Arizona Mesa Mission Address



Friday, December 31, 2010

December 28, 2010

Dear Family,

It was such a blessing to be able to talk to you guys on Christmas.  It really didn't feel like Christmas at all this year without a white blanket of snow, the smell of burning firewood from the chimney of every house, and the waft of chestnuts roasting on a fire.  I guess winter down south is something that takes getting used to, although I doubt I'll gave to next year.  Listening to Christmas music helped a little bit but it also made me miss having Christmas back east, which is actually consistent with the descriptions of every Holiday song.  I can't wait to be able to talk to you guys again on Mother's Day.

I don't have much time to write this week since Elder Ralphs and I spent our whole day biking to Scottsdale to pick up our car, which just got repaired.  Not to mention that this is also a shortened p-day due to the fact that we are going to have another one on New Year's Day.  So I only have like five more minutes.  Me and Elder Ralphs have been working super hard, as usual, and had a pretty good week considering there were two p-days and we rode bikes (which slows down the work if you don't plan it right).  The transfer is coming to an end pretty soon and I am so badly hoping that Elder Ralphs and I stay together.  Elder Ralphs suggested to me that that's what we fast for this Sunday.  I have learned so much from his work ethic, good attitude, and ability to speak the language with power, but there is a lot more I could learn as well.  We are really buckling down and trying to get people to understand the importance of what we are saying so that they will actually act and put forth effort to do the things that we commit them to do.  We have seen that the ones that do, are the ones that progress towards baptism and have spiritual experiences. Right now we have 8 baptismal dates with 3 looking solid for the month of January.  It all comes back to getting people to really grasp the severity and reality of the message that we share with them.  If they put forth their faith a little bit and test our promises they will be blessed so greatly.

I think one of the biggest problems we face is the problem of how casual Satan has made religion.  People believe in God and Jesus but its become something that just requires people to say "yes I believe" and actually "do", the absolute minimum possible.  I might have not been that bad but I admit that I was a victim of this mentality at one point or another in my life.  If the scriptures are true and God really is there, then we should be doing all we can to grow closer to him. If the scriptures are 100% true, this is something so miraculous and life changing!!  It is hard to instill this sense of thinking into others, especially religiously active Hispanics (and by religiously active I mean that they go to church every once and a while and have read the bible once ((and by once I don't mean the whole way through))).  The one thing that is great about Hispanic people is how humble, loving and friendly they are.  Because of this we are able to teach a lot and bring a lot of people closer to Christ.

Those are some of my thoughts this week ... I love you guys and pray for every one of you.

Love,
Elder Kinney

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

December 21, 2010

Dear Family,

Today is a pretty rushed P-day because it is shortened due to the full-day P-day we will get on Christmas.  Actually our Zone is going to be working Christmas Lights at the Mesa Temple that day so we will be getting back to work around 4:00PM on Christmas.  I will be hoping for some Christmas miracles as I converse with people on the grounds of the temple and find people that God has prepared to receive the gospel. 

This past week was another really great one.  I can see great strides of progress in my ability to speak Spanish as I try an emulate the skill of my companion, Elder Ralphs. Unfortunately, all of the baptisms that we had scheduled for Christmas had to be pushed back because we weren't able to teach them everything they needed to learn prior to baptism due to odd work schedules and things like that.  There is this one couple that has been living together for 25 years that we are trying to get married.  It can be really frustrating because when we say they need to get married within the next month (prior to baptism) they say "Es tan pronto!" (It's so soon!).  I find it very hard to believe that getting married after being together for 25 years is considered even remotely soon.  My companion and I fasted and prayed for them but they didn't do their part so they didn't get an answer to their prayers.  It is a slow process but I am almost certain that they will grasp the importance of marriage soon. 

Anyway, I don't have much time so I will answer some of your questions and address some of the comments from your emails.  My Jos. A. Banks suits are not doing so well.  Both of them have seam rips in various places, the pants for the blue suit are totally out of commission but the black Dickies jeans are really holding up well!  I may try to buy a more durable new suit in the near future.   Right now I am living with four Elders, my companion Elder Ralphs, Elder Tuttle (from St. Louis; he went to BYU for a year and is a hockey player) and Elder Chavez (a Mexican from East LA who is fluent in both languages).  I will send you some pictures of them in my next email.  It is kind of annoying because we only have one bathroom which is ok for me because I usually spend the least amount of time in there. 

I just got the box with the candy and the Camelbak mouth pieces so thanks for those.  I liked in Mom's email when she talked about the choirs of heaven singing when Christ comes again.  I have often thought about that too.  I am almost finished reading Jesus the Christ  (right now I only have about 70 pages left) and I had a similar thought when I read about the shepherds in Bethlehem seeing the heavens open and hearing multitudes of angels singing and signaling the coming of the Messiah.  I couldn't imagine what that would sound like to human ears but it was probably Mo-tab (Mormon Tabernacle Choir) times a billion.  It is going to be amazing hearing or hopefully being part of the hosts of Heaven singing to signal the second coming of the Messiah.  Music can be very powerful for me in terms of feeling the spirit as well. 

I want to share with you one quick thing that the Spirit taught me this week during my studies before I sign off.  I was reading the recent Ensign magazine which contained all of the October conference talks, specifically, "Reflections of a Consecrated Life" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson.  He wrote about how when you consecrate something, you set it apart completely for a spiritual purpose.  My Branch President in the MTC always told us to become consecrated missionaries and I just always took it to mean "be a really really good missionary." But I have come to realize that everything that I do, every action I take needs to be consecrated towards missionary work and ultimately towards God.  As I pondered some more about this talk, I also realized what it really means to be a member of this church and to be here on earth.  So many times we get so caught up in worldly things, even worldly things that are important such as a job, food, shelter etc. . .  but really, every action and decision we make needs to be consecrated towards one purpose which is to believe in and emulate Jesus Christ so that we can return to our Heavenly Father.  This means not just going to church every Sunday just because that is what you have done your whole life.  We need to come to see the reality of the plan of salvation and that our time on this earth as members of this church is meant to be consecrated towards our end goal.  When we do this, we are following the commandments. We are constantly striving to grow spiritually and strengthen the relationship we have with our Savior. When we do this, all of the worldly things that we need will be provided for and we will be happy.  Anyway, that is something I learned this week.  Merry Christmas!!  Talk to you on Saturday.

Love,

Elder Kinney

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

December 14, 2010

Hey Fam,

I don't know what time we are going to be able to call our parents on Christmas.  We have two baptisms, a Wedding and are working Christmas Lights on the temple grounds on Christmas day so it could be pretty hectic.

Me and my companion, Elder Ralphs, continue to get a long really well.  He is seriously such an awesome Elder that I have already learned so much from.  I hope that we are companions for more than just this transfer.

This past week was pretty busy as usual and I got to work the Christmas Lights again.  I had the opportunity to talk to this one lady with three kids and when I told her where I was from, she said, "Oh, is that near like where Glenn Beck lives?"  When I told her he was in my ward back home she started freaking out and telling me how jealous she was.  She even lost one of her kids while she was talking to me and it was like she didn't even care.  She was telling me she watches him and O'Reilly every single night.  I told her how I thought Glenn was a pretty good guy and that he had a super powerful testimony and conversion story.  I have actually met a bunch of die-hard Beck fans in Arizona.  You can actually tell him that he has contributed to the missionary work down here as well.  There were these Elders in my district that went tracting, and one particular door they knocked on was opened by a man who was crying.  They asked him what was wrong and if he needed any help.  He said he was fine and that it was just something he was watching on TV.  One of the Elders looked into the room and saw Brother Beck giving one of his rousing, emotional segments on his show.  They told the man that one of the reasons Glenn Beck has such strong feelings for God and his country is because of the testimony he has of the message they were sharing -- that Jesus Christ lives and His Gospel has been restored again on this earth.  They bore testimony that, like Glenn, they knew their message was true and he could know for himself through prayer.  The man immediately let them in and at the end of the lesson agreed to set a date to be baptized.  They told me that he had just been baptized a week ago!!  Talk about being observant and teaching to someone's needs!!  This is a great example of someone that the Lord prepared to receive the gospel through the actions of one of his children, in this case Brother Beck.  The missionaries were guided to that door at just the right time when that man's heart was softened so he would invite the Lord's servants into his home.  Make sure you tell Brother Beck about this sweet story on Sunday.

