Autzen Stadium and a Mouse (04/01/2014)

One of my new goals is to make sure I write something in my journal every day, anything from just a couple of sentences or a paragraph to a whole page. I am using the red journal you got me for my mission. I am excited for General Conference and can't wait to get some revelation :)
I'll make sure to send some of my thoughts on stuff I heard next week.

For the last P-Day, we went to Autzen Stadium and did the tour, it was super awesome! Of course I forgot my camera, but other sisters said they'd send me a picture. We had a Zone pic there too. Autzen stadium is where the Oregon Ducks play football and baseball.

District meetings are around 3 - 5 companionships that come together at the church building every Friday morning to report on their week and learn what the Mission President's plan is or learn what the new help/technique is for the mission. We role-play and read sections from Preach My Gospel and give each other advice on troublesome issues or people.
At every Zone Conference, we sing the OEM (Oregon Eugene Mission) mission song. I don't have it memorized, but it is definitely a fun song and it brings unity :)

Zone Conference was last week. Pics should be on the OEM mission blog.
All the missionaries had interviews with the mission president. My interview was pretty short. apparently, it's an interview for us (missionaries) to ask him questions. My interview was pretty short, maybe next time I'll try to come up with some questions. He just asks how we are doing, what our goals are, what we think of the area, how the companionship is going, checking if we can take over our area, etc, Basically gauging companionships and stuff for the next transfer.

Left  - Eugene Zone missionaries. Right - skit at Eugene & Roseburg Zone conference

Haven't had a chance to watch the General Women's broadcast yet. The Eugene 3rd Ward is going to have a lunch at the church and watch it together since it was broadcast during Spring Break.
I still can't (haven't learned to) conduct music, but I have learned how to strip wire, take 15 minute showers, get up on time, use an iPad, appreciate Preach My Gospel, taking notes, stack wood Tetris-style, play 'God Speed the Right' on the piano, play frisbee-golf and make crafty banners  :)
Oregon is the happy, mountain version of New York. It's nice, but I wouldn't live here. I'd come back to see the people I've come to love.

Sister Clove and I caught a mouse!!! Trust me, he's in there. He ate all of our Belgian waffle mix too :(

My NEW FAVORITE ice cream!!!!! Haagen Dazs - White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle

Love you!!!! <3
Sister Duenas

Sister Duenas' Spiritual Thoughts (March 2014)

03/04/2014 - 

03/14/2014 - 

"We cannot walk as other men, or talk as other men, or do as other men, for we have a different destiny, obligation and responsibility placed upon us, and we must fit ourselves to it." -- Elder John A. Widtsoe

03/14/2014 - 

President Uchtdorf says it all. When it comes to bullying. Stop it. Follow in Jesus Christ's foot steps for we are all brothers and sisters who should love each other.

03/26/2014 - 

As I have been striving to focus on being a faithful disciple of Christ the questions and trials that come up seem to just solve themselves. As we turn outward, following Jesus Christ's example, and help others around us Heavenly Father will make sure we are taken care of in return 

How has turning to Christ affected your vision of others?
How can you be of help to someone today?

03/26/2014 - 

Want to learn more about the LDS Church? Well, there's no better way than to come listen to our church leaders (pictured below) speak! Next weekend, April 5th through April 6th, is General Conference. 
Come with your questions and I promise you will receive answers to every single one of them. Whether it be from the speaker words or promptings of the Holy Ghost, you WILL get your answer.

03/26/2014 - 

"In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of greater importance." - Dieter F Uchtdorf

The Lord can guide you to bless the lives of others; through us, His children, He often does his greatest work. learn more about the power of prayer at The Role of Prayer in Our Lives

#didyouthinktopray

03/31/2014 - 

"Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus!" --Elder Neal A Maxwell

There are times in life when we each get a little distracted and caught up in our busy lives. Eventually our focus gets so off course that we feel there is NO TIME for a 3 hour church service! There is NO TIME for Monday night family home evening! NO TIME for daily scripture studying! NO TIME to help my neighbor! Until there is NO ROOM for Jesus and the Holy Spirit to enter into our lives.
How can you be sure to MAKE ROOM for Jesus in your busy life?

