Dear Family & Friends,
So, are you ready to hear where I am going for this transfer? Ok, here it is...I will be staying in Lake Placid! My companion will be...Sister Bowen!! We are so happy that we get to stay here with each other for a 3rd transfer. This is her final transfer and then she goes home. Apparently this was a huge transfer for the mission. Around 100 changes took place with 20 new missionaries arriving this week from the MTC.
I went on a really fun exchange this weekend. I took over the area again, this time with Sister Davis. A lot of really good things happened! Remember my new investigator Jeremy? He is such a super awesome guy. While on the exchange we taught him a lesson. Well, it was more of an "experience" but still part of our teaching process. We gave him a church tour on Thursday. We go around the building and talk about pictures and what takes place in each of the classrooms. Sacrament meeting in the chapel, primary room, Relief Society, Young Women's, Priesthood. We also show him the baptismal font. At the very end I invited him to baptized. I don't think I have ever heard a more sincere, "Yes, I will!" reply so quickly in my entire life! Jeremy is rock solid! His baptismal date is set for July 26th. Please pray for him. I know the gospel will bless his life if he commits to it. By the way things are going right now with him I can see him being baptized 100%. When we teach him he just looks at us and says that it all makes perfect sense. He loves to read the Book of Mormon too! This guy is just amazing and I love teaching him. I LOVE THE WORK I'M DOING HERE!!
The next thing we did (still on our exchange) was drove to Keene and did some tracting. We came to one woman's door and almost walked away after knocking and waiting. But then I heard something around the corner of her house and there she was...sitting on a porch swing in bootie shorts and a bra and drinking a beer. She wasn't the smallest girl either. :) We stood there and talked for a while and were able to get her to let us have a lesson. New investigator!! She was really nice. We had to keep our eyes up (haha) but it was still a spirit filled lesson.
We then had a dinner appointment and went back to our apartment to pack our bags. We then drove to Potsdam with the Elders and had a sleepover with the Norwood sisters while the Elders stayed with our zone leaders. We did this because our Zone meeting was the next day and it just made sense to be there rather than driving there super early in the morning from Lake Placid. It was a very very fun exchange.
So, how is everyone there doing? I hope just as well as I am. I'm having so much fun. Oh!!! Something awesome happened! I don't remember if I told you about this but Elder Vrba sent me a letter that had the "Purification Challenge" in it. It is something that his mission is starting. It is a way to improve the work in ourselves. Well, I gave a copy of it to President Wirthlin and he is all over it!! He wants to get the entire mission doing it!! It made me so happy because I was there when he announced it to my zone! I have already started it and have seen the work improve so much already. I LOVE IT!!!
I love you all!!
Love,
Sister Keller
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Spreading the word
Dear Family/Friends,
I know it has taken me awhile to reply about Uncle Kevin and the sister missionaries in Seattle. I love that when he answered the door he thought of me and had them come in. I guess I influenced him from all the way across the country. :)
Something else that I thought was cool was what Zach told me in a letter recently. He said that he loved how excited and happy I sounded in my emails to you all. ( I forward a copy to him each week) He said that he wanted to do his missionary work with a happier attitude and now he has seen the work progress in so many ways. He told me that I am helping the work in Russia by helping him change the way he teaches! So, I guess I am spreading the gospel all over the world!! haha
I am having so much fun on this mission. Even though it is extremely hard sometimes, I still have so much joy when I teach my investigators. Seeing the light turn on in their hearts and minds is the coolest thing I have ever witnessed and to know that I helped them see that makes it that much sweeter. I know that this church is true!
Thanks for working on another package to send me. I am excited for this one and not just because of a certain person's hoodie that will be in it. I LOVE PACKAGES!! Speaking of which, I also LOVE getting letters. I sure would love to get more from you all. Hearing from you only through email is hard. I would love to hear more from Hannah! (hint hint) I miss you like crazy!! Thanks to Jordy and Kylee for the pictures you have sent me. I hang them all up and love looking at them.
I love you all SO SO SO SO much!! Keep praying for me!!
