September 3

Dear Family,

R. is doing incredible! My testimony of the atonement has increased immensely! We found out he had another addiction, but for over a week now he eats peaches instead ;) ha ha. He hasn't touched coffee, and he only smokes every once in awhile due to stress, and soon that will be over! He is truly a different man than when I first met him. He even is working on his language and watching his swearing problem. His family, even though not totally for us, has seen the change in him and is shocked.

We were so excited for him to come to testimony meeting this week, but he told us he had made a promise to someone else to go to their church and he felt he couldn't break that promise. He told us he knows the church is true, but he is a man of his word. I was really sad, because I know what an impact fast and testimony meeting can have on others. We fasted as a companionship that day and in the morning he came and found us and told us he knows this church is true, and its his church, and he had to come. All three of us bore our testimonies for him, and he said he never had felt the spirit that strongly before and we made him cry.

Ha ha funny story. He noticed the pulpit going up and down for the speakers and he asked us if the spirit did that!? ha we had to break the news and tell him no.. it was by the push of a button. We were cracking up! ha ha.

He has been talking about Alma 32 and Lehi's vision about the tree. He said he is a tree that is full of bugs and disease, and he can't wait to be clean again and sitting in the sunshin "shakin his leaves." ha ha if only you could hear his voice. He is constantly teasing us, and he always prays to God and thanks him for how awesome he is and that he gave him and us a sense of humor. We have pretty much taught him everything we can, and he wants to know more. He just eats it up. The only thing that is holding him back is the Word of Wisdom. He is for sure getting baptized on the 14th. We may be transferred, but he told us he will make us proud if we do leave, but hopes we all stay. Because I am in training I think we will stay, but you really never know. I would love to be there for his baptism, but I am still happy either way.

He is very sick, but has such a positive attitude, he always says even if he dies at least he was able to die the right way, and be baptized by the proper authority. Wow what an incredible man he is, I really feel like this is why I am here. To meet him. I just know it. I get emotional just thinking about it. I feel like I have known him my whole life. I truly love him. I do. The pure love of Christ is an incredible thing. I wish ya'll could see and feel the experiences I go through, but I hope I can do some justice in my emails.

Today we leave for Monahans to do some training for sisters there. Then Friday I am up in Lubbock for a training meetings. Its hard on me having to leave my area so much and my investigators, but I know the Lord is helping us and is taking care of Midland 3rd since i'm helping others.

Game day was a lot of fun, but it made me grateful for the work as well. I was sun burnt and exhausted by the end. ha ha. 

Love and miss all of you!

Sister Turner

August 26

Dear Family,

This week we are really beginning to see progression in our area!  We are teaching more than ever! R is doing really well! He came to church, and he is doing better with his smoking every day. He is thinking baptism for the 15th of September. Which is after transfers so we are praying we all stay for it. I really have grown to care for that man. I always tell him he's my Home Boy in Christ. ha. No but really he's been through so much and is so sick, and the gospel truly is changing him. Its neat to see the change. He still has more things to learn but I know he'll be well prepared by then. He is beginning to see the changes in himself too, which is awesome!

We had a county Fair for our ward, and that was a big success. We had one of our investigators there, A. She seemed to enjoy herself. There was food and lots of games and the members were very welcoming to her. A member in our ward who was baptized not too long ago he has a dancing horse, and so we had some great entertainment too! ha

School started back up today here in Midland. Probably the fastest "summer" of my life. ha ha. We are having our game day this Wednesday as a zone. I can't wait to see President Augustin play baseball. ha ha.

I love this work so much. However there are some days where I honestly don't know how I make it. I remember though that the Lord is always there for me, and thank goodness I don't have to get through the tough times on my own. May we apply that to all our trials in life. I know this gospel is true, and what an opportunity it is for me to help others come to that truth for themselves. Love and miss each and every one of you!

Love,
Sister Turner

Training sisters in San Angelo

Training Sisters in Brownwood

Brother Flores and his dancing horse

August 19

Dear Family,

This week we set a baptismal date with R for September 7th! At first he didn't understand the proper aurthority of baptism and didn't think he needed to be rebaptized. But we showed him both in the bible and in the Book of Mormon where not only authority is important but you must recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. And then everything clicked for him and he realized when he was baptized he did not recieve that. It was so cool to see the change of heart in him!

 

On Saturday we took a leap of faith and decided to teach him word of wisdom. I felt impressed that even though we haven't taught many of the lessons yet, he really needed to understand the importance of the word of wisdom before he could really progress.

