Hola mi familia y amigos! Esta mi, Kaylee!
Some have you have already heard, that I got home a few days ago. Sadly I have been having a lot of health problems all throughout my mission and it got to the point where I needed to come home to get better. I kept it very secret with only having family know what has been happening. I had multiple doctors telling me I needed to come home and being my stubborn self I would tell them no. I knew that I was needed in the mission and I loved the people and the gospel more than anything. I wanted to stay and work with these people as long as possible.
Even though it was really hard and there were many days where I would be really sick during tracking and lessons, I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything else in the world! I grew to love the people and what I was doing with all my heart. There were days where it took everything I had to make it through the day, but I did it because I loved the people and my savior. The families and individuals I was able to meet and teach changed my life more than they would ever know. They helped me understand what love and true happiness comes through Christ. I learned the importance of families and how precious they are. I’m beyond lucky I am able to have mine for eternity, and that was my favorite thing to teach that to other families and see them become closer as a family and to Christ. I’m forever grateful that I was able to see and experience that.
My mission pushed and stretched me in ways I never would’ve been able to at home. I’m grateful for the trials and struggles that were given to me, so I could depend and turn to the lord in everything I do. It broke my heart to say goodbye to the people and the work, because it grew to have a very special place in my heart. All I can do is thank God everyday for letting me be a part of his work and glory and experiencing everything I have seen and felt. I miss the people and missionaries I was able to work with so much! They have made my life so much brighter from their examples and light they brought. I'm very blessed to have been able to work and be around them.
It’s been very hard, but I’m glad to be home and to be able to get back to health. The thing that I love most is our whole lives are missions. Missionary work doesn’t cease after a mission, there is more work that needs to be done throughout a lifetime. Even though my work is done in Baltimore, I will forever keep the people and memories in my heart forever, and continue to love and pray for them every day. I’m excited to use what I experienced and learned and apply it into my life now and in the future. I gave it my all, and that’s all the Lord can ask of a missionary.
I would love to share my testimony in Spanish of what I have learned and grew to love from this experience:
Yo se que el evangelio de Jesucristo is verdad y porque su expiacion nos puedemos regresar con el y nuestro padre celestial otro vez. Amo mi Salvador y su inglesia. Amo todos los bendiceones que el evangelio trae en nuestros vidas. Mi Corazon es completo porque del gozo el evangelio trae en mi vida. Yo digo estas cosas en el nombre de Jesucristo amen.
The best part is my whole life is a mission, we don't need name tag to be a missionary! I will always be Hermana Hirsbrunner! Thanks for all the love and support everyone has given me through this life changing journey, I couldn’t be more blessed and thankful for the amazing encouragement and friendship everyone has given me! You all kept my head up.
Con amor por la ultima vez,
Hermana Kaylee Hirsbrunner
Baltimore Maryland Mission
My sweet neighbors came and decorated the house for me to welcome me home and heart attack the door! It was so cute having all the little kids in the neighborhood come and welcome me home showing me what they decorated on the driveway and seeing their AMAZING spanish!;) Seriously how blessed I am for all the wonderful people I have in my life!! I wish I was able to get more pictures of it all, but I wasn't feeling so good after the travels! They are so awesome and I can't thank the friends and family who have been so kind and helpful!
That day was so special to me! I was able to see my family and I never knew how excited I would be to see them until I got off the plane! There is nothing better than running back into your family's arms and feel the excitement and love from them! After being released from being a missionary I was able to go to the temple with my parents and I couldn't of been any happier to be with my family in my favorite place int the whole world!
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Here are pictures from christmas with my district and companion. It was so much fun being able to do missionary work during the christmas season and being able to share and celebrate Christ. On Christmas eve the hispanic cultures celebrate it as christmas! So they eat a ton of food have loud music and stay up till 12 and THEN open up their gifts! It was a ton of fun! On Christmas we were able to visit a member's house and have christmas dinner with them! They made the most amazing food ever!! Love mexican food!!
We were also able to have a missionary christmas party and because there were only 8 of us hermanas out of 200 missionaries in our mission we decided to go all out with the hispanic traditions! Hermana Matrigoni who is from Hawaii made us all headbands from real flowers that we got to wear! They were so beautiful! It was so fun being so close with the other Hermanas throughout the mission, they were awesome!
I was also able to finally go through some old pictures and videos from Mexico! These ones made me laugh and made me miss my district in Mexico! It's awesome how close we were all able to get being from all around the states to come together and learn and teach. All the people I have met have truly changed my life and I'm so proud of the work they are continuing to do!
Im almost 99% positive that Hermana Berry and I are crying in this picture!! Don't worry HAPPY TEARS!!! We were excited for what was in store for us and we always had the best and most uplifting conversations! Im so proud of her and all the things she is doing in Medesto, CA!
Hermana Watts and I took off all the couch cushions in the case and played lava after all our district left for their fields! Hermana Watts and I had one more day in Mexico until we got to fly out, so we spent the day very well:)
