Fun Things in Oskaloosa!

They had some fun with fake mustaches.

 

Dear Family!!!

So this week has been one to remember for sure! We’ve had a lot of great things happening here in Osky, that have only been brought to us because of the Lord. We’ve had both ups and downs, but the ups are the only thing that you remember throughout the week. It’s crazy that most of the good things in life are remembered most! That’s how it should always be! Never dwell on past mistakes or bad things that have happened! We’ve just been focusing on the good in everything and our weeks have been so great!

Our Halloween was really happy for sure! We have to be in at 6 on that day, just because of safety and because everyone is out trick or treating. So we went to a member’s house, that isn’t too far from where we live. So we walked there and brought some food that we made, ya we cooked a little bit.. mom.. haha There was a few people from the ward there and the food was great! We played a few games and had a little pepper eating contest! it was super hot!! The time having fun was great and reminded me of the great family that I have back home!

A lesson that we had set up with a semi less active person turned into a miracle for the week! We got to the members house and talked with them a little bit, as we waited for the other person to arrive. While we did, we began talking to a cousin of the member. N......is his name and he is now one of the new investigators that we have. So after talking to him, we started teaching him about the gospel and another friend came into the room and sat down to listen. We than started to teach him (W....). It was a great lesson!! N.... really needs the gospel in his life and had no idea that this was the reason that he came all the way from Memphis. Guess what! N..... came to church this week as well, it was fast and testimony meeting of course. As we listened to the members bare their testimonies, I saw in the corner of my eye, N..... get up and start to walk to the podium. Elder Cutler and I looked at each other, because we couldn’t believe it. N..... got up and bore his testimony about learning about the gospel and how much it’s already changing his life! The spirit filled the room as he continued and I know that I felt a warm feeling inside my heart! It was a great reassurance that I know that our efforts as missionaries are not wasted. N..... has a baptismal date for Dec. 14.

All of the other investigators are doing pretty well, J..... came to church again and is still shooting for the date of Dec 7. We taught him the word of wisdom, this past week, you don’t find too many people out here that are already living it. Well J... just happens to be that guy!

We also had interviews this week as well, I think that it might have been my last interview with President Jensen. I had to renew my temple recommend too.. That just shows how fast time is flying here! I can’t believe that it’s already here. In the interview, we talked a little bit about what I might do, with the last few months I have left. I will either be staying here or going this coming transfer, but he said he will have to pray about it..

So some exciting news as well! I talked to him about Nicole getting her call. He said that I can talk to you guys. Txt me when she gets it and when she will open her call up, so we can plan the time into our schedule. Then I can hear her read it! I am excited to hear from you guys soon!

I will talk to you guys soon! love ya all! Have a super week!!

LOVE ELDER KIRTON KIRTON KIRTON KIRTON!!



Looks like he had some fun taking pictures!

 

 

Happy Halloween!

So I received the little package that you sent this past week! thanks so much for the pictures, everyone seems to be having lots of fun over at the house! The costumes look great too... Nachooooo... haha dads was pretty funny! at least I think that is who he was being.. haha any way this Halloween is going to be pretty fun for us, we are going to a member's to eat and play some games a stuff.. We have to be in at 6 on Thursday, just so everyone stays safe I guess.. I will have to let you know how it turns out.

It’s really hard to think of where I would like to start with this week, because we had so much going on and so many great things happened this week! Monday was the start of our great week! We went over to the G..... home for dinner and found out that a few investigators were also coming over, it was a surprise but a good one at that matter! During dinner we ate some wonderful food and had a little hot pepper eating contest.. haha bad idea! Elder Cutler and myself  both had a bite of one and man were our mouths on fire!! Brother G..... ate one, it was super funny, I was crying because it was super funny, not because it was hot.. but that all transitioned to our lesson which went very well!

