Tornado on the Highway

 

Week: 11
Date: April 22, 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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 I love our ward members!! Maru is so sweet and she's gonna teach
us how to bedazzle denim bags with us this week! 
St Louis Missouri
April 2024

Another week down whoop whoop! 

Y'all this week was so exciting, seriously!

Tuesday was the best day ever!!! After a pretty sad weekend of so many lessons falling through we actually had 5 confirmed lessons on Tuesday! So it was crazy, but awesome!! Also..I feel like I can finally introduce you to two of our friends. I have been hesitant because last time I introduced Jean Carlos and Frangeny in the email they started ghosting us a couple days later.. but officially our friend Jesus has a firm date to be baptized on the 28th of April.. THIS SUNDAY!!! So exciting, then our other friend, Antonio, on the 11th of May! 

If both of these friends get baptized then that will mean that my average is still the same lol. One baptism every 2-3 weeks! This work is so cool, amazing and great! Like gosh, being able to be apart of so many baptisms has been such a huge blessing, and it's been so fun to watch all of our friends grow in their desire to create relationships with God! 

Twinning with Sister Littledike
St Louis Missouri
April 2024

Just me and my mission flag lol
St Louis Missiouri
April 2024

SOOO MIRACLE OF THE WEEK!! Hi everyone let me tell y'all the coolest story. This week my comp and I have really been feeling like we need to be biking more. We run into more people, we will use less of our allotted miles, and its good exercise. Although, I don't have a bike and I really didn't want to buy one lol! Anyways, after prayers and fasting, our travel coordinator called  Hermana Larsen and me, and told us he has two bikes that no missionaries were using.  He then asked if we would be able to be responsible for the bike he assigns us for the rest of our missions. So y'all, I got a free loaner bike for the next 18 months! God answers prayers people I swear! AND it's purple! #slay

Another crazy story for y'all, Thursday night Hermana Larsen and I were driving to a members house when we knew a storm was coming in. Although this was not a normal storm this was a full blown tornado with sirens so loud, billions of warnings alerting us on our phones, and scary rain pouring out of the sky. And when I say pouring, I mean I have never seen so much rain come down in the biggest rain drops ever! It was seriously so scary the wind was physically moving our car. We were stuck on the highway with no exits in traffic and about 20 mins out from our destination. We seriously were so scared we even called our mission president #embarrassingforus lol! But we decided to pray! As missionaries do, and let me tell y'all, the fear didn't go away fast but we did calm and the storm calmed as well! We ended up living, but it was terrifying! 

 Hardest workers
St Louis Missouri
April 2024

SOUTHSIDE ZONEEE!!!
St Louis Missouri
April 2024

Then, Saturday morning because of that crazy like tornado stuff from Thursday, we had a service project. All the missionaries in my zone were asked if we could come clean a graveyard. I thought we'd be like wiping down graves but no we were trucking these ginormous tree branches and trunks across the gravesite to a truck that was gonna get rid of them. Like 50 trees had fallen in piles all over the graves. There were so many fallen trees that a lot of the gravestones were invisible until we cleaned it all up. The trees were huge and about 20 missionaries and a bunch of people from the community came to pick up all the trees and bring the huge trunks to a truck and put the billions of branches in a wood chipper. It reminded me a lot of my mom, and cleaning our backyard every spring for the summer. So I felt pretty prepared. 

Ok so update with Jesus' baptism. Our friend Jesus has terminal cancer. It's really sad and wild but he has so much faith! He's been meeting with the missionaries for 3 months and wants to be baptized! We have had a date planned for this upcoming Sunday but he had an emergency and was sent to the hospital on Saturday. We went to go visit him yesterday and the doctors said he should be good to go home! He also still wants to be baptized so that's awesome! But everyone say a little prayer for Jesus! 

Closest I've been to the arch :(( #oneday
St Louis Missouri
April 2024

Me in action knocking a door
St Louis Missouri
April 2024

That leads me into my spiritual thought. With Jesus we talk a whole lot about faith and the plan of happiness! Jesus has told us multiple times that he's not afraid because God is with him! With Jesus I have been thinking a lot about this scripture in 2 Nephi 13

 “And that he (Jesus Christ) manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith.”

I am a huge believer in mighty miracles! It's been a constant theme on my mission and I am blessed to experience miracles everyday! Through Jesus Christ, I am made strong! I am an instrument in his hands and will continue to spread his love to everyone! And boy am I blessed because of it! I get to see the most faithful children of God and bring them closer to him! It's the coolest experience and I'm so lucky to be here!!

The mission is something I am learning to love each day but being able to experience actual miracles makes it pretty easy! I love you all! Have the best week and remember God is soooo good! 

-Hermana Kimball 

Dad: I tell all of our Guatemalan friends that I lived there for a summer because of our mission trip! They are trying to teach me Quechee (idk how to spell that) 

Mom: My yard work skills got put to use this week, I asked them if they need me to paint/weld paint off a fence.

Colton: The self control is amazing twiggy

Caryn: Ur baby (Kash) is half the size of you in these vids ur sending me

Taylor: Told my district about ur love story..

Bailey: Now that I'm on a mission I understand how weird it'd be to like ur AP lol

Clay: Glad ur hair is growing back

Lexi: Haven't heard from you in weeks lol

Bella: Girl u are looking so pretty in ur Tik Toks

Collins: I love that you bear ur testimony on how amazing I am! 

Capri: I read your email this week to possibly every missionary I have talked to! UR THE GREATEST WRITER lol 

Kash: Ur bigger than ur dad at this point