He Guides Our Footsteps (03/24/2014)

Mother Dearest! <3
I have your million-question letter in front of me, so I hope I'll be able to answer all of them to your satisfaction ;)
Here's some more details about transfers. Transfers are every 6 weeks. we know if we are leaving the Friday or Saturday before. If we will be training or going into leadership positions, we know 2 weeks before.
I found out on Saturday morning and it took me probably around 3-4 hours to gather everything up and pack it. It didn't help that I had given one of my space bags to someone and my other big one had a tear in it, so I had to keep sucking the air out...please send another one :)
Since transfers are on a P-Day, yes we get to unpack. The apartment in Grants Pass is bigger than the apartment in Eugene, but this apartment has a balcony and a much better oven :)
There are bus routes in Eugene, but we have a car. The mission home is only a few minutes away. I actually got to see the mission home a couple of times when I first transferred to Eugene. We had another Sister with us that was going to train so we drove her around a little. Since Sister Clove was asked to play the piano when the new Sisters came in, I had to sing with the Trainers, meh :(   But I did get to see the new Sisters, so that was fun.

OEM Mission Home

The Eugene 3rd ward has some young married couples since it is a college city. There is one set of Sisters and one set of Elders in the ward. Brother Johnson is our Ward Mission Leader. President Young and Sister Young are in the Eugene 1st ward.

Just last Saturday we got 2 new investigators! It was just so awesome. We had a little time, so we went tracting before our next appointment. The very first house we went to were these two women (mom and daughter). We talked about lots of things surrounding the Plan of Salvation, some about the Book of Mormon, and Jesus being our Savior. Before we left, we asked if we could come back and teach them more in detail about the Plan of Salvation and Jesus Christ, the daughter said 'Yes, Please! I was hoping you'd ask.' Both these women are so golden and wonderful people. We can't wait to go back!

I am really happy that you like the FAITH banner. It took forever and when I was done I looked at it and realized it might not go with our home decor. But it looks great in the pictures, so Yay!

Love you bunches! <3
Sister Duenas

Heavenly Father Knows What We Need (03/10/2014 - 03/18/2014)

03/10/2014 - 
Mom-> Sister Duenas......Hi Sweetie, The news just said that there was an earthquake on Sunday night just off the coast of northern California. They said it was felt in Oregon too. It registered 6.9 magnitude on the Richter scale. Did you gals feel the earthquake tremors last night? It was around 10:15pm PST.

Sister Duenas->Mom      OH MY GOSH!!!! WE TOTALLY FELT IT!!! We were wondering if it was an earthquake but it was just so small and I'd never felt one so I wasn't sure. It was like a very slight rumbling sound that made the house vibrate.

**So transfer news. I am going up to Eugene 3rd Ward :)  **

It took a little while to pack my stuff, but it's all done and I'm ready to go.

03/18/2014 - 

My new companion is Sister Clove. 

So my new area is pretty cool, but also pretty difficult. Many people around here question the very basics of Jesus' doctrine.

(A week later)...As I have met more of the people here and gotten to know them a little, I've found that we are truly just the same. They just have a different way of showing it. Heavenly Father made us all different for a purpose :) so who am I to judge His creations? :)

You should watch 'Cell Phone' on mormon.org Cell Phone video

It's just like US <3 :)

Also watch But Why? and By The Hour. They are both pretty adorable. They are only 30 seconds to a minute long.

Embracing the change. I feel good :)

I read all of those talks you sent. They were super awesome, thanks Mom!!!!

