Purple Pony

September 7, 2015

Hello wonderful friends and family!
Let me tell you a little bit about my week. First off it wasn't all that different from every other week. We went out and did a lot of finding. After, we had a district meeting all about fear. After that meeting, Hermana Christensen and I thought it would be a good idea to go out and knock doors. We are both of it sometimes. So we prayed about a house and put it in the GPS. When we get to the house, we just sat and looked at it. I just kinda wanted to cry because it is huge.... Lol it was pretty fun. We did knock, but no one was home. We will have to try again. Oh other then that the elders asked if we had any chocolate chips one day. We replied that we didn't and then we asked if there was anything else we could do for them. They jokingly told us to take away agency, then they asked if we needed anything. I said I wanted a pony, they texted back and said a purple one or red one. I said purple!! Later that night there is a knock at the door, the Elders had a My Little Pony coloring kit..... I got a purple pony! I was beyond happy ... don't worry I took pictures of it.
Other then that we ate dinner with our Mission President and a member this week. It was so good, Mexican tacos made from all sorts of stuff. I love tacos. 
Oh and funniest thing happened Saturday. We went to help a member wash his car. The car wash was broken. So we waited for the owner to come and fix it. A Indian guy came to fix it and I went to go help clean the car. My companion started talking to this guy and I thought that they were just talking. Then I heard him ask if my ompanion could go out and drink. I was like time to go step in. So this guy was like 40 years old ,to say the least. He was trying so hard, it was hard not to augh at the guy. Lol so funny. Oh we also ate Mexican tamales this week. I love Mexican food.
 Other then that transfers aren't this week but next week. I don't want to leave this area !!!!!

Have a Great Week ... Hermana Atkinson

A Week to Remember ...

August 31, 2015

OOOOOOOKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!

So the title was kinda a joke. Not a whole lot has changed, other then I am pretty sure at the end of this transfer I am going to be leaving this area. I am kinda scared to do so. I have been here since April, so in all honesty it has been a long time. Plus on top of it all I really struggled to connect with the people in this ward. I am really learning to love them and enjoy this area. It is sad that I will most likely be leaving. Really sad and also extremely hard. I started a list of all the people I need to write cards to. I have gone through my 4 box of cards on my mission and every box has 50 cards.... Guys I have gotten really good at writing in Spanish.

But yes so this week was really fun in so many ways. I love being with Hermana Christensen and I am really sad that we can't serve together for the rest of our missions. Because honestly she is amazing. She is an amazing teacher and has been a great example to me!

This week I went on exchanges, we went out finding and knocking doors.  I saw this little girl with a cute dog. The dog was running around being crazy, so I asked the little girl if she needed any help. She did, so we calmed the dog down and walked her home. Her mom was there and she was amazing. She so prepared, I can't wait until we get to teach her again. I have really found that it is the little things that are miraculous out here.

Other then that we had an activity for our ward this past Saturday and the missionaries prepared it all. It was a lot of work, from the lesson, the games, invitations, posters and food. It was so hard, but so gratifying to see everyone having so much fun. 

The next day was Sunday. We go into ward council,  the Bishop asks if we have everything prepared for primary today and all of us are like what?!? We threw together a quick primary lesson.  I was in charge of the music, which sounds easy, except none of the kids know the songs in English and I don't know them in Spanish.... awkward.... I really love my mission and I am kinda sad that I only have about 7 months left. It is going to be hard to say Goodbye to this place. I love it here so much!

I hope you all have a good week!

Hermana Atkinson

Frogs, to a Funeral, to the Doctors, to a Baptism and to DC !!!

August 24, 2015

Based on the title, I think you all can tell it was a crazy week!

To start, last week after I wrote, we went out to a lake and walked around it. We have a missionary out here from Mexico and she has never seen a frog. So we saw one and she wanted to hold it. I am sure we looked really funny in skirts trying to catch a frog. We eventually caught one and she was so excited to hold it. 

