Elders are disgusting...Teaching a princess...Satan is a bum...Every missionary should be issued a dog...Pumpkin everything...

OCTOBER 3, 2016

HOWDY, FRIENDS!

This week has been so good and so busy!!! Tuesday was transfer day and I went and picked up my new missionary and we went off to our new area! My companion's name is Sister Ball and she is from Shelly, Idaho. She is so so so good! She is going to be such a good addition to this mission. She wants to work hard and she has a great testimony and I already like her lots. Its really weird to be on the other end of the mission spectrum with me coming home in three months and her just arriving. Its kind of cool to look at how far I've actually come since being a baby missionary! I love her "greenie fire" and I'm so excited to work and learn with her. 

SO. There are a few things that I have learned this week.

1. Elders are disgusting. We moved into an apartment that elders had been living in and OH MY STARS IT WAS SO NASTY. Moldy rice in the fridge, dirty dishes in the dishwasher, old nasty clothes left in the closets, YOU NAME IT. We spent the first day in the area just de-eldering the apartment because I can't function in unclean places. You'll be glad to know that after four trash bags, an entire roll of paper towels, and several bottles of disinfectant, our apartment is now livable.  I have become my mother's daughter. :'-)

2. White-washing is one of my favorite things. The elders before us left us with a dirty apartment and absolutely no one to teach, so we're starting from scratch again! I love starting from scratch! It leaves us with so much opportunity. Especially with a baby missionary. We've done lots of tracting and talking to everyone and we're working hard so that we can be worthy of miracles! I know that the Lord provides for our efforts and I am happy to be serving here in Lakewood again. This ward is AWESOME and so so so missionary-minded. I love it. 

3. Training is more beneficial to me than it is to my new missionary! When I was trained and even when I've trained missionaries in the past, I've honestly never been a fan of the whole "training" part of it. We have an hour each day to study from this little book for new missionaries and I've always thought it was kind of a waste of time. BUT WOW, NOW I LOVE IT. I forget sometimes that the basics of missionary work are the most important things and its so good to get a reminder. I'm learning a lot and I love going back to the basics. 

4. GENERAL CONFERENCE IS MY FAVORITE THING EVER. I actually already knew this, but this weekend just reaffirmed it. I love having the opportunity every six months to hear from the leaders of the Church. I love the spirit that you can feel and I love my membership in this church. It is the thing in life that I am most grateful for and I don't think I'll ever figure out how the heck I got lucky enough to be BORN into it. Seriously, blessings don't get any greater than membership in the Lord's church. 

5. So there are some superrrr cool recent converts in this ward. They are all African immigrants and wow, they're awesome. One of them, Rose, is quite literally a big-time African princess. HOW COOL IS THAT? Her grandpa is a really big deal of a chief over there and she is African royalty. I get to teach a PRINCESS the new member lessons. Life is good. 👸 

ANYWAY, this week has been great and I am so excited to have these new opportunities to learn and grow! I only have three months left to do this great work and I'm gunna do my darndest to make the most of it. I love the Lord and I love His work. 

AND I LOVE ALL OF YOU TOO. (: Have a happy week, y'all!!

Sister Harshaw 

OH. My new address issssss:

Sister Kelsie Harshaw

3232 S Newcombe St.

Apt. 10203

Lakewood, Co. 80227

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OCTOBER 10, 2016

Hello, loved ones!! 

Just a head's up, this'll be a rather boring email because it was a rather boring week! That's just the way it goes in missionary work sometimes. Its been a good week anyway, though. (: 

This ward that we're serving in is SO stinking great. There are all kinds of people and the bishop and ward council are on top of things. As soon as we got here they handed us lists of people to go and visit. We've been able to meet lots of new people and and we've been gaining the trust of the ward as we help them in their work. They're so excited about missionary work and I loveeee it. They're even going to do a 40 day fast for missionary work! Its where a different family signs up every single day for 40 consecutive days and they fast for missionary work! We are DEFINITELY going to see miracles as us missionaries and the members work together with the same purpose. 

Oh! A miracle! Kelly, the lady that came to us at church in Littleton about a month ago, is getting baptized on Wednesday!!! And her daughter wants to get baptized now too! I get to go to her baptism and I can't wait to see the gospel change her life even more. She was seriously every missionaries dream investigator and its so cool that I got to be even just a little part of her experience. 

In other news, we get to watch the Fort Collins Temple dedication this Sunday and I'm super excited about that! It'll be nice when I can actually go there in real life, but I'm happy that I get to see part of the Lord's work moving forth. 

Anyway, like I said, nothing too exciting to report this week! We're working on finding new investigators and building our teaching pool, so pray that we'll find the elect families that have been prepared to hear the gospel! We know they're out there!!!! 

I love y'all and hope you're having a happy week!!

Love, Sister Harshaw

Oh!!! I almost forgot! We went to visit the cute little African family this week and they have four adorable little kids that LOVEEEE us. One of the little girls was sitting on the table while we were talking to her grandma when she asked if she could touch my hair. Next thing I know, I've got hair just like hers!! hahahah I love the little people. Also, I literally have no idea how she ended up on my lap, but I couldn't get her off so I just went with it. Don't tell President (;  

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OCTOBER 17, 2016

Hello, friends!

This will unfortunatelyyyy probably be another kinddd of lame email, but 'tis the way it goes sometimes! 

We are still working on finding new investigators, BUT we have done a tonnnnnn of service this week!! We announced in Relief Society last Sunday that we were looking for service opportunities and allllll of the little old grannies in the ward have called us. We've walked dogs (which is an AWESOME way to get people to talk to you, by the way. I think every missionary should be issued a dog.), moved things into storage units, pulled weeds, reorganized and decorated houses, volunteered at a food bank, and a million other things in between! It has been such a good way to gain the trust of the members in the ward. They've started giving us the names of their friends and people in the ward to go visit, so we're being kept nice and busy! I've gained a pretty strong testimony of service since I've been on my mission. I think that if we're going to be full-purpose missionaries (or members) that we need to be looking for opportunities to serve all the time!! That's how Christ did his work, so we should do the same! Serve, love, and then teach. 

