July 13, 2015 Sweet Is the Work

Troy got a text from one of the members with a photo of Kyla and her companion

So fun having your sweet daughters for dinner tonight! Such lovely young women :) and great missionaries!!

Hello family,

Another week down! How is everyone doing this week? I hope that this letter finds everyone doing well, happy, healthy, and safe. :) It's been a wonderful and rewarding week here in the mission field. Again, I am amazed at all of the love that our Father in Heaven has for each and every single one of us. It's a love that we can't even begin to comprehend. I know that he lives and I know that his love is real. I wish that you could all be on a mission so that you could feel his love as strongly as I feel it. This past week Sister Stratford and I were able to make our way to Charlotte for a Zone Meeting and for interviews. I was beyond excited, because it was our first interview with the new president. He is absolutely amazing. I was the first sister missionary that he interviewed. (besides the brief interviews that he had with the new missionaries who came in last transfer.) It was one of the best experiences of my life. Of course, I will forever be grateful for my time with President Craven and I miss him dearly, but I know that right now I am to learn and grow from President Alexander. He is truly a man of God. My interview with him was absolutely incredible. I honestly don't even know what to say. It's been so fun to get to know him and talk to him. I think I've also got some advantage because we are both fellow CAVEMAN.... and he likes that. :) We have been able to make so many connections and that's been a blast! Such a small world. He shared some very personal things with me that I will never forget. He also told me to start preparing to lead the mission. He told me that the Lord has some very special things in store for me. I am excited for the new opportunities that lie ahead to serve and to grow. Sometimes I don't know if I can cram anymore into my brain, and then somehow the Lord makes some extra room and teaches me even more! I'll admit, sometimes I am spiritually exhausted, but I am loving everything that I am learning and am truly trying to take every second that I have to learn more about this Gospel. I know that there will never be another time in my life where I will be able to learn and study this much! I better take advantage of it right now!
I was able to see many new things this past week. We finally got our car back on Friday and that was a wonderful blessing. I survived my first bike week. Yay! It's been nice to have the car back though and to be able to go to some of the places that we were not able to hit while on bikes. We were having some struggles finding new investigators last week and I was getting a bit stressed out, but once again, the Lord pulled through. On Wednesday night we usually have our Missionary Coordination Meeting with the ward mission leader and the ward missionaries, and 10 minutes before our meeting, our ward mission leader called us and told us that he was sick and had to cancel our meeting. I was slightly bugged because we haven't had a meeting in 2 weeks and that just isn't okay. Anyways, we didn't make any back up plans because we were pretty convinced that this meeting was happening. Well, long story short, our ward missionary who was going to take us to our meeting just ended up going out with us. We went to go see some potential investigators but weren't having any luck. We did find one girl walking down the street and we stopped and gave her a Book of Mormon and got a return appointment, but that wasn't the highlight of the day. Finally, I had this impression to go see this man named Doug. His house was one of the Fix it for Christ homes. It wasn't the home that Sister Ekstrom and I worked on, but other members of our ward worked on his house and said that he was a really nice guy. We pulled up to his house and walked up to the door. He opened up the door and was happy to see us. He looked at me and said "Hey, I saw you at the United Methodist Church last week signing in. I didn't know missionaries were allowed to do that." At first I was kind of surprised because I had never seen him before and I was shocked that he even knew who missionaries were. I just knew his name and had his address because it was one of the Fix it For Christ houses that we could have gone too. He ended up letting us in and we sat down and got to know him better. He has wife, and 4 young kids. His family heritage all crossed the plains and he has a solid understanding of the gospel. His grandmother fell away from the church, which resulted in his mother not being active in the church, and he not being a member or even having any association with the church growing up. He was really excited to talk to us and wanted to learn more about the apostasy and Joseph Smith. He said that he is looking for the true church and he will go where ever God tells him to go. Right now, he feels like the Catholic church makes the most sense.... but oh he's in for a treat! We set a return appointment for TONIGHT at 8:00 and I am really excited! I left his home feeling so blessed! I know that the Lord places people in our paths. I have no idea how he saw me and recognized me... but somehow he did and I think that was our ticket into his house. :) The Lord is definitely preparing his people to hear the Gospel!
At Zone Meeting I was able to learn so much. We all voted as a zone that the 3 things that we need to work on to bring people closer to Christ are 1. Having GOOD personal studies. 2. LOVE the people. & 3. Get members involved. With that being said, I really tried hard to make my personal studies more meaningful. MY WHOLE WEEK CHANGED because of that one simple thing. Holy smokes! Personal study has become my favorite hour of the day. It's the only hour of the day where I get to truly talk to my Father in Heaven and be truly taught and tutored by the spirit. My studies this entire week was all focused on SERVICE. Thanks to my dear friend Cole Parkinson, I had a wonderful chance to learn all about service. He asked for some of my thoughts regarding service and the scripture Mosiah 2:17. I was thrilled for the opportunity to increase my testimony and my knowledge of service! And well, I don't even know where to begin. So, going back to Mosiah, many things come to mind. First being that the Savior had 3 main purposes for coming here to earth. 1. His atoning sacrifice. (which was the greatest act of service that anyone could have ever given) 2. To teach the doctrine that he learned from the father so that we could be happy and make it back to him. (which was also an incredible act of love and service) and 3. To build up his kingdom by serving others. There are countless times in the scriptures when Christ was serving. That is what he did all day long! One of my favorite scriptures is in Matthew 25 when it talks about the parable of service.
Verse 35: "For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger, and ye took me in. 36: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 40: Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Every time we are serving, we are serving our Savior. To serve others and to teach his doctrine are two responsibilities that we accepted when we were baptized. This converts us into true servants of Christ. It is OUR responsibility to do as he has done. We express our LOVE for God when we serve.There are also SO many blessings that come from service. Too many to even count. There was a talk that I read that laid out some really good promises and blessings that come from service:
Blessings of Service
"I testify that through serving our fellowmen we come to know the Lord. Service makes us strong in our faith and useful in His kingdom. Service gives us purpose and courage in life. It brings us closer to God and helps us refine our divine nature. It teaches us to love and understand our fellowmen, and it helps us forget about our personal desires, eliminating selfishness, pride, and ingratitude. It teaches us to think of the needs of others, which allows us to develop the virtues that the Savior possesses. Kindness, love, patience, understanding, and unity will increase as we serve, while intolerance, jealousy, envy, greed, and selfishness decrease or disappear. The more we give of ourselves, the more our capacity to serve, understand, and love will grow.
Those who serve will always seek to please God and live in harmony with Him. They will be full of peace; they will have a cheerful countenance and a spirit of kindness. Those who serve will strive to ennoble, build, and lift their fellowmen; therefore, they will find the good in others, and they will not find reason or have time to become offended. They develop the virtue of praying for those who criticize. They don’t expect recognition or reward. They possess the love of Christ. Those who serve will always be willing to share what they possess and what they know at all times, in all places, and with all people. Those who serve even in adversity will maintain a living hope of a better future. They will continue to be firm in the midst of a crisis because their hope is in Christ.
Those who serve will accept their assignments with humility, recognizing their limitations but convinced that two people can do all things they propose to do as long as one of the two people is God. With divine inspiration, King Benjamin declared, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). Those who serve will have greater understanding of the personality and attributes of God. Those who serve with devotion, even when things don’t turn out the way they would like, are not easily discouraged, fatigued, or frustrated because the promise of peace of mind and the companionship of the Holy Spirit will never abandon them."
Now that's a lot of blessings!! The number one thing that I love about service is that as we serve, we truly come to find out what really matters in life. We come to find ourselves. We come to know our Savior, Jesus Christ. Isn't that our outside her in earth? To find ourselves and to find Christ? Well- we better serve then! I know that there is NO better way to come to know who you are and come to know who your Savior is than through serving your brothers and sisters. I have come to know that the very best way and the very fastest way that we can come to know these things is by serving a full time mission. It feels so good to step out of the "me" world and get out into the "you" world. (meaning other people) My mission has truly changed the way I look at service. I have never been happier in my entire life. & I've finally figured out why that is. It is because I am serving! It's because I am doing what the Savior has asked me to do and what I have promised him that I would do. The true keys of happiness come when we serve. One of my favorite quotes is from President Hinckley. “You want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause, and bend your efforts to helping people” that's it. It's that simple.
Service really is wonderful if you let it be. "Service is to be given unselfishly, with no thought of personal gain or reward. It is to be given as needed, not when convenient. Opportunities to serve may not always seem obvious, as it is human nature to worry about our own wants and needs." Service will become a joy as we truly do it out of love. In one of Elder Rasband's talk, he asked a great question. He said, "If you came upon a person drowning, would you ask if they need help or would you jump in and save them from the deepening waters?" The offer: "Let me know if I can help" is WORTHLESS and really no help at all. We need to jump in and save our brothers and sisters! As members of the church, we have a duty to serve and lift others. If we had an interview with the Savior tomorrow, I am convinced that he would want to know how we loved and how we ministered. How we served our family members and friends. How we lightened each others burdens and how we came to grow closer to him and to our Heavenly Father. NOT- what we have or how much we care about ourselves. We all need to get out of that mentality. "If we fail to serve, we fail to receive the fullness of the privileges and blessings of the restored Gospel"
I want you to know that I have a STRONG testimony of this Gospel and a strong testimony of service. Being able to serve a mission has truly changed my life forever. I know that every good thing that will come into my life from here on out will be because of my decision to serve. Thank you all for serving me and for loving me. President Spencer W. Kimball said: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another mortal that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom.” You have all impacted my life for the better and I am forever grateful for that. I promise you that God will pour out blessings upon you as you serve. He will in turn lift your burdens and help you discover who you are. My prayer is that we can all be better servants and better disciples of our Savior Jesus Christ. I love you all SO much. I can't wait to hear from you all in seven. Have a wonderful week! SERVE SERVE SERVE!! xo
Sister Kyla Joan Worthington

