My Year Mark! SPECIAL WITH STATS!

Christmas Tree Without a Top

Hello everyone! Happy New Year! 2015! 

On the first of January 2015 I will have been on my mission for ONE year! This blog is going to be about this past week and also included are some statistics with a few pictures. Hope you will enjoy your new year! 

Someone sent me some CDs this past week, as he found me online! I am listening to the audio book and I will report on it later if it is good or not. 

Christmas Eve Fruit Baskets

We have been working hard trying to get to know all the people that the sisters used to teach. (There used to be another set of missionaries in our area, but not anymore so we have taken over the people they were helping) Some of them have been dropped and it has been funny to see that some of them just wanted to be taught by sisters (girls who are missionaries.) We are teaching a few people and we are excited to continue to teach them! 

Refreshment!

 What did we do on Christmas Eve? We delivered a few fruit baskets to some people from the ward, it took a long time as we were super busy and time was an issue with some people needing to leave early when the fruit baskets were not done yet. It was fun though. It was so cool to see some of the people's reactions. It really does mean a lot to be able to receive something to even just show them your love for them. We also went to a senior center where we go every Wednesday and Friday to help out with games. (Bingo) While we were there I was shouting out the numbers (because people are deaf), but then somehow the topic started about me being single! Then one of the ladies next to me said that she had a single granddaughter! WHAT! Then it was worse because the lady who was there working with us said that they can all bring a picture of their granddaughters next week and she told them that they can't have me, because she is reserving me for her own daughter! WHAT! HAHAHAHA. 

Skyping with Family on Christmas Day

CHRISTMAS! We were not allowed to knock on doors so instead we started to do some planning for the next week and then we decided to go to our dinner at 1:40. We were also able to skype home! What a blessing! It was fantastic to be able to see my family again and to hear them all. My companion called his mother in Tonga, which was good. I tried to keep the call for 30 minutes but instead, it went over just a little. Well I get to see them again in about 5 months on Mothers Day! I got a few presents from a few friends and I thank you all for thinking of me and helping and supporting me on my mission. 

I love serving my mission! I am learning so much! I can't believe how much I have changed in just one year! I know this gospel is true! SO many miracles happen that my journal that I have written in each night is full of miracles! I know God lives and I know this is the Fullness of the Gospel. 

Preparing the Stats for this Blog

STATISTICS! 

Planners with Key Indicators

Finance Worksheets

I have decided to share some stats with you from my mission that I feel would be cool! All will be for this year apart from the first Key Indicators which is a record to just a few days ago, everything else is for the rest of the year. 

Key Indicators - As of Dec 28 2014

• 2245 Open your Mouth (Talking to random people on the street who we 1. talk to about the gospel and 2. invite them to act) 
• 209 Total lessons. This includes lessons taught to Recent Converts, Less actives, and investigators. A lesson typically includes a prayer and some gospel topic.
• 100.8 Hours of recorded service. 
• 37 new investigators. (People we start teaching who are new)



Some of my receipts

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Belts

• I have helped 2 people be baptized thus far on my mission. 

Finances

• Church Money spent: $1539.70 (My family and I have paid towards this)



Cards & Letters

• Personal Money spent: $692.73

Clothing

• 1 shirt broken
• ZipBelt worn (Top): About 302 times
• Brown belt worn (Middle): About 7 times
• Belt from Philippines worn: about 56 times (My dad wore this on his mission)

My Study Journal

Other 

• Hours of Sleep: About 2737.5 hrs (That is a solid 114 days!)
• Letters/ cards/ packages: over 50! 
• Emails: 
• Received Emails: 1,090
• Of which 584 are from my mum!
• Sent Emails: 953
• Using 3.36GB of space
• Total bikes owned in mission: 3
• Study time: About 328 hours of personal study
• about 387 Hours of companionship study 
• about 715 hours of total study! 
• Read Book of Mormon cover to cover once this year
• Hours in meetings: About 145 hours in meetings.
• about 156 hours in church 
• about 301 hours in a church building where the meetings are located. 



Ties

• That is a solid 12 days  of meetings! 
• About 33 ties. Spent no money on any of them. 
• 8.5 Transfers with 6 companions and 2 areas. (San Ramon and Hayward)
• Over 100 CDS with a few missing. (Picture is only of about 89% of them)
• Times cut my own hair: 3. As you can see my last time.... 
• Weight: 140 lbs. Before Mission: 125 lbs

Transfers, Companions and Areas

STORIES Not in other emails home

In my first area we ran into one women who lives in our apartment complex but in the sisters' area. One day we were asked if we could help with some service in her home with the sisters. We helped but when we arrived there there was a strong smell of something.... Later we left due to having a dinner but the sisters stayed there so they could teach her a lesson. Later all three sisters were feeling sick and we gave them all a blessing. A few days later Elder Brown and I were coming back home when we saw her trying to get past a speed bump. She was falling asleep as she was walking! So we told her we would walk her home. I was standing right next to her as we walked her home - like 5 minutes due to slow pace. The same smell was strong around her. 

Me cutting my own Hair last July

Some CDs I have

After we dropped her off we started to head back to our apartment. I started to feel WEIRD! It was super strange! I felt different. Colours started to change. I was acting a little weird. I was warm. I was weird. We knew she had a drug which is not allowed in the USA. It is a drug to get off Heroin! She finally told us what the name was and we were ok. I think it may have been some strong essential oils that she was using haha, but everything worked out fine. 

Our District

Well that is all I can think of. But I am enjoying my mission a lot! It has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my whole life! I have grown so much! I am glad that I am able to serve a mission to be able to help others find the same joy that I have been able to experience as I live the gospel. I know it is true, I have seen it change other people's lives. I want to invite you all, if you have not yet, to listen to the 2 guys in white shirts and a tie, because I promise you that this is not just any other church, it is the fullness of what we all need in our lives. Through it we can return to live with our God again. 

In the Name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love Elder Kloosterboer