I don't think I have felt so confident or so humble in one week. Missions are crazy! :)
So, the big news this week is that I will be training a brand new missionary straight from the MTC. Can you believe it?! After you are out on your mission for 12 weeks you are supposed to be ready to train a new missionary, and next week is my 12 week mark. Can I just tell you how unprepared and inadequate I felt? REALLY inadequte! What is interesting is that I felt like I would train probably an entire week before President Sorensen called me. That has been a real tender mercy in my life- I feel like I have been warned when a big 'crisis' is about to happen in my life. Maybe crisis isn't the word... maybe trial? Or hardship? Something that will rock my little Kimber world. But as hard as those times hit, it has always been tempered from the foreknowledge the spirit has given me and helped me to be prepared and cope with it. Isn't that so neat? It isn't a huge feeling, just little inklings of feelings that I probably wouldn't have noticed if I didn't look at them in hindsight. But as much as I 'knew' I would be called as a trainer, I still so over taken by shock when President Sorensen called at 10:30 on Monday night that I chucked the phone at Sister Hatch. She kindly handed it back after answering, and I numbly accepted to be exactly obedient as I trained this new missionary. Then I don't remember what else he said because I was numb at that point :)
Since that time, I have gone through so many emotions that I am not even going to try and describe them all. But I will say that through it all, being on a mission has been so neat, because everyday experiences make you wonder how exactly Jesus Christ felt. It is incredible how alone you can feel. You can be surrounded by people, but if your companion isn't on the same page as you, it seems like there is nowhere to turn other than to God. You can't really go anywhere else for comfort. It makes me realize Jesus Christ must have come to know Heavenly Father so well because no one else was on His level. He was completely and utterly alone His entire life. I realized how much I have leaned on my previous companions as justification for behavior. But if you are leaning on someone who is imperfect, you can easily use their weaknesses as justification for yourself. Only by relying on the Lord can we overcome weaknesses and do things we never thought were possible. Didn't you love that General Conference talk about the Savior seeing the potential in the fishers to become apostles?! I LOVED that part! Mom, I didn't pick up on the end of Elder Holland's talk (The time is short) How exciting! :) When I was first realizing I was going to be called as a trainer, I felt like they were asking me to jump off a cliff- I feel like I have so much more to learn before I can teach someone else! But now I feel excited to run to the edge and do a little pocahontas swan dive off of it, and Heavenly Father can help me out :) Heavenly Father is in charge, right Dad? ;)
Oh, by the way Dad, would you do me a favor? President Sorensen told us it might be a good idea to get a GPS so that we don't have to be wasting the Lord's time, miles and gas trying to find places. With Sister Hatch's GPS, missionary work has been so much better! Plus, these roads are crazy out here :) Would you mind using some of my money and mailing me a GPS? A good one, but one that isn't too expensive? We won't have any time in the next few P-days to go to a store like that, and you are so much better at picking out good stuff like that :) If you can't or don't have time, just let me know and I can make things work out. But I would really appreciate it!
This week has been a little week of miracles. Audrie has successfully stopped smoking, so she is good to be baptized on the 22nd of April! Whoo! She is INCREDIBLE! It is so neat to see her progress from when we first started teaching her until now. She could barely understand one verse of scripture 6 weeks ago, and now she is reading whole chapters, applying them to her life and her confidence and faith have been amazing! She loves to read scriptures with us when we come over, and she is taking really difficult steps in her life. As a missionary, I don't feel like I am doing anything! There hasn't been the heartache of her not keeping commitments and wondering if she will turn on us in our next visit. It is remarkable the change that occurs when you live the gospel. It is funny, because she can't see it, even though it has been such a stark contrast! I guess that is how we feel about ourselves- it is diffcult to see ourselves progressing when it is so gradual. It is neat to be able to see her from the perspective of a missionary. It is such a testimony builder!
We also had a neat experience with Bob. Bob is a man we ran into tracting, but we haven't been able to get a hold of him when we try to contact him. Finally the other day we were able to see him and his wife sitting out on their porch. They were very angry and disgruntled- they were getting kicked out of their apartment- and Sister Hatch and I were feeling a little uneasy about starting a lesson with them because they weren't feeling the spirit at all. Finally, Sister Hatch had the courage to ask if she could pray for them, and they said yes. She said a wonderful, simple prayer, asking Heavenly Father to be mindful of them and to be with them at this time. And they softened right up! We went in, talked about the Book of Mormon, and they both commited to be baptized once they found it to be true. The wife was incredibly prepared! She had been searching for a Book of Mormon ever since her pastor took away one she had ordered from a TV advertisement and has wanted to read one for awhile. She told us she would read half of it that night, because she really wanted to know if it was true. Isn't that neat?! It was SO cool!
