Pictures Week #2

It's Snowing!!

The Sisters in my Zone

The Elder's and Sisters in my District

Sister Cullens, Sister Noorda and Sister Fehlberg

Week #2 Life in the MTC!

Privet!!!!

How was everyone's Thanksgiving?! Sounded like you guys had a blast… I missed you guys so much Thursday, but I'm so glad you guys enjoyed yourselves. Well, my week was a lot better then the first week!! Wednesday night was our last night teaching Kristina and it went really good!! We finally got her to PRAY!!! Wuhoo ;) haha we were so pumped about it!! On Friday she walks into our classroom and says Hello everyone, I am your new teacher!! Were all looking at each other like what??? Because I'm not gonna lie I was scared of her. She's like this cute little short blonde girl but she is a little ball of fire!! That's how most russians are I guess? Anyway turns out she is super cool!!! We get her to laugh all the time:) I think she really likes us. It's kinda nice to have a native teacher as well!! She's only been living here for 4 years. Anyway that was kinda funny! Thanksgiving was a really good day!! We had a devotional in the morning and Russell M. Neilson was the one who came and spoke with us. The choir got to sing for him so that was a lot of fun!! He mainly talked about missionary work of course, but it was good! After that we went into the Lunch room and had a huge Thanksgiving feast with all the Districts. We sat on a long table and put this paper turkey in the middle haha that was pretty fun!! Afterwards we did a service project for two hours. We ended up making over 360,000 bags of dried soup I guess you would say. That was a lot of fun!! Met some more people so that's always enjoyable. Then we had like a Thanksgiving skit and watched a movie and stuff so it was a good day!! Last week I was struggling a little bit with my companions. I got in my mood where I just want to be by myself and the whole exact obedience thing is really hard for me for some reason? My companions will call me out when I'm doing something wrong. So anyway I just didn't want to be around them. Then a sister in the other district just had a talk with me and I talked to her for about an hour and she just told me everything that I should do and I realized that why am I focusing on me and what I want and what I'm struggling with? This isn't about me anymore. I realized that its all about the Lord. Not me. So I decided I'm going to stop complaining about how I'm homesick, How I can't get the language down, How my companions and I don't click. It's not about me. It's about the Lord. I also realized something else haha I chose this??? Why am I complaining? I was the one that decided to put myself through this haha so now my knew quote is I CHOSE THIS. Great quote huh;) Sunday came along and since it was fast and testimony meeting I made it a goal to bare my testimony... In Russian... Well guess what! I was the first one to get up:) My mission president was so proud of me that he gave me a shout out right before he closed the meeting. Afterward everyone was giving me hugs and telling me how proud they were of me:) So I felt pretty good about that. Hmm what else.. I have mad skills in four square haha everyone says I'm really good… which I actually suck so that doesn't make sense? Everyone is basically leaving on Monday for Russia except our Zone so were gonna be alone tell Jan 4… That's when new Missionaries come in. 2 of the elders in my district are going to Spain on monday… I'm so jealous!!!!!! But oh well. Guess I'm supposed to stay here. A kid in our zone is british and looks like a Weasley haha so every time I see him I make him quote Harry Potter lines hahahaha I laugh so hard every time. Ah great stuff. We got 2 new investigators this week (both of them are our teachers) we taught one of them on Monday and the whole time I was laughing because of how bad my Russian is:) I mixed up some words and ended up testifying to him that Jesus Christ in our heavenly father. Then I made him read a scripture and kept asking him "If you will!" he kept saying what?!?! Then I kept repeating that.. turns out I was reading the wrong thing haha I'm an idiot, but whatever I was laughing. Something really cool happened just barely, Someone had emailed me, I don't know who it was, but he was like I just want to let you know that I look up to you so much. Since you decided to go on a mission I've decided to go. I am a huge fan of you and I want you to know how great you are. I thought that was really cool!! I don't even know who he is, but I guess people really do watch my actions. There have been some elders that will randomly walk pass me and say Hi sister Godfrey!! The whole time I'm like who is that?!?! Anyway haha everyone on the Russian floor found out who I was and were all freaking out because of the whole Nitro thing? Kinda funny!! But ahh sorry I keep rambling on. Anyway that's my week. hope I didn't leave anything out! Well I love you all! Thanks for your supports!!!!! Have a great week:)

Love, Cectpa Godfrey

First Photo of the Mish!!!

