So Much Is happening All the Time

October 9, 2017

Lets jump back to last week. No I did not write a weekly email last week. Why? To be honest their was a sweet game of dodgeball going on and I was dying to play. I hadn't played sports in a few months. For the record.. I totally won. :)

Last week we had a really good opportunity to serve the Gifford family who I believe I have mentioned before. They were taught by the sisters a while back. We were able to buck hay for them for a few hours last week. That was fun. Conference was way sweet too! I love General Conference. Also in case one of you didn't get the message..... READ THE BOOK OF MORMON EVERY DAY!! We cannot afford to not read them just as many of us have clearly learned that we cannot afford not to pay tithing. 

District Meeting

The area book app got updated this week. That has been almost comical to learn how to use. I feel like an old person trying to use simple technology but for some reason can't figure it out. 

Sunday morning we were supposed to watch General Conference with a girl name Michelle Templeton. We met her the first week here and kept having appointments fall through. Well she was sick and again unable to meet with us. We finally did have an appointment this week and it went very well. We actually had a total of 3 appointments with her this week. One on Wednesday another on Thursday and the last on Saturday. She told us she had been praying to get back to church three days before our arrival at her home. She accepted the baptismal invitation and set the date of the 21st of Oct for baptism. The Saturday appointment was actually service first. We did lots of yard work for her and then taught her and her boyfriend, Cory. Cory was also very receptive.

Michelle attended church with us on Sunday and received a warm welcome from the ward. One of the family history consultants who is also a ward missionary set up an appointment with her on Wednesday to get her started on Family Search. We also will be meeting with Michelle tomorrow evening at Bishop Mayne's home. 

This last Thursday the Sisters who were home sick informed us that there were signs outside of the Lawson Bible Church that said "Big Serve" and that it might be a good opportunity to check out. We went over and it turned out to be a dinner for the community along with a food pantry for those in need. While there we found a lost sheep who has been flying under the radar, met a nonmember woman who used to feed the elders back in the day, and had a great conversation with Pastor Aaron. We will hopefully be meeting with him soon. Oh and we had great chili. Yum, this is a once a month activity that we will be attending regularly.

Service In Richmond

Fishing in my Fight the Devil thrift store hoodie

Saturday there was a stake service project in Richmond, Mo. This is where the three witnesses monument is and the town where David Whitmer was mayor or something like that. There were several things we were doing in the community. Elder Denney and I ended up working at an old grave yard. Apparently it hadn't been taken care of for about 30 years. You couldn't even walk through the brush and trees it was so thick. We cleared a ton of it out and poked around in the dirt and found some slightly covered head stones. I felt like a little kid again digging in a sand box for dinosaur bones. This grave yard was the first African American grave yard after the civil war. Apparently on record there is a slave that was buried there who lived to be 120. Unfortunately we couldn't find that head stone. We did find about 7 others though. 

Each morning we have also been chopping down trees for our exercise it has been the best. We look forward to it every morning.

An insight from my studies:

Anger can cloud our judgment and actions as we move through life. Teancum was fighting for the freedom of his people. He and his men were known for their strength and skills in war. In Alma 51 we learn that Teancum heroically slays Amalickiah in the night without being detected by putting a javelin to his heart. Later in chapter 62 Teancum  goes to slay Ammon in the night but this time he "cast a javelin at him which did pierce him near the heart". He was caught by the guards of Ammon and was slain himself. What is the difference? Why did he not do it in the same way as before? After all he was successful once. My opinion is it is because he was acting out of anger. Verse 36 of chapter 62 states, "and it came to pass that Teancum in his anger did go forth into the camp of the Lamanites." Maybe I am looking too far into it but it was just a thought I had.

I know that the Lord wants to work through each of us the only thing in the way is us! I promise if we are following the words of modern day prophets we are in reality following the Savior! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love you all!

-Elder Kelly