Oh, the Life of a Missionary

Monday, August 28, 2017

Alexandria, Virginia

 
Yo.

Last P-day, I was able to address the issue with finding some jellies. Now, I will address the issue of wearing the jellies. They were fine, up until a few minutes after I wrote last. You see, we went to the home of the G* family so that we could go out and buy fabric for skirts and then have dinner with them when our P-day expired. We didn't realize that we couldn't take her in our car and that Sister G* does not have one. So we decided to walk. Like the pioneers. And I wore my jellies. Bad decision? Yes. Yes, it was. Ouchies galore! I was cranky-poopy when we got home. I felt like "My shoes are full of blood!" (Who can get that reference?!) But the good news is that we were able to get our skirt fabric! 

Earlier last week, we tracted into D* and his lil' baby, O*. He's been a missionary! ...for his church. Which is a non-denominational one. Anyway, we came back, he welcomed us in, we met his lovely wife, and we started preaching. Man, we were fantastic. Bouncing off each other, using scriptures to back up our message, and just being pleasant people. But then he said to not come back. So there's that. I was looking forward to dinner with a lovely couple, the B* family, that night, but when we got there, she had forgotten that we were coming and rescheduled for another night. We skedaddled on our way to Starbucks and purchased some very questionable panini sandwiches to satiate our hunger.  My feet were still little, bloody stumps. 

Wednesday morning, we picked up the District Leader and his faithful companion for District Meeting. The Zone Leaders came to this one. A new set of Spanish missionaries have been added to our district as well, so we had a full house! Sister Morin and I brought cupcakes because two sisters were celebrating birthdays that week. We are so thoughtful. Then we hung out at the library because the WiFi in our building is broken, so we couldn't access some of the training I'm supposed to do. So, we squandered there for a bit and then went on our way to meet lovely Sister M* for some Pho. Pho is not my favorite food ever. There's just a lot of cilantro that invades your food and your mouth and your life because it's evil. It's as simple as that. I didn't realize until later that you could order it without the poison because that was not something they advertised on the menu, as they should. Then we read the Doctrine and Covenants with C*. We read about when Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail and the revelations he received there. 

 

Cute Companions in the Car - 1

Cute Companions in the Car -2

Cute Companions in the Car -3

 

We woke up on Thursday all bright-eyed and ready to see what the day would bring us. Little did we know what lay ahead. We had promised to help R* move that afternoon; however, our lesson cancelled on us that morning, so we decided to go over a tad early. We ended up getting lost trying to find her apartment and had to follow the grunts and the smell of desperation to find the moving truck. Once we found the truck, we looked around, and guess what we saw? Stairs. A billion stairs. And guess who lived up those stairs? R* did. And guess who had to climb those stairs? The missionaries who volunteered to help, that's who. Now, these stairs that we saw were only leading from the parking lots to the apartment complex. After we've climbed these stairs, wheezing and puffing, we realized R* lives on the third floor. And guess whose building didn't have an elevator?.... yep. So, we bring down a box and not only are we moving everything out of the apartment, but we're moving the new lady in as well. We look around and see that it's only us two with R* and the girl moving in, who is getting in her car to go to work. Now it's just us three. So Sister Morin and I grab hold of the desk, hoist it into the air, and begin the task of bringing it up the Great Wall of China. We took many breaks. It reminded me of when Ricky and Lucy are taking the little television set down to the Mertz's apartment as an anniversary present. Picture that, and you've got a pretty good idea of how it went. And we made it! Then we brought up the couch, the bookshelf, and the dresser. Just us two. Because we're awesome. But there comes a time when being an awesome missionary cannot carry you any longer, so we called the Elders to come assist us. But they are on bikes, so we left to go get them and R* purchased pizza. We finally got everything switched around and loaded, so thanks to the Elders! But R* was so thankful to all of us. I'm really glad that we were able to help her. Then we went over to the M* family's house and had dinner with them. Then we had a lesson with S*, and it was so, so amazing! S* (her husband) isn't interested anymore, but we're hoping and praying that will change. We went in with a lesson planned, but didn't even have time to cover any of it. She just had so many questions! She had read the first few chapters of The Book of Mormon and was able to recount almost every detail of the story. She had some great questions about prayer and about The Book of Mormon, and it just made me so happy! Brother E* was our fellow-shipper for her, and he just sat there and smiled the whole time. That's how great the whole thing was. We are so blessed that she is willing to listen to us and is receptive. 

We had weekly planning on Friday, which was less than thrilling. But we took a break in the middle of it and went to visit a sick member. She was super grateful that we went over to see her. She gave us cinnamon bread. So we were also grateful. We're going back to help her clean and organize stuff on Tuesday, so that will be fun. I love service!! You can really come to love someone by serving them. Then we had dinner with the B* family, and they remembered they were feeding us. It was finger lickin' good! 