My Friend Jil Hunter sent me this photo of Kynlie with Elder Coffey and her son, Elder Hunter!

Week #1 First Week in the MTC!!

Hello Family and Friends! (I would say it in Russian but it's in a different Alphabet)

Well my week has been... Hard, but good at the same time. Right when I arrived I got all my stuff and then was stuffed in a class room! My teacher only spoke Russian so I was just smiling acting like I understood everything... I met my companions! I'm in a tri companionship. I'm kinda happy about that because if I get sick of one I can go to the other one;) Cectpa Cullens is from California. She went to BYU last year and she's way into Musicals and she's kinda an earthy person I guess you would say. She reminds me of the Weasly family from Harry Potter. I think just because of the way she dresses haha but she's cool. She has an opinion about everything and always has something to say. My other companion is Cectpa Noorda. She is from New Hampshire. Now the way to explain her is kinda hard. The best way to explain her though would be awkward... creepy ( but not in a bad way haha) and ummmm lets just say different. She loves to sing and will just randomly start belting it out. I try so hard not to laugh hahaha but they both are really great and I'm learning a lot from them. They are definitely rule followers so were never doing anything were not suppose to. I have to other roommates which I LOVE! One of the Cectpa's, Cectpa Fehlberg is awesome. Me and her have a lot in common and she's hilarious. She's the only one that can get me to laugh:) Me and her will just laugh about Cectpa Noorda.. it's kinda sad, but Cectpa Noorda thinks were just playing with her. which we are so its fun! My teachers are awesome!! They both are Nitro Fans:) One of them lives with Jordan? The dude that lived with us? I don't know if you remember him. But yeah there both great. The food here is alright? I mean it's not awful, but it's not amazing. I can see why everyone gets fat here though!! People eat so much!! Even the sisters!!! They'll have like two or three plates of food. haha that's there choice though right? Me and my companions work out when we are allowed to so that's been nice. The other day I met some Aussies and New Zealanders and the had seen the Show and stuff which was really cool. The Spirit here is incredible. I don't think I've felt the spirit so much before in my life. I think that's whats helping me get through each day. I'm not gonna lie.. This is hard. really hard. Everyday when I wake up I just have to tell myself that I can do this. I don't know what it is, but your emotions are all over the place. One minute I'm so stoked to be here and the next I'm like what the Hell am I doing here????? I just have to pray though for peace because I'm here for a reason. I don't know why yet, but I know I will figure it out sooner or later. The first couple days were super hard. I thought about it so many times to jump over the fence and run home. I still think that lets be honest. But there's something holding me back;) Everyone said just make it to Sunday and everything will be good. So I made it to Sunday and I guess they were right. things have been getting better. Still really hard though. Russian is a hard. language. What was god thinking when he decided to send me to Russia?!!? So the thing is here, you have to teach an investigator the second day of being here!!!!! What?! I can't even say hello and you want me to teach someone about the gospel in Russian?! We just winged it haha and I got to say... It was not good. Our investigators name is Kristina and she does not like us. She likes all the Elders, but for some reason she's not a fan of us. Coming our of our first lesson I thought to myself there is no way I'm going to be able to learn this language. no way! But then the second lesson I just had peace come over me that said don't worry about it, be patient and it will come. So that's what I'm hoping for. Just need to learn to be patient. Kristina is really cold with us though. She won't pray or read for us. She won't take anything home? So were just kinda lost with the whole situation. Tonight's our last lesson though so will see how it goes. It was cool though yesterday we had to do some roll playing, luckily it was in English, but it was my turn to invite someone to be baptized. It was really cool because I just followed the spirit and what he needed me to say and at the end my comp goes wow you are an amazing missionary. She's like your spirit was so strong!!! Ah that made my day haha now it's just learning to do that in Russian.. Yay.. ;) We had a temple walk Sunday and I saw a friend from school just chilling there which was kinda fun to run into her. Umm I can't really think of anything else? I'm doing the choir which is fun because it gets you away from your classrooms. Were actually singing tomorrow morning for thanksgiving and an apostle is coming to speak so that should be cool! Anyways that's my week!! I probably forgot a lot, but that's ok? Anyways love you all:) Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