Speaking of miracles and how the Lord truly guides the missionaries, Elder Ralphs and I had a great experience with this guy that we contacted last week named Alberto.  We contacted him as we were leaving a lesson.  I was actually backing up the car and since we always need a missionary to stand behind the car and back us out, Elder Ralphs was doing that.  I looked in one of my mirrors to see Elder Ralphs and he wasn't there, and I thought "where did he go?"  I looked over to the sidewalk and saw him talking to this guy and thought to myself, "there goes obedient Elder Ralphs talking to everyone like we are supposed to..." (just jokingly, I always try to talk to everyone but I don't know if I would have in that situation since we were late for another appointment.)  Anyway, we taught him a couple days ago and he told us that he had been taking the lessons where he used to live before he moved.  He said he really liked having the lessons and it was disappointing that the missionaries hadn't been stopping by anymore.  We continued to teach the first lesson which was super powerful and the Spirit was so strong.  I taught him about Joseph Smith and the first vision and he started to cry a little bit when I gave Joseph's account.  We set a baptismal date with him on the first of January.  Anyway, that was one of the miracles that I saw this week which was really awesome.  We also had a baptism on Saturday with this woman named Olivia who I had only taught once so I didn't know her that well.

Another pretty cool thing was that we had a ward Christmas party this past Saturday where the missionaries participated in a play about the life of Jesus Christ.  We performed this song called "Sabias Que" ("Did You Know That") which was about these people singing to Mary and asking her if she knew that Jesus was going to do all these miracles during his life.  We acted out each miracle as the song played.  My role was John the Apostle.  It was pretty fun.  Over 200 people showed up for the party including a ton of our investigators, which shows how strong this area and our ward is.

Anyway, I gotta get going.  It was super great to write you and share some experiences with you.
Love Elder Kinney

Friday, December 10, 2010

December 7, 2010

Dear Family,

I wish that I had more time to write, but we are really running late and our P-day is shortened today because we are working the Christmas lights in Mesa and we haven't done our shopping or anything yet.  I'm just gonna tell you a little about my new companion and area, but first of all, Margarita was baptized this past Saturday!!  It was so awesome!!  The gospel is going to bless her life and the lives of her four little kids so much.  She will be a great member.  I sent you some pictures of me and my trainer, Elder Reid, with Margarita after her baptism.

My new area is so awesome and really big.  The branch where I'm serving seriously has the best members who actually embrace missionary work much more as a whole than the ward I was in in Mesa.  The one ward missionary that we have is a sister named Hermana Mora who has like four callings and magnifies them all.  She will go out of her way to fellowship investigators without us even asking her.  I can already see the results of her actions.

My new companion is Elder Ralphs and he is the best missionary ever.  He is super obedient, always has a huge smile on his face, is awesome at Spanish (even though this is only his third transfer), is super humble, and an amazing teacher that I can and plan on, learning a lot from.  He is seriously going to be one of the best missionaries that this mission will ever see and I am hoping I can second him in that achievement.  I'll send you a couple pictures of us.  Anyway, we are doing absolutely awesome as far as the work goes.  I think that a part of it is me being used to my old area where it was hard to get people to come to church and for members to get activated in missionary work.  This last Sunday we had nine investigators at church and set five baptismal dates, including one this Saturday and two on Christmas day, which conveniently falls on a Saturday.  I am very excited for the time that Elder Ralphs and I will be serving together and I know that I am going to learn a lot.

Before I sign off I just wanted to share a scripture that I read this week that I really liked.  It is Alma 4:15 when Alma is challenging his brethren to re-examine their spiritual lives.  My favorite part of the scripture is when he asks, "Have ye received his (Christ's) image in your countenance?".  That scripture really hit me hard because one of my goals as a missionary is be able to have the light of Christ in my countenance when people look at me or when I talk to them in the street.  I feel this would be one of the best attributes a missionary could have and it is what people will remember when they talk to those two guys in suits on the street.  To try and achieve this I have been praying for the gift of charity, which is the pure love of Christ, every day like Preach my Gospel teaches.  I have also been trying to keep all of my thoughts focused on the gospel and to not let my mind wander, which is pretty easy for me to do at times.  You really can tell when someone is a valiant, commandment-keeping member of this church just from the look on their face because you can see the light of Christ in their countenance.  I think this is a goal we should all strive for as members of this church and as children of our Heavenly Father.

Anyway it was great to write you.  I will have more time next week when I'm not in such a hurry.

Love,
Elder Kinney

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

November 30, 2010

Dear Family,

This past week has been interesting-- some good things have happened.

First and foremost, Margarita is going to be baptized this Saturday but I am going to have to travel from Phoenix to see it because that's where I am getting transferred tomorrow morning.

My new companion is Elder Ralphs, who was Elder Biddle's (my current companion's), MTC companion, and he's only been out for two transfers now as well.  Nevertheless, I have heard really great things about him and I am sure I will be able to learn a lot from him as we work in Phoenix.  I've heard from other elders that their favorite part of their mission was the time they spent in Phoenix, so I am excited to experience a new change but am also a bit bummed I am leaving this area and especially living with Brother Hunt.  He is seriously such an awesome member of the church and he teaches us missionaries so many things about the gospel that he has learned through some pretty rough experiences in his life.  He is a huge jokester but he is also very spiritual. He has an amazing relationship and understanding of his Savior.  He has gone through a lot of stuff but he has always stayed faithful and has learned how to cope with challenges in life using the simple truths of the gospel.  What is amazing is he doesn't look at any of his past difficulties as unfair but has learned to grow and realize that the only thing that really matters is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He is a great guy and I have learned a lot from him. He served his mission in the New York Mission but spent most of his time in New Jersey.  Anyway, that is Brother Hunt and I am going to be sad to not have the privilege of living in his house anymore.

This past Thanksgiving was a pretty memorable one.  We ate 3 dinners throughout the entire day and I have never been so full in my life.  One thing that's pretty cool is the Christmas lights and nightly program at the temple in Mesa have started.  I had the opportunity of being one of the missionaries who is assigned a certain area of the temple grounds where I try to find people to teach and/or get referrals.  It is really weird how different Spanish people are from white people.  They are so much nicer and accepting of other people.  Obviously, I am speaking in general and am stereotyping, but it is generally true.  The facts, I have to show for it is that every Spanish person I talked to last night who wasn't a member, wanted to have missionaries over to their house to teach them or they gave me referrals of friends who would.  I didn't get one from a white person, which I thought was kind of odd.  Last night I got to thinking how I could become a more spiritually powerful teacher like Alma, Amulek, and the sons of Mosiah were in the Book of Mormon.  I know that if one of them were working the Christmas lights they would have gotten a million referrals and had people gathering around them to hear them bear testimony of the simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I want to be able to invite the Spirit into any conversation that I am having with anyone so that I can enter into their hearts and find their needs.  That's one of the reasons I told you that I have been praying to become a more charming person that people are instantly attracted to and like.  Anyway, I am sure that if I work hard and seek guidance from the Spirit that I can learn to become like Sam the Lamanite or Nephi.

I saw in the last letter that Dad wanted some traditional Mexican food recipes.  I can tell you from experience that about as traditional as it gets is rice, beans and a tortilla.  One Mexican recipe that's really simple but good that we make for lunch sometimes is this stuff called alotes.  It is just boiled corn on the cob, spread mayonnaise on it, cover it in Parmesan cheese, and then put some type of Mexican hot sauce on it.  My favorite is called Tapatio.  Anyway, I have to go.  It was great to write you guys.  Make people send letters to the mission office since they will send it where ever I am.

Love,
Elder Kinney

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

November 23, 2010

Dear Family,
 
Happy Thanksgiving!!  This past week was a pretty average week with some ups and downs.  It seriously feels like I was sitting at this computer writing you yesterday -- time has flown by so fast.

This week we have been working a lot on trying to get members to come teaching with us so that our investigators can have members to fellowship them.  It is a lot better when a member invites them to come to church for a number of reasons, one being that they are Hispanic and can relate/communicate with them a little better.  It is really great to have them in lessons because almost all of them are converts and can share experiences on how they came to know that the Book of Mormon is true, and especially how they were able to overcome certain cultural beliefs.  One huge thing in their culture is praying to and essentially worshiping various religious icons.  Many of the members can share experiences on how they were able to overcome their habits of worshiping these things.  We were able to get a couple of families to come and teach with us, which isn't ideal but it sure is an improvement since our ward has never really been missionary-oriented.

