Attitude of Gratitude

Hello hello :)

We have another rainy day here but are currently in the middle of a paper airplane war to give an explanation (or excuse haha) for my tardiness.

It's been a good week! We had a bit of a rough time last Thursday when we found out that because of some poor judgment on the part of our less active member, our investigator would no longer be allowed to meet with us or attend church. That was really sad, but we were also blessed with finding four new investigators last week. The Lord does His work.

We had a lesson set for Friday and Hna Pacheco (our Relief Society president) was going to come with us. Our appointment forgot and wasn't home.  Then, our backup plan fell through - leaving us without anyone to see with Hna Pacheco. We go to leave and let her go home when she says, "I think I know the lady who lives here..." We knock, have an awesome visit and lesson at the door, set a following appointment, and bam: new investigator. It was awesome. Such a tender mercy. Also, we finally got in contact with the sister we tried to see with Hna Pacheco on Saturday morning after a week. We had a really intense lesson with her last time we saw her ending with a hard commitment to read the BoM and pray to know if it is true. We knocked her door and the first thing she asked was when was church starting Sunday. AH! We almost died. She came with a few members we had pick her up and loved it. We will see her again this week. She is just awesome.

One thing we talked about this week as part of our training was the doctrine of Christ. We talked about how it isn't just five "steps" to be checked or repeated, but that it is about what we become and how we see everything around us. President always says to "look through the eyepiece of your purpose". Our purpose is the doctrine of Christ and in reflecting on that I noticed a difference in how and what we would see if we truly were looking at the world, people, and every situation through "the eyepiece of our purpose"; in other words, through the eyes of Christ. And what I found is that when we have His doctrine as our focus, everything turns us to Him! We see His hand in everything and all of a sudden we see every tender mercy, we see every miracle, we see so clearly His grace and goodness in every moment, and He begins to fill our lives --not that He now does anything differently, but rather we now see how He was and is always there.

I've been thinking a lot about the importance of noting the miracles and tender mercies. I learned how to better do so this week in learning how to see more what Christ sees, but I also feel great importance in understanding that simply seeing His hand isn't enough.  We need to express our gratitude for it. So that is my goal! See the tender mercies more and express my gratitude for them and I would invite you to do the same! It's so much happier living when you see how many blessings you really have been given.

Anyway, it has been a good week. We've learned a lot and are excited for what is coming this next transfer. Our whole district will be staying the same, so we will get another one to work! Can't believe six weeks are already gone... love you tons and hope it is a great week!! :)

Mucho amor,
Hermana Karra Gourley

"Nephi? With a 'huh'??"

How is my wonderful family today?

I hope it isn't raining on your parade out there cause it sure is coming down here! We had the craziest weather this week...two or three days of pure death touching 94 degrees outside and inside our apartment, then it got cooler again, and now it is raining and cold. #moodymuch?

Don't wanna dance around anything but get right to the best part of the week! Our investigator accepted to be baptized on June 24th during our lesson on Thursday with the family and then they all came to church Sunday! You have no idea how excited we were. Church was absolutely perfect. They had a great experience, have already made friends, and said to everyone who asked that they would certainly be back next week. #blessed #couldnotbehappierforthem Literally the best thing about missionary work is the joy you feel because you see others finding it.

I think back a lot on all that has happened in my mission and all that the Lord has done. Thinking back to initially making the decision to come out I remember the feeling I had: finally partaking of the dang fruit, instead of just tossing it back and forth in my hand and looking at how desirable it was, then instantly feeling the need to get what I had in the hands of everyone I saw. I think that is the biggest blessing: feeling the love of God so much in your own life that you feel it for everyone else. That is what motivates us to serve and love others and, really, what makes us disciples of Christ; "by this shall men know ye are my disciples; if ye have love one to another"..."we love Him because He first loved us," as Sister Staker said. #thatcharitything #stillworkingonit #arentweall #butlookhowfarwehavecome

It was a great week for us in finding new people to teach and seeing the Lord really do His work. I was asked to give a workshop Tuesday about accountability and have been thinking about that a lot the last few days. I learned that in reality everything we have isn't ours but simply under our stewardship for a time until we turn it back over to the Lord. That made me think about if we are doing our best with the "talents" the Lord has given us for the building of His kingdom.

