Patience, faith, hope and humility feb 10

Hello everyone! Again we meet on this lovely P-day! =D

Patience, faith hope and humility have surely been the theme of this past week with an emphasis on patience. The past couple of days have been JAM PACKED with spiritual and personal growth. Lots of tears and growing pains but I can look back and be thankful!  "...for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." Right? =)

Get ready! Because I am going to share all of my new gained knowledge with you! Grab a snack and enjoy the ride!

Patience:

• "Life is full of difficulties, some minor & others of a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for one & all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solution to such challenges, forgetting that frequently the Heavenly Virtue of Patience is REQUIRED." - President Thomas S. Monson
• "We must be patient with all people, yourself included, as you work to overcome faults & weaknesses." Preach my Gospel
• "...I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions" - Mosiah 24:14
• "Oh Lord, my heart us exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may suffer with patience there afflictions..." - Alma 31:31

These are just a few of the quotes and scriptures that I found and read this past week. It honestly did not cross my mind that patience if a heavenly virtue (which is silly because it is under Christlike attributes in Preach My Gospel). And not until I was studying patience did I realize that faith, hope and patience are interwoven. You might have known this but it really hit me hard. Think about it.... Because of our faith in Jesus Christ we can hope for so much more in our life! And because of that hope we can have patience in life.

Honestly, I love being a missionary but we come across some serious and hard situations every single day. If I didn't have faith in Jesus Christ I couldn't help anyone. I couldn't help them hope for a better and brighter future in Christ because of His atonement. And I most definitely couldn't help them be patient in their trials.

• "Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion ( replace Zion with anything that is weighing you down) ;for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God" - D&C 101:16

This is also a scripture that I have grown to love. "...for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I AM GOD." So powerful. So powerful. Simple and true. Even though I am not with you at this very moment in time I can testify to each of you that you are in the hands of God. There is NO BETTER promise. Because of this we can press forward step by step, moment by moment and day by day.

Humility:

• "Humility is the willingness to submit to the will of the lordand to give the Lord Honor for what is accomplished." - Preach my Gospel
• "It includes gratitude for His blessings andacknowledgement for yourconstant need for HIS DIVINE HELP." - Preach My Gospel

• "Humility is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign ofspiritual strength." - Preach my Gospel
• "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all man that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I MAKE WEAK THINGS BECOME STRONG unto them." Ether 12:27

Ether 12:27 is a scripture I have read many times before but I do not think I really got it until now. I want to focus on what I put in red. I make weak things become strong. Really think about it. I make weak things become strong. Heavenly Father has promised us that he will make us strong if we have faith. Because of this, I personal am able to have more patience. Now, I am not perfect at this! Not by a long shot, but having this understanding makes it so much easier to be patience.

Every Christlike attribute, principle and doctrine, if understood, can give us added strength and power that we can get NOWHERE else. I encourage each of you, every day, seek Heavenly Fathers guidance.

• "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ys shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -3 Nephi 14:7 
  
• "Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be places unto the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day" Alma 37:36&37

I hope something in here as stuck out to you and has touched your heart like it has mine. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is FILLED with many gems of knowledge waiting to be discovered. We are here in this life to grow, gain experience and to learn. Please, each of you, take every second and moment as a learning opportunity. I can promise you that they are there waiting for you!

Never forget that I love each and every one of you! Each of you, personally and individually, have a place in my heart. 3 months down and 15 more to go. 15 short months. See each of you in a blink of an eye!

All my Love,

Sister Kent

Guess who is hitting 3 months in A WEEK?!?! Feb 3

What? What?! WHAT?! 3 months? 3 MONTHS! I have a hard time believe this. I feel like I was dropped off at the MTC this morning! Seriously...

Time is irrelevant on a mission. Days feel like weeks and weeks feel like a day... My mind is unable to understand.

Over this past week I have gained a better understand of God's love for me and for each of us. There were a handful of hard moments/days but it was a huge blessing now that I am able to take time to look back. For me, it is so hard to see people to hit rock bottom for them to finally humble themselves to the gospel. It's also difficult to have all of our appointments cancel or deliberately schedule during a time when they are not home. I will be honest, there where moments when I wonder, "Why am I even out here?", but that is EXACTLY when Heavenly Father sends us a little extra love. A feeling of calm/peace/love or someone will begin to progress. Tender mercies of the Lord. There is nothing better than seeing Heavenly Fathers hand in your life!

