My Mission is to BLESS

Hey pals, I hope everyone is doing well!

I made a Bull's Eye

Me, Shooting a Bow and Arrow

This week we had zone conference, and it was awesome! The focus was 'My Mission is to BLESS...' and I learned so much! My mission president, President Salisbury and his wife, Sister Salisbury, came down with the assistants, and we all met as a zone. We studied Alma 32 and Preach My Gospel, Chapter 11, in preparation for the meeting. We talked about how in Alma 32 it talks a lot about faith and building testimony. Our faith starts out small and it can grow and grow if we nourish it. It is kind of like the primary song, "Faith is like a seed".  In the song is says, "Faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grow." Faith all begins with a desire, take that desire and plant it, then let it grow. With Preach My Gospel, Chapter 11, we talked a lot about commitments and how to be bold with our commitments. We did some role-plays with the people sitting around us and then President and Sister Salisbury came around with their iPads and filmed us! It was a little nerve-racking. I wondered if this is what the missionaries on the Districts felt like. We were able to learn from the other missionaries and it was very useful. The key to being bold, is having the spirit. If we listen to the spirit and let the spirit guide us on what we should say in our lessons we will be able to better understand our investigators needs and questions and how to help them. By extending commitments, and being bold we will be able to help our investigators progress, so that they can come closer to Christ and know the blessings of the gospel. My mission truly is to BLESS. And I am BLESSED so that I can BLESS others.

Our Investigator Amy had her baptism interview this week! She is amazing and so ready for this! She also stayed for Relief Society on Sunday! She hasn't ever been able to stay, because Evee (her 19 month old baby) is always tired and fussy by the third hour of church. Her husband, Jared, has a calling as a Sunday School teacher now, so now they both have to stay for all of church. So she came to Relief Society and she has a great time, and we are so glad! We are also getting ready for her baptism on the 4th and everyone in the ward is super supportive of her and her decision to get baptized and everything is going great! The support of ward members is SO important for investigators and less active members. They need to feel the love from the ward and to know that they are valued! 

We got to have dinner with Amy and Jared at Jared's parents house this week. Jared's dad is in the bishopric and he and Jared's mom are so much fun!  A few weeks ago (when I ate frog legs) they told us about how they used to always play pranks and have fun with the missionaries. They told us about a time they put a live chicken in the Elders apartment! I guess this was a long time ago, because they said that the rules weren't as strict as they are now. Eva, Jared's mom, told us about something they used to do called a 'plastic dinner'. They wouldn't tell us what it was, but we were really curious! So this week, we had a plastic dinner! We went to sit down at the table and there was colored paper cut out and stuck to the table to look like a plate, a cup and utensils. There was a clear plastic table cloth over the table and we all received a pair of gloves. We had to eat with our hands, right off the table cloth! We had salad (with salad dressing of course) and chicken spaghetti with rolls. It was the most fun I have had for dinner! I want to be able to go home and do it with my family. 

Our Plastic Dinner

Sister Lively and I were both sick this past week, we must have caught a little bug, but don't worry we feel better now, but I forgot to email something that was really funny that made us sick a few weeks ago. Sister Lively had a small can of pepper spray and she sprayed it in the garbage can to see if it worked. Yup it worked alright. I looked in the garbage can, I didn't stick my head in or anything, but I got a huge whiff of pepper spray... and she did too! We were coughing and gagging the better part of our lunch hour. But afterwards, it was really funny. Stay away from pepper spray!

The Countryside

We might have broken mission rules this week and rode on the back of a golf cart... There is a lady that lives in our neighborhood named Joyce, and she tells us to call her Auntie Joyce. Anyways, we went over there to say hi one day and she was outside riding a golf cart! I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but people here LOVE Kentucky University. They are like way proud. Everyone has a million KU shirts, KU jewelry, KU decorations for their house and even KU wreaths for their doors. The Kentucky University colors are blue and white and so Joyce has a blue and white golf cart. On the side of the cart it says 'Jesus' Golf Cart'. She tells us to hop on and she takes us for a ride around the neighborhood! She is such a funny lady, but she is a bit crazy! 

In Front of Jesus' Golf Cart with Auntie Joy

One last thing for the week... I'm going to be a Maid of Honor! The Elders in our ward are teaching a woman named Mary Lou and she is dating a less active member. She is probably in her late 50s, but oh man, she is young at heart! The Elders invited her to church a few weeks ago and she came with her boyfriend. We were introduced to her and we took her to Relief Society with us. She sat next to me and told me that she was Catholic, but that she felt like she should come to this church. She said she had such a good feeling being here and she has felt so welcomed. Mary Lou has come to church every week since, and she wants to be baptized! She can't however, until she either moves out of her boyfriend's house, or gets married. So she came to church yesterday and came up to me and told me she was getting married! She even bought a marriage license and rings and everything. We were so surprised, but so excited! Then she turns to me and tells me that she is looking for a Maid of Honor and asks me if I have a nice dress. I guess she has really taking a liking to me and I told her that all I have to wear is skirts and dresses! I told her I would also have to find out if it would be okay because I didn't know if that would be allowed. So after church we texted the District Leader, and I guess he forwarded that text to the Zone Leaders and they told us that it would be okay. So, wow, that's exciting! Betcha didn't think I would be in a wedding on my mission! Seriously though, we are so happy for Mary Lou's decision to get married so that she can be baptized. 

I love you all and truly hope that you have a fantastic week!

D&C 31:6-8

  XOXO

~Sister Kayla Marie Willis

Sister Kayla Willis

1508 Luci Mae Drive

Flatwoods, KY 41139