Oh hey everyone, go read the BOOK OF MORMON.  It'll change your life, I promise.  Yours truly, Sister Ky Worthington

July 6, 2015 ...how great thou art...

Hello my sweet family,

Happy belated 4th! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday. It was such a beautiful day to be able to reflect on the freedoms that we have and the things that we get to enjoy every single day. I'll be honest, it was a very hard day for me. I kept finding myself thinking of my family and all the things that I could've been doing. The 4th of July is a holiday that really means a lot to me because it's forever been a tradition of celebrating the Worthington family reunion. I can't remember a 4th of July where I didn't attend the Provo parade and where we didn't have the annual BBQ at Grandma & Grandpa Worthington's. It was definitely a different 4th for me this year, but will definitely be one that I won't forget. Waxhaw had a cute little parade downtown in the morning that we were able to watch and that was fun! It was NOTHING like the big Provo parade, but it was pretty good for a quiet, little town. They had activities going on all day long and there were people everywhere! They do a "beach party" every year and they rent tons and tons of water blow up bounce houses and put them in the streets and all the kids play on them all day. They had lots of food trucks and bands that played throughout the day. I was quite tempted many times to jump on the bounce houses in my skirt, but then reminded myself that that probably wouldn't be very dignified. We were able to talk to many people and pass out temple pass along cards. We weren't able to have any real "lessons", but it was good to have many people look at us and recognize our name tags. Our investigator Birtton invited us over for a big BBQ cookout and that was pretty fun! We had some good food and enjoyed our time with some crazy drunk people and it was a experience that I won't forget! Unfortunately we couldn't watch the fireworks because it was too late, but before we had to go in, Sister Stratford and I bought some sparklers and had our own little firework show. It was priceless. It was actually quite hilarious. The people here are really patriotic and it was fun to see everyone in Red, White, and Blue. They even said a prayer before the parade started and that was kind of neat! It's fun to see how different the culture really is up here! It will forever be a 4th of July that I will remember!

Let's see, so much happened this week! I am really glad that it's finally Monday and that I have had some time to relax and prepare for this upcoming week! I am still struggling with my companion, but not as bad. I know that it's just going to take some time to really adjust and get used to her. She is very very shy and has a hard time talking to people. It's been really challenging because one of the most important things is being able to talk with everyone. It's so important that we build trust with our investigators and with the people that we talk too. Yes, we are here to give them the Gospel, but they will not accept our message if we can't build a friendship with them and if they can't trust them! This past week I have really just been trying to help her develop some basic social skills. We have been role playing a lot and I hope that it's been helping her. I hope that it's building her confidence! I know that she can do it, she just needs to step out of her comfort zone! It's been really hard because I have been trying to let her talk to people but then when we get up to them, she freezes and doesn't know what to say, and then I have to step in or we are going to lose a potential investigator! I'm still just trying to figure out what is going to work best and how I can help her the very most! We are learning together and it's been really good for me! Training is the best, it is teaching me SO MUCH!! I love how it's pushing me to be better and to learn and grow.

