What a week

That's my companion! (Sister Brumett)

So, y'all remember how I'm training a brand new sister? Ya right! She's  training me! She's amazing. It's super fun because we are both so excited about the gospel that we really do just spend hours talking about it and how it blesses lives. It literally solves every problem. Seriously, like what Elder L. Whitney Clayton was saying yesterday, it's the little everyday things like reading the Book of Mormon and praying that truly makes all the difference. I can totally see that in the lives of those around me. There was so much gold shared in this last general conference. Saturday was all about the plan of salvation and families! It was so beautiful.

This week was just incredible. One other amazing wonderful thing that happened was that I was able to go to Bartlett and watch a family get sealed! It was the family of a man that Sister Hirschi and I baptized last year. They are incredible, and they were so excited for it. And their little girl is so adorable. She has grown so much in the last year. And she's talking in full sentences now too. She loved it all. And it was so great to be able to see Sister Hirschi again and even meet her parents. That was fun. 

Remember this? (2016)

One year later! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ (2017)

And Sister Hirschi went home this week, but I got to see her again there and meet her parents too! It was so fun!!!

It was just a wonderful amazing week, that I will always remember. 

The gospel is true. It's real. Again, I love what Elder Valeri V. Cordón said in general conference, "No achievement in this life, as important as it may be, is as important as learning the language of the gospel" applying the gospel in your life is the single most important thing you can do. It's pointless and dismal to live without it. 

I love it!!

Love y'all! 

Kimber

P.S. Did ya catch that President Wakolo got called as a General Seventy? And he totally walked up with his sticks!! (i.e. scriptures, Ezekiel 37:16-19). (Link here to news report.)

That's my mission president!

Heavenly Father's artwork

Mom here - I received a text on Friday night:

I just saw your amazing, beautiful, missionary girls at the temple. I gave them all giant hugs from you!

(I recognized Sis Beckstrand, Sister Lloyd, Sis Hirschi (wait - she went home this week?!)
and on the far end Sis Brumett, her current comp)

My response was:

Love it, thanks!

Followed by the explanation:

This is Melissa (Sis Hirschi's mom). She got home Tuesday night and we flew back here Wed because she and your daughter's convert J__ P__ and his wife got sealed tonight. Even though it wasn't in your daughter's area Pres Wakolo let her come to the temple and see it. The girls were so cute and happy to be back together!

And my relieved response:

 I was really confused when I was sure Sis Herschi had gone home already! Wow, but it sounds like a neat opportunity.  I'm glad you got to go back with her! (And I was trying to figure out how they were able to be in the temple now...) Thanks for clearing that all up. 😉

She and I continued on for a few texts...but wow, what an opportunity!

Training!

Look! I'm an ASL missionary!

Ok people, this week was nuts! We had transfers a week early because of the three new ASL missionaries, and it was such a busy week getting all that done. Sadly, I lost Sister Fifield. But my greenie is amazing, so it's more ok. He name is Sister Brumett. And she is from Minnesota. She loves the gospel, and she has an incredible fire for sharing the gospel, and has so many good ideas for sharing it. I see great things in her future.  And she is so excited to find and teach deaf people. And it is still so fun to be signing all the time.

This area is so great. We found a new investigator this week, and he is so golden! He also came to church yesterday, and he loved it! He said he felt the spirit the whole time we were there. And he really wants us to come back this week. It has been a fun week, and there is so much potential in those we are working with. We are teaching this woman who is so great, she told us that she laughs when she feels good, and when we taught her the plan of salvation she kept laughing all through it, and she loved the whole thing. After we taught her the lesson we asked her to explain it back to us and she went through it and got all the most beautiful parts so well. She talked about living with God before, and we come her to follow Christ, and the spirit world the good people go up and the bad people can learn and go up, and she remembered that temples are where we help them, and she remembered everything. It was so great to see her retain that and get the feelings from it. And she said that she really wants to be baptized! She has a date for this next month, and she is so excited.

