WEEK 30: A week full of adventures in the Land of Crazy Nevada, Mo

This week we are here in Joplin for the Memorial day holiday with 4 other sisters and excited to have a fun activity with the elders today. Kickball or Flower ball fights in the Abandoned water park Again. 

This week has been AWESOME! really busy as always, lots of good things happened this week. 

We went on exchanges and i got to be with (LOUD) Sister Knight. I've been with both Sister Knights out here the last 7 months. Sister Anderson and i were able to do service this week and walk lots. 

The weather is really humid here and it's getting Super hot.  Right now it's 90deg and it's only 10 am in the morning, add on 70% humility, it's uncomfortable to say the least. 

We have interviews this week here in Joplin and i went on exchanges with the Sisters.. Sister Anderson forgot her overnight bag and had to go without her stuff for 2 days. I felt bad but she was a trooper... Sister Knight and i just had way to much fun. We had a member Call our Recent Convert who got baptized while we were companions in Nixa for 2 weeks and we went to dinner with him. It is always a Party with Mike. He got baptized in January when i was fresh out, but it was so good to have two originals back he said. I'll attach some photos below of how much fun we really have when all three of us are together. 

Sister Knight and i had an awesome experience this week that really helped me hear and listen to the Voice of the Spirit. I had a prompting to go visit Becky who is getting baptized on the 9th of June. So we get there and she's not home.  I thought in my head, why was i pulled to be here? So i tried knocking the doors around her apartment. No one was interested.. so we then decided to leave.. As we were heading to go see another person i see this man on the side of the road walking.. I get this STRONG promoting that i needed to Give him a picture of the Savior so i grabbed a picture but wasn't going to pull over. The prompting again came, a lot stronger and more clear so i new it was coming from the Spirit. I looked at sister knight and said i have to pull over, so i did and i waited for this man to catch up to the car, i rolled the window down and said "sir? he looked at me confused and not sure what i was about to say. I then introduced myself and told him who we were and our purpose. He began to get teary eyed.. He had met with missionaries 19 years ago but stopped because he got scared and Satan got to him. I gave him a beautiful picture of the savior, gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and then answered any questions he had. We made a return appointment to go teach him this upcoming Thursday. I just had to give thanks that night for that prompting i received and for the ability to recognize the Still Small Voice of the Sweet and tender voice of the Spirit. I know that Jim( the man on the side of the road) is fully prepared and that the savior has given him another chance. I cant even begin to tell you how awful i would have felt if i drove away from him. 

I am thankful for many chances and the merits and mercy of the Savior. He never gives up on us, no matter what we do or no matter what we don't do. I know that through is atonement we can be made clean and pure so that we can daily progress towards our end goal which is eternal life with our families.

I love you all so much. Thank you for your love and Endless support. 

Thank you to all of those that have Served for our country and for sacrificing your life for our freedom. 

Have an awesome Memorial Weekend

LOVE Sister Gilmour

WEEK 29: It's been an eventful week and also a very spiritual week too

This email might be short, it's been an eventful week and also a very spiritual week too. 

Funny story.. kind of ..

We had zone Conference this week and i received a lot of person revelation of taking every foot step with faith. I'm finding that a mission is not at all what i expected but the people i get to help and those i get to bring light into there lives makes it all worth it.  

Zone conference was good. I got to see my passed companions from Nixa, Mo and it was awesome. We slept at the sisters Apartment in Joplin and had pumpkin pancakes. YUMMY. We then got done and the next day i started feeling a little sick and then THE BOMB HIT ME! Oh My Gosh i got food poisoning and that was rough. I'm not gonna say how many times i had my insides come up cause that's personal :).. but it took 78 hours to get feeling better and 10 pounds lighter to feel a little more myself.  We then found out that 23 missionaries got sick which is 23/30 people that didn't eat what we all ate. i don't wish that on anyone.. not even my worst enemy. It was a rough night.

I woke up the next morning around 10 because i had been up all night and asked a member in the ward if he could give me a blessing. I went to the church and had brother Gillette give me a blessing of healing and comfort. I cant begin to explain this feeling i felt as he laid his hand on my head. The priesthood is something i know is coming directly given from God, And a gift that is very important to me. At that moment my stomach stopped hurting and my pain went from a 9 to a 6 and i was told that told that My entire body may be healed inside and out and that every inch may be watched over and protected over the next 10 months. I prayed that it would leave me as fast as it came into my body. I'm so Grateful for the power of the Priesthood and for those that live worthily to have it. I also am really thankful for the atonement because it makes up all the difference when we mess up and i know that nobody is perfect but we must try our best to become better than we were yesterday and look to the future and plan to change.

*This week we took an investigator to go see a baptism in Joplin, he was planning on being baptized on June 23 but after he wanted to move it up by a week and he is so excited and ready to have this happen now on the 15th which is a Friday in June! I've been with this gt person for 3 transfers now and to see where he is now to where is was is incredible and he has such a strong desire to become better and to be ready because he knows this church is true. 

