Gorilla vs Bear

 

Week: 55
Date: February 24, 2025
Location: Sandcreek, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Email: lexi.kimball@missionary.org
Companion: Sister Bangerter/St. George, Utah

Mission Blog: https://iputtheradincolorado.blogspot.com/

Leah's Mission Blog: https://livinlavidastlouis.blogspot.com/?m=1

 I literally took no pics this week!! So here's a selfie😘
Sandcreek Colorado
February 2025

God answers prayers, y’all. 'Cause it's currently 60 degrees here in Colorado. I may have been praying for months for it to be this warm, but it's His timetable!!

Let's get to it!!

Let's just say I was interviewed this week for a college PMG class and I'm inspiring nations to serve a mission. It was pretty sick. Like, who would have thought I would be a missionary? It shocks me every time, I swear. But it was soo fun to talk about the mission experience. We had little tiny microphones, and I felt famous. I could see them actually broadcasting this interview in Gen Conf this April—it's that good.

This young couple in our ward took us to Tucanos this week!! 🤤😋 Makes me want more now that I'm writing about it. My comp and I had never been to Tucanos, and it was literally like two kids in a candy shop. It was probably some of the best meat. It was sooo good. All you have to do is literally turn a stick, and they bring you meat. I think it's what heaven is like, fr.

We had another super powerful lesson with Ryan this week! For those who didn't read my email when I introduced who Ryan was, or for those who were like, "Today I will read Sister Kimball's email even though I usually trash them every week, but something is inspiring me to"—well, Ryan is an amazing, elect friend we are teaching! He is awesome. He's 30, and he tells everyone he's an old soul, and I confirm—he definitely is. He gave up smoking, drinking, and even viewing not-the-best stuff without us even telling him to. He's now vegetarian. He said his life has truly been changed since meeting with missionaries.

We are his fourth pair of missionaries, and he says he sucks at names, so he literally wrote down on his whiteboard "Current Missionaries," then put our names down, and then he wrote "The Alumni" and listed the names of the sisters before us. It was pretty funny. Anyway, we had a very spiritual lesson with him on Thursday at the church, and we had an amazing person join. She's a return missionary with 8 kids and a queen. Well, in the lesson, Ryan basically bore his testimony to us, and our member was like, "Ryan, do you know what you did? You just bore your testimony." Ryan, being really nonchalant, just shrugged and said, "I guess." He's pretty amazing. I would love for y’all to continue to pray for him.

You may wonder what the Frick my title is. Well, my district does a "Question of the Day" in the chat. My district consists of 4 elders and then us, and it's literally so weird not to have another companionship of sisters. Anyway, on Monday, my inspiring older brother, Colton, gave me a question to ask them, which was: Who would win in a fight—a grizzly bear or a gorilla?

I cannot tell you how much this question was talked about all week. Like, I got so many sub-questions—it's not even funny. I was asked: Was there any prep time? Did they have weapons? Were they coached? So many factors to consider, and I didn't even know! I guess this has been a question for years because the elders actually had stats to give us—they had searched this question before. Anyway, all of them decided on the grizzly bear, but I could not settle. I had to go for the gorilla. I actually brought this question up to members, and literally, they mentioned that they have talked about this before! We got so much information—it's crazy. Anyway, my money is still on the gorilla, and I'm standing by it.

Y’all, we had dinner with this member family and their 3 kids—10, 8, and 4. Let me tell you how smart this 4-year-old is. He is the most talkative 4-year-old I have ever met and literally so smart. He wanted to know our birthdays, but he said, "Hang on, let me close my eyes and plug my ears to see if I can hear you." It was so funny. I guess he didn't talk at the age of 2, so his family put him in speech therapy, and he never stopped talking. The oldest ones are a little shy, but they told us he just has too many words to say. When this kid talks, he is out of breath because his mind is running 60 mph.

 This made me laugh iykyk
Sandcreek Colorado
February 2025

After we shared a message, he was allowed to give us a one-minute show. This kid starts telling us his family rules and dancing—it was literally the funniest thing. He was like, "We can't touch this stuff 'cause it's decorations, and we can't open these drawers." His family was just dying!!

