Elder Kyson Spendlove: Board Day Is already Past!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been a crazy and great one! I stayed more than busy, and it still amazes me how we get everything ready for the new transfer and decided where everyone goes! I am so grateful for a mission president who puts so much trust in us and is bold with us! I love my mission and I had a special experience this morning finding out that Kyler Blackmore got baptized! What a great week! Here is how my week went!

Week October 17th - 23rd 2016

Monday:

Well I am not going to write to much of what happened today because it was similar to most of my p-days, but here is a few things that really hit home for me. So we had the opportunity to go,this morning to put in a new washer and dryer in some sisters apartment, because come to find out, they were going down the complex a little ways every week to do laundry in the apartment of some Elders in their Zone. However, the part that caught me was the way the elders corrected. THEY DIDNT! So how can behavior change without correction or a knowing of doing wrong? That is one big thing I learned was to always be bold and brave to correct nicely and lovingly. But worse things happen when we lax on things like that. So today we had a wonderful preparation day full of activities to do and I got me a nice hair cut that I hope will last me a while! So we were able to teach Two sweet families this evening, and the one I want to talk about Is the Barraza family. So we went over, and come to find out, the Hna. Is a wonderful Acrylic painter who learned when going through depression. So can paint people and landscapes and even painted Jesus Christ walking on water that was gorgeous! Somas we taught them a lesson I asked them the question, "so,why do we need a prophet, why can't I just talk to a God by myself to know what to do?" That question I believe got both the husband and wife thinking to the point that both of them want to study with that question in mind. Finally it hit me. If you want to have good studies you must have good questions to ask yourself. If you study with them in mind, that is when the lord with bless you a wonderful and powerful answer! I invite you who read this to think of questions you may have, or others have about the church and study prayerfully until the Lord reveals a way to explain clearly an answer!

Tuesday:

Today was such a fun for me! Today we had the opportunity to start our last week of exchanges today in Fort Worth with Elder Parkin and Langi, and I was privileged to come back to my area and serve ye day with Elder Langi! It is a weird thought to think it was 2 transfers ago when I was with him last, and it is weird to see how much he and I have both grown from those two transfers! So our time together was great! We had the chance to go to eat lunch at Chipotle where we found a member, and his friend from work that we were able to sit by and get to know more, and it was super cool. Then we went and lended service to the Parajon family in our area that is moving houses because of a haunted house situation. So we went and moved them completely out and unloaded the whole thing into a storage unit until they can get heir new house bought in the next month! So elder Langi and I loaded a full length U-Haul to its max, and unloaded it in about 3 hours and then had to run to our next lesson! As we left, the Hno. looked at us with gratefulness and said, "Hno.s thank you so much!" And we just kind of shrugged it off like missionaries do, and he stopped us and said, "no, Hno.s really, thank you!" I was a witness today of how service touches the heart of any person. So today we were able to teach a few people, and my favorite part of the day was when we were able to find our investigator that was progressing so well, Karla Hernandez, and come to find out a guy answered her door and was being all secretive and discreet on how she is and where she is. It is really sad, but we also taught him a small lesson about the Book of Mormon and were able to give him one. As we were driving home we went by another investigators house, Miguel Gonzalez and were able to teach him and his family a lesson, and as we finished they were so excited they asked, can you come back tomorrow? So that is exactly what we are going to do! Today was a wonderful day!

Wednesday:

Holy cow today was a crazy day and I am so glad I know how to plan hourly as well as daily, because we received calls today and went and did service and had lots of canceled appointments but I learned a lot on how to use my time better! So today I was blessed with the opportunity to pick up Elder Lopez and then go with him to start another exchange with the Arlington Zone Leaders, Elder Wolfert and Graham. I was able to come back again to my area with Elder Graham and we received a call right when we pulled in, if we could go with an Hno. to cut a lawn of a man whose wife just passed away at age 40, and was struggling. As we got there the Hno. said, "you brought a Book of Mormon? I want to write unit and give it to him when we finish." So we did that and it worked really well, and he is going to keep working with him and following up for the next few weeks! It was a great service! Also today we were able to pass by another members house to find another member there talking about and planning how she was going to find people for us to teach while writing down the address from a phone book and from LDS Tools! It was a really cool experience and I loved seeing it! So to end the night off we went and had a wonderful lesson with a less active family hat fed us named the family Tirado! As we finished there we got another call for service with the Parajon family! It was super fun and we were so grateful we could help them keep moving! I love my area and Elder Graham is awesome!

Thursday:

So today was a very different morning experience for me when we went back to exchange with Elder Wolfert and Lopez again. As we went back, we did a little bit of service and it was pretty much being a part of another churches services. As we were there it was more like a food pantry/supply building with a small falling apart chapel on the side. They were singing some really up beat sings and yelling hallelujah and praise the lord! As we were there they also asked us to sing, and we decided to sing "I need thee every hour" and the whole spirit of the meeting changed. Everyone was so peaceful and didn't understand why. It was so sad to see them so hungry but not know where to find the truth. They kept teaching that it doesn't matter where you go to church or what you believe. And they only had like 2 pictures of the savior in the giant building! I am so grateful to know that it is important which church you go to and how you worship. And there is a true church on the earth with loving, caring, imperfect people that try to be better not just Sundays, but everyday!

