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

 

February: Morton Salt and a silo

This is what a silo is!

This week was really good. We had our baptism this saturday, and the service went really well. It was a really good thing to have here, to gain some good old ward trust. The ward here is awsome. there are just some incredible families that are incredible examples to all.

This week, was definetally very uplifiting. Im not sure if Ican explain it but Hutchinson has an awsome feel to the whole place. It just feel spiritually alive. Ive felt myself more in tune with the spirit here than I ever have been. I dont know what it is about this town, but it feels spiritually alive. Both good and bad.

 

In Garden City with all the witchcraft that was going on, I found myself loosing faith because I felt scared. In our training with the member of the Seventy a few months ago, he taught that three things take away faith: dout, fear, and sin. I've found myself a very doubtful person by nature. Whenever we had an investigator that had problems, I found myself doubting their progression. But I've been trying to get rid of that, and have done a good job so far. I feel that my faith has grown a ton in just the past few weeks. And I've found that when I exercise it (doubt), the Lord actually can stop miracles from happening.

Finally getting Christmas package

Just on saturday, we were going to take a young man out with us to do some teaching, but we had no appointments, and I justt felt worried that if we took him out we would end up with not much to do, but we decided to go and pick him up anyways and we left for just an hour. The first person I felt like stopping by to visit was a guy that we tracted into the other day. His name is Mere, and he was just a nice young dude, 21 years old. But anyways we had tried finding hi a few times before but we never found him at home after his first doorstep visit, and we still hadn't even taught him anything. But we went with Max, and found him at home, and taught him one of the best first lessons I think I've been a part of. The spirit was strong. Mere said he would be baptized the 15 of Febuary. He is clearly prepared. And had some good questions.

A common sight: Mennonite parking. they don't drive cars.

Missionary man

Ive felt really good this past week. I think ive been doing a pretty good job out here. Some of the members had given us some really good compliments. One thing that is really cool about this area, is that since it is one ward with a companionship of sisters and elders, we have the opportunity to really work as a team with the ward. The sisters here are super good missonaries, and we have gotten to be effective with them. We have our own little Hutchinson correlation meeting once a week, and we're all  working together well. We find alot of good potential investigators every day. I've still been trying to really become a part of this ward. To involve them in misisonary work, and just become not just a missionary to the ward, but a strong asset to how the ward functions and works. I want to be inside the foundation. Any ideas? We taught Seminary again this morning. How can I become a member of the ward? What can a misisonary do to support the auxillaries?

I am also really trying to better express my love for all the members. I find that some missionaries can just express love with the words they say, and how that act, and I'm trying to master charity. Its hard.

But everyting is going well. I feel myselft growning now more than ever, i think im kinda getting the hang of how to do missionary work, and accustomed to the life of a missionary.

Love,

Elder Packard

Waiting for the car we share with the sisters and studying in the snow

 


Feb 18:
We blew our numbers out of the water! Not to brag or anything, but me and Elder Banderas taught more lessons this week between our companionship, that did 3 whole districts. The Zone leaders called this morning to see what happened. Remember Elder Stopper? We served next to eachother in Garden City for 2 transfers, and he got transferred out here to be zone leader here, so for the majority of my mission, all but one transfer, he has been my zone leader, and we are really tight.

But anyways, the weather here has just been ridiculous. On Tuesday it was in the 50s and Wednesday it didn’t get above 20, and then Thursday 50s again, until today, like 15 right now. Not snowing. Just cold. And with no weather channel, it’s crazy to watch it happen. every day before i get dressed and shower i have to walk outside and check to see if it has dropped or risen 30 degrees so i know if its long or short sleeve.


 So on Wednesday when it was super cold, and we are on bikes, we decided to thumb through the yellow book and call some of the Spanish names for an hour before we left the apartment after studies. Missionary Telemarketing. The second name we called, was Campuzano, which sounds Spanish, but an English lady answered and when we laid out the schpeal she said that she was already a member and had just moved here. We didn’t have her records, and it ends up that she is less active, hasn’t been to church in a while, and is about to get married to a non member. That was a miracle!