We spent two full days out of our area this week, which is really tough on the area and the people, but the Lord made up for it..I’ll tell you why in a little bit. On Wednesday we went all the way down to Lenox, over 2 hours away.. I had a great time serving with the elder in that area. It was a cold day and wasn’t snowing but almost. Missionary work is a lot harder it seems like in the cold. Right after that we had a district meeting and then traveled to Chariton. Elder Brown and myself went on exchanges together. We saw a lot of miracles that day, it seemed like everyone we talked to wanted to listen to us, so we taught everyone that we talked to.. which doesn’t always happen that way. The day just goes by so fast when you teach all day, it’s crazy really. The last person we talked to lives out in a little town, in a rugged old house, with old cars all over and random things all over the place. Honesty I was a little scared to go knock on the guy’s door, but we continued to press forward. We ended up teaching the man and his girlfriend, they accepted the gospel very well. They had so many questions that can only be answered by the restored gospel! It’s really humbling to think about how blessed we are as members of Christ’s church. You really don’t realize what you have until you don’t have it anymore. I have seen a lot of crazy things out here in Iowa and it has taught me so much, stuff that I would have never learned anywhere else! My invitation is to look at the life that you do have and see how blessed you are compared to some people who don’t have very much. The world CANNOT give you want you need as a child of God, only God can do that for you. Another thing that I learned well at a lesson the other day, that the spirit taught me was, not to hide my true identity as a missionary, now it took me a little bit to figure out what that really meant to me. Hiding the truth or who you are as member of the church is something that Satan likes to make you do. Share what you know and let the world hear your voice, as you continue to cry unto this world with a sound of a trump! I am grateful for the spirit:)

On Sunday we ended up having 5 people come to church, which is the most that we’ve had in a long time! It was a miracle and was a blessing for the work that we put in this past week. People are changing everywhere you go, let yourself  be changed also. The work is true I know it is!

I hope you have a great Halloween! you will have to let me know how it goes! LOVE YOU ALL!

LOVE ELDER KIRTON!!



No pictures this week.

Happy October! Family!

Heaven is up!.. haha and things are doing well here to!
Man its sounds like you had a great Halloween party, to bad I missed it.. next time. Halloween is definitely on its way here with the leaves falling and the work of the Lord continuing always. It’s been cooling down very fast here and is supposed to snow tomorrow, but we will have to see what really happens. The weather men around here seem to have a hard time getting it right.. haha o well :)

On Tuesday we had our annual meeting as a mission leadership, in Iowa City. I always enjoy those meetings so much, because they are filled to capacity with the spirit! We are working really hard to bring as many souls as possible to the waters of baptism and conversion. We know that the Lord has prepared 550 souls this year, which is our goal as a mission. The time is continuing to move at a very fast pace, with so much work to do.

On Wednesday we had the opportunity to teach a bunch of kids at the church about testimonies. It really helped me focus and think about what a testimony really is. Testimonies are a simple a belief in something that is true. Receiving a testimony is something that can take time or can happen through a very simple prayer. Joseph Smith received a testimony that changed the world, with one prayer! I would invite everyone to gain a testimony of what Joseph Smith did and what he was able to restore to this earth. As was announced in the past general conference, A testimony alone will not stand in the last days. Turn your testimony into a conversion and your will overcome the fiery darts of the world! This is my testimony:)

I was able to go on exchanges this week with a new elder in our zone. Elder Roberts is his name. The exchange took place in Osceola Iowa and it was a good one. We were able to talk to quite a few people and teach a couple member lessons. But the funny part of the exchange was in an old folk’s home. We walked by a lady just sitting in her wheel chair, started saying.. enemy, enemy, enemy and said you don’t know God.. after talking to her for a moment and saying have a nice day, Elder Roberts and I couldn’t help but laugh at that one. You really don’t know what you’re going to get each day out in the mission field.

