also, i only got one acceptance response on my book of mormon challenge! and that was from my mom (youda best ma!). so, challenge going out once again: 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 - that is why i want you to do this! because i love you and i KNOW this book is true.
so onto recounting this week!
MONDAY (the beloved prep-day)
real brief. we got fresh french bread from the grocery store, which was heaven for me! ah, just absolute heaven.
TUESDAY
the highlight of today was just disappointing in the long run. so, sister dittmar and i are trying to get better at tracting. we spent the entirety of our study time this morning trying to figure out how to improve our door approach and to focus more on the restoration. so, by the end of study time, we were so ready to go! we head out, pick a street that was on our map and start driving in that direction. we get to the street we picked and there was no where to park, so we just wrap around the corner and park down there and begin on a wonderful adventure of tracting! and guess what! we found 2 people who said we could come back - that is incredible success for tracting, especially for us! i am doing everything that i can to keep myself from just jumping up and down on the way back to the car. once in the car, we check the map one more time and discover that the past HOUR we had tracted the elders in the reedville ward's area. i wanted to cry! at least we found them though...bleh!
WEDNESDAY (the movie worthy edition of a missionary day)
so, today was raining, allllllllllllll day long. as we left our apartment we were thinking to ourselves, "oh how lucky that our day is completely booked with appointments on this dreadful, blustery day!" so we set off and i am not kidding when i say, every single appointment was cancelled! oh my, my, my it was so frustrating! the funny part was that we ran into the elders literally everytime an appointment cancelled. so they witnessed everyone of our appointments falling through. everything just seemed to go wrong that day!
but, the day did end well at the temple! i got to go and see ken be sealed to his wife for time and all eternity! it was so special. he was so nervous, he looked like it was his wedding day all over again! i was so happy to be there, just wish i could have given him a hug. it was oregon city 4th ward's temple night though, so i was able to see so many people from OC. i was in heaven and just so happy to be in the temple with all of those wonderful people :)
THURSDAY (the day that made everything worth it)
so this morning i would say i was having a mini heart attack, but it was actually pretty major. i get so anxious and worked up about things! the topic of today was Heidi's baptism. I wasn't sure if she was going to be ready for her date on the 16th. we still had some big, important things to go over and didn't want her to feel overwhelmed (it was just me being overwhelmed). we went and taught her about the word of wisdom and tithing, which are a really big deal. as soon as we finished, she whole-heartedly accepted them. like completely, no doubt or question. well she did have a question - she asked us to help her go through her kitchen and throw away everything that went against the word of wisdom. and she wouldn't sell or donate anything either because she didn't want to support anyone else in it. my jaw literally dropped several times that morning and i now have no doubt that this woman is ready! the crazies thing ever was after we taught the lesson, she laughed and said, "i wish you would have taught me this tomorrow so i could've had one more cup of coffee. but, now that you've said it, i KNOW that i can't do it. i know it now and can't go against it." i jumped up and hugged that woman, because she deserved that. i have never heard of something quite like Heidi!
we also were able to go to the visitor's center today with Juana. I don't remember if I have talked about Juana. we were given Juana because she moved into our ward boundaries and she has a date set for the 17th, which is incredible, but so overwhelming because we don't know anything, but need to finish her up and get her ready for that date, and plan the baptism. holy cow! she LOVED the temple grounds and being in the visitor's center. it was incredible. the portland temple has a room that nonmembers can go in, called the atrium. the spirit is so strong and it is just wonderful to bring investigators in there, they really can feel God's love for them.
FRIDAY (no wonder this week was great!)
third day at the temple grounds and visitor's center, that's why this week was so good. today Heidi got to go to the visitor's center with us! it was splendid. i have another CHALLENGE for you: INVITE a friend to the temple grounds and visitor's center. people are always fascinated by those big, beautiful buildings and have lots of questions that the missionaries can answer. regardless of how interested they are, they will enjoy it and learn things! :)
at dinner tonight, bishop brown asked us to start visiting all of the members in their homes and getting to know them so that they can begin to trust us. this seemed a bit daunting to me and slightly intimidating, but we are going to give it a whirl!
SATURDAY
today we tried out what bishop said and went and saw 2 member's families and it totally built my faith in this task. it was great and i feel a lot more connected to the ward already. great advice from a wonderful bishop!
funny story. so we were tracting again (in the right area) and met a woman, Janelle. She was pretty hesitant at the door, but informed us that she had friends when she was in high school who had given her a book of mormon. we gave her our contact info and told us to please call if she had anymore questions or if there was a time we could come. that's never a very hopeful thing to just give our number! so on the way back to the car and start quoting the movie "the best two years" because that always lifts my spirits. the part when elder callhoun gives out a book of mormon with his number inside and says, "please bless that young man that he may call." we both laugh and shrug it off, get in the car and start heading to our dinner appointment. we park for dinner, check the phone and guess what! Janelle had texted us to set an appointment up. holy cow!!!!!!! the best two years is right on the dot, glad i have it memorized!
at the same time that we got that text, we got a voicemail from a bishopric member asking us to speak in sacrament meeting. are you kidding! very short notice, but less time to worry!
SUNDAY
both juana and heidi had their interviews for baptism today after church and both are ready for baptism! two baptisms next week!!!! so crazy, we are being so blessed :) all four of our investigators were at church today AND some of the less-actives we are working with. it was insanely good. i love sundays!
it is a beautiful life out here in the mission field and i am loving serving. the people here are incredible and i find myself loving them more and more each day. the other morning we finished up studies and were taking our lunch. i wrapped up my book of mormon reading and made a sandwhich and went to sit down and eat. my mind could not stop thinking about the book of mormon and what i had read, it was just racing! i was just about dying because i wanted to pick it up and keep reading. hahaha, i have NEVER experienced that feeling before for the book of mormon. everyone knows i am a pretty avid reader and will stay up all night to finish a book, and i am so in love with this book now. it is incredible and i am learning SO much from it. so please do read it and if you dont have a copy, go tomormon.org and order a free one. it will be delivered and all for free and just READ it.
i know that this church is true, now more than i ever have before. but, i can't convey it's truthfulness to you. so luckily, we have the book of mormon as evidence of it. and STILL dont just take my word for that either. read it, ponder it, heck just even hold it and then pray and ASK God if it is true. if you want to know, you WILL know.
i love you and you are always in my thoughts and prayers! please keep me in yours.
xoxoxxo, Sister Kerr
highlight of this week : MY FIRST LETTER FROM MY BIG BROTHER. you made me bawl my eyes out, nothing quite like your brother telling you he is proud of you. i love you sky! and it helped that there were pics of rosie in there, that sure did soften me up :)
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