Well, I did my last new missionary training last night and have my last departure mission dinner tonight. It doesn't seem like a year but it is. I am training Sister Hubbell because my replacement won't get here for a month after I am gone. So it is difficult at the moment.
Everyone has been so great and I have learned sooooo much, I think that is what I will miss the most. Sister Hubbell gave me a book called "Who Moved My Cheese". A very interesting book about change and different ways to deal with change. If you happen to see it in the Library it is an easy read and might help you with life because LIFE IS CHANGE.
I am looking forward to living in St. Louis. I hope the Meservy's are equally as excited. I'm not sure how long I will be there but I will leave that in higher hands. I looked in the church's booklet of missions needing help and St. Louis is listed so we will see.
Again thank you for following and I will be around to see you soon.
ME

Too Short

Hi! Here I am again. It has gone by fast but that is what all the missionaries say. I have learned a lot and am looking forward to being able to share this with those who want to hear about it. I only have about six weeks left and am unsure about the future but:
I know my Savior lives.
I know Heavenly Father has a plan for us to return to him.
I know that through faithfulness to our covenants we will return to him someday.
I know I am doing the right thing for my life.
I will walk into the darkness knowing the light will preceed me and light my way.
Love to all.

A Baptism!

Looky, Looky! A baptism. And I helped! I am the one 2nd in from the left if you can't tell. Sister Colson (Finance Sec.) is on the outside. My companion Sister Hubbell is in the blue top. Linda (the baptismee) is in the White, (lol). The ward mission leader, Elder Fishburn, is next to Linda, then Elder Colson (the Car Czar), and Elder Julian and Elder Skabelund, the AP's. This was the Saturday before Easter so a little while ago.

Also, change seems to be the norm here. We had some visits in June. Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Seventy was here for a day and Elder and Sister Lansing (new area president) were here for zone conferences. Both visits were fantastic. All the talks and interaction with these great people was wonderful.

Elder Jensen brought to reality that the mission rules aren't just rules but covenants we need to live by. Sister Lansing made connections between the Old Testament Prophets and Christ's life I hadn't even considered before. And Elder Lansing was a great story teller, just like Pres. Monson.

Then, swine flu hit the MTC and our June arrivals arrived 2 weeks late. That made the transfer rather interesting. Now for the July zone conferences, I have the task of switching all the missionaries cell phones because each year the mission gets new equipment. It hasn't been as bad as I thought because the new phones (almost 90) came partially charged. Whew. September will see our mission Doctor visiting so 2 zone conferences instead of 4 and then Nov. zone conferences where on both sides of Thanksgiving day so they have been changed to Dec. Of course I won't be here for that but I still get the calendar ready. I am starting to feel the anxiety that my end here is coming. I only have 2 and a half transfers left. Wow, it has gone quickly. My mission president and wife have been semi insisting that I need to extend for 6 months. I don't know if there is going to be anyone to replace me. The church is so short of senior missionaries there just arent' enough to go around. President had to recruit a couple from his home stake to replace the Colsons, who extended 6 months to serve in the office from their proselyting mission. If it weren't for the fact I have a ticket to Germany for 2 months, I might just accept.

Well, enough for now. All is well and flourishing. The gospel is true. Jesus is the Christ. And

I AM A CHILD OF GOD AND SO ARE YOU!

Love to all.

Howdy friends!
Guess what! I found me a bike. How do I look? There is an amazing trail here called the Monon Trail. That’s right Monon. It is about 20 miles long and goes through the city of Carmel where I happen to live. It is mostly flat terrain here so that is a plus and the trail is paved and marked for walkers, roller skaters and bikes. I have been walking home from the office at least 3 to 4 times a week (about 2.5 miles) and one of the missionaries that is departing this next transfer gave me his bike. Suppose to be a 24 gear bike but only one works in the rear and two in the front. But it’s good enough for me.
I went on a six mile ride this morning and have been doing 2 to 3 after dinner some nights. It is almost summer here and stays light now till almost 9 pm. Fantastic. The weather is starting to be really nice too. I even bought clothes line and clothes pins and have an outside dryer now in the car port.
Well, I Mothers Day brought my half way point here. It is going so fast. I also am looking forward to November because I already bought my plane ticket to Germany. I will be spending Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and most of January there. Upon returning, I will land in St. Louis for a while with Elizabeth and Royal. They are only 15 mins from a Temple and I have a years worth of missing that place to make up.
Please write soon. Letters really are a missionaries life line.
Happy as always! ME!