I didn't often think much about the literal application of what the scriptures say but have learned that much more is quite literal than I have been thinking. We had a meeting Thursday with a new senior couple who taught us about temple and family history doctrine in relation to dispensations, specifically the responsibility of this last dispensation. It was cool to sit back and be taught and have all of these doctrines we know kinda connected. The whole time I felt like I knew where he was going as we were being taught but then he would connect two things I knew and de repente the understanding was there --as though every loading bar was just finishing! Ding ding ding, one after another. I was just full of understanding all of a sudden. Isn't the gospel great?

There was a really cool experience for me personally this week in seeing the Lord actively engaged in my journey of becoming. I feel it is easy for us to say that the Lord knows us, the Lord is here, God is a part of the details of our lives, He is concerned for us, and the like. All of these things are true, but sometimes I think to myself, "do I know and believe all of these things or is it just what I have been conditioned to think?" That is how the journey of conversion begins for everyone: someone loves someone else enough to share what they know and believe with others. Those others then lean on the knowledge and belief (or testimony as we call it) of those who first introduced them to this special thing until they know and believe for themselves (or they on their own obtain a testimony by acting in faith on the word of the other who already knows and believes). You following me? Maybe a little :) sorry :)

I hope you have a great week. I'm gonna go see what you've sent now :) love you!
Mucho amor,
Hermana Karra Gourley

P.S. Also, the subject line is in reference to a funny moment this week. We read a chapter together for our language study but I read in Spanish and Hna Rosario reads in English while we correct each other. She was trying to say "Sariah" and I told her, "you know there's a guy named Nephihah?" She looked at me terribly confused and exclaimed, "Nephi? With a 'huh'??" Then proceeded to grumble about the ridiculousness that is the English language. It was a fun moment :)

Rule #6

 Long time no see :)
This has been a good week, and it was even better because I got to see you yesterday! Yay! I hope you had a good Mother's Day :) We got to go and see a few of the women in our branch who don't have their families with them and visit for a bit, so the day ended nicely for us.

I am having a hard time remembering last week so I am going to try and get some bullets going here like Mom said yesterday.

Lunes:
- Taught a great family for the first time! They are just awesome. We stopped by to try and find them cause we haven't had any success with it in the past. We pass by and they were all home and let us come in and teach right then. We taught them again last Friday with our ward mission leader and are hopeful to see some real success with them.

Martes:
- District meeting #goalsetting
- Service and teaching #templeprep #teachforunderstanding  #wewilltryagain

Miércoles:
- Trainer/Trainee Meeting: small group + free food = more for me :)
- Lesson with newly found less active. We love them dearly - dearly dearly dearly - but dear friend, we missed our next appointment because we were with you for too long... #wewillbebetternexttime #sheissupercutethough

Jueves:
- Weekly planning #triedtodoitoutsidebutthenitgotcold #ugh #somedayitwillbehotandwewillbewishingforthecold
- A fire lesson with one of our investigators, wow! Haha. That was a really awesome lesson. This is the thing, it ended with a drop. Specifically, her dropping us. But I will tell you that lesson strengthened my testimony of the role of the Holy Ghost in conversion more than any other lesson I have been in, it was that powerful. We had planned on teaching about receiving revelation through prayer and a bit about the Restoration. Not quite what happened. We sat down - us, our ward mission leader, the investigator and her son, and the investigator's ex-mother-in-law (weird, right?) - and began with a prayer. Immediately following the prayer my mind was blank. You know that stupor of thought we talk about? Well that was it! I felt instantly we were not supposed to teach what we had planned. I also knew the Spirit would give us what He knew was to be taught. In the moment all I was getting was the thought that I needed my scriptures. Bent down and pulled them out. Glanced at my companion and asked if she would like to start. I didn't know if she had felt prompted as to what we were to share yet but I knew by her face when I offered the answer was no. We sat in silence for a moment as I pulled out my Book of Mormon and looked over it. We asked if they had done the reading we had left them. That was a no. The Lord took the lesson from there. It was so cool because the five of us felt the Spirit so strongly. So, so strongly. (In correlation on Friday, our ward mission leader thanked us again for that lesson and for teaching him, saying how strongly the Spirit was in that room.) The sad thing is I saw first hand the truthfulness of hard hearts where the Spirit literally cannot enter... she wouldn't let Him in. He was there cause we all felt Him and He touched all of the hearts that were open. Someday she'll come around.
- More teaching! #bestlessonever #YOUREADTHETHING? #ANDYOULIKEDIT?? #readsthebook #likesthebook #remeberesallofthebook #keepsreadingthebook #ismellabaptism
- Visited Hna Rodriguez #bestfood

