FW: Big O' Ice Storm!!

This past weeks has been another one of those trials that brings growth. Where to start, well the coolest thing about this week is the other day it started to rain freezing rain. It started on the way home from Zone conference in Rogers. It's normally a twenty minutes drive in good weather, but it took us two and a half hours to get home. And now it's getting worse! When you walk outside you here loud noises that sound like gun fire, when it's really tree branches breaking and falling! So while at Wal-mart I bought the game of RISK because we will be inside for the next few days.
I learned a lot at Zone Conference and made a lot of new friends. The most important lesson I learned was how to commit some one. When a missionary commits some one he is calling them to repent and to change. I have been giving commitments, but have not been doing a good job of following up on them. So that will be one of my focus this transfer along with a 90 day challenge President Seal gave us.
We have been able to meet with a bunch of new people, some new investigators and some less-actives that we have been trying to visit with for a long time, so that's really good.
I better make this short because transformers have been blowing up out side!
I'm still dealing with those problems I wrote you about and have come to the conclusion that this is all happening because I am being raised to be some one. I've just got to keep doing what I've got to do and not let anyone stop me from doing it. Lol, that sounds like some lame movie quote!
I love the people here and they love me for some reason. People from the ward have been calling us all day and have been asking if we are ok and if we need anything, it's so cool! How did you like talking to Sis Simon? I love her and her husband! I got to spend most of the day with Bro Simon moving a less-active last Saturday and had a blast. We have made plans for me and him to travel the world after my mission. He is the funniest Pilipino!
Well I better go, I love you and hope you all have a good weeks!
I'll write more in a letter since I will be stuck inside for the next day or so.

Love your son,
Elder David Kelly Conrad

FW: Another Six Weeks Go At It!

Well, Transfers have come and gone and the reality of me serving here for 6 more weeks is setting in. It will make six months in my training area, which I hear is not that common, I question if I haven't done what I am supposed to do here yet. It was really hard to see my last companion leave, especially because of the short time that he spent here.

My new companion is from Orem, Utah and marks my third companion that is from Utah. He is the youngest of eight and has one brother and the rest are sisters. He is really shy and has three months left in his mission. I am still getting to know him, so I'll tell you more next week.

The week has been a fun challenging week. With getting a new companion and having the area on my back for a while till he gets to know the area and the weather staying cold and riding our bikes in it. Biking is fun; we met tons of people on the street so there is nothing to complain about. One family that I mentioned before was Frank and Sonya. We met with them last weeks and had a really good lesson with them, their three children are really smart and really open, it's like we are close friends. They told us how the previous week they had had three deaths in the family. It didn't look like it shook them up to bad; in fact you could tell by what they said and how they acted that they knew that it happened for a reason and that they know God has a plan for us all. I can't wait to meet with them again and teach them about the Plan of Salvation and show them that He really does have a plan for them.

We have made a lot of progress with Randa, Elsie's grand daughter. We taught her and one of her friends the last night I was with my old companion and it was really powerful. We asked them tons of questions and got them really thinking about there own faiths and what they really believe in. One question that really got them stomped was, "Where does it say that after Jesus Christ and Peter, we don't need a prophet?" I read a talk this morning by Elder Holland called "My words never cease" and I think we will read that with them the next time we met with them. It answers that very question and explains very plainly and powerfully why we need a prophet along with the Book of Mormon.
This reminds me, one of my new favorite scriptures is Mormon Seven; it tells us what the purpose of the Book of Mormon is and that if we really believe in the Bible we will believe in it.

Gotta go.

Love you all,
Elder David Kelly Conrad

P.S. Today is my Five month mark! Woot Woot! Times just flying by now!

FW: Sweet Weeks!

