Crazy this week, but so good!

Such a crazy week this week, but so good.  We witnessed so many miracles.  We have been so busy and are always exhausted, but that is the way that it goes most days.

Sister Kelley and me

Tuesday we had district meeting and we talked a lot about our purpose as missionaries.  We looked at it through the lens of the Restoration.  Our purpose as missionaries is to teach people the restored gospel.  Interesting that it always specifies that.  It is because we are living in the last days before Christ is going to come to the earth again.  We are so blessed to get to be a part of the Restoration and I am glad that I have the opportunity to share that knowledge and that joy with others.  After district meeting, we went to go visit a new investigator that we had found, but she wasn't home.  However, her neighbor Jake was outside and we started talking to him.  He told us that he is Atheist, but we started talking to him about Christmas and were able to help him to open up.  We talked to him about this new He is the Gift video that the church has put out.  (Which is really good by the way!  You should watch it.)  It has been cool to see how people that wouldn't normally talk to us or open up to us are more willing to listen during the Christmas season.  Later that night we were able to go to our ward's relief society activity.  They had a program called ''The Women Who Knew Christ."  It was very interesting.  It was pretty much just testimonies of the women who were involved in Christ's birth.  Pretty cool.

Wednesday we had a lesson with our investigator Zoe.  She has been progressing more now.  She has been reading from the Book of Mormon everyday and really enjoying it.  We talked about the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  We talked about what it feels like and why it is such a blessing to have as a constant companion.  She just has a few concerns that we are trying to work through.  We were also able to visit a few other recent convert's and less-actives.  Nothing too crazy.

Thursday we had a lesson with out new investigator Ishmael.  He is the one that we met on the bus a few weeks ago.  We had taught him the Restoration last time and he really liked it.  But we wanted to make sure that he understood it all the way before we moved on.  So we watched the Restoration DVD with him and it was super powerful.  He told us that he was having warm feelings in his heart when he watched it so that is a good sign!  We gave him his own copy and he went home and watched it 4 times... haha.  So we are excited to see him again this week and hopefully we can set a baptismal date with him!  

Exchanges with Sister Brewster

Friday was exchanges!!!  I got to go on exchanges with the one and only Sister Brewster!  So fun to get to be back with her again.  She goes home on Thursday so it was fun to get to reminisce.  So crazy!  But this time we were back in our area together so that was pretty cool.  We got to see a lot of people that we taught together when we were companions.  We got to see Rachel together again which was really cool.  Reminded me again of what a miracle she is and what an amazing example she is too.  It was fun to be together with the 3 of us again.  We talked about the Christmas story in the Book of Mormon.  It must have taken a lot of faith on the believers part to stand up to the unbelievers when it came time for Christ's birth.  We also got to see Shay who is doing very well too!  She still reads from the Book of Mormon everyday and has started going to institute every week.  So that was pretty cool.  It was fun to get to exchange with Sister Brewster, but it was so nice to have Sister Kelley back again!  Sure do love that girl.  I am going to miss Sister Brewster when she goes home this week.

Kendall's baptism

Isn't Kendall just glowing?

Saturday was KENDALL' S BAPTISM!  It was such an amazing day!  This week was definitely full of ups and downs.  Kendall was out of town all week for business, so we had lessons with her over the phone everyday.  There was definitely a lot of opposition, but Kendall has been so strong.  Her family was not very supportive of her decision to be baptized.  But she says that she received and answer to her prayer and she knew what she needed to do.  There was really a special spirit at her baptism.  Kendall is amazing because she was already a very spiritual and Christlike person before she found this church.  But when Kendall bore her testimony at her baptism, she talked about how this new found faith is only going to strengthen and add to the faith that she already has.  Which is to true.  I love that this gospel does that.  It takes our strengths as well as our weaknesses and helps us to become better through them.  You can feel the Spirit so strongly whenever you are around Kendall and you can tell that she is just glowing with the light of Christ.  I am so grateful for her amazing example to me.  If everyone had faith like Kendall, the whole world would be baptized by now! 

