I Love Missions!!!

Hello, family dearest! Happy week before Thanksgiving! I cannot believe that it is almost that time. Mom sent out a cute email at the beginning of this week with all the weather across the country where all of us are, looks like things sure have gotten chilly for us...except for those stinkin' Texans! And now, we will have to add Louisiana onto the list! Congratulations to my sweet little, Macey. I know she will make the best missionary ever, she is beyond ready for this! Yay! What happy news. I love love love it! 

This week was incredible! It really was so good. Last night we had the very special opportunity to have a Travis Tuttle come and speak for all of the missionaries, the people we are teaching and all the members here in the Lake Oswego area. It was so incredible! Travis Tuttle served his mission when he was 19 years old in Saratov, Russia 16 years ago. While he was there, he and his companion were kidnapped and taken hostage. They were held for five days by two captors who were hoping to receive a ransom for these two Mormon missionaries. He spoke about his experience in deciding to serve a mission and of course the highlight of it was this experience on his mission. He was amazing and really personified faith. He was serving a mission because he loved God, but he experienced severe trials in that expression of his love. The people we brought to it absolutely loved his talk and were so touched by the spirit. I feel so blessed to have been there for it and to have met such an incredible person! One of my favorite parts was when he explained to all of the non-members in the room, why all of us decided to come on a mission. He told them all that we were here not to focus on our worldly desires, such as jobs, school, cars, family, houses; but, we were here to focus on them - those specific individuals in that room with us. He told the row we had there with us, that Sister Jensen and I had given up 18 months of our life to serve them, to focus on them, to share God's love with them. It was truly impacting!  

Also special to last night...I got to see Heidi! I am sure you all remember hearing about my Heidi dear! Well, yesterday marked one year, to the day, since her baptism! I cannot believe it has been an entire year since Sister Dittmar and I taught her and helped her prepare for that special day. And I feel so blessed that I got to see her on that very day a whole year later! It was so fun to run up and give her the biggest hug in the whole world! I got a picture, but it looks terrible... I'll ask her to send me one from her phone! She is doing so well, I love her so much. She is working on her preparation for the temple! I promised to come back for it when she can come, who wants to come with me??? :) I also got to see Darin who was baptized in August back in Oak Hills, and Kyle from May! It was a happpppppy day. 

The past couple of weeks we have been working really hard as a mission to figure out how to use our online proselyting tools in a more effective and focused way.They are an absolutely wonderful tool, but it has been really easy to see the missionaries and myself lose focus while using them. I am a firm believer that the reason they are so hard to use and control is because they have the potential to be the most effective tools in missionary work! Just look for the most opposition in the entire world, and you will find something that has the potential to progress God's work being attacked! It's that way in people too, I mean look at the life of Jesus Christ. The most perfect and wholesome person, who changed the world had more opposition upon him than anyone who has ever lived. Anyways, as a mission we have been trying to reset and refocus on our purpose and using the tools we've been blessed with, not being used by the tools. It made my heart so full as we presented this to our zone alongside our zone leaders, to see the humility and desire of the missionaries I serve with. They want to do good and be good, but Satan has a very tricky way of leading us off, even if it is off into other good things, it takes us off our focus. The mission has been called to change and we are excited about it, we are excited to improve and to be the servants God needs. This week felt like it could have been a chapter in the Book of Mormon! We all were in the wrong and needed to be brought back, and as a mission, we worked together to get us all there. I love the opportunity I have to go out and share this with all of the sisters in the mission. I love accountability and humility; we are all on the same page and holding each other to it! I have never been involved in such a neat meeting, I hope to never forget it! 

This week really was a great one, I loved it! And I am so excited for this coming week too. I really feel so full of love for this area, the people we are teaching, the other missionaries, and the people I have yet to meet, but know are prepared! There is much to be done all around us! I'm grateful we each get to go out and do it.

Love you, family! Xoxo.

Sister Kerr

p.s. Kyle who was baptized in May, saw me while I was on an exchange and serving at the Visitor's Center this week. He met me there to tell me some exciting news! He has started to work on his mission papers and will be submitting them on his year mark!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE MISSIONS.

 

                   {Reunited with Heidi!!! (2nd from Right) 1 Year Anniversary of her Baptism!!}