And my favorite miracle of the week... is that Giang will be coming to church again! The last few weeks we have really limited our contact with him, because we knew that Giang couldn't progress anymore with just the missionaries. He needed the ward members to be involved for anything to happen. It took so much faith to step down and allow the ward to take over!! I love that man SO MUCH and I knew that not visiting him would throw him in the deep end and he would either sink or swim. We have been trying to get members to invite him to game nights or go over to teach him English, but everyone is really busy. This weekend some members picked him up for general conference. And now he said he wanted to come to church again!! I know it is still going to take a lot of steps to get the entire ward involved. It is amazing how much difference one person can make when they look out for the welfare of others! If the ward can see how vital they are to Giang seeing the truthfulness of the gospel, he is going to do so well. I can't wait to see how things turn out!
I got to give my first John Johnson tour alone yesterday! Ahh! Haha, it actually wasn't very scary. I did really well remembering the facts! I actually impressed myself. But something I left out was my testimony. And you know what? The tour didn't have a whole lot of depth. It was factual, but the spirit didn't have a chance to be there, and it really made a difference. I think I am beginning to understand how crucial it is to do things by the spirit as a missionary. The feelings are what stay with someone, not the facts. I have felt the same with hearing music in public places. It is fun music, but not very fulfilling. The spiritual stuff in this life gives our lives so much more depth than the secular! Kind of cool to be surrounded by spiritual all the time :)
As excited as I am to meet this new sister who will be my companion, I am sad to have Sister Hatch leave :( It is crazy how close you can get with someone in a matter of weeks, when you are with someone constantly! I love that girl. But she won't be leaving until July, and Sister Lee won't leave until August, so I still have time with them. I am so glad Heavenly Father has put them in my path. They are so opposite, but so perfect for the beginning of my mission. I received a letter from Sister Lee the other day- it made me so happy!
Just curious: what exactly do you want to hear from me? Would you rather hear my thoughts? Or about my investigators and their experiences? Is anything boring to hear about? If something is kind of boring to hear, just let me know! It would save me time in typing ;) and I don't know what is good to hear from a missionary since I haven't really been on the receiving end before. Are these too long? I do sort of go on for awhile... :) Anyway, any feedback would be great! And it would be great to hear from you too! I love you all so much! I hope you are all doing well.
The pictures are of the Giffords, one of the senior couples we give tours with at the John Johnson Farm. Elder Gifford kind of became my comfort after Grandpa died- he reminds me a lot of him
The Waroquet family is the one with the two boys and a girl. They are HILARIOUS! He is french, she is from hungary, and their boys are getting lessons to prepare for baptism. They have the greatest sense of humor, and are pretty good at listening to our lessons. :)
Audrie, Okey and the little baby are AWESOME! Okey is less active, but getting ready to receive the priesthood, Olivia is the CUTEST baby who army crawls and almost never cries, and Audrie is planning on being baptized April 22nd. I love them to death! Sister Hatch got all these pictures because she will be leaving, so I am reaping the benefits ;)
LOVE!
Sister Kimber Mahrt
P.S. Ray, I told Sister Hatch a little about our childhood. I thought they were pretty funny stories, but for some reason Sister Hatch feels sorry for you...? I don't really get it :) But just know you have a fan
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
March 28, 2012
FAMILY!
Thank you so much for the family picture! Before I go to bed at night I just grab those pictures of the family and stare at them for a minute. My companion thinks I am psycho, because I will grab it suddenly, and then hold it 5 inches from my face and just 'stare at it lovingly while not moving a muscle' (her words not mine :) It freaks her out a little bit, but sometimes I just get those family yearnin's and I can't control them! :) We have such an incredible family! The scarves are very nice too- I have been making good use out of them :)
So... I learned how to make pepperoni bread. So random. We went to a potential investigator some elders had ran into when they were in our area. He is a man from Peru that owns a bread store. We came in and started talking to him, and it turns out he has met with the missionaries before! Interesting. We hadn't been talking long before some customers came in, so he brought us upstairs and had us measure out dough for him. Then quite a few more people came, so he would come up at intervals and show us the next step for making the pepperoni bread. It was so weird! How many chefs would be comfortable to let two ameutuers go make bread that they are going to sell? He is such a goofball :) But he is very enthusiastic and loves to talk about religion. Hopefully we have a chance to talk with him a little more next time.