On Sunday we were able to teach a less active man that is desiring to come back to church. After a long while of being away from the church, he found that nothing could make him happier then when he was actively going to church. He finally broke down and told his member friend that he would like us to come by. We would have never known that he lived there and was a member of the church, if it wasn’t for the Lord enlightening his mind. That was such a blessing from the Lord. We also had a great lesson with Q.....and K....., who have started coming to church each week. The only thing holding them back is getting married... marriage.. it’s a killer around here. If people knew about the family proclamation to the world, there would be a lot more people baptized throughout the world. We are working very hard with them and helping them receive answers to their prayers, which is the only way that they’re going to know if this is the right thing for them.

That was my week in a nut shell. How’s the weather? I hear it’s snowing there now. What are your plans for Halloween? It’s always good to hear from you all! always! I still can’t believe that I have less than 4 months left.. Wow! don’t blink.. because it will be gone..

So I think I failed to tell you about my comp.. thanks mom for reminding me:) Elder Cutler is from Paradise Utah, Logan area. And has been out one transfer less than me, so you could say that we are both really old!!! haha we get it all the time from all the missionaries.. But ya we are doing great and are having a fun time doing missionary work!

You better have a great week! I will chat next week! LOVE YA!! :] LOVE ELDER KIRTON!

Service Project Chopin' Wood!

Outside the barn house where he lives.

Lesson on the plan of salvation.

What up family? !!

This week has been one to remember for sure! We have received a lot of blessing from the Lord this week and I am very grateful for that. It’s taken about 6 weeks for as to get some stuff started, but the Lord is definitely blessing us for our efforts. There was a family that came to church this week, randomly, it was super cool. Hopefully we will be able to teach them super soon. So I got an email today about flying home... O man!! haha She wants to know the airport that I will be flying into.. I think it is the Salt Lake airport. But if it’s not then you will have to let me know what it is.:) It’s crazy that it is already that time for me.

Nicole’s car looks great! maybe she will have to some car art work for a job or something! So how’s everyone doing? So dad got a calling to be scout leader.. haha that’s pretty awesome! I hope that you’ve all had a really good week.

This week we were able to teach a lady that we talked last week, named C.... The cool story behind her is, we were trying to find a person who has talked to missionaries in the past, but we weren't able to find her. So as we were in the truck finding our next location, I felt like we should go knock on the door next to where we were parked. We ended up talking to her for 20 minutes and setting up a return appointment the following week. We taught her on Tuesday with Brother V........ She was very receptive to the message and doesn’t have any concerns right now. That was a little miracle for the week. We have been working with a guy named D...., who I told you a little bit about before.. I think.. anyway we set a baptismal date with him for Nov. 23. Now we just have to help him come to church. We were teaching a recent convert at the square on Thursday, which went very well. The cool part about it, is that her daughter showed up to.. so we started to teach her a little bit and invited her to be baptized and she said she would. S..... is her name and she’s was able to go to the women’s conference. When she was there she felt the spirit, but didn’t tell anyone but her mom.. her mom told us, so than we knew that we needed to go talk to her. It all worked out in the end, because the Lord blessed us a lot! Those are a few blessing this week!

Guess what? This week I ate something that you wouldn’t normally eat on a regular basis.. I had some Raccoon!! It was different, but wasn’t too bad, the only hard part was knowing that you are eating a raccoon..haha, Do you wanna try some? My companions stomach didn’t agree with it very well.. haha it was super funny. I don’t now if I should laugh about that or not..

Elder Graham, my companion from Dewitt about a year ago. Is know serving in our district. It was so good to see a him. It was really crazy to think that I served with him about a year ago.

I almost forgot our Sunday experience. So I gave a talk in sacrament meeting on receiving revelation. It’s been so long since I’ve given a talk in sacrament meeting, I think it went pretty good. It’s going to give me some practice for the future. Right after church we had to drive to Des Moines for a meeting with the stake president and mission president regarding the missionary efforts in our zone. like before.. I always love going to Des Moines, because it brings back good memories of serving there with Elder Maugham who I saw at the meeting. we drove back to Osky to our dinner and lesson appointment with the G..... and Q.... and K..... and than a lesson with A..... a new investigator. Things here are really starting to pick up a lot. I hope we will be able to do all we can before the end of the year!

