HOLY COW.... WHAT A WEEK AND A HALF IT HAS BEEN.... IT HAS BEEN THE MOST AMAZING WEEK OF MY MISSION!! I COULD WRITE THIS WHOLE EMAIL IN CAPS IM SO EXCITED TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT...
This last week and a half has been the temple open house for North Carolina! It is so extremely beautiful and so extremely small!!
It reflects the beauty and culture of North Carolina, and most importantly the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us to make it back to live in their presence for eternity.
This all started last week we had the amazing change to have a sisters meeting right before the tours began and we had a sister exclusive guided tour through the temple for the first time! It was AMAZING! Even though the temple is not yet dedicated the spirit still touches you and helps you leave the things of the world behind and focus on what really matters!
And right off the bat we started doing tours that night for contractors, or the people who helped build or clean the temple! It was so neat to see so many non-members who put so much time and effort to make something beautiful and here they are learning the significance of what this building is for! To worship our Savior Jesus Christ! They were touched to know of the importance of what they had done for us and all I wanted to say to them was thank you so much! (And fun surprise I saw my cute friend Kathleen and Brandon Parke from home! It was so fun to feel my two lives combine for a minute)
So Sister Smith and I have been called as the temple open house trainers, which means our life is crazy right now and ALL about the temple!!! Our job is to make sure that everyone is getting breaks, inviting the spirit into their rooms and helping the temple committee. We have been at the stake center all day everyday and it is a BLAST!!! We have way too much fun with the sisters! This mission is super blessed and lucky to have so many sisters who are willing to serve and work hard!
But before the temple was open to the general public we had 2 full days of V.I.P visitors come to the temple! We had everyone from Fathers & Priests from the catholic church, Pastors, First Ladies,Mayors, Senators and Monks, it was really neat to be apart of it! These days it was pretty slow and really exciting! I met a man named Jihad, he is the sweetest Muslim man I have ever met!!! He LOVED the temple so much and I was able to talk with him afterwards in the reception area. We got talking about music and I told him that I am a singer and that I was actually going to be singing in church tomorrow and that I would be honored if he would come! And HE DID!!! We sang an arrangement of "I love to see the temple" and he brought us a bouquet of Roses and it was the sweetest thing ever! He has been really great friends with the stake president here in Apex for many years and he had never accepted an invitation to church until now! THE TEMPLE SOFTENS THE HEARTS OF SO MANY PEOPLE!!!
MIRACLE AFTER MIRACLE THIS WEEK! We heard from so many sisters after that the people they were teaching walked through the temple they asked when they could be baptized!
Saturday was insane!!! 8,373 people came through the temple! We were ALL over the place, outside, inside, inside the temple! It was completely nuts! At the peak hours of the day the line to go in the temple wrapped completely around the stake center and crossed over itself intersecting it's own line in 2 places!!! IT WAS INSANE! We had to call in several extra sets of sisters to help! I was outside setting up a tent for shade when I see a familiar face! Alfonso!! We found Alfonso on a whim back in Fayetteville he was a bible referal from 5 YEARS AGO that never got his bible... we stopped by and he started taking the lessons!! It was so good to see him! I was the first missionary to knock on his door and he told me the most kind words that made my whole mission feel worth it! IT IS ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE!! THIS GOSPEL BLESSES PEOPLE AND THIS GOSPEL CHANGES PEOPLE! I FEEL LIKE THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD TO BE ABLE TO BE APART OF THIS WORK!!
In the midst of madness things were starting to calm down when I hear someone down the hall yell SISTER KINNE! I TURNED AROUND AND BURST INTO TEARS WHEN I SAW KENZIE!!! Kenzie is my recent convert from Fayetteville and I couldnt believe I was able to see her among 8,000+ people that day (and even crazier was the fact that sister Smith's recent convert was in the same exact tour group as her!!) GOD IS SO GOOD! It was literally perfect! We were the sisters in their video room then got to walk through the temple with them!
And ALMOST IMMEDIATELY after the tour we saw brayden, Anna and his mom and got to go through the temple with them too!!! We talked to braydens mom after the temple and she said she got a feeling inside that she couldn't describe! THAT IS THE SPIRIT!!! AHHH it was amazing! THE TEMPLE IS A GAME CHANGER!!!! I know that after this temple open house many people will enter the waters of baptism and continue on the path to recive the blessings of the temple!
In regular missionary work we found this awesome guy named Mike. We were inviting some less actives to the temple open house and were out in the boonies and decided to knock on the door, because these people probably never get knocked into! He answered the door and said " hey superwoman what's going on?" This guy has met with missionaries his whole life because he had always had member friends! He is going to come to the open house and let us come back and do some service with him! (He also gave us a whole bag full of Carolina Reapers, A SUPER SPICY PEPPER lol )
So in crazy news... there have been protesters on the outside gate of the temple all week long! The temple department has been amazing about them and allowing them to stand on our property, where the city of Apex is ready to arrest them if they take a foot off our property! Sadly as the week has gone on they have been spreading anti material around the neighborhoods surrounding the Temple! But through our kindness and christlike actions towards them, several of them have taken the tour through the temple.
But this is the lords work and things are continually happening that is proving the divinity and perfection of his plan! So many people have been in the exact right place in the exact right time for this to be the most amazing experience for members and non members alike!
I wish I could take you all with me through the Raleigh North Carolina temple! It will forever be a special and sacred place to me! I am so blessed to have this calling on this mission in this area at this time!
The count for those who have gone though the Temple in the last 6 days has been pushing 17,000 with 8,400 coming all on Saturday!!!
As always! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! AND I LOVE THIS GOSPEL, AND I KNOW THE TEMPLE IS THE HOUSE OF THE LORD! IVE NEVER BEEN MORE TIRED OR MORE HAPPY!!! LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!
