Sister Kirsten Leslie: Psych! We're Not Moving....Yet

So no worries! We're going to be in this same place until the end of August, livin' with the bugs 'n stuff. Makes life exciting. Keeps me on my toes and makes me SO much more grateful for the other places I have lived. We did find a way adorable small studio "house" thing though, that we're hoping they will save for us for a month. But we'll see. The only frustrating part of it was we didn't find out we weren't moving until Wednesday, so we were 90% of the way packed up. So this week, we unpacked. That was an adventure, in fact an ongoing adventure.....

But in other news....

We have been walking a lot this week ( we ran out of miles the last few days of the month), so we walked a whole bunch of places this week, which was good exercise and all that, so that was fun. We got to talk to some really cool people and that made it work it. :)

But our highlight of the week was we got a new investigator, and she is SOLID! Her name is Jessica, and she is 16 years old. She is actually a former investigator from a couple years ago and she really regrets not being baptized. In the lesson, we were able to put her on date to be baptized on September 13th!! :) As soon as we started teaching her yesterday, all we had said was "This message that we have to share is centered around Jesus Christ, and it is of great value and importance" and she burst into tears because she felt the Spirit so strong. That continued through the rest of the meeting, but we know it was a good thing. We asked her part way through how she felt, and she said, "Overwhelmed, but good." It's always so fun to hear how different people explain how the Spirit feels to them. It also never ceases to amaze me the love from our Father in Heaven that flows into me when I am teaching someone. I suddenly don't judge, but feel just an outpouring of love for whoever I am teaching, and yesterday with Jessica it was so powerful. We had a really awesome member with us who had just gotten back from a family history tour, so she bore powerful testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, which was so important. Jessica was so excited to read the Book of Mormon, and we were so excited for her. :) I will for sure keep you updated!

Chris continues to do well. Her baptism is coming up here soon in the next few weeks, and she is getting really excited to make this step in her life. She knows it is what she needs to do and that she will be blessed for making this promise, or covenant, with God as she strives to be faithful to it.

Haha so I have this particular pair of shoes that are falling apart, and one of the members recognized that and so on Friday, Sister Kler took me to Wal Mart to purchase some new shoes so I didn't look haggard. In her husband's words, "I have to take care of my sister missionaries!" So that was funny, but so nice. I appreciate it a lot and now don't have to worry about looking haggard! Yes! The members here are awesome. :)

Sister Woodbury and I had the brilliant idea to start a health food challenge yesterday. In fact, this challenge was given to me in November by Sister Anderson, the Mission President's wife, and I figured I'd start it now. Better late than never, right? I can't believe it's already August. It's crazy!! I am still trying to figure out where this year has gone. So Sister Woodbury and I are still going strong! :)

This week, because I am Sister Training Leader, I got to get on a big conference call with all the other Sister Training Leaders and Zone Leaders in the mission to set a baptismal goal for the month of August as a mission. As part of that call, I got to talk to Sister Jensen for all of about 30 seconds, but it was awesome!! Ahh man I miss her so much! But the good news is that I get to see her in September! Let me explain why: once a month, all the Sister Training Leaders and Zone Leaders in the mission meet at mission headquarters in Rapid City for a 2 day conference called Mission Leadership Council. In this conference, we are instructed by the Mission President, his wife, and the Assistants to the President. We then take this information back to our specific zone and that week get our whole zone together to teach them what we were taught. This month, however, there is no Mission Leadership Council because it is Zone Conference, which happens every 3 months. Zone Conference is where the Mission President, his wife and the Assistants to the President travel to the specific zones and train us all themselves. The Zone Leaders and I also present a training. So, I will see Sister Jensen next month at Mission Leadership Council and I am SO pumped! For the actual conference and to see her again. :) We're also going on a mission tour next summer, so that will be awesome. :)

That's pretty much what went on this week! I was able to study a lot from the Book of Mormon, and it helped me to strengthen my testimony that the Book of Mormon is in reality another book of scripture given to us today from a loving God to again restore the fulness of the gospel to the earth. I also studied Chapter 5 in Preach My Gospel this morning, which is about the Book of Mormon, and that also helped me to understand it more. I love the Book of Mormon and know it is of God!

I love you all and am so grateful for your help and prayers! The work is working!

sister leslie.