It’s good to hear from you guys again as always! I pray for you safety! love ya a lot!!

LOVE ELDER KIRTON!!

Just relaxing

Service work

 

Cool old train

Scooping up Black Walnuts

He called it a picker uper thingy.

Taking a break.

One of the districts.

 

Hey

Everybody

Lots of

Love

October

!

General conference was definitely the high light of the week for me and for most of you I hear! There were lots to be learned at this conference for me, it’s sad to say that it will be my last conference that I will ever attend as a missionary! :( I really felt the love that comes from all the members of the church as they prayed for the missionaries at conference. It’s such a blessing to be serving in this wonderful time and dispensation. Where there are many prepared and searching for the truth. I think we all need to ponder the messages that were shared at conference for the next 6 months. I don’t think that there’s anything more important that General conference, now that I've been serving as a missionary.

One thing that stood out to me this time, was the importance of families! I know that the family proclamation to the world is prophecy for this day and age! I would encourage everyone to read it and look over it. As a missionary, I have seen a lot of families that are being destroyed by the wickedness of the world today, I do not want to see that with the family that I’ve grown up in, love and care about! So please give heed to the words of eternal life. :) Enduring to the end is going to get harder and harder as it gets close to the coming of Jesus Christ, so we need to strengthen our testimonies, but most importantly our conversion! Daily prayer, scripture study and weekly church attendance will keep you safe! There really is so much that was talked about at this Conference but those are just some of the things that stuck out to me.

On October 1st.. I did something I've never done before in my life.. I gave Blood at the Blood drive, here at the University of Penn. I know that Nicole wouldn’t have liked that at all .. haha .. After I was finished giving blood, I felt great and got up off of the bench. I about passed out.. haha but luckily I didn’t but just had to sit down for a minute or two.. It was a fun experience for me.

The picture of Tod is great.. I still think that it’s crazy that he’s just up the road from me here in Osky! The mountains look great as well.. so did you guys get snow? I heard that some states got some snow already.. it was super cold the other day here, I had to put on a sweater..

For the teaching.. We were able to find a few new people to teach this week, which was really exciting! T.... is the name of the lady that we’ve just started to teach, she’s met with missionaries in the past. She believes in the Godhead, just like we do.. That they are all separate beings.. the funny thing is that she goes to a church that doesn’t believe that.. pretty crazy huh.? but we’re working on her.. we are hopefully going to teach her this week again. The other person is Sh...... she’s gone through a lot and needs this gospel in her life. She wants to change her life around.. well she found the greatest place to do that at.. haha it’s going to be a great week of finding and teaching. General Conference should give us a really good boost for the rest of the year and for the rest of the time that I have left to serve.

We received our transfer calls today as well.. I will be staying as well as Elder Cutler. YA!!

I hope you guys have another great week! I will talk to you next week! LOVE YA ALL!!

LOVE ELDER KIRTON!!! IN IOWA>> OSKY!!



 

Fun Week.

Wishes this was the new missionary attire.

 

 

Beautiful sunset in Oskaloosa.

 

 



Dear Family!!

Well it’s so good to hear from you again.. emailing just seems to come faster and faster as the months go on. When engaged in a good cause, you will always have a great time and when having a great time, your time flies!! I am glad to hear that everyone is safe and sound still! This week has been really fun for us here in Osky, like I said before, we’ve been doing a lot of service work here. I really love it and it feels like you’ve really accomplished something.. It’s not like knocking on doors at all. I am glad that we don’t do much of that here. For the weather report.. it’s sunny and should be for the rest of the week. I hope that this nice weather can hold out for us, till Christmas.. haha I only wish..

