TENDER MERCIES

Dear family,

So I find out this Saturday what will happen for transfers!! I'm pretty excited! I have no clue what will happen though. Since I'm still training, I could possibly stay another 6 weeks, but I have also been here for a while already. Most of the members think that I will finish my mission here since I will only have 12 weeks left! I hope to change. One more area sounds pretty good to me.

As challenging as this week was, we couldn't help but notice all of the blessings and tender mercies we received from our Lord. We had almost all of our investigators express feelings of not wanting to commit to anything more. We have been struggling to find new people to teach on our own, and have been really relying on Heavenly Father to help us. I really felt His love for us this week though, and how much He is aware of us! 

We had a very hard day on Wednesday, and just continually tried to see the good in it so that our spirits wouldn't weaken. Then the next day we talked with so many wonderful people on the streets and on the bus ride home we took after meeting a member referral. That person wants to investigate the church now, by the way! A woman from our ward has a co worker in the mall that has been asking lots of questions about the church. So we had someone drop us off to go meet her. She is awesome! I'm excited to start teaching her. We didn't have a ride home, and the only way I knew how to get home from the mall was using the free way. We weren't in our area, so I don't know the streets. We started walking and talked with tons of people along the way after saying a prayer that we would find someone to help us. We met a really nice woman at a bus stop who helped us out. The bus driver said some very kind words to us as we were getting off. Something about meeting us in Heaven someday if we never meet again here. We just knew that we were meant to be there at that time to meet him. We gave him our card and number so hopefully he will find us again or missionaries find him. 

We had a less active member come to church that I have been working with since the moment I got to this area. He finally came for the first time in so long! Hopefully now he will start to see that he is cared about and missed. His daughter even started praying a couple days before for help. She has recognized that prayers work. I am just so happy to see him making an effort to get his life back in order.

I took a step back one day and said a prayer for personal guidance. It was pretty powerful. After I said my prayer I learned that I need to bare my testimony more. That is how I can become a more consecrated missionary right now. My testimony is the most powerful witness I have of our Savior and I know that if I share it at every opportunity I get, then I can never go wrong. Especially with the people we are teaching and who are struggling right now.  The church is true!!!

Love, Sister Keller

TELL ME...

Hi!

I promise, there won't be any creepy crawly pictures in this email :) It was pretty cool though, you have to admit. Who does that sort of thing? Missionaries!

We had a cool week. So Sister Hess has been out for a month now. When new missionaries come into the field, Presidents gives them a Book of Mormon to hand out and then report back to him how it went. The very first Book of Mormon you hand out is a pretty big deal! I have a picture of the couple I gave my first copy to! So the days went by and not one opportunity came for her to give her book away. We went tracting a couple times, met a young fellow who she could have given it to, but didn't have it with her at the time. We were so bummed out!! We were praying and praying for the opportunity to come and it never did. Last week was return and report for her and she really didn't want to return and not have a story to tell about giving her book away. So Tuesday night as we were planning for the next day, I just had a huge leap of faith and said that tomorrow is the day!!! We were going to give that book away and we weren't going inside until we do. We told Heavenly Father our plan, and left it in His hands after that. So the next day, the hours went by. The very last hour of the day comes around. 8:00 pm and we haven't given it out yet. We only have an hour before we HAVE to go home. So we decided to go for a walk and bring nothing but the book. We even took a picture of her with it because we knew that we were going to give it away. It came close to 9 and still with a tiny bit of hope left we stuck around outside. I remembered that we needed to check under the hood of our car for the oil for some reason, so we did that. As I was standing there about to get  the oil stick a man came outside and saw two girls with a puzzled look on their faces and asked if he could help. Not that I didn't already know where the oil stick was, but I gladly asked him if he would help. That gave Sister Hess the time to build up her courage to hand him her Book of Mormon. She DID, and he ACCEPTED it! It was so cool!!! Heavenly Father took our challenge and was seeing if we really would hold on to our plan to not give up. Blessings come when we endure to the end!!!

Return and Report was awesome. We got to see President Wirthlin for the very last time. We didn't get to stay in the mission home because it was getting set up for the new president and his wife. So we stayed in one of the office couples homes, Elder and Sister Wiggins. They are such a sweet couple. He takes care of our cars, and she takes care of our mail. Among other important things. But we learned a lot and got to report on everything that we have been able to do since she's been out. It's been a really fun transfer so far. 