Kelly, the golden lady from my last ward was baptized this week and she invited me to attend her baptism! She is amazing and it is so cool to see some of the fruits of your labors, even if those labors were cut short. The Lord really is preparing people all over the place to hear the message of the restored gospel. He loves us and wants us to receive the blessings that the message we share brings. 

The Fort Collins Temple was dedicated yesterday and we had the awesome privilege of attending a broadcast of the dedication and the cultural celebration! I love temples and I can't wait until I can go back to the temple often. It is definitely something that I have missed since I've been on my mission and I look forward to being able to be involved in that work again. BUT. For now I'm involved in the work of the living, not the dead! And I love it! 

Anyway, that's about all I've got for the week, folks! Stay happy and do some good!! 

Love, 

Sister Harshaw 

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OCTOBER 24, 2016

Hello, people! 

Ya know, sometimes the life of a missionary isn't as exciting as you might imagine it to be. Just like when you're at home and you just go with the flow of life and nothing out of the ordinary happens, sometimes missionary life is just plain Average Joe!! And so it is right now! But that doesn't mean that life isn't good. Because even on the most average of days, you're still a missionary. And being a missionary is the best. (: 

With that being said, I have nothing terribly exciting to write about today. So insteaddd, here is a little list of things that I'm grateful for and a small miracle of the week:

1. The gospel. It is my favorite thing in the world and I am so grateful for my mission for teaching me more about it. It really is the key to happiness in a world that isn't always particularly happy. WE'RE SO UNBELIEVABLY BLESSED TO HAVE IT, FRIENDS.

2. Pumpkin everything. Everyone is busting out their best pumpkin treats and I am so totally a fan. 

3. Crunchy leaves. 

4. An abnormally warm Colorado fall. Props to whomever is praying that Colorado will stay warm, because its working!! I haven't frozen yet! I'm crossing my fingers and everything else that can be crossed that the snow will stay away until January! A girl can dream, right??!

The miracle of the week was finding a man named Paul. We were at an apartment complex trying to contact a part member family, but they didn't answer. We were going down the stairs when we noticed two men who were moving a bunch of boxes from an apartment into a moving truck. Sister Ball suggested that we offer our help, and after about a ten second mental battle with Satan about why we shouldn't even bother to offer because we probably couldn't do much, we started walking toward them. Satan is such a bum, but I won the battle! Take that, Satan! Before we could even get all the way over to them, one of the men who was on the balcony above us said, "Hey! Do you want to give us a hand for a second??" We agreed, to which he said he was joking, but we insisted and grabbed some boxes and moved them to the truck. The man who asked for a hand, Paul, told us that he recently attended an LDS wedding reception where he received a copy of the Book of Mormon, and that he and his friend have been talking a lot about it recently! He said he has been texting his friend about it right before we showed up and that he felt like seeing us was a sign from God. 

Unfortunately, he lives about 30 minutes away, so we don't get to teach him. But we got all of his information and sent it in as a referral! From the brief conversation that we had with him, we could tell that he really was prepared. Its a good thing the missionaries in Thorton are on the same errand of the Lord that we are, and that my companion was spiritually in tune enough to heed the prompting to help!! 

I love this work and the people here in Colorado. Its such a blessing to be a part of something so big and I love the Lord for sending me here. I hope you are all having the happiest of weeks and that all is well!!

I love you all a million!

Sister Harshaw 

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OCTOBER 31, 2016

Howdy, y'all! And happy happy Halloween!! 

This week has been so great! I don't think anything particularly marvelous happened, but it was just good anyway. We worked hard and we're starting to see the fruits of our labors. (: 

A miracle of the week was being able to meet with a part member family, the J's. The wife is a member, her husband is not, and her less active son was home for the weekend. The son, D-, has been living a lifestyle contrary to Heavenly Father's plan, to say the least. We taught them about the Plan of Salvation with a big emphasis on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how we take advantage of that sacrifice by repenting. D- was thinking long and hard about everything we said and we could tell that the Spirit was teaching him something. He returned to school in Washington this week and yesterday he sent his mom a picture of him in his church building, going to sacrament meeting for the first time in years. He went by himself, introduced himself to the bishop, and has decided to get his life in order. His mom was beyond happy. I don't know if our lesson on the Atonement had anything to do with his decision, but I know that his steps to repentance will bless him and make him happier than anything else. I love seeing the gospel bless other people's lives. 

Ummmmm, other than that, I don't have too much to report on! We received some great referrals and found some new investigators, but it is toooo soon to say much about them! So stay tuned! Its kind of weird when you get towards the end of your mission. I feel like all the days are blurring together and I never know what to write home about! So stick with me for two more months and then I'll just tell mission stories in person. (: 

I love y'all and I'm so happy to be serving a mission. I love the gospel, I love the things that I've learned, and I love my Heavenly Father! Have a happy week, friends!

Love, 

Sister Harshaw

I Love to See the Temple

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

Hello, hello, friends! How goes it??

So I've decided that being emergency transferred is one of the weirdest things ever. Because you just up and leave one area and hop into another in the middle of a transfer and nothing makes sense! This area doesn't really feel like my area and these people don't really feel like my people and Sister Paongo doesn't really feel like my companion. Its kind of like being on a big exchange! It all just feels temporary! But I'm meeting more and more people and the ward is great and we are seeing miracles.

We have an investigator named Denise that the sisters found shortly before I got to the area. She is the brother of a recent convert and he referred her to us and she is on date to be baptized on October 1st. She has a lot of health problems and her biggest holdup has been church. She is on oxygen and was concerned that she would not be able to bring enough to last all throughout church. We went to her home on Saturday and asked if she would be coming and she was hesitant and told us of a few hesitations that she had. One was that she didn't have a good shirt to wear with any of her skirts and the other was that she was all out of pink lipstick! So Sister Paongo and I went to the store and picked out a shirt that went with her skirt and found some pink lipstick and brought it to her later that day. She was beyond thankful and felt so special that we would do that for her. We organized a ride for her and the next day she showed up to church with her cute new shirt, pink lips, and enough oxygen to last her three hours. The oxygen actually almost ran out and probably shouldn't have lasted her as long as it did, but I am positive that Heavenly Father kept her tanks full for the three hours. Again, folks. It all goes back to meeting the needs of the people before you throw the gospel at them. Denise needed a shirt and some lipstick before her heart was softened enough to come to church. She loveddddd church and plans on coming again next week.

