Finally in Park City!!!!!

March 23, 2011

So I'm sick again...I think my body might be rejecting all of this work - ha ha

There are 107 stakes in my mission. I just find that insane!!!!! I mean think about the number of people that means...107 stakes...6 wards per stake(at least)...and 100 people per ward...it's over 60,000!!!!

My new companion is from Denmark! Isn't that the coolest thing ever!!! Her name is Sister Christianson and she is wonderful, down to earth and totally immersed in the work. I know that this will be a great companionship for me because of her boldness. She is funny and sarcastic which you know just makes me feel at home. She has really helped me to see that by immersing yourself in the work that you are able to do so much more for the people. She told me that she expects a lot from me. Both in life and in our companionship. We will be waking up at 5:45 every morning to workout!!! SO excited about that...I know that by forgetting myself that I will be able to do all that I can There is no time to feel sorry for yourself out here so we might as well get to work.

We live with a recent convert named Stephanie, she has a really great house, just a half a mile from Cafe Rio!!!! Who understands how wonderful that is for me??? I mean seriously! Does the Lord love me or what? Stephanie has the cutest little bulldog and her name is Fera. Yes I will have to get used to having a dog around and also learning to live with another person. I am really excited about this work and although it will be hard and labor intensive I know that if I rely on the Lord that I will be able to accomplish all that is asked of me.

My P-day throughout my mission will now be Wednesday.

I do not know how long I will be here. I know that I will be in the center about two days a week and the rest of the time we will be proselyting. In 6 weeks we will be able to go to Salt Lake City temple for a live session and then go to Temple square. Very excited about that.

I just want to let you know that I love it here. I know this is where I am supposed to be. I know that the Lord will provide a way for me to accomplish the things that he has set out for me to do. I know that it is by his strength that we are able to accomplish all things. As we align our will with God, our thoughts become his and we know that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.

I got some really great info from one of my teachers that really boosted my teaching confidence. She told me that when I teach I have the strength of ten men behind me.

Love to all, Sister Kirts

Countdown to the Family Tree Center

March 18, 2011

I have really enjoyed my first few days of Visitor's Center Training (VC). It has been really wonderful to change my teaching skills to that type of environment. I know that it will greatly affect my regular teaching because you have to incorporate the gospel in the most interesting ways. I am the first sister to serve in the Family Tree Center in Park City in over 5 years, it has been temple square sisters up to this point. It's been awesome getting to know the new site and being able to see all that can be done.

Letter from March 9, 2011

Hello all,

First of all it is going fantastic here and I am loving pretty much every minute of it. It's just hard when you have to force down cafeteria food. I do not know what people were saying, when they enjoyed the food here. I'm just happy that I only have four weeks as opposed to twelve.

I will be leaving the MTC for the Family Tree Center in Park City no later than Wed. March 23 so after that all correspondence will need to be addressed to:

Sister Allison Kirts

Utah Salt Lake City South Mission

8060 S. 615 E.

Sandy, UT 84070

I just want to thank all of my family and friends for being SOOOOOOO supportive through this entire process. I have truly come to know how blessed I am to have so many people that love me in my life. I see those around me who do not have support from their families and I just have to drop to my knees and thank Heavenly Father for the wonderful people that he has placed in my life. I truly am blessed beyond measure. With that said I wanted to thank all those who have written me and sent love and support my way. As Trevor would say mail is GOLD in the field.

I have started a new goal in which I am attempting to read the Book of Mormon in 10 days. It's going fairly well and I think that I will be able to accomplish it. It's been really amazing to see the stories in such close concession in order to understand the themes better. I have come to gain a true love for it's words and I know how much it will bless our lives if we really try to understand what it teaching us.

… many of you know how much I wanted to serve a foreign mission… I just wanted to share an experience that has completely changed my outlook. Saturday was a particularly hard one and I just didn't feel good about anything that was going on. We had a lesson where we thought we had really helped the investigator feel the spirit, when we reviewed our lesson it just wasn't what we thought. Anyway I was reading in my Patriarchal Blessing and noticed some things that hadn't stuck out to me in the past. Here are three things that helped me see that there was only ONE PLACE where I could have served the Lord.

1. Genealogy will have a great impact in your life

2. You will be able to do a lot of temple work and help those who have already passed on to receive the blessings of the temple

3. You will be in America

…I don't know what you would get out of that, but my mission call is exactly where I was supposed to go. In Utah (America), There are three temples and I will be in a family history center. I just had this overwhelming feeling of love from Heavenly Father and the Savior wash over me. I knew that he knew me and that I am going where he knows I will be able to fulfill my purposes.

OH BIG NEWS!! Lookout for me during the General Conference intercession and in Deseret News with President Brown, MTC President. I will be in pictures and on the video.

Love to all, Sister Kirts

Allison first days in the MTC

Allison will soon be heading to her first and maybe only area, Park City. Here is a brief update of what she has been up to.

While she enjoys the frequent devotionals, scripture study, and her new companions Allison says there is one thing that she will be happy to leave --- the cafeteria......

She is studying hard and posting in her journal daily (Trevor this is for you), up early and on time everyday...

Allison says, “I have really come to know the importance of prayer and the affect that it can have in our lives. I know that I wasn't the best person in the world at praying before I came out here but I have been making an effort to pray for 15 in the morning and 15 in the evening. I know that by praying that I will be able to know exactly what the lord wants of us. “

In her first letter Allison shared how this scripture had given her comfort.

Alma 17:13 And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.

Everything is Great

Everything is great here. It's been a lot to take in but I really do love the structure and that every single minute is filled with something to do. My companions are really great.