FW: Weeks of Miracles!

President Seals instruction this past week has really opened my mind to the things that need to happen in order to do missionary work and help my brothers and sisters learn the true gospel. This important lesson was taught to me through Alma 12:9, it explains the process of learning the mysteries of God. What it might mean by "mysteries of God" could be anything that you don't know, like for people that we teach it might be that they don't know that there is a prophet that has been called of God to lead and guide us, or they don't know the plan that can bring them salvation. But in the last sentence it tells us how we can find anything out, knowledge of the mysteries of God is given to us "according to the heed and dilegence which "we" give unto Him." So the lesson I learned from this is if I want to be successful and see miracles I have to be diligent and give heed to the council of those who are around me and are put into a possition to give me council. This is why I ask tons of questions on exchanges with the leaders that are over me.

I know that this principle is true because I have been living it and I am seeing miracles. The Miami area is moving again and the ward is on fire with the spirit of missionary work. This past Sunday was our fast Sunday, so Elder Robinson and I made this plan to get up and bear our testimony first and get the topic of the testimonies to be on the restoration and missionary work and it worked! It was so sweet, and the Spirit was so powerful there! Several members had brought non-member friends with them and we had a total of six investigators there as well! In gospel essientials we taught the restoration to this way sweet awesome lady that this way sweet awesome family brought with them! The spirit was there as several people bore their testamonies of the gospel . I could tell that it really was hitting her.

We have five baptism dates set and several more that we are going to be setting in the next few weeks, I'm super excited for this place! I know its nothing that I'm really doing, its because I'm doing my best to be obedient and diligent so that my Heavenly Father can bless me more and more. We have found 18 new investigators these past two weeks and I know that there are still more out there. Our teaching pool is getting bigger and bigger!
Another sweet experience that happened this week was while tracting. His name is Aaron and when we knocked on his door he let us right in and let us teach him. We left him with a Book of Mormon and set up a return appointment. When we went back I was super nervious and anxious. I could just feel the Spirit radianting from his house and it got me charged up! Well when we got there he wasn't home, his wife answered the door and told us that he would be back in ten minutes. When things like this happen and they aren't there it's sometimes because they don't want you to come back or they have heard something about us. So we went back to the car and went home and updated our area book till it was time to go back. When we got there I just had this thought that everything was going to be alright and that what we where doing was right. Aaron was home and we taught him a very deep lesson about the original church of Jesus Christ and the apostasy and how we needed a restoration. It was lead by the Spirit and very powerful, Aaron even said that he could feel the power from the message and that he could also see it in our eyes. When we left and got into the car my companion and I were giving each other high fives and shouting because of how awesome the lesson was and the Spirit that we felt. Just thinking about it right now puts a big smile on my face and gets me way excited to go out and work.

Transfer calls are this up coming Saturday, the fourth of April and I really hope that I get to stay because I love this area, I love the ward, I love the people that we are teaching and I feel like my work isn't done here, but I quess I'll go where ever I'm called.

Man time is just flying by now and it really scares me because I feel like I still have tons of things to learn and not enough time to learn it!

Love your son,
Elder David Kelly Conrad

FW: The Big MIlestone!

This week has been a very good week. I went on two exchanges that have really helped me see how to do missionary work better. I can't quite explain how it really happened but it was done.

These past 3 weeks have prepared me for the lesson that was taught to me this past Friday while I was on an exchange with my Zone leader, Elder Blunck, here in Miami. I love going on exchanges because I get the chance to pick the brain of a more successful and more experienced missionary. As I asked Elder Blunck all the questions that I had on my mind and I learned several things. First I learned that there is always going to be things that are hard to do, next I learned how to better follow the prompting of the Spirit by watching his attitude and example. Earlier that day we had the exchange, we had Zone leader follow up, which is a kind of district meeting that is put on by our zone leaders. Well, at this meeting Elder Blunck taught us how keep the fire of doing missionary work. He used Jeremiah as an example of someone who saw no real success and how he almost forsook the Savior, but he couldn't because of the fire which was in him. The fire is the Holy Ghost, and what I learned from his talk was that there is a sure way to have the Holy Ghost and that is by reading the scriptures and living the gospel. He used a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants that illustrated that the Spirit quickens things. Quickens means to make a life. So in a roundabout way and through certain connections that I drew in my mind I was taught how to handle situations that might be discouraging and keeping me from doing what is hard. It's all about attitude and where my hope lays.

During a lesson with the Hughletts I read a scripture in 2 Nephi 31 that furthered my learning from that district meeting. The last two verses answered the question of where my hope needs to be. As I read it was like the Spirit slapped me and told me to wake up and that I have had the answer all along, but that I actually needed to apply it into my life. The scriptures tells me that I must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect hope in Him and to have an attitude that I must hope for all good things through Him! So now I have hope and that hope is helping me to do all the hard things that I will be subjected to for the rest of my life. A pretty big mile stone I think because now I have the fire that Jeremiah had, even when facing adversity. This wasn't my funniest lesson learned by far, but I am thankful for my Heavenly Father teaching me this.