We had some interesting things happen within the last 7 days. First, Monday night we dropped two of my most favorite investigators. Brayden & Whit. It was really sad actually. :( We have been teaching them for about 2.5 months now and it was really hard to drop them. They just aren't ready yet. I have prayed and prayed about what we should with them and I finally received an answer, and that was to drop them. They just weren't coming to church and they are so caught up on deep doctrine that doesn't even matter. They just couldn't understand the basics and it was keeping them from progressing. They each wrote me a very sweet note and I left them with my strongest testimony. The whole time I was bearing my testimony I was in complete tears and it was just rough. I don't know what was happening to me! All I know is that I truly came to love these two investigators and I KNOW that someday they will accept the Gospel and they will be able to look back and say that Sister Ekstrom & I changed their lives. It was such a bitter sweet moment! Sister Stratford and I also got in a car accident this past week, and yes, I was driving. We were at a stop sign and the lady in front of us started to go, and then saw a car coming over the hill and immediately slammed on her breaks, after I had already started to pull up, so that was interesting. It didn't do anything to our car and just barely scratched the back of her car, but still, we had to go through this whole ordeal and it was quite exhausting. It's only like a $50 dollar fix so hopefully the church doesn't kill me. :( One of those mission stories that I won't ever forget! I've moved on from that and am doing well now. :) Since we are now in a tri-share with the cars, we have been on bikes most of this week. Talk about torture. Oh my goodness! It's not that I mind riding a bike.. but it really slows down the work. Waxhaw is really big and we spend all of our time traveling to our appointments and that's frustrating. We also had to ride our bikes to the grocery store today and then carry them all home with our bikes... it was quite a scene. I was laughing at myself and can only begin to imagine what the cars were thinking as they were driving past. Especially seeing me with my helmet on, now that's quite a sight hahaha. Anyways, mom guess what! Sister Stratford and I were biking around downtown one night and this lady stopped us and said "Sisters!" Of course we stopped to talk to her. Came to find out that she is a mother in law of one of our ward members AND, she is Michelle Pitchers sister! Her name is Cheryl Peterson. She and her husband just finished up some service at the MTC. He was a branch president for the Germany mission! They totally know Trevor Hemsley, Cabrina Blackhurst, Nick Emery, and many many others! It was SO fun to make all of the connections! Crazy small world! Anyways, she also came to church yesterday and we were able to talk to her then as well! It was so fun!

Church was AMAZING yesterday! Fast Sundays are my absolute favorite! After having a really hard week, I was so looking forward to partaking of the sacrament. As we began to sing the sacrament hymn, #169, tears began to fall down my cheeks. I was so overcome with the spirit, it was a feeling that I will never forget. I then received the sacrament and just couldn't stop crying. I have never felt the Spirit so strongly, while taking the sacrament. It was that moment when I KNEW that my Heavenly Father and my Savior knew me and loved me. I know that he knows what I am going through and what I am feeling. This has been so hard for me and I just KNEW that I was going to get through it. I knew that he sacrificed for me and that he has felt exactly what I am going through right now. I know that I am enough and I know that I am doing everything that I am supposed to be doing. I know that God is proud of me. I have just needed to step up my faith a little bit! It's been slacking lately! I know that I need to LIFT WHERE I STAND. I have been called by a prophet of God and I need to rise up to my calling! I have often asked myself how we can know that we are good enough. How do we know that we are good enough to return home to our father in Heaven? We all need to live up to our mission, whatever mission we have been called too! I know that if we do our very best and try our hardest, we will be enough!

This past week I have been really studying the atonement and family. I think that those 2 things are THE MOST important things that we can study and understand about this Gospel. As we have lost another dear apostle this past week, I have been studying his most recent conference talks. I am amazed at the words that these prophets who are about to go, actually say. They have all been about FAMILY and the ATONEMENT. Why do you think that? Probably because it's the 2 most important things! President Packer said that "The end of all activity in the church is to see that a man and a woman with their children are happy at home, and sealed for eternity." That is it. That is all that we need. FAMILY is so important. Being on my mission has really taught me that. I have never really truly understood the significance of a family, until now. You can tell that the family is Satan's number one attack. He is trying to do anything and everything that he can to destroy even ONE member of a family. When he gets one down, he is likely to pull many others down with him. We need to do all that we can do to make sure that every person of the family is on the right path. We need to LOVE them, PRAY for them, FAST for them, and do everything that we can do to bring our lost ones home. We are all his children and he knows each one of us perfectly. He knows our names, and knows everything about us. We are his children, and he is counting us one by one. He hasn't forgotten us.

The atonement has just meant so much more to me lately. Not only to cover our sins, but to help us through our times of trial and our times of heartache. One of my favorite quotes from Elder Packer's last talk is "The atonement, which can reclaim each one of us, bears no scars. That means that no matter what we have done or where we have been or how something has happened, if we truly repent, he has promised that he would atone. And when he atoned, that settled that. There are so many of us who are thrashing around, as it were, with feeling of guilt, not knowing quite how to escape. You escape by accepting the atonement of Christ, and all that was heartache can turn to beauty, love, and eternity." The atonement can truly wash clean every stain no matter how difficult, or how long or how many times repeated. The atonement can put us free again to move forward, cleanly and worthily, to pursue the path that we have all chosen in life. If we will truly repent and USE and ACCEPT the atonement of Jesus Christ, we will find that his merciful arm is still outstretched. We can find peace and understanding, even in the midst of great heartache and sorrow. We can all feel hope. We can all move forward and keep going. Whenever you are going through a hard time, remember that someone has already paid the price for you. That someone is our Savior Jesus Christ. If we are not aware of what the atonement really is and what it can do for us, we may go through this life carrying regrets and guilt. If we seek to truly understand his atonement, we will come to truly understand the real power of forgiveness. He will remember our sins NO MORE. "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I the Lord, remember them no more." (D&C 58:42)

The true success of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be measured by the spiritual strength of its individual members. We need to do all that we can to truly understand the atonement and the blessing of families. We need to have a spiritual witness that these things are true. I want to invite you all to try to access the atonement in your life more fully. Test it out. Try it. I promise you that he knows how you feel and he knows what you are going through, because he has already paid the price for you. He's already been there and done that! I love you all so much. I am so grateful for this gospel and for the atonement in my life. I know that through him, we can get through ANYTHING!! How grateful I am for my knowledge of eternal families. I love my family so much. Dad, Mom, Kaiden, Chelsea, Kamryn, Cole, and Kennadi, I love you. Thank you for all of your support, and for all of your love! You are in my prayers! I hope that you all have a wonderful week! Can't wait to hear from you in seven! Sending you all of my love!! xo

