Driving and Finding ! š
Week: 45
Date: December 17, 2024
Location: Springfield, Illinois
Email: leah.kimball@missionary.org
Companion: Sister Roos /Paradise, Utah
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
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| Temple Tuesday w/ Sister Thomas! St Louis Missouri December 2024 |
Hi Everyone!
I canāt believe itās almost Christmas and I havenāt seen Elf yet! Someone please upload it to Gospel Stream! š
Last week was Temple Tuesday, and I got to go to the temple with my favorite member everāSister Thomas! Sister Thomas has truly changed my whole mission. Sheās one of the reasons Iām positive God has called me to serve here in Springfield. Sheās so wonderful and reminds me a lot of my mama! She even offered to drive us to the temple on Tuesday and joined us for the endowment session. Afterward, we all went to CFA! I love her; weāre literally besties. The temple was so special, as always. I say this every time, but the peace in the temple is genuinely unmatched. Itās such an amazing feelingāit really makes me feel like Iām in heaven!
On Wednesday, we had President Interviews, and they were so much fun! I love President and Sister McKayāthey bring such a light everywhere they go. Iām so grateful for their love and trust in me and my efforts. Every time I talk to President McKay, I feel so uplifted. I know heās inspired by God in where he places me and with whom I serve.
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| Anna drew me and my "husbend" Springfield Missouri December 2024 |
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| Sister Smoot and I in the temple. Pic for my Nana! St Louis Missouri December 2024 |
Wednesday night, we invited Richard, our friend from last week, to be baptized! Heās literally so cool! We found him through a part-member familyās cousin, haha. Heās so ready to be baptized, and weāre preparing for January 4th. It was amazing when we invited himāhe told us that date was already meaningful to him. Itās so cool how the Holy Ghost works during invitations!
The rest of the week kind of flew by. On Friday, we spent the whole day finding on the Millikin campus and saw so many miracles! Unfortunately, lots of college kids are heading home for Christmas break. š So this week, we needed to switch up our finding tactics. Weāve been super diligent about talking to everyone we see. Picture us rolling down the car window and (nicely) calling out to people to see if they want to hear a message about Jesus! Honestly, itās such an effective way to find people. It has a 100% success rate because people are always curious about why two young girls are yelling out their car window! Thatās how we met our friends Jayla and Chuck. Chuck is amazingāheās told us multiple times that he knows God had us pull over to talk to him. Iām so pumped to keep teaching him!
Sunday was church day! The branch here is small but mighty, with about 12 active members. Despite its size, weāre cruising! Sister Roos and I got three of our friends to come to church, which was such a blessing. One of them, Brady, came to church last week and invited us to visit his church this week. It was a big, non-denominational Christian church, and it reminded me of my Northrock days! It was a lot of funāa great way to worship. Weāve been doing a āchurch swapā: we go to his church, and he comes to ours. Itās been really cool to learn more about his beliefs and figure out how to support him.
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| Made it to the Lincoln museum! Springfield Illinois December 2024 |
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| ur fav missionaries at the Christmas party Springfield Missouri Decemember 2024 |
Sunday night, we went to the Thomas familyās home, and I just love them so much! They had us host mission prep, so we got to practice teaching with the other missionaries. It was adorable when little Sister Thomas (Anna) pretended to be someone they were teaching! We also had family home evening together and drank hot chocolate. Spending time with their family makes me so excited to have a family of my own one day. Theyāre truly the best!
This week, I started reading the Book of Mormon again, and Iām diving in deeply to study everything! As I read about Nephi and his brothers returning to get the gold plates, I came across this quote by Elder John H. Groberg:
āBe willing to take reasonable risks. We live in an age of reason, logic, facts, and figures. These can be useful if kept in subjection to faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. But if they ever take precedence over faith in Him, then they are not useful and can be very harmful. I have found in my life that most of the good decisions I have made may not have been made if they were based solely on logic or reason.ā
He continues:
āI suspect had [Nephi] listened only to reason, he and his brethren would still be waiting outside the walls of Jerusalem. I sometimes wonder if by our listening to reason and logic too much, and not trusting God enough, we may find ourselves waiting outside the walls of His holy city.ā
When I felt scared to approach college kids this week, I remembered this quote. If I donāt talk to them or take risks, Iāll be like a sitting duck, waiting outside the gates of the holy city. I remind myself that Iām one of the only missionaries in Springfield, Illinois (besides my companion) set apart to bring this great work to these people. Why should I be scared? This week, Iāve been determined to talk to everyone between the ages of 18 and 35, and itās strengthened my faith in Christ. I know that as I exercise my faith, Iāll be delivered!
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| A ginormous muffin a member gave us! Springfield Illinois December 2024 |
Sorry this wasnāt much of a Christmas email, but big things are coming up here in Springfield for the season, and Iām pumped! I love you all so much! Have the best week!
-Hermana Kimball š©·
Family shout-outs:
- Dad: Thanks for forcing me to be in the missionary huddlesātheyāve been such a help in connecting with the youth here!
- Mom: Of course, you had to send the one ugly pic of me to the family group chat!
- Colton: Fewer Colton shots in the family video this year, huh?
- Caryn: Obsessed with the new guest room setupāitās going to look awesome!
- Taylor: Thanks for helping find a room for Lexi to stay in.
- Bailey: You slayed the video this year! Sorry it looks like I have white gloves on, haha.
- Clay: How do you always manage to become the star of the video?
- Lexi: If all else fails, you can always move to California.
- Bella: You looked sooo good in the Christmas video! Youāre stunning!
- Collins: You looked pretty cool laying on the tree.
- Capri: Anna reminds me of youāI think you two would be best friends. I miss you! š„¹
- Kash: I didnāt know you guys owned chickens?!
- Reese: You shouldāve sung a part in the video!
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