March 2012

We moved to our new place on Saturday.  And we did got our transfer calls.  Elder Kafoa is staying and I am going to North Anchorage to be a Zone Leader with E. Boyer.  I have served around him and I like him a lot.  So it will be a lot of fun.  I wanted to stay longer but the Lord needs me to go to anchorage.  And yes there are missionaries in the Yukon.  They are in Whitehorse.

My investigators are doing well, and elder kafoa is ok with the transfer.  We had a really powerful lesson with Jimmy.  We commited him to come to general conference and read out of the book of mormon which was huge! for him.  I am glad that he is making progress.

My companion is Elder Boyer from Las Vegas.  He has been out for 16 months.  We are in the Campbell park ward which was the Assistants are so they kept it going really well.  We have a really nice place to live in.  Probably one of the nicest in the mission.  Being a zone leader is stressful sometimes.  We are planning for zone conference, which we have a lot to plan for and its on Wednesday and since Elder Boyer and I are both new to the area we had no clue what the previous planning meeting consisted of.  But we got everything ironed out last night in a planning meeting with president and the AP's even though we were planning till 11pm.  But it is a lot of fun being a Zone Leader.

So when Elder Boyer and I got into the area we both felt a strong impression to learn a new language.  And Elder Boyer feels like he needs to learn Russian and I felt like needed to learn Tongan.  So that's what we are both poring all of our spare time in now.  President Beesly speaks some Russian so he gave some material and CD's to him and I have a little book that helps me learn the lessons.  So we are going today to a book store to find me a Tongan English dictionary.

Last time I was in Anchorage I was in a different zone so this is new for me, I haven't seen anyone from my last ward up here but I will keep a look out.  The work in this ward is really hopping so we are excited to be able to help the ward.  The ward mission leader is so awesome he has lots of plans to help us out.  I love the gospel, something Elder Boyer and I are doing is praying every hour and we pray for the gift of tongs and interpretation of tongs in every prayer.  We have come a long way in just a week.  Reading the scriptures in Tongan helps me get the feel of the language much faster than if you read anything else, that is a huge blessing!

Zone conference was awesome.  We learned a lot of cool things.Here in Alaska we have a pair of missionaries in each ward.  So many companionship's make up a district.  So many districts make up a zone.  So our zone encompasses a whole stake.  And there only 7 stakes in Alaska.

Elder Boyer and I get along great.  He is a great missionary and a great person.  We have wanted to serve together for our whole missions.  As a zone leader we don't have a lot of free time and what little free time we do have we are studying our new languages.  But just a few days ago I said my first prayer all in Tongan!  But as a zone leader now we get a lot more time around President Beesley which is great because he is a spiritual giant.

February 2012

Elder Kafoa, Dawson, Caden, Grandfather, Elder Kvavle

 The baptism that was scheduled for this week was moved to yesterday so Dawson and Caden were baptized yesterday by their Grandfather who is in the Stake Presidency.  It was a good service and we had a couple more of our investigators were there so that was really good for them.

 I have been think about finishing strong also.  Because I get to see some missionaries finish out really strong and I see others that don't and they just can't wait to go home.  And I know which I would like to be. So I will do my best to finish strong in the work of the Lord.  Elder Kafoa has been out 8 months.  His English is good.  He is from Tonga, he is 23 years old he has 2 younger sisters.  He is a convert when he was 12.  Yep I am still the district leader.  But this last week they had a district leaders meeting, which is new, and it helps clarify what I should be doing as a district leader.  I am so happy that Uncle Matt is trying to get himself to the Temple.  That is such a huge event in his life.  I am proud of him.

I can tell that my testimony has grow so much and that my view of the world and of other things has changed, for the better.  I pray that I will have the same view and attitude when I am home as I do right now.  This Gospel does bless whatever it comes in contact with.  Thank you both for rearing me in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our interviews with president Beesley went well thins past week.  We teach the new member lessons with the ward missionaries.  We live with a member but I think we are going to get an apartment soon.  My companion speaks English better than my last companion.  He understands a lot and really wants to learn more English.

