Being in the Bible Belt

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm answering some questions today. If things go the way I expect, I should be coming home June 1, 2015. That's a crazy thought. It's coming up too fast. But I still have more time until then. 

Hope Mills is great!!! I love it here. This is an army town, in the middle of Fayetteville, NC. We have been teaching and finding a lot of people here. Tracking really does work. Our Mission President has been encouraging us to use the Bible more in teaching. Which is great in the Bible Belt. Most of what we believe in, is in the Bible. I find it interesting when people who want to tare down what we believe, and say, "Just read the Bible!" I do read the Bible. I don't know everything in it, or have a perfect understanding of it, but a lot of the people that we talk to, end up telling us that they read the Bible, and still don't know any of the stories, other than Christ birth and death. I'm not posed to inviting people to read the Bible. But I know that the Book of Mormon will bring them even closer to the Lord, than the Bible. Although they should be read together. 

I've been here for a little over a month. The Trio is doing good. My Companions are great! I'm grateful that our apartment is big enough for us. We have two bathrooms. We all sleep in the same room with a bunk bed and a single twin bed. We have a separate room for studies, a kitchen, and a living room. Preparation day is still on Monday's. I'm sorry that I missed a few weeks for sending out a group email. I was distracted with other letter that I needed to write, and I found out that Genesis was baptized.

Sincerely,

Sister Kimberly Galloway

A Life Changing Mission

I apologize as a publisher of this blog. This email post was last week. The email post for this week, is directly beneath it, titled, [Ponderizing General Conference]. I'll be sure to be more careful about when I publish her emails on here. 

Dearest Family and Friends,

This week has been crazy!!! I've been transferred to Hope Mills. Sister Farr and I both left Hillsborough. One of the Sisters, white washing, was trained by the same Sister who trained my trainer. I find that comforting. My trainer went home to Utah. I have two companions now! We are in a trio in Hope Mills, a little town in the middle of Fayettville. We cover two wards like I did in Raleigh. Where one of my friends just got sent. I'm a senior Companion again like I was with Sister Farr. We are adjusting to all the changes and meeting lots of people. We've been really busy. This area is really close to Fort Brag. So there are a lot of army families. The leaves on the trees are starting to change colors. We get to go to the Temple and then listen to General Conference and I'm so excited! 

We thought this couple the word of wisdom  and knowing that they'd already given up alcohol, and that one of them had been having a hard time with smoking, and we thought it would take him 5 years to stop, but this time he said he had already quit. He has no desire to smoke anymore. He stopped a week or a few weeks a go. He has been seeing the blessings from being smoke free and noticing the consequences from all that time he had been smoking. It was great! We all made goals to live the word of wisdom more fully this week. 

I love this area. We have a lot of investigators right now. It's wonderful! I am meeting lots of amazing people. I love seeing how much everyone is so different and we are all struggling and the Lord loves and is helping each of us. I've meet so many people. I have seen the hand of the Lord in their life's. This is my 4th area, the 5th and 6th Wards and my 7th and 8th Companions. I've been out for a little over 10 months. So far I know that my life will never be the same. I am growing spiritually! My life has been touched by many amazing people. I know I have been able to touch many lives. I am so grateful for my mission. I know a lot of people didn't believe I could do it. I can't without the help of the Lord. But with the Lord all things are possible. This is the hardest thing I've ever done. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. My mission is stretching me in every way I can imagine. I am as I am inviting others to do, I am changing. I will forever be grateful for the lessons I'm learning. I love you all! I miss you! And I hope all is well where ever you are. 

Sincerely,

Sister Kimberly Galloway

P.S. Please remind me when your and your family's birthdays are. I don't think I think I'm missing some. 

Ponderizing General Conference

Her current address is now updated on the left side of this blog, under 'Write to Kimberly.' 

Dear Friends and Family,

Ponderizing for this week: Alma 46:15. "And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come."

General Conference was amazing! I want to watch it again! I loved all the talks! We were able to got to the Temple this week! It was wonderful! I love the Temple so much!! It was very exciting! It's been raining a lot. There's a hurricane but it should miss us. How did y'all like Conference? I feel like the theem was how keeping the commandments makes us happy. Please remind me of upcoming birthdays. I was reading in Genesis today about Noah and the ark. I think it is intresting how old the Bible says they lived to be back than. This week was like Christmas with the Temple and General Conferanceso close together. I needed that. I hope you all got to watch. If not and even if you did, go back and read it. :)

"I love to see the temple.

I'm going there someday

To feel the Holy Spirit,

To listen and to pray.

For the temple is a house of God,

A place of love and beauty.

I'll prepare myself while I am young;

This is my sacred duty.
I love to see the temple.

I'll go inside someday.

I'll cov'nant with my Father;

I'll promise to obey.

For the temple is a holy place

Where we are sealed together.

As a child of God, I've learned this truth:

A fam'ly is forever."

Sincerely,

Sister Kimberly Galloway