December 26, 2011

Dear Family,

I got the photos you sent, and I like where you put the Christmas tree this year.  (We put it in the second-story entry way so people could see it from the street.)  I'm glad you enjoyed Christmas.

It was really awesome to be able to talk to you guys yesterday. All of the other missionaries said that it was awkward to talk to their parents -- there were moments where no one knew what to say, so I am really glad it isn't like that at all when we talk -- so thank you.  I seriously feel that I receive blessings a lot of times because of you guys so thank you for that as well.  Have a happy new year!!  I hope it snows in CT!!
 
Love,
 
Elder Kinney

December 19, 2011

Hey Family,
 
I don't know exactly what time I will be calling on Sunday, but it will be after 1pm Eastern time.  We will only be able to talk for 40 minutes since that's what the white handbook says.  To tell you the truth, I love talking to you guys but for some reason it is always a nerve-racking experience for me!!!  I think it might be the fact that we can only talk twice a year, I don't know.  Are Chala and Stuart going to do their first Christmas alone this year or what??  I miss the snow so much, it doesn't feel like Christmas time at all.  :(   

Dad, can you send me the recipe for caramelized onion pizza again because I lost it and really want to make it.  I did get the Christmas package with the all of the candy.  I have already eaten everything except for the Toblerone bars and some Hi-Chews, which I am trying to save.

For the past two or three transfers I have really focused on scrutinizing the bible.  More specifically, the New Testament which I am really enjoying.  It is so amazing how many hidden treasures are found in the Bible that coincide perfectly with the Church's doctrine.  It is very interesting to study all of the writings of Paul and the many paradoxes which appear to be found in his various epistles.  One of the greatest is the importance of grace and works in the gospel of Christ.  One of the reasons I believe Paul focused a lot on being justified (or righteous) through faith and not works is due to his history as a Pharisee (Phil. 3:5-9*, Acts 23:6**) who followed the law meticulously but at the same time, overlooked completely the spirit of the law and thus nullifying any reward he would have received for being obedient.  How worthless and in vain is our faith if it be not manifest in our works!?!  Christ said, right after talking about the importance of producing good "fruit" or works said that only those who DO the will of the Father will enter into his Kingdom (Matt 7:21***).  And the "mansion" they will receive (because we know they are many) will be rewarded to them according their works. Peter understood perfectly the writings of Paul and concludes his 2nd Epistle by warning others not to twist or "wrest" the doctrine found therein and that those who do, do it unto their own destruction.  

The Book of Mormon is so awesome because it helps us understand these simple gospel truths.  It is by grace that we are saved after we have reconciled with God; reconciliation that can only be made by one who has a true and living faith (2 Nephi 10:24****).  If it weren't for the grace and incomprehensible mercy of Christ, not even our faith would save us because we all fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23*****).  Paul understood this and warned the Galations in chapter 6 verse 7:

 7 - Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Anyway, that is just something I never understood very well but have been able to grasp after extensive study.

I hope you guys have a merry Christmas with lots of snow.  I miss you guys a lot and can't wait to talk to you!!!!

Love,

Elder Kinney



*Phil. 3:5-9

 5 - Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

 6 - Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

 7 - But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

 8 - Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

 9 - And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

**Acts 23:6

 6 - But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

***Matt 7:21

21 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

****2 Nephi 10:24

24 - Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.

*****Romans 3:23

 23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

December 12, 2011

Dear Mom and Family,
 
I am definitely staying warm but I really haven't needed to use my Mr. Mac coat.  One of my Zone Leaders, Elder Landsaw, gave me an extra pair of leather gloves he had, which have been good enough for the cold weather (which really isn't that cold).

We got transfer news this Saturday, and I will be staying with my companion, Elder Camarillo, for at least another one.  As we were biking through downtown Phoenix on our way back to the apartment, President Ellsworth called me to tell me he and the Lord have called me to be the District Leader of my current District.  I was kind of surprised to recieve the calling and I hope I will be able to do a good job and inspire my District.  It is kind of awkward because my old District Leader is still in my District with his same companion so now I have to do all of the things that he would do to me as one of the members in his District.  He has also been my Zone Leader before when I was in North Phoenix with Elders Ralphs and Pierson (who is my new Zone Leader).  I really hope the Lord will inspire me as to the things I need to do to help the members of the District be succesful.  There is already one Elder I know I will need to work closely with who kind of struggles socially.  I am glad I am around the Zone Leaders a lot and that I have a good relationship with them because their examples help me know what kind of leader I need to be.

This week has been pretty good other than that.  We are moving forward with the Cervantes family and have set up an interview with Gabriel and the Branch President to prepare to recieve the Aaronic Priesthood so he can baptize his wife and daughters the first week of January.

Also we have had a lot of success with another middle-aged couple, Sal and Ema Garcia.  We invited the Elders Quorum President and his wife to take them some treats to kind of incite fellowship and it worked way better than we thought.  They stayed and talked about the gospel for 2-1/2 hours and they invited them to family home evening the next week.  Sal and Ema came to church yesterday and canceled a prior comitment to be there!!!  Members involved in missionary work are awesome!!  Sal and Ema are also very good investigators who actually are "investigating" and have been searching for the truth.