SO GUESS WHAT. In our mission we can go to the Denver temple every three months, IF you're serving on the Metro side of the mission. I've been on the Western Slope of the mission basically my whole mission and I've missed every single temple trip as a result. BUT GUESS WHAT TOMORROW IS. ITS TEMPLE DAY!!! AND I'M ON THE METRO SIDE OF THE MISSION!!!!! WOOOOOOOOO! I get to go to the temple for the first time in almost 14 months and I am so beyond excited. I've missed it there. A lot.

So not a whole ton to report on this week, but it has been good! I hope that y'all are all doing well and that you're happy campers!

Love,
Sister Harshaw
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SEPTEMBER 12, 2016

Hello, friends!!

This week has been sooooo so so good!! And it all started on Wednesday with the temple. I HAVE MISSED THAT PLACE SO STINKING BADLY! I don't think I even really realized how much I missed it until I was there. I absolutely cannot wait to be able to be there all the time when I get home. There is so much power and joy in the temple and it makes me happy beyond belief. This gospel is such a blessing and I am so happy to be a part of it. Anyway, the rest of the week was all so crazy! On Wednesday after the temple, one of the sisters in my zone was sick and had to go to the doctor so I went on a crazy half-day exchange with her companion, Sister Holcomb. We were all over the place, back and forth between our areas and the mission home and just.. everywhere!! On Thursday we had our weekly planning day and then on Friday we had zone conference! It was sooooo good. I really admire President and Sister Gifford and all that they have done for our mission in the two months that they have been here. They are super different from President and Sister Murdock, but in a totally good way! They are teaching me how to be a better missionary and person and they're preparing me to go home and be a good member missionary.

I don't have a ton of time, so here are some highlights of the week:

1. President Gifford has given Sister Paongo and I permission to continue teaching the Kanipe family from Lakewood!! We went over there this week and scheduled an appointment with them and I am excited to continue working with them. The elders were going to teach them, but they weren't completely comfortable with elders.. lets just say, there are certain people that you're meant to teach when you're on a mission and I think the Kanipes are some of those people for me! I love them!

2. I got to go to lunch with Ben, Becky, Anna, Lilly, and Jack on Saturday!!! It was great! I didn't realize how close to Highlands Ranch I am until like, last week. Its so nice to see some familiar faces every once in a while. (:

3. Denise came to church again and loved it! She is moving steadily toward her baptismal date of October 1!

4. On Friday some former investigators, Daniel and Linda, called and told us that they would like to meet with us again. We met them three weeks ago when I first got here and they were uninterested at the time. But Daniel has had some health challenges that have truly humbled him and turned him back to the Lord! He made a promise with God that if He would allow him to heal that he would turn the rest of his life over to God. He began to heal and that is when he called us. We taught them the Restoration and put them on date to be baptized on October 15, 2016! They were truly sincere in their desire to be baptized and we're so excited to see how they progress!

The Lord really does bless you for your efforts, my friends! Whether those efforts are in missionary work, school, work, friendships, or whatever, the Lord blesses us when we do our best. Like Elder Holland says, we get credit for trying. (: I know that the Lord's hand is in my life every single day and its such a privilege to be a part of this great work.

Ya know, I didn't believe anyone when they told me that a mission goes by in the blink of an eye. At the beginning a year and a half felt like eternity!! But now the days are FLYING by and I can't seem to get enough of them. I don't know how time does what it does, but missions really are just the blink of an eye.

I hope that you are all happy happy campers and that you're doing your best every single day! The Lord will bless you for it!!

Love,
Sister Harshaw

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

Helloooooo, everybody!! How is life for all of my friends? Life is great here in the CDSM. We're seeing the work begin to progress and miracles are everywhere!!

The biggest miracle of this week was a woman named Kelly. Last Sunday a lady in our ward came and grabbed us after sacrament meeting and introduced us to her friend that she brought to church. Kelly has been looking for a church to attend for the past year and wanted to try ours out. She came and loved every minute of it. Her friend told us about her and that she is interested in taking the missionary lessons. We started teaching her on Tuesday night and she is AMAZINGGGGGG. We taught about Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the gospel and she soaked it all in. She stopped us at one point and said, "As you've been talking and I've been listening, I've had this warm feeling going throughout my whole body. I felt the same thing at church. What is that?" We were able to explain the Spirit to her and she began identifying every time she felt that warmth and peace. We didn't know, but after her first Sunday she asked her friend, "Will you be there when I get baptized?" When we invited her to be baptized on the 22nd of October she just about jumped out of her seat. She is incredibly receptive to the spirit and read 100 pages of the Book of Mormon before we even met with her. THIS WOMAN IS EVERY MISSIONARY'S DREAM. She came to us, she truly wants the gospel in her life, she is 100% on board, and she is going to be an incredible member of the church. To make it even better, one of her two daughters came with her to church yesterday and she LOVED it. She asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon and will begin taking the lessons as well.

But here's the catch.... SHE DOESN'T LIVE IN OUR WARD BOUNDARIESSSSS. She lives about three minutes outside of our ward, so we had to give her over to the elders in the area she lives in. Sometimes the whole ward system is kind of a bummer to missionaries. BUT. We are all going about the same work here! I know that those elders are going to take good care of her and that the Lord will continue to provide for us as we work hard. It was a blessing to be able to teach her, even if it was just for a second.

Anyway, this week has been wonderful and I am so happy to be here. I love this work and I love the Lord for allowing me to be a part of it. Transfers will be next Tuesday, so send your mail soon!! I'll probably get transferred out of this area since Sister Paongo and I have been together for three transfers now.. Its a bummer because I love her and I love this ward! But I'll go wherever the Lord needs me. I'm excited to see what the last three months of my mission will bring.

I love y'all millions and I'm so thankful for the love and support that you send my way!! Have a happy week!

Love,
Sister Harshaw

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SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

HELLO, PALS. Its been another incredibly speedy week in Littleton, Colorado!

