Gas Leak and No AC.. #help 😅

 

Week: 24
Date: July 22, 2024
Location: Southside, St Louis Missouri
Email: leah.kimball@missionary.org
Companion: Hermana Bruin/ St George, Utah 
Blog: https://livinlavidastlouis.blogspot.com/?m=1

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Took a mirror selfie with the cam because why not! 
St Louis Missouri
July 2024

HEY EVERYBODY!! 

Let's just get right into this!! This week our apartment has tried to attack us. It's literally trying to kill us. Tuesday morning we woke up, went to the gym, and put some clothes in the dryer and boom we smell a very potent gas smell! We call our apartment coordinator leader and she told us we need to get out of there asap! Luckily for me I get dressed first thing in the morning after we get home from the gym, and then study after. So I was dressed and ready to leave. Unlucky for my comp when we made the call she was still in her gym clothes so we grabbed her clothes and booked it before our drier almost exploded. Luckily it didn't, we called the gas company and they said the dryer is in fact broken :(. So now we have to go use the laundromat lol! Then secondly, on Friday our AC just completely broke and it's 100 degrees in Missouri…. Let's just say Satan really wants me to go home lol! #help

 Some lady gave us coca #blessings
St Louis Missouri
July 2024

Anyways, on the other hand ! Monday was a total blast!! Us and the girls of our district, hung out with this cute young couple from the English ward and painted our nails and played some board games!! Literally so fun! Reminded me of Colton, Caryn, Bailey, and Taylor #missthemsomuch! But it was tons of fun!! Also fun to just have a girls day! Haha

Thursday we invited two friends to be baptized ayyyyy!!! But one of them said no :( He just needs a little more time he said! So not totally horrible!! But Ana said Yes! She doesn't have a for sure date yet, but she has been to church twice now and really likes it!! She was raised with complete opposite beliefs than what we have been teaching. So it's a slow process but she told us she wants to keep learning!!! She's so cute! 

This is just a side note, and I feel like I need to add this for my future self when I read my blog one day. I thought it was just in the movies, but every man here in the city of St. Louis sags their pants. Seriously to the point where I'm like why have pants on at all if you are just gonna wear the waist line around your knees. Sorry to put this image in y'alls heads but for real, I guess saggy pants are “cool”.. 

 Garcia familia sin Francisco!
St Louis Missouri
July 2024

This week we went over to our super cute recent converts house!! The Garcias!! I love love the Garcias!! The mom is from Colombia and the dad is from the Dominican Republic and they just got baptized. They feed the missionaries (us) every Thursday!! The dad is a chef and he makes the yummiest food ever!! Literally I have to fast every Thursday just so that I can eat more for dinner ahah!! Emi (their daughter) is so cute!! She's 8 and she just got baptized!! Emi loves us so much and literally has started calling us her best friends! This past week we played a game before dinner with Emi, and the family, and it was so fun!! However, every time the board game would pop (it was like a pop goes the weasel type of game) I would kinda jump a little bit! So Emi came over and put her headphones that she uses at school on my head so that I stop “getting scared” lol but it was so cute and we got a cute pic!! Haha !

Me, Emi, her panda, and the headphones
St Louis Missouri
July 2024

Y'ALL I HAVE THE BIGGEST NEWS ABOUT AYSEL!! Saturday we got her on date for baptism for the 25th of August!! It was the best experience inviting her to be baptized!! We have been teaching Aysel for about 2 months and she really was doing a whole belief reset. She always has so many questions in every lesson (which is so so good) because then she's really retaining everything!! She's already following President Russel M. Nelson on Facebook too!! Haha! But when we invited her to be baptized she looked at us and in Spanish was like “you really think I'm ready” it was so sweet, she just wants to be ready for God! And we said yes, and then she asked us how we chose the date for her baptism. I told her that we of course pray everyday for her and have been praying for it for a while!! Y'ALL GUESS WHAT!! She told us the date means so much because it's the birthday of her grandma she was super close with that passed away!! How pure is that, because she knows that God is watching over her! Anyways, I am just beyond stoked because Aysel is genuinely my bestie!! I'm so excited for her!! 

Church was a total blast!! We had Ana come to church with her whole family. They loved it!! We had another family come, but they had a harder time loving it. It was just because their daughters seemed to be loving the young men in our branch!! Then we had our friend Justin come, which was so cool!! I just love our branch so much! We have transfers coming up this Wednesday and they are all terrified that I'll be outta here. (I think God will let me stay another one here)! I just love Bella Villa so so much! Def my fav area so far (I've only served here) haha!! But seriously I have been so blessed! 

 Selfie w/ the Espinozas!!
St Louis Missouri
July 2024

This week while I was reading in Helaman this verse stood out to me and I just wanted to share it with all of y'all !! It’s Helaman 5:12 

“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” 

Christ has truly been my strength out on my mission. I feel like I have created a new foundation on the Lord. It has gotten me through some of the toughest days. Satan is so real, sometimes he just gets in your head and tells you, you should have just gotten married instead of serving a mission.. But then I step back and I realize the real love I have in helping others build their foundations on Christ! This week I invite you to find a way you can strengthen your foundation in Christ!! 

I love and miss y'all so much, but my work here isn't done! I'll see y'all soon! I love you to pieces! Work hard this week and write me! God is so good!! 💖

-Hermana Kimball 

Dad: Funny to see how proud you are of Lexi and the emails she receives … haha

Mom: Can't believe you keep leaving the fam chat with som crazy cliff hangers 

Colton: Only fun dads go down slides

Caryn: Gosh put me on your ward email list haha

Bailey: Kinda jelly of Shaye spending so much time with you

Taylor: The fit check goes hard 

Clay: Wowowowow. The Lord really answered my prayers for you. You're welcome

Lexi: Gosh I'll just delete my photo album since your not on it.. 😉 (#yourmissionisharder)

Bella: Cute hair send more pics 

Collins: You are a soccer beast #proud.. pretty weird that all of your cool tricks seemed to conveniently be off camera 🤣 jk

Capri: Yey girl, take me to Cali w/ you?

Kash: You are literally gigantic