December 28, 2015

Sister Olsen, Sister King

Christmas, 2015 

Bakersfield, CA

I can’t tell if I’m happy or sad that the holidays are over, because no more carols and Christmas cheer, but NOW PEOPLE ARE FINALLY HOME!!

This week was a bit slow and pretty strange, but we made it through nonetheless! Christmas and Christmas Eve consisted of visiting our favorite people and having them stuff my face with cookies. And since my lovely companion is allergic to both dairy AND eggs, I was the lucky soul who got twice as much dessert. I don’t think my stomach will ever be the same. But we got to go Christmas caroling at a nursing home and those old people were on FIRE! They were so happy and full of life and the spirit of God, not grumpy or bitter about their circumstances. And they sang along with us and cried and I just loved it! And of course talking to my AMAZING FAMILY was a plus! It's really hard to be away from everyone I love, but it’s just a testament to the fact that this gospel is TRUE!

Skyping with Sister King

Christmas, 2015 

Bakersfield, CA

Sister Olsen, Sister King

Christmas, 2015 

Bakersfield, CA

 

Sister King Meeting Her 

4-Month Old Nephew James

For the Very First Time

Christmas, 2015 

Bakersfield, CA

I’ve been eating a lot more veggies that I haven’t before. Tons of sweet potatoes and mustard. We had ham for Christmas AND Christmas Eve!! And so much chocolate I thought I was gonna die. I’ll be feeling that this week... but we played karaoke at the Paugas and that was fun!

The Paugas

Bakersfield, CA

December 2015

We were able to teach a 16 year old boy named Dominick twice this week, with a few young men from our ward. And as wonderful as they all are, I do not miss high school boys and their interesting comments and conversations,  but it was really cool because the young men spoke with such passion about the gospel and such a young age, and Dominick can see that and feel that spirit! We also had another lesson with Blanca, and her son Anthony received the Aaronic priesthood! So cool.

So I accidentally snapped our phone in half and had to get a new one. Just when our car got fixed too! Our appliances just can’t stay in proper working order I suppose. Another set of sisters in our zone had to go to the car dealership and the workers there told them, "We know, you need to get your box of Book of Mormons out of the car before you get your rental, and yes we already have one." Plus the guy at the rental place mentioned us to them. Three Way Chevrolet truly is my second home.

But here's the CRAZIEST STORY OF THE WEEK! Post-Christmas depression is a real thing, so Sister Olsen and I were feeling pretty off Saturday morning. But we figured that if we worked really, really hard that it would get us refocused! So we're knocking doors and no one is home. So we turn around and walk away from this one house when the person inside runs out after us. She was 15 and really cool, so we start teaching her the restoration and she's loving it! We're feeling good, feeling fly, and I recite the first vision with Joseph Smith to her when she leans against the wall. Then she stumbles a bit. Then her face turns green. Then she PASSES OUT COLD AND SMACKS HER HEAD ON THE CONCRETE. She's just lying there on the ground unconscious and Sister Olsen and I are just standing there trying to figure out what just happened. She looked dead and I figured I would be too in a second, I was so confused. She pops back up and starts stumbling again so we help her get to the ground. She said she was dizzy before, but she wanted to hear our message so she ignored the feeling.... and then she has us CALL HER MOM to explain what happened since she didn't remember anything. It was so weird. She gave us her number so we can call and see how she's doing. She's okay! But it reminded us of King Lamoni in the Book of Mormon, just so overcome with the spirit he drops down as if her were dead. What a life. Poor girl...

But for the spiritual aspect, I want everyone to go and READ LUKE CHAPTER 2 because I've read that like 10 times this last week and never get sick of it.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given... and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah is a man of powerful words.

Remember to keep Christ always in your hearts and this jolly season technically isn’t over until January!

Sister King

The Zone
Bakersfield, CA
December 2015

December 21, 2015

I know I say this all the time but WHAT A WEEK! So many fun stories to share!

So we were knocking some doors when I find this wonderful kitty named Panda, so I start petting him and he starts following me as we go from door to door. He had a collar and we went to his house but there was this huge sign on the door that said "No Soliciting." BUT we were in the area the next day and Panda came up to say hi! In his own special cat way, he got us to follow him back to his house where his owner was in the garage, so we went up to talk to him, taught him the restoration and he agreed to meet with us again to learn more!

