Monday, February 29, 2016

When time flies, I don't know what happens!

So I really need some different adjectives to describe my weeks. Crazy
and insane just aren't cutting it anymore!

This week was unpredictable. We had a zillion set appointments! No one
showed up. That is missionary work. It happens. We just have to put
our shoulders to the wheel and press forward with a steadfast faith in
Christ. The work rolls on. The people do show up. We do teach. We do
baptize! It was just another week.

This week:
* I went on exchanges with Hermana Linares and Sister Israelsen! They
are both incredible sisters and I am so blessed to work with them
both! Sister Linares and I worked the Spanish side of Winchester. It
was a little odd for me because I was in my area, but not doing my
work! It was powerful though. We taught one lesson and members came to
bear their testimonies as well. I couldn't understand a single word
but the spirit said it all. This is true. The message is true. Sister
Israelsen and I tore it up in the pioneer south area and had a blast.
We taught an awesome restoration lesson to a sweet girl and then got
straight up stood up by a punk kid. He took longer to get dressed than
both of us combined. :p I pray that they will be able to catch him
again and teach him! We also almost contacted our zone leaders on the
street thinking they were jw's. It was a great day!
* We went to district meeting in our authentic Amish dresses. We
matched the elders with their authentic Amish pants. #amishforthewin
we have a really rad district!
* We ate dinner with one of the greatest families, the Walters!
Brother Walters is our recent convert. He is amazing! He and his wife
pretty much taught the lesson to their girls. They are such a solid
gospel family! I love them! It honestly feels like home at their
house!
* It was warm(er) and we got to ride our bikes! We were also pretty
much out of miles. I forgot how awesome it is to ride my bike!
* On Sunday we taught two awesome lessons! One two sister Epperson and
her daughter and another to Heather. The spirit was so strong and I
know they are excited to be baptized! The spirit does the converting,
not us!

I love being a missionary! It is the greatest work of my life and I
know that this is the work of the Lord!

Stay rad,
Stay righteous!

Much love from the GKLM,
Sister Hannah



Sent from my iPad

Exchanges with pioneer south!










Sent from my iPadSister Israelsen and me

Me,vista else's, Hinton, Resendez

The Amish district.




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Pur Amish dresses and the elders Amish pants!

The real sishan and sisrez










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Exchanges with the Paris hermanas!







Sent from my iPadResendez, Laub, me, Linares

Monday, February 22, 2016

Amish adventures
















Sent from my iPadToday we went up to Owingsville and got our Amish dresses from our
sweet friend Mary Ann! She is so talented and kind! She had homemade
cookies ready and everything. I love the Amish!

Craziness!

Wow.

Another week has flown by. This week started really high, got really low and then came back up. It was insane. Emotions. They were a roller coaster. President and sister Brough, love them. Sister Resendez. So grateful for. Up, down, here, there and everything all at once and nothing. Yeah. That pretty much sums up my week in win.. Well half the week I spent in Winchester! 

So here it goes! 

We started up high with the johns! We went over and retaught the restoration for the new member lessons. Isaiah, that kid is amazing. We asked them all sorts of questions so they would teach us the restoration. He did phenomenal! He gave the best answers and then some! I love that kid and that family! They are so wonderful! :)

Tuesday started the craziness. I went to Richmond and ate at Babylon, one of the best Greek food places, and then I went on exchange with sister Cox! She is serving in Berea! It was so fun! We worked hard and had a really good exchange! I learned so much from her, she rocks! She is energetic, kind and caring. She bore powerful testimony and we saw miracles! We were in Winchester for the day together. We went out to find a woman on the Richmond Ward roster who now lives here. We didn't find her, but we found a young couple who listened to our message and accepted baptismal dates! It was so exciting! I love the way sister cox teaches. It is powerful and the spirit is always present. She presents the doctrine in the unique light it deserves! Dylan and Alexa, the young couple we met, are expecting soon! They are so excited! 

The next day, Sister Resendez and I saw each other for a car ride and lunch where we caught up on what had happened, took a deep breath and went on another exchange after lunch. Talk about insane! I was in Lexington with Sister Rammell. We had a really good exchange! She is fierce and loyal. She blew me away. She is an incredible missionary! She is so inconvenient! She stopped the car in the middle of the road and talked to these people. She is quiet but bold and powerful. She is going home in four weeks and isn't the slightest bit trunky. She is a powerful servant!

