A Loss Of Words

A Loss Of Words

Shout Outttts!!!!

Thank you so much to the Roberts family! I received your Christmas package this week and my roommates and I cannot wait till we get to open them all! We have even started looking up some of the scriptures and started guessing what they could be :)

Thank you to Nathan Summers for the care package! It has brought many smiles over this past week especially your favorite childhood toy ;) Sister Waal and I almost died laughing at the flaming hot Cheetos!

Thank you to Sister Bennett and Sister Begieneman for the wonderful baked goods!

MOM you are the greatest! You are so thoughtful and I am so excited to explore the package you got me :)

I am not quite sure what to say... words are failing me and I feel like I have been staring at this screen for years. Please bear with me as I try and describe the events of yesterday.

We have been working with Jake and Winnie for about 8 weeks and in just 8 weeks I have seen both of them completely transform. It has been the most incredible experience thus far on my mission. Jake showed up to church yesterday with the biggest smile on his face- it didn't take long to notice the gages in his ears were no longer there. I almost jumped up and down in the chapel with joy. He told us that it was our surprise on his baptism :) It is those little things that show to me that he is on the road to conversion, the fact that he is willing to take out his earrings... such a little thing but shows so much obedience! During sacrament meeting Winnie kept leaning over to me asking if she could just get baptized now... lets just say my cheeks started to hurt from smiling so much!

The rest of church seemed to drag on for.ev.er! Finally though we said the closing prayer in relief society. We rushed Winnie and Jake off so that they could get changed and waited as patiently as we could for everything to get settled. Winnie was jumping off the walls with excitement and Jake had a perma smile on :D

->fast forward to the baptisms

Jake was baptized first. He entered into the waters and when he came back out... oh man if you could have only seen the look on his face. It took him a moment to find his strength and then he just stood there in the water with a look, not of shock, but I can't think of another word to describe it.... it was almost as if he was feeling his baptism... After a few seconds he had once again the biggest smile on his face and then got out of the water. Then Winnie got her chance next. As she came out of the water she took a few seconds and then shook herself off like a dog. Oh how I love her :)  

After the actual baptism all of us missionaries sang Come Thou Fount (that was a good one ;)) and then Jake and Winnie got up to bear their testimonies. Oh my goodness. I almost started to cry.

Jake got up there and the first thing he said was that a few weeks ago he never thought in a million years he would be up here haha! But then he went on to talk about how the spirit was what kept making him want to come back to church, it was all the kind faces and warmth that he felt when he came to church. Latter on he described what it felt like to be baptized and used the word clarity. After he came out of the water everything was so clear. Any questions, doubts, fears all melted away. He felt joy and peace that this was right. Then he started to tear up.... oh my gosh... the change in him is incredible! Winnie also had a heartfelt testimony where she described how much happiness she has been able to find in this gospel and in knowing God. She also quoted president Uchdorf! WHAT WHAT! Once again we have the sweetest investigators! I am so excited to see what God will do with her! She will bring so many people joy just with her smile :D

The good news doesn't stop here either! Later that night all the YSA had a big old pot luck where Dieter stood up in front of everyone and asked Jake if he would do the honours of baptizing him....... AHHHHHHHHH!!!! Oh my goodness! and if that's not enough Jake will be known as Elder Kilcollins (sweetest last name ever!) in just a short year :D that's right! Jake has decided to serve a mission AND he will be using his priesthood just a week after receiving it to perform his FIRST baptism! BAH!

The joy I have received from serving in Kingston YSA is like no other joy I have ever felt. All of the YSA hold a dear place in my heart. We have all come so close together in these past 9 weeks. To see the growth that has taken place has been such a blessing for me. It is a testimony to me that this really is our Father in Heavens work and nothing can stop it.  

Our little YSA family:)

Winnie, Rachel (has a heart of gold and a way with investigators that makes them feel so welcome!), sis Laing, Taylor (Jakes friend who introduced him to the church), me, and Steph (she has saved us countless times in lessons with her amazing testimony AND she is the one going on a mission!!!)

I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be a tool in the Lords hand and can testify that no greater joy can come than being in the service of God!

I love you all and thank you all for the emails and letters and packages! 

Quote Of The Week:

Elder Snelson: "We recorded ourselves singing this morning in companionship study.... we are going to ruin this baptism."

A haiku for you:

Oh the joy

That this sentence brings

He lives

Scripture of the Week: D&C 18: 10 & 15-16 

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;... 

And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! 

And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will by your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!"

Sister Hall

Y.O.S.O <3

Jake and Winnie just this last Sunday!