Any way then Tuesday rolls around and we are doing studies, we get a call and it was a missionary from the office. She asked to speak with me. She explained that a member had called and was doing a grave dedication that day. She wanted to know if a group of missionaries could sing at it. I was put in charge and even though we had a meeting that morning I got a musical number set up. Eight elders, my companion and I sang, "How Great Thou Art. It was an amazing experience. There was only one member at the grave dedication. It just felt good to be able to serve like that.  Yes, it was sad, but at the very end it was a little funny. The non-member mother, of the person who died. hugged all the elders and us. Each elders reaction was priceless....

That night, my companion didn't feel well. We went to the ER and they couldn't find out what was wrong. So this week has been in and out of different doctors. I told my companion that she should go see Doctor House. We have been in 4 different buildings and no one knows whats going on! It is insane.

Yesterday we went to a baptism in Bella Vista. It was just amazing. Today we went to D.C. and I got to see a returned missionary name Hermana Quinones, She is the best. So let me explain. I was trained by Hermana Debry, so she is my Mission Mom. She was trained by Hermana Quinones, so she is my Mission Grandma. Well everyone that Hermana Quinones trained and everyone they  trained met up in DC today and it was just fun.... Sorry this wasn't the most in depth email.

I love you all and hope you week is amazing!!!

Hermana Atkinson

Smelling the Roses ...

August 17, 2015

This title is in place thanks to TERRY THE GREAT.... I was emailing him today and I couldn't really think of anything to write about because we really just went finding this week. I expressed my want of change to Terry and this was his reply:

Change is the spice of life Karlie!  It is nice to get a new companion, but it is more of an adventure to get a new area.  A few more weeks and you will get moved, I am sure.  Work hard Kid!  and remember to smell lots of roses too!

So there are many aspects of this email that I love. Lets start at the beginning. Change is the spice of life. I love this because being in a Spanish  speaking mission I receive a lot of food that has different spices then I am used to eating. But honestly I have learned to love the taste of lime and pepper as much as I love lasagna ( for those of you who don't know me very well I love lasagna.... Especially my mom's it is amazing) But I made a salad this week to eat and it went like this: one tomato, hand full of lettuce, one avocado, some apple some eggs, cheese, ham, lime juice and seasoning salt. I Have just fallen in love with the food from Mexico, El Salvador, Bolivia and Peru. When we go out to eat, we get Peruvian chicken. So that is why I like the spice comment.
But what is the spice of life? According to TERRY THE GREAT, it is change. On my mission I have changed a ton. How I speak is different how I dress is different. My friendships have changed. not saying that all my old friendships are gone but they have all changed. And all of these changes have made the way I think about life different. Before I was used to my life, which was a really good meal. I have now found other things in life that I love. Before my mission I would have laughed at you if you told me that I would want to go into the ghetto because I have friends there, but now it is true. I want to go in to places that before my mission would have scared me. I have learned the difficulty that a single mom has raising 4 kids. I have seen how drinking can tear a family apart. I have seen how words really do hurt people. But along with all those hard and sad things I have seen a mother cry at her sons baptism. I have seen how a simple game of soccer can fix most problems. How kids can go from angry to happy by kind words. How stumbling over my Spanish and having them correct me helps them feel better. How a simple act of service really changes everyone's perspective. Those are the roses. The roses that smell the sweetest in life are  the things that make you laugh. The things you look at and smile. I have seen a man and his pregnant wife look at each other and in uncertain circumstances trust, that together with The Lord, that they can make it. I have seen faith grow and most of all I have seen myself change. I cant explain it right now but I am changing and at time I don't like it because change hurts, on the other hand I love that I am becoming who the Lord wants me to be .

I love you all and I hope that the cheesy sentimental stuff is ok for this week.

Food story this week. So many Hispanics think that Americans are used to 5 course meals. We went to this members house and she gave us a huge bowl of soup. Knowing that more was coming, I ate quickly so I didn't have a lot of time to digest. Then Directly following that I waited for the next course and Hermana Christensen looks at me in distress and says... Are they giving us more?... I just laughed then ate a steak, ribs,rice, beets and onion salad. Then I drank an Inca Kola and called it a night. I was really full. By the way everyone needs to try Inca Kola. It is the best

Any way love you lots!

