feliz navidad

Hola!

This week has been amazing. They keep us wicked busy, and on Christmas it was a little too much. So earlier this week the Elders in my district have been pranking my companion—she scares really easily. One particular morning we came in and they asked her to get a drink from the fridge. She opened it and screamed, falling down to the floor. They had taken the shelves out of the fridge and one elder was in there waiting, with the drink in his hand. It was hilarious and they even filmed it. Also this last week, Hermana Taylor got a little Charlie Brown Christmas tree from her family. We set it up and put all our gifts around it and then slowly throughout the week we opened our presents. It was definitely one of the most memorable Christmases ever. We also had a few snowball fights this week. One got stopped prematurely but the other was during gym time. My companion decided to throw snowballs at the elders' window and they just stared at us until one finally came out. While that was happening, another district in our zone was across the way preparing snowballs, so of course we had to defend ourselves. There was also tons of black ice all over area and nearly ever elder wiped out at least once. It was hilarious to watch. 

The missionaries' Christmas set-up.

And Sarah, you know the movie, "Forever Strong" about Highland high school rugby? I found out earlier this week that one of my teachers was on that team when it was being filmed. I think he said he is in it, so we'll have to watch it again when I get back. 

    So on Christmas Day, we had a devotional with Elder David A. Bednar! It was incredible and we learned so much. It was rather unique in that he passed out 200 cellphones to the audience so we could anonymously text in questions that he would then answer. He also had an email set up so that other MTCs (like in England) who were watching it live, could send in their own questions. It was amazing to see him read a question and be able to answer it with scriptures and personal stories almost immediately. Also, I sang in the choir again; another amazing experience. I truly love singing, I only wish I were better at it.

Katherine and Jordan Hansen at Elder Bednar's Christmas devotional.

I got your package, mom and dad! Thank you so much! I finally got to show you all off to my companions :) I can't wait to use the sweatshirt and socks tonight—I know it will be freezing cold. Thank you so much for your support and love. I appreciate it and want you to know that this is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. So many times throughout the last week I have learned more about my companions and about those in my zone. Heavenly Father watches over us and I am so glad that I get to serve a mission now, after all the experiences I've already had. Plus, I am glad that I waited since I got to be in the district and zone that I am—and I adore them all! It is both humbling and uplifting to study the scriptures, to discuss doctrine and seek to understand it with other like-minded missionaries.

Katherine and her companion wearing hats younger sister Elizabeth knitted.

I know this Church is true, that Heavenly Father watches over and cares for us and that by praying and being obedient, he will help us in any way he can through both the Holy Ghost and our friends and family. You are all such wonderful examples and I hope you realize how much I love you all. I've always been grateful to have a family such as I do, and being here has only increased it.

Love,

Katherine

Week One

Hi Everyone!

It's still going well here! So much happens and I don't know what to tell you so it'll probably be just the highlights. I forgot to tell you last week how our zone welcomed us. We were all sitting down and the zone leaders came in singing the song from Mulan. The others in the zone were on the computers and they joined in one by one, getting louder and louder. It was kinda like a flash mob and it was awesome. I wish I had a video of it! My Spanish continues to improve, it's definitely getting easier but sometimes I wish I could've just gone to Italy and then it wouldn't be so hard. I'm learning so much about the Gospel and about teaching people. Our lessons with our investigator, Jacob, were not going so well so we started focusing more on what he said and the spirit so we could better understand what to talk about and it's helped so much. Praying and listening to the Holy Ghost make everything a million times easier. It's amazing.

