Week 17- Easter!

Howdy Family,

This week was a little tougher than some. We are just trying to find people to teach, but we are staying positive and not working any less.  
We had 48 baptisms in March in the mission! The work is hastening! We have a baptism this Saturday which we are really excited about! Its going to be a great day! Not only is it a baptism, but its General Conference, and the day the Priesthood was restored!

We are continuing to work with less active families, and I feel that is what the Lord wants us to focus on this transfer. We had the F family come to church again. Brother F met with the bishop, received a calling, and now is working to get his temple recommend back! Brings me so much joy to see a family after so many years return to the gospel. 

We have been doing more service. We live in quite a retirement community, so we have been helping older couples clean their homes. It's been nice to strengthen our relationship with them. 

What a great day Easter was, especially as a missionary! What an amazing thing the Savior Did for all of us! We had Easter lunch at the R families. The same family I had Christmas with! They have some awesome Easter traditions! 

Here is a video to end with: Finding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will help us have the power to endure and overcome even the hardest trials in life.

 

Week 16

Hey Family,

Wowsers, was this week an emotional roller coaster of emotions! We had to drop 5 of our investigators. It was extremely hard for me. Everyone still has their agency, though, and we can't force anything upon them. All the baptismal dates we have have either been canceled or postponed. Story of a missionary's life. ha ha. 

But with opposition, comes great things! We finally received a referral from the ward we have been waiting for, for 4 weeks now. We have been praying and fasting for him every week since. He has a lot of fellowship in the ward, but he just wasn't ready to meet with the missionaries. Finally on Wednesday we heard from him, and he was ready to take the discussions! We have met with him the past 3 days in a row, and he is just eating it up!! We have a baptismal date for him for April 6th. He already is paying his tithing, and keeping the Word of Wisdom. He hasn't had a drink in a month. I'm realizing that as we work hard, the Lord will bless us with people who are ready to hear the gospel. He is so receptive, and he loves everything about the gospel. He reads the Book of Mormon an hour every day, and just wants to learn all he can. He's in his 50's and is a very well known surgeon here in Lubbock. President told me my first day that the area I will be serving will be an area where I will find elect people with great leadership skills, and I feel R is one of those elect. 

I am learning to rely more on the Spirit. Especially in my teaching. I feel my teaching has been better this week than ever before. The Spirit is the true teacher. Not me. I have grown to love these people so much. Transfer calls were Saturday, and we get to stay another 6 weeks!! I am so excited! Although this is one of the toughest areas on the mission, I am going to have a really hard time leaving. I just can't even imagine having to leave these incredible people. The ward members are such an example to me, and I am excited to one day have my own family and take some of the qualities they have from their homes. 

We have been working with a less active couple since December. They have been less active for 3 years now!! They came to church yesterday, and that truly was such a highlight for me. I had tears in my eyes as I was singing the opening song, just having them there beside me. I literally have seen a change of heart in them over these past few months. They told us that they wanted to start coming back to church because we brought the spirit back into their home. I have a HUGE testimony in fellow shipping those who are less active. They are incredible people, they just are a little lost, and need help feeling the Spirit and getting back on the straight and narrow road again. 
 
On Saturday we were able to go out to the Brown's farm. They live outside the City, and it was so awesome! It actually felt like I was in Texas. It's what I had imagined my mission to look like, so I'm including some pictures! 

Brother Brown's horse

The windmill that he makes all the sister missionaries climb!

Some of the landscaping on the farm

Also, we just got permission as a mission to email friends! Just so you know! I'm super excited because now I can write all the besties who are on their missions. I'm so excited how this work is growing, and everyone from back home is going out! Seriously once in a lifetime opportunity! 

(Comment below if you would like Kari's e-mail address)

Week 15

Dear Family,

Yesterday we had 3 investigators come to church! Two which have a baptismal date for March 30th. It was very exciting to have them there! For missionaries there isn't anything much better than that, than a baptism itself. We as a companionship have a lot of work to do though to make the 30th possible for these investigators. One of them has a drinking problem, and is scared to find out the truth. She is scared because she knows once she knows the truth there is no unknowing it. She also stated that "ignorance is bliss" so honestly she's there, and we feel she is ready, but it is going to be up to her agency, whether she is ready to make a change. I know it can bless her and her families life so much, so we are praying really hard for her. T was able to make it as well, but had to leave right after so we are hoping to go over to her house tonight and talk to her about what she thought!

Can't remember if I told you but J.C has committed to coming to General Conference with us! We are so exited about that! He will be able to see our Prophet and 12 apostles today and I know he is going to see they are men of God. General Conference is like the Super Bowl for missionaries. ha. We have a count down we are so excited! 

The weather here is warming up! On Friday we looked like lobsters. We were out knocking for 3-4 hours and it was 90 degrees. HOT! Its been in the high 70's low 80's since, so I'm grateful its not quite summer yet. 