Hermana Karlie Atkinson

FUN...FUN...FUN...

August 10, 2015

Hey so this week was pretty awesome, as you can tell from my title. This week was transfers, as much as I love Hermana Evans, It was time for a change. 

On Monday we spent out last pday together just Chillin. Nothing super extravagant, just stayed in the house. It was super nice. After that we had a "Finding Fest" as a zone. We partnered off,  I was with a cute girl from Africa who doesn't know any Spanish. We went to my area and I just talked a lot... Which I know most of you are thinking well you always talked a lot, but not like this. It is a lot harder then it seems, to talk about the gospel. With random people that you have never met before. All in all it was a lot of fun. We found some really cool people to teach, which is SUPER EXCITING.

Tuesday and Wednesday ... Good-Bye days for Hermana Evans. These days are always the worst.

On Thursday we went to transfer meeting, and I am now companions with my old companion from the MTC, Hermana Christensen... Isnt that funny...  Any way I love her to bits and pieces. and we are going to have an awesome transfer! Legit the best! I cant wait ....

Ok, so here is the super exciting fun stuff. Are you all ready? It is so amazing that it is going to blow your mind and  none of you will believe it. drum roll........................................................🎵🎶🎧🎤🎹🎻🎼📼🎧🎤🎺🎷🎹🎻🎼🎼🎸〽〽🎸🎺🎷🎹🎻🎼🎤🎧📼.... they don't have a drum............ 

We went to a Washington Nationals Game on Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

That's right be jealous... It was so much fun other then the fact that we didn't get home till 1 but its ok... The Nats won, It was fun to just be out doing something..... I loved it. Plus Bryce Harper probably liked his Mormon cheering section..... lol Any way I will be sending like 100 pictures or something like that. so I should get started Love you all have a fantastic week!!!!!!!!

Hermana Atkinson

Transfers

August 3, 2015

Hey Everyone how are you all this week?  I am fantastic!

These past two weeks have been really slow, but its ok because this week is transfers. I know most of the time I am not super excited about transfers, but 18 weeks living with someone is hard I love Hermana Evans but I think we are both ready for a change. One thing I am beyond happy about is that now I have a friend for life. Hermana Evans is literally amazing and she has helped me see who I want to be. 

That is one amazing this I have realized on my mission is that I have a potential to be a lot greater then I currently am. But another thing I have learned to welcome change. I am sad to see my companion go and honestly I am a bit nervous for a new companion. But at the same time I am excited for a new perspective and a new way to work.

So everyone has told me that a mission would help prepare me for life. which in a lot of ways is true it helps you use money wisely and to wake up on time and all of that is true beyond a doubt. I am extremely grateful for the time I have to prepare for a mission and in that process prepare for life. No my life wont be exactly like a mission but I am going to have to manage money and time and get things done and still find time to have fun

For that I am grateful...

Love all of you

Hermana Atkinson

No Letter

July 27, 2015

No letter this week ... Just lots of pictures.

Pranks

July 20, 2015

Hey everyone so this week was kinda whatever. I mean yes we worked but that was pretty much it.  I spent a lot of time just thinking this week and I have realized that I need to change a lot. Not in any major ways just small things but mostly in the way  Ivlook at people  I tend to be pretty cynical which in all reality is not a good thing. I just need to find a balance of being kind and charitable and protecting myself. I tend to be a very defensive person.  I realize that not everyone is attacking me by giving them the benefit of the doubt. Then other then that I have really been thinking about something that President Riggs told me before he left. He said what's so bad with being taken advantage of? With that quote I am not saying that I want to be a doormat but I have realized that there really isn't anything wrong with people taking advantage of me. It means I have the opportunity to serve others and  to show them how Christ would treat them. Which is with love, lets be honest isn't that what life is all about.  Sorry to tell you but this is a pretty short email