     We finally got gym for the first time last Saturday. We have it everyday except Preparation Day (Friday) and Sundays. Our zone plays volleyball in the third dome, which instead of actual gyms, we have these giant igloo looking structures that are white and puffy. I'll have to take a picture for you guys. We've also played basketball, two on two, and it was great. I love having time to exercise every day. Our zone also does choir, so on Sunday we all went, learned and practiced a song called "One Small Babe" which we then sang for devotional on Tuesday at the main campus. It was amazing; both the song and the devotional, which was President Ronald Rasband of the 70. He talked about spiritual gifts and how at this time, Christmas, we should not only thank Heavenly Father for the gift of Jesus Christ, but also for those spiritual gifts which help us to grow in the gospel. We were encouraged to share one with our family and friends. One I've always been grateful for, and especially so here in the MTC is that of discernment. I've always felt close to the spirit and as we continue to learn more about teaching by the spirit, I am so grateful for it. I hope you will all take a moment to think of a spiritual gift and think about how you can improve and grow.

     

The gym domes used at the west MTC.

One sad note is that our teacher has decided to retire from teaching at the MTC since he will be going to graduate school next year and has a more useful job on campus so we are getting a new teacher. We wrote him a card and got him his favorite candy to say thank you and goodbye. He was awesome and we will miss him!

Katherine and her district saying farewell to their teacher.

So today is P-day and we went to Brigham's Landing with some of our zone. We stopped by Jamba Juice where one of our zone leaders bought everyone what they wanted! It was so nice. Three of us got wheatgrass shots which they love doing. It was actually kinda nasty but I'm glad I did it at least once. Apparently it cleans you out, so I guess I'll find out what that means. After we stopped in Great Harvest to get a sample and they asked if we wanted any bread but since we're missionaries without much money we said no. A lady picking out bread heard us and told us to pick one and that she would buy it! So, so nice! We got a loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread and we can't wait to eat it! Our last stop was the Cocoa Bean where some of us got hot chocolate. I tried the hazelnut cocoa bean and it was delicious. A great end to a great day :)

Katherine and her district mates at Jamba Juice.

Sister missionaries with their spoils from Great Harvest.

I love you all and love to hear from you but since I haven't heard from anyone but Stephen and Lizzie, I will suggest that you use DearElder.com. It allows you to type a letter which they will then print out and give to us. It's fast and easy and free! All you need is my address which I have up on my blog but just in case I will add it at the bottom. Thanks so much!! And stay warm! I don't know what it's like in Virginia, but it's pretty cold out here and I regret not bringing more warm clothes. We got a few inches of snow last night and it's surprisingly slippery.

     I know the Church is true and that we are all blessed with wonderful gifts that we can improve upon. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas on Wednesday and I look forward to calling you when I leave for Mexico in January!! Love you so much!

Love,

Katherine 

First days

So Katherine has asked me to upload her weekly letters home. I'll add in pictures as well for your viewing pleasure.

Here's the first installment—albeit a few days late.

— William

Hola mi familia!

The first few days have been crazy busy but awesome. The first day was overwhelming but I love it.  I am at the West MTC, just like everyone thought! It's a little disappointing but I love my district and zone so it's okay. There are four Elders and three Hermanas in my district.  Elder Sonntag (Mesa, AZ), Elder Hixon (Mesa, AZ), Elder Koehler (Bountiful, UT), Elder Gilbert (Othello, WA), Hermana Taylor (McGrath, Canada), Hermana Gurley (Georgia) and my companion, Hermana Lopez (Highland, UT). She does not, as her name might suggest, speak Spanish. Her dad is from Puerto Rico but didn't teach her and her siblings so she and I are both at the beginning of learning Spanish. They are all about 19 or 20 so I am definitely the odd one out. There are two other sisters in our zone but they both leave on Monday. We've been asking them all the questions we can come up with since once they leave, we'll be on our own. Thursday also we also met our Branch Presidency! They are all wonderful and seem like great people.  I can't wait to work with them and learn more from them.

Katherine with her MTC district.

Today we had our first investigator lesson. My companion and I prepared a lesson but we got thrown off a bit as he answered our questions a bit differently. So we didn't have the vocabulary to answer his questions and I tried to answer but when I didn't know, I would say it in Italian, sometimes with a Spanish accent. Unfortunately it didn't go over so well and he didn't understand some of it. Oh well! We've prepared another lesson for tomorrow and we looked up anything that we might need to know. Hopefully that will help! 