Then yesterday, we went out with a young man, who is exactly Connely’s age, and so he drives us around for like 3 hours on Sundays and we go with him to just visit everyone. It’s a ton of fun. But the elders in McPherson (30 minutes north of us) stopped on the highway to help some people on the way to Hutch, because their car broke down. And so the people told us to send the missionaries over to their house when they got back to hutch. So we went over with Max on Sunday afternoon, and it ends up that they are both black,and not just skin color, but everything they do is black. the way the talk. They don’t go a sentence without a "praise the lord" "halleluiah" or an "amen". Haha so we went into their house taught them the first lesson and they said they would, read, pray about the book of Mormon and be baptized at the end of February. We may have a couple of the highly desired "blacktisms". But one thing that I've learned how to do is speak peoples language out here. I teach, and talk differently with all different people. With the Hispanics, the old cowboys, the college students, and now the blacks. You have to speak their language, and I think its tons of fun.
We also found a super solid Spanish couple this Wednesday that are looking for the truth. They are young and have two kids, and recently converted to Christianity from Catholicism. So we are working with them to baptism.

We have stake conference here in a couple of weeks, and hopefully we will be getting a new bishop. I like him and he’s a really good guy, but he rules with an iron fist. And I don’t like that.
It’s hard getting people to church here for some reason. The church isn’t super far, but it is on the outskirts of town.
 A lot of really good members and prepare people. I’m learning a ton about how to do effective missionary work, how to work with the ward, and stake leaders. And how to get people involved as a whole. It’s a lot of fun, but also very stressful and hard.

All that soccer sounds like a lot of fun. I haven’t played any since I left Garden. Its too cold right now. I miss the AZ winters.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Feb 23

Tornado memory?
 

 Yes I want to see Charles play soccer. He sounds good. It would be cool if he got really good as he got older. Is he better at baseball or soccer? I was never good at baseball, but I really like playing it. I wish more people did. Is he much bigger now, since the time I left? I think that I’m still growing. I had been super hungry for about two weeks, and then I had growing pains all in my legs, and now I’m not eating as much. Maybe I will come home taller. 

worked over 400,000 hours without an accident?

You should definitely send some oranges. That sounds really good. And a grapefruit. Not much, if anything grows naturally here in Kansas. 

Hutchinson is great, I really like the area. I think its harder than most areas, just right now especially because the missionaries don’t have a ton of support. The bishop has been fixed to be released for about 8 months now. And everyone is kind of just waiting for it to happen. And he is kind of checked out as well. And I love our ward mission leader, Brother Williams, but he is a really busy guy. He works all the time. And we haven’t had a correlation meeting in a bout a month. He is an awesome guy though. He just bought me a 50 dollar Kansas Basketball sweatshirt. 

The sweatshirts! Thanks Brother Williams from Kansas!

But we have a lot of fun here. My companion is kind of a weird kid, but he is hilarious. He refuses to play sports because he thinks they are stupid, and at the beginning of the month when we receive our money for groceries, spends the whole thing on ice cream and Dr. Pepper.

One of these things is not like the others

 And then has like 9 cents in his account for the last two weeks of the month. Haha. But although I’m not in a pure Spanish area right now, my Spanish is coming along just fine. On the step thing you sent I would say I’m above 4 for sure. I can talk, and express myself almost perfectly. I just don’t know the words or vocabulary for special things. Like when we help one of our Spanish investigators in his body shop. I don’t know what all the machinery words are, or car words are. But I can say what i want to. My companion doesn’t like English, so we speak puro espanol en la casa. Hopefully my next area will be one of the two Spanish branches in Wichita. There are two, and they would be sweet to serve in. There is also one in Topeka. Brother Hansen sent me a letter about his mission the other day. In it he shared his experiences of how he learned Spanish in his mission. He read the whole missionary library in Spanish! So I’m going to do the same thing. I’ve already began true to the faith. And I’ve read both first and Second Nephi in Spanish as well. I’m going to finish the book of Mormon in Spanish. I look up all the words I don’t know as a go along and I don’t have to look up many words anymore. I’m trying to transfer all of my studies to pure Spanish. So now I’m also only reading out of predicad mi evangelio, and not preach my gospel. And Jesus the Christ is about 100x easier to read in Spanish rather than English. It is a hard book to read.