Dad, quick question: how did you deal with the towel situation on a mission? Did you really have seven towels, and then wash them all on P-day so you would have a fresh towel everyday? How did you have time for laundry?!
Another neat experience: One morning we were planning lessons during companionship study for our night appointments, and we were not getting ANYTHING accomplished! We were sitting there, trying to think of anything to share with them, and think of what they needed to hear, but every suggestion didn't feel right and we felt like we couldn't think properly. It was frustrating! We didn't know what was going on. We decided to stop wasting so much time, move on, and come back to it later. Well, we didn't end up coming up with anything later because we had to hurry off to an appointment and our day was jam packed with lessons and tours at the JJ farm that we weren't able to have lunch, let alone plan (lunch hasn't been happening these last couple of weeks- it has been crazy! Thankfully our dinners are normally appointments and don't get lost in the crunch :) ) but then, everything fell through that we had planned in the evening, even our back-ups. We thought that was weird, because they were pretty solid plans with back-ups. When we got to our place, we saw that we had someone moving in right above us. We ended up helping her with her stuff, and then got into a 1 1/2 hour conversation about missionary work and about what we do! Her name is Leann, and she is awesome! We came away from talking to her, looked at each other, and we both realized at the same time why things hadn't been working well this morning. The stupor of thought from the morning made a lot more sense, and hopefully next time we are able to recognize how that feels and move on rather than wasting so much time! But it was neat to be reminded how this isn't our mission, it is the Lord's mission, and he will get the message to those he has prepared.
OK, just one more experience! We were in Windham (the ghetto of our area which is the farthest away from us and where almost all of our investigators are) and we were stopping by a potential investigator. Lisa (the mother of the family) came to the door, and tried to flip on the porch light to see who it was, but then the porch light blew out. So she invited us in and said she had been looking for 'church people' because she needed a church! She seemed so perfect! ...until she started going off about all the satanic experiences she has had in her life and poltergist activities she has been having recently. We were trying to steer her away from talking about evil things by reading the intro to the Book of Mormon. She would read a little, but then start straight into another story. At about our seventh attempt to return back to the scriptures, she looked up at us and said, "Ok, I can tell you want to read from this book, but you know what? I already know you are messengers from God, so lets move on with it!" Sister Hatch and I looked at each other, amazed that she would recognize us as messengers from God when we hadn't even shared that much of the gospel with her yet. We let there be a little silence so that the spirit could testify of the truth of what she said to her, then I asked, "How were you able to tell we are messengers from God?" There was a little silence that seemed to last forever, while Sister Hatch and I waited in excited anticipation! She looks up from the Book of Mormon and said, "...well... because the light blew out!' Then she went into another crazy story about her confronting a cloaked demon. So, there you have it. If you ever want to know if someone is a messenger from God, start flipping on the lights around them! It is a sure way to know ;)
These pictures are of our last P-day. We went to a cultural hall in Solon to play basketball.
I love you all! I hope you are all doing well! Stay happy- it is such a blessing that we have the gospel :)
Sister Kimber Mahrt
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
March 21, 2012
Happy Birthday Dad!!! How was your birthday? I am sorry I didn't wish you a happy birthday last week :( I was thinking of it-I really was!- but then I started typing up my feelings on Grandpa and I completely forgot by the end of the email. I hope your birthday went well though. I love you!
I have been thinking about my last email all week, and I really hope that I didn't sound like a calloused sicko that doesn't really care if her Grandpa passes away. I really was sad. And I know things would have been a lot harder without distractions, without being 1000 miles away, and without being there for his death and funeral. Most of all I have been worried about you guys and how you have been doing. Has it been difficult? Is everyone OK? How are you, Dad? It is really difficult not being able to talk to everyone in person about it :( I hope you are all doing OK.
