Feb 27, 2013
Drama and Faith

Zone Conference

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXIS!!!!!

Back AWAY from those boys! ;)

How's my little fam fam doing? Aw, I love my cute little family.

I had my II (Individual Interview) with Elder Sorenson (the new
Kirtland site director) the other day. It is amazing to me how regular
people get so good at following the spirit and knowing scripture!
Every time he has given a thought or a comment during meetings or with
me personally, it has been something I had needed to hear at that
moment. It is neat that the more we focus on improving ourselves, the
more Christ's light can shine through us to be a positive influence on
those around us. The Sorensen's are awesome!

Today I would like to share a little excerpt from my companion's email
that will give you a little glimpse into our last week and the soap
opera we sometimes term 'a mission:'
Hello everyone! I would attempt to go through and describe all of last
week but it kind of turned into a blur on Saturday night. I was
worried about my talk on Sunday that wasn't very well put together,
and we were just exhausted so I was on my bed half asleep. All the
sudden Sister Mahrt starts freaking out and said "PRESIDENT VELLINGA
IS CALLING!" She jumped on my bed and answered the phone and President
asked to talk to me. I answered the phone and then the bomb was
dropped. President Vellinga asked if I would train one of the new
missionaries coming out on March 7. Here is how the conversation went:

Me :(long uncomfortable pause) "President, are you sure?" (pretty sure
I started crying at this point.)
President: "Yes, I'm sure."
Me: "President, I don't know if I can."
President: "Well, you're a Mormon, aren't you?"
Me: "I think so."
President: "I know you can train and God knows you can train. So will
you do it?"
President: "Are you still there?"
...
President: "Are you breathing?"

Immediately after the phone call I ran into the bathroom sat in the
shower and cried my eyes out. There was some hyperventilating and lots
of praying. The rest of the night was spent in fetal position crying.

The next day we were driving to church and I was a hot mess. Poor poor
Sister Mahrt. I'm pretty sure the tears were freely flowing the whole
15 minutes to the ward building. I had just found out I was going to
be training, I had a talk to give that I wasn't ready for, and we had
to give the gospel principles class without any time to plan. To say I
was stressed is a gross understatement.

P.S. I am fully aware that this is the most dramatic email I have ever
sent. Just love it."

Isn't my companion the greatest? :) She is so right- last week was so
dramatic. Honestly, it may be included in the category of 'most
stressful weeks of my mission.' Stressy Stress Stress. But it is good
stress! It is good that we have the ability to change and improve
because of the Atonement. What I have been most amazed by is the power
of faith. I mean, I have always heard that faith is a power, but it is
neat to FEEL it. It is neat to be in a situation where there is no
where else to turn but to Him, and to see that He is right there, and
has been there the entire time. I have been learning a lot about faith
recently, and I absolutely love it. It has been interesting to learn
not only WHAT faith is, but HOW to apply it. Missions are the best!

Love you Fam!

Sister Kimber Mahrt

Feb 20, 2013

Snow-rnado

I am sitting in the library and looking outside- it is a complete Snow-rnado out there! It is really pretty! ...to watch from inside. This week we were tracting in it, and I LOVE that we are from Arizona. When people ask where we are from, Sister Neslen turns to me and I say, "Arizona..." and have the most pathetic look on my face. We are hoping that compassion will be on our side :) It hasn't worked yet, but we are working on it. Yesterday while we were tracting, a man we were talking to told Sister Neslen that she was being too pushy (which she really wasn't. Believe me, she KNOWS how to be pushy, and she was totally toning it down for this guy) and he called the cops on us! First time for me. And I have been out for over a year. Not too shabby.

Have you ever heard the quote that goes something like, 'the quality of your life is directly a result of the quality of the questions you ask?' I have really gained a testimony of that this last week. I have been reviewing my journal to find when I have had the most people to teach, and I was surprised to find that the times on my mission that the most was going on missionary work wise was not with my most obedient companions. You hear a lot about the importance of being obedient as a missionary, that being obedient brings blessings, and being exactly obedient brings miracles, so wouldn't it make sense that the more obedient you are, the more the Lord will trust you and lead you to those who are prepared?

