Hey family,

How are things over there in America the beautiful? Things in salone are just dandy I guess you could say. The  Lord really wants me to grow the last few weeks that I am serving.  It seems as if there is zero of the basic facilities that missionaries need.  So far our generator is down and our well is dry.  This week we had a few hurdles we were faced with.  Lately we are the only place that has had water in our little community so the children love to come and fetch water.  Unfortunately, in the process our hand pump could not handle the excessive pumping that it and it broke.  It is interesting how the thing was built (you know me I have dad’s genes so I had to take it apart and see what I could do).  In the process of dismantling the pump, I found the problem.  It was a broken chain link.  The pump works much the same as a jack pump.  Like the ones they use to pump oil.  But this one is man powered.  Anyway, luckily I had my leatherman and a crescent wrench and a "can do attitude" to get the job done.  So we got the chain out, after many years of rusting, might I add.  So now it was off to find the part.  To my surprise, it was very hard to find.   It is amazing that I could not find it considering that these pumps are everywhere here.  So we finally found one and now the next problem came.  The price.  Because the church did so much well work here people think that we had money so up the price went.  I did my best to talk him down.  When I finally got him to a reasonable price, the next step was to get president to approve.   That, my friends, is a task all in itself.  After about 2 hours of waiting for approval, we went home and we got the pump fixed. So finally we had water again!  Nope - shortly after the pump was fixed our well ran dry - that's our luck!   So needless to say, I am sitting here with somewhat of a beard and I am smelling mighty fine. But I guess that’s what happens when there is no water. What can you do…. Towa! Or endure! All these things give you experience. This water issue is a problem throughout Bo and I believe, throughout the mission, but the worst here.  It is even the reason that we had to cancel a baptism of about 20 people.  What a headache that was.  I can say that I did everything that I could possibly do to put on this baptism but nothing was working for us. Our well at the church was torn up and they were having a wedding at the church that night plus it was a holiday weekend so no one wanted to lift a finger to help.  I wish I would have had more personal money.   I would have shipped us all to the river outside of town but I didn’t have the means of changing it on such short notice.  Our only option was to cancel the baptism and pray that this weekend works out better.  It is crazy the type of things that we have to deal with as missionaries here. I never thought in my life that I would have to organize a truck to pump water from a river from another city to come and put it in our font.  I never thought I would have to shower with a bucket, that’s when I have water.   Even though I have to do all these things, I have learned that it is not have to anymore, it is I get to do these wonderful things.  I get to help change the lives of people for ever.  I get to be refined and perfected.  What a great opportunity it is to be a part of this mission.  The only time success comes before work, is in the dictionary.  No matter how much we pray for better lives or pray for things to happen, nothing will happen until you put in your dues.  Sierra Leone has done a great and marvelous work in my life.  Forever I am grateful! So I guess mission, all in all, is good. Don’t get me wrong. I am stoked to come home but mission has been good.

I hope that all is well at home.  Thanks for all that you do.  I guess my thought for the week is work. If you want anything in life, work for it.  Family, as you know, is important for me.   I am glad that my parents worked to make the family that we have.  I hope and pray that I will be able to do the same one day.  Family is the most essential and important thing on this earth.  What a blessing it is to have one.  I love you guys so much.

Love Elder Kev

Hey family!!

Well it is another week gone. Things here are the norm I guess you could say. I am not too sure what I need to say or what I should say, except that I am an old man - 6 weeks until I can kiss the promised land.

I guess the first thing is HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY AWESOME FATHER!!!!Sorry I can't give you a hug or anything but just imagine it. And Caden, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU TOO. Love ya man - see ya soon.

So for my week hmmmm, as a person I have learned an important something about the way you treat people. Most especially I have learned the type of father I need to be and it is a proverb. It goes something like this: if you treat a man how he ought to be, he becomes what he ought to be, if you treat a man how he is, that’s how he is. Sometimes you have to treat people in a way they don’t understand because they don’t know what is best for them. And because you love them you are willing to do what's right, regardless of the consequence. If you expect someone to fail, and you don’t give them a chance then they lived up to your expectations. You can't be scared to lift someone because you think they are going to bite you when they get to the top. Charity is an awesome thing. I wish that everyone had charity in this world - imagine what it would be like.

