I promise I'm not a Nun!!!

 

Week: 34
Date: September 30, 2024
Location: Champaign, Illinois
Email: leah.kimball@missionary.org
Companion: Hermana McQuigg/Colorado Springs, Colorado
Blog: https://livinlavidastlouis.blogspot.com/?m=1

Lexi's Mission Blog: https://iputtheradincolorado.blogspot.com/

IF YOU WANNA SEE DAILY UPDATES JOIN MY PHOTO ALBUM: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UtSgfakxxo46tkbd6  

 ILLINI COCINA DE SOPA!!! 
Champaign Illinois
September 2024

Happy fall y'all!!! We are getting that cooler weather coming in, and I am terrified… I have been freezing and it's only 60 degrees.. pls y'all pray that this winter won't send me home jk jk 🫣😜

This week was honestly fya!!! Started off the week so solid, ready to hit that missionary work so hard. Y'all let me tell y'all bout some of our friends. We have been teaching these 2 besties, named Luis and Simon. We have been teaching them for 4 weeks. They try to come to church every other week because of their jobs and they also drive to our English classes every Wednesday. They live in INDIANA… we are the closest Spanish branch to them and they literally drive to Champaign 2 times a week to come to church or English class… we also zoom meet with them 2 times a week!! They are GOLDEN… although we tried putting them on date for baptism but they are taking a very inconvenient 2 week trip to Veracruz, Mexico (where they are from) super soon, which means they won't hit their required church attendances. Gonna have to call my cuz @CaelKimball to baptize em in Mexico haha! Anyways, they are so awesome and we are so blessed to be teaching them! They also think we are the best “teachers” ever. So this past Wednesday at English class they brought us Danish cookies.. haha so sweet! Anyways, pray that they will continue on the covenant path! 

Our yum Danish cookies that our friends gave us!!! 
Champaign Illinois
September 2024

Then, Friday we had the best miracle eva!!! Literally y'all let me set the scene. Hermana McQuigg and I struggled all week to find people to teach and were feeling pretty discouraged. Then, of course, to kick us while we are down.. we got some crazy bad weather which canceled our branch party an hour before it started, and we had had 6 friends already lined up to come. 🙃 Sad. So we had to cancel on our friends, and it left a 2 hour open block in our “prime pross” (priority time: since everyone is home from work and school = 6pm-9pm)! So we were like "gosh, what do we do?" So we went and knocked on some doors. After knocking for about 45 mins, I told Sis McQuigg “Ok last door then we can make some calls”. And of course, Heavenly Father saves best for last. Our new friend Dariela opens the doors.. she instantly has us come in (due to terrible weather) and she hears our small message. She then says that she wants her family to hear, and I kid you not ,she brings 7 grown adults in and has them gather around the dinner table and we teach them. It really felt like a Jesus in Jerusalem moment. It was a huge blessing!! They loved the message and invited us back for Sunday!!! We got to head back and we going back this weekend as well!! 

Saturday we hit the Sopa Cocina (soup kitchen) with the English Sisters and served food to homeless people, or people who don't have much food!!! It was so fun, all the college kids from U of I were there, so I got to meet so many new friends!! It was so funny when they would introduce themselves to me and tell me what there studying, and then they'd ask me, and I'd be like “I'm Sister Kimball, I'm sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ right now”... shocked a ton of them when they realized I wasn't studying anything right now! They got to ask me some questions about the church and I was able to clarify that I wasn't a nun 🤦‍♀️. Haha it really opened the floor to some solid convos about what I do, and how it's blessed my life!! I got some solid referrals for the YSA Elders!! I also served some Latinos and they were shocked when I spoke Spanish to them!! It was genuinely such a good time! 

Saturday night y'all, was blessed as well! We got knockin', as we do, and we decided one last time to knock on our friends Lucy and Ignacios door. We met with Lucy for literally 2 minutes and she instantly told us that her and her brother (Ignacio) will be at church tomorrow! What!!! So then Sunday rolls around and they both come!! EARLY TOO!! and y'all they are so amazing!! They are both from Veracruz, Mexico, and they asked us, if that night we could share a message with them!! So naturally we did, and it was so spirit filled!! We got to do it at the church and we taught about prophets, and Jesus Christ's atonement, and they are over the moon about general conference this weekend! They seriously are so cool!! They are very “clean slate”, so it's been so fun teaching them. I even friended them instantly on Facebook because I know we are gonna be lifelong friends 🤗😋!!

Also, Sunday night, we invited one of our fave Guatemalans, Mateo, to be baptized!!! We are planning for October 19th, and we are praying that this goes through!!! We have the coolest friends, we just need some extra prayers to hit our goals!!! But God will provide I just know it!!

This week I just wanted to share a spiritual thought from my best friend @BrooklynCall's farewell talk that's she gave yesterday!! I hate to say this, and Brooklyn your talk was amazing, but I am gonna quote the famous Joel Call (her dad)’s testimony. Yesterday, I got to listen to their talks and I wanted to share the council he gave to all the missionaries here on my email list, but to try and quote him, he said “Missions are hard. But I know that each missionary is called by divine design and revelation to their given assignment because, God knows their personality. He knows your personality. So don't be someone else. Don't be a robot missionary. Don’t change to become someone who isn’t you. Because God knows you. He knows your personality and he sent YOU to serve (insert your assigned area)”.

I can't tell y'all why these words hit as hard as they did. But it is counsel that I definitely needed from my Heavenly Father. Counsel that I needed, to remember, that right now… besides Sister McQuigg, I am the only called missionary and representative of Jesus Christ, with his name on my chest, here in the Champaign 3rd branch/area! Gosh Coach Call always knows how to hype you up for the coming week!! Haha anyways..

God knows you, he loves you. He knows your talents so share them to everyone!! You are all so loved!! God is so good!! 

-Hermana Kimball! 🩷

Dad: So jelly you saw Hermana Kearl 🥹

Mom: Welp guess I can't name my child Courtney anymore 😜

Colton: Suck up!! Jk congrats!! Proud of you big bro! 

Caryn: YOU HAVE THE CUTEST KIDS EVER

Taylor: Big golfer guy or big golf cart guy? 

Bailey: Please please please give Reese a big fat hug for me. 

Clay: So dating sister missionaries? Heard mom trying to set you up with some all week! Jk jk this is a joke. 

Lexi: Gosh you think ur so funny copying my stories, js cause yours aren't as cool…

Bella: Rowdy given out free books of mormon to the whole student section?

Collins: Why r u almost taller than Brooklyn..

Capri: So.. r u making a shark tooth necklace with all ur shark teeth? Haha 

Kash: Big man of the house now. 

Reese: UR CHEEKS ARE SO CUTEEE AGH!!! but welcome to the family!! 

Brooklyn Call: Sorry I quoted ur dad and not you!! Haha I love you!! Have the best first day of missionary lifee!!!