We then had interviews with President and Sister Brough. I love them so much! They are truly incredible and inspiried! It is always cool to be around them! Elder Viehweg trained on having the right motives behind setting goals and executing them and it was exactly what I needed. I love him as our district leader. He too is inspiried and wants us all to hit our full potential! He fits right in to our district!

On Friday we found SPOON RINGS!!! it was a miracle! We had been looking for them forever! We decided to go into a little artsy shop and just ask if they had them. The guy looks at us and says "you're the missionaries! You were at my house over on hood avenue last week!" we were, that is us! He is a less actives husband and he is the one who makes the rings! It was so cool! We were able to talk to him about the gospel and get our rings! so rad! we were also able to go back over and see him in his home! blessings!!

ON Saturday it was BRIHGT AND SUNNY!!! we were outside all day. one layer. t-shirt. light shoes. it was such a tease. I love this weather! We saw so many blessings! We exceeded our goal for talking with everyone and picked up a new investigator! We went to an appointment and the girl we were trying to see was passed out. She had a rough night.. but her mom came in and listened to what we had to say!! It was so cool! She was intrigued and listed with real intent! She called us the next day and said "sisters, I have received a witness that the Book of Mormon is true!!" wow! The spirit truly is incredible!!

Sunday was by far the best day of the week!!

we saw so many miracles, but here is the best one!

This was a four weeks in the making miracle! We had talked to a woman, Rose, a while back and she had given us a referral for David and Ashley. We tried and tried and tried them but never had any luck. We always seemed to be in their neck of the woods, so we always gave them a shot. One day, we got out of the car and saw a man walking back to the apartment. Sister Resendez got his attention and we found out it was finally David, the man we had been looking for! He invited us in and we talked with him and his wife and his pastor father. His father was way anti, but David was extremely open! We were able to testify of eternal marriage and set up a return appointment. So we come back for the return appointment yesterday, with a member and all, and a water line burst.. luckily he is a plumber. We rescheduled for a few hours later! We came back and taught them the restoration. It was one of the most powerful lessons. The spirit was so strong, Brother and Sister Clem were captivated. They told us how they knew we were sent from God and how excited they are to be baptized on March 27th! In Brother Clem's words: "I know truth when I hear it and I think this is it. I have been searching for a long time and those other churches just have something missing, and this is it."

I love this ward so much. Just when the work was getting really hard, the Lord poured out his blessings upon me! I know that as I do what I am supposed to and bind him (D&c 82:10) I will receive the promise!

So much love,

Sister Hannah


"Laughter and a good sense of humor can soften the bumps along life's journey." Elder Snow (April 2009)



Sent from my iPad

Exchanges!










Sent from my iPadSister cox, me, Jensen, Resendez
Sister Rammell, me, Starkey, Resendez

we took advantage of the warm weather!



our reaction ;P


self timer pictures gone wrong


the coolest art!


Winchester with Sister R

IT WAS SUNNY!!

Winchester Fun!


Monday, February 15, 2016

My new missionaries are in my zone!




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Not my new missionaries anymore! They're all grown up!

Sister Starkey and sister Schultz

MLC selfie




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February MLC




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Miracles never cease!

Well, my world is white! Snow is everywhere again! I love this! I hope
it stays, but we are supposed to have another warm-ish week!

This week I felt like I had limited proselyting time because I was
never in my area or with my companion! We were blessed to travel to
Louisville with sister bush and Stevens for MLC! It was an incredible
training from the assistants and president that left me inspired to go
out and reach the goals that I have set! I feel more accountable to
God and my leaders now! By the time we got back, it was late and we
had to rush to the church for an activity! Kim (our super sweet
investigator) and she brought her mom and a friend! She's being a
missionary and Isn't even a member yet! I love her so much! We made
cute little love mugs!

