hoot and holler!

New transfer, new adventures! and oh man has the beginning of this one been a hoot and a holler!

We went to Charleston where Sister Miller picked up her new companion, I hopped in a giant van to take me to Morgantown, and I said goodbye to my old sisters! I'll miss seeing them all the time, but I know the Lord has mighty work for me! It's kinda crazy, because we have all sorts of generations in the mish goin' on. Sister Erickson (my new companion) trained Sister Sorensen, and Sister Sorensen trained me. I trained Sister Miller, and now she's training a new missionary, and we kinda look at it as being moms and grandmas! It's kinda fun, so we took a "multi-generational" picture. Sister Sorensen is training again, so I have a new little sis! 

On our way up to Morgantown (my new area is in Fairmont, but Morgantown was the meeting point) about an hour and a half into the drive, our van broke down, so we had to wait for 3 hours for someone to come pick us up! Talk about miserable! It was super hot, and super boring, but I got to bond with the sisters that I'll be working with, and we made our own fun! Finally someone picked us up, and we headed back on our way to our new areas! I met Sister Erickson, and let me tell ya! This girl is wonderful, and I love her to death already!!!!  It's weird to have a friend/comp who is as tall as me, and I often find it weird that when we talk, we're actually face to face. She is the sweetest thing ever, and she LOVES ice cream... uhoh! We've been doing a lot of good work, and we've been really focusing on finding. We're over 6 sets of sisters, and so that also keeps us busy! She's a college athlete, so she's whipping me into shape. the other day we did a workout that basically killed me... ugh! But it's good for me!!

Second day in the area, we decide to go visit a less active member who lives up a hollow, for those who forgot what a hollow is, it's basically a road you never wanna go up because you'll get stuck in our little putt-putt car and won't be able to get out.... as we're driving up this giant hill, covered in lose gravel, we start to spin out at the top, and Sis. E slams on the breaks... well now we can't go forward, because she'll continue to spin out, so I decided to back her down this hill.... well, at the angle of the car, as she was backing down, she was just about 2 inches from scraping it with this tree that was in the way. In order to avoid the tree, she starts driving in the tall grass and plants, and I'm working my way through the shrub to ensure that she's not going to hit anything else. As I'm in the shrub, I notice a giant ditch that she's about the drive in if she goes backwards anymore, so I tell her to stop... now we're really in trouble. She can't go forward, or she'll continue to spin out, and she can't go backward, or she'll drive right into this ditch. We felt pretty helpless.

if you've ever seen this this mormon message you'll see that this guy tried to put sticks under his tire, and it didn't work... we'll we're here to tell you that it really doesn't work... because we trekked through the woods, looking for sticks, and it didn't help at all. :)

Basically we had to call some elders for help, and they came in their nice truck to save us. As they were driving our way, we hiked up the hill to see if anyone was home at the top to help us. There was a different less-active member who said he'd come and help. Basically these three men (two of which were really tiny elders) lifted the car over this ditch as Sis. E backed it up. The front right tire had nothing underneath. they we're literally carrying the car across this thing. It was intense, and there's no way the Lords hand wasn't involved. Moral of the story, everything is okay, and we are never driving up that road again. We'll just walk it if we have to.

I love this mission, and I love missionary work! I can't believe I have a year left, and I wish it was longer.... AHHHH!

anyways, I love you all! My new address is

25 Murray Ave

apt 3

Fairmont, WV 26554

send me MAIL PLEASE!

Love, Sister Kirkby

the "red zone" (and TRANSFER!)

Good Morning! it's TRANSFERS WEEK!

This was the longest week and a half of my life! And I'm way excited today is P-day because holy moly it was needed.

Last week all the missionaries met in Charleston to have a device put on our cars called TIWI. The purpose of this device is to get bad drivers off the road. It has a GPS in it, and knows the speed limits in the areas we're driving, so when we exceed the limit, it'll say "Check Speed" and we'll have to slow down. If we don't slow down, it will send an 'bad mark' to the main computer in the mission office, and then over the period of 6 weeks, it will count all the alerts, and determine whether or not you're an awful driver. If you get in the "red zone", President will take your driving privileges away. Another way you can get dinged is if you drive aggressively, and you automatically get a bad mark if you do that. I have yet to drive with it, because Sister Miller has been driving, but that thing gives me anxiety! I'm always telling Sister Miller to drive safe so it doesn't go off..... I get a little paranoid. :)

The verdict is in! I'm being TRANSFERRED! It's really bitter-sweet. I'm going to miss the area, and Sister Miller SO much. This place is my home, and I KNOW I was needed here at the time I was. We saw it grow SO much, and I'm excited for Sister Miller to be training a new missionary here :)

as for me....... I'm going to be serving with Sister Erickson, (who was actually Sister Sorensen's trainer) and I'll be in Fairmont, West Virginia..... I was called to be a Sister Training Leader!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM SO EXCITED and so nervous. I am so excited that I'll be able to learn from so many sisters in the mission, and I am very excited to learn from Sister Erickson. I know she is an incredible missionary, and I feel so blessed.

