hello! sorry yesterday (Monday) was a holiday and we have to proselyte  on holidays. so today is our p-day! this week has been so all over the place. the other day we forgot to plan and so we did a lot of driving around not really knowing what to do. but then yesterday we planned and we had great success. just shows how important planning is! 

we had a sister's conference with all the sisters in the entire mission and that was awesome! i learned so much about myself and my self worth and the love God has for me. how we don't need to be perfect, we need to try our best and to be complete. fully developed in the Gospel. not free from error. because that's impossible. Everyone is fighting a battle, and we are all getting credit for trying. Everything makes the difference. with us being sister missionaries,  we put a lot of unneeded stress on ourselves and we have problems with comparing ourselves. that is why they had a special sister's conference! i learned that being happy is a commandment, never actually knew that. and we need to ask  what Heavenly Father wants us to do. especially as missionaries. but that can help you just in regular life. (random thoughts from my notes: ) when we have a vision of what we can become, it motivates us and makes us strive for that vision and work toward it. we have to find joy in the journey. what can i learn from this experience? what can i change? excellence is being willing to fail. that was really cool. don't leave before the miracle. let Him bless us. when you believe in yourself, you believe in miracles. pain has to be heard to move forward. underneath weaknesses is what you want. when you cant find what you want, talk it out. when you find what you want, you have to live it. it teaches you. you teach yourself. when you have something to say, have the other person "hold space". no judgments. no comments. just hold space. just like how Christ does for us. don't try to fix anything. just listen. hold space. but also be conscious of your intention in talking things out. express the pain to get to the want. 

i gained a lot of appreciation for my mom this week. we spent almost everyday helping this less active, move. she had so much crap mom. like nothing compared to what i have. i learned the importance of de-junking and weekly chores. so much scrubbing. but we made it look like it was a brand new house. it was awesome. and we still aren't done i think. oh well. 

one of the many miracles this week: we were trying to figure out who to visit. we have the one family that has a baptismal date that we haven't talked to for a while because of unavailability. their dog also barked and chased us a couple days before an bit hna mendez...anyway we were in front of this part member families house and thought about visiting the other family because we were thinking they were dodging us, so if we went by earlier then maybe we would have a chance to talk to them. so i said a prayer out loud with hna mendez asking what God wanted us to do and who needed us that night. after the prayer we sat there and the names of the other family popped into my head and after hna mendez said the same thing. its amazing how the spirit works. i love it. it helps me so much during the day. 

we contacted a group of cholos ( gang members, mom ) and they gave us the wrong house address. we had some elders come with us so we could hand them over to them because we were scared of them. but they gave us the wrong address. oh well.. 

i spent a lot of time thinking and talking about friends and family this week with hna mendez, made me miss you all. but i know that i love you more than i miss you. i love you guys. i hope you are having a great week, and continue to have a great week. i pray for all of you. and i love you all so much! 

(mom-i left my camera in Mexico but my companion grabbed it and is sending it to me...sorry no pictures again. ill ask hna mendez if she has any i can send)

i love  you!

-Kiara (hna Harker) :)<3 

First Week in Carlsbad!

Holy crap im here. i feel like im having an out of body experience. its crazy. i seriously feel like im walking around and im a camera man and i am watching the tv. it is so surreal. but guess what? im freaking loving it. im loving it here. it is so much better than the MTC. i mean i loved that place and all the people there, but im finally free. it feels like im going to school but like a church school. its wonderful here. the weather, the people, my companion, the freedom, my apartment, im just happy im finally here. and it doesn't feel real.

my companion is hermana Mendez. she is a Latina from Idaho. she is fluent in Spanish and English. so that is a huge blessing. we are like the only Spanish speaking hermanas. she is training me and doing a great job. she is a great missionary. i want to be just like her. word on the street is that i am going to be a trainer after these 12 weeks. and that is super crazy because i feel like i just got here and im not ready to be a trainer. but i mean like i got 12 weeks. 

um im actually understanding the people! i can understand almost everything that they are saying. also i can understand more than i can speak. but we were eating dinner at a member/less actives house one night and i was introducing myself and told them i had studied 3 years of Spanish and was in Mexico for 6 weeks for Spanish, he was surprised and told me that i had pretty good Spanish. that was an amazing compliment. hna Mendez does most of the talking because she understands AND speaks better than i do. we actually do a lot more lessons in English than Spanish. they speak Spanish but they prefer to be taught in English. and i love the people. 

the night i got there we had a lesson with a new investigator family. Alvaro, Mayra, and Bethany. and that night we actually got them on date for BAPTISM. it was my first lesson with them but hna Mendez has visited them before. i just sat there smiling and trying to stay awake and trying to understand what Alvaro was saying. but it was amazing. we just had another lesson with them this past weekend and we taught about the Plan of Salvation and it went so good. i actually spoke too! i testified about prayer and the Holy Ghost was so strong. i wanted to cry. i could feel God's love for this family. they are amazing and understanding. i love the work. 