      So my district and I went up to main campus to check out the cafeteria which has more options than we do in our trailer-cafeteria. I ran into Jordan Hansen (!) who is here studying Mongolian as she leaves in February. It was so great and I got some pictures. We had lunch together and caught up before I headed back to west campus to study some more.       

Katherine with her study abroad friend Jordan Hansen, whose father

is a childhood friend of our mother's. Jordan is headed to Mongolia!

I don't have much else to say. The food is alright; my favorite part is the salad bar and the fresh fruit. We're allowed to go to Brigham's Landing (where the Cocoa Bean is) and my companion and I are going there soon, probably today. I can't wait! My companion and I get along so well, it's kinda crazy that we've only known each other since Wednesday. Companionships are truly inspired. It's amazing how perfectly each of the sets of missionaries get along. I love being here and I love this gospel. It's true and I know it and I can't wait to speak Spanish well enough so I can teach the people of Mexico and help them learn more. I love you all and hope you are doing well.  

Sincerely,

Katherine

Another photo of Katherine and her district.

mission

As I leave next week (!) for the Provo MTC, I will be changing the title of the blog and the entries that follow will be my letters home.  I'm excited to leave and yet also apprehensive since I have never done anything like this before.  I will be serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Mexico, Mexico City Southeast Mission, speaking Spanish.  I will study for about six weeks in the training center and then - if my visa comes - I will head on down to Mexico!  Wish me luck!

busy bee

The last month has been busy as I continue to work and get things in order for my mission.  I did manage a trip north to see family and friends which was wonderful - and fall in New England is beautiful.  Other than work, I've done quite a lot of baking which I've posted pictures of on Instagram and Facebook.  My favorites are these two: 

Brownie cupcakes with cookie dough frosting:

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/05/29/fudge-brownie-cupcakes-with-cookie-dough-frosting/

Chocolate caramel turtle cookies:

http://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2012/09/insanely-delicious-turtle-cookies.html

If you make these, prepare yourself to eat them all! :)

*All photos and recipes from above websites*

donuts

homemade donuts equal a delicious breakfast!

[ recipe for cake donuts: http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/CakeDoughnutsRecipe.html ]

raspberry lime sorbet

I made some raspberry lime sorbet this last weekend and it was delicious! Very limey so if you wanted to, cut out some of the lime juice so it's not so strong.  The amount of raspberries is perfect as is.  Be warned, this recipe takes some time to make as you have to let it sit several times throughout the process.

Raspberry Lime Sorbet

·   1 Cup Sugar

·   1 Cup Water

·   8 oz fresh, ripe raspberries

·   4 limes

Directions

1. Zest the 4 limes and add the zest to a pan with the cup of sugar

2. Boil water and add 1 cup of boiling water to the sugar and lime zest mixture. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and let sit for 30 minutes.

3. Strain the lime zest out and put the liquid back in the pan. Add the raspberries and bring to a boil.

4. Remove from heat and whisk until the raspberries are broken up. Put in the refrigerator to cool. Once cool add the lime juice.

[You can put it all through the sieve to get rid of the raspberry seeds and any tiny bits of the lime pulp.]

5. Toss it in your ice cream maker and let it do its job!  Put into a container and let harden further in the freezer.

lime pie

The other day we bought a bag of limes at Costco with the intention of making key lime pie.  Little did I know you actually needed key limes to do so.  Instead we found a key lime pie recipe and just used our normal limes and the result was fantastic.  I have always found key lime pie to be rather sour so this pie was just tart enough for me without being unpleasant.  The recipe I used is also ridiculously easy, so if you enjoy a good lime pie, make it!