Sister Kyla Joan Worthington

June 29, 2015~ Nearer My God To Thee

Family & Friends,
Hello hello! How is everyone doing? It's a new week, and a new month. I can't believe it! Time seems to go so slow, but yet so fast at the same time. I have so much on my mind.. I don't even know where to start. What am I saying, this happens every single week. So much happens in one week that it's hard to fit it all in one little email.
This past week was probably the hardest week of my mission thus far. I'm not saying that to make anyone worried, it's just been different. Very challenging, trying, and hard. I have just been blessed with three months of bliss that I think Heavenly Father finally let me know that missionary work can be REALLY hard at times too. :) However, I am very grateful for everything that I have been able to learn this past week. As mentioned last week, I have been called to be a trainer of a new missionary. Transfers last week was definitely a very bitter sweet experience. I had to say goodbye to my sweet Sister Ekstrom and it was the last time I got to hear President and Sister Craven bear their testimonies. I really came to love Sister Ekstrom and it was very hard to let her go. I welcomed in a new sister from Salt Lake City, Utah. Her name is Sister Stratford. We are very very different, and it's definitely going to take time to build unity, but I am excited to be able to train her and help her learn and grow. It has been a lot harder than I was imagining. It's been difficult to take over an area, and basically have to do everything on my own because Sister Stratford doesn't know anything about the area yet. Other than that, I am doing well. I am just trying to figure everything out. It has definitely made me realize that I have to rely 100% on my Savior and that I am only going to be able to make it through if I rely on the atonement. The heat has definitely been hard, but I am getting used to it. I'm totally over sweating and looking nasty when I knock on doors. Sometimes it's really good because people feel bad for us and let us come in and cool off. So I can't complain about that. :) This past week has really all been a blur because I have been so focused on trying to get everything done. There is a lot of little training things that I have to do and it's hard to stay completely organized!
We have been working with a new investigator named Melissa and I am really excited about her. She is so elect! She ended up going out of town this past weekend and so we haven't been able to see her lately, but I know that she is so ready. She has a baptism date of July 11th and I am almost certain that she is going to make it. It will be such a glorious day if that actually happens. Please continue to pray for her! The rest of our investigators are doing well, just moving at a really slow rate. 3 of them are really struggling with the Word of Wisdom and that has been the toughest thing to get over. EVERYONE here has a Word of Wisdom problem. Everyone. Not kidding. Everyone smokes and drinks coffee. It's just the thing to do here. And those are not easy things to just give up, so it's been really hard. Our investigators want to get baptized, but they have to live the Word of Wisdom for at least 2 weeks in order to get baptized and everyone of them has tried, and then failed. And that's really hard to see. I am continuing to pray and study for how I can best help them and I know that the Lord will take care of them. President Craven told us one time that it takes a person 6-7 times to come in contact with the Gospel until they accept it. So, maybe these people aren't ready yet. But, at least I am giving them another chance to learn about the Gospel. :)
This past week the Zone Leaders called and informed us that we will be going into a tri-share with the car. That has really been a topic on my mind lately. I'm not sure how I'm going to make that work, but I shall definitely find out. We were informed that the mission is cutting 20 cars. Instead of being in a full car area, we will now be car one week, and bike 2 weeks. Which let me just tell you, that is going to be terrible. Our area is so huge. I have been really stressing lately on how we are going to make that work because so many of our appointments are at least 15-20 minutes away by car, and so biking to those in 100+ degree weather is not going to happen. I guess the members will just have to really step it up and start driving us everywhere! The church spends about 115 million dollars on car accidents per year and so I'm assuming that is why they are cutting down some cars. That's an insanely large amount of money! I have been so grateful to have a car though! It's been so nice and it really helps move the work forward. I'm excited to get out on my bike though and get some solid legs & a nice missionary attire tan. :)
This last week the bishop called me and asked me to give a talk in sacrament meeting. Of course I said yes, even though I had a 24 hour notice. I guess that's what missionaries do- fill in for people who bail last minute. Since I was able to receive some solid training on how to give a talk, it wasn't a big deal at all. I prayed about what I wanted to talk about, and the thought came to me within seconds. I talked all about being anxiously engaged instead of casually engaged.
Growing up a member of the church, and especially before my mission, I often found myself being so casually engaged in the gospel. I would pray when I would remember or when mom reminded me. I would read my scriptures every so often, maybe a few chapters a week. And FHE slowly became less and less important to me the older I got. I was never super excited to go to church every week. You could say that I was being a very casual member of the church.
How many of you are being casually engaged in the gospel? Are you being 'honorable' members who are skimming over the surface instead of deepening your discipleship?
I think so often I would do really good for a while, maybe after general conference or after a really spiritual experience, but then I would find myself getting lazy and I would start to just go through the motions. Being on my mission, I have come to find out how we can fix this!
I think it all starts with the development of our testimonies and the depth of our conversion. Alma gives us a perfect example of how we can gain and strengthen our testimonies.
“But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words” (Alma 32:27). Alma then went on to “compare the word unto a seed.” He explained that as hearts are opened,“it will begin to swell within your breasts” (Alma 32:28). He then gave us the key to developing a successful testimony: “But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life” (Alma 32:41). And then the promise! “Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you” (Alma 32:43). Like this parable of the tree, we cannot afford to sit back and take our salvation for granted. We must be anxiously engaged our whole lives and be constantly nourishing our testimonies. President Brigham Young said, “The men and women, who desire to obtain seats in the celestial kingdom, will find that they must battle every day [for this sacred goal].” We must not become casual as members of the church. Satan is attacking us more and more and our Heavenly Father is counting on us to stay strong. One of my favorite quotes ever is from Gordon B. Hinckley. He said, "Do the best you can. But I want to emphasize that it be the very best. We are too prone to be satisfied with mediocre performance. We are capable of doing so much better." I know that we are all capable of doing so much better. I know that we cannot do perfect, but I know that we can all do faithful. I hope that we will all become more anxiously engaged in this gospel. D&C 58. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. I know with everything in me that Heavenly Father needs us to be stronger! We can do this! Let's all work on stepping it up this next week!
I want you to all know that I love you all so much! This past week as I was informed that my sweet grandma Palmer had passed away, my love for my family just increased ten fold. It's amazing how blessed we are. Families truly are needed. I am so grateful for my family and for the chance that I get to live with them for time and all eternity! Being a missionary has taught me so much, and one thing that it has really taught me has been the importance of FAMILY. I have seen so many families that are so distraught and so corrupted and it breaks my heart. It just makes me so grateful for the family that I do have and for the knowledge that I have. My desire to share the importance of family increases every single day! I am loving being a missionary, I really am. It is SO hard, SO exhausting, and SO demanding, but SO worth every second. My weaknesses have become strengths, the challenges have become opportunities, my trials have become triumphs, and my adversity has become an adventure in the service of the Lord. I know that this is Christ's true church. I know that it is only through the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we can be completely happy. This is his work, and it's our job to bring everyone unto him. I know that as we draw near unto him, he will draw near unto us. I love you all so much. Thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your support. I am looking forward to this new month. I hope everyone has a good 4th of July! & family, enjoy the reunion! I will be there with you all in spirit! My mission is also now getting back on Facebook, so be ready to share all of my churchy posts with the world! :) I'm excited to start sharing the Gospel through social media! I love you!
P.S. Dad, thank you SO much for the GPS. It's PERFECT!! It's working wonderfully and was exactly what I needed. Thank you thank you thank you! Mom, I am in need of some Dry Shampoo again. The heat is really getting to the hair and I'm going through that thing like crazy! Thanks so much, you're the best! I love you so freaking much! Sending all of my love your way! xo.

