🙋🏻🙋🏻🙋🏻

This week went by so quickly!!! We've been busy and having fun! Sister
Mallarme got to see fireworks for the first time this week! It took the
suspense out of the 4th of July, but it was the perfect summer night
sitting outside watching them after we finished planning for the next
day! 😊🎉⛺️🌌🎆🎇

We had a stake BBQ this week, we invited a lot of people, and so many
people came that it was hard to try and get to everyone, it was great!
Then no one came to church 🙍🏻 looks like we'll have to start having
free food at church. 💁🏻😏 we also went to the Spanish elders
baptism, because Randy's brother and his girlfriend have been joining
us for his lessons, and she speaks Spanish, so she came with us to the
baptism, it was her first time seeing one! They told a joke during the
baptism and we were all just sitting there confused of course, and she
laughed even harder that we weren't laughing, haha. I was glad she had
a good time, we had a lesson afterwards and the Spanish elders joined
us, it started off good but by the end there were so many
conversations going at the same time, it was crazy!

We also had another good lesson with Luseane! She told us that she God
has to be the one to let her know if she should be baptized. She said
it with such conviction and faith that she would get an answer, and
with a determination to follow Him. We were so happy because that is
exactly what we want, we told her we never want her to take our word
for anything, that she should take everything to Heavenly Father in
prayer! (We are blessed to pretty much always have lessons scheduled,
that's not the case in other areas of the world, but I try to just
pick highlights each week 😊)

Also, since we don't watch the news, this lady we are trying to teach
informed me of the floods in WV and just said kanawha county and that
26 people died.... And no one emailed me so I started to get scared,
and had my land lady call my mom to see if everyone was alright...
Next time a natural disaster happens, someone fill me in!!! I am happy
you're all safe though 😊

Love,
Sister Kirkpatrick

Pictures!

Sister Rodriguez taught be how to do a side braid on exchanges this
week!! 

I GOT TO SEE SISTER LOPEZ AT ZONE CONFERENCE!!!! IT WAS THE HAPPIEST
DAY OF MY LIFE!!! 😊🎉😆😅

The snack lady in action after bowling on P-day! :)

The pictures are just an amazing collage the sisters we went on
exchanges did on their wall!

Miracles!!!

We saw so many miracles this week!

      David told us that he has found God! He described the feelings
he had as he was praying this Thursday and said it was so powerful
that He cannot deny that God is there. He said he was brought to his
knees sobbing as God answered his questions one by one! He said "I was
atheist until about Thursday but now I am a Christian!" and he has
been telling everyone! We are so happy for him!

      We also had a bishops point us to one of the houses on his
street of a woman who has not been to church in a long time. We
stopped by and introduced ourselves and she told us her husband wasn't
home, but we offered to share a short video about Christ and come back
for a lesson when he could join us. She allowed us in and we shared
the video and talked about it, and then sister Mallarme said a prayer
and we left. She called us minutes after we left and told us she had
such a comforting feeling after the prayer and wanted to know if we
could come say another one with her. We rushed back, and she told us
that she woke up at an all time low that morning and she knew
something had to change, then we showed up. We told her there were no
coincidences in the Lord's work, and He was so aware of her and loved
her so much! It is amazing to see how much this truly is the Lord's
work, we feel so blessed to be a tiny part of it!

      Also, Sister Chambers, our mission presidents wife (pictured
below) came to some lessons with us on Wednesday! It was so great! She
is the sweetest! They only have less than two weeks and then the new
mission president will be here from Virginia!! Bitter sweet!

      This week I loved reading in Luke 17, about forgiveness and
faith. I want to always remember verse 5 and start every day by saying
"Lord, increase my faith", being open to all that He has to teach me!
I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much! I know that it is only through
His sacrifice for us that God can apply mercy and grace, which we will
never deserve, that we can return to live with our Father in Heaven!

