First transfer is over!

Alright the crazy things first; its funny you mention Elder Clements because I had something really crazy happen the other day. My companion, Elder Harrison, came from Grantsville Utah and his whole family lives there. He got a ton of pictures from his aunt who lives there in and I was looking through some of the pictures and I almost feel out of my chair! It was a picture of all my companions' cousins and on each side was a missionary and on the right side was Elder Clements! It was so weird and I was in shock for the rest of the night! Out of all 53000 missionaries and out of all the pictures taken of them we have two pictures of an Elder who came from my small ward we is thousands of miles away in our apartment! Which I am very happy to be back in; I love my companion and have been learning a lot from him. We had a long chat the other day and set some goals to focus on to be even more obedient and have a celestial next transfer, which starts today.
When I look back at who I was 2 month ago I see a lot of growth in myself, but im still not where I want to be. One of the hardest things for me out here is my self confidence. I know the gospel and know how to teach, but im not confident in myself. I have let my being humble take away any confidence that I had before I came out here. Its gotten way better but I would say that that was the main trial for this last transfer, and for this transfer its going to be "becoming a better teacher transfer" and what ever trials the lord see fit to inflict upon me that will give me that growth.
Mom im sad to say that I can't read that book that you sent me, its not in the missionary library. It looks like a book that would help me out a lot but what I have come to figure out is that the Bible and Book Of Mormon has the same message that any book can hold. Just a thought, most books that are written by Prophets or Apostles are inspired by the Spirit and by the pondering the meanings of the Book Of Mormon or the Bible. But what you can do is keep sending articles and stuff like that. Doing that helps add to my library of knowledge and aids for teaching. I got your last package before I can to email so I got to read all of the family's letter and that book you photo copied for me. Its weird how these past few weeks I have been noticing how relationships are build on trust and how relationships are what bring us the most joy in life. For me its forming relationships with ward members and gaining their trust. So when I read what it was about it hit home and is going to help me learn and grow.
Elsie and her family are getting closer to being baptized and that only thing that is holding them back is that we are required to have them come to church five times before they can be baptized, and we have 2 others who has dates and are progressing. It really sweet when you can see someone grow in the Gospel, to see their life's change and there understanding of the scripture grow and change.
If you have a Preach My Gospel handy turn to the 3 chapter and those are the lessons we teach. WE make lesson plans according to the needs of the investigator and focus on a certain commitment that we want to leave with them. But the lessons we teach are not just from PMG, the spirit might lead us to read a chapter out of the Book Of Mormon to them, like for example when we go over to Elsie's today im going to read Lehi's vision with her and commit her to study the scriptures and my companion is going to teach the rest of the family out of Alma 32 on faith and how we can grow it and so on. We really rely on the Spirit and that's where self confidence comes in, if I don't have any confidence in myself and im not confident in a prompting I lose trust from God and have to gain it back. If you didn't catch it I referred to the trust and relationship lesson I learned. I want to have my Heavenly Fathers trust, so to get that I must show him that I am trust worthy.
New topic, I got this keyboard thing called an "Alphasmart 2000", witch is like a digital journal and I have been writing in it and it has the capability to plug it into the computer and download what I type and send it through email to you all. The only problem I have is that I don't have the right cords that I need to do so. So I was wondering if Will could do something for me. Could you ask him to look up what cords I need and anything else he can find out about it? It would help out so much and I would truly grateful if he would do that.
Mom, Dad I love you and am thankful for all that you are doing for me and know that God is Blessing are whole family because of your examples and your faith in the gospel. I feel like I grow closer to you and the whole family every week im out here and know that I have bee blessed to have you all as my eternal family. I pray for you always and want you to know how much I love you all.

