November 28th, 2016

Hey hey,

Well I hope everyone had a very happy turkey day! For us it was very
nice and relaxing, although we thought we were gonna be sick after our
second dinner. We felt very sick lol. But the food was very good:)

So Monday (my birthday), we pretty much just hung out at the church
and emailed all day. Lol WOOP WOOP. Then that evening we had a few
lessons and they were pretty fun!

Tuesday we went to help the other sisters clean up a lady's house that
they work with. Omg, it was sooooo bad, I really wish you guys
could've seen how disgusting it was. We found moldy bread and who
knows what else. Their was opened soda cans everywhere and the ground
was covered with sticky nasty stuff. And also she had like 7 cats and
laundry EVERYWHERE. And she didn't even know if it was clean of dirty.
We had to wear gloves because it was so bad! I thought I was gonna be
sick!

Wednesday we went and volunteered at Meals on Wheels. And it was so
much fun! Besides having to wear an ugly hair net! Haha. But it was
fun because we helped make the food and then serve the old people as
they came!! It was great:)

Thanksgiving we had to eat twice and it was awful haha. We literally
had to force ourselves to eat and I was gonna pop! Haha but it was a
nice day where we got to just relax! Oh and we went to Starbucks and
it was so much fun! I love Starbucks! :)

Friday, nothing too special happened. We did our planning then walked
in the freezing cold pretty much all night hahah.

Saturday the other sisters had a baptism so we went and Sister Michaud
came because she previously taught the girl getting baptized! So I got
to see her and it made me so happy:) she goes home in like 2 weeks!!!!
Time flies!!! Lol

Then that afternoon we had a lesson with our investigator D, and it
went fine. But we later found out that her roommate grows marijuana
illegally in the house and that we can't go back because we could
possibly get arrested... Awk.... Lol lol lol

Omg Sunday!!!! Get this! So we go to church and all is dandy. The
meeting starts and we notice one of the speakers wasn't their so while
we start singing the opening song I receive news that I will be
speaking in place of the missing speaker!  Omg I had like a few
minutes to try and think of something to speak on and I literally
forget everything I've learned and read haha. And before I know it,
I'm called up to give me talk... Oh man, it was nerve racking! But I
ended up talking about the joy we get from the gospel and from Christ.
I pulled out a few scriptures I'm surprised I knew and I think it went
pretty well having nothing prepared.. Lol.

So honestly that was my week really nothing too crazy went down,
besides the usual homeless people on the street. Sorry it's short but
I don't really have much more exciting things to say! Haha but things
are going well in Portland!

I just want y'all to know that I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and
that He really does bring us joy and hope and peace. I know that the
gospel is all about happiness and how we can achieve it. God created
us that we might have joy and I believe this with all my heart. If you
aren't happy, check your life and what you could do better or what you
aren't doing and then start doing it! I love this gospel and the
blessings we receive. Life is good. And God is great.

Miss you guys tons and love y'all to the moon and back!!!
Don't forget to remember me;)

"Have faith, have hope, live like His Son, help others on their way."

Xoxo
Sister Batey

Helping clean...

All smiles with Sister Crawley

Meals on wheels...and hair nets!!

Sister Crawley, Kenzee and Sister Michaud (old companion)

November 21st, 2016 - McKenzee's Birthday!

Hello from Portland!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!! And HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Oh my lanta. Lol Portland is so crazy!!! I don't even know where to

start! I just wish I could record everything that happens because it's

just hilarious and crazy!

Okay so Monday after pday we got dropped off at our bikes at a members

house and the members were so nice and said they said that they pumped

air into our tires and that our bikes should be good to go. Well we

get outside with our bikes and it's pouring and we get on and sister

Hibbards front tire was completely flat! Ahah it was hilarious

especially since we were just told they got pumped with air. Well so

it raining and dark and we are running late for our lesson so we bike

over to our lesson and have a pretty good lesson and then after Ward

we have a member come pick us up because her tire wasn't rideable.

Lol. So then we go home and I had to pack pretty much everything

because Tuesday we had a lot of lessons and weren't gonna have any

time so B came over(she's my hero) and she helped me get all my

clothes and books and shoes, pretty much everything, packed into my

suitcases. I was very impressed that everything fit:) oh I did pull a

few things out and left them at P's so mom and dad, when you come

up for Christmas I need you guys to pick up a few of my things and

take them home:) also I want you guys to go out to dinner with P

and Sister Hibbard!:) I seriously miss them already!

