The Atonement is Real

Hello all! How are things going? Things here are going well! We were able to see some AMAZING miracles this week! 

First off, we have been trying to go and meet all of the members in the ward. We have found some members who have not been coming to church but who want to start coming back. On Saturday we went to see a member of the ward and we had an amazing experience! She opened the door and was very friendly to us. She stepped outside and we introduced ourselves. She said, "Oh! I'm not very active so I usually don't have missionaries coming over to my house!" We started talking and we asked how her day was. She related to us that she was having a really hard day. Sister Oh asked her how she deals with the hard days and she just started bawling. Sister Oh and I just stood there feeling so sad for her and wanting so much to share with her the gospel. After a few minutes she told us that she was dealing with some hard things and that she was scared and not sure how to handle it. We bore testimony of how much her Savior loves her and how much Heavenly Father loves to hear from her even though she is not active in church. We told her that no matter what choices she makes in her life, He will always love her. She again started to cry and told us what she was dealing with. My heart just broke for her. She took our number and told us that we could come back any time. 

Then, Saturday evening, Sister Oh and I went to a baptism for someone that Sister Oh taught in her last area. We got there about 15 minutes before the baptism was scheduled to start and no one was there....not even the other missionaries. The font was filling, but very slowly and at the rate it was going, it would never be filled on time. Sister Oh started playing the piano and people started to file in. But still no missionaries, and still no Rocky (the guy being baptized.) We texted the sisters and asked if everything was okay. They replied and said that they had been knocking on his door for 3 hours and he wasn't answering. By now the Bishop and everyone that was attending the baptism had showed up. The person conducting the service stood up and announced that as soon as the missionaries and Rocky showed up, they would start. But, at 4:30, still no one had showed up. He again stood and announced that Rocky was missing and so there would be no baptismal service that day. He had asked the missionaries to come back to the church so that we could pray and have President Sablan (of the stake presidency) speak. The atmosphere in the room completely changed. It was now one of sorrow and disappointment. When the sisters came in, they were both crying. We had a prayer and then President Sablan stood. He spoke of his own baptism day when he and his wife got all ready to go and left more than 30 minutes early. They had been to the church several times, but somehow got lost. It was 5 minutes until the baptism and they were still not at the church. President Sablan said that "obviously this isn't supposed to happen today. Let's just go home." But, his sweet wife suggested that they pull over and pray. As they looked up from their prayer, they could see the steeple of the church. He started to cry and said, "I knew then that is was Satan trying to stop me from doing what God wanted me to." It was a very touching story and he related it to Rocky. He asked us to keep Rocky in our thoughts and prayers and to show an increase in love for him and help him get to where he needs to be in the gospel. 

Both of these experiences this week taught/ reminded me of the power of the atonement. It is real. We can move on from hard experiences and rough times through our Savior, Jesus Christ. I testify that He lives. And because He lives, we can do all things! In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen! 

Love, 

Sister Keele

Renton

Hello family!!! Things here in Renton are going well. It's been a really hard week, but we have been blessed with so many miracles! We met a family from Vietnam the other day while we were contacting on the street. They were so sweet! They even invited us over for dinner! It was such a miracle! This gospel is all about families and so it is awesome when we find families! We are praying that we will be able to teach them and help them come closer to Christ! 

I have realized even more this week how important it is to be obedient to what God wants you to do. When we are obedient, He blesses us so much! 

We had our monthly mission devotional last night. It was really good. The common theme throughout the night was how much Heavenly Father loves us! I testify that He does love us! He knows each of us individually! That is such a blessing!!! 

I love you all! 

Sister Keele

Soos Creek

Hello familia! How are things going? My new companion is Sister Oh and she is from Korea. She was called to Temple Square and is here in Federal Way for her outbound service. Every Temple Square missionary serves for 2 transfer in a regular proselyting mission. This is Sister Oh's second transfer so she will be going back to Temple Square soon. :( We get along great and we laugh all the time! She feeds me interesting food like kimchi and is teaching me Korean words! The other day she was cooking and burned herself and started yelling in Korean. It was so funny! When I ask her questions she says, "That's a beautiful question!" I love being her companion!!!

This week we have worked really hard to find new investigators and to gain the trust of the ward members. It has been so hard and it is easy to get discouraged. But I know that Heavenly Father has placed Sister Oh and I here together for a reason. He knows that we are going to work hard and do what He asks of us! We have already seen the miracles that come from being obedient! I am so excited to be here!!!!

