Sunday, February 23, 2014

"I Know That My Redeemer Lives"

"I Know That My Redeemer Lives"


Here is a recording of Sister Haws singing  a well known church hymn, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives."  You can tell she gets a little choked up partway through the song.  It's so beautiful and sure made us miss listening to her sing.

From her mom

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

TRANSFERS?? DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUNN!!!!!!! (ominous music

February 18, 2014

Well, transfers are today.................................................................................................
I AM STAYING!!!!! And so is sister Bing.....!!!! But not sister Bur....... :( I am so sad!!! I love her so much and know that she will go where the Lord wants her to go. This transfer has been a transfer of learning and growing, but also a transfer of so much FUN!!!
 
There hasn't been too much this week, except a ton of packages!!! Thank you so much for all of them!! You are so wonderful!! I definitely felt the love! I love Valentine's day as a missionary because you get to share the greatest love of all, and I am not talking about Whitney Housten.  I am talking about the Pure Love of Christ, or Charity.  The Church is true, and I love being able to share that truth with so many others!! I love you all as well!!
 
This week's scripture is Jeremiah 31:3.  Love....  It's all in there!!
 
Love your lovely loving Sister missionary,
Sister Haws:)

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Who Broke My Window?!?!?

February 10, 2014

Thank you so much to everyone for the lovely emails and the loving letters!  Sorry for not emailing last week!! We went tide pooling again last week and it was CRAZY! We were trying to get everything else done!  But, this week is much calmer!!
 
So we met with Laura this week.  She told us that right now her answer is that this church isn't right for her.  NOOOOOOOOOOOOO we were so sad!!! But she said that she still wants to meet with us and talk to her about the Bible.  So hopefully something comes out of it.  We know that she has felt the Spirit and it is only a matter of time. 
 
We got to do Family History this week (we do it every week).  It is so fun to do and so fun to be able to learn about my ancestors.
 
Choir was great, as always.  I love being able to strengthen my talent and learn more about songs.
 
Saturday we went and helped a sister make invitations for their Young Women's Fundraiser.  It was really fun.  While we were there, she showed us some really old 80s church commercial from our church, and it is this old guy Singing this song about who broke his window! Look it up, it is SOOO funny, our companionship has been singing it ever since:)
 
Sunday was crazy.  We got a new bishop in our ward.  And our ward mission leader was called as the First Counselor in the Bishopric.  I will miss my bishop, but I think that this bishop will be really good and we will support him as well.
 
In sacrament meeting, we had 2 investigators come, Irene and Laura.  They are so great.  I sang and Sister B. played the piano.  It was really powerful.  I sang "I know that My Redeemer Lives."  I really felt the spirit of that song, and I think everyone else did too.  I love the opportunity to bring the spirit into a meeting through song.  To me, there is nothing more powerful.  I love it:)
 
Well folks, my scripture for this week is Exodus 16:4-5, 19-21.  What is our spiritual daily manna in today's time?
 
I love you all!! Keep hastening the work!
 
Love,
Sister Kayla Haws:)

Also, transfer calls are Saturday!!!!! I find out then! I will tell y'all the news on next Tuesday! Love you!

CRAZY THINGS!!!!

February 3, 2014

ALOHA!!!!!! I love you all so much!!
 
So this week has been super crazy!!! We accidently went out of mission boundaries to another church with an investigator, we helped a lady sort pictures, I went on an exchange with Sister L, we met with an investigator who has moved and told her about the elders there, and I received a priesthood blessing.
 
First off, I have to say that companions who support you and love you unconditionally are the BEST!!!!! I love them with all my heart!!! Sisters B&B are the best things in the entire world!!
 
So-mission boundaries.  So we had invited our investigator, Linda, to come with us to our Relief Society activity in January, and so she decided to invite us to her church activity.  We knew that her church was Calvary (a very anti Mormon church), but we didn't know where it was.  Apparently it is in Tustin...... In the Anaheim mission..... Oops!! But she had a wonderful time and I think that we have begun to gain her trust.
 
I got to know a lady's family through sorting her pictures.  We have this potential investigator, Elizabeth who wanted us to help her sort pictures.  So we did!! It was really fun!
 
I received a priesthood blessing and it was everything that I needed at that moment.  I felt Heavenly Father's presence and his words in that blessing!!! I love the priesthood, and I suggest anyone who is confused or sad or needs that extra umph, or even needs to feel God's love a little more, get a priesthood blessing.  It will help you sooooo much!!!!
 
This week's scripture is 2 Nephi 4:28.  It has brought new meaning to my life. 
 
 
I love you all!!!!
 
Love, your salty sister!
Sister Haws:)

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Tidepooling, Tender Mercies, And Testimonies

January 27, 2014

ALOHA FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!!!!
 