So then Tuesday we went over to Sister T's and I finished my

quilt!! Oh man, it looks so great and it makes me so happy because I

made it:) after that we went to have lunch at subway with Brother and

Sister S, I sent home a picture of them. Anyway, they are like my

second parents out here. They are so great and always help us out,

they have 2 daughters on missions and they are just great! Another

family I want you to meet when you come up! They said they want to

meet you guys too:) then the rest of the afternoon we had meetings and

lessons and we were busy. When we finally got home I finished packing

and did the last minute things to get ready. It was so weird to see my

room all naked and packed up. Kinda sad, actually really sad because

this place has been my home the last 6 months! It was so hard to say

bye to P and Sister Hibbard. My heart just ached. I can't wait to

see them again!!!

So Wednesday we went to the mission office for transfers! Transfers

are really such a bitter sweet thing. They are sweet because I got to

see so many of my old companions like Sister Finn, and Sister Michaud,

and also Sister Mortensen from the Mtc! Omg I also got to see Sister

H from Fairway Village!!! She was dropping off the missionaries

and it was so good to see her!:) but it's bitter because saying

goodbye to Sister Hibbard was so hard!!!!:( I love that lady and am

gonna miss her so much! Hopefully I will get to see her in December

for a baptism of someone we were teaching! Fingers crossed:) so after

goodbye, we loaded up in a van full of missionaries and we drove down

to Portland where I met my new companion, Sister Crawley! So I

actually served around her when I was in Hazel Dell. Sister Finn

trained her! So she's been out for 9 months and is from Pleasant

Grove, Utah. Oh and she has 5 siblings as well! But it's been great so

far! So it's kind of a weird situation but this Ward, the Mt Scott

Ward, has two sets of sisters over it. So me and sister Crawley and

Sister Nilson(from the Mtc) and sister Jarman. We teach all our own

people but it's kinda weird. Also since there are two sets we have to

share the car with them. So we get the car almost every other day.

It's weird but it's more than my last area which was none hahah. But

it's also fun because we all live together in an apartment. Hahah but

omg, our apartment is behind a strip club!!! Haha it's so funny! Also

it's really strange to be in an apartment because I've lived with

members my whole mission and I have loved it! It's just so weird to be

in an apartment. Oh and also, I have to take a cold shower every night

because for whatever reason the hot water doesn't work:( sad. 

But anyway, so we get to the apartment and I start unpacking and stuff

then we had to get to a lesson. So my first lesson in Portland is with

this lady, T. She's less active and recently got a blessing so we

were following up with that. Okay so get to where she is living and

it's this shack of a house and it turns out(we later found out) that a

bunch of people live there because most of them are homeless. (So many

homeless people in Portland) so we know on the door and a man covered

in tattoos answers (honestly don't even know what his skin color was

lol) and invites us in. So we walk into this house and he had a bunch

of boards and locks and he has to unlock a few doors before we can

even walk into the actual house. Creepy. Then as we walk in the smell

of weed is just soooo strong! Omg I thought I was gonna throw up haha.

Oh also it's freezing. So we have this lesson with this lady and it

was just so weird because so many people were walking in and out all

over the place. So much different than Vancouver! Haha. It was

interesting.

Friday night, hahah omg. I really wish you guys could have seen the

crazy things that happened! I'll do my best to tell you. So Friday

night all our lessons canceled so we had a lot of time to go tracting

and boy did we meet some interesting people! Lol we have a lot of the

low income areas in the Ward so it's sad but makes for some fun

experiences. So we go and knock a bunch of doors but these are some of

the highlights lol. One place we knocked a man opened the door and he

was a giant. So tall and had a great big white beard and he looked at

us and got super close to my face, our noses almost touching and he

said to me, I really don't care what you're doing and he shut the

door. Lol then another house we went to a man answered(he was dressed

like a girl wearing a rainbow shirt) and he told us "you really don't

want us"... It was weird because we could see a guy in the background

and it just looked like crazy... Lol then while we were walking around

the area we saw this one man and so we went to talk to him and he

asked in a creepy voice "can I have a hug". We told him no and then

gave him a handshake and he grabbed our arm which was creepy. Then a

few hours later when we were walking home we saw him again this time

talking to him self... Lol CREEPY!

Friday morning we went to have breakfast with our relief society

president and they heard it was my birthday and so hey made me

pancakes and put a candle in them and wanted to put some sprinkles on

them but she accidentally ended up pouring half the thing of sprinkles

on my pancakes.... And then they still made me eat them... Lol I

thought I was gonna be sick!