Jannuary 2012

 I have had a good week.  We taught 2 boys Dawson and Caden last week and they want to be baptized!  We are teaching them again today and we asked them to think about a date so we will see what happens today with that.  But the area is kind of slow, but we picked up a new investigator last week and we are teaching them again on Wednesday.  I am also going on exchanges this week which will be fun.  We had a really spiritual district meeting today.  Probably the best one I have trained so far on.  It is always so fun to be able to not fear that the Lord will provide me the words I need to say in the very moment I need them and that it can touch the hearts of the people I am teaching, even if they are other missionaries.  Because we are all children of our Heavenly Father and we all need help and guidance.  It was really cold here this last week.  The coldest I saw on our trucks thermostat was -28!  But that was only one day now its closer to zero.  We have gotten over a foot in the last week or so.  Which is odd for Wasilla.  So the perfect place to go snow mobiling is up here in Alaska.


So this week we got a call from some Elders from my district and they were stuck in the snow in their Subaru and it took us 2 hours to get them out and there was some damage to both of our vehicles.  When we were towing them out they were backing up at the same time and our truck was moving slower then the car was so they rear ended us.  There wasn't a lot of damage done to us but there was more done to them. So yeah I have been out 11 months now.  Its crazy how fast it goes.  We had a lesson with our new investigator Raey this week.  We taught her the second lesson and it was way powerful, the spirit was so strong in there their were even a few tears.  And that is when we invited her to come to church.  So we will set up another time with her so we can teach her again.  So today when we left it was -9 degrees which is pretty cold.


Missionary's need all the members we can get to go teaching with us.  Missionaries get stuck every now and then and more so when there is a new snow.  The church is self insured so the church pays for it.  But if the damage is a lot then you don't drive for the rest of your mission.  I have been going on exchanges with missionaries again this week and we had a good time.  The area is picking up slowly.  We had a lesson with one of our investigators we just met named Matt.  He knows a lot and is now just trying to get an answer if it is true.  I was wondering if for my year mark you could get me a year mark present.  But it is for missionary work though.  A GPS.  Addresses here are not like addresses back home.  A lot of houses don't have house numbers or a street sign.  And it being winter and snow is on everything haha.  So if not that's ok but it would make the work a little easier.

We had the best week last week.  We put
those two boys on date to be baptized for the 16th of February as long as
their dad is back in town by then. Right now the sun is starting to rise about
9 or 9:30 and is setting about 5ish.  But it is a lot harder when it is
dark.  It is harder to get up in the morning.  Right now I think we are
gaining about 15 seconds of sunlight a day.  But it will progressively get
more soon enough.  

We found a former investigator and we have had a lot of
good experiences with him.  His name stuck out and we felt like we should
see him.  We have been able to get him fire wood enough for the winter now
and hes says he sees a light about me when we speak with him which is
really cool.  He has some interesting beliefs but he wants to learn and have
the peace that we talked about.  Elder Tonga's English is improving.  Being
a district leader is fun.  For our last district meeting of this transfer we
are going down to the temple which will be awesome.  We are going down
Wednesday.  The ward is doing good.  They are doing pretty good with
missionary work and they want to be a part of it but we just have to get it
going more.  The cold is not getting me too much.  I can dress pretty warm
now. 

We had a good week this week.  I am not being transferred.  Elder Tonga is though, he is going to Barrow.  Way far north.  I am getting  a new companion who is also from Tonga.  His name is Elder Kafoa.  He is coming down from Fairbanks.  Thank you Dad for finding a good GPS form me so I can navigate better here in Alaska.  Yesterday we had a lesson with and investigator who we found about a month ago and she knows that the Book of Mormon is true!  So we put her on date to be baptized for February 19th!  She knows what the Holy Ghost feels like and she knows now what the Holy Ghost testifys of and why its important We are way excited for her and her choice.  

 

 

We had a good week this week.  I am not being transferred.  Elder Tonga is though, he is going to Barrow.  Way far north.  I am getting  a new companion who is also from Tonga.  His name is Elder Kafoa.  He is coming down from Fairbanks.  Thank you Dad for finding a good GPS form me so I can navigate better here in Alaska.  Yesterday we had a lesson with and investigator who we found about a month ago and she knows that the Book of Mormon is true!  So we put her on date to be baptized for February 19th!  She knows what the Holy Ghost feels like and she knows now what the Holy Ghost testifies of and why its important We are way excited for her and her choice.

 

 

December 2011

Elder Kvavle, Demarcus, Darius, Elder Dellenbach

The baptism was great, Demarcus was the convert baptism and Darius was the child of record baptism.  I baptized Demarcus and Elder Dellenbach baptized Darius.  They are a part member family.  Their dad isn't a member.  After the baptism we were all changing and their older brother Melek came in and hugged both of his brothers and told them how proud he was of them and that he cried when they were baptized and it reminded him of his baptism (he was also a convert baptism. He is 10 now)  So that was way awesome!

