The Time Is Far Spent

Monday, October 22, 2018

Burke & Fairfax, Virginia

Hey!

I have 0 time today to email - we've had a weird day. I'll send a longer one later. Next week will be better.

President Caplin called and told us some things about transfers, and we're processing the news. Not allowed ot tell anyone exactly what, though. You'll find out next week!

Love you lots.

Love, 
Me

Showing me the new dress I mailed her last week. It looks great!

Oct 16 - 22, 2018

Monday, October 22, 2018

Merriwa, Western Australia

This was a good week; it was really busy.

SOO MUCH SERVICE!  I kid you not!  We had a service at least every day since Wednesday. Turns out that we have a little mower that stays in the flat, and this thing can go the distance! At first glance, it looks a bit weak, but when put to the test, this thing can take on a mountain!  There was this one service that we did on Wednesday that unleashed the flies... 

So, here in WA there is a major fly problem--every summer the flies here are bad!  There are so many flipping flies, and they are so bold, you can swing your hand and hit them out of the air, but then they just get back up and fly around your face and try to get in your ears and nose... Yeah, heaps! of FLIES!! So, this is going to be an exciting summer.

In other news, we have someone on date for baptism this Saturday! She has been investigating the church for a few years now, and she called us up one of the first days I got transferred here and said that she wants to be baptized.  She is 16 years old and just passed her interview with the District Leader this Saturday; it's awesome!  So, this is going to be an awesome week!

Here are some of the photos for this week with some of the Elders in the North Coast Zone.

Elder Kleven

Choose the Right When a Choice Is Placed Before You

Monday, October 15, 2018

Burke & Fairfax, Virginia

Kleven & Young - missionaries on Missionary Lane

Simon (a man I just met in the library) is sitting next to me, and he just put his foot on the desk next to me, and it has a plastic bag wrapped around it.  Of course, I asked him why, and he told me it's because it's raining outside and he didn't want his pants to drip water onto his foot while his boots were drying on the ground.  So, I'm typing this with a homeless man's foot about 12 inches away.  It's a less-than-desirable situation. 

Church was great yesterday.  H* and L* both came to church yesterday (which was unusual because H* goes to the singles' ward each week), so we sat by them. We were asked to give a lesson in Gospel Principles, and we talked about agency (as that was the next lesson in the manual). As we were talking about how it's good to CTR (choose the right), H* piped up in class (which is uncommon) and said that since L* has been taking the lessons and striving to be baptized, H* has noticed a huge change in L* and said that the Spirit is always in their home now. As he was speaking, he started to tear up. I love seeing how H*'s testimony grows every time I see him. After a few minutes, L* raised his hand and said that the Lord is blessing him already and that he will continue to "endure to the end" after he enters the waters of baptism. All of a sudden, L* started to cry because he said that "he had never felt the Spirit before he started meeting with the Sisters."  Of course, that made me cry. After class, I went to talk to him, and he said that he chose H* to baptize him. Excellent choice, my good friend!

Sorry it's so short! No time!

Sister Kleven

Follow the Prophet; He Knows the Way!

Monday, October 8, 2018

Burke & Fairfax, Virginia

What a deliciously exciting week to report on!

To get the bad news out of the way, I was savagely stabbed by an evil man wielding a needle filled with poison. In other words, we had our flu shots at Zone Conference. I remember writing something about how horrible they were last year, but this was even worse. Sister Bloomfield (mission nurse) had to come in and hold my hand and try to take me to my happy place while they sterilized my upper arm. What happened next was awful: Bacteria was injected into my system. Not only that, but I had a strange reaction to the shot, so my arm swelled up and got all purple and puffy, and I got sick for a few days afterwards. *sigh* I tried to tell Sister Bloomfield that shots were bad, but she didn't listen. Anyway, today is the first day that my arm hasn't been sore and throbbing. I was told to ice it three times a day to help with the swelling, so I suppose it worked. But I'm a big girl. I'm simply never getting a shot again. That's all there is to it. 