Wednesday we saw a sweet miracle! We had a return appointment, but she
bailed. As we were leaving, we got a referral from SLC and so we went
to go contact it. The woman we found is named Ann! She let us in and
we were able to teach her the restoration! :) it was so cool! One
person canceled, but the Lord provided! Then! We went to Kroger to
finish out our goal for talking with everyone that day. We were
freezing outside so we went in to talk to people. Our last person that
we talked to was the daughter of a less active who we had been looking
for for weeks! Tender mercy! We shared our message with her and headed
out! When we went to go visit her mom, her new husband attacked us for
everything we believed and said. He told us that what we are doing "is
fundamentally wrong and offensive to the rest of the christian world."
He continued to attack us on the doctrine of eternal marriage claiming
that it is a false doctrine. All I could do was bear my testimony. I
knew the doctrine and so did sister Resendez, but when we shared it
with him, he said we were wrong. Completely and utterly incorrect. We
bore our testimonies and left. His heart was so hard. But the next
day, I read this quote from elder Boyd K. Packer: "Brethren and
sisters, never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Never
apologize for the sacred doctrines of the gospel. Never feel
inadequate and unsettled because you cannot explain them to the
satisfaction of all who might inquire of you. Do not be ill at ease or
uncomfortable because you can give little more than your conviction.
Be assured that, if you will explain what you know and testify of what
you feel, you may plant a seed that will one day grow and blossom into
a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ." It reall yelped me
understand that even thought we can't explain doctrines to satisfy
those of the world, they are still eternal truths and that will never
change!

We also had zone meeting this week and it was really fun! I was able
to see my two new missionaries who aren't very new anymore! I love
sister schultz and Starkey! ❤️❤️ we were trained on hitting goals! I
left this meeting uplifted as well! I have such a stronger desire to
hit my goals now! I want the Lord to trust me with His work!

After zone meeting we went on exchanges! I stayed in Winchester with
Hermana Castillo! She is incredible! So sweet and tender. We saw some
awesome miracles! We got a call from the Paris hermanas who cover the
Spanish work in our area and they told us of a less active who they
had found! We were excited to go see her! We told them we would get
them a referral because Hermana Castillo was with me! We went out and
worked hard. We were trying to meet our goal of talking with everyone
for the day and ended up at Walmart. We found some sweet people and
then had to head home. As we walked to our car, Hermana Castillo met
two Hispanics, contacted them and got a return appointment! After the
trial of your faith! It was so rad!

Saturday we also saw some sweet miracles! We had planned in three less
actives because we needed four more to hit our weekly goal. The three
we had planned in didn't pan out, but nonetheless Heavenly Father
provided! We found and were able to teach a woman who we had been
looking for for months! Two other less actives came out of the
woodworks too! People that we had been trying for weeks and we finally
were able to see! One man was a little crazy, but he is writing a book
on his theories, so when it is published, I will share it with y'all!
Haha but it was so amazing!

I love this work so much! There will always be opposition in all
things, but opposition makes us stronger if we chose righteously. I
know that as I increase my trust in the Lord and as He trusts me more,
things start to happen! The ball starts to roll! I know that when we
bind Him, We have His promise! I have seen that promise be fulfilled
over and over! I know that the gospel is true!

Much love from the GKLM,
Sister Hannah


Sent from my iPad

Monday, February 8, 2016

It started to snow! ❄️❄️❄️




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My buddy Isaiah!










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Some crazy Kentucky adventures













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The Wright Family! ❤️




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Finally got that hot brown!







Sent from my iPad

Hello Transfer #10

As I write this, I am sitting at a computer in the Clark County Public Library watching it snow outside. Big flulffy flakes are falling gorgeously. I feel like I am in a snow globe! I love the snow! :) I am definitely a lot more prepared for it this time around!

This week was absolutely incredible. I love the Winchester area so much. It is a blessing to be here, especially with my amazing companion! Sister Resendez and I work so well together! She keeps me on my toes! Without saying anything, she helps me turn my weaknesses into strengths! I am so grateful we are going to be together for another 7 weeks! :) Transfer #10 is going to be OFF THE WALL!!

I want to share some miracles from this week! We had a lot! Here we go!

