Late Night Visitor!

Hi Mom,

 

We got our transfer calls on Saturday, and I found out that I was going to be training! So this morning we had a training meeting with the mission President, and then I found out who my companion was. My companion is Elder Mcbride from Woodscross Utah. I am excited to be working with him this transfer. We should have some fun! I hope I can be a good trainer, and prepare him for the rest of his mission. It will be exciting!

 

We had another interesting experience last night. My old companion Elder Wells decided to wait for the last minute to pack his stuff, and he didn't start until 9:15 at night. He then decided that we needed pizza for our last night together. So he stayed up packing, and I stayed up with him, because I wouldn't have been able to sleep if I wanted to. At about 11:30 at night someone started banging on our back door. We had no idea who it would be, but I had a feeling it was going to be someone complaining. Elder Wells opened the door, and our neighbor from below us started yelling at us and cussing at us. He told us that we needed to stop stomping around the apartment, because he needed to sleep. We weren't stomping, we were only walking on a terribly built apartment floor. It squeaks almost everywhere we step. The man finally told us that he was going to call the cops. My companion replied, "Fine! Call them!" And then slammed the door shut. 15 minutes later we heard a knock on our front door... it was the police. He calmly told us to be more mindful of our neighbors, and then left. It was quite the experience. So now we have had the fire department and the police department at our apartment since I have been there.

 

This passed week was another good week. We had some great lessons, but we didn't really find anyone new to teach, so Elder McBride and I will pick up where we left off. The things that I have changed to become better is mostly that I changed my work ethic. I got a little lazy when we had our slow week, but it motivated me to get out and work again. Having my new companion has also motivated me to work harder.

 

Unfortunately I haven't gotten the toaster yet, because the mail service at our apartment doesn't work very well. I will go by the post office tomorrow to see if it is there or not. I will give you make thank you before hand though.

 

That is exciting to here that the kids are now done with school. I hope they have fun this summer, and please do let me know where Nate is going. I love you! I will keep you updated on how training goes.

 

Love, Kyle

A Slow Week in Grand Prairie!

Hi Mom,

 

We had what was probably the slowest week of my mission this passed week. We didn't teach much, and we spent most of the week contacting people that unfortunately aren't very interested. It was a tough week, but I am not really getting too down because of it. Weeks like this make us look back at what we didn't do right, and help us change to become better missionaries. I am very hopeful now that we will be able to have more success this next week.

 

Our investigators are still where they were last week. We were only able to meet with one family this week. We are not giving up on them yet though. We passed by Carlos this week, and we began teaching his Dad who is also named Carlos. We set a date with the younger one for the 14th of June, and we are hopeful that he will be able to find a way to get to church more often.

 

Because this week was slow, I don't really have a whole lot to write. This transfer has flown by so fast, and we get our transfer calls this Saturday. We think that Elder Wells will be leaving since he has been here for 4 transfers. I will stay and get a new companion. The mission is going by so fast, and the longer I serve, the faster it seems to go. I love being a missionary! Even though we have weeks like the one we just had, I am growing so much, and my testimony is a lot stronger!

 

I am excited to hear where Nate serves his mission. I am guessing you will find out this week. I am going to put my guess in now. Out-of-country: England State-side: Virginia

 

I hope Brooklynn gets feeling better. Let her know that I love her and miss her. Tell Chase that he better be ready to lose in one-on-one basketball when I get back. He will probably be taller than me by then. I love you Mom! Good luck with school and with summer!

 

Love, Kyle

 

Hi Dad,

 

We had a slow week this week. The slowest week of my entire mission really, but I am not really getting down about it. I just know that there is room for improvement. We are very motivated for this upcoming week though. It should be a lot better.

 

Answers

1. Was it hard to say goodbye last week?
It was hard to say goodbye. I wish that I could talk to you more often, but I know I must focus on the work. After the call though, it was actually fairly easy to go back to work, probably because preperation day was the next day.

 

2. How is the work going this week?
It was really slow. We didn't teach much, and the contacts that we made weren't really interested.

 

3. Have found some new investigators?
We didn't find any new investigators this week.

 

4. Do you have any mission conferences where the whole mission gets together?
No. The mission is too far spread to have a conference for all the mission. Unless there is an apostle coming, but that has only happened once, and we met in the fort worth mission.

 

5. What is the farthest that you have ridden your bike in one day?
Probably a little over 20 miles. Our area is actually fairly small.

 

6. What are you studying about this week? ( In your personal study)

I have been studying Chapter 9 in Preach my Gospel: How to find people to teach. And I we are trying to use some different ideas from that Chapter as a ward. We have started teaching English classes, and we are having a ward movie night where we are going to be watching 17 miracles.