We have interviews this week. So that will be cool. They are always fun. And i love seeing president, he is just a super loving guy!

Yesterday was stake conference and Elder Snow from the First quorum of the 70 came down. He is also the church historian. So that is pretty cool. And here is some other cool news: Elder Bednar is coming for a day to our mission the second week of March! Less than a month. That’s pretty exciting.

A Tale of Two Cultures

 

Dear Everyone:

Yea soccer sounds fun, I miss playing in garden City. Its too cold to play out here right now. Last week with the windshield one day it got to -20! But its a lot warmer now. Which is good, because we are walking every other day (the elders share a car with the sisters).

Garden City soccer team

This ward is pretty crazy, there is some serious drama that goes on. Bad business deals between members, and just some absolutely crazy stuff that has happened here, and is currently happening. There are some really cool members here. There is a family from San Louis Obispo. But I think I already told you that.

Being in an area of working both Spanish and English is crazy. Spanish work is a ton more relaxed and set back, because of the culture, but English work is much like a business. Schedules, times, and appointments. It's a lot different and I'm having a hard time getting used to it.

When no one else will listen, teach a cat. Everyone knows how effective this strategy is.

We also have to get integrated to the ward which is also new to me. It is super intimidating. We are trying to get involved in the elders quorum and seminary, and mutual, and just about everything. I taught seminary this morning, at 5:30. But I think that we will be attending at least once a week. And getting involved in home teaching and good stuff like that. Its really hard for me, so please pray that I can really become a part of the structure of the ward. Its especially hard because Elder Banderas doesn't speak super good English, and a lot of people don't understand him. But it all good, we area having a lot of fun.

Our baptism got moved to this Saturday, but I sure it will happen then. We weren't able to get the district leader up here to give him his interview. We had an exchange with the district leader this week, and it was super awesome. His name is Elder Ives, and he's a really good missionary and I learned a ton.

This week i got a package from aunt Frances, and Grandma and Grandpa. Some good stuff! Aunt Frances sent me some of her homemade Granola which is super good.

The poopies fell asleep during their discussion.
side note from his mother:  Also, to all of Ethan's friends, he has promised to do something about the bad buzzes he has been getting on his hair.
pps: What's that hanging in the back left? A dream catcher?now there's an effective strategy.

Everything is good here, hope everything is good there. Love you all tons!

Love Ethan

Updated address:

To send anything, until further notice, use the mission home

7011 E. 13th Street North

Witchita, KS  67206-1219

Transferred. And transferred again.

 Hi everyone!
So,  transfers are this week, a week early because otherwise they would be on Christmas day, but president said that no body was really getting transferred because its just right before Christmas. However, everyone in the Garden City zone got switched up. I'm being put in Arkansas City, in the Derby Zone, with Elder Garnett. I leave Wednesday. Haha If I knew anything more about my companion or area I would tell you, but I really don't know much. they are nothing more that names. I need to find a map to find out where Arkansas City is. It may be an English area. But

from what I've heard all Spanish speakers take their turn in an English area for two transfers, because there are not enough Spanish areas to go around. So I will just have to stick it out for a couple of months teaching the gueros this. But my companion is a Spanish speaking missionary, so who knows, it may be a both an English and Spanish area, and since we both speak, I don't think there will be any problem if we teach the Spanish people.

Its too bad me and Elder Gomez have had a lot of fun together, and I will be sad to leave my first area, but I'm really excited to get to know another.  