This last week and a half has been the temple open house for North Carolina! It is so extremely beautiful and so extremely small!!
It reflects the beauty and culture of North Carolina, and most importantly the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us to make it back to live in their presence for eternity.
This all started last week we had the amazing change to have a sisters meeting right before the tours began and we had a sister exclusive guided tour through the temple for the first time! It was AMAZING! Even though the temple is not yet dedicated the spirit still touches you and helps you leave the things of the world behind and focus on what really matters!
And right off the bat we started doing tours that night for contractors, or the people who helped build or clean the temple! It was so neat to see so many non-members who put so much time and effort to make something beautiful and here they are learning the significance of what this building is for! To worship our Savior Jesus Christ! They were touched to know of the importance of what they had done for us and all I wanted to say to them was thank you so much! (And fun surprise I saw my cute friend Kathleen and Brandon Parke from home! It was so fun to feel my two lives combine for a minute)
So Sister Smith and I have been called as the temple open house trainers, which means our life is crazy right now and ALL about the temple!!! Our job is to make sure that everyone is getting breaks, inviting the spirit into their rooms and helping the temple committee. We have been at the stake center all day everyday and it is a BLAST!!! We have way too much fun with the sisters! This mission is super blessed and lucky to have so many sisters who are willing to serve and work hard!
But before the temple was open to the general public we had 2 full days of V.I.P visitors come to the temple! We had everyone from Fathers & Priests from the catholic church, Pastors, First Ladies,Mayors, Senators and Monks, it was really neat to be apart of it! These days it was pretty slow and really exciting! I met a man named Jihad, he is the sweetest Muslim man I have ever met!!! He LOVED the temple so much and I was able to talk with him afterwards in the reception area. We got talking about music and I told him that I am a singer and that I was actually going to be singing in church tomorrow and that I would be honored if he would come! And HE DID!!! We sang an arrangement of "I love to see the temple" and he brought us a bouquet of Roses and it was the sweetest thing ever! He has been really great friends with the stake president here in Apex for many years and he had never accepted an invitation to church until now! THE TEMPLE SOFTENS THE HEARTS OF SO MANY PEOPLE!!!
MIRACLE AFTER MIRACLE THIS WEEK! We heard from so many sisters after that the people they were teaching walked through the temple they asked when they could be baptized!
Saturday was insane!!! 8,373 people came through the temple! We were ALL over the place, outside, inside, inside the temple! It was completely nuts! At the peak hours of the day the line to go in the temple wrapped completely around the stake center and crossed over itself intersecting it's own line in 2 places!!! IT WAS INSANE! We had to call in several extra sets of sisters to help! I was outside setting up a tent for shade when I see a familiar face! Alfonso!! We found Alfonso on a whim back in Fayetteville he was a bible referal from 5 YEARS AGO that never got his bible... we stopped by and he started taking the lessons!! It was so good to see him! I was the first missionary to knock on his door and he told me the most kind words that made my whole mission feel worth it! IT IS ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE!! THIS GOSPEL BLESSES PEOPLE AND THIS GOSPEL CHANGES PEOPLE! I FEEL LIKE THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD TO BE ABLE TO BE APART OF THIS WORK!!
In the midst of madness things were starting to calm down when I hear someone down the hall yell SISTER KINNE! I TURNED AROUND AND BURST INTO TEARS WHEN I SAW KENZIE!!! Kenzie is my recent convert from Fayetteville and I couldnt believe I was able to see her among 8,000+ people that day (and even crazier was the fact that sister Smith's recent convert was in the same exact tour group as her!!) GOD IS SO GOOD! It was literally perfect! We were the sisters in their video room then got to walk through the temple with them!
And ALMOST IMMEDIATELY after the tour we saw brayden, Anna and his mom and got to go through the temple with them too!!! We talked to braydens mom after the temple and she said she got a feeling inside that she couldn't describe! THAT IS THE SPIRIT!!! AHHH it was amazing! THE TEMPLE IS A GAME CHANGER!!!! I know that after this temple open house many people will enter the waters of baptism and continue on the path to recive the blessings of the temple!
In regular missionary work we found this awesome guy named Mike. We were inviting some less actives to the temple open house and were out in the boonies and decided to knock on the door, because these people probably never get knocked into! He answered the door and said " hey superwoman what's going on?" This guy has met with missionaries his whole life because he had always had member friends! He is going to come to the open house and let us come back and do some service with him! (He also gave us a whole bag full of Carolina Reapers, A SUPER SPICY PEPPER lol )
So in crazy news... there have been protesters on the outside gate of the temple all week long! The temple department has been amazing about them and allowing them to stand on our property, where the city of Apex is ready to arrest them if they take a foot off our property! Sadly as the week has gone on they have been spreading anti material around the neighborhoods surrounding the Temple! But through our kindness and christlike actions towards them, several of them have taken the tour through the temple.
But this is the lords work and things are continually happening that is proving the divinity and perfection of his plan! So many people have been in the exact right place in the exact right time for this to be the most amazing experience for members and non members alike!
I wish I could take you all with me through the Raleigh North Carolina temple! It will forever be a special and sacred place to me! I am so blessed to have this calling on this mission in this area at this time!
The count for those who have gone though the Temple in the last 6 days has been pushing 17,000 with 8,400 coming all on Saturday!!!
As always! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! AND I LOVE THIS GOSPEL, AND I KNOW THE TEMPLE IS THE HOUSE OF THE LORD! IVE NEVER BEEN MORE TIRED OR MORE HAPPY!!! LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!
Love Sister Kinne
Here are some pics from my week!
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