How is it having a General Authority staying at the house*?  I have seen many on my mission and you can just feel something different when you are in their presence.  I just looked up a picture of him and I do recognize him.  I hope all is well at home and that Dad has fun planning the Klondike Derby for this year.  I forgot to take a picture of the Zone t-shirt design but will attach a photo with all of us wearing them -- the coolest part is on the back**.  Thanks for everything and for your prayers!!!!
 
Love,
 
Elder Kinney

*President Don Clarke and his wife Maryanne came back to New Canaan for a visit and stayed with us for several days.

**When we asked Elder Kinney what he needed for Christmas, he asked us to help pay for t-shirts he wanted to design for his Zone.  As you see in the photo, the front of the t-shirt has all the Elders last names listed in the shape of a tie, and the back of the t-shirt has the words "Phoenix Zone" spelled out using ties for the shapes of the letters.


 

December 5, 2011

Dear Family,

Thanks a ton for the Christmas money to buy t-shirts for the Zone.  The shirts should be done by this Friday.  I'll send you a picture of me in the shirt next p-day hopefully (maybe even the whole Zone).  Everyone in the Zone is really appreciative of your generosity in buying us t-shirts, and they all say thank you.

This week was pretty good.  The only downside is that Evangelina, the wife of Gabriel (the man we baptized like 2 weeks ago) and her daughters want to get baptized on the first of January to start off the new year because of the hecticness of the holiday season and they had plans on the original date we had set with them.  However, she is just as determined, if not more so, than she was before to get baptized -- you can just see it in her face.  She is so much happier than when we first met her.

Last night we had the opportunity to work Christmas Lights on the Mesa Temple grounds as a District, it was pretty cold but I really enjoyed talking to a lot of people.  I liked it a lot.  There were a lot of extremely attractive girls as usual, and I, of course, tried to talk to as many of them as I could.  I also talked to an accountant who lives in Fountain Hills.  I told him my dad is an investment banker and he started to tell me about the protests that are going on against Wall Street in that park in downtown Manhattan . . . and all over the country.  One of my investigators is protesting outside of the Wells Fargo building in Phoenix every Sunday (hahaha).  He said unions are paying a ton of people to protest, and the majority of them don't even know why they're doing it.  I'm sure dad knows a lot more on the subject.

Hope everything is well in snowy NC!!
 
Love,
 
Elder Kinney

November 21, 2011

Dear Family,
 
Not a very eventful week.  Last Monday when I was sending you my weekly email I started to feel the beginning of what turned out to be a week-long sickness that had me throwing up and running to the bathroom every 30 minutes.  So I've been bed-ridden all week, along with some other members of our District -- Elder May from Indiana and I got to know each other pretty well.

Aside from that, Gabriel passed his baptismal interview and we found another family that expressed a desire to be baptized.  We had a cool lesson with them because we were able to read the entire first part of the Joseph Smith History* which I've never done before.  He was just really interested about the background of Joseph Smith and the story as to how he was called to be a prophet.  They will be coming to the Gabriel's baptism this Saturday so I'm hoping it will be a good experience for them.

Thanks for your prayers.  I love you guys a ton.  Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!
 
Love,

Elder Kinney



*In the Joseph Smith History, the Prophet, Joseph Smith, tells about his family, his upbringing and where he lived.  There was also an unusual excitement about religion that prevailed in western New York at the time.  He had a desire to seek wisdom as directed by James, chapter 1, verse 5 in the bible which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. The Father and the Son appear to Joseph.

(Link to Joseph Smith History:  http://lds.org/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1?lang=eng)

November 7, 2011

Dear Family,

I don't really have much time to write today.  It is my first P-day (preparation day) in my new area and I have a lot of stuff to do.  Unfortunately, we don't have another set of Elders with a car that live in the same apartment with us like in my last area, so coordinating P-day to-do's and any transportation is kind of a hassle.  I have a new address (see top of blog).

We live right in central Phoenix around all of the big buildings.  We don't really teach anyone around where we live.  We mostly go to the projects.  I feel like my new area has more of a "hood" feel to it but there were definitely more shady people in my last area.

On Saturday we had a baptism of the Solis family.  I only got to teach them once -- they were basically the investigators of Elder Camarillo and his old companion.  They are pretty awesome.  The best part of my week was yesterday when we went to Patty Torres' baptism in my last area.  She had asked me to give the talk about the Holy Ghost and I did a better job than I thought I was going to be able to do.  The service was really, really awesome, the best part being when Elder Hernandez bore his testimony and shared his conversion story which is super powerful (I have heard it a couple times).  I miss him a lot.  He is definitely one of my favorite companions.

My new companion, Elder Camarillo, is from San Juan Capistrano, CA, and was just trained so I am his "greeniebreaker".  He is good at Spanish, obviously, but due to his American childhood he can't answer any of the gramatical questions I ask, and my vocabulary is more vast compared to his.  It is kind of weird knowing more Spanish than a Spanish person.  He is super awesome and hardworking though and I like him a lot.  He has a really innocent and docile personality but he isn't shy so a lot of poeple like him, which is good.

My time is running out on this library computer so I have to go.  I have one other really quick miracle.  We found this guy named Gabriel on my first day, who moved from the Tempe mission to our area and has a baptismal date.  He came to the Solis family baptism with his four daughters.  He will be baptized on the 26th of this month.  Hope everything is well in NC!!!
 