So Elder Lopez and I drove back fast, already low on our mile allowance, to make it to a District meeting in time in Hurst. And we were a little late, but it has been the first District meeting I have been to in this transfer that is almost over, because we have been so busy! So today as we taught a family in our ward, I said that Jesus was a Prophet and even more, he was the Son of God, first Born. However, they didn't like that. They told me that I should look at Jesus as higher than a prophet, and that is when I realized that first they didn't understand how important a prophet is, and two they didn't understand his ministry. Of course he was way more than a prophet. Having a perfect life with a body that could suffer every pain of the world, but not be killed by anyone. He freely payed for our sins and freely gave his life. No one can compare to that kind of love and sacrifice! However, he did set up an organization and call 12 apostles, and for a good amount of time was at the head of the church/organization receiving revelation from his father above to guide and teach those in his church. I came to a great conclusion that Prophet wasn't a good name for him by chance, but more like a God who was foreordained to set up the church!

I love when I learn so much and I am so grateful for the many experiences I have! And to end off the night we had a cook out with the Martinez family where Hna. Soto kept calling me Gregorio from some funny Spanish Commercials!

Friday:

Board Day already here!? That is a crazy thought! It is so crazy to think that I am back to another transfer just around the corner, being the third one as a Spanish Training Leader, and I have been learning so much! I have so many things to work on and all the time I just think, "how am I going to do all of these things!?" So today we had the chance to go and sit down with President and the Assistants and discuss all of the missionaries and figure out where they would be best at, and which ones were either ready, or in a position of leadership. It was a lot longer meeting than normal because of a few different situations that had been happening and because of the lack of missionaries ina certain aspect, however, we worked out a way that will be wonderful, and the craziest thing is that Elder Lopez is already heading out on me, because he only has 2 transfers left! So I know his replacement, but I can't say it until later on! So as we finished in the meeting we had to do some map work for areas, and then we also helped the office staff with some things and headed back out! He were able to have a random lunch with a member, Hno. Giles, who I love a lot! And then we went and had some studies before we got busy with the day! So today we had a really cool experience! We were out finding and driving to different places when we drove by a house with a guy outside with some kids, and come to find out, it was the guy we were looking for, so as we were walking up I was thinking, "he will probably just tell us he is not interested, but that was the opposite effect! He was excited to see us and had some amazing questions and understood doctrine in the Bible more that a lot of other people we have worked with! It was super cool to visit with him, ad we were able to teach him who Joseph Smith was and that we don't worship him, and he wants to come to church to see what it is like! I walked away from that house with so much excitement and happiness knowing that people are still looking for God.

Saturday:

It is so crazy and funny to me how every single week I seem to say the same thing to elder Lopez and he agrees with me. I say, "wow Elder! It is already Sunday tomorrow! Time is flying." And without fail we say it to each other every single week! However, I have come to the conclusion that no matter what is going on, as long as I always find the good and am working hard that not only will time fly by, but I will have the most success! So today was such a blessing for us! We were able to have a wonderful coordination meeting with Mario Santiesteban and the missionaries, and a lot happened. We are working on having 13 baptisms more before the end of the year! And I have full faith that we can receive that and even go higher than that if we just keep working hard and doing what the lord wants! We also had a meeting for the ward missionaries, and Victor Hernandez, our solid member, was the only one there and he learned a lot and was so much more excited to go and teach with his wife! So throughout the day we had amazing contacts and one happened while at a small member owned shop called Coco Shrimp! We met a guy that works at Fedex, and we became his friends! He asked a lot of questions and almost was so into it he wanted to stay a little longer as his carry out order came! Also we had the chance to go and read a letter with Isaac and Ana Sanchez from our mission president for his baptism, and it was a great time to be there with them! I really love them a lot! This evening we had the experience of going to a ward party pretty out of town in a ranch, and it was so much fun and i was able to get to know the members even more, and I really love this ward a lot! I thing the reason I love it so much is because I have began to serve them! We were able to meet investigators there and taught some simple lessons and even more exciting is that were able to go by and teach Rey Castillo again, and he is so different and even looks different like he has been changed!! He seems even happier if that is even possible, and he said to us that he can feel the change. Before his baptism and confirmation he had feelings of stress and anxiety, and as he received the spirit he says that those feelings haven't come back to him. I know that God will and is blessing his life and that he will be of great help to those around him as he begins to open his mouth! I love Rey so much and I feel a huge connection to him because he know understands us as he spiritual brothers and we are just so happy for him! His hugs are the best, because they are sincere, and he just is so sincere with everything!!

Small side comment: So this evening in the ward party I also was able to see a member I worked with a lot in Fort Worth and I helped her decide to send missionaries to her good friend/boyfriend in California, and she told me some amazing news. He got baptized this past week!!! He is now going out with the missionaries a lot and his two kids, a son and daughter, along with a sister have interest in the church and are wanting to be baptized!! It made me want to cry and I am so grateful for this church!!!! Here is a picture of him and his kids!

Sunday:

Well today like every Sunday was really good, but I feel like this Sunday was even better, because I felt like the sacrament became more real to me, all because I decided to prepare the whole week for it! So today I was able to see Sergio come to church, and he was at church before any other of he boys, and he was so excited and did a great job doing it! He just fits in so well here in the ward! Also I learned a lot in my classes and was so happy to see everyone that came to church today! As the day went on I was washing the dishes in he kitchen after our ward dinner and I was just shocked when a sister from our ward came up and said, "elder, if I had a daughter she would be waiting for you, because you know how to clean dishes and you are willing to help!" Also I had another lady who said, "Elder, you are going to find you a really pretty wife because of this, so give me your Facebook so that 10 years from now I can tell you I told you so!!" It was super funny but I loved it! And I love my ward! They make me feel awkward sometimes. So this evening we had a few good lessons, but as we were finishing the night off we went to David Ayalas house for his farewell, because he leaves this Tuesday and he had his farewell party and we wanted to be there to support him, and he was so happy to see us! His parents are super sweet and didn't want us to go, and I am really going to miss him as he goes to Argentina! He is a great man and will be a great missionary!