First things first, we got transfer news! I am going BACK to Lakewood, but to a different area. I'll be opening yet another new area-- the Green Mountain ward-- AND I'll be training another baby missionary!! Wooooo, adventures galore!! I'm really thankful for the opportunity to train another new missionary because I could use some "greenie fire"! Today marks the beginning of my second to last (real) transfer in the mission and the fact that life is about to slap me in the face is finally sinking in. It turns out missions don't last forever, my friends. Its a strange realization to make.

ANYWAY. This week has been pretty good!  We've had a lot of great things happen and a lot of not so great things happen in the work, but that is just how it goes sometimes. Denise, our super sweet and awesome investigator, called us last Monday and told us that she does not want to be a Mormon anymore.. She didn't explain anything and wouldn't set up a time for us to come and talk to her. We tried talking to her friends and they knew nothing and when we call she just says, "I'm sorry, sisters. But I'm a Baptist. I'm not a Mormon and I'm never going to be a Mormon." We don't have any clue what happened, but we think her Baptist mother may have been the cause of her turning away. We are sad for her, but we know that we have done everything that we can for her and that the Lord will continue to provide for us as we work hard! Agency is a two-edged sword, am I right??

Our most progressing investigators now are Daniel and Linda. They are engaged to be married on the first of October and then on date to be baptized on the 15th. They came to church for the first time yesterday and loved it! They are reading every day and they are keeping all of the commitments that we are extending to them. We are being cautious with them though, because we think they may just want welfare..... We're cautiously optimistic though!

Other than that, nothing too exciting has happened this week! The Car Czar started cracking down on how many miles we drive, but he didn't tell us until 10 days into the month.. we're toast as far as miles go and we've been walking EVERYWHERE. Its actually been pretty fun and it turns out you can talk to a lottttt more people when you're not sitting in a car for like half the day!

Well, friends, I hope that you're all as happy as can be! Keep on keeping on and smile big! Thank you for all the love and support that you send my way. I feel it allllll the time!! (:

I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!!

Sister Harshaw

Moved but not transferred...and The Big Comfy Couch

AUGUST 29, 2016

MOVED BUT NOT TRANSFERRED...

WOWWIE WOWZERS. What a week! This has seriously been the weirdest, craziest week of my whole entire mission thus far. 

SO. I haven't really mentioned it because I don't usually like to spill the beans on my companion's personal lives, but Sister O. has super severe depression, anxiety, and ADHD. We have been together for eight weeks, and in about week three of our companionship she started struggling really reallllyyyyy badly with it. She had been taking a medication for about a year that really helped and then for some reason it just stopped working. I've noticed that being on a mission takes whatever struggles a person has and amplifies them by about 50 million. Not sure how or why that works like that, but it does! Anyway, she has been progressively getting worse and worse throughout the weeks. We have been in constant contact with our mission president, his wife, and the mission nurse and a few weeks ago we went to a doctor in Denver and he changed her prescription, but it didn't do squat for her. This week it got so bad that Sister Johnson, the mission nurse, told us to pack our bags and go stay the night at the Van Wagoner's, the senior missionaries in our ward. We stayed there four nights this week and went with them to the mission office for three days. I actually kinda liked being in the mission office because they put me to work! I got to play secretary, car czar (that's what we call the guy that deals with the cars hehe), assistant to the president, travel coordinator, and even mission president! Playing secretary was my favorite because I got to answer the phone and sit at the big desk in the front of the mission office. Hence my dumb reference to The Office in my subject line.... hehe.. ANYWAY, we spent most of the week there so that Sister O. could rest and be around the mission staff. 

Long story short, President Gifford and Sister Johnson decided that it would be best for Sister O. to head home and get better there. It is really hard to get better in the mission field because there are no coping mechanisms and you're expected to go out and work, work, work. She was heartbroken about it at first, but quickly realized that it was what needed to happen. As soon as the Spirit confirmed to her that going home was the right thing to do, she said it felt like a weight had been lifted from her and for the first time in weeks she was happy. She went home on Saturday morning and as far as I can tell, she is doing well there. 

I am so grateful for the time that I was able to spend with Sister O. I learned SO much from her. I think the greatest thing I learned was charity. And not like the give to the poor and do good things kind of charity, but the pure love of Christ kind of charity. I learned how to see and feel the way Heavenly Father feels about other people. There were so many times when Sister O was so so so sad, and all I had to do was pray and ask Heavenly Father to help me feel His love for her. He always allowed me to see her from His perspective and He put the words in my mouth that helped me to pull her out of some pretty dark places. I know that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love each and every one of us and that we have such divine potential as His children. Being with Sister O has made me realize that Heavenly Father really does use us as instruments in His hands. I know that I was supposed to be her companion and that she was supposed to be mine. 

SO. With that being said, I'm sure you're all wondering what I'mmmmm doing now! WELL. There was another sister that had to go home for health problems on the same day as Sister O. I talked to President Gifford about it and we both felt that it would make sense for me go just go to her area. The Lakewood ward has a set of elders and sisters, and there just isn't enough work for two sets of missionaries to do there. The ward isn't supportive enough and we felt that I could be more effective in another area. Sooooo, we turned our investigators over to the elders and I am now in a different ward! I am serving in the Cornerstone Park ward in Littleton, Colorado, about 30 minutes from Lakewood, with none other thannnnnnnn *pause for effecttttttt* (appreciate my Despicable Me quote, please.) SISTER PAONGOOOO!!! We were together in Fruita for two transfers right before I became companions with Sister O! We are white-washing Cornerstone Park and this ward is already so amazing. I am excited to be here and to see what more the Lord has in store for me. 

My new address is this!

******Sister Kelsie Harshaw

7158 S Lincoln Way

Centennial, Co. 80122******

I hope that you are all having a happy week! Don't forget to smile big! 

Love, Sister Harshaw

OH. And since next week is Labor Day, I may or may not get to email on Monday. I'll most likely have to wait until Tuesday, so just a heads up!!

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AUGUST 15, 2016

THE BIG COMFY COUCH

Helloooooo to my family, friends, acquaintances, former companions, and everyone in between!  

SO. We're going to do a little backtracking before I start this email and reminisce on a story from the beginning of this transfer.