Love, Cectpa Godfrey

MTC Goodbyes...

Setting Apart - November 19th 2013

November 19, 2013

Given by President Peter Larkin

Sister Kynlie Godfrey...by the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood which we hold, and having been given authority by our Stake President who holds the keys to the administration of this stake, we lay our hands upon your head, at this time, to set you apart as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  We bear testimony to you of what a wonderful thing it is to be known as a missionary full time, as a sister for our Heavenly Father.  You have been called to serve in the Russia, Moscow mission.  We also bear testimony of the divinity of this calling.  And as an apostle and others sat and reviewed where to send you, that truly our father in heaven inspired them to determine where he would have you serve at this point in time.  

We express our great love to you and our great confidence in you as you have gone through the refiners fire in preparation to leave at this time.  We bless you through the power of the priesthood that you will be calm, that you will have peace with your decision, that you will look forward to this wonderful opportunity to devote all your attention to our Heavenly Father.  We bless you with strength and confidence of character of mind and emotion that as you go through this, that you will be able to focus on your responsibilities as a missionary, on those that you have been entrusted to bring this gospel to...that you will be sensitive to the spirit in doing so.  That as you go about your studies and your preparations as a missionary, and then as you are trackting, and your involvement with investigators, that you will truly be sensitive to the spirit, that you will know the things to say...you will know how to bear testimony such that the spirit of conversion and the testimony of understanding will be with you.  

We bless you with patience with this people.  They come from a very different social background.  You will find it much more difficult to get into doors and to speak openly with people than here in the United States.  But we bless you that you will have divine patience with them as our Heavenly Father does.  That you will give what you can and take what you can, and do nothing more important than but love them, and bear testimony to them.  Kynlie, we bless you as well, that through your experience as a missionary, that you will truly come to know the Savior.  That the testimony that you have now will be enlarged so much more than it is.  That you will be great in understanding of the depth of our Heavenly Father's love for his children.  We bless you to recognize that he has inspired the leaders of this church to put so much effort and so much work into sending out people to every work place, every climb, every mountain, every valley, every city, every ally way throughout this world, because of the great love he has for each individual.  And we bless you to embrace that same love and understanding.

Kynlie, we bless you to be inspired with regards to your safety as well.  We recognize that there is much danger throughout the world.  But we also bear testimony to you that our Heavenly Father watches over his missionaries, and he will inspire you.  You will have strong feelings when there is potential danger, both temporally and spiritually.  And that you will be wise, that you will listen to that inspiration and act accordingly.  And as you do this, you will never fear.  You will have confidence that our Heavenly Father will watch out for you.  We bless your family through you... that they will be uplifted, that their testimonies will be strengthened.  We bless Chanler through you, that as he moves closer to the age in which he can serve a mission, that your example, and that your thoughts and your prayers in all that you communicate with him, will give him inspiration to follow, so he too might be blessed by the willful

service of being a missionary.  We express our great love to you again, bless you with all the confidence, strength of emotion and spirit that you will need as you move forth at this time.  You will find great joy in this experience.  And this we do, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Kynlie's Farewell