The work is going. It was nice this week to experience investigators running to us instead of away from us. I love to see people asking us and wanting us to come rather than when we feel like we force lessons on them. For me, one of the things I love is learning about the scriptures and doctrine. One of the things that you can learn is that the original church of Jesus Christ was known as “the way”. Obviously, it has it's different symbolic meanings. The obvious meaning for it is "the way to go". The less obvious one is that you "can search and see". For example, dad knows that in machines, they have guide ways, which direct in the way the table of the machine moves. It does it precisely. Look and seek revelation for yourself but see how Christ is "the way." It is interesting to look in the scriptures to see the different times that Christ uses it and also the apostles. Christianity was later given as more of a nickname to the church and the later accepted. Now Christianity really doesn’t mean a whole lot any more because every one and their dog calls themselves Christians but to be a Christian, a true Christian, means you are following Christ. How can you follow Christ if you are not fully living his teachings? So don’t be LDS and not a Christian. Anyway, I am getting off of my soap box. I don’t care if someone calls me non-christian or anything as long as they know that I am on the path back to my Father in Heaven. I love the symbols in the scriptures. It really brings new meaning to things.

This last Sunday I was in charge of sacrament again and that stunk. I never like doing that. I gave a talk and it was good I guess. I love to talk about Christ like attributes and my family, the two greatest things in the world. I also received a phone call from president telling me that he is sending off one of the people that I baptized on a mission. So it is cool. I think that makes two people now that I have baptized that are going to the field.

So for living conditions, it’s the same - my bed or my foam mat is on the floor (what I would give for one of those Costco foam mats, you know, the red and blue ones.) We don’t have power again - our generator is broken and our well keeps going dry but its OK. I am happy. Worldly things don’t so much give me pleasure any more. If I have my family, I have the world. I have heaven, I have everything. It's what it is all about. I will continue to say it until I cant anymore. Family is number one no matter what. Even family came before church. But because God loved the family so much that he gave us something to help them and that is church. How blessed we truly are to live in a dispensation where families can be eternal, and how we have living prophets to direct us. I can't tell you how much I love you guys. Keep the faith. Enjoy the journey, and LOVE YOUR FAMILY!!!!!

Love Elder Kev

Hey family,

How are you guys doing over there? The week for me was great and, actually, it went by really quick. How about for you? This week we had some good lessons. I wanted to thank you for the money that you have sent me. I wanted you to know what I have been doing with some of it. I have not been using it for food or personal things but I have been using it to buy things for members or recent converts. For things like hymn books and Book of Mormon stories, triple combinations, Bibles and so forth. I have really found it quite rewarding. It is awesome to be able to spend what little money you have to see someone light up when you hand them a brand new set of scriptures. For some people here that is something that can take them months, even years to be able to buy. I am just sacrificing something I want for something I want more, and that is for the people here to be able to learn more about our Heavenly Father. One of the things that we got to do was take this Book of Mormon stories book to a guy who is having a hard time and cannot really read. What a great lesson that was when we taught him the hymn "I am a child of God" and sang it before we prayed and began. It was awesome! We have been finding investigators that just don’t want to leave us alone. We can't teach them fast enough. I love it and wish that we could have even more of them (I know, a little greedy).

This week I woke up on Friday and I could not remember what I had to do. I was walking around trying to find out what I was forgetting. I knew that I had to do something. Anyway, I was trying to get it figured out. Well I just prayed about it and….. nothin' so I went and exercised and got ready, and still was filling uneasy, like I was forgetting something. So I prayed to open my personal study and I sat in my chair. Then I lifted my head and there was my answer. The emails that you had sent me for the week. I remembered the significance of that day and what I needed to do, so once again I knelt down and I prayed and this time I thanked Heavenly Father for the answer to my prayer and also to start my fast. I had a great day fasting and praying for my bro and sis. I hope that all went well for them. It is amazing how prayers are answered. Sometimes the Holy Ghost racks your brain so that you can figure something out, and then the answer comes as you search.

Yours is a mission you alone can fill.
Whether it be to build or teach or till;
Your goal may still be hidden from your view,
But somewhere God has urgent need of you!