For this week.. We met a few members that we haven’t been able to go to yet, since we’ve been here. The S..... family is one of those. We got to their place around 5:30 on Thursday, ate some dinner and did some service for them. We helped load up some wood from there forest behind their house. The bad part about the woods here, is that there are all kinds of itchy weeds, poison oak and you name it.. Luckily we didn’t get into any of that this time. The S..... family has such a cool set up.. right next to a river out of town.. It’s like a dream location for me..

A lot of the work we are still doing is through the members and less-active families. We teach a lot of them right now and hope to find as the weeks go on. We are just setting a good foundation in this branch in which we can build off. Bring back fallen sheep.. is just a great as a baptism. We are really getting to know the branch and I am really gaining a true love for these people here. They all have struggles and trials in their lives, just as we do. It really makes me reflect on the life that I have had so far and how blessed it is! The people out here work hard together, because that is all they have to hold on to. I am grateful for the chance to serve, because I know that I’ve got more out of it than anything else.

We lost our good friend B... for the moment.. he’s decided to get married in February. When we lose one we can always find another soul that is ready to find the truth! We taught D.... this past week, the lesson seemed to go well, given the fact that we don’t know much about this guy yet.. he knows the P....... up in Mason City where I served before.. If I haven’t already told you that.. haha it’s pretty cool I think.. it must be for a reason!

With General Conference coming up really soon! I would encourage everyone to give heed to the words of the apostles and prophet. Elder Gay told us it will be similar to last conference... which means missionary work.. Make sure to take some  really good notes, so you all can prepare for the fiery darts of the adversary! The faster and strong we grow as a people, the harder Satan will try to destroy us. Again watch conference with your spiritual eyes and listen with your spiritual ears. Remember you are love by your Heavenly Father.

1. Be obedient to the commandments                                                                                               

2. Pray often

3. Listen to the promptings of the spirit

4. Be good to your fellow family members and friends

5. Know that God knows you!

those are some of the basic things that I’ve learned through study. Read the Ensign.. its super awesome!

what are some of the things you learn from conference? How’s your Book of Mormon reading going?

Thanks for the letters and pictures you sent as well!

I love you guys!!

..



Having fun in Osky!

The barn where he is staying.



Hey! hey! hey! family!

September 23, 2013, I woke up today and went to email my family at the good old library, that was the day!

haha this is my journal entry for the day I hope you liked it.. haha.. they’re not all like that though.. anyway it’s been a great week here in Osky! I am grateful for the package that I got, it was totally blue!! I am pretty sure that they lost because I wasn’t there cheering them on.. but o well.. So the package will probably last me till Christmas, there are so many goodies in there.. haha thanks so much! love ya!

We had our Zone training meeting again on Thursday this past week, it went really well! It was the first time that our zone was together, since I’ve been here. It was an hour and a half drive to Osceola and that is central to the zone.. so that kinda gives you a little idea of how far we drive. To answer your question about our area though.. basically we stay in Osky, because that is where most of the members are at. We can drive 30 minutes each way and still be in our area though..

This Saturday we did some service at the old N..... farm just outside of town a few minutes. They have a really big festival every year and I happen to be here for it.. super awesome.. So we got placed in this old general store, that has a bunch of old clothes and items that you would buy.(see pics) We basically had the opportunity to talk to everyone that came in there, which is great being a missionary. There were a few people that wanted to know what the name badges were, so that sparked a conversion really easy. Haha funny story though, this older lady talked to us for 15 minutes about her church and certain things in her life. She was trying to convert us in a way, but the great news is, I am still Mormon.. haha.. The conversations you have as a missionary are really interesting sometimes. Anyway we stayed there for a few hours and helped explain to people what the store is and how old it was. It was a fun experience, maybe someone will be more interested in learning from it.. who knows.. That’s something that I have learned for sure, that you can never anticipate how the Lords going to bring people to you. You just have faith that he will help you fulfill your calling.

So I found out the other day at dinner that K.... P...., who is the one from Draper, knows A... S.... and D..... So that was super cool. They are great missionaries here in this branch.

