One of my favorite sisters in my life is Sister Janice Kirby. We met about one year ago on the streets in Middletown California. If you know where I am talking about you also know all about northern California. It's a great place, with an abundance of wonderful people. Me and my companion Elder Gregory Watts were on our bikes working our way around teaching about Jesus Christ and how His love and Gospel can and will bless lives. The day had been short with hardly anyone we could teach, but this women who was walking her dog. We approached her with the attempt to have a normal Gospel conversation with her. Those few seconds turned into many minutes and eventualy came to hours and hours.
"BRIEF testimony?" Have you ever know me to be brief? LOL I'll TRY to be brief....
"I was raised in a strict Christian home. Both my parents were devoted Christians & I attended SDA schools. From a very young age, 9, 10? I remember sitting in a church pew and having this "feeling" that something was a bit off with the message I was receiving. It's hard to explain but following the "rules' right down to the letter was how we lived our lives. So when I observed people not doing this I would wonder - my Father use to tell me that church is not a home for saints but a hospital for sinners. What I didn't understand is how could certain people that I watched, go to church for YEARS and still not follow some of the most basic of principles that was being drilled into my head every single day?"
"I did all the right things, --I went to christian schools, --christian college, met & married a nice christian boy and settled down into my married life. Yet, I still continued to question....I don't think there is a religion out there that I haven't studied, questioned or attended their church. After 25 years of marriage it ended, the divorce was not what I wanted & it left me with a broken heart."
"I picked myself up, stayed with friends, healed & enjoyed being single for a while. Then one day I met a man & it was electricity. --It's funny how the teachings of childhood will stay so grounded inside of you...when he asked me to live with him I hesitated...it just didn't feel "right" to me. This is the one and only time in my life that I will ever not listen to the little voice inside of me. Long story short after 2 1/2 years of being in a relationship full of fear it ended quite suddenly. I once again, went to stay with friends and started my healing process."
"I enjoyed where I was living, it was a quiet beautiful town outside of the Napa Valley. One morning I awoke with such a heartache I could hardly move out of bed. I fell into prayer and asked God for some help. I then took the dog out for a walk and 10 minutes later I met Elder Wright & Elder Watts on their bikes, on a street corner."
"What I found amazing from the first moment I met them was their unwavering patience with me. I threw everything but the kitchen sink at them trying to shock them. They never flinched over what came out of my mouth. "
"We stood at the corner of a road for 45 minutes chatting & then I invited them to come over later for some more conversation. When they rode away on their bikes --- I realized that I was calm and filled with more peace than I had felt in a long, long time. That afternoon our meeting turned into a weekly appointment that lasted 6-8 weeks. I was hungry for knowledge and I wanted this feeling of peace and complete welling being that they had. I tore into the Book of Mormon looking for answers."
"It's funny, I wish more people understood that when you ask for help it shows up! (A.S.A.P.!!!!) It is up to us to accept the form and message that the help shows up as. Too many time we have these ideas in our heads how life should look - when we humble ourselves and let go of our preconceived ideas - it is just amazing how our lives begin to grow when we FINALLY let the Holy Spirit in!"
"OK, so back to my 2 favorite missionaries. After our very first lesson I could feel that I was onto something good. Again, there are no words to describe how it feels when you let God in - everything just starts to feel "right". All of your fears start to lessen and you begin to see life and how you've been living your life in a whole different way."
"I hope this is enough! Miss you!!"
Love,
Sister Kirby