#wondertwins

We went to the Bishop's house to wish his mother a happy birthday, and guess what was on their wall?? A shrine to me! It's the funniest thing I've ever seen. Now, I promise you that it's not creepy. They put up pictures of their daughters whenever one of them goes on a mission and call it a "shrine", and I've been joking that I've been here for so long that I need my own shrine. And they put it up! I guess this really is my new home. 

We met a very nice man who invited us over for a "discussion." Normally, I wouldn't agree to this (because this is the perfect time to pounce), but I felt like it would be alright. We went to his home and talked about our differing beliefs while his wife was cooking something in the kitchen. After we politely "discussed," I made our excuses and was heading for the door when I was stopped with two GIANT plates of food. Now, there were only two things wrong with this: 1) We had literally just come from eating a huge dinner elsewhere; and 2) It was a giant plate of chicken that still had the bones throughout. If you know me, you would know that I don't like to eat anything off of a bone because that's disgusting and it freaks me out. However, I sat down at their table, grabbed my fork, placed my napkin on my lap, and politely ate the chicken. It was actually really good. But I was dying because it was SO MUCH FOOD. And every time I put my fork down, the wife would say "Eat! Eat!" So, I did. Do you remember the children's book Strega Nona? I was Big Anthony that night. 

Guess what else happened this week? Brandon and Katie were baptized!! Isn't that the most amazing thing ever? I am so grateful for the opportunity I've had to teach them and support them and help them get to this point. They were baptized yesterday morning, and when they walked into the chapel to see all the people who were there to support them, Katie yelled, "Brandon! Look! We're famous!" It was awesome. The spirit was so strong as they were both baptized and confirmed. I may have teared up a little bit. We were allowed to go because we brought one of our buddies, L*, because he wanted to see what a baptism looked like. I was talking with him afterwards, and he said that it was very simple, but he could tell how important it was. Every time he introduced himself, he told people that the "Sisters were changing his life." He even made one of the members cry because he's just the cutest man ever. He watched General Conference and said he liked it because all of the speakers spoke very clearly. 

Brandon & Katie - baptized by their father! Yahoo!

Speaking of General Conference, it was awesome. We were able to go to a lot of different members' houses to watch it and feel the spirit in each individual home. We also got to partake of their individual family General Conference treats. And some of them made me cinnamon rolls because they knew it was my favorite.  So, needless to say, I gained about 60 pounds this weekend. Was it worth it? Yes. Yes, it was. Not only did my physical body get bigger, but my spiritual body grew as well. I loved all of the talks that were given and all of the insights that were shared by the Prophet and his Apostles. One of my favorite things that Elder Anderson said in his talk is, "Along with the bright colors of happiness and joy, the darker colored threads of trial and tragedy are woven deeply into the fabric of our Father's plan. These struggles, although difficult, often become our greatest teachers." 

Well, love you all! 

Sister Kleven

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Monday, October 1, 2018

Burke & Fairfax, Virginia

Ah! I love October! I love fall and sweaters (the weather hasn't gotten the memo about that quite yet) and pumpkins and Halloween! Oh, and General Conference. That, too. Really, though. This is the best, and I'm so excited to watch GC this week! 

We went to teach this little girl and her family the other night. At one point in our lesson, the girl pulls out a recorder from- I don't even know where, and says really seriously: "This is the song of heaven." And then proceeded to blow as hard as she could. All I could think was, "I really hope that's not what heaven sounds like."

L* came to church on Sunday! We had a church tour with him on Thursday, and he said he had talked to his boss and got Sunday mornings off of work because he needed to go to church. Yay! During our church tour, he asked when the soonest date he could be baptized was, so we whipped out our calendar, did some calculations, and put him on date for October 27th. He is so excited for it. He told every one at church the day he was being baptized and that this was the start of his new life. So cute. He almost put a 5-dollar bill on the sacrament tray for the bread, but I was able to stop him just in time. I thought it was hilarious. Also, when we sat down in our pew, I guess he got a little nervous because he sat on top of me for a second. The 1st Counselor in the Bishopric saw it and started cracking up. I just gave him a thumbs up. So, that was nice. 