*Flashback to July 18, 2016*

"....Sister O. and I are completely reopening the area we are serving it, so we had noooooo one in our teaching pool when we arrived. On Sunday of last week we decided to fast for miracles in our area and to get the ball rolling. On Monday, the day following our fast, we went to our bishop's house to try to meet him since he and his family had been out of town until that day. We knocked on the door and no one answered, so we went to get back in the car to go to our next appointment. While I was putting my things in the car I noticed a man and a woman across the street struggling to get a couch through their front door, and the Spirit basically yelled at me and told me to offer to help. In my head I was like, "Pshh, silly Spirit! I can't lift that couch into their house! I'm a scrawny weakling, and you know that." But the Spirit insisted that I offer my help anyway. I opened my mouth and asked if they needed any help and she said, "No, I wouldn't want you ladies to get hurt!", and they went back to attempting to shove the over-stuffed couch through the teeny little door frame. We watched for a second and then I said, "Are you sure? Do you at least want an extra hand or two?" She looked at her husband and then back at me and said, out of breath, "Ummm.. yes, please." We went to help, but couldn't contribute much. Turns out you have to have some upper-body strength to lift a couch, and I'm lacking in that department. Sharmin, the lady, told her husband, Scott, to go get more help, so he went to get their neighbor and we talked while they lifted the couch into the house like it was no big deal. She told us that she talked to missionaries about a year ago and that she wanted them to come back, but they never did. I said, "Well, we'll come back!" and to my surprise she said, "Will you please??" She then told us that she and her husband have been looking for a new religion after a negative experience they had with another church and that her 10 year old son is lost and needs the Lord in his life. She sounded so desperate and both she and her husband were excited to have us come back........" 

Well, friends.. This week I sat on the massive comfy couch that I attempted to move into Scott and Sharmin Kanipe's house almost 5 weeks ago as Sister O. and I taught them about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have been trying to meet with them for the past several weeks, but family emergencies kept coming up and they had to keep cancelling. Each time Sharmin called to tell us she had to cancel, she sounded so sad and told us over and over again that she wanted us to come so badly. WELL. Little did we or she know, in those weeks of trial for their family, the Lord was just preparing them further to receive the restored gospel. I HAVE NEVER TAUGHT A FAMILY AS PREPARED AS THE KANIPE FAMILY IN MY WHOLE ENTIRE MISSION. Scott, the father, was raised Catholic and has fallen away in recent years due to some inconsistencies he found between their teachings and the teachings of the Bible. Sharmin's family was mixed, with her dad being a Roman Catholic and her mom being a member of the Lutheran church. They have a son, Kaden, that is almost 11 and they want so badly to raise him with a belief in God and Jesus Christ. Scott's father was just diagnosed with brain and lung cancer from smoking, and he now wants to quit smoking himself. Sharmin expressed to us that she feels a void in her life that she just wants to fill. Kaden lovessss learning about Jesus. THEY ARE PREPARED BEYONE BELIEF, Y'ALL. We started our lesson by singing "I am a Child of God" and the Spirit practically flooded their small home. It was one of the most beautiful and Spirit-filled lessons that the Lord has ever helped me teach. After teaching through the First Vision, Sharmin stopped us and said, with tears in her eyes, "I feel like a weight has been lifted and all I want to do is cry.". And cry she did. 

This gospel is so unbelievably beautiful. To see it touch the hearts of other people is by far my favorite thing about my mission. We are going to be seeing the Kanipes again this week and we are going to invite them to be baptized on the 25th of September, so keep them in your prayers for us! They need the gospel in their lives so desperately!!! 

This is all yet another reminder to me that Heavenly Father's plan and timing is so perfect. All these weeks we thought Satan was intervening and making things more difficult for us as we tried to meet with this family. But it turns out Heavenly Father was just molding and shaping them and preparing them to hear the words the Spirit spoke to their hearts and minds as we taught them. The Lord sure does work in mysterious ways. 

I am so so so happy to be on my mission. I love it and I love spending all day every day serving my Heavenly Father's children in Lakewood. OH. Speaking of Lakewood! We got our transfer news and Sister O. and I get to stay together for yet another transfer!! I'm so happy!!! 

I love y'all sooooo much and I'm so thankful for all the prayers that are sent my way! I sure do feel them!!! Have a happy week and keep on keepin' on!

Love, Sister Harshaw 

Zero to One Hundred in 7 days!!

SO. Miracles are happening and things are picking up speed in Lakewood! Its so great! First things first.. 

There was this guy in our teaching pool (the only person, actually) when we got here named Ricardo. We read through his teaching record and saw that he has made almost no progress since he started being taught, so we asked the ward about him and decided we would probably drop him after we taught one chaotic and seemingly pointless lesson. He started being taught in January, has been invited three times to be baptized, and has said no every single time. He is living with his girlfriend, who just so happens to be a member of the ward. She is active, aside from the fact that she isn't obeying certain commandments.. ANYWAY. When we taught him a second time, we realized that he had soooo many unanswered questions and that he had not been taught according to his needs by previous missionaries. The most pressing questions he had were about the temple, considering his girlfriend, Shirley, wants to be sealed in the temple. He wants to marry Shirley, she wants a temple marriage, and alllll of his questions about the temple have been ignored in order to teach the lessons in the order they're supposed to be taught. BUT THAT ISN'T HOW MISSIONARY WORK WORKS, Y'ALL. One of the most important things that I have learned on my mission is that if you want to teach a person the gospel, you have to meet their needs first. Whether those needs be mental, emotional, doctrinal, or temporal, YOU HAVE TO MEET THEIR NEEDS IF YOU WANT THEM TO LISTEN!! So we made the decision to teach Ricardo all about the temple and to decide after if we should continue teaching him. During our lesson, he listened intently, had questions, and we were able to resolve some concerns that he had. According to his teaching record, lessons with him are usually hectic and unorganized with little to no progress following them. BUT THIS LESSON WAS SO GOOD! It was quite the opposite! We decided to continue teaching him, and had another lesson with him this week. Sister O. and I planned to teach him the Plan of Salvation, putting an emphasis on the blessings that come from following God's plan. Our investigators are all like little kids.. they need incentive if they're going to act. That'e what promising blessings does for them. It gives them something to work toward. The lesson that we had with Ricardo was probablyyyyy the best, most powerful and Spirit-filled lesson that I have taught on my whole mission. The promise that the Lord will fill our mouths is real and it was fulfilled on Friday night. He is a stubborn old man, but I'm a stubborn little girl and with the help of the Spirit we put Ricardo on date to be baptized on the 20th of this month!!! Once the Spirit touched his heart and his needs were met, he understood and could not deny the confirmation that he needed to be baptized. We taught him about the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity, which he has no problem with. He doesn't struggle with anything in the Word of Wisdom and was already planning on asking the Bishop to marry he and Shirley. THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN LAKEWOOD, MY FRIENDS. THINGS ARE HAPPENING. 