We had a baptism this week! It is for Kevinna. She has been taking the lessons from the missionaries since November, and this girl has caused me so much grief! :) I don't know if I have already told you much about her, but she referred her cousin, Audrie, to us a few weeks back and they are so funny together! They signed up to make us dinner on Thursday night (three days before Kevinna's baptism) and Sister Hatch and I were stoked for some authentic Indian Tacos! (she is native american) so we show up to Audrie's, and I take one look at Kevinna and almost have a seizure. She had about five new pairs of earrings in her ears, and a nice new lip ring!
....?!?!.....
My little missionary heart almost gave out on me!
I was freaking out on the inside, especially because I had my doubts earlier about her being ready, and now, WHAM!
Indian tacos were great, but I left her house with a lot of uncertainty. As soon as we got in the car, Sister Hatch and I just looked at each other before we started screaming (Sister Hatch has got me in this weird habit of doing a little fake scream thing when we feel uncomfortable, when we are anxious, tracting... pretty much any missionary moment warrants this weird scream thing). That night I was praying so hard to know if we needed to postpone the baptism. I did NOT want her being baptized if it wasn't a covenant she was ready for! Postponing a baptism is a big deal- we had done so much to make this baptism perfect so that a bunch of people were invited and it was a time when the 'power of godliness' could be manifest (D&C 84:20-21). Baptisms are supposed to be a time when the spirit is very strong, so all the missionaries in the zone are strongly encouraged to bring their investigators so the investigators can feel the spirit. All the preparations were almost complete, but I was ready to drop it all if I felt at all like this was wrong.
That night during planning, Sister Hatch and I talked about it for a LONG time, and Sister Hatch finally said, "You know, there isn't much we can do about it right now. We just need to go into her lesson tomorrow with faith, knowing that He will let us know if it is wrong or if it is right." That made me feel better. And then after planning she offered the sweetest, specific prayer and the spirit was definitely there. I felt myself instantly calm, and I was OK. The anxiety came back a little in the morning, because I didn't know exactly how we were going to bring up the fact that she needed to take out her rings or her baptismal date could be affected. But we went in and everything was perfect! She had had a difficult night, and for most of the time we just listened. Then we found an opportunity to give her service. By the time we brought up the standards, it wasn't scary to be bold because it felt right. And her reaction was incredible- she was so humble about it! She felt so bad that she had done what she did. She had just been ignorant, and wished she hadn't gotten all the piercings. When we left a little later, I felt so good. I wished I hadn't worried so much, because Heavenly Father really does answer prayers and will provide a way. I wish I didn't have to learn that the hard way all the time :)
At her baptism, my favorite part was when I looked up at her and her family in the front row during the musical number. They were all teary-eyed and hugging each other, the spirit was definitely there. I had this vision pop in my head of them all in the temple, dressed in white, being sealed to one another. Such a sweet feeling! Wow, I love missionary work!
I have been thinking a lot lately about how much a mission is like a little mini life. I have had a hard time sometimes, because I hear the testimonies of those at the end of their missions, who look back and she how much they have grown and how much they have learned. I can't wait for that! I can't wait to be at the end, to look back and feel like I have done everything to my best ability, and be able to see you all again and move on with my life. It is hard to stay in the moment and enjoy all the contacting and phone calls (still trying to find joy in those...), just enjoying every single day I have out here. Because this is really hard! Dad, you were totally right- a mission is hard! I have no idea how 19 year old boys get out here and do this, because it is seriously more tough than I could have imagined. But isn't that true in our lives too? Before we came to Earth we were excited for the potential to become more like our Heavenly Father, and we couldn't wait! But then once you get to Earth, it gets a little tedious at times, and you just can't wait until we can be at the Savior's feet, to see Heavenly Father again, and to have that celetial life. Doesn't celestial life sound so incredible?! I can't wait! But enduring this life is how we get there, and I think finding joy in our everyday lives is what is going to make celestial life so enjoyable. And how do we find joy in this life? Oh, through the Atonement. His plan is incredible! So perfect.
Mom, have you ever tried sleeping with ear plugs? They are great! Sister Hatch sounds like a banshee when she sleeps, so the first night we were together she gave me ear plugs as a perk to the new companionship. They are really great! Some nights I don't need them, but other nights when I am awake for awhile because I can't stop thinking, I just pop those puppies in and the complete silence is actually soothing once you get used to it. Oh, and I used some Echinacia (sp?) when I started to feel sick, and voila! Sickness gone. That stuff works :) It seems like everyone has been getting sick out here, so I am so thankful my health has been great.
