Family,
I'm just going to do my weekly email pretty quickly this week because I don't really have a ton of time. We spent about 7 hours of our day in Mesa because one of the Elders in our apartment, Elder Landsaw, broke his wrist. So I've done a lot of scripture reading as I've sat around in doctors office lobbies all day. Also Elder Ralphs is being transferred tomorrow and he needs to pack and do a ton of other stuff to prepare to leave tomorrow morning. He has been called to be a Zone Leader in the downtown Phoenix area which is pretty exciting and nerve racking for him since he has only been in the field for 6 months. I'm telling you though, he was born to be a missionary and I have learned so much from him over these past two transfers, especially in terms of my Spanish. My new companion is Elder Pearson from Canada. I have seen and heard of him but never talked to him before. I have heard that he is really hard working and obedient, so I'm excited for the work that can get done in this area with what he will bring to the table.
This past month of February has gone by really fast but at the same time has kind of been a slow in terms of numbers. Elder Ralphs and I found ourselves knocking on doors for hours after all our appointments and back-ups fell through. This was really the first time on my mission that we have actually knocked on doors for a prolonged period of time, and it just wasn't as successful as it could have been. Also a lot of our baptismal dates have fell through or have been pushed back. I think I mentioned before that we have 6 people who really want to be baptized but are waiting for marriage situations to be settled. I know that the Lord has people prepared for us to teach in this area, we just need to follow the Spirit and find them. Every week we go to the (missionary) Stake High Counselor's house for breakfast and a meeting. He also gives really powerful spiritual thoughts that are quite inspiring and helpful. I really like one thing he said about the word "insanity". He told us the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. He told us this in an attempt to help us think of new ways to go about doing our daily work, so that we can become more successful. Elder Ralphs and I tried the tracting thing but with little success. Like I said, I am excited for Elder Pearson and the ideas that he has to bring to the table.
Before I sign off, I wanted to share one more thing that I've been thinking about for awhile. I feel many of us, including myself, are not asking enough sincere questions through prayer and going about our lives with an intent to receive real and direct answers from God. This has a lot to do with praying with faith, which is something I have really focused on for the past couple of weeks now. I know God can answer prayers and that he listens to me when I do pray, but one thing I want to change is my desire to receive specific personal answers to my prayers. I think this requires a constant prayer in my heart as well as consistancy in my efforts to show God what I am willing to do for him to receive this answer. I found that the times when I've felt the spirit most strongly, and have known without a doubt that God has granted me an answer, is when I cast out all doubt in my mind and devote my time, effort and thoughts to receiving a spiritual witness. I need to incorporate this mindset into my life more regularly and also figure out how I can instill this desire and knowledge into the hearts of the people I teach. I know that as I do this, my life will change and it will be easier for me to be obedient to the Lord's commandments and have His spirit with me at all times
Anyway, just some thoughts I've been having. Maybe they can help you guys out.
Love,
Elder Kinney
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
February 15, 2011
Dear Family,
First of all, Grammie wanted me to mention in my letter home when I got her package, so I want to thank her for that. I will write her a thank you note as well.
This past week has had its ups and downs. Unfortunately, all of our baptismal dates for February have fallen through so that is kind of frustrating. Our Mission President has set forth a mission-wide goal that every companionship baptize a least once a month. I think that goal is very achievable, especially if we are working hard. The thing with a lot of Spanish people is that it is very easy to get them to say they will do something, but actually relying on them to do it is another story. This is especially true for a lot of the single adult males we teach who live in an apartment with ten other guys and just work all day. They love to hear about God and listen to us but even when we lay it all out on the table, be bold, and make it clear that our message is essential to their salvation, it just kind of goes in one ear and out the other (now I know how you guys felt when you tried teaching me). They even believe everything we say, they tell us they will do everything we commit them to but rarely follow through. Fortunately, this class of investigator only makes up about 30% of our teaching pool.
We kind of had some set backs with Angel this week. But we made some really good strides with this 17-year-old girl named Tania, who the missionaries have been teaching since before I even got to this area (I don't know if I told you about her before).
