Hello!
This has been a crazy week. I had
my first interview with President B and my first exchange. I was so excited
for the opportunity to meet with President B. I told him of the progress I
have made and what an important role the Savior and Holy Ghost played and
continue to play in helping me. The work of a missionary is hard and that is
never going to stop being the case. It is the attitude and willingness of the
missionary to work hard and be obedient that makes the difference. I know that
I am doing the Lords work and I must do it His way to have success. I have been
struggling with tracting at night when we have not set lessons. The streets are
not lit very well and I am paranoid of being out in the dark in an area I don't
know very well. President B said he doesn't want me to be scared. He got
quiet for a minute and began to tear up as he told me that there a angels with
me and my companion as we do His work. As long as we use good judgement we will
be led to places that are safe and Heavenly Father will protect us. Hearing his
say this helped me so much. It has not eliminated my fear but it has lessened
it. I always pray for our safety and that I will feel comfortable and the Holy
Ghost has been there and brought that comfort to my heart. It is amazing how
being on a mission stretches me in more ways than I ever knew possible. I am
learning things here that I never would have otherwise. President told me that
he could already see a huge change in me and was glad that he didn't have
to worry about me anymore. He said there are many missionaries in the
mission struggling right now. He then said something that both excited me
and scared me, he said, Sister Kimball in 8 months I see you being
one of the strongest missionaries that I have here. I couldn't beleive he
was saying that to me. It made me realize the kind of potential I have and what
I want to live up to. I have a lot of growing to do. To close the
interview he asked me to bear my testimony. It was a great experience to share
with him what I know. That the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way that we
can truly find happiness and be able to live with our families forever. The
book of Mormon is the word of God. It is the answer to EVERY question or
concern we might have. If we will read it and pray about it, the Lord will
answer us. God the Father and His son Jesus Christ live and they love us
infinitely. God calls prophets to help us and give us extra guidance, Joseph
Smith being the first in this last dispensation. He restored the church that
Christ established on the earth 2000 years ago. He translated the Book of
Mormon. He was a true example of daring to stand alone. We have a prophet
today, Thomas S. Monson. He receives inspiration for the members of the church
and for the world. He is an inspired man of God. This is just the surface of
what I know to be true but it is the foundation that matters. Once we have it
we can strengthen and deepen our knowledge and conviction.
Exchanges were a lot of fun. I went
to Placentia a town near by and stayed with Sister R. A red headed tomboy
from Texas. We had a blast together. We had an appointment every hour of the
day and were so busy. I loved it. Especially since Sister N and I are in
the finding phase and tract a lot and don't have as many set lessons. She told
me how impressed she was with me at the end of exchanges while we were doing a
review of the day. She said i was an incredible missionary and she couldn't
beleive I was just finishing up my first transfer. I think being 22 helps. I
have more life expereince than a lot of the other girls. It was nice to work
with another sister. We had amazing unity right off the bat which was nice. i
was pretty scared for my fisrt exchange since I hate change but it was a
wonderful expereince.
I have been focusing a lot on
developing my Christlike attributes. The ones I have chosen to really work on
are love and patience. I have prayed for opportunities to work on these and
they have come and not always been easy. Whether I am working with a ward
member or missionary, or my companion, or investigators. As a missionary you
work with so many different people and you don't always get along. My goal has
been to be kind and understanding. I never want to make someone else feel bad
about themselves. I am here to build others up and be a representative of Jesus
Christ.
Update on investigators: Our
investigators are doing okay. Slow to progress. P was involved in a car
accident this past week. He is fine but is dealing with finding a new car. We
are hoping this is kind of a wake up call for him. We are eager to meet with
him this week and get more details. A was sick this week and didn't
make it to church. We taught her the 10 commandments this week and she
committed to keep them. She is progressing beautifly. He parents are still
unsure that she should be baptized since she is so young but we are moving ahead.
She is 11 and has been attending young womens and really enjoyed it. She has
made friends and become quite comfortable with the young women's president. Our
bishop has expressed his concern and told us that he wants A to go to
primary. He says he can not make exceptions for her since she is 11. We are
terrified that A isn't going to understand. One of the things she
likes most about church is young womens. We are afraid that she will stop being
as interested if we tell her that from now on she has to go to young womens. We
don't want to defy his council but we are more worried about our investogator.
We're in kind of a hard place. It is hard to explain to an 11 year old that she
can't do what she's been doing for the past 2 months because the bishop said
so. We are trying our best to figure out a solution.
Anyways, we are doing our best to
find people through tracting, street contacting, and MEMBERS!! It is hard but
we are working at it and hopeful that we will find new people to teach that
will progress and become investigators.
Time is running low. I feel like I
am always rushed. Just know that I love you all. The gospel is true. Trust in
the Lord.
p.s. Send dearelders to my mission
office. I love hearing from people throughout the week and having a hard copy!
:) Sister Kimball
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