I'm seeing a lot of blessing happen here. We have two people with baptism dates and two more on the way. Richard (the guy who came up to us at Wal-Mart) is doing good, except for the fact that he is moving to New York to be closer to family and live in a nursing home. We will get his address and get some missionaries up there to visit him. Now that he is leaving we have six real investigators that we are teaching. They are all very solid and I am very excited to see them progress in the gospel .
I'm trying my best to set a good example for Elder Robinson and to help him to improve. He has really come along way and It makes me happy to see his improvement. As I progress, he progresses, that is my goal.
Well this is my week, there is always more to write, but there is never enough time. If I ever come home we might have more time. I love you all and know that you are all being taken care of.

Love,
Elder David Kelly Conrad

FW: Cheered Up!

This past week was a good one. We found a ton of people to teach and we are still finding them. Elder Robinson and I set an all time high this week for our whole mission. Kind of like a personal best.
In summing up the week I would call it "learning by trial and error." I have thought a lot about why the Lord has placed me where I am at and why I am with Elder Robinson and not some missionary who has been out for a while. I would think that I could learn a lot from an older missionary who could show me the ropes, but after trying my best this week I am slowly learning how to be better and a more effective missionary. I'm still way excited to be here and to learn and to grow from this place.

We had a pretty crazy experience last Wednesday. We went to an older mans house that was a referral that we had gotten from church head quarters. We had met the man that was referred to us earlier; we met him at Wal-mart while shopping. In fact we were the ones that gave him the pass along card that he called in on, but that beside the point. His name is Richard and he has met with missionaries several times through out his life. He told us that he was born and raised in Palmyra New York and that he likes Mormons. If those of you don't know the importance of Palmyra, this is the place where Joseph Smith lived and where he was lead to the Book of Mormon. So Richard already knew a lot about the church and when I asked him out right if he believed that Joseph Smith was a prophet he said yes! After teaching him some more we set a baptism date with him and he accepted. It was so sweet; we still have along way to go with him but nothing the Lord can't handle. Bro Gibson says "You find them and He will clean them."

For some reason I have thought about my "conversion" this past week. In gospel principles this last Sunday there was a young woman that asked the question, "How do you know which church to join?" She was sincere in her question, which got me thinking about the life that I have lead and how I knew the church was true and that I wanted to be apart of it. What I came up with was pretty deep and I found more strength in my testimony that I had never seen. I don't have a lot of time to share it, but to sum up my thoughts; there has been a lot of divine intervention in my life to get me to this point of my life.

Thank you so much for your love and support, it really helps me. I love you and pray for you always.

Love
Elder David Kelly Conrad

Ps, the pictures were taken at the Coleman Theater out here. Pretty crazy place!

Pulling a Wall over!

Well it's been another week and I feel as if I have been here for an eternity; which is a good thing feeling. This week has been tough and rewarding, what I like to call a catch 22 week. Our finding efforts haven't yielded all that much and had me discouraged by the end of the week. But that's alright because this week is going to be a lot better.

Well I found out that my companion wasn't as overly anxious as I thought him to be, but that's alright, I know that getting into the hang of things takes some time. So I'll be whipping him into shape. I say this using my judgment on where I want to be and where I would like my companion to be so that we are unified and effective.

I love tracting because I have gotten out of my fear of talking to others and I get to share what I have with others, the only down side to tracting is the alarming percentage of people who reject us and the testimony that we share with them. When we had nothing to do one day I got us to go out and meet our neighbors, which was really neat. The reason why I thought to do it was because I figured if anyone should know who we are it should be them. We offered them our services when ever they need them and I think I might be helping our land lord, who lives next door, with putting siding on her house.

This week has been filled with trial and error. I am finding out what works and what doesn't and am refining my effectiveness as a missionary and a spreader of the gospel. That's the only way that I can describe this past week. There were a lot of good things that happened, and bad things, and I have been focusing on the bad things, which is not good! So this week I will be focusing on the positive.

I love you Mom and Dad and thank you for all that you all are doing for me! My time is up and I have to go.

Love,
Elder David Kelly Conrad

Welcome To Miami!!

Alright, I have been super busy this past week with getting packed and moving out of Springdale, Arkansas and moving here to Miami, Oklahoma. I have been sick during the whole week and have just now gotten over it. I was super sad that I had to leave my home there in Har-Ber and all the people that I have gotten to know and to love, but this new area has got me so tied up and busy that I really don't have time to think of anything more then missionary work.

My new companion, Elder Robinson, came out with me in my district, so we arlready knew each other before I got here. I love my new companion because he has a desire to be obedient and to work hard. I would describe it as this, he will uphold any rightoues decicion that I make as senoir companion and he will help me carry the yoke. So I am super excited about being here. I have already meet most of the ward and have gotten to know them. The ward in tiny, but we has a 14 page ward rastory, so the ward and us have our work cut out for us.

Mom do you remember those times when I was little and I would just laugh and giggle and nothing could ever stop me? It seemed like it would happen during prayers or times where it wasn't really that appropriate, well that's how excited I am about this place. When ever I think about how we are going to work hard here and do things by relying on Heavenly Father I can't stop from smiling!

I was able to bear my testimony to the ward on Sunday and I feel that we will have their support. I feel that the only way that we will get any real missionary work done here will be because the members will trust us and that they will catch the missinary fever that Elder Robinson and I have. I am super stoked to be here and to be in this ward! I am expecting big things in the next 12 weeks here and pray that I will be able to give my all and do the Lords will here and not my own.

Love
Elder David Kelly Conrad