Love,

Elder Kinney

October 31, 2011

Dear Family,

Wow, mom, that was a really awesome letter!!***  Patty and Luis definitely did get married and I was able to perform the baptism for Luis after church.  It is really, really amazing how the Lord works isn't it?  Last night when we were having the little wedding reception with Luis, Patty and their family (pictures attatched), I was looking around and thinking of all the miracles I had seen and been apart of with this family.  I remember the first time that Elder Faldmo and I talked to Ester when she was getting the mail with little Antonio in his batman shirt.  I can already see the results and blessings that have stemmed from that first contact and they are monumental.  Luis and Ester were literally about to split up because there hadn't been a day for years that they hadn't fought and that Luis hadn't had a 12-pack of beer.   But now they are so happy, and they always thank me for the role I played in their reactivation and in their marriage.  Ester even calls me an angel!!!  This is one of those families that I KNOW I was sent to Phoenix for -- I am going to miss them a lot.

The reason that I say I'll miss them is because I am being transferred!!  The best part is that I am staying in Phoenix!!  YES!!!  I am going to be in the same Stake I'm in right now but in the Branch just south of here which is legit, downtown Phoenix and is loaded with projects, so I am sure to have some good stories (I'll still be on my bike too!!!).  My new companion's name is Elder Camarillo from LA California.  He just trained the last two transfers so I am going to be his "greeniebraker" as they call it in the mission.  He is a Chicano (Hispanic born in America) so we will be able to talk in Spanish all of the time!!

The other picture I sent is of my favorite little kid EVER!!!  His name is Antonio, and he's Luis and Patty's youngest son.  He is so crazy and is never, ever sitting down.  During Sacrament Meeting he always runs around and crawls under the pews.  I always tell Patty and Luis that I want one of my kids to be just like Antonio, and they always ask if I'm sure about that when he's going crazy (hahaha).

I hope that you are enjoying your early winter in CT.  It just barely started to get a bit cooler down here.  I am starting to see the snowbirds again . . . they are really bad drivers.  I hope everything is going well in CT.

Love,

Elder Kinney

***(This is part of the email I sent to Mike today telling him about the little miracle that happened last week.)

Okay, so I've saved the best story for last.  As we've read your letters over the months, you've told us about some situations where we've wondered if we should help out in some way.  When dad and I were out to dinner for our 23rd anniversary, he expressed to me that we should be able to help out your investigators from time to time, and I said I agreed, but wondered if there were mission guidelines that needed to be followed (maybe the Mission President doesn't want the investigators to become dependent upon the missionaries for financial support or something).  Anyway, I finally said, "If Mike asks, then I think it would be okay to help out," and dad agreed.  So two days later I get last week's email from you and, low and behold, you asked for $72 for Patty and Luis to buy a marriage license.  What you don't know, is that I apparently over-paid one of the doctors you saw from your bike accident last year, and they mailed a reimbursement check that had just come in the mail, made out to Michael Forrest Kinney for . . . guess how much . . . $72.69!  Maybe it's a little miracle (it's not like we wouldn't have sent you $72 anyway), but it's a miracle nonetheless.  The hairs raised up on my neck and as soon as I finished reading your email, I raced the check to the bank to deposit it into your account. 

October 24, 2011

Dear Family,
 
This week has been kind of good and bad at the same time.  Unfortunately, the Teran family hasn't been as awesome since Leon's burn has healed. It seems to be the case a lot of times when people don't have an immediate imposing need, they don't realize the importance of the gospel.  We are still going to try and set something up with them and see what happens.

Hada, the woman who had a potential baptismal date for the 29th of this month has also seemed to loose interest since she got a job about a week ago.  We haven't really been able to even contact her.  Luckily, we got a sweet member referal from the Torres family who we set a baptismal date with for the 19th of November.  That's a relief considering all the other fallbacks that we've had.

We were also able to find five new investigators, some of which look slightly promising.  One new family that we found is the Cabral family.  The first time we taught them, they were really interested in all of the points about the restoration and the need for prophets and authority, which is always really great to see.

I'm sorry but we are in kind of a rush to go to a Zone activity where we're going to watch The Prince of Egypt in the home of our Stake President.  I'll write a bigger letter next week.
 
Love,
 
Elder Kinney

October 17, 2011

Dear Family,

This week has been pretty good but it's also had some disappointments.  Unfortunately (for me and Elder Mills), Elder Palmer got his visa to go to Brazil so he will leave this Wednesday.  He has been a huge blessing in the sense that we've been able to enter houses with just women in them.  I don't know exactly what we are going to do without him.  Hada, the investigator who has a baptismal date for October 29th, would not have progressed like she has if we weren't able to go over as much as we did because we had Elder Palmer with us.

We have been trying really hard to involve members in the teaching process but we have only had minor success.  Every time members come with us it's awesome, but it requires a ton of coordination, including what feels like certain planetary alignments.  We were trying to work out a weekly split with one of the Branch Presidency Counselors but it's been difficult.  But now that Elder Palmer is leaving, he's just going to have to come now.

Back to Hada.  She is scheduled for baptism on the 29th, but she's wondering whether or not to wait to be baptized with her husband when he gets out of jail in December.  We told her that she should pray about it and discuss it with him.  Patty and Luis are continually gaining more and more momentum in their progression as well, which is a relief for me.  I feel kind of stressed since I do almost everything that needs to be done from the contacts, lessons, member coordination, planning, etc.  Since we have been practicing in our companionship, Elder Mills has taught a bit more which is good.  I hope we can continue to improve.  We did receive what seems like an awesome member referral for baptism from the Torres family last night so I am really excited about that.

