tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27458153282749862092024-03-04T22:38:04.041-08:00Kyla Joan WorthingtonSister Kyla J Worthington
7616 Waterford Ridge Dr. Apt. 1003
Charlotte, North Carolina 28212
~ kyla.worthington@myldsmail.net~Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-1376833910582191362016-10-04T14:38:00.000-07:002016-10-04T14:38:05.328-07:00October 3, 2016~Mission AccomplishedMy cute fam!<br />Is anyone else freaking out right now? Oh my goodness. I think someone needs to come to Charlotte and slap me because I feel like I'm in a dream right now. I cannot believe that this day has finally come. My very last preparation day as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What! I am so grateful for each of you and for the impact that you have made in my life, and specifically the impact that you have made in my life since I've been out on my mission.<br />This week has been one for the books. My emotions have been all over the place, but they have all been good emotions, so that's a plus! I have had many many sacred experiences the past 7 days, for which I will be forever grateful. I was able to serve for the last time at my favorite places with my favorite people. I was able to attend my very last zone conference and bear my testimony for the last time in front of my fellow missionaries. I was able to sing the mission song for the very last time. I was able to celebrate my 21st birthday and had a wonderful day! I had the amazing opportunity to listen to the words of our dear prophet and apostles. I had the privilege to spend an hour with my recent convert, Robert Robbins, and share my testimony with him and cry together! And best of all, I was able to have my exit interview with President Alexander. That was a moment in my life that I will never forget. It was probably the best two hours of my entire mission. President Alexander is amazing. He is someone that I have come to love so much and have come to trust so deeply. He gave me amazing council and advice and gave me one of the best priesthood blessings I've ever received. Such a tender moment for a missionary!<br />I have been really busy all day packing and getting ready to go so I don't have a whole lot of time. However, I couldn't afford to not email you one last time and share my thoughts and testimony with you!<br />My testimony is something that I hold very near and dear to my heart and is something that means the very most to me, so I can't not share it with you! I hope you will you be able to feel of the love that I have for each of you and ultimately for my Savior through my words.<br />I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much. He is my everything. I know he lives. I know he loves me, and he loves you. I cannot stress that to you enough. I know he loves you perfectly. If there is one thing that I have come to learn on my mission, it is that God loves all of his children perfectly and equally. He has opened my eyes so much and has helped me see all of his children in the way that he does. I don't know if that is something that he has just blessed me with on my mission, or if that is something that he will let me do for the rest of my life, but nonetheless, having spiritual eyes to see others as God does has been amazing. With that, I have been able to truly see and feel the love that God has for each of us. Whenever we don't feel his love, it is because we are making choices that are distancing us from him and we aren't truly seeking his love. If you want to feel it, he will let you. Tonight, I want to challenge you to get on your knees and ask Heavenly Father how he feels about you. As you do that, I promise you will be able to feel of his infinite love for you personally.<br />I know that the atonement is real. There is nothing in this life that the atonement cannot fix, heal, cover, mend, or change. The atonement covers ALL. I challenge you to use the atonement in every aspect of your life. It has changed my life as I have studied, lived, breathed, applied, and have accepted the infinite atonement. I love the atonement so much. It is truly the complete love of God. There is so much to learn about it and it's so deep, but it's so personal and so sacred to each of us. I know that the atonement is the center of the doctrine of Christ. I know that the power of repentance is real. I've seen it work in my life too many times! I loved how much it was talked about in conference and I know that each of us can think back on our lives and realize that we have so much to repent for. Thankfully, God is always there to help us and will always forgive us, as we do our part.<br />I know the power of the priesthood is real and I know that it has been restored through our prophet Joseph Smith. I have seen it bless my life so much! I am so grateful for all of the worthy priesthood holders that I have to look to in my life. There is nothing that I admire more than a worthy priesthood holder. I am so grateful for my father, grandfathers, uncles, friends, brothers, & missionaries who have helped me through the priesthood. I know that through the priesthood, families can live together forever and can be sealed for time and all eternity. That truth has never been more clear to me, than at this time in my life. I am grateful for the sacred ordinances that we get to make in the temple. I know that what happens in the temple is real and you have no idea how excited I am to come home and be able to access the powers of heaven in the temple. I am so grateful for the covenants that I have made with my father in heaven. I know he loves me and is proud of me for the covenants that I have made. I am so excited to continue to make covenants and promises with him.<br />I am so grateful for the ordinance of the sacrament. The sacrament and the sabbath day have changed my life. You have no idea my love for the sacrament. I am so grateful for what I have been able to learn on my mission and for the sacred, special experiences that I have been able to have at the altar, my sacrament table. I know that through that sacred ordinance and through the Holy Ghost, we can be cleansed and sanctified. Clean and pure each week. What an amazing privilege we have to partake worthily each week. Make your sacrament experience a spiritual one every single week and you will be changed for the rest of your life. I have such a strong testimony of the sacrament, and I know that it is one of God's greatest tools to help us make it back to him.<br />I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that there is power in that book and there is nothing that will bring us closer to our savior than reading that book. Commit to read the Book of Mormon every single day for the rest of your life. You have no idea how much that book means to me. I am so grateful for the chance that I have had to read it every single day for the last 18 months. I haven't missed a single day my entire mission, and I hope to continue that for the rest of my life. It has changed my life and has truly transformed me into who I am today. I know that Joseph translated it by the power of God and I know that combined with the bible, it gives us the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.<br />Family, I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that it is the only way to lasting JOY and eternal happiness. I have never been so sure of something in my life. I am so grateful for the opportunity that God gave me to serve in the North Carolina Charlotte Mission. My heart will never be the same. North Carolina is my holy land. It is the place where I came to know my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for the relationship that I have with him and am so grateful to know him in the way that I do. I love the people of North Carolina with my whole heart and soul. I will never ever forget the sacred experiences that I have had here. I am a changed Kyla Joan Worthington and I owe that all to my conversion and to my Savior. The doctrine of Christ is embedded in my heart and I know that it's the path to happiness. I have never been happier, than when I have been serving others.<br />Tomorrow morning I will go to the mission office and pack everything up and then head to the mission home for my last night as a full time missionary. I want each of you to know how much I love you. You have been my saving grace and have all gotten me through some of my darkest days. As I come home, I hope that you will be able to feel of my love and that you will see my changed heart and my love for the Savior. I have committed to be a disciple of Jesus Christ for the rest of my life. There is no other path that I would rather follow and be on.<br />When I get home, remind me to share with you my story about staying attached to the vine. :)<br />I am excited for the new journey that is ahead and I am looking forward to being reunited with each of you. Thank you, for letting me come out here and serve the Lord. Thank you for helping me become who God needs me to be. There is nothing that means more to me than the 18 months of sacrifice that I have given to the God I love most.<br />North Carolina, I love you.<br />I love you mom. I love you dad. I love you Kaiden. I love you Chelsea.<br />I love you Kamryn. I love you Knighton. & I love you Kennadi Grace.<br />God be with you till we meet again.<br />Sister Kyla Joan WorthingtonUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-62280770205726277642016-10-02T14:40:00.000-07:002016-10-02T14:40:01.530-07:00October 2, 2016Friends and Family,<br />We are forever grateful for all of your thoughts, prayers, love and support on our behalf AND on behalf of our dear, sweet Kyla Joan over the past year and a half. We can’t hardly believe that she will be returning home this WEDNESDAY, October 5th, 2016. Where did the last 18+ months go? <br />She will arrive at the Salt Lake International airport, Terminal 2, from Charlotte, North Carolina on Delta Air Lines flight DL 521 at 10:13 am this Wednesday. We would like to invite ALL of you to join us in welcoming her home; we know that she would love to see any and all of you that might could make it up to the airport for this exciting day. We also know and appreciate that your schedules may not permit, but wanted to at least extend this invitation. <br />Whether you are able to join us in welcoming her home at the airport or not, you and your families are also invited to gather with us for a simple lunch at the Pizza Factory (2230 N University Pkwy, Provo, UT 84604) in Provo at 12:00 noon on Wednesday as well. There at the Pizza Factory you will be able to visit with and welcome Kyla home as well. <br />Thanks again for the amazing influence you are and have been in our lives and the lives of our sweet children. <br />Troy & Collette WorthingtonUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-90421534139675610162016-10-02T14:38:00.004-07:002016-10-02T14:38:53.968-07:00September 30, 2016Dear Brother Worthington,<br /> It has been a great joy to have Sister Worthington in our North Carolina Charlotte Mission.<br /> She was is very hard working, diligent missionary and genuine and sincere as well. What a light and source of love she has brought into each area that she served. She is a master at building member and investigator relations of love and trust. Whenever we are around her, we feel the love of the Savior. She has a very powerful testimony of the atonement and the doctrine of Christ. As she speaks, the Spirit radiates into the hearts of everyone. She has confidence from knowing who she is as a daughter of God. She will be greatly missed. We love her and admire her so much.<br /> We know you are excited to have her home. Thank you for sending such an incredible, well prepared missionary. God bless you wonderful people!<br /> President and Sister AlexanderUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-74004725521539283542016-10-02T14:38:00.001-07:002016-10-02T14:38:16.405-07:00September 26, 2016~Be Still & KnowHi family!<br /> Well, I'm alive. I guess that's the biggest news of the week. This week was CRAZY. Prepare yourself for this crazy email. We'll get to the details in a little bit. :) How's everyone doing? Another week down. & guess what, just one more left to go! I cannot believe that I am on the last full week of my mission. Kind of freaking out to be honest. I'm going to need lots and lots of prayers this week. There are so many things on my little heart and in my little soul. I hope that each of you had a great week. From some pictures and some letters I received this week, it looks like it's getting a little bit cold over there in my 801! I am so excited! I love this time of year and am so grateful for God's beauty. It's still really warm here in North Carolina and I'm ready for some snow!<br /> First off, I just want to thank each of you for your prayers this week and for all of your love and support! I felt them. It's been a crazy week here in Charlotte and in the Carolinas. I'm sure each of you are aware of the shootings and the riots that have been happening around here. Well, the shooting happened literally 1 minute from our apartment and we were driving by right as it was happening. I've have never seen so many police cars, helicopters, and news vehicles in my life. I remember driving by and being so confused, feeling so weird, and not really knowing what to do. Cops were blocking off the road and we were sitting there looking at everything going on, but not having a clue what was happening. We finally got home and then continued on with the rest of the plans. The rest of the day was crazy! Since we don't watch or listen to the news, we were still super confused with what was going on. Before we knew it, everyone and their mom was talking about it! We got filled in and got the whole story!<br /> President Alexander called us later that night and just informed us on what was going on and told us to stay out of certain areas. We weren't too affected by anything, but it's been so sad to see what this has done to the city of Charlotte. The past couple of days have been hard because everyone has so much hate in their hearts right now and it's killing me! People are very upset and definitely not so fond with all the white people right now! I am hoping that things will calm down next week and that people will be more ready to accept the gospel. But regardless of everything going on, all is well and we are all safe! Thanks again for all the prayers.<br /> Oh guess what else happened! NC had a crazy gas scare and every gas station was closed! We couldn't get gas anywhere! It was so scary. The gas prices went up so much too and it was insane. I literally started freaking out because I thought that we were going to be on bikes for the rest of my mission.. And not that I wouldn't like that, but I just don't like being outside of the car with all the crazy riot people running around. But, we figured it all out and now we have a full tank. :) God is good.<br /> This past week was a hard week for me mentally & physically haha. I was just super stressed for some reason and everything just seemed to come crashing down. Mid week I started to get really stuffed up and started to get this really really bad cough. Like what the heck. I haven't been sick my ENTIRE mission, and it all just seems to come crashing down my last week. What's up with that! I think it was just due to stress and emotions. It was a few rough days, but I made it through and I'm feeling much better today. I also had my last district meeting and my last Sunday with the YSA ward and so both of those were tender moments for me. I got asked to bear my testimony at both district meeting and in sacrament meeting. It was such a special moment for me. I have been able to learn and grow so much and it was neat to be able to express my testimony to the ones that I have come to love so much for the very last time. Thankfully, I still have zone conference and my exit interview, and my night at the mission home to bear my testimony but still, I never thought this day would come and it's freaking me out.<br /> We were able to see some good miracles this week and were able to see the work move forward. Most of our investigators are doing well and I am so grateful for all the amazing people that I have been blessed to work with. The highlight of the week was going on my last exchange with our sister training leaders on Friday and Saturday. Guess what. SISTER NUNIES CAME TO CHARLOTTE!! And Sister Warner and I both stayed in Charlotte. Sister Mabey left us and went up to Concord. It was honestly the best 24 hours of my mission. The triple threat was back together. It was the best day of my life. Being reunited with Sister Nunies and having Sister Warner still with me was like a dream come true. When we exchanged, we had to immediately drive an hour to our appointment with our investigator named Emily. We had a major vent session and it was soooo needed. All of us cried, laughed, talked, cried some more, screamed, laughed and talked some more the whole car ride down. It was amazing! We had a great lesson with Emily and taught her the word of wisdom and the law of chastity and she took it like a champ! She is so ready to get baptized, but her family is super Catholic and she doesn't want to commit to a baptismal date until she has their full support. Makes sense. But, it's hard because she really wants too and she is progressing so well, but she doesn't want her family to turn their backs on her, and at this point, that is what they have been saying they will do if she gets baptized. So, pray that the Ketron family will soften their hearts!<br /> The next day was bomb. We woke up super happy and had a super good workout. We then went and did a service project with some of the sisters in our stake. We went to a refugee center and cleaned their entire building. It was a really neat experience and I am so grateful for the emphasis that the church has had on helping the refugees in the world. Charlotte is full of them, so I am so grateful that I was able to help out in such a small way. After serving, we went and had a few lessons. One of which was with our investigator Daeshawn. We had a drop lesson with Daeshawn and it was one of the hardest things that I have had to do on my mission thus far. I have come to love Daeshawn and have had some really neat experiences with him. He just hasn't been keeping commitments and doesn't really feel like he "has time" for us and for the gospel. It broke my heart. For the first time in my life, I really felt like I "cried repentance." I was so bold and so straightforward with the kid. I basically told him that if he doesn't have time for God, then we don't have time for him. I know it definitely made him feel bad and he was kinda crying, but I did it with lots of love and just hoped that he could feel the seriousness in my voice. He wasn't letting me down, he was letting God down, and that's what breaks my heart. He has been taught a lot of things and it hurts me to know that one day he will be held accountable for what he knows. We ended on a good note and I hope he accepts the gospel later on in his life. He promised me that if he saw missionaries again, he would talk to them and let them in, so that was comforting.<br /> After his lesson we headed to dinner and then went over to the stake center for the general woman's conference. We did another service project and tied fleece blankets together and put together sewing kits & hygiene kits and all this other stuff. It was fun. Then, the miracle came. A member stopped us and said "Sisters, this is Maddy! She's going to watch woman's conference with us." Maddy isn't a member and she was friends with a kid in high school that was a member and so she knew a little bit about the church. He is on his mission right now, and she decided to email him and said she was interested. So, his mom brought her to conference. She is the sweetest ever! Bam. New investigator! We got her information and sat next to her during all of conference. And let me just tell you... WOMAN'S CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING.<br /> It was exactly what I needed to hear. Oh my goodness. I don't even have words to express how much I loved it. President Uchtdorf's talk soothed my soul and it was perfect. It was amazing. I am so grateful for the inspired leaders that we have and for their closeness with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I took a lot of time spiritually preparing for it and I know that made all the difference in the world. Every question that I had for woman's conference was answered. You can only imagine how excited I am for general conference! AHHH! It's the best thing as a missionary and it's my favorite time of the year. I feel so blessed because I am ending my mission on the best week ever.<br /> Birthday week & general conference week. It can't get much better than that. Revelation & council is exactly what I need right now and there is no other way I would rather end it.<br /> This week I learned a lot a lot a lot. The phrase "be still, and know that I am God" is what really hit me this week and is what was weighing on my mind a lot. I have been taken back by the many many times that I have been still, and have felt the closeness of God. I know that he is real and that he is there. A few months ago, I made a commitment with myself. I told myself that before I went in the apartment for the night, I would sit on a curb outside and would take a few minutes to myself to look up at the sky and the stars and reflect on how good God had been to me that day. My companions just went along with it and half the time didn't even know that I was doing it and why I was doing it. I just told them I needed to "sit on the curb." I have been so blessed by that sacred experience and can't even begin to tell you the countless times I have felt God's love for me.<br /> It's in those moments when I know that God hears the silent pleadings of my heart. That is one of my favorite characteristics about God. He knows us so perfectly that he knows our needs and our thoughts and our desires, before we even express them to him, or anyone. He knows how we feel. & unless you turn to him and ask for help, he cannot help you. It's taken me a long time to figure that out, but I am so grateful that I finally figured it out. In woman's conference, Sister Stephans said, "The Savior would do anything to take this (your problems, challenges, fears, worries, etc) from you." We just have to ask and we just have to let him. & like President Uchtdorf said, "Keep knocking until you get to the fourth floor, last door." Do not give up. The Lord is usually not behind the first door. We have to keep seeking him and keep climbing.<br /> Life is so crazy and so busy. Everyday we are doing something different and are so preoccupied with the things of the world. We are always running from one place to the next and doing one thing after another. We don't take enough time to stop, and think. We do not take enough time being still. As I have done that, it has become one of the best things in my life. BE STILL. When you are still, the spirit can be with you and you can hear it's promptings and feel its influence.<br /> When you are still, God can manifest his love more fully. When you are still, you can feel at peace and you can feel the calming effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ.<br /> As I have been reflecting on all of that this past week, my heart has been turned to heaven. I have been thinking so much about heaven, and what that really is and what that really means. Have you ever thought about heaven? "Heaven is a place, but also a condition; it is home and family. It is understanding and kindness. It is interdependence and selfless activity. It is quiet, sane living; personal sacrifice, genuine hospitality, wholesome concern for others. It is living the commandments of God without pride or hypocrisy. It is selflessness.<br /> Heaven is all about us. We need only to be able to recognize it as we find it and enjoy it." The past 18 months I have had so many little glimpses of heaven. I know it's so near and so close to me.<br /> One of my favorite quotes ever is, "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." On my mission, I have experienced heaven, and I yearn to be there, and I will do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to get there one day, and I hope you will do the same.<br /> My heart is so full. I have so much gratitude wrapped up inside my little heart and soul. I am so thankful for my knowledge and my testimony of this gospel. I wouldn't be who I am today without my Savior Jesus Christ and without his perfect plan. I am so thankful for his love and his care. I am grateful. & I have come to learn a whole new definition of the word "grateful."<br /> I cannot think of an experience that could have brought me closer to my Savior than my missionary service and the trials of my family. I came out on my mission believing in Christ and the Atonement. I am coming home from my mission with a burning conviction and knowledge that Christ and the Atonement are as real as the scriptures describe them. I feel their reality because they are the only thing that have been carrying me through, and I would not trade that for anything. I am so grateful to know Jesus Christ the way that I do. I am so grateful that He truly did suffer for me and for you, so that not only could we be comforted but that we could come to know Him in the most real sense possible and gain hope from that. The best thing I have EVER done in my life, was sacrifice 18+ months for the God that I love most.<br /> I love each of you so dearly. This is it. One more week. Thank you for everything. You have no idea the impact each one of you have made.<br /> I've had an amazing 21 years of life, (well after tomorrow that is) & I owe it all to you. :) I hope each of you have a good week and I hope you take some time to truly prepare for General Conference this weekend. I know that there are many of you who are seeking answers and peace. Let this be a time to heal some of your wounds and your broken hearts. If you are open and if you have real intent, God will answer you and he will bless you. We are the ones that with-hold the blessings from ourselves.<br /> Have a great week. Talk to you in seven, see you in nine! Ah! I LOVE YOU! Xo<br /> Sister Kyla WorthingtonUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-32832881331484871042016-10-02T14:35:00.001-07:002016-10-02T14:35:21.624-07:00September 19.2016 18~ months downHi everyone!<br />Another week has come and gone, just like that! Crazy how fast time is going. This past week was actually really slow so I'm really grateful it's Monday and that there is a new week ahead of me. I hope each of you had a great week. I don't have a whole lot of time today because we had a big zone activity and I am having to do a lot of things for my iPad and my return home, that has kept me busy on my preparation days, but I will do my best to update ya on my week and share some of my experiences with you! It's amazing how much the Lord is trying and testing me and how much he is throwing at me. I guess there is nothing like the last two weeks of your mission, right?<br />The biggest event of the week was moving apartments. Holy smokes it's a process. And I've had to do it twice! Sister Cottis and I had to move when we were serving in Tanglewood/Lewisville and now I have to move here. I guess God just thinks I'm really good at this whole moving thing. Missionaries typically don't move apartments very often, but I have been fighting for this move since I got to Charlotte, so I'm grateful that it's finally happening and that President approved my request. :) He loves me. We are in a way better apartment and a way better location! I am super excited for the future growth of this area and for the miracles that are in store here. I wish I could stay here longer.<br />P.S MY NEW ADDRESS IS: 8726 Avebury Dr. Apt. A Charlotte, North Carolina 28213 just in case you were wondering. :)<br />We spent a lot of the week packing up our old apartment, working with the housing missionaries, lots and lots of deep cleaning, (mom, you would be so proud of my cleaning skills... And let me just tell you how thankful I am that you taught me how to clean properly... One of my companions "cleaned" the bathroom and I walked in there and just wanted to laugh.... And thought to myself... Hmmm.. This wouldn't have rolled with Mom. Try again. So I totally re-cleaned the whole bathroom. So funny) we also did lots of moving boxes and furniture, and then moving again and unpacking all of our boxes. It's amazing how much crap can be collected over the years by missionaries. Oh my goodness. You would think missionary apartments would be nice and clean all the time, but it's amazing how much stuff each set of missionaries acquires and leaves for the next. We were literally SO exhausted by the end of the week though and I honestly just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up for like 5 days straight. I'm sore and physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained. Oh side note, our ward mission leader and other ward members that were going to help us move... Totally forgot and bailed on us so we had to call up a few elders and do it mostly on our own. So that was fun. Made the experience better. We HAD to be out by a certain time so I have never been so stressed and so tired! Due to the move, the work had to kind of be put on hold. We were still able to have a few good lessons with our solid investigators, but our finding time was a little bit more limited.<br />All of our investigators are doing pretty well. We have been able to really see them progress and I have loved watching the gospel change their lives and their desires. Emily is still our most solid and I love love love her. She's great! We have dinner with her again this week and her official baptism date will be decided. We are also working with a girl named Tiwanna and she's super chill. We were able to teach her the Plan of Salvation this past week and she really enjoyed it. She even admitted to the fact that she passed over the "kingdoms of glory" section in Corinthians that Paul talks about. It was pretty funny. When we were talking about the Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial kingdoms, she was like "heyyyy I've read about this before. I just didn't know what it meant so I kept on reading." Haha it was hilarious. It was so fun to see her connect the dots and put it together. She loved learning about it and is continuing to progress and investigate.<br />Daeshawn is another investigator that we are working with. We were able to have a good lesson with him and had one of our favorite members come with us. It was an interesting lesson though. He opened up to us and straight up told us that he has been smoking weed lately because he's been stressed... So now we have to work on his word of wisdom issue.. But I know that there is nothing that a little gospel of Jesus Christ can't fix! Daeshawn really hasn't had the desire to read the Book of Mormon lately, but we tried talking to him and helping him see how important it really is and how crucial it will be for him to know that our church is the true church. We have been trying SO HARD to get him to read, and he just hasn't done it. We were going to "put him on hold" aka drop him and move on, but he texted us today and said he read and loved it! Soooooo now we are going to continue to work with him! Hooray for investigators exercising their faith! I love love love when that happens.<br />So, fun story for you! Two weeks ago during weekly planning, my cute hermanas and I decided that we needed to step up our game with finding new investigators. President Alexander has put a big emphasis on finding lately and really wants our mission to step up our finding efforts. We spent a long time talking about how we could find new investigators and increase our teaching pool. I shared my "Windows of Heaven" experience that I had with Sister Cottis in my last area and I decided to share that with my companions and it inspired us to try it again. During weekly planning, we prayed about a time and a place that the Lord needed us to be to find one of his precious children. We decided on Friday, September 16th, we would be at the Boardwalk from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. I think I've mentioned it before.. But as missionaries we always make plans in our nightly planning session for the next day, but then always end up switching our plans because other things come up or lessons go over the time we planned for, or stupid Charlotte traffic puts us behind.. Just so many little things like that and so a lot of the time, we aren't where we told the Lord we would be. I made an effort this week to really work on being where I told the Lord I would be and was praying that he would bless us for doing so. Well, come Friday the 16th and we headed over to the boardwalk. We started walking around and doing a lot of street contacting. We decided to make this cute little clipboard -survey type thing and it worked like a charm! On the top of the paper we wrote "What makes you happy?" We figured that if we have a survey, it gives us a good excuse to talk to someone and it makes going up and talking to a stranger SO MUCH easier. We would take turns on whose turn it was to walk up and ask someone and it made finding and talking to people tons of fun. We ended up talking to so many people and getting so many different answers of what makes people happy. It was really fun. I learned a lot. We were also able to relate EVERY answer to the gospel and so we had so many gospel conversations. I'd highly recommend asking people what makes them happy. You'll be amazed and how easy it is to talk about the gospel with that question. Anyways. Long story short, we saw this guy sitting on a bench playing the saxophone. He looked YSA age so we decided to go and talk to him. His name is Bryan. We ended up having a 30 minute conversation and taught him the whole restoration. He was super interested and wanted to set up a return appointment to learn more. Bam! New investigator right there. It was miraculous! We walked away feeling so happy and so grateful that the Lord answered our prayers. We have an appointment with Bryan on Wednesday and we are excited to teach him more. I have such a strong testimony of the power of prayer and of dedication and desire. I know that God knows our hearts and he knows what we truly want and desire. We just have to put in the effort and really show him that we want something and that we are willing to put in work and effort to get it.<br />Everyone else is doing pretty well. Nicole is officially in UTAH and is loving her sweet little life. I cannot wait to join her. Fernando is doing well and I love him to death! This past Saturday we were able to attend a baptism of someone that Sister Nunies and I started teaching when we first got to the area. He is really good friends with Fernando and he was coming to FHE and church with us every week, and then we found out that he was over 30, and so we had to transfer him to different missionaries. We were able to go to his baptism and it was one of the most specialist days ever! (Don't even know if that's a word, but we're going with it.) The spirit was so strong and it was amazing to see someone that I first taught, accept the gospel and enter the waters of baptism. Ah! Best thing ever.<br />Yesterday was a killer day. I hit my 18 month mark. Woot woot! So exciting. I did it! I accomplished serving a full time mission for the Lord. I mean of course I'm not done quite yet... But I at least survived exactly 18 months. The spirit was with me all day yesterday and I was just feeling so grateful for the mission that I've had and so grateful that the Lord has blessed me with such an amazing opportunity that will be the foundation for the rest of my life. I am so so grateful for the opportunity that I have had to serve and couldn't thank my father in heaven enough! He is amazing. Missionary work is amazing. So, needless to say, yesterday was a good day. I always love Sunday's, and it was even better knowing that I have been out on my mission for 18 months! Sister Mabey also hit her 6 month mark yesterday, so it was fun to celebrate with her. That's a milestone in a sisters mission and it literally feels like I was JUST THERE yesterday. Time goes so freaking fast.<br />Well, now I want to share with you some things that have been on my mind lately. I have been really focusing on the words "commitment and discipleship." The longer I have been out on my mission, the more I have thought about these words and the true meaning of them. What does commitment to God mean to you and what does it mean to be a true disciple of the Master, Jesus Christ.<br />When we were baptized, we each made a commitment and promise to God.<br />We made a commitment to always remember Jesus Christ, to keep his commandments, and to serve him to the end. In essence, we kinda committed to being a disciple of Christ. Making the covenant to be a disciple of Christ is the beginning of a lifelong process, and a path that is not always easy. As we try to keep the commandments to the best of our ability, repent of our sins and strive to do what He would have us do and serve our fellowmen as He would serve them, we will inevitably become more like Him. Becoming like Him and being one with Him is the ultimate goal and objective, and essentially the very definition of true discipleship.<br />Discipleship is all about doing and becoming. We are to become like our Heavenly Father. Becoming like him is the only way that we are going to make it back with him. That is why we have this life here on earth. To learn, to grow, to gain a body, and to become like him. It's so important that we understand that we only have this once chance to become like him. It's so important that we are obedient and that we truly follow him. Obedience and submission to His will will bring us closer to him and more like him. And again, becoming like Him and being one with Him is the ultimate goal and objective--and essentially the very definition of true discipleship like I mentioned earlier.<br />So now that we know that discipleship is our goal, how are we going to get there? It's going to be through our commitment and our dedication to the Lord. Commitment is essential. Are we committed? Each and everyday I extend commitments to individuals and invite them to do things that will bring them closer to Christ. Every time they don't keep their commitment, my heart breaks. Imagine how Heavenly Father must feel when we don't keep our baptismal and temple commitments. It breaks his heart. And yet I'm sure each of us aren't keeping our commitments 100% of the time.<br />I want you to ask yourself how committed you are. Are you truly doing everything you can to follow Jesus Christ and to keep his commandments? Commitment to the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ is essential to our eternal joy and happiness. We must be doing everything we can. Well, we all know that trails come and hard times pop up, and that interferes with our commitments. However, our commitment level will be developed and proven not by the type of trials that we are faced with but how we endure them. President Henry B. Eyring once said: “So, the great test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life. It is not to endure storms, but to choose the right while they rage. And the tragedy of life is to fail in that test and so fail to qualify to return in glory to our heavenly home."<br />I want each of you to know that there is nothing that Christ cannot heal and cannot fix. Our test is just to endure, and I think that how we endure truly shows how committed we are to God and his gospel. I read this quite by Bruce C. Hafen that I really liked. He explained that "The Atonement is not simply God’s method for righting wrongs and satisfying the demands of justice. The Atonement is rehabilitative, a miraculous power that can help us change who we are. If we decline the Savior’s invitation to let him carry our sins, and then satisfy justice by ourselves, we will not yet have experienced the complete rehabilitation that can occur through a combination of divine assistance and genuine repentance. Working together, those forces have the power permanently to change our hearts and our lives, preparing us for celestial life." The atonement is a amazing and can change each one of us if we let it.<br />I read this conference talk this week and I can't even remember who it was by, but he shared this little story about a five year old boy and it reminded me of the word commitment. "I’m thinking of a five-year-old boy who fell out of bed during the night and came crying to his mother’s bedside. To her question, “Why did you fall out of bed?” he replied, “I fell out because I wasn’t in far enough!” He went on to say that "It has been my experience over the years that, generally speaking, those who fall out of the Church are those who aren’t in far enough." Those who fall out are those who are just not committed enough. In a simple statement, the difference between those committed and those who are not is the difference between the words want and will. For example, “I want to pay tithing, but our funds are so limited,” or “I will pay my tithing.” “I want to go to sacrament meeting if I have time,” or “I will go to sacrament meeting.” “I would like to be a good teacher, but the children are so noisy,” or “I will be a good teacher.” Are we a "want" person or a "will" person? I have learned on my mission that we need to be a "will" person. We need to do what we have been asked to do and we need to keep our promises. Have a willing attitude and I promise that it will get you so much further in life!<br />I'm sorry this email is probably all over the place. I hope you're catching my drift. Ultimately, the Savior’s commitment was the biggest commitment and the greatest example that we could look to. What he committed to do could only be done by him. But we, too, have commitments to make. Commitments to him, our families, and others. These are essential to our happiness here and our exaltation hereafter. When we commit ourselves to him, we receive the inner peace and security that he promised each one of us.<br />I hope that each of you will take time this week to ask yourself and evaluate how committed to God you are. Focus on fixing one thing or working on one thing that will bring you closer to him. Show him that you love him and show him that you are committed. We are to do our best to become like him. Focus on keeping the commandments with exactness. Focus on serving others and turning outwards. Focus on remembering Jesus Christ at all times. Focus on having a positive attitude, even when hard times come your way. I read another quote that really helped me this week.<br /> "A person’s attitude is perhaps the hardest of all personal attributes to change. If your attitude is right, then your life is made right. If your heart is touched, your mind and way of thinking will change and your life will change for the better accordingly. I believe we must become so immersed in the gospel of Jesus Christ that we become physically as well as mentally more and more like the Lord himself. We must yield our whole hearts to him. What we then do is done not because we are asked to, nor because we are forced to, but because we want to. Neither pressure nor force can be exerted upon us from outside, when what we do is done because it is our own choice and desire. It then makes no difference to us what other men may think, or say, or do. Our hearts being committed wholly to God, what we do is done out of our love for and our trust in him. We then serve God in every way we can because we have been converted, our attitude has been changed and we now desire to become like him both spiritually and physically."<br />Isn't that so good? I know that we each have so much to work on but I know that God is there to help us every step of the way. Life is hard. We have been asked to do so many things and I know that a lot of it can be overwhelming. I want you to know that I have a testimony of this gospel and I know that becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ is something that we should all strive to do. I know that by doing the simple things like reading the scriptures, praying, going to church, keeping the commandments, and serving others are the way to get there.<br />I do not read my scriptures every day and say my prayers multiple times a day and all of those other things to simply check them off my 'good Mormon girl/missionary list.' I do them because I hope that through doing those things, I will be changed in some way. I hope to one day have Christ in my countenance.<br />We each have eternal life we are striving for. Eternal life is not a place, but a state of being, and it is only through our faithful commitment that we can grow to reach that state of being. I know that when I do the simple things I am changed, sometimes in small ways and sometimes in large ways. In the end, I am so grateful for my commitment and where it has brought me today. If you commit yourself to God, he will commit himself to you. I PROMISE.<br />I hope you each have a great week and I hope you know how much I truly love and adore you. I am SO beyond excited to be reunited with y'all.<br />You have no idea. I am so grateful for your love and your support. I couldn't have done this without you! We are so so close and I am so so grateful for the chance that I have had to serve. I have to get running, but continue to press forward and continue to hold on to the rod.<br />Psalms 27:14 "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." Remember that the time to commit and recommit is now.<br />I love you so much!!! Talk to you in seven. See ya in sixteen!!!<br />And.... Next week I'll be 21, so that's exciting. :) Sending all my hugs and loves your way!! Xoxo<br />Sister Ky Worthington<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-23432371273997831342016-09-13T03:59:00.004-07:002016-10-02T14:30:39.562-07:00September 12, 2016 ~Celestial Miles and GoodbyesHi everyone!<br /> Greetings from the Carolinas! How's it going? Have I told you lately how much I miss you and how excited I am to see your cute faces? Ah! I hope everyone had a good week and I really hope that each of you were able to work on turning some of your weaknesses into strengths. I really worked on that this week and was blessed with some amazing experiences and some personal growth. Gotta love that! This week in the Carolinas was absolutely beautiful! The heat has died down and we are enjoying some perfect weather. The humidity is still high, but I've gotten used to it and actually really like it. I cannot tell you how excited I am to see all the colorful leaves in the mountains though. I'm really looking forward to that. You would think being so many trees in North Carolina the leaves would change colors, but they don't. It's quite unfortunate. Anyways, when the weather is good, you know it's a good day to be a missionary, so I'm very grateful!<br /> We had quite a few good days this past week. Lots of ups and downs, tears and smiles, but overall, I'd say it was a fairly good week. There is always so much that happens that it's really hard to explain all that we did. I think it's easier if I break it down into days.<br /> Tuesday we served at our thrift store. I love it there and have made some really good friends. Especially with Sandra. She works up at the register with me and I have loved getting to know her. She's got a heart of gold and she will join the church one day. After service we did tons and tons and tons of finding. We visited lots of former investigators and it wasn't very successful. Not many people were home and no one really wanted to listen to us. It was a hard night of finding, but we made it through the day and that's all that matters.<br /> Every time my companions and I get rejected by someone we look at each other and say, "With every rejection comes a blessing." So every time someone rejects us or our message, we know that heaven is waiting to send down a blessing. :) It makes rejection easier to deal with and lightens the mood! Sometimes it is so hard not to get discouraged or down on ourselves, thinking we could've done this or that, or whatever. So it's important to stay positive and continue to laugh about it. Realizing that they will probably have a different answer when we see them in the spirit world and ask them if they want to learn more about the gospel haha. :) I think we have done really good with finding and I think Sister Warner is understanding the principle of other people's agency and how that works. Man, it's an interesting that. That's for sure. I guess it keeps the world going round. We worked hard until the end of the night and it felt good when 9:30 pm came.<br /> Wednesday was a great day. Started off not so hot, ended real well. A few months ago our car got side swiped in our parking lot? Remember me mentioning that? Well, as a result, we had to take it into the shop on Wednesday. They told us that it was going to take six days to repair and that we would be going without a car for six days. Well, considering the fact that my area covers half the mission, I wasn't quite sure how we were going to make this work and how we were going to make it to all of our appointments and meetings and everything else. But, we started figuring it out and working with our ward mission leader and ward council and was just embracing ourselves for biking and walking and skype/FaceTime lessons. Well, as the vehicle coordinator guy from the mission was about to drop us off, he went into his office and came out with a key, and said "Here sisters, just because we love you so much and just because you are the best missionaries ever, you get to use a spare car for six days with unlimited miles." Which in the mission, we call unlimited miles "celestial miles." We literally jumped up and down for joy and literally started to cry tears of happiness. You have no idea how excited we were. Sounds like something so stupid, but I was not about to bike and walk everywhere for six days. On average we drive about<br /> 85-90 miles a day.... So it would have been a rough six days. But, we've had a car ALL week with unlimited miles so we have been driving everywhere and going to all the remote places of our area that we never get too and it's been amazinggggg!!! So so so fun! We were able to have a really good lesson with our investigator Daeshawn. We also had a less active member come out teaching with us for that appointment so it was like killing two birds with one stone! So prime.