Father! How have you been? Are you still liking the job? I am glad I can trust you with your opinion and your insights- that has been something I have really relied on in my life. You are such a good example to me! It has been fun to think of what you were like as a missionary. How did you keep your mind focused only on your mission, and not on your family or life after the mission?!
Ray, I can't thank you enough for the music you burned me. It has been great to have some of those hymns. Sister Hatch and I have two favorite songs- Nearer My God to Thee and Praise to the Man. I think they are by Inside Out...? By some a cappella group, anyway. We play those songs and just BELT them OUT! It is so fun :) We started singing at the top of our lungs one time after an appt, and quickly remembered we had a member we were driving home from the lesson in our back seat O.o Whoops! So we pretended like we totally meant to be serenading her and just song louder. That poor, scarred individual... she will never be the same. But it has been a ton of fun, and even a source of feeling more united and easing tension, so thank you so much for spending your time doing that for me :) I never know how I am going to repay you, because you are always serving! You need to knock that off so I can catch up!
Megger and Lex, I am waiting to hear about tennis! How is it going? Megger, how was prom?!?! I want a picture!!!! You can't leave me out on this- I want the details girl! And Lexer, how is the art going? Do you have any pictures of the recent pictures you made? I want to see them! I heard your picture of Mr. Downey (what is that guy's name...?) won a prize of some sort. What happened?!
Brooke, I got your message from the ward letter that was sent. You are SO CHEEKY! "We are having a lot of fun without you' Where do you get this stuff from anyway?! You need to stop spending so much of your time with Mom- mom is too much of a tease ;)
Fam, life is good, and I am so glad I get to live with you all forever, because life without you is not so fun. I guess I have to learn appreciation somehow, right? :) Love you all!
Sister Kimber Mahrt
March 14, 2012
Wow, this week has really been all over the place. I hope this email can do it justice :)
First of all, thank you so much for all the birthday wishes/packages/letters/strange songs *cough* RACHEL! *cough*! My birthday was AMAZING and I loved every minute of it! I really wasn't expecting a whole lot other than getting 2 LMPs (Lessons with a member present) which was pretty exciting in and of itself, but everything thinking about me on my birthday was way too fun and my ego was out of control, so that was great! :)
I had letters coming out of my ears I had so many! I don't think you ever feel quite so loved than you do when you go to Kirtland and find your mailbox overflowing with notes of recognition that people remembered your birthday. Even some of the senior couples I don't know well yet loaded me up with cards, candy, homemade chocolates, and snacks to last me through my mission!
Also for my birthday it was the most gorgeous day I could have asked for! The weather has been amazing the entire time I have been here, but yesterday was like the perfect spring day! AND we got to take a little detour in returning to our area. We had an appointment that was supposed to be in Hiram, but then it moved out to Windham (which is about half an hour away from where we live in Aurora- the other side of our area) and we got to go through Amish country! (it was a city called Parkman, which is also in our area, but we never get to that part because our miles are really limited, it is the farthest away from us and there are no members who live out there) The Amish are amazing and it was so fun to see their little horse and buggies as well as them going on picnics with their family. I want to learn more about their culture. It would be so neat to live away from the distractions of technology. They are so hardworking!
The rest of my birthday was spent teaching investigators about the gospel, helping some overcome smoking and others about the wonderful foundation the gospel brings. I love how whenever we bear testimony of something, our testimony grows stronger. I was really feeling it yesterday as I promised my investigator as she reads the Book of Mormon to overcome smoking, the spirit will come into her life and the Book of Mormon will apply directly to her life and can help her find ways to solve her specific personal problems. It is so true! The Book of Mormon is so powerful! It amazes me the more I study from it and hear the insights of those around me.
Sister Hatch has been such a fun companion! I love having her around, learning from her and watching others learn from her. She has such a cute little smile and goofy little courtesy laugh (she would die if she knew I told you about her courtesy laugh :) ) She has learned so much from her mission, and I love how natural it is to get along with her. She has definitely been a blessing recently, because I have felt so scattered and I have forgotten so many things at home or in random places (hard to believe, I know!). Her organization and knowledge have DEFINITELY been a blessing!
