9 MONTHS!!!

My family is so awesome!  My parents sent me copies of the talks they gave in Sacrament Meeting about revelation.  They both shared experiences where they had received revelation.  It was really cool because even though I had heard a lot of those experiences before, it was cool to hear again how God has lead my parents and my family and how following the promoting that come from the revelations has helped them and my family.  I am so grateful for awesome parents that are worthy to receive revelation and that act on it.  I know that their example prepared me to come on a mission and work hard. 

This week, our area has been struggling with finding new investigators.  And that was different for me because in Little Rock, there's so many trailer parks and there's always someone new outside their trailer that we can talk to so finding new investigators isn't a problem there.  But that's not how it is in Memphis. :)  And my first two weeks here, it seemed like we were getting dropped by everyone or feeling we should drop them.  So at one point his week, our area book was down to 10 investigators.  It was pretty scary for a minute.  We spent a lot of time finding and working hard with those 10 investigators this week and we found a couple of new people.  Our teaching pool is still not nearly what I would like it to be, but I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us.  I know he is preparing people for us to teach and this week we're going to continue to find a lot! 

Hermana Petty really works hard and I definitely appreciate that about her.  As a companionship, we really want to be doing everything we can to get better (and eventually perfect) at the 4 pillars and being the best missionaries we can be.  We are doing our best to purify and be the best missionaries we can be.  We know that because we're struggling with finding new investigators right now, we really, really, really need help from Heavenly Father and we need to be worthy of that.  Hermana Petty is an awesome companion because she works hard and helps me want to work harder too.  I know that she wants to be a better missionary and improve every day and wants to help me be the same way. She has a lot of faith and a lot of energy and loves being a missionary. 

One of the few people we found this week was Rosa.  We had spent about an hour walking around a specific neighborhood close to our apartment and we were having no luck.  We had only found a couple of hispanics.  About half of them really weren't interested and the other half were kind of not interested.  It had also rained a little while we were walking around and we were tired and making our way back to the car.  We were disappointed because we thought the most promising person was a man that might live alone.  As we were walking, we saw a house that looked like it might be hispanic so we decided to knock on do one more.  And the most awesome lady answered the door!  She seemed genuinely interested and enjoyed talking to us.  We set an appointment for last night.  Last night, we taught her and her two daughters (ages 7 and 9) the restoration.  When we asked her what she thought about Joseph Smith's experience, she said that she thought he needed faith and that faith is really important.  And that because he had faith and prayed, he got an answer.  And at the end, when we asked her to pray, she was nervous for a minute but then prayed.  And she told God that she didn't have a lot of time right now to read the Book of Mormon because school just got out for her kids and her husband's work is really busy.  But she prayed to be able to find the time.  And she told God that she would put in her part to find out if it's true and asked him to help her know.  She even prayed for us to have help as we are learning Spanish. :)  It was the most beautiful and sincere prayer I have ever heard.  I am so excited to keep teaching her and to go back for our appointment on Wednesday!  She is so ready to hear the gospel!  I know God prepared her for us to find the other day!

Today I finished the Book of Mormon from when I started it before my mission.  I love verse 32 in Moroni 10.  As I've been reading this time, I've been choosing a phrase from each chapter and writing my thoughts about it in a journal.  Today I chose, "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; ... and love God with all your might, mind, and strength, ... that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ."  I love that our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ.  Our message and our church is centered on and led by Jesus Christ so our purpose is to help other people come closer to him.  And as we do that with all of our might, mind, and strength (aka being the 4th missionary), then we come unto Christ as well. I am so grateful for the blessings of the gospel and for the opportunity to share it with others and invite them to come unto Christ! 

Love you all!

Hermana Keller 

Haha...
A present from the Elders.  They had a contest with each other and the loser had to eat a worm.
They gave us the extras.  :)  

Te Amo!

There was a big storm here last night.  I slept through the whole thing but it was pretty bad.  There are trees down everywhere like this and I heard that 1/5 of Memphis was without power and some people are still like that.  We had power the whole time though and we're good.

              

The other side.

              

Face masks last night.

We played disc golf today.   We're trying to do a fun thing every week.
Last week we tried to go bowling.  But it was closed so we just went to the church and played soccer and frisbee.

I climbed really high in this tree to get Hermana Petty's disc out.

Tennessee, teaching, tattoo, and tacos.

My mom is on the other side of Tennessee right now visiting her friend in Knoxville from her mission.  My family also went to the Idaho Falls temple open house on Saturday.  I'm happy for them that they get to be doing fun summer things right now. 

I'm really liking Memphis.  On Saturday, Hermana Petty and I knew we really needed to bike to save miles and be obedient.  But it was really hard because we have had far away appointments everyday.  But on Saturday, we decided to just bike super far.  So we did and we ended up biking 23 miles.  It was raining, and after about halfway there I wasn't having a good time anymore.  The appointment had forgotten that we were coming so we just ended up helping her clean her house.  Then later in the day, my bike slipped a little and I got mud all over me.  It definitely was not my favorite day as a missionary. :) But we made an appointment with the same lady for yesterday and when we were finishing the lesson, she said the sweetest prayer ever.  She very sincerely thanked God for sending us to help her clean her house.  When I heard that, and hearing her tell us she wants to read in the Book of Mormon, it just made Saturday worth it. 

