Snowed into 2025 🌟🙌💃

Week: 48
Date: January 6, 2025
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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 Do I look happy in the snow here? Lol help
Springfield Illinois
January 2025

All of my cute friends at MLC! 
Springfield Illinois
December 2024

Heyyy, Happy 2025!!
Feeling sooo blessed to be starting off the year in Illinois! What a time to be alive! (lol, tbh, thought I'd never say this). 😅

Well, everyone, I hope you've had the best first week of January 2025!! This is a BIGGG year. I can feel it, lol! Monumental things are already happening... My companion and I said we'd stay up for New Year's and legit hit our beds so hard. My first year ever just sleeping through the new year. It felt pretty wrong. I just woke up, and it was 2025!!

2025 has been so great so far!! We've had some pretty bomb lessons, and we've been teaching Richard nonstop!! We are so hyped for his baptism this Sunday! We've been super extra praying for him, and we really hope everything goes well for his baptism this week! Also, we've been popping by our friend Trent's house every day! We invited him to be baptized on January 26, and he has been clean on his Word of Wisdom problems for 4 days! This is a huge deal because he's been trying to quit for months! Everyone say some extra prayers for Trent as he continues to keep the WOW, so he can be baptized ASAP!

On Friday, we had the opportunity to go down to St. Louis for MLC! I just love MLC so much because the Spirit in the room is literally so strong. I also love everyone in MLC, so I just feel a lot of God's love for the missionaries in the MSLM! Like, I seriously am serving with some pretty great missionaries and friends, so I just feel so blessed! I got to see some mission besties once again and say goodbye to Sister Fifita! She finishes up her 18 months today and is on a flight home as we speak! She's truly amazing and has taught me so much concerning this great work and the love God has for His children out here!

We now live 3 mins from the capitol building!!
Springfield Illinois
January 2025

All moved into the new home!  
Springfield Illinois
January 2024

Missionaries moving=throwing stuff in trash bags 
Springfield Illinois
January 2025

On Saturday, we got an early morning call that we would be moving into a house and out of our cockroach-infested apartment. So, we packed everything up—legit, everything! They brought the mission moving trailer and 4 elders, and we all packed up and moved out! Now Sis. Roos and I are officially homeowners ;) But for real, our house is so cute, and I feel like a real adult owning a home! We have our own lil' driveway!! It's so awesome! We also met our neighbors, and they are so ready for the gospel!!

On Sunday, a huge, huge winter storm came in! Snow was falling nonstop!! Church got canceled, so we had to go to the one-hour service they had for the family ward. Then they sent everyone home. We took refuge at the Thomas’ home (as one smart missionary does) and spent the day with them! I also got chosen to pierce Anna's ears. An experience I will never, ever forget! Never would I have imagined I'd pierce an 8-year-old's ears out here, but now I feel forever bonded, lol! It was a very tender moment, and we even prayed for strength before she got the piercings! Anna is such an amazing example to me in trusting God and His strength!

Lastly, as we were leaving the Thomas’ home before nightfall to hit the work, we got a text from the mission saying we needed to go home. It felt so weird going home at 4:30, but we are now basically on house arrest. We haven’t left our house for hours, and we are living off our tuna packets and crackers (because we didn't go shopping last week, lol). But all is well, because literally, while I am writing this, a member just dropped us off some donuts! So we will live!! Hahah, but it has been a pretty fun experience. Sister Roos and I have organized our whole kitchen and painted nails and pictures for hours, lol. There’s about 5 feet of snow outside our house right now. JK, it’s like 2 ½ feet, but to this Texas girl, it’s way too much!

 Was this pep talk for Anna or me for the ears being pierced? lol
Springfield Illinois
January 2025

Model pose and twinning with Sis Thomas! 
Springfield Illinois
January 2024

Anyways, sorry this email is all over the place. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Atonement and how it applies to my life! I feel like I say this every week, but to be honest, all of my testimony—or at least a lot of it—is focused around the Atonement that Jesus Christ performed for me. I love that in 2 Nephi 33, Nephi refers to Jesus as his. He says in verse 6:

“I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.”

To know the Savior is to refer to Him as your own. I know my Jesus. He has tread the thorns so I can walk in His path unhurt. He is my advocate so that I can receive His merciful gifts of eternal life. I could not be more grateful to know that He died for me so that I can be made alive in Him. Thinking more about Him in this snowy lock-in, I was watching this video:

The Atonement
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/childrens-bible-videos/2016-05-005-the-atonement?lang=eng

I love the way the children describe the Savior. The connection I have witnessed with my Jesus comes from my mission and the devotion I have in Him. I feel blessed to share His name and His grace with the people here in Springfield. I love Jesus Christ; He is my best friend.

I love you all. God is sooo good! Happy transfers... (prayers needed)!! Happy 2025! 💃🌟💯💗

—Hermana Kimball 🩷

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Dad: Praying for you always, love you. Glad you got some good BYU dreams fulfilled this week!
Mom: Gosh dang, you can't be 50; you look 29! You are beautiful, mama!
Colton: Thank you for keeping me filled in on TikToks and tagging me in giveaways.
Caryn: I can't believe you're a mom of 2 and almost 30... like I thought you were 24, lol.
Taylor: Well, hope you're well!
Bailey: Been praying for you. Hope you don’t touch any more cats... ouch.
Clay: Make your own "Provo’s Most Eligible," but call it “SaturClay Date Live…”
Bella: No way you graduate this year… what?!
Collins: Are you almost taller than Bella?
Capri: Have you done the polar plunge yet?
Kash and Reese: Let's be honest, when will you two come back and read your Aunt Leah’s mission blog…?