This poem is awesome! There is a need for everyone somewhere, no matter how big or small, there is still a need. Something I learned in doing mission work is to pray as if it all depends on God and work as if it all depends on you.I am doing my best to keep the pedal to the floor. There are trials, of course, but we have to man up and bear them. In this mission and in life, we can choose to be offended and do our own thing or we can choose to do the right thing. Many people in this world choose to be offended by another member or a friend or whatever and they choose to stay away from church and also to stay away from all the promised blessings in the church. All because they chose to be offended. Mission work is full of this, any missionary can attest to it but it is all about our attitude. Like I said in a prior letter, if we always look for crap then that is all we will see. On the contrary, if all we look for the good, then that is what we will see. We are powerful as human beings. Sometimes we neglect our own power and essentially we choose to do anything we want, whether to succeed or to limit ourselves. Like the doctrine of faith, if we truly exercise our faith then there are no limitations. If we choose not to put our whole faith in the Lord, then we limit the things we can do. Sorrow or happiness, it is all a choice. It is physically impossible for anything or anyone to offend you. You have to allow it. Let's choose to be happy! Let's choose to smile! Let's choose to keep the faith and choose to receive blessings from our Father in Heaven. Christ has done it all for us. He has paid the price and now we need to do our part. That’s what I tell myself. Become better - don’t let things get you down. Trials will never go away. Accept them and grow from them. I love you guys so much. Have a great day and week.

Love Elder Kev

Travel Papers - Check!

Hello family,


Things here in Bo are great!! So you are probably wondering why I didn’t email yesterday. Here in Salone they come up with any excuse to take a day off from their busy schedule of doing nothing. So the holiday was …. Easter Monday! I think they should have an Easter Tuesday as well. Anyway, so you get your email today.


The week was great and bittersweet. Some good friends are going home but it is ok because they must first go home for me to be next to go home. I am trying to keep my foot on the gas. I am just hoping the car doesn’t run out of gas. No, things are good. We had a really great Easter program with a great attendance of 174. It was a great turn out with lots a of spirit. Another good thing that happened was I got a great telephone call from the office couple telling me that I will be going home on June 3rd, SO SWEET!!!!. I didn’t know that Elder Emanuelson was going home a little early too. It will be great to travel together!


We also had a great baptism this week. Her name is Isata. That was great. I love being able to baptize. It is a big testimony builder. I got to baptize 5 people that day. Also I got to do some confirmations on Sunday. I feel all tough here cause I can talk in front of people with out getting nervous. I think it will be a different story when I get home because there will be like 400 people at church instead of 150.


We also got transfer news I and am staying in Bo - the same companion - nothing really big happened except…. This is my last full transfer! Wow, I am trunky but I am working hard at the same time. I just hope I don’t annoy my companion with telling him every day how many days I have left. My mission is so sweet and I love the work but my family is sweeter and I can't wait to see all of you guys. Thanks for everything. I don’t have much to say - sorry - love you so much!



Love Elder Kev

Happy Easter

Hey family,

How are things going over there? Things here are going great. The week had its struggles but you know I was reading some of my newsletter pages and I am noticing that I don't sound too grateful. I don’t really talk too much about all the positive things that happen so I even though my mission is rounding down there is still time to change. The good things have been happening all along and those are the things that are changing my life. The cost of obedience is nothing compared with the cost of disobedience. That’s something that I love. The Lord has provided us a road map. The road map consist of trials, commandments, easy roads and rough roads and many other things along the way, but the special thing about this road is that it leads back to Him. Life is great when on the road to Christ.

So brother Neves was accurate about the mission but hey, no worries, I have less than two months left. This week was funny - so we have been teaching this guy, ironically his name is Joseph Smith. He is the only guy in a house of like a million woman. But he is awesome and is progressing really well. Anyway, the grandma and the sisters were cooking so we took the opportunity to offer our services. Unfortunately, in the process of cooking, my pants got covered in fufu something equivalent to flour. So the grandma comes out with a rag and starts talking she says grap, TINAP!! I say ok she then starts to speak to me in mende telling me to turn around. So I did and then she started to clean my pants with a rag. Tells me to turn and continues cleaning. I don’t know if you have ever had your pants cleaned while they are on you by a old lady but I tell you, it is awkward! Well that is not the most awkward part - it was the return appointment. We were at another appointment and we often sit down on big stones on the ground or tree stumps or anything we can find, so your butt gets dirty. Well this lady always comes out of no where and SPANKS ME haha . It is crazy! I have to be careful when I am around there. I always have to make sure my pants are clean so she doesn’t try to help me by spanking me.