Another day we had the address of someone who had talked to missionaries in the past and they lived on Sand Road. We plug it into the GPS and it turns out that Sand Road doesn't exist, so we just pick the top result it came up with which was Sand BRIDGE, and it picked the house number that was closest to the one on Sand Road. So basically it took us to a completely different house, but we went any way and met Ryan! We started teaching him but he had to go when a voice popped into my head that said "Wait, invite him to be baptized," and I thought, "Wait I haven't taught him anything about priesthood or apostles or anything," "Do it anyway," so I quickly in 5 seconds recapped a ten minute discussion and he was super frazzled but agreed to a date! So miracles happen when you follow the spirit, even if it's awkward!

Some of the biggest news of all is that we FINALLY GOT OUR CAR! And it was smoke free! What a glorious day!

We had our Morningside on Saturday, so the west half of the mission got together to see "It's a Wonderful Life" and we were all a puddle of tears by the end. Someone in the presidency for our mission was speaking and asked a few missionaries to share their thoughts on what their life would be like if they hadn't come on their mission, like how George wondered what it would be like if he had never been born. They asked for an Elder and a Sister. And elder spoke and I was just pondering the question in concepts and no sisters were volunteering. So they ask the AP's pick a sister to share and they both scream like 2 seconds later "SISTER KING" and my heart just like plopped to the floor, I had no idea how to form my thoughts into words. But what WOULD life be like without my mission? This gospel? My Savior? I have no idea where I would be without Jesus Christ, just some bitter lonely mess off in a corner somewhere. He gave me hope and comfort and showed me where I can find joy! He's helped me to be close with my family and friends because when we follow Him, we are blessed with His spirit. Without my mission I wouldn't have had nearly as many opportunities to see Him do this in my life and the lives of those I love. Now, picture that, stated even more poorly than it already is, and that’s what I mumbled out over tears to over 100 missionaries. But the church is still true, even if I’m weak with words!

My district is focusing on finding more people to teach, so we decided to have a fast for it. There are 10 missionaries plus the Zone Leaders.  And we're each taking a day where we go without food or water so that we can be better in tune with the spirit and find those who are ready for the gospel! This started on Friday and we found 7 NEW INVESTIGATORS in 3 DAYS, which is just unheard of here. God is real and fasting works!

Several of those people live in Buttonwillow, which is basically Bishop but smaller, but people there need the gospel! It felt like coming home, even though it was like 40 minutes from our apartment  in Bakersfield and surrounded by orchards. I have no idea why it's technically our area.

Welcome to Buttonwillow
Sister Olsen, Sister King
Buttonwillow, California
December 2015

God is real, this work is amazing and WE HAVE CHRISTMAS IN 4 DAYS HGEIOAHGKL!!! 

Sister King

Jumping for Joy

Bakersfield,  CA

December 2015

Jumping for Joy

Bakersfield,  CA

December 2015

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Sister Allie King!

December 14, 2015

December 14, 2015

I know you've been DYING to hear all the adventures involving our car this last week, so stay tuned!

We went to the car dealership (which is on the other side of town) 4 TIMES this week. We get a call telling us our car was finished and ready to be picked up.  So we go, drop off the rental, get our car and drive home. We smelled something funny, but we figured it was just BO from the workers getting in and out of our car, but it kept getting stronger. Then a bunch of smoke erupts out of the hood of the car as we pull off the freeway. Turns out they had no record of what they fixed after having our car for a week and made it worse. So we waited at a gas station for the tow truck to come to get the car and drop us off at our next appointments house. But, despite all that, we managed to have our lesson with Lara, who got BAPTIZED this Saturday! 

Broken Car
Bakersfield, CA
December 2015

  

So we got this Mom car from the dealership to use, we go back home only to have them call us and tell us we need to switch cars, so we go BACK and get this bright red Cruze. Then that evening they call and tell us our car will be ready the next day, so we go in and wait for 3 hours only to have them tell us it STILL isn't ready, and gave us a FOURTH rental car. Which we still have. We'll see if they get it right this time. We spent 10 hours there this week alone. 

Getting car fixed at dealership
Bakersfield, CA
December 2015

BUT, back to Lara's baptism! It was such an amazing service, and her family and friends all came from Las Vegas to baptize her and support her, which was so awesome to see and be a part of! She's seriously the sweetest and happiest person alive, she couldn't stop giggling and she said how she felt so much peace afterwards and she KNOWS it was the best decision for her!