Another great thing that happened this week was that Elder Biddle and I found eight new investigators, which is really good.  Right now we have a lot of investigators but Elder Biddle and I can only consider them "progressing" if they are going to church because that is about the hardest thing for us to get people to do.  A lot of people will read and pray and even say that they will come to church but when Sunday comes around, we only have two or three that are actually there.  I am hoping that as we strive for more member-present lessons, that number will rise.

We have a couple of investigators that aren't completely grasping the importance of our message (reading the Book of Mormon) no matter how hard we try to make it clear.  I say the Book of Mormon because it is really the only way that they can come to know that this church is true.  These types of investigators just see two white guys who are super nice, struggling to speak their language, and talking about Jesus (whom everybody loves) so they invite us in to preach to them.  I say that because every time we ask them a question they say "Uh... no se hermano, qiero que hablen ustedes," which basically means, I have no idea I just want you guys to talk.  We will literally feed them the answers but its like it goes in one ear and out the other, or they are just too embarrassed to get it wrong, though that's definitely not the case for everyone.

I had a really cool experience last night with a woman named Brenda, who we taught for the first time.  After we explained the importance of the BOM she asked, with a sincere look of amazement and desire on her face,  "Puedo recibir respuestas de mis preguntas mediante leer este libro??"  (I can receive answers to my questions by reading this book?)  We promised her that she could if she read it with faith and prayed with a sincere heart, real intent and having faith in Christ.  She was so excited that she started reading in Nephi I as we left.  I am excited to see the result of her willingness to know the truth and her faith in the Lord.

I continue to feel the help of the Lord in my ability to speak Spanish even though some days are still worse than others.  I pray for the gift of tongues, and for me to become a more charming person so people like me more.  [This is the first time in his life that Elder Kinney has ever used the word "charming"!]  I can already see that it is working a little bit but it would help if I could be a bit more conversational in Spanish.  I am continuing to learn a ton everyday.  I am studying the book "Jesus the Christ" everyday so I can learn more about the life of Jesus to be able to teach certain principles of the gospel.  It was great to write you guys again.  Happy Thanksgiving!!!
 
Elder Kinney

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

November 16, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been another great week here in Mesa, busy and slow at times, but always full of learning.  The weeks already go by so fast now, even the days go by fast.

This past week was somewhat slow in terms of finding new investigators but we were able to teach a bunch of good lessons.  Some of the days this past week, especially Saturday and Sunday, we taught almost no one... We went by every single investigator, less or inactive member, and assignment that we had and they were all busy or not even home.  On Sundays all of the Mexicans that don't work, buy a couple "thirtys" of Budlight, gather outside on the street or on their lawns, blast ranchero music, get drunk, and do inappropriate things . . . all in sight of anyone walking down the street and in front of little kids too.  When we go up and try to talk to them they will usually be super friendly but when we start talking about Jesus they say, "estoy borracho" which means I'm drunk (a borracho is "a drunk").  This is a very common thing to see on largely Hispanic streets on Sundays.  So some days were kind of frustrating but it doesn't get me too down because everybody always says that a mission is hard and that you have terrible days -- I really haven't had a terrible day yet.

This week we did make some progress with some of our investigators.  Margarita is continually progressing and getting excited for her baptism on Dec. 4th so I am really excited for that.  We have been teaching her the commandments such as the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity, which she totally understands and has no problems with, so it is awesome.  At first, when I committed her to a date I wondered if she said yes just to make us happy but she is really grasping it now and moving forward, so thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case.  She is also the one investigator that we have that continually comes to too all the ward activities and to church every Sunday.

Another set of investigators that we have are named Moises (Moses in English) and Reina, who are an odd couple in the sense that I don't picture them together . . . and neither do they for that matter.  Moises is a 40 year-old Mexican man that is super awesome and smart.  He keeps all of his commitments, speaks only Spanish, reads his Book of Mormon every single day, and is very motivated.  His girlfriend Reina is about the same age but is white, speaks only English but can understand everything in Spanish, smokes, has tattoos, and is a recovered drug addict (aside from the smoking).  We have committed them to baptism but it is really weird because Reina wants to go to an English-speaking ward, but Moises can't understand English.  Moises wants to go to the Spanish-speaking ward, which Reina could do because she has no problem understanding Spanish.  I have been helping Reina get over smoking and it seems to have been helping.  Since the first time I talked to her, she cut down to 2 a day, and the last time we talked, she said she was going to quit all together.  Moises doesn't smoke or do anything bad and he hates it when she smokes, so I can tell that she has good motivation.  It is awesome seeing the power of the atonement work in people's lives as they pray to be relieved of burdens in their lives such as this addiction.  I am really hoping when we go back tonight that she has completely stopped and that I will see them in the Spanish ward on Sunday.

Yesterday I went on exchanges with the Zone Leader, Elder Morgan, who is such an awesome missionary with a ton of experience and wisdom to instill into others.  I learned a ton about how to get members to come to lessons with us, something that is a problem in our ward, which has a 12% monthly home teaching rate (that has been addressed), a Bishop that we can never get in contact with, and members who always say they are busy when we want them to come out with us.  Our mission goal is to have 100% member-present lessons, which we almost never have.  And the ones where we do have members present, it just happen to be because the investigator conveniently lives with the member (like in Margarita's case).  Anyway, every time we eat dinner with members, I am going to commit them to give us a date where we can take them to a lesson with us.  After going on that exchange with Elder Morgan, I realize how awesome lessons are where the members are there -- comfortable, and engaged.  That is one of the biggest things that we will be working on in the near future.

I want you to check and get back to me if you got the letter I sent you, if brother Read got the letter I sent him, and if Aunt Jill got the letter I sent her.  This is really important because I have sent Jeremy 2 letters and it appears he hasn't received any of them, so just send me a confirmation if those people received their letters.  Also send me some pictures of Chris's baptism too.  I just sent him a package today.  I saw that dad sent me an email saying I got a package at 10:30 this morning but I haven't been home so I don't know what is in it yet.  Anyway,  it was great to write you again.  I hope all is well.  Matt, practice the piano I want you to be really good when I get back.

Love,
Elder Kinney

Thursday, November 11, 2010

November 9, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

First of all, I want to say happy (one day belated) birthday to Mom!!  Mom, you are so awesome and I love you so much.  I think about you all the time out here in Arizona.  I always hear your voice pop into my head telling me little phrases to keep me on the straight and narrow like "follow the directions" and "work first play later" (stuff you would tell me all of the time).  You have helped me so much in regards to my testimony and I appreciate all that you have done in raising me to be the person that I am today.  I hope you had a great birthday and appreciate all of the stuff that you have sent me while on the mission.  I got the music and the extra belt today.

I am seriously so happy Chris got baptized!!!  I saw pictures on the blog and I couldn't help but smile when I saw the picture of Chris, Jeremy and Leon.  It feels like it has been so long since I have seen them all, especially Jeremy since he left for his mission almost a year ago.  The picture with Chris, Leon and all my other friends was awesome too. I'm glad that they were able to go to the baptism.  His conversion is truly amazing and has strengthened my testimony and faith in the Lord so much.  Now it is time for him to go on a Mission!!  There is an Elder in my district named Elder Williams from Alabama who is really awesome and has an amazing conversion story and a powerful testimony.  He converted when he was 20 years old and he got a strong answer from the Lord about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

This past week has been really good.  I sent a handwritten letter to you guys about some of the stuff that happened.  I was able to set a date for this woman named Margarita, who has a set of 4 year-old triplets and another son one year younger.  They are so distracting when we try to teach because they are so wild and hard for her to control.  She is set to be baptized on December 4th.  She lives with this other member named Candolaria who we reactivated and she just got her little kids blessed and given a name in Sacrament Meeting last Sunday.  It truly is awesome seeing peoples lives change for the better through the gospel and coming closer to Jesus Christ.  It is important that we always remember the times when we have felt the Spirit strongly and when we have known without a doubt that the Church is true because hard times come and our faith will be tested, sometimes to points that we can't even imagine.

I can tell you that the gift of tongues is real and that there have been many situations where I have spoken beyond the ability that I feel I have.  I still have a tough time understanding what other Hispanics are saying a lot of the time but it is getting better.  It is really weird because some days are much better than others in terms of my language ability.  I have this little pocket translator thing that I bought which is super fast and boss.  I can look up words really quickly and it is helping my vocabulary come along really well.  I think by the end of my mission I will have and very large vocabulary if I continue to have effective language studies every day.