This week I've been studying the feelings that are needed in conversion and as a missionary facilitating that. I was doing a study in PMG ch.4 that was really interesting. I've always loved 2 Nephi 4, but this week I was looking at it and realizing that that is how conversion needs to feel. It's interesting to see that in D__ (new convert?) as he's been continuing to learn, he really wants to be better and he is getting better. I love the depth of the emotion that Nephi expresses in Nephi, and that the sons of Mosiah feel in Mosiah 28. They were so desperate to become better and to help others be better. It made me want to be that kind of desperate. And it has been really fun to talk to Sister Brumett about the gospel and about what would be good for people and we both get so excited to share it with them because we know it will bless them.

I just love this gospel! I love being able to share it with everyone, and I love the people here! It's amazing!

Love y'all!
Kimber
Sister Beckstrand

Our last morning as companions! I'll miss her!!

So I saw this pic on FB and downloaded it to share with K and she sent back this: You know what's funny?
Trainers & Trainees! This picture was taken on my iPad, it was originally going to just be us in the back row,  it it kept moving forward to get more people in it and because we had a bad angle that it just ended up in the front by the time the picture was taken. It was  really fun. Especially when president was squished in a rather roomy van full of sisters. It was so fun. 

That's my companion! I love her!

...walk...Week

Happy birthday Relief Society!!

This week was so busy! And long and exhausting! It was walk week, and since everyone was out of town, we walked a ton! One day we were in the middle of the city, and we walked for several hours to contact some people, no one was home, but we got some good exercise! But then we got to a point where we had to walk home, a two and a half hour walk straight. Along freeways and such. We were way too exhausted for that so we decided to try out the bus system. It worked great. We did accidentally go out of our area to get to the right bus to get us home, but we immediately told our district leader and he said to get back when we could. Then we went home for another lesson with our recent convert, who literally lives next door to us, so it worked out great! That was a tiring day, but it helped us out when we had an appointment with someone way out on the edge of our area with no ride, we got permission of a short jaunt out of our area to ride the bus to the nearest stop and then walking back in to see them, and it was a great lesson, and then back home to do more work. It was a fun experience. And I am so grateful for my previous experience on the bus system to apply here.

Sister Fifield is the best! I love having been her companion. We had a really good conversation last night about struggles she's had and her trying to overcome them. But she told me that I was really able to help her with them, and I'm glad I was able to do that. It's been wonderful to get to know her and work with her. I've learned a lot about ASL and she has taught me a ton about improving my missionary work. So, we got big news this week. This week we learned that I will be training a new ASL sister. We already knew that Sister Fifield will be training, but now we know I am too and we are training in separate places. Sister Fifield is going to Conway, I will be staying in Otter Creek. And, since it's ASL, and their transfers in the MTC are different, we will be transferring a week early. So Sister Fifield is leaving tomorrow! And we are doing the training stuff through Wednesday. Then the rest of the mission will have their transfers next week. It's going to be fun.

In my Studies I've been focusing more on people, and it has been really enlightening. I've also been reading (well listening to) the Old Testament, and the further I get in it the more I learn. A couple days ago I was reflecting on the things I was reading and the restoration, and it really hit me and I really understood better the need we have for prophets today. The Israelites continually needed prophets to stay on track, and they still often went off. I have a stronger testimony of how crucial it is for us to have a prophet today. People still get confused, they still stray, we are no different form the Israelites, so we need help too. I love that that is a thing. It was really cool to learn that this week.
It was a really great week.

Love y'all!
Kimber
Sister Beckstrand

In my followup conversation with her:

A TRUE Greenie - that should be awesome. Is she your first greenie? And straight from the MTC? She'll probably have some good ideas for you too, seeing how she's probably had a bit more "formal" ASL training than you, huh?  