This is what's going with Angel. He is really great and he knows that the church is true. He has shared some experiences with us that are very odd but kind of interesting. For example, sometimes when he sits down to read his scriptures, he gets this very peaceful feeling and then his TV will start making weird noises and going haywire. Sounds kind of creepy to me but as long as he gets the message, I'm fine with it. The thing is, we noticed he hasn't been reading his scriptures as much as he promised us, so we made an effort to try and get to the bottom of why. Turns out he goes out and drinks with his friends on "occasion" and feels guilty about reading the scriptures while he is borracho (drunk). We have already taught him the Word of Wisdom and he knows it is bad to do all of that stuff -- he just says it is a really tough temptation for him to overcome. He is so ready to be baptized other than that one problem, so we are going to try and get him dunked on the 26th to meet the goal our Mission President has set for us. It is going to take a lot of faith and daily contact to prepare him but I know that we can do it. Anyway, I will tell you how that situation is looking next week.
Tania is a 17-year-old girl who is from Mexico but lives with her aunt and goes to high school here in America. I have never heard her speak English so I don't really know how that is working out for her. Anyway, we have been teaching her for a long time and kind of hit a stumbling block with her in that she knew everything was true but wasn't ready to change her life by being baptized. She knew that baptism was necessary but really wasn't willing to take that step. We have been praying for a way to be able to get through to her for a while and have been steadily resolving any doubts that came up. The thing is, she was waiting for some huge answer to the Book of Mormon and that was really her main excuse. We have this woman who is our ward missionary (Sister Mora) who has been fellowshipping her a lot and really helping us out. So this Sunday we had a lesson with Tania, Sister Mora, and her husband after church in the chapel that was so awesome. We taught her about faith and how essential it is for us to receive an answer using Alma chapter 32, and my favorite, Ether 12:6. I was inspired to also talk about how consistency is very key in receiving an answer from God and that we always need to show him that we are humble and diligent. We then found out the problem. She often goes to Mexico for prolonged periods of time and while she is down there, she totally forgets about the church, reading her scriptures, and praying. We told her that the Gospel is true no matter where you are in the entire universe and that God takes that into account when she prays to receive an answer. Referring back to Ether 12:6 which talks about trying or testing your faith, we asked her what some of the ways are that she can put her faith to the test and show God that she is willing sacrifice a little to get an answer. She knew that she needed to go to church in Mexico and continue doing the things that she has been doing here in America. So we committed her to do that and will get the church schedule for her this week for a ward near her house down there. We ended by telling her that a testimony is something that is constantly growing and requires nurturing to become strong and unbreakable. We asked her a series of questions like "do you know the church/Book of Mormon is true?" and other simple things like that, and she told us that she did (as she has before). Then referring back to how she was expecting some huge answer to the Book of Mormon. We said that God has already provided you with this knowledge and testimony that you have but he is waiting for you to do something with that testimony before you receives this massive answer; to show him that you are ready and willing to follow his commandments. We told her the best way to show this is through baptism and BAM!! . . . baptismal date with Tania. YES!!! However, it is in April, nevertheless, this is a very solid one because she always comes to church and is almost done with the Book of Mormon. So that was super sweet. One thing that you need to do as a missionary is not be afraid to promise specific blessings to people and to do it with faith. We are Christ's anointed representatives so we have the authority to facilitate miracles.
Anyway transfers are coming up next Wednesday and it would be really sweet to stay in this area with Elder Ralphs again. We have about 7 baptisms just waiting to happen, but marriage situations are holding them back. We have some success coming up as that all gets sorted out within the next couple of months. I just want to leave you with a scripture that I really like that is found in Ether 12:27 (I love Ether 12). It goes:
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
This is so true as a missionary. Whenever I am overly confident in my abilities or think I'm a boss or something, God always humbles me so that I come back to him and repent. On my mission I have seen so many of my weaknesses become stronger, for example my ability to focus even though I have ADD has become so much better. But as always, we can always improve and I still have a ways to go before I am perfect. I hope all is well at home.
Love,
Elder Kinney
First of all, Grammie wanted me to mention in my letter home when I got her package, so I want to thank her for that. I will write her a thank you note as well.
This past week has had its ups and downs. Unfortunately, all of our baptismal dates for February have fallen through so that is kind of frustrating. Our Mission President has set forth a mission-wide goal that every companionship baptize a least once a month. I think that goal is very achievable, especially if we are working hard. The thing with a lot of Spanish people is that it is very easy to get them to say they will do something, but actually relying on them to do it is another story. This is especially true for a lot of the single adult males we teach who live in an apartment with ten other guys and just work all day. They love to hear about God and listen to us but even when we lay it all out on the table, be bold, and make it clear that our message is essential to their salvation, it just kind of goes in one ear and out the other (now I know how you guys felt when you tried teaching me). They even believe everything we say, they tell us they will do everything we commit them to but rarely follow through. Fortunately, this class of investigator only makes up about 30% of our teaching pool.