When Sister Kelley and I were setting transfer goals back at the beginning of the transfer, our biggest goal that we decided on was to witness a Christmas miracle.  I think we did just that with Kendall!  She truly is a miracle and I feel so humbled and so blessed to have gotten to be a part of this.  I love being a missionary!  It is people like Kendall that make this all worth while.

I hope that you all are having a great Christmas season!  I love you!

Love,

Sister King

Timpview Baptisms!

Hi family!

First snow fall of the year.  And so it begins....

I don't have a lot of time to write this week because there are so many crazy things happening with transfers coming up so I will just have to cram as much information in as I can in a small amount of time.  So bear with me!  

Timpview represent!  Elder Baird and me with our investigators as they are about the be baptized!

Tuesday was pretty cool.  In order to prepare for District meeting our DL asked us to use the proclamation to the family in our finding.  We were so busy with our appointments that we hadn't really had an opportunity to do it.  So we went out right before district meeting to try to find some new investigators using the Proclamation.  We prayed so hard that we would be able to find someone.  The first person that we talked to on the street was named Connie and she LOVED the proclamation.  She ate it right up!  The thing is, it is so easy to just talk to people about their families.  And this gospel blesses families!  Because of it, we get to be with our families forever!  So relating it back to the Restoration of the gospel is usually pretty smooth.  So that was pretty successful and we found a cool new investigator out of it.  So then we went to district meeting and got to talk all about families.  It was really cool.  Of course, it made me miss you guys a lot.  But I am just so grateful that we are an eternal family.  We will have plenty of time to hang out in the eternities.  Then we had a district testimony meeting that was really powerful.  In some ways, we are like a family too.  So it was cool to hear their testimonies.  They have been my favorite district on my mission so far.  

Then later that night, we got to have a lesson with Shay.  We just went over a few last things before she had her baptismal interview and she PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS!  It was so awesome.  Afterward when we were praying with her and this is what she said in her prayer that really touched me.  She said, "Thank you so much for giving me what I have been looking for my entire life."  Shay is such a miracle and she never ceases to amaze me

Wednesday was exchange day!  I got to go back with Sister Brewster which was really fun!  It is always fun to reminisce with old companions.  We got to go work in the Madison 2 area.  We worked with a lot of recent converts and less actives.  It was really fun to be able to teach with her again.  And it was fun to be in a car too :)  But I was super excited to get back to my area to finish getting ready for Shay's baptism.  And to see Sis. Hammatt again.  

This has been my favorite district so far on my mission!

Found a mural of people protesting in Madison, so naturally had to take a picture in front of it :)

Say hello to Elim!

Exchanges with Sis. Brewster!  Check it out- we are both in a car!  haha

Thursday was the first day of snow!  And also the day that Sis Hammatt and I created our Christmas corner.  We met with our investigator Kendall and taught her the Plan of Salvation.  We extended a baptismal date in January.  We had prayed about it and felt really good about the date that we were going to extend.  But then Kendall said no... haha.  We were really scared that we maybe had scared her off.  But she texted us yesterday and said that after a few days of letting it sink it, she feels good about working towards January for baptism.  So that was a huge miracle.  WE also met with Shay on Thursday and taught her all about the temple.  She loved it and is excited to be able to go do baptisms for the dead.  And Sis Hammatt might even be able to take her in the 2 weeks that she has at home before she heads out on the rest of her mission.

We went back with Shay and took a picture in front of the bus stop where we met her!  ps- that is hot chocolate that she is drinking, not coffee haha

Love this girl!

Saturday was one of the most amazing days of my entire life.  SHAY'S BAPTISM!!!  Everything ran so smoothly.  It was perfect.  Elder Baird had a baptism that day too, so we combined them into one.  How cool is that?  Shay bore such a powerful testimony after she was baptized about how her whole life she felt like something was missing and that she knows that she has found it!  It was so amazing.  I know that I specifically was supposed to be here in Madison to find Shay!  I have seen the Lord's hand so much in my life the past transfer.  I know that he knows me and loves me and is looking out for me.  And I know that He knows Shay and that He knew that she was prepared to hear the gospel.  That is why He placed her at the bus stop with us that day.