I had thought and prayed a lot about this recently. I eventually asked my mission president what his thoughts were. He told me to continue to look for the answer myself for this last week, and I said I would. It seems like since he turned the question back on me, the windows of heaven have been opened, and I have been hit by an avalanche of answers to my questions. I was asked to give a talk in sacrament on Alma 32 (Faith applies to EVERYTHING!! So simple, yet complex), I was asked to give spiritual thoughts and little testmonies during lessons, and all of them brought new answers and new insights. The revelation has been coming in so fast and so frequently that I can hardly keep up with it! It is amazing how aware He is of each of us, and how much He is willing to help us with our concerns when we turn to Him. It really is true that the more we participate (including asking questions) the more we are inviting the Holy Ghost to come into our lives to teach us.

We had zone conference on Valentines day. Guess what? The theme of this conference was chastity and virtue. OK, strangest, yet most memorable valentines yet :) President Vellinga is so amazing! I hope you get to meet him one day. He is really good at story-telling and just making the gospel LIVE! He said that people without the gospel are eating at a lousy restaurant, and we are offering a place at one of the most succulent restaurants. Do we realize what we have?! It was neat to see the gospel in terms of food. Who doesn't like food? And who wouldn't suggest a good restaurtant to someone else? Why is the gospel so much different?

I love you, my little family! Be good! Ask questions- it is a really neat experience to receive direct answers from Heavenly Father

LOVE

Sister Mahrt

Pictures:

Sister Neslen was sick. The joy of nasal spray

Angry Eyes

Feb 13, 2013
...and then you two showed up!

Hi Fam!

This has been a neat week. We were tracting awhile ago, and met this woman who said she already had her religion, so she was politely disinterested (the reaction of many Ohians) then when we shared part of the restoration and asked how she would come to know that it was true or not. She was quiet for a minute, and then slowly said, "...I guess I would have to listen to you." Inspired questions are the best! Thank you Sister Neslen! We went back that Friday, and in the middle of the lesson, she said, "You know, it is so interesting that you ladies came when you did, because I have always had a good relationship with Christ, but recently I have felt more distant, and I have been questioning my church. I have been praying for Him to show me the way... and that is when you two showed up." So neat! She is an incredible lady, and we are excited to teach her again this Friday.

We have been finding a lot of people recently, which has been a lot of fun :) Teaching is the best. We have also had our testimonies strengthened about chat too. So many prepared people come to chat on Mormon. org, and it is neat to be able to talk to people openly. I think online people are a lot more open to talking about religion, since they are not face to face with someone. Interesting how that seems to make people more honest!

Sister Neslen says I have to tell you our tracting story. So, it is a running joke that I am about 40 because out in BG there were multiple people who thought I was either married with kids, or 40 years old. Anyway, we tracted into this guy named Roy about a week ago, and he is talking with us, but mostly with Sister Neslen. At one point he randomly stops the conversation and asks Sister Neslen, "How old are you?" Sister Neslen was surprised, but said that she is 21. Then this guy goes off on how she doesn't look a day over 17, and how young she looks, yada yada yada. The ENTIRE TIME that he is fawning over Sister Neslen, he is TOTALLY and pointedly ignoring me. So I kept interrupting his compliments with comments about the Book of Mormon, and he wasn't having it. When we finally got off the doorstep, he said to Sister Neslen, "It is so good to know that there are YOUNG women out there who have such dedication and faith to do this!" Then he said, "Bye" to me. He totally thought I was an old woman! SO rude! Sister Neslen has been very good at telling everyone at sites that story :) It is pretty funny. So now some of the Kirtland sister say that Sister Neslen is like the Kirtland highschooler and I am her mom :)

Sister Mahrt

Feb 6, 2013

Priesthood Power

Sorry about last week's letter. A little lame. But this week was SO good! I think last week was there to humble me and get me ready for the things I learned this week. SO good!