We started our week at the homeless shelter helping out and talking with the owners. They are incredible people! They are so selfless and service minded! They are true Christians! After we left, we got a call from a woman in a neighboring ward, Sister Privett and she told us she had just talked to the homeless shelter and they told her we had just left! It was a tender mercy! We have been praying to be at the right place at the right time! This was a direct answer to our prayers! Later in the week, she took us out to lunch where I got a Hot Brown at Maddie's Café. Living the dream. It was perfect. I know my dad is proud! I have been looking for a good hot brown since LAST January! :)

Sister Resendez and I had been running around all day from appointment to appointment and were about to go teach Kim when we got a call from our Ward Mission Leader. The previous Saturday, we had told him how much we loved Sam's club muffins and chicken, and how we would need to get some next time we were in Lexington. When we answered the phone, he said he had something for us and met us at our next appointment, Kim! He brought us sam's club blueberry and banana nut muffins! AND  a rotisserie chicken! #blessed I love this man! We then taught the lesson to Kim, which was incredible! This is the woman who called us and asked for us to come teach her! She is incredible! The lesson was so spirit led and she knows what her end goal for her family is going to be -> the CELESTIAL KINGDOM!!  Later in the week, we taught her about how to get to the celestial kingdom by teaching her the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We testified boldly and powerfully of God's love for her, how much he wants her to be happy and how she can be through the gospel.  We went in thinking we would focus on baptism, but the spirit took it the way of repentance. The spirit was undeniable! I know that sister Resendez and I are here specifically for her!

Also, the Johns. Let me just tell you about these boys. THEY WERE CONFIRMED!! Say hello to the newest members of the church! They are a huge miracle for us! The confirmation blessings were beautiful and the spirit filled the chapel. There were not many dry eyes. As Bishop Smith confirmed Isaiah, the spirit testified to me of just how powerful and valiant his spirit is. He is absolutely incredible.  He is going to be one of the greatest servants the Lord has seen! He is the craziest, funniest, most loving 9 year old I have ever met. At the beginning of teaching him, he was bouncing off the walls, not really all the way in it, as most 9 year olds are. Now, he is a calm, reverent and stalwart young man. He has changed so much. He says the most sincere prayers. He is truly talking to God. He gets the gospel. He has my heart! I know that the gospel changes people and I have seen this change in Isaiah. It is so evident! He strengthens my testimony!

I was also blessed to go to lunch with the Wright Family from the Richmond ward this week! I love them so much! They were a huge blessing to me while I served in Richmond and continue to strengthen me throughout my mission! I love them! We enjoyed a lovely lunch in Winchester! I love being so close to Richmond! We also found out this week, that we cover sisters serving in the Berea ward, which is practically in Richmond! I will be in Richmond a lot more than I was expecting to exchange the sisters there! I love that place so much!

On Thursday, we did a TON of driving. Over to Owingsville for District Meeting and back and then down to Stanton and back. IT felt like we were in the car forever.... I was so sick of it! We used the last few hours of the day that we had to go and try some referrals we had received. When we did, there was a girl walking around and we stopped her to talk to her. We asked her if we could come back and share our message, but she said "you can share it with me now, I am just drinking, so if you don't care, then let's do it now! I am trying to get closer to God." Of course we didn't care. We sat down on some steps in the freezing cold and taught her the restoration. It was a powerful lesson. We bore pure testimony to her of the restoration and how it had eternal significance for her! Nickie kept nodding her head and accepted everything we told her. When I went to extend a baptismal date to her, I was thinking in my head March 13th, but March 20th came out of my mouth... I was confused, but she jumped up and said "that's my birthday!" Inspired.  She expressed to us how she felt like this could be true and it scared her. After working through some of those concerns, she recognized how much love God had for her! It was incredible that she was placed in our path!

A few days later, we were in her neck of the woods again trying the same referral. We thought we saw them, finally, so we quickly prayed and jumped out of the car. We asked this young couple if they were the Clem's and they said no. So what do we do, carpe diem! We told them about our message! Brother and Sister White were excited! They are 20 with two kids and a baby on the way! We tried to teach them right then, but forgot we had an appointment, so we told them we would be back in an hour. Our appointment fell through and we ended up at their apartment. We taught them the restoration and they had many questions answered! They had been wondering why there were so many churches on the earth and why there wasn't a prophet. They accepted baptismal dates! It was another answer to prayer because we had been praying for a family to find and teach! God is so good! :) We then found out that Brother White works with one of our awesome members and they graduated with some of the missionaries that are out in the field from our ward! awesome!!