Sister Ky Worthington

June 22, 2015 ~called to serve

My sweet family,
Hello hello hello! How is everyone doing? First off, Happy Father's Day!! Sorry I'm a day late. Please forgive me! I wish to express my deepest love and gratitude for most importantly, my father, and all of the other fathers in my life that have had an impact on me! Thank you! I hope your day was wonderful! I wish that I had all day to express to you everything that is on my heart. I swear, each week keeps getting better and better. I don't know how it's even possible. There is so much in my little heart and soul that I wish I could share with you. I will do my very best to express to you everything that I am feeling! I pray with all of my heart that something that I say will help one of you this week! I want you to know that you are all in my prayers. Every single prayer that I say I am asking my Heavenly Father to bless all of my friends and family back at home. I know that he is hearing my prayers and I know that there is not ever a prayer that I say that goes unanswered. This past week was one that I will never ever forget. One of those life changing moments happened last week. The ward here in Waxhaw has been preparing for a huge service project. The service project is called "Fix it for Christ." It's a service project that is put on by the Waxhaw United Methodist Church. They have been doing this project for 9 years, and this year was their 10th year. The LDS faith has only been participating for 2 years. Basically it's a multi-denominational service project. The United Methodist Church chooses 20 houses in the community that are really beat up and need a lot of help, and for four solid days in the month of June, hundreds of people and many congregations gather together and 're-build' these homes. You start at 7 am and finish at 5 pm, Wednesday through Saturday. Our ward here was able to raise about $1500 and we had many members who were able to help. The WUMC provides food for all 3 meals each day and has little morning and evening devotionals. Well, long story short, Sister Ekstrom and I decided to participate in 2 of the days. We only did 4 hours each day... but... let me just tell you, it was sooooo amazing. I had such an incredible experience. It reminded me of my sweet experiences that I have had in Haiti. I was so taken back and I walked up to these peoples homes... I was blown away. I don't even know how they live... it's unbelievable! Sister Ekstrom and I were able to build a whole deck one day and were also able to clean up a junk yard in the back of someones yard. It was insane! We filled up 14 dumpsters of stuff... all just trash & old junk! To get to the point, we were able to surround ourselves with SO many people of different faiths and we were able to serve right along side with the Savior. I have never had such a more fulfilling time serving in my entire life. I got so beat up, and have blisters and cuts everywhere, but, I have never been happier. While working my butt off in 100 degree weather, I found myself crying tears of joy. I honestly don't even know what was happening to me... but I have never felt the spirit so strongly! It felt so good to be able to serve these people that I don't even know and to be able to feel of the love that not only I had for them, but the love that their Savior, Jesus Christ has for them. It was amazing to see the change that happened in 4 days. WOW! On the very last day, the homeowners of the 20 houses got up and bore their 'testimonies' and gave thanks to everyone for helping them and for their service. While sitting in the Methodist Church's gymnasium, I felt nothing but complete joy! It was then and there that I knew why I was out here serving my mission! I often ask myself why I left everything I had to come serve a mission. I often ask why I left my family, job, phone, Internet, gym, clothes, everything, for 18 months to serve a mission. I received my answer so clearly that night. It was because I love my Savior and I want to serve him. I am out here to LOVE, HELP, and SERVE my Savior and the people of North Carolina, and that's it. Nothing else matters right now. I am an ambassador of Jesus Christ and I am to love and serve as he did. I know that what my president told me was absolutely true. He told me to promise him one thing on my mission, and it was that if I convert one person on my mission, it better be ME. My mission has done exactly that. I am converted to this Gospel. The Doctrine of Christ has changed my life. I want you to all go read 2 Nephi 31 and 3 Nephi 11 and truly study it out. THAT IS THE WAY to pure joy & happiness, and eternal life. And there is no other way. Once you can understand the Doctrine of Christ, you will understand who you are. And when you understand who you are, you act differently. Ah! I have learned so much! I don't know if 15 months is going to be enough to learn everything that I need to learn.
Now, I will get to the exciting part of the week. During the service project one day, President Craven called. I answered the phone and was a little bit nervous. President Craven doesn't call unless something is up! He called to extend a calling to me. Guess what... You're talking to your newest TRAINER!! Tomorrow afternoon I will say goodbye to my dearest Sister Ekstrom and I will welcome into my arms a new Sister Missionary right from the MTC! I am so beyond excited, I can barley hold it in! I'll be honest... I am kind of freaking out. I just finished my 12 week training program... and now I will be taking over Waxhaw and training a new missionary. Ever since President called me, I have been thinking about the last 3 months of my life. I remember when I was a new missionary. I remember how much I relied on Sister Ekstrom. I didn't know ANYTHING. The first 3 weeks out in the mission field was sooo incredibly difficult. I am grateful that I am training so quickly because I feel like I am going to be able to relate to this new sister missionary very well, since I was just there less than 3 short months ago. Knowing that I am going to be training has made me really think A LOT. It has really humbled me because I know that I am going to be really having to rely on the Lord and on the Spirit, more so than I ever have had to in the past. I know that I am going to need to be a perfect example of exact obedience because your 'trainer' sets the tone for the rest of your mission. That is something that Sister Ekstrom taught me, and I will forever be grateful for her example and for her exact obedience. I know that as we are exactly obedient, miracles will happen. SO, that is my exciting news for the week.Transfers are tomorrow afternoon and I am really looking forward to them! It's going to be sooooo hard to say goodbye to Sister Ekstrom and President and Sister Craven, but I am excited for the new journey that is ahead! It's going to be hard to get to know another companion and to learn to love her as much as I love Sister Ekstrom, but I know that as I trust her and that as I pray for her, the Lord will take care of me! I am going to need lots and lots and lots of prayers.... so please send them my way! I am excited for this opportunity to learn and to grow. I know that this is going to require me to get out of my comfort zone and to really see how strong I am. It's really going to force me to use the enabling power of the atonement and to really strengthen my testimony and the depth of my conversion!
This past week we were able to witness lots of miracles! We got two referrals from the Church headquarters and that was really exciting! One requested a Bible and one requested a Book of Mormon! We were able to deliver those both last week and both people invited us back! I am excited to go back and see them and teach them about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! We also received a referral from some other sisters in our district and the girl is ready to get baptized! Her name is Melissa and she is AMAZING!!! She has been trying to find a church for her and her daughter and she wants to get baptized, she was just looking for the right church to get baptized in and she feels like she's found the right one! We are teaching her tonight at 6:00and I am so excited! It's amazing to see how the Gospel can change a life! Oh my goodness, if you only could see and witness what I am experiencing! You literally can't even understand how great a mission is until you go and experience it for yourself. I now know why they say it's the best 2 years (or 18 months) of your life. Because it truly is!
This past week I was studying a lot in Romans 8. Verses 35-39 are amazing! It talks all about the Love of God. I have never read it and studied it out so much than I did this past week. There is absolutely NOTHING that can separate us from the love of Christ. Absolutely NOTHING. There is nothing that we can or will ever do that will separate us from his love. That better tell you how much he loves each and every single one of us. He knows that we aren't perfect. He knows that we are going to make mistakes. But, he has given us the greatest gift of all. The gift of the atonement and the gift of LOVE. What a beautiful thing that is! I thought I was a lovable person and I thought that I had some charity in me... but now that I have been able to be on a mission, I have truly seen what the REAL love of the Savior is. I am still amazed every single day that I can walk down the street and see people and just love them! Like really love them. My desire to share my testimony of the Gospel has just increased so much! I used to be afraid to open my mouth and share the Gospel with others because I didn't want to offend anyone or look "different", but I have come to understand that that is what we have been called to do as members of the church. We are to warn our neighbors and to cry repentance to EVERYONE! (D&C 18: 14-17 & D&C 34: 5-6) How great is our calling! I encourage you to all be better at being a member missionary! Share your testimony!! Open your mouths! Pray for missionary opportunities and I promise that they will come! The Lord is truly hastening his work and we are the ones that will carry this work forward! I invite you to all focus on the basics. We use a little acronym around here called CPR. It stands for Church. Pray. Read. Those are the basics! As long as you understand the significance of church, prayer, and reading the scriptures, you will succeed and your desire to share the Gospel with others will increase.
I was also studying a lot about temples this week and I'm not sure why... because it absolutely KILLED ME! Not being able to go to the temple is killer... oh my goodness. That is probably the number one thing that I am missing so far. I came up with 3 reasons why we go to the temple. 1. To take out our own endowment. 2. Perform sacred ordinances. 3. To have our own retreat. :) The temple should not be an escape from the world. It should be an escape to help us prepare for a better world. I really liked the third reason. The temple should be a retreat for everyone! It is there that your burdens can be made light (not taken away) but light, when seen with new spiritual eyes. Often when I am talking about temples with our investigators, they always wonder why not 'everyone' can enter the temple. A temple recommend is such a beautiful thing! Temple recommends protect the temple from unclean things! If you don't have a temple recommend, I encourage you to do anything and everything that you can to get one. Temple recommend interviews are like a dress rehearsal for our meeting with the Savior! We all need to be worthy of a temple recommend! Imagine if every member of the church (12+ years old) was worthy of a temple recommend! Ahh!! How wonderful that would be, and how much work we would be getting done! Now let's help everyone get there! President Hinckley describes the temple perfectly. He says that it is "beautifully simple and simply beautiful." How true that is! If we only knew and took more advantage of the temples that we have so close to us! The Earth is literally full of heaven- but only he who takes his shoes off to see will truly be able to understand that.
Anyways... sorry this letter is 10 miles long. I probably should've like written this in chapters! I wish I could go on and on and on, but I have to go. :) I want you to know how much I love each and everyone of you. I want you to know how much I love my Savior. I know that he lives, and loves each and everyone of you PERFECTLY. I know that because I have witnessed it first hand! I am so grateful to be a missionary! I am literally in Heaven. I am so excited to stay in Waxhaw for 3 more months and I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for me! Keep the faith, keep going, keep trying! I am so proud of all of you and for everything that you are doing! Thank you for all of the love and support. It truly means the world to me! I know that trials will come. I know that we all have burdens that we are carrying... let it go! Give it up to the Savior. One of my favorite quotes is, "I didn't keep a testimony through those hard times, my testimony kept me." Keep on keeping on! I love you all so much! I can't wait to hear from you next week! I'll see ya in 7! xo

