Happy Monday! :)
I had such a wonderful birthday last week :) Thanks to
everyone who wished me a happy birthday and made me feel loved :) We went out
to dinner with some members and our relief society president brought her family
along to celebrate with us :) It was so sweet and special! I love my ward :) We
had a lesson with a recent convert later in the evening on testimonies! She
wasn't sure how to go about strengthening hers, so we talked a lot about that.
She asked if we could send her scriptures every day and remind her to say
nightly prayers, so we are on it! :) Also. Side note. My year mark is this
Thursday...
Who's excited??? IM EXCITED!!! :) That's all :)
Tuesday was so much
fun because we went on exchanges and Sister Alcantara from Peru came to
Gainesville with me! :) She is currently being trained, she is 23 years old and
didn't know ANY English before she came on a mission. She's only been here for
a month and a half and she is living proof that the gift of tongues is a real
thing! She learned English for 2 weeks in the MTC. Two. Weeks. But you'd never
know! Her testimony is massive. I learned SO much from this sister! She just
wants to be exactly obedient and bear testimony everywhere she goes :) I love
new missionaries :) I love being a sister training leader!
Our evening was super cool because after training and dinner
with my ward mission leader, we went to see the family that we took to the
Temple Visitors Center in my last email. Guess what?! They are from the same
city in Peru that Sister Alcantara is from! I didn't even know they were from
Peru! haha :) So they had a beautiful gospel conversation in Spanish and I just
sat there soaking up the spirit as I caught some words here and there, guessing
what they were discussing every now and again :) It was a tender mercy for
everyone involved :) We read some of the Book of Mormon with Nicole and
explained why it's so important to read from it every day. Then we had
correlation with the ward missionaries before we went home :)I am bursting with
love and gratitude for this assignment; to be an STL. My heart is so full!!
Missionary work is the best. I'm so grateful that I am here :)
We had a really powerful
district meeting on Wednesday after we exchanged back. I love my district!
We talked about the atonement and read, "The Room". I've read it
multiple times but it's been a while, and my appreciation for Jesus Christ
overwhelmed my whole being as I listened to that story again. I am incredibly
thankful for such a loving brother who made it possible for me to repent. Over,
and over, and over again. Repentance is a big deal! If we couldn't repent, we
wouldn't be able to live with Heavenly Father again. We would be stuck in
guilt, sorrow, and pure unhappiness forever. It sounds so simple, but it's so
important. I love my savior :)
After district meeting we went and had a BBQ! It was super
fun! :) Then Sister Donato and I did studies before we went to dinner with a
recent convert. We had an intense lesson on the Book of Mormon; she, (the
investigator) has a really hard time seeing the importance of it, and she gets
bored when she hears something she already knows. For example, she has learned
all there is to learn about Christ from the bible, so when she reads about it
in the Book of Mormon, she gets irritated and doesn't see how it helps her
learn more. Her heart isn't super open for some reason, and I was quite frank
with her during the lesson. We taught with love! But we were bold. It ended on
a good note, no worries :) I have such a strong testimony of the Book of
Mormon! I will testify of the truthfulness of that book until the day I die.
When searching for answers I KNOW that they can be found there, along with
sincere prayer. I love the Book of Mormon:)
If you're having a hard time today, this week, this month,
this year even! Read the Book of Mormon!! I can't say it enough! Not once, not
every once in a while, but every day. EVERY DAY!! :)
That, my friends, brings lasting happiness and peace :) I
know this because I've experienced it.
Our lesson that was scheduled for the evening canceled, so
we knelt down and asked Heavenly Father where he needed us instead. We were
lead to a few different houses! All opened up and were very receptive; it was
just bad timing, so we scheduled return appointments for later this week :) It
was a super productive evening! We talked to a lot of people and got a lot done
:) I'm thankful for the guidance of the spirit, and for my sweet, sweet
companion who doesn't do anything without it :)
Transfers were on
Thursday and guess what?! I get to keep my Philipino for 6 more weeks and
then send her home to Qatar right before Halloween :) I am SO grateful!! I love
Sister Donato so much! We work so well together :) She really helps me become
the person I'm striving to be :) I also loved that whole day! It was so busy!
Transfers are completely different from what they used to be with President
Riggs.
THE OLD WAY---> everyone who was
being transferred and their companion would go to the stake center in a central
location of mission and we would learn at that meeting who our new companion
was, along with where we would be traveling to. Then a 4 hour meeting would
follow.
THE NEW WAY---> everyone gets an
email a couple days before transfers with their new companion and location
information. Then on transfer day, everyone who is being transferred and their
companion go to that same stake center, but only in the parking lot which is
organized by zone. Go to your new zone, find your new companion, move luggage
accordingly, travel to the stake center located in your zone boundaries and
have a brief spiritual meeting. In total, that's about 2 hours.
It's fast, new, and efficient :) We liked it! Our zone is
super fun! Our zone leaders stayed the same, so it will be great to work with
them for another transfer! We played a fun "get to know you" game
with everyone, and then discussed the transfer focus/goal for our zone. Last
transfer we really focused on applying the atonement in our daily lives, and
using it with the people we teach. This transfer we want to keep that same
focus while adding.... fears. Overcoming our fears :) I am super excited! It
was a great spiritual thought and I'm looking forward to strengthening some of
my weaknesses this transfer :)
Afterwards we headed straight for a members home to do
service! She had surgery 3 years ago on her back, but she's only gotten worse.
