Wednesday, December 4, 2013

there goes the third.

Goodbye Transfer 3 and HELLO to Transfer 4! Sister Dittmar and I get to spend another transfer together in Aloha 2nd Ward and we are quite happy about that. This week was just lovely, between Thanksgiving and a BAPTISM, I would not have expected anything less than lovely! It was hard as usual, but everything ends up being good when you are on a mission.

One of my favorite things this week happened back on Monday. We had dinner with a family in the ward and had an amazing discussion on missionary work afterwards. I love seeing the vision of missionary work click for members. This work is seriously so exciting and so satisfying to everyone who becomes involved, and when a member catches that spirit and is ready to go and help others catch that spirit, good things are coming! They boosted our spirits a lot too by thanking us - members, do that to your missionaries. It helps more than you think! P.S. unity in the ward is key, so go be united! 

 Another highlight of this week was on Tuesday. We had a training meeting, which was so helpful and so fun. So much of the mission is young, and the majority of the missionaries are either being trained or training, President thought it would be beneficial to do a big training thing and it sure was! I learned so much about teaching and got to see a lot of missionaries that I love and miss. You really do become like a family out here! Afterwards, we got to go to President and Sister Morby's for a bit to visit. President and I looked at pictures of Oswego and ate chocolate covered blueberries, it was quite enjoyable! I showed him pictures of harborfest and the river and bridges and barge - it was just a good old time! I love the Morby's.

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We spent it with the Brennan's and the Kavanaugh's. Sister Brennan is the one with the food blog and she is the one who sent the thanksgiving pictures. Which is great, since my camera will not let me send pictures! I sat at the kid table (by choice) for part of it and enjoyed a nice discussion on Hello Kitty, kites and tiaras. They were adorable! 

Saturday was Claudia's baptism. It was splendid and the spirit was so strong. Claudia is 18, so the young women were in good representation and they sang "I Know That my Redeemer Lives." It was beautiful and I love this church! Her mother spoke on baptism and it was the most genuine and heartfelt talk on baptism that I have ever heard. They are just a great family!

Also this week, we dressed up like jail-mates and cleaned litter from the side of the road! It was so fun and disgusting. I never knew regular people did that, I just always assumed they were convicts doing community service time. The Reel Family adopted a street, so we got  to help out, then go back home for pie and whipped cream. Such a fun time!

We moved into the ward boundaries this week. We are now living with the sweetest members eva!!!!!

new address is: 
The Prettiest Sister Missionary in the World
4668 SW 191 Ave.
Aloha, OR
97007

I'd like to end this week on a spiritual note, imagine that! In my studies this morning I was reading in 1 Nephi 8. Everybody should read that chapter this week, try and do it at some point! It is talking about the vision of the tree of life, which represents the gospel. In this story there is the tree (of God) and then there is a great and spacious building (not of God). I have read this story probably 55 times, but today something so different stood out to me. In this vision, there is an iron rod that leads, directs and supports people to the tree of life. But, it then talks about the journey to the building, how it is dark, strange, and many are lost and drown. I noticed so clearly today the distinction between the two options that we have in life. I think it was last week that I talked about our ability to choose between these same two choices, returning to live with God, or not. And with these two choices, God gives us incredible resources and support and lovingly reaches out to us. He gives us an iron rod; not a twig, or a path marked with chalk hoping it won't wash away, but an IRON rod. The other choice that leads us to worldliness and sorrow is not marked by a path, there is only darkness and strange ways and some people become so lost and drown on their journey there. Why do we even choose that path? Why do we want to go somewhere, when the person inviting us provides us with no directions, no help, no map, and doesn't even care if we get lost on the way? While the other option is to follow a clear, direct, happy path given as an invitation by someone who has provided a way and does care that we make it. Consider this choice that we have, it seems so clear! Please turn to our Heavenly Father and the support that He has for each of us. 

I love you all a whole ton. Please be safe and have a fun week. Happy Christmas Season! Talk to you soon.

xoxoxo, Sister Kerr 

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