We kind of had some set backs with Angel this week. But we made some really good strides with this 17-year-old girl named Tania, who the missionaries have been teaching since before I even got to this area (I don't know if I told you about her before).
This is what's going with Angel. He is really great and he knows that the church is true. He has shared some experiences with us that are very odd but kind of interesting. For example, sometimes when he sits down to read his scriptures, he gets this very peaceful feeling and then his TV will start making weird noises and going haywire. Sounds kind of creepy to me but as long as he gets the message, I'm fine with it. The thing is, we noticed he hasn't been reading his scriptures as much as he promised us, so we made an effort to try and get to the bottom of why. Turns out he goes out and drinks with his friends on "occasion" and feels guilty about reading the scriptures while he is borracho (drunk). We have already taught him the Word of Wisdom and he knows it is bad to do all of that stuff -- he just says it is a really tough temptation for him to overcome. He is so ready to be baptized other than that one problem, so we are going to try and get him dunked on the 26th to meet the goal our Mission President has set for us. It is going to take a lot of faith and daily contact to prepare him but I know that we can do it. Anyway, I will tell you how that situation is looking next week.
Tania is a 17-year-old girl who is from Mexico but lives with her aunt and goes to high school here in America. I have never heard her speak English so I don't really know how that is working out for her. Anyway, we have been teaching her for a long time and kind of hit a stumbling block with her in that she knew everything was true but wasn't ready to change her life by being baptized. She knew that baptism was necessary but really wasn't willing to take that step. We have been praying for a way to be able to get through to her for a while and have been steadily resolving any doubts that came up. The thing is, she was waiting for some huge answer to the Book of Mormon and that was really her main excuse. We have this woman who is our ward missionary (Sister Mora) who has been fellowshipping her a lot and really helping us out. So this Sunday we had a lesson with Tania, Sister Mora, and her husband after church in the chapel that was so awesome. We taught her about faith and how essential it is for us to receive an answer using Alma chapter 32, and my favorite, Ether 12:6. I was inspired to also talk about how consistency is very key in receiving an answer from God and that we always need to show him that we are humble and diligent. We then found out the problem. She often goes to Mexico for prolonged periods of time and while she is down there, she totally forgets about the church, reading her scriptures, and praying. We told her that the Gospel is true no matter where you are in the entire universe and that God takes that into account when she prays to receive an answer. Referring back to Ether 12:6 which talks about trying or testing your faith, we asked her what some of the ways are that she can put her faith to the test and show God that she is willing sacrifice a little to get an answer. She knew that she needed to go to church in Mexico and continue doing the things that she has been doing here in America. So we committed her to do that and will get the church schedule for her this week for a ward near her house down there. We ended by telling her that a testimony is something that is constantly growing and requires nurturing to become strong and unbreakable. We asked her a series of questions like "do you know the church/Book of Mormon is true?" and other simple things like that, and she told us that she did (as she has before). Then referring back to how she was expecting some huge answer to the Book of Mormon. We said that God has already provided you with this knowledge and testimony that you have but he is waiting for you to do something with that testimony before you receives this massive answer; to show him that you are ready and willing to follow his commandments. We told her the best way to show this is through baptism and BAM!! . . . baptismal date with Tania. YES!!! However, it is in April, nevertheless, this is a very solid one because she always comes to church and is almost done with the Book of Mormon. So that was super sweet. One thing that you need to do as a missionary is not be afraid to promise specific blessings to people and to do it with faith. We are Christ's anointed representatives so we have the authority to facilitate miracles.
Anyway transfers are coming up next Wednesday and it would be really sweet to stay in this area with Elder Ralphs again. We have about 7 baptisms just waiting to happen, but marriage situations are holding them back. We have some success coming up as that all gets sorted out within the next couple of months. I just want to leave you with a scripture that I really like that is found in Ether 12:27 (I love Ether 12). It goes:
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
This is so true as a missionary. Whenever I am overly confident in my abilities or think I'm a boss or something, God always humbles me so that I come back to him and repent. On my mission I have seen so many of my weaknesses become stronger, for example my ability to focus even though I have ADD has become so much better. But as always, we can always improve and I still have a ways to go before I am perfect. I hope all is well at home.