The poor sister is exhausted all the time; simply talking to her you could see
and feel her exhaustion; :/ so we cleaned her house :) It needed help, and we
were more than happy to do it! :) I haven't really had a home to clean in a
long time; apartments don't count, and we aren't home a ton so it's never
really messy, so it brought back memories of deep cleaning my house growing up
:)
Then we went to speak English with our friend from the
Middle East before we headed to dinner which mostly consisted of homemade rolls
because the soup our member made didn't turn out. But we didn't complain! I
love rolls! :)
In the evening we had a lesson with Kayla, the girl who is
on date to be baptized in November, and her mother who is reactivating :) it
was on the gospel of Jesus Christ and went super well! :)There was a little
time after that lesson to check on some part member families, so we did that
before we went to a lesson with a recent convert and her brother, Christian,
who is investigating. We taught the plan of salvation and it was good, too :)
Another great day this week! And it only got better :)
Friday morning
before I ran, I danced :) I can't even describe the longing I have to be in
that zone every day; socks folded half way on my feet, sweats, hair on top of
my head, music to match my mood, wood floors and mirrors surrounding the room,
and just dancing. I miss it. The things we sacrifice for the God we love ;) I'm
grateful to have a mini studio in my apartment :) It was really nice :) I'm so
grateful for the talents I've been blessed with, and for a body that functions
properly. It's so easy to take it for granted!
Anyway, after being nostalgic, I ran a couple miles and then
we had studies before we went to the first zone leadership meeting this
transfer! We set some dates for upcoming events and activities and such. It was
good, then we went to a sister's home to bake cookies because whenever I bake
cookies over here on the east coast, they turn out awful! We experimented with
my recipe and mastered it :) but, I can't eat them, so we gave them away :)
{An Unexpected Opportunity to Serve}
When we got home as we were walking inside, we asked an
older woman if she needed help with her groceries! Sister Donato could hear her
wheezing and struggling as she transferred them from her car to a cart to take
them inside. We made sure she was okay and helped her put them away in her
kitchen. She was so grateful, and so sweet :) I guess the humidity makes her
asthma act up, and I thought she was going to pass out, so we gave her our
number in case she needed anything else... ever... and went home :) My heart
was and still is so full! I love being a tool in the Lord’s hands :)
The rest of the afternoon was weekly planning! By the time
we actually sat down to get started, we only had a couple hours, so we set some
transfer goals! I am so excited for this transfer! Sister Donato will be going
home at the end of it, and she wants to stay focused until the very last day,
so we are going to work our tails off :) We set some awesome goals that we know
will bring miracles! We won't make a single decision without the Lord's input,
and we are working on really following the spirit. It will be an awesome 6
weeks :)
In the evening we had dinner planned with Philip, the guy
who was super stand-off-ish at first, but we brought him cookies and now we are
friends :) He ended up being really busy that day so he didn't make dinner, but
that was okay! We talked about missions, tithing, family, and life :)It was
good! We also offered to help him clean his bounce houses on Tuesday (he owns a
business where he rents out those inflatable bounce house things for parties)
because he needs help. We told him it was our job to lift people's burdens, and
that we would love to help! So he didn't turn down the offer :) We were sorta
hungry after our visit with Philip because we hadn't eaten dinner, and it was
the awkward hour of the night where nobody answers the door anymore, so we went
to Panera for a bite and contacted some people while we planned for the
next day.
Saturday was awesome!
We finished a very successful weekly planning, had a meeting with the bishop,
dinner at Chipotle, and a lesson with an investigator family from the
Caribbean :) We LOVE this family! They are incredibly prepared for the gospel
and they love having us :) We talked a lot about prayer, and we see them again
on Friday :) I could give you the pointless details of the day, but this email
is already insanely long! Just know that it was a really good, spiritually
guided day :)
Sunday on the other
hand, I'll give you the pointless details of :) It was such a good day!
Church was stellar. The spirit was so strong, we had 3 of our 4 progressing
investigators there, and 9 recent converts/less active's :) Our hearts were and
still are so full. Afterward we had dinner at the stake president's home with one
of our recent converts, the one who sort of has a hard heart towards the Book
of Mormon, and it was wonderful!
We shared a message on testimony and conversion and the
conversation was so enlightening for everyone in the room :) Then we went to
choir practice for the fireside that we'll be singing in on Sunday; it went
well! By the time we got home it was 8:40 and we hadn't heard back from a less
active that we had planned to see at 8. We parked the car in our apartment
parking lot and received a text from that sister saying she had just seen our
text and was planning on having us over. So we went to see her! We almost
canceled because we were already home and would have 10 minutes to teach her by
the time we got there, but the spirit was pressing, so we went, and we were
glad we did :)
I am SO happy! This past transfer I have been the happiest
that I've ever been in my life. It's an honest, pure, genuine happiness that I
KNOW I feel because of the way I'm living my life; in accordance to the
teachings of Jesus Christ. In addition to the simple things
like regular church attendance, daily scripture study and prayer:
- · I don't listen to music that has a super good beat but slightly bad lyrics,
- · I don't have anything to do with social media; we are hardly ever on Facebook,
- · I have improved my language (even saying, "freaking" is super rare for me now),
- · I seek for ways to draw closer to my father in heaven,
- · I am exactly obedient to the commandments and mission rules...
I'm just living differently from how I did before my
mission, and realizing the source of true happiness. It comes from following
Jesus Christ and submitting our will to His. That was my ultimate focus/goal
last transfer; to be submissive to all that Heavenly Father wanted me to do,
and I have never been happier :)
Do I still struggle and face trials? Absolutely! But I do it
cheerfully because I know it will pass, and I know I don't have to carry the
burden alone. I know I have the savior pushing along right next to me,
partnering with me to endure the hard times :) Life is SO good when we humble
ourselves, try our hardest to put off the natural man, and follow the savior
and his teachings :) Where are your priorities?
Have a fantastic week :) See you in approximately 6 months
and 2 weeks :) Sister Kailey
We had a cold stone gift card and I couldn't resist. It was my birthday!!
I suffered the consequences later, but it was so worth it!
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