So a couple of people we are seeing are going through some very difficult situations. It's been hard because most of their problems are out of our control and we can't do anything for them. It is up to them and their willingness to come back to Christ. We can only bring them so far and then it is up to them to accept it or not. I am just so thankful that I have had the gospel in my life. I am so thankful for the commandments and for everything that God has given to us. The church is most definitely true because everything we learn from it brings happiness in our lives as we live it. Tell me that alcohol, tea, coffee, tobacco, and other harmful substances brings you eternal joy! Tell me that the scriptures aren't true! Tell me that God doesn't hear and answer your prayers! You can't, because none of those things are true. I know that the word of wisdom is there for a reason and it is a protection to our bodies. I know that the scriptures are the inspired words of God, and they are true. I know with out a doubt that God does hear and answer our prayers. Have a little faith. The church is true!

I love you all so much! Families are forever! I truly am so thankful for each one of you!!!!

Love, Sister Keller

FEAR FACTOR!

Dear Family,

"For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:" 1 Timothy 4:4.

I had a pretty exciting week! It stared with Zone Conference. That meeting was so good! Emotions were crazy though. That was President Wirthlin's last conference. They had a hard time holding back their tears. President couldn't look us in the eye for more than 2 seconds because he would start tearing up. He loves us all so much. He is so excited for President Rogers! He is from St. George UT. We got to see a picture of him. President has been skyping him and telling him about each of us, so he will come into the field knowing more about us than we think. We did a lot of really powerful role plays of teaching the restoration. I have really come to know what a blessing it is to have the gospel in my life and all throughout my youth. I love sharing this message with everyone because it really isn't changing their belief, it is adding to what they already know, and building more of a stronger foundation. Then saving ordinances happen!

The next day we had a lesson with Paul. He is still working on his addiction, but so far so good! His date is July 24th. He has been struggling with gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon and Prophets. We have taught him so much and it is mostly up to him now. Gaining a testimony needs more than just hearing the word. You need to ponder and study on your own. Paul likes to write. He wants to be an author as I have heard. So we committed him to write an essay on prophets. He is making it 10 pages long!! And completely with using church related resources! Hopefully this will help him gain a testimony.

Our exchange went super well!! We had a ton of fun!! One of our very first lessons was with a member who had a very hard question regarding Family History. She read and interpreted the bible to say that doing our genealogy work is a sin and a waste of time... With the spirit on our side, we were able to help her understand what the scriptures mean. We were able to conclude that the scripture was referring to people thinking that they can be saved based upon their ancestors good deeds. Of course, that would be a waste of time! If that was true, then we would all be doomed because Adam transgressed against the Father's commandment to not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge.

Our following appointment was to a less active member's house. She still has a strong testimony of the gospel, but is struggling with some other personal things and hasn't come to church because of it. Her daughter, however, doesn't have a testimony anymore. So we had made a plan to all go together to see her and simply become her friend. It is always a good thing to become friends and show people that you are really interested in them and show them that you care. That is what Christ would do. Well, being interested in what she was interested in wasn't very easy... I think you all know my fear of spiders... and snakes.

The church is true!!!!
Love Sister Keller

SUCH A COMFORT

This is from a letter that Kenzie mailed me this past week.  I thought it was so powerful and shows just how in tune to the spirit she was before she even started this amazing journey.  
I will be posting her weekly email later on this afternoon so be sure to check back again to read that too.
Tina

....So, a couple nights before I got my mission call I was having a really rough time.  I was feeling so scared about what was going to happen because I had no idea yet, not a clue where I would be going.  Not knowing before hand what it would be like to not live at home, and feeling overwhelmed by the fact that I wouldn't have any of you there to talk to.  I became so close to each one of you! So that night, I knelt down and said a prayer.  I told Heavenly Father how scared I was.  I hold Him how alone I felt that I thought I was going to be without you guys.  Even though I knew that I would have a companion,  that still didn't calm my fears.  I sat there for so long it seems just telling Him how I felt.  But then a really peaceful feeling came over me.  For a moment I didn't feel scared at all and totally relaxed.  What happened next I hold very sacred to me.  It was what you would call a vision.  I saw myself kneeling down in all of my missionary clothing and it looked like I was saying a prayer.  The Savior then walked up and held out His hand for me to grab.  I took it and he took me to the front door of someone's house.  I knocked on it and He stood there beside me the whole time.  That's where it ended.  Because of that experience I had, I knew that Christ was going to be with me every step of the way during my mission and I would NEVER be alone.
Joshua 1:9  ...Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
  

