The blessings of the temple

Dear my Lovely family :)

So this week we were told that we would be going to the temple and so I was excitedly studying about the temple to teach our recent convert Carol. And wow if this talk was in english I would definitely try to send it to you all, but anyways I just felt the spirit so strong while reading the Ensign/Liahona about the temple that really my testimony was strengthened in the sacredness of temples. I sure was excited to go and visit but now we were told that it will be in about a month, but Im really grateful that I thought that we would be going to the temple because I had time to be able to read and ponder about the temple. Really I just really enjoyed it. The temple is a sacred place that is literally the house of the Lord where we can go to be far from the things of the world and where we can received responses for our prayers and feel the Lord very close to us. I am so grateful to be able to be recognizing the miracle of having a temple so close to our home, it is a great privelege and also a great responsibility to be able to visit the temple to strengthen our faith and give nourishment for our spirits while being in a place so sacred to be able to be feeling the presence of God with us, and to also be able to help other people make sacred covenants to be able to be sealed as families and to be able to do baptisms.

I remember always loving and appreciating the times we were able to visit the temple as a youth group because I always felt joy fill my heart as I was able to help others through being baptized and confirmed for them. Especially in confirmations I could honestly feel that the people I was doing the work for were rejoicing because I felt their happiness.

Temple work is Absolutely a form of missionary work, 

Also these weeks we are doing our best to help families, that are less active in which not all people are members. The things I love about this is that I feel like this is a purpose and a great service we can do throughout our lives to help people be strengthened by the gospel. Something that has brought great joy in my mission is seeing people be able to complete their families. I am so grateful for our family and the blessings we have because of the gospel. It is so clear to me how much we need the gospel, as night and day, because without the Gospel our family wouldnt have the strength From God that we need to be protected against the temptations of the world. I am so grateful for the gospel and the many blessings I have received in my life.

I sure love you all, and Im loving your letters :)

Love, Sister Kimball

Working to bless families :)

I love you all, this week was amazing

I wrote everyone letters this week which I will send off,

Sorry this will probably be my shortest letter of the mission

but this has been an Amazing week, new miracles are happening, next week I will send off pictures of the baptism of Carol who is absolutely wonderful

Im deciding that in the last 2 months of my mission the most important ting I can do is do my best to help complete families so they can enter the temple together,

this is what I will be focusing on

Im so grateful for the Gospel and how it is moving my life.

My health is very good, I love my companion and enjoy teaching with her, and laughing while walking on the streets with her

Ive got everything I need in ways of things to finish my mission (shoes, medecine, clothes, etc etc)

I love the Gospel

I have a wonderful ward

will get a new mission president in 3 days-President Dalton

Yesterday was pday but we stand in the house to be safe because of the world cup

but americans are very safe so nothing to worry about- everyone likes us

no REALLY everyone likes us

so thats great

And I love you all

Sincerely

Sister Kelsey C. Kimball

and I will send your letters to hawaii

and for cody and veronica for utah

Importance of being a good friend

A quick notice before I forget- next week we will email on tuesday (because on days when brazil is playing in the world cup we stay in the house)

SO!! Our friend Carol was baptized yesterday!!! It was really wonderful because we have been teaching her with our member friend Tais and they because of it have an amazing friendship and really was a miracle how it all worked out. But they are SUCH good friends now that everyone believes that Tais was already friends with her and then brought her to church and things like that which IS SUPER GOOD :)!!!!!! Because we as missionaries come and go and so knowing that she is firmly supported by the members of the ward and has such a good friend (Tais) we know that she will continue strong.

The miracles we will be working for these next weeks is to be teaching the non-member husbands of the wonderful ladies in the ward

starting with Carol. To be able to help them have eternal families :)

Also for the world cup we had to stay in the house all day

we did our weekly planning and yep haha

It was a blessing because I was getting over a cold and so I slept and so it was really good and helped a lot

it was funny because almost every 5 minutes it sounded like the game ended and Brazil won!! (The amount of cheering that everyone did, in all of brazil haha) I recorded a short video to show to you guys after.

So tomorrow will be our pday and so today we will be able to send this email but have a normal day

Its really crazy how fast time is going

So this week what we did was honestly talk with EVERYONE

on sunday there usually isnt a lot of time left of the day and we usually teach a couple lessons but the day goes by really fast and we dont have many "contacts" on the street

but on sunday we talked to 51 people! Wow. It was a blessing.

ALSO we have an amazing lady called Maria Olivia that we started teaching

I really am super loving her

so what happened is she went to church 3 times completely on her own!!!! And it was always sundays that we had done our ABSOLUTE best to help people come to church and we thought no One showed up (not counting carol who comes with Tais, and Camila that went with her sister Liliane- because we knew they were for sure coming with the member and we didnt need to worry) but the people that WE were trying to pass by there houses before church were sleeping or not at home, and so we showed up at church and Maria Olivia was already there!!!! It was awesome and then another member brought her niece whose not a member and a couple other people as well and so its really cool.

And so Maria Olivia is incredible, we just need to plan a day to visit her husband who isnt supporting her being baptized, and we know that with the Lords help everything will work out in his time.

Also our ward had a party and SO many members brought friends to visit the church it was awesome!!