Love,
Sister Keller
I know it has taken me awhile to reply about Uncle Kevin and the sister missionaries in Seattle. I love that when he answered the door he thought of me and had them come in. I guess I influenced him from all the way across the country. :)
Something else that I thought was cool was what Zach told me in a letter recently. He said that he loved how excited and happy I sounded in my emails to you all. ( I forward a copy to him each week) He said that he wanted to do his missionary work with a happier attitude and now he has seen the work progress in so many ways. He told me that I am helping the work in Russia by helping him change the way he teaches! So, I guess I am spreading the gospel all over the world!! haha
I am having so much fun on this mission. Even though it is extremely hard sometimes, I still have so much joy when I teach my investigators. Seeing the light turn on in their hearts and minds is the coolest thing I have ever witnessed and to know that I helped them see that makes it that much sweeter. I know that this church is true!
Thanks for working on another package to send me. I am excited for this one and not just because of a certain person's hoodie that will be in it. I LOVE PACKAGES!! Speaking of which, I also LOVE getting letters. I sure would love to get more from you all. Hearing from you only through email is hard. I would love to hear more from Hannah! (hint hint) I miss you like crazy!! Thanks to Jordy and Kylee for the pictures you have sent me. I hang them all up and love looking at them.
I love you all SO SO SO SO much!! Keep praying for me!!
Love,
Sister Keller
Monday, June 16, 2014
UPDATES...
Dear Family/Friends,
I hope you can forgive me and my absence of letter writing! I had a very busy week this week! It is okay though because that just means I am getting lost in the work :) So I will start by telling you about all of my investigators, and their up dates as of today.
First of all, we found a new investigator on Thursday!! It is so cool because we found him while tracting with a member!!! His name is Jeremy. He is my official first investigator because I am the one who found him with my companion. All of my other investigators were found by other missionaries. I still consider them mine because Sister Bowen and I have done the most teaching with them. Anyway, Jeremy is young and super nice. We had a lesson with him right after church on Sunday with the member who came with us and her husband on the Restoration (first pamphlet). That was such a stellar lesson because he felt the spirit so strong!! He was crying! He told us that if missionaries came knocking on his door he would have told them to go away. But the day that we came, he just had such a strong feeling to listen to what we had to share. He couldn't wait to have another lesson with us, so he gave us 2 more days this week that he was available to see us!
Judy: Has not shown anymore interest in seeing us. She started smoking again, and doesn't call us anymore. We have called her, and she still loves to hear from us, but she doesn't want to "deal with" lessons right now because of all of her problems going on right now. Very. Sad. Day.
Trent: Planning to be baptized in California by his brother. He said he will probably go there sometime at the end of June or beginning of July. So the date will be in July for sure. I'm so excited for him!!! He has a testimony but didn't want to share it with Sister Bowen and I. He felt more comfortable telling the Miskin's (Senior missionaries) his testimony. So the way we planned to have that happen was we asked them to invite Trent over for dinner and casually ask him what his testimony is and why he wanted to be baptized. I don't know what happened exactly, but I know it went well.
Lonni: (Woman who bore her testimony in church a long time ago) We taught her the Word of Wisdom. I swear, the spirit just completely took over me when we taught her that lesson. It went so well! She is one who likes to talk a lot and it is hard to get her to stay focused. But I told her we have only a little time to explain this lesson and it is very important that she pays attention, because it will make her life so much easier to feel the spirit with out all of the coffee and smoke in her body to distract the spirit. She started crying half way through the lesson and kept saying "it's true!" "you're right!". She committed to do stop, but I know it will still take a lot of help to stop completely.
John and Jill: Cute little family with a baby, that we taught a lesson a while ago. We haven't seen them in a long time.
Amy and Francis: Old couple, taught by us once. Haven't taught them for a while either.
Sherri: Honestly, I don't know what is going on in her life right now. She won't reply to us. A friend of hers whom is a member told us she took a second job so is busy all the time.
Marybeth: We helped her move on Friday and Saturday with the help of lots of members of the branch. We initially dropped her, but she wants to start seeing us again once she is settled into her new home! She also loves to come to church. She is pretty awesome.
