Sister Kirsten Leslie: "Reflex"

This week was another solid one! It was so great! We got another solid 12 lessons, which is big for us! That's the highest I've ever gotten on my mission, so I'll take it.

Monday, we went bowling. Haven't done that in a while. You could tell, because I did not do very well. The elders slaughtered us, but you know. Not a huge surprise there!

Tuesday was a great day. We taught Alyssa and Jose, which are like the 2 funnest people to work with ever! Alyssa is so solid. After this lesson, we handed her over to the other sisters because she lives in 3rd ward, which was a bit sad, but I'm just glad that we got the opportunity to teach her and learn from her awesomeness. We taught her the Plan of Salvation, and it made sense to her (because the plan actually makes sense!) and she asked a lot of great questions. We asked her what she knew about Adam and Eve, and she told us the whole story in detail and then concluded with "...and that's why we need prayer, because we were separated from God, and that's how we can communicate with him now." I was flabbergasted! She is so solid! We committed her to be baptized on February 8, and she replied with "That's the date that I was thinking! It must be of God! Of course I'll be baptized then!" She is just so solid. So inspiring. (Attached is a picture of Alyssa, Sister Jensen and I. She is rock solid. She would make the coolest missionary ever!) We also taught Jose on Tuesday and he is just so fun to teach! He is sincere and asks questions, which we like because it shows that they understand what we are teaching and want to go to the next level. We taught him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it went really well. He is so funny (more on that in a sec.)

Wednesday we got to help Faye after District Meeting take down her Christmas stuff. It is always so funny to go help her because she just has the funniest personality and is so opinionated about everything and it's just so cute to see that in an 84 year old woman. She is very spry and fun. We love her to death. The 2 appointments we had on Wednesday fell through, so we tried people and tried to meet with the Primary president about Home Primary (a new thing in our mission, where those less-active kids that don't come to Church, we got weekly to their homes and give them the Primary lesson for the week, and they are counted as coming to Primary for the week. It's going to help us get in with more less-active families, we're really excited.)

Thursday we were able to make some great goals for ourselves during weekly planning. We took a couple hours to do it, but it was worth it. We've been being obedient, but we feel like we've been obedient because that's what we're supposed to do, but we're not doing it because we want do. Don't get me wrong, I want to be an obedient missionary, but I've been having a hard time with having the true desire to go out and work because I want to bring people to Christ, I've been wanting to go out so I can say I was productive during the day. Does that make sense? I hope so. So we spent some time coming up with what we call "Nitpicky Obedience". It is 5 things we will do to help us become the missionaries we know we can be. These 5 things are:

1. Look professional every day

2. 30 minutes tracting everyday

3. Smile publicly

4. Share a Restoration dinner message to bring the Spirit in and inspire members to talk to their friends about the gospel, and

5. Have perfect studies and Preparation Day.

So far, it's going good. The tracting is the hardest for us, our days fill up so fast! But it is helping us to become more obedient and to gain that desire to want to be obedient because we know it will being miracles. That night we also got to teach Jose again (We teach him 3 times a week at the moment). Sister Ketteman came with us and it was our most powerful lesson with him we've had yet. We taught him about Scripture study, obedience, the 10 commandments and we went over his baptismal program for Saturday (WOOOHHOOOOOOO!!!!!!). It all blended together so well and we were teaching in unity and asking inspired questions, and Sister Ketteman was bearing powerful testimony and it was awesome because Jose shared his conversion story with us. 2 years ago he was an Athiest. He had everything he could possibly want--school paid for, a car, a girlfriend--and yet he wasn't happy. So he asked himself "What if? What if there is a God? What if He loves me?" And from then on, he started checking out churches. He went from church to church, building his faith until he came one day to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The missionaries there met him and the rest is history. He came to know for himself that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was indeed a Prophet of God. He found God and His true Gospel. It was so inspiring to hear. He told us that the hole in his soul he once had is now filled. The Gospel is so true! He got so excited when we started talking about his baptismal program and hoe it would go. He told us at the end "I'm excited, just not bubbly." (Sister Jensen and I were extremely happy that lesson and were very bubbly. Haha). HE IS SO SOLID! HE IS GOING TO BE BAPTIZED IN FIVE DAYS AND EIGHT HOURS FROM NOW! To say that we are excited is a big understatement. It is so cool and spiritually uplifting to watch someone make this journey to God and His true Church.

