Sister Kirsten Leslie: The Lord Doesn't Call The Qualified, He Qualifies the Called

That's for sure! I am so grateful for the atonement and for the ability we have to become better in this life!

Last Monday was all about packing and getting Sister Jensen packed and ready to go, while I was just trying to stay sane. We were running around all that day. Tuesday, we went to the Church and wrote in transfer books and all that, took pictures and the usual. Not going to lie, I was a stress ball on Tuesday. When Sister Jensen and I said goodbye to each other, we cried. The elders tried to tease me, but soon they realized that that wouldn't help anything, so they stopped. The first thing I did after Sister Jensen left was to get a blessing from the Zone Leaders (The elders in our ward) that I would be blessed with comfort and confidence in my new calling as a trainer. 5 1/2 hours later, we got our companions, and I was so distracted for all of it! I was trying so hard, but my brain was going about 80 million miles an hour.

My companion is Sister Manning, from Lehi, Utah. She is 20 years old, already has her bachelor's degree in something to do with Psychology, and she has a great desire to do the work!

I won't lie, this week has been really hard for me. I have struggled a lot. Up until Friday night, I felt very alone and very overwhelmed. I didn't feel like I was feeling the SPirit, and I didn't know how to teach this new missionary. I was very stressed and not acting like myself. Instead of being happy and bubbly like I usually am, I was solemn and quiet, which was weird for me. I didn't know what to do. I was praying a lot, but I didn't feel like I was getting an answer. The turn around happened in a very simple way. We went and taught Jose, and since I've taught him a lot, it was a normal situation for me. I felt comfortable there and I was myself. As we walked out, Sister Manning commented, "You were really happy and bubbly in there." That's when it hit me that I had been holding myself back because I was scared of messing up. So, from then on I have tried really hard to be myself and to do my best. I realize that I will make mistakes, but Sister Manning truly has a desire to be better and to work hard, so it shouldn't be too hard to guide her in the right direction, using the Spirit's guidance of course. I'm much more confident in myself now than a week ago and I know it's because God helps us. He doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called! I am grateful for this opportunity I have at this time to be a trainer.

Something that I have struggled with my whole mission is tracting and trying to find the love for it. Something I was worried about with training is that I would be in charge of taking charge and having us go tracting. Sure enough, this last week was crazy enough that we didn't go tracting. Could we have? Yes. I won't make excuses for myself. But I will say that you can't become perfect in a day. So yesterday, we didn't have a lot of time, either, but I drove us to a street and we tracted for only 15 minutes, but we still did it! And the most amazing thing happened: I felt a love for tracting! I really had the desire to talk to these people and invite them to come unto Christ. Sister Manning was a little less than excited to go, but I was there at one point. We were able to get 4 daily contacts, which was great! That's more than we got all of last week. I am grateful for the mantle of being a trainer. It helps to push me to become who I know I can be, but have been finding excuses like fear to hold me back. Is it still scary to train? Yes. But I am already becoming better and I just hope in some small way that I will be able to help Sister Manning. :)

We had some exciting adventures this week! Namely, Jose got his wisdom teeth out this week on Thursday, and was getting a lot better. But then yesterday, during Sacrament Meeting, we got a text from him saying that he was bleeding again and in a lot of pain. He couldn't take his meds because they were making him sick (Sound familiar to anyone? Been there, done that and don't wish to repeat!). So we made plans to come over that afternoon to give him more pudding and applesauce (What else can you eat?) as well as find some Priesthood brethren to give Jose a Priesthood blessing. The adventure came in coordinating all of this and we just mentioned this to Brother Van Bibber, our ward mission leader, and also a doctor, and he got all excited and called in a prescription for Jose for anti-nausea meds, so we were going to go pick that up for him, but we ended up not needing to. Anyways. So in the afternoon, we went over with 2 Priesthood brothers and a RS sister so we could be there, and the blessing was incredible! This won't mean as much to you probably since you don't know him as well, but in the blessing, Jose was promised that his family would accept the gospel!! His family is not religious at this time. I got the biggest grin on my face, almost to the point of tears, and after the blessing Jose looked up at me and Sister Manning with the biggest smile I've ever seen him have, and he said in wonder, "Wow. Those are nice." (It was his first time receiving a blessing that was not for receiving. the Priesthood or receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost). It was so powerful! When someone is baptized, it not only affects them, it affects generations!

On another note, this week I learned how to jump start a car! The sister called us one morning needing our help to jump start their car. So, we went downstairs and borrowed a cable from the Noel's, and drove over there. We got there to realize that none of us knew how to jump start a car. We all knew the idea, but not how to actually do it. Not wanting to get electrocuted, we half-heartedly tried to figure it out for about 5 minutes-ish before a man walked out of the apartment building and asked us if we needed any help. We gladly accepted it and learned how to jump start a car! The elders laughed when we told them none of us had previously known how to do that. We casually explained to them that we've always had a man around to do it for us! Moral of the story: Ladies, go learn how to jump start a car!

The Lord blesses His missionaries! We aren't perfect like all the little kids think we are (we also don't live at the Church building like they think we do), but we can become perfected in Christ, just as all of us can. Yesterday, Sister Manning and I spoke in Church about Missionary Work, and in my talk, I focused on how all of us as members promised God when we were baptized that we would be His missionaries. I explained a couple ways that we can share our testimony simply with our friends. These ways I thought of include:

> Be an example. Stand up for what you believe in! DOn't settle for less. Fear God more than man, know that we are blessed when we stand up for what we know to be true.

>When your friends ask how your week or weekend was, don't just say "Good.". No! Explain how well Mutual went or what you learned at Church. This opens the door for others to ask you more questions about what you believe, giving you the opportunity to share your testimony!

>If you have a friend or family member who is struggling, bear simple testimony to them! For example, if they are struggling with the loss of a family member, bear your testimony of the Plan of Salvation and how we WILL be able to see our loved ones again.

>Use Social Media! Social Media is a way we can reach a lot of people in a short amount of time. Bear testimony on Twitter, post Mormon Messages on Facebook. (If you haven't watched the new Mormon Message "Stop It", go to this link and watch it right now: https://www.lds.org/youth/video/bullying-stop-it?lang=eng)

>SMILE! We have the truth! Which makes us happy! Don't be shy in showing the peace and happiness you have in your life because of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ!

I know this Church is true with all my heart! Go out and spread it! "We are commanded by God to take this gospel to all the world. That is the cause that must unite us today. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of its own self destruction. Only the gospel will unite men of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness and peace to the human family." -President Ezra Taft Benson.

Remember, God's a Mormon!

sister leslie.