With that being said, keep Ricardo in your prayers!! He needs all of the help he can to resist the temptations of the adversary. Anyway, I love you people a lot! I am loving my mission and everyone that is a part of it. Keep on keepin' on and be happy!! 

Love, 

Sister Harshaw 

I have a Release Date!!!!

August 1, 2016

Howdy, y'all! This email is probably going to end up being pretty lame. I don't have a whole ton to report on, but I'll make do with what I've got! Also, our new mission president, President Gifford, is super awesome and not only allows, but actually encourages us to do fun things with other missionaries! This morning we went on a hike with the Spanish district in our zone and saw some sights and all the fun things. That's why I'm emailing so late! 

I talked to President Gifford this week and I officially have a release date, WHICH IS SO WEIRD. I seriously feel like I just got here. I'm going to be coming home on January 2, 2017. That is five months from tomorrow! What the heck! I only have three transfers left.. time on a mission is a precious thing and they aren't kidding when they say it goes fast. 

We're still working on the ward and helping them become more missionary minded. There are a few things they are doing that shouldn't be happening, so President Gifford is going to talk to our stake president and hopefully that will get things going in our ward. If things don't get worked out within the next little while, I wouldn't be super surprised if they pull missionaries out of the ward completely. We just aren't being utilized the way we should be and we could be so much more effective in other places. Its a sad thing, for sure! We're spending all of our time out trying to find people to teach instead of actually teaching people, and that is a total bummer. BUT. I know that the Lord is going to provide and that Sister O. and I were sent to this area for a reason! I'm determined to find that reason, no matter how great or small it may be! 

Anyway, like I said. Kind of a lame email. We need people to teach, so keep us in your prayers if you want more exciting emails from me! (; 

I love y'all and hope that you have a super happy week! 

Love, 

Sister Harshaw 

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July 25, 2016

Hello, friends! Another week, another dollar! I've had previous companions that would tell me time moves as fast as the cars on the street on the Metro side of the mission, and I didn't believe them until I got here! Time is going so fast and it's actually kinda weirding me out. I can't be a missionary forever, so I've gotta make the most of the time that I have left!! 

Things have been moving along slooooowly but surely here in Lakewood. Our biggest struggle in this area is working with the ward. The ward council meets together every Thursday evening at 9 pm via a video app on their phones, totally excluding us from the meeting. We have asked if its possible for them to meet on Sunday, which it is, but it is more "convenient" for all of them to do it on Thursday evenings. In Fruita every single investigator that we were teaching came to us through the ward council. The members were very missionary-minded and gave us people to teach on a regular basis. I know that we are here to help the members with their missionary work, but in Lakewood it seems that we are doing the missionary work in behalf of the ward! And that is totally bogus! They contribute almost nothing to our finding or teaching. We are brainstorming and trying to come up with ways to get the members more involved in their work, cuz if anything is going to happen, they need to step up their game a little! But hey! That's why we're here. To help the members get excited about finding people to teach and helping them bring more people into their congregation. 

Enough of that rant though! Story time! Yesterday we went to try to meet a less active woman named Shirley Sedalnick. We've tried her several times already, but felt impressed to try her one more time yesterday evening. We knocked on her door and when she opened it, she got the biggest smile on her face and said, "I can't believe that you are here! I was just thinking about you guys earlier!" To which I replied, "Well that seems to be how it works! You think about missionaries and pretty soon they'll show up on your doorstep! It's like Amazon, but better!" We had a good talk and got to know her a little and shared a spiritual thought. She is a single woman living all by herself in a big house and was feeling so lonely yesterday. When we left, she gave us big hugs and said, "Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for listening to the Spirit." 

And that, folks, is what this is all about. This whole mission thing, this whole growing thing, this whole life thing. Its all about learning to listen to the still, small voice of the Spirit. The Holy Ghost really is the most precious gift we've been given as members of this wonderful church, and I really and truly believe that one of the most important things we can learn in life is how to receive, recognize, and respond to the promptings of the Spirit. In the not-exactly-accurate-but-kind-of-close words of Elder Bednar, "Don't worry about where the thoughts or feelings come from. Just be a good boy or a good girl and do good things. You'll realize soon enough that those thoughts and feelings came from the Holy Ghost more often than not." 

I love this gospel and I love being a missionary. I love my Heavenly Father and I love my Savior and I sure as heck love my life. 

Have a happy week, y'all! Be good and do good! 

Love, 

Sister Harshaw 

Leaving the Nest, ONE WHOLE YEAR, and more!!!

JUNE 20, 2016

Hello, hello! How goes it, friends?

This week was super sloowwwwwww here in little Fruita. The reasoning behind that is something called Country Jam...... its a HUGE country music festival that they hold out in the middle of a random field in the middle of nowhere Mack, Colorado. It lasts four days and everyone and their dog goes. People from all over the place bring their campers and set them up in this massive field and then they go crazy and listen to music! It seriously looked like a whole 'nother town that popped up in the desert overnight. And its not just some dinky little music festival. Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, and Carrie Underwood were just of the few people who joined us in Mack. It was actually pretty fun for us to watch. There were more people in our area than I have ever seen before and we could hear the music while we were out working! I'm not sure who decided that a four-day music festival in Mack, Colorado would be a good idea, but props to them for giving us an entertaining week! (Seriously though, y'all should look it up. Its kind of hilarious.)