 We had a ward Christmas Party on Saturday and when had so many people  show up.  People that hadn't been to church in years.  We have been having some crazy weather here lately.  Its been warmer so lots of the snow has been melting so the roads are really bad so our mission president had us stay in our apartments a few days till the worst of it was over.  Our teaching has been going well.  Since we have reduced our teaching pool now since we have had some baptisms we are going to be doing some more finding aka tracking.

 We get to attend the Temple about once every three months if we are in Anchorage.  So next month we will probably be able to attend again.  Our Temple here is in the parking lot of our Stake center so there isn't a whole lot of Temple grounds to decorate so I don't know if they decorate them or not.  But they haven't yet.  So I forgot to tell you that for the Thanksgiving day we went over to a members house and decorated gingerbread houses.  I will include a picture.  So I have been thinking that when I get back from my mission we could go to Nauvoo some time.  Yeah so I have been out almost 10 months now.

 

Last night is snowed like 8 inches so we had a fun surprise this morning.  And the roads were not so good.  Last night we went to a part member families house the house of the 2 boys we just baptized and taught them the lesson after baptism and then we talked the the father who isn't a member and we were looking for his concern.  I was able to channel the spirit and we really got Brother Olloway to open up an I think we can help him work through his concern.  One of our investigators named Bidget, she has been on date before, came to church on Sunday!  This was a big step for her because we have been trying to get her to come for about a month and a half!  And she love church.  Epically Relief Society.  That is what made the experience for her.  So we are very hopeful for Bridget to be baptized soon.  Well transfers are coming up this next week so we will see what happens.  I have been thinking about school a lot for after my mission and trying to figure out what a I will do.  Missionaries can apply while they are out in the field so Elder Dellenbach who has applied to many colleges has told me I should apply in the summer of 2012 so I can make the dead line. 

So I am getting transferred to Wasilla.  The Settlers Bay ward.  Elder Dellenbach is also getting transferred to a samoan ward.  I am going to go be the district leader there and I am also white washing the area (2 new missionaries in the area) with Elder Tonga.  President Beesley told me I need to help him with his English and we need to go whip the area into shape.  It has been slow lately.  So it will be fun :)    

We just found out a few days ago that we can Skype home now too from a members house.  So we will see what happens.  We will just plan on the call and if a member lets us come over in Settlers Bay then I will let you know in the call. But it will be tough since we won't know anyone there.  And I leave tomorrow.  We found out Saturday morning.  So on Saturday night we had dinner with a member family and they had family over who wasn't a member.  Pretty much they want to learn more about the gospel and wants to be baptized once they gain a testimony of it.  Yeah and we are leaving haha so great for the Elders who are replacing us.  An Elder will be trained in Sand Lake now.  But it is great because the area is being blessed and we were as well because of obedience (D&C 130:20-21) and it is so great to be able to feel the Spirit testify of the truth of the things we have to tell them.

I have been a trainer now for almost 12 weeks now.   There is a new program so the new missionary stays with his trainer for 12 weeks now.  Training is hard but fun.  I am enjoying this time as just a regular missionary because President Beesley told me I will be a district leader and more later on in my mission.  So I am enjoying it while it lasts.  A few of them members who like us a lot have invited us over for Christmas day and Eve, so we will be taken care of.

November 2011

Its been snowing like crazy here the past week.  We already have more than a foot now, its crazy and I am the one driving!  A family actually gave us a gingerbread house for Halloween so we have a house to eat.

Bridget is doing well, we have a lesson set up for Wednesday,  we invited her to the Elder Holland Fireside so we will ask her if she came (lots of people, we see didn't see her.)  Yeah the fireside was way awesome!  He gave a really good talk about Peter and James I think.  It was so cool, the spirit in the stake center was so strong there.

So this past week we put 2 more people on date to be baptized and and another person said they want to be baptized but he doesn't know what day he can be baptized yet!  And that guy (Blake) has a room mate and he wants to take the lessons too!  So the work is really picking up.  So news about transfers.  Elder Dellenbach and I are staying in Sand Lake and I am going to be the District Leader now.  I am excited to be a District Leader.

Elder Ashby will be leaving Wednesday morning to fly back to Salt Lake.  He is doing well though.  For Thanksgiving we are eating at a members house, the Penmens, they are an awesome family.  And for big holidays like that they have us go in to our apartments early.