Viernes:
- Finding
- Correlation
- Teaching part two

Sábado:
- Finding finding finding finding
- Mother's Day party!
- Rain
- More rain
- Much more rain

Domingo:
- Happy Mother's Day! :)

This week I read President Uchtdorf's talk from Priesthood session - "The Greatest Among You" - and I loved it. Holy cow I felt like that talk was speaking to my soul! I dunno if you know this, but in a lot of other faiths they say "hallelujah" or "amen" during prayers and talks and things when someone says something they just really get along with. I found myself reading that talk and yelling "amen!" on the inside, haha. I particularly liked the counsel to not take ourselves "too darn seriously." Think about it :)

I love you much! Sorry for the weird email but seeing you yesterday kinda covers most of the week :) hope you have a great week! Love you!!

Mucho amor,
Hermana Karra Gourley

Mother's Day party

 

Azul bigotes! #throwbacktotheCCM

 When you just can't get a good one

Attempted park planning

 Random bird thing we thought was cool

Víboras y misioneras, oh my!

Buenas, my fabulous familia :)

Selfie number one (we liked the flowers)

How we doin? It's been a good one! Cannot believe we are already starting week four. Where does the time go? It was a little...odd...but good. I am going to jump right in to the most exciting thing for me this week: the Book of Mormon! Okay, let's be real, if you know me you know that I have a ridiculous love for the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. I have to set limits to the amount of time I spend reading this book, cause I never want to put it down! Yesterday I was studying in Helaman 5. Everyone knows this chapter, right? The chapter that holds the famous scripture about the Rock of our Redeemer, where you be building your foundation, and all that jazz. Yes, we know, and we love it, BUT did you know that chapter also tells one of the coolest missionary stories in the entire book?? YES. #hasthisbeenherethewholetime? Talk about #goldmine and finding through your less actives #thatawkwardmomentwhenyourlessactivetriestokillyou #haventhadthatoneyet #orhaveI...? Seriously. Go read that chapter cause it is just flooded with amazing missionary awesomeness. This book. I gotta stop now before I get going on a preaching rant. Just, read the Book of Mormon, okay? That is all. Read it and love it and let it change your life, cause it will.

In other news, we also have learned that I can no longer English. The problem is, I also cannot Spanish XD I am lacking language abilities hard core, haha! It is kind of amazing to see how much my Spanish has improved in the last three weeks just being with Hna Rosario. Speaking comes way more natural and I sometimes find myself falling into it on accident again, kind of cool! We had several people we met this week who we are going to try and teach tell me that they liked my accent...? Aha! #notatotalgringa #dondelenguas #therealdeal

The next eventful cosita of the week was brought back to my memory as I thought of Lehi and Nephi in Helaman 5: preaching repentance. There is a right way and there is a very wrong way. Ha. We got to witness both this week! We'll start with the first. In this chapter of Helaman a powerhouse companionship sets off to dedicate the remainder of their lives to crying repentance to the wicked and are blessed with amazing success; this success they receive is given unto them because they teach with power. Reading in Alma 26 this week (not gonna lie, kinda just read some of my favorite chapters over again for my BoM study --and it was great!!) I gained a deeper understanding pertaining to how we teach with power. Verses 13, 21-22 talk about "the power of His word that is in [them]" and then the how behind having "His word in us". It says at the end of verse 22 that "it shall be given unto such (who have His word by the process explained in the proceeding verses) to bring thousands of souls unto repentance." That sounds like they're going to be given the power to do so, yeah? Therefore, the way we gain power to "bring thousands of souls unto repentance" is through our own conversion and treasuring up of the word. When we are converted and know of ourselves, when we have experienced the gospel in our own lives, then we are given power. Why? Because then the Spirit can testify and witness of what we say to be true; then He can witness we really do know and believe what we say; then we are being His witnesses at all times; then He stands with us and we with Him. Therefore, if you want to teach with power (anywhere - as a missionary, fulfilling a calling to teach, raising children in the right way) the Lord has said to "treasure up in your minds continually the words of life", and "...lift up your voices...[to] speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and ...it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say. ...and...inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say." I will stop there. But that is how one preaches repentance the right way.