Love
Elder David Kelly Conrad 

Back at the Links

Well everything was fixed and I was moved back to the apartment on Links drive! Man it has been a crazy few weeks! I've learned so much from my little time over in the Springdale area that I was moved to while things were being sorted out. Once again I have seen the Lords hand and have learned from the trials of being his missionary. He placed me the path of several people who were meant to bless me and answer my prayers. On Monday my new companion and I went to a couple house for dinner, the Heiners, they have just moved here from Utah two weeks ago. They reminded me of Megan and Joe because they are the same age as them and have a two year old son and a few week old baby girl. The cool thing was that they are both return missionaries and still have that desire to help and do missionary work. Brother Heiner gave me some advice that I have heard before, it was that there is no substitute in missionary work then work, work, work! Never had that simple phrase hit me as strong as when he told me it. He quoted it from his mission and it is found in Preach My Gospel and I have read it several times. It has been the answer I've been seeking for; I've been felling pretty blue because I feel like I'm not learning or growing fast enough. But after that night I have focused on my goals and what I want to become, I have since then set out a plan on how I'm going to work and learn all that I need to. One of these goals is to memorize a scripture every day, I'm on my third day and I have noticed several things because I've started doing this. All day I have that scripture running through my head and I am actually remembering it. Next is that I feel happier and have the Spirit with me in lessons and during OTMs, (which we only got 70 this week, but we taught 40 lessons!) Reading the scriptures is the best thing you can do to invite the Spirit!
Remember Elsie? The women who called you mom? Well we have been teaching her daughter Janet and her Grand daughter Joanna and have been making head way and progress with all three of them. They all three came to church yesterday along with 4 other investigators. My companion and I watched a movie, the restoration, with them last night and after the movie Janet says that she has something to tell us that is going to blow us away. My companion and I thought that she was going to tell us that she wanted to get baptized so we were way excited! She then says "I can go to the temple!" we were like what? She kept saying that and we didn't understand what she meant. Then it hit us, she already is a member! For some reason she remembered that she was already a Mormon! So after teaching her for the past two months she just now remembered that she has already been baptized! That's way crazy! Now Elsie can't remember if she has been baptized or not. I know that it's hard for you to see what I see from this but God works in the weirdest ways.
I love being the Lord servant, He has helped me learn and grow so much. My testimony has grown so much. I have a testimony of families, every time I think about my family I think of all the fun times we have had and the great blessing each and every sibling is in my life. I love my Mom and Dad and find great joy in knowing that we will live together for ever. I love my savior Jesus Christ and his willingness to come down here to create the path that will lead us back to our Father in Heaven. I know that the book of Mormon strengthens our faith in Jesus Christ and was translated by the authority of God that Joseph Smith held. In every lesson we start off by saying that God is our loving Father. If there is any message that I want to stress to all of you is that God loves each of us, Jesus Christ is a blessing to us and is Gods way of showing us that he loves us. I could go on for ever about this; let's just say that I feel very deeply about this and know that its true.
If that package you sent had that book in it then I got it, other then that my address is the one on links drive. That's very sad that that women is not willing to open her heart and to see what help others can be, it makes me sad that she will not soften her heart, that's one of the hardest thing about be a missionary, my heart breaks when some who is in pain and is suffering rejects the message we share. It has blessed my life and I know how it can bless their lives but the reject it. If only they would soften their hearts and repent and come unto their Savior and find that there is rest in him.
Mom, Dad I love you and thank you for all that you have done my whole life, you are examples in my life and I am still learning from you even though I'm out here. Thank you for sacrificing so much for me and I want you to know that I'm giving my all. I miss you all and pray for you always.

Your son,
Elder David Kelly Conrad

P.S my address is;

4193 links dr 206
Springdale Ar 72762

long week end

So this will be the Fourth and final try to write this letter! You all wont understand what I mean by this but I will in two years and I will remember how frustrating it was and how some one really didn't want me to share what im going to share.
I have had really rough weekend and have gone through a trials set up to refine me and to give me growth. I have had all my prayers answered and have had a certain lesson taught to me by several means. Megan sent me a letter in the middle of me going through a time in the refiner's fire. She send with it an article called "a Disciples Journey" it has really opened my eyes and has let me see and understand what is all going on around me. I know that every thing that I have ever gone through has been for my benefit and has happened because God has let it happen to me. Instead of me asking Why me? Or Why this? Or Why now? I ask what I am supposed to learn from this. I've been thinking about why I have been given so many weaknesses and have come to this small truth, Trials are how God will turns our weakness into our strengths, and if I have a lot of weaknesses I can have a lot of strengths! The key is to look at trials as growing opportunities and ask the Lord in prayer what you are to learn from what you are going through. I've been asking for the lord to change my weaknesses into strengths and I have been given my answer. Every hard time is like every pass of a diamond over the grinders stone, every time I walk up to someone and share the gospel I am being touched by that grinder being shaped into what the Lord wants me to be, and I desire to be who He wants me to be. You must feel pain to fully appreciate joy, and boy do I love joy!
We must walk through our own Gethsemanes to grow and be changed and to fully understand that event that happened 2000 years ago that makes it possible for us all to have the opportunity to return back to our Father in Heaven. I have a testimony that if you have this desire to seek to learn and to grow from trials and keep going to the Lord and enduring it he will make you whole and will show you what you are to learn and become. I know this is true and want you all to know that it is to.