Sister Kyla Worthington

June 15, 2015~ Because I have been given much I too must give

Hello Family,
How is everyone doing? Once again, I can't believe that it's already been seven days and I am back in the library. It has been an unbelievable week. I wish that you could all be flies on the walls and watch and experience everything that I am experiencing. I would say that this week was really good mostly because of Zone Conference on Thursday. It was President Craven's last Zone Conference and it was one of the best times I've ever heard him speak. My zone has 29 missionaries. It was incredible because we were able to have a lot more one on one time with President and Sister Craven. About a week before the conference, President asked everyone to prepare a talk on the commandments. He told us that he was going to choose 2 missionaries to come up and give their talk. I prepared my talk and focused strictly on obedience. We got to zone conference and I started playing prelude music while everyone was spiritually preparing. I was a little bummed out because I always play the piano for 30 minutes before the meetings and so I never get time to spiritually prepare... and I really wanted to go over my talk in case I was asked to share... but nonetheless I am grateful for the opportunity that I get to share my talents and play on the piano! I miss it! As the meeting began, Sister Craven got up and told us that today we were going to talk about "how to give a talk."She gave a really good training and of course, I was blown away. No one knows how to give a talk. Wow! After learning about how to give a good talk and then going to church yesterday.. my eyes were opened! Anyways, after the training, President got up and of course said, "Sister Worthington, we would now love to have you give your talk, and we will be critiquing you afterwords." Talk about NO PRESSURE at all. Oh my goodness. I got up, gave my talk, and killed it. Afterwards the whole zone told me what I did well and what I could've done better. He made me re-practice some things and it was definitely a humbling experience that I will never forget! I learned SO much! He called a few others up after me and then we moved on. As I mentioned before, I had to do a musical number and it ended up going so well! It was such a spiritual experience for me and I again am just grateful that I can play the piano! The rest of the day was just filled with President's Craven's fantastic words of wisdom and it was just beyond amazing. He and Sister Craven leave next week and he talked a lot about the transition that is going to be happening. I am so grateful for the chance that I had to learn what I did from him, but am also so grateful to get a new mission president! Lucky me, I will just be able to learn from both!!

I want to share with you some things that I learned this past week. I was studying a lot in Joshua 3 & 4 this past week and learned so much! Three things that will forever change my life. 1. Be the first one in. Always be the first one to your meetings, responsibilities, etc. 2. Stand firm in all that you do. Don't waver. and 3. Be the last to leave. Be the "go to" type of servant. Be someone that the Lord can always count on. It's made a lasting impression on me. I have been able to reflect on the past 3 months and am just blown away at the things that I've learned and the person that I have become. Before my mission I was so casually engaged in the Gospel. Now I can say that I am more anxiously engaged. (d&c 58:27) I have learned that the Gospel is not our last option. It is our ONLY option. My heart breaks every day when people that I talk to turn the Gospel down. They don't know what they are missing out on. Are we doing all that we can do to appreciate the Gospel? Everything good that I have in my life has come from my membership in this church. We have been given so much, yet we are so ungrateful. I encourage you each to have a spirit of gratitude! Be more thankful! 

I was also studying in Matthew 4 when it talks about the fishes and the apostles. They gave up EVERYTHING and ANYTHING to follow Christ. Would you do that? It made me think of what I would do to know Christ. It made me think of all of the little sins and guilty pleasures that are keeping me from completely knowing Christ. This week I want you to all think of things that are keeping you from following and knowing Christ 100%. I want you to each give up ONE thing this week that will bring you closer to Christ. For some, it might be going without TV. For some, it might be getting off Facebook or Instagram. What ever your little 'sin' or guilty pleasure is, I want you to give it up. Just try it for a week! We are all guilty of it! As I have been able to go without so much of the worldly things, I have found myself drawing closer to Christ. I am happier. I am able to have the Spirit more, and I am more blessed. I know that we cannot do perfect, but we can do faithful. I encourage you to just give up one thing so that you can become closer to your savior. I promise promise promise that you will be blessed! Trust me! "Come unto me. He means he knows the way out. And he knows the way up. He knows it because he has walked it. He knows the way because he is the way." COME UNTO HIM!
As far as investigators go this week... they are still progressing, just slowly! We are still working with 4 that are on date to be baptized. We are just struggling to get them to come to church! I don't know why it is so hard for everyone!! JUST COME TO CHURCH ONE TIME!!! We have so many that are so close. They say they are going to come to church, we get them a ride, and then next thing you know, Sunday morning comes and they call us and say that something came up and that they can't come anymore. It's sooo frustrating. It's happened 4 weeks in a row now. Driving me nuts! Mom, the ones that we are really working with are Britton, Brayden & Whit, and Justin. Pray for them please! :) They are great. It's been so fun to see the changes that have come into their lives. So wonderful! Let's see, today we are going to pick raspberries at a less actives home and I am really excited for that! & then tonight Brayden and Whit are coming to dinner with us and we are going to a members home... so having them in someones home is going to be amazing!! It's sooo hott and my hair is growing like a weed and driving me nuts... but other than that, all is well!