Ya, it's exciting. No, she not my first, I started Sister Esplin too, but we were trio training. And I did finish [training] Sister Ellis, but she wasn't a true greenie. And I'm looking forward to her "formal" training to help me continue to improve. 

Remember the story from the week I got home from my mission? I was at home and my [best] friend...was at her mom's house (she was married with a baby by then) and my mom asked me if I wanted her to drive me over...WHAT? AROUND THE BLOCK? WHY? It was pretty humorous though. Things had changed a bit... :) 

Haha, true! 

Adventures with the bus! 

Love it!

I just love the south! Love y'all!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

This week was so fun! We baptized D__!! And he loved it. He said that he really felt the difference. It was so cool to see how much he recognized and felt what he was doing.

They are the best!

Also, this week when we went to visit him a couple nights before his baptism his grandson who lives with him that we are also kind of teaching was really drunk. It was a super funny experience. And it really strengthened my testimony of the word of wisdom. And then later that night we went and played volleyball and at one point a lady hurt her knee, and it was so amazing that we all just stopped and gave her a blessing right then and there and were able to do that. In no other church and with no other group of people would hat be possible. And all those that were prepared and worthy to give a blessing were just able to jump up and offer that. No warning or anything. I just love moments like that, except for the part where someone is hurt.  

When we were finishing and printing off the program for the baptism!

Sister Fifield is still super fun. We laugh at everything. It's super fun to work with her.

All week I've just been jumping around in PMG  (Preach My Gospel, the missionary instructions book) and the Book of Mormon. It has been so wonderful to read all over in PMG. I learned so much about everything, and I just wish I could talk like PMG does. I don't have anything specific that I learned, but I learned a lot about how truly inspired that book is. I loved it!

Also, on Thursday, all the exciting stuff happened Thursday except the baptism, w E__ a deaf day and went up to North Little Rock and Sherwood (my old stomping ground!) and saw a bunch of deaf people! And I got to see D__!! And even C__! (D__, the recent convert sister, and C__, a reactivated less active sister that I found) it was so neat to see them and say hi! I love those people. It was a fun week. 

Love y'all! 

Kimber

Sister Beckstrand

Also, I ran into sister Lloyd in NLR (we were both getting tiwi -?- replaced) 
and she told me that B__ got baptized!!!!!
It was so cool to hear that. I love her!

On FB from Sister Houston in K's ward - Loved having our sisters over last night --they joined us for dinner & a family night on family rules & order and shared some fun growing up stories :)Sisters Beckstrand and Fifield in Little Rock Ward (ASL Sisters)!  

Hats, Hats, Hats & Otter Creek sisters with the Otters!🐍🐢🐗🦅🦁🐸🐒

The area is seriously picking up. We have so many set appointments for next week, we are going to be so busy. And we saw and met so many amazing people. There is a lot of potential in those we are seeing. And we are baptizing DB this Saturday, and he is so excited. He is amazing and so ready for the blessings of the gospel, and his interview this week went really well.

Sister Fifield is great. She's such a good example, and really challenges me to be better. We get along really well, and have a lot of fun.

This week we were at an investigator's house doing some service for her and she took us to a room to show us something she wanted us to do, but then we saw her fancy hats and got really excited about them. She was over the moon that we were so fascinated and loved her hats so much. So then she had us try them on and showed us all of them. It was especially incredible because when we first got here she was not happy that both of the last sisters were gone and hadn't even said goodbye, so she told us she didn't want to study with us anymore, but we were able to get in with her and do some service and she loved it, and we had a great time playing dress up with all her hats. She even gave us each a hat when we left. It was so fun.

Also, we went to the zoo today with the STLs. It was super fun.

P-Day at the Zoo

My studies have been a lot from PMG. I've loved reading the doctrine points and getting the important things from them even clearer. And it's interesting how every time I read them I learn something completely new that I didn't even realize. It inspires me to teach that point better.

It was such an incredible week, with a great zone conference thrown in the middle that really inspired us to do better! So much fun.