We had this older lady in our ward named Ursula call us. She's from Germany, and honestly, she's not the kindest when it comes to her words. But she called us saying she wanted to do lunch and that she wanted us to tell the elders to come. After we got off the phone, I realized we needed a valid excuse for them to come to lunch, so I called her back asking why. She just said, "'Cause I want them there." So I took that and ran with it, lol.

I told the elders, and we all showed up at these elderly apartments. Another man from our ward, Bro. Watson, joined us. Anyways, he is sunshine and rainbows. We all sat down, and then we realized these two people do not like each other—well, mostly, it's Ursula getting annoyed at Bro. Watson, and Bro. Watson having no clue about it.

Anyway, we had this waiter who wasn't even our waiter come talk to us. And Bro. Watson starts talking about how he wanted to wear his BYU Cougars T-shirt, but it had a hole in it, sadly. Well, this waitress starts talking about Cougars—not in the sense we were thinking—and Bro. Watson asks her if she knew about the Cougars. She said, "Well, I'll be one one day." She then said all these younger people knew what she was talking about, and literally, we were dying laughing, trying to hide it.

Anyways, Bro. Watson, clueless as ever, continues and tells us the best way to street contact people is flirting. He takes my hand and shows us—I was mortified, but it was the funniest thing ever.

Halfway into the lunch, Ursula threatens to leave, so I distract Bro. Watson while the elders get to know Ursula. Fun fact—she actually lived in a castle in Germany! Anyways, she literally loved the elders so much, lol, 'cause she was in that ward for like 37 years, and she was just fascinated with them. We then finished the dinner, and we all couldn't stop laughing—gotta be the best lunch I have ever had.

Call us service oriented💁‍♀️
Sandcreek Colorado
February 2025

AMEN
Sandcreek Colorado 
February 2025

We went to a food pantry to help out, and before they had us all volunteer, they gathered us together for a meeting. Then they turned on some Christian rock music and started their worship. All these Utah missionaries around me had no idea what to do, but FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) prepared me for this moment, and it was awesome. Literally so fun to praise the Lord united as a community.

Well, y’all, I was debating sending this because I like for y’all to think I'm perfect, but sadly, I'm not. I know—it's super surprising. But I had a rough start to the week and wanted to talk about the priesthood. I hate asking for priesthood blessings—it honestly feels embarrassing for me to ask 'cause I don't want people to know I'm weak, if that makes sense.

Literally, I have been having the hardest time, so I got a priesthood blessing. I cannot tell you how strong the Spirit was in that room—knowing God is very aware of me. Before that, we had district council, and an elder went up to give his thought. Well, he said, "I was going to share something way different, but the Spirit has led me another way." He continued, and I know that was God letting me know He was aware of me because that was the exact spiritual thought I needed to hear!

I want to testify that I know God is very aware of each of us, and He knows our struggles. So turn to Him—don't hide from Him—because I know you can feel the power of redeeming love!!

I love y’all!!

XOXO,

Sister Kimball

Dad: That is one small table without all your amazing kids. Roses and Thorns probably takes like 5 minutes.

Mom: Grateful for you and the love you have shown me!! Can’t wait for us best friends to be reunited!!

Colton: Not you watching basketball with Kash 🤦‍♀️

Caryn: I was laughing so hard at Colton’s haircut from 3 years ago—so glad you made it out of the dog pen.

Bailey: Wow, you're getting ready to pop.

Taylor: The Canadian elder informed me that Canada beat the U.S. in hockey haha.

Clay: Gonna be you on that stage one day.

Leah: Can’t believe you're in a YSA—I could never haha.

Bella: Still in awe of you getting into BYU, sis! Congrats fr.

Collins: I need more reels sent to me—made by you—ASAP.

Capri: I give you a dollar if you take some good pics of me, just like you did for Collins!!

Kash: Wow, no hands—you're truly a daredevil haha.

Reese: Awwwwww I can't with your laugh!!