How is everyone??? I hope all is well:)
 
Things are great here in Irvine!! I love it so much!!! The work is hastening and it ain't gonna stop:)
 
So the reason this email is a little later in the day than normal is because we (our companionship and another set of sisters) decided to go tide pooling!!!! It was AMAZING!!!!! There are so many cute little animals that live in those little pockets of water!!! There were sea slugs and urchins and hermit crabs and anemones and a whole bunch of other stuff!!!! I am probably sunburned, but who cares??? I am in California :)  Hopefully I will be able to send pictures eventually!!
 
The tender mercies from this week--being in a trio and being sick, Laura, and members who are able to make it to lessons.  Yes, being sick can be a tender mercy.  So I got a little sick this week.  And since we are in a trio, we were able to just drop me off at a member's house and they could continue working! I wish with all my heart that I was there, but I just couldn't be there.  BUT I got to get to know Sister Lutz (Second Counselor in the mission presidency's wife) better and get to know a member better!! I love it!! And my companions had some great experiences with the lessons that they taught:)   Now on to Laura!!! She is so STELLAR!!!!!!! She is the coolest person I have met!!! She is so cute and she is so willing to learn about Jesus Christ and what the best way is for her to come closer to Him!!! She is so great and has so much faith!!! She is getting baptized in June and we just have to keep working with her!!  And part of the reason everything worked out so well was because we were able to have a member with her at the lesson!!! If you ever have the opportunity to go with the missionaries to lessons, GO!!! It will change your life and benefit the investigator!!!! It makes everything go so well!!!
 
Well I am almost out of time!!! I love you all soo much!!!
 
For the reading today, read the testimony of Joseph Smith about his finding the Book of Mormon.  IT is so good!!!
 
Love,
Sister Haws

Woodbridge: Tender Mercies, Singing, and Exchanges

January 21, 2014

Hello family and friends and ALOHA!!!!!!! (that is how we start every meeting here in Irvine:))
 
I have been out for 5 months today!!!!!!!!! The time has flown by sooooooooo fast!!! And yet, it feels like forever since I have seen you all.
 
So this week there have been some amazing things happening!!!  Tuesday I got to scan some documents for a less active lady in our ward. Who knew my scanning would come in handy on a mission?!?  We also had an investigator, Linda, come to our Relief Society activity and we had a lesson with another investigator, Laura that same night!!  It was great to see both these wonderful women and get to know them better and help them improve their relationship with God. 
 
Wednesday we got to meet this family that lived in New Mexico for a number of years!!! That made me so happy being able to talk about the beautiful home I love and having them understand.  That was cool.
 
Thursday we got to see Laura again and see a lady Amber that we have been teaching.  Amber and her family actually have to move and they are moving out of our boundaries:( so we will be passing them to some great elders!!!
 
Friday, Sister Bing... had to go to a meeting as well as another sister in our district and they went together, so guess who got to come with me and Sister Burg...???  SISTER VH!!!!! It made me so happy to see my MTC companion again and see how much she has grown.  She was amazing to begin with, but she has grown so much since we have been out:)  and I have too.
 
Saturday, Sister Bing... went on exchanges so it was just me and Sister Burg... for the day.  It was nice to get to know Sister Burg... a little better, but we missed Sister Bing... .  We went to a Chinese baptism since we had a former investigator going.  That was interesting.  It was all in Chinese, so they had one of the elders translating for those of us that did not speak Chinese.  As most of you know, translations are normally a little behind the person speaking, and I had my translator set on a little too loud.  Well the person giving the talk said "amen" and then 5 seconds later, the translator said "amen" and I said "amen" as well.  I didn't realize that it was 5 seconds after everyone else until I saw Elder F. laughing at me and I realized everyone else was looking at me too.  That was intersting:)
 
After that we had some appointments we went to.  Then we went to the Mission Viejo Stake Conference, because the Choir was singing.  We sang and the Spirit there was SOOOOOO strong!! It was an amazing experience!!! Then, as I was standing after the conference, I saw someone who looked familiar.  It was a guy from my singles' ward at BYU!! It made me so happy to see him and hear that he was going to Raleigh!! He is a great guy and will be an amazing missionary.  After I was done talking, I saw someone else I knew.  Brother Webber, Tommy's DAD!!!!! I was so excited, I almost hugged him!!! Unfortunately that is frowned upon in missionary society. But he took me to the rest of his family in the back of the gym and I got to see Sister Webber and their two daughters, Charlotte and Claire.  That made me so happy!!! I love that I have to opportunity to serve in their mission and see them more than I would before!! They are so great!!!!
 
