Our Sweet Missionary, Katelyn

On December 1^st of last year, Katelyn met the most amazing man.  His name is Taylor DeHart.  He is from the Huntsville area.  He served a mission, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He served in the Lansing, Michigan Mission.  They started dating each other.  Yes, they both felt something different, that they had never felt before.  They both fell in love with each other. 

Katelyn had already received her call, and she knew she still needed to go on her mission. 

Katelyn and Taylor

Since she has left she has felt this longing to come home and get married. 

In two weeks Katelyn will be returning from Chile to plan her life with Taylor.  We are excited to see our sweet daughter again!!!  She loves him with all her heart.  He feels the exact same way.  This is a part of her letter from 2 weeks ago. 

To change the direction of things a little bit, mom and dad I have prayed and prayed. All day everyday. With furfer intent to know the will of God.  I testify to you that I did need to have the experiences I did in the MTC, and to have met the people I met there. My companion taught me so extremely much.

These past few weeks here in Chile have been incredible. I have learned so much from the people here. They are so extremely loving. Families are so closely bonded. Sons have so much respect for their mothers, couples enjoy strong bonds with each other.  Everyone is so friendly, and would do and give anything for anyone. Even with nothing they are so happy. It´s the gospel that brings them this happiness! My time here has been incredible. My companion and her story have taught me so much! Her testimony has brought me closer to my Savior!

Seeing the change in our investigators and in those being baptized is incredible. Their faith is so strong! This is where I have needed to be to have met the people I have.

However, Every day I’m caught up in many thoughts and feelings, impressions to not so much focus on the language but to focus on the gospel.  

Me and my beautiful companion!! Just contacting away.....

This past week I’ve received revelation that my time here is over. That I need to come home.  Which sounds absolutely crazy I KNOW!!! Tomorrow Hermana Pereira agreed to fast with me about what I needed to do. But through constant prayer, this is the answer I have received. That I need and should come home and to continue my relationship with Taylor. 

Please do not let these words scare you or worry you. I´m safe, my companion is incredible and so incredibly patient with me (poor thing ha) I could not ask for a better one, the people are so welcoming and friendly, our mission president is incredible, the language has been difficult but I’ve been learning a lot every day.

I know that the time that I have had here has changed my whole outlook on life.

On the gospel. On my Savior. I have such a strong testimony of this gospel and know that it is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth! Without a doubt. This is God´s plan of happiness. I have felt so strongly the love of God for me but more strongly for the people here. Through them the Lord has taught me so many things. I’m so glad that I have been given this opportunity to serve for just a short time here. I know that the people I’ve meet and the stories I’ve heard were just for me. And through them I have come closer to my Savior and Redeemer.  It has been incredible experience and miracles happen every day when we place our faith in Christ. Now I must place my faith in Christ  to know things will work the way they need to. I know the Lord has a plan for me.

Our testimony gloves from Sister Oaks

What an experience, what incredible truths have been witnessed to me. Now the Lord has made clear to me a different path I need to take. Everyday that constant feeling comes to me. You need to go; your mission here is done. It´s hard because I want to be here, I want to be in the conversations, but for some reason the spirit keeps telling me. And as I try to pray the feelings away so I can focus, it´s the same.  Tomorrow we are fasting together to confirm that this is what the Lord wants of me. Because I will do whatever he commands. He sent me here to Chile, I know and have felt that it has been the right thing. I know I was meant to be here. But now I need to do something different. Mom and Dad I hope you can understand. I don´t want to confuse you or worry you. I don’t have a better way to describe it than this. After tomorrow I will talk to the mission president to see what needs to happen.   I´m so happy here and feel the spirit so strongly. But after much prayer... and let me tell you it´s been A LOT!  I feel this in my heart that this is what I need to do. Family I love you so much!

Know I’m safe and that I really am good....  this is just the next step. I don´t want to make anyone disappointed but I feel in my heart this. I hope you can understand. After talking with my mission president this week we will see what needs to happen! I will let you know next week for sure! Until then. I´ll be working hard here to continue to bring the gospel into the lives of others! I love you! Have an amazing week! My thoughts and prayers are with you always!! I know this is the gospel of Jesus Christ!! I love you so much! 

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths. 

xoxoxoxoxoxo CON MUCH AMOR 

Hermana Katelyn Nicole Smith 

A beautiful day in Chile...

Katelyn’s letter from this week

HOLA MI HERMOSA FAMILIA! 