Mom that's way sweet about the suits, just mail them to the links dr address caz hopefully I will be going back there after this whole mess is taken care of, also I have to buy a new seat and have to fix the bearings in my bike, ill write a separate letter explaining, sorry:P

I love you all and hope you all are doing well

Elder David Kelly Conrad

thanks

Mom I love the letters from the family so much, I really do love them all. I also got that wallet picture thing in the mail today, it's not broken but the USB cord end was pinched so I had to bend it out, and Tyler might know what I mean. But I love it! I'm loading all my pictures on it right now and am going to send them to you!

So to answer some of your questions my meeting with president Seal went really good, he gave me some advice, "don't let Satan confuse you! Pray always for guidance and for the Spirit" he is always looking for ways to stop the missionary effort. I'm convinced that President sees my full potential. I really can't see my full potential, but have come to see more of it with each day I strife and give my all.
I got to see all of conference, which was way amazing! I learned so much and felt such a strong Spirit! Before conference started I had in my mind only two thing I wanted to learn from conference and that was guidance and knowledge and boy did I get it! Every talk had very powerful and deep principles! Elder Eryings talks were amazing! Through out all my notes I have little sentences written in red that out line a principle and or thought I had during the talks. Several of the talks give us guidance for our every day activities, the talk that Elder Scott gave in the Priesthood should be a standard held by all of us priesthood holders. It will be mine. That's another thing; a lot of the talks were about a standard being raise. I want to be like Captain Moroni and hold fast to a standard for all to see. That's only a fraction of what I learned from conference.
I went on splits with our Zone leaders on Friday and learned way lots from it. I learned to just act on prompting and not to second guess myself.. Because of what I've learned I've come to small understanding of how missionary work is to be done. Lessons are going good, even though we teach with the Spirit the families we are teaching aren't acting on the knowledge that they have come to, something is stopping them. Its really frustrating when they tell us that they know the book of Mormon is true because they have prayed about it and procrastinate baptism. We made a little head way on a few of them but it comes down to them accepting what we teach them. Its really frustrating to have the knowledge that I have and the desire to share it with others and they reject it. It crushes me!
Its gotten a little bit easier to talk to people, but its like jumping off a cliff, when you get up there you always have that beginning fear, but then you count and leap. After the fun filled fall and streaming you hit the water and the first thing you do when you come up for breath is scream "WOOOO!" You say to your self "I want to do that again!" that's the best way I can explain it, there is always a fear at first, but you have faith and knowledge that everything will be alright and that you will like it. Now that's not to say talking to some one always turns out good, but what's the worst that could happen? They reject you, and maybe a swear word or two, it's not all that bad. The more I get up on that cliff the more faith I have in the fact that everything will be ok when I take that leap. The joy comes in knowing I gave it my all and tried, that's when I take a breath and says "I want to do that again!" I hope you can find a principle some where in there and that it makes sense: P
I haven't been able to write all that I want to, and can't tell you have strong I feel about everything. All I can do is bear a sincere testimony that we have a Prophet on the earth today, Jesus is my savoir and yours, I have been entrusted with this knowledge and it is my duty to share it with others. Missionary work is the greatest work we can do on this earth, nothing else matters. I will continue to give my all and grow in faith and help all that I can come unto Christ by helping them receive the message of the restored Gospel. I love you all and wish that you could feel what I am trying to convey to you. I pray for you always and give thanks to my Father in Heaven for the many blessing he has given me and my family, I thank him for sending His only Begotten son Jesus Christ and for his willingness to make it possible for me to return with my whole family back to live in His presence.

Yours truly,
Elder David Kelly Conrad