Lara's Baptism!
Snow Ward, Bakersfield, CA
December 2015

The rest of the week was pretty slow since we spent our afternoons sitting around in that horrid dealership, but we managed to visit 8 less active families, and one of the girls ran after us once we left and asked us to come back and teach her more since she hasn't been to church in a while. We almost cried. We're usually the ones running after other people asking them to be taught, so the tables turned!!

PLUS we went the Los Angeles to go to the TEMPLE on Tuesday! I haven't been to the temple in over 5 months and the spirit and peace I felt there was indescribable, it was just another reminder that this church is true, that God loves us each perfectly and that there is no better cause than hastening the work of salvation!

At LA Temple
Los Angeles, CADecember 2015

ALSO, we passed Abby Lee's LA studio, no lie, it’s just down the street from the temple!

Everyone’s getting their sickies out now! We run every day and I got so sore, but also sick, so I couldn’t tell if I could barely walk because of soreness, or weakness, it was NOT fun, especially since I was walking everywhere that day!                                 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

December 7, 2015

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:35.)

This. Week. Was. SO. Frustrating. Our car needed its oil changed, then tires rotated, then the check engine light came on so we spent of ten hours just driving to and waiting at the dealership for that thing to get better. I now know that building better than the chapel; I can direct you to the nearest bathroom and vending machine as well as any employee. So now we have a rental car with Nevada plates so we just tell people we switched cars with a random dude off the street to avoid the long and dull story that is becoming our life. We still need to go pick it up. Again.

Sister King pretending to play the piano
Bakersfield, CA, December, 2015

BUT the Lord understood that we were limited on our time actually working so He filled it with miracles! We picked up a ton of new investigators, but the coolest story was with a woman named Marsha. She's the neighbor of a family in our ward who are fairly recent converts. They both went to the same church when they moved into the neighborhood so we testified of this gospel and how it has blessed not only their lives, but ours as well. She is an amazing mother of 6 and has such a kind spirit, when we testified of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon her eyes got wide and excited! The Holy Ghost works miracles!

We also taught Lara, a super nice Brazilian woman who's getting baptized on Saturday, and she just LOVES this gospel! Her neighbors were like her second family growing up, and they were Mormons. She said that they'd been bringing her to church and giving her copies of the Book of Mormon and introducing her to missionaries for years, and they'll be flying in from Las Vegas to baptize and confirm her this weekend! What an amazing testimony about how we need to be patient and rely on the Lord's timing instead of our own. Not to mention we have lessons at a Brazilian member's house. And they're always speaking Portuguese. So sometimes I just smile and nod but that's okay! 

Anthony's Birthday
Bakersfield, CA, December 2015

Okay, these birds in the pond by our apartment are hideous, they are black, they have disgusting looking feet-things that are striped, their beaks go up past their eyes, they have like red eyes and they're smaller than ducks. They are called the American Coot.

American Coot

American Coot

It's hard to get into the Christmas mood when it's still in the 60's and the trees haven't lost their colorful leaves and Christmas lights are strung all over palm trees but the CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONAL SURE HELPED! I loved their testimonies on the savior and his amazing life. I especially liked how they talked about how we need to show our faith and love for him through our actions! God PROMISED us that if we give our whole soul to Him that He will fill us with more joy and peace than we can imagine, and I know I have experienced that spirit in my life as I strive to be more like him! I'm focusing this Christmas season on giving back, giving the Savior a gift by sharing the good news of his gospel with others! And if anyone hasn't seen the church's Christmas videos THEY MUST GO WATCH IT NOW!

Watch the First Presidency Devotional HERE.

Watch more LDS Christmas videos HERE.

I heard there was a shooting in San Bernardino, I didn't know it was terrorism, so that's about how much I follow the news.  

I love this work, even if it doesn't snow in Snow!

Sister King

November 30, 2015

Here is my new address:

Sister Allie King
8333 White Squall Lane
#1 
Bakersfield, CA 93312

The apartment is beautiful and fairly new. We have a washer and dryer, and its 2 miles out of our area :p but it has a garage, it’s like a townhouse set up but with apartments instead, so there’s no upstairs or downstairs, hallelujah!

WHAT AN EVENTFUL WEEK!  Sort of.

Mostly because I moved in and met a ton of members in a huge ward in a strange place that's nothing like my last area... and it was Thanksgiving.