I love you all and hope you have a great week!!!

Sister Keele

Week 6

Wow. Time sure flies when you're havin' fun! This is the last week of the transfer and I can't believe it! This transfer has been so great and I have learned so much! As of last Wednesday, I have officially been a full-time missionary for 14 months. What?! That doesn't seem real! I feel like I just left yesterday! Again, time flies when you're havin' fun! :) 

This week was a great one! Brother Coleman received the Priesthood and a limited-use temple recommend! We are so excited for him and his family! I cannot wait until a year from now when they will be able to be sealed for all time and eternity!! There is nothing greater than seeing families become eternal!! 

We also helped with the horse I mentioned last week. She is already looking better. We brushed her tail out on Saturday. It was like one big dread-lock. There was dirt and poop just matted into it. It was so sad. It took at least 2 hours to brush it all out. As I was brushing it I was thinking about sin. It is so easy to get tangled up in sin and not even know it. But before you can do anything about it, you are so tangled up that you don't know where to start making things right. It isn't impossible, but it is hard to make it right again. We get so caught up in ourselves that we don't even realize what we are doing. BUT, the Savior of the world has made it possible! He has suffered all things for US. His infinite love overcame all. So, don't be afraid to start untangling the sin now! It will be hard! But it will not be impossible! And when you're done, it will be so worth it! :D 

I love being a missionary and I love being a part of this great work! Our Heavenly Father lives! I know it because I can feel Him all around me! I can see the evidence of His love! I can see people's lives changing because He lives! At dinner last night, a little boy said, "Hey missionaries! Did Jesus really live again?" I testify that He did. That He does. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real. At that same dinner appointment, another one of their children said the prayer over the food. She said, "we are so grateful for the missionaries being here tonight. Please bless them that they will be able to find the people that need the gospel and are really looking for it." There is a reason that we are told to "become as little children." They are so close to the veil! I love this work! I testify of the truthfulness of the restored gospel. I testify of the truth that is in the Book of Mormon. I testify of the reality of a living prophet. The heavens are not closed! God continues to speak to us and guide us today! If you do not know of these truths, I invite you to find out! Pray and ask! There is nothing to lose! Only exaltation to gain! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen! 

14 Months????

Wow....I can't believe this week marks 14 months of being a full-time missionary! I have had a very eventful week. Some happy things....a few sad things. 

We'll start off with the sad. I got news today that Davina passed away. It is sad for me because I really love her and I will truly miss her. But she is free from her earthy pains and afflictions. I am so glad that I was able to see her change and grow so much from the time that I met her. I remember the day Sister Judd and I met her. I was being stubborn and didn't want to contact at the park. Sister Judd finally convinced me to "just cannonball" as she often did. We got out of the car and there was Davina, Lorenzo and the girls. We started talking to them and Davina tried to walk past us. Lorenzo stopped and engaged us. We were able to teach them the Restoration right there at the park. The lesson was half in Spanish and half in English. Davina opened up about her severe anxiety and told us that she hardly ever left the house. That day was just one rare day that Lorenzo had convinced her to go spend some time with the family. I shared some personal experiences with her and we instantly had a special connection. From that day on, she dramatically changed. She had even set a date to be baptized! I love her so much and I cannot wait to see her again! 

On Sunday, Sister Collins and I sang in church....again. :) But this time was special! We sang "Gethsemane" and Brother Olson played the violin with us! It was awesome! He did so well!

Brother Coleman was baptized on Saturday! It was an amazing day! And on Sunday, he bore his testimony during Sacrament meeting! He so simply testified of the truths that he has come to know. I, of course, cried! :) There is nothing better than seeing people come unto Christ! There is no greater joy! 

On a funny note, Sister Collins and I got home the other night and there was a card on our door. I will send a picture of it. I started laughing so hard that I cried. It was just so ironic! :)

This week, one of the members got a new horse that is boarding on her farm. We went to see the horse one day while we were doing service for her. She warned us that she cried when she saw the horse. When we saw Lilly, I was shocked. I couldn't believe that someone would let an animal get to that condition. Lilly is about 800 pounds and should be 13-1400 pounds. You can see every bone in her body. It is so sad. As I thought about it later, I realized that we can get like that spiritually. We can go without spiritual food only so long before we start to suffer. If we go too long without praying, reading our scripture, attending church, etc, we get spiritually malnourished. So, this week, I invite each of you to "let your soul delight in fatness"!! (2 Nephi 9:51) Feast on the words of Christ and delight in fatness! 

