book of mormon challenge.

Hello family and friends! It has been just a great week, GREAT. Everything is feeling a whole lot more adjusted and I am feeling a lot more prepared to get to work here! 

This week I did a lot of personal inventory and tried to figure out what I need to improve on, spiritually to become a better servant of the Lord. Not that I was bad before, but I do have a lot to work on to become the best that I can. There were a few things that I studied this week that really stood out to me. I was reading the talk "Trust in the Lord", by Elder Ballard. He says, "Trust the Lord. He is the good shepherd. He knows His sheep, and His sheep know His voice; and today the voice of the Good Shepherd is your voice and my voice." This was such an exciting thing to read and so uplifting to know that God trusts us to be His voice! Each of us, not just His missionaries out here, but each and everyone of His members. I can testify that God does know us and He will help us to know what to do and say to bring souls unto Him. I can testify of this because He is doing it through me everyday! Every night before I go to bed I think back and reflect on the day and am so impressed and fascinated by the things we did that day. God is helping us in our work here in Aloha. 

I also was reading in Alma 26 this week. Holy cow, I love the book of Alma and the Book of Mormon. It helps me so incredibly much! In Alma 26 it says, "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions and I will give unto you success." Not going to lie, the beginning of this week was incredibly difficult. Nothing seemed to be working out, we had hardly anyone to teach and I was beyond frustrated! Then I read this verse, and at this point, my heart was most definitely depressed, I was wishing I could turn back, and then the Lord comforted me through the Book of Mormon. All He says to these missionaries, is, "Go and serve. Forget about your problems right now and GO AND SERVE. Then will you have success." How true it is. This week just ended wonderfully after I applied these principles to my experience in Aloha!

(sorry this is not written very well! i am in the family history center and there are two men going around talking about remodeling and i CANNOT focus. this is probably scattered!)

HIGHLIGHTS!

There are 2 elders waiting to email and they just biked here in the rain. I am going to be fast so they can have a turn!

1// We found a less-active member who WANTS to meet with us. She WANTS to meet with us!!!!

2// Had dinner with a blogging chef. Her website is laurenslatest.blogspot.com. She is great!

3// Contacted a referral, found out she is already taking the lessons from the spanish elders. BUT, she asked us to teach her 9 year old son, Alex, so he can be baptized!

4// I got a package from my mom and dad full of candy and a toothbrush. My teeth better not rot out.

5// Taught Alex his first lesson and he offered the sweetest prayer that just about made me cry.

6// Did Frankystein's makeup for Halloween! 

7// Ate two entire meals within the time period of about 2 and a half hours. PAINFUL.

8// Set a baptism date for Heidi. She is going to be baptized on November 16th! 

9// Heidi's daughter, Chelsea accepted our offer to begin teaching her the lessons. (Which is just as exciting as Heidi's baptism date.)

10// Heidi bore her testimony in church.

11// We found a second less-active who wants to meet with us. MIRACLE.

12// Got news that Ken from Oregon City is going to the temple on Wednesday to be sealed!

13// Got an email from my Grandma Joyce, telling me how proud her and Grandpa are of me. (That made my day!)

The work is progressing and beginning to present itself to us. I am SO excited to be serving here. God definitely pushed me close to my limit this week, but now that i get to look back, I also see how much He has blessed Sister Dittmar and myself. We are beginning to find those who have been prepared to teach!

Please keep praying for me, I  most definitely have need those prayers. I can promise you that God does answer our prayers, it may not be how we expect, but He does! Please, don't just believe me though. Ask for yourself and test Him. 

I would really like to challenge each of you reading this email to read the Book of Mormon along with me on my mission. Please read for just 10 minutes a day and I PROMISE YOU, blessings and answers will come to you, and most of all, you will be able to feel the love that God and our Savior, Jesus Christ have for you. PLEASE take me up on this and just send me a quick email, letting me know that you are going to do it! Ten minutes a day isn't too much. I love you all a whole ton, a WHOLE TON! 

xoxoxox, Sister Kerr