Well, this was my week! It was so great. I am in my last week of my second transfer. This coming Saturday the 21st, I will get the phone call from my Zone Leaders telling me what will happen. Then on Wednesday the 25th, we will officially start transfer 3. If Sister Bowen leaves, we will drive to the mission home on Tuesday, switch companions, and I will come back to Lake Placid with my new companion. It could be the other way around though, who knows :)
I love you all! The church is true!
Love,
Sister Keller
I hope you can forgive me and my absence of letter writing! I had a very busy week this week! It is okay though because that just means I am getting lost in the work :) So I will start by telling you about all of my investigators, and their up dates as of today.
First of all, we found a new investigator on Thursday!! It is so cool because we found him while tracting with a member!!! His name is Jeremy. He is my official first investigator because I am the one who found him with my companion. All of my other investigators were found by other missionaries. I still consider them mine because Sister Bowen and I have done the most teaching with them. Anyway, Jeremy is young and super nice. We had a lesson with him right after church on Sunday with the member who came with us and her husband on the Restoration (first pamphlet). That was such a stellar lesson because he felt the spirit so strong!! He was crying! He told us that if missionaries came knocking on his door he would have told them to go away. But the day that we came, he just had such a strong feeling to listen to what we had to share. He couldn't wait to have another lesson with us, so he gave us 2 more days this week that he was available to see us!
Judy: Has not shown anymore interest in seeing us. She started smoking again, and doesn't call us anymore. We have called her, and she still loves to hear from us, but she doesn't want to "deal with" lessons right now because of all of her problems going on right now. Very. Sad. Day.
Trent: Planning to be baptized in California by his brother. He said he will probably go there sometime at the end of June or beginning of July. So the date will be in July for sure. I'm so excited for him!!! He has a testimony but didn't want to share it with Sister Bowen and I. He felt more comfortable telling the Miskin's (Senior missionaries) his testimony. So the way we planned to have that happen was we asked them to invite Trent over for dinner and casually ask him what his testimony is and why he wanted to be baptized. I don't know what happened exactly, but I know it went well.
Lonni: (Woman who bore her testimony in church a long time ago) We taught her the Word of Wisdom. I swear, the spirit just completely took over me when we taught her that lesson. It went so well! She is one who likes to talk a lot and it is hard to get her to stay focused. But I told her we have only a little time to explain this lesson and it is very important that she pays attention, because it will make her life so much easier to feel the spirit with out all of the coffee and smoke in her body to distract the spirit. She started crying half way through the lesson and kept saying "it's true!" "you're right!". She committed to do stop, but I know it will still take a lot of help to stop completely.
John and Jill: Cute little family with a baby, that we taught a lesson a while ago. We haven't seen them in a long time.
Amy and Francis: Old couple, taught by us once. Haven't taught them for a while either.
Sherri: Honestly, I don't know what is going on in her life right now. She won't reply to us. A friend of hers whom is a member told us she took a second job so is busy all the time.
Marybeth: We helped her move on Friday and Saturday with the help of lots of members of the branch. We initially dropped her, but she wants to start seeing us again once she is settled into her new home! She also loves to come to church. She is pretty awesome.
Well, this was my week! It was so great. I am in my last week of my second transfer. This coming Saturday the 21st, I will get the phone call from my Zone Leaders telling me what will happen. Then on Wednesday the 25th, we will officially start transfer 3. If Sister Bowen leaves, we will drive to the mission home on Tuesday, switch companions, and I will come back to Lake Placid with my new companion. It could be the other way around though, who knows :)
I love you all! The church is true!
Love,
Sister Keller
Monday, June 9, 2014
CRAZY WEEK!
Dear Family/Friends,
This week was seriously a roller coaster! Our first trial that happened was with Judy. She called us on Wednesday, the day we were going to have a hard lesson with her and said that she wanted to cancel. Not just that, she wanted to cancel everything! She didn't want to come to church, or meet with us anymore. You can imagine my disappointment... disappointed is hardly a fraction of the way I felt. I was so confused. Everything was going so well with her, and her baptism was scheduled for next week! She is struggling with her personal life situations like; Larry, her medicine, and other things. Don't worry though! She overcame the loop of the roller coaster. She still has all of these problems, but she called us on Sunday saying she doesn't want these things to take over her life. She wants to come to church next Sunday because she missed it yesterday. She wants to be able to have religion be at least one thing she can handle in life and do for herself. We were so happy!!! Her baptism will need to be moved, but that is okay.
