across the room and gave her a big hug. It totally made my day.

So for the bad news...
We have an investigator that we have been trying to get in with ever since we got here. She kept forgetting appointments and we were about to drop her when finally we got to see her. She became very interested fast and wanted to meet with us at least once a week. She was so ready to accept the gospel or at least learn more about it. Then one day we had stopped in for a visit and she was on the phone. We over heard that she was on probation until March. For those who have been on missions, you know what that means. For others that means that she can't get baptized until she is no longer on probation. We called the mission president and he told us that we shouldn't teach her anymore, because she can't fully progress. So we had to drop her, we were very disappointed.

More good....actually great news.
WE HAVE A BAPTISM!! We have been teaching a 15 year old boy for the last month or so, he has progressed so much and has a great desire to be baptized. The first time we had a lesson with him he would barely even talk to us. Now he runs to us every time he sees us. His baptism is tomorrow night and we are so excited. He was introduced to us by the young men's leader in his ward which is where he had the lessons. This leader is such a great example as to how missionary work should be as a member in the church. He has been there every step of the way and has taught this boy everything he needs to know. It has been amazing to see this boy change and grow in the gospel. We have been so lucky to have been able to be a witness. It has been a perfect example of the joy and happiness the gospel can bring to your life. I am so lucky to be a missionary and bring others to that same knowledge.

 I HOPE YOU ARE ALL DOING WELL!  I LOVE AND MISS YOU!
LOVE SISTER OWENS

Attack of the Goat

This last couple weeks the missionary work has been kind of slow. That is mostly our fault though because my companion was performing at our Zone Conference so we have been to a lot of  practices. They did an amazing job though and Zone Conference was awesome. We watched a talk given by Elder Holland that taught that we are missionaries forever. We also need to be converted to the gospel so we can teach it. I honestly don't know how I could share the gospel if I didn't believe. There is no way I could do this work without a testimony. There are so many sacrifices we make being on a mission that I would never do otherwise. I know that there is so much happiness in knowing that what I teach is true. I have seen evidence of it this last week. Even though it was slow we still were able to teach some amazing lessons. I think Heavenly Father planned what happen after Zone Conference perfectly. For the night before and after the conference we had the Yellowstone sisters staying at our apartment with us and on the last night after zone conference we went on exchanges. Normally the junior companion would go out with a senior but that didn't happen. So I got to go on exchanges with Sister Schaeler which was my companion in the MTC. I was so excited because O loved teaching with her soo much! Well when we went out we were able to teach a less active member who had been dealing with some hard things in her life. We were able to teach her the atonement and I know if it had been anyone but us she wouldn't have reacted the way she did. Between the two of us and the scriptures and pretty much just from God she could feel healing. She came to church that next Sunday!. I love having experiences of the Lord guiding in all things.

On a lighter a note I have a funny story. Yesterday when we got home from church our neighbors goat Oreo was standing in the yard. We had told the neighbor previously that she could bring him over anytime to graze in our yard. We figured this was the case until we realized he had no chain on. We fed him some newspaper and bread which are his favorites and then he got a little worked up. He started chasing us and tried bucking me once so we decided we should tell our neighbor. So we distracted him with some moldy bread and ran to the neighbors. Soon the goat was running after us and when he got there was trying to buck me some more. I grabbed onto his horns and was trying to keep him under control while my companion was knocking on the door. They weren't answering so she just opened the door and yelled "Sister Burt" Her husband had been napping, so we had woke him up. He came and took the goat off my hands and put him back in the cage. I was a little bit freaked but it turned out fine. OH THE JOYS OF BEING A MISSIONARY. I am so glad I have had this opportunity to serve. I know that my heavenly father loves all his children and I love you too!
 Love Sister Owens

Preperation days aren't days off

 I am having a hard time finding time on preperation days.  They are so busy and we have so much to do.  We have to clean, laundry, go grocery shopping, zone activities, email and write letters all in 8 hours which might seem like a long time, but it really isn't.  I just try so hard to get this blog done and as you can see I haven't done a very good job.  Sorry!  (My posters are having a harder time, really sorry - you will see consistency from now on-that is until the next crisis). 

I am loving being in Rigby!  I have met so many amazing people and have learned so much.  There are a few families that just take care of and love us.  I definitely have gotten close to some that I will be visiting  after my mission.  When we came to this area it was pretty much dead.  One of the elders before us was what is called trunkee.  That means he was about to go home so he didn't work as hard.  The stake was excited to have us and has given us some great work to do.  We have actually set 2 baptismal dates in the last 2 weeks.  One is with a 15 year old boy named Austin.  His Mom is less active and likes it that way. He has been attending mutual for the last few months and has been to church once.  He doesn't know too much, but I think he recognizes the difference of having the gospel in your life.  He is super easy going and seems to want to learn more.  We asked him to be baptized in our first lesson with him and he agreed.  He did accept a challenge to race the young men's leader in reading the Book of Mormon.  I am so excited we get a chance to teach him. Unlike most people in the area he doesn't know much about the church.  Our other date is set with a girl named Casey.  She is 18 years old and a little different, but aren't we all.  Her Dad and brother are members.  At first she was resistant because it has been pushed on her a lot by her Dad but she has come around.  I think she has a desire to do what she needs to.  It has been wonderful to see how she has changed and progressed.  I love being a missionary.  I know this gospel is true.  I know Jesus Christ is my  Savior.  I know Joseph was a prophet and through him we have the Book of Mormon.  I am so thankful for this knowledge in my life.  I love you all and miss you.  I love getting your letters. 
                                                                                                          Love, Sister Kylee Owens