So we have come up with a method here for the people who cannot read the Book of Mormon but still feel the spirit and gain a testimony of it. What we have come up with is to have people underline words, such as family or God or Christ or Heavenly Father, etc. We write them in the front of the book and explain the words and then we have them search for the words in the book. It gives them two major things - one a good assignment and two, they can see how much the book talks about Christ and God and families.So we saw some real success with it this week. We gave the assignment to this lady a few weeks ago and she never really tried. Anyway, she got sick and was laying in bed and picked it up. Well that’s when the spirit took control. The next time we saw her she said "elders, I love the Book of Mormon. It is so true." I get a big smile on my face and I asked her to let me borrow her book. So I picked it up she had underlined the words Lord and God and Christ almost for the entire book. I was so impressed. It really touched my heart.

Easter, what a great time of year. It really is the best holiday. We, as children of God, need to focus more on Christ. Year round instead of just on holidays or Sundays. I have really come to love Christ. I have been studying on symbols in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible and let me tell you something, WOW!!! The scriptures really come alive when you understand symbols in these books. I can't even begin to tell you. For example, the robe of Christ or robes in general, are normally symbols of authority or power. Along with colors… so when things are said like the woman reached out to touch the hem of his robe or his clothes, it is a symbol priesthood blessings. As well as the red robe symbolizes the atonement and sacrifice etc. Christ saving us from sin through authority. Also like bread is a symbol of life. Christ is the bread of life. The list goes on and on but I don’t want to bore you with these. I really look forward to studying the scriptures with all you guys when I get home. Anyway, my studies have been so great and I am learning so much. I can really see the scriptures coming alive. This church is true and the more you study the more you understand. I am so grateful for life and the time to be here. Thanks for the support have a great week. Also thank you for the birthday wishes and Happy Birthday to Sharon. And transfers are this week so I will let you know what happens. Happy Easter!

Love you guys!!! Remember Christ did it for YOU!!!!! And it wasn’t easy even for him.

Love you -Love Elder Kev

Hey family,

How are things over in the good ole USA? Things here are trudging along. I heard a good poem and thought I would share it with you all it is about prayer!!

PUSH

Pray

Until

Something

Happens

Living the Way we Pray

I knelt to pray when day was done

And prayed. O Lord, bless everyone

Lift from each heart the pain,

And let the sick be well again.

And then I woke one day,

And carelessly went on my way,

The whole day long I did not try

To wipe a tear from any eye.

I did not try to share the load

Of any brother on the road;

I did not even go to see

The sick man just next door to me

Yet once again when day was done

I prayed: O Lord, bless everyone

But as I prayed to my ear

There came a voice that whispered clear:

Pause, hypocrite, before you pray:

Whom have you tried to bless today?

God’s sweetest blessing always go

By hands that serve him here below.

And then I hid my face and cried:

Forgive me God for I have lied,

Let me but live another day.

And I will live the way I pray

I really like this poem, it is reality and it is something that most of us do in this life.

Nothing really too exciting this week. As you know, we have been suffering for new investigators so prayer is key. One of the days we were frying our brains trying to get new investigators so I just was praying please, just let someone talk to us. Low and behold, it worked. My first impression was great. I prayed and God sent me a drunk guy. At first I was a little ticked but then I started talking to this guy. Come to find out, he had attended church in Freetown and just never became a member because there were no missionaries to teach him. We also found out that this guy loves the bible and he even started his own church. He knew that his church of small 50 or so members was not a really true church. He knew in his heart that the LDS church was the only true church on the earth. He made it clear to us that he wants to join the church and leave his habits and even to try to get his old members to followhim to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was blown away. If we would have turned away from this guy because he smelled drunk we would have never had such an opportunity. We haven’t had a chance to meet him again but we will see what will come of it.

