Tornados, Floods, and Whitewash šŖš«
Week: 61
Date: April 7, 2025
Location: Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Email: leah.kimball@missionary.org
Companion: Sister Richins /Amerian Fork, Utah
Blog: https://livinlavidastlouis.blogspot.com/?m=1
Lexi's Mission Blog: https://iputtheradincolorado.blogspot.com/
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I held a bunny!
Springfield Illinois
April 2025
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| RIP Litchfield district! Springfield Illinois April 2025 |
Hi everyone!
I feel like I'm writing yāall from a completely different life than last weekā¦ so much has switched up! So let's get into it!
I am whitewash training #slay! I'm officially on my 2nd to last transfer #what! I have the best companion ever #fire! Guys, life is so good! So yes, I am training Sister Richins! She's from American Fork, Utah, and has officially been in the field for 5 days!
After I got taken out of the Springfield YSA, I thought they'd put me back into Spanishābut nope. I am in the LaSalle Ward in Cape Girardeau, Missouri! They donāt even pronounce LaSalle correctlyāthey call it La SAL! BOY! Hahah itās actually wild down here! Iām in the most southern part of the mission and it is STUNNING! Let me tell yāall, if I were to move back to my mission, I would definitely move here to Cape! It is bright green and genuinely looks like Jurassic Park outsideāexcept without the huge mountains and dinosaurs!
I had to say goodbye to all of my most favorite people in Springfield. That area and those people are truly my promised land! I just have so much love for every area Iāve served in, but something about the Springfield YSA will always have my heart.
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Bye to david!! He's getting baptized in 1 week!
Springfield Illinois April 2025
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Elizabeth is getting baptized so soon! I'm so excited for her! Sad goodbye!
Springfield Illinois
April 2025
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Elizabeth is getting baptized so soon! I'm so excited for her! Sad goodbye!
Springfield Illinois
April 2025
I had to say goodbye to my sweet Thomas family. Going into the Thomasesā home was a feeling of pure reliefālike for just a moment, I was home! Yāall, I could truly go on and on about how special these people are to me. I have learned so much about who I am, and who I want to become, because of the true love of our Savior Jesus Christ that I felt in their home.
I said goodbye to the Myers, which was just so sad. They had us over for dinner every Thursday and constantly filled us up with good food and the latest on the Disney life! I was always laughing in their home and could feel the joy they had in Christ.
Lastly, I said goodbye to the Woudenbergs and the Zollingers, as well as all my YSA family. I wish I could thank every single one of them individually because of the way they changed my focus. They reminded me to stay fixed on my Savior and the rest will fall into place. I have more love for the people and the work because of the Springfield YSA Branch.
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| Trio'd up with my fav Sis Thomas.. cause we all had matching dresses... Springfield Illinois April 2025 |
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| My Thomas family! The saddest goodbye ever! Springfield Illinois April 2025 |
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| My best friend Anna Springfield Illinois April 2025 |
The next day, on our way out, we accidentally locked ourselves out of our houseā¦ which, in other terms, means āSister Kimball locked us outā... ahaha. But I have good reason. We had all the keys given to us, but I lockedāof courseāthe only door that we didnāt have a key toā¦ lame. So we had to call five different people, and two hours later, we were able to get back in the house! So Iām never locking any of the doors againā¦ (jokesā¦ kinda).
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| Got locked out of our house! Nbd! Cape Girardeau Missouri April 2025 |
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| Gracie girl let us use her stickers! Cape Girardeau April 2025 |
Then literally the next day, we also had three tornados touch down near Cape, and one actually in Cape, with hail the size of golf balls. It was crazy! We had to hide in our basement, which then started collecting a layer of rainwater from all the floodingā¦ we couldnāt get a break. Sister Richins compared it to the new Wicked movieāexcept instead of going home, we'd just go spiritually homeā¦ that didnāt calm my fears lol!
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| Hiding in the basement from the tornados! Cape Girardeau Missouri April 2025 |
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| Another day another mirror picture Cape Girardeau Missouri April 2025 |
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| Everyone meet Sister Richins!! Cape Girardeau, Missouri April 2025 |
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| Said goodbye to my Searle girl! Springfield Illinois April 2025 |
Whatās super cool about this area is we are over all of Cape Girardeau, so we also get to cover the campus SEMO (Southeast Missouri University) #GoRedhawks! ITāS HUGE! And so fun to actually campus find! We find the coolest people on campus, and they canāt kick us off because they havenāt been able to catch us yetāno no, Iām kidding! But we do get to proselyte on campus because we have LDSSA (an on-campus club)! God is so good! I love this area so, so much!
On Friday we met Ari while we were walking back to our car. She was crying on a campus bench, so we sat with her, hugged her, and reminded her of her worth. We were able to remind her that God loves her and that thereās no way there wasnāt a reason God put us in her path that day! We promised major blessings if she read the Book of Mormon and told her it will literally change her life. It was actually a really cool experience, and weāre gonna meet back up with her this week!
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| THE WOUNDENBERGS!!! Without miss Abby! Springfield Illinois April 2025 |
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| My aguado girls !!! Springfield Illinois April 2025 |
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| Sister Myers and I on my last day in Springfield:( Springfield Illinois April 2025 |
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| Just a pic of Hadley and I!..... oh and Ammon... #awkward Springfield Illinois April 2025 |
Anyways, I donāt want to make this email too long, but I am so excited for these next few weeks I get to spend here in LaSalle! The members have already taken us right in, and we got to have some super fun conference sessions with the Tobeys and the Boothes (member families in our ward)! We even got to hold the Boothesā bunnies!!!!
We also met our best friend Gracie the other day! My besties @shumway and @fairchild baptized her, and talking with her reminded me of them! Itās truly the tender mercies on my mission that make it so worth it! I just love life, and life is so good here in Cape Girardeau!
Lastly, I just wanted to share my fav takeaway from conference this past weekend! We heard three mentions of the parable of the 10 virgins. I loved the emphasis on having our oil ready and being prepared to meet the Lord. I also loved when they talked about how the Second Coming will be a joyful day for the righteous!
This will be the last time I mention it, but nearing the end of my missionary service has really caused me to take a couple steps back and lock back in. I want to work the hardest I ever have. I want to study the hardest I ever have. And I want to truly know the Savior as my best friend! I am so excited for the opportunities and warnings that our prophet and apostles give us to prepare to meet our Jesus! I love Him, and I could not be more grateful to serve Him in this divine and joyous work!
I love yāall!! Remember, God loves you! Send me fun pics of your lives #imissinstagram lol!! GOD IS GOOD!
ā Hermana Kimball š©·
Family shoutouts:
Dad: Date āem and dunk āemāeven the NBA is on trend.
Mom: Thanks for caring about the tornados 3 days late! Glad Nana has my back! Lol
Colton: Glad you got your heavy-duty knives.
Caryn: I love your videos and updatesāitās like Instagram!
Taylor: Oh, plenty? Good olā Canadian.
Bailey: I donāt think you look like a beached whaleābut then again, I donāt really know what you look like anymore!
Clay: Converting thousandsā¦ even my comp. BTW HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Lexi: I knew there was a tornado in Fountain. Donāt worry, I check your weather too!
Bella: Giving Belle and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes! I love it!
Collins: Queen at making invites!
Capri: Hey sorryāI have to take my phone back in 2 Ā½ months! Enjoy it while you can!
Kash: I love you!!
Reese: The cutest ears ever!
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