Also a less active member we have been trying to teach brought his cousin so thats really good, but they (Julio and filipe) will have to find a job that gives them the day off on sunday.

Also every single time an airplane goes by my companion says- 

"Sister Kimball!!!! 3 months!!!" hahaha

Well I sure love you all

I hope you have a wonderful week and that moving goes well

LOVE sister Kimball

and Im so glad Dads back with you all :)

Loveeeeee ya

-sister Kelsey Kimball 

Being a missionary is a sacred privilege

Dearest family 

wow, time flies by so fast

this past week i thought Id be transferred, and then I started to meet a bunch of new people and I was hoping to not be transferred because I felt that there was Still a work for me to do here.

Something that is life changing is meeting people on your mission that you can FEEL that you were meant to meet them.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve, missions are such blessings

Really a time to strengthen our selves

I heard this quote yesterday about a missionary that finished their mission

Missions are the training centers (MTC ) for life

Its so true. 

This is the time we have to strengthen our testimonies

trust in the Lord

persevere during all things 

and learn to love life regardless of the situations

really there will always be hardships, we cant change that

but what we CAN change is how we will react

we can choose to be happy :)

Happiness is the key- and true happiness comes through following the savior

We were shown by our mission president a video called Ephraims rescue

a pioneer movie

what I realized is that EVERYONE was on this journey

that Was difficult (there is no denying that)

BUT the difference in the people WAS their act of faith and choosing to be positive

I strongly encourage watching this movie :) It teaches alot :)

I love everything about my mission

To be able to be a missionary is a sacred privilege

and what God requires is a willing heart.

If we have desires to serve we are called to he work :)

I love you all!!!

Also I did my ecclesistical endorsement (honorcode and requesting the endorsement) and so I will have my interview july 3rd I believe with my new mission president that will arrive that week(earliest time available)

Families can be together for ever!

Wow so I am just so happy. I just had some incredible moments this week that really didn't have anything huge happen or anything they were just 100% good experiences. For example when we went to church on sunday our friends that were visiting in the church that day (investigators) were brought to church by members and it just made me feel so good because my goal is to help them be firm and be sealed in the temple and for me knowing that they have a friend strong in the gospel is just so rewarding for me. Honestly having Tais as a friend for Carol is just a miracle beyond our own merit its just been such a blessing I just know because of this she will be very firm in the church.

Something that I'm loving so much is just feeling really that I'm doing my very best and working really hard there is just a satisfaction undeniable.

I loved the examples mom gave of having a testimony and about the holy ghost because something Im just loving so much is how Im being able to follow the spirit in decisions Im making and to really be courageous in doing things. I feel like m,y mission has certainly changed me and helped me be more strong in the gospel and in knowing how to make a decision after pondering and making plans, praying, and then making a choice and receiving confirmation.

I am just so happy.

I was sitting the other day before we have the first hour of studies in the morning and I read an article in the Ensign(liahona) and it was about someone who had desires to serve a mission and the spirit hit me so strong, and I just sat and was so FILLED with immense gratitude for the blessing and miracle I was given from my loving Heavenly Father to be able to serve a mission and to be finishing off faithfully and healthily and I just never imagined that a mission would be like this. Ive never felt so grateful in my life for the Gospel, for the love of the Savior. For how the gospel TRULY blesses families and that we have a LIVING prophet on the earth HOW incredible, what a great and marvelous trust the Lord has placed in us. To be able to be preparing the Lords kingdom for when he is returning.

Something else I have just cherished is the blessing Ive been able to be given to really study about the gospel, its so interesting being able to Really understand new things about the plan that God has for us. He is really incredible, what a blessing to be able to have the peace that the gospel brings.

I just can hardly believe that we are SO lucky to know that we can Truly be a family for ETERNITY!!

We talked with people who Really thought that they would Not remember their families after this life! What a terribly sad and awful fate that would be! And to be able to know that is NOT what happens that there is a LOVING heavenly Father who created a Perfect plan for us to return to live with him in a state of Such immense happiness and complete joy with the people we love with all our hearts. It is truly incredible.

I love the gospel it is SO pure and it is so true.

There Indeed was a critical and serious need for a restoration, there is not a single person in the whole world that could walk down the street here seeing 3 or 4 different religions yelling and shouting their prayers and teaching doctrines SO DIFFERENT and not admit that there truly is confusion caused by the people of the earth.

I am so grateful to truly have been able to see how beautiful and precious the gospel is and I will defend it all my life, and I will continue sharing it with joy and thanksgiving in my heart.

I love my Savior, I love you all my wonderful family.

And I would like to say that families are the most important people on earth, we must cherish love and protect them, and they will be our greatest joys. Im so grateful for your support and love. I love you all.

Also missionary work is a blessing.

To be able to serve a mission is an IRREPLACEABLE opportunity. Do all you Possibly can to be worthy and ready to serve a mission and I promise you that it will change your life, you will feel more peace and joy then you possibly could imagine and your love for people with fill your heart so much because of the people you meet that you will KNOW that your life wouldn't have been complete without the mission.

I love you all, stand up for what is right, because its worth it.

LOVEEEEEEEE YOU ALL

Love Sister Kelsey C. Kimball