service Elder Kelly Conrad

Dear Mom and Dad 26 July 2010

So the week was good, we had ZLC where we learned more about what the
church is going to be doing with these new changes in the missionary
calender and lessons. Its was very inspiring, and comforting. I thought that
I might be missing out on something leaving just as these things have come
out, but I am not, these new lessons aren't new, but are a way of teaching
missionaries how to teach people and not view them as objects, or
statistical numbers.

On Sunday we went and saw a part member family that we have been trying to
see this past week. It was pretty special how things worked out. The father
of the family, who is not the member, let us in. We talked with him and his
two sons about how their day went and started to get to know them. The
father brought up a concern that he has for his kids, which is that they
aren't interested in learning about God. He has a very limited set of
teaching skills that doesn't appeal to 10 and 13 years old's. So we told him
about the fun activities we have that can teach simple principles and he
agreed to have us come back to do a Family Home Evening. It was really neat.

Later on Sunday we went to visit a person who formerly investigated the
church. He was being taught 8 to 9 months ago and I met him while I was on
exchanges here with Elder Hancock. When we talked to him at his door he came
right out with what his concern was. We asked for some of his time and we
taught to his needs. He had questions about tithing and had some things
confused, thinking he would only have 30 dollars a month left because he
lives on a fixed income with being disabled. We got that straightened out,
there must have been some miscommunication somewhere. Anyways, we got him
back now. He is going to FHE tonight with the singles ward and is getting
back into church and institute.

I've got to go and change into my basketball cloths. I love you family!

love,

Elder D Kelly Conrad

PS, this is the picture of Jeremy, Elder Clinger, Channig, and me on the 24
of July

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Springfield

Mom and Dad, 19 July 2010

Its so good to be back in the normal missionary work! I love it here in
Springfield! Things have gone so good here these past few days! I think with
having to deal with meeting so many new people and having to establish a
quick connection and relationships with missionaries and members in a matter
of minutes has prepared me for this last transition. Normally when a
missionary is transferred into a new area it takes two Sundays to find their
place in the ward, and in the missionary work itself, but it hasn't taken
that long. The ward is super friendly and has the potential to be the
highest baptizing ward in all the mission. The way missionaries have done
missionary work here over the past few years has pretty much excluded the
members. My philosophy for my last little bit here is to do what I have
always done, work and help members. I am not going to help the missionaries
in the zone become better and more persuasive tracters, but help them know
how to use members. Missionaries tend to have this idea that because they
are missionaries and they deserve referrals from members, and they
completely forget that members are normal people and use them like objects.
Its really sad. I think that we just get so caught up with thinking that we
know whats best and know how things need to go, and in so doing we forget
that this is Gods work, not ours. I have realized that Gods work is not
frustrated, nor can it be stopped by anything. Gods work is to bring us back
home, and He will accomplish what He needs to in order for that to happen.
He has already created this earth for us, allowed Adam and Eve to fall, and
has had his Son come and atone for us. These three things are the three
pillars of eternity, or the main three things God has done in order to bring
to pass His work. He can easily bring someone into the church.

My first day here in Springfield we had a pretty amazing experience. Even
though it has been amazing to be back in the mission field, it has been a
very tough transition with somethings, if you could imagine. Well, we parked
our car and took a walk to follow up with some potentials on a street and
ended up walking a half a mile up and down this street. While walking back
from some failed attempts at visiting with any one, a man on a bike came
riding up to us and asked if we would council him. His name is Aaron. We sat
down at a park on the side of the road and we listened to Aaron talk about
his struggles in life. I have learned that telling someone what to do never
works, even as a missionary, you have to let others come to the conclusion
on what they should do. You teach them correct principles and allow them to
govern themselves; when you start telling someone that they need to do this,
or should do that, for the most part they don't do what you tell them to do.
So with Aaron we just sat there and listened and counselled and let him talk
his way through his troubles. He came to many conclusions that were good and
inspired through just talking it through to himself. We invited him to
church and on Sunday he was there! Hes a good guy, and from the sounds of it
his life is beginning to get back together, its going to be a long road for
him, but he can make it.

Another miracle that happened was that on Sunday a recent convert named
Jessica, that I have met and taught on exchanges here before, invited one of
her new friends to come to church. Her friends name is William. He
participated in class and read out of the scriptures and answered the
teachers questions. We set up an appointment with him for Wednesday, but
after church he called and said he wanted to be taught that same day and
wanted to know how he could join the church. So we taught him on Sunday at
Jessica's. It's neat to see when someone actually responds to the Light of
Christ and how by them acting on it, leads them to lead a life where they
are already to live and except the gospel. William is an amazing learner and
already believes all the doctrine of the first lesson and has begun reading
the Book of Mormon and will soon be finding out for himself that it is true.

There are other things happening to, we have been going around contacting
less active and in active members updating the ward list and seeing if there
are any prepared people yet. On Saturday we went by the Raymond family and
visited with Bro Raymond and got a return appointment on Sunday for dinner.
The Raymond family is my favorite family here so far. They have six kids and
two are three year old twin boys. They are the sweetest little kids, first
thing they did when they met us was ask if we were twins and started to try
and beat us up. They made me way trunky.

Anyways, I make life sound like its perfect, but with all these blessings
there are oppositions. Things will work themselves through as long as we are
diligent and work through the oppositions.

I have got to go, we are playing basketball with some returned missionaries
here in a few minutes. I love you Family! thank you for all that you do for
me!

Love,

Elder Kelly Conrad

PS, I spent some money today on food, and I am going ot be spending some
money on sending two boxes home with some of my study stuff and my journals.
So be expecting that in the next few days.

