Monday, January 27, 2014

BEST WEEK EVER

Hello, hello! This week was SO good. It was FULL of lessons, new people to teach, birthday parties, confetti, a visit from an apostle and trips to the temple! Truly one of the best weeks of my mission thus far.
MONDAY
To start this past week off, we went and visited with Heidi, who was baptized back in November. SHE GOT A CALLING! Which was so exciting, she was freaking out, actually we were all freaking out. I love her SO much, she is one of my best friends! She is planning on going to the temple soon to do baptisms for her family members and she kept going on and on about how great it will be for them to feel what she has felt. I cannot express how much I have learned from this woman. She is truly amazing.

TUESDAY
We had another lesson with Daniel! Daniel knows that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet, but he hasn't quite come to know that the church is true. He is getting there though. He amazes me as well! He loves the Book of Mormon so much! This past lesson he said, "Where has this book been all my life!? We need to get a copy to everyone!!!" Hahah, he is so funny and so awesome. He expressed to us that he doesn't feel ready to progress any further, but would like to continue sometime in the future. He thought that since he didn't want to join the church right then, we would no longer want to meet with him! How wrong he was. When we asked to see him again the following week, his face lit up and he was so thrilled that we weren't going to just drop him! We love Daniel, SO much. 

Today was our first trip to the temple for the week! We went to the visitor's center with a woman from the ward and her daughter who is 4. It was so much fun. The spirit is truly so strong at the temple. It is so easy to feel of His love while there!

WEDNESDAY
I am now TWENTY. Whoot. Whoot. Whoot. I feel so much older now that I don't have to end in "teen". Thank goodness! It was a very happy day. I felt loved by so many people here and at home! We started the day off by going for a walk, WAY early in the morning for our exercise. We came home and I walked into the bedroom and found my bed covered in  balloons and confetti. I bursted into a huge smile and turned around to go thank the Heslop's and there was Sister Heslop, shoving a cupcake in my hand and bursting into the Birthday song, while showering me with more confetti! Hahah, it was so much fun! She then made us a high stack of french toast, fried eggs, bacon and sausage! And she didn't even know, but french toast is my favorite!
 {Happy B-day to me!}
{Happy B-day to me!}
{Happy B-day to me!}

 {Sister Lyons and i with all my balloons!}
{Addeys note to me with the minivan singing}
We had a really good visit with Emily too! She has committed to reading everyday on her own and we will talk about the things we learn from reading the chapters together every single day. We are super stoked. Emily always has the best insights while reading!

The wonderful Levenseller Family brought us to Red Robin for my Birthday dinner! She also baked me a cake. Golly, I sure do love so many people here in this ward!! It was a really, really fun time. I actually realized that I got a birthday sundae there last year with the family right before heading back to Provo! So much has happened since then. It is so so crazy! I have loved this past year so incredibly much. I think it is definitely my favorite thus far!

The day ended on a great note. We had a lesson with the Daley family, which was one of my favorite lessons EVER.  Their dad surprised them today after being away for 4 months! They were all beaming and just about to explode from pure JOY! Holy goodness, it was so amazing to be in their home with them! I love that about a mission. People open up to you and share their most precious, joyful and happy moments with you; even when they hardly know you! The moments that we share together though, bring a closeness unlike anything else, the love we feel is just so immediate! It's da best. They are working towards baptism and are praying as a family to pick a date that they will all be ready for! Happy, happy birthday to me!

THURSDAY
Today was our second day at the temple this week! Our district got to do an endowment session at the temple this morning and it brought me SO much joy. Ah, I love it there! I felt the spirit so strongly and felt like i received so many answers to my prayers. I know without a doubt that God knows me. I know my Savior lives and that He loves me so so much! He was happy to look each of us in the eye before coming here and promise that He would redeem us from our sins. I know that it is because of Him that we have the opportunity to be here and to experience joy! 

Our dinner appointment was hilarious today. We walked onto the front porch and were warned that their dog was a "jumper." Immediately I think it is a really small, lap dog. No, no, no. This is a black lab and it is a JUMPER! He kept jumping up on our backs like it wanted a piggy back ride. Oh my it was so hysterical! And the owners acted like it was completely normal. Sister Porter, Lyons and I could not keep from laughing all throughout dinner!

Sister Dittmar sent me a package today! It had M&Ms of course and one of her skirts that i had loved! She is so dang thoughtful. 

FRIDAY
Today we started teaching a new woman named Shauntah! She is awesome. The elders in our area tracted into her this last week and gave her a Book of Mormon. By the time we got there, a few days later, she had already read the first three chapters! Haha, she said to us, "I was wondering when someone was going to come and tell me where to read from!" She is so great and very interested. Yay!

Today was beautiful, it was in the 50's. Greatest weather I have ever experienced on January 24th!

My sweet companion revealed her talent today at one of our lessons! She sat down at the piano during one of our lessons and played and sang a song that she had written that bore her testimony about trials. It was SO beautiful, she made me tear up! Sister Porter is such a great missionary and is so excited and happy to be here serving. I am so happy to have her in this tri-panionship :)

SATURDAY
I received my regular bday gift from Whitney today! My calendar full of family pictures! It is so darling, I love it so much! I have the cutest family EVER. EVER. EVER. 

We also got to go to a mission meeting where Elder D. Todd Christofferson spoke to the Oregon Portland Mission! It was so incredible. He talked about how we will come to give our whole hearts to these people and love them, EVEN when they continually break our hearts. This has happened to me so much. I just love the people I have met, in Oregon City, Aloha, and Hazeldale with ALL of my heart! He then compared this to the life off the Savior and how he loves EACH of us with that perfect love even though we have continually broken His heart - over and over again. But, He still loves us! This is so true. It was an incredible meeting and an incredible opportunity to hear from an apostle of the Lord. 

SUNDAY
Church was great today! I realized today how much God really knows and loves ME. He has shown that love through so many ward members here in Oregon who don't know me at all, but sstill know exactly how to love and take care of me. The only way they would know, is if a loving Heavenly Father would tell them. I know He is taking care of me through them and I want to do the same. I want to be someone God can trust to take care of His children. 

Third time at the temple this week: Visitor's center with the Daley family! Eyes are set on the temple and eternal family is the goal! They are so excited and such a happy family :)

//It was such a beautiful week and I STILL feel so blessed to be here on my mission. Everyday I come to know my Savior a little more and see more and more of God's tender mercies in my life. He loves YOU. I promise that! He wants you to experience joy, so trust Him and let Him help you experience that joy. Thank you so much for being such an amazing support to me. I always know that I have so many people that I love who are right behind me and encouraging me in this work. I love it and I love you! 

I don't want to say this out loud, but yesterday marked my "one year to go." I am so not ready to even think about it, but, or course, I did last night. I realized how much I have grown and changed since I have been here on my mission. Life will never be the same after this mission and I will never be the same. I didn't think that I wanted to be any different, I was happy with who I was and my life. But, I know that I have changed and I have allowed God to change me these past 6 months and now I am so GRATEFUL that things will never be the same. I want more than anything to keep these changes. I want to be exactly who God has made me when I go home.
 {first time we all met!}
 {district temple trip!}
{family dog- paige! hahahha ;)}
 {my new minivan, it matches Addey's picture!}
{my cute companions and i, our day in the rain, walking...}
{my cute companions and i, our day in the rain, walking...}
{Our Home}
I love you all dearly. xoxox


Sister Kerr 

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