Guess who was asked to speak in Stake Conference next month? ME! I am SO nervous! I am giving a talk on Hastening the Work, so it should be an easy topic. I just need to take a lot of time to think it through and give the message the Lord wants. Pray for me! 

Oh! I can not believe I almost forgot to mention this! One of my ward mission leaders gave me a violin! =D Well, he didn't give it to me but he is letting me take it home and play it! OH MY GOODNESS! I am so happy! I will be performing a musical number in the ward sometime this month! So exciting!

Sadly, we didn't teach that many lessons this week so not many updates on people =( BUT! I did attach a picture of Sister Okano and I along with the view I get to see EVERY DAY! Be jealous.... be very jealous ;)

 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments. And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will. - Helaman 10:4&5

Much Love,

Sister Kent

Guess who is driving a Chevy Malibu?! Jan 27

This gal right here! Haha, we got it Thursday and Sister Okano and I are LOVING IT!!!

Man you guys... this week has been SO EXCITING! =D I finally feel like I am mostly adjusted to the mission schedule! Getting upat 6:30am is getting easier and I actually have a little desire to workout in the morning haha That is saying a lot because running is the last thing I want to do that early in the morning!

I'm becoming more comfortable with teaching! I will not lie to any of you... There have been many times where I wondered if I could do this. A mission is the perfect way to expose and magnify any weakness you may have BUT a mission is also THE BEST way to see the Lord working in your life. I know for a fact that I would not have lasted the past 2 months if it was not for Him. I have seen, not to mention experienced, how we can grow and change through Jesus Christ.

Faith is something that has been drilled into my head over the past few weeks. Faith in Jesus Christ, Faith in His Atonement, Faith that He can help/heal me/you/us... Faith, faith, faith! Everything is based on faith! It is so difficult to hand the day over to the Lord (which is VERY surprising to me) We study in the morning, prepare for our lessons... but we still need to hand everything over to Him. I learned this yesterday when a lesson I was in took a different direction than we anticipated. It was so scary because I had no idea how to  handle it.. BUT He did =) Thankfully the lesson went super well and we are going to temple square with them on Saturday! All I had to do was have faith and the words came to me =)

I had my first exchange this week! Another faith encouraging experience! There is nothing more terrifying than having to take over an area! I kept thinking that I would somehow screw up and burn down my area hahaha But Sister Bowman, my Sister Training Leader, said I am doing very well! =)

Thankfully, I actually have people to update you on so here we go! =D

Chris C is a less active I am working with who is planning on going on a mission. Over this past week he has started to live the missionary schedule! Woah! And he attended mission prep class yesterday morning! He is growing in the gospel and enjoying every moment of it! There is nothing better than to see someones light grow day by day and moment by moment! 

Calvin is a recent convert who has not been to church for a few weeks. We have been trying to meet with, but our scheduled never seemed to mesh... until Wednesday. During exchanges we had an open schedule. And for my area that is SO STRANGE. We randomly get a text from him saying we could visit and we took the opportunity. I KNOW that we had an open schedule because we needed to visit him. It turns out that a few Elders that he knew have been, shall we say, not been keeping their covenants since they have returned home and it rocked his testimony BIG TIME. It was an amazing experience to talk to him, and to work out his concerns and worries. The best part is he attend church yesterday =)

Profie Martinez! Man, this guy is AMAZING! He was baptized about 3 years ago but due to a few uncontrollable situations and a few bad choices he fell away... until yesterday! Sister Okano and I were walking down the hall of our stake building when we noticed this guy we didn't know. After we stopped to talk to him we found out that it was his first day back to church in almost 1 year. He told us his story and it was a touching experience. He is making a life change that I am so thankful to be part of =)

Life is great! I love being a missionary! I love Christ and His gospel! There is nothing better! I am so thankful for each of you and your prayers! I can feel them every day! Never doubt that each of you have touched my life =)

2 months down a little more than 16 months to go! See you all soon! I love you!

Sister Kent

The Infinite Power of Hope March 24

"Hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges" - President Dieter F Uchrdorf

I would recommend that everyone look up this talk NOW!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/print/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&clang=eng

Oh man, this week.... this week. This week was a week of ups and downs, miracles and discouragement, progress and set backs.

I want to tell you about a few people I was privileged to encounter this week...

First Brother Draper. This man is miracle! He went to jail for a little while and turned that experience into major blessing for him and his entire family. While he was in jail he read the Book of Mormon every day and a man who entered with no love for the Lord left a man who was dedicated to the Lord. While he was telling us his story it brought tears to my eyes. He, himself, strengthened my testimony that the Gospel can help ANYONE if they reach out to Him.