       Also, if you would like to meet with missionaries in your area,
if nothing else, to see what I'm doing 😊 it's really easy! Just go to
www.lds.org ➡️ click the menu lines at the top left ➡️ click share the
gospel ➡️ click referrals for missionaries! Put in your information
and they will come see you, so happily! 😊

      I love you all, and hope you're enjoying your summer! ☀️🌊

 Sincerely,
           Sister Kirkpatrick

Happy Monday! 😊🎉

It has been a good week! We had a ton of lessons scheduled but a good
majority of them fell through.. We are still smiling though 😊 I am
thoroughly enjoying experiencing firsts with sister Mallarme!
Yesterday it hailed, she was so scared at first! Once we got out of it
she wanted to go see it and she said where did it come from?!?! I told
her the sky! Haha she said it was a miracle! Pictures to come 😊.  She
has started opening up to me a lot more this week! I don't remember
what we were talking about one night, but I said "West Virginia,
mountain momma!" And she goes "yes! I know the song! We sing it in
Micronesia!" Haha I said what?! You know it in pohnpeian?? And she
said " no in English, before I don't know what do it mean? But now I
do!" Hahahahaha she says they just like it, I couldn't get over it!

This weekend we had stake conference as well as a missionary fireside.
They were both really good! Pictures to come as well. 😊 a visiting
area 70 came, Elder Warner, and he spoke mostly from Luke, I loved it!
He said we all know someone who is not following God the way that
they could or should be, and our hearts hurt for them.
He referenced Luke 8:23-24
 " 23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm
of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in
jeopardy.
24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we
perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the
water: and they ceased, and there was a calm."
He told us not to worry about those people, because Jesus was in the
boat with them. He loves and knows us better than we could ever
imagine!

This week I learned that we really don't need to try to persuade
people  to make or keep commitments. The gospel of Jesus Christ does
that itself. If we share with others the truth and happiness it has
brought into our lives, they will want the same thing. We all need
Jesus in the boat with us! I know that He is and He loves us so
individually and perfectly. I am so thankful for the scriptures, that
we can search Christ's teachings, and strive to do as He would each
and every day!

Love,
Sister Kirkpatrick

Week 2 training!

Week two training was a lot less stressful! Sister Mallarme and
I are starting to talk more and I am still trying to build her
confidence in talking with others, her English really is amazing! And
I have had fun helping her in language study! They didn't even teach
them vowels in the MTC!?!?!?! She's just been trying to wing it!! She
says in Micronesia all letters are like consonants, they make the same
sound. She catches on quick though!
      Yesterday at our zone meeting we ran into Elder Reams from West
Virginia again, and guess what... HIS COMPANION IS FROM MICRONESIA!!!
How crazy is that! They are from different islands though so they
speak different languages, he says it's the Tower of Babel there...
Kind of sad. 😥
      We had the most amazing lesson yesterday!!! It was with a 15
year old named Luciana! She knew very little about Jesus Christ and
the scriptures and baptism, but she was so open minded and interested!
We testified of Christ's atonement and earthly ministry and showed her
the video "Because of Him". She soaked it all up and said she wanted
to be baptized and would start reading the scriptures as soon as we
left! She sincerely thanked us for coming, it was so nice to have
someone appreciate us!  😊 It was the most amazing feeling to tell
someone about Christ and His atonement for the first time as well! It
seems like there are very few people in America, let alone Utah, who
don't at least know a little about Jesus. We are seeing her again
Saturday!!
      I have learned over and over this week that "...by small and
simple things are great things brought to pass..." -Alma 37:6. As we
are faithful to do what the Lord has asked of us, we can see Him work
many miracles! I know that God hears our prayers and He knows our
hearts perfectly! 😊❤️

      Also, pday was switched because we are going to the temple!
Pictures to come later 🎉

I love you all!
Sister Kirkpatrick

Long week!

It was so so soooo  sad saying "see you later" to Sister Lopez! I
am beyond grateful for the time I had with her, she is one of the most
amazing humans I know, and she left a huge impact on me, I hope to be
half the missionary she is one day! 😊❤️ she is now serving as a
sister training leader in Sandy Utah!
      I also have an amazing new companion as well! Her name is Sister
Mallarme. She is from Micronesia and only started learning English
when she got to the MTC 8 weeks ago! It is fun helping her continue to
learn English for an extra hour of study each morning! She has such an
amazing testimony and I know it is hard to not always have the words
to share it, but that does not keep the spirit from working through
her. What she does contribute to the lessons is always exactly what
the person needs to hear, and her testimony has already brought many
people to tears. I a, trying to build her confidence in sharing her
testimony, because her experience in the MTC with her companion broke
my heart! Her companion would not speak to her unless she had to, she
would speak Spanish with other missionaries, and told sister Mallarme
she shouldn't share her testimony in every lesson! I was furious when
she told me that! This might not be the most a Christ like thing to
say, but I hope that girl gets humbled real soon! Sister Mallarme is
so strong for still being here! She is adjusting to so much! People,
food, language, animals (she's only seen a dog and a cat in
Micronesia, the first day we saw dogs, ducks, chickens, horses, cows
and bunnies!), and I was able to teach her to ride a bike during our
exercise time Thursday morning! She learned in 20 minutes! And
although we go very slow, she's been riding everywhere since!

