EXCHANGES
Well this week I got to do exchanges with the Windrose Sisters. It was so much fun! I LOVE Sister Walker. She told me her amazing story about how she decided to come on a mission and we were both in tears when she told me about it. Exchanges are really fun but they are exhausting. As the Sister Training Leader it is really cool to be able to give advice and kinda be an older sister for the other sisters in the zone. All the Elders in the Zone call me Mama Bear. I laughed. It is just like when I was in London and I was the Grandma of the group. I guess I just have a nurturing personality or something... who knows! It cracks me up though. It was interesting being back in a family ward. I had kinda forgotten how to work with kids and old people! It was fun to go back! Sister Walker cracks me up... some lady honked at her while she was driving and she said, "SHHESSH! Calm down lady. Man alive! She needs a nap!" I laughed and she said, "I am a FIRM believer that everyone needs two things. #1- The Gospel #2- A nap!"
SOAPBOX
So I thought that I had a strong testimony before I came out on my mission. And I did! But I can't even explain how much my testimony has changed in the past 6 months. How much I have grown, and how much I have learned. I didn't really truely KNOW that the Book of Mormon was true until right before I left on my mission. I had never really understood the importance behind the scriptures but now, it's like I have put on a pair of glasses and everything just CLICKED. I can't really explain it. But sometimes I feel like I am not even reading the same book... but then I just realize that I am just reading it from a different perspective.
I am reading it because I get strength from it and I have a personal relationship with my savior. On a mission you can't call your best friend, you can't get a hug from your mom, you can't cuddle up and sleep and watch a movie when you're exhausted and at your breaking point. NOPE. Out here serving the Lord, you turn to him. You are doing his work! Sister Walker had a really good quote on her wall talking about Jesus Christ its from Elder Holland (of course) :) It says, "How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never easy for him?" That got me thinking... its SO true. We have to turn to him. We gave a lesson to Stephanie (which I will talk about in a minute) and we were talking to her about turning to prayer and she didn't believe us that if she prayed for help even about silly little things that she would be given strength. I told her that EVERY single day I pray for energy to make it through.
I am reading it because I get strength from it and I have a personal relationship with my savior. On a mission you can't call your best friend, you can't get a hug from your mom, you can't cuddle up and sleep and watch a movie when you're exhausted and at your breaking point. NOPE. Out here serving the Lord, you turn to him. You are doing his work! Sister Walker had a really good quote on her wall talking about Jesus Christ its from Elder Holland (of course) :) It says, "How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never easy for him?" That got me thinking... its SO true. We have to turn to him. We gave a lesson to Stephanie (which I will talk about in a minute) and we were talking to her about turning to prayer and she didn't believe us that if she prayed for help even about silly little things that she would be given strength. I told her that EVERY single day I pray for energy to make it through.
Sister Loo and I were talking about how right now it may feel like we are only planting little seeds of faith within people but one day, there will be a time when those seeds are ready to burst out of the ground and the person will say, "Oh yeah, I had a few missionaries talk to me once at a park... they had a light and a love that I craved and now I am ready to find it for myself..." I just know that this church is true more than I ever have before. It is true. K I am getting off my soapbox...
BRADY
I can't remember if I told you about Brady... I met him at a food bank when I wa serving in Magnolia. We taught him once and then I got transfered. Well..... I heard a rumor that someone had taught him and invited him to be baptized. SO... Sister Loo and I have been trying to meet with him for a really long time. It is has been really hard because we works like 80 hours a week. We FINALLY met with him and he told us that he watched General Conference and he has NEVER felt that way before. He told us that he felt warm and peaceful and loved. It was really neat to be able to see him again after 6 months. He knows that its true. He told us that one of his friends was bashing on Mormonism and calling us a "CULT" (let me count the number of times I have had that one thrown at me) and Brady stuck up for us and said, "Hey man, careful what you say, I might become mormon alright. They are good people." I felt so proud. Brady is quiting one of his jobs so he can really focus on what he wants and which direction he needs to go. Sister Loo and I are going to give him a tour of the church this week and hopefully talk to him more about being baptized. So exciting.
THE NAMETAG
Apparently the fact that we have a nametag means that we are also social workers and man... that can be really emotionally exhausting. It is also amazing to hear these people that you've known for 5 minutes pour their heart out to you. Last night we met with Kristin she is 40 but the Elder in the ward near by told us about her and we wanted to meet her. She is AMAZING. She has stage 4 breast cancer and it has started to spread to her spine. The chemo has made her bones so brittle that she has broken ribs... she has been through SO much but man... she is so strong and she is hilarious. She showed us a picture she sneakily took of a hot guy that she saw at chemo. She is hilarious. Before we left last night we shared a scripture with her (one of my recent favorites) ISAIAH 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Kristin read it outloud and couldn't even make it all the way through without crying. I stood and went over to her to rub her back. She flinched and I realized I had hurt her ribs by just lightly placing my hand on her back. She said, with tears streaming down her face, "Strength. THAT is something that I desperately miss." She went on to bear her testimony of the gospel. The spirit is so close to her. It was almost palpable as we sat there with her in the room. She is amazing. We are going to go back often. She has some great ideas for activities for our ward and she is such a fireball. I just love her. Her aid is from Brazil so Sister Loo and I are going to go over there and she is going to practice her Portugese. I am starting to pick a little bit up too! Not much... but a little!
RANDOMS
- Stephanie (I think I wrote about her in my last email, she has asbergers and a stutter) she prayed!! It is a miracle! We had a really good lesson with her. She is really having a difficult time and I felt really prompted to share this quote with her that I somehow had with me at the time! Its by.... guess who.... ELDER HOLLAND haha
"However late you think you are. However many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don't have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's atonement shines."
She had tears in her eyes and she agreed to pray. It was amazing.
- Sister Loo and I have new finding technique where we just go and talk to random people at the grocery store. It makes for some interesting conversations. We met this HILARIOUS kid at Kroger. He looks exactly like Steve Urkle. SO hilarious. His name is Jimmy. We are having this huge Bonfire event next weekend and we are going to make it LEGIT. I can't wait. It will be a really good event for people to bring their friends to.
-President told us that the church did a study about converts here in the USA. He said that 84% of the people who converted to our church are already extremely active and involved in their own church and their own congregation. So... how do we reach that population.... that is on our minds right now!
-We found out about a group of Christian students who meet on LoneStar Community College the group is called Christian Crusaders for Christ. They have a testimony and spiritual thought each week. This week Sister Loo went while I was on exchanges and she got 5 numbers for people that we can invite to our activities and slowly talk to them about the church. Sister Loo said that people were like "Hallelujah" "Uh-Huh's" and "Amens" in the crowd. Some of the testimonies were slightly outlandish...apparently one of the girls was talking about how she saw Jesus in a forest and there was lightning shooting out of his fingers. Sister Loo was funny she said, "hey, if you saw that then more power to ya!" Pretty funny. People here are so funny about religion. We are going to go back this week and talk to more people and hopefully we will be able to do a presentation and share a mormon message with them! How cool.... I mean we are Christan Crusaders for Christ also!
This email is kinda all over the place. So sorry. I know this church is true. Man, it is.
"Testimony is a place of departure, not a destination. We can't stop there. BE CONVERTED and BE DEVOTED."
LOVE YA'LL. CHURCH IS TRUE.
xoxoxox
sister king
TACO MONDAY!
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