And to top it all off, we had an ongoing competition with out district leader this week, Elder Viehweg.  All of our bap dates had dropped and our area was suffering a little bit.  We were praying with all of our might for help. The clean out time is hard. BUT we had a goal to set three baptismal dates this week and we set 4! It was a miracle! :) I love miracles! They keep me going!

I know that God loves us! I know that Jesus is the Christ! I know that he hears and answers specific prayers. I know He is aware of everything! I know that through the enabling power of the atonement, we can change and become better. We can receive the strength that we need to continue on, even in the darkest of times. I know that my redeemer lives!!

Much Love from the GKLM,
Sister Hannah

*pictures on the blog or facebook*

here is a cool quote from my studies this morning by M. Russell Ballard:

Simply stated, testimony--real testimony, born of the Spirit and confirmed by the Holy Ghost--changes lives. It changes how you think and what you do. It changes what you say. It affects every priority you set and every choice you make. …

"My experience throughout the Church leads me to worry that too many of our members' testimonies linger on 'I am thankful' and 'I love,' and too few are able to say with humble but sincere clarity, 'I know.' As a result, our meetings sometimes lack the testimony-rich, spiritual underpinnings that stir the soul and have meaningful, positive impact on the lives of all those who hear them.

"Our testimony meetings need to be more centered on the Savior, the doctrines of the gospel, the blessings of the Restoration, and the teachings of the scriptures. We need to replace stories, travelogues, and lectures with pure testimonies. …

"… To bear testimony is 'to bear witness by the power of the Holy Ghost; to make a solemn declaration of truth based on personal knowledge or belief' (Guide to the Scriptures, "Testify"). Clear declaration of truth makes a difference in people's lives. That is what changes hearts. That is what the Holy Ghost can confirm in the hearts of God's children.

"Although we can have testimonies of many things as members of the Church, there are basic truths we need to constantly teach one another and share with those not of our faith. Testify that God is our Father and Jesus is the Christ. The plan of salvation is centered on the Savior's Atonement. Joseph Smith restored the fulness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon is evidence that our testimony is true" (in Conference Report, Oct. 2004, 42–43; or Ensign, Nov. 2004, 40–41).





See ya in 18 Sister Mork!


Bye Sister Mork!

We packed up Kat and sent her on her way last night!
Good luck in the Washinton Yakima Mission!!


Monday, February 1, 2016

#pieface

Sent from my iPad

Johns: "bapatized!"

Sent from my iPad

"I may have farted."

This week was one of my harder weeks,
BUT IT WAS ALSO AN AMAZINGLY INCREDIBLE WEEK!
Here is the bright side, because none of the hard stuff matters anyway!


The roller coaster of #Resannah!
Monday, we had FHE with the Burton family. They are seriously
incredible. We started off with some shots. Don't worry. It was of
soda. Hahaha we didn't want a whole glass and she had some little shot
glasses. So we tried some soda, out of a shot glass. We thought it was
funny! But in all reality, The most solid example of HOW the gospel
blesses families! Sister Burton taught the importance of scriptures. I
want to be like her when I grow up! :) she has so much faith and
trusts in the lord completely! They are trying so hard to be who God
needed them to be!

Tuesday we taught an awesome restoration lesson to a guy we found on
the street. He asked some interesting questions during the lesson that
had no rhyme or reason, but we invited the spirit and I know he felt
it! It was so funny and awkward at the end of the lesson when we
invited him to say the closing prayer. He declined, but then said
"let's all say a silent prayer." Sister Resendez and I sat there
awkwardly not knowing what to do. It was hilarious. We also taught the
johns about tithing this night and the boys were so funny! The jokes
that come from this family alone make my life complete. We played pie
face after our lesson. Best game ever. You put whipped cream on a
little Hand lever, spin the spinner and click the wheel that releases
the hand the number you spun. We all got pie faced except sister r! It
was a night to remember!