I hope everything is going well in NC.  Sorry if this letter is short, we are kind of in a rush today.

Love,

Elder Kinney  

October 10, 2011

Dear Family,
 
That looked like a pretty cool outing you guys had with the Bray family, although I must say, I bet some of the Mexican food I eat here is ten times better than the Mexican food you ate in the city!!!!  Sister Torres, the less active that was recently activated (she actually bore her testimony in church on Sunday!!!!) is a beastly cook.   Like, seriously beastly.  Every single time we get to eat at her house, which is now almost every time we go, I eat so much that I just want to keel over and render myself unconscious.  I have acquired a new favorite Mexican dish which can be gross if you don't make it right: Tacos de Cabeza which translated is, head tacos or face tacos.  It is basically all of the meat on the face and head of the cow (I'm pretty sure the brain isn't included) and it is delicious.  Whenever I tell members or any Hispanics that I like it, they are always shocked because no gringos (white people) like food like that.  As a matter of fact, a lot of Mexicans don't like it either.  I love em' though.  With a fat scoop of cilantro, onions and homemade salsa on a hot corn tortilla.... delishhhhh.  Maybe Dad can look up a recipe and see if he wants to try and make it (hahaha).

This week has been pretty awesome.  We were able to go to the temple with two of our investigators -- Addah, Ruth (sisters) and their 5 kids.  The Relief Society President took them in her van.  We watched "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration," showed them the artwork, and talked about the purpose and importance of temples.  They really, really enjoyed it.  We were able to set a baptismal date with Addah on Saturday night when we read through 2 Nephi 31*, which expounds on the doctrine of Christ.  She accepted the date for the 29th of October without hesitating.  She is really solid and really humble.  She has started to trust us a lot as representatives of Christ.  Last night she texted us about her economical worries.  Last week we had to help her get some diapers for the youngest of her 4 kids, Mike.  She is currently living with Ruth, her sister, and Ruth's husband Enoc who is interested but isn't really willing to give up some things to keep the commandments.  Ruth is interested too, but her husband, Enoc, is kind of controlling and potentially abusive so he doesn't let Ruth come to church sometimes.  It is a really unfortunate situation.

Last night we almost got jumped by some black dudes in an ally behind the canal at 8pm.  We helped a guy carry his groceries from the street, but when we got to the canal he told us to wait with the groceries while he goes and gets some people to help him carry them to his house.  I immediately thought that was sketchy and remembered the time when a homeless guy asked Dad for some money for a hot dog on the train and dad told him to go wait by the doors so he didn't have to get his wallet out right in front of him.  I looked at  my companions (one from Utah and the other from Idaho, who aren't even thinking there was a problem) each holding 4 bags of groceries while straddling their bikes, and I thought we were in a pretty vulnerable position.  I told them to set the groceries on this elevated concrete slab so we didn't have to have any up close contact with that guy and whoever he was going to bring back.  They were confused and didn't know why I told them to do it, but they obeyed.  We waited about 5 more minutes when we finally saw him come out of the complex with a 6'5" 300-pound black dude.  They started to walk toward us (and not the groceries we had placed on the concrete, which I knew they saw because the bags were right under a light post).  When they got about 30 feet away, I just told them to have a good night and started to ride off on my bike.  My companions realized how sketchy the situation was at that point and followed me, later sharing with me their gratefulness that I was from Connecticut and didn't have such a naive perspective of people in the ghetto.

Hope everything is good at home.  The pictures I sent are of me and Luis (one of Patty and Luis' kids), and a man with a long white beard and blue helmet that we often see, and me in my frustration during some bike repairs.
 
Love,
 
Elder Kinney

*2 Nephi, Chapter 31

(Nephi tells why Christ was baptized—Men must follow Christ, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end to be saved—Repentance and baptism are the gate to the strait and narrow path—Eternal life comes to those who keep the commandments after baptism. About 559–545 B.C.)

 1 And now I, Nephi, make an end of my prophesying unto you, my beloved brethren. And I cannot write but a few things, which I know must surely come to pass; neither can I write but a few of the words of my brother Jacob.

 2 Wherefore, the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying.

 3 For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding.

 4 Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world.

 5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!

 6 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?

 7 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

 8 Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove.

 9 And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.

 10 And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

 11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.

 12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

 13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.

 14 But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.

 15 And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

 16 And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.

 17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and ^abaptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

 18 And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.

 19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

 20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

 21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.

October 3, 2011

Hello Family,
 
I got the package.  Thanks for the jerky!!  I also enjoyed the picture you enclosed from my Eagle Scout project.  I think, just recently, I've started to look older than I did in that picture with Ms. Sturgess at the Nature Center (Mike was 13 years old in the photo). 

This past week has been a lot of work.  We're having success, but I feel like I am doing almost everything.  It's been a huge change to switch from having an outgoing companion like Elder Hernandez to Elder Mills, who doesn't talk much.  He's been out for a year and is still struggling with his Spanish too.  We get along fine, but I teach more of the lessons than I did even with Elder Faldmo (who was an awesome companion and tried really hard even though he didn't have the language down).  I think this helps me try even harder to find members to come with us to lessons, but that is a struggle too.  I will be going on splits with one of the members in the Branch Presidency this Thursday for the night.