Now, the wrong way was also exemplified this week. We pulled up just down the street from our investigator's home and offered our prayer before getting out of the car last Friday for our lesson. We closed and I see that just down the road a bit is a man causing quite a scene, discussing very loudly some type of doctrine with two men near their home. We get out of the car, I grab a Book of Mormon from the trunk for our lesson, and we head off in their direction. Taking refuge in the presence of others, the two men being ridiculed turn to us as we approach, notifying our priestly friend with Bible in hand of our passing. He turns to us and yells, "you also must repent!" Wait what? I stop for a moment (oops), "sorry?" He continues, "you are beauties on the outside but on the inside you're vipers! Leading people astray--" hold up, come again? As you know, I have a short fuse for things like this, but we decided to stay silent and just keep walking while he continued to yell after us. There's a right way and a wrong way in teaching and preaching repentance. Had his intentions been pure and honestly his desire was to help others come to Christ, he would have acted very differently and maybe we could have had a nice gospel conversation and left both being edified, having mutual respect as we both were about the Lord's work in the best way we knew. But, 'twas not his desire so we simply carried on.

We had a regional conference broadcast yesterday for church which was awesome. I don't remember all who spoke but the woman who spoke talked about light, specifically the phrase, "I need my own light." It was great and followed the theme of the parable of the ten virgins. Are we doing everything we can to get our own light? Do we know the way because His light illuminates it and allows us to see where we should walk, where the holes are, and where the stumbling blocks are? Or, are we simply following others who have a light? If the second, we may find ourselves stuck in ruts and tripping over stones otherwise easily avoidable. As some of my favorite scriptures state, "I am the light of the world", and "that which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." I have found there is joy where the light is. He is the source of all light and I know if we seek Him and to fill ourselves with this light that we will have "eyes to see" and we will not have to wonder or worry about the stumbling blocks that will try to get us down.

This is something I have learned for myself through my mission: trials will come, but with Him we truly can do all things. I have come to understand just how important He is to me. I will forever be grateful for this time I have to come to know my Savior in a way I never could have imagined. In the words of Ammon, "I cannot say even the smallest part which I feel."

It has been another great week. I have been undesirably informed that "we are now in the double digits", but am only feeling my desire to serve increase with every day that goes. There is truly joy in His service, not only as missionaries but in every capacity, with every calling that we hold, we can serve Him. Look for a chance to consciously serve someone else this week. Even if it is small. Sometimes the smallest acts are the most meaningful!

....okay I was gonna end this here cause we're getting long but that just reminded me of another story! Okay, not gonna get preachy here, but this was a good one :) (dad, you'll like it!) so we were doing this lookup. We didn't know where the house was, just knew it was off this one street. So we park the car, pray, jump out, and get moving. We're walking along looking for this house and there's a bunch of people outside cause the rain had finally let up. We're talking to people of course, saying hi, little things, and all of a sudden pre-mission me is summoned. 80s rock. It was calling. I hear this song end (I think it was Survivor but only caught enough to perk my ears up a bit haha) Chicago comes on. I look towards the sound and see a woman getting her things together and get out of the car exuding this beautiful sound. I stop and say, "you have excellent taste in music." She looks at me kind of confused (you know, twelve year old looking white girl in a skirt with a badge walking around in the hood with a Puerto Rican...a little odd, I get it) and I add, "the classic rock, my dad trained me in it." She gets this big ol' grin on her face and says something along the lines of, "oh yeah? And your dad was probably born in like what, late 80s??" "Well actually he was born in 68 I think," I add (sorry if that's wrong, don't feel a desire to do the math). "Oh," she says, surprised. "Well, he's not as old as me but he's got a right to it." Haha! Hear that, dad? You've got a right to your music I guess :) we ended the conversation quickly as we were both about our business but she called out to me as we left and said, "thank you so much, that just made my day! Made my day." Aw. I love that happy feeling :) so, service. It's a real thing :)

Anyway! This is terribly lengthy, but I love you all dearly. It has been a great week. Hope y'all have a good one :) love you!
Muchísimo amor,
Hermana Karra Gourley

Weak pictures...sorry.  :)

Selfie number three (cool bamboo walking up to knock this one house)

I liked the flowers :)

Costco selfie #herfirsttriptocostco 

Selfie number two (I almost stepped on this NASTY little thing getting out of the car 😖 poor guy)

Get 'er done

Buenos días!