With L* & H*

After church, we had a lesson with the Stake President (who is in our ward), L*, and H*, (L*'s roommate and my buddy who speaks Vietnamese). We taught L* about the Plan of Salvation, and because he doesn't understand much, we used my cutouts. I realized it would just be easier for everyone if I laid them out on the floor, so, I went down there to start explaining what the shapes all meant, and I guess that kind of confused him because he came down with me. You could tell he was very uncomfortable and almost fell over when he stood back up because his leg fell asleep, but it was good for him to be closer to the cutouts so he could see them better. I let him choose the lesser of two evils. We gave him a baptismal calendar we had made for him, and when we gave it to him and explained what it was, he teared up a little bit and said "I am very happy to have received this." Awe. No one has ever been that happy about a calendar before! I'm just so happy to be able to teach him. We're seeing him again on Wednesday, so hopefully there will be some new updates! 

Speaking of calendars, we went to dinner with our new meal coordinator, Brother P*, and he brought us a present. It was a calendar for each of us! I don't know what happened, but my calendar is missing the months of June and July. Hm. I guess when those months come, I can just guess what day I'm living. Also, Brother P* said he would name his pet fox "Sister Kleven." I would say this dinner was a successful one. 

One of the people we're teaching has had a lot of health problems, which has made it difficult for us to continue teaching her. But now her son is having problems as well, and she is always at the hospital. We were able to talk with her about getting a priesthood blessing, and she said that she and her son could get one. We're going with her today to the 2nd Counselor's home, and he will give her one there this afternoon. I hope everything goes well. I'm just glad she wants us there, and I'm glad that we are able to be her friend. 

Exchanges also happened this week! I went to Lincolnia, and Sister Young led out in Burke. Because Sister Training Leaders are no longer in a companionship, it was a three-day exchange. Exciting stuff. It was fun to go with Sister Hansen again, though. She's going home this month and it will be so weird to see her go! *sniffle* 

With Sister Hansen on Exchanges

Exchanges

I blew up about 10 billion balloons for service on Tuesday. I got a root-beer float, though. So, worth it. 

Just a small sampling of the balloons I blew up!

Supposed to look like a donut.

With the Burke Ward YW

Well, love you all!

Sister Kleven

Do do do doo do do, do do do do dododo, do do do do... I'm Singing and Dancing in the Rain

Monday, September 24, 2018

Burke & Fairfax, Virginia

I could never sing it quite like Gene can, but I'm aspiring to be able to twirl my umbrella in the same fashion he does as he's singing and dancing whilst it's dumping buckets. I don't have background music, and my companions always seem to get embarrassed, so there are a few hindrances to my aspiration. But, I do have the rain. There is no shortage of water falling from the skies. My hair is just growing bigger and bigger as the days go by. 

New District picture.

We had someone we're teaching come to church on Sunday! He's actually the friend of one of the youth in the ward, but he said that he would like to learn more. We were able to give him a Book of Mormon and explain what it was about. We just sent him off to the youth class when we went to Gospel Principles, but I think he handles it well. The teachers he had were awesome. 

We tried to get our buddy, L*, so come as well. Did I talk about him last time? I can't remember if I did. I have missionary brain. (I'm not really sure what that means, but people say it all the time. I just want to be cool!) He is from Vietnam and is 75 years old. One of the recent converts that I was able to teach here is his roommate, so there's a built-in translator. It's so cool to see someone I taught the lessons to turn around and teach the lessons to another. I just keep thinking "Hey! That's how I explained it! He really was listening!" Anyway, L* wants to know more about Jesus and be baptized before he dies. He works on Sundays, so we're hoping he can alter his schedule a little bit so that he can come to church! We're meeting with him on Wednesday to talk about it more and hopefully put him on date to be baptized. 

Service!