Leon Teran got burned pretty badly at work two days after we started teaching him.  We gave him a blessing and taught him a little lesson about faith and how it relates to miracles.  It made me wonder if I could just stand up and command that his arm be healed in the name of Christ, or does Leon need to have faith for that miracle to happen?  I remember reading in the Doctrine and Covenants awhile ago about how there are people who are righteous that will be saved regardless of their lack of faith to be healed.  I guess I just need to focus on the faith I have and listen to the Spirit to know what to do in those situations.

We also found another man by the name of Benito Alvarez who used to go to the church in Mexico, but ever since he came to the United States he'd lost contact.  He and his family seem to have a lot of potential.  Our branch is really in need of some strong families so hopefully we can get them excited and ready for baptism.

Elder Palmer is doing well.  I kind of have a hard time figuring out how to involve him in the lessons given his language is supposed to be Portuguese.  I'm sure it's hard for him to pay attention with all of us speaking Spanish.  One thing we're trying to do more in our companionship study is to practice.  That's not something I've focused on too much so far, but I think it will help us coordinate our lessons better, and I won't be the only one teaching.  This week we plan to focus on the baptismal commitment so all of our investigators know that that should be their goal.  I would really like to set some more dates.

My favorite talk from General Conference yesterday was probably Elder Holland's from the Priesthood Session.  I also like the missionary-minded talks from Elder Ballard and Elder Calsiter from the Seventy.  

Anyway, that's what's up with me.  I hope everything is going well with you guys at home and that you're enjoying fall in CT.  It's still over 100 degrees in Phoenix some days.
 
Love,
 
Elder Kinney

September 27, 2011

Dear Family,

I hope everything is going well in New Canaan.  Are the leaves starting to change color yet?  It is still over a hundred degrees most days here in Phoenix but it is starting to get a little cooler at night.  At least the breeze isn't hot so when the wind blows it kind of feels nice.

Right now we are teaching a really awesome family, the Torres family.  It is the son and daughter-in-law of the other Torres family (Ester and Luis Sr.) who are less actives that Elder Faldmo and I found.  I think I told you about them before but they are now really active in the church.  Luis Jr. (son of Luis Sr. and Ester) was less active along with his parents, brother and sister (his brother and sister still haven't come to church).  He and his girlfriend, Patty, have been living together for 7 years and have 4 kids.  Patty is not a member but is really interested in the church and wants to get baptized.  She has studied with other churches before such as the Jehovah's Witness, but feels much more comfortable and happy with the Church of Jesus Christ.  Obviously the thing that is holding her back from being baptized is the fact that she and Luis are still not married -- that has been the focus of the past 2 or 3 lessons we’ve had with them.  We have had some pretty powerful lessons where we read, analyzed and pondered The Family: A Proclamation to the World.  We told them that in order to obey the law of chastity they have two options, but as representatives of Christ we could only give them one.  Normally the two options would be get married, or split up.  But since they have 4 kids together and they have the right to be raised in an environment with a loving father and mother, the only decision that would be pleasing in the eyes of God is marriage.  So we have been focusing a lot of what we teach on the family.  I think that’s one of the reasons Patty was attracted to the message we were first sharing with her parents-in-law.  (Luis Jr. didn't want anything to do with us at first but now he is more determined than she is!!)  Luis has told all of us he wants to marry her.  But like most of the other marriage cases I have had on my mission, the woman has this uncertainty.  For all I now, she might have every right to feel that way but we are trying to help her get past it.  I think she is hesitant because Luis has made such a significant change in his desire to come to church and live the commandments so suddenly -- she wants to make sure he wants to marry her for the right reasons.  I think it is inevitable that they get married but the question is when.  We are going to pass by often and read scriptures with her during the week so she can get answers to her prayers.  We are also going to talk with Luis about things that he can do to strengthen Patty's trust in him.

We also found the Teran family this week.  For some reason, I felt a very strong love for them even though it was the first time we taught them.  We’ll see how it goes.

I hope you guys are excited for General Conference next weekend!!  Can't wait to hear from you!!

Love - Elder Kinney

September 19, 2011

Dear Family,
 
I got the package and the CD.  I don't have a lot of time today so I gotta go quick to prepare for transfers.  I'll be staying here but Elder Hernandez is going to leave unfortunately:(  My new comp is named elder Mills.  That sounds like a pretty awesome musical number the Monks did.  You don't hear a lot of musical numbers like that in Phoenix.  I'll be able to write more next week, but one kinda cool thing that happened is that we just received a visa-waiter named Elder Palmer from Tooele, Utah, who is trying to get to Brazil but I'll tell you more about that next week.



As you can see in the picture, my shoes are currently out of commission.  So if you could put some money in the account I'll get a new pair.  At least they lasted me a year!!  Also send me a copy of the movie, The Prince of Egypt (story about Moses).  We have permission to show it to our investigators and it helps the kids understand about prophets (and actually the adults too). 
 
Elder Kinney

September 12, 2011

Dear Family,
 
This past week was pretty awesome.  Angel is getting baptized next Saturday so I should be sending you some baptismal pictures next time! 