Trent came to church yesterday, and we had an awesome experience with him! He said to all of us in Sunday school that it is not a matter of "if" he will be baptized but a matter of "when" he will!! I about fell out of my chair when he said that! It was so exciting to hear him say that. He wants his brother to baptize him, because he and his sister are members of the church in California. I'm not sure when this will all happen, but we plan to talk about it tomorrow with him.
Remember how I said we had to drop some investigators last week? Well one of them came to church on Sunday! She just randomly popped in during Sister Bowen's talk in sacrament meeting. I saw her get this big grin on her face as she was speaking and kind of freeze up for a moment. So I turned around to see what she saw and there was our investigator sitting in the back row! Sunday was just an awesome day for us :)
Everything is going well here. My district is having an activity in Plattsburg today. It is about an hour and 15 min. drive from Lake Placid. We are playing games and bringing food and just having lots of fun for an hour or two. We do something fun with the district at least once a transfer. I'm excited!
We have had some pretty hard times these past two weeks, and I've felt kind of sad. But I have really seen that with every trial comes a great blessing after. The trials at this present time wont even compare to the joy we have from the blessings we will receive. That is what I gained from Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
I am so thankful for you all and your love and support.
I love you all!! I can easily say that this church is true!
Love Sister Keller :)
P.S. Also read Psalms 58:6. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.
This one made me laugh!!!
This week was seriously a roller coaster! Our first trial that happened was with Judy. She called us on Wednesday, the day we were going to have a hard lesson with her and said that she wanted to cancel. Not just that, she wanted to cancel everything! She didn't want to come to church, or meet with us anymore. You can imagine my disappointment... disappointed is hardly a fraction of the way I felt. I was so confused. Everything was going so well with her, and her baptism was scheduled for next week! She is struggling with her personal life situations like; Larry, her medicine, and other things. Don't worry though! She overcame the loop of the roller coaster. She still has all of these problems, but she called us on Sunday saying she doesn't want these things to take over her life. She wants to come to church next Sunday because she missed it yesterday. She wants to be able to have religion be at least one thing she can handle in life and do for herself. We were so happy!!! Her baptism will need to be moved, but that is okay.
Trent came to church yesterday, and we had an awesome experience with him! He said to all of us in Sunday school that it is not a matter of "if" he will be baptized but a matter of "when" he will!! I about fell out of my chair when he said that! It was so exciting to hear him say that. He wants his brother to baptize him, because he and his sister are members of the church in California. I'm not sure when this will all happen, but we plan to talk about it tomorrow with him.
Remember how I said we had to drop some investigators last week? Well one of them came to church on Sunday! She just randomly popped in during Sister Bowen's talk in sacrament meeting. I saw her get this big grin on her face as she was speaking and kind of freeze up for a moment. So I turned around to see what she saw and there was our investigator sitting in the back row! Sunday was just an awesome day for us :)
Everything is going well here. My district is having an activity in Plattsburg today. It is about an hour and 15 min. drive from Lake Placid. We are playing games and bringing food and just having lots of fun for an hour or two. We do something fun with the district at least once a transfer. I'm excited!
We have had some pretty hard times these past two weeks, and I've felt kind of sad. But I have really seen that with every trial comes a great blessing after. The trials at this present time wont even compare to the joy we have from the blessings we will receive. That is what I gained from Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
I am so thankful for you all and your love and support.
I love you all!! I can easily say that this church is true!
Love Sister Keller :)
P.S. Also read Psalms 58:6. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.
This one made me laugh!!!
Monday, June 2, 2014
HARD WEEK!
For those of you that didn't hear, Kenzie had an unfortunate accident with a folding chair this week. To make a long story short, the chair won and her teeth lost. But after a couple of hours in the dentist chair she was up and ready to get back to work that same day!