 

I have also been reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish. Right now I am in Alma 8. I love Alma teaching about the coming of Jesus Christ in chapter 7. He describes throughout the whole chapter how he finds happiness in the obedience of the people, and I have related that to how I feel as a missionary. I love to see people who keep the commandments, and who receive happiness through doing so. It is great to help people become obedient, and us the Atonement.

7. Do you know what a great example you are to us. ( thanks for the challenge to read our scriptures, we need more of that)
Thank you!

 

8. Have you had to speak in church? (Did you have to give any impromptu talks)
I have not had to speak in church since I have come to Grand Prairie, but I did have to give an inpromptu talk once in Sherman.

 

9. Can you send us pictures of your apartment?

Yes.

10. What was your favorite general conference talk?

The talk that Elder Bednar gave on how the Enabling power of the Atonement works.

 

I love you Dad! I hope you have fun on all the youth camps that you will be going on the next couple weeks. Those were always such great experiences for me. I hope the youth will enjoy the camps. It is crazy to think that I have now almost been gone for a year. I feel like I just left in some ways. In other ways it has been long and hard. It really has been to most rewarding experience that I have ever had in my life. If you would like for me to write something for the priests, I would love too.

 

Love, Kyle

Loved Skyping!!

 

Hi Mom,

 

I loved Skyping with y'all yesterday, it was so much fun. I love you so much. I realized yesterday though, that talking to the family felt so normal, as if I haven't been away from y'all for very long. I guess the homesickness is completely gone now.

 

This week we found some really good investigators. We have only taught most of them once, so I am not sure how they will turn out, but I they seem like they are all interested in our message, as well as they are willing to read and pray about it. None of them came to church this week, but that is understandable. We hope to start getting them there. I will tell you more about these investigators as they start to progress.

 

I love you Mom. You have done so much for me, and I am grateful that I could have such great parents in my life which have helped me learn all that I must do in life, and where to find happiness. Thank you for all the support and love you have given me throughout my whole life. It really has meant a lot to me. I hope that the family will continure to do well. Good luck with school again. At this rate you should graduate before I get home right? Have a great week!

 

Elder Stewart

Another Slow Week!

Hi Mom!

I am doing good! The concert last week was great, and I loved it! Unfortunately the family that we were planning on taking cancelled on us very last second, so we weren't able to go with them, but it was still a great experience that I won't forget. Her choir sang some really good songs, and then she was able to bare her testimony.

The Delarosa family which we have been teaching since I came, told us yesterday that the Mom of the family actually wasn't really interested. Their family has been meeting with the missionaries since December, so my companion and I were a little disappointed. They just aren't ready right now.

Carlos on the other hand came to church for the first time yesterday, and he liked it. He honestly would be baptized if he could come regularly. He works nights, and he usually doesn't get home until 11 in the morning, so he would prefer not to go to church just to sleep. He was able to come this week though, because he asked his boss if he could go into work early in order to get out early. He is going to start doing that every other week, and if it works, he will be able to change his schedule. We are praying for him, and fasting with him, to help him be able to attend church weekly. This is the only thing holding him back from being baptized.

The work here is a little slow right now, but we are planning on finding some good people in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully Carlos will be able to be baptized.

I love serving as a missionary. It is hard, but it brings so much happiness into my life. I love serving as a representative of Jesus Christ, and serving a mission has really taught me how important it is that I do all I can to keep the commandments I love Jesus Christ so much. I want to serve him forever!

I hope Emily will begin to feel better! It makes me sad to hear about her situation. This Sunday I will probably Skype y'all at around 4 or 5, your time. I am very excited to see you and hear how the family is doing. Have a good week! I love you!

Kyle

Hey Dad!

 

I am happy to hear that you are enjoying the nicer weather, and that the youth are starting to get their mission calls. I hope some of them get to come to the Texas Dallas mission! It is obviously the best mission in the world, but we will see what happens. I am sorry to hear that there are so many members in the ward that have gone to the hospital, but it sounds like they are all doing better. I will definitely pray for Braden Freeman. I hope he gets feeling better!

 

The work here has slowed down a little bit here, but we have some potential investigators that could become solid investigators. We are still working hard and being obedient.

 

I love my Savior! I love him so much! I have really come to know on my mission how important it is to do everything that he has asked us to do. I want to help him by serving my neighbors. I want to follow all his commandments, and I really want to help everyone else come unto him as well. I am so grateful for his atonement and how it can help me in my life. I hope to do all I can so that I and everyone else can return to live with him some day. I love Him!

 

I love you Dad! Thank you for the great example that you have been to me. I want to be more like you. I am very excited to see and talk with you on Sunday. Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!