The MTC is amazing!

Dear Family and Friends!

I love it so much. I am learning so much about the gospel and about my purpose as a missionary to invite and help!

Thank you for your emails, family and Sister Selfridge and Christy Sauffley! :)

The Holy ghost is so strong here and I feel everyday that this is where i am supposed to be and that God is so aware of my needs--aware of ME. 

Sister Fetui and I were called to be Sister Training Leaders, did i tell you that? We are getting 4 new sisters this week and the 

"old" sisters are staying for an extra week for visitor center training---They are going to Winter Quarters!! (Sisters durrant and brower)

I have been doing great--I think we all struggle adjusting, yesterday was particularly hard because our new invetigator  Sarah . She talked the whole lesson and we didn't get a chance to teach her, but we were able to discuss it afterward (as a companionoship) and we decided that we are going to Be A Little "Boulder" (Our teacher Bro Kezele gave us rocks and told us to always remember that ---We know that is what she needs. Loving Sarah is my goal. Loving her the way her Heavenly Father loves her---not gettting frustrated when the lesson doesn't go the way we hope. And I do love her--she is SOOO sweet and SOOOO ready for the gospel, but we just need to be a little 'boulder' and tell it to her straight :) She is going to be a great Latterday Saint when she finally gets baptized----so faithful and dedicated to the Lord

Al is our other investigator--we started teaching him on our second day!!! He knows so much already about Jesus and is looking for how to come closer to Christ. He is so ready, and now is reading the book of mormon we gave him (prayed about it!!) and is committed to baptism for sept 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We asked and he just said, yeah, sure...if we keep come teaching him :) SUCH A SPIRITUAL LESSON!!! We taught him to pray and how to feel the spirit---to know when he's feeling it, yesterday we taught the whole plan of salvation (should have broken it up, but we didn't know we could :)) I love his yearning to learn---he's a sponge and I feel so blessed to be able to help him come closer to Christ.

My favorite time of the day is when we are reading the Book of Mormon together as a district or companionship. We start with a question and read slowly, stopping any time anyone wants to share some insight or some answers we get from the spirit --- you should try it! the spirit answers my questions no matter where we read, no matter the content of the chapter--- it's AMAZING. I have been asking the Lord a lot, how to be better, and his answer is always "Have Charity" and some reassurance that He loves me. 

I got a blessing this morning from the elders our second day and this morning. the priesthood is real. They said things that I needed to hear so badly--especially about Heavenly Father's love for me, it's more than we can understand!

We got to listen to a talk on sunday that elder bednar gave on christmas at the MTC called the Character of Christ--that He turns outward in love when we (the natural man) would turn inward. If we can learn to serve others when we have hard time, that is true charity. My goal this week is to "murder my district with service" :)   That is my other goal--to quit thinking about what I need/want. Elder Bednar said, 'Who cares about you? This is the Lord's work and the Lord's time--what you want doesn't matter" . I forgot, but remembered last night one of the answers i got about serving a mission-- I was sitting in the Rexburg Temple, telling the Lord all the very good reasons that I did not want to serve a mission. I opened the scriptures and it said "Lose your life for my sake, and ye shall find it."  

I love Heavenly Father. I love the gospel--His plan for our return to Him. I love Jesus Christ, and the Atonement. I know the Church is true.

Love,

Sister Hall

SHARE THE GOSPEL, INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO MEET THE MISSIONARIES :)

My first day at the MTC was...

...not what I expected, but totally great. The day was a little overwhelming, but I love my companion and district. We are the only sisters in it, but share a room with sisters in our zone. Sister Fetui is AMAZING! I love her already--and have decided we are like Moses & Aaron :)....I will explain later.

Got to go...but I'll write again on Tuesday
(P-day)

While I am at the MTC I can get mail faster if you write at
dearelder.com
They will print it and give the me.
Love you all!
Sister Hall!!!

Off to the MTC

Wednesday July 23, 2014 at 5:00 a.m. Sister Kaeley Hall began the next chapter of her life story with these words.
"I hope that the next 18 months will be the best for all of us!"

D&C 18:15-16

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

Write to me, please!!!

Oh my goodness! The day is here!!! Well...tomorrow it is :) But I'm getting set apart tonight.

Even just a couple of days ago, when I spoke in church, this still didn't feel real. Every hour of today I am feeling it a little more, but it STILL doesn't feel real. I feel calm and...ready. Which I guess is a good sign :)  I am just looking forward to being able to work and serve--to forget myself--"lose my life".

If you want updates on my progress as a missionary, they will be posted here by my family, but if you want to write to me here are the addresses: (I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!)

(MTC):
Sister Kaeley Rose Hall
AUG05  CA-IRV
2009 N 900 E Unit 143
Provo UT 84602

(FIELD):
Sister Kaeley Rose Hall
California Irvine Mission
23 Lake Rd
Irvine CA 92604-4579
USA

(EMAIL):
kaeley.hall@myldsmail.net

Trial Run

This is just a test post to see if I know what I'm doing :) And also so y'all can see that this is my blog! 
Here's me: (to see if I know how to add pics)

oh look...it worked! ;) 

I'll be leaving on July 23rd to start my 18-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Irvine California! I'm am so excited for the opportunity to serve and to share my testimony with the good people who live there.

As I was titling my post, I was struck by the metaphor there. Trial Run. When I think about what the mission field will be like, those two words sum up my feelings. Embarking on this next step in my life, I find that the fear and anticipation are growing each day my MTC date gets closer. This is going to be the hardest thing I have ever done -- and it doesn't help that almost everyone I've told tells me the same thing :) That makes it really real.

But. You know how after you finish a run you are so satisfied and proud of what you accomplished? That is my hope for my time as a missionary; that it will be the hardest, most rewarding and satisfying trial I have yet faced in my twenty years of life.

You may be wondering -- like I did, at first :) -- why I want to give a year and a half of my life to serve a mission. It's true that, when the prompting from the Holy Ghost first came, I did not want to serve a mission. I knew how hard it would be for me to go out and talk to complete strangers, shy as I am. 

When I met with my stake president he asked me this same question, "Why do you want to be a missionary?" Thoughts raced through my mind. Things like, 'it's what the Lord has asked of me' or 'I want to share my testimony.'  

But when I opened my mouth, I said, "I want all of God's children to know that He loves them. I want them to feel the joy and hope I feel because of the Gospel." 

As soon as I said it, I knew for sure that this is why I want to serve -- not only for me, not only for God, but for those many people with whom I can  share the message of God's love. For much of the twenty years of my life, I have taken for granted the knowledge I possess of God, of His love, that I am His daughter, that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth through priesthood power, and that we can return to God's presence with our families if we live the way He has asked.


Check out my mormon.org profile to know more: http://www.mormon.org/me/F8VY/Kaeley