*We Also have Becky who is Being Baptized on the 9th of June and I'm excited to see her make this next step. She's been through so much and has overcome the world but like everyone we all have problems and she is someone i admire because she's chosen to over come and be better daily. She loves the church. On Sunday at church the bishop came up to her and she said to him. " hey, im Becky and i'm joining your church and being baptized on the 9th of June" Shes excited and ready and has been prepared for us. I met her in Walmart 4 weeks ago and she is like an older sister, we are really close but it helps that she has a friend who is a member in our congregation and is helping her take this amazing step towards happiness and strengthening her relationship with God and the Savior. 

We will be at the Kansas City temple on June 13th and i'm excited, it's been way to long since I've been and i miss it.  Back home id go 1-2 times a week and that strengthened me so much. Helped me see my divine potential. 

My invite to those that read this is to go to the temple every other week.. by yourself, or with your spouse or with your children. Make it a part of your life and i know that blessings will come as our prophet and God has promised.  Make it apart of your every day. 

I LOVE YOU ALL 

Love Sister Gilmour

WEEK 28: hAPPY mOTHERS dAY - IT SURE WAS!!

WOW talking to my AWESOME family was just the greatest yesterday. I am beyond blessed to have such amazing  sisters, parents, nana and Bro in law! I am so grateful for eternal families and that i get those goofballs for the rest of my life.

This week has been great, i have a new companion, her name is Sister Anderson and she is from Blackfoot, Idaho.  She's been on her mission for 5 months and serving in Camdenton, MO before coming here.  This is her 2nd area and so far.. i think she likes it. She got a great companion!:)

We have been finding lots of new people. 

The other evening we road our bikes for 4 hours and just about talked to everyone.  We went and contacted a less active and we will be helping her with her house that she is remodeling.. i think i'm going to be a Pro by the end of my mission on fixing up houses. Maybe when i get home that will be my first project. 

I'm loving the work.  I've seen the Gospel change lives and I've been able to see the Lord help those around us change for the better. We are helping a lot of people here, Becky has been one of them. Yesterday we had a crazy experience, we went to go visit someone in the Hospital were they keep people for mental illness. On the way out we were stopped by a lady asking for help, we ran over to get the girl that had been sitting in the passenger side of the car. The girl had been drugged and was shaking.. it was scary but I've seen the things drugs do here to people. We helped get this girl who is probably around 17 out of the car and into a wheel chair to get her into the hospital. I was able to pray with her and get the information of the person who brought her 

in. 

I gave them a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and our card to call us if they need anything. I always know that we are placed in situations for others. Nothing is a coincidence and we as heavenly fathers children can change life through prayer.

Prayer is our way of communication with our Heavenly Father. I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. 

Love you all have a great week.

Love Sister Gilmour

WEEK 27: Transfers and a new companion, work is going great!

Anther week, another companion... yes:)

This week was just awesome, we have set 4 dates for baptism here.  We have 2 set for May and 2 set for June and I'll be here for all of them.   I'm super excited and happy I get to stay and work with all the amazing people here in Nevada, MO and Fort Scott, KS.

We have had a lot of amazing and funny experiences this week. I'll share the funny first then I'll share the spiritual one next. 

So... lots of animals here.. i am holding them all the time and the birds are everywhere and always flying around. I was having a nice evening watching the sunset go down with an investigator names Wanda. As we are sitting there eating cheesecake, I feel this slimy thing on my middle of my forehead.. all i can think is OH NO. I put my hand on my forehead and guess what i felt. Well you see I talk about animals a lot and what do animals do.. They poop.. the bird pooped on my forehead, on my arm and I just began to laugh so hard, I was dying, Wanda couldn't control herself, she had to go inside before she had an accident. Sister knight is on the floor of Wanda's porch and I'm sitting there with Bird poop on my face. But the birds here are so pretty. (hope that gives you a good laugh for the week) Never a dull moment with Sister Gilmour.

Spiritual time: This week was incredible and I cant even begin to say how grateful I am to be here another 6 weeks. We have been teaching a lady named Becky, Becky is my best friend. I love her, i met her in Walmart 2 weeks ago and we have been teaching her. She was supposed to get baptized 9 years ago, but then ended up in the hospital due to some illnesses she has. We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and extended a Baptism date for June 7th.  She wants to join the church and she knows it's true.  She was having a rough night on Monday so we went to go visit her.  We called Brother Gillette to come give her a blessing and he came over and man was it so amazing to see her face after he was done giving her that blessing. She looks at me and says "Sister Gilmour that was AMAZING, I feel like there has been a weight lifted off my shoulders. Why doesn't everyone have this amazing gift." We have been talking a lot about the priesthood and how we are able be baptized in this life, but we have the ability to make it continue beyond this life. She is getting baptized because she knows this is the true church. She is an amazing example of never giving up and being humble. I just love her. 

I love seeing how the Gospel can change lives in just the matter of 6 weeks. Because i know that, the Lords hand is in every finding, teaching and growing experience.   I know that this is the only true church here on this earth today. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. 

Happy mothers day, to all the amazing women and moms i have in my life. But especially to my amazing momma.

LOVE Sister Gilmour