I am not a Dristrict Leader any more.  Its because our dristrict was too small so they combined it with another one.   It has been snowing here a lot.  We probably have about 2 feet now.  And I have to get acostom with the idea of brushing off the car almost every morning.  Bridgets Baptism will have to be postponed because she hasn't been to church yet.



On Saturday a family from Fairbanks came down that I taught all of the new member lessons to.  The came to take out their endowments and to get sealed in the Temple!  That was my first time attending a sealing.

It was such a wonderful experience.  The spirit was so strong there and you could just feel the love there.  There are the family in the Temple picture holding the little girl.  Their name is the Cerny's.


Later that day we had a baptism for 3 People! A mother and her 2 daughters Gracy, Kelly, and Holly.  I physically baptized Holly! That was my first time actually baptising anyone.  I could feel the spirit so strongly testifying of truth.

Gracy, Kelly, and Holly

On Sunday we had a lesson with a 13 year old boy named Aaron.  He was
tracted into on a zone tract in our area.  He has a strong Christan faith.
We shared the first lesson with him and we were about to watch the
Restoration DVD with him when His mother got home along with his sister.
And they joined us for watching the movie!  Then during the movie one of
his friends came to his house and watched the movie with us!  And after we
bore our testimonies of the truth of that message.  We challenged them all
to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.  They all accepted and they all
asked for a B of M.  Aaron is on a spiritual quest right now and wants
to know.  It was a small miracle because we had already given away 3 B of M
that day and I didn't think that we had 4!  I thought we had 2 in the car.
But we found 2 more luckly haha.  I am so thankful to be able to serve a
mission.

We have one more baptismal date right now of a 9 year old boy named Demarcus Olloway.  So I am having a beaver hat made for me up here so I will look a true Alaskan!  I found a lady in another ward that will make one if you provide the beaver pelt so she is now in the process of making it :)  I will send a picture when I have it.

I am staying warm enough, Anchorage isn't too cold. The work is going good.  Last week was pretty slow because of thanksgiving and all.  Gracy and her children are doing well, she is now engaged now and is hoping to be married soon.  We haven't been doing much tracking as of late.  But we are going to be finding a lot more since out teaching pool is getting smaller.  Our next Zone Conference is December 14th so we will be looking forward to that.

October 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELDER KVAVLE!

Kinda looks like they all have the same tie on.

I usually am at the door of the chapel greeting the members in the Sand Lake Ward in the Anchorage Stake.  The weather has really been cooling off first week in October.  There is snow on the mountains and we are getting frost almost every night now.  Our Zone Conference with Elder Walker, our last district, and Elder Dellenbach and I.

So I'm training of Elder Dellenbach is going well,  its kind of odd and I have asked other trainers about it but it doesn't feel like I do much for him.  But the other trainers say that's just how it it but you actually doing a lot for them.  We actually had just a few days that were jammed packed then others that were less busy.  I wrote Sadie a letter a couple of months ago but she hasn't respond.  We have had a few lessons this week and I just love teaching people and seeing the spirit touch them and see them want the spirit more and more in their lives.

Thank you for all of the presents that you have sent me mom!  My companions say that your awesome for paying for us to go out to dinner.  So yesterday we had a lesson with one of our investigators named Bridget, and we had the first lesson with her and at the end of it we asked her if she would like to be baptized and she said Yes!  It was a way cool lesson.  We set up a date for her to be baptized and we are shooting for the end of November like the 26th.

We just had another lesson with our investigator Bridget.  And we invited her to a missionary fireside this Saturday and Jeffrey R. Holland is coming up and will be speaking to us and our investigators!  Bridget was found through tracking a few months ago and we just started teaching her the lessons a month ago.  She is set to be baptized the 23rd of November!  Justin and Catherin, our recent converts are doing good, we have had dinner with them since we baptized them and we are trying to meet with them again so we can teach them the new member lessons.  Elder Ashby goes home November 9th.  Training is hard,  fun but hard. The first snow up here was Sunday morning!  So that was pretty cool.


So I'm not 100% sure what Elder Kvavle is eating...if this was a Birthday treat or not.  It's some kind of weird/gross looking cooked egg of some sort.

Here are a few more pictures...

September 2011

"Yeah being out for 7 months is so crazy!  The time has really flown by.  Because I am serving the Lord I have been blessed with many great things.  With the couple that was just baptized I love seeing the change in them.  Because they are willingly following the commandments they are seeing many blessings in their lives which includes happiness.  They haven't missed a Sunday since I have been here.  I have seen my own testimony grow so much in the mast 7 months,  and I can definitely say that others peoples testimony's have influenced me."