First off I’d like to start off by saying I love you all with all of my heart and I’m so very grateful for everything you do more me constantly! I could not ask for a more incredible family!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU! Thank you so much for your prayers and your support for me! I really cannot tell you how blessed I feel to have the incredible support I do because most missionaries here do not have any support from family or friends! SO THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love you so much! I have been getting all kinds of emails from everyone I never have time to respond to all of them, but please tell everyone thank you so much for me! Ever word of encouragement is so meaningful! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!!!! 

So yes, lots to have been thinking about this week! Dad thank you so much for email and mom thank you so much for your advice!!! It´s really helpful and I will remember to breath! ha! Of course everyday my mind is in all sorts of places, since I’m here on the mission I know that I cannot waste the Lord´s time so this week I’ve really tried to focus on concentrating on his children here in Chile! I have felt his love for them so strongly! I have a testimony that we are all spiritual brothers and sisters and God is indeed our eternal father!

I had an interview with President Anderson through the phone yesterday. It was good to hear a familiar voice in English!  He was so sweet and sincere as always.  I shared with him my thoughts and I’m sure he told you them as well! The counsel of my mission president was to wait it out and hang in there till cambios in two weeks! President Anderson counseled me to also wait it out and try to really experience the fruits of the mission. It really is such an incredible place. The Lord really is guiding his work here, and uses others to be His hands.

The most beautiful flower ever... They are everywhere!

With all taken into consideration and as I continue to pray and fast I still feel the need to come home still! I´m going to continue to work my hardest here for these next two weeks. Its been hard determining what to think and how to feel with all of this emotion these past couple weeks! But Hermana Pereira the other day quoted the scripture, "see that ye serve Him with all your heart might mind and strength." As I thought of this I want nothing more than to serve the Lord with EVERYTHING I´ve got... but as I thought I haven´t been able to give it all I have because my heart truly isn´t here.  It’s with someone else, Taylor. I don´t know how to better explain it. But that´s the best I can do at the moment! Taylor wrote me an incredible letter about his thoughts on all of it. I want to take everything into consideration! But I continue to feel the need to come home! Again I don´t know what the process is or what needs to be done but this next week we will see! I hope you can understand. I cannot thank you enough for you love and support!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL SO INCREDIBLY MUCH! With so little time on the computers it´s hard to express and tell you everything! But I know this is what I need to do right now! 

This past week we have seen real progress in our investigators. Maria Jose has a date for baptism for the 31st she is praying about it to see if it´s right. We fasted for her yesterday and then last night went and taught her with the Elders. Wow, she is so close and after fasting for her all day I could just feel the Love Heavenly Father has for her so much! Their neighbor a lady that´s 88 years old tripped and fell yesterday and so during the lesson she came over and the elders gave her a blessing! It was such a beautiful experience to have Maria Jose see her father (convert of one year) and also the elders use their priesthood authority! It was such a beautiful experience! Here on the mission I have seen and heard so many incredible experiences with the Power of the priesthood! I testify that it is indeed the power of the Lord restored on this earth once more. As weird as it sounds I’m doing a lot of English classes here. Everyone wants to learn English! And there is not a better way to do it than with the gospel. Marisol and Monsurrat her daughter are learning a little bit. Yesterday I helped Monsuratt learn the Alphabet and as I did Hermana perirea talked to her mom Marisol. Some how the subject of fasting came up and H.Pereira was saying that as a church we fast 1 every month. How it´s such a great experience and how your spirits are uplifted when we fast with a purpose in mind. She expressed her want to fast because she said she needs a lot of help in her life. We told her that whenever she wanted to start to call us and we would fast with her. When we said this the spirit was so strong and she and her daughter just began balling. I love them so much! We are continuing to teach them and hopefully after the fast Marisol will want to come to church next Sunday! ha as we were leaving yesterday she hurry and ran to her closet and pulled out these two hats. ha she said I have a billion hats and I want you so have a hat of mine! ha they are so incredibly giving here! She also made us crapes! ha When you fast the Lord truly does reward you with countless blessings... temporally (we had I swear 700000 ounces (dinner) yesterday!) and spiritually (our incredible lesson with Maria Jose)! In the lesson with Maria Jose we talked about the Hold Ghost and how she was going to feel when she received her answer and then read with her in Moroni 10 3´5. I am praying so hard for her. She is so close and I know her whole family wants this for her as well!  Everything is good here! I have such a strong testimony of this church and know that it is the true church restored by the prophet Joseph Smith! I know families are eternal and I am so incredibly thankful for that knowledge!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL WITH ALL MY HEART! Con todo mi corazon! GRACIAS por su amor constantamente! Please have such a great week and pray as a family, as we counsel families to read the scriptures and pray together here we have noticed such a unity and strength that comes through doing this as a family! My prayers are with you! I am so grateful for you! And for everything you do for me!!!!!! 

xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxo 

Hermana Katelyn Smith