There have been a lot of opportunities for me to teach people randomly in the street using English, which is nice because I can really express myself without there being a language barrier.  This one time we taught this college student named Marshall like a 30-minute lesson right on the street, which was really powerful.  I told him about the 3 things Moroni tells us we need in Moroni 10:4 to receive an answer from God as we pray, and we prayed with him right there on the street and he told us that he felt the Spirit!  Times like those are what really make the mission awesome.

Anyway, I have to email the President our weekly letter so I have to go.  It is always awesome to hear from all of you.  Once again, Happy Birthday Mom!!

Love,
Elder Kinney

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Chris L. Gets Baptized!

Just a quick update from the Kinney Family.  Elder Kinney's good friend, Chris, just got baptized Sunday evening.  Jeremy gave a talk on baptism, and Leon, who will be leaving soon for his mission, performed the baptism.  Chris will be confirmed by Elder Kinney's dad next Sunday.  Chris, Leon and Jeremy are all close friends of Elder Kinney.  What a blessing for all involved.  Pictures from the baptism were added to this blog.  Congratulation, Chris!  We are so proud of you!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Week Three in the Field

This past week has been so crazy!  First of all, I just want to say I can't believe everything that is happening with Chris L.!  It is so awesome he is taking lessons from the missionaries.  That just goes to show you that the Lord can do anything.  My testimony has already been strengthened by just reading about his experience so far.  I am definitely going to send him a BOM (Book of Mormon) with my testimony written in it.  One thing that I think the missionaries particularly need to focus on is teaching Chris about enduring to the end.  Like Dad said, it is going to be harder for him to stay active and make the right choices with Jeremy and Leon leaving on their missions.  I think it is so awesome though.  When I read dad's letter and saw that he had a baptismal date I was absolutely dumbstruck.  I hope everything works out and that he is able to get a strong testimony and a witness from the Holy Ghost that this Church is true.

Anyway this week has been absolutely crazy for me.  I LOST MY TRAINER!!!!!!  My trainer and my other companion were having some trouble getting along, so the President had to step in and make some changes.  At first, I was going to be sent to Phoenix to finish off this transfer but the decision was finally made to send Elder Reid to Phoenix, and for Elder Biddle and I to finish off the transfer here by ourselves.  We are now the "greenest", most inexperienced companionship this mission has ever seen.  This is only my third week and my companion's eighth week in the mission field, so we are still struggling with the language.  Neither of us can understand everything but Elder Biddle can understand more than I can.  I don't know what the President was thinking, but he is ordained of God to receive revelation for us, so even though I am a bit nervous, I have faith that it will all work out.  One of my teachers in the MTC, Hermano Lowe, was in a situation like this when he was on his mission and he compared it to "the blind leading the blind".  I know exactly what he's talking about now.  Anyway, I am sure that this will help me learn Spanish more quickly through a slew of humbling experiences that await me in the future.  Because of my inexperience, I will also learn how to rely more on the Lord.

Last night was our first night out as a companionship and it went amazingly well.  The Lord was definitely with us.  We got this woman named Margarita to commit to be baptized but she wasn't able to commit to a date yet.  The next lesson we are going to make sure to set a date and assure her that by doing so, the Spirit will help prepare her and get her ready for baptism by that date . . . if she has faith.  When you don't have a goal set, Satan does a lot to make someone procrastinate.  During the lesson I was amazed at how much I was able to teach.  I shared four scriptures with her and was able to feel the Lord blessing me with the gift of tongues.  It was so awesome.  I feel that experience was the Lord assuring Elder Biddle and I that we could be successful during this transfer despite our inexperience.  That was the most awesome part of this week.

I was able to buy a new bike and I got a $150 dollar discount because the member we live with knew a guy.  It is a sweet Trek that was about $650 but I only paid $500, so it was a good deal.  I also had to buy a helmet, a lock, and some other stuff.  I really don't like the "Jos. A Banks" suits we got in New Canaan -- they just aren't very reliable for hard missionary work.  One of the pants ripped on the seam again, so  I bought two more pairs of black "Dickies" which I work in during the week and on Sunday I wear my nicer suit.  I also need to buy more white shirts that I can use as work shirts.  Another belt broke this past week so I am back down to one belt.

As you can tell by my clothes situation, we do a lot of physical labor service.  Jacqueline, a recent convert, had her whole back yard filled with trash, trees, bushes, and other organic waste.  We went over with axes, chopped up everything, and burned it in a massive bonfire in her back yard (which may have been illegal).  I sent pictures of the fire so you can get a feel for how massive the fire was -- easily over 35 feet.  That was super fun though.

The beef jerky, seriously, keeps getting compliments like no other.  I gave some to the member we live with, who is a huge outdoors person and definitely one who respects a good piece o' meat.  He said it was the best he has ever had.  I can't wait to try the terriyaki batch. The blog is looking really awesome too.  I am sending some pictures you can add to it. Tell Matt to practice his piano a ton so he can play some jazz piano for me when I get back . . . jazz piano is my favorite kind of piano.

I love you all and pray for you every night!!

Elder Kinney

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Second Week in the Field

Dear Family,
 
I can't believe it has already been one week in the field.  Time has flown by so fast, but it also feels like an eternity since I stepped off the plane last Tuesday.  I am learning so much and working a lot.

It's really weird to not have my MTC companions any more, but I am really good friends now with the my new companions.  I've gotten to know them a bit better since I last wrote.  Elder Reid, who is Elder Biddle and my trainer, is hilarious and really knows how to make the mission fun.  He is also a great teacher and knows how to make friends with the investigators and church members.   A lot of the members in church really like him.  He also does a good job of giving me opportunities to teach, contact, and learn from experience.   Elder Reid and I are pretty tight and our personalities go really well together.  Elder Biddle is a humble, hardworking, and motivated "greenie" who has been out for just a transfer and he really tries to be obedient.  It is usually Elder Biddle and I studying together in the mornings.  We get along pretty well, but he isn't much of a talker.  Anyway, when we are out working in the field we all work well together and try our hardest.

Right now we have two investigators who will most likely get baptized.  One of them is named Surgio, who had a drinking problem but has stopped.  The only issue is that it's kind of hard to get him to come to Church.  A lot of the people we teach don't have transportation so we have to organize rides with the members and stuff.  Even if they do have rides, its still not a guaranty that they'll show up.

My first Sunday was really good but kind of annoying since I can't speak a lot of Spanish yet.  I really want to be able to have good relationships with the members.  A lot of them recognize that I am trying and they compliment me for what I do know.  Since I've only been out for a week -- my Spanish is actually pretty good.  I can already see that my ability to understand what others are saying has increased but I still have a ways to go.

One thing about our area is that it's fairly new (only one transfer old) so the work here is still kind of slow.  One cool thing is that the temple is right on the edge of our area so we can go there and do service on Saturdays.  I have already had the opportunity to go to a sealing of one of Elder Reid's converts.

I had two contacts that were really weird -- they were really drunk and started to freestyle rap for us for about 15 minutes.  There are so many people I see that really need the gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ in their lives.

I had one really crazy lesson with this recent convert named Anita who is not very active.  We were lucky to catch her home (she isn't usually there) so we went in and taught her.  I had the opportunity to teach my first full lesson (Lesson 3) which includes the topics of faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.  It went really well and the Spirit was there.  After that we gave her a blessing for her back pain.  Elder Reid then started to talk to her more about enduring to the end and what we have to do to persevere for the rest of our lives.
 
Then he started talking about the Ten Commandments and how we should not worship idols or graven images.  One big thing in the Hispanic Catholic culture is the worshiping and praying to saints.  Even though she was a member, Anita had this huge framed picture of San Judas on her wall that she prayed to prior to being baptized.  We told her that she had to take it down because it was against the commandments.  Elder Reid was very straightforward with her and asked her where her pictures of God or Jesus Christ were.  We told her we would go and buy a picture of Christ and bring it back for her.

We rode our bikes down to the Deseret Book store and picked out a framed picture of Christ that looked like it was about the same size as the picture of San Judas that she had.  Miraculously, two people who happened to be in the store while we were there asked us why we were picking out this picture of Christ.  After we told them what we were doing, they bought it for us!  So now, after the Lord provided a way for us to get Anita's new picture of Christ, we were determined to go back and replace San Judas with it.