Love,
Elder Kinney
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
February 8, 2011
Dear Family,
Thank you so much for the Valentine's Day package you sent me. The chocolate covered sunflower seeds were really good -- I've never had them before. I will probably tear into the jerky a little bit later today. I was also able to see the video that you guys made for Frankie's birthday. Unfortunately, I am not able to hear any sound on the computer that I use, but it was really good to see your faces. It seems like you have really taught Frankie how to howl!! I seriously miss Frankie so much, especially when I see boxers while I am proselytizing.
This past week was pretty good and a bit slow because all of the senior companions had to go to leadership training meetings from 9am-4pm every day this past week, which left Elder Tuttle (the other junior companion in the apartment), Elder Nilsen (an English Elder), and I to share our areas while our companions were at meetings all day. Right now we have a baptism coming up with a 25-year-old guy named Angel (pronounced: On Hell) who is a total bro. He works in two really nice restaurants and sometimes he gives us free food. Every time we go to teach him, it is usually in the morning and we end up having to bang on his window to wake him up. He lives in a pretty nice house and he is a rapper. He is really good at it too. The cool thing is is that ever since he has been investigating the church, it has inspired him to create a lot of music about God and Jesus Christ. He knows the church is true but as a 25-year-old rapper who is, how can I say ... very acquainted with the party lifestyle, his biggest problems are the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity. Thankfully, he knows the importance of those commandments and why we have them. He also has a sister who was also in that kind of lifestyle who was baptized about a year ago. She lives a long ways away but we set up an appointment where she can come and sit in with us when we teach Angel. He has a baptismal date for the 19th this month.
I have never known or dealt with the Jehovah's witnesses so much until I served a mission. They are basically the only ones out on the streets like us, trying to spread their message. Run-ins with them usually don't go down so well. They see us and immediately ask "quien es Dios?" (who is God or what is his name). As you probably know, they think that God is Jehovah and Jesus Christ is his Son and they love to shove it in our face. The problem is that in the Spanish Bible, it says Jehovah like a billion times, almost every time that it would say God or Lord in the English version. The other problem is that they are VERY versed in the Bible (no pun intended) and when I say very, I mean very. Some of them are really smart when it comes to the Bible and they are all about logic too so they get some stuff right that a lot of other major Christians don't. Luckily, we have the power and authority on our side so we can handle them pretty well. We have a couple bible verses we use on them, but the problem with the Bible is there is always another verse to shoot out -- another reason we need the Book of Mormon.
This past week we were in a lesson with a less-active member and some of her non-member friends. We were teaching them the first lesson and it was going really well, especially for one of the non-members. Unfortunately, this guy who had been working outside for most of the lesson comes in and just kind of leans against the wall and starts listening to us as we introduce the Book of Mormon and how we can use it to know that God has restored his church on the earth. All of the sudden he butts in and starts spewing out Bible verses from memory for about 10 minutes ... and he was really good at his argument. As soon as he started talking, the Spirit immediately left. He started talking about how we don't need prophets anymore, how God and any of us can do amazing things and prophesy, and how the only way God speaks to us was through the Holy Ghost. He probably thought that he had us so beat, but I am telling you that our words were guided by the Spirit at that moment. Instead of immediately firing back at him and perpetuating the argument we told him that he was right in the way that through the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things and that through the Holy Ghost we can know that God has restored his Church on the earth today. We bore testimony that contention is of the devil and that without a prophet we have confusion and arguments about the doctrine just like we were both saying two different things in that moment and claiming them to be truth. I can barely explain the rest of what we said but I can say that it was baller status and that the one non-member lady felt the Spirit as we spoke. That experience was a strong testimony builder for me in that -- we always need to have the Spirit with us so that we can confound the devil and his false doctrine, that Satan puts people in your path to hinder you from completing your purpose, and most importantly, that the message we are sharing is SOOO true. Without the Holy Ghost, missionary work is impossible. It is so true in D&C 100:5-6* when it talks about the Lord putting the words in our head that we need so we will not be confounded by men. I continue to learn and grow in my testimony and my Spanish every week as I strive to be obedient and feel the spirit ... meanwhile, my English abilities are rapidly plummeting.
Hope all is well.
Love,
Elder Kinney
*Doctrine & Covenants 100:5-6
5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voice unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;
6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.
Thank you so much for the Valentine's Day package you sent me. The chocolate covered sunflower seeds were really good -- I've never had them before. I will probably tear into the jerky a little bit later today. I was also able to see the video that you guys made for Frankie's birthday. Unfortunately, I am not able to hear any sound on the computer that I use, but it was really good to see your faces. It seems like you have really taught Frankie how to howl!! I seriously miss Frankie so much, especially when I see boxers while I am proselytizing.