<br /> We had a really good lesson and Daeshawn is really working towards baptism. We aren't sure if he will be ready to make September 25th, but we are doing our best. I love seeing how the gospel can change people and ultimately, change their hearts. It's amazing! We had dinner with our ward mission leader and there was a surprise package waiting at his house for me..... THANK YOU MAMA!!!!!! Miss Kyla #2 delivered it to me and it made my entire day! Thank you everyone for your sweet notes and loves! Y'all are the best! After dinner we went street contacting at "The Boardwalk" in Charlotte. (A big outdoor shopping/eating/hangout place) We met a few new people there and just had a really fun night being out on the town!<br /> Thursday was alright. They are always our long days and seem to drag on forever and ever. We went to soup kitchen in the morning and it was the last time with the Garlick's and that was really sad. They paid a really nice tribute to them though and they have definitely left their mark here! We then came home and had our weekly planning session, and then drove down to South Carolina to see Nicole. She was asked to give a talk on Sunday so she was freaking out and wanted us to come down and help her. She took us out to dinner and then we helped write her talk. It was on Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ so it was really easy to help her and she was able to go lots of different directions with it and it was fun to see the spirit working in her! She is so wonderful. I have really come to love her and saying goodbye to her was the hardest thing ever. It's a dang good thing I get to see her in a few weeks. She moves to Utah tomorrow and then will start work in American Fork. I am super excited and we already have so many things planned! Hooray for UT attracting all the converts!!! Our night was mostly taken up with her and with traveling so that about summed up Thursday.<br /> Friday was bomb. We had zone meeting all morning and afternoon and it was wonderful. It was a bitter sweet moment though because it was my very last zone meeting as a full time missionary. I am really not liking all these "last" things that are happening. Kinda putting a damper on everything. We ended up having a super powerful meeting on the Doctrine of Christ and becoming true disciples and I really enjoyed it and it was exactly what I needed. I love how the doctrine of Christ is so simple, but so deep. There is so much to learn about it. What I learned the most is just how interchangeable each step is and how you cannot have one without the other. I learned a new way to teach it to others and I'm super excited! I also learned a lot about faith and how we have to "spend" faith, in order to gain faith. Kind of like how we have to "spend money in order to gain money." I don't know, someone once told me that principle and I think it's a true one, so I've kept it haha and related it to faith. Anyways, teaching the lesson of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is one of my favorites! The zone leaders also went all out and made it a really fun meeting so that was good! I feel like it was one of the better zone meetings I've had on the mission and it ended really well! One of the zone leaders is going home with me so I know he wanted to make his last one a big deal too!<br /> It was great! Our zone is called the Charlotte Central Crew and our zone's motto is "Come jump on Old Ship Zion" so you can only imagine how creative they got. They built a giant ship out of cardboard and wrote all over it. It was classic. Anyways, great meeting! I also got asked to sing with my two hermanas for a special musical number, so that happened. After the meeting we did some planning and finding and then drove all the way down to Wingate, North Carolina to have dinner and a lesson with our most solid investigator named Emily! She is amazing! She is the girlfriend of one of our members. Both her and her boyfriend are going to Wingate University and are both on the Lacrosse team. We had dinner at her apartment and then in walked three of Emily's roommates. They all were so intrigued at who we were and wanted to stay for our lesson! We were super pumped. We had planned to teach Emily the Plan of Salvation so we just decided to go with it anyways and teach it. It was such an amazing lesson! The spirit was SO STRONG and literally took over the lesson. It was amazing. I honestly don't even know how it happened, it just did. I was kind of nervous because you never know how others are going to react, but her roommates really liked us and had great questions and could have lots of potential in the future! We are already going back to see them next week! Yay yay yay for new investigators. Honestly though, it was so much fun being down in the college environment and just hanging out with a bunch of college kids. I honestly cannot wait! It's making me so excited for school and for the next phase of my life! After our lesson, we went with Emily's boyfriend to try and see a less active who lived near by. It was on such a sketchy road and I literally thought we were going to die. We pulled up to the house and it was the creepiest thing ever. It was a dang good thing that we had Grayson with us because without him, there was no way that I was going to walk up to that door. The kid didn't even end up living there, but we were able to find out some more information about him and where he moved too so that was super helpful! Anyways, we had a good long hour drive home and played twenty questions in the car! It was SO MUCH FUN to get to know my sisters better. We had a deep conversation and everyone was getting real with each other. I was loving it. That's what missionary companions are all about. I learned so many new things about them and gained lots of love and respect from chit chatting with them!<br /> Something we want to continue to do. Everyday I tell them to tell me something that I don't know about them and it's been really good for our companionship. We are getting closer everyday and I am really enjoying that. They are helping me tons and I love them mucho. When we got home, I got a letter in the mail from the mission office regarding my "going home" instructions and that was super depressing. :( I never thought the day would come that I would get that in the mail.. But sure enough, it came! Not the best way to end my night, but it had to happen sooner or later.<br /> Saturday was grand! Sorry this is getting really long. I just realized how long this email is getting, and I'm just rambling on. I'll shorten Saturday and Sunday up. We did lots of packing on Saturday. We are moving apartments tomorrow, and it's been a pain in the butt. Let me just tell you! But, I'm excited for change and it'll be a much better location for us! We were able to teach Alex & Sharon and really emphasized reading the Book of Mormon with them. They have been struggling lately but we were super bold with them and really helped them see the importance. We were also able to Skype Hyrum! He is a less active/returning member that we have been working with lately and he just moved to Virginia, but we have been having Skype lessons with him once a week and it has been going wonderful! He asked us about how to resist temptation and how to resist going back to old relationships and habits and how to not give into peer pressure and so it led me to a really good study session.<br /> I honestly started thinking about my life before the mission and my life now, and my life soon to be when I get home from the mish. I realized back at home that people who do wrong, often want others to join them cause they feel more comfortable knowing that others are doing wrong too. It made me think about how we all just want to be accepted so we tend to give in to the wrong that others are doing.<br /> Gaining acceptance by compromising our standards however, leads to a loss of freedom and I saw that so many times. I read this quote that said, "The more obedient you are, the more you stand for true principles, the more the Lord can help you overcome temptation. No one intends to make serious mistakes. They come when you compromise your standards to be more accepted by others. You be the strong one. You be the leader." I just loved that so much because it's so true! Anyways, I also started thinking of the story of Lots wife in Luke 17:32 and to not look back!! To realize that those things are in the past and we can move on. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there.<br /> We have to have an eternal perspective rather than instant gratification, which is what the world wants. I was thinking about how easy it is to slip up or make a mistake that can be 10 seconds, 20 minutes, or 1 hour, but then how hard it is to make right and become worthy again. Sometimes that process can be 6 months or 1 year, or more. So it's just not worth it and deep down we know it and we know it's wrong. I think it's so important that we just keep pushing forward and don't give in to Satan and his evil ways or into the wrongs of others.<br /> Savanah shared some things with me this week that really helped me.<br /> She shared with me some things about how bold and courageous the prophets and apostles are when it comes to standing up for their beliefs. I realized that that is what we need to be doing. Me, especially, right now am literally an extension of the apostles, and I can definitely work on being more bold and courageous. She shared with me about what it means to Hasten the work of Salvation and to be true disciples of Christ. One thing that stood out to me the most is about how we are different from the world. We do not look like the world, we do not act like the world, we do not speak or think like the world. True happiness comes to us when we are living true to true standards. Not when we are living fake to the world. It is a constant battle we fight against evil to be different. So, no matter what, stand up, stand firm, and don't give into Satan and his tricky plan!<br /> Sunday was great. We had a few investigators at church and Nicole gave a great talk. I chose to fast and am continuing to learn so much about the power and principle of fasting. God is teaching me so much about that and I'm loving it. I'm learning so much about the law of sacrifice and consecration. Anyways, that's a whole other topic for a whole nother day! Horrible English right there, but you get the point.<br /> We taught Emily the Gospel of Jesus Christ after church and that was a really good lesson! She is progressing so well and accepted baptism!!!<br /> YAYYYYY!!!! Sunday night we had the mission president's fireside and that was the very best! President Alexander is the best. I love that guy! I got asked to play the piano and lead another special musical number and that was super powerful. The meeting was all on the Book of Mormon and I know that at least one person is going to get baptized because of that meeting! So so good. Our investigator Tiawana came.<br /> She is the best of the best. She's a new one we found this week, and she is flipping hilarious. We showed her the baptismal font after the meeting and she's already pumped to get baptized. Elder and Sister Garlick bore their testimony for the last time and I cried and cried and cried and cried. I had to say goodbye to them and it was so heartbreaking! They are literally my two favorite people ever!!! I have gotten so close to them and it was no coincidence that God put me here in Charlotte, so I could serve and be close to them. They are officially on the road and heading west!!! I cannot believe they finished their mission. So crazy. Many tears shed, but many memories created that will last a lifetime. It was a good end to a good week.<br /> My thoughts and feelings have been all over the place, but my faith has never been stronger and my relationship with my Savior has never been better. I feel so close to him every single day and am so grateful for the 18 months that I've had to build my relationship with him. He is my very best friend and I know that he is so so real and so so aware of each and every one of us. I have been able to see how his hand is involved in everyone's life. President Alexander shared a story of this guy who grew up in a small town in Idaho and when he was a teenager, he decided to run away and ended up in New York. He started getting involved in lots of different drugs and went down the wrong path in life, doing every wrong thing that you could possibly imagine. 30 years later, there was this young missionary who got called to a mission in New York. He and his companion were walking down the street and saw this guy on his porch smoking and drinking.<br /> His house had a fence around it and he had two pit bulls on chains. As the elders walked by, the dogs started barking and coming to the edge of the fence. The man was staring at the elders and wouldn't stop looking at them! The elders continued to walk past the old guy and continued on their way! As they got to the edge of the street they got a feeling that they needed to turn around and go talk to the guy. As they approached his fence, the dogs went back on the porch and stopped barking. The elders started talking to the guy and asked the usual questions. "Where are you from? How is your day?" Blah blah blah.<br /> Well, the guy answered and said he was from a little small town in Idaho. One of the elders was from the very same town in Idaho, so just out of the blue, he asked this man if he knew someone that lived in the small town in idea. Shockingly, the man answered yes, and told the elders that that man was his father, who he hadn't seen in over 25 years. Come to find out, one of the elders looked at this man and said, "Brother, he is my father also." The elder was born after the man left his family and moved to New York. The man started learning the gospel from his younger brother and his companion, eventually moved back to Idaho, and reconciled with his family. He is now an active member of the church and doing well. I have no doubt in my mind that GOD IS AWARE OF ALL OF HIS CHILDREN.<br /> If you don't think he is aware of you, tonight get on your knees and ask him. Ask Heavenly Father how he feels about you tonight, and I promise you will get an answer. Also ask him how he communicates with you, and that will help you realize how he will answer you. I cherish my relationship with my Heavenly Father so much and I know that he hears and answers every prayer. One of my favorite things to teach is how to pray, because I know that no matter what kind of prayer is said, God hears it.<br /> I want you each to know how much I love and adore you. I am so grateful for the support that you've given me. It's going to be a special week for me this week as I hit my 18 month mark. I love love love being a missionary and I wouldn't change my experience for anything! I hope you have a great week and I hope you continue to exercise your faith and stay strong! Rely on Christ and his atonement!<br /> Thanks for everything!!! Extra special birthday shoutouts to my bff Taylor & Elder Parkinson on the 18th!! Y'all are the best. Love love love love love you! Talk to ya in seven, see you in twenty three!!<br /> XOXO<br /> <br /> Sister WorthingtonUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-78680142000778700332016-09-13T03:57:00.003-07:002016-09-13T03:57:22.901-07:00September 5, 2016~ Hello Septemberhi friends!<br />How's everyone doing? Can you believe that it's already a new month? Who knows where August went. My goodness. It flew right by me! I am so excited for this month though. I absolutely LOVE September and love the spirit and feeling that is in the air. Fall is definitely around the corner and it's my favorite time of the year, so I couldn't be more excited. Definitely coming home at the perfect time. :) Pumpkins, sweaters, hot cocoa, blankets, cuddles, & holidays. So. Dang. Excited. <br /> Well, it's been another beautiful week here in the Carolinas and the time seems to be ticking real quickly. Sometimes I don't know how it slips away from me. We were able to experience a few rainy days and a few cloudy days. Both of which I absolutely love. The weather here is really amazing and I am so grateful that the heat is dying down. Man, it was miserable this Summer. Whew! I'm not sure if I could do another one. It's killer. But, the trees continue to stay super green and I love all the beauty that is in this part of the country. Y'all are going to love it so much. <br /> We spent most of our preparation day out and about getting Sister Mabey a haircut, suit shopping with the elders at the mall, grocery shopping, playing basketball, and all sorts of other things, and my time is getting limited and quite frankly, I just don't feel like emailing all that much. I love you all SO dang much, but emailing can be so frustrating and so annoying sometimes, so please forgive me if this weeks letter is lame. It's not that I don't want to write you, I just don't feel like sitting here for hours and typing. I really could actually use a nap. You have no idea how tired and how exhausted I am getting. I think you can tell that I'm getting to my end and that my body cannot go much longer. However, I realize that I only have a few more chances to email y'all and share my thoughts, so I figure I better take advantage of it. :) <br /> I'll give a quick update on my week and our investigators and then share with you some of my thoughts and gems from the week. <br />We were able to see lots of miracles this past week. We found two new solid investigators and had lots of members present at our lessons. That really helped! All of our investigators are doing pretty well and progressing. We may be putting a few of them on hold because they are not able to get work off on Sunday's to come to church, and without church attendance, they can't really progress, but other than that, things are going really well. This past week we went into our investigator Damon's work and tried to talk to his boss about letting him get work off on Sunday, and that was a complete nightmare. Oh my goodness. Worst idea ever. She was so upset and we got chewed out and kicked out of the grocery store, so that was definitely memorable. Then we got Damon in trouble and now he doesn't want to come to even the first hour of church (which is what he has been doing in the past) so hooray for that. Rough day. <br /> We got two referrals this past week and were able to get in contact with both of them and start teaching them. Add Grace and Emily to your prayer list. They are super cute and really solid! I have strong faith that they will get baptized. They are both dating members and I know that because they have that solid fellowship, they will progress and will be helped significantly! So so grateful for the members out here and all the hard work that they put into sharing the gospel with their friends. I wish people in Utah were more missionary minded. <br /> Let's see, our recent converts are doing well. Nicole is officially moving to Utah on September 15th and will be living in Lehi and I'm so excited. We are going to hang out so much and already have so many plans. Fernando is doing great and progressing in the gospel. He is giving a talk in church in a few weeks and is nervous for that, but I know he'll kill it. I've been blessed with the BEST recent converts anyone has ever had and I am just so grateful for God letting me be apart of their lives and letting me witness how the gospel can change anyone. No matter who you are and no matter where you've been or what you've done. It's there for anyone and everyone and is the perfect message of peace and hope. <br />A couple tender mercies and bitter sweet moments occurred. This past Friday I had my last real interview with my mission president. It was an amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. He is truly a man of God and I have come to love and respect him so much. Instead of having a typical 15 minute interview, he kept me in there for 40 minutes. We had an amazing conversation and he gave me so much peace, comfort, advice, & counsel. It was unreal. I feel so much better about things and have gained some new insights on what to do and how to handle my situations. It's amazing how spiritual he is and how in tune with the spirit he is. He knows exactly what I need to hear every interview and he knows exactly how to calm my troubled soul! <br />Yesterday was incredible. Another Sunday full of miracles and full of the spirit. As I was sitting in sacrament meeting and partaking of the sacrament, the spirit whispered to me and told me that it was my last fast and testimony meeting as a full time missionary... And that hit me pretty hard core. And then of course I lost it and couldn't hold back the tears. Of course being my last one, I got up and bore my testimony and bawled the entire time.. You have no idea the gratitude that is in my heart and soul and how THANKFUL I am that I chose to serve a mission. You just have no idea and I have no way to even express it, so I'm not even going to try. <br />So besides that bitter sweet moment, we had four investigators come to church and had two inactive people that we have been working with randomly show up to church (we didn't even reach out and invite them). And then they went up and bore their testimonies. Ahhhh put me in tears. One of them even has a little girl and went up to the pulpit in a singles ward with his daughter and admitted to him being inactive, but how he felt prompted to come to church today, even though it had been 6 years. It's amazing how much the gospel can change people and I KNOW that it works for everyone. Life is not black and white... There is a whole lot of gray in everyone's lives.. But the gospel is the one thing that is constant and never changes. How grateful I am to have such a steady anchor in my life and such a sure foundation to always draw upon and hold onto. We are so so blessed. <br />Later Sunday evening we went with one of those inactives to uptown Charlotte, in the city, and just went walking around a fountain and a park, with the city in the background. It was amazing. Sometimes I just have to stand back and realized how blessed I am and sometimes it doesn't feel real that I literally came out on a mission and that I get to walk the streets of Charlotte every single day and meet so many different people of so many different backgrounds, and share my message and simple testimony with them. Too good to be true. We ended up having just a really great rest of the evening and we ended the week off on a spiritual high! I LOVE WHEN WE DO THAT. Helps me be so much better prepared and ready for the next week. <br />Well, so many other little things happened this week, but none of them really matter. We walked in a parade on Saturday and that was super fun and we got exposed really well.. We celebrated Sister Mabey's birthday and that was fun.. We had a lame district meeting and I miss all my old peeps... We got to see Sister Garlick at the soup kitchen and serve with her... We taught lots of great lessons and Sister Warner is killing her 12 week program... I'm working on My Plan (a specific program for missionaries returning home) and that's been stressing me out.. But I'm over it. So yeah, just a ton of little things happening everyday, but overall it was a great week. My studies were really good and I learned a lot about Ether 12:27 and that has been weighing heavily on my mind this past week so I'm going to share some of my thoughts with you and hopefully they help ya this week and make you think and ponder. :) <br />So, one thing that I have been thinking a lot about is the concept of weaknesses. What they are, why we have them, how we can over come them, where they come from, and blah blah blah. Well, I've learned that weakness comes to us through the Fall of Adam. After the Fall, our physical body and mind became susceptible to disease and decay. We became subject to temptation and struggle. Therefore, resulting in us experiencing personal weaknesses. But, the beautiful thing is that the Lord clearly teaches that as we come unto Him in humility and faith, He will help us turn our personal weakness into strength. His grace is sufficient to make this transformation by lifting us above our own natural abilities. In a very personal way, we experience how the power of the Atonement overcomes the effects of the Fall. President Alexander once told me that until we come to recognize the importance of the Fall, we will never fully understand the need and dependance of a Savior, and more importantly, our Savior Jesus Christ. <br />Elder Maxwell described how recognizing our weaknesses is one way that the Lord has chosen to increase our learning: "When we are unduly impatient with an omniscient God’s timing, we really are suggesting that we know what is best. Strange, isn’t it--we who wear wristwatches seek to counsel Him who oversees cosmic clocks and calendars. Because God wants us to come home after having become more like Him and His Son, part of this developmental process, of necessity, consists of showing unto us our weaknesses. Hence, if we have ultimate hope we will be submissive because, with His help, those weaknesses can even become strengths. It is not an easy thing, however, to be shown one’s weaknesses, as these are regularly demonstrated by life’s circumstances. Nevertheless, this is part of coming unto Christ, and it is a vital, if painful, part of God’s plan of happiness." <br />Now I know this is getting long, but I read this talk this morning and HAVE to share the whole talk with you, to basically sum up everything that I'm thinking and feeling, and as much as I wish I could try to explain my words, this lovely lady who wrote the talk just says it so much better so I'm just going to copy and paste her whole talk and you can read it later if you don't have time at the moment. <br />It Isn't a Sin to be Weak: by Wendy Ulrich.<br />“Am I really worthy to enter God’s house? How can I be if I’m not perfect? Can God really make my weakness into a strength? I’ve fasted and prayed for days to have this problem removed from me, but nothing seems to change. In the mission field I lived the gospel more consistently than at any time in my life, but I have never been more aware of my shortcomings. Why, when I was being so good, did I sometimes feel so bad? As we ponder such questions, it is crucial to understand that while sin inevitably leads us away from God, weakness,ironically, can lead us toward Him.<br />Distinguishing between Sin and Weakness:<br />We commonly think of sin and weakness as merely different-sized black marks on the fabric of our souls, different severities of transgression. But the scriptures imply that sin and weakness are inherently different, require different remedies, and have the potential to produce different results.<br />Most of us are more familiar with sin than we care to admit, but let’s review: Sin is a choice to disobey God’s commandments or rebel against the Light of Christ within us. Sin is a choice to trust Satan over God, placing us at enmity with our Father. Unlike us, Jesus Christ was completely without sin and could atone for our sins. When we sincerely repent—including changing our mind, heart, and behavior; offering appropriate apologies or confessions; making restitution where possible; and not repeating that sin in the future—we can access the Atonement of Jesus Christ, be forgiven by God, and be clean again.<br />Becoming clean is essential because nothing unclean can dwell in God’s presence. But if our only goal were to be as innocent as we were when we left God’s presence, we would all be better off lying snugly in our cribs for the rest of our lives. Rather, we came to earth to learn by experience to distinguish good from evil, grow in wisdom and skill, live values we care about, and acquire the characteristics of godliness—progress we cannot make from the safe confines of a bassinet.<br />Human weakness plays an important role in these essential purposes of mortality. When Moroni worried that his weakness in writing would cause the Gentiles to mock sacred things, the Lord reassured him with these words:<br />“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."<br />The implications of this familiar scripture are profound and invite us to distinguish sin (encouraged by Satan) from weakness (described here as a condition “given” to us by God).<br />We might define weakness as the limitation on our wisdom, power, and holiness that comes with being human. As mortals we are born helpless and dependent, with various physical flaws and predispositions. We are raised and surrounded by other weak mortals, and their teachings, examples, and treatment of us are faulty and sometimes damaging. In our weak, mortal state we suffer physical and emotional illness, hunger, and fatigue. We experience human emotions like anger, grief, and fear. We lack wisdom, skill, stamina, and strength. And we are subject to temptations of many kinds.<br />Though He was without sin, Jesus Christ joined us fully in the condition of mortal weakness. He was born as a helpless infant in a mortal body and raised by imperfect caretakers. He had to learn how to walk, talk, work, and get along with others. He got hungry and tired, felt human emotions, and could get ill, suffer, bleed, and die. He was “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin,” subjecting Himself to mortality so He could “be touched with the feeling of our infirmities” and succor us in our infirmities or weaknesses.<br />We cannot simply repent of being weak—nor does weakness itself make us unclean. We cannot grow spiritually unless we reject sin, but we also do not grow spiritually unless we acceptour state of human weakness, respond to it with humility and faith, and learn through our weakness to trust in God. When Moroni fretted about the weakness of his writing, God did not tell him to repent. Instead, the Lord taught him to be humble and to have faith in Christ. As we are meek and faithful, God offers grace—not forgiveness—as the remedy for weakness. Grace is an enabling power from God to do what we cannot do on our own; the appropriate godly remedy by which He can “make weak things become strong.<br />Exercising Humility and Faith:<br />From early on in our Church experience, we are taught the essential elements of repentance, but how exactly do we foster humility and faith? Consider the following:<br />Ponder and pray. Because we are weak, we may not recognize if we are dealing with sin (calling for an immediate and pervasive change of mind, heart, and behavior) or with weakness (calling for humble, sustained effort, learning, and improvement). How we view these things can depend on our upbringing and maturity. There may even be elements of both sin and weakness in a single behavior. Saying a sin is really a weakness leads to rationalizing instead of repenting. Saying a weakness is a sin can result in shame, blame, despair, and giving up on God’s promises. Pondering and praying help us make these distinctions.<br />Prioritize. Because we are weak, we cannot make every needed change all at once. As we humbly and faithfully tackle our human weakness a few aspects at a time, we can gradually reduce ignorance, make good patterns habitual, increase our physical and emotional health and stamina, and strengthen our trust in the Lord. God can help us know where to begin.<br />Plan. Because we are weak, getting stronger will require more than a righteous desire and lots of self-discipline. We also need to plan, learn from mistakes, develop more effective strategies, revise our plans, and try again. We need help from scriptures, relevant books, and other people. We start small, rejoice in improvement, and take risks (even though they make us feel vulnerable and weak). We need supports to help us make good choices even when we are tired or discouraged and plans for getting back on track when we slip.<br />Exercise patience. Because we are weak, change may take time. We don’t just renounce our weakness the way we renounce sin. Humble disciples willingly do what’s required, learn resilience, keep trying, and do not give up. Humility helps us have patience with ourselves and with others who are weak too. Patience is a manifestation of our faith in the Lord, gratitude for His confidence in us, and trust in His promises.<br />Even when we sincerely repent of our sins, obtain forgiveness and become clean again, we remain weak. We are still subject to illness, emotion, ignorance, predispositions, fatigue, and temptation. But limitations and inadequacies are not sins and do not keep us from being clean and worthy of the Spirit.<br />Weakness to Strength:<br />While Satan is eager to use our weakness to entice us to sin, God can use human weakness to teach, strengthen, and bless us. Contrary to what we might expect or hope, however, God does not always “make weak things become strong” unto us by eliminating our weakness. When the Apostle Paul prayed repeatedly for God to remove a “thorn in the flesh” Satan used to buffet him, God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."<br />There are many ways the Lord makes “weak things become strong.” While He may eliminate the weakness through the dramatic cure we hope for, in my personal experience this is somewhat rare. For example, I see no evidence that God eliminated Moroni’s weakness in writing after the famous verse in Ether 12. God may also make weak things strong by helping us work around our weaknesses, gain an appropriate sense of humor or perspective about them, and improve on them gradually over time. Also, strengths and weaknesses are often related (like the strength of perseverance and the weakness of bullheadedness), and we can learn to value the strength and temper the weakness that goes with it.<br />There is another, even more powerful way that God makes weak things strong unto us. The Lord says to Moroni in Ether 12:37, “Because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.”<br />Here God is not offering to change Moroni’s weakness, but to change Moroni. By tackling the challenge of human weakness, Moroni—and we—can learn charity, compassion, meekness, patience, courage, long-suffering, wisdom, stamina, forgiveness, resilience, gratitude, creativity, and a host of other virtues that make us more like our Father in Heaven. These are the very qualities we came to earth to hone, the Christlike attributes that prepare us for the mansions above.<br />Nowhere is God’s love, wisdom, and redemptive power more evident than in His ability to turn our struggle with human weakness into the invaluable godly virtues and strengths that make us more like Him."<br />I know that our weaknesses can be turned into strengths. I have seen it happen in myself on my mission, and in others around me. Focus on the beauty of weaknesses and recognize how our weaknesses help define who we are and make up a part of us. We wouldn't be the same without them. I loved this talk so so much and would encourage you to go look at some of the charts that were written out in her talk regarding the difference between sin and weakness. I know that this gospel is real. I know that the atonement is real. IT WORKS FOR ANYONE AND EVERYONE. Even you, who is reading this right now and who thinks that it doesn't work for you. "Restoring what you cannot restore, healing the wound you cannot heal, fixing that which you broke and cannot fix is the very purpose of the atonement of Christ." Let him fix you so that you can become whole and can feel the calming effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that we all have so much to work on, but I know that our weaknesses can be turned into strengths and can help us prepare to meet God and to become more like him. <br />Be humble. Be teachable. Realize that there is always room to improve. The book True to the Faith explains the meaning of true humility: “To be humble is to recognize gratefully your dependence on the Lord--to understand that you have constant need for His support. Humility is an acknowledgement that your talents and abilities are gifts from God. It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that you know where your true strength lies." I know that as we do that, we will be blessed and we will see our lives change. <br />I love y'all so dang much. I cannot wait to see you & wrap my arms around you. Thank you for everything & for all the support. I hope everyone has a great week. Kam, happy birthday sweets. Make it a killer day. Nathan, happy birthday & welcome home! Can't wait to see you. & I know I'm missing a few others since we have so many birthdays in September.. But I promise when I get home we will celebrate.. Cause trust me. Remember my birthday is this month and I'm all about birthdays, so be ready! Have a super week. Turn those weaknesses into strengths! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! Sending all my hugs and kisses your way. Talk to ya in seven, see ya in 30! Ah! <br /><br />Sister Kyla Joan Worthington Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-40330823106265030982016-09-13T03:53:00.000-07:002016-09-13T03:53:30.774-07:00August 29, 2016~Happy are we!Hi loves!<br /> How is everyone? Another week come and gone. Where is the time going?<br /> I hope this week was a good one for everyone. I have been thinking about you lots and hope that you have been able to feel my prayers. I know that a lot of things are going on, but I hope that each of you have been able to feel peace and that you can feel the love of God in your life. I know that he loves you and I know that he is real. Oh so real. If you allow him to come into your life, he will come. I have seen it happen time and time again. I know that if it works for me and for my investigators, it will work for you!<br /> This week was pretty good. Lots of tender mercies and lots of tears. Typically how a mission goes, right? I am so grateful for the continued support that I have received and for the love and prayers. I feel them every single day and I really know that they are what is carrying me through! I have guardian angels round about me bearing me up!<br /> Monday was rough. Definitely glad it's over and definitely glad that today is a better preparation day. Tuesday was super super hard. One of the harder days of my mission. Sister Warner and I drove to the mission office and dropped off Sister Nunies. It was rough. I am so excited for what God has in store for her but it was a hard goodbye. I have developed such a good relationship with that girl and we are best friends. She has helped me through some of my toughest days and I know that God definitely placed her in my life to help me and to support me in everything! However, we were able to pick up our new companion, Sister Mabey! She is from Salem, Oregon and is a really sweet girl.<br /> She was serving in Waxhaw and so we had lots of conversations about some of my favorite peeps. :) It has definitely been an adjustment and Sister Warner and I are still getting used to having her, but we are grateful that we are staying in a trio and we are learning a lot from our new sister! I don't know how she's doing.. But hopefully she's adjusting well and that things are going good for her. Sister Warner and I are like a party companionship so we know that she is going to have a good time and that she's in for a treat. I think we have shocked her a little bit... But it's been good for her to get out of her shell. The YSA will be really good for her and will open her up!<br /> The work is really picking up here in Charlotte! After a couple slower weeks, we have been able to see the fruits of our labors and I'm loving it. We are staying super busy and that has definitely helped me with everything going on. I have been able to really focus on the work and I love going from appointment to appointment. We had one day this week with no appointments and so we did a lot of finding. We did some tracting for Sister Warner's first time and it was so much fun! The girl is just a blast. She makes everything so fun and so happy! It was the first time in my life that I actually loved tracting. It was great! So much fun. So many rejections and door slams, but so dang worth it. We also met a few people and ran into a few single adults so that was a bonus. Then the Spanish sisters called us and told us they had a referral for us! Right then and there we dropped our plans and went to meet him! His name is Daeshawn and he is amazing! He has a baptismal date for September 25th and he's definitely set on making that date. (Hello best early birthday present ever) We taught him the Plan of Salvation and he loved it. We instantly clicked and became best friends. I love love love working with people my age. Daeshawn came to church yesterday and had a great time and is progressing really well.<br /> Damon is also someone that we are working with. We brought Elder and Sister Garlick with us and that was one of the better decisions we made! They are so powerful, oh my goodness! We had a great lesson and Elder Garlick told Damon that he wanted to be there for his baptism, and baptize him, so Damon is getting baptized on September 7th! Ahhhhh! Finally! I am going to be so sad when the Garlick's leave. Already hurting inside. Please go to their homecoming. Please please please! Yeyo is another investigator that we are working with and he is doing great. Really progressing and he is meeting with president this week! He came to church and is making tons of progress. We also got two referrals this week and they both sound really solid. Both of them are girlfriends of members in our ward, so we are really excited about that and I'm sure I will have more progress on them next week!<br /> When you have members involved, it helps SO much and makes the work so much easier.<br /> Remember Alex? From Ghana? He is doing great. We had a really really awkward experience with him this week.. So, we had an appointment set and we decided to bring two of our members with us. Well, when we got there.. The door was open so we could see through the screen door.<br /> (Everyone has screen doors here in the south). There were two young gentlemen all dressed up sitting on their couch. I peeked my head in and asked if Alex was there. They said he was and said that he would come to the door soon. Well, Alex came to the door and let us in, and gestured us to sit down. Come to find out, these two young gentlemen were the lovely Jehovah Witnesses. Hahahah oh it was so awkward. Right as we sat down, they stood right up and said, "Well, we cannot have two different groups here so we better leave. We will come back another time." And then got up and rushed out of there so fast. I have never seen someone get up and move so fast. We outnumbered them a little bit... But we weren't trying to kick them out or anything.. They were just so afraid of us. It was classic. We didn't know that Alex was meeting with them so it was kind of awkward. He told us that he hadn't been meeting with them for a long time, but they randomly stopped by and so he let them in. Of course Satan would have them come at the exact same time as our appointment. Gosh dang him. Hate him. Anyways, we ended up teaching a bomb lesson on the word of wisdom and law of chastity to Alex and his little brother and it was great! & Alex's work schedule changed and how has Sunday's off so that was definitely a miracle. He can come to church now! Yay! Anyways, interesting experience. But, one for the books.<br /> Things with our recent converts/less actives are going really well. Guess what! Nicole is moving to Utah on September 15th! I AM SO EXCITED. She was in Utah this past week and was doing some working interviews and looking for places to live. She got a job in American Fork working for a dentist there! I am so happy for her. It has been amazing to see how God has blessed her life and how everything is falling into place. She is going to be living in Utah and is so so so excited. I am so happy for her and know that this will be a good change for her. The gospel has changed her SO much and I cannot wait to come home and join her! hooray for recent converts.<br /> Fernando is on fire as well! We had a new member lesson with him this past week and instead of us teaching him, we asked him to teach us. He did so good! He killed the restoration and taught the whole thing perfectly! So amazing. He also got the priesthood and got his temple recommend and is going this weekend. I couldn't be more happy. Seeing them enter the temple is the best thing ever. That's the main goal and I know that if they can get there, they will be so so blessed and they will remain strong and active.<br /> Alan is also doing great. We have been able to keep in touch with him via Skype. Although he is in Utah and we miss him very much, he is still reading the scriptures and meeting with the missionaries there and is loving it! He's found his new YSA ward and is making friends. I am so grateful for the technology that we have and for the ability that we have to stay in touch with him even though he moved!<br /> Well, that's a lot of newsy stuff. How is everyone doing out there! I wanna hear about everything that's happening in the 801. Crazy how fast time is going and how much things have changed. I am excited to come home and see how many things have changed. Sometimes I feel like I just left and just got out here and that nothing changed, but then I realize that a lot can happen in 18 months, but that life continues to still move on and it will never ever stop.<br /> Saturday was one of the best days of my entire mission. Guess what I got to do. We got picked up by Stephanie Hargus Saturday morning and went to Waxhaw!! President Alexander gave me permission to go to Joseph's baptism. It was the best day of my life. It was SO good to see all of my fellow friends and people in Waxhaw. It literally felt like home. That place has such a special place in my heart and I will never ever ever forget the experiences that I had there. I have loved my other areas.. But Waxhaw is by far my favorite. I got to see Melissa and her family and that meant everything to me. It's been so neat to see how far she has come and to see how the gospel has blessed her life. She was my very first recent convert and now here she is, going to the temple this weekend and doing baptisms for the dead with her younger brother, who just got baptized. Now although Joseph is only 12 years old... Watching him get baptized was one of the most scared moments that I've had on my mission, and in my life. Both of his non-member parents were there and when he went under the water, the spirit was SO SO SO SO SO strong. I wish you could have been there. I looked over at his father and watched the tears roll down his face. For the longest time, he wouldn't give Jospeh permission to get baptized. I saw him angry and drunk almost every time we would go over there, and here he was, standing in our church building, in tears. He was so moved and it wasn't just quiet tears rolling down cheeks... He literally had to walk out of the room.<br /> I know it's hard for you to imagine this experience because you don't know who these people are... But it was so perfect and so touching. It was such a tender mercy for me to be there and to be able to witness that. I feel so blessed to be apart of this work at this time in my life. It was so neat to see how God has worked on his children and prepares them for the very moment that they are ready. I stood back in awe, as I witnessed God working in the lives of his children. I feel so grateful to know that I had a part in helping God create an eternal family. Their family is well on their way. We are slowly but surely creating the links and I couldn't be more grateful. I know that one day Joseph's father and mother will accept the gospel of Jesus Christ.<br /> After he was baptized, Joseph got up and bore his testimony in front of everyone. (And there were a lot of people there) the whole deacons quorum came to support him and a lot of the ward was there. His testimony was so pure and so simple. Once again, I looked over at his parents and it touched my heart so much to see the look on their faces. I knew that the spirit was touching them. It's amazing to see a 12 year old kid up there bearing his testimony. The gospel is so amazing. The youth program is amazing. It teaches us from such a small age how to act, how to be responsible, how to be mature, and teaches us how to gain a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel does no harm, only good and only benefits us. How can you not want that for you and for your children? The world is so scary right now and it's so important that we have something to hold onto and cling onto. I am just so grateful that I was raised in a gospel-centered home and for the foundation that I have, and will have for the rest of my life.<br /> So, aside from that being the best day ever, let me share with you what I learned this week. Lately I have really really been thinking about the power of attitude and the thought of "bad things happening to good people." We have been able to teach the Plan of Salvation a lot for some reason and God has just been placing people in our paths who have needed that simple message and so I have been able to do a lot of studying, thinking, pondering, and reflecting on that message.<br /> I came across Elder Uchtdorf's talk called, "Forget Me Not" and it really hit me hard. There is a section in his talk where he talks about "forgetting not to choose to be happy now." Not waiting for the perfect moment to be happy. I think so many of us think that we will be happy when we are married, or we will be happy when we finish school, or we will be happy when all the kids are out of the house, or we will be happy when the month of September is over, or we will be happy when we get this or when we get that. Blah blah blah, you get the point. But, he goes on to say that we must choose to be happy right now. FOCUS ON THE NOW. We will only have this moment once. Never again will we have this same day, or this same time. We have o much to be grateful for and so much that we can really be happy about. Why then, do we not focus on the now and why are we always yearning for the future? Yes, the future is great and yes there is lots to look forward too.. But there is so many things that I think we miss in the moment, simply because we aren't looking.<br /> I had an experience this week where I was really struggling and I just kept thinking to myself "why me, why me, why me." Sometimes I just feel like everything would have been better if I decided not to go on a mission and if I stayed home. Well, I decided to go into the bedroom and say a quick prayer before we headed out. As I was sitting there, Heavenly Father whispered something to me. He said, "Kyla, I know. I know how you are feeling. But, remember that you only have one mission. This is it. Never again in your life will you have this opportunity. Never again in your life will you be able to be right here, doing what you're doing." It was then and there that my whole perspective changed. RIGHT NOW IS OUR TIME. We must focus on the now and enjoy the now!<br /> President Monson once said, "If you have children who are grown and gone, in all likelihood you have occasionally felt pangs of loss and the recognition that you didn’t appreciate that time of life as much as you should have. Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future. If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly."<br /> I don't want to have feelings of “what if” and “if only.” I don't want to have bitterness and tears for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. No matter where you are in your life or what you are going through, remember to embrace the NOW!<br />Now, I know that we will all still have trails and that sometimes, it's going to be hard to "always be happy" but, remember that that is normal and that that is all part of the plan. Opposition is good and is so so necessary. It's what allows us to be happy and grateful in the first place. All of us experience various kinds of opposition that test us. Some of these tests are temptations to sin. Some are mortal challenges apart from personal sin. Some are very great. Some are very small. Some are continuous, and some are mere episodes. None of us is exempt. Opposition permits us to grow toward what our Heavenly Father would have us become.<br /> "Some of you may at times have cried out in your suffering, wondering why our Heavenly Father would allow you to go through whatever trials you are facing. Our mortal life, however, was never meant to be easy or consistently pleasant. Our Heavenly Father knows that we learn and grow and become refined through hard challenges, heartbreaking sorrows, and difficult choices. Each one of us experiences dark days when our loved ones pass away, painful times when our health is lost, feelings of being forsaken when those we love seem to have abandoned us. These and other trials present us with the real test of our ability to endure.” I think that when we were in the pre-earth life, each one of us signed up for the trials and tribulations that we are and will experience. I think that you and I both willingly said, "I'll do that one. Or I'll take that one. Or let me accept that one." We said we would be willing to go through these trials here on earth for the benefit of others and for the ultimate building of the kingdom of God and the perfecting of the saints.<br /> It is by staying faithful and valiant during those trials that the Lord will continue to strengthen us and prepare us for the days that are coming. Sister Oaks once said, “Sometimes those things we consider great trials prepare us for blessings, so I say to you, stay on the path, and continue to press forward.”<br /> I know that each one of you are facing many difficult things in your life right now. To you, I say keep going. Keep pressing forward and keep holding on. God knows what we do not know and sees what we do not see. Every calamity that Every trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for your salvation. Let us remember that it's necessary and important to have purposeful pain. Pain that will stretch us and make us grow. I have such a strong testimony of that.<br /> All that we go through is to learn and ultimately, to become more like our Heavenly Father. His hand is involved in every single detail of our life. We can choose to be happy and choose to endure well, only if we want too. He is not going to make us.<br />So, let us forget not to be happy now! The happiest people I know are not those who are always waiting for something different or something better, but those while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, day by day, moment by moment, recognize the gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy.<br />I love each of you so very much and I know that God lives. I want to share with you part of President Uchtdorf's talk, which echoed my testimony. He says,<br /> "Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love. Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time! He who created and knows the stars knows you and your name--you are the sons and daughters of His kingdom. God loves you because you are His child. He loves you even though at times you may feel lonely or make mistakes. The love of God and the power of the restored gospel are redemptive and saving. If you will only allow His divine love into your life, it can dress any wound, heal any hurt, and soften any sorrow." I know that to be true.<br /> Let us remember that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father. I am grateful for this chance that I have had to share the gospel with the people of North Carolina. Everyday I am working on trying to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ. I am trying to recognize the tender mercies of the Lord and remember how good he has been to me. Repent daily. Forgive often. Remember that we need to forgive in order to be forgiven. Pray daily. Study the word of God every single day. Serve those around you. Smile daily. Be grateful. Share goodness. & love love love love love and love some more. Our dear prophet once said, "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." Remember that.<br /> I hope you all have a great week and I hope that you "choose to be happy now." I love each of you so dearly and cannot wait to see your cute, smiling faces. Thank you for everything. Y'all are the best & definitely have a place in my big big heart. Please let me know if you need anything. Sorry this letter dragged on. Until next week-- love you to the other side of the country and back! Talk to ya in seven, see ya in 37. Whoa, that's real soon! Yikes!! :) Sending ya all my love. Xo<br /> Sister Ky Worthington<div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-43326539525204252872016-09-13T03:49:00.001-07:002016-09-13T03:49:31.879-07:00August 22, 2016~Well, this is itFamily!<br />Hello hello! I hope everyone is doing alright and I hope that it's been a good week for each of you and I hope that you have been able to feel the Savior's love! I know that he loves each and every one of you that is reading this email right now! He's so aware of everything that you're going through. I know we hear that all the time, but I promise that is he there and that he does know.<br /> I cannot believe that this time has finally come. I'm FINALLY on the big home stretch! This is it! One more transfer to go. I honestly cannot believe that this time has already come. I never ever thought that I would get down to my last transfer. It's been such a humbling experience for me as I have looked back and have reflected on my mission and all of the amazing experiences that I have had. I have grown so much and have learned so much. Things that I would have never been able to learn otherwise. I have been so blessed and am once again, so grateful that I chose to come out and serve the Lord. Best thing I've ever done, and if any of you are considering a mission, do it! You will not regret it. Make it a goal of yours. I think everyone needs to serve a mission. It will change your entire life and your whole plan and perspective on life. I feel so so blessed!<br /> So, the biggest news of the week was finding out where I would be spending my last transfer! We got transfer calls on Saturday and found out that I will be STAYING and finishing my mission in the Charlotte area and in the YSA ward and that I will continue to serve with Sister Warner. Sister Nunies is leaving us and heading to a place called Concord. Thankfully, Concord isn't really that far away from us and Sister Nunies will actually be my new sister training leader and will still be in the zone! Three claps for that! I am super grateful that I will still be able to see her and am so grateful that the Lord didn't take her too far from me. I love the girl to death and we've had some amazing times together that I will never forget. It's going to be hard to see her go. Sister Warner and I will be getting a new sister tomorrow and it's going to be interesting! Our new sister is Sister Maybe, and she is currently serving in Waxhaw! She is a fairly new missionary and just got into the mission field a few months ago. We are excited to welcome her in and I think the YSA ward will be a very good experience for her! I'm also excited to talk about Waxhaw and all of the good people there! I miss that place so dang much.<br /> This past week was alright. Once again, lots of ups and downs. Satan continues to throw darts at me but I'm learning how to combat him and his sneaky, evil ways. I hate him. Thankfully, we were able to be blessed with a really busy week. We had lots of meetings and lots of things planned and that really helped the week go by really quick! I love when weeks go by fast because then that means that P-day is soon and that I get to email y'all!<br /> Monday was just Monday. Nothing spectacular. Tuesday we had a "New Missionary Training Meeting" all day long with President and Sister Alexander and that was the best. They are my favorites. It was just a meeting for all of the new missionaries and their trainers. It was really fun to see some old mission friends and be with all the new missionaries. I swear, Sister Warner is on fire. She is doing so well.<br /> Sister Nunies and I were just sitting in awe and were just feeling so blessed for the wonderful companion that we got. It seemed as if some of the other trainers were struggling with their new missionaries and we were just over here living the life with not a single worry in the world.<br /> It's been amazing to see the growth that she has experienced and how much she has come out of her shell. I love the girl to death and you have no idea how excited I am to be able to continue to serve with her. She makes me laugh on a regular basis and she always gives me some happiness right when I need it. The meeting was really good and it was really good to go back to the basics and to remember my missionary purpose and the simplicity of teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love being a missionary!<br /> After the meeting, my cute Stephanie Hargus from Waxhaw came up behind me and gave me a giant hug! I was so happy to see her. She always gives the Waxhaw Sister's rides everywhere so when they need to come to Charlotte, my heart is so so happy. She is literally my second mom and has saved my life out here. Love the woman to death. I also found out that my first recent convert in Waxhaw (Melissa Epling), her little brother Joseph Hernandez is getting baptized!! I don't know if you ever remember me talking about him.. But his dad wouldn't give him permission to get baptized while I was there. We taught him all of the lessons along side with his sister and he wanted to get baptized so bad but the dad wouldn't sign the dang papers. Well, after he has seen how much the gospel has blessed Melissa's life and after he has seen how much the church has done for their family, he finally agreed to let Joseph get baptized! I AM SO EXCITED. I told President about it and he said that I could get permission to go to his baptism because it's technically "in my area" because the YSA ward covers three stakes. Ahhhh! So so happy. I know that God has a plan for all of his children and I know that over time, the gospel will eventually touch every single heart. So, that was definitely a highlight of the day!<br />Wednesday was alright! We had district meeting with our district for the last time and I had to give a training on "Being BOLD in missionary work & with technology." Kind of an odd topic, but somehow it worked out. The spirit really helped me, let's just put it that way! I am learning how important it is to open my mouth and just share the gospel. I know that when I get home, I cannot just walk up to someone and go beast mode on them with the gospel. They are going to be so freaked out and feel so uncomfortable. Right now, I have been called and set apart to do that and although people might think I'm crazy, I have the power and authority with me and somehow, because I'm in a skirt and dress, wearing a name tag, and with a companion, it's okay to do so! I have learned that I have to use every chance that I have to give it all I've got and share the gospel. These people need it and I'm one of the only ones right now who can declare it. Being bold is so important in life. It's important to stand up for what you believe and to put yourself out there. I really believe that as you get outside of your self and venture out of your comfort zone, great things happen and growth that you never thought would happen will happen. It's an amazing thing.<br /> A while back we had a little hit & run with our cute new Altima so we had to take her in to get an estimation for the damage. Well, $800 later and she'll be looking as good as ever. So unfortunate. So upsetting. The thing is that we totally know who hit our car.. But when the cop asked her, she denied it. Ohhh so buggin. We pass our car everyday in our apt. complex and my heart cringes every time. I'm learning how to forgive and move on though. It's been really good for me. :) So that also happened on Wednesday. We taught a few good lessons the rest of the night and were able to meet a new family. Unfortunately they have to be transferred to different missionaries..<br /> But I think they have a ton of potential!<br /> Thursday was good. Just Thursday. We had our service at the soup kitchen serving the homeless and I literally started crying because we only get to do that like three more times with Elder and Sister Garlick and then they go home! :( So sad. Then, a miracle happened.<br /> Earlier in the week, we got a text from a lady named Amanda. She reached out to us and mentioned that her daughter was moving to Charlotte and was going to be attending UNCC. She wanted to take us out to lunch with her daughter so that we could get to know her and help her get acquainted with the YSA ward here. So, we set up a lunch date and planned to meet on Thursday. Well, while waiting for them at the restaurant, I got a tap on my shoulder. I looked back to see who it was and guess what!! IT WAS ROBERT ROBBINS. Best day of my life. I was so confused and so thrown off. I thought he was just randomly there or something.. But no. Come to find out that he is totally dating this Amanda chick, hard core, and he totally knew that I was serving in the YSA ward and was totally behind the scenes and planned it all out! I literally freaked out. He is my most favorite person in the entire world. We had such a good lunch and it was SO good to catch up with him and feel of his love. I cannot wait for you to meet him.<br /> He is unreal. He looks so happy and is receiving so many blessings and it's been so fun to see how the gospel has blessed his life. Made my entire month seeing him. Best surprise ever. We went home and did weekly planning and then went out teaching the rest of the night! Great great day.<br /> Friday was wonderful! We were busy doing some more service and some more teaching. We are still working with the same investigators.. Alex from Ghana, Damon, and Yeyo. All are progressing well.. But struggling to get work off to come to church. Ugh. They are exercising great faith but it's really hard to help them really progress towards baptism unless they can come to church and meet the bishop and get some fellowship. We are still working on them! We took a break and went to uptown and had lunch with Fernando. It was super fun! We love being in the City and walking in the streets! I cannot wait for you to come and see it here! It's beautiful! We were also able to have two really good Skype lessons this past week and it has been fun to see how helpful technology has been in sharing the gospel. I love all of the tools that we have and I feel so blessed to be in a mission with iPads and with technology. It's amazing the GOOD that can be done with technology when you use it righteously and for a good cause! We have so many rules when it comes to using FB and the iPad.. Always have to have 4 eyes on the screen, (6 in our case) always have to recite our missionary purpose before we get on, have to have a plan and an allotted time slot to use our iPads, everything is restricted and we don't have access to the Internet, just little things like that that make it really filtered, but such a blessing! It's been amazing to see the good that can be done and it's been great to learn new technology habits and things that will continue to bless me for the rest of my life.<br /> Saturday was so much fun! We went to an elementary school with our ward in the morning and did a big service project. Earlier in the Summer we collected tennis balls and cut holes in them. For the service project, we put all of those tennis balls on the bottom of chairs. I had never seen this be done before in elementary school, but apparently it's to help the kids not be so distracted and it's supposed to help the floors. Whatever the case, it was a fun service project and it was fun to help the kids prepare for another school year! Crazy how fast time is going. I swear we just started Summer, & now it's already over. Uhhhhh. Can't believe it.<br /> After the service project we had lunch and then me and my cute hermana's drove up to Concord for Chris's baptism. It was such a special day. Chris asked me to speak at his baptism so I was able to give a talk on the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I really spent time preparing for his talk and it was amazing what I learned and what the spirit taught me. I felt really good about my talk and I hope that those in the audience who were non members (aka his family & friends) were able to feel of the spirit and that they got something out of it. It was so special to see someone who we found, accept the gospel and enter into the waters of baptism. I couldn't help but hold back the tears as I watched him enter into the waters and as I watched all of his sins be washed away. Best day ever! A glorious part of baptism days is the part that we each have to be confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.<br /> There is nothing that means more to me in this life than my membership in this church and the gift of the Holy Ghost that I have been given.<br /> One of my favorite scriptures is in 2 Nephi 31:12. It says, "He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do." The Holy Ghost is a spirit personage who will speak to "you in your mind and in your heart” and will show unto you “all things that you should do in your life.” Both temporally and spiritually. I have learned that the Holy Ghost will help you keep the promises that you just made as you were baptized. The Holy Ghost will guide you and help you choose the right. He bears witness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost can give us comfort and guide us away from danger. As we continue to go to church each week and partake of the Sacrament, remember that as we promise to take the name of Jesus Christ upon us, to always remember Christ, and to keep His commandments, Heavenly Father promises us that we may ALWAYS have his spirit to be with us! I love the Holy Ghost and he is one of my bestest friends.<br />After his baptism, we drove up north for another hour and attended our "Mormons on Norman" 7 stake YSA activity! This is an activity that they do once a year and it's the biggest one of the year. Our ward and stake was in charge of it this year and so we have had a lot of preparation go into this activity and ever since I got to Charlotte, all I have heard about was this "Mormons on Norman" lake activity. So, we were super grateful that it finally happened. We got permission to go and it was such a blast. I'm seriously coming back to next years activity because it was that much fun! Lake Norman is a really big lake here in North Carolina and there are some members of the church who have a giant lake house on the lake and let the singles use it!<br /> Their house is absolutely insane! They have this huge dock that has a big slide, a diving board that's like 35 feet up, a zip line, slack line, rope swing, and a whole par-core course with monkey bars & all this crazy stuff, all over the water! It was so neat! Then throughout the day, they had five boats taking the people out! Later in the evening, we had a huge cookout and then had some LDS artist guy from Arizona come out and do a little concert for us. Apparently he was on a tour and we were able to get him to come to Charlotte. He wasn't all that great... He gave me one of his CD's for free... So I'll have to show you that when I get home haha. Bless his heart. Anyways, although it about KILLED me that I couldn't be in the water and on the boats.... I had a really good time and it was so much fun to get to know the members better and interact with some of their friends who weren't members of our faith! Good good fun! Nicole and Fernando also came and had a blast. They are like my best friends and I love them to death.<br /> Sunday was of course full of miracles. We had the stake leaders talk in sacrament meeting and in Sunday school and 3rd hour and it was a really powerful Sunday. The spirit was strong and I was definitely rejuvenated. I also really needed the sacrament this week and it was amazing to see that as I prepared extra hard for it this week, it worked and paid off. I had such a spiritual experience and my testimony of the sacrament has sky rocketed. I know it's real and I know that it's cleansing power is real!!! We also had some members bring their non member friends to church and it was good to be able to meet them! Hopefully some progress happens. We went out with one of my favorite members, Anil, and taught Alex! We had a killer lesson and read the Book of Mormon with him. His brother joined us, finally, and we are hoping to help them both progress together! I've always wanted to baptize and African.<br /> Sunday night we had our last dinner and hoorah with our "bug boys"<br /> from Utah. They all head back to Utah this week and it's going to be so sad to see them leave. :( We have built some solid relationships and I have made so many new friends. Too bad most of them are from Logan and go to Utah State. Maybe I should go there? Or BYU Idaho?<br /> Hmmm. We shall see where God takes me. Anyways, we had a spiritual night and all went around the circle and talked about what we learned this Summer and what we were grateful for. Such a spiritual experience! We went home and sent in our numbers and ended the night and week off with a bang!<br /> Well, I know this is getting long, but I must share with you a little bit of what I learned this week. It's been a very very hard week for me, but I have been able to continue to endure in faith and patience and somehow, it all just seems to work out. This week I chose to study the topic "Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." Faith is forward facing and as Elder Holland describes it, "to the future!" I decided to focus on three phrases that really hit me as I was studying.<br /> 1. "Nevertheless"<br /> 2. "But if not"<br /> 3. "Though he slay me"<br /> In 1 Nephi 1:1 it says, , "I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days." Then a few chapters later in 1 Nephi 11:17 it says, "And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." Nephi has such strong faith and no matter what, he is willing to do what the Lord asks of him, regardless of the outcome. "Nevertheless" he will do it.<br />In Daniel 3:18 it reads, "But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." This was the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego when they were in the fiery furnace and were about to get burned. They said the words, "but if not", meaning that they will do whatever the Lord requires of them. We may not like the outcome or get what we desire or want, but, it's important that we have a "but if not" attitude.<br /> In Job 13:15 it reads, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:<br /> but I will maintain mine own ways before him." Once again, another example of someone who is so faithful and is so willing to do whatever the Lord asks. Even if he's about to get slayed, he is still going to trust in the Lord. Do we have that kind of faith?<br /> I've been pondering a lot on how we can develop strong faith like those in the scriptures. We may not be experiencing exactly what they are experiencing, but we are experiencing things that are very similar when it comes to the test of our faith. It's important that we continue to do the small and simple things. The primary answers. Going to church and attending our meetings. Praying daily as a family and as individuals. Studying the scriptures daily. Going to the temple and doing service. Being humble and submissive. Asking, seeking, and knocking. Being obedient and acting and applying what we are learning in our lives. I'm not sure if any of that made sense... It did in my head and in my notes.. But kind of hard to type out and explain. I guess the spirit just teaches me and I just have to do my best to relay it. :)<br />This week I am going to work on developing a "no matter what" kind of faith. I am going to do all that I can to let the Lord know that I am on his side and that I will fight for him until the very end. I am not going to let the attachment of my past and the agency of others out way my faith to the future. I am ready to give myself fully to God and trust in him and his eternal plan and purpose for me.<br /> I hope that each of you will work on your faith this week. It's the first principle of the Gospel and there is so much peace and hope that can come into our lives as we have STRONG FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. I love each of you so much and am so thankful for the light and the joy that you bring into my life. Please continue to pray for me as I work on focusing and sprinting to the end of my mission.<br /> I love each of you so very much and cannot wait to see you! Keep hanging in there. Keep the faith. There is hope and happiness ahead. I know God lives. I know this is the true church of Christ and I know that through his atonement and his grace, we can be saved and live eternally with one another.<br /> Have a great week. Talk to ya in seven. See ya in 44.<br /> Sister Kyla Worthington <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-50433019268858989062016-09-13T03:44:00.003-07:002016-09-13T03:44:40.077-07:00August 16, 2016 ~Be StillHey cute people, <br /> Another week down. How's everyone doing? Crazy how fast the weeks are going over here in Charlotte. I'm not sure if they're going by fast over there in the 801, but they are sure flying by over on this side of the country. Isn't it crazy to think that I'm clear across the country? That's weird. And when I really start to think about it, it freaks me out. Sometimes I feel like I'm not that far away from you.. And then I look at a map and realize that I am really far away and it kind of makes me sad haha. Let's just not think about it. :) <br /> This week was another one of those weeks full of some ups and full of some downs. Some days I've never been so happy and then other days I've never been so sad. You just never know what you're going to get! There was nothing that happened this week that made me particularly sad, I just felt Satan getting to me and trying to bring me down. Sometimes it is really hard being out here and feeling like you are alone and that you are living in the unknown. I don't like it one bit. When I start thinking about it, Satan knows exactly how to get me and bring me down. I know that he is real and I know that he knows our weaknesses and our shortcomings and that is how he gets us. However, I know that we have a Savior Jesus Christ and I know that he is more powerful and if we turn to him, I know that he can help us escape the darkness and help us feel calm and at peace. I've had to rely on him a lot the past two months, more than I ever have before, and I have one of the strongest testimonies that HE LIVES and that he is there for us. I have felt his love and have felt his warm embrace. He has healed my heart and has literally wiped away my tears. I am so thankful for the Savior and for his loving grace, mercy, and peace. I have learned that there is a God and there is a devil. And the bringing of peace requires the complete elimination of Satan’s influence. Where he is, peace can never be. Make sure you always stay close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. <br /> Anyways, sorry about that. Let's talk about missionary work now! We had a pretty good week as far as the work goes. We had a few meetings and some administrative stuff to take care of, but amidst all that, we were still able to teach many great lessons and were able to talk to a lot of people. We were able to meet with each of our progressing investigators this week and were able to get a member out with us each night. That was a huge blessing! :) <br /> Alex (from Ghana) is doing great! We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he ate it up. We had one of the summer sales guys come out teaching with us and it was a perfect match. Instant friends and instant fellowship. Alex said one of the most sincere prayers I've ever heard and asked God to help him be able to get work off on Sunday's to be able to attend church. It was so precious! Yeyo is also doing really well. He has almost been taught all of the lessons and just has to meet with our mission president to discuss a few legal things. We aren't sure if he will be able to get baptized right now or not, but we are having lots of faith! He is so ready and is so elect. He has been coming to church every week and he has even been helping reactivate his less active brother. They both showed up at church yesterday together and had their arms around each other and I just wanted to cry. That's what the gospel is all about. <br />Damon is doing fantastic! We taught him the law of tithing and fasting this past week and he loved it. Most people have an issue with tithing around here, but he was all for it. Didn't have a single problem with it. Our bishop asked us to really emphasize tithing when we teach our investigators because it's such an important commandment. We really really want Charlotte to get a temple and the only way for that to happen is if the members here pay a full tithe! So, we have role-played that lesson so many times and are pro teachers when it comes to teaching the lesson of tithing and fasting/fast offerings. :) Damon is still wanting to get baptized but just doesn't feel quite ready yet. Although he is totally ready, he still says he needs a little bit more time. We are being patient and am hoping that the Lord will continue to work through him. He's so close! <br /> I don't know who else I have talked about in the past... My mind is all over the place on preparation days. We've been meeting with this man named Javi for the past 2 weeks or so and we finally had a lesson with the elders and passed him on. He's such a good guy and I know that he will be baptized in the future! We transferred wards and got him involved with the other single adults and it's going to be perfect for him. It was sad saying goodbye and having to pass him on.. But I know it's ultimately what's best for him. Sometimes it's hard serving in a YSA ward because if you find someone that is older than 30, you have to refer them, and that stinks. :( Oh well, it's all the same work and I'm just grateful to be apart of it in one way, shape, or form. <br /> So, biggest highlight of the week was finding out that my boy Chris is getting baptized this Saturday! I don't know if you ever remember me talking about a boy named Chris like three months ago.. But he is totally getting baptized!! We lost contact with him a while ago and ended up just referring him over to different missionaries that lived more in his area and just told them good luck! I guess they ran into him and started teaching him again and he's totally getting baptized. We were teaching him for a while but he lives like 45 minutes from us so it was really hard to meet with him consecutively and although he is of YSA age, we just decided that it would be more convenient for him to go to the family ward and get baptized there if he ever wanted to continue to progress. He randomly showed up at FHE this past Monday and told us he had a baptismal date. I freaked out and was so happy! Then, earlier this morning, we got a text and he asked if I would give a talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost at his baptism. I feel so honored and so special! It's been so neat to see how someone we found a while ago, has met with different missionaries and is now making the covenant of baptism!! Love it!! <br /> <br /> We also had a really neat zone conference this week. We were able to meet up with another zone about an hour away and have a great conference! A lot of the conference was on technology. Our mission is piloting another technology phase and we are super excited. Miracles are happening with technology. I have never seen technology be used for so much good. We are now having skype lessons almost every day. We are skyping in members to our lessons, we are skyping in investigators to our member lessons, we are face timing and adding many different people to our chats, we are creating Facebook groups and chats, sending videos and prayers via Facebook, voice recordings and pictures, it's just going crazy and we have been able to see so many miracles. I never thought that it would get to this point, and I know a lot of the members are really confused, but this is how the gospel will get preached to all the world. Of course face to face visits are still our #1 priority, we now have technology access that is helping the work move forward so beautifully! It's only there to enhance and compliment face to face interactions. Not to replace or to take away from. We are already seeing so many blessings and I am so grateful for all of the tools that God has given his missionaries to further the work. However, we must be careful with all forms of technology. I heard a quote the other day that said, "Technology is God's greatest tool and technology is also Satan's greatest tool." We gotta be careful! <br /> This past Friday we had the opportunity to go to a member's house up in Huntersville. It was the brother in law and sister of a YSA member in our ward and they had us over for dinner. After dinner the father of the family asked us to teach them a lesson and wanted to have them pretend like they were the investigators. They asked if we could teach them the Plan of Salvation. We taught the lesson with lots of crazy kids running around, and it was very good for all 3 of us. It's been a long time since we have taught a family, so it was definitely needed. After we taught, the members gave us some solid feedback and suggestions, a little bit harsh, but it was SO good for us. I have such a powerful testimony of teaching members and practicing with them. It was so helpful and really helped me see what I need to work on. It's been such a long time since I've been in a family ward and it really made me miss it. It made me miss being in the "home" setting and hearing little kids running around everywhere. I am so grateful for the experiences that I am having each and everyday and I am just learning so much. So, that was a really neat experience. <br /> Saturday was a great day! We were able to meet up with some of our less actives and teach a few good lessons. Our Saturday's are usually long, hot, and full of finding, but it really helped to have some set lessons set up. After all of those, we went over to our church for a sports night! Some of the ward missionaries set up a sports night and invited a bunch of members, less actives, and investigators. We all got some little Caesars pizza and had a bomb time! It was so much fun! Nothing like playing some intense volleyball and basketball in skirts and dresses. I was in heaven though and it was so much fun. A few of our investigators and less actives came and made it absolutely worth it. They all made some new friends and had a really good time. I am hoping that we can continue to do something like that every weekend! It was a great finding event. <br /> Sunday finally came and once again, it was a day full of miracles! I love love love love love my Sunday's. If you don't love Sunday's, I don't know what's wrong with you! It is the best day of the week! The talks were excellent and our lessons in gospel principles and relief society were amazing. I really felt the spirit and the whole day I was really thinking and pondering about what I learned and what the spirit taught me. I have been really impressed with this YSA ward and the preparation that they put into their talks and lessons. It's absolutely phenomenal. For Sunday dinner, we got invited to another YSA family's home. We were able to have a hot homemade cooked meal and it was wonderful and so amazing! As we got talking to these members, they really opened up to us and shared a lot of things with us. They used to have sister missionaries living with them in their home so they always had lots of love and compassion for the sister missionaries. As we were talking, I was looking at their wall of photos and started asking about their children and their family. Come to find out, the father passed away in 2012 due to cancer, and the youngest kid was killed about two years ago while on his mission in California. My heart instantly broke. I just couldn't help but imagine the pain that the mother, and two sisters have had to live with for the past little while. While we were talking about it, it amazed me at how loving, kind, and gentle they were. They were all okay and had so much faith, peace, and hope. I was astonished. They talked about how they knew where their father and brother were. They talked about how they are continuing to serve on the other side and that right now, they are experiencing joy that is indescribable. Elder Zwick spoke at Andrew's funereal and told the family that Elder Page (the missionary who passed away) was still serving his mission with his new companion, also Elder Page. (The father) <br />I left that house feeling so grateful and so blessed for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. I saw how that knowledge worked in that families life. I saw how peaceful and calm they were and I want that for myself, and for the whole world. The gospel is truly so beautiful and it's only through the atonement of Jesus Christ that we can have that peace and that we can make it back to Heavenly Father and make it back to all of our loved ones. The atonement is the bridge that gets us back to our Heavenly Father. As I have been reflecting on that, my thoughts today are regarding the principle of peace. <br />I'll be honest. My mission has been really hard for me. I have hid a lot of my deepest feelings and worries and have tried to "fake it" and continue to move forward as if nothing is wrong. Especially during the last two months, I have really had a lot of pain and emotions inside of me. It has been in these times that I have felt the love of God and the peace of God the very strongest in my life. I have been able to gain such a strong testimony of the reality of peace and I want each of you to know that God's peace is available to anyone and everyone, at anytime and anywhere. All we have to do is seek it and desire to feel it. It's also a feeling that surpasses all understanding and comprehension. <br />"The value of peace within our hearts cannot be measured. When we are at peace, we can be free of worry and fear, knowing that with the Lord’s help, we can do all that is expected or required of us. We can approach every day, every task, and every challenge with assurance and confidence in the outcome. We have freedom of thought and action, and freedom to be happy. Few, if any, blessings from God are more valuable to our spiritual health than the reward of peace within. In modern-day revelation the Savior said, “But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come. (D&C 59:23.)" <br />Don't we all want to feel that kind of peace in our lives? I know I do! And more than that, I know that I need to feel that peace to get through this crazy life of mine! I know that receiving harmony and peace within ourselves depends on our relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ, and our willingness to emulate him by living the principles he has given us. He invites us all to "Come unto him, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” <br />How is your relationship with our Savior? Do you talk with him every single day? Do you ask him to bless you with his love and his peace? Are you keeping his commandments and doing what he has asked us to do? If you don't have a relationship with him and if you are not keeping his commandments, I am going to tell you right now that it's going to be hard to feel peace in your life. Can anyone’s mind be at peace if they are breaking commandments? Think about how much mental anguish results from a little lying, a little cheating, or a little stealing, even if they are never discovered and no one finds out. Do we have peace of mind if we are knowingly disobeying the law? Or do we have peace of mind if we are not honest in the workforce or in our schooling and education? Do we have peace of mind when we are under the influence of drugs and alcohol or being immoral? Are we at peace if we are less than honest regarding our tithing and fast offerings? Do we have a peace of mind if we are angry at a family member or holding grudges? NO. We cannot be at peace when we are doing any of those things. I once heard someone say, "Anger doesn’t solve anything. It builds nothing, but it can destroy everything."<br />President David O. McKay said, “The peace of Christ does not come by seeking the superficial things of life, neither does it come except as it springs from the individual’s heart. This peace is conditioned upon obedience to the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No man is at peace with himself or his God who is untrue to his better self, who transgresses the law of what is right either in dealing with himself by indulging in passion, in appetite, yielding to temptations against his accusing conscience, or in dealing with his fellowmen, being untrue to their trust. Peace does not come to the transgressor of law; peace comes by obedience to law, and it is that message which Jesus would have us proclaim among all men.” <br />I absolutely loved that and I know that it's absolutely true. I know that the reason I have felt the most peace and the strongest peace since being out on my mission, has been because I have been trying SO hard to be obedient to my Heavenly Father and I have been truly trying to live the way that he would have me live. By doing so, he has blessed me with his peace. However, I know that you can feel that peace while not being on a mission too!<br />This morning I was studying about peace and came across some really good talks and scriptures. Our dear beloved prophet Thomas S. Monson gives us three things to do to increase the peace in our lives and it's the challenge that I want to give to each of you this week. <br />1. Search inward. True peace will reign triumphant when we improve ourselves after the pattern taught by the Lord. Evaluate your life. Fix what you need to fix. Repent. Keep the commandments and obey God. Make amends with those that you have wronged and commit to be exactly obedient. I will always remember a fireside that I once went to at BYU where Elder Ballard was speaking. He talked about having a personal interview with yourself and sitting down and literally talking out loud to yourself and interviewing yourself. I've tried it a few times, and surprisingly it really works. I want you to each try it this week. <br />2. Reach outward. Service truly brings miracles and peace! As you turn outward, your problems seem to disappear and you seem to be filled with joy and happiness. Another reason why these past 17 months have been the best months of my life. I have been focused on others and not myself. No is a better example of service than our Savior Jesus Christ and our dear prophet. Follow their example. The Savior always turned outwards when you and I would've probably turned inward. Focus on serving those around you this week and I promise your life will be full of more peace. <br />3. Look heavenward. Trust God. Look to him. Pray EVERY SINGLE DAY. Don't rely on the world and the outsiders to give you peace and hope. Don't rely on materialistic things and worldly appetites and pleasures. Rely on the atonement of Jesus Christ and on our Heavenly Father. He loves you so much. More than you will ever be able to comprehend. He knows you perfectly and he knows how to help you. He knows what you need and he knows how to heal you and give you peace. <br />Will you all try working on those three things for me this week? I know you will be so blessed and I know you will notice a difference in your life. As I was thinking more about this concept of peace. It made me think about a big, warm, winter fire. The peace of God is like a winter fire. When you're just sitting in front of a fire, your are warmed. That's all you have to do, sit in front of the fire. That's all. You don't have to be perfect, you don't have to have this or that, you don't have to be the richest person in the world or the most amazing celebrity....The fire warms everyone. Every single one of us. God's peace and love is there and accessible for everyone and all we have to do is sit in front of the fire. <br />I want each of you to know how much I love you and how grateful I am for you. I know that this gospel is real. I know that God lives and I know that he is waiting to offer us his peace. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to find joy. We just have to do our part. I hope that each of you will work on becoming who Heavenly Father needs you to be and I hope that you will work on being a better person so that you can feel of the indescribable peace that he has to offer. Remember, You cannot become who you are supposed to be by staying who you are. You may have to change a few things, but I promise it'll be worth it. <br />I couldn't have been able to do this without you! My joys have been multiplied and my sorrows divided because of YOU. Because of your love, faith, prayers, and support. My mission has been the best thing I have ever done in my life. Next week I will be starting my very last transfer as a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am ready to give everything I have to the Lord and I am going to continue to need all of your prayers and your support. Six more weeks. We can do this! <br />I love you all more than you will ever know! Have a great week. Sending all my hugs and kisses your way! Your sister in Charlotte loves you!! :) talk to ya in seven & see you in 50. <br />Sister WorthingtonUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-43457290618479335972016-08-09T09:19:00.003-07:002016-08-09T09:19:49.270-07:00August 8, 2016~ Charlotte has my heart<br />Hi family! <br />Happy Monday! How is everyone doing? I cannot believe that it's already a new week and that I'm already emailing you. It's real hot & humid here in Charlotte. The forecast is looking nice and rainy. It's rained a lot this past week. Kinda depressing. I love the rain and the thunderstorms, but when it's everyday, I don't like it. It makes missionary work harder too. <br />My companions and I just returned from a nice visit to the Cheesecake Factory so I'm feeling really full and happy. My goal on my mission was to go to the Cheesecake Factory at least once on my mission, and I'm finally serving in the place where the only Cheesecake Factory is. Score! My miso salmon has never tasted so good. Mom, I was definitely missing you, but was thinking about you the entire time. We also got to shop around the southpark mall and that was really fun. Super expensive, but really fun. :) I love my shopping. <br />This past week was another one full of ups and downs. I am so grateful for all that I am learning and for the miracles that God is bringing into my life. I am being blessed with so many amazing experiences and don't have words to express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father.