Sister Kirsten Leslie: Walkin' In A Winter Wonderland!!

Well, good morning!! I hope all of you are just fantastic and that you have snow, too! We just had this storm that started yesterday morning very early and it has just snowed consistently since then, so it is still snowing a bit! "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass"! (name that scripture!! I'll tell you at the end.)

This week was awesome! We had a lot of really awesome experiences. We had exchanges this week with 6th ward sisters and they were miracle exchanges! Sister Sutton and I worked in my area, 4th ward, and we had 5 appointments that day! FIVE! And we got to go tracting!! And we did service. So it was a super busy day and we had a lot of fun! It's been a long time since that has happened all in a day.We got to teach Tracy and it was awesome because she started making connections in her head that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is literally Christ's church! She started asking us about why "our" church feels different than any other church she's been to. We got to boldly testify that is because this is Jesus Christ's church, and it was a powerful moment. So she is doing great!! We love her so much!

Pete also continues to do well, he was really stressed this week so we lost contact with him for a few days, which is always really scary and nerve wracking with your investigators, but! he still came to church on Sunday! And he was there for all 3 hours! So that was a HUGE miracle! :) So we still love working with him and he is doing great. :)

We got 2 new investigators this week!!! It was a huge blessing!! The first was Brooklyn, and her mom and 2 siblings just got baptized in February, so we are PUMPED to be working with her! She is 13 and it's so fun to work with people that age! It reminds me of working with Ashley McKinney in Minot and I loved that SO much!! She is really cool! They were at church last sunday, but not yesterday, so that was a bummer. But we'll keep working on getting them there! The other new investigator we got is Danette. her boyfriend is a less-active member, which is how she came to meet us. They came in contact with Bishop Geddes, our bishop, and then he called us and gave us their information. So that was a HUGE blessing and it has also helped strengthen our relationship with the bishop, which is awesome and it helps out so much!! We met with her and her boyfriend and her kids on Saturday at this sketchy hotel they are living at right now, but it was great because we met outside (without coats, I might add!), so we didn't have to actually enter the sketchy motel! Tender mercy! Don't worry parents, we are kept safe from all that stuff!! :) So we were truly blessed with these awesome new people to teach!! Hard work DOES pay off, just not when you want it to necessarily!

Not to brag or anything, but this week Sister Woodbury and I got 6 member present lessons (which means that we had 6 lessons with investigators with a member there with us also)!!!! That is a first for me on my mission and it was AWESOME to feel like we were helping so many people! "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." (Alma 26:12) I know that is true and it is exactly how I feel! Sister Woodbury and I have tried so hard to help this area grow and progress, and it is finally starting to pay off! We have a lot of room for improvement, of course, but we are on our way to a great area! Our ward is starting to connect with us and really love us, which is so awesome. That's the part about being in an area for a looooong time, is that you really get to know the members and their families on a deeper level than just "Hi how are you? Good? Great!", and that is awesome! I love that aspect of it! Transfers are coming up in 3 weeks and our ward keeps joking that they're going to call President Anderson and ask for us to stay together another transfer. haha so it's always good to know you're loved, and we are very well loved and cared for here in Casper. :)

We had a really powerful lesson with the Kler's this week about covenants (a 2 way promise between us and Heavenly Father), focusing on baptism and the sacrament, and it was awesome! The Spirit was tangible in the room. I love those lessons! They strengthen my faith and testimony just as much or more so than the people we teach, I think. So I love the Spirit and I am grateful for what He does for us!

We had our ward Christmas party this week and it was a night in Jerusalem thing and Sister Woodbury and I were pumped for it, but it was not too exciting. We did dress up in Jerusalem-ite attire, but I don't have a picture of that yet. We sat with a couple where she is active and he's not a member, and Tracy was there, so that was good. But other than that, it was super chill. Sister Woodbury and I even asked if we could sing a duet during their Christmas song part of it, and they said no. How sad is that! But that's okay, another couple in the ward let us sing for them, so they just got a private showing.

Funny moment of the week: we were going to eat with a member we had never eaten with before, and she was going to pick us up from the church building on Poplar, and so she pulled up and we walked over there, and I try the door to get in, but it was locked. Sister Woodbury then walks behind the car to get to the other side and comments, "this car has South Carolina plates...I don't think this is her!!" so we quickly ran/waled away in embarrassment and waited for our actual ride to come!! Luckily, the first lady was looking at a map of some kind, so I don't think she knew we were there. haha but what an experience for sure!

My favorite quote of the week: "Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!" This is a quote from Elder Scott's last conference address, "Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority" and I read it this morning in personal study. This hit me really hard--scripture study is MORE IMPORTANT than sleep, work and school! If that doesn't show us how important scripture study is, nothing will! I invite you to ponder how you can make time to read your scriptures daily. It will strengthen your testimony and lead you closer to Jesus Christ!

We're starting to see a lot of miracles in this area and we know they will continue!

love, sister leslie. (Alma 37:6-7)

Pictures

Sister Woodbury and I sharing how we will #ShareTheGift this Christmas season! If you haven't done so already, print off one of these on christmas.mormon.org and write down how you will share the gift! Then post to your facebook, instagram or other social media. :) (mine says "by fulfilling my purpose as a missionary!" and Sister Woodbury's says "by inviting others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel!"