This week we did an awesome activity where we took a bunch of our investigators and branch members to the visitor's center in Mesa to see the movie "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" and the cool art exhibits that they have there.  I don't remember having seen that movie for a long time but it is really powerful.  I heard also they recently changed the ending a bit and included some footage of temple square to kind of show what the church has turned into since the days of Joseph Smith.  But that is only in the English version so I haven't seen it.

Something unfortunate happened this week in that there was an article in this week's "New Times", the free weekly magazine for the Phoenix metropolitan area, where a woman and her daughter had done some immoral things with a minor, though the minor supposedly wasn't completely against it.  We haven't had many problems because of it with regard to our investigators, but the English elders have.

On the upside, the church is going to do the same mormon.org ads in Phoenix that they did in New York City!  It should really help the missionary work skyrocket according to the success they've seen in other cities.  Dad, did anybody ever approach you or ask you about the ads in New York knowing that you are a member of the church??  Anyway,  I got to go now.  I hope everything is well in CT.
 
Love,
 
Elder Kinney
 

August 22, 2011

Dear Family,

Thanks a ton for the package you sent, especially the Hi-Chews (Japanese candy).  They were super awesome.  If you could keep a steady flow of those things that would be awesome (ha ha just kidding . . . but seriously).  Oh and before I say anything else, TELL MATT TO GIVE YOU THE SHIRT HE WAS WEARING IN THE PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I could have sworn that was one of the shirts that I did not give him permission to wear?!?  That is like the most favorite shirt that I have!!!  So if you could please tell him that and then keep it safe, unworn, and unstained that would be awesome.  Let me know...

I can't believe that I've been in the mission for over a year now!!!  I have learned so much, but am still glad I have a year left to continue growing spiritually and mentally.  Serving a mission is seriously one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life.  I feel like I have a completely different perspective on life in terms of my goals, my purpose, and my potential as an son of God.  I know the year mark is considered a hump, but I still have a lot of goals I want to complete by the time I go home.  I am really grateful for all of the support that you guys have given me and for keeping me updated on your lives back at home.

This week was a good week in terms of the lessons we taught.  But, unfortunately, we didn't have any investigators in church.  That has always been a struggle in this area and I am still trying to figure out why.  We have been trying to put more emphasis on the sabbath-day doctrine because that's something even some members haven't yet grasped.  We have a bunch of solid people that keep all of their commitments, and even drive from the Avenues to 12th Street on Thursdays to a Gospel Principles Class (our chapel is on 19th Avenue, only about five minutes away from most of our investigators).

One miracle that happened this past week was Maria de Rosario accepted a baptismal date.  Last week or the week before we taught her the Plan of Salvation and invited her to be baptized.  She said no without even hesitating.  Her boyfriend had just moved out because of her increased involvement in the church and she didn't have a job to be able to provide for her two daughters (a 2-month old and a 2 year old).  We were all praying for her to be able to find a job, as well as someone to take care of her kids . . . and she did!!!  It was so awesome!  She had such a change of heart and she contributed it all to the Lord.  We re-taught her the doctrine of Christ and we didn't even need to directly ask her to be baptized.  We just asked if she felt like she was ready and she said yes.  She told us how she felt a huge increase in her faith since we began to teaching her and how she recognizes the Lord is answering her prayers.  The only obstacle now will be her getting off work on Sunday!!!! but we'll see what happens.  She has come a long way and has a lot of faith because of the humbling position she found herself in.

The attached photos are from our one-year shirt-burning ceremony and a dust storm we were caught in on Thursday!!

Love,

Elder Kinney

August 15, 2011

Dear Family,

The pictures you sent look like you had an awesome trip to Wyoming!!  The pictures look awesome!!  I would have loved to have gone with you guys.  The canals here in Phoenix actually have some extremely massive fish.  We see people fishing them fairly often in various places but I have never seen anyone actually catch anything.  I have seen the fish though and they are MASSIVE!!! Like there are literally some fish in the canals that are 3 feet long and get to be 5-10 pounds.  But judging from the water quality, I would definitely throw them back if I caught one.  Anyway,  everytime I see them in the water it makes me want to go fishing.  We tried once my first transfer in Mesa but didn't have any luck.  Tell Matt I like his sweatshirt...  

This past week has been pretty good.  Elder Hernandez is an amazing teacher and he is going to bless the area a lot.  We were able to find a couple more new investigators this week as well which was pretty good.  We are seeing more success as we try to implement the doctrine of Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Ghost, Endure to the End) in everything we teach no matter what it is.  It is also becoming easier to be bold as we make it a habit and invite people to repent of their sins and change their lives.  At first it might feel uncomfortable to do so, but rarely is there a circumstance where change is comfortable or doesn't require sacrfice.  We as missionaries are trying to help other people change their lives, and we are also trying to change our own so the same principles apply to us.

Unfortunately, Martin didn't come to church yesterday so we are going to have to push his baptismal date back a week.  He is kind of difficult for me to understand because he is so awesome and enthusiastic in our lessons and doesn't try to avoid us but it seems like something always comes up when he needs to come to church or a class we do on Thursdays with the Stake Patriarch.  I think we are going to focus on the doctrine of the Sabbath Day the next time we go and teach him so he understands it's importance.