This past week was pretty good and a bit slow because all of the senior companions had to go to leadership training meetings from 9am-4pm every day this past week, which left Elder Tuttle (the other junior companion in the apartment), Elder Nilsen (an English Elder), and I to share our areas while our companions were at meetings all day. Right now we have a baptism coming up with a 25-year-old guy named Angel (pronounced: On Hell) who is a total bro. He works in two really nice restaurants and sometimes he gives us free food. Every time we go to teach him, it is usually in the morning and we end up having to bang on his window to wake him up. He lives in a pretty nice house and he is a rapper. He is really good at it too. The cool thing is is that ever since he has been investigating the church, it has inspired him to create a lot of music about God and Jesus Christ. He knows the church is true but as a 25-year-old rapper who is, how can I say ... very acquainted with the party lifestyle, his biggest problems are the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity. Thankfully, he knows the importance of those commandments and why we have them. He also has a sister who was also in that kind of lifestyle who was baptized about a year ago. She lives a long ways away but we set up an appointment where she can come and sit in with us when we teach Angel. He has a baptismal date for the 19th this month.
I have never known or dealt with the Jehovah's witnesses so much until I served a mission. They are basically the only ones out on the streets like us, trying to spread their message. Run-ins with them usually don't go down so well. They see us and immediately ask "quien es Dios?" (who is God or what is his name). As you probably know, they think that God is Jehovah and Jesus Christ is his Son and they love to shove it in our face. The problem is that in the Spanish Bible, it says Jehovah like a billion times, almost every time that it would say God or Lord in the English version. The other problem is that they are VERY versed in the Bible (no pun intended) and when I say very, I mean very. Some of them are really smart when it comes to the Bible and they are all about logic too so they get some stuff right that a lot of other major Christians don't. Luckily, we have the power and authority on our side so we can handle them pretty well. We have a couple bible verses we use on them, but the problem with the Bible is there is always another verse to shoot out -- another reason we need the Book of Mormon.
This past week we were in a lesson with a less-active member and some of her non-member friends. We were teaching them the first lesson and it was going really well, especially for one of the non-members. Unfortunately, this guy who had been working outside for most of the lesson comes in and just kind of leans against the wall and starts listening to us as we introduce the Book of Mormon and how we can use it to know that God has restored his church on the earth. All of the sudden he butts in and starts spewing out Bible verses from memory for about 10 minutes ... and he was really good at his argument. As soon as he started talking, the Spirit immediately left. He started talking about how we don't need prophets anymore, how God and any of us can do amazing things and prophesy, and how the only way God speaks to us was through the Holy Ghost. He probably thought that he had us so beat, but I am telling you that our words were guided by the Spirit at that moment. Instead of immediately firing back at him and perpetuating the argument we told him that he was right in the way that through the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things and that through the Holy Ghost we can know that God has restored his Church on the earth today. We bore testimony that contention is of the devil and that without a prophet we have confusion and arguments about the doctrine just like we were both saying two different things in that moment and claiming them to be truth. I can barely explain the rest of what we said but I can say that it was baller status and that the one non-member lady felt the Spirit as we spoke. That experience was a strong testimony builder for me in that -- we always need to have the Spirit with us so that we can confound the devil and his false doctrine, that Satan puts people in your path to hinder you from completing your purpose, and most importantly, that the message we are sharing is SOOO true. Without the Holy Ghost, missionary work is impossible. It is so true in D&C 100:5-6* when it talks about the Lord putting the words in our head that we need so we will not be confounded by men. I continue to learn and grow in my testimony and my Spanish every week as I strive to be obedient and feel the spirit ... meanwhile, my English abilities are rapidly plummeting.
Hope all is well.
Love,
Elder Kinney
*Doctrine & Covenants 100:5-6
5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voice unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;
6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
January 31, 2011
Dear Family,
Today is a very weird p-day. It is usually on Tuesday, but this week it is on Monday because there are leadership training meetings from 9am-4pm from Tuesday to Friday. Unfortunately, we don't even get a lot of time to do p-day like things because we only found out about this yesterday and we have appointments scheduled all today. That means that I don't really have much time to write but I will try and get as much in as I can.
This past week was really awesome. Elder Ralphs and I tore it up and taught 34 lessons and we have 6 baptismal dates. We are excited for what this upcoming month will bring as we strive to be completely obedient and work as hard as possible. We also had the baptism of Steven Moreno which was really great and such a miracle. It almost didn't happen because he got pretty sick two days before, but we fasted and prayed and thankfully everything went as planned. Elder Ralphs and I gave the talks. Mine was on the Holy Ghost. I am trying to send you guys some pictures from the baptism but the computer is taking too long downloading them so maybe next week.
