Bashing on a Sunday.

 

Week: 10
Date: April 15, 2024
Location: Southside, St Louis Missouri
Email: leah.kimball@missionary.org
Companion: Hermana Larsen/ Kaysville, Utah 
Blog: https://livinlavidastlouis.blogspot.com/?m=1 

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 It's getting so hot here.
St Louis Missouri
April 2024

Hiii y'all! happiest of p-days! I can not believe another week down! I think it's finally warming up in mizzou but I'm not too sure anymore.  It's very bipolar.. the beginning of this week was 45 degrees then this past weekend it was 90 degrees! I am so excited for this warm weather. I hate the cold! Especially knocking doors in the cold, but it was a good tactic for people to let us in.

First off the eclipse!!! It was so cool. We drove to Illinois to get into the 100 % total coverage zone and it was awesome! It got super dark, and super cold here, and it was such a cool experience! Our mission president gave us glasses, and it was actually so cool to watch! I think it was the first eclipse that I actually had glasses for, so it was so cool to look and see the sun covered! 

 On Tuesday it was pouring all day and all of our lessons canceled on us that night, which means we started knocking doors. My comp and I fully had an umbrella but we decided to leave it in the car because we knew if people saw us in the pouring rain they'd let us in.. or so we thought. Nope. People can't let you in when they don't answer the door. It was sad, so now we were wet and freezing. After that we decided to go to Walmart and find latinos there. We ran into so many!! I am especially excited for two of our friends who are Colombians. They said that they want to come to church and have us over to try “real” Colombian food.. lol

Also y'all, my comp and I don't get many meals from the people so of course we always make a dinner or pack a dinner. One night we made some yummy tacos, then went out for our lessons for the night. Little did we know we were going to be fed a second dinner by another Honduran family (Y'all everyone here is Honduran, it’s actually crazy). They also fed us tacos... so of course I had to force feed myself tacos. I was about to explode. Then after my third taco I had to tap out. I made sure to spread the food around the plate a bit and really try to make it look like I really enjoyed it. After that experience my companion and I are going to try to see if we can borrow some bikes from our mission so we don't gain 500 pounds.

Exchanges with Sister Neumiller!
St Louis Missouri
April 2024

This week we also went on exchanges!!! (Its when you switch companions for a day)! So I got to be with Sister Neumiller in an English area! It was so fun! We met the sweetest black grandma and her name is Babette, and she’s trying to quit smoking! My fav quote from her was “God has done so much for me, I can quit this for him, but boy it is hard”. Her enthusiasm towards her Savior Jesus Christ was the coolest thing ever. She also turned on some gospel music and wanted us to sing and dance with her! She's the cutest! 

Sunday was crazy around here.. we had stake conference which is really great except when you are inviting a bunch of latinos to an English conference. They had AI generated subtitles for all the Spanish speakers playing behind the podium. and it was wild. The AI generated subtitles started mishearing all the speakers and started writing about cocaine and licking horse skin.. it was seriously crazy. So we had to whisper translate to all of our friends instead. They seemed to enjoy it, but I'm not too sure how much they actually understood from the conference.

Our biggest rival.. Santa Cecilia 
St Louis Missouri
April 2024

Last night was the first night I have ever been bashed here in St. Louis, and it was by a Latino! We asked him if he wanted to hear a message, he was super sweet and said yes. He told us that he was a 7th day Adventist and let us talk for seriously 10 seconds. Then he started yelling at us and saying that we don't keep the sabbath day holy, and how Saturday is the sabbath day. And how we made up the day Sunday, that's why it's named after the sun because we couldn't think of anything else, and that we were making fun of the son of god.. it was seriously like the weirdest wildest thing to be bashed about. And then I told him we need to leave for a different appointment and he started yelling telling us to come visit him again, and to bring our pastor with us next time. It was so weird, this Latino man was also like 5’3 so imagine a 5’3 little man yelling at two pretty tall white girls. I was not scared of him but it was a pretty funny first bash moment on my mish! 

Anyways, my spiritual thought this week actually comes from Alma 26:11-12 because I will always be boasting in the strength that the Lord provides for me while I'm out here! The verses say 

“11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. 12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.” 

God has provided so many mighty miracles in my life and I could not be more grateful to see all these miracles so profoundly on my mission! Being a missionary in the missionary life is tough. It's a hard adjustment from leaving everything behind but every week I see the miracles and I see the reasons why I'm here! God has given me strength each and everyday and I'm reminded to count my blessings! Be grateful for the reasons why I miss home! How lucky am I to miss a home and to miss the best family in the world! So this week, I invite you to be strong, and count your many blessings!! 

Big sleepover!
St Louis Missouri
April 2024

You are the coolest most amazing people I know, and I'm so grateful to miss all of you, but I could not be more grateful to be serving the Lord! Always remember who you are and what you stand for! GOD IS SO GOOD! El es un Dios de milagros! 

-Hermana Kimball 

Dad: Thank you for sending updates from stake conference! Heard you should been cleaning…

Mom: You are such a hardworker! Cool mom

Colton: I'm gonna miss you if you move out of the house! 

Caryn: You should just live with my parents forever 😉 

Taylor: I feel like ur slaying in work, so good job 

Bailey: I'll take candids of you for free

Clay: Bigger and better things for you brother 

Lexi: I'm happy you only have one comp now! Happy duo life!

Bella: Hey? I love you! 

Collins: You are like a youth pastor now, loving your tik toks

Capri: Send me emails, videos, pictures.. anything!!! 

Kash: I'm beyond jelly ur going to Disney!