I am doing much better now. I really don't know what gets into me sometimes, but now it feels better to be here. I think it's because you let me talk endlessly  after (high) school when I'd get off the bus. I'd sit down at my stool and you'd ask 'So, How was school?' and I'd say 'meh, same as normal'. You'd give me a look and say 'Nope, I want more than that.' Which led everytime to me unloading every detail about what happened that day :) And then at college, we'd talk atleast 3x a day! See?! Ya spoiled me! I was having 'Mom withdrawals' for the first bit of my mission. hahaha. I guess if you're gonna have a withdrawal, that one isn't bad to have, huh? :)

So, like I wrote before, I'm alright now :) 

Sister Clove has really helped me a lot and she didn't even know it :) Really it was Heavenly Father, He knew how and who to fix me <3   Now that I think about it, she does remind me of you a little bit. She's pretty darn smart. Whenever I make a comment (that makes complete sense to me, but may not have come out using the right words), she just kind of looks at me and repeats what I said to the investigator in a much clearer, simpler way. Just. Like. You. :)  It's nice to have someone who knows or can at least decipher my brain/words.

Next week is my 5 month mark! Can't believe how fast the mission is going (now) :)

Only 2'ish months until Mother's Day!

Love you,

Sister Duenas/Kiana :) <3

ps...send me that one story about a man's prayer interrupted by God :)

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest". Joshua 1:9

Springtime in Grants Pass (03/03/2014)

03/03/2014 - 
Hi Mom!
Adorable daughter #2 here. I'm feeling better. Our mission nurse person says it's just a need of sleep and drinking more water.
One thing I am grateful for (my mission) for is that when I wake up in the morning, I'm awake. Of course I'd love to get more sleep, but i don't need it. Another is, I love studying the scriptures and reading more every day about the gospel.
I pray that I can learn the meaning of that one scripture about losing oneself for Jesus' sake and so being able to find it.

Springtime in Grants Pass, OR

03/05/2014 - 
Hi (Again) Mom!
I'm spoiling you with two letters in one week :)
The flowers I sent are very special indeed. Apparently there aren't many places to find them here in Oregon whereas they're everywhere in New York! I collected as much as I could find and pressed them in my scriptures in the Topical Guide Motherhood section :)
They aren't 'our' flowers, I know, but atleast they're close :) I'm glad you like them.
<Note from Mom: in New York there are tiny white flowers that peek out from under the snow usually in the month of March - they are called SnowDrops. Sister Duenas always picked them for her Mom every year as soon as she saw them peeking out from under the melting snow>

There is an awesome Bible video on lds.org or mormon.org called 'Jesus Declares: I Am the Light of the World, the Truth Shall Make You Free'.
Another good one (made me cry) is a Mormon Message called 'Mountains to Climb'.
I finished your banner! The word is 'FAITH'.

FAITH banner made by Sister Duenas <3

Cute 'new' outfit Sister Duenas found at GoodWill

Love you to the moon.
Good night :) xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Love,
Kiana

Sister Duenas' Spiritual Thoughts (February 2013)

02/01/2014 - Many times when we got through tough times we wonder why God abandoned us at these moments. We need to have faith that He hasn't abandoned us and make sure we don't abandon Him. He is always there for us, we just need to turn to Him and ask for help. He WILL give it.

02/04/2014 - 

As you remember to do the small and simple things and master them, you will be able to do great things through the infinite strength of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

02/05/2014 - 

Through the Atonement we all may become cleansed from sin. Jesus Christ paid this heavy price for us that we might live with him and our Heavenly Father again. Because of Jesus Christ we can have hope for our future as we follow in his footsteps and use this great gift he has lovingly, unconditionally given us.  #WhatIsAtonement

"No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”" -- President Dieter F Uchtdorf, "The Infinte Power of Hope"

02/06/2014 - 

"Don't let the low standards and expectations of the world and others cause you to aim beneath your nobility and ability—dream big! What I know and have learned is that anything worth doing is not easy and that we can do anything that is not easy if we believe." -- Elaine S Dalton

If we are the children of God (and we are :)) then what can you accomplish having inherited such great potential?

