This may be quick because my
fingers are going numb and I am shivering here in this darn library! I
do not like it when they do freeze-outs in public places. Yeah, so I
don't know how much I can handle of it!
{Happy Birthday, Grandpa Tom! I love you to pieces
and am so thankful to have you in my life! You are one of my best
friends. Love, love love you!!}
This week was
great! I am so in love with this area I am serving in and the people we
are teaching. I will share a few highlights!
1// Darin, from my last area was baptized on Saturday!
Happy, happy day! I think this was definitely one of my favorite
baptisms I have ever been to. The feeling there was so wonderful and I
was so filled with happiness! His parents were there and we were all so
happy to see each other. His dad, Barry, was able to baptize him! And
his mom and I stayed teary-eyed together the whole time. It felt so good
to be back with the people I love so dearly in Oak Hills! Darin changed
how I see prayer and greatly affected my view on our relationship with
Heavenly Father. I know He is there because I have seen Him answer the
prayers of one of my dear friends when he decided to try and pray. He is
very aware of us and our needs and desires. I love my Father in Heaven
and I know He hears our prayers. I am so grateful to know Darin and to
have been able to experience this mighty change with him. I am so happy
for our friendship! And the gospel is what allowed us this opportunity
to grow and learn together!
2// Taylor was baptized too! Taylor is the young
girl(10) we are teaching here. She just moved here with her grandparents
and has been coming to church with them. We started to teach her the
week we arrived in West Linn and she was ready to be baptized. It was a
special day! She is so sweet. Taylor is really smart and so sweet. She
loves frozen yogurt and loves to make funky combos whenever we go out
with their family! Her favorite song is, "I Love to see the Temple."
That is what we sang for the closing song. She had just learned it on
the piano and played it herself to close the meeting. It was so cute!
The ward was wonderful and very supportive! Willamette is the best.
3// I read a really cool passage of scripture from
the Doctrine and Covenants! It said that we are commanded to assemble
together and instruct and edify each other. I thought this was so
wonderful, especially since we have been trying to meet a lot of members
here in the area who are no longer actively coming to church. I
realized that we really NEED each other. Each of us have something to
give and something to gain from joining together. We met an incredible
man, named Tom last week. We took our Bishop with us to go and meet him
this week and I saw how true this scripture is! I know there are members
in the Willamette ward who need Tom there, to edify and instruct, to
build and enlighten each other. God said the purpose of that is to know,
"how to act upon the points of my law and commandments." WE teach from
each other about our Father and how to act more fully upon our faith.
Our faith really is developed from sharing our experiences and knowledge
with each other. I loved it! And i loved how much I learned from
chatting with Tom, his testimony is so wonderful, even though he is not
actively practicing, his faith in Christ is beautiful and most
definitely something I could learn from.
4// The Mormon message, "The Hope of God's Light"
has changed my life! I LOVE it so much. You ALL should go watch it. It
is so well done and it really helps me to have faith in those we are
working with. I love when he says, "For two years God was nurturing a
questioning soul." God IS involved throughout our whole life's journey,
not just at sporadic times when it is evident and clear to us. He is
nurturing and preparing us, giving us little by little in our
experiences until we are prepared to receive our answer. I love that
message, especially at this time in my life. I know my interactions with
people here, regardless of the outcome, is part of God's nurturing
plan. He is preparing them to feel His perfect love for them. My job as a
missionary, and as a member for the REST of my life, is to follow the
spirit and help in their experiences and journey of finding answers.
What is cool, is that this is true of me too! I know my Father in Heaven
has nurtured me and given me bit by bit in preparation for a more
powerful and personal relationship with Him. I KNOW He lives and I KNOW
He loves me.
Lindsay from Oak Hills is getting baptized this
weekend and I cannot express my excitement in adequate terms! I love
Lindsay so very, very much and am so excited to see her again. She is so
excited for her baptism and to finally find where she belongs. I have
decided that is what I want to do! I am committed to being someone that
makes more people feel needed and like they fit and belong right there
with us. I was reflecting on the beginning of my mission and trying to
figure out what helped it to be such a great start and experience and a
smooth transition. The Morby's were so good at that! They were so
wonderful at making me feel needed and valuable. I am so grateful for
that experience and for all the other experiences I have had that have
helped me to feel loved. I want to give that to other people for the
rest of my life!
I have to get going! Have a very happy week. You're in my thoughts and prayers!
Xoxo!
Sister Kerr
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