Saturday night, we went over to the G* family's house for some dinner and to work on our skirts! Brother G* knew that I love ravioli and chicken, so he made us some chicken pesto ravioli. And it was probably the closest thing to heaven I've ever had in my life. I was excited about making my skirt, but the ravioli triumphed over that. Sorry to say, but it was. Then we had to hurry up and leave them because we had a temple trip that night with A* and A*!! It was their first time at the temple, so we were able go with them to do baptisms! A* came up to me and asked if I could do his female family names, and I said yes--of course. He was so cute. And then the priesthood holder who was baptizing me started to get really emotional when I was being baptized for A*'s names. The Spirit was so strong, and it was amazing. A* came up to me on Sunday and told me that his "mama was laughing in her grave" ...which I'm sure is a good thing. 

Companions at the temple for baptisms.

The Washington, DC Temple at night. Stunning.

Little deer eating the flowers and bushes outside of the DC Temple.

Aren't they cute?

Isn't it lovely?

On Sunday, I got to practice my Spanish!! We rain into a Spanish couple, and they recognized our name tags and thought we were the Hermanas. They were talking so fast and so exuberantly that I got kind of flustered and scared and said "Mira el pepino!" ...which means "watch the cucumber". They just kind of looked at me funny, and the old guy snorted, and I thought he was going to choke or something. That's what I get for using the Spanish I learned from watching Veggie Tales! 

Anyhoo, I miss you and I love you. The gospel is the greatest blessing of my life. In 2 Nephi 25:26, it talks about rejoicing in Christ. The Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ. When we rejoice in The Book of Mormon, we rejoice in Christ. That's why I'm here. I'm here to bring joy to people's lives. We're in this life to have joy, as it says in 2 Nephi 2:25. I'm fulfilling my purpose, and it's the absolute best thing ever. 

See ya on the flip side. 

Or in a year and a half. 

Either one. 

Cordially,

Future Dwight 

HAHAHAHAJKJKJKJK 

Sister Kleven 

 

PS: Here is a photo of Sister Morin and me with another adorable family in our area. 

 

 

I Finally Saw a Kangaroo!

Monday, August 28, 2017

Bunbury, Western Australia

It only took two weeks, but I finally saw a Kangaroo, as we drove by at 110 kilometers per hour.

I am loving my mission so far! We have a great ward, I love tracting, and my district is pretty cool (although not as cool as my MTC district). This week, my trainer and I were able to give service to an Investigator, M*, who won't be baptized because he is hydrophobic. While we were there, though, I found a new friend; I named him Willard. 

Willard

 

We also went to go see T*, a less-active member, and while we were waiting for him to answer the door, I took a picture of his window decorations.  It's called Adam and Eve, I thought it was funny.  

Window Decorations in Bunbury, Australia

I also had to take a driver's quiz online, and one of the questions said something like "When you are Dazzled by another drivers headlights..."  I thought that was super funny, so I took a picture.

Online Driver's Quiz in Australia

While I was flying over the Pacific Ocean, I was reading the beginning of Alma in The Book of Mormon; I read all about him and Amulek and the Sons of Mosiah. While reading, I thought that they had incredible faith and were able to do some pretty cool stuff with that faith. I kind of wanted a similar experience. So, this week we also had Zone Conference. It was cool! I got to see Elder Seitz; it was good to see him. Anyway, we had training from President Fife, and in that training he said that he had a revelation from the Lord, and he said that the time would come that "It will not be uncommon to have 20 baptisms a month per companionship."  So, now it's my turn to exercise faith and have that sort of experience. Be careful what you wish for! 

Elder Codina & Elder Kleven - Up for the challenge!

We also had Stake Conference this weekend, so we have had two Elders from my district staying with Elder Codina (from the Philippines) and me. It's been fun. One is from Scotland, Elder Stephen, and the other is from Idaho, Elder Smith. (Elder Stephen is on the left, Elder Smith is on the far right.)

Elder Stephen, Elder Codina, Elder Kleven, & Elder Smith

Elder Kleven

Blinded by the Spirit - and the Solar Eclipse

Monday, August 21, 2017

Alexandria, Virginia

Greetings, loved ones. 