I have to get going now.. sister Ekstrom is giving me the stink eye, but I just want you to all know that i love each one of you, oh so much! You will never truly know! I am so grateful for this chance that I have to learn and to grow. I have changed so much and I have become so converted to this gospel. I am trying not to just go through my mission.. I am trying to let my mission go through me, and it's definitely working! Transfers are next week and I am kinda freaking out.... I have been here in Waxhaw with Sister Ekstrom for 3 months now... and I know without a shadow of a doubt that either she is leaving, or I am leaving. I won't be surprised if I stay... and have to take over the area... but you never know what the Lord has in store! Whatever it is... I am excited! I am excited for change and am excited for this next journey! It will be like starting all over again. President and Sister Craven leave and the new mission president is coming in... so I am also really looking forward to that!! Many changes are about to take place and I'm all about something new so BRING IT!! Family, friends, I LOVE YOU! Never forget who you are and never forget the covenants that you have made. This church is true, God lives, and loves each of you PERFECTLY. My new acronym for the week is KISS. KEEP IT SIMPLE SISTER. Simplicity is all that matters! If you've got the Gospel & your family.... you've got all you need! I love you! Have a perfect week!! See you in seven! xo

Sister Worthington

Some Photos to Make you Laugh...

From the 630 am study sesh

June 8, 2015~ XO

My sweet family,
How is everyone doing? Wow! I cannot believe that another week has come and gone. First of all, I just want you all to know how much I love each and every single one of you. I am amazed at the love that I feel from you and from my Savior. I am one lucky sister. I feel your prayers and I am so beyond grateful for them. Please keep them coming, I need them! Funny story dad, we decided to go to Indian Land today which is a town a little bit far away from home, but there were some places that we wanted to go to and when we stopped for lunch, we had wifi and I was able to read your email! The spirit was definitely speaking to you last night because I checked my email WAY earlier than we usually do, and of course, it was SO nice to see a letter from both you & mom. THANK YOU! Let's see, Mom & Dad, thank you so much for the packages. They were lifesavers! They came at the perfect time! Mom, I literally opened up that package and saw new clothes and just about freaked out. It was better than Christmas morning! They all fit perfectly and oh how grateful I am for you and your sense of style. Thank you thank you!! This past week has been really good for me and I have been reflecting on a lot of things lately. June 6th rolled around and I couldn't help but find myself thinking about Kaiden, and how 3 years ago on that very day he embarked on his mission. I can't believe that it's already been 3 years! Ah! I also couldn't help but remember my sweet Corrie Beth.. Happy Birthday darling!! What a wonderful week it's truly been. Aren't we all so blessed?
Waxhaw is just improving every single week. This past one was extremely good and I was able to witness many miracles! Now that Sister Ekstrom just has a brace on, we have been able to go and exercise outside and that has been so fun! It's literally like freedom. I have loved being able to run again and start my day off with some energy! That definitely makes personal study time a lot better as well! It's been raining a lot lately and so that has put some delays in our plans... but I've enjoyed a switch up in the weather and am glad that it's been cooling down. The rain here is literally nuts! It pours buckets, literally. We like had to pull over on the side of the road because you can't see.. it rains so bad. No wonder everything is so green here! It's beautiful! I just don't like the humidity after it rains though... I could definitely go without that. It's also hard to find new investigators and teach lessons when it's raining because no one is outside.. and there is no where to go inside besides fast food restaurants.. so we are still trying to come up with some more ideas! Let's see, this past week we had a zone meeting in Charlotte and that was really fun! I always love those! It's so nice to see other missionaries and learn from them. Sometimes I feel like Sister Ekstrom & I are the only ones out serving a mission.. and then I get reminded that I'm not, and everything is all better! I learned a lot and was truly edified. I also play the piano at every meeting, so that's been good to freshen up on my hymns! I actually just got asked to accompany an elder and sister while they sing at the last mission conference with president Craven and I am really excited for that. I just got the music yesterday and have to play on Thursday... so we will see how this goes. I am playing a really pretty version of "Savior Redeemer of my Soul" and it looked pretty easy until I got to page 5.. and then it was 7 flats. So... I definitely have been praying and fasting for the gift of music. Since I don't really have access to a piano.. it's been quite difficult, and kind of stressing me out. I was able to go over last night at a church building.. and was really surprised at how good it sounded. I know with everything in me that the Lord was helping me. We had a mission home fireside last night in Charlotte and after hearing President Craven speak, I just knew that anything was possible. It's going to be a really good musical number and I am so grateful that I accepted the challenge. Bring it!! On our drive home last night, one of our members took us a different way and I got to see all of uptown Charlotte and I was in heaven!! AHH! it was so beautiful! Oh my goodness! It was like postcard worthy. The buildings are absolutely insane! Mom & Dad, I cannot wait to bring you back to my mission! It is incredible! We also passed a theme park called Carowinds and I was dying.. we will definitely have to hit up that as well! The rollarcoasters are insane! It's in my area and I am trying to convince Sister Ekstom to come with me on a preparation day.. yeah it's not working so far haha. Anyways, last night was amazing! We also had dinner over at the bishops house and we had a Chilian feast!! A bunch of families in the ward who served missions in Chilie or Argentina missions came over and brought the food! It was sooo good. best meal I have had thus far on my mission. I don't know if it was just cause it was fast Sunday or what... but dang, it was good! So fun. Brought back lots of memories. After the dinner Sister Ekstrom and I just couldn't stop talking. We are so blessed to have the Gospel in our lives. I kept looking at all of these families and just desire so much to have a family like that of my own. It was literally heaven. Ward family is the best! The Gospel is the best! And when families have the Gospel... it's just an amazing sight! I was able to step back and really reflect on how blessed I truly am.
This past week we were out finding one day and we were just not having any luck. It was like 3:00 in the afternoon and we hadn't found any new investigators or hadn't taught any lessons yet. It was killing me! I was starting to get down on myself and began getting a little bit discouraged. I decided to say a little prayer in my heart. I asked my Heavenly Father to just lead and guide me to someone who would listen. I didn't care if they were going to accept the Gospel or anything, I just wanted someone to actually listen to us. We started walking up to this house and I finished my prayer. We knocked on the door and this sweet 17 year old answered. She was really nice and we taught her a lesson right there on the doorstep. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she was really excited. She invited us back the next day and we were super excited! I walked away from her door and just felt an overwhelming feeling of love and joy. It was one of the simplest prayers I have ever said, but yet right then and there, I knew that my Heavenly father heard and answered my simple prayer. We went over the next day and to my surprise, taught a family of 7. Mom, Dad, and 5 kids. It was beyond beautiful. They had recently moved from Virginia and were actually looking for a church. It was so neat to be able to be in a clean, healthy, family oriented home. Those are really rare around here. It brought back so many memories of my family and my home. I bore my strongest testimonies on families and how I know with all of my heart that the Gospel will bless their family. The father of the home gladly accepted our message and invited us over for dinner this upcoming week. It's rare to eat with investigators as well so we are really looking forward to that! That was just one of the miracles that I witnessed this week. I want you all to know that I know with all of my heart that Heavenly Father hears our prayers. He may not answer them right away, like he did mine, but I know that they will be answered. Be patient. Believe. and have faith. Prayer is one of the greatest gifts that we have been given. I always took prayer for granted before my mission. Oh how I have definitely repented for that! There is not a greater feeling than getting down on my knees and talking to my Heavenly Father. I want to remind all of you to continue to pray, or to re-emphasize your personal prayers They are so crucial, and I promise they will get you through anything and everything. Trust me. We were also able to visit a former investigator this past week and he accepted a baptism date! AH! Oh my goodness he is so elect. He had been meeting with sisters for 18 months and then lost contact some how.. but we found him and oh I know that he was just waiting for me and Sister Ekstrom to come change his life! He is seeking for truth and just kept saying over and over again how he is thirsting for the truth! We have 4 people on date to be baptized right now and it's killing me... Transfers are in 2 weeks and if I leave this place I am going to cry. Literally. Waxhaw has turned completely around since Sister Ekstrom and I have been here. It's on fire! I am excited to see what President Craven has been thinking and if he's going to let me see the fruits of my labors.. or if he is going to throw me somewhere else to start over and change the place around! I have a lesson that I've got to run to right now.. but I just want you to all know how much I love and adore each and every one of you. I have added 2 quotes to my wall that I would like to share with you. The one above my bed says, "Be the missionary that wakes up and Satan says, "Oh no, she's up." I encourage you to change that quote to "Be the girl/boy that wakes up and Satan says, "oh no, he/she is up." Satan is out to get us but as we stay on the Lords side... he will have no power over us!! The other quote is "only with love". Just remember that one. Anything and EVERYTHING that we go through can be accomplished only through LOVE!! I love you all so much. I am happier than ever. I am grateful for all of your prayers and support. I love you all so much. Sending all my hugs & kisses your way. Xo