...actually, technically it is tarde, but ni modo. How we been? :) I have been pretty great myself. Hermana Rosario and I had a fun rainy week. Yesterday we had a new investigator come to church with us. They asked her in Gospel Principles how many times she had met with us. Well, none! Haha. We set something up for this week, but that was certainly a new experience. Normally the problem is getting the people you are teaching to church, not getting the people who are at church available to be taught.

Sometimes I get to the end of the week and I think, "what in the world did we do the last seven days?" I honestly cannot remember half of what has happened. We started a new system for helping my companion improve her English and for me to improve my Spanish. We have begun to do half of the day in Spanish and half in English. We switch off if the morning is Spanish or English day by day and try to stick to the language of the time as much as possible. I have added quite a few words to my white board list. Oh, that is where the subject line comes in. My side of the board is overflowing (I have a lot of questions, okay?) and my companion for the majority of last week had three phrases: "let's do this thing", "killin' it", and "get'er done". My goal is to have her saying all of them by the time we are done together, haha :) She taught me one, "qué es la que hay" which I am quite fond of. However, the Puerto Ricans use much slang - aka, words I can't use as a missionary - but, for some future time... :)

We got back in touch with one of our investigators this week for the first time in a while. She is still on date for June but had a little bit of a rough spot. She is experiencing an immense amount of opposition from her family and old friends about meeting with us and preparing for her baptism. We were there last night and I think part of why I was called Spanish-speaking was to keep me quiet in certain situations. Haha. I could tell by the nature of the conversations aside from our own it wasn't good, but did not actually listen to understand what was being said. My companion told me one thing she heard when we left because I had seen it visibly shake her during the lesson. *chants pelea* ;) Well, I feel who I was before the mission I would have been totally down for a "ragtag" #farrockslang #itmeansfight but it was really cool to see in that moment I didn't feel a desire to fight and prove they were wrong, but I felt peace. I looked at our investigator and testified to her. She testified in reply. Her mom said something else and I looked to her. The determination I could see in her face was inspiring. Her faith is so strong. It is amazing.

I have learned here more than ever that the gospel is true, that it blesses our lives with joy and happiness and hope like nothing else. But, I have also learned that the opposition and adversary too are very real. Standing in that moment with her and my companion I felt confident in the Savior. I knew we were standing with Him as examples before some of the wickedest that this is the truth. I have become incredibly more thankful for the teachings I received growing up and the understanding I have because of them. I have come to see warriors fight before me to stand for what they know is true when everyone who is supposed to support them turns their backs.

Nearing the end of my study some day this week I found myself in the Book of Mormon, chapters six and seven of 2 Nephi. I love these chapters. It came to mind often over the week as I thought of those we serve here --investigator, member, and missionary-- the strength I find in these verses. These words...

"...thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. ...For thus saith the Lord: I will contend with them that contendeth with thee. ...I gave my back to the smiter... For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. And the Lord is near, and he justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. ...For the Lord God will help me."

I love it. Standing there with her was a privilege. It is such a blessing to be able to serve people like her every day and to see the potential our Father in Heaven has for them. She will do great things if she holds on and keeps on the path she's on.

I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us. Something I am learning is how to understand that He knows where we are and accepts us where we are, that it is all part of His plan - the trials, the opposition, the joy, everything; it is all for our good. I have another favorite talk called "Being Accepted of the Lord" that has helped me view our journey towards perfection in a different light. God is here. I find He is much closer than we may think He is. We had a really cool lesson about creating the world we live in and how we choose what it becomes based on what we focus on. Focus on Him and He will be our world. I have found that to be the most joyful world to live in, and that is when we see just how close He really is.

It has been a great week. I have done much preaching, here included, and will leave you with that for now. I love you much and hope next week to be even better!
Muchísimo amor,
Hermana Karra Gourley

I told y'all I was goin back!! :) #brooklynite4ever

Liked the wall we passed on the way to a lesson

We are cool #stillcantthug

We liked the green wall of bushes