We are now taking donations to help decorate our Christmas corner!!!!!!

Casually enjoying our Christmas corner.

I am so grateful for this gospel and the chance that I have to share it.  Thank you for your love and support!  Can't wait to hear from you next week!

Love,

Sister King

It's not every day your companion gets a mission call! :)

Hello Family!!!  

Tampa Florida for this girl!!!

As always, it is so good to hear from all of you.  It has definitely been cooling down here in Wisconsin and winter is right around the corner, but the work here is still going strong!

We had a pretty busy week this week which is just how I like it.

All the sisters in the Madison zones

Reunion with Sis Brewster

Tuesday we got to meet with a few recent converts in the ward and then we also got to meet with Shay!  This week was pretty much centered around Shay because we have so much to teach her before her baptism THIS SATURDAY.  We taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was cool because when we got to talking about baptism, I asked her what helped her make the decision to be baptized.  She talked about how she had always felt that something was missing in her life.  But ever since she met us that day at the bus stop, that hole that she has felt is starting to be filled.  And every time she meets with us she feels a little less empty.  Shay just has such amazing faith.  Everyday I just can't believe what an amazing miracle she is.  I just remember that I was so grateful for the amazing experiences I had teaching Sarah while I was being trained.  More than anything I wanted Sis. Hammatt to be able to have those same experiences.  We prayed so hard the first day that we were together to be able to have a baptism this transfer.  And the thing is- it is not anything that we did!  It has just all been miracle after miracle and tender mercy after tender mercy.  It was the Lord, and Sis. Hammatt and I have just been instruments in his hands in helping Shay to come to the fold.  We are so excited for this Saturday! 

Wednesday we met with a few of our investigators in the singles ward.  We taught Sarah and she is still going strong.  Instead of setting a baptismal date with her, we set a "tell your parents you are getting baptized" date with her.  So we are really hoping that goes well.  We talked about obedience and how important it is that we are obedient to the commandments of the Lord.  There are 3 reasons that we are obedient.  The first is fear.  We are scared of the consequences that will come if we aren't obedient.  The second is desire for blessings.  We are obedient because we desire the blessings that come from it.  (I think that the second category is where most of us fall).  And the last reason- and the one we are all striving for- is love for the Lord.  We should be obedient because we love the Lord and want to do what He asks of us no matter what it is.  I think that we are obedient for all of these reasons throughout our lives.  But being obedient out of love for the Lord is something that we all need to learn to do in this life.  We will never be perfect, but I am so grateful for my mission and the opportunity that I have had to begin learning how to do that.

The missionaries in the Madison 1st ward

The Madison 1 ward building

Thursday we had zone conference.  I LOVE ZONE CONFERENCE.  I think that is one of the things that I will miss most about my mission.  In fact, I might look up where the Provo mission zone conferences are and sneak in a couple of times later on in life... haha.  But this time we talked all about the Book of Mormon and how important it is.  Lots of people try to become "Preach My Gospel missionaries" and that is great.  But President Cutler wants us to become "Book of Mormon missionaries."  It is amazing because I can feel that more and more everyday of my life.  Zone conference was great and I always leave them feeling so motivated to be a better missionary. 

But the highlight this week was Thursday night because Sis. Hammatt got to open her mission call!  She will be serving in the Florida Tampa mission!!  I am beyond stoked for her.  Abby- you were spot on my friend!  Good work.  She is super excited and I am super excited for her.  Not excited that she is going to be leaving me... :(  But excited nonetheless.  It was cool because Shay got to come and watch Sis Hammatt open her call.  It was a very spiritual experience for all of us.

The Hammatt family

Sis. Hammatt and me with our investigator

Friday we met with Shay again because we have a lot to teach her.  We talked about the Law of Chastity and also Tithing.  Both went over very well and she is excited to start following these commandments.  We also met a couple of cool people on the bus this past week and set up church tours with them on Friday.  None of them showed... haha.  But that's cool. Shay made Friday worth it.