He has been talking to his family and now his daughter wants to be baptized! And the best part? He will be able to do it!

Second, the Black family! The father & mother are not active but are letting us teach their two boys. And yesterday the ENTIRE family came to church! The mom and dad along with all 6 kids! MIRACLES! I was jumping for joy when I saw each of them walk into sacrament!

Third, Travis Loyd! This man has had a tough situation. His 12 year old son died a few years back from cancer and his marriage is crumbling. We had a great chat with him which left him in tears. He was not in church yesterday but there was NO DENYING that he felt the spirit and it touched him enough to want us to come back!

Sadly, 1 hour is never enough but before I go I want each of you to study hope. Hope is what has been keeping me going this week... this transfer. Hope for a better situation, future or whatever is weighing on your hearts. I testify to each of you, that the Atonement of Christ is for YOU! He thought of your by name and you can throw anything at His feet. Anything. And He will help you.

Isaiah 41:10, "fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Never forget this. Never. Not for any reason.

All my love,

Sister Kent

Hello from Holaday Utah!

Hello to all your wonderful faces! 

How are you?! Hope you are staying warm! Thankfully it is getting into the high 20s low 30s so it is getting pretty nice, haha! This week has been a week of miracles, so lets get this started!

Sister Okano and I have been sick this week. And on different days! We were out of commission for 3 or 4 days which makes 20 lessons somewhat difficult when you have 3 days to do it in! BUT WE DID IT!

Miracle 1) We wanted to stop and get a quick dinner (since we wanted we work partly through dinner) so we stop at Subway. When we were getting ready to sit down, a lady invites us to sit with her. It's a less active who wants to come back to church! So, not only did we sit down for our full 1 hour dinner, but we taught her during it! Epic multitasking skills! AND we had scheduled an appointment with her for a few 2 days later!

Miracle 2) In one of our wards, NO JOKE, this lady says, "I do not have a lot of time, but I want to be baptized. Here is my info!" The words EVERY MISSIONARY WANTS TO HEAR!!!! AMAZING!

Miracle 3) We have been working with a part member family for about 2 months now. The husband has been taking missionary lessons for YEARS!!! But guess what.... HE IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON FEB 15TH!!! WHHHAAAATTTT?! Amazing, just amazing!

Miracle 4) In another ward we attend on Sundays, 2 FAMILIES we have been working with for a while CAME TO CHURCH!! YAAAYYY!!!! And not only that, some random family decided to come and guess what.... wants us to come over!!! No words! Just happiness!

Miracle 5) Well, this may or may not be a miracle but WE ARE GETTING A CAR!!!!!!! SO MUCH HAPPY!!!

Miracle 6) We have been working with a less active lady who has not been to church in years... And yes! She came to church as well! BAM!

Miracle 7) We found another washer/dryer room in the apartment complex! So guess what, we got ALL THE LAUNDRY DONE BEFORE P-DAY EVEN STARTED! *insert celebration dancing*

Miracle 8) *cough cough* 4 investigators at church. *cough cough*

Miracle 9) We go to knock on the door of someone we have not seem in a while but we accidentally knock on the wrong door. But guess what? She let us in, talked for over an hour and she took a Book of Mormon and wants to read it! 

Oh, and did I mention that we hit our goal of 20 lessons? HAHAHA I hope I don't come off crazy but THIS WEEK WAS AWESOME!

This week has been a week to remember =) There was a lot of sleeping during the day and lack of sleep at night (due to illness) and watching a lot of 80s church movies but it was a good time!

So I am doing well! I am a very happy missionary!

I love you all! Each and every one of you are fantastic! Keep it up!

Much love,

Sister Kent

Hello from Salt Lake City!

Hello everyone!

Time to report on another wonderful week! I don't have a lot of time so lets get started!

This week was a week to remember! Not because anyone was baptized or was able to be put on date, but because I saw miracles and answered prayers! The one I would like to share happened Wednesday after a long day of canceled appoints and no one to teach. Needless to say Sister Okano and I were discouraged. After we took a 5 mins break to get out our frustrations, a lady pulled up next to us and handed us a $20 bill. She said told us to buy ourselves a treat when we had the chance. In that very moment I knew Heavenly Father was mindful of what we were thinking. And he sent this wonderful lady to send us some extra love right when we needed it.

Oh! And another miracle is that we got a call from a previous investigator from 3+ months ago! She wants to see us and take the lessons again! WOW! This call was 100% out of the blue because no one has heard from her!

