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.

Tennessee, Temple, and Transfer.

Hermana Olsen had an appointment in Memphis this week , so we drove by the temple for a picture.
We get to go inside during our birthday month, but it's getting closed in the fall,
 so I may not be able to go again during my mission.  :(

And then we drove by my Uncle Lawrence's house.  He's my Grandma Sylvia's little brother.  It was pretty disappointmenting that they weren't home - so I left a note.  But, I mean, that happens to us a lot.  He's kind of in the far northwest part of Memphis so I don't know if I'll be able to go back.  But that was fun.

So, yeah... I'm going to Memphis to be with Hermana Petty!  I've spent all of my mission so far (except for 10 days in Batesville) in Little Rock, so I'm excited about a change!.  I'm sad to be leaving Little Rock (again) because I love it here, but I know Hermana Quigley will take care of it.  I think Hermana Quigley will do an amazing job of taking over Little Rock.  She works hard, her Spanish is great, she wants the best for our investigators, and she loves the people in Little Rock.  I love Hermana Olson and I am excited for her to do great things in Lakeland. 

Samantha is working on her mission papers had her medical appointments this week! And she was supposed to have her last bishop's interview yesterday. I am so excited for her!! Finals were this past week for my mom and my sister and I'm happy for them that they've started their summer break and will have more time to do fun family things. My sister is putting her availability date as her birthday in August and I'm just so excited for her to be a missionary too!

In the transfer van on Thursday, the ZLs and STLs talked a little about the zone and about how the Hermanas all teach the same because we're just companions with each other. And they talked about how baptism isn't the focus enough in the zone. And I'm excited to take what I learned from them and change and do better! This transfer, I really want to have baptism as a focus all the time and I want to be really in tune with the spirit so that I can always be asking inspired questions. 

On Friday (still in Little Rock), we were biking for a while and we were getting really hot so we decided to take a short break and go inside. So we went to a Hispanic ice cream shop nearby. And not very long after we got there, 5 Jehovah's Witness missionaries came in. And they sat down by us and started talking to us. They were nice and we talked about what we do and they asked why we decided to dedicate our time even though we are young, etc. And they told us a little about what they do. It was a nice chat and they were friendly. And then all of a sudden, after we had been talking to them for a while, they started giving us cards and telling us to check out the website, etc. It was a little unexpected but then we traded and gave them cards too.
             

Jehovah's Witnesses need a break too.  :)  

During zone meeting, I realized how robotic my contacts are because I say the same thing in every one. I ask questions that I don't care about the answer to and I'm not really invested in each potential because each one is the same to me. And that was pretty frustrating to realize. So during one of my studies, I studied the asking questions part of PMG and started a list of questions that I always use. (The list was an invitation from Elder Jorgensen after we talked about how all the contacts are the same) And then I've been working and role playing my contacts and I realized how hard it is to change! It's harder to listen to the spirit and try to ask inspired questions than it is to just ask the same questions all the time. It's definitely still a work in progress, but it's going to get tons better!

Love you all!
Hermana Keller

Good bye, Little Rock, Arkansas!

Rivera's.  Some of my very favorite people.

Lori Lane...on the way to the Barrientos.  Always makes me think of you, Mom!

Relief Society activity right after I found out I was leaving.

We went to the Capital for my last P-day in Little Rock...

Hello Memphis, Tennessee!!!

Thie Mississippi river separates the Little Rock side from the Memphis side.

Petty, Wilson, Hunt, Thornton

Dropping.

This week was a little harder because we had to go to West Memphis for doctor appointments for part of the week.  We've been pretty lacking with New Investigators this transfer, which has been pretty disappointing.  We tried to visit and ended up dropping about 7 potentials this week.  Dropping people is always hard for me.  I just want to keep trying because what if next time they'll be home!  Or what if next time they'll open their door!  But I know that that's not the most effective way to bring people unto Christ.  I know that I need to be spending my time finding the elect and bringing them the message of the restoration.  And I know that when we drop people, we are able to receive the blessings of more new people!  So I'm really looking forward to seeing the blessings that come this week because we dropped those people this last week who weren't ready to hear our message.

Mississippi River...

We also got to see the Memphis Hermanas for a little while on Thursday afternoon and that was fun to be with other Hermanas.  Hermana Quigley's glasses broke on Friday and that was really frustrating for her, so we went to the eye doctor and she ordered new ones.  I hope they come soon!

     

                           

I was studying for Ignacio and Pola, our 2 most progressing investigators. We were finishing the lessons with them so I was studying the families and temples pamphlet for them.  I was just so wowed at how amazing the temple is!  We are so blessed to have so many on the earth right now!  And I am so, so, so blessed to live 15 minutes away at home.  I was just in awe at how much love Heavenly Father has for us that he has given us a place where we can be sealed to our families and the authority to do it.  I want Ignacio and Pola and their son, Angel, to be sealed as a family so much!  During our families and temples lesson, I really just wanted to see their family in white at the temple together.  I feel like I finally really am keeping the end in mind for them!  They still say they want more time before they are baptized because they want to keep learning.  Ignacio says he doesn't want to go less active after a couple of weeks or a couple of months.  I love that he has that desire.

I was reading in Heleman 3 and I really liked in verse 25 where is says, "and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure." As we've been reading the Book of Mormon as a mission, I've noticed that the phrase, if he keep the commandments of God, ye shall prosper, is found so many times. The Lord promises over and over that when we are righteous, we will be blessed.  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much and everything he does is to help us make right choices so that we can return to live with him one day.  I am so grateful for all the blessings I receive and for the knowledge I have that God is loving.  And I know that when we keep the commandments, even we will be amazed at the blessings that we receive.

Love you all!

Hermana Keller

We always have Friday night dinners at Hermano Benitez's sister's house.  (She makes pupusas, isn't a member of the church, and her husband is he preacher at the evangelical church.)  But we're in with them because of the Benitez's.  LOL!  We eat outside on their patio because that's where she makes them. 
            

Zoo