Jenna in Colorado!

We've had a wonderful time with our Jenna since she returned home.  We've been trying to take it easy and let her adjust to this new life.  She was released that night and we had a good meeting with the Stake Presidency on Sunday for a mission report.  Derek and Jess were here when she got home and Kayli and Bronson came on the 22nd from Logan.  It's been a fun Christmas!  Her homecoming talk was on Christmas Day and was outstanding.  We'll head out to Provo on the 5th of January for her to start the next chapter of her life.

She had a life-changing experience in Wisconsin and we're proud of her for serving so faithfully.

Thanks everyone for your love and support!

the Kirchhoefer's

Last Email!!

Well holy cow... I can't believe this is my last time emailing! I'll just give you a quick wrap-up of the week before closing out!

We've been busy as could be! I got to go to Fond du Lac on an exchange, and it was SUPER AWESOME because we got to do service at a members' farm! I didn't do anything super farm-y, haha, but I LOVED the atmosphere and those stalwart saints we served with! I feel so much love in my heart for beautiful Wisconsin and the people here. My goodness, I can't even express it. I LOVE WISCONSIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've been getting a TON of snow lately... this weekend was the first big snowstorm, and they cancelled church in a lot of wards. Luckily we still got to have Sacrament meeting, but all the investigators we had lined up and ready to come to church bailed :( But Nicole, who we were so sad couldn't make it, sent us a text saying that even though she wasn't able to come to church, she has been reading the Book of Mormon every morning and every night, and feels the power of the Lord so much more in her life!!!! She feels that joining the church is the right step for her to be taking right now. Our hearts were so happy when we read that! I'm so excited for her!

We also stopped by Amanda and Karina and Charlotte's house - we haven't been able to see them in a while and were getting nervous. But we had a GREAT lesson with them and were able to reset Amanda's baptism date for January. She is so excited, she just needs to overcome some personal things before being baptized. The changes she's made ALREADY in her life to accept the gospel are truly miraculous - I can't wait to hear about the rest of her journey!

Alright so... I feel like I need to say something super profound or miraculous to package this nice little mission thing up. But I honestly can't fit into words how much it's meant to me, or all the things I've learned. Serving a mission has been a lot different than I expected, but it's been a joyful adventure, and I'm so excited to apply it to the rest of my life!

I've learned that sacrifice TRULY does bring forth the blessings of Heaven! And sacrifices in behalf of the Lord's work turn out to not even be sacrifices at all!

I've learned that the Book of Mormon is the INSPIRED WORD OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!! I've said that before in my life, many times, but now I know more about what that means!!! The Book of Mormon brings us closer to God than any other book - it teaches us the Doctrine of Christ and how to apply it into our lives personally! I've learned SO MUCH about being a missionary from that book, just as much as from Preach My Gospel! And I can't wait to allow the Book of Mormon to teach me about bringing the Lord into my student life and eventually family life of my own! 

Speaking of which, I've learned that "eternal life is family life"! Heaven is all about relationships... if we think we can be happy living for OURSELVES, we're wrong!!!

I know that Joseph Smith truly is the Prophet of this dispensation! I know the Gospel NEEDED to be restored... I know it went missing! I have come to love nothing more than standing in the doorway of a strangers home with a smile on my face, bearing my testimony of Joseph Smith's first vision of God the Father and the Son! I know that event truly did happen!!!

And most importantly... I know Christ lives. I know He is who He says He is. I know that He cares about us, that He loves us, that He has done EVERYTHING in His power to bring us back to Him and our Father in Heaven, but it's up to US to accept His offering and His gift. I know the Atonement is REAL, that it lifts us, strengthens us, cleanses us from sin, and carries us, more than we will ever know or comprehend!!!! I love Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father and my heart is bursting with gratitude for Them and all They have done for me in my life. This includes bringing all of you into my life and letting me feel Their love and support through you!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!! I promise to always be "valiant in the testimony of Jesus," in the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

With Love,

Sister Jenna Lynn Kirchhoefer

First Snow!

That's right, folks! The weather has been PRIME until this past week... the snow came down on Sunday and now it looks like it will be permanently cold and dreary! But we are so thankful that we had such a wonderful and LONG fall season!