The area of Ripley has seen a lot, and it continues to grow exponentially. The Lord really does have His hand in all things. I know that we are imperfect tools in His hands, and I know that He knows we're imperfect, and despite that fact, He still called us to the work, because of our desire. The love I have for this area, as well as the love I have for obedience has really blessed my life eternally. I love this work, and I love our Savior!

Make sure you send mail to the mission office at

888 Oakwood Rd STE 310

Charleston, WV

until I get my new address! Never forget that the Lord loves you! Love, Sister Kirkby

Humbly Preaching (and being preached to)

Howdy Ya'll!
 

The weather in here West Virginia is cooling down, and I don't think I'm physically ready for the winter yet.... NOOOO. I hate snow! So I'm going to embrace the current weather as much as I can before it starts to get bitter cold!
 

Wednesday night Sister Miller and I attended a sermon given by a preacher that was lead by an investigator we have. It was quite interesting on how the doctrine that people teach are similar, or almost identical to what we teach, but that we just have the fullness. I agreed with everything he was saying, and I wish people understood that us as missionaries aren't trying to take away their faith. We just want to build upon it. I mean, who wouldn't want more Jesus in their life?

Thursday night we had a fun interaction with a baptist preacher who continuously told us that we were wrong. This happens often... I wanted to give him a Book of Mormon, but that would have been contentious, and so we just nodded our heads, and let him talk. We answered his questions as best we could, and hopefully one day his heart will soften.

Saturday we helped out at an 11 year old's birthday party, and there was a watermelon eating contest. I decided to give it a try, and eating a slice of watermelon as fast as you can is a lot harder than you think! And wayyyy messy! Sister Miller did the bobbing for apples, and she did pretty good. I was proud of her ;)

Last night we went to a fireside with Lisa, and saw Sister Sorensen :) The fireside was SO GOOD. It was all about our Savior, Jesus Christ, and I am so thankful for Him. One of my ALL TIME favorite quotes is "The miracle of the Atonement makes up for our imperfections in our performance" and how right that is!

Next week is transfer week, and we will have to wait and see what happens! I hope I get to stay here in my home of Ripley. I love it here, and I love Sister Miller, but I've been here for awhile now, and so I most likely will be leaving :( But it's all up to the Lord.

Thanks for your prayers and words of encouragement! Our investigators are doing well, and we're working hard, as usual! :)

Love, Sister Kirkby

PS Sister Miller and I have a skirt that's almost identical and EVERY TIME one of us decides to wear it, the other person also decides to wear it, so by the time we come out of our rooms we realize we're wearing the same skirt... It's kind of ridiculous.

Mormon Night

Hello everyone!

I hope ya'll had a good labor day! For the past two prep-days, we've gotten together with some elders and played some good old fashioned Dungeons and Dragons.... basically it's a blast, and we have a lot of fun. Since Monday was Labor day, we weren't able to get to the library, so that's why my email is a little late this week!

Last Wednesday, the missionaries had a once in a (missionary) life time opportunity to go to a pro baseball game in Charleston! Someone who runs something at the ball park is a member of the church and worked it out to where we could have a "Mormon Night" at the game. They played "I'm a Mormon" videos on the big screen, and we had a little devotional before hand, for all the investigators and members that came to the game! It was a blast, and we had a lot of fun with some investigators! Sister Sorensen was also there with her companion Sister Michie, so it was fun to see them!

We had a zone meeting, which is always humbling, because we get the opportunity to learn from other missionaries. We talked about the power of prayer, and why it's important to pray in Jesus Christ's name. When we were baptized, we took upon ourselves the Saviors name. We are commanded to represent Him, and follow His example, especially during prayer. We must always say prayers that are said in a way Jesus Christ would have said them: selfless and righteous. As I've been working on this, my faith in my Savior has grown incredibly. I love the power of prayer, and how I always have the opportunity to talk to my Father whenever I need Him.

I love this work, and I love the area of Ripley! So many blessings and miracles every day!

love, Sister Kirkby

"i am the hole in the doughnut"

Hello everyone!

I really don't have much to say... Missionary work is missionary work, and we just teach a lot! I'm so blessed! before my mission, I really took the gospel for granted. I never really knew HOW important it was. I always just did the things I needed to do because I was told to do them, but now as I teach people to do these things, I understand the blessings that come from it. The mission has truly blessed and shaped my life, and I feel SO incredible. I love this work.

Sister Miller started driving this week, and I've discovered that I just would so much rather have me always do the driving, because I get SO TENSE when others drive. It's kinda funny. It's not like she's a bad driver either! It just happens!

This past week I was kinda mean to Sister Miller and pretended that I was tired of missionary work, and that I was ready to give up. I did it to see how she would react, because when my trainer did it to me, I was FURIOUS and just walked away from her (Never walk away from your companion, btw, NOT GOOD) It's basically an exercise to help the new missionary understand that we are NEVER alone, even when our companion is being difficult and we feel alone. Ultimately the person we need to rely on is Jesus Christ, and that's exactly what she did. I was so proud of her. She gave me this really awesome pep-talk about how we are representatives of our Savior, and how we are called to the work for a reason, and we should never give up, and it really truly made me teary. Basically she's amazing and I aspire to be her one day.