I heard a funny joke this week. This guy was talking to us about America, like people always do with me, and he is telling me that he has to get to America before he dies. Even if he dies immediately after he gets off of the plane. I looked at him and said why would you just want to die there? He says “America is only about 2 miles away from heaven while Africa is only about two miles away from hell. The road to heaven is much shorter from America”. I was laughing. It is amazing how bad people want to get there.

This week I met a guy from San Jose. He lived there for over 30 years and came here for a visit. Anyway, he was talking to me and he was happy I was a Lakers fan in Utah. We invited him to church and one of his children came and liked it so that’s cool. I am trying to think of excitement. But it just is not coming….

This makes about a month of no power and we're still getting water by hand. Oh well, 9 weeks to go, right? Yup, president called me this week and said he is making the arrangements for 30 days early!! So that’s good. Also, tell brother Cox thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I got his package. It was really nice of them to send that for me.

Things are great. Mission is good. Oh and my companion's first name is David. (I found out because he wrote it on a record haha). He really doesn’t like me but it's ok because I love him. If only I was not an American, things would probably be better between us. Lots of Africans here as missionaries just don’t like us Americans. They feel intimidated for one reason or another. I don’t know.

Well, I love you guys- have a great week!! Oh ya, a good scriptureespecially for me, Mormon 6:20 - sorrows don’t bring return….

Love ya - have a good week. And let everyone know I love them.

Love Elder Kev

Hey family

How are you guys today? As for me, I am doing good. Not too many complaints.

Holy smoke - it is so crazy that Hintze is home. I am pretty sure that we went more than 2 years without writing a single thing to each other. Man what a crappy friend I am. That goes for all of my friends that are on missions right now. I am sorry I haven’t written you, I do have a small excuse. I am in the jungle and it is hard to write since I have no light and I can’t just walk to the mail box and send them. I would love to write people more but it is just hard. So I am sorry friends and family. I do love you guys though. Anyway, all these people that are coming home, could you please tell them hello and that I love them.

As for my week, it was filled with patience and learning. When you think that you have exercised an extreme amount of patience that is probably when you are wrong. This week we had a practice for our Easter program. It went well except I don’t understand why nobody will take you seriously during practice. During our practice, it was as if I was in primary trying to get everyone to be quiet so that we could do something. So what we did was just embarrass them so that they would practice on their own, ha-ha. We knew no one had practiced on their own so we made them sing in front of everyone. It was amazing how much better they sounded the second practice.

So this week was rough with trying to find investigators. I feel like sometimes I am just walking around trying to get anyone to talk to me. I don’t think I would do well in a stateside mission. I would get too angry when no one wanted to hear what I had to say. So we hope that the Easter program will help and we can start getting some referrals, just in time for me to come home. It amazes me how things in one area can be so busy and then the next area it is terrible. So that is the work. We struggled to have 20 lessons this week. I know that is crazy for some people but we can normally have like 25 or 30 in a week.

So we got our generator back!! Yea - that means we can charge things again and plan in the light. But the rather unfortunate thing is that something died in our well. I think it is a lizard. I really don’t think that I am meant to have good water on my mission. If it is not one thing, it’s the next. Dad you are lucky on this one because the hole on the top of the well is too small for me to fit in or otherwise I would be down there getting out the dead animal that is in there. Also the well is really deep so I don’t really want to go in there. Someone is going to have to get this problem fixed so we can take a shower (or what we consider a shower). Another one of those sacrifices we make as missionaries here in Africa.

Today was good. We got a bunch of missionaries together and members and recent converts and had a soccer game. It is so awesome when we can go have a clean match, have a prayer and see our converts become friends with the branch. Also, we got a referral today in an area where we need investigators so I know that things are starting to pick up. Sorry if I am too negative all the time, I don’t try to be!! Also, another thing that made the match great was we won! Today was good and things are getting better. I don’t have much else to say. We have this guy his name is Chris and we just baptized him. He is so good and he is also very good at soccer. He won the golden boot. He is practically a national player but he wants to go on mission rather than go and play now. Another thing that I love about this guy is that he really respects his mom. That is something that is big for me.

I am grateful to be here and to serve. I love you guys have a great week.

Love Elder Kev