FW: Finally Getting Moved!

I'm so sorry, I thought that I had said something about the cord; I did get it a while back ago. I also got the package that had those pictures in it as well, which by the way was awesome!

So I've got some news… I am being transferred!! After a six month stint here they are finally taking me out! I am very sad about it This past Sunday I gave kind of a going away testimony (I didn't announce that I was leaving but kind of hinted at it). I love the people here and they have made this place feel like home to me. All the relationships that I have gained here and all the special experiences here will make it very hard for me to leave. But this coming Friday I will be transferred to Miami, Oklahoma and I will be serving with E. Robinson. The weird thing is that E. Robinson came out with me, and I will be the senior companion. So there are a lot of unknowns coming my way.

My new address is 504 I street N. E. Miami, Oklahoma 74354.

I have a lot of hope for the people that I know and have been teaching here. Scott Silva and Will Maupin are perfect examples of that hope. I really have grown to like these two guys. They are great men and would give you the shirt off their backs in you needed it. We went over with Bro Meyers this past Thursday and covered a lot of things with both of them we talked about how our prayers are answered and how we should act on what we receive as answers. We read a talk with Will that is form the 07 Ensign, "Its True Isn't It? Then What Else Matters?" That talk gives me encouragement to go out and do things that might be hard for me. Because if I sit and think about it, if I know that the gospel is true, then why do I shrink at sharing what I know to be true to others? It makes no sense at all. If I don't share the gospel with some one because I get afraid and don't want to talk to some one then I just handed my will over to satan and let him win. I don't know about you but I don't really like that guy.

I was able to go to a seminary activity this week end and got to teach some high school kids about the gospel. It was cool to have a class of 20 kids and have them fire questions at us. We used just the New Testament to answer them; man the New Testament is full of some very powerful scriptures! My new favorite scripture is John 17:3; it simply states what eternal life is about. This, by the way is to learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ!

So this week was full of learning, but I am out of time. Mom I love you and thank you for all that you're doing for me. And I have been told that Miami has a Wal Mart so I'll be ok with getting everything when I get there.

Love
Elder David Kelly Conrad

FW: Commitments!

I got the package!! And everything that was put into it was still in it! The suit looks sweet and I will be looking to get it altered today. I like the blue stripped suit, plus it goes really well with my brown shoes.

This week was pretty sweet; I spent my birthday with Elsie and her family and Scott Silva's family. It was a blast! I went on exchanges with my Zone leader and was able to ask him a ton of questions and learn from him. Elder Bird helped me set some goals for my whole mission that will help push myself to my fullest potential.

I have been taught a lot this week, how to study, how to set goals and how to leave commitments with people that we teach. I saw how the way I was teaching was good, but my leaving a commitment was pretty bad. When we leave commitments as a missionary we are giving a person the chance to repent and to change and to start growing a testimony of Jesus Christ. The importance of this principle hasn't hit me as hard as it has this past week. I have spent a lot of time thinking and praying about what I might have been doing wrong and this week my prayers and questions have been answered. At our last teaching appointment with Elder Bird, we committed this way sweet family to come to church. I simply asked them if they would and they said yes. This is where I would stop, but Elder Bird kept going he asked them, "What are some things that they would have to do in order to get to church?" He brought up the point that would have to start getting the kid's ready earlier and get there cloths ready that they would wear; simple things like that. We told them that we would call them the night before and remind them. Sure enough after my call on Saturday and making sure that they were still a go they made it to church the following day! It really opened my eyes to see what I should improve on and how to help others progress in the gospel.

Transfer calls are this upcoming Saturday and I'm not looking forward to leaving Springdale; it's really weighing heavy on my mind, but whatever happens, happens. For some reason I had the thought that I would be staying here for my whole mission, but I was wrong!
That was the week for me, nothing to exciting other then my companion got sick on Friday and we haven't been out much for the past few days. Tell you what I'm getting really good at helping out sick missionaries and taking care of them. I guess I'm learning more then just the gospel out here eh?