When we got back to Anita's house, she was somewhat reluctant for us to take down San Judas, but eventually she allowed us to replace it.  Later, we talked to a member who said Anita was glad for what we did. 

By the way, the house where we're staying is a member's home.  He is really awesome and has this super nice, NONTHREATENING (dad...) PIT BULL named Sadie that we love to play with. It seems a ton of people have pit bulls in Mesa (and so far they all seem really nice).

Love,
Elder Kinney
 
PS - The food here is amazing!

Friday, October 22, 2010

First Two Days!

Dear Family,

I am finally here in Mesa, Arizona, where I will be for the next 22 months serving the Lord and bringing others to his fold.

As soon as we got off the plane, we met President Ellsworth and the AP's.  He's really nice and encouraging.  You can tell that this work is so important to him (not too surprising since he is a Mission President).  We loaded all our luggage into vans and trucks and then headed off to the Visitors Center of the Mesa Temple where we had a little bit of an orientation.  On the ride over I was taking a look at what my surroundings were going to be like for the next two years...sand, cactus, palm trees, rocks, and desert.  It reminded me a lot of Las Vegas.

When we got to the Visitors Center we were taught a little bit about the mission culture (mission standards, goals, etc.) and had an opportunity to bear our testimonies.  There was one new elder in our group that is from Cancun, Mexico.  His testimony in Spanish was really powerful, even though I was only able to understand about 70% of it.  It is kind of hard for me to understand Spanish at this point because it takes me a little while to think of the meaning of some words.  I told him that it was really awesome and he said that my testimony was the best, but I'm sure he was just being nice.  The thing is that he has the ability to speak English better than I can speak Spanish and we have both spent the same amount of time in the MTC.  I guess it is just because he is completely surrounded by English speaking people.

Anyway, after that we went back to the mission home which is literally right across the street from Jeremy's old high school, Saguaro High.  We spent a little bit of time filling out some paperwork and meeting with the President, and then we split up for overnight exchanges with some of the leaders in the mission.  I was paired up with Elder Derochie whose companion had gone home the day before.  He is currently serving in Phoenix (which is part of our mission) so we left Scottsdale and headed over to Phoenix.  He is from Alberta, Canada, and has been out 1 year and 3 months.  His Spanish is really good.

The first thing we did was do a little contacting.  The first contact I did was to a white guy who was from Yorktown, NY, which was really weird.  He was super skinny, had all sorts of piercings, black fingernails, tattoos and tight jeans.  He was pretty nice but not interested.  The next contact I did was to these two teenagers named Giovanni and Frances.  It was in English but I was able to set up an appointment to come and teach them, even though I was only in the area for one night.  One thing about the Spanish people is that they almost always listen to what you have to say and almost always let you come over and teach them.  The trick is being able to find the ones that actually care about our message and will keep commitments.  The rest of the night was spent going to appointments which were all in Spanish except for one.  I was able to bear a short testimony is Spanish at each appointment, but it is pretty hard to understand them a lot of the time.

Our last appointment was with this guy named J-lock who is a rapper who was excommunicated from the Church a while ago when he was a minor.  He claims to have rapped with 2pac, Snoop Dogg, and DMX.  He is currently signed with Universal Records and is recording an album or something.  He is a really nice guy who still likes the Church and everything.  He has actually introduced about 12 people to the Church since he was excommunicated who have been baptized.  This was the first time the missionaries have been able to talk to him in about three months.  We were able to get him to commit to come to Church.  He also wasn't really feeling well so we gave him a blessing.  I did the anointing and my companion did the sealing.  It was a pretty cool experience.  The first day was really good and I could really see the hand of the Lord help calm me when I was getting a little nervous.  I am really eager to learn Spanish so the language will not be an issue for me.  I was so exhausted at the end of that day from all of the traveling and stuff so I slept like a baby.

The next morning we went back to the Mission Home to get our trainers.  I was really nervous because I really wanted to get a trainer that I could get along with and that could teach me a lot.  My trainers names are Elder Reid and Elder Biddle and I will be serving in the Mesa North Stake (Liohona 4 ward).  Elder Biddle has only been out for 6 weeks and Elder Reid has been out for 1 year and 6 months, so he is basically training 2 people.  Elder Biddle was born in England but went to high school in Atlanta.  Elder Biddle is from Montana.  They are both really awesome, especially Elder Reid.

Last night we taught a bunch of lessons.  I was able to bear my testimony on prayer and how I have used prayer to ask for the Lord's help in learning Spanish.  The investigator got a kick out of that so it was pretty awesome.  I was also able to teach an on-the-spot lesson with this member of the Church that we found at the park.  He was a Priest and he wasn't really thinking about going on a mission, so we taught him about that.  I shared some scriptures and bore my testimony on how this is where the Lord needs us at this point.  I committed him to pray about it and I promised him that if he was diligent and sincere in asking, the Lord would answer him.  One thing that we always do is sing for our investigators, which is really awesome and it invites the spirit.

So those were my first 2 days in the mish.  I haven't spoken as much Spanish as I would have liked, but its getting there.  I'm sure within the next couple of weeks my ability to understand the language will improve and I will be able to communicate much better.  I love the people of Mesa already and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to bring the gospel to them.

Also I got the packages with my bedding and and the goodies that you sent me, so thanks a lot.  The jerky is awesome as always.  Also I am in a biking area right now so if you could send me my bike that would be awesome.  Right now I am borrowing a member's bike.  It would be awesome if you could send me the Specialized since dad never uses it, it sits in the basement forever and the other bikes we have stink.  I will need a helmet as well.  My address is:

510 North Ashland
Mesa, AZ 85203

Thank you for all of your prayers. I love you guys a ton.  I wish I could write more but I only have 1 minute left.  I attached 2 pictures of me and my companions at a member's house.

Love,
Elder Kinney

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Week 8 -- MTC

Dear Family,
 
I can't believe my experience at the MTC is coming to an end.  It has gone by so fast, but I also feel like I have been here for an eternity.  I've grown so much at the MTC in terms of my testimony and my ability to learn a new language.  The Lord has blessed me so much in both of those regards.  Right now I can have a decent conversation in Spanish (though, it would be better if it was a gospel-related conversation).  That being said, I still have a lot to learn and I am expecting my entry into the mission field to contain a number of humbling experiences.

I received my travel plans last Friday.  What's really cool is I will be able to call home if I have time once I get through security at the airport, which I'm really hoping is the case.  I am getting really excited about going into the field and putting what I have learned to the test.  During my time at the MTC, I have really gained a strong testimony of my Savior and how essential He is in this work.  The entire Plan of Salvation is dependent on the things He did for us, and our ability to utilize this infinite atonement to rid ourselves of sin and bring us comfort in our lives.  I am so grateful how blessed my life has been and how lucky I am to have this opportunity to bring this message to others so their lives can become better.

I have also gained a strong testimony of the Plan of Happiness.  I have realized that if we stay strong and endure to the end, there will be a day where we will actually see our Savior.  We will be able to look at Him eye-to-eye and embrace Him with confidence, knowing that we tried our hardest.  I always knew this was true in concept, but I have realized how real that promise actually is.  I am excited to see my testimony and the testimony of others grow as I bring this knowledge to them and watch the Restored Gospel change their lives.  I am really trying my hardest to get as much as I can out of my mission and show the Lord that I am willing to do whatever He asks of me.

Something cool happened this past week when I met Elder Nathan Ellgen.  I asked him where he's from, and he said northwestern Colorado.  I asked him if the town was Craig (Colorado), and he said yes.  I was like, " I am so related to you".  I asked him if his Grandpa's name was Lorence.  He said yes, and I said my Grandpa is his brother, Philip, and that I am one of Philip's daughter's sons.  It was really awesome.  I scheduled an appointment to teach him in Spanish and we talked about a bunch of stuff. His dad is Larry (Lorence's son), and he is going to the Torreon, Mexico, a Spanish-speaking mission.  I think he just left today (Wednesday).  Anyway, I thought that was really cool, and you can tell Grandma and Grandpa Ellgen about it.

Since this is our last week in the MTC, our Zone has a tradition-type thing called "teaching week" where our goal is to teach 35 lessons to other people in Spanish.  So far Elder Samuels and I taught 14 lessons, so we're right on track for meeting our goal.  It's really helping us polish up on our Spanish and teaching skills.