Last P-day, we went traipsing around all over town in search for jelly shoes. It's been raining here nonstop since I arrived (which I am just so happy about). (Sister Morin is not.) And my shoes just don't dry fast enough! I asked President, and Crocs are simply not missionary appropriate. So, on with the jellies! We went to about ten billion stores in search of them. And then we found them in the kid section at Walmart. And they fit. I now have jellies. But then that night, after we successfully purchased the jellies (I love jellies), we went to dinner at Brother C's house.  He's an older gentleman who lives alone, so we had to bring a woman with us. We ended up bringing S*, who is the best.  She's a less-active member who was baptized about 20 years ago because she had a crush on the missionary who taught her. Anyway, Brother C* made us a six-course meal, and by the 4th course, my tummy was calling out for sweet salvation. Not only was I full, but this specific course featured massive amounts of tomatoes. But I choked them down. Until I couldn't do it anymore, so Sister Morin leaned over when Brother C* went to the kitchen and stuffed as many tomatoes as she could in her mouth. She takes care of me. And then we had yummy snickerdoodle cake for dessert. Brother C* and I talked the whole time about old actors and actresses, and I loved it! I felt like someone actually spoke my language. He said the next time I come over, we'll discuss more. We're going over for Sister Morin's birthday in a few weeks as he is making her a special meal with a special cake. He's so cute.

Alexandria, Virginia

On Tuesday, we had interviews with President Huntsman. He was so awesome. I love my Mission President. He knows how much I love the rain, so he told me about the mushrooms that are always springing up around here whenever it rains. Right after my interview, we went in search of some mushrooms so that I could see them, and we found some. Yay! Ah, the tender mercies. I got your packages on Tuesday, too! Thanks for sending them to me! They made me so, so happy when I got them. The Greenie box was adorable and delicious, and I love the blanket. It made me feel comfortable. So, thank you. That night, we went over to finish teaching F* the new member lessons, and I* was there (her daughter). She has been under a lot of stress. Her car was just broken into and the insurance won't cover the cost for repairs, there was a huge flood in Sierra Leone and she is still waiting to hear if her family is okay, and her wedding is in a couple of days.  So, we asked a few priesthood holders to come over and give her a blessing. It was so great. You could feel the Spirit washing over all of us, and the blessing was so personal and perfect. The brother who gave her the blessing didn't know her at all, and that's what made it so special. You could tell that the blessing came from Heavenly Father.

We had District Meeting on Wednesday, and I got to practice the piano again! Blessings! After lunch that day, we skedaddled over to C*'s apartment where her son, G*, was practicing the viola. He is uber talented at it. Seriously. He has been asked to play with a bunch of famous people, apparently. G* has actually met and played with the Piano Guys, so yeah. He's legit. But every time we ask if he'll play for us, he just says no. So C* told us the time that he practices ,and we went over and sat outside their door like a creeper and listened to him. Then we wheedled and pleaded with him to play an actual song. Apparently, the Lord was with us because G* did. We weren't allowed in the apartment, so he stood outside on their balcony and we sat in the street like homeless people, and he graciously played a song. It was lovely.  

We did service at M*'s on Thursday. One of her family members just passed away, so we went over to help cut up fruit for the funeral. It was a lot of fun. The girls have become accustomed to me going over, so they don't cry whenever they see me anymore. But their dog hates my guts. Punk dog. We had Chinese food for dinner because the lady feeding us wasn't able to make it, so she ordered us some food. It was delicious. It was a good day. We had lots of laughs. 

We went to the Family History Center with A* again on Friday morning. He's so cute, trying to put his names in the computer. I walked in on an old naked lady in the bathroom. I have been scarred for life. All she said was "Wow. This is a horrible way to start the day." and I was like "You're telling me!" Anyway, I'm all better now, but I have to knock before I enter any room. We had weekly planning all day, so there was nothing too thrilling about that. That night, we went over to say goodbye to the B* family. They're moving out of the ward, and Sister Morin loves them lots. Sister Morin has been in this area for over seven months now, so she knows everyone. After we said goodbye, we went over to S*'s house for nachos. She's so cute. She came to church on Sunday and was upset because no one signs up to feed us on weekends, so she did. And we talked a lot about repentance. She has some issues with it, but we were able to bear our testimonies on it. Some of the things we shared with her made her cry, which made us cry. Her cats weren't crying. Then we moved all her furniture and helped her lay down a rug. Service!

Another Twin sighting in Virginia.

Saturday, we had Ward Coordination meeting, and it was fun. They gave us cookies! Yummy, yummy cookies. Then we were upset because we had made plans to meet a less-active member, G*, for lunch and help the F* family move at the same time that afternoon. So, we were double booked. And then, in a strange turn of events, we ended up cancelling on both of them on accident. So we were pretty free that afternoon. So we went to M*'s to try to get her and the girls to church the next day. And she said she would! She was adamant that she was going to be there! So I believed her. We even got her a ride.  