But I love it here in Bakes! I guess a few highlights would be our 2 lessons with the McD family! Anthony is 16 and he got baptized 3 days before I came in. His mom and brothers are now taking the discussions and they're spiritual giants! They're so ready to be baptized and they have such a strong testimony that this gospel is true. Not to mention the fact that Anthony is already a little missionary and is helping them along the path. They're extremely friendly and open, I felt like a part of the family immediately. We taught them a bit more about the Book of Mormon and how it goes along with the Bible to help us strengthen our relationship with Christ and let me tell you, the Spirit was SO STRONG! I gained an even stronger witness that that book and this church are both so true, and I love seeing the changes these people are making in their lives and how it is bringing them SO much joy and peace!

We also met with Rico, who was in the army, and we brought a member, Brother Hamilton, who was a police officer in LA a few years ago. We taught about the Plan of Salvation and Brother Hamilton testified of how it has brought him comfort when he lost friends in the force to gang violence, and had to see the effects of this world destroy lives and family. It helped me appreciate MY gratitude for God's plan for us and the mercy and love he has for all his children. 

We had Thanksgiving at the Judkins. She is like the light of my life, I LOVE that family and their house mimicked ours with the way her kids were acting, it was freaking me out, I felt like I was home. 

Thanksgiving 2015
Sister Judkins, Sister King, Sister Olsen
Bakersfield, CA

Thanksgiving 2015
The Judkins, Sister King, Sister Olsen
Bakersfield, CA

On a less serious note, I came in last in a pie eating contest on Thanksgiving and I've never been so ashamed in my life, I thought I had it in the bag. I need practice....

Thanksgiving 2015
Losing the Pie Eating Contest
The Judkins, Sister King Bakersfield, CA

We got lost my first day here since my companion’s only been here one transfer and we had to get our oil changed in a place way out of our area. We thought we were going to die in that car from driving so long. There were also these birds that looked like ducks, but they weren't ducks... it was kind of freaking me out. 

Anyways, Sister Olsen is AMAZING! She's from Ogden and is so sweet and wonderful and is a powerhouse when it comes to missionary work. I'm excited for the miracles that are about to come! This work is the greatest thing in the WORLD!

THE WARD HERE IS AWESOME!  I feel like I’m in heaven, the people here are so friendly and we get fed every night and they fellowship and it's awesome. 

Hot dang, God is real!! I love you all so much, have an amazing week!

Sister King

November, 2015
Saying Goodbye to the Old "Family"

November, 2015
Saying Hello to the New "Family"

Manzanar National Historic Site
WWII Era Japanese American Internment Camp
http://www.nps.gov/manz/index.htm

Manzanar National Historic Site
WWII Era Japanese American Internment Camp
http://www.nps.gov/manz/index.htm

November 23, 2015

WHAT. A. WEEK!

We were both sick at some point, along with our investigators. Again! But we've been powering through!

We had a really cool lesson with our investigator Chris (all thanks to John Matsen who sent me an object lesson using candles). It was a combination of the first 3 lessons and he really liked it! 

Candle Object Lesson

Plus we had a lesson with Tyler, but he didn't have any furniture so we all sat on a blanket on the floor of his living room and had a mini picnic. Sister Wilson was there and she testified of how the gospel has blessed her life and it was just a reminder to me of how EVERY MEMBER IS A MISSIONARY! I can't wait to get back and still be involved in this amazing work!

But hey, let's cut to the chase here. Transfer calls came in.... And I'm LEAVING BISHOP!! I'm going to West Bakersfield to the Snow ward. I'll still get to train though! I'll be a follow-up trainer to Sister Olsen, who was Sister Wheeler's MTC companion! Speaking of Sister Wheeler... She'll be staying in Bishop and TRAINING! She's skipping the second transfer of her own training to get a greenie. So I'll be a grandma after 4 months and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Elder Vakalahi is also getting transferred to La Cresta. Our little family will be split apart, and I'm really going to miss Bishop, it's so beautiful and the people are so nice and it was such a cool experience living in a small town, which I've never done in my entire life. But during interviews with President on Monday he basically told me I would be leaving so it wasn't a surprise :(

Of course, the Lord is so mindful of me. Every day this week during my personal study, something I read just testified of God's love for me and His plan for me. I know that Bakersfield is where I'm supposed to be this next transfer and that His ways are better than mine. I'm still pretty sad though...

We leave today to make the 4.5 hour drive to Bakersfield! I love this work and I know that Heavenly Father knows us and loves us each individually and perfectly! I can't wait to continue to share that testimony with others!