Oh oh, I almost forgot to tell you one of our awesome missionary experiences this week! So, we are meeting with an investigator (her name is Audrie, and she is the cousin to the investigator we have who is going to be baptized on Sunday). She has a 7 month old girl (cutest, best little baby! She never cries!) and her boyfriend is a less active member of the chruch who was baptized 7 years ago. She drinks coffee and smokes, but she is SO excited to have her own Book of Mormon, and her excitement is so addicting! As soon as we come in, she grabs her Book of Mormon and wants to read with us and learn more about the gospel. On our second lesson, we asked her if she wanted to be baptized, and she said, "Of course!" and then proceeded to say all of her problems that she wanted to give up (smoking, coffee, marry her boyfriend, etc) She said she is tired of feeling the way she does, she has felt a spiritual void, and reading the Book of Mormon, going to church and having us around has helped so much. We told her a little about the Word of Wisdom and why we have it, and she said, "Well, then I need to throw away my cigarettes, don't I?" Sister Hatch and looked at each other and said, "...yeah, that would be good" So she runs in the kitchen, grabs her new carton of cigarettes, and slam dunks them in the garbage! She sits there looking at them in the garbage for a minute, and then looks up at us and says, "Should I break them so I can't get them back out of the garbage?" Sister Hatch and I sit in this awed silence until I shout out, "Yeah!" So she grabs them out of the garbage and starts massacreing those suckers by the handfull! She disgustedly throws them back in the trash, slaps on a nicotine patch and said, "Ok, what's next?" It was the coolest thing EVER! She has such a desire to be better! She wants to do it for her daughter, and we are trying to help her see that this is something that will really help her feel less lonely, sad and confused. It is amazing how the gospel can change anyone's life for the better, and I love having the blessing of agency and the light of Christ/the Holy Ghost to direct us to Him. You can tell some people recognize right from the start that this is Christ's church because of how they feel. They recognize the message as something familiar to them. We really did live with Heavenly Father before we came here, we really did!
OK, now for Grandpa. It was really a shock to hear that he is now gone. It completely shocked me. I didn't realize how downhill he has been going. During our night drives back home after a busy day when my mind would slow down I would remember that he had died and he was no longer around. And at night. I have been very thankful for the busy schedule I have so there really hasn't been time to dwell on it too long. But the neat thing is that I think I am finally understanding something I heard from Grandma's funeral. Remember when the bishop said that we would be sad that Grandma was gone, but in time these things would become sweet to us? Did I talk to you about how much that really resonated with me? I don't remember if I did or not. But that is something that I was kind of confused about. I can see how over time a death can be something you can cope with, or it is something you can deal with logically because it is part of God's Plan and you know they are OK, but to have it become sweet? Are you serious? How can it ever be sweet?
I have been thinking about this SO much for the last few months. I thought it had been the bishop's own words, but then I found out somehow that he had been quoting scripture. It is something I have prayed about A LOT to have understanding. And I feel like I was beginning to understand it by the time I got my call and left on my mission. But having Grandpa die on Tuesday has brought it all fresh to my mind, and I think I understand it even better now. I had the blessing of teaching the Plan of Salvation for the first time on Tuesday night TWICE before I heard on P-day that Grandpa had died. As I taught I felt an overwhelming peace, and the feeling that Heavenly Father is aware of us and loves us all very much. As I have been thinking about Grandpa this week, I started off being sad, but it has turned into an overwhelming feeling of joy and excitement! Normally when someone dies I try to remember that I am just being selfishly sad, and that I need to remember that they are happy. But this has been something beyond logically making sense of death. It has been something that I have come to see as the sweetness the bishop was talking about. I don't know how I have been so blessed to feel this way, but it has been a miraculous feeling, and I am so grateful to have had this experience. I just hope they believe in video cameras in the spirit world, because I want to see Grandma and Grandpa's reunion once he got there! I am sure they were estatic! I am so priviliged to be serving a mission at the same time as my wonderful grandparents! They were an incredible example of love to me. I have felt at times that grandma has been with me on my mission, and I hope I have the blessing of feeling grandpa as well. Selfish, I know :) Also, I can't help but feel that I have been blessed so much at this time in my life to be serving a mission, particularly here in Kirtland. How many other missions would I have the blessing of being surrounded by grandparent lovin'? One of the senior missionaries, Elder Tex Gifford, reminds me so much of Grandpa! I have had the opportunity to get closer to him because the Giffords serve in the Johnson Farm. Also, I can't tell you how much I LOVE Sister Symmons, Sister Kloepfer, Sister and Sister Steele! I don't know how I feel so close to them so quickly, but I feel Heavenly Father's hand has been a significant part of my life lately. He is watching me so closely and loving me so much it is almost tangible. What a blessing it is to know how much He loves us!!!
