I love being a full time missionary

RACHEL - Dear family and friends,

This past week has been very wonderful! On Monday, (P-day) we decided to teach one of our Investigators in the morning and then in the evening we taught a less active and then our Investigator Stuart. It was a good day. On Tuesday we were blessed to have two new Investigators from Lithuania! A daughter and a Father, we are excited to see how they progress. Then on the Wednesday Stuart brought his mom over to a lesson with us and she became our new Investigator as well! Then we were able to teach Tony our other Investigator in the morning and as always that went well. We sat down with one of our non progressing Investigators and said to him that he either needs to keep his commitments and come to church or we cannot keep teaching him and that went really well! All in all we had Members at every lesson and that is always amazing help from the Lord!

On the Thursday we traveled over to Liverpool on the ferry ride at 3pm. On the Friday, Sister Rothmund and I attended the Specialized Training and Interviews in Chorley! (My home!) It was a great experience; we were with the Preston Zone! I am truly grateful and thankful for two Mission Presidents because the Lord placed them in my mission at the right time perfectly for me. When President Preston came over to the Isle of Man with us, I asked if we could have a Sports day in the Mission and on the next calendar for the transfer I see a Sports Day! I was so happy and he had been telling every missionary in the mission that he put it on because it was my idea. He has expressed to me the numerous thank-yous from missionaries for it. However, I later found out that if I went to Sports day on the 9th of November I would have then been immediately transferred to a different area with a different companion till the end of the transfer while another Sister would take my place and right after Sports day take my place and go back to the Isle with Sister Rothmund. This thought stung a little, but especially when we had 4 Investigators dated for baptism on the 12th of November and I wouldn't be there to see it. So Sister Rothmund and I really thought about it and decided to miss the Sports Day. When I asked President at Interviews if I could do that, he was shocked but granted our request. Very bitter sweet but we are sacrificing something good for something greater.

After the Trainings at Chorley I was able to see my Smith family that I taught and were baptised about a year ago! I cried when I saw them and was so happy to see them! What a sweet experience! But if that wasn't enough, I found out that a man I taught in Swinton was getting baptised and President gave me and Sister Rothmund and I permission to see him get baptised on the Saturday the 22nd! It was amazing to see him have completely transformed from when I first taught him with Sister Bibb to now! It was great to see Sister Bibb and Sister Allison (my old companions) again! It was incredible as well to see my recent Convert Sister Helen and the members in the Swinton ward!

On Sunday, we went to the Liverpool Ward and were on exchanges that day with the Liverpool Sisters. Sister Rothmund was with Sister Chuo and I was with Sister Gong from Mainland China! It was a completely different experience teaching Chinese individuals because on the first lesson they don't teach the Restoration because the investigators don't even have any idea or concept of God and what it is or could be. So we taught the relationship and relevance God has to them and then to invite them to pray and read the scriptures at the end of the lesson instead of inviting them to be baptised because they would have no understanding on what that even meant. Fascinating.

On the Monday we went to Manchester South for my final Zone Conference. We had President Kopischke there from the Seventy and He asked us to set an amount of individuals that will be baptised in our area till the end of the year. So we all had time alone with our companion and prayerfully considered and set a goal. Sister Rothmund and I set 5 for the Isle of Man and to focus our time in Ramsey. We were with the Ashton and Manchester Zones and it was great because my old companions Sister Suaybaguio and Sister Dell were there! A lot of questions were answered that Conference with a Question and Answer Session by President Kopischke. At the end, there came the departing Testimonies by those missionaries that were leaving. This time it was a tad different because President Kopischke asked us to make it short and powerful by stating 3 things.

   1) The greatest insight I have gained/learned on my mission was...

   2) What I want my grandchildren to know about my mission is...

   3) A simple and powerful testimony on the Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith...

Sister Babbel went first and then me. I have dreaded this day for my entire mission and it makes me sick to my stomach to think how fast that day has come. I began by saying, "The greatest insight I have learned on my mission was to enjoy every moment, even the difficult ones; to not fast forward but to love what you are doing now. What I would want my Grandchildren to know is that my mission for me was a process of sanctification. Understanding what my Heavenly father wants me to do to become like Him." Then I bore a simple testimony of my Saviour and Prophet expressing simply how blessed we were to be preserved for this time and how I know Heavenly father loves me by giving me two Mission Presidents that have changed my life. I know these things to be true because of the way I feel when I read the Book of Mormon.

The whole time my eyes were brim with tears but I felt peaceful. Sister Rothmund and I got permission to go to the temple on the Tuesday to confirm our goal of the amount of baptisms for this year and I desperately needed to go to the Temple anyway because my mind is filled with tons of questions and unsettled feelings about Investigators and personal life. It was a special time for me. I also got to see Brother Holm again in Chorley who I spent New Years day with him and his wife by the Temple. That night we went home and boarded to docks onto the ferry to arrive back at home on the Isle of Man. It is a wonderful feeling to be back and I am excited for the work here!

I love my mission and I love being a full time missionary. Nothing can compare to the feelings of seeing souls come unto Christ. Thank you for all that you do for Teresa and I! Take care and love you all!

Love always, Sister Rachel Kullick