<br />Our investigators and recent converts are doing really well! I absolutely love being in the YSA ward. It's so fun and so many wonderful things happen. Lately we have realized how crazy and spontaneous single adults are. Sometimes it's a blessing, but mostly it's a curse. Our days never go as planned and we are often having to switch things around all the time. It keeps things interesting and fun. We are really busy and are always having things to do. Only having one more transfer is killing me, and it's getting really hard, but the fact that we are so busy is really helping me focus and keep on keeping on. <br />I'll attempt to give you an update of the week. Monday was great, typical preparation day and FHE. Tuesday was full of service and teaching! We were able to have dinner with a returning member and we had a great lesson afterwards. His name is Hyrum and he's been recently coming back to church. He is a really good kid, but is struggling with his testimony. We have really been inviting him to do specific things and it's been amazing to see how it's helping him! He expressed to us that he felt the spirit this past week. His countenance changed so much this week and he definitely was glowing. That is my favorite part of the gospel, watching people change and seeing repentance work in their lives. It's so real. So so real. We were able to teach him the gospel of Jesus Christ and ended up drawing out the cycle on a subway napkin. The spirit was really strong and it was a really good lesson. At the end of the lesson, we told him that he would be blessed for serving the missionaries and he looked at us and said, "Wait, I will get blessed for feeding you?" It was so cute. Obviously he will be blessed! Anyone that feeds the missionaries will be blessed! :) After that lesson we headed over to a lesson with a man named Javi. Javi randomly showed up to church the previous Sunday and wanted to start taking the missionary discussions. We ended up going to his house and taught an amazing lesson! He made snacks for us and was so happy to have us over. Our lesson with him was pretty last minute and so we didn't have time to get a member to come with us, but we had this genius idea. We decided to skype a member in! BEST THING EVER. We are really trying to use our technology more and all of our tools and it was so amazing! Our member was able to testify of the restoration and it was so convenient for him! He didn't have to leave his house or anything, just had to pull out his iPhone and bear his testimony! So great. Javi came to church again yesterday and is really excited to continue to learn. Unfortunately, he's not a YSA and we have to transfer him to our elders, but he's going to be taken care of. :) <br />Wednesday was long, but good. We had 4 lessons and that was nice. We had a lesson with a less active member and taught a bold word of wisdom lesson, while he had a glass of wine in his hand haha. It was funny, but he needed a slap in the face, so we gave him one. Hopefully it was a wake up call to him. Then we had a lesson with our investigator Alex Tetteh, the one from Ghana. Our ward mission leader came with us and we taught the plan of salvation. At the end of the lesson, we invited Alex to be baptized on August 28th! He accepted the date and we are really excited for him. When we were following up with him and asking him if he read his Book of Mormon, he said, "Well, my dad actually was interested in the book and took it from me because he wanted to read it, so I didn't get to read it." Haha we were super happy about that and gave him a new Book of Mormon for himself. :) Nonetheless, the lesson was good and I'm loving Alex a lot! After that lesson, we went straight to our lesson with Damon. Damon is also on date for August 21st and he is doing so well. He is exercising so much faith and I have loved watching him stretch himself and grow! We taught him some of the bigger commandments and he seemed to have no problems with them. He came to church yesterday and it was good to see him there. We are really praying that he continues to progress and that he continues to work towards his baptism date. <br />Our other progressing investigator is named Qua Jones. I cannot remember what I have said about him.. But we were not able to see him this week. He got in a pretty bad car accident and has been in bed on medication all week. We are so so sad and it's literally crushed us inside. He is having trail after trial and we are just hoping that he continues to stay strong. It's hard when you're trying to do the right things and bad things still happen to you. It's hard to not want to blame God and turn away from. I have strong faith that Qua will get through it and that he will still get baptized. He is probably the most solid out of the 3 that we have on date right now. Please keep him in your prayers. :) <br />Our recent converts are all doing really well. This past week we had to say goodbye to Alan Ginger. He finally drove all the way back to Utah. :( He finished up his summer sales and headed home. We were able to get in contact with his new bishop and the missionaries in Orem and he's going to be taken care of and will be just fine. Thankfully I'll be home in a few months to get him back in shape if he hits a rough patch. He's a really good kid though and I'm so excited for his new adventures. When we saw him and taught him this past week, he said that he's been thinking about serving a mission. Say what! He's only 18... So this would be perfect for him. He said that he is going to continue to pray about it and will keep us posted. I told him to stop by and meet the family, so hopefully he does that. I gave him our address.. So hopefully he'll show up soon. Sorry for giving our address out to everyone... I just want you to meet all the wonderful people that I have met and associated with! :) Nicole is also doing really great. She is actually heading to Utah on August 22nd and will be having a working interview. She is super excited and is really hoping that she gets the job. I told her to also stop by and say hi too, so hopefully she will find some time to do that. I'm super pumped to have her in Utah. She is like my new best friend and I love her so much. She got asked to speak at the mission president's fireside last night and she did great! Her testimony is so powerful and I think it really helped some of the investigators that were there. Fernando is also doing great, just living the recent convert life. He gets the priesthood next week and then is going to the temple next Saturday! We are soooo happy for him and he is glowing. He's loving everything about the church and just wants to know everything right away. It's the best thing ever. <br />Other than that, we are working with some other amazing people and are starting to see the fruits of our labors. I love having people to teach and love inviting others to come unto Christ. It's the best job in the world. Some days I never want to leave this place, but then other days I'm so ready to come home. Either way, I love being a missionary and love being a disciple of Jesus Christ. <br />Guess what. Last week I finished reading the Book of Mormon. I cried. Literally sobbed when I finished it. It's always a bitter sweet moment finishing the Book of Mormon. This time around I really focused on studying each individual chapter and really broke it town and took some really good notes. It was probably the best experience that I've had reading the Book of Mormon in all my experiences of reading it. I want to share some of my thoughts with you regarding that precious book. I have come to love the Book of Mormon so much. It is literally my favorite book. I couldn't say that before my mission, but I can definitely say it now. If you don't have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, I would highly encourage you get one. It will change your life. The Book of Mormon is simply another testament of Jesus Christ. So many people out here do not understand that and think that it is just the "Mormon bible" that we read and that it doesn't talk about Jesus Christ. It blows my mind. Of the 6,607 total verses found in the Book of Mormon, 3,925 reference Jesus Christ’s name. This means that some form of Christ’s name is mentioned approximately every 1.7 verses. I don't understand how people can deny that it's another testament of Jesus Christ. The last time I read the Book of Mormon I highlighted every time it mentioned Jesus Christ's name. Without fail, it mentioned his name at least one time on every single page. The Book of Mormon TESTIFIES OF JESUS CHRIST. <br />The Book of Moroni really touched me this time around. The book of Moroni focuses on three things. First, the need to learn and have a witness of the truths found in this sacred record. Second, it is a charge to understand and acquire the spiritual gifts available to us. Finally, he pleads with each of us to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him! All three are really powerful and really significant. Learning truths, understanding and gaining spiritual gifts, and becoming perfect through Christ. <br />I know that we are all familiar with the verses 3-5 of Moroni 10, but I REALLY want you to ponder those verses and really think about them. As you come to understand those 3 verses, you will understand how to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon for yourself. I grew up thinking the Book of Mormon was true and having a good idea that it was true, but I didn't know for myself. I didn't have a firm witness that it was true. It wasn't until I truly applied Moroni 10: 3-5 where I gained my testimony. <br />"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.<br />And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.<br />And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."<br />The word EXHORT really stands out to me. Exhort means to strongly encourage or urge someone to do something. Not just a good idea or a suggestion, it's an urge. Go read the book of Moroni and see how many times it says the word 'exhort.' So, I also, exhort you to read the Book of Mormon. <br />The next thing I noticed was in verse 3. It offers an important admonition, "ponder it in your hearts." What is the translation of ‘it’--the thing that we are supposed to ponder? It is ‘how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things.’ We are to remember how loving, how good, how merciful, and how forgiving our Heavenly Father has been toward all of us. What usually begins to happen when we begin to ponder how merciful the Lord has been to mankind? To us personally? What happens when we count our blessings, or perhaps our sins for which we must ask his forgiveness, and recognize his hand in our individual lives? Is it not true that our hearts turn to the Lord in love and gratitude? Does our faith and humility increase? Yes, it does! And that is the impact of verse 3. Following the counsel in that verse helps us to become more humble, more willing and ready to receive new information and knowledge with an open mind and heart. <br />I know that every time I ponder and think about how truly good the lord has been to me in my life, my heart is changed. My heart is softened and I am more open to the spirit and to the teachings of Jesus Christ. I love taking time to reflect on how blessed I have been and I truly feel the love of my savior when I take time out of the day to be grateful for all that he has done for me. I would encourage you to take some time out of your crazy busy day to reflect on how merciful the lord has been to you. <br />I have truly come to learn that anyone, anywhere, can read in the Book of Mormon and receive inspiration. My experience has been that a testimony does not burst upon us suddenly. It grows day by day, as we do our part. Do not be disappointed if you have read and reread the Book of Mormon and have not yet received a powerful witness of its truthfulness. <br />Elder Bruce R. McConkie offered some of his insight into how to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon by pondering a question while reading. “There is another and simpler test that all who seek to know the truth might well take. It calls for us simply to read, ponder, and pray--all in the spirit of faith and with an open mind. To keep ourselves alert to the issues at hand--as we do read, ponder, and pray--we should ask ourselves a thousand times, ‘Could any man have written this book? And it is absolutely guaranteed that sometime between the first and thousandth time this question is asked, every sincere and genuine truth seeker will come to know by the power of the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is true, that it is the mind and will and voice of the Lord to the whole world in our day."<br />President Hinckley's challenge was: “I offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to our friends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon.…“Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God."<br />President Ezra Taft Benson said: “There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called ‘the words of life’, and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance.” <br />Those are three beautiful promises from prophets of God and I know that they are true. I have not only seen that in my own life, but I have been able to see it in the lives of others. I know that each individual who prayerfully studies the Book of Mormon can also receive a testimony of its divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will testify to you that it's true, if you really have the desire to know, and it'll be a witness that you will never be able to deny. Moroni did not promise a manifestation of the Holy Ghost to those who seek to know the truth of the Book of Mormon for hypothetical or academic reasons, even if they ‘ask with a sincere heart.’ The promise of Moroni is for those who are committed in their hearts to actupon the manifestation if it is received. Prayers based on any other reason have no promise because they are not made with real intent. Which real intent means with the willingness and commitment to ACT upon what is given to you. <br />The Book of Mormon can help with personal problems in a very real way. "Do you want to get rid of a bad habit? Do you want to improve relationships in your family? Do you want to increase your spiritual capacity? Read the Book of Mormon! It will bring you closer to the Lord and His loving power. He who fed a multitude with five loaves and two fishes—He who helped the blind to see and the lame to walk—can also bless you!! He has promised that those who live by the precepts of this book “shall receive a crown of eternal life.” <br />I know the Book of Mormon is true with my whole heart and soul. It has brought me so much peace and joy in my life. I have found great comfort in the words on those pages and my life has been forever changed because of that book. The spirit has testified to me and it's something that I hold so near and dear to my heart. <br />And without forgetting about spiritual gifts...... ACQUIRE THEM, SEEK THEM, and PRAY for them. “One of the great processes you go through in life is to discover yourself, to find those gifts and capacities God has given you. He has given you great talents, the smallest part of which you have just begun to utilize. Trust the Lord to assist you in unlocking the door to those gifts. Some of us have created imaginary limits in our minds. There is literally a genius locked up inside each of us. Don’t ever let anyone convince you otherwise." <br />I have to get running, but I just want you all to know how much I love you all. I am SO grateful for all of your prayers. I sure need them. I am so thankful for the amazing people that I have in my life and for the chance that I have to share this gospel with God's children in NC. I know that it's true and I know that I am doing the work of the lord. There is nothing else that I would rather be doing and there is no where else that I would rather be. I know that God lives, I know that he loves each of you, and I know that he has a plan for every single one of you, even if you can't see that plan. Never doubt his plan and constantly turn to him and rely on his grace. None of us can get through this life without his grace and mercy. <br />I hope you all have a great week. You're in my prayers. Let me know if you need anything. Knighton Cole, Happy Birthday on Saturday! I love you so so much. Talk to you in seven. Sending all my hugs and kisses your way! Xo<br />Sister Ky Worthington <br /><div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-17108396048597662652016-08-04T01:20:00.000-07:002016-08-04T01:20:04.153-07:00August 2, 2016~happy august<br /><br />Hi everyone! <br />Where did July go? Oh my goodness. I cannot believe how fast time is going. July was a great month, but I'm glad it's over! Now if I can just get through this month, we'll be okay. It's going to be a hard one. There isn't lots to look forward too and it's hard having no holidays. August in North Carolina is also one of the hottest months of the year.. So I'm not really looking forward to that. I hope that it goes fast and that we stay busy! Being busy is the best because I don't have time to think about anything but missionary work, and I love when I'm like that! <br />Today we have a zone activity so I'm going to try my best to type quickly and update you on this past week. Not too many exciting things happened this week, it was just another one of those weeks in the mission field. Lots of ups, lots of downs, and lots of in-betweens. I'm grateful for everyday and grateful for the experiences that God is allowing me to have. I have grown and changed so much. I don't even have words to describe how different my spirit and my heart is. Each and everyday I thank my Heavenly Father for helping influence me to come out and serve a mission. It would've been the biggest regret that I would have ever had! Thank goodness for the gift of the Holy Ghost. <br />Well, let's give this week a shot. Monday was good. Typical preparation day. Tuesday was fun! Did some community service and then went to dinner with Nicole at the first counselor in the bishopric's house. We had a really good time and were able to teach her the second new member discussion. She is so sharp and ends up teaches us so much. She keeps asking if she can get her endowment sooner than the one year mark and we just laugh every time she asks, because the answer is always no. She asks bishop every Sunday and it just cracks me up. I love the girl to death. I think as far as right now goes, she is still planning on moving to Utah in September/October. I cannot wait for you to meet her. She's a solid 10. <br />Wednesday was long and exhausting. We had a really powerful district meeting in the morning and I got asked to share my testimony. Of course I ended up tearing up and probably looked like a hot mess. My emotions have been high lately and testifying about the atonement was just the cherry on top! I was able to share how the atonement has influenced me as a missionary. I have learned to use and understand the atonement in such a different way than I ever have before. Before my mission, I thought the atonement was there to just help me repent of my big sins and give me the strength and power to get through them. I never really was able to comprehend how the savior was able to help me with emotional, physical, temporal, mental, and spiritual pains and heartaches. Or I guess I just never went through anything too severe that made me really have to access the atonement to get through it. I realized that I was trying to do everything on my own and wasn't letting the savior help me and make it easier for me. Ohhhhh how I wish I would've known what I know now before. That would've saved me a whole lot of heartache and pain. <br />Since being on my mission, I haven't had to use the atonement in the way that I was used to using it. I haven't had to use the atonement to repent of big sins or mistakes. Being a missionary, it's pretty difficult to make big mistakes anyways... :) I have had to rely on my Savior and his atonement in a different way. In the way of healing my heart and soul, feeling and seeking peace, and most importantly, feeling the love of God. It wasn't until my mission that I truly felt the atonement work in that way. I KNOW with absolutely surety that my savior loves me. I know that he knows exactly what we are going through and exactly what we are feeling. He understands every emotion that we are feeling and going through. He knows our pains, our sadness, our sorrows, our thoughts, our spirits, our tears, our shame, and our heart. He knows everything about my little being. And because of that, he knows exactly how to help me and comfort me. I have had to rely on the atonement to help me in such a different way and I am so grateful that I have been able to experience it in the way that I have. I feel like I've been given the best of both worlds, because I have felt the atonement work differently in my life for different things that are going on. I love my savior so much and I am so grateful for his love and his infinite atonement. <br />After district meeting we had a district potluck. That was an experience. Sister Nunies made some pink Hawaiian chicken dish and it was interesting to say the least. I love the girl to death, but she eats some weird things. Makes me laugh. Sister Warner on the other hand eats more than anyone I know, and so with them together, it's never a good idea. We then had to go to Firestone and get our car inspected. That took a long time and was really boring. Then we went to the mission office and saw the great office staff. I love them so so much. I love being so close to the mission office. Every time I go there, my spirits are lifted and I walk out more inspired to work hard and to be more obedient and faithful to my savior. We had dinner with some good members and did some finding the rest of the night. We met a new investigator named Joy and she is the most precious thing ever! She lost her mom last year had some really deep questions. We were able to help give her a lot of answers and she is really excited to start investigating the church. We were trying to contact a former investigator and they weren't home, and so we decided to knock on the neighbors door and that's how we found sweet Joy. I'm hoping that she progresses and really takes the gospel seriously! <br />Thursday was crazy busy! We didn't have time for our 3 hour weekly planning session because we had so many things going on! I love days like that. We taught quite a few lessons and that felt really good. I really like when we have set appointments because it's also giving Sister Warner an opportunity to teach and learn. She is such a powerful missionary and I LOVE watching her teach! She has a really strong testimony and she is full of the sweetest spirit. We had an hour to go finding before we had our dinner appointment and so we decided to go to this place called the "Boardwalk." We were just street contacting and trying to talk with everyone and we saw this street performer guy playing his guitar trying to earn some money. We walked passed him because we didn't want to stop and listen. If we stopped, I would've felt obligated to give him some money, and I didn't have any on me at the time. After we got about 300 feet passed him, I had this feeling that we needed to turn around and talk to him. I told my 2 hermanas and we turned around. As we started talking to him, came to find out that met with missionaries last summer and had lots of discussions with them. He went to church quite a few times and was considering baptism. Since I have been out for over a year, I just decided to ask him if he remembered the missionaries that he met with. He looked at me and said, "Yeah, I totally remember them. Their names were Sister Cottis and Sister Williams." I freaked out! It made me so happy to find out that I was talking to someone about the gospel that my cute little Sister Cottis talked to one year ago. Such a small world. It was a tender mercy and made me happy the rest of the day. He's not a YSA, but we are going to start teaching him again and then are going to refer him to the elders if he's solid. Crazy how the Lord works and how he has a plan for everyone. He is so involved in our lives. The rest of the day was good, just finding & teaching & finding & teaching & finding & teaching some more. :) That's just what we do. <br />Friday was great! We had lots of planing and studying. We did some service with the homeless and I loved every second of that! Friday night we had interviews with President Alexander. Those are always my favorite! He is such an amazing man and I love him so much. Each and every interview with him is so special and I am so grateful that I get the chance to speak with him every 6 weeks. It's such a blessing! Sister Alexander also just melts my heart. She is the sweetest thing ever and helps us so much. Friday night we started a district fast and then I went on exchanges with some sisters in the zone! I went up to Concord, North Carolina. It was a very interesting exchange and I felt super uncomfortable the whole time, but other than that, I learned a lot. Going 24 hours without Sister Warner and Sister Nunies was absolutely awful. It made me so grateful to have them. You just have no idea how good things are until you have to go without them. I've learned a lot about the law of sacrifice lately. It made me think back to my temple experience and about how much that law impacted me. I am out here sacrificing everything to serve the Lord, and you are sacrificing a lot by having me gone! So mom, having me be gone is you exercising your faith and living a part of the law of sacrifice, and in return, you will be blessed because you are keeping & living that law!! :) Think about that one for a minute. Sacrificing 24 hours and going without my companions, and food (because we were fasting), was hard, but worth it! With every sacrifice comes a blessing! :) remember that. <br />Saturday was long and hard. Not only was a with a different companion, but I went tracting in the 104 degree weather for 6 hours straight. On no food or water. It was rough. In the YSA area, we don't tract. The odds of knocking on a door and finding a young single adult is rare, so we just don't waste our time doing it. I wasn't used to knocking doors and it made me really appreciate the area that I'm in right now. It was good to freshen up on my door approaches, but man it was tough. I don't know how missionaries tract all day everyday. There has to be a better way to do missionary work. Oh wait, there is, through the members of the church! :) That's how we are baptizing over here.... All through the members. They do the finding, we do the teaching. The rest of the day was good, and I survived, so that's all that matters. We were able to teach a recent convert family of 8. Six little black kids and the mom and dad and I was in heaven. It brought me back to my Haiti days.. And I couldn't help but think about my Haitian babies. Mom, can we go back?<br />Sunday was bomb. Alan Ginger was confirmed a member of the church and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Best. Day. Ever. My cute sistas and I had to give talks in sacrament meeting on member missionary work and I was bold and laid down the law. I really felt the spirit guide my talk and was grateful for what I was able to learn while preparing for it! We only got like 2 days to prepare, but hey, that's what we do! Speak last minute. Teach last minute. Serve last minute. Everything last minute. Missionaries to the rescue. :) After church we had our coordination meeting and then went to South Carolina for dinner. We had a really great dinner with some of my favorite members and that ended the week on a high note. I love love love the members here. They are so good to us and are so strong in the gospel. I cannot wait for y'all to meet some of the people that I have met on my mission. I've made some of the greatest friends out here and literally have a whole new family. North Carolina has my heart.<br />Lately in my studies, I have been thinking a lot about the principle of enduring to the end. While studying, it dawned on me that that principle is the only principle, out of all 42 that we teach, that is taught twice to our investigators. There are 2 sections in preach my gospel on "enduring to the end." I found that very interesting. Enduring to the end is such a crucial step of living the doctrine of Christ. I think we are really good at doing the first 4, having faith, repenting, attending church, being blessed with the spirit, but then we skip enduring to the end and just go back to faith. What then, really, is enduring to the end? How do we actually "live" that step? <br />I have started looking at it kind of how I look at keeping the Sabbath day holy. If we just sit at home and do nothing all Sunday long, are we really keeping the Sabbath day holy? No. We have to be filling our day with good, uplifting things and activities. We have to be actively engaged in doing something that will bring us closer to Heavenly Father. That is how we truly keep the Sabbath day holy. I've though of enduring to the end in the same kind of way. We cannot just sit there and live day to day, hoping and praying that we make it through another day, week, month, or year. We have to actively be doing something. Actively trying to live our lives in such a way that will bring us closer to Heavenly Father. Doing things that will help us become more like our savior. We only have this one life to prove that we are worthy to be with our father in heaven forever. We must be reading our scriptures every single day. We must be praying every single day. We must be constantly going to church and renewing our covenants with God through the sacrament ordinance. We must be trying our very best to become like our Savior and do all that we can to acquire his attributes. <br />I know that we all know that this life is difficult and truly enduring is really hard. It's hard to continue to press forward when the world seems to be falling deeper and deeper every single day. It's hard to keep going when you feel like you are drowning and cannot find breath. It's hard to feel like there is hope, peace, and light, when you are dealing with a trial that is taking over your life. It's hard to want to keep enduring when you feel like no one knows what you're going through and how to help you. It's hard to push forward when Satan is getting ahold of you and you cannot get out. It's hard to find joy in life when you are constantly surrounded by negativity and wickedness. Long story short, THIS LIFE IS NOT EASY. I have come to learn that trials, deception, and iniquity, are the very enemies of endurance. Those who can bear the pain of trials, who can ignore alternate voices around them, and whose loyalty can’t be bought with sin—these are they who will be able to faithfully fight and endure. Enduring to the end is supposed to be hard. It's during those hard times that we truly come to find out who we are and why we are here. It's during all of those trials that we learn to turn to the Savior. It's during those hard times that push us to be better and want to improve our lives and become more like our Savior. If we didn't have to endure, there would be no point. However, we must remember that endurance takes action on our part. The Lord will not help us and magnify us until we first act. I test this concept almost every single day. Whenever I don't feel motivated to get out and do the work, I have to remember that it's up to me. I have to get out and do something about it. I cannot just sit there and expect God to somehow motivate me and put desire into me. It doesn't work like that. Once I man up and get outside and do the work, without fail, every single time, the lord gives me strength and magnifies me and I'm able to get through the day. He won't magnify us until we act FIRST. You cannot learn more about the Savior unless you pray about him. You cannot learn more about the temple unless you go to the temple. You cannot strengthen your testimony of the Book of Mormon if it just sits on your night stand and gathers dust. You have to open it up and read it. You cannot experience the joy of missionary work and have your friends hear about the gospel until you invite them and actually talk to them. Nothing will happen in your enduring process until you ACT. Acting and enduring is the process of conversion. Our conversions are fueled by our faith and achieved by our actions. <br />The responsibility to endure is uniquely ours. But through it all, it's important to remember that we are never alone. I know that the lifting power of the Lord can be ours if we will “come unto Christ” and “be perfected in him.” If we will “deny ourselves of all ungodliness.” And if we will “love God with all our might, mind and strength.”<br />"If you really want to be like the Lord and truly endure, more than anything or anyone else--you will remember that your adoration of Jesus is best shown by your emulation of Him. Then you will not allow any other love to become more important than love for your companion, your family, and your Creator. You will govern yourself not by someone else’s set of rules but by revealed principles of truth."<br />I love the promise that is given in preach my gospel to those whom choose to endure. "As we continue to live the gospel, we grow closer to our Heavenly Father. We enjoy and appreciate more the Atonement of the Savior. Our families are drawn closer together. We experience greater feelings of the love, joy, and peace that come from the Atonement. Our hearts are changed, and we find security in living the restored gospel. As we continue to exercise faith in Christ, repent, and renew our covenants, we enjoy continued guidance from the Holy Ghost. If we endure to the end of our lives in being true to our covenants, we will receive eternal life." Which is the greatest of all the gifts of God, right? We shouldn't want or strive for anything more. <br />Enduring to the end has become a real, working principle in my daily life and I am working on truly living that step of the doctrine of Christ. I want to invite each of you to evaluate how you "endure to the end" and think about some things that you can do to change and to better endure, and more importantly, endure joyfully. :) Remember that God wants us to be happy. He wants us to find joy in this life, even amidst all the hard things that are going on all around us. <br />I am so grateful for this gospel and am so grateful for the chance that I have every single day to bear witness of my savior Jesus Christ. I know he lives and I will declare that until the day that I die. I am grateful for missionary work and am grateful for the plan that Heavenly Father has for me. It's definitely been a journey, but it's been a beautiful one. I am grateful for each of you and the love that you have given me. I feel so blessed to be who I am and have the great friends and family members that I have. <br />I hope each of you have a great week and hope that you enjoyed your time at the Schlappi family reunion. I cannot wait to be back with the bunch. You guys are my favorites! I have to get going, but I want you to know that I love each of you and I love my savior. Keep the faith and keep enduring. He is waiting at the end and is going to be there to carry you the whole time, if you let him. <br /><br />Keep me posted and updated on everything going on back at home. I love getting your emails and your pictures. They get me through the week. :) Let me know if there is anything that I can do for any of you. Love you to the moon and back. Sending all my hugs and kisses your way. Talk to ya in seven. & SEE you in 65 days.<br />But who's counting..... <br />Love you! Xo<br />Sister Ky Worthington <div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Participating in this Pokemon thing that is taking over the WORLD</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running with the homeless</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-248790573625794142016-07-27T15:00:00.001-07:002016-07-27T15:34:01.895-07:00July 25, 2016 so so blessedHello adorable people,<br />
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How's it going? Is it really already Monday again? Oh my goodness.<br />
Time is going by so quickly. Looking back at this month I am just amazed at how fast it went. I seriously feel like we just celebrated the 4th of July. I hope that you all have had a good week and hope that you have been able to see miracles and have seen the hand of the Lord in your life. Isn't he so good? Heavenly Father has been so good to me this week. I don't know why he has been blessing me so much, but I'll take it! I definitely cannot complain.<br />
Things in NC have been going really well. It's awfully hot and humid and I am getting some pretty good tan lines. I may have to hit the tanning beds a few times when I get home to even out how bad it is. The struggle is real. We have been seeing many miracles in the YSA ward and we are on fire! I am really in the highest peak of my mission right now. I have never been happier & I feel invincible. I finally feel like I am living, breathing, eating, and sleeping my missionary purpose. Everyday we recite our missionary purpose which is to "Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the Restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." I truly feel like I am doing that every single day and I love it! It's been such a blessing to have the Lord on my side and to see him work in my life. When you feel the love of God in your life, you can do anything! The atonement is so real and so good. Lately I have just been reflecting and all that I have learned and have just been full of so much gratitude. The gospel is just so good. It's perfect. There is nothing better and nothing that draws us closer to him.<br />
The beginning of the week started off well but went by pretty slowly. I think that we were all so excited for the weekend that the week days just seemed to drag on a little bit. We did our usuals. Service, teaching repentance, & finding elect individuals. I am grateful for the diversity that we have in our days though. Each and every day is so different and brings something new. Something that I have learned serving in a singles ward is that things are so sporadic and so on the fly! We literally have people call us out of no where and want to meet up or change plans. We are always doing something unique and have so many different experiences. This past week we taught someone on their lunch break in a grocery store, taught someone while we were running with them in uptown, taught someone in a restaurant, taught someone at a bus stop, a concession stand at the park, and in a forest. You just never know what you're going to get. I definitely miss teaching in people's homes and feeling the spirit and the power that can come while in a nice home, but I have come to see that the spirit is the same everywhere you go and as long as you are testifying of the Savior, you can be anywhere and it works!<br />
We were able to work with Nicole, Alan and Qua a lot this week. We worked on helping Nicole do her family history so that she could bring names to the temple. Guess what we found out? Nicole and I are 7th cousins! We are related through Randolph Alexander, who is father of Adaline Alexander, who is the mother of Adaline Sproul, who is the mother of my dear great grandpa, Lloyd Keith Schlappi. Hopefully that made sense? I was just trying to follow my family tree haha. Anyways, crazy small world! Randolph Alexander was born in South Carolina and that is where all of Nicole's family is from. It was so fun to be able to sit down and read stories of my ancestors and learn more about them. I think it was extra special because it was Pioneer Day weekend too! I really cannot wait to come home and do my family history work. There is a special line in my patriarchal blessing that talks a lot about family history. I am so excited to come home and get to work. I really do love researching things and learning more about those who have gone before me. I really have been able to feel the influence of my ancestors while on my mission and I know that they have been helping me and cheering me on!<br />
Nicole was able to go to the temple for her first time to do baptisms this past Saturday. She LOVED it and had such an amazing experience. She was able to get baptized 20 times and wants to go back so badly. She called us right after she was done and told us all about it. I am so grateful for my ward and for all that they did to help her get there. It's so hard not being able to go to the temple with them, but I know that one day I will be able to come back and go with them! My sweet bishop bought her a CTR ring and made it a really special experience for her. I know that the sooner you can get converts to the temple, the stronger they will be in the church. Statistics say that if you can get converts to the temple in their first two months of being baptized, they have an 85% greater chance of staying active in the church. We have plans to get Fernando and Alan to the temple in the next 3 weeks as well! :) Good things are happening here.<br />
Qua Jones is our next baptism! The kid is so prepared. He is amazing! He's the most adorable thing and has the sweetest spirit. He's an African American kid from Charlotte and has a heart of gold. We were able to have three really good lessons with him this past week. We taught most of the commandments and finished all of the most important lessons. It was so cute because when we were teaching the word of wisdom and law of chastity, he told us that he's already fixed it and has been living those commandments for 2 weeks. He said that he heard Mormons don't drink and don't participate in sexual activities before marriage and so he just said he stopped doing those things once he heard that. Who does that? We hadn't even taught him yet or committed him to live it and he just already committed to do it! So solid. So prepared. That's when you know they're elect. He said that his buddies have been offering him coffee and tea and he has turned it down and says, "Sorry, I don't drink that stuff anymore! It's a commandment from God." He is the best! He was able to go to Fernando's baptism last week and then came to church yesterday and stayed after for Alan's baptism. Later that night, he came to dinner with us and all of the bug boys and we were able to teach him again! He has made some really good friends in the ward and we are excited for his progress.<br />
His date is August 7th and we are hoping he makes that date!<br />
Training our cute little sister has been so much fun. She is the best. She is so adorable and makes me laugh so hard. She has such a funny personality and she gets me through my hard days. I swear she is training me. She is so prepared and I know that she is going to be an excellent missionary. I know that having her see success early on in her mission will be so good for her and I know that she is going to do wonders for the mission in the future. NCCM is lucky to have Sister Warner! We love her and she has been such a blessing! So grateful that God has blessed me with AMAZING companions.<br />
Pioneer Day in NC isn't quite like the Pioneer Day's in Utah. The stake got together and had a big cookout and played some games. The missionaries weren't allowed to go unless they had an investigator going, and so of course, we had to bring an investigator. We couldn't not go! We also invited Fernando and he had a really good time. After we ate, we all went and played a really intense game of miniature golf. I about died of heat exhaustion, but it was well worth it. I have to admit, I'm pretty dang good at mini golf. It was fun to spend time with him and get to know him better. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm on a mission and that I'm a missionary because I get to have so much fun. We ended the day with a few lessons and with Alan's baptism interview! He passed and is all ready to go!<br />
The highlight of the week was witnessing Fernando Aguilar get confirmed and watching Alan Ginger get baptized. It was magical! I know that both of them made the right decision and I know that God is really proud of the steps that they have taken. Fernando's confirmation was done in Spanish and that was really special. I didn't understand anything that was being said, but I felt the spirit. I actually did understand the "Confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and say unto you, receive the Holy Ghost" part and that's probably the most important part so I was happy. Amazing how the spirit works.<br />
Well, about 3/4 of the way into 3rd hour of church yesterday, we get pulled out of Relief Society only to find out that the baptismal font was overflowing!! Our ward mission leader was responsible for filling it up and he totally forgot to turn it off. Well, once he found out that it was really full and slightly overflowing, he accidentally turned it on ALL THE WAY ON instead of turning it off. Oh my goodness. Water started going everywhere and flooding the bathrooms, the hallway, everything!! It was sooooo crazy. Quite funny too. We were trying not to freak out and panic, but a the same time, the baptism was supposed to start in 15 minutes. Our bishop ended up getting in a jumpsuit and went in the font and unplugged it. We all took off our shoes and were getting buckets and filling them up and dumping them outside. Towels were everywhere and we were trying to soak up everything. Our building is super old and the baptismal font is in the hallway, right in front of the mission office. It's super weird, but it's just the layout of the building. Anyways, it was an adventure. We started vacuuming up water and doing all that we could to make it presentable for the baptism. We were not going to let this stop us from baptizing Alan! Satan isn't that good!! It was something that I will remember for the REST of my life. It was so much fun. It all brought us closer together and we couldn't help but laugh, smile, and cry. We were sweating so much (because the water was hot) and we were having to run back and forth. It was such a good time.<br />
Anyways, after we took care of most of that, we finally started the baptism service. It was a really special service and the spirit was there! Watching Alan get baptized was absolutely precious. He is one of my bestest friends and it has been so fun watching him learn and grow. He lives right by Grandma Schlappi and I am so excited to go home and hang out with him! Crazy how he had to come all the way to Charlotte to sell pest control to hear about and accept the gospel.<br />
God definitely works in mysterious ways doesn't he! Alan is so happy and such a joy to be around and it has been so neat watching God work in someone's life. I know that the gospel is real and I know that it changes lives. There's no doubt in my mind that it's real.<br />
This past week we had a less active member reach out to us and ask us if we could come teach him a lesson. We were very surprised because we really had no idea who this guy was. He just moved from VA and we have only seen him one time at church. We ended up having a really good conversation with him and he really opened up to us. He explained to us that he has been really struggling with his testimony and has been really wondering if the church is really true and if everything that he's grown up knowing and doing was and is right. We were able to have a really powerful lesson with him about testimony and conversion and I went home and couldn't stop thinking about him and about our lesson. For the next couple of days, I decided to direct my studies to that topic. The topic of testimony and conversion. I'm going to share some of my thoughts with you in hopes that I can help one of you who may be struggling with your own personal testimony or may be questioning things.<br />
I think before I came out on my mission, I was where this very guy was. I have always grown up thinking and believing that the church was true, but I don't feel like I really knew for myself that it was true. I don't think that I was ever to the point where I could say without a doubt that I KNOW the church is true. It wasn't until my senior trip on Origination and my mission where I truly gained my testimony.<br />
Lately I have been evaluating my own testimony and the things that I have learned and the things that I know. I wanted to be very honest with myself and with my mission and with the Lord. I noticed that for a time on my mission, mostly in the beginning, I said my words carefully to try to build up others and say the right things, without actually committing myself to a positive statement that I knew to be completely true. I felt a little hesitant about it, but when I was in tune and doing my duty, I felt the Spirit and I knew that what I was saying was really coming from my heart, even if I really didn't know with absolutely surety. I came to learn that a testimony comes over time. A testimony comes from experiences and that we don't have to know everything. We just have to have faith and believe, and then the real testimony comes. I knew that undoubtedly, the days that I testify to my investigator that I KNOW it is true, even without maybe knowing completely, the Lord is just trying so hard to reveal the truth to me through the power of the Holy Ghost. While I am in the Spirit and in tune and defending the gospel, I feel the love of God deeply. It's me that tries to convince myself otherwise and I begin to reason with myself and question myself, when deep down, the Lord is just trying to teach me as I am teaching others.<br />
An apostle once related our testimonies to thread. Right now, I have countless golden threads of testimony all throughout my being only waiting for the hand of the Master Weaver to assemble and weave them into an exquisite and perfect design. I know that I am working on building my own testimony and that as long as I am following the spirit, the Lord will magnify my testimony and touch hearts.<br />
A testimony is a personal revelation--one of the important gifts--and can be enjoyed by every soul who will pay the price and do some work!! The necessary procedure is: study, think, pray, and do. (Especially the "do" part) Revelation is the key. God will make it known to you once you have become humble and receptive. Having dropped all pride that is inside of you and having acknowledged before God your confusion, having subjected your egotism, and having surrendered yourself to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, you are ready to begin to learn!! "Testimonies often come when there is willingness to serve where we are called. They come when a decision is made to strive to be obedient. Testimonies come during efforts to help, lift, and strengthen others. They come from prayer and from studying the scriptures and applying them in our lives." They take action and you have to nourish your testimony!! If you don't nourish it, how do you expect it to grow? We all know that it is easier to talk about a testimony than to acquire one. The process to receive one is based on the law of the harvest: “For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). No good thing comes without effort and sacrifice. If we have to work hard to obtain a testimony, it will make us and our testimony even stronger. And if we share our testimony, it will grow. A testimony is a most precious possession because it is not acquired by logic or reason alone, it cannot be purchased with earthly possessions, and it cannot be given as a present or inherited from our ancestors. We cannot depend on the testimonies of other people. We need to know for ourselves.<br />
An apostle once said, "A testimony provides proper perspective, motivation, and a solid foundation on which to build a life of purpose and personal growth. It is a constant source of confidence, a true and faithful companion during good times and bad. A testimony provides us with a reason for hope and gladness. It helps us cultivate a spirit of optimism and happiness and enables us to rejoice in the beauties of nature. A testimony motivates us to choose the right at all times and in all circumstances. It motivates us to draw nearer to God, allowing Him to draw nearer to us. Our personal testimony is a protective shield, and like an iron rod it is guiding us safely through darkness and confusion."<br />
I know that whatever our circumstances, there seem to be moments in each of our lives when we can be given the knowledge that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ. I know that this gospel is true and I know that we have a life time to learn about this gospel. Be patient with yourself. Recognize that God's timing is different than ours and he will reveal things to you at the right moment. There is no greater search in life that we can embark upon than the quest to gain a testimony of the truth!! Our firm personal testimony will motivate us to change ourselves and then bless the world, and that is how we will be happy.<br />
Remember that a testimony is when “your heart tells you the things your mind doesn’t know." Listen to your heart and listen to the Holy Ghost. I have never had a stronger testimony. I can now stand here and tell you that I KNOW that God lives. I know that he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die for you and me. He knows us personally and he is here to help us. I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and I know that he restored the church back to the earth. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of the plan of salvation and I know that we each can live together forever.<br />
I am so grateful to be a missionary and so grateful for what I am learning. I want to invite each of you to do one thing this week that will strengthen your personal testimony. Do the work. Do something about it. Show God that you WANT to know and I promise that he will show you. It all starts with desire!<br />