Oh but as for things concerning food. we ate these things that were awesome... I may have out ate the elders and that is what the picture is of and then I don't have a picture of the Mexican quesadillas but let me tell you they are better then any quesadilla you have ever had. Mexicans eat quesadillas different. So just as a warning if a Mexican offers you  a hot dog don't eat it because it will have mayo with it... unless you like that kind of thing then go ahead and then if a Mexican offers you a quesadilla take it. Just say yes and let them prepare it for you. needless to say I ate 5 of them in one sitting..... I like Mexican food... and Salvadorian food... and Peruvian food... and Bolivian food. oh speaking of Bolivian food,  I ate these fried cauliflower and carrot patty things,  they were soooo good.  I could live off them.

Oh and my companion and I may have started pranking the elders that live below us and we may have filled like 100 balloons with glitter and threw them in the elders apartment and then a couple of days later they threw tomatoes at our porch..... lol things missionaries find fun and entertaining. as long as no one gets hurt.

Any way I love you all and miss you ...

Los quiero

Karlie Atkinson

A New Beginning

July 13, 2015

Hey everyone! I am writing this on the metro on my way into DC. We are going to the Natural History museum today! Woo Hoo! So this week was different in a lot of ways. I have learned more about myself this week then I think I wanted to know but I needed to know. I am going to try and explain the best I can. But honestly this has been a LIFE changing week. It has been unbelievable. So where to start. Most of you who read this know me pretty well, but if you don't I am going to describe myself the way I see myself.

I am the kind of person that doesn't smile often. I don't express emotions well. But despite that when I care about someone I would do anything for them. I can either be really nice or down right nasty and nowhere in between. Well at least that is who I was before my mission. Out here I have learned to fake it till you make it. I would fake and deal with the people I didn't like until I wasn't with them anymore. And that is what I have done my whole mission and a lot of my life, but then this past week I realized something. I realized I have been very judgmental of people out here. Even though I am in America, I live in a different culture then I am used to and I resented it. I had the mind set of they are in America they should be trying to adapt. But then I realized this week that they are people who are trying. Yes some of them maybe trying harder then others. But everyone of us, we are all humans with human natures and feelings and wants and desires and needs. And since we are all human we will make mistakes. And once I started to think like this then I realized I have been a hypocrite I have been wanting others to change without first changing myself. Which lets be honest we all in some way or another need to change and become better.

This week we went to go visit a member and she has swimmers ear and she was complaining about it and she had taken a lot of headache medicine to try and solve it. When we got to her house she was on a lot of medicine and went and was throwing up so she decided to go to the hospital and I called President Huntsman to see if we
could take her. He said yes and that we could stay with her as long as needed.  So at first I was slightly irritated that I had to take her to the hospital because she took too much medicine and then we got to the Hospital and due to an escaped patient only one of us could go in with the member we were with. and they only allowed that because she doesn't know English and we could translate for her. Which my companion did. So not knowing what to do I sat in the waiting room and then President Huntsman called me and he told me that it was amazing that we had been there at her house at that time and that I was brave enough to ask to break rules to get her the help she needed. Then it hit me. Like a giant boulder. I do care about the member we were with and yes I was frustrated with the situation she put herself in and then I started looking at it from her perspective. She is a single mom of 4 who didn't understand what was happening to her. all she knew was that she was in pain and to continue providing for her children the pain had to stop. She took medicine in hopes that it would help. Needless to say I felt terrible after that call. I had just regarded someone as a problem that was impeding me. it was truly sad. After that I really started to look at my life and I noticed I regarded many people in my life as simple objects. the PEOPLE that I teach are referred to as investigators and it  is recorded weekly. I teach lessons everyday. But that wasn't why I came on a mission. so I went out into the parking lot while I was waiting for the other Hermanas to come pick me up because my companion had permission to stay the night in the hospital with the member so she wasn't alone. and as I waited I started to look around and it hit me it really hit me as to why I am out here. I am not out here to change  other people I am here to change myself, to be better and become an advocate for Jesus Christ. So if you want to know what happened this week it is pretty simple I found ways to improve and I am excited to become a better person. The member is doing fine now we go over once a day to check on her and do her dishes and make sure her kids have food to eat for dinner. So this week is my new beginning to start to treat people as they really are. as humans that have feelings and desires and needs and wants that are no greater then mine. After all if Christ were thinking about his needs and wants and desires he wouldn't have died for us. I love you all and I hope everyone realizes that. I don't have to know your name. I don't have to recognize you in the store. But I love you.

