Kiley's Last MTC Letter

On my mission, my family and other people always harassed me for writing NOVELS each week. I would just get on the computer and type as fast as I could for an hour to try to tell my family everything! I went with a bullet list of stories, experiences, and comments relating to their letters that I wanted to write about. Then I just went to town typing and it always did end up being quite long! Looks like Kiley is just like me. :) I love it though. I can't wait till our next letter in Texas to hear about her travels, first impressions, and such. I love her long letters and hope they stay this long the whole time! Since she is only in the MTC three weeks, we only get two emails from her. So this is already the end of her MTC letters! It's crazy how fast this time has went already. Anyway, here is her letter. Enjoy!

~JaRelle

January 26, 2011

Dear Mom, and the rest of the family that reads this!

Dont worry fam I will write you all your own letters. Wow this week has gone by so dang fast. I feel like I was just sitting here writing you guys last week! The crazy thing is the next time I write you I will be in TEXAS!!! Wow I am so nervous and so dang excited! It is going to be weird. We leave next Tuesday. Our plane takes off at 8 something so I have to wake up at 4:30 and report to the travel office at 5:00. Wow that sounds so awful. Everyone is talking about converting people on the plane...I sit there and sometimes think quietly that I will take an hour nap. Don't judge me! I don't always feel so tired which is great. I know I should be cutting my pill in half like Carl said but I haven't done it yet. I need the extra energy! I know the Lord is greatly blessing me with the extra that I need. Last night in the devotional I think I was sitting too long because the tiredness hit me and that feeling of needing to shake like I used to do was sweeping through me. I sat there and took deep breaths and tried to control it. It left when I got up and started moving. So that is good right?

It has been so dang long since I have typed that I am seriously so bad at it! I miss you all so much! I love getting your letters. There is one adorable little boy that I am still waiting for a letter from, but I will write him again today and give him a little lecture! :)

I am sad to hear that Laurens elbow is not doing so well anymore. Dang math, we all knew that nothing but bad things come from math!!!! I will keep her in my prayers most certainly. She is so cute I know that even if she couldn't do a cartwheel they would want her on the cheer team! It is still hard not to be able to do the things you want to!

I hope dad's surgery tomorrow goes well! I will pray for him extra hard and make sure to throw his name in on the prayer roll when I go today. I love going to the temple! It is amazing.

Things with my companion are still hard. She looks at this like war and she needs to get everyone on her side so she won't talk to me but she will talk to the other sisters in our group. I am afraid her attitude went from bad to outright attrocious! She hardly talks to me anymore. And she makes a point to be super excited to see other sisters. I don't know what to do about it. I am just trying to be positive. I have been trying to love her through service but sometimes I feel it slipping. Her negativity is hard to be around. She hangs out more with other districts than ours now. What do I do? Last night she went to bed at 1 a.m.. The light above the desk makes it hard for me to sleep but I do get some so that is nice! I know that there is something that Heavenly Father wants me to learn. I am leaning on Him so much. He is a form of great comfort. I just want to make him proud in the way that I handle the situation, but I do stupid human things. Luckily He has to love me no matter what!! Kinda like you guys!

I read in Pauls letter that Olivia Simmons got her mission call! That is crazy! How fun for her! It is weird to think that by the time she leaves I will have been out here for almost 6 months. I would have gone crazy if I had to wait till May. She must have more patience then me so the Lord trusted her more. He knew I had to leave quick or I would have thought it through and not left!

I do love it here. I go into Lessons so nervous I have no idea what I am going to say. I just want to help people see the importance of the Gospel. After the lesson I look back on it and am so grateful for the Spirit. He is the only reason our lessons go well! It is crazy! Our lessons have been good but they are slowly digressing as my companion says less and less in them. She either takes over and says everything or she sits there and stares blankly. She only really stares blankely if she feels like the ideas from the lesson came from me. I know she wishes she was the leader. I feel like she hates me. Its hard.

I need Tosha's address really bad because I have letters for her and my sweet anna! I am so happy they finally moved into their house! I bet Anna loves having her kitchen. P.S., In her car is my address for Texas. You need to call her and get it from out of that book I left in there.

Also in my bathroom is my razor stick...I kinda forgot that. It makes it hard to shave! I was also hoping you could send me some of my cute-colored, modest undershirts. They would be fun to put under some of my white shirts. So far I continue to shower and be ready faster than everyone in my room. Its amazing! I have no idea how it is happening. I swear I am really blessed!

Well my time is running out. I read your email Dad and it was amazing. I am going to hand write you, I promise! I love you and am so happy you are my daddy! Keep up the letters family; they make me smile during the day and they make me feel so much better! I miss you all! Oh also Mom, I was hoping you could send me my Citracal D. I am worried about getting my calcium and vitamin D. I know I never cared before but with my synthroid I am kinda worried. I dont know. I just hate to cut it back...I probably should though huh? What do you think?

I am so sad for Heather. Give her a hug for me. She is seriously so amazing! I can't believe how strong and genuinely happy she always is. Life can throw her curve ball after curve ball and she just smiles and doesn't complain. I should learn that right now huh?

Well I love you all! Expect some letters in the next few days!! I love you love you! I cannot tell you how grateful I am for my family. You guys are amazing and you help me so much. I don't know what I would do without you all! Thanks for being so supportive!

I love you always!!

Loves loves hugs kisses!!

Sister Bailey!!

P.S. Don't forget Tosha's address!!

Kiley's first email!