I have seen a lot of miracles these past few weeks, whether it is someone we have found to teach, or a lesson I have learned from my companion, or others in the ward. I think I mentioned how one night on exchanges we kind of got lost while looking for a referral given to us by the Springdale Elders and how we knocked every door that had the letter "D" on it. This was on a street that was full of Quad plexes, If that's what they call them, well we found Josh and Corenda, a couple who just let us right in and listened to us. We came back every Sunday after that and never found them home, but 2 Sundays ago they where home and we taught them about God and the Bible and how it is the word of God. Which went well, Josh believes a little of the Bible, so we had to start with the Bible being the word of God before we start on the Book of Mormon. At the beginning of the lesson Josh told us how he knew a member that took him to scouts and to church when he was little and had bought him a suit, so that's why he let us right in that first time we met. At the end of the lesson I asked if he remembered who is was, and he said his name is Darrel Varner! Brother Varner is in our ward here and is still going to church and is a strong member! So I'm excited to get Josh to come to church so that he can meet Brother Varner. It was so awesome that we were able to tell Josh that he will see Brother Varner at church on Sunday. Josh is very excited for it.

These past couple of weeks have really shown me that the way members live their lives and how they help others really help with the work, because when we talk to people they think of a friend that they have that is a member and they can see that they are good people and they are willing to learn what it is that their friend has. So when ever you're about to do something dumb out in public, or to a friend who isn't a member, just remember that it will leave a lasting effect on who they think we are as members of Christ's true church. This reminds me, I need to repent of that time I took out my neighbor's mail box with our van while backing out of our cul-de-sac  Remember that Mom?

Randa has come to church the past 2 weeks and we have really got her thinking about what she believes and what her church believes. We had a very bold and very intense lesson with her and one of her friends in which I boldly told them that their Preacher has no authority to preach Christ doctrine. We basically taught them the first three lessons in an hour and a half period. They kept asking questions and we kept answering them, the coolest part is that when they would ask a question and we would use the Bible to answer it and then we would have them read out of the Book of Mormon and would answer their question with what they read. So I am way excited for these next six weeks here!

Love
Elder David Kelly Conrad

The Murphy Family, members of the ward. The third dinner appointment for Christmas Day!

Christmas Day, Dec. 25th, 2008

Elvis and Rosanna Jarrett, are the first family that Kelly was involved with teaching (couple on the left). He confirmed Brother Jarrett (man behind Kelly on the left) a member. The other couple is brother Jarrett's brother's family.

The Long New Years!

This past transfer has helped me see a lot in me that I need to change, and with the new year comes resolutions. One goal I have for myself, not for just this year, but for a while, is to listen more to the spirit. For example, I can tell some one the gospel is true and show them why and how it's true using the Bible and the Book of Mormon. As my mission President says, "We know that the Book of Mormon is true, we have evidence of it, so when you talk to people, its not that the truthfulness of the Book Of Mormon is one trial, it's the person we are talking to that's on trial". When we talk to people we have to listen to the spirit, because the spirit is telling us what a certain individual needs to hear in order to bring them closer to Christ. So that's one goal, another is to know the scriptures. I started to read the Old Testament and have learned a lot from it. So if I keep my reading up I can use what I learn to help others and help answer questions. I set some more goals with President Seal as well.

We taught this awesome family on Saturday. We have been trying to meet with them since the first week in the transfer, but kept missing them. SO this night we went by and they were home and invited us right in. We started to get to know them all and found out that they make tools for craftsmen. They have three children, Shannon, Devon and Katie, and the mother and father's names are Sonya and Frank. We taught I very simple and powerful first lesson. They asked sincere questions about there being a prophet on the earth, and how Christ set up a church while he was on the earth. The best part about the whole lesson, other then the spirit being strong and them being sincere, was that Frank showed us his truck. He has a 1972 C-10, white with blue pearl paint job, and he has a 454 that has been machined out to like a 520, with Hydraulic lifters, holly four barrel, aluminum edelbrock manifold, and all chrome pulley system. It wasn't in the truck so I was able to take a look see I love the gospel, but man that was the highlight of my day. So we talked motor talk for a little bit, which was way funny because my companion had no idea what we were talking about. It was a little pay back for what he does to me some times, lol. So that was my week, oh yeah I have another sweet bike wreck story to tell, but anyone who wants to hear it might just have to write me, or wait till next week.

Elsie and her family have been really fellowshipped by the ward; they all have callings and are strong members. In fact we have the Scates family, one of the sweetest families in our ward, to invite Elsie and her family over for FHE. The reason being is because we are now working on Randa, Joanna's sister, who has come to church and loves the people. So I can't wait to see what happens there.

Love your son,
Elder David Kelly Conrad