the next night we went out contacting. which is one of the scariest things ever. we got out of a lesson and just walked around the streets at night in the dark and talked to random people and handed out Mormon.org cards. it was terrifying but i also loved it at the same time. its a weird feeling and combination but its great. 

conference was amazing too. i haven't been too sad...yet...i hope i  don't get too sad. i was missing my family during conference but i also felt the spirit so strong knowing that they were okay and watching conference too. and i also had a feeling my mom would be crying every time they mentioned missionaries and missionary work. i love you mom. 

yesterday was awesome. we went and contacted a woman last night. she had filled out a cuestionario  and we actually taught a mini Restoration lesson right there on the spot. i was able to recite the first vision in Spanish from memory (thank you Hno. Weber and Hna. Alonso for making us memorize those scriptures). and then right before we went home we stopped by another guys house on our way home to set up an appointment and it turns out he is in a GANG. it was seriously so cool. he had face tattoos and a bunch of other tattoos. he spoke in English but we set up an appointment with him and it was killer. he actually had a chargers symbol above his eyebrow near his temple and it reminded me of Talon :)<3 everyone here has chargers swag. 

they say there are so many spiders here and we killed a black widow outside our apartment the first day and i wanted to cry. i haven't seen very many. that is either a blessing or a curse. im sure ill be fine. 

i was worried i was going to be so out of shape from the MTC that i wasn't going to be able to run in the morning, but its actually really easy and im loving it. 

hna Mendez doesn't have her license so i have been having to driving this whole time and that's been really great. its actually a really nice car and the breaks and gas are incredible. im not comparing her to baby grey. i miss you buddy. too bad she has a new owner -_-

send all letters and packages to the following address:)

451 W Bobier Dr
Vista CA 92083-1906
United States

MOM: please send me the family insurance card and if you haven't already, please send me my grey waffle shirt, my elephant skirt, and my black dress:) also how much money do i have on my card?

i love you all so much and im so blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends. i love you guys and i hope you are being safe and having a great time. don't forget to read your scriptures and pray everyday and every night. you will see the blessing tremendously in your lives. keep praying! i love you!

Kiara :) your fellow hermana missionary!<3

Kiara and Hermana Mendez

Helping Hermana Mendez with a bandaid. 

Kiara Made It To Carlsbad!  (Sept 27, 2016)

hi mommy! i have made it to California! at last! i am super congested and have barely eaten anything. we were picked up from the airport and now i am sitting in the mission office in Carlsbad!! i just wanted to let you know i am safe and i am the only Spanish speaking sister from this transfer! I'm so so excited! they said i start teaching tonight!! aaaah!! i love you so much! you'll be hearing from me next Monday which is my pday! i love you so much mommy! 

ps will my card work here now that I'm in the united states?

i love you! 

kiara<3

Last week at the CCM!

hello friends and family! 

this week was another tough start. but with the help of my companion and district and zone it always gets better. 

im sad to say that nothing has really happened this week. just a regular week. nothing big. just still learning. and playing a lot of volleyball. and hacky sack. its pretty fun and im getting really good. we play and hang out with our zone a lot. 

Elder Carr left on Monday and he got a package but he left before he could get it, and he said i could have it. its two bags of chips and dip and pop. im just going to share them with the zone and district today during volleyball. 

i loved my package from my mom and im super excited to share it with the people here too! 

not going to lie, i was wanting to come home this past weekend, i was having a really hard time and crying constantly, but my companion is the best and she helped me a ton and reminded me why im here. and i also received a priesthood blessing from my zone leaders and it helped me a lot. and always playing volleyball and hacky sack keeps me distracted and happy. its so much fun. 

im starting to get a farmers tan on my arms from wearing short sleeved shirts outside during volleyball. and also a tan line from my anklet and my capris i wear in the sun. good times. 

we taught a really good lesson and i was talking about how God is always there for us during our difficulties and how He will never leave us. and the Spirit was so strong i wanted to cry. because i know that God has never left me during all my hardships. and i know that God loves me. it is shown every time i get a priesthood blessing. 

this past weekend during my hard times, i had a bonding moment with the hermanas in my zone and we talked for a while and i decided to say the closing prayer in English, which never happens. and it was actually difficult. i haven't said a prayer out loud in so long and it was hard to think of the words in english. i still haven't had dreams in Spanish, but the language is coming along. 

