The Best Transfer of My Life!

From the Letter to the President:

This has truly been the best transfer of my life! I have absolutely loved working in Santa Paula with Hermana Newland! It has been such a joy! I am so very exciting for this next transfer! I am ever so amazed at the grace of the Lord in helping me to become the person I want to be, but more importantly, the person He wants me to become. This week was fantastic!

We have been able to find some great new investigators this week. We met a woman named JM on Tuesday. She actually has a son who is a less-active member. We were able to share about the Book of Mormon with her. She was very excited to learn more. We were also able to meet a woman named S living at the same place as JM. We started talking to S about families. As we kept talking we noticed that she was crying. We asked her if she was alright. She told us that she was in the process of going through a divorce. That's when we stopped talking and started teaching her. So many times it's easy to fall into a routine of saying the same things over and over again. However, I love following the spirit. We were really about to teach S according to her needs. We were able to share Alma 26:27 with S. We talked about being patient in our trials and how the Lord will give us success in the end. It was such a powerful lesson. It was a humbling experience to be able to teach S.

We also had another miracle. I wish I could count all the miracles we see every single day! We have been having our after-baptism lessons with S. This week we were able to teach him about the Plan of Salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In one of our lessons we had showed S an object lesson. At the end of the lesson we asked him if he wanted to get a member of his family to come and watch him teach the object lesson. He was excited and ran inside the house to find someone to teach. He came out with his whole family! He showed them how we need to rely and build upon our Savior Jesus Christ.  He was able to engage his brother and sister and parents. It was amazing! Afterwards we were able to talk with E, S's dad, and ask him his thoughts about receiving the missionary lessons. He told us that he knows that he is the last one of his family that needs to get baptized. He really wants to be baptized but he wants to take it slow learning the lessons. He told us that he would come and sit in on S's lessons and that we could teach him. It was such a miracle! Looking over this family's teaching record, I can tell that they have totally changed. Before when the missionaries would come over, they would just lock the door. Now we have been able to teach the whole family and help them come back to church!

This week we had a fantastic lesson with S! She is a new investigator of ours. She is Catholic but told us that she does not live according to her religion. Her desires are to follow Jesus Christ and God. We had an amazing Restoration lesson with her in her home. We had previously given her a Book of Mormon and she had already read the Introduction. S really has the light of Christ shining brightly through her. She has an adorable family of three young girls. I loved teaching S as she was just so humble and loving! It was wonderful! We have another appointment scheduled with her for this week!

I am thrilled to be training again this transfer!!! I was able to study in the Missionary Handbook about leadership. I loved it all! I especially loved Ezekiel 34. As missionaries, we are like shepherds in stewardship of flocks. It is our sacred calling to find out those lost sheep and to guide them back to the fold. The True Shepherd, whom we represent, has shown us the way. I am so grateful for the perfect example of Jesus Christ. I know that as I strive to become more like Him in all that I do, I can become the person that Heavenly Father wants me to be. That is my ultimate goal in this life. 

We can learn how to be a great leader by following Jesus Christ. He lifted, encouraged, inspired, and blessed all those around him. I pray that I may be able to do that this transfer. I pray that by doing so, I may become a more pure conduit for the Light of the Savior to shine through me.

This past transfer has been the best time of my life! I love learning to rely more on the Savior's Atonement every single day of my life. I am eternally grateful for my decision to serve a mission. I have seen so many countless blessing to which I will ever be grateful to my Heavenly Father for. I love this work!!!

MOM! Here is an email from my Mission President to us: The new missionaries arriving this week will be given a partially revised Orientation Booklet. Because of the changes that will come with the iPads in the near future, there will not be a general distribution at this time. Of particular interest for you will be regarding correspondence. 

"All mail will come directly to your apartment (letters and packages). Please inform family and friends of your address. Inform them of the transfer dates a week prior. Tell them not to send letters or packages until you notify them. Please instruct your family and friends to use your first and last name on any correspondence. When contacting or sending information to the mission office, please use your full name. In all situations you should be addressed by the title of your calling, Elder or Sister. Any packages sent by UPS or FedEx can be sent to your apartment but cannot be forwarded. Please advise all who may send packages to use US Postal Services if possible. Advise family and friends that your apartment addresses are temporary. Ask them to check with you via email for address changes. Promptly let them know your address change. Mail delivered to the office will be forwarded.

Just so you know I'm staying in Santa Paula and training a brand new missionary! WAHOO! Also, Hermana Newland is also going to be training. As a trainer, our job is to make sure our trainee would be ready to train after their first 12 weeks in the mission. And Hermana Newland is! I guess I must have done something right :)

Hermana Newland is going to Santa Maria. But guess what else? Santa Paula is getting English Elders. The Elders will work in Fillmore and Santa Paula... so that means I'm back to strictly Spanish work again. I am also very excited for that. I love doing English work but I felt like there was so much English work that we did not really have a strong focus on the Spanish work. I am excited to make that my focus once again.

I will be getting my new companion tomorrow at transfer meeting. I don't know her yet but I have been praying for her. I know this transfer is going to be AMAZING! 

Also, reading in the missionary handbook I discovered that I can actually pay fast offerings from the money that I receive from the mission. So I am going to be doing that. Hmmm I could use some more makeup. I like the eyeshadow you bought my for my birthday. I don't know if you remember it. It has four colors. A whitish color, and brown, purple, and maybe green? I mostly use the white, brown, and purple I think. Also foundation would be great. Still no Walmart here :) And I was thinking about buying a straightener but haven't yet. You could send me one of those if you want.

Oh guess what else?!?! So A, my investigator in my last area got baptized!!! I started teaching her with the 1st Hermana Brown and finished teaching her with the 2nd Herman Brown. So really I was the missionary there for all of her lessons! I was so excited to hear that she got baptized last month. And her 16 year old daughter! SO MANY MIRACLES! Well I don't have much time but I'll send this and keep typing like crazy :)

So K, a lady that we have been teaching (she is a member) wanted to take us out to have pedicures. So this morning that is exactly what we did. Unfortunately she just broke her toe, so she couldn't get a pedicure. But she sat in the comfy massage chair. It was so fun! I'm addicted to pedicures now :)  We told them not to take off our callous though, we need those!

Also HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!!! I hope that you both enjoy your time together. I love you both so much!

I am doing so well! Better and better every single day! That you for all the love and support!

Les quiero muchisimo!

Con amor,

Hermana Killpack