I love and miss you all so much. I have to get going, sorry I'm cutting this one short. Time is up and I've gotta run to FHE. Have so much fun at the big family reunion. I'm sending my love and will be there in spirit. Be safe. Have fun. & know that I love you all so much and cannot wait to see you!! Can I ask one favor? At the reunion, please gather the WHOLE Schlappi family together and have EVERYONE get on their knees and say a massive family prayer in a circle. Please please please! Thanks so so much. Love y'all so much. Talk to ya in seven. Sending all my love and hugs your way! Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you! I'm just an email away! LOVE YOU! Xo<br />
Sister Ky Worthington<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-17485720961761336022016-07-24T01:20:00.003-07:002016-07-24T01:20:52.747-07:00July 18,2016Hi familia! <br />How is everyone doing? I hope this little email finds you all well and happy! Have I told you lately how much I love you and how much I miss you all? I am so grateful for the chance that I get to express my love to you at least once a week. I wish I could tell you every single day, but then you would probably all get sick of me real fast. Guess what? It's the 18th of the month and you know what that means.....<br /> First and foremost, I want to apologize for my email last week. Sorry it was on the shorter side and sorry I didn't really go into much detail about what went on in the week. All I can tell you now is that I'm doing much much better and that I'm back in full force, so be ready! This week was really really good and one of the better weeks I've had on my mission. We saw so much success and we were just on fire all week long! I think due to my lack of updating last week, I'm going to go day by day and inform you of everything that went down! Heavenly Father is so aware of me and he has been so good to me this past week. I love him with my whole heart.<br /> Monday: <br /> Last Monday was okay. Wasn't the best preparation day, but it was nice to hang out and relax and prepare for the upcoming week. We spent a lot of our day getting ready for the new sister that was going to be joining us. We picked up another bed from the mission office and set it all up. We put together her study desk and got everything situated. Three sisters in one bedroom and sharing one bathroom is an interesting sight, but we're making it work. After p-day ended, we went to the church for FHE. On our way there, it started raining super hardcore. Then it started to thunder really loud and we saw lots of lightening. As a result, the power went out at the church. After not coming on for 30 minutes, we decided to cancel FHE. Most everyone was already at the church and already made the drive up to Charlotte, so we all decided to make something out of it! A big group of us decided to go out to dinner and hang out for the rest of the night! We went to some yummy Mexican place and had a really good time. Fernando was with us and we decided to teach him while we had 12 members present with us! We taught him about missionary work and service and he loved it. He's already doing missionary work and is excited to continue to share the gospel. We made it home right at 9:00 and then planned, and then hit the sheets. We ended up having a good 30 minute chat while laying in bed and realized that it was going to be the last night that just Sister Nunies and I would have together. We reminisced about the past three months and the amazing time that we had together and the memories that we created! I love the girl to death. <br />Tuesday:<br /> Tuesday was a really good day. We met up with some elders in our district at the Landmark Diner in Charlotte for an exchange lesson. The elders found a young single adult kid and wanted to transfer him over to us so that we could start teaching him. We taught a good lesson over some challah french toast. It was wonderful! Right after that, we headed over to the mission office to pick up our new sister! We had a trainer meeting with President Alexander and he talked about how to train and some specific things that we need to do. Then we went into the transfer portion of the meeting! It was then and there that we met our dear Sister Nicole Warner. She is wonderful! She is from Gilbert, Arizona and is such a sweetheart. She is so prepared and we are so excited to have her. I also got to see a few other members from the Waxhaw ward and that made my heart really happy. I also saw some of my favorite missionaries and I couldn't help but smile. Transfer days are great. (Especially when you're not the one getting transferred.) I was able to meet Elder Gurney and he going to be in my zone! His trainer is one of my really good friends and I know he'll be taken care of! We're actually currently hanging out at the church right now together so tell his cute mom and aunt (Shannon Gurney) that he is doing well and that I'm taking good care of him! He's a good kid. Right after we picked her up, we packed up the car and headed to our community service at Matthews HELP center. From there we went to dinner with a member, and then we drove all the way up to Huntersville, NC for a lesson with Fernando. It was his last lesson and we finished teaching him everything that he needed to be taught. We went over the baptismal interview questions and set up his date for the interview. It was a very powerful lesson and Sister Warner did great too! She jumped right in and got a real taste of what missionary work is like! After our lesson, we were about to run out of gas and our GPS took us to a gas station that didn't exist, and we were kind of freaking out. It was already almost past curfew and we literally had 10 miles to go until empty, and we were 25 miles away from home. What an adventure. We ended up saying a prayer and found a gas station and everything ended up working out! Just all part of the experience. We went home and planned and fell right asleep. Successful first day. <br /> Wednesday:<br /> Wednesday was great! It was a long day, but a good one! We had a few lessons in the morning with some potential and former investigators and those were really good for Sister Warner to experience! We were able to teach the message of the Restoration a few times and we did pretty good! It's hard learning how to adjust back to being in a trio and how teaching works, but we are getting the hang of it. After our lessons, we met up with a member and went to do some service with her. We drove to a few country clubs in the community and picked up old, used tennis balls for a service project that our YSA ward will be doing in a few weeks. I have never seen so many tennis balls in my life. We gathered over 3000 balls and will be placing them on the bottom of chairs and desks in elementary schools. After that we drove to a mall in south Charlotte and met up with a referral. Well, it was an interesting experience to say the least. He took us to an exclusive warehouse up above the mall and showed us where he worked. He is a photography for one of the biggest stores here in Charlotte called BELK. It's like your typical Macy's or JC Penny's. Anyways, we ended up having a 30 minute lesson with him in his studio and then he did a photo shoot with us. It was interesting, but so fun! I definitely found out that the modeling career is not for me though hahahah. Absolutely not! It was really neat though because he is doing a project and he wanted us to be apart of it. He wanted us to write up a paragraph or two of why we chose to serve a mission and what we hope to accomplish on our missions. He is going to attach it to our photo and is going to do something with it.. Not sure what.. But it was neat to write down my testimony and my thoughts and have him photograph it and edit it in a really neat way. After that, we ate dinner and then headed home. It was a full, busy day. <br />Thursday: <br /> Another great day! Woke up and did our studies and then got ready to head out to our soup kitchen service. Well, when we got out to the car, we noticed a HUGE scratch and dent on the back side of our brand new 2016 Altima. :( It was the saddest thing ever. There wasn't even a note or anything. We immediately reported it and had to fill out an incident report. The cops came and wrote up some thing and it ended up taking up our morning. It broke my heart that someone didn't even have the integrity or the decency to apologize or even let us know that they hit our car! Gotta love Charlotte people. After service, we went with our elders and had some more all you can eat sushi. Ahh so good. We did weekly planning after and really organized everything and it felt super nice! Then we had dinner at bishop's house and had yummy chicken and salmon. Ugh. More fish. But it was really good. I also got to play on their Steinway piano for a few minutes and felt like I was in heaven. I have really come to love and adore my bishop and his family and it always feels at home when I'm there. Sister B. Reminds me so much of mom and it almost kills me every time we go over there! She takes really good care of us though and I am so grateful for her and for the great example that she is to me! After dinner we had a Skype lesson with Alan! We taught him tithing and fasting and it was a really good lesson! As we taught him, the spirit really confirmed to me that tithing and fasting are real, powerful, true, and that they WORK! Try it and test it out for yourself if you don't believe me. I love how we are able to use our technology and our tools to further the work. God is so good! Alan is doing great and is still set to be baptized on July 24th! <br /> Friday:<br /> Okay, sorry this is getting long. Only a few more days haha. Friday was a good day! We had a district meeting in the morning and it was fun to have a new district leader and new missionaries in the district. We have a really big district, but a powerful one! Lots of missionaries in the district are training too so we have a lot of new missionaries. I am loving training this time. 2nd time is way better. & it just helps that I have Sister Nunies with me! I feel so much more confident and know so much more that it's made it much easier this time around. I hope that Sister Stratford will be able to forgive me one of these days for not being the best trainer haha. I just had no idea what I was doing. Anyways, after district meeting we went home to do our 12 week training and then had lunch, and then pulled out the bikes!! Woot woot! We decided to go to a very popular street and do some bus stop finding. Well, guess what! WE FOUND 3 NEW INVESTIGATORS. Yes! It was miraculous. It was all from sitting at the same bus stop and just talking to everyone who came. I love bus stops. I really made an effort to talk to everyone that I saw and it really worked. God was preparing people for us! After a long, hot, sweaty day of biking, we met up with some members and went out to eat at some Italian restaurant. It was super good and super fun. I think you got a picture from our member that night! Excuse the ugliness of the photo... We looked like a hot mess. Anyways, thanks for the hug momsie! She gave me a huge hug and said that it was from YOU and I loved it! Thank you! :) Friday ended well and we were definitely tired! <br />Saturday: <br /> Saturday was a great day!!! Surprisingly, because Saturday's are usually our tougher days. We saw a few people, taught a few lessons, picked up Fernando's baptism suit from another set of sisters, then went and had another lesson with the guy that the elders referred us too that I talked about on Tuesday. His name is Qua Jones, and he is amazing! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it was AMAZING! Sister Warner invited him to be baptized and we extended the date of August 7th! Start praying for Qua! He is so elect. Right after his lesson, we met Fernando at the church and had his baptismal interview. He passed with flying colors and came out of the interview just beaming. Our district leader said amazing things about him and about the interview and that he was all ready to go! He is so amazing and has literally changed my life. We then went out to dinner with a less active member and had a good time with him, and then drove back to the church to meet up with another less active and had a really good lesson with her. Saturday was a good day. We were super busy all day and had no down time. I love days like that. It helps me focus and really feel like I am fulfilling my purpose as a missionary!<br />Sunday:<br /> Okay, today was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the week. Fernando Aguilar got baptized and it was one of the most specialist times of my life!!! Ahhhhhhhh. He is amazing! The baptismal service was absolutely beautiful and the spirit was so strong. The ordinances were done in Spanish and that made it even better. I know that baptism is real and that it is essential. Fernando was so prepared and was just so happy, all day long. As a result of his baptism, we had 10 non-members at church! Qua came and stayed for all 3 hours and then the baptism, and then even stayed for linger longer! Alan stayed for all of it as well and it both just made them so excited for their own baptisms. I know that there is power in attending baptisms too! The spirit is just so pure and so tender. I loved it! I didn't want the day to end. Linger longer was really good and me and my two cute sisters got to be the judges for the enchilada contest. It was a super hard decision.. But obviously Fernando won. I mean he is Mexican and made the real deal enchiladas, so I was definitely a fan, and plus, he got baptized today, so he had to win! We had to choose him! After linger longer, we went home and did 12 week training again and then went to our lesson with Alan. Alan and his bug boy crew invited us over for dinner that night and they also invited Qua and his girlfriend to come. We ended up teaching all 3 of them and it was miraculous! We finished teaching Alan everything and went over the baptismal interview questions with him! It was a super powerful lesson and the spirit was so strong. Qua also got to hear the questions and it definitely made him think... So he's going to already be so prepared for his!! :) We then went and hooked up with the Sage Pest Control team and had a cookout. It was really fun. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm on a mission because we have so much fun in the YSA ward. I also got to see and hang out with Colby and Lauren Watts (from AF, went to HS with them) so that was pretty fun. It was time to go home and we ended the night of with a super powerful planning session and with a really heartfelt prayer full of gratitude. Another one of God's children entered into a covenant with him. I know that Heavenly Father was up there smiling and that he was proud of us! There isn't a better feeling in the world. <br /> Well friends, that's about it. Sorry that was so long and probably boring for the most of you! Sorry it wasn't all that spiritual this week. I just thought I'd update you on my life and get you involved with some of the things that I'm doing as a little sister missionary in Charlotte. I want you to each know that I love the lord and that I love missionary work. This is where I need to be and this is what the Lord needs me to be doing! I am so grateful for the experiences that I've had and for the strength that I've received. I know that the Lord is watching over me and that he is aware of me, as he is you. <div>
Ponder this scripture this week: Alma 7:7 “For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all—for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people."<br />Our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer LIVES!! He is among us and will be forever and ever. Continue to trust in him and lean on him. I hope y'all have a good time at the family reunion and that you be safe and remember who you are! I will definitely be thinking about you and missing you!! I cannot wait to see you. We are getting closer and closer. Thank you for all of your prayers and your support. I am sprinting to the end and I know that God has some great things in store!! I hope y'all have a great week. Talk to ya in seven. Let me know if you need anything! Xo<br />Sister Ky Worthington </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-63116017202055017282016-07-24T01:16:00.001-07:002016-07-24T01:16:59.284-07:00July 11,2016nearer, my god to thee.<br />Hello my cute, sweet family,<br />I hope this email finds everyone happy, safe, healthy, and doing well.<br />I want to apologize up front for this email that is about to be written. I've had a lot on my mind and heart this past week and am just going to take most of today to spend time with the missionaries in my zone and district and relax and take some time to myself. I hope you will be able to understand and will give me some slack. :) I promise I'll be all ready to go and will be in full force next week.<br />The biggest news of the week is that Sister Nunies and I will be staying in Charlotte together for another transfer, and will also be adding a third. We are going to be in a trio! We are picking up our brand new sister tomorrow and will be training together! I am so excited. Our sweet sister arrives in NC tonight and will be coming straight from the MTC. We have been praying for her and are so excited to welcome her in. I am so grateful that I get to stay here in Charlotte with Sister Nunies and that I get to continue to serve with all of the young single adults. Training Sister Stratford was hard for me, but I know that I will be so much better this time around! I am grateful that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to train one of his daughters. Heavenly Father also knew that I couldn't train on my own right now, so he blessed me by keeping me with my little Hawaiian. He knows me oh so well! I am also really grateful to be staying around President and Sister Alexander and to be with Elder and Sister Garlick. :) They are my favorites.<br />Both of our progressing investigators, Alan and Fernando, were out of town this past week and so we were not able to teach them at all. :( Thankfully, we have so many tools to help us stay in close contact with them. We were able to keep daily contact with them and they are both still 100% ready for their baptisms. We are really excited for the upcoming weeks. Things are going to be crazy, but we couldn't be more grateful. I am also really glad that I get to stay here and witness their baptisms. I would've been crushed if I got transferred.<br />It's always so hard working with people and helping them come to Christ, and seeing their journey, and then being taken away and not witnessing their actual baptism. However, I know that the Lord has a specific plan for his missionaries and that he knows exactly where they need to be and when they need to be there.<br />We met a few new investigators this past week and that was a blessing.<br />Our mission is really trying to focus on finding new investigators and so we really got out there and tried to find find find! We went and walked around uptown and it was so much fun. Charlotte is such a beautiful city! It was so fun being uptown and meeting so many different people of different cultures. I love missionary work. I love being able to share my testimony with those around me and being able to get something in return. I love hearing about other people's lives and their experiences. We each have something beautiful to offer one another.<br />In Relief Society yesterday one of my favorite members gave a lesson on the talk "Come what May and Love it" by Elder Cook. It made me think of my dear Tara and how much I love her and admire her! I want to share with you a few things that I learned from that lesson and that talk. The four things that he talked about when handling trials and tribulations have really helped me this week! 1. Learn to laugh.<br />2. Seek for the eternal perspective. 3. Learn to understand the principle of compensation, and 4. Trust in the Father and the Son.<br />Those four things will help anyone who is struggling or who needs to feel the love of their Savior. One of my favorite quotes from the talk was, "The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude." Remember that every tear you shed will be made up for. All that God requires us is to try our best and to keep going. Keep hanging on and keep enduring.<br />We owe God the first mile and then the blessings will come on the second mile. He wants us to learn. He wants us to grow.<br />I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives and we can learn to LOVE it.<br />I love each and everyone of you. I want you to know that I have a testimony of this gospel. I know that God lives. I know that he is aware of every single one of us. He knows us personally and perfectly, and I mean that when I say that. I have such a strong testimony of prayer. It works and it's real. I have felt God's love so strongly and I know that with his love, you can accomplish anything. I got my sprint letter in the mail this past week and I signed it very proudly with all of my heart, mind, might, and strength. I am ready to give it my all to the Lord. I need the blessings of missionary service. I am so grateful to be set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know that this is the only true church on the face of the earth and through it, and the ordinances therein, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. I know that families are forever. I hope you each have a great week. Remember who you are and remember the covenants that you have made. There will be very few that will be able to make those covenants with God in this life time.<br />Take advantage of the blessings we have.<br />I love you all. Stay strong.<br /><br />Sister Kyla Worthington<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-54451258462388935172016-07-06T21:59:00.004-07:002016-07-06T22:11:50.709-07:00July 4, 2016~Happy FourthHey family!<br />Happy 4th of July! How is everyone doing? I hope you all had a wonderful morning at the parade and have a good evening tonight at the annual BBQ. Oh how I miss those glorious days. I definitely missed everyone on the Worthington side and hope that you had a good time at the family reunion. I hope y'all didn't have too much fun without me. I promise I'll be there next year. :) It has been a super good day here in the Carolinas but it's ridiculously hot and humid! I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my entire life. My goodness. Today we got together as a zone and had a big cookout. We played some beach volleyball and all just hung out and enjoyed each others company.<br /> Tonight after p-day is over we are going down to South Carolina with our singles ward and having a huge 4th of July party! I am so excited! They have been planning it for a while now and it should be a good time. We are having another cookout, tons of games and slip n' slide, and then a crazy big firework show. There are definitely some perks to serving in a singles ward. We get to do so many things that other missionaries don't get to do. I really hope and pray that the Lord keeps me here for a little bit longer. I am getting nervous for transfers.<br />This week was kind of a tougher one. It was definitely a slower week and a hotter week. Let's just say that I'm grateful it's over. Thankfully we were still able to see many miracles and tender mercies.<br /> Once again, Sunday came and everything was all better. We see so many miracles on Sunday. I have decided that my hashtag for this area is #sundaymiracles. It was even a better Sunday because I had the opportunity to fast and bear testimony. I love fast Sunday's so much.<br /> I truly have a strong testimony of fasting and I know it works! I have seen so much strength come into my life from the power of fasting. Lately I have been getting so down and frustrated with myself and with the work, but somehow I have had strength to keep going and to keep enduring. Lately I have been pondering 3 Nephi 9:13-14. "O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me." The Savior is there to heal us if we let him and if we come unto him. (Or repent :)) I love how we can recommit and try again every single day and he is right there to help us.<br /> The biggest miracle of the week was putting Alan on date to be baptized on July 24th! It's going to be a dang good Pioneer Day! He is so solid and so ready. It has been so fun watching God work in his life. The spirit has been so strong in every lesson and he is just on fire! He even came to church yesterday and showed up in a brand new white shirt and tie. It was the best thing ever. Put the biggest smile on my face. He has just been coming in nicer dress clothes but he totally came with a white shirt this time. We were able to teach him twice this past week and he is really progressing. Thank you for all of your prayers on his behalf. I have come to love the kid to death.<br /> Another miracle was being able to teach Fernando in President and Sister Alexander's home. Oh. My. Goodness. Such a spiritual experience. We taught him about temples, family history, and eternal marriage and the spirit was so strong. I am grateful that we had them to teach that lesson with us because that one can sometimes be a hard one to teach. There really isn't much order when it comes to those lessons so I am grateful that we had them. They said the perfect things! It's hard to teach about temples because you never know how much you can and can't share... But it ended up being perfect. Fernando has already done tons of studying on his own so he knew a lot more than we thought he did. He also already started doing family history work on <a href="http://familysearch.org/">familysearch.org</a> and already found some names to take to the temple. This kid is on fire. Towards the end of the lesson I bore a powerful testimony on eternal families and the spirit really hit me and testified to myself that what I was sharing was true. I am so thankful for the power of the priesthood that binds families together. That is probably one of my favorite things about the gospel. I am so grateful that I get to be sealed to my family forever. I definitely have the best one in the world. Fernando is still set to be baptized onJuly 17th and then after his baptism we are having a ward linger longer and will be having enchiladas! It's going to be such a good day. And then another baptism the following week. Family... I cannot get transferred. I will be so sad. Transfers are on July 12th.<br /> Hopefully the Lord is hearing my prayers and will keep Sister Nunies and I together for one more transfer.<br /> I now know and have STRONG faith that I can baptize monthly. Not only 1 baptism, but 2 and 3. I know that all we have to do is turn it over to the Lord. We have to trust him and rely on him. Once I fully gave it my all and turned it all over to him and let go of every single distraction I thought I had, the work changed. I changed. Miracles are coming. I never really thought that it was possible, but I have seen the change in my life and it's a change that I want to keep forever. The Hilliard Ward is on fire and the members are getting so excited. It's going to be a few crazy weeks with baptisms back to back, but we couldn't be more grateful. I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father has placed these people into my life. I have been able to learn and grow so much from these sacred experiences and it has been exactly what I have needed. I owe everything to him.<br /> Our recent convert Nicole is doing great. She is so strong and is such a good example to me. We are getting her to the temple in a few weeks and couldn't be more excited to see her progress. I know that if you get converts to the temple quickly, they will be so much better off. She is really looking forward to it and we are too! I cannot believe that it's already been a month since she was baptized. Time is just going too fast! Robert Robbins from Winston Salem is also doing really great. He got his interview to receive his patriarchal blessing and is so excited. He has been receiving so many blessings lately and I have loved watching God work in his life. I have been so strengthened by his example and his testimony. I cannot wait until y'all can meet these wonderful people that I have met.<br /> During the day we have been struggling with trying to find people to teach, but we have also been able to plant lots of seeds and talk to many people. We are still doing lots of community service and even picked up another service opportunity. This past Friday I had one of the neatest experiences of my life! We went up to uptown Charlotte and got to run with the homeless people. The organization is called Running Works and it is amazing! Every week they supply t-shirts and shoes for the homeless to go for a run around the city. It was so much fun! We got paired up to run with someone and I ran with this amazing guy named Michael. We had a long chat while we were running and he just inspired me so much. He has had such a hard life, but has still remained to be positive and happy. I will never forget that special experience that I had. Although it was 100 degrees with 100% humidity, it was well worth it. You just never think you'll be able to experience these kind of things in your life... But then you come on a mission and get to experience some of the neatest things. I LOVE MY MISSION.<br /> We had a really powerful district meeting this week and I have been thinking a lot about what my district leader trained on. He gave a training on the light of Christ. I would imagine that most people know what the light of Christ is, right? Well, after the training he gave, I have a whole different perspective. The Light of Christ is not a person. It is a power and influence that comes from God and when followed can lead a person to qualify for the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Every single person who has ever been born has the light of Christ in them. In a dark and dreary world, many people don't know that they have the light of Christ in them. There are even people who don't even know what it is, yet they have it within them. Our responsibility as missionaries and members of the church is to help people recognize that they have the light within them. Once they recognize that, I firmly believe it will help them make changes in their life to come closer to the Savior. Once recognized, the light of Christ leads all mortals to our Heavenly Father and to His truths. It teaches us to love the Lord and to love our fellowmen.<br /> A few days ago I was reading in the ensign and came upon a story that went along with this perfectly. It was about a man who one day, on the road, found a broken piece of a mirror. He began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that he could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine--in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. Reflecting light into those dark places just became a game for him. But when he became an adult, he realized that his childhood game was a metaphor for his life’s mission. He came to understand that he is not the light or the source of light. But light--the light of truth, understanding, and knowledge--is there and will only shine in many dark places if he reflects it. He went on to say how he can reflect light into the dark places of this world, and change some things in some people. Each of us are the mirror. The Savior is the light and the sun. We have the ability to shine light into dark places and dark souls. When we encounter people who are struggling, we can reflect the Savior’s light to encourage them. The Apostle Paul taught the Romans, “Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." I have never read that scripture before but I loved it!! We all need to put on the armour of light!<br /> There are so many scriptures that talk about LIGHT. In 3 Nephi, the Savior says, “Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up--that which ye have seen me do” (3 Nephi 18:24). In Matthew it reads, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Are we being that light for those around us? If not, how do we do this? How does light enter into us? How do we receive it and then share it? We must constantly be exercising faith, repenting, partaking of the Sacrament worthily, and striving to have the gift of the Holy Ghost. We must constantly be trying to improve and become more like our Savior. We must be in light places and around good people. Light and darkness cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Where the light of Christ is found, the darkness of Lucifer, even Satan, must depart!<br /> “Christ is the light; the gospel is the light; the plan of salvation is the light; ‘that which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.’ As the light of the sun enters the body through our natural eyes, so the light of heaven--the light of the Spirit which illuminates our souls--enters through our spiritual eyes.”<br /> I know that God’s light is real. It is available to all! It gives life to all things. It has the power to soften the sting of the deepest wound. It can be a healing balm for the loneliness and sickness of our souls. In the very darkest hours of despair, it can plant the seeds of a brighter hope. It can enlighten the deepest valleys of sorrow. It can illuminate the path before us and lead us through the darkest night into the promise of a new dawn.<br /> We can all reflect the Savior’s light and become more like Him. We can lift and bless the lives of those around us as we “put on the armour of light” and feel the protecting safety offered through living the gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope that each of us can let our light shine as we strive to become like the perfect Light--our Savior, Jesus Christ.<br /> Sister Nunies and I are really doing great. I love her. She is such a hard worker and I admire her strength and her faith. She had a really hard day a few days ago and just broke down and it hurt me so much. It was so hard to see her sad, but I am so proud of who she has become and admire her so much. Missionary work is hard. Missionary work is demanding. BUT, missionary work is worth it. I have tried to continue to have a positive attitude and I have seen that very effective.<br /> During one of our hard days, some of the elders in our zone called and invited us to come to lunch with them. It was exactly what we needed. We went to a super nice sushi place in uptown and got unlimited sushi for $10. It was the bomb. I have never seen so much sushi be eaten.<br /> All together, we ate over 300 pieces of sushi. SOOO good. After that we were completely happy and so excited to do the work. We ended up biking it off and enjoying the rest of our night. See, God is so good. He knows exactly what we need to cheer us up. I have no words to describe how much I love this gospel and how grateful I am that I chose to serve a mission. My life will be forever different because of my decision to serve. Thank you so much for all of your help, love, and support. I feel your prayers every single day.<br /> Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help any of you. I am grateful for this country and for the freedoms that we get to enjoy every single day. I am grateful for the restoration of the gospel and for the Lord preparing our land. I hope that each of you have a great week and continue to hang on and have faith! I miss you so so so much and cannot wait to see you. Sorry this email was all over the place.. Been a crazy day! Hope you can forgive me. Go spread & shine your light!! Xoxo<br /> <br /> Sister Kyla Worthington<div>
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Facebook Post on July 4, 2016</div>
<br /><br />the land of the free & the home of the brave. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful country. I am so grateful that heavenly father sent me here! I want to encourage each of you to get on your knees tonight & express your gratitude to our father above for giving us this beautiful place to live.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/happy4th?source=feed_text&story_id=10210237681006919">#happy4th</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ufi/reaction/profile/browser/?ft_ent_identifier=10210237681006919&av=1069483004">162You, Alison Gage, Troy Worthington and 159 others</a><br />Comments:<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.l.jackman?fref=ufi">Stephanie Hargus</a> LOVE this!!!!! And love YOU!!<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/shelly.s.bourne?fref=ufi">Shelly Sheffield Bourne</a> You are beautiful your hair is so long<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/adriana.moreno.50?fref=ufi">Adriana Moreno</a> Miss you and happy 4th<div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ronald.keaton.18?fref=ufi">Ron Keaton</a> There's that INCREDIBLE smile, and holding the American flag, You should be on the front cover of a magazine BEAUTIFUL!!<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/catherine.mckaskey?fref=ufi">Catherine Girard McKaskey</a> I love your contagious smile and positive outlook. Yes it is the best land still, even with the strife we seem to face now and then.<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/tamischlappi?fref=ufi">Tami Schlappi</a> Love you cutie!!! ❤️❤️<div class="MsoNormal">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-18622861619713403332016-07-06T21:59:00.003-07:002016-07-06T22:03:17.173-07:00June 27, 2016~Attitude of GratitudeHey cute fam!<br />
Another week down! How is everyone doing? Sometimes there are just those days where I find myself missing y'all so much, and today is definitely one of those days. Some are harder than others. It really feels like it's been an eternity since I've seen you. Hopefully you haven't forgotten about me yet. :) I am excited for the next few months as I will be preparing to come home and see each of you! You all mean the world to me and I hope each of you can feel of my love and appreciation for you. I couldn't do this without you!<br />
This week in North Carolina was another great one! They really seem to be flying by. I cannot keep up with how fast time is going. I have so much to do and not enough time to do it. Just this past week we had one of the office couples from Highland leave us and welcomed in the new office couple, the Dewey's from Boise, Idaho. They are so amazing! I seriously love all of the office missionaries with my whole heart and soul and cannot wait for y'all to meet them one day. Everyone's time is just flying by so quickly. I would definitely have to say that the last half of the mission has gone by way faster than the first half. If you can make it half way, the rest will just fly by! I kinda wish I could serve for 24 months. Six more months would be perfect. I really am trying to just work as hard as I can and take every opportunity that I have to share the gospel. I don't want to ever walk past someone without giving them the opportunity to hear about the restored gospel. I have such a fear of getting up to heaven and having people come up to me and saying something like, "You had this gospel the whole time and you didn't bother to come talk to me and share it with me?" I never want that to happen so I am trying my very best to talk with everyone and share my testimony!<br />
This past week we were able to teach quite a few good lessons and were able to meet with our progressing investigators Fernando and Alan. They are both so wonderful! I wish I had words to describe how much I love them! God has blessed us with some amazing people. On Tuesday we were able to have our investigator Fernando in a members home. We had an apt. in the home of our first counselor in the bishopric and it was really powerful. We taught him the word of wisdom, law of chastity, 10 commandments, & sabbath day! The spirit was so strong and he understood and accepted everything! A week prior, we asked him to pray about his baptism date, and he came to us this week with July 17th! It's in his phone and everything. He's even chosen the person who is going to baptize him and confirm him! It's Wonderful. We also have linger longer after church that day and it's enchilada style so he's even more pumped. We will have church, his baptism right after, and then linger longer after that! What a wonderful Sunday that is going to be. Fernando has been coming to church every week and has been keeping every commitment and it has been so fun to watch him exercise his faith. Just yesterday at church in gospel principles class he was commenting so much and sharing so many great things. Everyone who hadn't met him yet totally thought that he was a member. He is going to be such a great addition to the YSA ward. The bishopric and ward is super excited for him. He is such a solid guy and really has his life together and the singles ward really needs that. I guess most of the previous baptisms haven't been very strong converts and they have been dealing with a lot of less actives. We are really tying to avoid that and don't want to baptize them until they are really converted and committed to stay! Both Nicole and Fernando are amazing!! We have an appointment in President and Sister Alexander's home this week on Wednesday with Fernando and we are super excited! He has already met them a few times at the mission president's fireside so it will be really good to have him in their home and to be able to feel the spirit. President and Sister Alexander are amazing! They have a spirit about them that no one else has. Wednesday is going to be a really good day.<br />
Alan Ginger is our other solid investigator! He was the one that I talked about last week when we had that miracle lesson! Well, last night we had another miracle lesson!! We taught the plan of salvation and it went really well! Alan has been reading the Book of Mormon and has loved it! He said he hates reading, but for some reason, he is loving the book of Mormon and can't put it down. He really opened up to us and told us that he's been praying, and then all of the sudden mid-day, he gets his answers to his prayers. He has been feeling the spirit so strongly and is loving everything! He even called his Catholic parents and family back in Utah and told him he's been really investigating and wants to get baptized! So so so solid! The only hard part is that he is selling pest control, so we can only see him once, maybe twice a week, if we're lucky... So his progress is a bit slower.. But we'll take what we can get. He is coming to church every week and loves it. We invited him to pray about baptism and he committed to do so! At church yesterday he signed up on the meal calendar to feed us so we are super excited about that! He's not even a member yet and he's feeding the missionaries! We have 2 lessons set up with him this week and are hoping that that will increase his progress! Please continue to pray for him. He's just the sweetest little 18 year old and I know how much this will bless his life!<br />
We have a few other people we are working with, but they are still just at the beginning stages. We are super excited for the miracles we are seeing and the progress that we are seeing our investigators and recent converts make. I love this gospel so much! Speaking of recent converts.. Nicole is doing great!!! She has been at the beach for the past few days with her family and it's been really hard for her to be around such negativity, but she is just staying strong and continuing to hold to the rod. It was the cutest thing because we went over to her house the night before she left for the beach and she showed us a one piece swimsuit that she bought and told us how excited she was to wear it in front of her family. She also told us that she packed her Book of Mormon and anytime that her family is bothering her or trying to get her to drink, she is going to pull out her Book of Mormon! So great! She also surprised us by sending us a picture of her in front of the the Raleigh Temple! On her way down to the beach, she decided to stop and take a picture at the temple! Like what! Who does that?<br />
She is so solid! She is going to be making it down to the temple for our ward temple night in a few weeks and she is so excited. She is getting her calling next week and will be assigned as an FHE coordinator! She'll be so great. She isn't afraid to put herself out there and loves making new friends. She also told me that she's been thinking and praying about moving to Utah... That's exciting! She is still dating the bug boy from Utah and they are getting pretty serious! I am so excited. Literally she has been one the greatest blessings ever!<br />
This past week we had zone conference with President and Sister Alexander and another zone! It was fun being combined with another zone. I got to see the sisters that are serving in Waxhaw and they were able to fill me in on a lot of things and people! that made me super super happy. Sister Alexander also asked if a would play a special musical number at zone conference.. So of course I said yes. I decided to play a really neat version of Be Still my Soul. I only had a little bit of time to practice, but it ended up being really good. The spirit carried me through once again! :) Oh how I love that special gift. President Alexander trained a lot on the atonement and how we can apply it into our lives as missionaries, and into the lives of others. As a result of that, I've been thinking about my savior a lot and how in essence, we are doing everything he is doing and following him and doing exactly what he did. He was a spirit child before he came to earth and so were we. Then he came to earth to get a body, and so did we. Then he suffered here on earth, and so are we.<br />
(Him obviously WAY more than us, but we're still suffering.) He died and rose again on the third day, and so will we. He returned to his Heavenly Father, and so will we. EVERYTHING is because of him. I have been reminded of how amazingly lucky I am to know what I know and for the relationship that I have with my savior. I love him so much and am trying to do my best to put him first in all things and serve him with all of my heart, mind, might, and strength. He has done so much for me and I don't even know how I will ever be able to repay him. My heart is full of so much gratitude for him, for my life, for my family, and for my mission. So, today I'm going to share my thoughts with you about having a positive attitude and an attitude of gratitude!! Yay! Recently Sister Nunies and I have really been trying to work on having a positive attitude and being more grateful. The zone that we are in just kind of struggles in that department. We feel like everyone is just so down all of the time and never smiling. And well, we don't like that one bit! Sister Nunies is like one of the happiest people I've ever met and she just carries the brightest spirit with her! As we have improved on our positive attitudes, we have been able to see a lot of the other missionaries change and find joy in the work! Attitude is such an important part of the foundation upon which we build a productive life. In looking at our present attitude, we might ask: “Am I working to become my best self? Do I set worthy and attainable goals? Do I look toward the positive in life? Am I alert to ways that I can render more and better service? Am I doing more than is required of me?" Remember, a good attitude produces good results, a fair attitude fair results, and a poor attitude poor results. We each shape our own life, and the shape of it is determined largely by our attitude. George Bernard Shaw wrote: “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.”<br />
William James once said "Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind."<br />
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When I think about having a positive attitude, my thoughts are directly linked to my Uncle Mike, Joseph Smith, and our Savior Jesus Christ. Each of those individuals have had many many trials in their lives, but among them all, they have remained happy and positive. Why do you think that is? I think it is because they understand who they are and their responsibility to Heavenly Father. I think they are like that because they live the gospel of Jesus Christ every single day.<br />
They apply the atonement of Jesus Christ in their lives daily. They repent. They are selfless and put others before themselves. They are always serving and always striving to uplift others. They put themselves out there and weren't afraid to stand up for what they believe in. Yes, life is hard and we will all have struggles. But ultimately, WE GET TO CHOOSE what we do with those struggles and how we will respond.<br />
The adversary cannot make us do anything. He does lie at our door, as the scriptures say, and he follows us each day, but, every time we go out, every decision we make, we are either choosing to move in his direction or in the direction of our Savior. But the adversary must depart if we tell him to depart. He cannot influence us unless we allow him to do so, and he knows that! The only time he can affect our minds and bodies--our very spirits--is when we allow him to do so. In other words, we do not have to succumb to his enticements!<br />
Finally, remember our agency is not only for us. We have the responsibility to use it in behalf of others, to lift and strengthen others in their trials and tribulations. Some of our brothers and sisters have lost the full use of their agency through unrighteous choices, and we have the power and the ability to help influence and change them. One of my favorite quotes from Thomas S. Monson is, “So much in life depends on our attitude.… We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude.” I know that as we work on having a better attitude in ALL things, our gratitude for our Father in Heaven, ourselves, and others will increase.<br />
This past week I was rebuked hard core by the spirit. There was one day in particular this week that was really tough for me. I was just super down. Nothing was happening and all of our plans were falling through. It was 1 billion degrees outside and I was sweating so much.<br />
My legs and feet were hurting from walking and biking so much and I was getting sunburned. I was just kind of at my end. Then to top it off, our dinner appointment canceled and we really didn't have anything to do. I found myself pretty upset and frustrated that God would let us have a day like this. Then while we were walking, I said a prayer in my heart and the answer I got was a little bit interesting and now what I was expecting. The spirit said as clear as day, "Sister Worthington, you need to be more grateful." That was a pivotal moment in my life and will be one that I will remember forever. It hit me really strongly and really helped me refocus my thoughts and change my attitude. I have it so good. I started to really think about my life and think about how good I have it. I started to think about all the people that we were passing on the street who don't have anything. Who have such rough lives and who are just living with no purpose. I started to see how some people don't even have food to eat and clothes on their backs. And yet here I was complaining because it was hot and humid, and I was tired. It really slapped me in the face and I repented hard core that night. Since then, I have been trying to be more grateful and I have seen such a difference in my life. God has been helping me so much!!! I have such a strong testimony of gratitude!<br />