❄ This week we were able to set a baptism date with Nicole! She is an incredibly sweet young mom who we found in the area book. Our mission president has been teaching us lately that area books are living and breathing things, because the people listed in them are constantly having new life experiences that are preparing them for the gospel. Nicole is evidence of that - she is so sincere in wanting to know if the message we share is true. She's a great example of FAITH!!!

❄ We found out this week that Amanda has read ALL THE WAY TO 2 NEPHI 31!!!!! And she knows that what she's reading is TRUE!!!! :) It's amazing, the power that book brings into peoples' lives!!! 

❄ We got permission to go to a "worship night" with the V+15s at their church this week! That was interesting! I learned a lot, and you know, I was thinking... the lyrics to their worship music are all TRUE - but they don't mean as much without the knowledge of COVENANTS. Christ and His Atonement are truly phenomenal and mind-blowing, and sometimes it's hard to understand how such a broad and expansive event can apply to us personally... but we are blessed to know that it is through our COVENANTS that we are bound to Christ, and He to us... we can bring the power of the Atonement into the EVERY DAY when we are striving to fulfill our promises, because the Atonement is what enables us to TRY, and BECOME! I don't know if that makes any sense, but it was a beautiful thought that came to me as I was listening to the worship music! I will keep in contact with that family for SURE! They mean so much to me, even if their progression isn't happening right NOW. I know it will someday!!

Um, that's all I can think of to say. Each week as a missionary is pretty much the same. But each week is wonderful!!!

Next Monday is my last time emailing!! WHAAAT?!?!?! haha. CRAZY!

Enjoy the Christmas season, folks! :D

xoxo

Sister K.

P.S. sorry, forgot my camera cord... no pictures today! which is a shame because I took some good ones this week!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

There are so many things to be grateful for I don't even know where to begin!!! This week was wonderful and I really felt the Lord consecrating our efforts! First of all, Amanda, Karina, and Charlotte all came to church yesterday - it was Amanda's first time and she LOVED it!!!! She signed up to bring a salad to our ward Christmas party! And she's planning on coming to YW in excellence on Wednesday with Karina!!! It makes me so happy to see HER so happy and wanting to be involved! I was just reflecting on how much that family has changed since Sister Killian and I first met them 4 months ago... literally night and day difference! I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE WAY THE GOSPEL CHANGES LIVES!!!!!!!!!

Second! I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE WAY THE SPIRIT GUIDES US!!!!!! There were two days this week where we were TOTALLY exactly where we needed to be at EXACTLY the right times - without  even realizing it until afterward! Here's an example: when Sister Tidwell and I were together in Kettle Moraine, we tracted into this man named Gary and shared the Book of Mormon with him! Well, this week WE MET GARY AGAIN!!!! In Neenah!!!!! Through a series of small "coincidences" that are too tiny and multitudinous to report! We were blown away. We were able to follow up with Gary's Book of Mormon reading and invite him to learn more, and even though he isn't currently interested, we both strongly feel that he's one of the elect! He just needs a little more time to be prepared!

I AM GRATEFUL FOR GOSPEL-STRONG SAINTS IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD! Even random small towns in Wisconsin! This Thanksgiving we were taken in by the Brickeys in the Neenah ward, who are absolutely wonderful and so kind and generous to us, and also by the Prusses, who are quite closely related to Sister Tidwell! I love feeling like I have a home away from home - what a blessing. I will never be able to adequately thank all the people who have made Wisconsin a precious sanctuary to me.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR TRADITIONS! Being raised in a family where Turkey Bowls are non-negotiable, I was SO grateful to get to play football on Thanksgiving morning - even if we WERE the only girls who showed up!

I AM GRATEFUL FOR MY COMPANIONS!!!! ALL of them!!!! I have so much joy and gratitude in my heart when I think of the lessons I learned from EACH of them that I couldn't have learned any other way! And Sister Tidwell continues to be a blessing to me! 

I AM GRATEFUL FOR UGLY SWEATERS so we could re-enact last year's Christmas photos. So much has changed, and yet nothing has changed.. all at once!!!!

And definitely not last OR least.... I AM GRATEFUL FOR MY FAMILY!!!!!!!! There is nothing I crave more than to be surrounded by the ones I love FOREVER. So I AM ALSO GRATEFUL FOR THE SEALING POWER restored in these latter days!!!! 

I love you all. Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful!!! thank you for the prayers.

xoxo

Sister K.