I really don't have a ton to report on this week! We taught Joan Robinson with President Murdock and it went pretty well! She is doing well and I love her to death. President and Sister Murdock leave in just two weeks and its going to be so sad to see them go! Our new president and his wife, President and Sister Gifford, get here on Saturday this week, but I probably won't meet them for about a month. Unlessssss I get transferred over the mountain in a few weeks.. which President told me is highly likely :( I've been out for almost a whole year and I haven't left the Grand Valley yet, so it'll be quite the move! I'm actually pretty excited about it though. I quite like change.

Anyway, this is kind of a lame email, but oh well! Y'all love me anyway! Hope everyone is having a happy happy week and keeping cool! OH. Side note.. I am SO happy that summer is here. Its like 95 degrees every day and the people here are dying. Meanwhile I'm dying of HAPPINESS. I LOVE SUMMERRRRR!

I love y'all!

Sister Harshaw

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JUNE 27, 2016

Howdy, loved ones!!

So to start off, let's talk about swamp coolers. Has anyone ever heard of one of those before? No? Good. Because they are the most ridiculous things that have ever existed. When I got here last summer I walked into someone's house and heard this terrible loud noise. I asked what it was, and we had an exchange that went something like this:

"What is that noise??"
"Oh, that's just the swamp cooler."
"The what..?"
"The swamp cooler!"
"Swamp.. cooler..???"
"Yes, the swamp cooler!"
"........Do you have a swamp in here, orrrrrr..."

And then the lady explained to me that a swamp cooler is what they use in this valley to cool their houses down. It still made no sense to me, even though we ended up having to use one in our own apartment every night. Then it became winter and I forgot all about the stinky swamp coolers.

BUT NOW ITS SUMMER AGAIN. So two weeks or so ago we went to turn on our swamp cooler because our apartment was getting hotttt, and it blew out nothing but hot air. Its supposed to like.. blow cold moisture into the air to cool it down because its so dry here. So we called the apartment manager this week and told him it wasn't working and he sent a guy out to fix it while we were gone for the day. We came back and it was working well and we were happy campers untilllllllll, the maintenance guy knocked on our door at 9:45 to tell us he was working on the roof to fix it because it started leaking into our upstairs neighbor's apartment. We then went into our bedroom to discover a GIANT POOL OF WATER in our closet.... right underneath all of my soaking clothing. The dirty swamp cooler water leaked allllllll over all of my clothes! Lame, right?? Luckily, we have some super stellar ward members and Sister Kinder, the ward mission leader's wife, took allllll of my clothes and washed them for me.

The moral of the story is that swamp coolers make no sense and they are lame and loud and they make your apartment super humid and freezing cold cuz you can't control the temperature (or maybe you can but I have no idea how lol) and Colorado is weird and I'm going to live in Texas forever where they have air conditioning. Basically Texas > Colorado. Hehe don't worry though, Colorado. I love you too. Just not as much as Texas (;

Anyway, that was a really lame story that I decided to tell because otherwise we had a very uneventful week! Everyone is still out of town or harvesting in the fields. We did find some great new investigators, but we won't be able to teach them until next week... because they are out of town. hahahah geez louise, its like everyone wants to go out and have fun or something!!! So rude! (;

This is probably my last full week in Fruita :( With that being said, if you're going to send mail send it today or send it to the mission office!

Oh! And President and Sister Murdock go home this week! So sad! But President and Sister Gifford are here and I am excited to get to meet them and work with them and learn from them for the last few months of my mission! Yay learning!!

Andddd another thing! I'm not entirely sure how emailing will work next week. Because it will be the 4th of July and the library will be closed and the next day is transfers... Sooooo I will probably either email on Saturday or bright and early Tuesday morning before transfers. But likely not Monday. Just a heads up!

Anyway, I love you all and hope you're having a happy happy week! Be good and make someone smile!

Love,
Sister Harshaw

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JULY 5, 2016

Well, ladies and gentlemen..... This is it!!! I am leaving the nest!! I am being TRANSFERRED. I'm going..... far far away to Judea's plains!!! Lol I am so lame it hurts. Oh well. I'm going over the mountain to Lakewood, Colorado! It is close to Denver and holy moly it is going to be so different. I will be white-washing the area, which means I'm reopening it after it has been closed for a while. There were elders and sisters in the area a little while ago, but they took sisters out and left some elders there. But they worked in the office, so they did like, no work. Whichhhh means I'll be starting from scratch. Its going to be so fun!!!! My new companion will be Sister Oswald and I have never met her. I think she is pretty new to the mission! Anddddd I have been released as a Sister Training Leader for the time being! They wanted me to reopen the area since I'm now one of the "more experienced sisters" (lol I still feel like a baby), but there are already two STLs over there and they can't have another. One of them has only been an STL for one transfer and one goes home after this transfer, so he (one of the APs) said I'll likely be recalled when they leave. Which I'm glad about. Cuz I really love that calling (: Oh, and President Gifford is here! He called to tell us transfer news, so I've heard his voice and I know he is real!!! Hopefully I'll get to meet him in real life pretty soon since I'll be so close to the mission home. SO YEAH. This transfer will be an exciting one! I leave in about an hour and a half to get on the "transfer train" that'll take me over the mountain.

I'm going to miss Fruita sooooo much though! Seven months is an awfully long time to get attached to people. I have learned SO much here and I am so thankful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to stay as long as I have. I hit my one year mark this week and I've spent a majority of my mission in this one area, so I think it'll probably hold a special place in my heart for like, ever. I'm gunna miss the country and the farmers and the gardens and picking fruit off of random wild trees and feeding cows and getting muddy and the kind people and farm-fresh eggs and alllllll of it. I love it here so much.