Unfortunately, there is not much to update you on with the people I am teaching, since... Well, I didn't meet with a lot of people. But there is a couple (Brother & Sister Fryer) I taught yesterday who seem to be taking it to heart. They are both return missionaries, and stopped attending church years ago. It's crazy how strong of a testimony they have, yet they do not come to sacrament. We talked about the Holy Ghost and how you can noticed a difference in your life when you no longer have it. Sister Fryer started to cry. We read together and the spirit was so strong! Not only did they find their old BoM during our visit with them, but they are committed to reading every day! Miracle, miracle, miracles!

This past week I felt and saw how knowing how much Heavenly Father loves each of us can change our lives! Just like he was looking after Sister Okano and I, He is looking after you! Just think about it! You have the Almighty God working in your life!

Oh! that reminds me of another miracle! I am working with a less active who is coming back to church (Kirsty, haha so I guess I do have 1 update!) and we had a GREAT lesson on our divine worth! How each of us in a son or daughter of a Heavenly father who LOVES us beyond comprehension! There were many tears and great conversation! Not only do I love her, but I always look forward to our lessons! They most spiritual lessons I have had thus far have been with her! Sadly she did not come to church last Sunday but maybe she will this week!

I love you all! Ya'll are great! You are fantastic people! I miss you all!

All my love,

Sister Kent!

Transfer calls are in! Hello from....

HOLLADAY UTAH! Both Sister Okano and I are staying! WHOOP WHOOP! We were so excited we open a bottle of sparkling cider and celebrated! We are not 100% sure what is going on with the Spanish sisters that live with us, so we may or may not be getting another sister in our apartment. Who knows =)

HAPPY 2014 TO EVERYONE!!! How was your new years? Did anyone stay up and watch the ball drop? I can safely that my new years was just another normal day! We visited a family who is just now coming back to church and watched Mormom Messages. It was a good time! Lots of snacks and lots of great conversation!

Updates on Less Actives and RECENT CONVERTS!

Mike, the grave yard guy, has been completely off the radar for a while! He didn't show up to a lesson which is not like him. He ALWAYS calls to let us know if he can not make it. Needless to say I was very worried. This lasted well over a week! Well, yesterday evening came and every lesson and every back up didn't answer. We were a little confused and didn't know what to do... so we started walking. And out of the corner of my eye I see a car in the cemetery.... We stop. It's Mike! It was amazing! We could tell he has been crying =( He told us that he deliberately wanted to be alone during the Holidays so he would not be reminded of what he does not have anymore. It was good for him to get everything off of His chest because he seemed more receptive to the message we gave. The Plan of Salvation is so powerful.

Layne, our recent convert, got his temple recommend yesterday! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!! After his interview he found Sister Okano and I and expresses his excitement to go in the temple! He is amazing! Such a rock star!

Chris (I do not think I have introduced him yet) is a less active who has started to come back to church! Not only that... he WANTS to learn more about the church. It is amazing! One of his coworkers, who is not LDS, asked him what our beliefs are and he didn't know... It upset him but he immediately called us and started taking lessons so he knows how to talk about the gospel. But is that it? Nay I say unto you, nay! HE WANTS TO GO ON A MISSION!!! WHOOP WHOOP! Only a week ago he was working toward joining the marine corp! But now... he will be going on a mission! OOOHH YEAAH!

Lily (new) is a recent convert who just moved into our ward! She is from China! So teaching her is fun =) We watch a lot of videos in mandarin. It's funny! A lot of these video I have never seen so I really have NO idea what is going on haha But it is a good time! This is a great way to learn, or be forced, to listen to the spirit!

The Marburger family! This family has a soft spot in my heart! The mom is active and the husband is not active. We are starting to more regularly have an FHE with them. The mission presidents wife join us for one this week! THAT WAS A MIRACLE! The husband does not seem to like us =( He does not look, talk or acknowledge us at all! But Sister Eberhardt somehow, in her amazing way, got him to join in the lesson! Brother Marburger shock our hands on the way out! =D Blessings! Blessings from the Lord!

As for me? This week has been a week of personal learning and growing. I have learned that I do not hand over the day to the Lord. In the past weeks I thought I did... but I have not. Needless to say, I have SO MUCH to learn and I just have to take it day by day =)

I love you all! Ya'll are amazing! I miss your B-E-A-U-tiful faces! Keep in touch!

WARM, key work, WARM regards,

Sister Kent

P.s. some of your have asked... my mailing address is

3487 south 1300 east

Salt Lake City Utah 84106

Letter are welcomed =)