 

He loves his cofee and his cigarettes but I trusted in the Lord that if he really was ready and prepared the spirit would teach him the importance of it. And WOW was my testimony stregthened. As we were teaching him he first said there is no way he could give it up, the more we taught the more he began to understand. He then said he would try to cut back to 4 cigarettes a day. And then by the end he handed me his box of Cigarettes and told us he really wants to quit so that he can be baptized(pretty sure my jaw was open that whole lesson) ha. I truly feel the Lord is preparing him. I am so excited for him and the steps he is making to come closer to Christ. I know God is so proud of him, because I can feel his love.

 

He told us in the past he has been taught by missionaries but they were so uptight and he was honestly just listening to be nice. Now he said he is REALLY listening and he is amazed we are able to answer all his questions. I informed him that its not our work, its the Lords. And he is beginning to recognize this. This gospel is so incredible and I love every minute of this work. Somehow even the bad, because I know the Lord is wanting me to learn something.

 

I have other really great news. N who we were teaching in my last area who was from Lousiana. We lost contact with him and it was really sad, but the sisters there now got a hold of him again and are teaching him again and reset his baptismal date! I am so happy!

 

I also got proposed to this week.. very interesting. ha ha. Lots of stories to share with ya'll when I get home.

 

President had an announcement to make and we all got on a conference call. We were all making our predictions mine being that we were going to start having that new technology they were talking about back in the braodcast a few months ago. We were all wrong. President wants to have a fun field/game day next week to end the summer. I was in shock. I was like, is this President? ha ha. So we get a day off next week which will be a change.

 

I love this gospel so much. I know with all my heart this is Christ's church once again established on the earth, with the authority again to perform those saving ordicances nessesary to return to live with our Loving Heavenly Father.

 

Love you all!

Sister Turner

August 12

Dear Family,

This week we had Stake Conference. It was great! All the speakers were incredible, and President Augustin got to speak. He told his conversion story and talked about how "now is the time." Its been prophesied in the scriptures of the work hastening, and now is that time! So exciting! It was also neat because I got to see many members of my old ward, so it was good to see them!

I had my first ever MLC meeting, the training meeting that is once a month up in Lubbock. I learned a ton! I am learning so much more about communication and leadership skills. The things I learned I now take back with me to my zone, and on Tuesday I will teach them at zone training. It was also fun because now Sister Dunham (the sister who I trained 6 months ago) is the newest sister training leader and so it was awesome getting to see her, and her growth! she is still in my first area, Regal Park. This will be 7 1/2 months there for her, and since I have been gone the area has boomed! They are averaging 8 baptisms a transfer!! Its so neat. When the Lord trusts a ward it grows like fire. Its a little hard not being able to actually be there to experience all the miracles but I still feel like I am a part of it!! I seem to always begin the growth of wards and then the Lord takes me somewhere else. ha

This week I am also headed to San Angelo ( 2 hrs. away) to train three sisters there. The following week I will be traveling to Brownwood, and Monahams. Many road trips ahead of me. ha ha.

This week we have been really trying to find people to teach. We met a man, R who lives in our apartment complex awhile back and he told us he wanted to talk to us later. I honestly thought he wanted to bible bash, but yesterday before church he found us and told us he believes in the Mormons and wants us to teach him. So that was a tender mercy from the Lord as well. We are working with a few others who are coming out of the wood works, as well as some less actives.

Earlier this week we were trying a former and when we knocked on the door they told us to come on in, we realized we were in the middle of a booze fest, with drunks and crazy music, we left real fast. ha ha. The many adventures we get to have out here, but the Lord always seems to protect us.

I have really been trying to focus on submitting my will to the Lord. I know as I do so I will see miracles. Love all y'all!

Sister Turner

All the sister training leaders for the mission right now--Sister Olsweld (who was also trained by sister Sekona - my trainer), me, and Sister Dunham (who I trained)

Aug 5

Dear Family,

This week was a little crazy. Just trying to settle in and work out how we can best help each other as a companionship, and learning to work together. My new companions are super nice! Once we get things going I am hopeful we will see success!  We had some adventures this week, saw some wild peacocks so that was fun! We had bike day on probably the hottest day of the history of my mission.

We have a couple we are teaching, J and F. J really wants it for her and her husband but F is a little more hesitant. He grew up catholic and is all about "tradition, tradition!" He struggles that we don't have crosses in our church, but we explained how we celebrate his life and focus that he lives, and don't focus so much on his death. I feel really good about them, but its going to take a lot on our part to help them know the truth for themselves. 

I am learning and growing so much out here! Its tough at times, but I know the challenges I face are for a reason, and the Lord puts them in my path so I can grow. My testimony has grown so much and there isn't a doubt in my mind that this is the truth. I have seen so much joy and happiness that comes from this gospel! I am so lucky to be a part of it, and its something that will always come first in my life. 

