The Best Week Of His Mission

Aloooha!!

We had a good P-Day!! We went up Koke'e and played Ultimate Frisbee with Bishop Herr of Kalaheo ward and our zone. It was fun!!! Waimea canyon is like the grand canyon of Kaua'i!! It's amazing, google it if you can!!

Well, let me say this: we had the best week of my MISSION. We taught a whopping 41 LESSONS. The ward noticed that we were BUSY!! We were running everywhere, teaching teaching teaching....and teaching. I have NEVER expected myself to see 40 lessons in one week. But it happened. WOW, and to add to that is 5 baptisms this weekend!!!!!


Let me start with Kari: She's doing amazing. She keeps telling us that the night we met her was very special! I keep telling her, "there's a reason we were there, and I'm glad you see it!" She has exclaimed, "Why didn't I do this before? My whole life would be different!!" She is amazing. She will be baptized on Sunday!! I'm excited!!!

Next: Nolan!!! He's doing swell!! He's still set for Saturday and is excited as well. He seems prepared and ready to go. He's awesome!!!


Chelsea will be baptized on Saturday as well!! Lisa, her mother, was baptized last month, and her daughter wanted to follow!! She's doing awesome and is bringing friends into the gospel as well!!!


Now we'll move to Natalia!!! She has been taught for a year and called us up on Tuesday and wanted to meet!! So we went to meet with her and she said, "I want to be baptized in September instead of August!" That made my heart drop and I thought there was no way she'd get baptized if that happened. We had an amazingly powerful lesson and somehow...somehow...we were able to touch her and help her feel the need to get baptized soon!! She's ready, she just needs to do it. I don't know what we taught her honestly, it was completely by the spirit. My companion and I kept being pulled in the same direction, and kept opening to same scriptures (We had NO lesson plan) and she told us she wants to get baptized on July 31. We were excited!!! So we have 5 baptisms this weekend in Lihue ward!!!

On top of that, President Dalton told us if we can hit a new record for baptisms in our zone, (Which is 8) than he'll take us out to dinner and an activity of our choosing!! So we are set to hit 10 this month of July. He should be out here next week or the following :).

So yes, everyday was FILLED with miracles. I've never quite had a week like this one. Miracles after miracles after miracles!!!


On top of that, we had Elder Rasband come meet with us!!! It was awesome. I got to shake his hand. He spoke and we had a couple of the people we are teaching there. Elder Rasband is in the presidency of the Seventy. The senior president. So he holds a very high sacred calling in the church. He opened and said, "I want to talk about the thing that is discussed the most at the feet of the apostles and prophets...families!" He gave us four quotes from modern prophets about the importance of families and having the gospel in our life. It was a very powerful fireside, and I'm glad to have met him and shake his hand!!!


Also, when I was in Kalaheo last year, I met a family named Cathy and Charles A***!! They were baptized in November of 2010, and I saw them last night at the fireside. Charles looked at me and said, "Do you remember me?" He looked so different, and I had to think about it, then I realized it was the man I started teaching in February of 2010!!! We talked for a long time, and caught up!! He told me, "You were a stepping stone to our conversion." And now he's very active in the church. It really touched me to think that I was a tool in the Lord's hands to plant a seed and nourish it, and later on they were baptized. They plan on going through the temple sometime soon!!! On that note, I also met a girl named Kapua K*** that I bumped into in Kalaheo that was baptized in November and I had no idea either!!!


The last thing to mention: Hilton came to church!!! They moved his baptism to August 6 though, just so they can make sure I can make it there since we're going to have two baptism services in Lihue on Sunday. So he's pretty set in stone now!! I'm excited to see it happen!!


Well, I love you all!!! It was a blessed week, we'll see what can happen this week!!!
Love ya!

A Record 30 Lessons

Aloha!!!

Oh my, we had a miracle week!! First off, we taught 30 lessons, 11 of those were to investigators. That is a record for me in the mission. I've taught 29 a few times, but never 30. We were BUSY BUSY!! Tonight alone we have 4 lessons set up!! It's so exciting to see how things are going in Lihue ward!!Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Seventy will be here in Kaua'i this weekend to do a fireside. President Dalton will be coming as well. I'm very excited to see what could happen with that. He is the President of the presidency of the Seventy, so he is a step below the Apostles!!


