Laurel's Missionary Journey

Hey Everybody!! So, I've got some big news! To preface it, I would like to explain a little bit about mission culture. Sometimes missionaries will talk about our missions being like mini "lives". So we call the first area we serve in where we were "born". Our trainers are our "mothers" (Or "fathers" if you are an Elder), and when we train, that is your "baby". The area we serve in when we go home is where we "die". It makes us laugh, especially when you hear a missionary talk about how they are about to have a "baby". With that explanation, I would like to announce that I had a "baby" this week! Again! So now Sister Kitchen has a little sister! Her name is Sister Hamblin, and she is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She is so humble and is soaking up campus life. She learns fast, and she is already bearing testimony and sharing scriptures like a pro! Unfortunately that means I'm not comp...

Hello Wonderful People! Every time I write one of these I have to think for a few minutes about what I want to include in my email. There are so many things that happen to us in a week, it's hard to decide what is the most important to share. This week I didn't have that struggle, because I know EXACTLY what story to share!! For those of you who might not read my whole email every time, you'll want to read this one. On Tuesday I was on exchanges with Sister Call. We were walking to the church from our apartment, and while on our way there we stopped and talked to a man who seemed a little lost. He saw our nametags and burst into tears! From what we could understand, (he was crying really hard) his wife was very ill and lived in Georgia. He needed to get back home to her, and all he needed in order to do so was $18 for the Greyhound Bus. He was pleading with us, sobbing, and saying "God, please!" We wanted to help him, but we had no way to. Missionaries don't ...

Honestly, this week has gone by in a blur, and I'm not even sure what to report on. We have had a few really beautiful experiences though! We are working with a man named Kaleel who has a very interesting story. He was taught by missionaries two years ago, and he was actually going to be baptized then, but a few days before his baptism he decided to cancel it. He felt at that time that he didn't really have a testimony of anything, and he didn't want to make promises with a Being that he felt he didn't know. Since then, he has been approached by missionaries on campus multiple times, and he would always tell them that he was an atheist. Recently he decided to give God another chance, and meet with us again! He is in it for real this time, and is planning on being baptized in August. His big hold-up has always been that he has a hard time believing in God. When we met with him this week, he told us that at church on Sunday there was a moment during the Sacrament that eve...

Hello All! This has been the greatest P-day of my whole mission!!! More on that later. This week has been one of the strangest of my mission, because of the unexpectedness of everything that has happened. This past Wednesday was the Fourth of July, and the Campus District was asked to go to MADISON and help the Madison Elders with the Madison Fourth of July Freedom Festival!! Which is something I did exactly a year ago, when I was being trained by Sister Hulstine in Madison!! I got to go back to my first area for a day, and it was so crazy. It felt like no time had passed at all, but also it felt like it's been thousands of eternities since then. I got to see three of the people that Sister Hulstine and I taught, Mario, Jamea, and Travaughn. I didn't get to see very many of the members of the Madison Branch, but I did get to see the Branch President and his wife! I was hoping to see David Stanford, but he wasn't there. That's okay; I'll just have to come and vis...

Hey Everyone!! Once again, this has been such an incredible week. I cannot believe how blessed I am to be serving on TCC and to have Sister Boyce as my companion! I don't even know where to start with this week. We have an investigator named Markese who is getting ready to be baptized. He is doing really well, and if things continue the way they are going he will be baptized next Saturday! He is such a matter-of-fact guy. It reminds me a lot of my brother, Derik. He makes us laugh with his spot-on comedic timing and comments in our lessons. That should be some great news for the next email! One of my favorite parts of being a campus missionary is the very unique service we get to give. We often volunteer with a group here in Tallahassee that helps relocate and move in refugees, both from Syria and the Congo. We attended a volunteer lunch on Tuesday and we met some of the most incredible and inspiring people I have ever been honored to talk to. Their stories and determination help ...