Saturday we got to see Rachel.  She is still doing so well.  She has seen so many blessings in her life since her decision to be baptized.  We got to teach her all about patriarchal blessings and she is so excited to get hers.

Sunday was a cool day because I realized that it was my one year anniversary for going through the temple!  Isn't that crazy?  I am so beyond grateful for the covenants that I have made in the House of the Lord.  How cool is it that we can make promises with our Heavenly Father and he promises us so many amazing blessings in return.  I love this scripture in the Book of Mormon about covenants:

1 Nephi 14:14

 14 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

Our covenants really do empower us.  I have literally FELT that on my mission.  It is crazy because in the past 9 months I have only gone to the temple 1 time, yet my testimony of temples has increased ten fold as I have studied this gospel and taught it to others.  I am so grateful for temples and the blessings that they are in our lives.  And you should all go to the temple!  There are about a bajillion temples so close by.  GO!  It's the best place in the world.

So this week has been pretty awesome in case you haven't been able to tell.  I just wanted to share one more thing from this week.  In our lesson with Rachel, we were discussing  some of the talks that were given in Stake Conference last week.  The stake president talked about doubt and what we can do to have faith rather than fear.  So we kind of got on the topic of doubt.  And Rachel said something that I will never forget.  She said, "If we make it to the end and it turns out all of this isn't true.... Then it should be!"  Haha I just love that.  This gospel should be true!  Look at everything that has come from it.  I look at my life and everything that I love and all of the blessings that I have and they have come directly from living the principles of this gospel.  I LOVE THIS GOSPEL.  It makes me so happy.  It should be true!  And it is true.  I know that it is.  I love the opportunity that I have to tell everyone about it everyday.  I love the fact that it is all that I ever talk about.  I love being a missionary. 

Thanks so much for being the best family ever.  And if you could keep Shay in your prayers this week, that would be very much appreciated!!!

I love you!!

Sister King

It's not every day your companion gets a mission call!  :)

First week training!

Hi Family!

So I made it through my first week of training and taking over the area!  Yay!  :)

Though this past week has been one of the most overwhelming and stressful of not just my mission but my entire life, I could definitely feel the power of your prayers helping me through.  I could also see the hand of the Lord in helping me.  It was a great week.

My birthday package from the Smart's!

To finish out my birthday on Monday we were able to go out to lunch with the elders in the district and then go to dinner at one of my favorite member's houses.  They made me the most delicious chocolate almond birthday cake.  And then for FHE we went over to a Spanish part-member family's house and tie dyed t-shirts!  It was definitely a fun day.

My birthday lunch with my district at Nitty Gritty

The Allred's made me a birthday cake :)

The Thurston's got me a birthday present!

Tuesday was pretty crazy because we were running around doing so many last minute things before transfers.  We were able to say goodbye to a lot of investigators and less active members and they all seem excited that I am still going to be here.  So that's good.  We had a super powerful last lesson with Rachel.  The experiences that we had with one another of her journey to baptism were amazing and we grew really close.  So that was a tough goodbye.  Later that night we went and stayed at the Madison 2nd sisters apartment to make things easier for transfers the next day. 

Wednesday was TRANSFERS!!!  It was pretty crazy and hectic but everything ended up working out fine.  Instead of waiting at the church, 4 sisters that were waiting for their new companions all came and we worked in the Mad 2 area.  we visited some recent converts and then went out to lunch together.  Then we headed to the church to pick up my new companion.

Some last pictures with Sister Brewster.