Dear Friends and Family,
I am in the middle of another cycle and so have time to write. It is amazing to me that I have been out for 5 months already. The missionaries don't count months, they count transfers so because our transfers are every six weeks its a little different. I have been out for 3 transfers and only have 4 more to go. The worst part is I already received an email for President Corey asking about my replacement. Ugh!
Anyway, I would like to share with you a spiritual moment. We usually have 4 zone conferences. We have 8 zones(which correspond to the 8 stakes the mission is over) and we have 2 zones together per conference. So, I am privileged to hear the president's message 4 times. I also get to transcript it for the mission history. It is amazing every time! I have been able to learn so much. This last time President Corey went over Alma 7 and likened it unto the missionaries. However, verses 11 and 12 just leapt out at me. Reminding me all that the Lord is and has done for me. I also wonder that while he will take upon himself our pains and suffering, he will also take upon him our afflictions. What are afflictions if not pain and suffering? Something to ponder.
Anyway, I miss you all and hope you are well. Drop a note or call sometime.
Love ya,
Sister (Gail) Kingsley

Just anyother day!

Dear Friends and Family,
It doesn't seem like almost a month since I added something on here. That means the stock market was about 1500 points higher and we didn't know about the other $900 billion! :(
Anyway, it is the week before transfers (they happen every six weeks) so it is a little quiet. Transfer week goes something like this:
Our new missionaries get here on Tuesday (we have a new missionary arrival dinner and meeting that night). We have transfers on Wednesday (Another meeting, lunch and more training). Wednesday night is departing missionary dinner and testimony meeting (all the departing missionaries come in on transfers and stay at the mission home wed. nite because they usually have to be at the airport by 5am on thursday). Thursday I enter all the changes so that I can print a new mission roster for everyone. This usually takes all day. Friday is mission council but the office is not involved in that. So far, by friday no one in the office does much of anything because none of us can think straight.
Then, the next couple weeks I prepare all the letters for - new missionary parents safe arrival letter, new trainers, new District Leaders and parents, new Zone Leaders and parents, future missionaries due to go into the MTC the next month and parents, and departure forms for the missionaries leaving in 3 months! This usually takes me a couple weeks because there are four Zone conferences in the next two weeks. I record the Presidents training and transcribe it for the Mission History(which I'm also responsible for). By that time, I'm preparing the programs for the next transfer and zone conferences, getting the next month's calendar ok'd and mailed out, getting the recommendations of the newly assigned missionaries printed and in files. And so it goes.
Needless to say I usually stay busy. I am also waiting for the weather to break so that I can walk more. We have a fantastic walkway called the Monon Trail. You can look it up on line. Monontrail.com. I will be able to walk (or bike if I can get a helmet) to work. It will be great. Well, I'd better go for now. Take Care and let me hear from you soon.
ME

Hi Everyone,

Here are some pictures of the 12" of snow we got the last of January. It wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be. I couldn't make any snow angels because it was to deep! Driving was a real thrill too. All in all I made out ok. I remembered to stear into the skid. :) Sister Hubbell and I also got to go on a massive saturday drive. We went from Indy to Fort Wayne to South Bend to Lafayette and back to Indy. Because of the snow, the AP's didn't get to all the Zone's during transfers and the license plates were due to renew the end of Jan. So, we took all the left over tags to the ZL's. The roads were clear and most of the way was sunny. I found the Nestle's factory (they have a super large bunny by their sign.) which we will visit again in the summer as well as other sites we will be going back to see in nicer weather. The only down side of the trip was the flat tire I got on the thruway. By the time I got done changing it I couldn't feel my fingers. The temp was in the single digits with a wind chill factor. But all is ok now.

This week and next, we have 4 zone conferences. There was alot of prep but now all is ready so I can relax a little but not for long because we will need to get ready for transfers again the 2nd week of March. It is a never ending process. I think the worst is over though because, I have the calander for the year done as well as the order of things down now. It has been hard but enjoyable. Well, better go for now, I have laundry and shopping to do. My Love to All!!

January is COLD!

Hello again from the deep freeze. I thought I took a picture of the thermometer yesterday but I guess at -9 degrees even the camera wouldn't work. The high was 2. It is suppose to be a balmy 29 today with more snow. We had about 3 inches thursday so everything is white. I am keeping busy in the office. We have had 5 missionaries leave for health reasons and one return just since last transfer. Next transfer isn't until the 28th. Hopefully no one else will go home.
I am having a great time doing the Lord's work. I have great people to work with and I feel it is a priviledge to be here. I have even felt a greater sense of awareness as I read my scriptures. I am in the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon and I can honestly say there are things there the are very profound that I am just seeing for the first time. Take 1Nephi 20:16, the last part shows there are 3 separate beings in the Godhead. Isn't that marvelous. And that is just a sampling of somethings I've seen. Anyway, hope all is well with you and yours. Hope to hear from someone soon.
Love ya, Gail, Sister Kingsley, MOM
P.S. This is my companion, Sister Hubbell, and I at the Colson's for monthly Danish pancakes.