"Kirtland Is A Very Special Place"

This week has been so great! And also a little not great, but such is life.

One of our investigators hasn't been progressing at all. He had such a desire to change and asked us to send missionaries to his daughter, but was picked up by the police at 3:00 a.m. for biking while intoxicated...

BUI (lol)

A convert to the church of 3 years and the most stellar member missionary you could ever meet named Brother S has really fellowshipped him and he comes to all our lessons with him. He called Brother S in the middle of the night and he took care of the whole situation. That man is just so awesome. He is always looking for ways to share the gospel. He texts us every day when he gets answers to his prayers and it's adorable. We gave him a whole thing of mormon.org cards and he has already run out. He keeps us excited about missionary work! I know the Lord will bless him in his efforts. Anyway, I don't think this investigator will be reaching the baptismal date of 10/19 set by the previous Sisters.

On Saturday we had our first lesson with S's soon to be sister-in-law A. She really wants to know the truth and said that she is finally ready to accept it. I felt prompted to invite her to be baptized and she said yes!!! I am so happy for her! She came to Stake Conference on Sunday and I just couldn't believe it!

On Tues. we were at the VC of course and it was an amazing day. Every time we are at the sites I know we are going to have a good time. The Spirit is so strong there and I feel like I'm not teaching at all. We gave tours to the Smith family from Utah, a part-member couple from Philadelphia, and two co-workers from our area. The Smith family had 4 kids, I think it was, and they reminded me so much of our family. I loved sharing the history and the doctrine with them and watching the parents teach the kids. In the School of the Prophets all of the children were silent and you could just tell that Heavenly Father was speaking to them. We asked if any of them would be willing to share their testimony with us and their 11-year-old son volunteered without hesitation. I completely LOST it! I just pictured Trevor saying all of those things and I wanted so badly for my own family to come and experience the Spirit and the blessings of Kirtland. It really is a sacred place. We all sang together in the School of the Prophets, then the children sang Gethsemane by Jenny Phillips. It was amazing!

 

In front of the Kirtland Temple Door, flashing the "rock n roll" sign. Oh, Becca!

On Wednesday we gave two tours, one to a church history tour group from California and one to a church history tour group from Japan! It was so cool! The group from California had 4 young men with their mission calls. There was I think 30 in the group. They had been to other sites and Kirtland was their last stop and of course they loved it, as everyone does. The group from Japan didn't speak any English o_0.

I was nervous because I really wanted them to have a converting experience, but I had never taught through a translator. Luckily, I remembered that Dad had taught me I Am A Child of God in Japanese so I was able to sing my testimony to them!!! I think they really liked it (: It was a really cool experience. All of them were converts to the church and really understood that they were on holy ground. They have so much respect for the saints and for the church. I was humbled to be in the presence of such faithful men and women.

On Thurs. we ate dinner at a less-active member's house who is OBSESSED with flamingos...literally and clinically obsessed. There is not one inch of her house that is not covered in flamingos or her cats. She made us tuna casserole...not the best thing I've ever eaten, I will say that, especially since it was laced with cat hair. At least I was full at the end of it lol.

Every week we go to an assisted living center and do nails or do a craft or something and it always brings a laugh. This week we were planting popcorn kernels. One of the poor ladies grabbed a handful of dirt and stuffed it in her mouth and yelled, "This isn't even good!" We were like, oh silly, we don't eat dirt, hand out of your mouth now. Haha. One of the ladies we were helping could not for the life of her grasp the fact that we were planting popcorn. Man I love it there! Somehow it came up that there was a piano downstairs, but no one knew if it worked because they had never heard anyone play it so Sister Clark played the piano and I sang, then Sister Mitchell played the piano and Sister Clark and I sang. They really enjoyed that and want us to do it every week (:

Friday night was the 10th Anniversary of the Historic Kirtland Sites Commemorative Program. There was a meet and greet at the VC before hand with hors devours and everything and I got to meet Elder M. Russell Ballard. The program was phenomenal! I wish you could've been there. My notes are garbage in comparison. 

I serve at the Visitor’s Center on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, only two days a week for the off-season. The other days of the week we drive to our proselyting area. I am serving in the S. Euclid area in the Euclid ward. It is the closest the sisters are allowed to get to Cleveland, and let me tell you, some areas are sketch in our ward. There is a city called Cleveland Heights that’s the most ghetto because it’s the closest to Cleveland.

I LOVE serving at the Visitor’s Center! It is fun to be in our area, too, but nothing beats the VC.

We go to the high school track just up the street every morning It is pure masochism. When it gets cold we will go to the high school gym.

I wish that you could all come and tour Kirtland! You would love it.

Love, 

Sister Mohler

"These are called Red Paper Lantern flowers. We found them while tracting. There is a red berry that looks like a tomato inside of them and I ate it because YOLO. I'm still alive and well. It was kind of good."

The following are Sister Mohler's notes from Stake Conference:

Elder M. Russell Ballard, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles- 

"Kirtland is a very special place." Children can come hear and learn the majesty that the Lord has performed in this village. Kirtland is the most sought after and desired place on the face of the earth because of its spiritual magnitude. "ALL of us need to slow down sometime to contemplate what happened here in Kirtland." Heavenly Father's message and been clarified and received in Kirtland with over 500 pages of scripture. He counseled us to "NEVER lose sight of these humble beginnings in Kirtland." YOU are living and witnessing the fulfillment of a mighty prophecy. He then went on to place a blessing upon the state of Ohio. What a miracle it is to be serving in this mission. I will never get over that. I would invite you to read Elder Ballard's talk, "What Came From Kirtland."

Karl Anderson, Kirtland Stake Patriarch-

I know I've talked about Karl Anderson before, but I will remind you what a great person he is. The historic sites would never be here today if not for him. He knows Kirtland like the back of his hand and is so in tune with the Doctrine and Covenants and the Spirit. He said that it is the message of the Spirit that the people feel when they come to Kirtland. He recounted when he was giving President Howard W. Hunter a tour of Kirtland the Prophet said that he has never felt the spirit so strong and powerful in any other place. He said that the only time he feels that same spirit is in the Holy Land of Jerusalem where the Savior has also walked. While Kirtland was being restored, the church had to purchase 3 bars that were on what is now the VC property. The city or state, I can't remember which, asked Karl to create part of the project as a meditation garden for the people of Ohio to come and enjoy. He of course asked President Benson before making the decision to which the Prophet said, "Mormons don't meditate...We work!" I laughed at that haha. What a work that has been done in the part of the world and what a work that is left to do! After all, the very beginning of missionary work began in the Kirtland temple by the keys that were restored to Joseph Smith by Moses. We refer to the School of the Prophets as the Lord's first MTC (: 

Elder Gay, of the First Quorum of the Seventy-

The greatest blessing EVER given to all the world was received in Kirtland. The endowment. The saints were promised that in Ohio they would receive God's law and be endowed with power from on high, and that promise was fulfilled. There have since been OVER 500,000 visitors to the Historic Sites in 10 years and the number is ever increasing.