We had a good week with Kari! (Carrie was how I thought you spelled it!) We had 5 lessons with her this week!! That's right!! We taught her Tuesday night, than every day since than. The spirit was strong in a lot of the lessons we had!! Especially the restoration, and when we taught her about God Is Our Loving Heavenly Father. It was a very special experience as Elder Coffin and I helped her realize her true potential, and how much our Heavenly Father truly loves her. She could really feel the spirit and it was noticeable. We set a baptismal date with her for July 31, and it seems pretty solid to me so far. She is a miracle of my mission I'll never forget. The way we met her, the way we've been teaching her has all been perfect!!Hilton won't be baptized this week either. He is pushed to the 31 because he didn't come to church!! So the following week should be his baptism!!!


We had interviews with President Dalton this week. I really thought a lot about my mission before I went in. I was the first to go in, and we sat down for a good 30 minutes and just talked. Talked about my leadership calling as a Zone Leader, talked about me personally, talked about my mission. I realized how much I truly love my mission that morning. How much joy and how many good experiences I've had. I asked President what the possibilities of an extension would be. He told me it was such a rare exception. He then told me that it made him happy I asked, but to not worry about it and go home, go to school, and be with the family for Christmas. I knew it was a long shot, but now I know I tried asking and don't need to wonder, "What if I asked?". I truly do love my mission though, with all of my heart. I'm so SO thankful for the opportunity I have to be able to serve him everyday on a consistent basis and to stand as an example of Jesus Christ.

Nolan is doing quite well. He's still set for next week, as well as Chelsea! So the ward will have two baptisms this month, and we're stoked for it. Nolan was another miracle. He will be the first baptism I've seen come from contacting former investigators. I'm excited.


Anyways, I love you all!! Hope to hear from ya soon and thanks so much for what you do for me!!!
Love ya!

The Carrie/Kari Miracle

Aloha!!!

We had an awesome week this week!! We see how much potential that Lihue ward has to grow!! Right now we still are set for the 4 baptisms coming up!! 2 on July 30, and 2 on August 6. Nolan is doing amazingly well!! We had a lesson at a members home and watched a conference talk from President Monson. I think it hit Nolan just how true this church is, and how much it can bless him and make him happy! It was an amazing lesson!!!
We are looking for more potential!! Joey, who was baptized not too long ago, has a niece that has been coming to church and is interested!! We're going to work with her!! We also should be teaching an 11 year old unbaptized kid here!! I'm looking forward to it!!

We have a referral from our ward mission leader that has solid potential!! We had an amazing experience with that. We were going to contact her, and we only had the street name, but no house number. We were driving up and down trying to find which home was hers! As we drove by one home I saw a lady, and something told me that was her! So I pulled over and thought about if that was her. I saw her start walking by our car towards the dark streets and was beginning to disappear. Something told me, "Get out, and go talk to her!!" So I jumped out of the car and asked her if she knew who Carrie was. (EDIT: He found out later that you spell her name Kari). She responded, "That's me." I told her that God had sent us to see her tonight and there's a reason why we are here right now. She started to cry and said she was going through a really tough time. She said, "It's time I do something about that." We set up a lesson with our Ward mission Leader for Tuesday night, and I'm looking forward to teaching her and working with her!! It was a true miracle!!On the other hand, Joey also helped prepare the sacrament on Sunday!! It was awesome to see him start fulfilling his priesthood responsibilities.

I love love being a missionary. I don't want to stop serving the Lord, and I'm happy that I still have 5 months left to serve. I see miracles all the time, and I'm so honored to serve God everyday. I know He lives and He's aware of His children. I won't stop or slow down, and I'm going to keep going!


I love you all, and hope to hear from you soon!!!!

Greenie Day Baptism

Aloooha!!!

We had an awesome week. First off, my new companion is Elder Coffin from Idaho Falls, Idaho. He's a cool kid, reminds me of Elder Infanger a little bit.

We worked hard this week and we were able to see miracles happen. We have been trying hard to find someone who is ready to be baptized in July. We went to visit a family who has an unbaptized keiki (child) and the mom told us she wants us to teach her son and he really needs to be baptized. That was awesome and was a huge miracle. I just hope it all follows through now!!

Hilton, from my greenie days in Kalaheo, is still set to get baptized on the 23rd. He asked me to baptize him, and I was very honored and humbled to be asked. I still remember how we found him!! Missionaries before me tracted into him, and than Elder Major and I went to visit him and he was just ready to be taught!! Now he's set to get baptized!! I'm excited.

Nolan is doing extremely well!! He's set to get baptized the 30! We'll also be having the baptismal service for Chelsea W*** (Lisa's daughter) as well. So Lihue ward will have two baptisms this month. I'm excited, we are seeing miracles on Kaua'i!!
Aside from that, we have a good week coming up, and we should be able to see miracles!! I'm excited to see what can happen in Lihue ward and what we can do!!

I love you and thanks so much for all you do!!! Hope to hear from ya soon!!

Aloha!