Wednesday was somewhat uneventful. (Minus the morning when I woke up
with completely swollen eyes. Still don't know what caused it, but it
made a good laugh!mi looked like chump from the goonies!) We helped a
woman in our Ward, sister Collins, finish up a quilt. We then had an
amazing restoration lesson with the wonderful Guedel family who had us
for dinner. The spirit never ceases to fail me! I love how strongly
the restoration brings the spirit. It is true! It really did happen
and it is a fact! :)

Thursday was the craziest day of the week. We had some interesting
lessons, almost got bed bugs, had district lunch, met really cool
Amish people and taught the johns boys about the importance of prayer
and scripture study. It was so cute to see how excited Isaiah got
about prayer! He is so ready for his baptism! This night Isaiah said
to us "you are home!" After we said something about home on the west.
This family has my heart. I love them soooo much! ❤️❤️

On Friday we happened to be in a area where we had a previously
contacted a referral. They missed the appointment so we stopped by and
ended up teaching the plan of salvation! It was so wonderful! They had
a ton of family there. From grandma to great grand child. Amidst all
of the craziness, they were able to feel the spirit and know that the
message is true! Sister Hopewell was so cute. She said "I got out my
*bable* and laid the Book of Mormon next to it and we (her
granddaughter and her) were reading it. She said it wasn't the same,
but I told her to keep reading because you said it was the same."
Clearly I need to work on explaining that the doctrine is the same,
not he words on the pages. It was a good lesson! That night we went to
cheer on anything johns at his basketball game! It was an awesome
game! So tight! They ended up losing by one point in overtime, but
Anthony did so well! At the game, I looked over at sister Resendez and
said "it smells like poop." Isaiah looks up at us, straight faced and
says "I may have farted." I died, this kid is hilarious. I love him so
much! And the whole johns family.

On Saturday we had an incredible member present lesson with Kim! let
me tell you a little bit about Kim:
-She is engaged to a returned missionary.
-she comes to church by herself all the time and loves it
-she sees herself being a member of the church
-She wants to be the best mom for her kids and
-she invited us over (that never happens) and asked us to start
teaching her. AWESOME! We had a really good discussion about the
restoration. She felt the spirit so strongly! I know she will be
baptized soon! :) please pray for Kim!
Also, that night we had a quick lesson with the johns boys before
their baptism in the morning! I asked Isaiah to pray and to invite the
spirit. He looks at me and says "hey spirit, we are having a party.
Wanna come and dj." We all started to DIE laughing, and he says with a
straight face "what, I invited him?" Best line of my life. They are so
wonderful. I wish I could wear a GoPro and send all of the videos home
of these boys.

Sunday was so glorious! Brother Walters was confirmed and received the
gift of the Holy Ghost! Isaiah and Colton johns were "bapatized!" They
were stoked and the baptism went really well! It was a little crazy at
the beginning, but they were baptized and the spirit testified of
their decision to be baptized being the right choice! It has been so
amazing to watch the transformation of these boys as they have
embraced the gospel! They are going to be incredible members of the
church and future missionaries! They will be leaders!

Sister R and I are also stuck together for another 7 weeks! Bummer. I
really don't like her. HAHAHAHAHAAHAH just kidding, I love this girl
so much! I am so beyond grateful we have another 7 weeks together to
work hard and baptize!
Our quote of the week:
*sister r sat on the kitchen counter*
"Aww man, I think I just sat in water."
Sister h: "bummer."

This week was a nice little roller coaster ride, but it has taught me so much.
1. I can do hard things. Like deal with a bedbug scare.
2. The Lord is always on my side!
3. Priesthood blessings are wonderful and comforting.
4. We can attain two degrees of glory without covenants, but we must
have those sacred covenants and saving ordinances in order to live
with our Heavenly Father!
5. Baptism is the gate at which we enter to exaltation!
I know this gospel is true with all of my heart! I am so blessed to
have this opportunity to serve as a full time missionary and see
people change their lives as they come unto Christ. I know the
priesthood has been restored which allows sacred saving ordinances to
be performed. I know my redeemer lives!

So much love from the blessed GKLM,
Sister Hannah


I also have been in Kentucky a long time because these words came out
of my mouth: "that's my kind of trailer!" Yep.


Sent from my iPad

Isaiah and Colton Johns: Baptism







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"That's my kind of trailer." :|







Sent from my iPadThis is the trailer. 😂



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Sometimes you wake up and it looks like you got in a fight and thrown in jail.
Who knows. My eyes were so swollen! 😂

Shots! Of soda! 😜







Sent from my iPadTrying some peach soda at the burton's!