Walk With Me

Hello, fabulous family of mine!

How are we? Hope all is well. To be totally honest, 18 months later I feel I am lacking things to say in emails. I feel like I don't want to write any more of my thoughts; I want to just tell them. I will be able to do that for you soon enough. Until then, here we are.

This week was another good one. I feel the days go by only because my focus is to, rather than count the days, make the days count. I've felt an increased peace as I've worked thinking this way. I feel every day as we move to the next the acceptance of the Lord more and more and that comes with more and more peace. It is beginning to really "feel right".

We had the awesome opportunity of preparing and witnessing the baptism of Anis this weekend. That was an adventure! She and her family --especially her mom-- were so happy... It made us happy to see that. We have high hopes for them! What was interesting to me is what I felt during the service as well as after. This was the fourth person I have actively been involved in baptism preparation for who has then entered the waters of baptism, and the only one of those four to witness. I learned sitting in that service that for me the real joy I have felt in my mission has been working. Finding people, teaching, planning, not sleeping cause you're role playing the next lesson in your head all night, talking every minute about the needs of those we teach and how we can help them... The work. That is what gives me joy! I remember a line from the district where the elder says, "We've been working really hard... Why couldn't we, just have a baptism...?" and the way he talks about it is almost as though that is the only source of their joy: witnessing someone they've taught be baptized. So that is the interesting thing - to realize that is not the case for me. I rejoice just as much being there or not. I am very very thankful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me my whole mission with opportunities to experience true joy, and I'm thankful He allowed me this transfer to see that.

We also had the coolest little miracle this week. We are doing some hard core finding and decided to look up these 5 people in our area book for the last time. We passed by the first; nothing. We get to the second and it's my turn to offer the prayer. I pray in the car explaining we had too many people in our area book, that we needed new people to teach, and we needed to know if she was ready. I expressed that if it was His will we teach her that we find her now. Then He added something at the very end, "...and if she is ready now, if it be Thy will that she learn at this time, may she let us in where we can teach her now." We both were silent as we walked up to the house. We knock and this 12 year old boy answers. He asks his mom who is on the phone up the stairs if he can let us in. She gestures no. He doesn't close the door. We talk with him for a brief second then she comes and joins us. We explain who we are and why we're there and she says, "oh, yes, well let's hear what you have to say. Come in." We ran inside that house so fast! Haha.

What proceeded was one of the best restoration lessons I have had in my entire mission. It was literally perfect. The Lord taught them. It was amazing. Usually when we walk up to find someone we have a plan for what we'll teach if they let us in. We didn't this time. I remember offering a little prayer of gratitude as we took our seats and asking that He teach her through us at this time. He made us work! I knew the moment we sat down we were teaching the restoration but I didn't know how to connect it to her personal situation best. We began and then suddenly He showed how He had set it up perfectly. The conversation was perfect, the spirit was strong, and their hearts were prepared. It was amazing. We will be seeing them tomorrow!

So this week was just pretty great :) We did a lot a lot a lot of finding and have been blessed by the Lord a lot for our efforts. Even though we don't always find new people to teach, He blesses us to know we've done our part. It's been good. This next week will be crazy with interviews, exchanges, apartment checks, last section of My Plan, nights full of lessons, and then the other reulars of la obra misional :) I love it.

We also got a new referral this week and the case is super weird. We have no idea what actually is going to end up happening with her but she is super cool, has a lot of potential. The stickiness of the situation comes from her having been a member previously. Apparently that usually goes through the stake. Hopefully we get to work with her a bit and help her come around. Learning a few of the details of the situation led me to exclaim, "People! Just keep the commandments!" Hna Rosario followed up with her own, "que pasa con la gente..." I have felt such an increased urgency since serving as I have truly become converted and begun this path of discipleship to just do what we're supposed to do. I read a lot of the BOM this week. (DID I SAY I LOVE THAT BOOK??? I don't think anyone knows how much I love that book.) I studied in Mosiah 26 and Alma 9 at different times but found this common theme once again present: (This is the preachy moment of the email haha)

Mosiah 26 says concerning the people that "they did not believe...because of their unbelief they could not understand...they would not be baptized; neither would they join the church...they would not call upon God...and they did not repent." Look how much agency is involved here! These verses are followed by the Lord's comfort to Alma as He says, "blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are...my sheep...and they know me." But then comes verse 26 regarding the first group of those we have mentioned: "And then shall they [that never knew me] know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed." THIS KILLS ME. The idea that we have so much opportunity, that the Lord is just WAITING to bless us, but sometimes, we too, "would not".  Alma 9 talks about the consequences for such choices.

As I've continued studying the Book of Mormon and Jesus the Christ every day I have come to understand a little bit better the character of the Savior. He wants to forgive, He wants to help us, He wants to bless us, but we need to do our part to receive those blessings. I hope we can renew our commitment to Christ if we've made it in the past, and if we haven't that we begin to. If we are willing to try the Lord is willing to help us in anything, no matter where we are. Repentance is real, change is real and that is the hope Jesus Christ gives to us. I love my mission and I love the opportunity I have to share these truths with people every day. To quote one of my favorite elders, "the church is true, the book is blue, Jesus is a Mormon." :)

Love you! Hope it is another great week!
Muchísimo amor,
Hermana Karra Gourley

P. S.  Subject line :)
This is the emphasis we have made to many people recently: to find this path and walk it with us. We truly do not walk it alone.
Moses 6:31-34

PICTURES (sorry but not in order):
- We have the baptism pictures
- Crossing the train tracks while doing some street contacting
- car selfie
- street selfies as the clouds roll in to let down the rain right as you're beginning to track (funny story there: we were walking and this little old lady was taking out her garbage. I asked if I could help, the conversation proceeded as follows... "nah, honey I just droppin it here at da curb." "okay have a good day!" "hold on, you got a'umbrella??" "no, but it's okay it isn't really raining--" "get ova'ere..." "no, it's really okay--" "wha'd I say? Get ova'ere, don't you make grandma give you a two four (no idea what that means...) I do it to ma grankids..." she grabs her umbrella from the car and hands it to me. "you live here? I can come back here to drop it off?" "guuurl, I ain't gonna die if I don't get a'umbrella back!! Nah get'long!" and so we got along... Haha! And now we have three umbrellas haha)
- a cool truck we passed #elderbrown
- filling the font :)
- Oh and the scary porch we had to cross to knock this door. Every single step the boards were moving and dropping under us, haha!
- And this nice little stop sign where we were knocking. #stopmeansgoactually