Sunday, we had to opportunity as all the missionaries in the zone to go to the priesthood leadership meeting for our stake conference.  That was a great experience and we loved being able to see how we can work with our ward and stake leaders.  Stake conference was a broadcast and President Eyring and Elder Anderson spoke.  It was powerful and amazing!!!
 
My scripture for you this week is 1 Nephi 17:8-9
 
Love you all!!!
Love,
Sister Kayla Haws:)
 
 

Where in the world is Sister Haws???

January 13, 2014

Well, transfers happened this week, and I am in............................................. (drumroll please) ........................................ IRVINE!!!! I am in what is called Woodbridge 1st ward and I love it so much!!!  The people here are so wonderful!! We spent the week trying to meet many of the members and quite a few investigators!!
 
I have 2 new companions, Sister Bing... and Sister Burg...!! They are so great!! Sister Burg... is an amazing artist! And Sister Bing... is a GINGER!!!!! It is definitely a party!!!  Also, I am back in the same district as my MTC companion, Sister VH.  She is the sweetest thing in the world!!
 
So, a while back, after a choir performance, I asked a couple of the Chinese elders to teach me a few sentences in chinese.  Irvine has a bunch of Chinese and they are great.  I thought "Awesome, I will use my new found chinese!" So this lady in our complex walks by and we say, "Hi, we're missionaries and we are out talking about how much Jesus Christ can bless our lives." and this lady says "No English"  So me being super suave person that I am, go up and say "We have friends that can speak Chinese" in Chinese of course, and she rambles off this Chinese like I understand everything she says, and I obviously don't get a single word out of what she says, so I just stare at her blankly and try to say "I don't speak Chinese," in chinese, and that didn't even work because I was flustered and embarrased, but we gave her a card and she went her way.  I told the Chinese Elders that taught me those sentences and they got a big kick out of it.  Apparently, Chinese people will immediately just start talking to you as soon as they hear you share just a little Chinese.  Who knew right??
 
We will hopefully be setting a baptismal date tonight with a girl that Sister Burgett has been teaching!!
 
This week, the scripture is Helaman 3:24-27.  The Lord will give us the success we desire if we ask with a sincere heart!!
 
I love you all so much!!! Keep the work going and the people seeing the light of Christ through you!!
 
Love,
Sister Haws:)

Adios, Dana Point

January 6,  2014

Well, as missionary life goes on, there is always transfers looming in the air.  Will it land on me? Will I survive the cut?  Will I stay, will I go?  I have survived the last 2 transfer calls with little damage, but this time I was not so fortunate.  I am leaving Dana Point.  I am so sad because I will miss the people here.  I love them so much and want the best for them! I have grown so close in such a short amount of time!! I know that the Lord will bless me wherever I go, though and I know I am going where he wants me to go. 
 
Well, this week was interesting.  We were at a set back for a couple days because Sister M. was sick and that was sad.  But, the Lord blessed us for trying our best and working hard when she was healthy!! We had 101 contacts and 2 new investigators!!!!! We normally don't get that many people to talk to, so that was a miracle!!
 
I LOVE being a missionary!! I will miss Dana Point, but I know that I will go where He needs me to go!! I love you all!! Have a great week!!!
 
My scripture for this week is Moroni 7:33.  What can we do if we have faith?? How can we use our faith to do just that???
 
Love,
Sister Haws:)

CHRISTMAS!!! SANTA!!!! SINGING!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!

December 23, 2013

First off, CHRISTMAS IS IN 2 DAYS!!!!!!!!! I am so excited!! I get to skype home and talk to my family and I get to see some wonderful people that day!!!  YAY!!! I will be reading 3 Nephi at that time too! It just happens that my reading works that way!! YAY:)
 
Second off, Santa came to our mission christmas party!!! That was cool! It was a great party.  We had food, and skits (each zone performed a skit), and choir singing, and santa, and presents from President, and storytelling, and friends and a great time!!! The choir brought president to tears so that was cool.  We are really getting good!!
 
Third off, we have been doing so much singing still! We should be winding down now that Christmas is over! I think that is good and bad.  I will miss being busy, but I have missed working in my area as much as I have.  I love the way that Christmas music really changes the holidays.  It is a wonderful blessing to have music so that is cool:)
 
We found a new investigator in our apartment complex!! She is the sweetest thing in the entire world!! She is an older lady who her mother just passed away.  We are going to teach her the plan of Salvation soon.
 
My challenge this week is for you to read Luke 2 and 3 Nephi 1 on Christmas Eve!!  It is really a great tradition:)
 
I love you so much!!!!
 
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! FELIZ NAVIDAD!!! OTHER LANGUAGES!!!
Love
Sister Haws;)