One other really cool thing that happened was one of our investigators, Eddie, came to church for the first time this week after he was able to move his schedule around and he loved it. Not only that, but he participated in every class, even in the 5th Sunday lesson. Everybody was like "who is that guy?". He is seriously what you call a golden investigator. He wants to be baptized so badly, but we need to wait for his wife to get some documents from Mexico so that they can be married. He is literally working 18 hours a day for awhile so he can pay all of his bills. The good thing is all of his jobs are really good and pay really well. He does work with horses and there are a ton of horse ranches in this area of Phoenix. Anyway, he will definitely get baptized one day along with his family.
I can't believe the news I heard about Erik and Christoph Guynn!! That sounds terrible. I hope Erik will be able to recover soon and return to the mission field and that Chris's injuries heal quickly. I can't imagine being jumped by some Russian thugs. I always keep a knife at hand, which I usually use for other things but I guess it would help if I were ever in that situation.
As far as the Nick and Chris' situation goes, I really don't know what to think. I wish I could talk to Chris to see what he is thinking but really, I am still in awe that he took the step to be baptized. At the same time, I'm worried that he didn't fully grasp what this decision and covenant requires of him. To tell you the truth, I didn't until just a few months ago. Nick has always been the type of person who is very inquisitive about everything. That is one of the reasons I gave him a Book of Mormon back in 8th grade. I hope he can grasp what it really means to have another testament of Jesus Christ, but without seeing them I can't really tell whats going on.
Anyway, I wish I could write a lot more but I have to go and teach. Congrats to Dad and the show that he wrote for Glenn Beck! Be sure to save that one for me. I will try and answer your questions more in depth next time.
Love,
Elder Kinney
Today is a very weird p-day. It is usually on Tuesday, but this week it is on Monday because there are leadership training meetings from 9am-4pm from Tuesday to Friday. Unfortunately, we don't even get a lot of time to do p-day like things because we only found out about this yesterday and we have appointments scheduled all today. That means that I don't really have much time to write but I will try and get as much in as I can.
This past week was really awesome. Elder Ralphs and I tore it up and taught 34 lessons and we have 6 baptismal dates. We are excited for what this upcoming month will bring as we strive to be completely obedient and work as hard as possible. We also had the baptism of Steven Moreno which was really great and such a miracle. It almost didn't happen because he got pretty sick two days before, but we fasted and prayed and thankfully everything went as planned. Elder Ralphs and I gave the talks. Mine was on the Holy Ghost. I am trying to send you guys some pictures from the baptism but the computer is taking too long downloading them so maybe next week.
One other really cool thing that happened was one of our investigators, Eddie, came to church for the first time this week after he was able to move his schedule around and he loved it. Not only that, but he participated in every class, even in the 5th Sunday lesson. Everybody was like "who is that guy?". He is seriously what you call a golden investigator. He wants to be baptized so badly, but we need to wait for his wife to get some documents from Mexico so that they can be married. He is literally working 18 hours a day for awhile so he can pay all of his bills. The good thing is all of his jobs are really good and pay really well. He does work with horses and there are a ton of horse ranches in this area of Phoenix. Anyway, he will definitely get baptized one day along with his family.
I can't believe the news I heard about Erik and Christoph Guynn!! That sounds terrible. I hope Erik will be able to recover soon and return to the mission field and that Chris's injuries heal quickly. I can't imagine being jumped by some Russian thugs. I always keep a knife at hand, which I usually use for other things but I guess it would help if I were ever in that situation.
As far as the Nick and Chris' situation goes, I really don't know what to think. I wish I could talk to Chris to see what he is thinking but really, I am still in awe that he took the step to be baptized. At the same time, I'm worried that he didn't fully grasp what this decision and covenant requires of him. To tell you the truth, I didn't until just a few months ago. Nick has always been the type of person who is very inquisitive about everything. That is one of the reasons I gave him a Book of Mormon back in 8th grade. I hope he can grasp what it really means to have another testament of Jesus Christ, but without seeing them I can't really tell whats going on.
Anyway, I wish I could write a lot more but I have to go and teach. Congrats to Dad and the show that he wrote for Glenn Beck! Be sure to save that one for me. I will try and answer your questions more in depth next time.
Love,
Elder Kinney
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