Sister Sierra Hammatt is an amazing person.  She is 19 and she is from Appleton Wisconsin.  She is a trial missionary because when she was 16 her lung collapsed in an accident and they just want to make sure that she can handle a mission before they send her out for good.  But President told me that there is no doubt in his mind that she will serve the rest of her mission.  So one cool thing is that she will be receiving her actual mission call within the next few weeks and we will get to open it together!  So that will be cool.  Sister Hammatt went to BYU for a year before and she is studying English and Editing and plans to go to law school after her undergrad.  She is so awesome and we have a lot in common and we click really well.  She came out on her mission so prepared and already pretty much knows what she is doing!  Also- she speaks Spanish!!!  So she has been able to communicate with a lot of the Spanish members and she can talk to the Hispanics that me meet on the bus and stuff.  So that has been pretty much the coolest thing. We are going to have an amazing transfer together.

My greenie Sister Hammatt!

When we got back to our apartment she unpacked a little and then we headed out to work!  I was able to navigate the buses and get us to our appointments that night which was a huge tender mercy.  AND we ended up meeting 2 new investigators along the way.  So that was pretty amazing

Day 2 into the transfer and we are already matching.  It's going to be a great transfer!  :)

Thursday we were able to meet with Myrtle again but she had some pretty sad news.  She ended up moving to Indiana this weekend!  :( that was really sad because she was our most progressing investigator.  But I have faith that the Lord is going to bless us and send us some other investigators to help keep us busy.  It is also cool because Sister Hammatt has a family friend here in Madison that actually doesn't live too far from us.  So we went to and gave her a Book of Mormon and will hopefully be able to start teaching her this week.

Friday we spent most of our day volunteering at a Blood Drive at EPIC.  If you haven't heard of EPIC then you should look it up because it is a really cool company with the most amazing facility I have ever seen.  And they like to hire people from BYU, so that is pretty cool.  Many of our ward members work there.  We met a lot of cool people at the blood drive and planted many seeds.  But I think the coolest part was when we were driving back in the shuttle with another one of the Red Cross volunteers.  She told us that she thought that it was amazing that not only do we come on missions to spread the gospel, but we also come to give service and to help people.  She was super sweet and her heart is softening too!

Saturday was pretty crazy.  We met with some more recent converts and then we were also able to have a lesson with Rachel.  We talked to her all about the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  We talked about the different roles that the Holy Ghost plays in our lives, especially when we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and have it as a constant companion.  Something that I have realized since I have been on my mission is that recognizing how the Spirit is really hard for me.  I was blessed enough to grow up in a home where the Spirit was constantly and consistently there.  So because I am so used to feeling it, sometimes the only times I can notice the Spirit is when it is gone.  If that makes sense.  But I love the Holy Ghost and my goal is to do everything I possibly can in my life to always be living worthy to have it has a constant companion.  And how cool is it that Heavenly Father loves us to much that he has given us the Holy Ghost??  Like we get to have a member of the GODHEAD with us constantly to help us!  What an amazing blessing.

Then Sunday morning, Rachel was confirmed!  It was a beautiful experience and I for sure felt the Spirit there. 

Overall, it was a great week.  I really could FEEL your prayers this week.  It was the coolest thing.  Thank you so much for all that you do for me.  I love you so much!!  Have an amazing week!

Sister King

P-DAY B-DAY!

Sis. Brewster was so sweet and decorated the apartment this morning.

Hello Family!!!

Ok so much to tell you guys!!!  This week has been absolutely insane!  For starters, this week is transfers.  I didn't say anything about it last week because Sister Brewster and I weren't expecting it to really affect us.  We thought we would be together until Sis. Brewster goes home in December.  But then the transfer text came on Saturday and we found out that she actually would be leaving.  We just checked the transfer board a few seconds ago and she is not going too far... She is going to be my Sister Training Leader in the Madison 2nd ward.  As for me, I will be training here in the Madison 1st ward!  I am beyond nervous.  I felt nervous just knowing that I was going to be taking over the area after only being here one transfer, but now I will be training a brand new missionary too!  All I can say is that I am really going to need the Lord's help on this one.  Please keep me in your prayers!

Let me just start back at the beginning of the week...