i found out that i leave at 2:30 in the morning on Tuesday. so really its Monday night haha its going to be great. its really stressful because i will most likely get charged for the weight of my bags. we got like 20 pounds of books when we got here and i kinda need to take them with me. but my carry on has to be under 20 pounds. and my big bags have to be under 50. if it is 50 i get charged. so mom, look out i will be having money missing in my account. just a heads up. 

im really excited to leave the ccm but at the same time im scared! but everything will be fine. 

thank you for all the prayers. keep them coming. i need them. i love you!

love, hermana (kiara) harker

One Month Down!

hello hello!

today is exactly my first month down! if we are counting by the date, then it is one month. but if you're counting by the weeks then it was around last week is one month. loving my companion. whoop whoop! raise the roof! I'm loving my companion, she is awesome! she helps me everyday. this week has been super difficult for me, and my companion has helped me throughout it all and I'm oh so thankful for her and all of her help and support she gives me. love you hermana Whitney. 

last p-day was our first without going to the temple, and we just played sports all day. volleyball for hours. I'm getting good. talon, you would be proud of me. we play it almost everyday with the district next door to our class and it is good fun. poor little hermana balls gets burned everyday. even with sunscreen. her poor little red nose, shes a trooper. 

mother you sent me veggie straws not quinoa straws! i still share with my district and zone and i love the snacks and appreciate them super much. 

this past Tuesday was pizza night from Costco like always, and it was actually pretty good. we got it pretty early so it wasn't old and the cheese was still warm! and i actually ate it! but it did make me kinda sick, because my meals usually consist of salad, fruit and a piece of toast with peanut butter on it. good times. and I'm not sick anymore! yay!

we had a devotional broadcast with Quentin L. Cook from Provo this past Tuesday and it was awesome. lots of apostles. 

we got dropped by one of our "investigators" yesterday. and it was really confusing because one day she had a really strong testimony and then now she doesn't want to continue anymore. it was really hard and discouraging on us. but this wont get us down for long! having problems with our district, they are just a bunch of high schoolers. oh well. 

I've been drinking so much water lately. and my companion does too so we are constantly going to the bathroom. my pee is so clear its amazing. 

last Sunday in remembrance of 9/11 hermana whitney and i matched. i wore my red and white stripped dress with a blue cardigan and she wore a blue and white stripped dress and a red cardigan. it was good fun. but no pictures. sorry. also, the hermanas in my zone had a feeling that i was going to speak on Sunday, and so did i, but i didn't. i think they are saving me for our last Sunday...or this Sunday...i hope not...also our branch president spoke to us: president suaste and it felt like he was directly talking to me. he helped me a lot. its amazing what the spirit can do. 

my español is getting better. its a progress. like everything here. its a progress and there is always room for improvement. 

mom! i found some microwaves near the Tall labs. Hunter will understand when he gets here. there are microwaves. i saw them. 

we have been having problems with worldly songs this week. it is so hard trying not to sing them. because i just want to sing rap city chick. but that is super inappropriate here and as a missionary. always repenting. i also started reading Jesus the Christ. it is an awesome book. i encourage all to read it. 

i was so excited to write and have pday today that i barely slept last night. i was tossing and turning with pure excitement. it makes me so happy to talk to my loved ones. i love you guys and im so happy you are all in my life and supporting me. I'm constantly talking about you all and telling stories. i love you all so much and you are always in my prayers. thank you for everything you all have done for me. you are all blessings in my life.

i love you! with all my heart! 

love, hermana (im still Kiara) harker:)<3 

p.s. my next pday will be wednesday because i will be getting ready to leave! so in only 5 days away instead of 7! yay! youll be hearing from me real soon! i leave here at like 2 in the morning in two tuesdays!!!!

p.p.s. i love you!:)

Week 3

okay lots of little things happened this week. i guess. it was actually really challenging but nothing compared to how it is going to be next week. my stories are not in order. just so you know.

to start off, mom im sorry. because i did the biggest burp in the bathroom this week. and it echoed. my companion is so cool that she gave me a high five and she too was burping with me. just so you know, my first burps were definitely weak, but as i kept going, it only made them stronger. im sorry mom. i haven't changed. 

another story in the bathroom. in the stalls mosquitos fly around and every time im in there i have to check if the coast is clear so i dont get more mosquito bites on my butt. one time there was a mosquito and i flicked it and its guts came out but he was still squirming and stuff! what? im like, dude im sorry you cant get away. 1. your guts are outside of your body, and 2. your guts are making you stick to the stall. this experience freaked me out so bad that i went into another stall and had hna. Whitney kill it and dispose of the body. 

to get through the week, hna. Whitney and i ask people for jokes and we have been collecting jokes. we got to a point where there were so many to remember we started to write them down. this week i bought a flippy note book, pocket sized, and have been copying jokes. its a good time. 