Sunday we had stake conference and then we had a few lessons. Oh and

we had a lesson with a new investigator and we put him on date for Dec

31:) we were so happy, his name is B and it was so great!!! Such a

good lesson!

And today it's been pretty good! I woke up and the Sisters made me

breakfast and then we went to voodoo donuts which is a really good

donut place and then went to look at target and we've been at the

church the rest of the day emailing! It's funny, it feels like Monday

but I guess that's what happens as you get older. I've realized that

it's not all about me and that birthdays are just another day. Lol

Well I love this gospel and I love being out here. Feel so blessed to

be serving the Lord and His children on my birthday. So grateful we

get to celebrate thanksgiving this week! Hope you guys have a fabulous

time with family! We will be hopping from different members homes!

Should be a lot of fun!

I love and miss you guys to the moon and back!

Have the best week ever!

Oh and don't forget to remember me! ;)

"Have faith, have hope, live like His Son, help others on their way."

Xoxo

Sister Batey

McKenzee on her birthday getting some doughnuts with her new companion Sister Crawley

Birthday girl!

Finished her quilt!!

Sad to say goodbye to Sister Hibbard...

And sad to say goodbye to P.

Who is this person holding a cat???

November 14th, 2016

Hey y'all!

So transfer news! This was my last week here in Nehalem, I'll be going
to Portland on Wednesday and my new companion will be Sister Crawley.
I've served around her before! She was Sister Finns companion when I
was in Hazel Dell and they were in my district. So I sorta already
know her! I'll send you a better picture so you can remember her!

Anyway, so this week in Nehalem was pretty busy! We had a zone blitz
on Tuesday which meant that a bunch of missionaries came into our area
and we all went into different sections of our area and knocked doors
to try and find new investigators since we lost so many with the Ward
split. So a bunch of elders came for about an hour and a half and it
was so great! We ended up teaching 23 lessons, talked to 85 people,
got 2 new investigators, and got about 10 potential investigators. It
was so great and really exciting!

Wednesday we drove out to Longview for a special Mission conference!
Oh and while we were driving out to Longview we drove past the high
school that they filmed twilight at!!!! Omg it was so fun! Looks just
like it did in the movie! Haha anyway, so Elder Kopischke from the 70
came and spoke to our mission and it was just so great! He and his
wife are so sweet and have thick German accents but the spirit was so
strong! I sent home a picture with them! So they talked a lot about
faith and of course missionary work and it was awesome!

Thursday we worked some more on my quilt and it's almost done! I'll be
finishing it up tomorrow morning! It looks soooo good:) I'm so excited
to see how it turns out!

Oh and for dinner the members brought us chick Fila and it was
awesome:) I miss chick Fila! But from what I hear there may be one in
Portland where I'm going! We will see!

Friday we had weekly planning and then that night we had an activity
making 72 hours kits! It was really cool to learn more about that
stuff and safety!

Saturday we had a baptism!!!! Well we were teaching her before the
Ward split and then when the boundaries changed we had to hand her
over to the elders but we put her on date and taught her quite a few
times so we were super excited for her:) it was really exciting to be
there, we said the opening and closing prayers and we also gave the
restoration! It was awesome!:)

The rest of the afternoon we were biking, and it was off and on rain
lol. Life here in Washington. Oh and then we had dinner with the
Lavender family and I just love them!!!!:) it was so great!

Sunday we told the Ward council that I was getting transferred and the
bishop was so sweet and told me (in front of the whole Ward council)
how much they appreciated me and the work I did. It was seriously the
sweetest thing ever! Then after the talks the one that was conducting
announced that I was leaving and then I gave the closing prayer I was
walking to my seat and literally so many people came up to me and gave
me hugs and handshakes and even a little girl got a picture with me! I
was honestly so surprised! I felt so much love it was literally the
sweetest moment! I think I might miss his place a little bit! Lol
Then we had a member lesson with a family in the Ward and they taught
us the restoration and did such a great job! It was so funny and
spiritual it was amazing!

Well I'm kinda nervous about leaving this area but I'm really excited
because I need a change, but I'm so sad to be leaving Sister Hibbard!
I just love her and am gonna miss her! She's so much fun and such a
good missionary! I'm also gonna really miss P too!! She's seriously
the best! When you guys come up for Christmas you HAVE to go out to
lunch or dinner with her! And sister Hibbard! I want you guys to meet
them both:)

Well I just want y'all to know how much I love my Savior and how
grateful I am for his atonement! Because of Him I know that families
can be together forever and that He can give me strength through
whatever I'm going through. I'm so thankful for the gospel and the
many blessings we receive because of it. I love Him and this
gospel!!!!

