Up and Runnin 🏃‍♀️

Week: 44
Date: December 10, 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/

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YSA OPENED ON SUNDAY! 
Springfield Illinois
December 2024

Hi Ya'll!! Welcome back to another weekly!! YSA is up and runnin' and I could not be happier!!! 

I literally am just so pumped to tell you about the miracle that we experienced yesterday!! We went campus finding at Millikin University, about 40 mins from us, and it was seriously miraculous! It did not take long at all when we knocked a couple doors and we knocked into a group of 9 Millikin football players, playing some video game. I was shocked and intimidated that we knocked on their door, but my companion introduced us to the group of 22 year-old boys and said “We can share a quick message of Christ out here if any of y'all are interested”. Instantly Quinten bolts out of the apartment.  He tells us he's interested and we start to teach him outside of the apartment. Then comes Matthew, who's also interested. Also Matthew was from SATX, which was so crazy, and he wanted to hear our message. Then out came Noah, who wanted to join in on the message. Not sure why they all came out at separate times (maybe building up the courage to join us in front of the rest of their teammates) but it really was such a cool experience! We also got to teach Chase from the Millikin track team. We are meeting with all of them again on Friday and I'm pumped! We are boutta teach all the Millikin Athletes about the gospel!! I am stoked! 

With our hard-core campus finding comes one pretty tough hiccup because finals and Christmas break are coming up… here's how the convo usually goes

Them: oh that's awesome I love Jesus, I'd love to meet with y'all. 

Us: Cool, when?. 

Them: Well after the break.

 Us: When's that?. 

Them: January 14th…

 Like what????… so that's pretty tough but we are getting through it! 

On Thursday we had another exchange with the Jacksonville, Illinois sisters! It was great, Sister Oyler got to come join me in Springfield and we had a great time. We knocked some doors, received some mean comments by sad lonely middle-aged men, but all in all, we found four YSA Guatemalans, so I'm pretty pumped about that! We also had a YSA game night and got to crush it (I lost) in Apples to Apples!! It was a good exchange! Sister Oyler is super cute. She's actually already finished college and is a certified pastry chef! How cool is that?!! 

Sis Oyler and I on exchanges! 
Springfield Illinois
December 2024

Haha anyways, while still being in the family ward we had gained a close relationship to a certain family we've been teaching. Their names are Mariah and her 2 sons Memphis (10) and Maddox (8)! They are the sweetest individuals you'll ever meet! They are about to be baptized real soon but on Friday we had to officially do a pass off lesson with the elders. It was so bittersweet! I'm happy they will keep learning and it's def not the missionaries it's the message.  Still sad to gain a relationship and then have other missionaries come in and teach them! I know God's plan is so great for them, I'm so excited to see them be baptized! 

Saturday night was just sooo fire!! We found out that the YSA was for sure being opened up on Sunday, so we went crazy that day and talked to sooo many people. Let me tell you about a couple of them. We have been teaching a cute couple for 2 weeks now named Rain and Tommy, they are soo amazing! On Saturday they had to cancel our lesson and as we were leaving Sis Roos felt prompted to knock on a door across the street, so we went and knocked! Then Jeffrey opens the door! Jeffrey is the sweetest guy ever, and has talked about how he's seen us on his street multiple times and wanted to learn from us! He said he's seeking guidance and peace! So we set up another appt for Monday! Literally such a cool experience!

Then as we were driving away we see a YSA aged looking guy walking down the street! Sister Roos and I knew we needed to pull over and talk to him! So we slowed the car down right next to him and I said “I PROMISE WE AREN'T CREEPY, JUST 2 YOUNG GIRLS SHARIN' GOD'S WORD.” He said we could and we jumped outta the car and we got to know Chuck! Chuck is seriously so cool! He got to tell us about his kids and how he's been seeking Jesus recently! He also told us he wants to learn about peace! We gave him a Book of Mormon and set up another appt! It was double awesome! Then, a member ordered us pizza from Papa Johns and we went to go pick it up and the cashier (Brady) was YSA age! So of course we talked to Brady and he came to church on Sunday!!! Soo cool!! Our friend Richard that we met this week came as well!! It was seriously miraculous!! 

CHRISTMAS PARTY YAY ! I love Springfield 2nd ward! 
Springfield Illinois
December 2024

Also on Sunday we got to witness the opening of the YSA branch and it felt like it was the commencement at Hogwarts! It genuinely was so official and we got to hear testimonies from all the branch presidency! They also surprised my comp and I and asked us to come up and bear our testimonies!! Haha, it was so special! Then 2nd hour we all had cookies and did a social type event! It was seriously so fun to be apart of, and I already LOVE the YSA members! I'm so happy it's finally open! 

To wrap this all up with my spiritual thought, I get to tell y'all I finished the Book of Mormon this week!! Reading the Book of Mormon and truly studying it, was a long yet soo impactful part of my mission! I'm stoked to start it over. As I was finishing up Moroni, I was feeling pretty distraught. As I have entered this new transfer it's been so fun! I have learned so much, but I somehow feel like I'm all in training again. I'm learning how to approach college kids. How to teach the lessons in English. How to be an STL to 5 sister missionaries who all go home next transfer. The thoughts of inadequacy have just been piling in my mind. But as I hit my P-study that morning, and finished reading Moroni, I really started to put it all into the eternal perspective, this is God's work! 

The verses that were a real tender mercy this week were Moroni 10:32-33

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

 33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

 I know that as I come unto Christ and love him with all my heart, might, mind and strength, he will provide the rest. He loves me, he shed His blood for me. Then on Sunday in sacrament someone said, “Give yourself grace because Jesus Christ already has”. As I come unto Christ I know he will help me, he will perfect me. I have to just remember it's all about diligent effort and faith in Him. I know that as we turn our hearts outward in Christ, He will carry our burdens and perfect us in his blood! 

I love Him, I love this work, I love each of you! Remember to give yourself grace because Jesus Christ already has! GOD IS SO GOOD! 

-Hermana Kimball 🎀

Dad: Didn't realize you were really in your cowboy era ever since you left east Texas! 

Mom: Facebook famous for flaunting your full time missionaries! You really are so cool ! Haha

Colton: Well I'm never facetiming you again.. #peacefulmonday… 

Caryn: Hoping Cheryl will send me some air sealed gluten free cookies soon! Haha jk 

Taylor: I can't believe you were my sisters AP… 

Bailey: I can't believe you married your AP..

Clay: Remember when I broke my knee on the slopes last year for 5 mins? 

Lexi: I'm glad that you think we are still gonna run to each light switch when we get back.

Bella: Cute jacket and cute goat.

Collins: I heard you almost won best dancer at daddy daughter dance. 

Capri: Hey are you gonna take cute pics of me like you did for Bella when I get home?

Kash: Can't believe you're almost 2

Reese: So can you walk yet? Jokes