It's totally awesome that I am going to finish reading the Book of Mormon by the time I leave the MTC next week.  Right now I'm on the last chapter of Ether-- about to start Moroni. I know with all my heart this book is true, and ANYONE can receive a witness of it's truthfulness through the power of the Holy Ghost, as long as you read it with a sincere heart, with real intent, and having faith in Christ, as Moroni promises in Moroni 10.  This is the first time I've actually studied the Book of Mormon all the way through, and I plan to do it again as soon as I am done.  I am so glad to be serving a mission, and I know if I put my trust in the Lord, I can be a powerful servant in His hands as I enter into the mission field.  

I love you all and pray about each and every one of you every night.  There couldn't be a better place for me to be right now.
 
Love - Mike

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Week 7 -- MTC

Dear Family,

Another week has gone by here at the MTC at an alarming speed.  The reality that I am going to be in the mission field in 2 weeks is starting to set in.  I feel like I have learned so much, but at the same time I have so much more to learn.  My Spanish is pretty good, but I got a taste of what it is going to be like talking to native Spanish speakers this week while up at the temple grounds.  My companion and I met a Spanish couple from Mesa and talked with them for a little bit.  They were speaking so fast I could only make out the last words of what they were saying. I would've been able to understand them better if they just spoke a little bit slower.

That got me thinking that I should listen to talks at lds.org in Spanish to up my comprehension skills when it comes to listening.  This past week was really great, especially because of the opportunity we had to listen to General Conference.  It was the first time in my life that I had ever been this excited to watch conference, and also the first time I was able to watch or listen to every session.

I'm sure you guys heard they announced plans to build a temple in Hartford.  What's really interesting is that I leaned over to the people sitting next to me and said "Hartford, Connecticut", before President Monson announced the 5 new temples.  I was so astonished when he actually said it.  It is really cool that we are getting a temple in our state . . . even though the Manhattan Temple is still closer.  During that same session, I really liked Elder Holland's talk.  He talked about how grateful he was for services the members of the church provide each other without recognition and, a lot of the time, anonymously.  He related it to an experience he had with his parents paying for his mission expenses without him knowing.  He said he didn't know if there was enough money in his bank account to cover the entire cost of his mission but he was never contacted by the bank so he figured there was enough.  Upon his return home, he went to the bank and found out all of his money was still in his account, and his parents had paid all the expenses of his whole mission so he could have the money to start his life after his mission.

After that talk I felt impressed to thank you, Mom and Dad, for all of the support you have given and provided me that has gone unrecognized.  Being at the MTC around so many people has helped bring me to a greater realization of how blessed my life has been in terms of my family and the types of things that I have taken for granted (not that I was completely ignorant to it before).  My best friend here, Elder Duke, has lived on his own since he was 16 and totally provided for himself since then, though he is still very close with his family.  He has paid for 3 years of college (started at age 17) and for all of his mission by working.  He really reminds me of Dad in terms of his motivation and innate ability to be successful in all of his endeavors.  That kind of attitude is something I want too, and know I can develop it on my mission if I try my hardest.  So anyway, thank you for all of things you do for me that I have taken for granted, like letting me use your car, paying for my first year of college, all of the other stuff you do for me that I probably don't even realize.

The highlight of my week was easily the opportunity I had to sing in the Priesthood Choir for General Conference.  It was so amazing standing there in the Conference Center and feeling the spirit of the Lord as we sang praises to Him and listened to the counsel of His holy Prophet and Apostles.  It is something that I will never forget.  I read in Mom's letter that you were able to see me in the video afterward.  I watched it a bunch of times and saw myself twice.  (Video link:  http://lds.org/video/gc/index.html?bcpid=613844368001&bctid=621787340001.  Mike is more visable when the time counter reaches 02:43 and briefly at 08:37.  See photos at right to see where Elder Kinney is sitting the the choir seats.)

Something really cool happened yesterday.  I was on the elevator going to the top floor of the building to my class after the Tuesday night devotional and to meet with our Branch Presidency to share things we learned.  The elevator door opened on one of the floors to let more people on.  To my amazement I was standing face to face with Brother Watkins (now President Watkins since he is a Branch President at the MTC now).  I got off the elevator to say a quick "hi".  It was really cool to see him.  The first thing he said was that I looked like I had put on 60 pounds since the last time he saw me (do you remember he used to call me Skinny Kinney [when I was 12]).  Anyway that was really cool!  He asked about you, dad, and I told him you are on the High Council now.  He was kind of in a hurry too so that's all the time we had to get caught up.

I wanted to let you know the last batch of beef jerky you sent was amazing.  So many people said it is the best jerky they have ever had in their lives so definitely send more.


Love you - Mike

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Week 6 -- MTC

I can't believe another week has gone by already.  Time is really starting to go fast.  I'm going to be out in the [mission] field in no time.

I have really started to buckle down on my Spanish study.  This past week the only really new thing that we have been doing is this progressive-investigator thing with our teacher -- entirely in Spanish.  My companion and I have been practicing a lot for the next one and are hoping that the Spirit can be with us as we teach.

We have also been practicing a lot for our choir performance on Saturday.  By the way, I am going to be wearing the Princeton-colors tie Dad sent when I perform if that helps you see me.  We get up every morning and go to choir at 7 and practice for an hour.  It is a really great way to start our day feeling the Spirit.  The songs sound so good right now, I can't imagine how awesome it is going to be in the Conference Center this Saturday.

One other highlight of this passed week was our Fast and Testimony Meeting.  It was one of the most spiritual testimony meetings that I have ever attended.  Even though everyone is talking in Spanish (and it's not our native language), you can still tell that people aren't just going up there and reciting phrases.  I had the opportunity to go up as well and it was really great.  I was the last one to go up, and as soon as I was done I was so overwhelmed with the spirit, I could barely sing the last song.  I really needed to pull myself together too because I had to give the closing prayer.

We also had another testimony meeting with our District since we had been focused on the Atonement this week. I was able to bear my testimony on the Atonement and some other aspects of my testimony that have been strengthened, like prayer and the Book of Mormon.  I have really been diligent in reading the Book of Mormon while here.  I have just past the beginning of Alma right now, and find that I am so fascinated by the people that are described within its pages.  I get a very powerful feeling that they were real people doing these things over a thousand years ago so that we could learn from them today.

Anyway, those are basically the highlights of my week.  Other than that, it's study and learn everyday.  Last week, I forgot to mention that during one of our devotionals, President Brown (the District President for the MTC or something like that) was talking about the mission where he served -- Glens Falls, New York.  If I am not mistaken, that's the town were your dad was born and raised.  I can just picture that little painting or print that we have in our kitchen of Glens Falls.  [The print is actually of Little Falls, NY, not Glens Falls.]  I thought that was really interesting since it seemed like a really small town.

Love you guys a lot - Mike
 


Thursday, September 23, 2010

Week 5 -- MTC

Dear Family,

Another week has gone by here at the MTC and I can definitely tell that time has started to go by faster.  Once you get used to the schedule and routine, the days blend together.  I feel like I was writing you just yesterday when it was last week -- probably because I do the same thing everyday.

There are a couple of highlights this past week that I wanted to share though.  I was recently called as the District Leader which is pretty cool.  The responsibility requires me to go to extra meetings, direct our district meetings, be in charge of the district goals and our ability to complete them, etc.  It's not that bad but it takes me away from time that I would normally have to study the scriptures or Spanish.  When I get out into the [mission] field, I want to be the best missionary I can be and help others come unto to Christ.  Some of the issues I've had to deal with are missionaries who aren't working hard enough or meeting their goals.  Another issue we're having is the three sister missionaries who aren't getting to bed on time or respecting quiet time.  I'm supposed to make sure that they fix that somehow, even though they don't even live in my hall . . . because they're girls.  I am going to make the most out of it though and learn how to become a better leader.

Another highlight of this week is I've been selected to sing in the MTC Missionary Choir during the Priesthood Session of General Conference!  It's comprised of about 350 missionaries who will travel up to the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on October 3 to sing.  We had our first practice this morning, and we will be practicing every day for the next two weeks to try and memorize our songs and our parts.  I'm in the bass section, and I saw Nate in the baritone section.  I'm so glad to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help invite the Spirit into thousands of Priesthood meetings around the world through song.  You should look for me and Nate when we sing.  If you don't happen to see us, that's fine, just know that we are there.