I also love y'all to the moon and back and miss you guys tons!
I hope things are going well and that you guys have the best week ever!
Next week I will be writing to y'all from Portland! So crazy!!!

"Have faith, have hope, live like His Son, help others on their way."

Oh and don't forget to remember me:)

Xoxo
Sister Batey

McKenzee's new companion...on the left...and other companions she's served with.

McKenzee and Sister Hibbard.

Sweet Sister Missionary smiles.

A family that McKenzee loves...

And another one...

McKenzee will miss P, the sweet lady she's lived with for the past few months.



November 7th, 2016

Happy November!!!!!

Wow can't believe it's already November! Only 2 weeks until my birthday!🎉
Time is just flying!!!!!

So on Monday night instead of going out since it was Halloween we got
to just hang out with our zone at the church! It was so fun but also
slightly different because we aren't use to just hanging out! Lol We
carved pumpkins which was fun, I think mine was the best lol. Then we
had a big dinner/pot luck together and watched Ephraim's Rescue. It
was a lot of fun to get to watch a movie again, although I felt kinda
like mom when she watches movies, I felt like I needed to get up and
go do something productive lol. It was weird.

Tuesday we had district meeting again and I didn't have to do anything
this time which was nice and relaxing:) lol. Then again we were biking
to our 1:30 appointment from the stake center a few miles away and we
checked our phone and again the lady canceled:(  We were pretty upset
again but we kept biking for a few more miles and decided to go
farther into our area than we originally planned. So then we get off
our bikes and go knock a few doors and we decided to knock this green
house but no one answered. So we walk back to our bikes and put on our
helmets and we were about to bike away when a car drives past us and
his windows were down and the man driving points and yells at us, "hey
missionariessssss!" Then he pulls into his driveway which happens to
be the green house we just knocked. (God doesn't do random people!!)
lol he then gets out of his car, oh and his stereo is blaring and he
walks over to us and starts dancing hahaha. Then we ask if he's ever
talked to missionaries before and he's like, "oh yeah I'm Mormon".
Well we start talking to this guys, his name is R and we get his
whole like story basically in 45 minutes. And it was just such a great
conversation with him. He told us he was adopted and has like 7
siblings who live in Utah and who have been on missions and he told us
he's from Texas (small world lol) and he tells us how he's kind of
fallen off and made some mistakes but how he is trying to find his way
again. He even said he would make us a deal. He said he would do
anything we ask if we do what he ask. So we said we wanted him to come
to church on Sunday and he was like oh dang! Are you sure? Haha it was
funny, apparently it's been awhile since he's been but he agreed. Then
he told us to read John 15 and call him and tell him our thoughts
about it. Then we got his number and told him we would call him later!
It was such a cool experience! And it was just so funny that it
happened again to us! Just goes to show Heavenly Father has a plan
when our plans don't work out!

Wednesday we went back to the older lady in our Ward to help her make
bracelets again and it was just as hard lol, I had no idea what to do
and she told us that we just needed to start over, so she made us cut
the string so we could try again because we messed up our brackets so
much hahaha. The funny thing is I stopped working on it and would have
her "show" me what to do and basically have her do it because I didn't
want to get it wrong. So actually she was the one to mess it up haha.
Anyway we start our bracelets over and we still haven't finished
them... Lol to be continued.

Then that afternoon we went to help a lady in our Ward paint her
kitchen cabinets. She's redoing her kitchen and asked us to help her!
So that's really fun getting to help her paint! Then that evening we
did lots of walking and knocking. Haha we were so dead tired that
night! But the nice thing was it didn't rain:)

Thursday we had a really cool opportunity to have a hand off lesson
with another set of missionaries. And they happened to be, Sister Finn
& Sister Michaud!!!!!!!!!! Omg it was seriously SO COOL to be able to
teach with them again! They are companions in the young single adult
Ward and they found and have been teaching a lady who is married and
wants sister to teach her and so we are the closest and so we get to
teach her. So they picked us up and we all went and had a lesson with
this lady. I just loved getting to be with them, it was like a dream
getting to teach with them! BUT, let me tell you. This lady they found
she is tough! Kinda reminds me of a nicer and more sincere version of
E. She really wants to know if the Book of Mormon is true and she
is reading it so fast but she is also being very picky and is
analyzing everything!!! So she is definitely going to be a tough one.
Hopefully we can find some answers for her. After that lesson we went
home and had lunch then since it was such a beautiful day outside we
decided to help P and give her dog Zoey a bath! Oh wow, let me
tell you, it was an adventure and I didn't love it. Lol. Zoey is a
black lab and currently she is shedding her summer fur and so as we
were scrubbing her, all of her hair was just shedding like crazy! So
our hands looked so so hairy and I just was gagging the whole time
hahah. But P really needed help so we figured we would.