As I have worked on increasing my attitude, I have seen myself being more grateful. My prayers have been better and more full of thanks.<br />
Gratitude is not only an expression of faith; it is a saving principle. The Lord has said, “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments." It is clear to me from this scripture that to “thank the Lord thy God in all things” (D&C 59:7) is more than a social thing to do, it is a binding commandment that we have been asked to do. I also think the Lord loves, more than anything else, an unwavering person who is determined to obey his commands!! If being grateful is a commandment, we better do it!<br />
Well, I better start wrapping this up. I know it's getting long and y'all know that I could go on forever, but I better not. I just want to leave you with one of my favorite hymns this week that always lifts my spirits, kindles my faith, and inspires my thoughts.<br />
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. … So amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be discouraged; God is over all.<br />
Count your many blessings; angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.<br />
Life is great and I am working hard. I LOVE being a missionary. Were it not for the outpouring of the Spirit that I feel each day, I would have probably quit by now. It brings me joy and reminds me that the Atonement is carrying me. I am so grateful for where I am going, and I am so excited to continue to learn and grow. The Atonement is real and I need it every single day. I know and testify that the atonement can carry you as well. I want to invite y'all to work on having a better attitude of gratitude this week and acknowledging how good we truly do have it. I love you all SO much. Thanks for everything. I hope you have a great week and an amazing 4th of July. I am not sure if my P-day will be moved to Tuesday or not.. So I guess if you don't get an email from me on Monday, you'll know it's been moved! Have so much fun at the family reunion without me. I will be thinking of each one of you! LOVE LOVE LOVE you! Sending you all my love from Charlotte!<br />
Sister Worthington<br />
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<br /> This is Nicoles testimony that she wrote down and let me read! Ahhhh so precious. & then the other is just of me and my cute Hawaiian cheesing it up. :)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-82374738114972396452016-07-06T21:54:00.000-07:002016-07-06T21:54:23.234-07:00June 20, 2016~Joy Beyond Measure<br /><br />Hello my favorite people, <br /> How grateful I am for the opportunity I have, once again, to sit down and share some of my thoughts with you. My heart is so full of gratitude and joy this day and I hope that I can express what I'm truly feeling! First and foremost, I want to wish all the Fathers out there a Happy Father's Day! I hope that each of you had a wonderful day and that you could feel of the love that I have for you. Especially my own Papa T. I love you daddy! It was such a good day to be able to reflect on my own father, my Heavenly Father, and on all of the 'fatherly figures' that I have been blessed with in my life. I have too many to count! I am so grateful for all of your love, support, example, and influences that have gotten me to where I am at today. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for you. I was also reflecting on how much I love and respect President Craven and President Alexander. They have been my rock and "my father" while I've been out on my mission. I am so grateful for the love that I feel from them and the lessons that they have taught me. I will never be able to repay them for what they have given me. I love them both so dearly. I also want to thank everyone for all of the prayers on my behalf. This week we saw SO many car accidents and I just felt so grateful for all the people that are praying for me and my companion and our safety. It's really scary driving here and everyday I feel like I'm putting my life at stake, but then am reminded that I have all your prayers coming my way, and I really appreciate it. Keep them coming! <br /> This week was miraculous. Another one that I hope will never be forgotten. Some days I just have to pinch myself and make sure that this is all real life. A mission is sometimes too good to be true. This past district meeting was really powerful and my district leader said something that has really stuck with me all week long. He said, "A mission is the best kept secret." And oh how true that is. Until you serve a mission, you will have no idea what it really is. Not only how extremely difficult and hard it is, but how glorious and joyful it is. There has never been a time in my life where I have felt more happiness, more purpose, more strength, more confidence, more joy, more love, more hope, and more EVERYTHING good! It's amazing. But then again, there has never been a time in my life where I have felt more sadness, more confused, more weak, more down, more upset, more stressed, more fear, and more EVERYTHING bad! Haha, that's just how it goes. But, I am SO grateful that I have been able to be apart of one of the greatest kept secrets in the world! :) <br /> Monday through Saturday was decent. Just another week! In the mission we had a little bit of a change with our key indicators and the things that we will be reporting on each week to our leaders. We are now only focusing and reporting on baptisms & confirmations, investigators who have a baptism date, investigators who attend sacrament meeting, lessons that we have a member present at, and new investigators. Due to that change, Sister Nunies and I have really stepped up our game on inviting people to be baptized, focusing more on church attendance, and getting member presents! We have seen so many miracles as we have just focused on that. We used to teach so many "other lessons" each week, which are basically just lessons that we teach people on our own and through our own efforts, but we really stepped up our member present game this past week. We got a member out with us every single day and saw so much success!! It makes all the difference in the world. If you EVER get a chance to go out with the missionaries, TAKE IT PLEASE. You have no idea how much it helps us, and helps the investigators. We now have 3 individuals on date to be baptized in July, and we had 4 investigators come to church yesterday. Miracles are happening left and right in Charlotte. This transfer is going by way to fast too. Sister Nunies and I are freaking out. We cannot leave because so many good things are happening. Hopefully the Lord is going to answer our prayers haha. Anyways, we had a super successful week and it felt nice to really focus on what really matters and what will ultimately help these children of God make covenants with their Father in Heaven. <br /> Monday night was FHE and after that Nicole joined us in teaching a lesson to one of our investigators. Yes, she is on fire and LOVES teaching with us. Tuesday we did our community service all day and then taught a few lessons in the evening, all of which were member presents, so we had 4 in one day and that was just grand! Wednesday we had district meeting, decided to pull out the bikes, and saw many miracles. We talked to so many people and it was so much fun! Due to being in Charlotte, there are SO MANY PEOPLE outside just walking the streets. We would just go from bus stop to bus stop and stop and talk to the people. We would get off our bikes and would act like we were waiting for the bus to come, and then just share the gospel like crazy. Then when the bus would come, we would just act like we changed our mind and didn't need to take the bus anymore. Hahaha it was hilarious. But overall, we found bus stops super effective this past week, until we ran into our competitors, the Jehovah Witnesses, at one of the bus stops with their booth all set up. Yeah, that was awkward. But hey, they were jealous, so it was all good. :) Thursday was great, minus the fact that I woke up with really bad heartburn that lasted for 3 days. Anyways, over that now. We did service at the soup kitchen and met some new people. It was packed this week. I'm sure people just wanted to come inside and get some nice AC while enjoying a nice meal. It was really really hot on Thursday so I'm sure that's why we had so many people. It kept us busy though and we loved it! The pastor of the Lutheran church that we serve at also came up and talked to me a lot this week for some reason. I'm not sure why.. But we had a really good conversation and he just wanted to get to know me more and my plans for the future and everything. It was interesting and I was kind of creeped out at first, but, it ended up being really good and I was able to talk to him a lot about my mission! We then had a good weekly planning session and tried a few new things. Our zone leaders have really been emphasizing planning and how important that is. We came up with 5 p's of planning. "Proper planning prevents poor performance." How true that is. Not just with missionary work, but with life in general! I have also been working on really trying to plan, and then actually working that plan. President Alexander always says, "Plan to work and then work your plan." So many times as missionaries we plan to be somewhere or to see someone, but then end up doing something else or going somewhere else. When we plan, Heavenly Father is preparing people for us, and if we don't work our plan, we are missing out on opportunities. It's important that we plan ahead and then follow through because the Lord is preparing and he needs a little bit of time to do so! One night we just had NO idea where to go because all of our plans fell through, and it was raining SO HARD, and so we just decided to go try to see this less active since we really didn't have anything else to do and it was getting late. Well of course when we get there, she wasn't there. I was kind of frustrated because we just wasted some miles and some precious time, but then I quickly realized that it was our fault and that we didn't plan effectively the night before and that we didn't give the Lord time to prepare her. Of course she wasn't home. It was because we didn't give the Lord time to prepare her. I just expected her to be there and prayed right before we went to see her that she would be there, but I learned my lesson. Since then, we have been better planners and are becoming masters! <br /> Thursday night was super super good. We got to have a lesson with Fernando Aguilar. He was someone that was being taught by a different set of sisters, but he is YSA age, so he decided to come to our ward and FHE one week. He's been coming for about 3-4 weeks now, but we didn't really know what to do with him because he was still being taught by the other sisters. Well, the sisters finally got in touch with us and told us that they talked to Fernando and he wants to start coming to the YSA ward. They transferred his record over to us and we picked up where they left off and have been teaching him. Thursday night we taught him about tithing and fasting/fast offerings. It was AMAZING!! He is so prepared. He wants to get baptized on July 3rd and is 100% ready. He is 29 years old and is from Mexico! He has his life all put together and is just so solid. While we were teaching him, I could just see him being a future bishop or stake president. He's going to go far in the church, and will be a big contribution to his country. I'm just feeling really good things with him. He's been another HUGE miracle that was just handed to us. I feel so blessed and so humbled to be able to meet such amazing people and work with so many of God's children who are truly prepared to receive his Gospel. <br /> Friday was really good! Right after studies we drove down to Rock Hill, South Carolina and helped our lovely recent convert Nicole move out of her apartment. We also got to meet her father and her younger brother! It was amazing! We were all able to help her and then all went to lunch afterwards. They really opened up to us and I think have better views of the church. It was really good for them to see us as 'normal people' and to just get to know them better! Nicole has a few hard months ahead of her as she is moving back in with her parents, but I have full faith that it will all work out. She is crazy strong right now and God will take care of her. After helping her, we got back and pulled out the bikes again. We are in a full car area, but we just had so much fun and saw so many miracles on bikes the other day that we couldn't help but pull them out again! This time, we got a few #1's (aka the middle finger) and that created some good memories and some good laughs. Oh how we love people! We had a lesson with one of our progressing investigators named Nazea, and after our lesson, we played some pick up ball in our skirts! It was a blast! He's this huge 6'6 black kid and loves to play basketball. We got destroyed, obviously, but built some solid trust with him and had a good time. We finished the night off strong and slept well.<br /> Saturday was mediocre. We did a lot of finding and visiting former investigators. Most were home, but we weren't able to actually teach them. There were a few that we were grateful we at least met and put a face to the name, so that was good, but I wish we could've done some more teaching. We decided to pull out the bikes one more time for the week and rode around some parks and just hung out in the town! We taught our investigator Damon on his lunch break and was going to drop him because he wasn't keeping his commitment to come to church, but.... he exercised his faith and came to church for the first time!! So, we will not be dropping him anymore! The rest of the night was long, but that's just how Saturday nights go. It's so close to Sunday that it just seems to drag on. <br /> Sunday was probably one of the greatest days of my mission. OH MY GOODNESS. I swear, ever since I came to Charlotte, miracles just happen every Sunday. Sunday is our miracle day. Church was really good, but it was kind of hard having all the talks be centered on Father's Day, and not being able to be with my own daddy, AGAIN. One of the talks was really good and was given by a kid that I went to high school with, Brian Vaudrey. He is out here selling pest control for the Summer and he is a solid kid. I got over my emotions real fast though and moved on with the rest of the day. Besides having 4 investigators at church, we witnessed another miracle. Last Sunday all of the bug boys brought one of their friends to church. His name is Alan Ginger. He is from Orem, Utah and came out for the Summer to sale. He is not a member of the church and is surrounded by all of the other bug boys who are members. He had a good experience at church last week and decided to come again. We had dinner scheduled with some of the bug boys Sunday night and they came up to us and asked us if we could teach Alan the restoration after dinner. Of course we agreed and got super excited. 6:00 couldn't come any sooner! We had linger longer after church and that was really fun. Then we went and visited a few people before dinner, and then headed to dinner! <br /> BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE. We were just hanging out and eating dinner with 15 Rm's, mostly from Utah, and having a good time. Then it was time for our lesson. I'll admit, I was so nervous. I am usually not nervous to teach, especially the Restoration because we teach it SO MUCH, but for some reason, I was super scared. Probably because I was surrounded by 15 RM's. Talk about pressure!! We've never had 15 member presents in one lesson haha. I think Alan was a little bit overwhelmed as well, but he knew everyone and was used to hanging out with all of them, so I think it was okay. We all pulled some chairs into a circle and started the discussion with a prayer. Thankfully that invited the spirit. Then we began to teach the message of the Restoration. It was the best lesson I've ever been in, hands down. The spirit was SO strong that it brought me to tears. We had one member share the Joseph Smith story and as he was talking, the spirit bore witness to me that what he was sharing was 100% true. Alan really opened up and told us how he's been looking for more and wanting to find his faith, and he thinks he found it. After we finished the lesson, we asked him how he felt. He said he felt good. He felt different. And for the first time in his life, he felt truly happy. We pointed out that that feeling was the spirit. We then had a short discussion on the power of the Holy Ghost and how that is going to help him figure out if what we are sharing is true. We finished with a prayer and the spirit was SO REAL in that little apartment. You could tell that every single one of the people in the room was just beaming. We were all so excited and so happy because I think it'd been a long time since all of us have felt the that strongly. It was unreal. I wish each of you could've been there, or that I could've recorded it or something. Alan really wants to get baptized and loves what he is experiencing. We have another lesson with him on Saturday and I couldn't be more excited. Saturday couldn't come quicker. <br />On the ride home, Sister Nunies and I were full of so much joy. We talked about it for a few minutes, and then just rode home in silence for the rest of the ride home. We were listening to a talk by Elder Bednar and he was talking about Jesus Christ, and how he is the light of the world. It was talking about how through him, and because of him, we can be happy. We can find peace and joy ONLY through him. Tears started rolling down my cheeks as I had just witnessed the power of Christ touch someone's life. For the first time on my mission, I REALLY felt the powerful love that my Savior has for me. For the first time on my mission, I honestly had the thought that I NEVER want to go home. I never want to leave this place. I never want to remove my name tag. This is pure joy. More than just happiness. I have never felt myself so close to my Savior and have never felt closer to Heaven. I really felt like I left earth for a few minutes and was in my own little world with my Savior. I was overflowing with the spirit and with gratitude for the experience that I had just had. We got home, sent in our numbers, planned for the next day, and got ready for bed. I found myself on my knees for a good long while, basking in my own tears. A few other things happened that night, but due to how personal and sacred it is, I won't share it with you today. All I want you to know is that I KNOW that my Savior is real. I know that the Holy Ghost is real. I felt it and I watched it touch 16 other people that night. It was a feeling that I will never be able to deny, and something that I will defend until the day I die. Best night of my mission. I'll leave it at that. <br />Okay, sorry this is getting long. I'm getting emotional just writing about my experiences this week. Now I'll share with you some things I learned. :) This week my studies were in 3 Nephi 12, and all about the Beatitudes. In the book of Matthew, Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount to encourage His disciples to strive toward perfection with full purpose of heart. Following His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the Book of Mormon people in the Western Hemisphere and again delivered this sermon.<br /><br />President James E. Faust once said, “The Savior’s transcendent message in the Sermon on the Mount is of burning-bush importance to all of us. This message needs to penetrate into our hearts and souls. As we accept this message, we are taking our personal stand in this life." The Sermon on the Mount as contained in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon is the Lord’s blueprint for perfection. President Harold B. Lee said, “Christ came not only into the world to make an atonement for the sins of mankind but to set an example before the world of the standard of perfection of God’s law and of obedience to the Father. In his Sermon on the Mount the Master has given us somewhat of a revelation of his own character, which was perfect, or what might be said to be ‘an autobiography, every syllable of which he had written down in deeds,’ and in so doing has given us a blueprint for our own lives."<br />Beatitude means “‘to be fortunate,’ ‘to be happy,’ or ‘to be blessed'"and the dictionary defines the word as “a state of utmost bliss." Such words describe the results when we apply the teachings of this beautiful sermon! Rather than being isolated statements, the Beatitudes are interrelated and progressive in their arrangement. I found it very interesting that they are put in the order that they are put in! I know that they are that way for a reason. The Beatitudes truly embody the “constitution for a perfect life." The first four have to do with our individual selves, and then the last four have to do with man’s social relations with others. <br />3 Nephi 12:3. “Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit Who Come unto Me”<br />The poor in spirit, of course, means those who are spiritually needy, who feel so impoverished spiritually that they reach out with great yearning for help. “Every one of us, if we would reach perfection, must one time ask ourselves this question, ‘What lack I yet?’ if we would commence our climb upward on the highway to perfection." I loved that question "What lack I yet?" And have pondered it many times. We all have the responsibility to come unto our Savior and turn to him. <br />3 Nephi 12:4. “Blessed Are All They That Mourn” <br />The Beatitudes are a recipe for righteousness with incremental steps, beginning with the poor in spirit who come unto Christ and then the next step in the celestial direction is to mourn, especially for our sins, and to have godly sorrow, for that worketh repentance to salvation. After we have made the decision to come unto Christ, it is important that we mourn and that we truly have the desire to change. <br />3 Nephi 12:5. “Blessed Are the Meek"<br />The dictionary defines meek as “enduring injury with patience and without resentment." To be meek is to be teachable. Those who are willing to listen can learn much. Those who are unwilling to listen deny themselves great blessings. Humble and meek suggest virtues, not weaknesses. They suggest a consistent mildness of temper and a willingness to learn and grow. "How does one get humble? To me, one must constantly be reminded of his dependence. On whom dependent? On the Lord. How remind one’s self? By real, constant, worshipful, and grateful prayer." We must be humble and willing to change and repent. We must be humble to accept our faults and our weaknesses, and be willing to learn and grow from them. <br />3 Nephi 12:6. “Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness” <br />While serving in the general Relief Society presidency, Sister Sheri L. Dew explained the connection between desire (hungering and thirsting) and action, or the ability to work to achieve the desired results. “Our ability to hear spiritually is linked to our willingness to work at it. President Hinckley has often said that the only way he knows to get anything done is to get on his knees and plead for help and then get on his feet and go to work. That combination of faith and hard work is the consummate curriculum for learning the language of the Spirit. The Savior taught, ‘Blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost’. Hungering and thirsting translate to sheer spiritual labor. Worshiping in the temple, repenting to become increasingly pure, forgiving and seeking forgiveness, and earnest fasting and prayer all increase our receptivity to the Spirit. Spiritual work works and is the key to learning to hear the voice of the Lord." After we have repented, we must try our very best to continue to fill our lives with righteous things. We must constantly immerse ourselves in the scriptures and meaningful prayers. We must serve our fellow men and be examples of the believers at all times and in all things. <br />3 Nephi 12:8. “Pure in Heart”<br />"To be without guile is to be pure in heart, an essential virtue of those who would be counted among true followers of Christ. …“If we are without guile, we are honest, true, and righteous. These are all attributes of Deity and are required of the Saints. Those who are honest are fair and truthful in their speech, straightforward in their dealings, free of deceit, and above stealing, misrepresentation, or any other fraudulent action. Honesty is of God; dishonesty of the devil, who was a liar from the beginning. Righteousness means living a life that is in harmony with the laws, principles, and ordinances of the gospel." I think is one of the most important ones. Virtue and purity is so important, especially in these latter days. Being pure in heart will be the test if we have truly repented and have truly forsaken all of our sins and have committed to the Lord that we are willing to follow him in all things. <br />3 Nephi 12:9. Peacemakers<br />“Coming unto Jesus Christ as the ‘Prince of Peace’ is the pathway to peace on earth and goodwill among men. Elder Bruce R. McConkie described how to become a peacemaker: “Peacemakers: In the full sense, only those who believe and spread the fulness of the gospel are peacemakers within the perfect meaning of this Beatitude. The gospel is the message of peace to all mankind. Children of God: Those who have been adopted into the family of God as a result of their devotion to the truth. By such a course they become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ." Once you have attained this complete attribute of Christ, you will be one with Christ and will be on your way to perfection. <br />3 Nephi 12:48. “I Would That Ye Should Be Perfect”<br />It is not possible to be perfect in this life. However, President James E. Faust explained that we must seek for perfection now so as to be able to attain it in the next life. “Perfection is an eternal goal. While we cannot be perfect in mortality, striving for it is a commandment which ultimately, through the Atonement, we can keep." We will not be exalted, we shall not reach our destination, unless we are perfect, and now is the best time in the world to start toward perfection! <br />I hope that each of us are taking this sacred time on earth to prepare to meet our Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father and are working towards being perfect, as they are. I know that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and our Savior and our Exemplar who will direct us along the right path that leads to exaltation. There is a reward, but it must be earned and we must do our part. Perfection is our goal and can be achieved as we are working on living the beatitudes and applying them in our lives. I am really going to work hard this week on those beatitudes. Will you work with me? <br />I LOVE THIS GOSPEL. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. It is the greatest calling in the entire world. Hitting my 15 month mark this past week was the hardest thing ever. Time is going by way to quickly and I never want this to end. I am so excited to see everyone, but will be so sad when I have to leave this place that I have come to call home. I love North Carolina, and I love the people here. I know this gospel is true and I know that the Savior is with us all the way. Turn to him and do all that you can to STRIVE to become like him, and you will be blessed. <br />I hope you each have a good week. Thank you for your prayers and your support. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for any of you. Keep working hard and trusting in our perfect Lord and Savior. He knows you. He is here for you. He will help you. And he can heal you. LET HIM! <br />I love you all! Talk to you in seven! Xo<br />Sister Kyla Worthington <br /><br /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-90000663321631020302016-06-18T02:13:00.002-07:002016-06-18T02:13:27.629-07:00June 13, 2016Hi family!<br /><br />How is everyone! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a good week. I am<br />so grateful for the opportunity that I have to sit down and write to<br />y'all today. It's been quite a week. To be honest, I am mentally,<br />physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. Missions really<br />take a toll on you I've decided. My feet kill. My back hurts all the<br />time. It's just a struggle. But, I'm grateful for every trial and<br />especially grateful that sisters only serve for 18 months. I don't<br />think our bodies could take any longer. :) God definitely knew what he<br />was doing. Plus, the elders just need an extra 6 months anyways, so it<br />all works out. It's always nice when Monday comes around and when I<br />get to sit down and relax for a few hours. I am grateful that Heavenly<br />Father gave us preparation days.<br />This week was just another week. So many things happen each day that<br />when I try to reflect back on what happened, it's just all a big blur.<br />So many things happen everyday that it's just hard to keep track. I<br />guess the most exciting news of the week was seeing our lovely Nicole<br />get confirmed yesterday! It was so magical. She had a really rough<br />week and Satan was definitely trying to snatch her, but of course, she<br />remained strong and faithful and received the Holy Ghost. It was a<br />beautiful experience. Every time the words "receive the Holy Ghost"<br />are uttered, a beautiful feeling comes over me and reminds me of my<br />own baptism day. I am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost that<br />I have. It's one of my bestest friends. I hope each of you feel the<br />same way about that special gift that we have been given. Nicole was<br />absolutely glowing and beaming all day. She is so happy and so proud<br />to be a member of the church. Everyone is just clinging to her and<br />bringing her in. My YSA ward is really great and I've met some amazing<br />people and have formed some amazing friendships. I am so excited to<br />see Nicole tonight at FHE . The more I see her, the happier I am.<br />She's just my kind of person. Another one of those people that I just<br />cannot wait for you to meet. I've already told her all about you guys<br />and she is excited too! Thanks so much for keeping her in your<br />prayers! She was my miracle!<br />We were able to do a lot of community service this past week and that<br />definitely filled my spiritual bucket. During the day from 10-4, we<br />are really slow and are having a hard time! No one is home because all<br />of the singles are working. President encouraged us to fill some of<br />those day time hours with service! It's been such a blessing and we<br />have seen tons of miracles come. This past week we scheduled a service<br />project with our YSA ward and went to a place called Second Harvest<br />Food Bank. All of us got together in this giant warehouse and sorted<br />through so much food and had a blast! We went through this big<br />orientation process and learned how to determine good food verses bad<br />food, and then we either threw out the bad, or placed the good in<br />their labeled bins. I was heart broken at how much food we had to<br />waste. Oh my goodness! I was just thinking about all my babies in<br />Haiti who would die to have all of the food that we were throwing<br />away. If any of the cans were dented or if the boxes were ripped or<br />anything, we had to toss it out. Anyways, it was a really neat<br />experience for us and really brought us closer to our ward family.<br />Serving definitely brings unity. When I get home I really want to do<br />more community service by myself, and as a family. So many blessings<br />come! Christ said it is more blessed to give than to receive, and I<br />have seen that to be very true! (Acts 20:35)<br />We were able to meet a few new people and teach quite a few lessons.<br />Some of which were really good, and some of which were not all that<br />great. We had a really good zone meeting and the theme was "GOLD." We<br />talked about how we can find the golden investigators, like Nicole,<br />that God is preparing. We talked a lot about visions, goals, and<br />plans, and how as we are working diligently and planning effectively,<br />we will be led to those who are searching for the truth. I have such a<br />strong testimony that God really is preparing his children, but it<br />takes a lot of faith and effort on our part to find them. That's the<br />challenge. We are meeting tons of great people, but I don't know how<br />elect and golden they are. I guess if anything, it's another contact<br />with the church and one day they will be ready to accept the gospel.<br />However, we do have a few people that we are working with who we<br />really feel are "golden" and we are excited for their progress!<br />Damon is our next potential. He is doing so great! He's just the<br />cutest little thing. This past week we were able to teach him the plan<br />of salvation and brought two members with us. We used the little<br />cutouts and he loved them! He was saying things and answering<br />questions and it just seemed like he was already a member. That's when<br />you know they are elect, when they are saying the right things and<br />it's all making sense to them. He absolutely loved the plan of<br />salvation and accepted a baptismal date of July 3rd! We are so<br />excited! We are really praying that he can be our next baptism. I have<br />great faith in him. He was found by Elder and Sister Garlick and I<br />know that they were supposed to meet him that day at the grocery<br />store. I love how intertwined God's hand is in our lives.<br />Just yesterday we witnessed so many miracles. We definitely saw the<br />tender mercies of the Lord. Sunday's always bring the biggest<br />miracles. Not only did Nicole get confirmed, but we had four<br />investigators at church! The members are really stepping up their<br />game. I think since they all experienced Nicole's baptism, it got them<br />all excited and they have such a greater desire to do missionary work.<br />Everyone had a spark go off inside of them or something! Two of the<br />investigators that came have been working with some other sisters in a<br />different area, but are YSA age and want to start coming to our ward.<br />They are coming to FHE tonight and I am super excited. They are<br />Hispanic, but they speak English really well. They want to get<br />baptized in July and I am really excited for their progress. They also<br />came to the mission presidents fireside a few weeks ago and really<br />enjoyed that. They are "golden." I can just feel it. The other two<br />investigators that came are just friends of the members and they both<br />agreed to start meeting with us. I'm telling you, church brings so<br />many miracles. If you could just get people to attend church, the<br />spirit will touch their hearts and most of them end up wanting to hear<br />more. I am super excited for this week and for the lessons that we<br />already have set up. That always makes it nice when we have set<br />lessons. I think it's going to be a really good week. I'm just feeling<br />it. So hot and so humid, but we got this. I may or may not die of heat<br />exhaustion, so you best keep me in your prayers please. Oh also,<br />Charlotte driving is CRAZY and we almost died like 10 times this week<br />so if you could pray that we are safe, that would be really great!<br />Thanks!<br />As my subject stated, I decided to attempt surgery on myself again<br />haha. This past week my toe started kind of acting up again and so I<br />decided to try to fix it. I think I'm super nervous to go to the<br />doctor and get shots and get it checked out because of all of the<br />horror stories that I've heard, but I may just need to humble myself<br />and do it before they have to end up like cutting my whole toe off<br />haha. I think I really succeed this time, but if it comes back again,<br />I have to give in and go. I can't afford to have it hurt on my<br />mission. Not happening. So, you can pray for that as well haha.<br />Well, let's see, sorry this is super all over the place. I've been<br />starting and stopping this email a lot today. We are at the church<br />playing basketball and someone brought a guitar... And I've been a<br />little bit distracted. :) I'll try to wrap this up with some of the<br />things that I've learned this week and hopefully leave y'all with a<br />little spiritual thought.<br />Lately I have been thinking a lot about faith, and a lot about<br />blessings. Saturday night Sister Nunies and I got a call around 9 pm<br />and got asked to teach RS last minute. Of course we said yes, and we<br />ended up planning a short lesson. It was on the law of tithing. As we<br />really started studying and thinking about it, it made me realize how<br />important it is that we ACT first, before the blessing comes. I gained<br />such a strong testimony of tithing and that's what I kind of wanted to<br />just briefly share with you today.<br />Tithing is an ancient, divine law. It has been given to us since the<br />very beginning of time. It shouldn't be something that is shocking or<br />new to us. It's been a commandment from the very beginning and it is<br />first mentioned in Genesis. The Lord gave the law of tithing. If we<br />follow his law, we prosper, but when we find what we think is a better<br />way, we meet failure. Why would you risk not paying tithing? You<br />basically would just be setting yourself up for failure. Whomever<br />rejects the law of the tithe is the man who has not given it a fair<br />try. President Hunter once said, "A testimony of the law of tithing<br />comes from living it." You must try it.<br />He also said, "If one thoughtfully observes the proselyting done by<br />the missionaries, the teaching program of the Church, the great<br />educational system, and the building program to erect houses of<br />worship, there will come a realization that it is not a burden to pay<br />tithing, but a great privilege." As I started thinking about that, I<br />started thinking about all of the things that we get to use and that<br />we have, and a lot of it is because of the tithing that the faithful<br />members pay. When Elder Zwick came to our mission, he said that a<br />temple in Charlotte would be built, if we could get more faithful<br />tithing payers here. We have so much work to do!<br />"Pay an honest tithing. This eternal law, revealed by the Lord and<br />practiced by the faithful from the ancient prophets down to the<br />present, teaches us to put the Lord first in our lives. We may not be<br />asked to sacrifice our homes or our lives, as was the case with the<br />early Saints. We are challenged today to overcome our selfishness. We<br />pay tithing because we love the Lord, not because we have the means to<br />do so. We can expect that the Lord will open “the windows of heaven”<br />(Malachi 3:10) and shower down blessings upon the faithful. We cannot<br />afford to deny ourselves these blessings. We cannot afford not to pay<br />our tithing. What we give, and how we give, and the way we meet our<br />obligations to the Lord has eternal significance."<br />I want to just invite each of you to make a greater effort to pay an<br />honest tithe. I promise you will be blessed. It has been really hard<br />being on my mission and not being able to experience the blessings<br />that have come from tithing. I have really tired to pay a really good<br />fast offering to make up for those blessings and I have seen the<br />increase! I promise that it's worth paying a generous fast offering as<br />well!<br />If you are struggling to pay your tithing or struggling with anything<br />else, immerse yourself in the very things that helped build your core<br />of faith: you exercise faith in Christ, you pray, you ponder the<br />scriptures, you repent, you keep the commandments, and you serve<br />others.<br />In Ether 12:6, it reads, "And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat<br />concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is<br />things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not<br />because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of<br />your faith." TRY IT! TRY paying tithing and you will see the blessings<br />come!!<br />I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! I hope you have a great week!! Sending you<br />all my love!<br /><br />Sister WorthingtonUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-67555083769902327772016-06-07T02:17:00.000-07:002016-07-06T21:48:05.078-07:00June 7, 2016happy june!<br />
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Hi family & friends!<br />
Another week down. Another month down. It's officially Summer here in North Carolina! Ah! It's hot & humid! This past week we have had some crazy rainstorms and it's increased the humidity quite a bit. I thought that I would have been adjusted to it by now, but apparently not. I feel so sweaty and gross all the time, but I guess it's keeping my skin moisturized. Haha. We'll just go with that. :) I apologize in advance for this shorter email... The lovely elders in our district convinced Sister Nunies and I to go to this trampoline park and jump for hours... And as a result, it took up most of our emailing time. I will try my best to type as fast as I can. I'll probably do more of an Elder Parkinson style email. :)<br />
It's been an amazing week. So much happened. So much we had to do. But oh so many smiles & tears. I hope each of you had a good week and I hope you could each feel my prayers.<br />
Last Monday we just hung out with the district and messed around!<br />
After preparation day was over, we didn't end up having FHE with the ward due to Memorial Day, so instead, we went and saw two new investigators that we found the previous week. They are pretty fun guys... But we aren't so sure that they are interested for the right reasons. Dang boys! I guess we will just have to see if they really keep their commitments and actually come to church. That seems to be the big test. They say they're interested... But then again.. I don't really always feel that sometimes. The spirit is pretty good at letting me know. I'd say that my spirit of discernment has gotten really good on the mission. :) God helps us find the elect and helps tell us if they aren't elect. Anyways, it was a good day and we got one lesson, so we can't complain. :)<br />
Tuesday was great. Woke up and did our normal routine.. And then we went and did service for 4 hours at the Matthews HELP center. I am loving that place more and more each week. It's been so fun serving there and we have been able to have some amazing experiences come from it. So many people recognize us and ask us questions. So many people have been so shocked that we are out serving in the community and not just knocking on doors. Obviously they just don't understand everything that we do. :) After service we had an apt to rush to at the church. Well, due to Charlotte traffic (which is the worst thing in the world btw) we ended up being 15 minutes late to our apt with our cute new investigator named Damon. (Start praying for him.. He's our next baptism.) However, we totally forgot that transfers were still going on at the church, so our cute little investigator was greeted by all the departing missionaries and all of the brand new missionaries. He sat down and ate lunch with everyone and had a great chat with President and Sister Alexander! By the time we got there, he was basically prepared for our lesson! We went downstairs and taught him the message of the Restoration and it was incredible. This kid is amazing!!! He has such a desire to learn and is another person who is so prepared. He's just a young guy and wants to be surrounded by better people. He said he just loved how happy and nice everyone was and the way that he was feeling. We were praying that he wasn't overwhelmed by everything going on.. But he really seemed to love it and was so excited to meet with us again. He is great and we are so excited to see where he goes. We have an apt. With him this Wednesday and will set a baptism date! Then, the highlight of Tuesday was seeing my Sister Cottis one last time! Ah!!! I thought that I wasn't going to be able to see her again... But when I saw her, we ran and embraced for a solid 5 minutes. We just cried in eachother's arms and it was one of the most sacred experiences on my mission. I have come to love that girl so much. I know I talk about her all the time.. But really. I love her. It was the hardest thing to let her go and watch her leave this wonderful mission. She has done so much for the mission and has made such an impact and will forever be remembered! I was a little thrown off the rest of the night due to seeing her.. But it was exactly what I needed. She emailed me this week and is doing well, and so I am happy. :) We had a great dinner appointment with a less active and had some real authentic Mexican food. It was heavenly. I'm telling you.. The food here in Charlotte is dangerous. Ahhhh. So good. Ended the night with seeing a few others and successfully planned and went to bed.<br />
Wednesday was just Wednesday. I'd say that it's the hardest day of the week. Right in the middle.. Nothing going on.. It's kind of a struggle. Thankfully, our district all got together and went to a really neat park! We did service for a few hours and picked lots of weeds and picked up lots of trash. Fun! It's amazing how much I have come to LOVE doing service and service projects. I don't know if it's just because it gets us out of door knocking and finding all day in the heat, or if it's just because I have come to love service because it fills my own bucket. I don't know, either way, I'm happy! We got 16 hours of community service this week combined, and I loved every second of it. We had a great district lunch afterwards and got to pass the huge nascar speedway on our drive there. That was pretty exciting! I cannot wait to bring the family back. It's incredible! We had a few appointments afterwards, but of course, they all fell through. Darn! It's okay though, we picked ourselves up and kept trucking along. It's amazing how fast you learn to get over things. We had a great dinner with some college kids and basically just tried to find people the rest of the night. We got to Skype Nicole for a solid hour and teach her a lesson over Skype because she was out of town, and that was really fun! I LOVE HER! That put us at 9:00 and it was time to plan and get ready for bed. Great day!<br />
Thursday was wonderful! We did our weekly service at the soup kitchen and then had interviews with President and Sister Alexander. I totally didn't know we were having interviews. We found out late Wednesday night. I swear I just had interviews with President. It was crazy!!!<br />
AH! I love him so much. We had a really neat interview and I will forever be grateful for those precious 20 minutes each transfer. He is truly a man of God and just has so much to offer. Another person that I cannot wait for you to meet. I learn so much from him and am so grateful to be so close to him. I love serving in Charlotte! Speaking of the Alexander's, this week we are bringing an investigator to the mission home and are teaching them in their house! I am so excited. I have never been to the new mission home yet, and have never taught a lesson with President and Sister Alexander. They have SO MUCH power and I am just so excited for our investigator to feel of the spirit that is in their home. I've heard wonderful things about it! We did our typical weekly planning session and then had to go to dinner. We had dinner with a returning member named Maxine, and she invited her non-member cousin to dinner. It was a super positive experience and we ended up spending a little bit more time with them than our typical hour, but it was totally worth it. We built some solid trust and had some solid girl talk. It was much needed. That's definitely the bonus of serving in the YSA ward. You get to talk to people your age and "be real" for a little while. It's great! We had to drive home before we turned into pumpkins and then had to plan! Such a wonderful day. I wish we could've taught more lessons... But sometimes you just have days that are full of so much stuff that you just don't have time to go out and find & teach!<br />
Friday was fantastic! Oh my goodness. So much fun! We were pretty busy all morning and afternoon with appointments and finding time. We were trying to go contact a less active that we have never met before and we knocked on the door, and someone else answered. It was this sweet girl named Nikki. She said she just moved in a few weeks earlier and that the person that we were looking for moved two doors down. There was no doubt in my mind that we were supposed to knock on her door.<br />
She was so kind and invited us right in. We had a good chat with her and she wants to come check out the church sometime. It was also a miracle that she was a YSA. We don't find those very often just by knocking on doors. It was a big miracle. The less active we were looking for wasn't even home.. So it ended up working out great. We didn't have a dinner appointment that night so we just grabbed a snack and decided to keep on working! Being a Friday night, we decided to go to uptown Charlotte! Oh my goodness! It was a blast. Sister Nunies and I just walked the streets of Charlotte and were in complete heaven. The sun was going down and there was a beautiful sunrise and seeing the city just made it perfect! We talked to lots of different people and saw quite a few interesting things. This one guy was skateboarding and stopped us and asked who we were. We ended up having a 45 minute discussion with him right on the streets in Charlotte. He is so wonderful! Such a fun guy and interested in learning more. That was another miracle of the day. Before we knew it, it was time to go home. It was the fastest 2 hours of my life! We were having so much fun and it just flew by. It kind of made me sad because sometimes I wish I could just be home on a Friday night walking the streets and shopping with my friends, but I'm grateful that I was able to enjoy this beautiful city and serve at the same time! Such a good day.<br />
