This week went well. There were no major problems that happened
this week, which helped. Monday through Wednesday we did our normal
missionary work and did a lot of finding. Thursday we went on exchanges with
the St Robert Zone Leaders, which was fun because I got to go out with Elder
Ewert who was in my MTC district. Then on Friday we spent to day picking up
some missionaries to bring to Tulsa in order for them to stay overnight for
Saturdays meeting.
Things went really well on Saturday. We had Elder Gong, Elder
Maynes, and Elder Russel M. Nelson come and speak to us. Each speaker left
an impression on me. Elder Gong talked about how we can tell if we are
successful missionaries, Elder Maynes talked about the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and Elder Nelson first taught us about how a seventy has the same
special witness as an apostle. Later in his talk he moved from topic to
topic, teaching us about our purpose, and how we are in the work of joy. He
taught us about repentance, and where the root word comes from. It was
really amazing the new understanding I have of repentance. It would be hard
to type out all that I learned; maybe I will get to send the tape I meant to
send home last week. He opened the floor for us to ask him questions and he
got several. I had some questions but was kind of scared to ask, not because
I was scared of his response, but because they really had nothing to do with
missionary work or the doctrines of the lessons we teach. So I kept quiet
and waited to see if he would answer my silent questions. At the end of his
discussion with us he changed the topic and talked to us about going home
and the events that will take place after the mission. He taught out of
Hebrews 13:7 and told us to follow the example of President and Sister
Merkley. He went into detail about how we should look for certain things in
others we date, and to us the mission president and his wife as examples of
what to look for. I have been so impressed with my mission president and his
wife. I have been around him for a long time and have seen them go through
everything. I remember when I first came to Tulsa and having Thanksgiving
dinner with him and his family that had flown in from Utah. After dinner we
watched a musical put on by the Mormon Tabernacle choir and the King
singers. President had his forty six year old handicapped son there, and
during this program I watched and observed how he and his son interacted. I
was deeply moved and impressed when he sat by him and held his sons hand and
talked with him. I saw his compassion and love that he had for his children
and made it my goal to be like that when I am a father. It was very fitting
that Elder Nelson counseled us to follow after our mission president and
wife's example. Even if Elder Nelson didn't fully understand what he was
inspired to ask of us, I saw the wisdom behind it and knew that it was
inspired counsel.
It seems like all the goals and achievements that I have wanted
to say I have completed are slowly becoming a reality. I am seeing prayers
that I offered at the beginning of my mission being answered. Recognizing
when your prayers are being answered and that you have been acting in faith
on promptings that you knew where true, but have been tried and proven in,
really increases your faith and joy . I guess what I am trying to describe
is the joy that I get when I make it through a trial, having endured well,
and walked away with a lesson well learned. Every trial brings repentance
and repentance brings joy.
That's all for this week. Thank you for your letters of
encouragement.
Love
Elder Kelly Conrad
On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 5:37 PM, Carol Ann Conrad <caconrad.ms@gmail.com>
wrote:
Dear Kelly,
So I have been thinking of you and how you met with Elder Russell M. Nelson
yesterday and wondering how that went for you? How is it going with your new
companion? Have you been able to convert him to your new way of eating and
exercising? Overcoming the bodily appetites is a tough one. It requires a
lot of sacrifice. I think that is one of the reasons why we fast 1x a month,
to help us with this, as bodily appetites are among the toughest things for
us to overcome. I have been diligently focused the past few weeks on a
diet/exercise plan in a new way. I've lost 15 pounds and am excited about
the prospects as I've been working hard to overcome my body with my spirit.
It's really hard-but it's so worth it to gain control of the body and the
appetites, so I can then focus my mind and spirit on the other things that
are more important to my soul.
BreAnne gave a talk today in church. I was impressed with her view of how to
make God a daily part of her life (the topic of her talk). She talked about
how she talks with her friends daily at school and sets a good example for
them by sharing the gospel and answering questions for them, sharing with
them about what she does in church and why she doesn't do certain things.
She said for her, doing missionary work daily in this way helps her remember
God and helps her try even harder to do what is right. She wrote the talk
herself and it was well written and well delivered.
The rest of sacrament meeting was focused on reading scriptures and coming
closer to God. That through the scriptures the Lord speaks to us, through
revelation and through the principles and practices as well as examples of
others. I have long loved the scriptures. From my earliest years that I can
recall, I have loved the stories of the bible. In fact, that was one of the
things the elders did so brilliantly with me as a child. I was but 9 years
old. But I had a child's version of the bible. My favorite things to read
about were the old testament stories. Shadrack, Meshak and Abindigo was one
of my favorites, that by living their faith even when it meant they might
die, they would not bend to others demands and worship false Gods. I
remember the picture to this day of these three young men standing in a
fiery furnace and an angel with them, protecting them. They didn't even
smell of the fire! Because of this, they convinced the King to listen to
them and converted him! The missionaries wisely asked me to tell them
stories of the bible that I knew. I don't remember how they wove it into the
gospel lessons, but they must have. They had a flannel board and taught the
lessons with flip charts too. I remember feeling so strongly the spirit
testifying of the truth of what they were saying. I remember feeling special
and important to them, and knowing that the scriptures were important. The
scriptures were so very important to me back then, that even at that young
age I wanted my own set. I saved and saved and saved my money. I remember
mowing lawns and doing odd jobs for my grandma and paying my tithing after
we joined the church. I was probably about 12 years old. Then I took my
money in an envelope to the ward librarian and ordered my first scriptures
from Salt Lake. There was no book store, no internet, no easy access. You
had to go through the ward to get such things from the distribution center
in Salt Lake City. But finally I had it, my first Book of Mormon triple
combination. I only had a paperback version the missionaries gave me to
that point. This was my own set that I earned the money for and had my name
printed at the bottom. I had to save and save and save again to finally
getting a matching bible. I don't remember how old I was when I read the
Book of Mormon for the first time, but I am sure it wasn't much after I
finally earned my own set. I love the scriptures. They are the Lord's
words. There have been times in my life, when things were the hardest, the
bleakest and the most difficult for me when I turned to the Lord and found
Him daily through the pages of the scriptures. I found specific answers to
my prayers, comfort from the Lord, and responses to my queries what to do
and where go, and how to do it. His scriptures are divinely written in such
a way that one can read them over and over and over again without every
getting bored because you can read them from so many different perspectives
and come to understand them in so many different ways. They are personal to
me, and love them, for they are the words of the Lord to me.
Kelly, I know you are working hard to continue, to keep moving forward as
you serve and continue to sprint to the end here. I am praying that the Lord
will give you a second wind, help you find more to teach and share the
gospel with and be able to see more conversions as you are diligent in
serving Him. For while your mission will end August 27th when you step off
that plane and get released as a full time missionary, your mission to serve
Him will never end in this life nor the next. It is our greatest privilege
and blessing to serve Him all the days of our life and into eternity. It is
my greatest joy to serve Him and I find that as I continue to have faith in
that process, that blessings continue to pour into my life in many, many
ways. I'm sure you have and will continue to find that to be the truth for
you in your service.
I love you Kelly-and I'm still waiting for a pants size so I can send you
your camera cardJ
MomJ
Carol Ann Conrad, MS, LMHC, NCC
Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist
8045 W. Grandridge Blvd Ste A
Kennewick, WA 99336
http://www.carolannconrad.com <http://www.carolannconrad.com/>
509-735-1221
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