Oct. 14

Hello Everyone,

I can't believe how time is flying by! It seems like I close my eyes for a second and it's already Monday again!

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled, but that we can be t r a n s f o r m e d" - unknown

Monday (10/7/13)  - I was able to visit a new family in our ward she is such a sweet heart with 2 adorable kids.   The three year old took my companion around and around and around the apartment. She ended up giving us a giant thing of Reese's brownies to take home.

Tuesday - DISTRICT MEETING! My companion got to teach a short mini lesson in the beginning and did a great job! We got to present about our belief and 40 people showed up! A lot of good questions were asked and a few came up and talked to us afterwards. My companion shared a cool experience about her grandparents! Apparently her grandma was a member, but grandpa was Luthern. They would go to each others churches every other week. Her grandpa was reading a lot of LDS books and material and even started using them in this Luthern Sunday School class. It wasn't for 6 years that he was finally baptized after one of his babies was blessed and the bishop told him, "It should be you blessing those babies." Anyways it was a cute story. It was also EXCHANGES, I was able to go to GB2 area, the first time I've ever been out of my area. One of the Sister Training Leaders  is awesome! She ran the entire hour of exercising, which I though was pretty insane. She is one of 10 kids, so we had a lot of funny stories to tell.

Wednesday - Exchanges cont. Turns out my trainer and I both adore Fablehaven (a book) a long with a lot of other ones. I was able to go to a couple lessons with her and I learned a lot from her teaching style. She wasn't kidding when she said they had no food :) I had cereal, pb and j and more cereal for the day. (We did have a dinner appt but they canceled last minute).

Thusday - We didn't have time to have dinner at home so we put a jar or pb and one of jelly and a loaf of bread in a bag. Yup it was a good dinner ;) We were able to visit a referral from HQ and it went well. Only got to talk briefly, but she is still interested! Somehow my companion and I got talking about how I use to pretend to be a reindeer (when I will little) and she use to be a cat! Her parents had her audition for The Sound of Music when she was 5, she wouldn't sing "Do a Deer" she wanted to sing "We are Siamese" from Lady and the Tramp. Needless to say she didn't get the part. 

Friday - Got to go to a memberese for lunch. She has a cute 4 year old  who was really funny. After lunch we shared a message about praying and how the more specific your prayer the more specific His answer. She said it was exactly what she needed to hear. She had been having a hard time in not getting answers from her prayers, but now "I know what I need to change". We then shared a quote from one of the general authorities about how, if God doesn't answer, take action. He didn't answer because he trusts whatever decision you make and will support you in it. I just LOVE how Heavenly Father uses the Holy Ghost through us to answer peoples prayers! There is nothing better than that! We went and had dinner with a family and like always it was delicious. They are great member missionaries! Not afraid to open their mouths and talk to those around them! Last we saw an investigator AND she ACCEPTED the invitation to be BAPTIZED! We didn't set a date though because her husband wasn't there and we want to do it with both of them. 

Saturday - RELIEF SOCIETY CONFERENCE. We got to go with an investigator to the last half of it. she loved Sister Carlsruh's talk on our divine potential. I also got to learn how she and her boyfriend met. Apparently they were waiting in line and she went up stairs to the office. After the meeting she walked out of the elveator to see "the strang man" staring at her intently. She felt a little weirded out and wonder if her hair was a mess or something. She went back into another line, which happened to be next to him and heard him say "I told myself that if you were still here that it was meant to be." Once again she was weirded out, but he gave her his number and later (she had planned just to forget about him) felt like she should give him a chance. Now they have 4 kids together and have been together for 7 years! Anyways it was a blast. We also got to see a referral from GB2. I thought she looked familiar and it turns out she works at the Neville Museum and was working the front desk when I went for service with NEW Curative! Small world. To end our day we went to a farewell. She is off to Provo, UT for the next 18 months! So if you or anyone you know lives there tell them to be nice to her and feed her well like her family has for me!

Sunday - Set up an appt to get my hair cut (on the 28th). I'm thinking of cutting it short again. It's just too much work to talk care of :b Met with our investigators their baptism date is now NOV 23!! WOOT! I have high hopes for them.

"If you live up to your privileges the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates" - Joseph Smith.

So my challenge for you is to take a step back and see which commandment you may need to live (or start living more exactly).

I know that the promise in the Book of Mormon still holds true today. "Inasmuch as ye keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land." Heavenly Father has promised you that as logn as you keep his commandments that you will prosper - not always temporally, but spiritually. I've seen this first hand while on my mission. The more obedient I am the more blessings and prosperity (finding people to teach, feeling of the Holy Ghost more, teaching with more power) I recieve. Not only that, but as you are more obedient to His commandments the happier you will become. There is great joy to be found as you know you are living worthy lives, there will be less stress in your life, and a calm assurance will come over you/ You will be able to feel the Holy Ghost more abudently in your life and feel his guiding influence. A testimony of a commandment doesn't come until after you have kept it. Only then will you be able to have that personal experience from which you gain/strengthen your testimony. Until next week!

With Buckets of Love,

Sister Kern