      I feel a little overwhelmed doing most things on my own now, as
a new missionary, I don't feel like I know how to do everything, but I
am trying! I remind myself that she is going through a lot more than I
am, and the Lord knows what He is doing. In church this Sunday, a
woman said, if live ever becomes easy, we become weak. I don't think I
will become weak this transfer!

-Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their
weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my
grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for
if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I
make weak things become strong unto them."

I love and miss you all, time is flying though!

Love,
Sister Kirkpatrick

Crazy week!!!

This week has been a whirlwind! Sister Sundrud was emergency transferred on Friday because a sister was only serving here temporarily and got her real mission call to Columbus, Ohio!!! So her companion needed a companion and they took sister Sundrud! Sister Lopez and I were so hopeful that we might stay together now, but we got the call this morning that she is going to be a sister Training Leader, and I AM GOING TO BE TRAINING A NEW MISSIONARY!!!! This is crazy, I just finished training myself! Poor girl lol.  Humble is a good word to describe the way I feel, because without the Lord's help I would not be able to train a new missionary, but I know that if He has given me this assignment, He will guide me and help me all the way!
      We have seen so many miracles this past week with people who have not been to church since they were baptized as children. David, that I wrote about last week, has almost finished first Nephi. He asks honest, sincere questions. He is seeking the truth, and I know that he will find it! We met another man named Steven last Sunday before church, and invited him to come with us, and he did on the spot. He is in his twenties and has not been to church since he was eight years old. Since then we gave him a book of Mormon and have had two lessons. We we saw him yesterday after he came to church, he told us he was almost finished with Jacob in the Book of Mormon, that is 135 pages in less than a week! He has a lot of doubts but he wants to feel close to Jesus Christ and he is doing everything he can to feel that way!

       This week I loved reading Luke, I was so inspired by Levi the publican's faith to follow Christ, in Luke 5:27-28. He left all, rose up, and followed Christ. No complaints or questions, only doing as the Savior asked. I want to strive to follow Christ without hesitation each day!

      I love you all and pray for you each day!

Love,

Sister Kirkpatrick

3 Months!

Transfers are in one week! I am so grateful that Sister Lopez was my trainer though, she is one of the most Christ like people I have ever met! I feel God's love so much for me after we  run into someone who wants to try to tear down our testimonies, and then we leave and I have her to talk about the peace and strength God allowed us to feel, in what should have been a contentious moment. This week we met a man who was really just bashing and trying shake our faith, but with everything he said scripture verses came to my mind, that opposed every argument he tried to make. I wanted to share them but I knew they wouldn't help, he wasn't interested in hearing what we had to say. We simply told him how much we loved our Savior Jesus Christ, and how much we knew Christ loved him, and told him we had to leave. 

      We have seen so many miracles in our work this week! We met a man named David, who no longer believes in God. We bore simple testimony of experiences in our lives in which we have felt God the most, and he said in those circumstances we needed God, but his life is going good so he doesn't know why he needs God. He said that although he does not share the same belief, he knows a lot of people do, so we must know something he doesn't. He is open and willing to change, we are so excited to continue meeting with him. We also had a woman who hasn't been to church in years, come the past couple weeks. She told us that the first time we came to visit her we changed the spirit in her home, and she decided it was time to come back! 

      This week during personal study I opened up the paper back copy of the Book of Mormon that my first missionaries gave me. There is something about that particular copy that makes me feel the spirit so strongly. Those were the pages I turned as the spirit witnessed of its truth for the first time. Each time I open it I am filled with so much love for the Word, and a desire to keep reading and never put it down. I know that my Savior Jesus Christ lives and He loves us so much!! It is only because of Him that we can return to our Father in Heaven, and grow and feel joy in this life! We are unprofitable servants, verse 21 is my favorite!

Mosiah 2:20-25

20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another--

21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another--I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.

24 And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?

25 And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.

We didn't take many pictures this week, but here are a few!