Reach Out with LOVE

Hi Y'all,

Sister Lively and I with Ashlee and Alli - sweet girls in the ward

Sister Lively and I with Eva - Jared's mom

 Awesome, awesome week. I hope you all are having a wonderful week as well! Now for the big news... Amy got baptized! She is now a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! It was so amazing! Many happy tears were shed. Jared was able to baptize his wife, and it was such a special day. Sister Lively and I helped Amy go into the font and waited for her after she came up and out of the water. She was crying and she came and gave us both a big hug. She told us that we were, "The best friends I've ever had." She is so sweet! We also gave her a CTR ring and she was so excited! She put it on and said that she was never taking it off! I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to be able to help Amy progress to this point. She has grown so much in the short time I have known her. Her daughter, Evee, was also given a name and a blessing after the baptism! It was so sweet. She is going to work hard to get to the temple next year so that her family will be sealed for time and all eternity. I am so happy that she will teach her children, future generations will be able to receive the blessings of the gospel.

Amy, Evee, and Jared, All in White

Sister Lively and I with the Family Before the Baptism

This week during my hour of lds.org time (we get an hour to spend on lds.org for extra study time once a week) I watched an AWESOME video. It is called "Reach Out With Love" and I encourage all of you to go watch it. It shows a youth trying to reach out to someone and invite them to church. He tries and tries and tries and finally he is able to invite him to church, after he reached out with LOVE. You cannot help someone if you do not have love for them. It doesn't work like that! 

This has made me think of a less active member we have been visiting. They stopped coming to church because someone said or did something at church that offended them. This makes me so sad, because they know that the Church is true. I have learned something from this... You CANNOT let something that someone else said or did control you! When you are offended by something that someone did or said, you are giving them permission to take away your happiness! Don't let anyone do that! Follow the Savior's example and forgive those that hurt you. Strive to live what you believe and to be an example of the believers. 

"Do not postpone a prompting, rather act on it, and The Lord will open a way." -President Thomas S. Monson 

Mary Lou had her wedding! It was very small but it was very sweet. She has been married twice before and told herself she would never get married again! But in order to get baptized, she either had to move out of her boyfriend's home, or  get married. So here she is! 

Mary Lou's Wedding

She is the funniest lady, she is so fun and there is never a dull moment. I am so excited for her and the steps she is taking in her life to have an eternal family!

This is what it is all about! Eternal families. We are missionaries inviting people to partake of the fruit of the "Tree of Life", which is Eternal Life. We are helping those who are lost in the "mist of darkness" to find their way back. We are inviting others to be baptized and to grasp a hold to "the iron rod", and to continue down the "straight and narrow path". As we do these things, and when the time comes to "partake of the fruit of life", we will have exceedingly great joy, for time and all eternity. 

The gospel brings JOY.

1 Nephi 10-12

XOXO

~Sister Kayla Marie Willis

Sister Kayla Willis

1508 Luci Mae Drive

Flatwoods, KY 41139