Another important part about this past week is that as a district, we've set higher goals with regard to the amount of Spanish we speak.  My Spanish is coming along quite nicely and I'm learning a lot.  However, when I talk to Nate it seems like he is a beast at Spanish.  I think I would be closer to his level if I was in the intermediate class, but I'm doing fine.  One thing we learn not to do while on a mission is compare ourselves to other missionaries.  That's kind of hard for me to do because I always look up at the best speaker in our district (Elder Duke) and want to be like him with regard to his Spanish and work ethic.  I think my Spanish will be just fine after a couple months out in the field.  I can read a lot of Spanish and I have been translating the Book of Mormon from Spanish to English.  The way I do it is to take the Spanish pocket-size version of the Book of Mormon and write down all of the meanings to the words I don't know above the Spanish word.  Then I go to the nicer leather-bound version of the Book of Mormon and read through it without the definitions.  Its pretty effective, though somewhat time consuming.  I started in Helaman so that I can get to when Christ comes in 3rd Nephi.

Another big change about this week is that we started to teach the lessons only in Spanish.  Everybody in the intermediate level have been teaching lessons in Spanish since their second week.  Some people got a call to assess their Spanish abilities before they came to the MTC.  I wish I had gotten that phone call, but whatever.  Anyway, we are practicing walking into our classroom in our respective companion-ships and teaching investigators according to their needs.  Our teachers create investigator personalities from people they know.  We all take it very seriously because if we say something wrong and offend them or something, they'll throw us out and we'll have to start over with a new investigator.  So far I've done pretty well and have gotten better at thinking of Spanish on the spot during the lesson to be able to teach well.  At the rate I'm going, I should be okay out in the field but I'm sure my attitude will probably change after the first couple days of getting doors slammed in my face and people laughing at my Spanish.  However, I'll be in America so I shouldn't be that embarrassed since they'll see I'm making an effort to speak their language in my country.  Another thing I've gotten better at is being more familiar with the scriptures and having the ability to remember principles taught in certain verses.  That way I can pull them out during a lesson to answer the questions of an investigator.

I only have a minute left so I better wrap up.  I haven't received the package yet but I'll let you know.  I miss you all!!

Love - Mike

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Week 4 -- MTC

Hey Family and Friends,

Today begins my fifth week here in the MTC.  Erik Schneiber came in today but I haven't had a chance to see him yet, but I'm looking for him.  (Note:  there is a new photo added to the blog of Elder Nate Quinn, Elder Michael Kinney and Elder Eric Schneiber when they were starting Boy Scouts -- we think it was taken in 2002 when they were 11 years old.) This past week was another good one, filled with a lot of work and learning.  Nothing has really changed as far as my schedule.

One thing that's disappointing is that my teacher, Hermano Welling, was promoted so he won't be teaching our class anymore.  For the first couple of weeks we had a lot of subs because he was sometimes traveling out of state, doing interviews for medical school.  I didn't really realize how awesome of a teacher he actually was.  These past weeks of class have been so great when he teaches.  His stories are so powerful and awe-inspiring, and his testimony of Christ is so apparent and real.  I have never felt the spirit so strong than when I was in his class.  You can really tell that he cares so much about us and that his mission was such an important part of his life.  He has instilled that sense of importance to his students, as well as many other spiritual realizations and lessons.  One of the things he prompted us to do (which I started this past week) was to keep a "spiritual journal", in which I record the most important advice I receive from my teachers, companions, and most importantly, the Spirit.  He said that by the time we get home from our missions, it will be like a personal bible to us that contains innumerable amounts of advice and spiritual teachings that we have learned.  Mine already has about 6 pages filled -- each point I've written in there is very important to me, as a missionary and generally, as a person.  I really think this spiritual journal will help me throughout my mission and my life.

One of my favorite things Hermano Welling taught us was that there is a time when preparation is passed, and the time to perform miracles is at hand.  We must ALWAYS be prepared to "perform miracles", and we must do this by keeping the spirit with us by staying worthy. 

The (Scouting) program Dad is doing sounds really awesome and it sounds like he'll being doing a lot of fun stuff in the future.  The jerky you sent me was really good.  I only have one critique, however -- add a lot more soy sauce for the next batch to just make the flavor really, really strong.  Also, I hope you know that my body isn't completely falling apart -- you've gotten a couple calls from the medical center.  Aside from the eye thing that is bothering me, the trainer said I have some sort of cyst or something in my wrist, which I noticed when I was doing so many push ups.  I need to stop doing push-ups with my wrist bent, which means I would really, really, really appreciate it if you could send The Perfect Push-ups -- that's what the trainer said I should use since you can keep your wrists straight when you use them.  Also, if you could throw in a bunch of those ballin' Asian noodles that I like in a microwavable cup so I can cook them.  I don't think I need a new belt, but you might want to send me one just in case I get any fatter . . . just kidding.  My workout routine is going really well.  I'm on a direct course to be jacked out of my mind by the time I get home (haha).  Lets hope I can keep it up.

The story you told me about the family singing with Frankie made me miss him so much! I wish I could be there when you guys do that.  He is such a great dog.  I do remember all of those things Dad mentioned in his letter about 9/11.

As far as how I spend my money, the MTC has a bookstore with all of your basic essentials.  I bought scripture marking stuff, Spanish verb books, snacks occasionally, etc.  It's pretty convenient.  One thing that's pretty cool is that Annie Watkins works there.  I'll always say "hi" and talk to her for a bit if I see her when I'm in there.  It was really weird the first time I saw her since I hadn't seen her in such along time.  She actually said hi to me the first time.

I'm sorry I didn't have as much to write this week.  Maybe it would help if you ended your letters with a bunch of questions.  I'd like to know how Matt is doing so far in his junior year.  I love you guys and think about you a lot.  Good luck with everything!!!

Love - Mike

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Week 3 -- MTC

Dear Family,

Yesterday was the end of my third week at the MTC and it was another great one.  I'm supposed to have written you yesterday but there was some problem with my account so I'm writing this morning.

I am having a little trouble thinking of things to write you as there is a lot of repetitiveness here in the MTC.  One of the things that we spend our week preparing for is our TRC (Teaching Resource Center) appointments every Saturday.  Every week we are given a different task to prepare for, which requires us to use new Spanish skills for 15 minutes, then teach a lesson for 35 minutes.  In the TRC, people from outside of the campus volunteer to act like investigators with different personalities and needs.  We are given a background of each of the people every week and we try to plan the lesson according to their needs, which will be very important in the field.  This past week we were required to contact a couple for 15 minutes.  We had to get to know them, set up an appointment, and offer a prayer in Spanish before the lesson.  Our Spanish part didn't go so well because our investigators only gave one-word answers to all of our questions, so we weren't able to have a long conversation or tell them anything about ourselves.  However the lesson part of the TRC went really well for me.  I felt like I taught all of my principles clearly, answered their questions precisely, and bore strong testimony -- I came out of that lesson feeling pretty good.  I could tell my companion wasn't very happy with his performance, however.  Anyway, we learned a lot about how to strengthen our companionship every day and how to become a more unified, fluent team.  This week we are practicing the second lesson a lot so that we can do well on Saturday.  I'm feeling pretty confident at this point.

One thing we are always trying to do is bring others closer to Christ.  This means that we take all of our practice contacts, lessons, or spiritual thoughts very seriously because, even though we are just practicing for the field, we can always bring others closer to Christ or help them realize something they didn't know before.

This past week two of the missionaries in our district, Elder Walls and Elder Johnson, left to go to the Guatemalan MTC for the rest of their training.  Their mission calls are to Guatemala City.  It is really weird to see them go because I feel we had become such good friends and that we have known each other for such a long time, when in reality, its only been 3 weeks.  Elder Walls is really good at speaking Spanish, so he doesn't work as hard as the rest of us.  His companion is not as good at Spanish but is a really hard worker, so you can kind of see why the Lord paired those two up.

This week me and Elder Duke put together a workout routine for our hour of gym time everyday (except for p-days and Sunday).  We go to the gym, run and lift weights and stuff.  I really don't want to get fat so I feel pretty motivated to go hard when we work out.  Speaking of which, one of my belts has already broken and one pair of my pants have ripped down the seam on the back (not the new ones).  I attempted to sew them together and did a pretty good job . . . I don't know if Mom would approve though.  Right now both of my other pants are at the dry cleaners, so I only have one pair of dark pants to wear.

