August 8, 2016~ Charlotte has my heart

Hi family!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. :)
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.
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. :)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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."
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.” 
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.
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.”
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.
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."
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.
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
Sister Ky Worthington

August 2, 2016~happy august

Hi everyone!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.”
"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."
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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
But who's counting.....
Love you! Xo
Sister Ky Worthington

Participating in this Pokemon thing that is taking over the WORLD

Running with the homeless

July 25, 2016 so so blessed

Hello adorable people,

How's it going? Is it really already Monday again? Oh my goodness.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
His date is August 7th and we are hoping he makes that date!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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!
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
Sister Ky Worthington

July 18,2016

Hi familia!
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.....
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.
Monday:
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.
Tuesday:
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.
Wednesday:
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.
Thursday:
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!
Friday:
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!
Saturday:
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!
Sunday:
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.
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. 

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."
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
Sister Ky Worthington

July 11,2016

nearer, my god to thee.
Hello my cute, sweet family,
I hope this email finds everyone happy, safe, healthy, and doing well.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We met a few new investigators this past week and that was a blessing.
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.
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.
2. Seek for the eternal perspective. 3. Learn to understand the principle of compensation, and 4. Trust in the Father and the Son.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Take advantage of the blessings we have.
I love you all. Stay strong.

Sister Kyla Worthington

July 4, 2016~Happy Fourth

Hey family!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 familysearch.org 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.
Hopefully the Lord is hearing my prayers and will keep Sister Nunies and I together for one more transfer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
“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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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

Sister Kyla Worthington

Facebook Post on July 4, 2016

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.‪#‎happy4th

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162You, Alison Gage, Troy Worthington and 159 others
Comments:
Stephanie Hargus LOVE this!!!!! And love YOU!!
Shelly Sheffield Bourne You are beautiful your hair is so long
Adriana Moreno Miss you and happy 4th

Ron Keaton There's that INCREDIBLE smile, and holding the American flag, You should be on the front cover of a magazine BEAUTIFUL!!
Catherine Girard McKaskey 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.
Tami Schlappi Love you cutie!!! ❤️❤️