Saturday was the most stressful day of my life. Not kidding. Oh my goodness. I'm not even sure I should write about this day haha. In the morning, we had a mission wide conference call and learned a lot from President and Sister Alexander. They mostly prepared us for the Summer weather and just encouraged us to keep working hard, even though it'll be hard and super hot! Then we met up with the Spanish sisters in our zone and went to teach a YSA that they met. He was SO amazing, but came to find out, he was married and had a kid and they had no idea. They just met him at a gas station so they just thought he was a single guy. Well, we had a great lesson, but ended up having to refer him to the other missionaries! Oh well! Still great! Then we went back to the same park that we did service at earlier in the week, and we did some more service. I guess each year this park has a big rubber duck race and so there were tons of booths and tons of things going on, and we just helped with whatever they needed us too! It was pretty fun, and would definitely be a great family reunion activity. The duck thing was sooooo great. I'll have to tell y'all about it another time.<br />
Then, we still hadn't even done Nicole's baptism program because not everyone had gotten back to us. That was a struggle. YSAs are great... But struggle with accountability. We rushed to the library and had 30 minutes to make a program. Talk about stress. Somehow I remembered all my crappy computer skills that I have, and we ended up making it work out! Our ward mission leader is great, but is obsessed with the gym and working out, so he doesn't have time for us. It's a constant struggle haha. Oh well, love the kid to death. We then met some bug boys (guys out here selling pest control for the summer) at the church for dinner and had a good time with them. They're great! Then our District leader showed up, and then Nicole showed up! YAY!! She got interviewed and passed with flying colors! Of course! She is the cutest thing. She was just so excited and couldn't wait for her interview. That took up the rest of the night and then we headed home and went to bed. It was raining soooooo hard, so I definitely slept well. :) today I just learned that God really does have a plan for everyone and that Nicole really needed to get baptized. It all just fell right into place so perfectly. I don't know how we did it and got everything done, but somehow we did. I know that if it wasn't supposed to have happened, God wouldn't have let it, but it did, so obviously it was supposed too. I know there is no way that we could've done it without him.<br />
SUNDAY WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. Not only was it fast Sunday and not only did I get to partake of the sacrament, but... As I'm sure you saw on FB, Nicole got baptized after church and it was so amazing. I literally have no words to describe how perfect the day was. The chapel was completely full and we had so much support. Her boyfriend ended up baptizing her and as I was waiting in the bathroom for her to come out, I watched her walk up the stairs after she was baptized and she just was crying and had tears running down her cheeks. Talk about a little piece of heaven. There is nothing greater than seeing that, especially as a missionary. It was such a tender moment that I will never forget. Probably the most significant things on my mission. It was heaven. Literally. Sister Nunies was outside on the outside of the font, so she wasn't in the bathroom with me, so it was literally Nicole and I locking eyes, and it was incredible. Wish you could've been there. Wow! So powerful! She is getting confirmed next Sunday and I know that'll be a special day as well! I LOVE BAPTISMS! It was great. After her baptism we all went to her boyfriends apartment and had a huge cookout at the pool! Ahhhh so fun! It was kind of weird being in that environment, especially on a Sunday, but she really wanted us there, and we went with our ward mission leader and decided that it would be okay to support her. She also had 2 of her non member friends come and support her so that was really good to meet them as well. While we were all eating, Nicole got a text from her mom that said, "Really Nicole? I cannot believe you posted that picture on Facebook. The whole family is calling us and freaking out. We cannot believe you got baptized. Wow." She read that text out loud to us and I couldn't help but just want to cry. It was so sad. Her family has all turned on her, but she was totally okay and took it like a champ. She just said, "Well hey! I have a new family now who loves and support me." It was amazing. She is so strong. I don't know how she's doing it. I love her so much!!! After that hang out, we went back to the church for another dinner, (all we ever do is eat. Ugh) and then we had the mission President's fireside! That was incredible! I got asked last minute to play the piano for a musical number, so of course I did that, and then was able to just relax and feel the spirit! Those meetings are always the best. They are for the missionaries to bring their investigators, recent converts, and less actives! President speaks, and then a recent convert speaks as well. It's a wonderful meeting! :) We were spiritually drained and we're ready for bed. I definitely slept well Sunday night. Such a good day. Went to bed super duper happy.<br />
Well, I have to get running, but that was basically my week in a nutshell! Super good & super fun! I love being a missionary. I love this gospel with my whole heart and soul. Just last week Robert emailed me and told me that he got asked to speak in the Winston Salem Stake Conference next week in front of a general authority! Talk about amazing! I am so proud of him and know that he will do great. It's been so amazing emailing him and seeing him progress in the gospel.<br />
Ah! Love love love love it! Keep him in your prayers. I hope you each have a great week and know that I am thinking about you and love you lots!! Cannot wait to see you. Let me know if you need anything!<br />
Sending all my love your way!! Xo talk to ya in seven!<br />
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Happy Birthday Corrie Beth!! I love you!<br />
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Sister Kyla Worthington<br />
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<br /><br />From FACEBOOK POST June 7, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sistererica.nunies">Sister-Erica Nunies</a> with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nicole.harrison.338">Mary Nicole</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kyla.worthington">Sister-Kyla Worthington</a> at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Church-of-Jesus-Christ-of-Latter-Day-Saints/115710041784284">Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=241169602932253&set=a.199839773731903.1073741829.100011176448915&type=3">June 7 at 11:28am</a> · <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charlotte-North-Carolina/105715936129053">Charlotte, NC</a> · <br />I want to congratulate our girl, Nicole Harrison on her decision to get baptized this past Sunday! I am so happy and proud of you. It has been amazing to see the life changes you have made and the strong person you have become over the last couple of weeks. Thank you for letting us be part of your special day. Congratulations again girl, we love you!<br />"All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and … have truly repented of all their sins … shall be received by baptism into his church" (D&C 20:37).</div>
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Kyla's Post on Facebook June 7, 2016</div>
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"Before I die..." Is a very powerful statement. My companion & I came across this wall in downtown Charlotte and it made a big impression on me. It was amazing to see what others said they wanted to do before they die and return home. It made me think of the scripture Alma 34:32. "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." Before I die, I hope to be able to prepare myself to meet my Heavenly Father by living righteously and being who I was created to be.💛<div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-6278181445120503872016-06-06T02:36:00.001-07:002016-06-06T02:36:16.870-07:00May 30, 2016~We're planning a BaptismWe're planning a baptism!!!<br />Hi my cute people, <br />How is everyone? Is it really already Monday again? This week flew by. I hope you all had a great week and hope everyone is enjoying the beginning days of Summer! It sounds like many of the cousins have graduated and that life is just moving so quickly! I am happy to hear that things are going well and that you are all safe, happy, and healthy. I pray for each of you daily and hope that you can feel my prayers and my love for you! :) <br />After my last weeks email and after my really tough week, God blessed me with an amazing week and with happy spirits! This week was absolutely amazing! Sister Nunies and I saw so many miracles. I guess the biggest and most exciting news is that Sister Nunies and I get to stay another transfer together in the Charlotte area. I kind of realized that I forgot to tell you last week that it was transfers... But I just kind of assumed that I wasn't going to be transferred so I didn't say anything to you. And needless to say, that was the case! We are staying and I couldn't be more grateful. I have really grown to love my companion and have just had a blast with her. She is the most easy going, fun-loving person that I've ever met. There is just something about them Polynesians. :) I love her though and we are creating a lasting bond and an eternal friendship. Mission companions are the best. This past transfer was the fastest one of my whole mission. I swear we just got together and just came into this area. I don't know if it was because we were whitewashing and so it just went so fast.. Or what, but all I know is that it was the fastest 6 weeks of my entire life. It was over in a blink of an eye. The thought of only having 3 more transfers Kills me. That is not enough time. We have so much work to do it's not even funny! <br />The second biggest item of exciting news is that our lovely Nicole Harrison is getting baptized this Sunday, June 5th! You have no idea how big of a miracle this has been. I think I briefly mentioned her last week in my email.. But had no idea that everything was going to fall into place so perfectly and that we would be planning a baptism so quickly. It's going to be a busy, eventful week! I'm going to need some more prayers haha. Sister Nunies and I are a little bit stressed. As I mentioned last week, Nicole came to church and we set up an appointment to meet with her. Well, we met with her and had an amazing lesson and ended up staying at her house for 2+ hours talking about the gospel. To make a long story short, we taught her basically every single day this last week and finished teaching her her last lesson yesterday after church. This never ever ever happens. We taught her EVERYTHING in one week! What! She was keeping every single commitment that we were extending to her and she was even going above and beyond what we were asking her to do. She never wanted us to leave because she just wanted to keep learning more. She has a full notebook of notes and she is already half way done with the Book of Mormon. I have never ever ever in my entire life seen someone so prepared to receive the gospel. She came to church again yesterday and had a very powerful experience. One of the members of our bishopric pulled her aside and chatted with her and was just so impressed with the changed person that she is. <br />She just kept telling us about how happy this has already made her and how she hasn't had a desire to drink or party or do some of the things that she used to do in her previous lifestyle. She says she already feels better physically and mentally and has just been so so happy. She keeps saying that she just doesn't know how to explain it! We totally get what she means. :) As Mormons, we just stand out and are so happy. Anyways, she is getting baptized in 6 days and it will probably be one of the best days of my life. I have gotten SO close to her already and she is already talking about moving to Utah and rooming with me, and she is going to help me get through hygiene school. Literally, that's how close of friends we've become. It's great. It just goes to show how God truly does prepare his children and that he has a plan for each and everyone of us. We may not know and understand his timing, but, he really does have something specifically in mind for each one of us. Sister Nunies and I did nothing. This was all through the hand of the Lord. Nicole did her part, and he is blessing her like he promised. It's been such a beautiful thing to witness. I have already seen the change in her and have noticed the light of Christ really enter into her soul. It was just another testimony to me that this gospel is REAL and that it truly changes lives if we allow it too. I know that she wouldn't be doing this if she didn't know that it was right and true. She has already lost almost every single one of her friends and her family has completely turned her back on her. But, she's not turning back because she knows how right and true it is. She is already preparing to enter the temple and has set a date for next year to enter! She took us into her closet last week and started telling us all of the things that she needed to get rid of so that she could rock the "G" life. Hahah it was the absolute best. She wants to come shopping with us on P-days and we are going to help her pick out some modest dresses and skirts. This girl is a miracle, I'm telling ya. I cannot wait for you to meet her! Oh my goodness. Just talking about her makes my heart happy. I will be sure to send you pictures next week. It's going to be a dang good email next week. :)<br />Aside from all of that happiness, we are continuing to see miracles every single day. I think it just took us a solid transfer to figure everything out and get the ball rolling. Now we are ready to go and have got it all figured out! We have been receiving so many referrals lately and have been just meeting so many amazing people. I absolutely love working with the young single adults. They are way more open, more kind, and way more fun! They keep me on my toes. We have a few other people that we are working with and who should be baptized in June or July. They aren't quite as quick as Nicole, but we will help them get there. Jose is still struggling with his work schedule and that has put a big damper on the whole situation, but I know that it will happen when the Lord needs it to happen. He's so ready and has the purest and most simple testimony of the gospel and it melts my heart every time he shares it with us. Thank you for praying for him! I know he greatly appreciates it. I know that there is truly power in prayers. It's amazing when people can come together and pray for someone or something. I truly think that the windows of heaven are open and the power of heaven comes down. I have seen so many miracles and have been so blessed by the power of prayer, especially on my mission. <br />A few days ago we were able to attend a wedding and a baptism for someone that the Spanish sisters in our district were teaching! That was such an amazing experience. I got asked to play the piano for the wedding and for the baptism and it was really neat. I've never seen a non-lds wedding, and it was super neat! Although the whole thing was in Spanish, it was still amazing to see that this woman exercised enough faith and got married first, just so she could get baptized. It was so so special. I've attended a few Spanish baptisms on my mission and they have been super powerful experiences. I love how no matter where we are or who's getting baptized, the gospel is all the same. Everywhere you go. It's "home" everywhere! I find a lot of comfort in that. I'm grateful that I was able to be a part of Claudia's special day and am so grateful for the covenant that she made! <br />Yesterday I had a really powerful sabbath day. I truly feel like I am so much closer to the Savior on Sunday's. I feel way more close to the spirit and just feel better overall. My talk in sacrament meeting went fairly well and I feel like I didn't even say anything that I planned to say. The spirit definitely took over and I didn't even use any of my notes. Funny how that works. Definitely couldn't have done that before my mission. I mostly just talked about missionary work and the doctrine of Christ and how related they truly are. Missionary work IS the Doctrine of Christ and the Doctrine of Christ IS missionary work. I'm pretty sure when Christ was on the earth and was doing his mortal ministry, he wasn't really going around telling the people about his own doctrine. I believe he was SHOWING the people his doctrine and was LIVING his own doctrine. He is our perfect example of what the Doctrine of Christ truly is. He went about healing, serving, performing miracles, blessing, edifying, uplifting, inspiring, motivating, and ultimately sharing what he had with others and making them aware that they didn't have to suffer alone. It made me really grateful for my mission's emphasis on trying to embed the Doctrine of Christ into our hearts. If we truly understand what the Doctrine of Christ is and if we are truly living it, we are doing missionary work. We will want everyone to have what we have and experience what we've experienced and it will no longer be a "have to" share the gospel type of thing. It will become a "want to" share the gospel. Once you have felt the amazing power of the atonement of Jesus Christ, you will want to share it with everyone. It's the best feeling in the world! <br />After getting that done and over with and getting another training out of the way that I had to do for our district meeting this past week, I found myself studying some more and found the spirit really speaking to me this week. Especially yesterday! I feel like I just received so many answers to my prayers and questions and that is one of my favorite things in the world. <br />Just yesterday we were talking about how you can truly know if you're a "converted member of the church" and I feel like my prayers and questions had a lot to do with it. We talked about 10 questions that were a complete answer to my prayer and I want each of you to ask yourself these 10 questions and really think about them. <br />1. Have you ever said a prayer and felt like you were talking directly to Heavenly Father? <br />2. Have you ever partaken of the sacrament and felt the literal powerful cleansing effect of it?<br />3. Have you ever felt a higher sense of purpose while reading your patriarchal blessing? <br />4. Have you ever been reading the scriptures and just felt like a verse hit you so strongly and stood out to you?<br />5. Have you ever been ordained to a calling or received a particular assignment and received extra strength, beyond your own capacity to help you fulfill it? <br />6. Have you ever felt like you've been put in a situation where you felt like you were given the words that you were speaking?<br />7. Have you ever felt a sense of conviction when talking to someone or sharing something about the gospel and knowing for yourself that it was true? <br />8. While listening to music or lyrics, have you felt an intimate connection to the spirit?<br />9. Have you ever entered the temple and felt like there was a divine presence or being in the temple. Almost like "you've left earth" kind of feeling? <br />10. How many of you can commit to yourself that before you made a mistake, you were first warned by the Holy Ghost or by your own conscious? <br />Basically we talked about how if you have experienced any of these questions to some degree or another, you are on your way to conversion. They were self evaluation questions that really helped me gauge where I am at spiritually. Throughout our life, we will have experiences that will help us grow in faith and testimony. We must be worthy to receive the promptings of the spirit and put ourselves in situations that will allow the spirit to be present. I have really come to see that you are only a religious person if you have religious experiences and that you are only a spiritual person if you have spiritual experiences. We cannot just sit back and talk the talk. We have to put in effort to be able to walk the walk and have experiences. <br />These questions really made me reflect on the experiences that I've had on my mission and though out my life. I want to try harder and be better so that I can have more of those experiences with the spirit and with my Heavenly Father. I want to be able to grow and be more beautiful and pure inside. It made me think of 4 areas that I could improve on in my life to help me have more experiences. <br />1. The Atonement: I want to strengthen my testimony and my understanding of the atonement. I want to allow it to change my life and change who I am. <br />2. The Priesthood: I have so many examples of amazing men who honor and respect the priesthood in my life. I think that so many people stress to women that we don't need men and that we are not good enough because we cannot hold the priesthood, but in all reality, we need them and they need us so that we can build families and use the priesthood in the way that it's supposed to be used. It made me think of a time on my mission a while back where I was really struggling and asked my district leader at the time if he could give me a priesthood blessing. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life and I will never ever forget that blessing. It made me so grateful for the priesthood and made me want that for my future family. I want a worthy priesthood holder in my life. I know that as I continue to be worthy and continue to keep my covenants, that were made possible though the holy priesthood, I will be blessed and will become more converted. Each time we participate in priesthood ordinances, the powers from on high reach downward and draw us nearer to the heavens.<br />3. Sabbath Day Observance: This can be very hard sometimes. On Sunday we renew our covenants to think about heavenly father all week long and to be a better person. I have found so much strength in my life and blessings come from the renewed desire that I have to keep the sabbath day holy. It is my favorite day of the week and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for this special day. I know that it is so important to keep this commandment and that it is one of the greatest ways to withstand the temptations of the devil and be set apart and safe from the crazy, wicked world that we live in. <br />4. The Book Of Mormon: We need our scriptures. We need to build our testimony of the Book of Mormon. We need to REMEMBER what we read and experience as well. I love keeping a journal and reflecting back on all the times that I have felt the spirit while reading the scriptures or have received revelation or inspiration from that powerful book. However diligent we may be in other areas of our lives, I can promise you that there are only certain blessings that are to be found in the scriptures and through coming to the word of the Lord and holding fast to it. I love the Book of Mormon! <br />I was also reading in Helaman and was thinking about what a powerful example he was. <br />Although times were difficult and the society was becoming evil, Helaman was steadfastness in doing the Lord’s will and I think is a great example for us to follow, especially in these challenging latter days. In the scriptures it teaches us that we have the Lord’s assurance that he will bless and prosper his people if we will keep his commandments and remember to look to him as the source of our blessings. It also teaches us about the dangers of not turning to the Lord and remembering him. Pride is one of the worst sins and all of us are guilty of it. President Ezra Taft Benson once said;<br /><br />"Think of what pride has cost us in the past and what it is now costing us in our own lives, our families, and the Church. Think of the repentance that could take place with lives changed, marriages preserved, and homes strengthened, if pride did not keep us from confessing our sins and forsaking them (see D&C 58:43). Think of the many who are less-active members of the Church because they were offended and their pride will not allow them to forgive or fully sup at the Lord’s table. Think of the tens of thousands of young men and couples who could be on missions except for the pride that keeps them from yielding their hearts unto God (Alma 10:6; Helaman 3:34–35). Think how temple work would increase if the time spent in this godly service were more important than the many prideful pursuits that compete for our time”<br />I absolutely loved that quote because I think it is so relatable to today and the things that we are dealing with today. Pride is taking over and it's creating some barriers! I hope that each of us can put aside the natural man and put aside our pride and truly just come to the Lord. Our lives would be filled with so much more happiness and joy. <br />In my reading this week, Helaman 3:35 stuck out to me the very most. "Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God." I broke that down and really studied it. <br />Sanctification has been defined as “the process of becoming free from sin, pure, clean, and holy through the atonement of Jesus Christ." I think that is our main goal in this life, is to try to become truly sanctified. Sanctification is a step in the path of striving toward perfection.<br />Humility. "To be humble is to recognize gratefully your dependence on the Lord--to understand that you have constant need for His support. Humility is an acknowledgment that your talents and abilities are gifts from God. It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that you know where your true strength lies. You can be both humble and fearless. You can be both humble and courageous. The Lord will strengthen you as you humble yourself before Him."<br />Firm in the faith. Elder Russell M. Nelson said that firmness in behavior and attitude is obtained individually: “Only as an individual can you develop a firm faith in God and a passion for personal prayer. Only as an individual can you keep the commandments of God. Only as an individual can you repent. Only as an individual can you qualify for the ordinances of salvation and exaltation." I loved that and realized that I am the one who is in charge of my life, and no one else. I have my agency and can make my own decisions and ultimately determine my destiny. <br />Yielding your hearts. The phrase “yield our hearts” means to surrender or give our hearts to God. When one yields his or her heart to God, he is surrendering his personal desires in exchange for the Lord’s desires. Yielding our hearts and souls to God is the highest form of consecration to the Lord: “Ultimate consecration is the yielding up of oneself to God."<br />It was a powerful verse for me and gave me some more things to work on. Okay, sorry I am going all over with this again. I just know that there is so much goodness in the scriptures and that we can learn so much. <br />I am hoping that as I focus on those four areas and try my best to strengthen my understanding and knowledge of those things, I will see a difference in my life. Do you want to join me? Let's strengthen our testimonies together. :) Sorry, I don't even know if any of this is making sense.. You know me.. Just rambling on and could go for days. <br />I better start wrapping this up before I make y'all fall asleep. I just hope that you can feel the love and the gratitude that I have for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's everything to me. I am so grateful that I have been able to wake up everyday and bear my Savior's name on my chest and stand as his witness and be his representative. There is not a greater calling than being a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have never felt more joy in my life. Just thinking about Jesus Christ, thinking of what he looks like, his being, everything about him can have a POWERFUL effect on us physically, mentally, and spiritually and I have come to see that in my life as I have just tried to remember him daily. I also couldn't do this without each of you. I am grateful for your love and your support and for cheering me on on my incredible journey. I'm ready to give it all I've got and finish strong with no regrets. I hope each of you have a great week. I am praying for you. Please let me know if there is anything you need or anything specific that I can pray for. Talk to you in seven! P.s. Happy Memorial Day! P.s.s. Give my Sister Cottis lots of love this week. She comes home in 2 days! Love you to the moon and back! Xo<br />Sister Kyla Worthington <div>
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First time having sushi on the mission.. I was in heaven.<br />& This is my adorable district. :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was posted on Facebook On June 5, 2016</div>
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<br /><br />Mary Nicole Today I made the best decision of my life and to be baptized. I can now say I am the happiest person on earth to be a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. — with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sistererica.nunies">Sister-Erica Nunies</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/taylor.j.king.7">Taylor James King</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kyla.worthington">Sister-Kyla Worthington</a> and<a href="https://www.facebook.com/austin.phillips.716">Austin Phillips</a>.<br /><br />Comments<br /><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mija.garlick?fref=ufi">Mija Garlick</a> These two sister missionaries sister Worthington and Sister Nunies are angels in my life!!! Sister Garlick<br /><br />S<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kyla.worthington?fref=ufi">ister-Kyla Worthington</a> Ohhhhh my heart is so so happy! I love you so much darling & am so proud of you. Can't wait to create more memories! Today was magical. Thanks for letting me be apart of it. Xo💕<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-42419464216179583242016-05-27T00:03:00.002-07:002016-05-27T00:03:37.684-07:00May 23, 2016~ SOS. Prayers please!<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent;">Hey loves! </span></div>
Oh familyyyyy, this was a rough week. I am so grateful that it's Monday, you have no idea. It's crazy how much of a rollercoaster your mission can be. This whole week I was just preparing myself for the email that I was going to write you. I was just about to vent and tell you that I cannot do this anymore and that missionary work is SOOO hard and it's killing me, how frustrating it is, how depressed I've been this week, blah blah blah, all this other stuff that doesn't even matter and that Satan is just trying to throw at me, and then.... I make it to Sunday and partake of the beautiful sacrament, and experience so many miracles and then everything changes. Crazy how it works. Sometimes it makes me laugh. I look back on the week and honestly don't know how I got through it, but then laugh at myself that I made it so hard when it really didn't need to be that hard. I am convinced that a lot of the feelings and things we go though, we bring upon ourselves. This morning I was studying in Alma about the letter that Moroni writes to Pahoran and saw how Pahoran could've taken that letter offensively and could've been really upset, but instead, he didn't get offended by it and chose to react in pleasing manner. <br />I was thinking about that a lot today because we can choose not to be offended, upset, sad, or frustrated. It is impossible for another person to make us feel that way, or offend you or me. Believed that another person offended us or made us feel a certain way is fundamentally false. Elder Bednar once said, "To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else. " And I relate that to any feeling that we may be feeling. This life here on earth is like a workshop where we all get to practice on each other in the ongoing process of perfecting the saints. "You and I cannot control the intentions or behavior of other people. However, we do deter main how we will act. Remember that we are moral agents endowed with moral agency, and we can choose to not be offended, upset, sad, or frustrated." After studying that this morning, I realized that I needed to change. I realized that it's normal to have those feelings, but that I must not dwell in those thoughts and feelings and that I must take personal responsibility and not blame those feelings or thoughts on anyone else but myself. <br />This past week was just full of many different things. It rained almost ALL week long, and when I say rain, I mean RAIN. North Carolina just knows how to rain. It was super dark and muggy all week and I think that definitely took a tole on me as well. Then we just had really long, hard days of rejection after rejection and canceled appointments after canceled appointments. I just get so frustrated when we meet people, teach them a great lesson, set a return appointment, find a member, schedule things around their appointments, only to have them cancel or not be there for our lesson. I have never had it happen so much on my entire mission than in this area and transfer. Seriously like 12 appointments canceled this week. I just wish people had the respect or decency to tell us if they weren't interested or couldn't meet. If they only knew how much work we really went too and how much we really care about them. It's just the life of a missionary, but for some reason it really took a tole on me this week. Usually I am pretty good at shaking things off, but this week got me down a little bit. We had one appointment with a solid guy named Xavier and went to so much work to make his lesson happen, and then when he canceled I just wanted to sit down and cry. I love these people so much, it hurts! Sometimes I really don't like how people use their agency. :) But, I realized how much it taught me though and how much it really helped me see how much I truly love the people of North Carolina and how much I desire their happiness and salvation. It kind of gave me a glimpse of how much my parents love me and want what's best for me, and ultimately how much my Heavenly Father loves me and how he really wants what is best for me. Overall, it was a good experience for me and helped me realize that I am doing the right things and that sometimes God is just teaching me patience and helping me see how everyone does have their agency and I need to respect that. <br />I am doing much better now though, but could still use some more of those powerful prayers! Sometimes after a really hard week, it makes me nervous for the next week because I have no idea what's coming my way and what's going to happen. You just never know! We were able to see a few miracles though and that always strengthens my faith and gives me hope. One of our less active members came to church last week and told us about his brother who has been struggling. He gave us his address and phone number and told us to go stop by. We called him up and set an appointment with him and went over to teach him. We taught a killer Restoration lesson and invited him to be baptized on June 18th! He is so prepared. He is the sweetest 18 year old kid I've ever met. He has great desires to change his life around and follow after the example of his older brother. We are really trying to work with his older brother now to get him worthy and active so that he could baptize his younger brother! Talk about killing two birds with one stone! His name is Jose Romero! His nick name is Yeyo, but his real name is Jose. Now we have TWO Jose's on date! Yay! Pray for the Jose's! I am super excited to see what happens with him and hope that he really takes things seriously and progresses. The spirit was so strong in our lesson and I know without a doubt that he felt it. I I felt it, I know he felt it. <br />Yesterday was also a miraculous day. We had ward conference and had over 250 young single adults at church. We invited all of the graduating seniors in the 3 Charlotte stakes to attend church with us and get them excited about coming to the YSA ward after they graduate high school. We had great meetings and the spirit was so strong for all three hours of the day! After church we had a MASSIVE linger longer and had hot dogs and hamburgers for days! It was so much fun. I've never seen so many people crammed into a cultural hall at one time. It was absolutely crazy. Hopefully the seniors had an exciting time and want to come back! There was also a "bug boy" who brought one of his friends to church and she absolutely loved it. Her name is Nicole Harrison and she is amazing. She grew up baptist but just decided one day that it wasn't for her. She had always been so curious of her Mormon friend and so she decided to go to <a href="http://mormon.org/">Mormon.org</a>. She chatted with some missionaries in Utah and ended up finding out that there was some Latter Day Saint services in Charlotte and called her friend up. He brought her to church and then introduced us to her. She asked us how often we could meet and said that she really wants to get baptized in June! Who says that?! She said she has felt so right with everything and that this is something that she has been looking for her whole life, she just didn't know where to find it! It made me think of the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants that talks about people who are "kept from the truth because they know not where to find it." Or something like that. But, through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, you can find it! We set a return appointment for tomorrow afternoon and I couldn't be more excited. She is such a neat girl. She's like 25 and just has her life put together. She's a dental hygienist and so we instantly clicked. We gave her her own Book of Mormon and she is already so excited for next week to come to church! It was as if God just knew exactly what I needed and just made me wait until the very end of the week to get it. It was like she was handed to us and we didn't even have to do anything, but work hard the week before, and continue to pray and ask in faith for God to bless us and lead us to people who are prepared. What a beautiful tender mercy! Please pray for Nicole! She is so so so elect and I am so excited to start working with her. <br />My boy Jose Garcia is still doing well. We had a really positive lesson with him this past week and really set some serious expectations. We brought a member with us who speaks Spanish and that really helped. We went over the baptismal interview questions with Jose and he passed it with flying colors. He is so ready. I wish y'all could be in these lessons with me. He is unreal. He has one of the purest spirits that I know and his desires are so good. He said that the only thing that would be holding him back from getting baptized would be his work schedule. It's been really hard for him to get Sunday's off and it's going to be even harder for him to get a Saturday and Sunday off, but I know that with the Lord, nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37) He is great and will get baptized! We had to push his date back a few weeks and it's now in June, but he's so ready! Thanks for all your prayers on his behalf. I love him to death! <br />Other than that, we are just working really hard to work with the ward council and try to reactivated some of our little lost sheep. The less actives seem to respond way better to us than the members, so we are trying to work through them. I have really come to see that if we want to get baptism here, we HAVE to work through the members. That is the only way that they are going to come. I have such a strong testimony of member missionary work and I hope that all of you are trying your best to share your testimony with those around you and that you are really focusing on trying to invite others to come unto Christ in some way, shape, or form. <br />After my hard week, I decided to do some studying on trust, hope, and patience. I learned a lot and have a strengthened testimony on those Christlike attributes. In Preach my Gospel chapter 6, I absolutely love what it says about hope. "Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur. When you have hope, you work through trials and difficulties with the confidence and assurance that all things will work together for your good. Hope helps you conquer discouragement. The scriptures often describe hope in Jesus Christ as the assurance that you will inherit eternal life in the celestial kingdom. President James E. Faust taught: “Being blessed with hope, let us, as disciples, reach out to all who, for whatever reason, have ‘moved away from the hope of the gospel’ (Col. 1:23). Let us reach to lift hands which hang hopelessly down.” “Hope is the anchor of our souls. …Hope is trust in God’s promises, faith that if we act now, the desired blessings will be fulfilled in the future." The unfailing source of our hope is that we are sons and daughters of God and that His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, saved us from death. <br />I absolutely love that because it's all so true. Hope is truly trusting in the Lord and trusting that as we act and do our part, he will bless us with the promises that he has promised. God does not break his promises. If he promises us something, it will be fulfilled, but we must do our part. I have had to trust in the Lord this week that as I work diligently and faithfully, he will bless us with the promise that he will place people in our paths who are prepared to receive the gospel and that he will bless us with his spirit to know what to say and do and where to go. Hope and trust are also very tied to patience and that is what I really learned this week. The attribute of patience. Patience is truly a mighty virtue and can be developed as we become peacemakers and make up our mind to be patient within our own life as well as with others. I think our own patience is developed when we are patient with others. As I have been patient with my investigators, my companions, members, and others that I associate with, I have seen my own patience develop. This past week I really felt like Alma when he said, "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." I wanted to turn back so bad and just give up, but then I realized that there is promise from the Lord. If we "bear with patience our afflictions, he will give us success." All we have to do is bear our afflictions and trials. They will come and we will all have them, but we just have to endure them and we will receive the promise! Whether in this life or the next, I don't know, but I do know that we will receive the promise! <br />"You and I are here on earth for a divine purpose. Our life on earth is not to be endlessly entertained or to be constantly in full pursuit of pleasure. You are here to be tried, to prove yourself so that you can receive the additional blessings God has for you. The tempering effect of patience is required. Some blessings will be delivered here in this life; others will come beyond the veil. The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you constantly question everything you are asked to do, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you." I loved that last sentence because it really made me evaluate my life and how many things I question. I need to just trust God and trust that he knows that he's doing and that he has a plan for me. If I show him that I trust him, then I know he will have an easier time giving me blessings! <br />I have really come to know that sadness and disappointment are just temporary. Happiness is everlastingly eternal because of Jesus Christ and it's important that we come to understand that while here on earth. Do you take time to discover each day and how beautiful your life can be? It goes back to what I talked about earlier in my email, we determine how we feel and how we choose to live our lives. Just a few days ago after some of our lessons had been canceled, we were driving down the road, not knowing where to go, and it was pouring rain. I was just so sad and so down. After thinking about how hard my life was, I turned my head and saw the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen. It was as if God had answered another one of my silent prayers. It was the brightest, most beautiful rainbow over the city of Charlotte that I have ever seen! I all of the sudden changed my attitude and realized that I am so blessed and that I needed to be grateful and happy for my life and my situation. There are SO many who have it worse than me. Freak, I'm just on a mission living the life, complaining because someone canceled their appointment, while others are dying and starving and don't even have close to what I have. It made me step back and repent and focus on being grateful. As I was driving, it also made me think of children and my little Kenna Grace. Children teach us how to find joy even under the most challenging circumstances. They haven’t yet learned to be depressed by concentrating on the things they don’t have. They just find joy in whatever is available to them and they are content! I wish we could all be like that. I am grateful that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ incorporates the remarkable principle of patience. When we were teaching Yeyo this past week, we asked him if he saw anything different in his older brother when he got baptized. He said that he was a lot more calm and had way more patience! Then when we asked two recent convert twins in the ward what the gospel did for them, they both said that they were way more calm and patient and were able to get through things better! It just made me think of how amazing the gospel is and how right they all were. It's been neat to see the difference between families that have the gospel, and families that don't. A family with a mother, father, and children, and the gospel are so peaceful, calm, and handle things way better than a broken family without the gospel. We just have a different way of living and I think it's definitely the Savior's way of living. I love it! The gospel is beautiful! <br />I have to get going, but I wanted to share one more scripture with you. In Romans 5:3-5 it says, "We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." <br />Tribulation worketh patience, patience worketh experience, and experience worketh hope, and hope worketh the love of God in our hearts. How true that is. We all will have tribulation, but I promise that as you exercise patience and put your faith and trust in the Lord, he will take care of you and bless you with the promises that he has promised you with. Although I had a tough week, his promises were sure. <br />I love you all so much. Thanks for all you do! I hope you have a great week! Can't wait to see you. Transfer calls are this week... Pray that I stay! Only 3 more transfers to go! :) Talk to ya in seven! Sending all my love from Charlotte your way! <br /><br />Sister Kyla Worthington<div>
