Spirit

Hey there!

 

First off, what is up with everyone getting injured and health failing? NO FUN.

This last p-day, after emailing, we were informed that one of our YSA members, Corey, had gotten in a car accident the night before (soon after we had seen him) on his way home to Grand Island and had broken his wrist.

Then we have our Ward Mission Leader, Johnny, who is finishing finals this week and had plans to go BACK to Japan to visit his mission, and on Saturday, he broke his leg playing dodgeball. EVERYONE IS GETTING HURT. But one thing is for sure-- the priesthood is real. And everything happens for a reason <3 Prayers out to my bishop and his family back home...

 

The beginning of this week was good! We helped Kylee pack for her mission, (the night before, she had NOTHING put together..) haha crazy girl. So we helped that night and then early the morning that she flew out to Utah to put our packing skills that we have gained on our missions to the test. I love that girl so much! She's serving in Ohio and is in the MTC now:) It was fun to get her all ready and to be a part of her last week.

 

For FHE we drove out to Grand Island to visit Corey at his house and to cheer him up after the accident. He is SO LUCKY that he ONLY broke his wrist... it could have been so much worse. We drove down with our Ward Mission Leader and Miquelle, an awesome member in the branch, and sang Disney songs, then drove back with April-- in whom is engaged to another member of our branch and she was telling us ALL about her wedding plans. That girl is in love.. haha  gushy mushy stuff.. yuck :P

 

I gave my training on Wednesday. I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON!!!!!! I was told this week that I am a great teacher from the Book of Mormon. That meant a lot. This book has changed my life. READ IT!

 

The small town of Kearney is SUPER Extatic this week because a GIANT Hy-Vee opened up in town. A lot of the YSA work there and they are so funny... they have a store cheer and everything. They are nerds:) So we went there this last week, it's way cool.

 

We had exchanges this last week! So I spent half a day with Sister Dumont (WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT WE WOULD BE COMPANIONS WHEN WE FIRST MET ON THE FACEBOOK MISSION PAGE??) Hahah I love this girl like no other. First mission friend!!!

 

Then I spent another half-day with Sister Call in whom I have admired since the day I met her. She is an amazing missionary too :) LEARNED SO MUCH!!!

 

I got to meet one of their investigators from the family ward-- her name is Karen. She has a family and has just been SEARCHING for truth. She knows what they are teaching is true, she's just having a hard time committing to a date. I got to meet her daughter, Kendyl, who is recovering from alcohol abuse and she's going to start hanging out with us and the YSA. YAY NEW INVESTIGATOR.

 

We got to teach her the Plan of Salvation this last week, and the spirit totally led our words and I decided to show her the articles of faith. She had never read them before and started tearing up. It was so powerful! Those 13 articles are EVERYTHING we believe and more! The spirit will testify through those amazingly. I love the spirit, and being able to be an instrument in saying things that they spirit can testify of is amazing.

 

The sisters scared me SO BAD this last week. Dumont and I were walking out the bathroom in the church and I danced like a freak when they scared me.. so embarrassing. Hahah crazy.

 

Some sad news.... Rocio-- the girl we taught the restoration to last week that was the most amazing experience ever... we went to go see how she was doing this week and she didn't seem as happy as she had been when we saw her last week. She told us she was busy at the moment and that she had been talking to her family about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and she said that she is just in a really tough place right now. Satan is getting in there-- he is so good at that :( She kinda kicked us away, her husband was there too and he hasn't been so fond of us since day 1, so that was super sad... I left and wanted to cry.

 

We're going to try and see her tonight though when just her and her son is home, hopefully she will open back up to us so we can see what her real concern is. I know she wants to get baptized and I KNOW she felt the spirit last week. She said that everything we taught was exactly what she has been searching for. She's letting the opinions of others get in the way just like so many of us often do. She can do it:) I know she can!

 

I spent the night on exchanges with Sister Call. It was so great to get to talk to her. I love her so much.

We had some miracles that night together too. We had a half-hour left of being out for the night and we still had to reach like 6 more contacts for the day-- a goal that our district is striving to reach. We prayed and decided to go walking down this street near campus, we ended up talking to like 5 people in that half hour and each one of them knew someone that is a member in our branch. SO COOL!!! So we're going to start working with a couple of them and I'm so proud of our branch members for getting out there and sharing the gospel with their friends! There is no such thing as coincidences!!

 

We had a lesson with our 86 year old investigator, Arlys this last week. She's been reading the Book of Mormon, but she is just having a really hard time accepting Joseph Smith. She thinks that we worship him... NO, he's just the prophet that restored CHRIST'S church! Everything is centered on Jesus Christ. I love her so much, it's hard to teach her sometimes though because she is hard of hearing. Her husband is always present from the other side of the veil whenever we teach, we can sense him there. It's the coolest thing ever.

 

We had stake conference this last week. SO GOOD!!! We got to sing during it and we practiced a lot this last week. Everyone said it was incredible and that we had angels singing with us. I fully believe that to be true. It was the coolest experience!! All us full-time missionaries serving in the stake got to sing Called to Serve for the adult session Saturday night too. It was the best! Elder Ward was presiding, and he is so full of the spirit. I love when the big speakers go up to the pulpit with no real notes, but just saying what the spirit tells them needs to be said. He is the greatest. He also had a special meeting just for the YSA that we got to be part of. I LOVE STAKE CONFERENCE!!!

 

President and Sister Weston were here for stake conference as well and she actually got to come out tracking with Muasau and I for about an hour before it began. She is amazing and I love my mission mom:)

 

We got makeovers from the cutest girls ever. I'm kinda obsessed with kids lately <3 I love you Noah, Catie, Drewbie, CJ, Libby and Annelise!!!! <3

 

Coolest experience yesterday though. For some odd reason I was super emotional during stake conference (I promise I don't cry a lot). I just had stuff building up in my head and the tears just came out, I'm not even sure why. I had a great talk with Sister Muasau and Dumont and some of the family ward members. (I got to see Sister Carpenter too). 

 

I was given a blessing by one of our less-active members, Cornell. (He is the coolest kid you will ever meet. SUPER track star, he has the best singing voice and has received a scholarship to a film school in NYC. He wants to be famous.) He had never given a blessing before but had promised Sister Muasau a couple months ago that he would give a blessing before he moved. The words he said were EXACTLY what I needed to hear, and he was speechless by the experience that he had because of it. It was the BEST!!!!!  He was on cloud nine for the rest of the day and He knew that Heavenly Father was aware of Him. 

 

I love the gospel, I know this is the Lord's church once again established on the Earth again through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that Christ is the center of all the decisions and actions that go through this church. Miracles happen. People's hearts, and bodies are healed through Christ. The power that Christ had on Earth is once again restored to us and that is the Priesthood. The organization and order of this church is exactly what God intends and I know that he is a God of order. He loves me and is aware of my every day challenges and decisions and efforts to be better, and He is aware of yours too. Sometimes He feels more real than at other time and we need to hold TIGHT to those spiritual anchors and memories that we have in our life. To continue to keep us strong and faithful.

 

I say all this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

I love you all, be safe and strong!!

-Sister Checketts