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last transfer Elder Kelly Conrad

Dear Mom and Dad, 11 July 2010

Well I am getting transferred. I will serve In Springfield, Mo
with Elder Clinger for my last six weeks. My new address will be:

1005 E. Division St apt A

Springfield, Mo 65803

I will be there by Thursday Afternoon.

It's kind of a sad transition, but a very exciting one at the
same time. I have made countless goals for when I get the chance to be a
normal missionary again, and now I get the change to work towards them.
These last six weeks are going to be the best six weeks of my mission. I
won't have to worry about an awkward transition with a new companion because
I will be serving with someone I've already served with. It's kind of
fitting, I don't know how to explain how it will be a good experience
serving with him again, but let's just say that it isn't going to be like
serving in Mountain Home.

This week we went on three exchanges. I got to go back to Fort
Smith and have some really neat experiences there. When I first got there we
went to Sister Wyatt's house to contact some of her neighbors and do some
finding. Sister Wyatt came home while we were there so I got to see her and
see that she is doing really well. After that we went tracting. At the end
of the power hour of tracting, as we were walking back to the car, someone
drove by that looked familiar that pulled over to talk to us. It was Alina!
She was at Sister Wyatt's and was driving to go get a haircut and saw us. It
was not by chance that she came into town and that we were walking on that
street at that moment. She lives in Alma now and has no real reason for
being in Fort Smith, other than to visit her Grandma. And I hadn't told
anyone specifically that I was going to be in Fort Smith. It just so
happened that we met again. Having the chance to see her and ask her about
her life and the changes she has made brought me a lot of joy. Sometimes I
get down on myself because I haven't seen the success that normal
missionaries have because of serving where I have these past few months, and
I think the Lord is very aware of that. While talking to Alina, I found out
that she has been dating a returned missionary, and that plans could lead to
a temple. I know that the Lord is aware of me and my concerns, and that He
lets me know that I am doing a good job. Every time little things like this
happen I learn a little bit more about God and His nature.

This past transfer has been the crazy of my entire mission. It
just seemed like our companionship was tested in every way, shape and form.
Every day was unpredictable. I felt like it was the most submissive six
weeks of my life. I can't even begin to explain what I mean by that. There
is one thing that my mission has made me fully confident in, and that is
that God does fulfill his promises and that He can turn everything into a
good experience for those who seek it.

I will still need to keep my bike for the next few weeks, but
it will come home sometime in August. Tomorrow I will do a dry run of
packing my bike up and seeing what else I can fit in with it. I hope that I
can get everything I want to send home in it too so that I can just mail one
box home. Mailing a bike box home with the amount of stuff that I plan on
mailing with it might cost anywhere from 50 to 80 dollars.

I love you family and thank you for all that have sacrificed for
me to be out here. I hope that I can make the most of the sacrifice.

Love,

Elder Kelly Conrad

FW: Elder Robbins

Mom and Dad 4 July 2010

I think having Elder Robbins come to the mission has had the
greatest of impact on my mission. After what he taught and I was taught
later from the doctrine he taught I have changed my views on every aspect of
my life. Elder Nelson taught us when he came that the seventy are just like
the apostles and have the same ability to teach and deliver messages as the
apostles do. Essentially they are sent out by the apostles and are given
their charge and they are equaled to the tasked. He taught us for three
hours on Tuesday, and then for another three hours on Wednesday. I can't
cover all that was taught here in my email because of the amount, and
quality of it. I wouldn't be able to do it justice either. I will fill up
the rest of the tape I made after Elder Nelson came with details about Elder
Robbins coming. I tried my best to prepare for these meetings and I believe
that the Lord has blessed me greatly. Things just clicked. Things that I
have believed and thought my whole mission were verified all in these two
sessions of him teaching. I'm not saying that I knew everything that he
taught, but he confirmed a lot to me. I now have a better vision of how to
teach and how to help people come to Christ.

On Saturday we went to Sister West again for dinner and taught
another one of her friends. It was one of the best lessons that I have ever
taught on my whole mission. In section 50 it talks about the ordination of
an elder and what they are called to do; in this lesson I experienced what
this section teaches. We taught by following the Spirit and seeking what we
had to do in order to help this young lady come closer to Christ. We didn't
follow a lesson plan, or going through all the doctrines of the first
lesson. But what we did was teaching her something and asked questions and
adjusted our teaching according to her response and what we discerned what
her needs and desires where. It's so hard for a missionary to follow the
Spirit out here in our mission because of a strong desire to see others
progress and change leads the missionaries to manipulate situations and use
their own wisdom to achieve the outcome that they desire instead of what the
Lords desires. When someone gets so frustrated about getting someone to the
point of baptism by doing things that the Lord clearly teaches against in
section fifty by manipulation they are looking for recognition through a
number, or baptism and are clearly missing the vision of missionary work. I
think the Church is catching on to how missionaries are more or less high
pressure salesmen and not teachers of the gospel and grasping the spirit of
this work. It's very evident to me by the changes that Elder Robbins
announced to us. There are now eight lessons that are specific to the
learning of the missionary. They are directed to teach a missionary what
their purpose is and how they accomplish what they are called to do without
the use of manipulation.

I don't know if I am going to be here still for my last
transfer. I had an interview with President Merkley this past week and he
asked me what I wanted to do my last transfer. Though, after today's
meeting with him I don't know if I am going to get what I told him, but
that's ok, because I will be needed either way.

I love you family.

Love,

Elder Kelly Conrad

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