Another cool thing about this week is that I joined the MTC choir which sings at firesides and stuff -- it was pretty fun.  One of the songs we sang, Jesus is My Shepard by Tammy Simster Robin, was really good and I really liked it.  Maybe you can suggest it for the next Young Mens' choir or something.  I also applied to be in the Missionary Choir that will be singing at the Preisthood Session of General Conference on October 3, so maybe Dad and Matt will see me if I get selected!  I'll let you know when I find out.

There is an Elder in one of the new districts in my branch that has a brother in the New York North Mission -- Elder Otuafi.  I think he's from Samoa.   Try to keep an eye out for him.  I only have about thirty seconds left so I gotta wrap it up and get going.

I love you guys - Elder Kinney

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Two Weeks at the MTC

Yesterday marks the end of week two in the MTC.  It has gone by much faster than the first week.  I definitely know what people mean when they say that the days go by so slowly, but the weeks go by fast.  The days go by so quickly because we are always busy.  I haven't really had any tough days since the first few days that I was here.  This place is so special -- it is hard to stay discouraged or sad for too long.

Right now I can pray, contact, and testify to people in Spanish.  One of the things that me and my companion try to do every day is contact 10 people in Spanish, and we are pretty good at reaching our goals.  Speaking of which, setting goals and sticking to them is one of the things that we really strive to do here in the MTC.  It helps us utilize our time efficiently and get better at everything we are trying to do.  This, along with so many other things, is so critical to my success in the mission field . . . and in life.

I am back in a regular companionship with Elder Samuels.  Elder Duke got another companion named Elder Butcher from Murray, Utah.  He just got transferred in and seems like a pretty nice guy.  I'm kinda bummed though because I really liked Elder Duke.

Last night we had the opportunity of hearing from President Gordon B. Hinckley's son Richard J., who is one of the Quorum of the Seventy.  All of the devotionals here are really spiritual and sometimes repetitive.  We are required to read from the Missionary Handbook every single day so I know this repetition is inspired.

The food in the MTC is not as bad as I thought it would be, given the cafeteria food I had when I was at BYU.  It's a good thing too since there's only one cafeteria at the MTC.  They actually have a make-your-own-wrap bar that is really good.  I usually hit that up every lunch or dinner.

Another great thing about being in the MTC is going to the temple every week.  I just got back from a session where I went through for a man named Levi Sitting Hawk from South Dakota.  I'm guessing he's an Native American from the Black Hills or something -- pretty cool!

Hermano De La Cruz, a substitute teacher I had, shared the following scripture that I wanted to pass along to you.  It is in D&C 68:6 and it reads, "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you . . . "  This scripture really had quite an impact on me because it shows that even during the hardest of times, if we turn to the Lord, he will help us and guide us in our struggles.  This, of course, is extremely relevant to mission work, as there will be many times in the future where I will feel discouraged.  I feel like we should all try to remember this no matter where we are or what we are doing.  It's something I wish I had done more before I left on my mission, and something I plan to remember for the rest of my life. 

I see Elder Quinn all the time since we have the same meal schedule, so that's kinda cool.  I always look for Peter too, but have only seen him once.  He seemed to be doing well.  I want you guys to know I love you a lot and am thinking about you.  I am where I'm supposed to be . . . and will be going where the Lord needs me. 

Love - Mike

Thursday, August 26, 2010

MTC is Awesome

Its been a week here in the MTC and things are going great for me.  It was a pretty rough start but after the first 3 or 4 days things really started to get a lot better.  The spirit is so strong here and it is such a great environment to learn. My testimony has grown so much already.

The first two or three days were really busy and I had no time to do personal or companionship study.  I spend at least 6 hours a day in class and sometimes 10 hours.  Obedience is really stressed here (as I knew it would be) but for some reason its really not that hard to obey all the rules, and the Lord has even blessed me with a motivation to strive for obedience, which in turn gives me more blessings.  We learn that our obedience does not only affect ourselves but it influences the obedience, happiness and even salvation of others.  We must define ourselves by our obedience and if we do that, the Lord will bless us with a successful mission.

The teachers here in the MTC are SO AWESOME.  My teachers are Hermano Welling and Hermano Lowe and they are so great.  You'd think, especially in my case, that I would have more than a lot of trouble focusing in class but I seriously find that class time goes by so quickly because it is so engaging and our teachers make everything so interesting.  They both have such powerful testimonies and teach with such conviction it is hard to believe that they are just a few years older than me.  They are truly a great example to us and I hope that I can be as good a missionaries as they were.

I have found that as time progressed and I got past the severely overwhelming stages during the first few days, that the Lord has blessed me with a great attitude when it comes to missionary work.  I have realized that I am on the Lord's time and slacking off or not paying attention aren't options.  I really do miss you guys but I am so busy here that it is hard to really dwell on the past and get sad over missing home.  I have taught myself already to be more in tune with the spirit, and when I do that it opens up more doorways in my learning and progression both in the language and my testimony.

Our class is divided into two basic sections.  We learn about the language for half the time and the rest is spent learning the doctrine and practicing how we can convey our message with the power of the spirit.  I haven't taught anything in Spanish yet but I can say a prayer and teach the first section of Lesson One in Spanish at this point.  I have found that I am pretty good at picking up the language.  I know that if I trust in the Lord and stay in tune with the spirit I will be speaking great Spanish soon.  Though I have never felt like such a nerd as I have here -- I now have two notebooks and two pens in my front pocket at all times . . . its pretty funny.
 
My district is really great.  We have three sister missionaries, and one of them is named Hermana McKinney which I thought was kind of interesting.  My companion's name is Elder Samuels from Liberty Corner, New Jersey (about 2 hours from NC).  He is an avid skiier and a good companion.  We also have Elder Duke in our companionship which makes us a "trio companionship" (since Elder Duke doesn't have a companion yet), which could turn out to be another challenge for us as we prepare and try to teach with unity and fluency.  We've been told that we will have to work a lot harder in a trio.  Elder Duke wants to become a captain in the military and has already done two years at the University of Arizona.  He is a good leader.  He makes this homemade beef jerky seasoned with soy sauce and Montreal steak seasoning.  It is literally like black gold -- I love it so much.  Dad, if you could, you should try to make like a ton of jerky and send it to me that would be great, because I feel bad eating so much of Elder Duke's.  He says that London broil is the best meat you can get for it, but I know (since your such a great cook) you would probably love to try and make it your own way or something.  Also I would like you to send me a wallet photo of the family and a wallet photo of Frankie por favor.

Last night we were really blessed by having Elder Holland (one of the 12 Apostles of the Church) come and speak to us for devotional.  As you can expect, it was such a powerful talk.  He challenged us to do a lot of things that he knows will make us better missionaries.

I only have like two minutes left, so I gotta go fast.  Also I need a p-day (preparation day) sweatshirt since it's kinda getting cold in the mornings here.  Also I realized that I'm really get bored of my ties, so if you could send me a couple good ones that would also be great.  I love you guys so much and I know that this is the true church and that what I'm doing is the right thing to do.  I miss you.

Love - Mike

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The Journey Has Begun!

This is the letter we received from Elder Kinney -- written the day he arrived at the Mission Training Center in Provo, Utah (August 18th):

I am sitting in my room right now having completed my first day at the MTC. It has been a spiritual and overwhelming day for me. As soon as I was dropped off, I received my name tag and was shown to my classroom. It was very surreal looking down at that tag and realizing that I am now a full-time representative of the Lord . . . a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I met my companion, Elder Samuels, who is also going to Mesa. He is a great, outgoing guy from New Jersey. I think that we are going to get along really well. After we met our teacher for a few minutes (Elder Welling), we were welcomed by the MTC Presidency. I really liked what they had to say. It was the most confident I felt about myself all day. As we left the devotional, I ran into Elder Quinn and his companion. It was really good to see a familiar face. He told me he had never learned so much so quickly in his entire life. I'm sure I'm in for a long week.

From there we headed to dinner where I was finally able to see Elder Edwards. He seemed to be doing really great and was anxious to be leaving the MTC on August 24th. After dinner we headed to a series of live teaching situations where we watched and participated as a group of about 50 missionaries or so. This activity got me thinking that I have a lot to learn. Hopefully when we start Spanish tomorrow I will be able to absorb all I'm being taught. One thing I know I must do is become more receptive to the spirit as I continue my experience here in the MTC.


It's now time for bed so I gotta go. Love you guys - Elder Kinney