"Last week I was in Fairbanks we went to the Artic Circle with Brother Marshall.  It was a 14 hour drive round trip. The Artic Circle was not as exciting as I thought it was gong to be, but it was still really cool and to have seen it and taken pictures.  I also tore a tendon or a ligament my shoulder and a shard of calcium built up there.  So we had Stake conference yesterday and it was a broadcast from Salt Lake and Elder Holland and President Packer spoke to all of the Stakes in Alaska and Washington, so that was way cool."


"I am loving my mission and the people here and the other missionaries.  They really make it easier up here.  Transfers are coming up and I am not sure what will happen so we will see.  I still have 2 companions for another 2 weeks because Elder Salvador is going home a week after transfers due to his Visa.  But we are having transfers on Saturday so we will see what happens with that.  Yeah I see President and Sister Beesley much more often now that I am in Anchorage.  Probably about every other week.  The mission home is also pretty close to but I haven't been to it yet."


"Our apartment is really small.  A one bedroom, with three of us sleeping in it so there isn't a lot of room, and I don't have a desk yet.  We sometimes have time to cook.  I made carmel brownies and you famous chocolate cake in Fairbanks.  Here we cook fish and rice a lot.  My new thing I like making though are smoothies with protein and oats.  I have also bought some Tang.  Since we stopped buying it after I spilled it as a kid (haha).  I am excited for general conference coming up.  We also have Zone conference this week and we have Elder Walker of the 70 coming up.  And in November Elder Holland is coming up for a Stake Conference up here!  So it is exciting."

"So we found out what was happening with transfers on Saturday.  Elder Salvador is leaving to go home on October 4th.  Elder Ashby is going to be the new District Leader and I am staying with him.  I will be training a new missionary.  So there will be three of us again.  But his is coming out on October 10th due to health problems.  I am guessing he rolled his ankle in the MTC so they kept him longer.  I am really excited to train!  And I will have Elder Ashby to help me out some too.  So Elder Ashby's guess is that once he leaves next transfer I will be the new District Leader because in our district are the Zone Leaders and 2 missionaries in Dutch Harbor, so they have to call in and one of them is an ex-assistant to the president.  So we will see.  I am excited for the October Ensign too!  I can't wait to use it.  Right now I am studying 2 Nephi 20 and I am also reading Mark.  I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time on my mission a couple of months ago so now I want to read all of  the New Testament as well.  I feel like it will help me and my investigators."



"We have a part member family that we are going to start teaching this week and they will probably get baptized, I hope!  The members sign up for missionary dinners like a month in advance, and then they forget about it and they end up canceling.  So we have a dinner by ourselves a couple times a week.  But that's ok, it just helps my cooking skills."


"I learned more at the Temple today then I think I ever have before.  The Temple really is a house of learning. Conference was so amazing this last weekend!  I only have 2 more conferences left!  We watched it at our Stake center.  But we didn't have any investigators come though.  When Elder Walker of the 70 was here for Zone Conference he told us a lot of cool stories about President Monson.  So on Monday Elder Dellenbach (my new missionary) got to the mission field early.  So I took Elder Dellenbach on his greeny tract and we hit 3 doors in 1 1/2 hours!  And we got 2 return appointments.  And one of them is like a solid potential investigator.  We were with him for for like an hour and we were able to resolve some of his concerns by the power of the spirit,  the Lord spoke through us so were were able to witness the spirit toughing his heart.  It was a way good tract.  So all of us ( E. Salvador, Ashby, and me) went into the mission home to spend the night with Elder Dellenbach.  Elder Salvador Left to fly back home to the Philippines on Tuesday morning.  So there is still 3 of us missionaries."

Elder Dellenbach and Elder Kvavle

"I am learning more and more while I am out here that working hard brings happiness.  I am trying my hardest to do that so that the Lord will bless my life and the lives of my investigators and the lives of all of you.  I am reading this months Ensign and its about the Book of Mormon and it is explained so simply.  It really strengthens your testimony of it.  There is one store about someone investigating the church and when the missionaries introduce the Book of Mormon he gets up and goes and washes his hands.  He did that because the missionaries explained that it was a sacred book.  That really stood out to me because I often times take the Book of Mormon for granted." 


"Yeah my birthday is coming up soon and I am going to be 20!   That is such a crazy thought.  I will be entering my 20's, what a strange thought."

Here's a cool picture of the clouds taken by Elder Kvavle