I hope everyone is doing well! I wish I could be there to hug you all and to talk about Grandpa together. You are all so precious to me. I hope you know that.
LOVE!
Sister Kimber Mahrt
P.S. None of you better start smoking, doing drugs, or breaking the law of chasitity because it is a PAIN to overcome! Don't even think about it!
March 7, 2012
Hello!!!
It seems like it has been so long since I have been able to read your emails and write back to you! Ray, thanks for the emails, and Mom, those pictures are great! Thank you so much! I miss you all a ton!
It seems like it has been so long since I have been able to read your emails and write back to you! Ray, thanks for the emails, and Mom, those pictures are great! Thank you so much! I miss you all a ton!
First of all, let me say HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEXY-POO!!! How was your birthday?! I am so sorry I didn't say it last email- I really was thinking about you all day on March 1st. Are you excited to be 15? What did you do for your birthday?
This week has been really crazy! It seems like we have been running every minute of each day. It has been good. But first thing is first- I have my new companion! Her name is Sister Hatch, and she is from Tremonton, UT. This transfer meeting was super exciting, because there were so many companionships changed around, especially last minute and quite a few unexpected things happened. We didn't realize that Sister Hatch and Sister Tating would be at the transfer meeting because they were out 'full pros.' Sister Hatch is a Kirtland sister, but she had been out for 4 transfers (or six months- that is a long time to be out full proselyting for a Kirtland sister!) and her companion, Sister Tating, was called to begin training (she is a full pros sister who only has two transfers left- just enough time to train a new sister :) ). All the companionships got switched around, new areas are opened up, andonly one companionship out of the 15 companionships is the same as it was last transfer! (Sister Christian's companionship is the same. Sister Goodman is now in a triple up with the sister who is getting gall bladder surgery). It was really fun to be at transfer meeting though! Sister Lee was crying like crazy by the end :( She will be great full pros though. Someone needs her out there :)
Sister Hatch is so awesome! I feel like Heavenly Father knew exactly what He was doing when He had Sister Lee and I together at the beginning, and now Sister Hatch and I. They have so many different strengths, that I feel like I am so spoiled- I get to learn from two different trainers! I have already learned so much from Sister Hatch. She is very positive, extremely organized and a great teacher. We probably laugh too much together, so we are going to have to work on that :) A great perk that came with Sister Hatch is that she has a GPS! Whoo! She is now the designated driver, and we have made significantly less U turns with the GPS (Jill) yelling at us to turn at the correct road.
I am still doing the 90 day challenge of reading the Book of Mormon and finding Christlike Attributes. It is incredible what you can find! One day I feel like I learn so much about how to be a good leader, and other days I get excited to become a parent, because learning what a loving Father He is just makes you want to share your love with your own kids. Other insights: He is so bold! I love how straightforward and plain He is. Also, he is not shy about asking questions- He asks for what He wants/needs, but what He asks for is ALWAYS unselfish, and He is always so grateful for everything He receives. (Mom, this insight reminded me of when you told me I need to ask. Remember that? Haha, I will learn eventually that you are always right! ;) )
Something else that I think is particular to a mission is that your feelings are elevated. When you are magnifying your calling and doing the best you can, you feel SO happy! Even days that I didn't necessarily have anything exciting happen, but I was able to teach someone something I had planned well and sought inspiration, I am HAPPY! But then when I don't do my best, I am not using my time the most effectively, or I shirk from talking to the scary looking man in the street about how Christ's church is on the Earth today, I feel AWFUL! You know that feeling when you kind of waste a day not doing anything in particular, and then you feel kind of gross at the end of the day? It is like that feeling is intensified and you feel like you have no worth and you really aren't making a difference. It is as if when you are not being exactly obedient, Satan just slams you and it makes life so difficult! Life is so much easier if we can just do what He asks us!