Sister Worthington

June 1, 2015

Hello family!
Happy June! How are you all doing? I cannot believe that it's already a new month. Where in the heck did May go? It's officially Summer! I am happy to hear that the kids are out of school and are already enjoying their time off! I remember those glorious days, take advantage of every single day! Hopefully it's been warming up for you all over there. If you need some heat or sunshine, just holler at me. I can definitely send you some! It's so blasting hot over here. The humidity is really starting to hit me and I just haven't gotten used to it yet! I feel like I'm in Haiti all over again! I love it! There are bugs, snakes, spiders, squirrels, ants, lizards, and frogs everywhere! It's really testing my patience... and I don't have Cole here to kill them for me.. but I am toughening up and handling it all on my own. Pretty proud of myself. Anyways, I want to express my deepest gratitude and love towards our precious Elder L. Tom Perry. Hearing that he past this week was actually quite hard. I had been studying his last conference talk about families this past week and was just heartbroken when we heard the news. I know that he is in a better place and that his service was definitely accepted by the Lord. I found it interesting that his last two talks were about marriage and family. Very interesting. You should go read them! Marriage and family must be super important! I just also had such a testimony builder that the prophets are truly called by God and definitely know what we need to hear at this time!
This past week in Waxhaw went pretty well. It felt like a really really long week for some reason, but I am happy, healthy, serving my Savior, and that's all that matters. :) We were able to see many many miracles and I just couldn't help myself but think about how blessed we truly are to be members of Christ's true church. This past week we were able to see the Lord's hand in our lives and were able to meet some really neat people. Each and everyday the Lord leads and guides us to where we need to go and who we need to see. It is truly amazing to see how he has prepared people to receive the restored Gospel. However, we did run into many people who slammed their doors in our faces and who really wanted to test us. For some reason, this week we had so many people who just were so rude and so messed up in their beliefs. It was actually quite sad. They would sit down and talk to us and tell Sister Ekstrom and I that we needed to find Jesus and that we were sinners and that we were living in a lie and didn't have a clue what we were talking about and it honestly just made me so upset. During one lesson actually, I stood right up and I just said, "Frank, I want you to know that I KNOW that the the Book of Mormon is true and that I KNOW that the things that we have shared with you are true and it's your choice to accept it or not." And then I said, we need to leave. I have never been more bold in my life but I just couldn't take it anymore. I am usually not like that.. but I was just done. He simply invited us in to just tell us what we were doing was wrong. He didn't invite us in because he wanted to learn about the Restored Gospel. Anyways, this week we watched the Joseph Smith Restoration movie (the one they play up on temple square) and I was so touched by the part where Joseph was in jail and all the men around him were making fun of him and mocking him and he stood up and said something like "That's it, I can't take any more of this. Silence or God will smite you.." Something like that, anyways, in the moment when I was bearing my testimony and telling this guy what I knew to be true, I felt like I was Joseph Smith for a second. It was pretty neat actually. We walked out of that lesson with our testimonies 10x stronger than when we went in. When I say I know something, I KNOW something. Anyways, good learning experience!
My challenge for each of you this week is to read an incredible talk given at a CES Devotional for young adults at BYU on January 12, 2014. It is called, "What is the Blueprint of Christ's Church?" It's on the Gospel Library app under the "Young Adult" tab, in 2014 devotionals. It will change your life. I'm not kidding. Read it and turn to every single scripture that is mentioned in that talk. It will just blow your mind! After I read and studied that talk, I just knew with 100% surety that this is Christ's true church. There is no denying that this is the true church after you read that talk. Ah! So good. Sister Ekstrom and I already have some investigators in mind that we are going to have read this talk. It literally just makes everything so clear and is just so unreal. READ IT READ IT READ IT!! I want to share some of the things mentioned in the talk, but I'm just going to trust that you will read it on your own... so if you want to find out, you have to read it. :) I want you to all know how much I love each and every one of you and how grateful I am for all of your support. I truly have never been happier and my mission has completely changed my life!! Tami, thank you so much for your letter this week! You are the best. & ANNA- you go girl!!! I am so proud of you for being a missionary and helping out that girl! Keep up the good work! You are going to be the best missionary! Mom, Dad, family, I love you all so much! Keep doing what's right and stay close to the Savior! I hope you all have a wonderful week! You are in my every single prayer. Let me know if I can do anything for you. The church is true & I LOVE YOU!! Sending all my love, hugs, and kisses to each of you! & to my girl Kam in LP!! xo
Sister Worthington

​ sorry i look so nast,100 degree weather. please forgive me.

PS MOTHER: when and if you get time, I WOULD LOVE A HOMEMADE BATCH OF GRANOLA PRETTY PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks so much. you're the greatest! taking advantage of y'all while i'm here!!! xoxo