There's a new ASL program in the mission and President has just opened an ASL area! It currently only has elders, but I'm hoping it will soon change. I've been practicing my ASL skills. I have very few, and my vocabulary is quite limited, but I've been spelling out the words that I hear in sign. I haven't seen much progress, but I aspire to be in the ASL program one day. Whether it's in the next 4 months or later in life, I plan on it happening. 

A little boy in the next aisle is getting in trouble for making his sister cry.  He just said, "I didn't smash her finger! I smashed her hand!" Well, at least he's honest. I thought it was funny. 

We have very few miles for the rest of the transfer (we can go about 8 miles each day to make sure we stay under the designated limit), so we have been walking everywhere. But it's kind of dangerous because we live right on the corner of two main roads, and they are both 45 mph.  And, one of the roads doesn't have a sidewalk, so we try not to walk across that one.  Anyway, none of the members this week have given us dessert, and I've been kind of bugged about it. I mean, I'm finally walking all day, and now they aren't giving me sugar to work off.  How rude. 

I've been really sad this week.  You know why?  Because it's not Christmastime yet.  I mean, we only have a couple more months until the joy of the Christmas season, but I wouldn't be opposed if it came early this year.  I miss Christmas.  

We sang Lead, Kindly Light in church yesterday, and I had forgotten how wonderful those lyrics were.  It just stood out to me, so I thought I would share them here. It probably stands out because, as the song says, I am far from home. But, I love the imagery about the light. We know that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. He is the perfect example for us to follow, and as long as we follow the Light, we will eventually find our way home.

Lead, kindly Light, amid th' encircling gloom;
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene--one step enough for me.

That's all, folks!

Love,
Me

PS: Two more families I love:

Sister Kleven, the Magic Dragon

Monday, September 17, 2018

Burke & Fairfax, Virginia

This week was a ball!

To start off with the most interesting news:  I am staying in Burke.  Again.  For another 6 weeks.  That will be 10 1/2 months and 7 transfers in one area.  That I know backward and forward.  But you know what?  I'm excited about it!  It will be a challenge, but I can't wait to find out what Heavenly Father has in store for me.  It must be something good to keep me here for so long!  I'm going to finish training Sister Young, and Sister Anderson is being sent to Centreville.  I've officially broken the record for being in one area in the mission.  Yay!

Last District picture before transfers.

Also, I almost broke my hand this week.  I'll tell you the story, as it's one of my favorites:  We were walking down the street, and I was swinging my arms like a normal, walking person who's on a mission (literally) and, apparently, so was Sister Anderson.  Anyway, our hands collided (which happens all the time.  I usually just say "If you wanted to hold my hand, just tell me!" and then they get uncomfortable.  I find it hilarious!), and she had a Book of Mormon in the hand that hit my empty hand.  And the corner of the book squished right into the back of it.  I would like to report that I took it like a champ, but when your whole arm is throbbing and you feel like your fingers are going to fall off, all rational thinking simply flies away.  After laugh-crying for a second, I trudged ahead because we were going to be late for curfew.  After we got home, it still hurt.  Shocker.  I was seriously convinced that it was broken.  Anyway, I went to bed that night and expected it to not hurt the next morning. Well, it didn't happen that way.  We went to church yesterday, and I never realized how many hands I shake until pain happened every time someone with a firm grip came at me.  Ouchies!  I survived, though.  Because I'm a pansy, I talked to the mission nurse last night, and she said I aggravated a nerve and a tendon and there was some pretty solid bone-bruising going on.  All because of a Book of Mormon.  I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't broken, though.  My reaction would probably have been warranted if it were.  SO-since today is Sister Young's birthday (happy birthday), I decided that we were going to go bowling to celebrate the fact that she in one year older and wiser, too! (The only thing better than other people's birthdays is my own birthday.  I get to sing a lot of birthday songs when I'm singing to others!)  I didn't think about the fact that I'm a wimp and that holding a bowling ball might crush the life out of my already lifeless hand.  I wouldn't let that get me down, however, so I decided to bowl with my uninjured appendage (left hand).  You know what I learned?  My left hand is apparently incompetent.  Who knew?  (I did.  I knew.  I was just hoping that I would miraculously and suddenly gain immense talent in seconds).  I lost the bowling game.  Big time. And I also tripped on the floor because my shoes were too big which resulted in a crashing BOOM as the bowling ball landed on the floor, narrowly avoiding my foot.  I'm simply blessed, I suppose.  But we got to choose our names for bowling, so I chose Dragon.  I thought the name would help me beat my companions, but it didn't work the way I thought it would.  Still, I would chant "Dragon! Dragon! Dragon!" every time I picked up the ball.  Was it annoying?  Probably.  That is the tale of my almost-broken hand. 