Yesterday I gave a talk in church on the Word of Wisdom.  Of course the President put me last on the program, predicting that the first two talks would be short . . . and they were.  I ended up talking for about 40-45 mins but it was good.  I prepared for it like that.  One thing cool that I have learned while being on a mission is how to give a talk by just writing down some bullet points or topics that I wish to discuss and a couple of scriptures, and with that I am able to talk for as long a I need to.  I really stressed the fact that we are not allowed to drink tea or coffee and told everyone to throw it away if they have it in their house.  It was a good thing that someone from the Stake Presidency was there because supposedly President though you could drink tea as long as it was "natural".  I could hear them talking behind me for awhile while I was talking.  But I did get some compliments from some of the auxiliary quorum leaders who knew that was a subject in need of addressing.

Anyway, that was my week.  Thanks dad for the update and pictures on your trip. 
 
Love,
 
Elder Kinney

August 1, 2011

Dear Family,

 

I don't have a lot of time but I'll give you an update on what has been going on here in Phoenix.  Elder Faldmo and I have found some pretty good potential investigators this week and were also able to set 3 baptismal dates for the month of August.  The most solid one is with this guy named Martin who was a media referral (he wanted a Finding Faith in Christ DVD).  We went by and talked with him a couple of times and he has a really good view of the church.  One thing that I really like about him is that he is one who loves America and the opportunities that are provided here.  He told us he thinks that Americans have the right to be overprotective with their immigration laws because he has seen how "his people" corrupt the youth in america by selling them drugs.  That is not common at all considering all of the heat we take for Russel Pierce being a Mormon.  Anyway,  he is super enthusiastic about everything we teach, including the Book of Mormon.  He is also one that understands the principle of Prophets more than most of the other people I have taught.  I am really surprised at how hard it is for people to understand prophets even when we explain it so simply and boldly.

 

The other family is from Guatemala.  We were able to set a date with them during the first lesson.  We introduced them to one of the Counselors in our Branch Presidency, and they opened up even more after that, which was awesome.  They are going to get baptized the last weekend of August.  Anyway, I'll try to write a longer letter next week.  Have a fun and safe time on your vacation.  Thanks for everything!

 

Love,

Elder Kinney

August 8, 2011

Dear Family,

 

We got transfer news on Saturday night and I found out I am going to be getting a new companion from Tobasco, Mexico!!  His name is Elder Hernandez and he came out the same day I did.  He didn't speak a any English before entering the MTC, so my Spanish skills are going to be so awesome by the end of our companionship.  I'm am also excited for him to come to this branch because I definitely think it needs a native-speaker, more able to easily relate and communicate with the people.

 

One really awesome thing that happened this week was a 180-degree turn around of a recent convert/less active/recent move-in member in our branch named brother Barrera.  He moved into the branch a couple weeks ago and came to church two times, but he started having some issues with his testimony (he was baptized 7 months ago).  One day when I was on exchanges with my District Leader, (who doesn't speak any Spanish).  We decided to go and see how Brother Barrera was doing.  By the end of the lesson, he ended up telling us he didn't want to go to church until Russel Pierce (AZ State Senator) was excommunicated and the church had made a new commandment forbidding member-involvement in politics.  I shared with him the Twelfth Article of Faith* and assured him that the latter would never happen.  I also told him he had two much anger and resentment towards Russel Pierce, be he a evil man or not, and that the Lord would not answer his prayers or comfort him until he rid himself of the "spirit of contention".  His wife was there and looked extremely sad that her husband was like this and you could tell she didn't agree with him.  She didn't say much even when I would ask her a question, but I knew she didn't like the decision her husband had made.  We left the lesson with a feeling of dispair kind of looming about us.  My District Leader had a sort of pale, distraught countinence as he didn't understand anything but knew that it wasn't good.  Anyway, Elder Faldmo and I went back at the beginning of this past week and Brother Barrera had experienced a change of heart which came about because of the faith of his wife, who related to us how she had pleaded that the Lord change him.  The coolest part was that he showed up at church on Sunday, super happy having recieved another spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of the gospel during his scripture reading the night before.  And THEN, he got up in Fast and Testimony Meeting and bore his testimony, which included the decision he had made to dedicate all of his time to missionary work!!!  He doesn't have a job and believes staying at home all of the time is detrimental to his testimony and he needs to be involved in the work of the Lord.  He literally offered to bike around with us ALL DAY and do missionary work.  He really is an interesting and amazing guy.  We'll see the effect that he has on the Catalina Branch!!!

 

Anyway, I need to go.  Thanks for everything and don't forget about family home evening tonight.

 

Love,

 

Elder Kinney

 

*The Articles of Faith
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints   

12.   We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

July 25, 2011

Dear Family,

Thanks for all of the pictures you sent me Mom!!  This past week was pretty awesome.  We had the baptismal service for Marcos Piedra, the first man I have baptized on the mission!!!! (The photos are of Marcos, his wife, Maria, and her family.)  He was a real miracle and made a lot of progress in a short amount of time.  The service was really awesome and we had a ton of people show up.  We didn't even have enough seats for everyone.  Our Zone leaders were able to bring a family as well, which was awesome.  (If you remember, my old companion, Elder Ralphs, is one of my current Zone Leaders.)  Marcos is a humble and kind of timid guy, but he will be a good addition to the branch.  We are going to try hard to get others from the Elders' Quorum to stay involved with him so he can get the Priesthood and get really comfortable with the branch.