Dear Family/Friends,
Well, I guess all I really do want for Christmas is my two front teeth! If you picture a cartoon character like Tom and Jerry getting something thrown at their teeth and see how they break, that is what I looked like. The dentist fixed my smile though! My teeth still look pretty and you can't tell at all that they were broken :) I can of course because my bite is different. It was such a terrible experience though... Sister Bowen was such a huge help for me. She helped me pick up all of the shattered pieces, and then gave me a big hug and let me cry for a while in her arms. I am SO thankful to be where I am and have a good dentist! Oh, by the way, I had to pay for it myself. The Missionary Medical card wasn't accepted by the dental place. But, Sister Wirthlin told me to send the receipt to her and she will reimburse me for it. I told her to send the check home to you. So you should be getting that within a month or so. Let me know so I can tell her you got it.
On Tuesday, Sister Bowen and I went to a tutor training at the library. We will be teaching people how to speak English for one of our services! It is all volunteer work and the woman in charge requested that we would be there because of our teaching experience. I first met with a boy from China and helped him read and do simple work sheets. It was fun!
Yes, I am starting my 3rd week in my second transfer. I'm thinking I'll stay here and take over the area while Sister Bowen goes to one more area before she goes home. I would like to have her finish here with me though! Our investigators love her!!! They are still doing awesome. Judy is two weeks smoke free today! Yea!! June 21st can't get here soon enough! We are currently trying to help her find a new place to live. Our Branch President is such a big help to us for her. He found two places she could move to, and will get all of the able men and women of the branch to come help her move out. We haven't had our lesson with her on the Law of Chastity yet, but we are hoping we will on Wednesday with a member there to help share testimony.
We had to drop 3 of our investigators. You don't know of any of them because we haven't been able to teach any of them. They just weren't keeping contact/or showing any more interest. It is a very hard decision to make, but it had to be done. We don't get rid of their records though, because future missionaries might have better chances with them.
Even though this week was pretty miserable, it never shook my faith. I still know that I am in the right place, and doing incredible work with the Lord. The church is true!
I love you all!
Love, Sister Keller
Dear Family/Friends,
Well, I guess all I really do want for Christmas is my two front teeth! If you picture a cartoon character like Tom and Jerry getting something thrown at their teeth and see how they break, that is what I looked like. The dentist fixed my smile though! My teeth still look pretty and you can't tell at all that they were broken :) I can of course because my bite is different. It was such a terrible experience though... Sister Bowen was such a huge help for me. She helped me pick up all of the shattered pieces, and then gave me a big hug and let me cry for a while in her arms. I am SO thankful to be where I am and have a good dentist! Oh, by the way, I had to pay for it myself. The Missionary Medical card wasn't accepted by the dental place. But, Sister Wirthlin told me to send the receipt to her and she will reimburse me for it. I told her to send the check home to you. So you should be getting that within a month or so. Let me know so I can tell her you got it.
On Tuesday, Sister Bowen and I went to a tutor training at the library. We will be teaching people how to speak English for one of our services! It is all volunteer work and the woman in charge requested that we would be there because of our teaching experience. I first met with a boy from China and helped him read and do simple work sheets. It was fun!
Yes, I am starting my 3rd week in my second transfer. I'm thinking I'll stay here and take over the area while Sister Bowen goes to one more area before she goes home. I would like to have her finish here with me though! Our investigators love her!!! They are still doing awesome. Judy is two weeks smoke free today! Yea!! June 21st can't get here soon enough! We are currently trying to help her find a new place to live. Our Branch President is such a big help to us for her. He found two places she could move to, and will get all of the able men and women of the branch to come help her move out. We haven't had our lesson with her on the Law of Chastity yet, but we are hoping we will on Wednesday with a member there to help share testimony.
We had to drop 3 of our investigators. You don't know of any of them because we haven't been able to teach any of them. They just weren't keeping contact/or showing any more interest. It is a very hard decision to make, but it had to be done. We don't get rid of their records though, because future missionaries might have better chances with them.
Even though this week was pretty miserable, it never shook my faith. I still know that I am in the right place, and doing incredible work with the Lord. The church is true!
I love you all!
Love, Sister Keller
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