Kiley's first week in the MTC, she sent a letter home. This is her first email on her first official p-day. She sounds like she is doing so well. Missions always come with trials and hers have started already. It just means that she is going to be an amazing missionary if she is already being refined! It makes me miss my mission so much, but I am grateful I get to relive the glory days through her mission. Anyway, here is her letter. :)

~JaRelle

Dear Mom and family,

You all should Dear Elder me so I get lots of letters during the week. Also I only get 30 minutes to email. Since only mom emailed I still have a ton of time!

That is fun you went to St. George. Vacation sounds nice. Things here are so busy I feel like I don't have enough time during the day to get it all done! There is so much to read and study and memorize. I feel overwhelmed when I start to think about it all! It is weird to think that this is my first P-day and that next week is my last one here! P-day is amazing. Doing laundry made me so happy! And I cannot wait to go to the temple. I need the peace of sitting in the Celestial room.

I have had a hard time with my companion and I need some advice with how to handle it. She has some issues she needs to work through and now has to go to counseling every week. She told me because of these issues she can't give her all. She is disobedient. I have talked to her about it and I dont know how much it has helped. She always gives me this attitude and it makes it hard to be companions. It seems no matter what I say she rolls her eyes about it. Even something as simple as, "Can you get your scriptures for companion study?" I get her eyes rolled at me. She is always very rudely sarcastic and is mean to me if I say something contrary to what she thinks. What should I do mom? I want so bad to pick up a phone and call you. You always know exactly what to do and you are always loving. I know if you were here instead of me you would deal with it perfectly. Her attitude has started to wear on me and yesterday I had such a bad day. Finally, last night I just poured my heart out to Heavenly Father. I knew he was the only one who could comfort me. So I told him everything. Afterwards I felt the need to read my patriarchal blessing. As I read it I could feel the spirit so strongly I swear I felt arms around me. I felt like if I looked up he would have been sitting on my bed right next to me. It was the most amazing experience. I know I need to be more loving but how do I go about gaining that love?

You will all be shocked to know that I take the fastest showers of everyone in my room. We all start the same time and usually by the time they are done I have brushed my teeth and started writing in my journal! Are you all amazed? I know it is truly amazing. I am able to get up everday at 6:30 although sometimes I want to hit that alarm clock! But the lord has blessed me with the energy to make it through the whole day. I miss you all so much! I also need Tasha's address if she has one yet. I want to send a letter to sweet Anna. Your package meant to so much to me! The letters and treats inside really made me feel so much better! Running in gym is so much easier when you aren't in sunday shoes! Tell Dad good luck; I hope all goes well! I bet he hated being in St. George and not being able to golf! I am glad Lauren is healing so well. When do they think she will be ready to go? She is an amazing girl! I am so grateful to have such an amazing family! I love you all so much I can't even tell you. The only way this mission could get any better was if you were all right here next to me! I thought I had something else to say but I can't remember now. I love you and can't wait to hear from you. Oh yeah how is Mckay doing? I mailed off a letter to him, Lauren, and Tyson today. Tell them all I expect replys! Mom please forward this to the family I have no idea what any of their emails are! I love you so much mommy. You are my greatest example. l love you so much. My email just did something crazy I have no idea how to fix! Just know that I hope to be even a smidgen like you mom and that would make me happy! Ok this thing is freaky! Try to decipher the code!

Love you all!! Love Sister Bailey!

Weird. What is my first name again?! I am losing my identity!!!!!

Blessings of Sister Missionaries

I received this quote while in the MTC. It is probably the most famous sister missionary quote I've ever read. It has such wonderful promises for sister missionaries in it and is by my favorite prophet, President Hinckley.

“Today many sisters are being called to serve. Many more are preparing to serve. Not because they aren't married or don't have anything else to do, but they have the desire to serve. One reason that the Lord wants more sisters to serve is because within the next generation He will send His priesthood army to the earth. He wants to send choice spirit children to mothers who have been prepared, properly trained, and taught in the gospel. What better schooling can a mother have than the experience and growth she gains through serving a mission.”

--President Gordon B. Hinckley

(I was told that this was given at a Missionary Conference back in 2004, but I don't know where or when.)

~JaRelle

Farewell Sister!

Dear Kiley,

I am so happy that you asked me to do this blog for you. It will be so nice to have a collection of all your letters together in one place. Hopefully throughout your mission I will also be able to add pictures along with your letters to share with everyone. Please feel free to tell whomever you want about this blog. I'm sure that it will be inspiring and uplifting for all who read it. I am so excited for you. You will be an amazing missionary. You are so loving and fun that people are just drawn to you. You will truly be an instrument in the Lord's hand to bring souls unto Christ.

My mission changed my life and I am eternally grateful that I was able to serve. It taught me the true extent of love, happiness, and joy, but also of sadness, difficulty, and pure humility. You'll soon understand! When I was debating whether or not to go on a mission, I was listening to general conference in April 2006, when Elder Scott spoke specifically to me. He talked about how his daughter came to the decision to serve a mission and about his wife who also served a mission. He said, "Our home has been greatly blessed by a wife and mother who chose to serve a full-time mission." (To read the whole talk, visit: http://lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/now-is-the-time-to-serve-a-mission-?lang=eng ). I just reread the article, and it said something I found interesting that I thought you might like about your mission. He said: "I am constantly amazed at how the Holy Ghost matches the characteristics and needs of each missionary and couple to the widely varying circumstances of missionary service throughout the world. I have observed how some of the strongest, most capable elders and sisters are called to the United States and Canada to keep the roots of the Church strong there." So there you have it--you must be stronger and more capable than me, Dave, and your dad! Eric and McKay must have been strong and capable like you. :)

I love you so much. Good luck with everything! I can't believe you enter the MTC tomorrow! We will do our best to write to you every week and pray for you every day. I love you so much and am so grateful to have you as my sister.

Love always,

JaRelle