After transfer meeting on Wednesday, we went to the senior couples to ask for a blessing. Elder Polous (he is so cool!) said he would be able to give us blessings. We had been wanting one for weeks, but with the craziness with the Edman's leaving, we hadn't found a good opportunity. Last week I had hardly been getting any sleep because my mind was insane. It would be going 100 miles/min 24/7, and I couldn't seem to shut it off. I was going throughout the day with little to no sleep, and my mind was being hyper. It was the weirdest feeling, and I wasn't sure what to do about it. When we went to get our blessings, we simply asked for a blessing of comfort and counsel. As soon as he laid his hands on my head, he almost immediately said (after the precessory stuff) 'let your mind be at ease!,' and instantly my brain quieted and I was finally able to feel peaceful and calm (something I have been looking for, for a couple weeks now.) It was so powerful. It was just what I needed. The priesthood is incredible. I am always amazed at how surprised I am when I rediscover how much Heavenly Father knows and loves me. He knows us so well. How do we forget that so easily? 

We had to take pictures of our companionships and send them to the APs for President's birthday (or anniversary? I don't remember). So here are the pictures we took, since I haven't sent pictures home recently

THEN, as if my testimony of priesthood hadn't grown enough at this point, I had the opportunity to see more blessings yesterday. Sister Neslen hasn't been feeling well, so our ward mission leader was able to give her a blessing, and then he received a blessing from Elder Pontius (district leader) because he had messed up his back pretty badly shovelling snow the previous night. He was shuffling around and could barely get up and stand up straight. Sister Neslen's blessing was beautiful and so personal, and his blessing was very powerful. As soon as the blessing was over, he jumped out of the chair, looked surprised and said, 'that is the first time that I have been able to get up without wincing all day.' He then proceeded to leave our meeting like a normal, non-hunchback person. Powerful.

We studied light, gifts of the spirit, and about the Kirtland temple dedication this morning in studies. Whoa. This church is so true.

Love you little munchkins!

Sister Mahrt

                                                                This is our district.

Jan 29, 2013
Hi Fam,

Transfers are tomorrow! Sister Neslen and I are both staying, and so are the Hiram sisters. The only person leaving our district is Elder Lundholm. Sister Tokunaga leaves tomorrow :( We have eaten lunch and dinner with them at sites and staying at their place every chance we get so we can see her before she goes. I will really miss her.

Honestly, this has been a rough transfer. It is pretty difficult to lose yourself in the work when there is no work to lose yourself in. We just had all of our new investigators drop us last week, and even the person that has been taught for six years on and off dropped us. We have been very focused on finding. I am going to be very good at tracting by the time I leave Twinsburg :) 

The Sorensens (new Kirtland site directors) came last week. They are really neat. He talked about being a temple sealer, and having the opportunity to see beyond the veil when a couple is sealed, and see that as soon as that happens, there are angels assigned to that couple to watch over and protect them. He said there are so many angels around us to help us that we have no idea about. That was a neat idea. He also talked about a time when he was a little boy on a farm, and his dad told him to go home because a snow storm was coming. When his dad got home an hour later, his mom said that he hadn't come into the house yet. His dad was a simple, but faithful and righteous man, and when he knelt down outside to find his boy, the howling wind in his ears went silent and he was able to hear his boy's wimpers. He was able to find him, blue and almost frozen, and they were able to revive him. He told us that we should never underestimate the power of calm righteousness. 

I love you family! I hope all is going well back home! 

Sister Mahrt

 

Jan 23, 2013

Fam Fam!

For some reason, I have been obsessed with learning alto recently. Probably because Sister Neslen has the most beautiful alto voice I have ever heard, and I love it! When we are travelling in the car, we turn up the Indy style hymns and I have her sing the alto part loudly so I can try to follow along. I think it is working! In sacrament, I think I hit about 5 of the alto notes. The other attempted notes hit somewhere in the bass and tenor range. I really really love music. It seems that I find that out about myself, and then I forget so that I can rediscover it again. Do you think that is part of our eternal natures? That heaven has music playing constantly? The Hiram sisters and Sister Neslen said that we are probably all singing, and the tone deaf people won't make it into the celestial kingdom. Rude!