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<br /> #1 A member took us out to longhorn to celebrate the 18th of the month with me!<br /> #2 Charlotte central zone.<br /> #3,4,5 Really neat park in Charlotte that I WILL TAKE YOU BACK TOO. So good!<div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-11424086576275653452016-05-19T16:49:00.001-07:002016-05-19T16:49:34.732-07:00May 16, 2016💛💛💛<br /><br />Hey cute people,<br />Another week down. Is it already Monday? Crazy. I hope everyone had a great week. Summer is just around the corner and I'm sure y'all are super excited. It's definitely been getting warm here in Charlotte and you can definitely tell that Summer is on its way. Just this past week there have been lots of carnivals, fairs, and beach festivals going on. The kids are getting excited for school to be out and the sun is staying out much later! It stays light outside until about 9:00 pm so it's been really great to be able to stay out the whole time and not have to come inside a little bit early! Mom, I hope you had a great birthday on Friday and partied hard. :) We had a pretty productive week and are really starting to get the hang of things. I don't think I will ever figure out my area or will ever be able to get to places without the GPS, but other than than, things are going well! We cover three stakes and it has been a challenge trying to navigate how far things are and use our time and miles effectively, but we are doing our best and I know that is all the Lord requires.<br />We had a zone activity today that was four hours long, so I don't have a whole lot of time, so please forgive me for this email being short and lame. In Kamryn's email this week she said, "Thanks for all you do and for your amazing letters that only take me about 2 hours to read."Hahahah. Bless her heart. I'm sorry. Thankfully we only have zone activities once a transfer, so future Monday's I will have more time.<br />We went to a big park and had a cookout and played lots of games and sports. It was pretty fun. The parks here in Charlotte are UNREAL. They are some of the nicest parks I've ever seen. They are so amazing! Always so nice, so big, and tons of things to do! I keep thinking how amazing some of these parks would be for a family reunion. Maybe we should all come to NC for a reunion sometime, yeah? You should definitely think about it. :) I've heard there are great beaches here too! Anyways, my zone is really interesting and quiet, so Sister Nunies and I have been trying to pump everyone up and get them excited. It's a zone full of lots of great missionaries, but some of them need some help haha. I am so grateful that my companion is so bubbly and outgoing. It helps so much! She is so fun and we almost never go a day without basically crying tears of joy because we laughed so hard. She is wonderful. I call her my little Hawaiian. We have a member of the ward who has made up a nickname for us so now we are known as "Peach and Pineapple." & obviously I'm the peach. It's quite entertaining.<br />This past week was full of lots of service! Combined, Sister Nunies and I did about 16 hours of community service. We can get up to 20 hours per week, but we usually never go over 10. This past week we had so many opportunities and it was really fun to switch up the work a little bit! I am so grateful that President and Sister Alexander are so into being out in the community and letting people see who we really are. Sister Alexander is a member of the city council or something like that and totally represents who we are! It's so wonderful! We have been able to see so many amazing miracles come from service. I had a friend email me a link to a conference talk called "Priesthood and Personal Prayer" by Elder Eyring and it is all about HOW you serve. Lately I have kind of been feeling like I haven't been doing enough or I could be doing more, but I have had to remind myself that when things get tough and I don't feel like i'm reaching enough investigators or making a big enough impact, I just need to focus on HOW I am serving. That applies to all of you as well. Whether it be in your callings, your families, or your duties, just ask yourself HOW you are serving and if you are doing your best and serving for the right reasons, with the right mentality, that's enough and that's all that is required. I have really been trying to focus on serving and loving my companion and the other missionaries where you serve. I am hoping that through my example and love, they will serve with a stronger passion and that their service will be felt by those they teach! We are all in this together and there are many people who need us and our dedicated service.<br />We were able to serve a few hours at a place called "Matthews HELP Center" and work in their thrift shop. It was a good time! We were also able to serve in the soup kitchen again and we are just forming so many relationships. I look forward to Thursday mornings every week because I get to be around some amazing people. It was pretty funny because one of our investigators showed up at the soup kitchen for a free meal and had no idea that we served there as well. He came up to us and said, "Wow, it's not like you already don't do enough service.<br />I guess you are just doing service on top of service." It was pretty fun and we definitely laughed about it, but we are grateful that people do recognize who we are and that they appreciate the service that we do! On Friday night we were able to attend an annual beach festival in downtown Matthews and volunteer in the bounce house section for a few hours. It was a crazy mad house! Sister Nunies was in charge of one bounce house and I was in charge of another and there were kids everywhere!! It was so much fun and felt so good to be around a bunch of little people. I'm getting sick of young single adults who just want to date and get married haha. It was definitely good to be out in the community and we were able to talk to many parents while their kids were bouncing. Many people were curious why we were in skirts and dresses, but they just went with it. It's amazing how much we really do stand out and how many people do look at us. We have met some amazing people through our service opportunities and have been able to see people's hearts soften and have a different view and perspective of Mormons and that has been such a blessing.<br />We were not able to meet with our main investigator Jose Garcia this past week because of his crazy work schedule, but we have been able to keep consistent contact with him through Facebook. He wasn't able to come to church either because of work, but we are still hoping to see him get baptized on the 28th of May. He is SO ready. It's killing me how close he is. He just needs to trust the Lord and do it! Thank you for all of your prayers on his behalf. I know it's a big decision, and a life changing one for that matter, but I am hoping that he follows the spirit that he has felt and that he follows through with it! That would make my heart so happy to see him accept the gospel. It would be so good for him and his family.<br />We were blessed to be able to meet 2 new investigators this past week and I am super excited for both of them. One of them is named Chris, and the other Xavier. We have had two lessons with both of them and they are both doing really well. One day Sister Nunies and I were just super hot and tired and decided that we needed to go take a 10 minute break and get some frozen yogurt to boost our energy. As we walked in, we were the only ones in the store. We got our yogurt and then decided to take a seat. This yogurt place is on campus so the guy working there was obviously between 18-30. Since no one else was in the store, I decided to talk to him! We ended up having a 45 minute discussion, over some yummy frozen yogurt, and it was miraculous. God also somehow made sure that not a single customer came in for 45 minutes so that we could talk to him with no distractions! It was great! Just another testimony builder to me that God puts us where we need to be, exactly when we need to be there. I don't think it's a coincidence that we were lacking energy when we were and that the thought of getting frozen yogurt popped into our minds. :) The spirit is so good. Chris gladly accepted the Book of Mormon and a return appointment. Both of his parents are preachers, but he has never really followed what they have done. He's always been super open minded and really curious about the Mormons. We went back a few days later and brought a member with us and had another great discussion. Now the next big thing is getting him to come to church. That always seems to be the struggle here. But, I get it. It's super hard to come to a church that you've never been to before and I'm sure even harder when you don't know a single soul.<br />That's gotta be super uncomfortable and super frightening. Sometimes I take advantage of growing up in the gospel and just never having to go through what my investigators are having to go through. Lately I have been trying to put myself in their shoes and have been trying to see how difficult it would be and how much FAITH it really does take.<br />Xavier was found by some elders in our area and they found out that he was a YSA so they referred him to us. (So kind by the way!) Most missionaries don't like to refer people they've found to us because they want to teach them, but then they don't realize that we can't teach anyone who is not between 18-30. We are still working on helping each missionary understand that if they give us referrals, we will give them referrals haha. Anyways, Xavier is a good kid, just trying to figure out his life. He is very shy and very reserved and so sometimes I think we freak him out. We are so happy and so bubbly that I think he gets scared of us sometimes haha. He is a very intellectual person and likes the facts.. And we are trying to change his thinking.<br />He's already read 50 pages of the Book of Mormon though and wants to meet us for our next appointment this week at the church so things are looking good. We are going to give him a church tour and hopefully help him feel more comfortable. Right now he is Catholic and that's all he's ever known, but is very open to more. At the end of our lesson we asked him if he would pray for us and he said "which one?" And we totally realized that he had no idea what we meant. He was thinking like a "Hali Mary" or the "Lord's Prayer" kind of prayer and we were just thinking of a regular prayer. So, came to find out that he has never just said a "heartfelt prayer." All the prayers he has ever said have been rote and read. Which don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with those, but sometimes it's nice to just be able to talk to our Heavenly father openly and express the desires that are on our hearts. We taught him how to pray and he committed to get on his knees that night and pray for the first time. We are super excited to hear how it went! I can only imagine what an experience that may have been for someone who has never prayed like that before. He is a great kid and we are praying that he will continue to progress and will keep learning more!<br />Other then that, things are going great! We are still trying to get to know the members more and are trying to work more with the recent converts and the less actives. The bishopric of this singles ward and their wives are absolutely fantastic and I love them all so much! Mom & Dad, it made me think of how great of a team you two would make in a young single adult ward haha. Dad, hopefully one day God will allow you to have the experience of being a bishop of a YSA ward hahahah.<br />You would love it. These souls are so great. There are definitely some interesting ones, but overall, these kids are great. I feel so blessed to be serving here. All the missionaries in my mission are so jealous of Sister Nunies and I because everyone wishes they could serve in the Hilliard YSA ward. I feel so blessed and thank my Heavenly Father every single day! It's definitely a different kind of missionary work, but it's so much fun. Just a few days ago we were able to set up a booth at the Charlotte open Flea Market. We were giving away free Popsicles and book of Mormons. It was quite the hit. In order to get a free Popsicle, you had to sign a poster that said, "What makes you happy?" Everyone loved it and we were able to hand out a few book of Mormons, lots of pass along cards, and a few My Family booklets! It was so fun and we are going to be doing something like that probably each Saturday! We are trying to get more creative. If you have any ideas, please let us know! :) Missionary work is just so fun. Absolutely the hardest thing I have EVER had to do in my life, but the joy that you feel is indescribable and makes up for all of the hard times you have.<br />Yesterday was a really wonderful day! I absolutely love Sunday's. Sister Nunies and I had to teach Relief Society and taught Howard W. Hunter's chapter 8 lesson on 'Taking the Gospel to all the World.' I thought we did a really good job and I definitely learned a lot from preparing for that lesson. That also reminds me to ask y'all for a favor. I have to speak in sacrament meeting in 2 weeks on missionary work and I am just having a hard time with knowing what to say and where to go with it. If any of you have any suggestions or could share some of your thoughts regarding missionary work with me, I would LOVE and appreciate that so much! :) I need some help! And who knows, maybe you'll just be special enough and I'll quote you over the pulpit.<br />Haha! Yesterday there was someone from the High Council that spoke and his talk really hit me strongly. He talked all about the still small voice and shared some neat experiences with us that touched me. It got me thinking more about the Holy Ghost and the amazing blessing that that special gift is in my life.<br />President Brigham Young once said, “The Holy Ghost … opens the vision of the mind, unlocks the treasures of wisdom, and helps people begin to understand the things of God..They comprehend themselves and the great object of their existence. If a person is going to get the most out of this life, he must comprehend the object of his existence." I have definitely seen how the Holy Ghost has helped me come to figure out myself more and has helped me figure out who I really am. Going back to what I talked about last week, one thing I've learned is that I have had to really repent so much on my mission. More than I ever have before in my previous life. Which is really ironic because I feel like I'm way more worthy and way closer to the spirit now than I was before, but I have realized that the scripture Ether 12:27 is 100% true. When you truly come unto Christ, like I have had to try to do on my mission, he definitely shows you your weaknesses and so I think being so close to the spirit all of the time, I am aware of those weaknesses and what I need to work on. It's all making sense, but is helping me become more refined and more like my Savior, Jesus Christ.<br />I am grateful that the spirit has helped me realize more of what I need to work on and realize more of who I truly am and who I CAN truly become. It's a beautiful process.<br />I remember a critical time in my life and how grateful I was when a still, small voice gave me direction to make an important decision, that decision being to come and serve the Lord in North Carolina. The only way that I was able to make that decision was because I was seeking and asking the lord to help me decide what I needed to do. If we want to have the spirit help us and be our constant companion, we must do our part. We must be worthy to receive such guidance and help.<br />The spirit is not learned from textbooks written by men, nor is it acquired through reading and memorization. It comes to whomever seeks with all their heart to know God and to keep His commandments with exactness. Once you understand the spirit, you are able to overcome barriers and overcome your challenges and are able to touch hearts. It's important that we keep the commandments and do our best so that we can receive the wonderful gift that we have all been given.<br />I was reading a conference talk this morning and it was talking about how gifts have only limited value unless they are used but the Holy Ghost will be our constant companion if we submit ourselves to the will of our Father in Heaven, always remembering Him and keeping His commandments!! It made me want to have the desire to use this gift more in my life and take advantage of the help that it can offer. I hope that we do not turn away the still, small voice. I hope that we aren't doing things that offend the Holy Ghost. I hope that we aren't allowing influences into our homes that drive the Spirit away. I know that the type of entertainment that we bring into our homes and the things that we do will certainly have an impact on the power of the Holy Ghost. Much of the things we have in our lives are of the world anyways and are offensive to the Holy Ghost so it's important that we stay away from those things!<br />I am so happy and am really doing great. Sometimes I struggle and have really hard days, but thankfully I am able to shake things off and get right back up. It's amazing how fast I'm able to shake things off and forget about things and move on. I am so grateful for the cleansing power of the Holy Ghost and how it can offer me peace in times of trial and tribulation. Sometimes I worry about my future and things back at home, but I know without a doubt that God has a plan for me and for each one of you and I know that as we do the right things, it will all work out. I have full trust and confidence in him. I am so grateful for this gospel and I know it's true with everything in me.<br />Like it says in Alma 5, “Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation."<br />I have to get running, but I hope you all have a great week. I cannot wait to see you! Thanks for everything. You each mean the world to me and I'm so grateful to have such amazing people in my life. Love love love love you! Xo<br />Sister Worthington<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-39950113560119384672016-05-09T15:57:00.001-07:002016-05-09T15:57:49.753-07:00May 9, 2016~Turn To Him<br />Hello my sweet people! <br /><br />Ah! It was so good to see you all yesterday and hear your special voices. You all looked so good and it made my heart happy. There is truly not a better sight, than seeing those whom I love the very most all gathered around in one place! It gave me a little glimpse of what heaven is going to be like. I cannot wait for the day when we can all be reunited and can live with one another for time and all eternity. That is one of my favorite things about the Gospel. The fact that I get to be with my favorite people FOREVER. I had the hardest time hanging up yesterday. Crazy to think that I will never get to Skype as a missionary again. Such a bitter-sweet experience. However, the next time I get to see you all and hear your voices, it will be in person and will be LIVE, so I can't complain. Oh how excited I am for that special day! <br />Mother's Day is also such a special day. Not only for mothers, but for all the missionaries serving throughout the world. Mom, I hope you had a wonderful day and could feel of the love and appreciation that I have for you. I read a quote from Elder Holland yesterday that said, "No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child." And then I starting thinking about that the other way around and how much love a child can have for her mother. I never thought I could love someone so much, but my love for you mom has grown so much. I find myself loving you more and more every single day. My love for you gets stronger daily. It's a love that cannot be expressed, explained, or comprehended. Thank you for everything. I hope you had a special day and could feel my love all the way from Charlotte. <br />Well, it was quite the week. Lots of ups, and lots of downs. It was a particularly hard week, but full of lots of growth. I have loved being a missionary because I have been able to learn so much. It's amazing how much God can teach you when you are humble, seeking knowledge and revelation, and worthy of his spirit. Never in my life have I learned so much about myself and about my Savior Jesus Christ and his gospel. Sometimes I don't think I can receive anymore, but then another day passes and I am reminded of what I learned that day. It's amazing! Learning so much has also changed me and who I am. Boyd K. Packer once said, "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior." I love that. It just goes to show how important it is to learn the doctrines of the gospel. That is what will make you do the right things and choose the better path. When you understand the principles of the gospel, and truly embed them in your heart, you act differently. I am no longer the same Kyla Worthington that I was before my mission. I have changed. I now understand the doctrines and principles of the gospel, and as a result, I act differently. I now know who I truly am and what my divine purpose is. President Craven always told us "When you know who you are, you act differently" and I never really understood what he meant by that, but now I get it! I know what he was talking about. It's as if a light bulb clicked in my head! Unfortunately it took me 20 years to understand that, but I'm happy I figured it out when I did. Oh how I just love and adore the gospel of Jesus Christ. <br />This past week we were able to have an amazing zone conference with President and Sister Alexander. It was incredible. One of those meetings that I just never wanted to end. The spirit taught me SO much. Sister Alexander talked all about service and got everyone more excited to serve! She shared the story of Ammon in Alma 18 and talked about how as he served the king and was so faithful, he King was astonished. His heart was truly softened and he changed. I have really come to see that doing service really prepares the hearts of others. As others see us serve, they become astonished like King Lamoni. She challenged us to go about doing good and always trying to be looking for more unplanned service opportunities. I have been really trying to pray for more opportunities to serve and it's been amazing to see how the lord provides opportunities for us. <br />Just this past week, we stopped by to see a former investigator and she opened the door and said she didn't have time to meet because she was busy doing other things. We asked what she was busy doing and she told us she was putting together a new TV that she had just bought. (I don't understand how a TV is more important than the gospel, but whatever?) Anyways, we asked her if we could help her set it up and she said, "Sure!" So, we ended up going inside and helping her set up her TV. After we got it all set up, we were able to sit down and have a 20 minute gospel discussion with her. It was a miracle! Service truly leads to miracles. There have been several other times on my mission where we have looked for random ways to help people and have been so blessed and have been given an opportunity to share the gospel because of it. It's also a win-win situation because it helps someone out, and makes us so happy. :) <br />President Alexander gave an AMAZING training. Oh my goodness. I wish y'all could have been there. His training was all about becoming master teachers, and about repentance. My whole perspective on repentance and what it actually is is so different now. He began by telling us that this training is really for us, more than for our investigators or those we are working with. He told us that we cannot teach what we don't know. We cannot teach our investigators about repentance and expect them to repent, I unless we know and understand repentance ourselves. It made me think of a quote in Preach My Gospel that says, "You cannot convert someone beyond your own conversion." How true that is. <br />Being a missionary, repentance is super important because all day long, we are supposed to be declaring repentance. In doctrine & covenants 6:9 it says, "Say nothing but repentance unto this generation; keep my commandments and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed" In doctrine & covenants 11:9 it says the exact same thing. In section 15, it talks about how the thing that will be of most worth unto us, will be to declare repentance unto the people. Section 33 verse 10, "Open your mouths saying, repent, repent, and prepare the way of the Lord." It's everywhere in the scriptures. In Moses 6:57 it talks about how no unclean thing can enter into the presence of God. We know that every single person on the earth sins and falls short of the presence of God. No one is perfect. Therefore, we have to have repentance. It's the most important thing. Without it, none of us could make it back to our father in heaven. <br />I learned a new definition of repentance and what it really is. Repentance literally means "to turn" or to TURN TO CHRIST. Repentance is a real change. It is a real conversion. It is the process of making a change from one type of behavior to another. All it really is is coming unto Christ. Repentance is not a negative principle, but rather a positive and glorious one. It is a melting, softening, refining process that brings about a mighty change of heart. I grew up thinking repentance was such a negative, scary thing. On my mission, I have learned how joyous it really is and what it truly means. I want to teach my children differently than the way that I was taught. Nothing against you mom & dad, I just see it a little bit differently now. :) Haha. I want to talk about it more openly with my children and help them see what it really is and that it is one of the greatest gifts we have been given. The ability to repent. I want them to know that it's not just all about going to the bishop if you make a serious mistake, but rather it's a DAILY process and is something that should be apart of our everyday lives. I knew how happy my parents were when I repented and chose to serve a mission. I knew how happy my bishop was when I set an appointment with him to start preparing for my mission. Repentance is happiness! The earlier people can understand that, the better off they will be, and the much happier they will be! President went on and referenced a conference talk by Elder Anderson. In his talk, he mentions five elements of repentance and I want to share them with you. <br /><br />First, the invitation to repent is an expression of love. When the savior taught others, it was all out of love. He loves us, and that is why he wants us to repent. He has already suffered for us, and if we don't use his atonement, we are not being appreciative of what he has done for us. Second, repentance means striving to change. Real repentance, real change may require repeated attempts, but there is something refining and holy in such striving. If we do not invite others to change or if we do not demand repentance of ourselves, we fail in a fundamental duty we owe to one another and to ourselves. Some professor named Noel Reynolds once said, “The choice to repent is a choice to burn bridges in every direction [having determined] to follow forever only one way, the one path that leads to eternal life.” We must strive to change, strive to turn to Christ, and have the desire to do so. Third, repentance means not only abandoning sin but also committing to obedience. The Bible Dictionary says, “Repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, [as well as] a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined.” For our turning to the Lord to be complete, it must include nothing less than a covenant of obedience to Him. With that covenant in place, the Holy Ghost, the messenger of divine grace, will bring relief and forgiveness. Obedience is the first law of heaven and if we want to truly repent and sin no more, we must be exactly obedient. Fourth, repentance requires a seriousness of purpose and a willingness to persevere, even through pain. Repentance is not always easy and sometimes has a lot of pain involved, but it's worth it. Any pain involved in repentance will always be far less than the suffering required to satisfy justice for unresolved transgression! Remember that. Fifth, whatever the cost of repentance, it is swallowed up in the joy of forgiveness. I love this last point. It made me think of the story of Alma 36 when he was so harrowed up with his sins and guilt and had never felt so much pain and misery in his life, but then when he came unto Christ and repented of his sins, in that very same chapter, he talks about how there was nothing more exquisite and sweet as was his joy and how his joy was as exceeding as was his pain. I have truly come to know of this principle for myself. Repentance is hard and painful, but when you truly repent and feel the love of the Savior and the healing power of forgiveness, there is peace, love, and joy that is indescribable. Repentance is the gateway to accessing the atonement of Jesus Christ and returning to Heavenly Father's presence. Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life.<br /><br />We live in a time where the message of repentance is often not welcomed, and I have definitely come to see that while being here in North Carolina. Satan is tricking everyone into thinking what's wrong is right and what's right is wrong. There are so many people in the world who think they don't need to repent. As a representative of Jesus Christ, I am here to tell you that EVERY single person that comes to earth needs to repent. Only repentance leads to a better life, and that is eternal life with our Father in Heaven. And, of course, only through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation. <br />Elder Anderson said, "Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than interrupting the worldly celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for true celebration. The divine gift of repentance is the key to happiness here and hereafter." <br />I want each of you to know how much I love my Savior and how grateful I am for the gift of repentance. If you ever find yourself thinking that you've fallen too far for Heavenly Father to rescue you, remember you can turn to Him and that through the miraculous Atonement of Jesus Christ, you can be made new. You can have a new heart. "All is not lost, for with God our potential is endless." Don’t you believe in the Atonement? Didn’t the Savior suffer for ALL of our sins? Do you really think you’re beyond His power to save? No. He will save every single one of us if we just do our part and turn our lives towards him. None of us are perfect, but that is okay. It's all part of the plan. Worthiness is progressiveness. You can never and will never be perfectly worthy. But, through Christ and his cleansing power, we can be made whole one day. <br />Okay, sorry this is getting long. I just have so much to say and such a strong testimony of repentance and just can't hold it in. I am so grateful that I have this time to declare repentance to the people of North Carolina. They need it! It's been amazing to see many people whom I have come to love, turn their lives around by simply turning to Christ. In fact, we saw a miracle this past week and I definitely was able to see the hand of God in the work.<br /> I love when little things happen that I just know without a shadow of a doubt that God was involved in the situation. Just this past week we got a call from a man named Orlando Parker. He said he was going through a really hard time in his life and found that on <a href="http://mormon.org/">Mormon.org</a> you can get a free bible. He ended up calling some missionaries in another state and chatted with them. They then referred him to us and he got our direct phone number, which is rare because usually referrals go through our mission office first and they email and text them out to the assigned missionaries, but he just got our phone number somehow. We ended up dropping the plans we had and met him right away to give him his bible. We ended up having a really neat restoration lesson and gave him a Book of Mormon as well and just had a powerful experience. He isn't a YSA, but we are working on referring him to the elders. It was just so neat to see how someone exercised their faith and TURNED TO GOD, instead of turning to something else. He kept commenting about how impressed he was that we got ahold of him so quickly and just immediately helped him out. He said he had been going from church to church and no one would get back to him. He appreciated so greatly how quick we were and how on top of things our church is. It was just another testimony to me that God is preparing his children and their are people out there who are trying to repent and get their lives back in order. <br />We were also able to see our investigator Jose Garcia this past week and he got work off and came to church! It was so good to see him there. I think he had a super positive experience and we are going to baptize him in May. I just know it! I am excited for him and it's been amazing to see another one of God's children make the simple steps of repentance and coming closer to him. Everything else is going really well. I think I updated you on everything on the call last night. :) I am happy, healthy, safe, and doing well. Can't complain one bit. I'm figuring this all out and am excited for the things that are to come. <br />I love being a missionary. I love my savior. And I love each one of you. I couldn't do this without you. It was SO good to see you and feel of the love that you have for me. I have the best family and friends in the world. I owe it all to you guys. Thank you thank you thank you! I hope you each have a good week and I hope you each make a little 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 180, or 360 degree turn, or whatever it needs to be, and turn your life towards Christ. I promise there is GREAT joy in repenting and coming unto him. He is waiting for us with his arms stretched out! I love you all so much. Talk to you in seven! Mom, have a happy birthday this week too. I'll be thinking about you ALL WEEK LONG. It's birthday week! Sending all my biggest hugs and kisses your way! Xo<br /><br />Sister Kyla Worthington<div>
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<br />1. Drew the POS at a park and had a good time!<br />2. Some nice guy we met gave us deer jerky and we were super excited.<br />It was so good. Not quite as good as Tami's, but still pretty decent.<br />3. Cried a little bit because I saw a Cheesecake Factory. That is probably my #1 request for when I come home. & some cafe rio.<div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745815328274986209.post-26066627398160043462016-05-03T09:43:00.003-07:002016-05-03T09:43:33.607-07:00May 2, 2016~Happy May||.happy may.||<br />Hello peeps!<br />Happy May! I cannot believe it's been another month. Where did April go? I absolutely love this time of year because it starts to warm up and all of the pretty flowers start to come up. It hit 94 degrees in NC a few days ago and I wasn't too fond of that. I don't think that's normal spring weather. However, the past few days it has been raining really hard core and we have had some pretty intense thunder &amp; lightning storms and that's helping it feel more like spring. I love the rain here because it's so different from the rain in Utah. It literally rains buckets of water and then the very next day everything is even more green then it already is and the pollen goes away, and it's just beautiful. :) I cannot complain. I have loved living here. It's really an excellent place to live. If you ever want to live on the east coast, I'd suggest North Carolina. :) It's such a beautiful state.<br />This past week in Charlotte was another eventful one. There is always so many things going on here and I feel like I am never standing still. There is so much to do here, so much work to be done, and so many people to talk too. We don't even have lunch and dinner hours anymore. We are always on the go and I really feel like I'm living in a dream. I never stop. Bedtime comes so fast, and then before you know it, I wake up and do it all over again. I am so grateful to be busy. I love being busy. I am also grateful for the organization skills and multitasking skills that God has blessed me with. That has helped me out so much. It's amazing how the spirit really helps too! There are so many times where the spirit prompts me to do something or helps me remember to do something, or grab something that I forgot. It's absolutely unreal. I love being so close to the spirit. Never in my life have I ever felt so close to my Heavenly Father and his spirit. I really feel like I can say a quick prayer anywhere, anytime, and he answers back within seconds or minutes. It's incredible.<br />I was able to grow a lot this week. I experienced the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. The week started off really well. Last Monday after I emailed y'all, we went to FHE with the young single adults and had a really good time. I love Monday nights because we get to be with everyone, enjoy a free meal, and play some games with them.<br />We have been really working on trying to build member trust and let these people see that we are normal people too. I think that has definitely been helping. Sometimes as missionaries we get so rote &amp; robotic, and forget who we really are and forget to act like ourselves, of course just in a more dignified way. :) There is also a girl in the ward named Kyla and I finally got to meet her. We instantly clicked. She is on the ward council and is really involved in the ward so it's weird to hear my name all the time now. It kind of throws me off. I kind of forgot that I even had a first name haha.<br />Tuesday was pretty good! We decided to be brave and go walk around UNCC campus. It's an open college and so we are able to walk around and proselyte, or do whatever we want up there. I have never been more scared in my life haha. There were college kids EVERYWHERE. We saw so many young single adults in one place that I think we froze up and really just didn't even know where to begin or how to approach these people. Everyone just kept walking by and looking at us wondering who the heck we were and what we were doing there. It was actually pretty funny. I am just really trying to figure out how I can talk to these kids and help them receive the gospel. Most everyone that we have talked to so far just doesn't want to give us the time of day.<br />Everyone is so busy with school and work that they don't make time for God or religion. It is really sad and breaks my heart. I have come to see at my age how important this gospel is, and religion is for that matter, in these times of my life that I can't imagine what 98% of these college kids must be going through and how they are making it without it. We are getting more creative as the days go by.... But could still use some more prayers and ideas. We are setting up a free lemonade &amp; cookies stand with some book of Mormons and pass along cards &amp; posters with the elders this next week on campus and are hoping to have some people come up to us, instead of us having to come up to them. I will keep you posted on how that one goes. We were able to teach a few lessons and meet a few new people so it ended up being a decent day. Lots of walking, lots of sunshine and sunburns, but absolutely worth it. It also made me super excited for college for some reason... So I guess that's a good thing. :)<br />Wednesday was just another day of finding. We taught a less active member who ended up bringing his friend to the lesson so that was really nice! The friend was married to a Mormon so he kind of knew who we were and what we were about, but we had a really good lesson with him and taught the restoration. He is 35, so we had to refer him to the other missionaries, but I am grateful that we at least got to teach him a few things and give him his own Book of Mormon. :) He said while he was in prison his ex-wife brought him the quad and he read the whole thing and really enjoyed it. Hopefully he will continue to meet with the elders and will continue to progress towards baptism. We did lots of walking around and park finding. Tracting is not successful when it comes to working with young single adults because you just never run into them while knocking doors. We have been trying to be outside a lot more and talking to people walking the streets and hanging out downtown and stuff. We had dinner with a member and then was going to have him come teach with us, but unfortunately our investigator bailed on us.<br />Thursday was great! Another day at the soup kitchen, interviews with president, weekly planning, dinner with the bishop, and teaching lessons! Cannot complain about days like that. I had another neat experience at the soup kitchen and met some more amazing homeless people. It's been neat to see how we have been able to share the gospel as well. Many people are so fascinated by our name tags and ask us questions all the time. We aren't allowed to proselyte, but we are allowed to answer questions if they ask. Sister Nunies and I then headed over to the mission office for our interviews with President and Sister Alexander. Oh how I love and adore them so much! I had a really neat interview with President. They are always so good, but this one seemed to be extra good. Most of the time my interviews are really short because I just have no concerns or questions, and all seems to be going well, so I just feel like I'm in and out, but this one was a solid 20 minutes and we had a good chat and talked about a lot of things. President Alexander is the man. I cannot wait for y'all to meet him one day. He is wonderful. He answered a lot of my prayers and really helped me know with 100% surety that I am supposed to be here in Charlotte with my dear sweet companion. Some days I really struggle to think that I am supposed to be here, but her told me some things and really let me know that I am needed here and it was a very powerful experience that I won't forget. I know that he is so inspired and that Heavenly Father really knows what's up and knows exactly what I need, my companion needs, and the people of Charlotte need. I was also able to have a really long talk with Sister Alexander and just learned so much from her. She also asked me to play a solo on Sunday night for a mission president's fireside... So that was exciting. Kind of. :) I love her haha. She just always knows that if she asks me, she knows I can't say "no." We were able to go over to our bishop's house for dinner and it was so much fun. His family is amazing and his wife reminds me of mama! She is so fun, so loving, and such a party gal! You would really like her mama. She made us breakfast for dinner and even made me Magelby's white syrup because she knew I was from Utah!<br />:) We had a recent convert come with us as well and were able to have a really good member home lesson with her after dinner. We showed the "Testimony of the Book of Mormon" Mormon message with her and all went around and shared our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and the spirit was SOOO strong. I know without a doubt she felt it. She is struggling with her testimony of the Book of Mormon, but I know after that lesson, her heart was softened. I would invite y'all to go watch that Mormon message by Elder Holland if you haven't already. I promise you that if you watch that, your testimony of the Book of Mormon and your love and appreciation for Joseph Smith will increase! We had a lesson with one of our progressing investigators set up with a member, but she bailed on us too so we ended up not being able to teach her. :( We were able to teach a new investigator that we found last week though instead so that ended up being really good and I think Heavenly Father needed our first lesson to fall through so that we could see the other kid. It all works out in the end and God always knows what's up and what he needs to get done. :) I don't even need to worry about it, I just need to be available and need to by ready to do whatever he needs me to do. Then he'll take care of the rest! Friday was just Friday. We just did missionary work and did our thing!<br />While traveling to an appointment, we passed a Cheesecake Factory, Nordstrom, Ruth's Chris, Aston Martin car dealership, Carowinds amusement park, and many other places and I kind of wanted to cry. When we all come back to visit my mission, we definitely need to come to south Charlotte. It's crazy here! It's definitely the ritzy part of town, but there is so many fun things to do! I cannot wait to show you around and show you all of the places that I served at! :) North Carolina I just so fun. Anyways, long story short, Friday was a good day. Not too much happened.<br />Saturday was miraculous. I had a really neat experience. We were going to see this potential investigator and as we were driving there, I had the thought that we shouldn't drive out there to see him and that we needed to stop at this near by shopping complex and walk around that we had passed on our way to see him. Neither of us had been to that complex and had no idea what it was, but we decided to go. We parked and started to walk around the complex and I noticed this guy in his mid 40's or so, sitting on a bench by himself. We started to walk by him and I said "Hey sir! How are you?" And kinda kept walking by.....and then all of the sudden, the spirit told me to turn around and ask him about his accent and where he was from. We ended up having a good 30-45 minute conversation about the gospel and set up a return appointment for this upcoming Friday. He is SO amazing! So ready for the Gospel. I know he isn't a YSA, but I know without a doubt that he was placed in our path for a reason. After we teach him this next week, we will refer him to the elders. Lately I have been kind of selfish and have been just trying to talk to young single adults because I know that if they aren't a young single adult, then we won't be able to teach them and baptize them, but on this day I learned something different. We are ALL God's children, and everyone needs the gospel. I don't just want to increase the YSA ward, I want to increase and build the kingdom of Heaven. Whether I do the teaching or not, missionary work is missionary work. I know that as I reach out and talk to EVERYONE, God will bless us and give us some young single adults to work with, I just have to keep going! That night I repented and realized that I am a missionary, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and I TALK TO EVERYONE AND FEAR NO MAN. One of my goals this week is to work on talking to everyone, and trusting that the Lord will place people in our path to teach that are within 18-30 years old. Anyways, it was a really neat experience and I really saw the hand of the lord in the work that day. I knew that he was speaking to me through his spirit and I knew that there was a reason that we needed to go to that shopping complex. This man is prepared! His name is Nur Abdi, and he is from Israel! He is here studying computer science at UNCC and is so ready for the gospel. :) Start praying for him. He will get baptized soon! And... Sunday! I made it! All I have to do is make it to Sunday's and I know I'll be good. This one was a really good Sunday too! I love fast Sunday's. Early Sunday morning around 7:00 am, we received a call from an 801 number. I answered it, having no clue who was calling us. It ended up being a man from Sandy, Utah named Mike. He was in Charlotte for a business trip and wanted to know what time church started so that he could come and partake of the sacrament. Our church building was the closest to where he was at, so he decided to come join us in the YSA ward, even though he was like 50 haha. After hanging up, I was just so amazed and so touched. It was so neat to see how someone who was on a business trip by himself, went out of his way to find a church that he could go to to partake of the sacred ordinance of the sacrament. It was such a testimony to me that our church is so good, that the sacrament ordinance is amazing, and that there are amazing, faithful members of the church everywhere you go.<br />He could have totally just slept in and went on with his business trip and no one would've ever known who he was or if he went to church or not, but he ended up getting up and sharing his powerful testimony and got almost every person in the congregation in tears. It was amazing!<br />That, is how you know if someone is truly converted to the gospel and is faithful and obedient to the Sabbath day. Sister Nunies and I both bore our testimonies as well and the spirit was really strong in that sacrament meeting! I love being able to share my testimony and be edified by others.<br />I ended up meeting some people at church from Orem, Utah and that was really exciting. We have a bunch of "bug boys" in our ward that just arrived who will be selling pest control for the Summer and I found out that two of them know Kirk and Mak really well! :) One of them was a groomsman for Kirk and he recognized me and my name! It was fun to see them and make that connection. Sometimes I feel like I know no one out here.. But it's definitely a small world when things like that happen! Sunday night we had a mission president's fireside and that was really special. That is where the mission president and a recent convert speak and open up to the congregation of recent converts, less actives, and investigators to ask questions and talk about the basic things of the gospel. It's a meeting that happens every fast Sunday and the spirit is always so strong. I was really nervous for my special musical number... But right before I went up and played, I said a prayer and it was answered instantly. All nerves, fears, and stresses went away and I felt the spirit work through me as I was playing. :) After the fireside, we had a worldwide YSA broadcast and that was incredible too! Sunday was just a great day!!! I was rejuvenated and was on a spiritual high all day! So grateful for the sacrament and for the spirit! :) I need it each week to truly sustain me and keep me going.<br />Okay, sorry this is getting really long. One of those days when I could just sit and write forever. I learned a lot about repentance and forgiveness this past week and want to share a quote with you that I really liked.<br />President Ezra Taft Benson taught about the difference between worldly sorrow and the deeper godly sorrow necessary for repentance:<br />“It is not uncommon to find men and women in the world who feel remorse for the things they do wrong. Sometimes this is because their actions cause them or loved ones great sorrow and misery. Sometimes their sorrow is caused because they are caught and punished for their actions. Such worldly feelings do not constitute ‘godly sorrow.’<br />…Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore. This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having ‘a broken heart and a contrite spirit.’ (See 3 Ne. 9:20; Moro. 6:2; D&amp;C 20:37; 59:8; Ps.<br /><br />34:18; 51:17; Isa. 57:15.) Such a spirit is the absolute prerequisite for true repentance."<br /><br />Ah! Isn't that so good? I have been really studying Alma 34 &amp; 36 and have just loved what is taught in those chapters. I have a new love for repentance and a greater desire to repent myself, and help others do the same. Repentance is one of the greatest gifts that we have been given. I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and for the healing power that it has. We all fall short. We all make mistakes.<br />None of us are perfect, but because of repentance, and our Savior Jesus Christ, we can all be healed and we can all have the chance to return to our Heavenly Father if we just choose to live in such a way that would be pleasing unto him. I love repenting and changing. I love turning more towards God and coming to know him more and feeling more of his love. I know he lives and I know he loves me. I can feel it every single day. I think one of the best ways to feel the love of God is through repentance. The times that I have truly had godly sorrow and have truly repented have been some of times in my life where I have felt the spirit and the love of God the very strongest. I promise that you can feel of that same love if you will just repent and turn your heart towards God.<br />I want you all to know how much I love and adore each one of you. I am so grateful for this gospel and for the wonderful plan that our father in heaven has provided for each one of us, so that we can all make it back to him and be with each other forever! How grateful I am for the power of the Priesthood and the sealing power. How grateful I am that God has placed prophets on the earth to lead and guide us. I know that we have a living prophet on the earth and I know that he leads and guides this church today and that it is run under the direction of Jesus Christ. He being the chief corner stone of our religion. I love this gospel so much. I love my savior so much. I love being able to change, grow, be tempted and tried, and experience trials, but also experience the good times. What a wonderful life we can all have if we just rely on the saving grace of our Savior Jesus Christ.<br />May God bless all of you this week!! I hope all the mothers out there have a wonderful Mother's Day too! I will be thinking of each of you and am so grateful for the impact that you have had in my life and the great legacies that you have left behind for me to follow. Kaiden, I hope you have a great birthday! :) Sure love you, and would also LOVE to hear from you one of these days.... :) Have a great week. Talk to y'all in SIX! &amp; I mean REALLY talk to you. :) I am so excited. Cannot wait! Please let me know if skyping at 5:00 pm your time doesn't work.<br />Dad, I will probably just end up face-timing you like I did on Christmas, so be ready for that. That seems to work better. :) Love you guys so much!!! Sending all my love your way. Xo<br /><br />Sister Kyla Worthington<br /><br />Sorry for the bad quality... That's all you get. Only picture we took this week haha. We really need to step up our game. Sorrrryyyy. These<br /><br />2 girls on the left are my last companions recent converts. :) Sister Cottis loves them &amp; so do we! They come out teaching with us all the time<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">.</span><br />
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