Because of the influx of missionaries coming out, this transfer is being cut short. It will only be 5 weeks, instead of 6, which also means I will be coming home a week sooner most likely as well. So now its looking like April 9th. SO CRAZY. I'm only about a year now. Its flying! We are getting 25 new missionaries this next week, and the work is hastening. This month is going to be record breaking I think for baptisms. So amazing how many were bringing to the fold. 
 
Funny story - there is a man John who is a Baptist. A devout one at that. Yea funny, "John the Baptist". We have been teaching him and he says he was born a Baptist and will die a Baptist; however, he has agreed to read The Book of Mormon! :) He is always concerned about our safety though, and asked us if we had pepper spray in case of attackers. We said no and so he said he would be right back. He came back with the biggest bottle of insect spray. He told us this will be better and that you can spray from 15 feet away. ha ha. We started laughing, but he was dead serious. And he told us we better keep it with us in our back packs at all times. Pretty sure it adds 5 pounds to our bags, but so very nice of him. ha.

The people here for the most part truly are so nice, and care about us, they just don't want anything to do with our religion. The big thing really though, is that there are just so many misconceptions. So I'm grateful we have the privilege of clearing those up ;) Some funny ones we get...we grow horns on our head, we sacrifice chickens at church, we worship Joseph Smith and he wrote the Book of Mormon himself in 5 days with a magical hat. We worship angel Moroni (they pronounce it Maronee) on our temple, and the best one, they always ask us how many mothers we have. I actually love answering their questions though. I would way rather them ask then just assume and send us on our way.

The days sometimes are really long. Especially when we knock and not anyone is willing to listen. The Lord truly is mindful though. The other day we were really trying to stay positive, but it was rough. After hours of knocking a man drove by and stopped and yelled out our window if we were missionaries? We excitedly replied yes! And he said "I thought so, you two are so beautiful and wholesome." Then he drove away. He wasn't willing to listen, but just that complement made me realize I am set apart from the world. I was set apart and have this mantle. I have been called by a Prophet of God to share what I know. And I know the message I share is true. 

I know my Savior lives, and I am so grateful for the Atonement. I am learning so much, and definitely learning patience. Love you all! 

Sister Turner

Some Bible belt t-shirts we got. Haha.

  
Some of the Lubbock Sisters out to lunch

 

Week 14

Hey Family,
This week was a bit of a slow one. We are still in the finding stages, just trying to find people to teach. Cool story though, on Saturday we were outside tracting. Surprise. ha. And these two middle aged women were out walking. Turns out they are sisters, and one of them just recently moved here. We had a good conversation with them, and talked about the Book of Mormon. They were extremely friendly, and pretty receptive compared to some here in the Regal Park area. We went on our way though after talking for them for about 10 min. Well then yesterday we went tracting on the complete opposite side of town. We felt prompted to work in a certain area, and then knock on this certain street. The first door we knock on is a women  who says a friendly "Hey" and is just looking at us smiling. Not usually the normal door approach we receive... she mentions how we saw her yesterday, at first it didn't click, because we were on the complete opposite side of town, and didn't do any knocking in this part. She then explained to us how she was the women who was walking with her sister! She just moved here, and we met her husband as well, and they are both so nice! I'm pretty sure they have talked to missionaries before, wherever it was they used to live. So we are going to go back and try to start teaching them! I know it was not a coincidence! So we're excited about that!

We also have a man who is in his early 50's is a divorcee and knows a woman, the bishop and another man in our ward. He came to church for the 2nd time yesterday and LOVES it. He went to his church after ours and told us wow what a difference! His church they celebrated his pastors birthday, and our church there is just something different. (the spirit ;) He loves how family oriented we are and that we talk about Jesus Christ all day! ha ha. He is super funny. And did I mention LOADED. Let me give you an example. He took this woman on a date. She told us on their first date he pulls up in a Corvette. She could care less about money, and tried to make him feel bad by telling him she loves a man who drives a truck. So 2nd date what does he pull up in... a truck. Yea he bought himself a truck and a nice one at that. ha. He is a spinal surgeon, and is very well known in this area. It will just be a matter of time now before we get the phone call from him saying he wants to take the discussions. Just what we need... another doctor in the ward. ha. No but he's actually a very loving and spiritual guy. He wants to do whats right, and he realizes that money hasn't been making him happy. So I think good things are to come with him! It will be nice to receive another referral from the ward!

When you're a missionary you can admit your a creeper. ha. We started going to this park and double teaming on each side of speed walkers. (they sure love that ;) ha. We just start walking with them, talking about the gospel and give them a pass along card. ha. Its pretty humorous some of things we do. I'm noticing though we are helping this area realize Mormons aren't weird, but that we are normal and happy people! People really are starting to realize how many misconceptions and judgments they had about us. 

Last week our mission had 14 baptisms! That is almost half of what we normally get in a month, so its evident the work is increasing with the new missionaries! I can't wait to get the next 102 missionaries, then the work really is going to increase! 

This church is so true!! SO TRUE. I have no doubts. I know it. And its my job to help others come unto Christ and help them know what blessings come with the covenants and ordinances they agree to make with our loving Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ at baptisms and the rest of their lives.
 
Love you all!
Sister Turner