General Conference Rocks!

Hi Friends and Family!

So General Conference could not have come at a better time. Unfortunately, my companions and I all caught a cold and it was a tender mercy to have 4 hours this weekend to just sit and listen to the prophet and apostles. The flood gates of personal revelation were definitely open. It is always a treat to come together as missionaries. We all watched at the stake center. Some were blessed with the attendance of investigators. We had no such luck. Jenny was out of town and the Whitcops were busy with sporting tournaments. It was a bummer but what can you do?  

It is a special experience to watch conference as a missionary. You are mentioned in almost every prayer and the excitement of missionary work continues. The brethren have made it rather clear that members and missionaries have an equal responsibility in bringing souls unto Christ. It is cool because members are responsible for the social conversion and the missionaries are responsible for the spiritual. The job of a member is simply to be a friend and invite. I know this can sometimes be scary but it all begins with prayer and courage. 

There were a number of different themes that I picked up on throughout the entirety of conference. Missionary work, enduring to the end, remembering covenants, strengthening families, and making our love for God more of a priority. I continue to be amazed by the way the talks always come together. Each speaker is open to talk about whatever they are inspired to and the Lord always brings it all together. It is magical. It is obvious that we are in the last days. The world is slowly going to hell in a hand basket but the Lord is aware and that is why he is hastening His work. I know that there is light in all the darkness, and that is Jesus Christ. If we take the time to step back and prioritize what is most important in our lives we will find happiness. How sad it is to think that members and nonmembers alike get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that they forget to show their love and gratitude for God by doing the simple things. Life is not easy but it is a whole lot harder when we don't allow our Heavenly Father to guide and bless us. 

I loved the talk given in the Saturday morning session by Ulisses Soares on meekness. The characteristics that he described are all things that I want to be. The more I reflected on it the more I realized that all these things represent the Savior so perfectly. And who else do i want to be more like that Christ. "I'm trying to be like Jesus". The only way we can truly do this is if we do follow in His ways and make changes. We are all capable of so much greatness. And many times the only person holding us back from reaching that potential is ourselves. I love that with the help of the Savior we can overcome all things including death. The gospel of Jesus Christ is amazing. 

As far as my investigators go:

We met with J this part Thursday and had a really good visit with her. We have been worried about her because she shows every sign of being ready for baptism but we could tell something was holding her back and we didn't know what. She is in tune with the Spirit in so many ways but she also lacks the gift of the Holy Ghost. We finally figured out that she has some reservations about the law of chastity and the word of wisdom. She understand why they are important but is not sure she is willing to love them yet. We shared with her that Heavenly Father would give her an answer and explain why it was important for her personally and the blessings she would receive. We know she will be baptized it is just a matter of time. She is the type that wants to make absolutely sure she is all in before she makes a decision. We are giving her a little space to work through things. She told us she would be at church this coming week. We will see what happens. 

The Ws are are family that a member referred us to. It has been an interesting situation with them since I got to Laguna. They seemed overwhelmed and we all received that we needed to back off and give them some space. The dad is a teacher and coach at the local high school. He has known a lot of mormon kids through the years. His wife is now a stay at home mom used to be a teacher and they have 3 younger kids. After about 2 weeks of letting them be we received a text from them saying they missed us coming around. Our inspiration worked. They had noticed a difference in our absence. I unfortunately have been on exchanges the past two times they were visited. We have a lesson with them tonight. I am excited to finally get in there and get to know them better. The ward has been great with helping us with them. They are going to take some time and patience too. 

It is frustrating at times when people are slow to commit and change but when I stop and think we are inviting them to do a lot of things that are out of the norm and they need time to gain a testimony ad get in a good routine. We are so blessed to be working with J and the Ws and are hoping to add a bunch of new people to our teaching pool soon. 

Life is good. I am loving the work. Transfers are coming up a week from tomorrow so who knows what is in store. 

I love you all. Hope you are having a wonderful week!

:) S. Kimball