Hermana Karlie Atkinson

Happy (late) 4th of July

July 6, 2015

Look everyone I can make a fire work.... I bet your all so proud! hahaha!!!

This week was pretty chill. 

Monday : We really just spent a ton of time trying to find more people, we didn't find any. That's how Monday went ...

Tuesday: We had our district meeting with a new district. I miss my old district but the people in my new one are pretty cool too. 

Wednesday: We went out again, to find new people. Didn't find any.

Thursday: We got to meet our new Mission president. I was really sad to see President Riggs go home and at our last transfer meeting it was hard to say goodbye to him and his wife. But I know that President Huntsman is suppose to be here. He has already given us some great advice. He came to visit our zone on his second day out in Virginia  and mind you we had been finding all week and we weren't having any luck. So he starts talking and he introduces his family and then he mentions Abinadi from the Book of Mormon. He went on to explain why he liked Abinadi, and  how he was the greatest example of a missionary. Abinadi went out and taught and taught and taught. He did not convert even one person. But eventually Alma, whom Abinadi taught, converted. Alma went on to convert a multitude.
President Huntsman said something really encouraging. He said that he knows that we were supposed to be where we are and even if it seems we aren't doing well or succeeding, we are helping someone. It was super uplifting. After we met President Huntsman we had a zone lunch with President Bush, the Stake President. It was fun and uplifting. We talked about goals for our stake and this transfer. Following, we had a meeting with our newly called ward mission leader. We were trying to get a feel for what his ward mission plan is and everything. After all this, we went home and ate. After we ate, we had a meeting with the Bishop to see what he wanted done this transfer. Finally, we went home and slept. 

Friday: We planned for the next week.

Saturday:  Our District Leader and his companion came by and gave us some chocolate. Then very hesitantly asked if we could go to a meeting. We asked when, they said in 30 minutes, which the church is 25 minutes away. We said yes.  After the meeting (It was just our District) the elders invited us to a 4th of July party. We asked President Huntsman for permission. When he heard that 8 elders were going, he said it was fine. 

We hurried home and made some food. Then we went to the party. We played board games all night. It was tons of fun. We actually had the opportunity to stay out till 12.

Sunday: It was so hard to wake up!!! ugh.. But .... Church was GREAT!!!

Other things that happened this week...

I named a bird that I have been feeding. His name is Jack because he is a Sparrow.
Jack Sparrow ... I hope it makes you laugh, because it makes me laugh.

I had a guy propose to me this week. I haven't called him back and I am passing him off to the elders...

 I hope everyone had a good 4th of July and  had fun. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Thought for the Week...

President Heber J. Grant 

“From my childhood days I have understood that we believe absolutely that the Constitution of our country is an inspired instrument, and that God directed those who created it and those who defended the independence of this nation. Concerning this matter it is my frequent pleasure to quote the statement by Joseph Smith, regarding the Constitution: ‘The Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded in the wisdom of God. It is a heavenly banner; it is, to all those who are privileged with the sweets of liberty, like the cooling shades and refreshing waters of a great rock in a weary and thirsty land. It is like a great tree under whose branches men from every clime can be shielded from the burning rays of the sun.’ [TPJS 147]. And such the Constitution of the United States must be to every faithful Latter-day Saint who lives under its protection.”

February 1940

“Lincoln and Law.” Improvement Era (Feb 1940) 43:73, 127.