TESTIMONY

Dear Family,

This week was certainly a lot better than last week! It was pretty hard getting adjusted to everything. Going from a trio, down to a duo, and then training was a little stressful. But it has really gotten easier! My companion is awesome. We get along really well. She is a little shy at first, but she is one of those people that when she says something, it is usually really funny, or really powerful in teaching moments. I have been praying that we could become friends, and so far we have been having lots of fun.

On Monday last week, we went to a Family Home Evening at Brother and Sister Talley's house with a bunch of other members. The lesson was simple. We went around and took turns asking a question about doctrine or something related to church to get answers of things we didn't know. There were lots of really good and difficult questions! Sister Hess and I seemed to have answered most of the questions. That's one of the funnest things to do as missionaries. I asked a question as well, but not because I didn't know the answer. I wanted to see what they would say or how they would react. I asked them all a question that I once had to answer for a man who was Muslim and did not have a Christian background. It stumped them all! They were looking in the scriptures, looking up talks by prophets, and just couldn't seem to think of how to answer! Once they couldn't think anymore, I told them the results of what happened when I had to answer the question. I bore my testimony. I spoke nothing unless it were guided by the spirit. The man who asked me the question believed the words I testified of!! Our testimonies and the knowledge that we have of the gospel is the most powerful thing we have. You can't ever go wrong when you share your testimony. 

We had another fun night of doing FHE at the Bishop's house on Tuesday evening. All 3 sets of missionaries were there. Our lesson was centered on faith and listening to the spirit. We did an activity of moving all of the furniture around to make big road blocks, blinded an elder, and he had to find his way to the front door. He had to listen to the still small voice telling him which way to turn and try not to bump into anything, all while the rest of us were yelling and screaming to go the wrong way. You can imagine how hard it was to hear the quiet voice. But it is so similar to how it is today in the real world. Things around us are very loud, and our peers may seem like they know what they're doing. But only the Lord knows the outcome of our decisions. Why not make it easier on ourselves and listen to the one that will lead us to the happier outcome?

 

Sunday was awesome!! We had two investigators show up to church. I am so glad they did, because there were so many powerful testimonies shared. Birdy and Amelie bore their testimonies!! They truly know that the church is true. They too had little to nothing of a Christian background, and have come a long way! They know that all of their blessings have come from God.

We won't be having any baptisms this month. Some things came up with some people, and they won't be ready this soon. But they will come around! One of our other investigators had a pretty hard week as well. They were so sad about everything that they had happen to them and didn't think they were worth any of our time. We just have so much love for them all and told them that we came thousands of miles away from our homes to spend this time here with them. There is no way that any amount of time with these wonderful people is a waste! 

I did something for the very first time in my life... It was so horrible and frightening and I am so sad that my companion had to witness it...but... I hit a squirrel while driving! BUT....he was only handicapped! I looked in my rear view mirror and watched him limp off the road. So everything is still good :)

 

I love you all! The church is true!

Love, Sister Keller

MAKE FAMILIES THE CENTER OF OUR LIVES

Dear Family,

Everything is going pretty well on my end! My companion is nice. Her name is Sister Hess. She is 19 and from Utah. I like teaching with her! She doesn't seem like she is new when it comes to teaching people. We have a couple people we visit that have a lot of struggles and I thought for sure that she would be a little nervous about teaching them. But she testifies like a pro! I love it!

So during 3rd hour on Sunday we taught with the other 2 sets of elders about the ward's new mission plan. It centers on 3 different ways to develop a family mission plan. One is online missionary work, the 2nd is member missionary work, and the 3rd is reactivating members. I really do believe that everyone there was pumped about doing missionary work by the end of the meeting. Sister Hess and I taught about member missionary work.  Family mission plans are pretty great. They help you get excited about building the Lord's kingdom around you! Have any of you thought about creating one? If not, I highly encourage you to make one. I can promise you that you will find so many opportunities to share the gospel with those you meet. 

I love you all so much!! The church is true! 

Love, Sister Keller

"It is more important than ever to make our families the center of our lives and the top of our priorities.”—Elder L. Tom Perry