*******************************1 week  later**********************************
So this week was pretty crazy. I got on a bus on Wednesday and went to Wichita, 4 hour bus ride. Not kidding eastern Kansas is a whole different world. So Arkansas City is exactly one mile from the Oklahoma Border south of Wichita  It is really humid, and it is a really hilly. It is a ton prettier than west Kansas. There are a lot more trees, and natural streams everywhere. And a lot of hills. The town here is super cool too, almost all the building are clear back to the 1800s, and all the roads are red brick. It makes the place look really cool. I feel like im on the east coast. A lot of the houses look like old colonial houses, and old Victorian style houses that are really old.

My Companion Elder Garnett is awesome  He is from South Carolina. We have only been together for a week, but already feel like we are best friends. We get a long super well. On Friday, we got some freezing rain, and then after that sleet, and then it snowed all Saturday  So outside is about an inch of ice, and then two inches of snow on top. Everything has super big icicles on it. It looks really cool.

This map makes it look like Newton is the big city and Witchita is tiny. Au contraire...

So we went into an appointment with a part member family, and had a super awesome lesson, and had the cousin who wasn't a member commit to baptism the 11 of January, and Elder Neeley the AP called and told me that i was going to be transferred again. Me and Elder Garnett were pretty mad, because we get along super well, and I already like the area a ton. But there was some drama going on the mission  and president called us, and so Elder Garnett is getting a "special assignment" meaning he is being put with a companion who is going through a tough time and needs support. And he is staying here in Arkansas City, and I'm getting a transferred to Hutchinson with a "special assignment" as well. So they are opening a new Spanish branch out in Newton Kansas, (Hutchinson is part of that area), and so me and Elder Banderes, are going to be there opening the Spanish branch. All they need is two, tithe-paying, Melchizedek priesthood holders. And so that's what we are going to be doing down there. Good news is that they are not going to move me until Thursday so i will still get to Skype you and everything. We are going to pick up Elder Garnets new companion today in Wichita  and we will be in a threesome until Thursday, and then i will go to hutch. 

Its kinda sad that im getting transferred again, i really don't want to move again, but its all good. I look forward to being able to be there for the opening of the Spanish branch, and it sounds like everything is just exploding there so hopefully we will see success. I don't know where Hutch is, but I think its part of Wichita.

 

Thanksgiving in Kansas

Well your thanksgiving sounds great! I wish I could have been home with all the family, I miss them a lot too.

 This week was really cool. District Leaders have to do 24 hour exchanges with all the other elders in their districts. So in my district there (Other than the zone leaders and the sisters in Garden City) are Lindville and Elder Simmonds. They are in Scott City. So if you think that Garden City is small, think again. Garden City is actually decent size. I think....or maybe I am just desensitized from all the small towns here in the west size of Kansas. Scott City is tiny. I guess its probably a lot like that town that bishop Dahl is from,. On the border of California, and Arizona. If you blinked you would miss it. But its pretty small. So I went out there with Elder Lindville for a day. And elder Lindville is waiting for visa to Brazil. So he speaks some Portuguese. And Elder Simmons is English elder and didn't speak any Spanish. So I went down there, and we had an awesome day. We randomly knocked on the mayors door. and had a lesson with him and he committed to reading the book of Mormon,. So that was cool. But then than night we knocked into a Spanish family of five. And we had a short lesson with them, and they all accepted to be baptized next month. But the problem is that the elders in Scott don't speak Spanish. So they are having an emergency transfer to get a Spanish elder out there in Scott. Then president called me and told me to quit causing him problems. He he was joking.

 We had a big conference for our zones Garden City and Dodge City on Friday, and it was really good and uplifting. Sister Peat, I guess the equivalent to Sister Bambas here in Garden City. Her dog had six puppies 2 girls, 4 boys, and two of the boys are brown. So every one of the missionaries gets one named after them. And it worked out perfectly because elder Maki is Samoan and Gomez is from Guatemala, there are two white sisters, and us two white elders all here in Garden.

Hopefully we can get a dinner with some white people, so we have a traditional thanksgiving dinner.