Awkward bowling stance.

There is a guy in the library who we see all the time and he just gave me a hug.

It was awkward. 

Hurricane Florence is finally here.  It's dumping buckets of rain, so that's enjoyable. Every time we splash trough a puddle, I realize that it's the closest I will get to swimming for a long while, so I savor the moment. *sigh*

Heart attack from the Sisters!

We went to NARMF (New & Returning Members Fireside) last night, and it was awesome.  Brother P* came with us again, and I think he enjoyed it.  It was probably one of the strongest times I've felt the spirit here, and I loved every second.  Something one of the speakers said really stuck out to me, and I wrote it down because good missionaries take notes.  Or so I'm told.  Anyway, they talked about how the Savior loves all people.  Especially the people who aren't whole, but broken.  The reason that he loves those people so much is because he can fix them.  And not only that, but he can make them better than they were before.  That's something that I always knew, but just hearing someone who professed to be "broken" and become whole though the enabling power of the Atonement was eye opening.  I felt the love so abundantly in that room.  It was awesome.  

Awkward tan line on my feet.

Also, in district meeting, Elder Nielsen showed us how to rope. I was the only one who actually was able to rope something.  Hold the applause, please. 

Well, I've run out of time today.  Maybe I took too long writing stories about my hand and receiving awkward hugs from strange men in the library.  

Love you all!

Love,

Me

PS: Here are pictures of families I love:

Oct 9 - 15, 2018

Monday, October 15, 2018

Merriwa, Western Australia

Hello, Everyone!

This was a busy AS! week.

We had transfers this week. On Wednesday, I left the Cockburn/Success area, and now I'm in the North Coast Zone in the Merriwa area. My Companion is Elder Mortenson from Sacramento, California. He has been out for a year this week. The flat is pretty good; it's like a full house, but we do have another companionship living with us -- Elders Tu'ua and Tiikana.  They are just staying with us until their new flat is ready for them to move into, but a four man flat is fun...

Transfers

 

Kleven & Mortenson in Merriwa

So, we have had heaps of meetings this week, and Zone Conference is tomorrow, so it's been full-on this whole week! 

I love the new ward, though! Everyone says that I've come to Zion, and from what I've heard, it's a close second to Bunbury.  We'll have to see how it all works out, but the bishop is COOL AS! He took us into his office in between sessions of General Conference and gave us a speech that he gives all the new missionaries.  But, half the time he was laughing and having a good time...  

Sunset in Western Australia

The Merriwa area is SMALL AS, though. My last area had 15 suburbs, and this one has two. It'll be easy to learn this area.

I loved General Conference, though.  It was good AS! It seemed to be really themed, and I loved all the talks on how Christ is our Shepherd and we are his hands in herding the sheep. Even those who are members and just less active need to be rescued and brought back into the fold as much as anyone. Because we are all our Father's children.

Elder Kleven

PS: I SAW ELDER CODINA AT CONFERENCE. It was good to see him again!

Kleven & Codina (his trainer)

PPS: We went to Heath Ledger's Grave!!!!!!! (My mission was worth it!)

Oct 2 - 8, 2018

Monday, October 8, 2018

Cockburn, Western Australia

This was a good week! We found five new people to teach this week, finally!

And, we may have one of our non-progressing investigators start progressing.  We had a mean member present lesson last night, and he said he would come to General Conference to find out if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God... It was good.
 

