Happy Valentine's Day from New York!

Hey All!
My goodness February is flying!  Where has it gone?!  I can officially say that I now have one transfer under my belt. :|)  It's been an awesome week.  We set our goals pretty high this week but we made most of them. We had to really stretch ourselves but we did it!

We were much loved on Valentine's Day!

We had some pretty amazing lessons this week.  After a long struggle and amazing courage, one of our investigators has quit smoking!  We've been asking him to receive a blessing to help him, and he kept saying no.  But last Monday said that he would like a blessing!  So on Friday he received a blessing from a few men in our ward.  On Saturday, I've never seen him so calm and he asked us for a Mormon.org card to share with his friend!  He's not even a member yet and he's sharing the Gospel!  Also on Friday after his blessing, he told us that he know the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith is a prophet, that we have a prophet today, and that the Church was true.  I thought it would take ages for him to say that.  But he knows!  At Church on Sunday, he beat Sister Hatch and I to Church with his little 5-year old daughter who he bought a new Sunday dress and shoes for.  And he bought himself (and wore) dress pants and a white shirt.  He even combed and gelled his hair.  He looked so happy!  He was talking and sitting by members when we came in and our jaws dropped.  Miracle!

Our other investigator (who is getting baptized in March) is still great.  She basically teaches herself and is every missionary's dream investigator.  She is so great and just knows everything is true.  From teaching her I've been reminded so much about how the media can affect us.  She has experimented not watching certain things (not horrible things, just inappropriate) and then after a while tried to go back and watch.  She realized how much the media can clog our communication lines with God.  It's been so amazing learning from her example.

A New York Calzone.  HUGE!  Sister Hatch and I got one and split it easily.  It was sooooooo good!

The couple we're teaching are doing better.  Things financially are turning around for them so they now have their own transportation to Church, came to Church, and have been reading.  They texted us this morning telling us about their reading.

We met a new couple while going through our super long referral list.  They had met with missionaries before and had a lot of service done for them but were never fully taught anything.  At first, he wasn't really interested and said he doesn't "believe in the Jesus stuff" but after an incredible lesson, he took the Book of Mormon (she already had one) and was thumbing through it and said, "There's something about you.  You are so happy and truly believe this.  I want to read it."  We have an appointment with them this week!

We got a referral from one of the amazing families in our ward.  This family drove this guy home when he was stuck in the snow a few weeks ago and gave him a Book of Mormon.  They asked us to go over and see if he was interested.  At first we totally went to the wrong end of the really long street.  After getting new directions from the family in our ward, we knocked on what turned out to be the wrong house.  After knocking on four doors, we found him.  He has a family and a very impressive 12-year old who came out with his dad and shook our hands.  He told us that he had been reading the Book of Mormon and wants us to come back this week!  That experience reminded me of the importance of member missionary work.  If that family never helped this guy, he would have never been given the Book of Mormon nor have had a positive experience with "Mormons".  He was so impressed by this family and that's what made him curious to learn more.

For Valentine's Day, Sister Hatch and I decided to go to the temple.  We are allowed to go once a transfer, so we figured since everyone was busy, we would treat ourselves to a night at the temple.  The Palmyra Temple is tiny and the session was packed but it was such an awesome experience.  They have a symbol throughout the temple - a ring inside of a square - that symbolizes that the temple is the place where the four quarters of the earth can come and be together for eternity.  Love it!

Sister Killen at Palmyra Temple Entrance

Palmyra Temple

Sister Hatch and Sister Killen at Palmyra Temple

The tender mercy of the Lord this past week was being able to have a few nice sunny days.  I needed sun, haha!  It was a great week. :)

Love,
Sister Killen