Kat in Valencia

Hello, all! I love you very much, and I'm excited to be talking with you again! 

I'll send pictures in a little, but picture me in a trench coat that's slightly damp, sitting in a fancy apple store that's owned by a member. We get spoiled here..... Like, a lot. :) I'll tell you all about it soon!

Note from Mom: We didn't end up hearing very much from Katherine last week. We did find out through the mission Facebook page that Ana and Jose were baptized! We also found pictures of Katherine helping with Operation Gratitude. She sent me a private message that talks a little bit about her experiences as a missionary. We were talking about what it means to be able to reach out and help others:

I know just from what we see as missionaries that there are people in this world who go through so much. It's so hard to see, especially because you just love them so much. My old district leader, Elder Smith, had a saying that he would pull out whenever we were overwhelmed by All the Hard Things. He would say, "We're the ones who fight back. We see so much suffering and pain in the world, and there are so many people who need help. And we have the absolutely humbling privilege of fighting back. We're fighting for them, to help them. We're on their side, and Jesus Christ is giving us strength. And we can change this. We can change lives."

I think of that a lot when I'm discouraged or worried about others. It hurts to see them in pain, but it's so worth the heartache to be able to help them, even just a little bit. :)

Project gratitude: Missionaries gave valuable logistical and sorting services, enabling Operation Gratitude to further their mission to: "send 200,000+ care packages, this new year, filled with food, entertainment, hygiene, and handmade items, plus personal letters of appreciation to Veterans, First Responders, New Recruits, Wounded Heroes, their Care Givers, and to individually named U.S. service members deployed overseas and their families waiting at home." 

Katherine's companion (Hermana Hadley) is the cute sister on her left with the glasses.

Hermana Starke at Ana and Jose's baptism