Saying goodbye to Elder Kleven who is being transferred... Another Australian Facebook friend!

This week, we had exchanges with Kelmscott. I was with Elder Boaza. It was a good exchange. We followed up with heaps of people and did service...

District P-day

  

This week, we also got Transfer Calls... I'm leaving Success (Cockburn) and am going up to the North Coast Zone.  My companion is going to be Elder Mortenson (I think that's how you spell his name). Elder Hampel will be training a new missionary...

Falling asleep early

This Sunday, we taught the Elders Quorum lesson, and we shared with the quorum about being a peculiar people... The Lord has always had his people be peculiar to the rest of the world (Deuteronomy 14:2). When we do what the Lord wants and follow his commandments, we stand out from the rest of the world.  They look and wonder why we are doing these things... But, we are supposed to stand out so that we can be an instrument in the Lord's hands and be an example of the believers (1 Timothy 4:12).  So, we can continue to serve and help our brothers and sisters come to a knowledge of the Lord their God.

Elder Kleven

Sep 28 - Oct 1, 2018

Monday, October 1, 2018

Cockburn, Western Australia

This was a good few days. Not much to update yous on, but this Sunday was fun.

So we had a big focus as a ward on Family History this Sunday, and it's going to be a focus for the rest of the year. So, Bishop had us all download the Family Search app that the church has, and we did this "Search for Relatives Near By" thingy.  FUN STUFF!  Turns out that Elder Hampel and myself are related; we are 5th cousins once removed, and our common ancestor is William Wallace Casper... small world, right?! BUT WAIT, it gets even smaller! I'm also related to the Bishop in the ward I'm serving in. He is my 12th cousin once removed... so yeah, super small world...

It's cool, while all this was going on, we had the Temple President at church that Sunday, and he leaned over to me while we were figuring out who we were related to, and said. "No need, Elder, you are doing work for the living."  It was funny, but when I thought about it, the Spirit touched me.  We really are here to help all of our brothers and sisters come unto Christ, and not just the full-time missionaries... We all have a responsibility to invite our friends and family to come to Christ because the more work we do here, the less work we will have to do for the dead...

Otherwise, nothing new to really report on... except for exchanges with our Zone Leaders this week. It was fun! Learned heaps!

No new pictures... But, I will take some more for next week's email.

Elder Kleven

Sep 18 - 27, 2018

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Cockburn, Western Australia

Kleven & Hampel arriving at church... photo courtesy of a Facebook friend in Australia!

Sorry for the late email. but we have just spent our P-day helping one of our non-progressing investigators move... It was good that we were there, though, because it was just the husband, his wife, the grandfather, and us that moved the house.  N*, the husband, has a really bad back and has had a shoulder replacement, so he couldn't really lift anything... So, it was just us that moved their entire house! We just ran into him yesterday and found out that he was moving, so we insisted that we come and help. 

We also had the opportunity to go to the temple this morning. 

The library closes in three minutes. Sorry for not sending anything more, but I will have more time to respond to all the emails this Monday.

Otherwise, this past week-and-a-half has been really busy.  Mostly, we've been following up with potential investigators and trying to help those we have tracted into start to progress in the gospel...

THE CHURCH IS TRUE, AND THE BOOK OF MORMON IS THE WORD OF GOD!!!

Elder Kleven

Sep 11 - 17, 2018

Monday, September 17, 2018

Cockburn, Western Australia

This was a good week, but it wasn't very exciting. Pretty much the same old stuff.

We had exchanges with the Kelmscott Elders on Friday; it was good. I got to go with Elder Boaza's Golden, Elder Little. He is doing well with Boaza. He is leaning lots and really is excited to be out here on his mission.

We had a dinner appointment with some members this week, and I think they felt kind of guilty for not being able to feed us in the past, so they gave us HEAPS of food to take home with them. It was good to eat with them and have a good time.

We had church and no one was able to show up, but that's okay! We'll get them this week.

Otherwise, not much happened.

Elder Kleven