Dinner that night we went to a Thai place with our Ward mission leader
and his wife. And man oh man, I don't know why but I just have a very
low intolerance for spice things because while we were eating my mouth
was on fire while everyone else was fine. It was crazy! But it was
good food, I think we had curry... But it wasn't my favorite haha.

Saturday we went to do service with Sister T. We worked on my
quilt and I'm just sooo excited for it! We cut out all the squares for
it and put it in the pattern I want and I'm soooo pumped! It will look
so cute:) I'll send you a picture of the pattern.

Oh and Saturday night it was pouring rain and we didn't have any
appointments so we did a lot of walking in the rain and because it
rained to much all the worms came out of the ground and decided to lay
on the sidewalk to try and not drown well, we felt bad because we had
to walk on the sidewalk, we couldn't walk on the road because it was
busy with cars but it was also so dark so we couldn't see the worms
except when the light from the cars drove past and the worms were just
COVERING the sidewalks. And we had no choice but to step on them
because we couldn't see them. It was gross because you could just feel
them with each step. Haha it was grossss.

Then Sunday!!!! Omg so Sacrament meeting was seriously the best!!!!!
It was fast Sunday and so we had testimony meeting and all morning I
just felt like a needed to go up and so of course I got up and bore my
testimony of the Savior and it hit me that I only have 5 more
testimony meetings as a missionary!!!! Only 5!!! That's only one
hand!!!! It kind of freaked me out so that made me want to go up more.
Lol But here's the best part!!! So we worked with this one lady who
just recently started coming back to church and who just moved in with
her inactive brother. Well we visited her a few times but then we had
to stop meeting with her because it sounded like her brother wasn't
all on board. Well Sunday we see the lady at church, she comes every
week, with her mom and then in walks her brother and his wife and son.
Our mouth dropped because we thought we'd never see him! And then
during testimony meeting he gets up and bares an amazing testimony!!!!
He said he felt like he came home being here and he said he wants to
continue learning because he has some questions. It was so great!!!

Also I don't know if you remember me talking about one of my favorite
families, the L family? We watched general conference with them
and he is the big duck fan. Well anyway, so he gets up to bare his
testimony and it was just the cutest, most tender thing ever! He talks
about his calling and his family and then he starts to talk about
missionary work and more specifically us. Then before he could finish
his sentence about us he gets all chocked up. Then he proceeds to say
how we will never know how much he appreciates us and all that we've
done for his family. And then he tells the congregation how they
should be inviting us over and having us in their home. And he ends by
thanking us for showing his family what cool is. Oh my lanta, sister
Hibbard and I were in shock with tears of our own in our eyes. It was
seriously the best thing ever. And it meant so much to us because we
just love that family, and also because he pretty much told the Ward
to step it up. It's been hard because this Ward isn't very warm and
friendly and wanting us to come into their homes. So for him to say
that it was just awesome. It just goes to show how important members
are in missionary work! We literally couldn't do it without them!!!!!
It just makes me so happy and feel so blessed for members like them:)

I'm just so grateful for this gospel. I love it so much and it brings
me so much happiness:) I also know that my Savior lives. I know that
He died for every single one of us and our sins. This gospel is all
about change and becoming better and I'm so thankful for the change
that I've made in my life and for the blessings I've seen. I know that
Heavenly Father has a plan for us and that it truly leads to joy! This
life is meant to be joyful and we can find it in the church. I'm so so
grateful for a prophet today and for the restored priesthood. I've
been reading in John this week and I just love reading about Christ
and the many miracles he's performed. It truly amazes me and brings so
much love into my life. I love my Savior and I love my Father in
Heaven. I love my family and am grateful for every single one of y'all
and for each person He has placed in my life, God is so good😊

I miss you all TONS and love y'all to the moon and back:)
Don't forget to remember me this week;)

"Have faith, have hope, live like His Son, help other on their way."

Xoxo
Sister Batey

All smiles...all dry...and riding in a car.

The quilt McKenzee is making.

 

McKenzee and Sister Hibbard's pumpkins.