Sister King

High Sierra District! Left to Right:
Elder Chamberlain, Elder Thunhorst, 
Elder Vakalahi, Elder Hidalgo,
Sister Wheeler, Sister King
November 2015

Giving Service to the Community
Raking Leaves
Sister King, Elder Hidalgo, Sister Wheeler, Elder Vakalahi
Bishop, CA, November 2015

Brother Freeman gave us a "to go" dinner because his wife wasn't home yet.

Sister Wheeler, Sister King

Bishop, CA, November 2015

Sister Wheeler, Chris, Sister King
Bishop, CA, November 2015

Sister Wheeler, Sister McLaughlin, Sister King

Bishop, CA, November 2015

(Sister McLaughlin is the missionary "grandma" for 

those serving in Bishop)

Sunrise in Bishop, California

November, 2015

Bob, Sister King, Sister Wheeler

Bishop, CA, November 2015

November 15, 2015

This week started off with a BANG! Our washer flooded the laundry room and kitchen :D .... 

The Great Bishop Laundry Room Flood
 of November 2015

....and then this woman lets herself into our house with 10 people :D and that's how we found out that our apartment is apparently for sale :D What a time to be alive! Many phone calls were made and we came to the conclusion that no one knows what they're doing when it comes to selling, which is why no one told us about it. 

BUT there was the Primary Program at church (when the little children sing and give talks) and I cried 4 times. There's just something about hearing the simple testimonies of kids that hits me hard. 

Typical Sunset in Bishop
November 2015

Typical Sunset in Bishop
November 2015

We've been noticing that whenever we're teaching someone the restoration, something distracting ALWAYS happens when we bring up Joseph Smith. Either a dump truck comes by, kids start screaming, it starts raining, the phone rings, or we get attacked by their pet. The adversary's working really hard to break the spirit but HE LOSES! HA!!

Sister King, Sister Wheeler,
A Really Big Rock
Mammoth, CA
November 2015

Sister King, Sister Wheeler,
Mammoth, CA
November 2015

We are teaching 7 people with baptismal dates, but its just really hard to get them to come to church here... I had a migraine for a few days but I chugged a ton of diet coke and its gone!!

Anyways, all of our investigators are sick with the cold of flu. So it's been hard trying to meet with them, but that's just Satan trying to push back their baptisms! He will not prevail! He was working really hard this week actually. Out of the 4 missionaries, Sister Wheeler was the only one who didn't get sick. But the spirit's been extremely strong nevertheless! We found a new investigator, Tyler, and he's so prepared and willing to learn more! Not to mention he's so dang polite, and he actually responds to our texts which is unheard of in this town. 

It was 60s this week but today is in the 40s :p

Mammoth, CA
November 2015

Sister King, Sister Wheeler,
Mammoth, CA
November 2015

A View of Bishop, CA
In The Distant Background
November 2015

We tried to make stroganoff this week but didn't know how, so it turned into a gray nasty mess; so that was fun! We tried kettle corn but it burned. 

Sister King Making
Square Spam Sushi
Bishop, CA
November 2015

Sister King Making Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Bishop, CA
November 2015

We were on the reservation here when a nearby cow escapes and starts charging to our car. This 12 year old boy Luis says, "I'm on it!" and just chases that cow like a pro. He manages to chase it back to the fence, where it hopped back over the broken part and we struggled to get that barbed wire back up high enough to do its job. Thankfully it didn't do any damage, I'm not sure how I could have explained to the Mission President without laughing why our car was smashed. Typical day on the reservation. 

I don't see too many animals here, lots of horses and cows and dogs and cats (a bunch are wild). I've seen one raccoon and smelled a skunk, but it's not bad! Lots of birds here, too. 

But I just finished 2 Nephi and DANG IT'S GOOD! It reminded me of all the tender mercies the Lord has given us and how the Book of Mormon truly is the word of God and can help us build our relationship with the savior! I'm so grateful for all the love I feel from the people here, my family back home and my Heavenly Father, who is SO mindful of us all the time! I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!!

Sister King

November 8, 2015

I had some of the COOLEST experiences this week!

Sister Wheeler, Sister King
Mammoth Mountain
November, 2015

One of our investigators had been going through some freaky things and wasn't feeling safe in her home. So we had the Elders come over to give her a blessing of comfort. When they finished, we asked her how she was feeling and she just bursts into tears. She said that she had been going through a lot of stress and confusion and that the blessings was EVERYTHING she needed to hear! She said it's just a confirmation that this is the church she's been looking for! And to top it all off, it was the first time she met the Elders, neither of them knew anything about each other but GOD knew them all perfectly! I'm SO GRATEFUL for the power of the priesthood in our lives and the fact that God is always so mindful of each of us individually! We all felt such an overwhelming feeling of peace sweep over us, a peace and happiness that can only come through this true and restored gospel!