There is a saying in Kansas " if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes". And it is right on. The weather here is always changing. You saw those pictures I sent you were exactly a week ago. Well I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt again. Its like a high of 60. Really nice weather. But tomorrow's high is apparently 31 and snow.  You can't trust the weather reports here on the west side of Kansas, because they are all too small to have their own weather system, so all of the reports come out of Wichita which is 4 hours away.

Thanksgiving started out all right. I really would have rather been home with all the family. But it couldn't have been better. We went to the wards turkey bowl in the morning, with elders Stopper and Maki. It was freezing, and windy, but it ended up super fun, and we played for 2 hours. Elder Maki played professional rugby for Barcelona and England, and I never realized how much of an athlete he was until we went. He is a huge guy, but faster than anyone else, and everyone just got out of his way when he began to run. But the turkey bowl was fun. 

Then we went to an investigators house to eat. His name is Ambrossio Valderez. He and his wife don't have a super big house, but they are super involved in an adoption program, where they take in kids that are under 18 and have committed a felony. The kids just stay at their house until their parole is up. So over they last few years they have taken in 53 kids. It's pretty cool, they are great people, and the kids that lived with them always come back to visit, so they're were just tons of people in and out of the house the whole time! It was tons of fun.

Me and Daniel in the Tiendita

Then we went to Daniel Gonzalez's "tiendita" to visit with him. He is a great guy. He has only been a member for just over a year, but he is easily one of the strongest members that exist.

Daniel and Elder Gomez

 But we just visited with him for a little bit, and then we went to the Familia Carrera. Also some great people. We walked just and they were about to begin dinner. And they invited us in and we ate a thanksgiving dinner with all of them. I honestly thought that none of the Latinos would celebrate thanksgiving, but some of them do, so we ended up getting a few really good meals.

Then after that we went to one last house to eat, a less active family the Romeros. They invited all 6 of us missionaries to eat with them. They are an awesome family. I guess I didn't share they story with you of how we found them...We were in the IBP trailer park one day, just visiting people, and looking through the ward roster of less active members we could visit, and there was a lady in there, but it said that she had moved, and i knew she had, because I know here, and know she lives in Scott city. But i have a feeling that we should try the house anyway, although i knew she had moved. So we went to the house and The same lady, sister Augilar opened the door. Apparently the family that lives there hadn't been to church in a year and never opend the door to missionaries because they had been offended by something at church. And the active Sister Augilar, was just visiting them from Scott City for a day. But since she opened the door she let us in and we got to talk with the family! we got to be really good friends with them, and they are coming back to church, and even invited all the missionaries over for dinner, although just 5 days before they never wanted anything to do with the church.Cool.

But anyway they had us over for our third and final full thanksgiving dinner, and we were all soooo full. It ended up being a great day.!

November post

English class continues to grow, and especially the soccer game afterward. We used to just barely have 8 people to play 4 on 4, but now we have 6 or 7 teams of 4. IT is awesome, it is a really good finding activity.

My spanish is getting alot better. A few members have commented that I can speak alot better, so that is good. Im excited hopefully I continue to speak better. At church, one of the less actives we have been working with was walking out of the chapel and I was smiling at her because this week, she has been to church enough time to be considered an active member, and she asked me something like "estas sonreindo a mi?", and I thought that she said are you smiling at me? so I said yes!. But I guess when they say "a mi" they really mean, are you mocking me? and I said yes.

I have been studying a lot out of Jacob chapter 5 this week. Its really interesting that throughout the chapter, the lord of the vineyard says to burn the bad trees and bad fruit, but the the Servant of the vineyard (the prophet) asks the Lord of the vineyard (God) for more time to continue pruning the olive trees so that they produce good fruit. And the very last time that they discuss working more on the olive trees, the servant rather than asking for more time, asks for more servants.

 I guess this week I really have grown in my testimony that these are the last days. I feel that the Lord's work is progressing super fast, and super effectively, but Satan's work is just the same.