Love y'all! Kimber
PS The lion totally peed at us! And then roared a ton! It was incredible

Sister Beckstrand

Otter Creek sisters with the Otters!

What a week!

This week has been so busy. We got so close to the standard of excellence. If our baptismal dates had not dropped, we would have had it. Oh well, it was still productive. The best part probably was J's baptism. We had specialized training on Thursday, and while we were there we were made known of a part of the word of wisdom that we did not know about. It was a new thing that just came down from the top and we thought that maybe J was doing it. We freaked out, texted his wife and she said he did. So because president was there and we were sure if we asked him to stop right then he would. And because he would have earlier if we had known about that new criteria for baptism. President said that only because he has such a good support system with his wife and her family that he would be okay for baptism if he committed to stop. So after the training we ran to his house to talked to them about it. He was really unhappy and said he could not, it would take another month. So we apologized and said we'd keep meeting with him and set a new date. Then we went to our next appointment. His wife called us about half an hour later, and said that as soon as he calmed down he was shown a scripture, and he prayed about it, and now he was all good to go. He was able to be baptized on Saturday just before the women's conference. It was awesome. Made even more so because of that experience. It was awesome. 

 

Earlier that day we went and dyed Easter eggs with a member family. They were super fun. The kids are super cute. We had a ton of fun. That was our biggest Easter thing. 

 

 

They are such a cute family!!

Today we went to a peak and played soccer. I did pretty well, and I have also been getting better at volleyball. It's all because Sister Hirschi is a sporty person. But it's pretty fun. 

 

It was a really great week.

And Phil is still awesome.

 (Apparently, she has to send a pic of Phil EVERY week. I'm just grateful she's sending so many pictures! I'm also trying to do better about sending pictures of us and our goings on every week too - not to make her homesick, but to help her keep up to date with the changes she'll miss otherwise!)

Extra post by MOM

This is NOT Kimberly's letter for the week, but a post by her mom.

Posted by Richard Floyd on the Arkansas Little Rock Mission Moms FB page, together with several beautiful photo collages:

"...in the spirit of President Ezra Taft Benson's challenge some years back to "flood the earth" with The Book of Mormon, the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of the Arkansas Little Rock Mission did just that in Memphis this past week! Over 2,000 copies of The Book of Mormon were shared with attendees of the Book of Mormon musical, as well as others passing by the Orpheum Theatre (March 15-20). Thanks go to some 230 members who shared copies of their written testimonies which were duplicated and inserted in every copy of the 2,000 books. Over 6,000 pass-a-long cards were also distributed! Sixty-four missionaries serving in the two Memphis zones participated in this grand endeavor, with an average of 14 to 20 assisting at each of the eight shows for approximately 5 hours for each one. Heartfelt appreciation for each of the eight wards who provided meals for the missionaries!

Many tender spiritual moments were experienced by the missionaries as they shared their testimonies of The Book of Mormon, the Savior and His Church restored! The response from most of the theatre patrons was simply amazing! May we all pray that those who have received or will order a copy of The Book of Mormon will follow the invitation found in Moroni 10:4-5 and will seek to know for themselves the truthfulness of this sacred volume of scripture!"

I found our missionary in this collage EIGHT times - can you find them all?