Not only that, but we were able to see Michelle again this week and she never ceases to amaze me! The father of 2 of her kids died a few months back and it's still been heavy on her mind and causing her a lot of depression. But we were able to share with her the beauty of the Plan of Salvation and we were able to tell her where he is and how he isn't and will never be lost. I will never be able to put into words the comfort I feel in knowing God's plan for each of us and I love the opportunity I have to share it with others! We were also able to commit her children to baptism as well! 

We taught one of our investigator's daughter Crystal the restoration and she said how she's been looking for a way to come to Christ, she's going through a lot of family trials and wants peace. Thankfully, we have a STRONG testimony on how the gospel blesses families and she's beginning to see how it will help her through these hard times!!

Sister Wheeler, Sister King
Mammoth Mountain
November, 2015

Also, it snowed in the mountains and Sister Wheeler literally started crying when she saw. It's going GREAT here!

Sister King

Sister Wheeler, Sister King,
and the Sister Training Leaders,
Bishop, California
October 2015

November 2, 2015

The Lord is STILL pouring out blessings on our area! So many more miracles!

We had a ward Halloween party on Friday and it was a HUGE success! We had to rush to get everything together and we were worried no one would come, but we had a great turnout and everyone had fun! I was put in charge of donuts on a string, so of course I had a blast watching all kids get covered in sugar! The Zone Leaders were here on exchanges, so we ended up having 6 missionaries there to help! THE POWER OF THIS WORK IS REAL! We had a few investigators and friends come and it was such a good night! I ate more candy and brownies than I’d care to admit, and I felt the pain on Halloween haha. Speaking of Halloween...

That morning was pretty rough. We had some people yell at us and accuse us of being terrible people and the works. We tried to stay positive and humble but we were getting pretty frustrated. We were also worried that no one would want to talk to us since it was Halloween, so we just prayed asking God to lift our spirits and help us find those who are ready for this gospel. And HE PROVIDED! We had this fire and we went out and found 4 new investigators that day! 

We were teaching Rocio, a super sweet 23 year old who loves this gospel and the Book of Mormon, and we were able to teach her fiancé, Erik, as well! After we recounted the first vision she just squeals and says how she got so many chills! The spirit was incredible! We found Judy, who used to talk to the missionaries in an area about 30 miles away and she'd been praying for us to find her again! We had no idea; we just saw her sitting down and went up to talk to her. Our ward mission leader is 24 and has apparently been teaching all his friends about the gospel and we were able to teach his friend Andrew and his brother and girlfriend and roommate. That day was SO COOL! Not to mention we picked up a former investigator, Chris, who says he's finally ready to commit to baptism and he has such a strong desire to follow Christ! 

And of course, that night was TRICK OR TREATING! We weren’t able to go, but we went to the Swain's and helped them pass out candy and make banana bread! 

We taught Relief Society on Sunday and we focused on the differences between weakness and sin. Sin is willfully disobeying God's commandments and the Light of Christ within us, while weakness is limitations GIVEN to us by our Father so that we can learn how to overcome them and grow. Paul explained it perfectly in 2 Corinthians12:9-10. As we RELY on the Lord to help us gain strength in our weakness, He makes sure that no one will take advantage of us; He makes sure we'll be able to do the task He has asked us to perform and He makes sure we come out a better person! 

I have found this in training! I was terrified that I was unqualified for the job and that I wouldn't be able to teach the new missionary what to do, but as I've prayed for the Lord to make up for the things that I lack, I've found that often times, we'll never be "qualified" to do something, the Lord asks us to do it so that HE can work THROUGH us! This is HIS work; we'll never have to do something we aren't capable of! I love Him, I love Bishop, I love Sister Wheeler and I love all he continually does for me and ALL His beloved children!

Sister King

Halloween 2015, Bishop, California
Anna and Elsa from Frozen!!
"Do you want a Book of Mormoooon. Come on let's go and praaay!"

Halloween 2015, Bishop, California

Anna and Elsa from Frozen!!

Sister Wheeler and  Sister King
Make sushi for the very first time
Bishop, CA, October, 2015