Tuesday we had our last district meeting of the transfer.  Didn't this transfer just fly by?  Seems like just yesterday that I got here to Madison, and not I have a whole transfer under my belt!  It was a super awesome district meeting.  We talked all about asking our investigators what we call "inspired questions."  Asking them the questions that Christ would ask them if he were here to help them open up.  It was really cool and we received a lot of revelation for our area and the people that we are working with.  So that was pretty cool.  We also had a district testimony meeting which I absolutely love.  Our district really did see miracles this transfer!  We have been working hard.

My district this transfer

Mad 1!

We made dinner for a recent convert, Janet.

Wednesday we had a lesson with our investigator Zoe.  She is pretty solid and has some righteous desires, but has gotten caught up on the whole women and the priesthood thing.  So it was kind of an interesting lesson.  I just bore my testimony to her that we aren't going to understand everything here in this life.  But as long as we know that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith restored the gospel, and that Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today, nothing else matters.  It will all fall into place.  It is kind of interesting because a lot of those types of things that bother a lot of people about the church don't really bother me.... But they seem to bother a lot a people here in Madison.  So I just do my best to answer their questions the way Jesus would and be the best representative of Him that I can be

Out for hot chocolate because it is ALREADY FREEZING COLD :)

This is Estefany and she is one of the spanish members in the ward.  She just got her personal progress award, so we took her out to hot chocolate!

Thursday we had a lesson with Rachel.  We talked to her about callings and service in the church.  She is super excited to receive a calling and start visiting teaching!  So that is pretty awesome.  We also had a lesson with a brand new investigator named Myrtle.  Her fiance is a member of the church so he wanted her to take the missionary lessons.  It was such a miracle- we set a baptismal date with her in the very first lesson!  December 13!  So that is pretty awesome.  The work sure is going strong here in Madison.

Friday we had another lesson with Rachel.  She gave us really cute gifts.  I will cherish my picture of the temple from her for my entire life.  She really is a special daughter of our Father in Heaven.  We talked a little bit about the baptismal covenant that she would be making and we also talked about enduring to the end.  The is what she has to work on now for the rest of her life!  Enduring to the end!  We also shared our favorite scriptures about Jesus Christ in the New Testament.  Rachel was Jewish before, so it has been amazing to see her discover her Savior and what He means to her.

Rachel gave Sis. Brewster and I gifts the day before her baptism

Saturday was the craziest but best day ever.  We woke up and got to go over to the Allred's house to have a yummy breakfast and then watch conference together with Rachel.  We found out right before conference started that Sis. Brewster was going to be transferred, so that was kind of sad.  But in order to lighten up the mood, Rachel opened her brand new quad.  And she absolutely loved it!  The look on her face was priceless.  As soon as the conference session ended, we headed off to the church for Rachel's baptism.  It was the most powerful baptismal service I have ever attended.  The turn out from the ward was great!  We didn't even all fit in the Relief Society room.  Everybody just loves Rachel so much.  Rachel had asked me to give the talk on baptism, so that was super nerve wracking.  But I just bore my testimony of Jesus Christ and how Rachel is following his example.  It was pretty awesome.  But the best moment of the whole day was when Rachel got to bear her testimony.  I will send you a copy of it because I just won't do it justice.  But Rachel's testimony just absolutely glows through her.  It was an amazing experience!

Love this girl!

Sunday we got to have breakfast before conference with my favorites.... The Thurston's!  Our investigator Zoe came with us so that was pretty awesome.  You can always count on the prophet to invite the Spirit. :)  Then we watched the afternoon session with another favorite family in the ward.  It was the biggest tender mercy to get to watch most of the sessions in members homes.  Made me miss you guys!  But that's ok. 

Anyways as for my birthday today!  We are going on to lunch with my district!  So that should be pretty fun.  But mostly it was just the best birthday present to get to  read all of my e-mails from you guys today.  Thank you so much for being the best family ever.  I loved all of the cards and letters that you sent me.  Each and every one meant so much to me.  I love you guys so much!  Have a great week.

And remember, please keep me in your prayers a little extra! 

Love, 

Sister King

My Birthday package!

Opening birthday presents!