On a side note-- check out my turtle! (He should be attached as a picture)
Isn't he awesome?! The senior missionaries who work at the John Johnson Farm (The Giffords) are awesome, and have been working with a local Rotary club. This club put on a Family Fun Week, where they emphasized spending time with family, and on Saturday they had a bunch of bouncy houses (is that what those big balloon things are called?) and actitivies for families to enjoy together. The Giffords signed us up to do service at the card table (the families could write Get Well cards to hospitals or just fun cards to family members). It was a fun atmosphere, and it was neat to see the community come together to support families. There was a family who were making these balloons, and they were amazing! I wish I could show you some of the animals/hats they made! They were telling everyone how they found they enjoyed making balloon animals together as a family, so they asked God for the talent of making them, and they promised they would devote their talent to lifting the spirits of others. So neat! And isn't my little turtle adorable?! It was nice to be able to do service. I love working with the senior couples! They are so amazing- you walk in the doors of the visitors center and they all get up and welcome you as if you are some celebrity! You give everyone hugs and hand shakes every time you pass through the lobby, and they all are so happy and build people up around them :) They are such great examples of Christlike love.
I had my first experience of feeling like a momma bear today! You know our Vietnamese investigator? He has been progressing so much in English and in the gospel, and Sister Hatch and I even set a baptisimal date with him to be baptized. I don't know how I feel about the baptisimal date at this point... it has been a debate so far. But we have been told that he may be a waste of our time at this point, that we should consider dropping him and moving on to use our time more effectively. When I heard that, I was speechless. Then I rose to the defense. I probably sounded like a maniac, trying to explain how much he has done, how much progress he has made and how much desire He has to follow Christ. He is probably the most thoughtful, kind and gentle man you have ever met. He has gone to church every Sunday, read the Book of Mormon through once and is half way through it again, and has worked so hard at learning English so that he can communicate better with the people at church. I don't want to drop him!!! It does make total sense that he can't speak English well, we aren't entirely sure if he fully understands each principle we have taught him, and his drive to go to church could be more social at this point. We only have so much time and we need to spend it where it will be the most effective. But against these logical road blocks, I don't know if I can just let him go! I want him to have the gospel so much in his life. The gospel is something he would thrive in, and I am frustrated that he has all these barriers that are keeping him from fully embracing it :( We will see how things go.
OK, I really did miss talking to you, as you can tell :) I just want to tell you EVERYTHING, and this is barely anything :) Still need to work on just giving you the important parts so you don't have to read a novel ;) But don't forget I love you!!!
Sister Kimber Mahrt
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
February 28th, 2012 Letter
I get to write you one day early! Transfers are tomorrow, so we have our P-day a day early. We have 7 new sisters coming in (that is a ton!) so almost all the companionships will be training. They picked all the trainers and they had a meeting last week and everything was set. Then yesterday, Sister Lee got a call from the Zone Leaders, and guess what? She is being transferred!!! It was really unexpected, because normally you are with your trainer for two transfers. The mission president said he didn't feel good about how they first had companionships, so our companionship was split as a last minute decision. AND Sister Lee is going out of the Kirtland Zone! (full proselyting) It is crazy, and we can't wait until transfer meeting tomorrow. Sister Lee has looked through to see who our new companions might be (it is this weird system that I don't understand) but she thinks she will be put with her companion she had right before me, and I will be put with a sister who has been sick her entire mission. Her previous companion was notorious for not being focused on missionary work, and my companion hasn't been able to do a whole lot of missionary work because she never feels good (she will be getting her gall bladder out in two weeks, so we are hoping that helps her!) It will be a new experience to be the one in charge of Hiram- I don't know what I am doing! When I first heard about the transfer I felt sad I would be leaving Sister, excited for changes, regret for feeling like I did not make the most of my last transfer, calm, and overall happy to know that whatever the change was made for, it was inspired, and Sister Lee and I will be in the places we should be with the companion we should have at the time.
Speaking of regret, isn't that one of the worst feelings EVER?! It just eats at you! This last transfer I feel like I was not the best missionary I could be because I let my weaknesses and justification keep me from being everything I could be through the help of Christ. Regret is tough, but I am glad I feel it so that I can be motivated to change and become better. Always do your best so that you don't have regret!
OK, I really have to go :( I am wearing jeans right now because it is district P-day and we are going bowling. I NEVER thought I would say I feel weird wearing jeans but... there is a first time for everything, right? :) SO WEIRD!
Love you all!
Sister Kimber Mahrt
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