Hey
family!!
Wow! I feel like it's
been awhile since I've been able to email you. I'm sorry again about last
week... I felt terrible about that! I'll try to not do that again. The P-day
before transfers is always so crazy though.
I can't believe that
it's been a whole week without being with Sister Pitts here in New Smyrna
Beach. L I love her to death and miss her terribly.
I'm now serving with Sister Damato from Hemet, California. She is cute! She got
baptized 3 years ago but went inactive until about a year ago. I have so much
respect for her courage to come out on a mission and to preach the gospel when
she has only known and truly lived the restored gospel for about a year. Crazy!
She has great insight though and a great take on many things. I'm learning a
lot from her already. I was really nervous when the transfer first started out
because I felt like I still was trying to get to know the area and some of the
people, etc. This is my first OFFICIAL time being a Senior Companion (the first
time I was senior companion with Sister Hoyt doesn't really count since we were
both at the same stage of the mission.)
I look back on the
week and I amazed to see the Lord's hand in my life every day. He has helped me
so much to stay organized, calm and working hard. We had accounting this
morning with my District Leader, Elder Flood, and he was very complimentary of
our hard work from the past week. He told us that the Zone Leaders have
commented on how the zone is really boosting in numbers and we are seeing so
many miracles. Elder Flood said that in all seriousness he felt like the area
that is helping lead the zone is our area... that's a lot to say and I don't
know how much to really believe that but Sister Damato and I really have been
working our tails off ! I don't want to come off as boasting, but it felt
really good and helped motivate me more as he told us that he has noticed our
hard work. Getting that reinforcement from my leaders and their acknowledgment
of my hard work really does help me to keep working hard and motivates me to
push myself even more. I know without a doubt that I wouldn't be able to do
everything that we have been able to do or see the miracles that we have seen
without the Lord's hand in our lives. My testimony grows stronger and more deep
everyday as I realize that this truly is not MY work... but the LORD's work
that I have the privilege of being a part of.
We have been teaching
a 13-year old boy, Dakota. I can't remember if I’ve told you about him already,
but his dad (not a member) refused to let him get baptized when he was 8.
Sadly, his dad just died in a car accident a couple weeks ago so now, Dakota
and Dakota's less active mom are taking the discussions from us. Dakota was
worried about baptism at first because he thought that he would immediately
have to pass the sacrament after he was baptized. We told him that wasn't true and to just
focus on one step at a time. His faith is growing as is Judy’s, his mom. Judy
came up to me the other night and told me that she feels like she has known me
her whole life. It was really sweet. It's so sweet to think that I was probably
super close with these people that I'm coming in contact with when we were all
up in the Pre-Mortal world. Judy is probably right: we probably have known each
other our whole lives! Judy also told me
that she is using the rest of her vacation days to go to church on Sundays. We
are seeing a lot of miracles with them as well. Hopefully we will see Dakota
get baptized this next month!
Ed and Michele are the
best as ever. I’ve come to love them more and more every time I'm with them.
The ward had a Halloween/Fall Festival party this past week. Sister Damato and
I went over to help Ed and Michele decorate the trunk of their truck with
cobwebs and other Halloween decorations for the "trunk or treat.” If there
was an award, Ed and Michele would have won. It looked AWESOME! We had a lot of
fun spending time with them. The more I serve them and spend time with them,
the more I don't want to leave them. I get so scared thinking that I'm going to
miss Ed's baptism by a week if I get transferred..... ahh! :( :( :(
When we were at the
Halloween party, I felt like I really got closer to many of the ward members. I
was having a blast moving from person to person talking with people. I never
thought that I would love this ward the way that I do now. They are all such
great people! The bishop really opened up to us as well. I feel like he has
always favored the elders, but he showed us quite a bit of attention that
night. I was describing to him where my home was…by the Eaglewood Golf course
and what the golf course looks like because he loves to golf. While I was
describing it he realized that he had golfed there!! Long story short, years
ago, he got a call from Elder Hales who had just flown to Florida and had heard
that the bishop of the New Smyrna Beach ward was “big” into golf. So, Elder
Hales called Bishop and asked if he wanted to golf with him! haha! A couple
years later, Bishop flew out to Utah and played golf with Elder Hales on Elder
Hales' golf course (Eaglewood!) Kind of fun! Such a small world in the world of
Mormons!
We had Zone Conference
yesterday at Lake Mary. Elder Walker from the 70s came and spoke to us. I
learned a lot from him! He served a mission in Japan and kept speaking in
Japanese throughout the conference. I picked little things here and there up
which was fun :) there is an elder in our mission, Elder Nakatska, (I don't
know how to spell it,) who is from Japan. He actually served ahead of me in
Winter Garden. He is the CUTEST little Japanese elder EVER!!! Elder Walker kept
calling him forward to speak to him in Japanese. Dad, you were on my mind a lot
yesterday as they talked about Japan :) One thing that Elder Walker said that really
stuck out to me was: "If you don't work hard for the Lord, then who are
you ever going to work hard for?" I think that is a really profound
question. It's so true.... if can't find the motivation to put my whole heart
and soul to God and what He wants from me, then who will I ever be true to?
Another thing that was brought up at Zone Conference was the Book of Mormon
Musical. It is coming to Orlando the first part of November and they were
preparing us missionaries to know what to say if the media starts asking us
questions. The Church has handled the situation so well. They came out with a
statement that said something along the lines of, "The Book of Mormon
musical may entertain you for the night, but the Book of Mormon will bring you
closer to God and change your life forever." haha I love it! Hopefully I
don't have to be faced with any media that have questions, but if so, I will
just bare my testimony of the blessing of the Book of Mormon!
The craziest thing
that happened at Zone Conference yesterday BY FAR was that I got to see the one
and only ELDER DANE PETERSON for the first time!!!!!!! It was soooo weird!!
haha! I had been keeping an eye out for him all morning because I knew that he
was supposed to be there but I hadn't
been able to find him. I was talking with some other missionaries when all of a
sudden Elder Peterson comes running up, grinning ear to ear with an
outstretched hand for a handshake. Man. I can't tell you how weird it is to see
old friends out on the mission. It's nuts. It was super fun to catch up a
little with him and to see how much he has grown. He looks exactly the same…
haha! I've heard that he is a great
District Leader and missionary. So fun to see him! Hopefully I'll be able to
see him more often now. I can't believe that it took 5 months for us to finally
run into each other out on the mission. So fun :)
I got that package you
sent me. I LOVED IT!!! Thank you sooo soo much!!! I love the CD's and piano
music. I actually have been asked to play the hymns in sacrament meeting next
week along with prelude... so I'll have to pull out some of that church music
to play for the prelude:) thank you again so much! I was listening to one of
the CD's you gave me one morning when having breakfast and "Savior,
Redeemer" began to play. I literally choked on my breakfast as the song
immediately took me back to when Angie and I use to sing that together. I could
distinctly hear Angie's voice singing the song. Man... I miss you Angie. SO
MUCH. I'm so very grateful that you sent me our little "Always Sisters,
Forever Friends" necklace. I cried a little when I put it on hahaha! I
wear it all the time now and don't want to ever take it off. I love all of you
so so much and don't know what I would do without you and your support, prayers
and love. I hope you know how much each one of you means to me. I LOVE
YOU!!!!!!!!!
I hope that I was able
to make up for my lame letter home last week. You are always in my prayers and
I’m so grateful for you! I hope that you guys have a fun Halloween. :) You
should dress up for me ;) hahaha Until next week!!!!!
xoxo,
Sister Kirkham
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