IIIITTTTT'SSSS BAPTISM WEEK X2!

IIITTTTT'SSSS BAPTISM WEEK X2!

Alright, it's official, YSA work is the best work! AH! I have tasted of the fruit and I don't desire anything else! As you can probably tell we have had yet another incredible week out here in Stony Kingston YSA!

Jake and Winnie had better suit up this week cause this week is Baptism Week and it aint no time for amateurs haha.... but seriously the week before baptism is not to be messed around with as any missionary who has served and is serving can attest to. However I have all the confidence in the world that they will come out victorious on November 24th. Why you might ask? Simply because they have felt the spirit. They know exactly what God wants and expects of them and they are ready to rise to the occasion! I feel so privileged that the Lord chose Sister Laing and I to teach such choice children. I say choice children because they are seriously SO prepared! God loves them SO much and I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for them on their own little journeys! 

Winnie has decided that she is going to go ahead and let her parents know about her decision which we are happy about because in the long run I feel that will help them to accept her choice sooner rather than if she had waited till a while after she took the plunge.
->side note- Winnie and Jake pulled a fast one on all us missionaries and some how got us to agree to be the musical number at their baptism.... arg! What I do for our investigators ;)

Anything to break ma fast! (After fast). Thanks Winnie for sending the picture!!

Chase came to church this week! It was so cute! He was really curious as to what a service would be like but at the same time he suffers from a bit of social anxiety because of his lack of sight which is totally understandable. So we had Steph organize a ride for him for Sunday and he rode in a car with a bunch of YSA. When he got to the church he came over to me and told me with the biggest smile on his face how enjoyable that ride was! He said everyone was so nice and informed us that he was pleasantly surprised thus far and hoped that the rest of church would go just as well.

Not gonna lie, I really hoped so too
Things proved to be going pretty well however when part way through sacrament meeting Chase leaned over to me with, once again, the biggest smile and said something along the lines of, "I don't know what it is but I feel something here. I can't wait for next week".... I had to do all I could not to jump up with excitement!

This week Sister Laing and I had the most spiritual lesson I have had yet on my mission.

There is something about Dieter... I haven't been able to quite put my finger on it, but all I know is that Heavenly Father has big plans for him and whenever we meet with him I just have the sense of urgency like Dieter needs to know something. So Dieter exemplifies the qualities of Christ. All he wants in life is to help others and for there to be peace between all people. The main thing that had been holding him back from agreeing to be baptized was that

1. He wanted to explore other churches

2. He was afraid of what the label "Mormon" would do

2. a) he wasn't sure if he could do the most good apart of the church or separate from the church.

Sister Laing and I pondered over these concerns and had the strongest prompting that we NEEDED to teach him the restoration. After the opening prayer I looked at Dieter and told him that the message we had for him today was a message from God, that this is something that God needed him to hear right now and that it would bring to light the answer of why there are so many Christian churches and how he can come to know for himself that this is Christ's one and only true church. Immediately we were all hit with the spirit and for the next 50 min Sister Laing and I unveiled how the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ was lost after Christ's crucifixion but that through a living prophet called of God the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was able to be restored to the earth once again. I have never taught with the spirit that strong. Dieter sat the whole time listening intently and we could see the spirit working within him. His countenance began to change and a new light of understanding came forth. Sister Laing ended off telling him that "Mormon" is a label people put on us, but that she never considered herself a "Mormon". She is a daughter of God and, he Dieter, is a son of God and what God wants for him is to follow His son Jesus Christ and to be baptized.... Oh man was it ever powerful! Needless to say Dieter will be baptized on December 7th :D

I am running way short on time so please forgive me!

Sister Hall

Our Sister Training leaders

The FUN BUN!

You're A Roller Coaster Baby I Swear

You're A Roller Coaster Baby I Swear

Boy oh boy what a week, what a week and where to begin!?

This week has been full of new experiences, ups and downs, worries and relief and a ton of spirit!

Probably the hardest thing about being a missionary is watching an investigator go through a trial of their faith. Never on my mission has my heart ached so much! I can assume that this is kinda how parents feel about their children when they go through tough times. You want to keep them under a rock and make sure nothing hurts them buuuuuuuuuuttttt then they wouldn't learn or grow....

"You never know how much faith you have until your faith is tried"

So I just have to say that Winnie is pretty incredible. It is so cool to see how the Lord has been preparing her to accept this message! She has so much faith that she doesn't know what to do with it! Sometimes I feel like Winnie is too good to be true and every time we teacher her I am bracing myself because I'm sure that this time she will bring up a concern, but the gospel just makes sense to her! It's awesome!