I love all of you so much! Hope all is well!
Sister Turner

My New Companionship! Sister Bradford from Ogden, me, and Sister Tooley from Highland

July 29

Dear Family,

Well was I wrong about transfers.. I'm not staying here in the Midland 1st ward :( It was hard for me to hear. I just felt like the work was finally starting to go somewhere and its hard having to say goodbye to those we are working with.

I will be training yet again two sisters. One I am finishing up the 2nd half of her training, and the other will be straight from the MTC. I will again be opening up a brand new area, this time not far away! I will be staying here in Midland actually! Just a new area and a new ward. So I'm grateful to at least be in the same city. I will still be a sister training leader, but I may be getting more areas, so please continue to pray for me. ha. Just when I think the load can't get anymore...I get more. ha. But I know with the Lord all things are possible!

Sister Fife is staying and she is training two sisters, and Sister Kramer will be going to Abeline and she will be training two sisters as well! I am so proud of them! They have changed and grown so much in the last 3 months I've been able to train and serve with them.

We had 43 baptisms this month in our mission! So that was exciting! Missionary work is growing and booming and its so exciting!!!

Laura sent me an email talking about an experience she had going out with the Sister Missionaries this week.. I will share her experience below...

"This guy overheard us talking and told us how to find out where her room was...and then he started asking the missionaries which church they were from, which Jesus they believed in, etc. Turns out he was a chaplain who only wanted to Bible bash--questioning our belief in Jesus Christ (which Jesus do you believe in?!), if we were saved (he was confident we were being deceived), why we believed in the Book of Mormon, etc. It was intense for about 5 or 10 minutes...and he would just ask questions and quote verses from the Bible and give us no time to respond. It was crazy--and i thought, "Now I know what Kari's mission is like!!" Turns out it was Sister Mims first experience with this too (her senior companion is a Sister Training Leader so she was at a meeting and a sister from another area came with us), but she handled it pretty well and kept her cool. At one point he said, "How can you prove the Book of Mormon is true? There's no proof!!" And I said, "Sir, you're right. There's no way to prove the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. You can only read it with an open mind and ask God if it is true." And we kind of left it at that. We got up to leave and I put out my hand to shake his and wish him well, and he totally rejected it!! Hhahaha. He was pretty intense...so now I guess I can say I have a tiny glimpse into your interactions with people in the Bible belt on a daily basis."

I laughed so hard, because this is my day every single day!! But I love it!! I have learned how to really bring the spirit to a conversation like this believe it or not. ha. Number one thing is to NOT bible bash. You just testify and let them know you know for yourself its true, sometimes their heart softens instantly and its the coolest thing ever. But most of the time they still aren't prepared to receive the gospel and are too hard hearted, I tell everyone I train that within 5 minutes of a conversation you will be able to tell if they will soften or not. There is nothing more powerful than a testimony though. They never can come up with a come back when you simply bare your testimony.

Well I love you! Hope ya'll have a good week!

Sister Turner

Texas Sunset

July 22

Dear Family,

Another busy week in mission life. This week we went to Brownwood on exchanges. Its about a 4 hour drive.... I got pulled over by a cop on the way too. Not fun. It wasn't my fault though.. ha. It was a speed trap, went from 75-45 in a matter of seconds and it was down a hill. I didn't know the area and I had no idea a town was coming up. Luckily I got away with a warning.

Brownwood is extremely different than our area. Its very pretty and green, the people are not as receptive though. I worked and trained with 3 other sisters and learned a lot. It was nice to get back into our area though.

This week will be nice because we will be staying in Midland the whole time! There is so much work to be done here, its crazy! We will find out Saturday night whether we are being transferred or not.

We are working with a women named J. She is golden. So incredible, and is truly being prepared to receive the gospel. We set a baptismal date with her for August 10th. She has devout Baptists in her family and asked us what to say when she goes "public" ha ha ha. She is quite the hoot. Very artsy and eccentric. Last lesson she expressed to us she had a burning feeling in her chest, we explained to her that that was the spirit she was feeling! Such a cool experience to be a part of. She told us she wants to just gain a testimony so that when people ask her she can just stand tall and tell them exactly what she knows to be true. She totally stood up for us too! We were walking on her street and her neighbor called her and warned her about us.. ha ha. She told her neighbor she loved us and she always talks to us. (ha apparently we are pretty scary) Today we did service for her and helped clean her house.

I'm coming up on my 9 month mark. Pretty crazy. Time is flying and I know the downward slope is even faster. It sure is an adventure. Especially here in the bible belt.

I know this gospel is true. I'm so grateful for our savior, and for Joseph Smith in restoring his church. I love the book of Mormon with all my heart.

Love and miss you all!

Sister Turner

Sisters in Brownwood

Drive to Brownwood

Billboard

Family we are working with