also, on Sunday, hna. Whitney and i taught a lesson in relief society. there are only 8 sisters in our zone, so only 6 were listening while the other two (us) were teaching. we were teaching on the Atonement, and i was able to share matt´s story. i love the Atonement. 

this week, hna. Alonso our teacher for the afternoon, told us to look up in preach my gospel Christ like attributes and study it and work on it for my mission. i chose humility. and in addition to that, we had a discussion during book of Mormon study about desires. how God knows our desires and if we put our faith in Him and work really hard for Him, that he will bless us with our desires. this sounds easy but is actually very difficult for me. because in order to do that, i have to "forget home". but i dont think of it that way. i cant forget, i just have to limit the times i think about it. which is very difficult for me because i love to think about my friends and family and my home, but it does make it easier to focus sometimes. it just makes me sad. 

also this morning sucked. just so you know. i woke up at 2 with terrible stomach cramps. i went in the bathroom and had diarrheas since Easters. i took some "stop pooping medicine". i was barely able to sleep. and then when our alarm went off at 6 i felt like crap. hna. Whitney continued to get ready and i just laid in bed. i ended up throwing up. it actually made me feel a lot better but i still felt crappy. i barley got ready thats why i look not very good in my photos. i ended up getting a blessing from the elders in my district. the priesthood is amazing. and the enfermaria wasnt open yet so we went to recepcion and they called the doctor and gave me more "stop pooping" medicine. i got cramps whenever i walked. when the enfermaria opened, we walked over and i got checked out by the doctor, he said it was indigestion. he gave me some pills and i got some red Gatorade and im feeling a lot better. faith and the priesthood and "stop pooping" medicine works!!

mom- when is hunter coming here? on what date?

mom- please send more quinoa straws. they were gone in two days. not just me. i shared just like you told me to. they were so delicious. 

that´s kinda it. every day is the same so it is hard to look for things that happen that are different. but this week i have pictures"!!!

keep praying and reading your scriptures. especially the Book of Mormon. it can help you in all aspects of your life. I have a testimony about that.

Kiara's 2nd Email!

hello my favorite people in the world! im going to say that i would like to hear from my siblings if they really love me. i miss you guys and i want to have a letter from each of you starting this week. please. and thank you. 

so last pday we were able to go to the temple. it was so beautiful. it looks like a mayan temple its so crazy! it was so different because it was all in spanish but they had little recorder things that had the english version. and i had to have help becuase i dont know what to say in spanish. but it was a beautiful experience. and we get to go again!

our district leader left yesterday and that has been pretty hard on our district. but that is why we are going to the temple again. usually people only get to go twice while here at the mtc but The Lord knew that we were going to need to go again so that is why they put us on the schedule this week again.

every morning and pretty much everytime i have a meal i have toast with peanutbutter on it. but these toasters here are a fire waiting to happen. toast always gets stuck in the belt and my companion and i have set toast on fire multiple times. Theres a fire/smoke every day.

we got two new "investigators" this week. they are really just our teachers. but we got one to commit to baptism on the second lesson! we are killing it! hermana whitney and i got coaching from our teacher and she said that she has loved our lessons and we are doing really well with teaching the person, not the lesson. we do really well teaching with the Spirit. im loving it. 

so hermana whitney and i have been asking people here about any funny jokes and i would like to extend that invitation to my home. if you have any good jokes, please share them with me. we need them to get through the day. 

i got my package from my sweet mom. i loved it and i shared them with my district. mom, id love some healthy snacks please:) i was so surprised and happy. because the day before an elder got a package and i was saying that i wish my family loved me and thought about me sometime too! and the next day! i get a box of donuts! yay! i loved them! mom i did not get your letter yet i dont think. 

on sunday, for our video we watched The Testaments. it was awesome. it definately reminded me of my purpose. it was spectacular. At the end of the video is said "Christ has come, and He will come again" and our president went up and said it again and he said that that is why we are here. we are the instruments to bring people back. i loved it.

we also got the opprotunity to sing in the choir this week. it was the efy or seminary song that seriously fills the room with the Spirit. everytime we sang it i got chills and/or might have cried. and what was even more powerful was that it was in SPANISH. i love it it was so beautiful. 

this was a summary of high points of this week. the days are long but the weeks are short. its going by so fast! we have been here for 3 tuesdays. only 4 more to go!

please send encouragement and love and keep me and my district in your prayers. 

Families can be together forever! and i freaking love my family!!!

JOKE: ¿que hace un pez?

nada.

look it up in the spanish dictionary. its hilarious!!

LOOOOOOOOVE with todo mi corazon,

Hermana (im still kiara) Harker

much love. 

p.s. sorry no pictures this week yet. if forgot my camera...im sorry...