I love you Mom and Dad. I will keep working hard out here for you all. Thank you for your support and I hope that you have a wonderful week and that Breanne has a wonder birthday! Happy Birthday Breanne!!

Love,
Elder David Kelly Conrad

Week Of Boldness!

The week was pretty good, we got back into contact with all of our investigators and had some pretty powerful lessons. I had to teach my first "law of Chastity" lesson the other day and call a couple that we have been teaching out on living in sin; as we called it. I have gotten pretty good at being bold and calling people to repentance lately, of coarse it is by the direction of the Spirit. But for that lesson I was very thankful that the church has a pamphlet that makes it less awkward for the investigators. We read through it and it stated what needed to happen pretty clearly.
I had the best lesson of my whole mission the other day with one of my favorite families. I can't remember if I have written much about the Scott and Gretchen Silva, but they are the coolest family. They have fed us missionaries and had us over for game night and are perfect candidates for the Gospel. The only problem is that Scott has a problem with our church because of what he has heard about Joseph Smith. So Friday night, after thinking all day that we needed to go over to their house and teach them, we did. After chatting for a bit I asked him how his reading of the BOM was going. He said that he had read most of it. I asked him what he thought and he said that he wasn't sure. So I started to teach him about the BOM and why we have it and its importance. I taught him the real version of the apostasy.
It's pretty deep and thought provoking, it follows the line that the church Christ set up to fail from the beginning because the people joining the church were not getting ride of their past traditions and the Mosaic Law. That and also the fact that the Jews were in bondage and the church could not grow if it was in bondage. It goes a bit deeper, but I told Scott that the only reason the church was set up then was to prove that the church we are in now is true, and it shows us the foundation of Christ true church. I bore my testimony several times to him and his wife and the Spirit kept filling my mouth with what was needed to be said to them so that they would understand. I could see the lights go on in the minds and that they were finally seeing the big picture. I told Scott that he needed to pray to his heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ if the BOM is true, and if Joseph Smith was a prophet. I told him that if the BOM is true then all the negative stuff that he has heard about Joseph Smith is false and that it is satan confusing him, and that he needed to pray to know the truth. I was very bold with him; he likes that kind of stuff.
So that was my week, we did a lot of service on Saturday with the ward, oh that reminds me, start looking at the church News because they are doing an article on what happened here and they are putting pictures of us in the paper! Woot Woot
Well Mom & Dad I love you and wish you a happy valentines day. The package wasn't gotten into at my apartment, it was on the way over here because when I got it was all taped up. I guess I won't be getting any goodies for my birthday ah? Such is life, I'm just a little upset about my seminary Bible though, that's the messed up part about it.
I love you and will be sending my letters on time this week, sorry about that!

Love,
Elder David Kelly Conrad

FW: Week Of Fire and Ice!

Well my week was very uneventful. I don't know if any of ya'll see what's been going on over here in Arkansas, but we had a huge ice storm come through here. Everything was covered in at least an inch of ice. When I first walked out side you could hear loud snapping noises, it turns out that that noise was the sound of tree limbs breaking and power line transformers blowing up! We lost power on Tuesday and were moved and stayed with the Simons for a day. Bro Simon cooked us some very good Pilipino chicken. We where there with one other family, the Scothorn's, and we played "Mormon Bridge" till it was our time to go to bed. The next day we went around and checked on investigators and ward members to see if they had power or heat.

That's how it was pretty much all week, not a lot of missionary work was done. We went around on Saturday with some ward members with chain saws and helped out people with downed trees.
It was pretty rough to sit around on our hands and not do much. The ice has finally melted away and we are getting into our normal daily routine.

We found out that Josh and Corenda are moving out of our area, which really saddened me, but they will be in good hands; they will be moving into the Springdale ward and they have two of the best missionaries there now.

This is my second email that I am sending you; my last one was lost when the computer froze. Well anyways, I love you and hope that you have a safe trip back home. Tell Tyler that he didn't send those picture yet!

Love,
Elder David Kelly Conrad