This week Winnie had an awesome testimony building experience for herself about the importance and blessings that come from scripture reading. So we were in a lesson with her and we had asked her how her reading was going. She sheepishly looked down and said she hadn't really been reading and explained how busy she had been with school. Man oh man could I ever relate to her on this one! I was able to share an experience of my own with Winnie about how in university I had noticed that I hadn't been reading my scriptures because of my busy school life. I decided that I would bring my scriptures to school and I started reading before I'd study and in between study breaks. When I did this I noticed that my mind was clearer and I was able to not only retain more but I also got more done. We challenged her try that out this week and report back to us. A few days latter Winnie came walking into institute with the biggest smile on her face. She told us about how just hours earlier she went into the library to write an essay and decided to start off by reading her scriptures... and BAM she finished her essay in record time! She told us about how she was able to hyper focus and how the words just seemed to flow out.

Coolest thing about being a missionary #22: being able to promise blessings to people and knowing Heavenly Father has your back

Jake is doing better than ever! You can tell that he is becoming converted to the gospel because of his desire to share the gospel with others. I feel like every time we go and teach him he has a new story to tell about someone he was talking to about the church. He is inviting his roommates to church and FHE and wants his family to hear about the gospel  *cough future missionary cough*! It makes me so proud to see him go out and share his beliefs and desire others to have the same blessings as he is receiving!

I also had the privilege of witnessing Jakes first blessing. Oh man. I'm not sure if I can describe how I felt as I listened to the words of comfort Heavenly Father had for Jake. The spirit was so strong and it filled me with joy, hope, comfort and a renewed faith. Everything good truly does come from God. After the blessing Jake just sat in the chair with his eyes closed and took a deep breath.

->I LOVE this! Every time Jake has an intense spiritual experience, this is how he reacts. It's almost like the spirit is strong that it takes him a moment to gather his strength and his thoughts.

This week we also got a new investigator named Chase. Chase is kinda legally blind... he sees colour but has to get wicked close to you to see any definition BUT he has really good style which threw me for a loop. Chase is also WAY cool as well! The first time we meet with him he brought a friend, sat us down and started asking us questions about what would happen if he joined the church. Sister Laing and I sat back and relaxed while he set expectations with us. He let us know that it was his intention to find a church to join that would fit in with his beliefs and that he will not waste our time. Sweet!

The Kingston missionaries in full force!

Elder Dewey is really scared of heights...good thing I've got his back

Well I've got to say that I have the best family in the whole world! I wanted to thank you all for the letter s you send every month! It puts the biggest smile on my face and I LOVE hearing about all my little cousins!

I hope you all have a great week and don't forget to smile!

Line of the Week: Teaching Chase and some how sports get brought up

Me: "Oh ya for sure! I actually played rugby."

Chase: "What you played rugby?! Oh well I guess I can see that.. you tend to wave your arms around when you talk so I could see you enjoying punching people."

->I just about died laughing!

Scripture of the Week: Alma 13:24

"For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory."

A Haiku For You:

Not Giving It Up

Gaining MUCH more in return

the Best 18 months

Y.O.S.O

Sister Hall

Two Peas In A Pod

Two Peas In A Pod

So I've got some big news...... I'M STAYING IN KINGSTON!

->cue the happy dance :)

Actually our whole apartmentship is staying the same which is grrrreeeaaaat!

News from Oakville!

FIONA GOT BAPTISED!!!!!!!!!!!!! I almost squealed with excitement! Ah, I remember the first time Sister Rogers and I knocked on her door some 8 odd weeks ago :) I feel so blessed to have had the privilege of teaching her and am overjoyed that she chose to get baptised! Missions seriously rock!

Shout out!!!

Happy Birthday Tyson! Your hockey team (still -J) sucks and you are going on a cruise without me!

As for our week, my cheeks are hurting from smiling so much haha we are seriously spoiled out here! There is no way that the mission can get better than this!

So to start off I want to tell you about our newest investigator named Dieter..... that's right ,we are teaching the next apostle! But like seriously he is going to be a prophet one day! So Dieter is a referral from Steph, who is seriously one of my favorite people to take teaching! She has been a member for a little less than a year, is putting in her papers to go on a mission AND is an incredible member missionary.... but like seriously where ever she goes she will tear it uppppp! Anyways so Dieter came to church last sunday. We talked with him a lot and gave him a Book of Mormon.... By Tuesday he had read ALL of 1 Nephi.... Who is this guy!? Also he bought us shirts. Can he get any better?!

