Monday, January 16, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Testimony
Monday, January 2, 2012
Happy New Year!
Another year is dawning,
Dear Father let it be,
In working or in waiting,
Another year with thee.
Another year of progress,
Another year of praise,
Another year of proving
Thy presence all the days.
Another year of mercies,
Of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness,
The glory of thy face.
Another year of leaning
Upon thy loving breast,
Another year of trusting,
Of quiet, happy rest.
Another year of service,
Of witness for thy love,
Another year of training
For holier work above.
Another year is dawning,
Dear Father, let it be,
On earth, or else in heaven,
Another year for thee.
- Frances R. Havergal.
It is official - I am coming home THIS YEAR! I can't believe it - it is so crazy to think about. People here are making me more trunky than I am even making myself. The work here is starting to pick up. I think that the last elders here might have been sleeping (I am not sure.) The Lord has a work for me to do and that is to start getting converts to this church. Man, it breaks my heart when we put so much effort into the week and then the outcome at church is bad. But this week was good. We had an awesome new family at church on Sunday and also 9 investigators. Quite a change from the previous week of 2 investigators. It's funny to sit and see that most of the congregation is investigators. The people that we find are really the people who are going to be the leaders of the church here in the very near future.
This week kind of was a drag and also very fast. It is funny how that works. When you look back, it is fast but then when you are in it, it is slow. So this week the interesting thing was some pastors we taught. Man. they think they are so so smart but in reality they are so dumb. There is this one church here that is called Fresh Hope. It is pretty dominate here. Anyway, I happened to run into the leaders (unfortunately, the sad part is my cap kind of popped) and I just started to rock him with doctrine. Which totally did not help because he didn't understand. I can testify to you that when you just listen to the spirit, that is when you can truly teach. Toward the end, when I finally started to cool down, I started to say the things that I needed to say. And when I did that, he was touched. I know that he will never leave his church but at least I know now that he knows what he is doing is wrong.
I really don't have much to say for this week except things are going great. I have been really working hard to get the district turned around and to have us all be working hard to become more Christ-like. That is my new personal theme. I just love to work on them. It makes me feel good when I work on them. This week I have been working on undoing about 2 years of missionary laziness. Every missionary that comes here says "eh, I don't need to clean. I am leaving here". So that means it gets really really dirty. I cannot believe they have been living in such filth. It makes me sick to think about. Luckily, now it is clean! I was scrubbing the shower and he says "I think you scrubbing the paint off" and I said, "NO it is not brown paint it is WHITE!!!" He says "oh - thanks! Good job" and then leaves! If you want it done then just do it! My future wife is lucky that I have become quite the clean freak. I don't like being dirty and I am also getting good at living with nothing.
Nothing much else has really been going on here, just lots of rebuilding and training, same old same old. Not much to talk about. I have learned that I love to study and I love to pray, but the coolest thing I think I have learned is that I can be close to God but I can still be Kevin. I know I have changed a lot but I am still Kev and that's the best part. I am trying to show missionaries that you have to have fun. That you have to be happy. If you are not happy then you won't be a good teacher. People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care. Sometimes the best lesson you can teach someone is not one that you will pray and talk doctrine but one that you go and laugh and get to know each other. When they know who you are, then they will open up. Thank you everyone for the support. Thank you for the Christmas. I wish I could write and thank each of you individually but postage is rare and mail is slow. I can't wait to meet those of you that are supporting me that I have not even met. Thank you. Much love to you all.
Love, Elder Kev
SLFM
PS Tell bang train "what up - long time no talk". Also J Dawg Ence mafia and Caden man I miss and love you guys and need I forget Hintze -man, that guy, he is going to be bigger than me haha but I will whip him still!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Hey family,
Things here in Bo are going good. It has its ups and its downs as does every area in every mission. As for right now we are really trying to find more investigators. We are really lacking them right now. There was a problem here in Bo where the branch presidents and other church leaders were stealing tithing and fast offerings so that is why all of the presidents were changed and missionaries were presidents for a small time. So now the task at hand is for all of us missionaries to train new leaders as well as bring new members. This week was busy for me with branch business and with district business, and also zone Christmas conference. Needless to say, we did a lot this week. I had some baptism interviews for the sisters and then I also had to go and settle some disputes. Haha, sisters they are funny sometimes. Also this week we had a program for our district. If you did not know we are not stakes or wards we are districts and branches throughout both Sierra Leone and Liberia. Anyway, we had a Christmas program which we got to sing at and also I got to sing in a quartet ath the last minute, lucky me. Wow, I am really starting to not like last minute things. I really hate when people are not prepared but that seems to be the motto for missionaries, do every thing last minute. That is totally not me. Anyway, that was fun. Elder Jenkins stayed at our apartment last minute and it was fun to reminisce about times of old. We have both changed a lot.
