CTR people, CTR.

HI FRIENDS!

Elder M. Russell Ballard came to talk to the mission last week.  It was SO AMAZING.  I think he's one of very few people in the Church who actually know what Temple Square missionaries do.  He's very aware that we are a baptizing mission because we keep in contact with the people we find on the square/online and that we teach full lessons on the phone.  What I thought was cool was even though he knows that we see a lot of success, we also see a lot of rejection but he promised us that we only see a tiny portion of our success.  He told us a few stories that just made me want to love everyone I see and help them know Jesus Christ just by the way I treat them.  He also stressed to us the importance of knowing the doctrine so that we can be effective teachers with the Spirit.  We can't be satisfied only knowing how to teach the restoration because when people visit the square, that's not always what they need.  That's definitely something I already knew but it means so much more coming from an apostle!  And it helped me to remember the importance of personal and companionship study.  I get bored so easily so one of my fears about serving on Temple Square was that I would get bored of sharing my testimony of the restoration.  Turns out, it's so different when you teach people because you apply it to them.  Sister Takahashi and I enjoy finding new, creative ways to teach the doctrine so that our people can apply it more effectively.  This makes life mucho enjoyable even after so many months of living on a square.  Beofer Elder B ran away, we got a ten minute Q and A with him.  One of the sisters asked how we can gain more spiritual strength when we are so tired in every way.  He said some pretty profound things and I wish I brought my journal to email because I wrote a bunch of it down.  Essentially he said, look to Christ in everything you do.  He said that he's almost 85 (I think) and he's been around the world.  He's exhausted but he'll go around the world again if he's suppose to.  When he's worn-out he says that he looks to Christ.  "This isn't Gethsemane.  This isn't Golgotha.  When you've done all that you can do, look to Christ."  In response to another question posed by one of the sisters, he told us to relax.  We get too caught up in what we could have done even when things are finished.  He basically just told us not to sweat the small stuff.  We are doing good things.  After listening to a lot of wise counsel from Elder Ballard, the best part was still at the end when he bore his testimony.  He bore the same testimony of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, Thomas S Monson, and Joseph Smith that we typically hear in Church but there was so much meaning behind his words.  It was obvious that his testimony was very real.  The Spirit confirmed that big time to me.  

I love being a missionary.  Nothing beats it.  I enjoy serving in guest services but it's weighing down on me and my compy because it takes away from our teaching time.  We feel good knowing that we're taking one for the team by setting up lessons for the other sisters in our mission so that they can love teaching too.  This makes us captialize on the tiny amount of square/phone time we get.  We're getting it down to a science.  

I gave a talk to my ward of sister missionaries + a few others on Sunday.  I enjoyed the chance to reflect on experiences and things I've learned on my mission so far.  My topic was about how righteousness is very simple.  We gain power from heaven when we make good choices and when we make wrong choices, we don't get this power and we are left alone to fail.  CTR people,  CTR.  

I'm happy.  My companion and I keep asking ourselves if this is real life.  We're pretty sure it is.  Sayonara.

LOVE, SISTER K. KYLE