This past week we continued to be bombarded by a slew of problems and difficulties that the members are having. Some of them are because of Arizona State Senator, Russel Pearce, and his membership in the church.  It is really frustrating to try and help people overcome doubt.  I think it is best to bring a member who is Hispanic because they can relate better, plus we aren't supposed to be involving ourselves in politics.

We found a sweet investigator through a recent convert that we taught in a member home last night.  She is going to have a lot of support because she lives in a complex with a ton of members, and she's been friends with some of them for a long time.  We do need to pick up our "finding" efforts a bit this week.  We are going to clean out the Area Book, go by and visit all the "formers" and go from there.

I also sent a picture of me in a little dust storm which is kind of cool.  I don't know if it is me or the camera but it is so hard to take a picture that is not blurry without taking a bunch.  Also I am running low on silly bands again because there are a lot of ninos in this area!!!!  Love you all and hope you are well.

Love,

Elder Kinney

July 18, 2011

Dear Family,
 
This past week was a pretty slow one in terms of numbers.  We had a lot of lessons fall through, a lot of wrong addresses, and we spent a lot of time working with the members and less actives.  As I've probably told you before, our branch is really struggling members-wise.  There are a lot of people who have a really tough lives and are going through tough trials.  

A lot of the members feel more comfortable telling us their problems, be it personal or branch related, and we don't have the authority or responsibility to deal with them.  So whenever that happens (about 5 or 6 times this past week) we assure the members that the Branch President and his counselors love them and care about their issues (they should talk to them and not us).  Then we call President or his counselor and tell them to subtly fix the problem without letting the members know they were informed by us.  I have never felt like such an essential part of a functioning branch.  So many people have shared such personal information with us and it's such an intense situation that it's impossible to interrupt them and tell them they need to stop talking because we can't hear about their problems!!!  They have gained a lot of trust in us but need to strengthen the trust that they have with the branch leaders and other members.  President has definitely started to understand.

We are going to have a baptism this Saturday of Marcos Piedra.  I will be sure to send you pictures!!!
 
Love,
 
Elder Kinney

July 11, 2011

Dear Family,

First of all, thanks a ton for all of the pictures you sent. I just want to say that Mom, you are looking great, even younger than when I left on my mission!!  I'm guessing it's all of the stress that was taken off of your back (hahahah).  Dad... you need to run a couple more marathons (haha).  I'm just kidding -- you both look like you are doing really well, but Frankie looks older.  I sure miss him a ton!!!  The sunsets are really beautiful this time of year with all of the clouds in the sky.  I'll try and get a good picture with me in it and send it. 

The dust storm was pretty cool looking but unfortunately/fortunately we were in a lesson the entire time it was going on.  I say unfortunately, because I wanted to be out there riding my bike in it.  And I say fortunately, at the same time, because we set a solid baptismal date with Marcos for the 23rd of this month, which is really solid since his wife is a member and he comes to church almost every Sunday.  He was kind of one of those perpetual investigators that had been coming for three years.  When I brought up his name in Ward Council everyone didn't think that he would accept a baptismal date.  Brother Santiago (a Counselor in the Branch Presidency) drove us over the night of the dust storm and helped us set a date with him for the 23rd.  Brother Santiago was pretty surprised he accepted but he bore a good testimony about enduring to the end which really helped.  When we went outside our bikes were covered in dust.  I didn't even think that it was that big of a deal but it was all over national news.

We found this sweet guy who was actually a media referral named, Martin.  When we went over to his house we saw he had at least 20 Christ pass-along cards so I guess they were bound to call that number eventually (hahaha).  He told us how he is sincerely searching for a change in his life and promised he would come to church last Sunday.  When Sunday came he didn't show up at first, so we called him and he told us his car broke down.  I blew it off as another excuse which we get all of the time but was surprised when President Lopez (Branch President) brought him into Gospel Principles as Elder Faldmo and I were teaching the class!!!  He participated in the lesson (which was on charity) and afterwards when we went and talked with him he told us how it was like Satan was trying to prevent him from coming to church that day.  He is an awesome investigator and we are expecting to see a lot of progress with him this week.

To address what Dad talked about in his letter, we are definitely trained as missionaries to promise direct and specific blessings because we have the authority to do that as ordained messengers from God. When we promise them with faith, our investigators keep their commitments, exercise faith, and finally experience the blessing that was promised to them, and they can recognize that the restored gospel is true!!!  They will also have a stronger testimony and a greater desire to make covenants with God.  A lot of the Hispanic people do consider themselves very blessed and there are even some (like Martin) that LOVE the United States and the opportunities they have here.  I have definitely taught many people who feel they are struggling, especially in this area.  It is very hard to find work in Phoenix, especially as an illegal immigrant.  I think I am going to think about what you said Dad and try and focus on that the next time that I am teaching.  Maybe it will help! Thanks!!

Some of the pics that I sent are of Elder Faldmo and me burning a shirt in celebration of his one-year anniversary in the mission field.  It was great to hear from you guys.  I did get the package with the Asian food and the Italian ice pops, as well as the package with the silly bands.  I picked up an electric typewriter for 6 bucks the other day at Goodwill so I am able to write letters faster!!  haha

Love,
Elder Kinney