Yesterday we went and spent my last day in Fruita in the most awesome way possible! A member took us up on the Colorado National Monument and it was BEAUTIFUL. I've been kicking myself in the pants since we went up yesterday for not going up there earlier. Its basically just a whole bunch of canyons and river and pretty scenes. Independence Monument is this super cool freestanding cliff thing and the search and rescue team climbed up it and raised a flag from the top, so it was super patriotic and majestic and whatnot. We hiked around and drove the 20 miles through the whole thing. It was a funnnn day. Sometimes its nice to not email on Mondays cuz it gives us more time to do fun things like that. (:

Anyway, I am excited to see what Heavenly Father has in store for me in Lakewood! It is going to be quite the week, so hopefully I have lots to report on next week! I hope that y'all are having a happy week and that you had a happy happy Fourth! Oh, and we had a great Fourth, by the way. We had to be in by 9:00, but we could see the fireworks they launched from the mountain perfectly from our apartment parking lot. (:

I love y'all!!
Sister Harshaw

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JULY 11, 2016

Helloooooo, from Lakewood, Colorado!! This has been quite the week and I have loved every minute of it!

First of all, I have a fantastic new companion. Her name is Sister Oswald, and she is HILARIOUS. She has been out for three months and just finished her training, so she still has the "greenie fire" and I'm so glad she does. She is excited to be here and is already such a good missionary. She is super quirky and fun! She only has one eye (true story-lost her vision in her right eye when she was two), but totally rocks it! I'm excited to be her companion and to learn from her for the next five weeks!

Next, LAKEWOOD IS A WHOLE NEW WORLD TO ME. Its awesome!!! Fruita was all country and the houses were a mile apart and there was one stoplight in my whole area.... Lakewood on the other hand, is quite the opposite. We are right outside of Denver and the traffic is NUTS and there are people everywhere!! Like, EVERYWHERE. There are so many opportunities to talk to people and share the gospel and to serve. I'm loving it already.

Its really fun to be whitewashing the area too. The elders who were here before us literally left us with nothing, so we are starting from scratch! We have spent most of the week going to member's homes and asking for referrals and then going out and contacting them. We have already met so many people! They aren't quite as friendly as the folks on the Western Slope, but its a new challenge and it is so fun to learn how to handle these people.

The ward is hilarious. They call it a "Nearly Dead and Newlywed" ward. The people are all either SUPER old or SUPER young newlywed couples! There is noooooooo in-between. There is one active young woman and the young men's program doesn't even exist, so that's a different dynamic for sure. We live in a member's house in the basement, which is AWESOME. The lady we live with is named Mary Grebe and she is 97 years old and she is certifiably the cutest old lady to ever exist. She gets up every morning at 7:00 and goes into the kitchen and makes herself some oatmeal, then she prays veryyyyy audibly over her breakfast and for her family, and then she listens to general conference. Her son and his wife live across the street and come check on her every day. She just left with her family the other day to go to a cabin in Montana for a month, so now we have the house all to ourselves! Its so nice!

OH. My new address is this!

Sister Kelsie Harshaw
2175 S Estes St.
Lakewood, Co. 80227

Mother, pretty please share this with all of my people as soon as you cannnn (:

We also got to meet our new mission president and his wife, whom I love already!! The Giffords are great and they are going to do great things for this mission. I'm glad that I get to learn from them for the last 6ish months of my mission! They are from Rexburg, Idaho, where he was the dean of economics at BYU-I. Sister Gifford was a 2nd grade school teacher and is just as sweet and spunky as can be. They're super young too! They're in like.. their late 40s-early 50s. They have three sons and the youngest came with them to finish his senior year of high school. Its going to be so fun to have them here. (:

Anywayyy, thats the scoop on my life at the moment! Hopefully this week we'll find people to teach and to bring into the gospel! There sure are a lot of people who need it here!

I love y'all and hope you're having a happy week!!

Sister Harshaw

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JULY 18, 2016

Hello, loved ones! How is everybody's summer coming along? Hopefully they are as lovely as can be!!

SO. Story time. Sister Oswald and I are completely reopening the area we are serving it, so we had noooooo one in our teaching pool when we arrived. On Sunday of last week we decided to fast for miracles in our area and to get the ball rolling. On Monday, the day following our fast, we went to our bishop's house to try to meet him since he and his family had been out of town until that day. We knocked on the door and no one answered, so we went to get back in the car to go to our next appointment. While I was putting my things in the car I noticed a man and a woman across the street struggling to get a couch through their front door, and the Spirit basically yelled at me and told me to offer to help. In my head I was like, "Pshh, silly Spirit! I can't lift that couch into their house! I'm a scrawny weakling, and you know that." But the Spirit insisted that I offer my help anyway. I opened my mouth and asked if they needed any help and she said, "No, I wouldn't want you ladies to get hurt!", and they went back to attempting to shove the over-stuffed couch through the teeny little door frame. We watched for a second and then I said, "Are you sure? Do you at least want an extra hand or two?" She looked at her husband and then back at me and said, out of breath, "Ummm.. yes, please." We went to help, but couldn't contribute much. Turns out you have to have some upper-body strength to lift a couch, and I'm lacking in that department. Sharmin, the lady, told her husband, Scott, to go get more help, so he went to get their neighbor and we talked while they lifted the couch into the house like it was no big deal. She told us that she talked to missionaries about a year ago and that she wanted them to come back, but they never did. I said, "Well, we'll come back!" and to my surprise she said, "Will you please??" She then told us that she and her husband have been looking for a new religion after a negative experience they had with another church and that her 10 year old son is lost and needs the Lord in his life. She sounded so desperate and both she and her husband were excited to have us come back. We'll be meeting with them on Wednesday and I'm super excited to see how things go with them! That experience just added to my testimony that if we are being exactly obedient and if we listen to the spirit that the Lord will guide us to the people who are looking for the gospel. We have been praying specifically for the Lord to lead us to FAMILIES that have been prepared, and that they too will be led to us. It is nooooo coincidence that Scott and Sharmin Kanipe decided to rearrange their living room right as we arrived in the bishop's neighborhood, and that Bishop wasn't home. There is no such thing as a coincidence in the Lord's eyes. In heaven, everyone is right on time.

I love this work and I love having the opportunity to share my secret to happiness with everyone that passes my by. The gospel is such a blessing in my life and I am soooooo grateful to have been born into it. I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week! OH. Also. I hit my one year mark this week! I can't believe how fast time is going.. I still feel like a baby missionary, but I'm all old and "experienced" now. Its a strange thing..

ANYWAY. Have a happy week and I'll talk to y'all next time!! (:

Love,
Sister Harshaw