Dear family,
How are you guys doing on this great day? it is a great day for me because I just received sustenance (money)!! That means no more suffering for food. Well, ok I mean less suffering for food!! This week for me was pretty good. Kind of a lot happened for me. There is so much success happening here. It is awesome to be a part of it all. You will be surprised when I tell you how many people that we have been able to help come to the church. it is amazing the number of people that are joining the church. People that I met just over one month ago! It is kind of like people's lives (in my eyes) are on fast forward. I meet them with their lives kind of in shambles and then they come to church and pray and then see the blessings start to pour in. We set a mighty high goal for this month on how many people that we wanted to help come to the fold. We had an idea it was kind of a long shot because we just had met some of those people, but we prayed about it and we decided that it is a good idea to try to push these people a little bit and see what they can do and see if they are really ready. In doing this, we had to give the people commitments that were maybe harder than usual but would help them to gain a testimony fast. It's amazing when you do this. 4 weeks is what we are supposed to give for a baptism date. When you do what you are told to do, the work goes so smooth. Something that I was reading said that so many missionaries try to work different tactics when teaching people and trying to persuade them one way or the other or convince them to do something. All we need to do is TEACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST with the spirit. IF YOU teach by the spirit people cannot deny the message which you bring to them. People can deny doctrine ideas or whatever but something that is really hard to deny is a witness that is true from the Holy Ghost. By bearing testimony, they will know that what you are telling them is the truth. As a result of those efforts and teaching by the spirit, I believe that we reap the rewards. I don't reap the rewards, the people that we were able to teach reap the reward. God never gives you more than you can handle, good or bad. He will NOT give you more than you can handle. I will testify that by showing him that you can handle more, He will give you more to handle. This month we had fifteen people come to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I guess that makes up for me ripping my $70 long sleeve shirt! Yesterday we did most of their confirmations. I have told you in the past that we are in a really mountainous area. Well, of course yesterday was a huge rain storm and when that happens hardly anyone comes to church because they cannot get here because of flooding. Many things in life will test your faith and this was one of those faith testers for our converts. I was stressed in the morning, hoping that they would come and trying to organize 12 confirmations. I was trying to get elders together and teaching them prayers. I tell you that the best thing to do is pray. After I decided to say a prayer to myself, I was so comforted and I knew that I had done my part and to just let the Lord do the rest. I was very happy to take up half of the sacrament meeting with confirmations. 11 people showed up. One was flooded at his house. 11 people soaking wet came up to me and told me thank you. I tell you, the tender moments in mission. I can't tell you the joy I felt, to see the smiles on their faces as they received their gift, and their blessing. Now that we are bringing so many people to the church, we have to work on retention. Man, now our idea is to have a devotional. I have a good idea but man it is a lot. They ask a lot of me, in the PEC meeting, we talked small about it and I think we are ok. We are getting a new brach pres. and they insist on telling me I am going to be it. They are crazy! That will never happen. I just found out recently that 2 people that I taught and baptized are preparing to turn in their own mission papers. WHAT!!! How crazy is it to have someone you baptized going out to be a missionary before I even go home from my mission. It's so sweet! This week I had to be like a marriage counselor - man, people and their tiffs. I tell you that I almost whapped this man for beating his wife. He is lucky I am a missionary and controlled my temper. I chastised him and I guess things are working out. it is just funny that people seek advice from a boy that is not even married haha. I do have a girl here that is after me though. She is 8 and I guess she loves me and wants to marry me. So she was devastated when I told her that I can't marry her, that I already love someone, and want to marry someone else. She is very persistent. She told me that she can cook better, clean better and is nicer than Riss (obviously she does not know Riss!)
So I guess all is well here, nothing to complain about. Power and water come occasionally, well power does. Food is the same. Keep on keepin' on! Love you all.
Love Elder Kev
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