Wednesday, February 3, 2016

February 1, 2016

happy february. ❤️

Hey family,
January has come and gone and February is here. I cannot believe it! I thought January was going to be a slow month, but it really went fast and we were able to accomplish a lot. What a beautiful month it's been. One full of ups and downs and miracles left and right. I have learned so much and am grateful for the change and growth that I have seen in myself and that I've seen in others. It has been a month of trials and I have been able to turn to my Savior a lot, especially this past month. My understanding of the atonement has increased and the depth of my conversion has been strengthened. I am grateful for the atonement and the healing power that it has. It is available to anyone and everyone. All we have to do is seek it and find it. It's there for us to access at anytime, in any place, and for any purpose.
How is everyone doing? I hope that you all had a good week and that you were able to apply the atonement at some point in your life this past week. It should be something that we are using every single day of our lives. Christ didn't just suffer for no reason. He suffered for you and for me, so that we could have peace and joy, amongst the trials and tribulations that we will face.
Everyone here in North Carolina is going crazy. All I hear is "Panthers Panthers Panthers Panthers Panthers Panthers and Superbowl superbowl superbowl superbowl superbowl." It is absolutely insane haha. Everyone is so excited. It has been fun to have something to talk about and it has been a really good conversation starter. It should be an interesting game. I am sure we will hear all about it and will probably be updated on the game throughout the day as we go out and visit people. Hopefully they will be winning so some hearts will be opened and softened.
This week has been an interesting one. Sister Cottis and I received a call from President Alexander this past week informing us that we would be getting another sister. What! There was an emergency transfer of a sister in the mission and there was a sister who was companionless. President said that he prayed and prayed and prayed and felt that this lovely sister needed to be with Sister Cottis and I. We were a bit nervous, but were grateful for the inspiration that President received. She arrived on Thursday and her name is Sister Corrigan. She is from West Jordan, Utah and goes home in 4 weeks. She is a really sweet girl and it has been fun getting to know her. Now that we have 3, we feel invincible. We were able to get into so many more doors and were able to just have another witness to support us.
We also just added so much knowledge and faith to our companionship, so we are grateful. Sometimes it's overwhelming going up to a door with 3 people, and then bringing a member out with us is even more overwhelming, but I love it. It's been such a fun adventure!! The more the merrier. I moved all my stuff over to the other side of the apartment and now I share a bathroom and closet with Sister Cottis. It has been a really good time haha. Thank goodness we are super close.
This is just bringing us even closer. (which I don't even know how it's possible because we are already so dang close) I am just really grateful that Sister Cottis and I got to stay together. Each and every day we become closer and our friendship gets stronger. She has been helping me a lot lately and I am grateful for her example. We have so much in common and it she has just been such a blessing.
This past week we were able to see lots of success. We taught a lot of lessons and saw a lot of miracles. We found a lot of new people and are starting to build up our teaching pool. I don't know how much potential they have yet, but it has been nice to be able to actually talk to people and have them be some what interested in our message.
We are still working with Keith and James. They are doing really well.
They both have great desires to change their lives around and have been able to see how the gospel can help them. That is something that I love about the Gospel. We are also working with a woman named Margrete. She is something else. She is a friend of a member and she is just one of a kind. She talks and talks and talks and talks, and then cries and cries and cries and cries. Talk about drama queen. It has been really interesting teaching her and working with her, but it has taught me a lot of patience and persistence. Melissa and Robert are really struggling and if you don't mind praying for them, I would greatly appreciate that. Satan is definitely getting them! Robert no longer is able to see his daughter and his world is just getting rocked. His ex wife doesn't like the church at all and found out that Robert was taking his daughter to church every week when she was staying with him, and the mom was not happy about that one bit. It absolutely broke my heart. Robert has to like go to court and all this stuff and he just doesn't deserve this! He is still super strong in the Gospel and knows that it's the best thing that he has in his life right now. I am grateful that he at least recognizes that. He is wonderful! We get to go see him tonight and I am really looking forward to that. Now that we have 3 sisters, we can go inside anywhere, because the male/female ratio is always okay now, so I am excited for that. Melissa is just Melissa. Just struggling with some previous habits, and that's been hard to watch her go through.