My companion loves being a missionary and it's inspiring.  It's so impressive because she loves every minute, even the "sweet is the work" ones!  She really wants to give every single person in Memphis a chance to accept the gospel by working every possible second.  She really is a great companion and I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve with Hermana Petty. 

Our investigator, Gabriella is so awesome.  We ended up teaching her 4 times this last week and each one was so good!  The first couple of times we've gone to see her, she has been a little depressed when we first get there, but her countenance would change and she would get happier as we were there, and then the last couple of times we went, she was happy when she opened the door.  She was so excited to read the Book of Mormon and to learn more.  She was telling us that she knew we were sent from God to change her life.  But then yesterday, we stopped by before church to see if she would be able to come and she told us that her husband doesn't want us to come by anymore.  But she said that she has been reading the Book of Mormon aloud with her kids and asked that we would pray so that her husband would soften his heart.  She said that hopefully all four of them would be able to come to church in the future.  When we were leaving, she said: it's not goodbye, it's see you later.  It was really sad to have to drop her., but I know she'll get baptized eventually.  She's totally ready for the gospel, she just has to wait for her husband. 

This week I was reading in 4 Nephi 1 and I really liked verse 16 that says, "and there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God."  This happiness that came after the coming of Christ to the Americas came because the people were living the gospel.  In Little Rock, I was able to see Ignacio and Pola's lives change because they started reading the Book of Mormon.  And in Memphis, I've seen Gabriella's life change and seen her have more happiness because we were teaching her.  I so am grateful for the opportunity that I have to say that I know the gospel changes lives!

Love you all!

Hermana Keller

A bunch of us were asking President Wakolo about the scar on his right hand.
He said he would send out the story that was published about it.
Here is the original talk.

Hermana Petty at Cottonwood... the apartment we're at everyday.

Gabriella's room.  Four people live in this room. 
It reminds me of when we were living in the apartment.

Dinner Friday night with Sonia.

Everyone wants to feed us to show us REAL Hispanic food.

And I'm like you don't realize that this is basically the same thing I ate yesterday. 

And the day before. And every day for the last 9 months. lol 

But I love it!

Biking in the rain.
Hola from the our neighbor!  

Falling in the mud.

Viri and her family came to church!

We're going to make the shoe joke an ALRM legend!
We decided that everyone who finds it puts their name on it and hides it for the next companionship.

My people.

I miss Mushu!  <3 

It was really good to talk to my family yesterday.  My sister had her bishop's interview for her mission and just needs an interview with her stake president before her papers are sent in and she can get her call.  I am so excited for her!  I told my family yesterday that her mission is pretty much all I want to hear about every Monday. :)

I really like Memphis. I was worried that it would be hard for me to come to a different area and learn to love different people because I love Little Rock so much.  I was worried that I wouldn't want to be here and just wish that I was back there he whole time but it's good to be here.  I love it in a different way than I love Little Rock and I am so excited to be here!  Yesterday, I got my blessing from the branch president and he blessed me with an appreciation of being a literal gatherer of Israel and that makes me so excited for this transfer and for my time here in Memphis!

Hermana Petty is so great.  She wants to work so hard and I really appreciate that about her.  She came up with a motto for us: faith, fire, fun.  I think she's really dedicated to being a missionary and wants to do everything she possibly can to give these people everything she has.  I am so excited to serve with her this transfer!

This week I was reading in 3 Nephi 15 and verse 9 stuck out to me. "That he were separated from among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of their iniquity that they know not of you." When I read that, I thought about how lots of people ask why the Bible doesn't talk about the people in the Book of Mormon and I never really know how to answer that question. But this is the answer! The people in the Bible were wicked so they didn't get the privilege of knowing about the Book of Mormon people. I thought that was pretty cool but then the next night, the Russellville Hermanas called and we were talking about all of our investigators. And they mentioned that one of their investigators had this question! And so I told them that I knew the answer and showed them this scripture! I know that I found that scripture for them. And that was pretty cool to realize that God was preparing me with an answer to a Russellville investigator's question. 

All of the Hermanas send each other a photo every week.
Love the Hermanas!

I also read this week in 3 Nephi 28 and in verse 23 is says, "and did preach the gospel of Christ unto all the people upon the face of the land; and they were converted unto the Lord, and we're united unto the church of Christ;". I think I've grown more of an appreciation of the gospel of Jesus Christ on my mission. As missionaries, it's our job to talk to people and try to decide which part of the gospel they need in that moment. And I've been learning and seen lots of different ways the gospel can bless lots of different people. We all need it. We all need the blessings that come from being united unto the church of Christ and I love sharing it!

Love you all!

Hermana Keller

What is this disgusting bug we found at the church???  <a cockroach>

BEST TACO TRUCK EVER!!!

Can you see it
One of the many jokes we've played on the elders.  lol

Look at the antennae. 😂😂😂

Serious.

Happy Mother's Day from the Spanish District.

We went to the zoo with the Spanish elders for P-Day...

me, Pickering, Petty

Petty, Keller
Merrill, Anaya, Spencer, Pickering

These are my people.