I've been reflecting a lot on my mission lately. Can you believe that this time last year (Jan 18) I came to Ohio and got my trainer? That is so weird to me. I have been thinking about the companions I have had since then (7 companions! That is relatively quite a few! I need more refinement than most) and what areas I have served in, and every time I am hit with this feeling of awe that He knows EXACTLY who I am, and He knows EXACTLY what I need. He is so much closer to us that we realize. 

The Edmans (Kirtland site directors) are leaving tomorrow :( It is amazing how close you get to them in Kirtland. Some crazy person decided to sing God Be With You Til We Meet Again to them A Capella  without warning, so lots of us didn't have on waterproof mascara. Good thing looks aren't everything. The Sorensens (isn't that funny? That is the name of our last mission president) will be here tomorrow, so we will be serving in Kirtland alongside them for the first time! I am anxious to meet them.

We have a big P-day ahead of us! We were going to go to Middlefield (Amish country) with the Jones (the senior couple I LOVE!) but it is going to be in the negatives today with windchill, so we decided to reschedule and go to Bahama Breeze instead! Sister Neslen raves about their coconut shrimp. Oh, I can't wait :)

I hope you are all doing well! I love you so much! Stay warm (I heard it has been pretty cold over there- weird) and stay safe!

Sister Mahrt

 

 

 We had to go home early from Kirtland on Monday because of a snow storm. We ate dinner with the Hiram sisters. Just ignore the open tub of cookie dough in the middle

 

 

 

Sister Tokunaga is leaving this transfer :( I will REALLY miss her! I love her so much

 

 Sister Tokunaga and the Edmans

MTC companions! We are finally all back in Kirtland! We have traded off being full-pros since we got to Ohio

Jan 16, 2013
Week of Formers

Life is so good! We had a really neat lesson with a man who was baptized when he was 8, but has only stepped foot in a mormon church once in his life and has no idea what we believe. It is the craziest story! He is really neat though- he has such a strong testimony of Christ, and he has memorized the entire book of Peter! How do you go about doing that?! Impressive.

We have been tracting a lot still. I am not going to discuss it further, because that would require me to divulge how much a wimp of the cold I am, so we will just say we have met some seriously interesting people. I truly think one of the best things about a mission is how many people you get to meet! SO interesting! I love people so much. There are a ton of good people in the world. I think once you get caught up in the bad things that are happening, we forget how the majority of the people are so good.

This week has been what I dubbed as The Week of Formers. It is the coolest, yet strangest thing. We have been going about doing our little missionary business, and TWICE this week we have gotten texts from people who used to meet with the missionaries awhile ago who I have never met, that say they want to meet with us and they are ready to be baptized! I know, it almost sounds like I am making this up to make things sound exciting, but really, it has been incredible! There are so many blessings that come from diligence, and it has helped me see that He is mindful of His children and sometimes these things just take time. It is neat to be such a close part of it.

I wish you could see Sister Neslen's facial expressions- they are the best! We tracted into this home where the door was open, but the screen door was closed. Sister Neslen was standing right by the screen door when the woman came to the door. I have never seen a woman's eyes pop out as much I saw this lady's pop. Sister Neslen was slightly taken aback, and so she was staring back at her with a look that said, "Oh no, she is going to come at me any second now!" There was this prolonged moment of confused silence where Sister Neslen and her stared at each other, until I decided to break the ice by saying, "Are you OK?" Not the best door approach, but under the circumstances, I thought it was good just to get some conversation going. Long story short, she wasn't interested, but I really have come to love the awkward situations. So funny! One of my greatest fears is that I am going to be so awkward when I get back, and I won't have the senser to help me recognize that the situation is awkward. It will just be a really awkward post-missionary life where everyone feels awkward around me. Haha, watch out!

LOVE YOU Family!! Don't you forget it! And don't forget your awkward sister/daughter! :)

Sister Mahrt

Yes, I am in the Kirtland zone. I am on the most south western corner of the zone, so I am considered a 'satellite sister,' meaning that I am in my area a lot more than the other sisters who are closer to sites.