I'm so grateful she got to be part of that marvelous experience. The missionaries did a lot of singing of hymns, which was a powerful testimony to many attendees. Missions are the greatest!

~~~~

 
Then I got a couple of texts on Thursday evening while I was at a school production, and not recognizing the phone number, I didn't take it until intermission. Then this is what I found!

Kimberly and Blake quilting. :) [LB]

Me: This is WONDERFUL! Is this from a member of my daughter's ward? Thank you!!!

Her: Yes. I'm the self designated Ward Mom for all the missionaries. LOL. Your Very Welcome. [LB]

Me: Again, thank you for mothering our girls! I'm so glad that you shared. I'm crying right now, during the intermission of a school play (the one my daughter wanted to see.) I don't cry over her often. She LOVES quilting.

Her: Awe, she's tearing up, with a smile on her face. They had to leave. :)

Me: :) Bye Kimber!

Big sigh!!

I'd heard of this happening, especially stateside, but whew.

What a week! The Book of Mormon Musical Street Contacting

 

 

You guys are having so much fun. (Cousins are here for two days...) I love hearing about it all. I don't have a ton of time here today, so I'm going to jump right in.

 

This week was crazy and so fun. The Book of Mormon musical was in town, and sister Hirschi and I got to go three times. It was awesome. We got to bed at twelve forty one night, another at eleven forty or something. It was totally crazy! Since that was our main focus this week, and since we had such late nights, our other days were not quite as good, and lots of people were not there. All we did this week was the play, and then just member work. At the play we handed out cards to people as they went in and told them we were giving out real copies of the book after the play. Then we just passed out cards the whole Tim, and we sing hymns to all the w,piers during the intermission. And then we handed out books to everyone when it was over. We were stationed at corners and down the road very carefully. It was so fun. We had some awesome conversations. I did pretty well at not being shy and just going for it.

 

The first night we got there a little early and so we walked a bit down Beal street, and we met this guy who said we weren't Christians. It was pretty funny, he as talking about casting out Devils and all that kind of stuff. Memphis is so crazy. Another time another sister and I were put together, and this guy came up and said that there was no other testament of Jesus Christ, and we had to be careful and rethink our lives. Then he prayed with us that we would recognize our wrongs and find he right path. It's sad when you meet people who are not excited to think that there is more scripture. But I am glad that he cared enough to try to help us, even though he was wrong. One of the best things was when we met this lady who when we talked about the book with her she asked for one and she was so excited to read it that she was bouncing in her shoes. It was so cool to she that kind of excitement to learn.

 

It was an amazing week, and I really wish I had time to say more, but I do not. I love you guys. Good luck to the Felts on finding a house, congratulations on the house (if I haven't said it yet), and just keep being the best family and friends anyone could have! I love you!! 

.... Pics of the week:

This was my crazy fun week (no selfie from the third day) it was so awesome,

once in a lifetime experience. So good.

A wet, fun, busy week

...(Chatter about what the family is doing at home.) I love that the boys are doing so much, even though I'm missing it all, I love to hear about it.

 

This week has been just crazy. It rained a ton, and there were a lot of flash floods. Our weather radio went off a ton warning about floods, and last night there was a tornado warning,. We almost had to go spend the night somewhere else because we live in a second story apartment. But the thunder was so cool. It was so wet this week. I was very grateful to have an umbrella. 

 

We found a really awesome family that is so ready to hear the gospel. They even read the Book of Mormon when we asked them to. They even have a baptismal date for the 9th of April. It's a mom, and her two kids, a 12 year old boy and a 9 year old girl. The 9 year old, S, is really interested in the Holy Ghost. We also had a great member present lesson with them again. They were supposed to come to church yesterday, but didn't make it. We haven't had a chance to talk to them about it yet. 

 

But, T got confirmed yesterday. His mom didn't come though. We've only seen her 3 times. There were five confirmations, and we got a whole new bishopric yesterday. It was crazy. And really sad, but exciting. The old bishop was awesome, and he got really emotional the whole meeting, especially when he was giving his testimony. We went way over the time. It was a really good set of meetings. Then there were a tone of people out of town, most of whom were interpreters, or deaf people. There was just Brother Foote and Sister Hirschi and me to interpret for the one deaf couple that was there. So Sister Hirschi and I interpreted for Sunday school and relief society. It was nuts, but really fun. (Maybe I can give it a try when I get home, right mom? ;) only if I remember it though.) 

 