I love you all and look forward to hearing from you! 

Yokweeee

Hello family!!! I hope everyone is doing GREAT! This week in Enumclaw has been interesting. There is never a dull moment as a missionary. LOL. 

On Saturday we had the baptism for Brother Olson! It was such a great service and the Spirit was so strong! He was confirmed a member of the church and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost yesterday during Sacrament Meeting. I love being able to be a part of people coming unto Christ. It is so amazing! Sister Collins and I are singing in church this Sunday....again. And Brother Olson is going to play the Violin for us! We are so excited!!! 

On a sad note, please pray for Davina. I taught her and her family while I was serving in Kent. She had a heart attack last week and is the hospital in a coma. I love her and her family and I had a special bond with her. She has small children and they could use the prayers! 

I just watched a video on Mormon Channel that is fairly new. It reminds us that it is never too late to come unto Christ. It is never too late to change our ways so that our will is in line with our Savior's will. Even when it is hard to do what the Savior needs us to do, we will ALWAYS succeed when we do His will. http://youtu.be/2Lxz3GHP59Y

This week I invite each of you to do the Lord's will no matter what you have to give up. Elder Hamula said, "If you really want to go to the next level, individually or collectively, you need to consecrate yourself wholly and completely unto Him. A good number of you are still holding on to what you were. Not until you are willing to give it all away do you get the most out of this experience." He was talking to us missionaries when he said that, but it applies to all of us. Not until we give it all away do we get the most out of life. We see this in the scriptures when God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac- his only son that he waited so long to have. That HAD to be hard for Abraham. He had to give up the only thing he had ever truly wanted. But he did it anyway. I think that the walk to the place where he built the altar had to be the longest walk of his life. He was probably hoping that it was all a dream. That he would soon wake and realize it was a dream. He loved Isaac. But he loved God more. And just when he was about to sacrifice his only son, an angel appeared and told him not to sacrifice his son. The blessings that were promised to Abraham for his obedience and faithfulness are magnificent. We are all part of that promise as members of the church. The blessings that will come to us as we obey the Lord with faith, are unimaginable. Don't deny yourself of those blessings!

I love you all and hope that you have an amazing week!!!

Sister Keele

Miracles

Hello family! This week here in Enumclaw was absolutely AMAZING! We had the baptism for Dajia and she was just glowing! Her family was inactive in their previous ward and had no desire to return to the church. The mom told us, "You wouldn't believe the hours I've spent reading anti-Mormon literature." Sister Collins served in that area for 6 weeks. When she was transferred here to Enumclaw, that family was moving here. They decided to turn over a new leaf and embrace the gospel. Even though she has spent countless hours reading anti-Mormon literature, she said, "I tried to convince myself that it wasn't true. But no matter what I read, it just strengthened my testimony. I couldn't deny that it was true." How amazing?! Dajia's father was able to baptize her and her grandfather confirmed her the next day. The baptism was emotional for everyone involved and there were many tears of joy shed that day! The whole family was just glowing!! 

On a sadder note, in Sister Collins' last area, she taught and baptized an 89 year old man. He was baptized on November 15, 2014 and last Monday, he passed away in his sleep. His funeral was yesterday and Sister Collins was able to attend with the other sisters that taught him. She said the funeral was good with lots of people sharing memories of Russ. He was in the military and had a military service. She said it was tear-jerking to see them hand his family the flag and say, "Our condolences." There were apparently a lot of non-members there that just kept saying how dark it is to lose a family member or friend. The sisters all wanted to share the Plan of Salvation but couldn't per the family's request. I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and that Russ was able to be baptized and partake of the fullness of the gospel! 

Miracles are happening here in Enumclaw! The work is picking up and it's harvesting time! The Lord has promised that "the field is white already to harvest." People have been prepared! It is not our job to plant the seeds anymore, it's our job to do the harvest! So, keep on sharing the gospel and inviting, inviting, inviting!!!! 

I love you all and want you to know that I have a testimony of this gospel! It is true! 

Love,

Sister Keele