02/07/2014  - 

Yesterday, I was able to go to the temple and enjoy all of it's blessings. I love going to the temple. Just the sight of it brings joy and peace to me in this increasingly chaotic world. When I go to the temple I am able to realign myself with what is truly important in life. Family; love the Lord with all my heart, soul and mind; love my neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39) and always standing in holy places, no matter the circumstances. 

To learn more of why we have temples and why they are so important I invite you to watch this short video.

02/07/2014 -
Faith is truly an action word! When we have faith in the Lord we are capable of accomplishing anything. Heavenly Father has given us so much to be grateful for and I have faith that He will always give us the help we need if we but have the faith to ask and then act on the answer He gives us.

What more can we do to exercise our faith, to show our love for all that God and His Son has provided for us?

02/11/2014 - 

Job 14:7  "For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease."

There are times in every person's life that we reach a snag or bump that we can't get through n matter how hard we try to push past it. It is at these times that Heavenly Father steps in. He knows that in order for us to progress we have to be cut down so that we may grow back even stronger.

02/07/2014 - As I look around at the world today I can see that it is straying away from the family. The home is where we get a lot of our support in life. When a home is founded on the values and teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the family can experience the peace and joy that follows.
Strengthening Families

02/12/2014 -
Mosiah 2:17 "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
Great video  - I'm a Mormon, a leader of a Non-Profit, and a Texan Video link

02/14/2014 - 

"Oh! What a co-mingling of thought filled my mind for the moment, again she is here . . . undaunted, firm and unwavering, unchangeable, affectionate Emma." --A journal extract from Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. writing about his wonderful wife Emma, the choice of his heart. They knew each others strengths and weaknesses and worked together to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and pass them on to their children.

02/14/2014 - 

We should remember that saying ‘I love you’ is only a beginning. We need to say it, we need to mean it, and most importantly we need consistently to show it.”—Elder David A. Bednar

02/18/2014 - A short sweet message from Elder Holland about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon and the Bible go hand in hand. When we ask others to read this wonderful book of ancient scripture it isn't to replace the teachings of the Bible, it is to grow your knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ. Having the Book of Mormon in my life has brought me joy and strengthened my testimony of Jesus Christ and his Atonement.
Elder Holland message
I invite all to read the Book of Mormon. To ponder and study it. And then to ask God if the book is true.

02/19/2014 - 

"The most powerful teaching of children is by the example of their parents." -- Dallin H Oaks
I am who I am today because of the numerous wonderful family examples around me who follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ  

What more can YOU do to come Unto Christ? 

02/20/2014 - 

By the way you love and honor my mom, I will learn that I never have to settle for less. 

How do you raise a daughter? Love My Mother.

02/21/2014 - 

For every marvelous example of God's power being used in the scriptures there had to first be a marvelous act of faith. When we have faith and do what Heavenly Father asks of us, sometimes having to sacrifice something we love, we will gain something infinitely better in return.

02/25/2014 - The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. As I have studied it and acted on it's teachings i have never been lead wrong. I don't believe it is true because my family says it is. i know that it is true because i have prayed, studied and asked God if the book is true. My answer was YES it is true.
I invite all to read the Book of Mormon for themselves and ask God if it is true.
Here are some testimonies of others who have gained their own testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.   Watch it :)

LOVE Across the Miles (02/24/2014)

More like 10 inches from OR to NY depending on the map, but who's counting :)
Love you Mom!

Sister Duenas' gift for Valentines Day was a necklace with hand-stamped pendants with her name, Oregon Eugene Mission and her first area Grants Pass. Each new area she serves in will be added to the necklace throughout her mission. She also received the knit hat that she requested.

Sister Duenas - OEM mission necklace
I absolutely LOVE the necklace!! (and many other Sister Missionaries love it too! Thanks Mom

LOVE is in the air....LOVE Banner that is. Sister Duenas getting crafty at Relief Society activity and wearing her new hat

     Guess How Much I Love You.......Love you to the moon and back <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Thinking of you <3

Happy Valentines Day <3 <3 <3 xoxoxoxoxo