This week we had a service project. That was fun and a work out. No one here has ever heard of a lawn mower or a weed wacker. It is called your arm and a machete. Wow you should have seen all the work that we did. Our group was known for our power and endurance. For some reason, I take everything to be a competition. I think it is a part of my genes. Which isn't too bad because it makes me do my best all the time. This week we did not have much of a chance to go and teach lessons. We only got to teach like 15 lessons or something, but it was a fast week. Also I was tired of drawing water from a well with a bucket so I fixed the pump. It took me some time to figure it out. I just couldn't get the pump to pull any water from the well so after I hung in the well upside down by my waist, I cut the pvc pipe off and pulled it up. It was funny! I wish we had a picture of it. I was like a little kid on the monkey bars hanging by my legs. Instead it was a fat guy in a white shirt and tie in a well. I got the pipe out and we pulled it up and the valve on the end was bad. It is a one way valve so that you can prime the pump. Anyway, it was stuck open. We got a guy from Freetown to bring us one and we got it all hooked up so now we have a shower. Wahooo! My theory is if we have the ability to have a shower, lets do it. I can't believe that the pump had been broken for 6 months. Yes - 6 months- because no one would fix it. Man, people are crazy.
So we are praying Markus comes from Freetown this week so we can have Christmas. If not, it will be January. Oh well - that is not too bad because by that time I will be singing I'll be home for Christmas!!!
So this week I learned about what it takes to SEE the face of God. As children of our Heavenly Father, is that not our greatest objective? To be worthy to see the face of God? To render the veil thin enough so that we can see him. Joseph Smith made it pretty clear that if you are worthy then you can. It's funny because when you are in the presence of someone who is keeping themselves very pure you can see that there countinence is different. That there is some kind of glow about them. Our physical body changes as we become true followers of Christ. As you study the scriptures you can see that. In 2 peter 1 it talks about how we can receive our calling and election. I would hope that everyone is striving to receive this. Its really hard to think of these things and act on them. I think when we try to become more like Him then we really know Him.
There was something that Brother Jones told me a long time ago that has stuck in my mind and that is to live worthy of your priesthood. And I didn't quite get it until recently. I was thinking about how special I am as an individual. WHY ME? That is the question. Why would God choose me? Out of 7 billion people, 14 million are members with about 7 million active and about 3.5 million of those are men and about 1.5 million are old enough to hold the priesthood and about 700,000 are worthy (stats given by pres Roggia). And from that there are 56,000 missionaries, why me? Am I doing everything that I can to receive the blessings of heaven? Am I worthy to behold the face of God? That is the question, each and every day I am trying to work towards this. My favorite thing to think about and to study is Christ-like attributes. Without these attributes, we are really nothing. What's cool to think about is that we are preordained to the things we are doing here on earth. Now all I need to do is live worthy of the priesthood, or continue on the path. I really like the scripture from Proverbs 1:5: a wise man will hear, and will increase his learning and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise councils." Everyday we need to grow. If we are not becoming better then we are becoming worse. Because it is the Christmas season now, I hope that every one is remembering what it's all about. Remembering what the sacrament really is, and knowing that he lives.
Merry Christmas everyone. I love all of you and can't wait to talk to you and here your voices. Love you and keep the faith.
Love Elder Moss
Oh yeah - congrats Amy and Mike. SHE IS A CUTIE!!!
Monday, December 12, 2011
> holidays,
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Monday, December 5, 2011
How are things over there once again? Things here are good. I guess you are wondering about transfer news. I am being transferred to Bo branch. So I am going uptown. It will be fun. ELDER JENKINS and I will be together for Christmas!!!! Wahooo ~ man I am stoked. I am kind of sad to leave Elder Saxton and Elder Burton but man it will be sweet to see my boy again.
To be honest, I don't have a whole lot to say. I cut my hair and it's pretty short. I figured it will grow back and it's hot. I am tired of people running there fingers through my hair. It's not so bad when children do it but when people my own age do it, it makes for an awkward moment. Everyone wants to just touch my hair. Weird.