Winnie and Jake are doing amazing :) they are both incredible and have actually started hanging out with each other! Say What?! This is actually the coolest thing ever and every missionary’s dream; to have their investigators become friends! A.K.A I am living the dream right now.

Winnie had some pretty cool experiences this week... well actually both Winnie AND Jake had some way cool experiences this week but I will start off with Winnie.

First of all I want to say that God really does answer prayers. Earlier in the week we had been talking with Winnie about her baptism and she raised some concerns about how her social life might change and confessed that she still felt tempted to drink when she went to parties (all legitimate concerns that we were very happy she brought up). I left that meeting feeling like Winnie still wasn't settled on the matter.

->fast forward a few days

We got a text on Saturday from Winnie telling us she would love to see us but that we would have to meet her at her house because she wasn't feeling very well. So we head over to Winnie's house and we are all sitting down and I ask her why she isn't feeling very well. She then confesses to us that she had her first drink last night in 3 weeks. She then looked at us with her big eyes and exclaimed that the weird thing was that it tasted SO bad!

->hahahahaha! I love it when Heavenly Father answers prayers!

 She continued to tell us that she felt sick the whole night and still felt like crap.. she couldn't even eat anything.

I had the biggest simile on my face as I explained to her that God has a wonderful way of answering our prayers. I told her that this was her sign from God that the Word of Wisdom is indeed one of his commandments and that he wants her to live it :)

Winnie was trying to explain how she felt so she drew me a picture.... I still don't get it.

Now onto Jake. Oh man, Jake never ceases to amaze me!

So I honestly do not know where to begin when it comes to this guy. For a while we have strongly felt impressed that we need to commit Jake to a baptismal date and that we would both see him baptized. Now the first time we committed Jake to a baptismal date was last week. We asked him if he would get baptized and he said he would buuuut not for a while... I jokingly said that we were thinking of a year from now and Jake got all excited and said "Ya that's doable!". I then laughed and said something along the lines of, "Ya right Jake! We feel impressed that in a month from now on November 24th you will be ready for baptism:)"

Jake did his nervous laugh and said no way.

But we were not discouraged because Jake is seriously one of the most prepared people I have ever met on my mission and the best part about it is he has no idea how elect he really is :)

Anyways so we are in a lesson with Jake and we are talking a little about some of his concerns. To be completely honest I'm not quite sure how it happened but the next thing I know Sister Waal, who was teaching with me, is telling Jake that the reason why he is feeling guilty is because he has already received his answer from God- that this is His church, that the word of wisdom is His commandment, and that He wants Jake to be baptised. WOW! Jake is a little taken aback. Sister Waal continues to inform Jake that he has some praying to do in regards to baptism. <- man I love her haha

At the end of the lesson we challenged Jake to pray about being baptized on November 24th and he agreed. We reassured him that God does want him to get baptized and that God will answer his prayers and to be on the look out for his answers. Later that night we got a text from Jake saying that he had finally let his mom know that he was wanting to get baptized. His mom told him that she loved him no matter what and supported him in his decision. His sister has agreed to have the missionaries over to learn more about the church. Needless to say Jake has received his answer and will be getting baptized on November 24th.

I seriously love this work. I have never been happier in my life than I have been out here helping people to receive the gospel and the eternal joy and peace that comes with it. This is God's work and nothing and no one will get in the way of it. He is so aware of his children's concerns and will and does answer their prayers if they are true and humble seekers of their answers.

Winnie and Jake! They are going to get baptised TOGETHER on November 24th! Nothing like working towards eternal life with God with a good friend!

I am so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who sees fit to bless me with such amazing people in my life like Winnie, Jake, Dieter, and Jess. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

YOSO! (you only serve once!)

Line of the Week:

In Jake’s lesson while talking about the Word of Wisdom (Jake was conflicted about giving up alcohol and his roommates Nick and Affrotastic were playing the devils advocate all week trying to convince him this was stupid)  

Nick The Agnostic friend sitting in on the lesson who had been saying for a week that Jake shouldn't stop drinking: "Jake you obviously want to give this a try so just do it!"

Sister Waal: "Ok Jake if you are looking for a sign that this is something God wants you to do, you just got it! Your Agnostic friend is telling YOU to quit drinking!"

Scripture of the Week: Alma 44: 4

"Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith."

A Haiku for YOU:

Look forward

Steadfast faith in Christ
don't look back

Sister Hall

Sister HALL and I dressing up on Halloween!