Sunday, surprise, surprise! M* wasn't at church. I was pretty bummed out. But apparently that happens a lot on a mission, and I have to get used to it. Or so says Sister Morin. She also said that it's illegal to kidnap someone even if we're kidnapping them to bring them to church and to help bring them closer to salvation. Bummer. We did get to go into primary, though! We taught about the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy. I miss my primary kids! While we were at church, my name tag was not. So I had to use Sister Morin's extra one that she slides onto her white handbook. I'm grateful for sharing. 

Sister Morin & "Sister Morin"

There are these W's everywhere that look like the W for Walgreens. I have been seeing them all over, and I was super confused because I didn't think that Walgreens had paraphernalia. Turns out, they don't. It's a W for the Washington Nationals! They should have a "Washington D.C. South Mission 101: What You Need to Know" because I would pay for that. I just walked around like an idiot, wondering why everyone loved Walgreens so much. *sigh*

Walgreens

Washington Nationals

Today, we got smoothies, and I was blinded by the sun. Sister Craig, our mission nurse, sent out a mass email to the missionaries saying that we weren't supposed to look at the sun without the special glasses they give you, and I should have listened. I may be blinded for life.

Anyway, I love you all. I miss you all. Sister Morin is making me do all the contacting tonight. It just shows how much I love her because I only laughed in her face once when she suggested it....one slight guffaw.  

Love,

Me

PS, Here are photos with sweet families in our area. 

PPS, I wrote Jesus with glow sticks.

 

 

Australia

Monday, August 21, 2017

Bunbury, Western Australia

 

Hello everyone back in the states!  

 

Here is a quick update from the future: It's a nice day, the sun is out and about giving life and warmth to everything as it moves across the sky.  You can look forward to the sun as it rises in the east and moves slowly westward throughout the day. (We received his email on Sunday evening, August 20. Funny Elder.)

 

Elder Kleven with Brother Mackay, one of his teachers in the MTC.

Elder Kleven with Sister Karren, one of his teachers in the MTC.

Elder Kleven photobombing a selfie of Elder Hansen in the MTC.

It is going to take some time to adjust here in Australia: They drive on the wrong side of the road, all the signs here are in the metric system, and the slang here will take some getting used to, (like brekkie for breakfast and arvo for the afternoon, a yield sign is "Give way", a parking lot is a "Car Park", and a sidewalk is a "Foot Path").  Oh! The Birds here are crazy, they literally laugh at you--there are some that mimic a car horn or alarm, and then there are others that just plain screech. One last thing, the apartments here (or flats) don't have any insulation, so you have a space heater in every house. Not only that, but they don't retain the heat, so if you leave the heater on while you're gone, it will try to heat the entire neighbourhood.  They also use "our" for words like humour, colour, and neighbourhood.

 

Elder Kleven & Elder Hansen on a bus in Sydney, Australia.

 

Now that I've finished my rant, the flight over was long and boring. The Mission President is great! He is a super energetic guy, really loud, and really knows the Gospel. I got here on Wednesday with a group of 14 missionaries; then I went and stayed with the AP's  (assistants to the Mission President) in their flat because there wasn't enough room in the mission home. On Thursday, I met my trainer, Elder Codina, and traveled to my area. I'm in Bunbury, and it has rained every day that I've been here.  My trainer is really cool, he's from the Philippines (Cebu) and has been out for 19 months. Since Thursday, I've already had a district meeting, I've taught two investigators a lesson, and I've also helped someone from South Korea learn English; by that, I mean that Elder Codina helped him learn English while I smiled and nodded and told him he was doing good whenever he looked over at me.

Elder Kleven and the 13 other missionaries who arrived in Perth with him. The Perth Australia temple is in the background.

Of the 13 missionaries who arrived with Elder Kleven, he said: One of them is from England, one is from Sydney, one is from Thailand, one is from Samoa, and the rest are from the United States. 

Elder Kleven's first training meeting in the mission field.

Elder Codina and I get along fine. English is a second language but he knows it really well.

 

Elder Kleven & Elder Codina in Bunbury

 

My bike is used, I didn't use the Visas to buy it.  It only cost 200 Australian dollars, which is like 130 American. It works really well, yes I have biked in the rain. My helmet came with the bike.

 

We are the only Elders in our area. There are two other companionships in the ward with us, but they are also the only missionaries in their areas.  The ward is pretty big geographically. There are multiple areas in one ward. 

 

I have eaten with members. For lunch, we cook something or go eat out, but most of the time we cook something.

I'm still adjusting to Australia and learning lots from my trainer. 

 

Love,

Elder Kleven

 

P.S. I don't have a car in my area, the picture of Elder Codina and I in a car is just when we drove from Perth to our area, which is two hours south of Perth.

 

Elder Codina & Elder Kleven on the car ride from Perth to Bunbury.