Jose also asked me to give the talk on the Gift of the Holy Ghost at his baptism (Sister Jensen is giving the one on Baptism). I am nervous, intimidated, excited and terrified! I want to make it memorable, spiritual, and inspirational. I've been praying a lot! God will help me!

Friday, not that much exciting happened. Onto the more exciting days...

Saturday was good, we had 5 lessons on Saturday! It was packed! But that's what we like! We met with 2 less-active families and 1 less active, which is always great. We got in with Danielle and Anthony as well as a potential who became a new investigator. Her name is Sam, and a Young Single Adult in our ward has been talking to her and she accepted to meet us, so the 3 of us went over there and talked to her about the Plan of Salvation. It's so cool. I think if she can find out for herself that God is there and loves her, she will have a strong desire to meet with us. Our dinner appointment was out in Granville, which is about 40 minutes away via the highway, so a member took us there since we didn't have enough miles (And had no idea where Granville was, really), and it was cool. The husband is less-active and so it's always good to meet those people. We got to know their family more and they had a 3 year old son who was so funny. He was saying things like "One day, I ate three pieces of bread. That's how I know bread is good for you." And the like. He was a cutie. After dinner we met with another less active and also Danielle and Anthony. It was a bit interesting of a lesson, but sometimes that happens. They're moving forward, just taking a bit of time. They'll get there.

Sunday was great again! Church in the morning is still strange, but nice. Jose wasn't there and we got really worried. So after Gospel Principles we called him and he had a good reason for not being there, and so we made plans to go with him to 2nd ward at 11:30. While we were sitting, Sister Jensen was sitting closest to the wall, I was in the middle, and then Jose was next to me, by the aisle. During one of the talks, across the aisle a toy fell, and so Jose lunged out his arm to try and catch it. It freaked me out! When we turned back and noticed me looking at him, he just replied, "Reflex". haha! It was so funny! What a character! That night, we got to have him over with us to a member's house for dinner again and so in preparation for that, we texted him and asked "Tonight, will you bring your quad and gospel principles book?" To which he replied "No". Now, Jose never says no! So Sister Jensen and I were trying to figure out what to say when we texted and said "I'm jk, i sure will:)" Haha man he got us good. That's how you know when you have a good relationship with an investigator: when he treats you like he treats his friends, but understand that you are there to help him build his faith and prepare him for baptism. So later that evening, we went to show him where the family lives and he ran to his vehicle when we got there, and a truck started following us so we thought it was him. We called just to make sure, though and he was like "No, I haven't left the parking lot yet!" And we were like "Oh no! We're coming back right now!" We just heard laughter as he was like "No, I'm just kidding, it's me. Keep going." Ha oh man, he is keeping us on our toes for sure! The dinner went really well, and so did the lesson. We taught about the priesthood, and he understood it! After he is baptized, he wants to meet with bishop so he can receive the Aaronic Priesthood and start preparing to go to the temple to do baptisms next month. He is on fire! I can't wait to go to a temple session with him someday; it's going to happen! Perks of living close to your mission is, you can come back! Boom!

This gospel is so true! It changes lives like NO OTHER church in the world does! This is truly God's established Church on the earth today and I know it with all my heart, might, mind and strength! I know it, I know God knows it, and I cannot deny it. Don't be afraid to open your mouth--everyone needs the knowledge we have! Pray for the strength to talk to people, to call the missionaries and ask to go out with them (which would make them the HAPPIEST people ever and make ME so happy--call them up!) , to share the gospel with those around you. I know it works, I see miracles happen every day and they can happen for you if you have the desire to bring this joy to others. Pray for opportunities, recognize opportunities and then act on the opportunities that will come. I know they will come and you will be the means of bringing people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is you will let Him work through you. This gospel is what makes happy, the commandments don't limit us, but they free us. Living the gospel is the only thing that can make it possible to return to live in God's presence with our families in a state of never-ending happiness (See Mosiah 2:41).

I love you all! The Work is Working!

sister leslie.