Transferred to Liberal

So this week is transfers! There are a lot of changes.

 

SO remember that Elder McKellar was serving in Liberal Kansas for 5 transfers(71/2 months.) He trained 1 1/2 missionaries and was district leader, for the whole time I've been on my mission, minus the time I had in the MTC. So he has been there for a while. Well Training lasts for two transfers, and Elder McKellar began training Elder Malo, from California, last transfer. And they sent him out of Liberal....And sent me to take his place!!!!

Liberal is right down there on the Oklahoma border. Yee Haw.

 

 So I will finish the second half of the training of Elder McKellar's "son", and will be serving as District leader in Liberal Kansas. I'm super excited! Liberal is easily known as having the most Spanish speaking people in the whole mission. It is just full of Latinos apparently!!! And my companion is Native Mexican. Gomez served there a while ago as well. He says that they play a ton of soccer. And I am going there right at the beginning of spring! Liberal is known for being the place where wizard of OZ is from. Like they have a museum and everything. Its just a couple miles from the Oklahoma border. It was a part of the Colorado Springs mission, before the mission split, where as the whole east of the mission where I am now was a part of the Independence Missouri Mission. So I get to go back out west where I began my mission. Looking forward to more paupusa

The man in the back is confused and wants Packard to eat it with chopsticks

 

 Pisole

Papusa!

 and Menudo. And tons of soccer.

 

 

 

And Elder McKellar is going to Newton, to be companions with Elder Gomez. Haha its all really cool.

 

But this week went really well. After District meeting we went out to eat at a little dirty Mexican taco stand. Some real Mexican food. And me and Elder Gomez got these gorditas. And The hot sauce the gave us was super hot! And Me and elder Gomez were already dying after eating the gorditas, but then we decided to go all out. so were took turns taking spoons full of the hot sauce. We both took five, and were dying! My whole face and arms were tingling, and numb, like after you hit your funny bone. And  we both were sweating a ton, and had runny noses. It was pretty crazy. The ladies in the restaurant were freaking out. But it was fun.

 

We went to the Gym a ton this week. Sad I have to leave the free membership behind. It was a good deal, and  was getting big.

 

 But on Thursday at the gym, I smashed my finger in the weights and my whole nail fell black and fell off. It hurt a lot.

 

But this week we got some more Spanish coming to church. Sister Reina brought her Friend who will definitely be baptized in the next little while.

 

 

 

Love

Bednar, Martino, McKellar, and the Homeboys




Homeboy McKellar

 

 

 

 

But it sounds like you all have had some good days! Arizona sounds super nice right now. So in the past two weeks the weather has been crazy here. two weeks ago Tuesday it snowed.  And the snow stuck around until Wednesday then it all melted. Then it snowed another 4 inches last Sunday. It was so ridiculously cold, we were only supposed to leave the house if we could get to where we were going in 20 minutes. And we were not allowed to use the car.

Don't try this in Kansas

 

 A  few missionaries got frostbite. It was not fun at all. It really was only like 7 degrees, but here in Kansas with a 20 mile hour wind, the wind chill gets -30. Too cold. I hate the cold. Then it was a little cold this week after all the snow left. And yesterday and today we are in short sleeve shirts and the temperature is in the 75-80. so its super nice now. Much better.

 

Crazy Ecuadorian Companion

 

So two Saturdays ago, Elder Martino, from the second quorum of the seventy came down to speak to the missionaries in our zone. He spoke a lot about  good stuff. How we can better do our missionary work. Especially how to work with less actives. IT was really good, and we all enjoyed it a lot. He was really cool. From the us, but he served as area seventy for 17 years in Guatemala, and Columbia? Not sure but he spoke really good Spanish. Then later that night we stayed in Wichita to watch a Spanish devotional that he gave to the Spanish members and investigators in the Wichita area. I understood everything he said, save one word. My Spanish is pretty good now.

 

 

 

Elder Martino


 

 I got to see some of my friends while we were there. Elder Budge, And Elder Garnett. And a lot of other missionaries.


 

Then on Friday, I had one of the most cool experiences ever! Elder Bednar came to our mission and we had a 31/2 hour meeting! It was so cool. All missionaries in the whole mission came it. So I got to see everyone. Elder McKellar, Budge, Stopper, and Maki. Just everyone. It was just awesome. We took a picture with all the missionaries, so hopefully they send it to me, so I can send it to you. (see above)

Elder Bednar

 

 

Then Elder Bednar came, and I just learned so many things.

 

First of all he is a super funny guy. He was more funny than I expected. He said some super funny things. But basically what he did, is we have question asking session with him for almost 4 hours. He had asked all the missionaries to read three of his talks a few weeks prior of him coming. And we discussed them, and then talked about all sorts of stuff. It was so cool. I will send you the talks so you can read them too. He spoke about all things in the universe being objects or agents. That we need to make things happen instead of things happening around us. He talked a lot about how we just need to do what we know is right. That too many people wonder and worry about being led by the spirit, or fulfilling gods will, but we just need to do what we know. Do everything our mission president says, what our leaders say, and what preach my gospel says, and then we will be led by the spirit without even knowing it. I thought that was interesting. And he also talked about how faith means action. And is grown through action as well. For me it put a lot of emphasis on the fact that we basically decide how things go in our lives. The power of agency means that we can just change anything and everything around us. He spoke about prayer and what a prayer even is. He spoke about "stupid traditions" that the Mormons have. One being meaningless prayers. He gave the example of when people say in sacrament meeting " Please bless those of us who aren't here today, that they will make it next time".  He said that it was a very "stupid" prayer.  He said the prayer really should sound like "help every one of us to go visit someone that is not here, to love them, and help them get back to church." And then if everyone actually did that, 25% of the people that weren't there would come the next week, but with the first prayer, absolutely nothing would happen. So everything we pray for needs to be followed up with action. Or it is a hollow prayer, and means absolutely nothing. He talks about it in the talk i will send today.
 

I learned a ton of cool things. To many too write. One of the most interesting things he said though, was at the end when he commented that the time--our 4 hours together-- had gone so quickly. He said that that's because Time is only relative to mortality. Time does not exist in eternity. So when are close with the spirit, or closer to eternity than mortality, time has no effect on us. He said that we humans are very uncomfortable in mortality, being eternal beings. Which is why we scrapbook and take pictures. I thought that was super cool.

 

 

The other cool thing that happened this week is a sweet lesson that we had last night with some investigators. Mike and Lisa. We taught them the restoration, and it was super strong and good, and they committed to being baptized in the beginning of April. Its going to be a long road to get there but they are awesome investigators. We did really good in our area this week.

 

Thanks for the package! Those oranges are soooo goood!!(Thank you Pam Jones )  I miss the Arizona spring a ton.  Wish I could smell the orange blossoms. But  are delicious.  

 Elder Perry talks about " The spiritual  blessings from living a simple life". That trip to Colorado we went on with the scouts 2 years ago was really spiritual for some reason, and know I know why. You need to listen to the talk, "Let Him do it with Simplicity" by L. Tom Perry. Sweet talk. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2008/11/let-him-do-it-with-simplicity
 

Love Ethan