This past week I have been really thinking about my calling as a missionary, and my divine role as a daughter of god, a daughter of earthly parents, a sister, cousin, and friend, and as a sister missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have been really focused on family history a lot lately and have been trying to use that more in my missionary work. More and more I have come to realize how important family is. Each and every one of us has a special role and a divine purpose here on earth. Whoever you are or wherever you may be, you hold in your hands the happiness of more people than you can now imagine. Each day and every hour you can chose to make or keep a covenant with God. When you choose to make or keep a covenant with God, you choose weather or not you will leave an inheritance of hope to those who will follow your example. I talked a little bit about that last week I think, but it still continues to be on my mind. A lot of our hope and eternal happiness depends on people not born and their free agency to follow afterwards, our example.
Think about that. The eternal perspective is so important. We must leave a good legacy so that those who follow after us will continue in the path that we have led. You may just be the first to lead the way to eternal life along the path of sacred covenants made and kept with diligence and faith. The Lord has given all of us the source of hope as we struggle to help those we love accept their eternal inheritance.  He has made promises to us as we keep on trying to gather people to him, even when they resist the invitation to do so.
After all we can do in faith, the Lord will justify our hopes for greater blessings for our families than we can even begin to imagine.
This past week I have often asked myself if I am leaving a heritage of hope for my future. When I find myself doing something that I know I shouldn't be doing, I have asked myself if this is something that I want to leave behind for my future generations. It has made me think twice about things.
As a missionary, and as members of the church, we have a divine commission to bring souls unto God. It is also the thing that will be the most worth unto us. (Doctrine & Covenants 15:6) We have already all received our lessons in the spirit world and are now called to labor here for the salvation of others. I have really been working on spiritually giving myself to whomever I am talking to and to wherever I may be. I am trying not to be routine and rote. I am trying to focus and be an "all in" missionary. I know that that is how the spirit will come, and that is how these people of North Carolina will join us all in Heaven! I am trying to focus on my motivation and trying to let it all be coming from the love that I have for the Lord and for this work, and nothing else. One of my favorite quotes is, "When you're in my employ, the wages are from me, not from those you serve."
I have also come to know that missions are hard, and that trials come to all people. Everyone. We cannot believe that bad things will not happen to you. Because they will. And when they come, we cannot say that God was not true or real. We cannot say that God is not keeping his promises to us. Something I really liked that I heard this past week was that "The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain. It is a resource in an event of pain, and when that pain comes, rejoice that you have a resource to deal with your pain." I really liked that.
I am thoroughly convinced that we fought a war in Heaven for the privilege of coming to a place that was unjust. Therefore, we will experience pain, grief, and sorrow. It also made me think of Eve as she said, "It is better that we should suffer." She had a rare insight and she knew what we needed. She knew that feeling pain was the best thing for her and Adam. I hate feeling pain. I hate seeing people go through pain. I hate injustice, loss, and all the things that come from those, and I don't think God takes pleasure in the pain that comes to us- but, we came to a world where we are not protected from those things. Sorry I'm talking about pain, but, want to rather talk about how to encounter that pain in such a way that it does not destroy you, and how to find profit in that awful and unrewarding experience. I know that a lot of you right now are experiencing a lot of pain in your lives. Thankfully we have the gospel to help us and comfort us. Use it. Use the blessings of the atonement and of the priesthood power. It is there to help us and to heal us.
I have to get running, but I just want you to know how much I love you and how grateful I am for each one of you. I love my mission with everything in me. It has been really hard being here with everything going on back at home, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I wouldn't take a check for a million dollars for the experience that I have had on my mission. "There is no greater work than that of missionary work. My mission has been the most rewarding undertaking in my entire twenty years of life. My life is dedicated to serving the Lord. My heart is overflowing as are the tears of joy that are now coming from my eyes. There is nothing so wonderful--nothing--as tasting the joy and success of missionary labors.” I am grateful for all that I am learning and experiencing. I am working on sanctifying myself and and becoming who God needs me to become. "Missions are for missionaries. It is a marvelous gift of time, a time given when you can experience glimpses of heavenly life here on earth. It is a time of cleansing and refreshing. It is a special time when the Holy Ghost can seal upon you the knowledge of the great plan for your exaltation.
It is one of your best opportunities to become a celestial candidate.
The teaching and conversion of others is the natural product of this process. To sanctify yourself you must serve others. The highest of all service to others is to teach them truth and bring them into the kingdom of God."
I love you all. Have a wonderful week. Thank you for the prayers and the support. I hope you all stay safe. I'm praying for ya! Talk to ya in seven. xo
Sister Kyla Worthington


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