J (the part member family) is going out of town this week, but he moved his baptism up to the 26th of this month instead of the 9th in April so that one of his brothers in law could still be there. This guy is so cool. He also told me about something called "praise flags" and I gotta say, I really want to try it out. 

 

Members feed us a lot, and I have enjoyed all the food they have made, even the potatoes!! There have been no baked potatoes so far though. I'm wondering if I'll like those too if someone ever serves them. Oh well, there is a lot of good food here. (This from the girl who won't eat french fries, potato chips or baked potatoes or nearly anything else potatoes; amazing what a changed state of mind can do!)

 

One thing Sister Hirschi is a big fan of is getting people's story. I love hearing everyone's story of how they met, how and why they joined the church. Especially the older people. They have the best stories. So fun. 

 

It has been a wet, fun, busy week. 

 

Love Kimber 

Phill and I are good friends ;)

Baptisms and Walk-Week

...Lots of family stuff, like about driver's licenses, first dates, miracles that happened at home this week, past and future plans, then...

This is the end of my first transfer. It was also my first walk week. We did not have a car this week, and we had to either walk wherever we went, or get rides form members. It was really stressful. We didn't get a ton done this week, but we did get to do a lot of service. Hopefully our numbers will get better this next week. At least those we did talk to were really good lessons a lot of the time. Small miracles. 

The absolute best part of this week was last night. Last night five people got baptized. Elders Wilson and Zakella (the zone leaders, and in my district) had two people and Elders Claridge (the district leader) and Carter also had two more, and we had one. There were so many people there that we had to move from the relief society room into the chapel, and even the chapel was full. There was a TON of support from the ward. It was amazing. T got baptized. His mom even came. We were really stressing about how much we knew she needed to be there and hoping that she would make it. Bronzie is amazing, she picked T and his mom up for his baptism, and then her and all the other deaf people in the ward were there to make friends with his mom, S. We were so happy. T was so happy about being baptized. Usually it's hard to get much expression out of him, but he was beaming so much after it. Everyone is getting confirmed next Sunday. It was so cool. My first baptism, and he is so awesome. We are hoping to be able to start teaching S soon. Maybe even T's whole family. 

It was really weird to think of how Elder Wilson is going home today. His last day in the field was with those five baptisms. In the last two weeks of his mission he had four of his investigators get baptized. That is a very good way to end a mission. What a wonderful accomplishment. I would love to have it like this all the time, but I know that it was a rare thing, and it is ok if that is not how a mission ends, but that is a very good way to end it all. It was a very good end for my first transfer. "The field is white already to harvest," so true, and to think that president was on the verge of shutting his area down when he put in the zone leaders and us to whitewash this area. "No unhallowed had can stop the work from progressing;" this is God's work, I am his instrument, and "the truth of God [is going forth]" and I am part of that. 

And all of you can be too. Every member a missionary. Just like Abish in the Book of Mormon brought all the people to Ammon so he could teach them, Ammon would not have been able to teach and those who were converted would not have learned if it weren't for her bringing them to him. Don't be afraid to talk about Jesus. Ask people about what they believe. Talk about what you learn and do not shy away from rejoicing in Christ. That is one of my favorite things down here. Religion and God and church are openly discussed in public, with strangers. It is not weird to ask if someone has found a church home yet. I love it. I love the work. I am so tired every night, and not eager to get up in the mornings, but I do because I love it. Do not wait to do the things you need to, do not put off receiving blessings from God. Be eager as you work towards them. Learn of Him. He is incredible. And He is your best friend.

Love, Kimber

I wrote back a couple of minutes after I got this email:

This letter is making me bawl like a baby, thanks! This is what a parent lives to hear!!

Her response:

Tell everyone I love them ❤️❤️❤️

T is getting baptized!!!!!!!!

All those who got baptized, and their missionaries,
and the ward mission leader (WML)

Brother Foote the WML signing with Bronzie
(who is holding his son) and S. T sitting in front
watching the conversation.

Phil moves only once a week, this is the new one for this week.