There are so many characteristics of Christ that I aspire to emulate and master as a person, and as a missionary. I've really been focusing on humility this past week, and I've been very inspired.

In Alma 32, Alma is teaching the people that it’s better to naturally be humble, vs compelled to be humble. Cheryl Brown, in a BYU devotional, gave four simple suggestions on how we can become naturally humbled.

Always be willing to laugh at yourself when you make a mistake.
Write in your journal so that we can begin to notice the Lord’s hand in our lives more often
Show gratitude towards others as we continually learn from them.
Reexamine the fruits of following the Savior

President Kimball said this when asked how to remain humble:

“First you evaluate yourself. What am I? I am the circle. I am the hole in the doughnut. I would be nothing without the Lord. My breath, my hearing, my sight, my locomotion, my everything depends upon the Lord. That is the first step, and then we pray and pray often, and we will not get up from our knees until we have communicated. The line may be down; we may have let it fall to pieces, but I will not get up from my knees until I have established communication. If it is twenty minutes, if it is all night, like Enos… if it takes all day long, you stay on your knees until your un-humbleness has dissipated, until you feel the humble spirit and realize, ‘ I could die this minute if it were not for the Lord’s good grace. I am dependent upon Him – Totally dependent upon Him.’”

I LOVED THIS. Humility isn't something you seek for, it comes as you yield your heart to God. It may be defined as wanting what Heavenly Father wants more than any hope or dream.

Anyways, there's a glimpse of what I'm learning. It's hard to retain all this stuff I'm learning, and I'm so thankful for my study journal! :)

I love you all! Have a good week!

Love, Sister Kirkby

"teach with the power and authority of God"

Hello everyone!

Thanks to everyone who wrote me a cute little note, about what they learned at Education Week! It made my entire day!

My week was good. Nothing much happened. Two people came to church on Sunday! Lisa and a new investigator named Amanda!! I've eaten WAY too much this week, (thanks West Virginia) but it's all worth it because it's SO GOOD. We went on exchanges this week, as well as a Zone Conference, and I was able to see Sister Sorensen! YAY. She's doing well.

When you go on missionary exchanges, you stay in another area for a night, so I was in the big city of Charleston, with a sister training leader named Sister Webb. It was way fun, and good to get out of Ripley for awhile. While on exchanges, I learned about how I'm just not a very confident missionary, and Sister Miller has actually brought to my attention that I rarely look people in the eye when I'm teaching. I don't know why I get so scared. I've been praying a lot to become more confident, and to be able to look people in the eye, and now that I am consciously working towards it, I see Satan working at me. I hate that guy. I was studying in PMG earlier in the week, and came across this:

"Missionaries are to go “in the power of the ordination wherewith [they have] been ordained, proclaiming glad tidings of great joy, even the everlasting gospel” (D&C79:1). You have authority to preach the gospel. If you hold the priesthood, you have the authority to administer the ordinances thereof. As you prayerfully and worthily exercise that authority, you will receive spiritual power, which is evidence of the reality of your call. Do not be afraid or shy about fulfilling this commission. Just as the sons of Mosiah, you are to "teach with the power and authority of God (see Alma17:2–3)."

I've literally been set apart with a higher power to teach the people here in Ripley, and as long as I can remember that I represent Jesus Christ, I think I'll be okay.

Also, about a week ago, my ankle started hurting REALLY badly. I didn't do anything to it, and it's not swollen. but I can barely walk.... we bought a brace on Saturday, and if it doesn't feel better by this coming Saturday, we'll call the mission nurse. It's just really inconvenient.

anyways moral of the story is that exchanges are incredible, and I am so blessed to continuously be humbled and enlightened by people all around me! Sister Miller is the best, and I hope to be like her one day. The mission changes lives, and there's no place I'd rather be.

I hope everyone has a good week!
Love, Sister Kirkby

transfer week

Not much to report on since it's only been a few days since I've last written. Transfer week will do that to ya!

Sister Miller and I have been really focusing on faith lately, and how it can influence our work incredibly. There's a difference between hoping that something will happen, and having faith that something will happen. Having hope is wishing for something to happen, where as when you have faith, you KNOW that the task at hand will happen, and that the Lord will bless you. It's a hard concept to grasp in missionary work, because you often think to yourself "It's the Lords will" but if we have enough faith, His will will become our will.

On that note, we have a lot of faith that we'll see a lot more growth in our area within the next transfer! Keep in your prayers that the hearts of the people will soften here in Ripley, and that miracles will arise, and let's combine our faith and see the Lords hand more abundantly.

I'm so thankful for everyone's support and love, and I hope that life outside of the mission is going well for all. I pray for my friends and family back home, and I have faith that the Lord is touching your lives, as you constantly rely on the Lord.

Eliminate all self-defeating, faith destroying, Atonement denying thoughts words and actions!


Have a good week!

Love, Sister Kirkby