Ingredients:
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup fresh lime juice (we used 7 limes)
- 1 graham cracker crust (or shortbread crust)

Directions:
1. Beat the egg yolks together before adding the sweetened condensed milk and lime juice.  Mix well.
2. Pour into graham cracker crust.
3. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.
4. Refrigerate for several hours for best results.
5. Serve with whipped cream and lime wedges!

peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Last night my sister decided that since we had finished off all the desserts in the house, we should make some more.  We searched through some of my favorite cookbooks as well as pinterest for inspiration and decided on this somewhat healthier version of a cookie.  It doesn't have any flour or butter and instead has peanut butter and oatmeal. 

*The original recipe I found through pinterest is here.  I made some changes to it and loved it so my recipe is what follows.

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter (or chunky)
1/2 cup brown sugar (dark or light)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
2/3 cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips - I used milk chocolate and they were great but you could use semi-sweet

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease or spray your cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl cream the peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs until light.
3. Add the oatmeal and baking soda, mixing until well incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
4. Using a cookie dough scoop or about a tablespoon of dough, place the cookie dough on the cookie sheet. The batter is pretty sticky so my cookie dough scoop was perfect and a lot less messy.
5. Bake for about ten minutes, or until the edges are nicely browned. 

*The recipe makes about a dozen and a half cookies but it would be easy to double it.

Enjoy!

muddy buddy popcorn

Basically muddy buddies but with popcorn instead of chex cereal. And let me tell you, it is fantastic.  I opted not to use the powdered sugar and it was perfect. Lots of chocolatey-peanut butter goodness.  And in case you've never had muddy buddies (which is a travesty) here is the (slightly modified) recipe:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter*
1/4 cup butter

*I used chunky peanut butter which added a great crunch to the treat but you can use smooth

Melt in the microwave and spread over popcorn. I popped about 3/4 cup of popcorn kernels and it covered it nicely.  Less popcorn means more chocolate = delicious.  

Chill it for a nice hardened texture! Freezer does it more quickly but the fridge works well too.

Enjoy!

scandinavian festival

In Jamestown, New York, there is a little-known Scandinavian Festival which has been going on for a few years.  The festival is mostly made up of local craftsmen and volunteers who celebrate their Nordic ancestors who settled in the western part of New York.  This year my sisters and I went as our mother's family is from Copenhagen, Denmark.  I have also studied Scandinavian culture and I was excited to learn more.

First on the agenda for the day was the May Pole ceremony where those participating carry in the May Pole and stand it up in its place.  Then those who wish to, gather around and dance traditional pieces.  I was standing too close and so I had the chance to participate. What I thought would be a quick, one dance turned into a thirty minute dance lesson.  It was quite crazy; nobody actually seemed to know what they were doing, but it was great fun and I learned some Swedish dances!

We walked around a bit before settling in to watch a Hans Christian Andersen impersonator who spoke with a "Danish" accent and recounted his stories for the children.  He also did paper cutouts while speaking - something that Hans Christian Andersen is said to have done.  The impersonator did a great job and was a hit with the kids (and the adults).

After wandering around a bit, we stopped and purchased some Danish salt and pepper shakers for our mom and then got some Swedish lunch.  We tried quite a few different things, including Swedish meatballs, kurv (like sausage), boiled potatoes, cucumber salad and rice pudding. We also got some rye bread and lingonberry preserves which were interesting. I preferred the lingonberry drink which we also got to sample.

From there we decided to check out the craft tents.  The main craft going on was ros mal painting of Dala horses which was pretty involved.  Nevertheless, my younger sisters and I did our best and had fun learning and painting small horses to take home.  It was definitely harder than it looked to get it perfect!  Our last activity for the day was the paper cut outs.  The HCA impersonator had some templates we could use so I made a butterfly and then added some more details to make it a little nicer.  It was quite a lot of fun!

My finished Dala horse.

 Fun finds at the Festival:

Dala shaped cake pans

There was a blacksmith who had a forge set up at the festival and some of his wares on display:

Swedish Barbie!

If you're in the area next year, please go have a look around! It's a fun time, especially with the kids, whether or not you're of Scandinavian ancestry!