Hope not to Despair!

Well I know I just talked to the whole family yesterday, but I just wanted to write you all an email and let you know that I'm still alive. So I'm still alive and look forward to emailing you next week…. Just kidding, there was still a ton that I could have talked about yesterday that I didn't get to. I didn't get to tell the story about almost being in a tornado, almost having to re-schedule a baptism, and casting out devils.

Friday morning we went on our normal run. We got back to the house at 6:30 and started to get ready for the day. I had taken a shower and had put my slacks and white shirt on and while putting my shoes on I felt the house move and heard what sounded like a freight train! I yell to my companion scaring him, " What does outside look like Elder?" He responded, "It's a little rainy." So I go out side and the first thing I see is the sickest looking dark green cloud coming right at us that was almost touching the ground. It was like a huge wall and all I could think was "TORNADO!" I ran inside to tell Elder Goodale that he might get his wish and I start to pack my duffel bag with stuff that I didn't want lost. Elder Goodale did the same and we got to the front door listening for our cue to run to the shelter our neighbor has across the street. It passed and we were safe. But it was way intense and it really got my heart pumping. We had a touch down about 5 miles from our house that just took out some trees. While driving around we could see the effects from the 80 mile per hour winds we had. Telephone poles were snapped in half, whole trees were down and some roofs were blown off! It was way intense! I've got some pictures of it.

So the next day on Saturday morning we got a phone call from the mother of Karlee Hood who was to be baptized that same day. Heather, Karlee's mother was calling to ask if we could move Karlees baptism to the next week, she told me that she had been in the ER sick at 12 am because she had cyst that exploded and that she wasn't feeling good. When she told me this my heart sank and I was pretty upset, it felt like Satan was trying his all to stop this baptism from happening. I told Heather that the baptism will only take 45 minutes and if she needed to she could stay in the mothers room. That might sound heartless of me to get her to come to church while not feeling good but that was what I felt dictated to me to by the spirit to tell her. Later that day when we went over to make sure that they were still going to come. Heather took some medication that helped her feel better and she was able to sit through the whole baptism. It just goes to show me that when we plan to do what is right the Lord will make a way for us to do what is right. It's a living experience that I have had that relates to one in the scriptures, "I will go and I will do."

Seems like Heather and her family have been in the email a lot, but here is another story about this crazy sweet family. On Wednesday night Elder Goodale and I went on splits so that we could teach two different people at the same time. I went to Sally Fenskas and he went to Heather Irvins. When we met back up Elder Goodale told me about how when we dedicated Heathers house earlier last week that it seemed maybe we disturbed spirits that were there. So we went back and we gave a blessing to everyone in the house, we cleansed the house of all the spirits that were there using the priesthood. Heather and her kids told us the next day that that night was the best night of sleep they have ever had in that house. Another testimony to me of the power of the priesthood.

These past few days I have been walking around feeling a bit discouraged. I've been thinking about where I want to be as a missionary and how I need to get there and I see my goal, but I don't see how to get there. I've been kind of murmuring abit. But I prayed for help and started looking for the answer I need right now. I got my answer in Moroni 10, where there is no hope, there is only despair and when I read this I knew that this was the answer to my prayer. I felt happier, relieved, and even excited. I felt my enthusiasm return about doing missionary work and pressing on till I reach my goal.

Love,
Elder David Kelly Conrad

Mother's Day call home

Kelly called home on Mother's day and everyone was able to talk to him, even his older sisters Erin and Megan were here and were able to talk with him. He told us about where he is and what he is doing, and some of the challenges and joys of his mission and calling.The mantle of his calling was evident as he loved and encouraged and without pushing or preaching admonished each of us to read the scriptures and pray daily. He said he gets up extra early at 6am to read the Book of Mormon because he had been so slack when he was at home and hadn't read it all the way through by himself. He wanted to make up for lost time by getting some extra person study time in. It just spoke to his level of dedication and devotion. It was hard to say goodbye knowing we won't get to hear his voice again for more than 6 months.

Rains came down and the Floods came up!

Well I'll tell you what this week has been a fun one. Its rained all week and parts of the town have been flooded for days. Today is the first day in a week that we have seen the sun and it is such a relief! Its been fun trying to get work done when the streets are flooded and you get drentched because the rain is coming down so hard. Even with all this going on we still managed to get Karlee Hood interviewed for her baptism this next Saturday.

This past week has really been an eye opener to me. The Lord has helped me to focus on what matters most and is putting me through some tests that are really stretching me. Its one of those tests that make you feel like your going to break under it. So I know somewhere around the corner here there is going to be some success, as long as I am diliegent and keep doing whats right.

We taught Jason and Savannah twice this past week. We taught them the restoration using cups. We have what is called the "Cups lesson," which is a very simple way of teaching that there was actually a church of Jesus Christ in the New Testiment and that there is a restored church on the earth today. What the lesson consists of is 30 small plastic cups, 12 with pictures and names of the apostles we have today and names of the apostles in the NT, then one with a picture of Jesus Christ and two with the words priesthood and revelations, and the rest have priciples of the gospel taught in both NT times by Jesus Christ and our day by our Prophets and apostles. We build it up into the shape of a temple and show how Christ had his church built on the backs of twelve called and ordanied men. We show how His church was abolished because of evil men who killed and tortured the apostles. This is one of our favorite lesson to teach because it is so simple, there is no mistaking the truthfulness of the restorted gospel. At the end of the lesson with Jason I asked him what he thought of the message we shared the very first time we met with him, he said, "this is what I have been looking for." Our next lesson that was with them was at the Chapel on Saturday night where we gave them a chapel tour and watched the Restoration DVD. We had our Ward Mission leader with us and his family that really helped in fellowshipping. It was such a sweet lesson and feeling to see them learn more about the gospel. Jason already has plans to learn and know the Bible as much as we do.
We had ourselves a pretty good scare the other day. Just before we went out to go to distict meeting this past Friday we had a huge hail storm! Hail storms around here mean that a tornado is following it, and we where convinced that we wouldn't here the siren go off because of how loud it was outside with the hail hitting cars, our roof and the windows. So to be safe we got our duffel bags and stuffed them with stuff that we wouldn't want getting ruined if the tornado tore through the house. We then stood at the door looking for the tornado and got ready to run for the shelter across the street. It was way intense and way funny!!

I love you and thank you for all that you have done for me. I can't wait to get to talk with you all this next week!!

Love,
Elder David Kelly Conrad