The best way to help anyone who doesn’t like to read is to.. Listen to conference talks or just listen to cd's.. that’s funny that you asked that question, because B.... has that same problem. We’ve been trying to help him read for that last few weeks, but he never ends up reading a whole lot, that’s just because he doesn’t like to, but if he doesn’t read than he won’t get an answer to the Book of Mormon. We got him some cd's to listen to, so I’ll have to let you know how it goes. He’s doing really good at others things, like coming to church, he’s been for the last 3 weeks. Church is usually the hardest thing to get people to do around here..

We get fed most days here in Osky, but not as much as Waukee. We are doing really well though, we have plenty of food.. don’t worry mom, I know that you’re thinking about it.. haha. We’ve got a Walmart out here, even though you might not think we do. haha I would say that I’ve gotten pretty good at cooking something.. not in a prideful way. The best thing is to make some biscuits and gravey... it’s really good!

The book of Alma! has been my favorite as a missionary! There is just so much in there, that has to do with missionary work and basically a bunch of great principles for life. My favorite scriptures are Alma 42: 21-25. Basic chapters that I turn to in the book of Mormon are, 2 Nephi 31 and Alma 32. There is so much in the scriptures, it’s really hard to pinpoint anything specific. As you read and listen to the spirit, you can be taught so many things!

I love you all! Remember that keeping the commandments is the best thing in the world and will keep you really happy, but most importantly safe! LOVE YA!!

LOVE ELDER THOMAS JAY KIRTON!

Picking Grapes

 

 

Dear Family, who is o so far away in the promise land!

Haha this week has been such a blast! I really don’t know where to start with all of the new information and excited insight that I received throughout this week.. I am glad that you’ve had a safe week there in Draper, that’s always the best news that I could ever ask for. So to give you an update on the weather, that you probably already know about, it’s been really cold these last few days.. like 40 to 50 in the mornings.. It’s been really crazy! I would never have thought that it would drop so fast, hopefully that doesn’t mean an early winter.. only time will tell!

So to give you a little bit more of an insight about the area in which I am serving.. The people here that I’ve been able to meet so far are amazing and others just need a little motivation to do missionary work. Remember to do your missionary work this week!!! we’ve been able to meet a few more families throughout the week, with the little time that we did have in our area. I'll tell you the reason why..

We had the wonderful opportunity to receive some inspiration from Elder Robert C. Gay of the seventy! He came to Waukee on Wednesday.. my old stomping grounds.. It’s about an hour and a half drive for us. I learned so much from him and learned a lot about missionary work of course. I can say that I really felt the power that he brought to the meeting, through his talk and stories. It really gives me a greater desire  to do missionary work forever! The cool thing is too, that he’s a business partner with Mitt Romney.. pretty sweet huh.? One thing that I’ve learned from his talk was that the Lord really can open any door that he wants. We just have to be willing to open it up!

The next day we spent in Osceola on exchanges.. I went with Elder Blauer in a town called Lamoni. So a little bit about this town is.. well there’s a lot of members from the Community of Christ there.. aka RLDS.. so missionary work there is a little bit different. Great people none the less.. They also have a lot of Amish people there that ride there horse and buggies around town. I thought that was interesting.. It was a great time!

Then Friday! I had another opportunity to see and receive council from Elder Gay.. For our mission leadership meeting.. It was a lot more personal this time, because there’s not a lot of missionaries that attend it.. only about 40. Anyway I've had a great week, learning a lot from men that are truly called of God!

Saturday! We helped the L..... pick a lot of grapes right out by our apartment. see pictures.. Service is something that I’ve really come to love! I have had a great time so far in Osky, with all of the service that’s been done here and the chance that we get to do it. Remember to get out and serve someone this week!!

So B.... is doing great! He cooked us some dinner yesterday! fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn! We taught another family this week too.. the N...... family! We’ve invited all of them to be baptized on Oct.26th so we will see what happens here in the next couple of weeks! The work has just begun here!

What’s school like for everyone? did you get a deer yet? Thanks for the letters and pictures that you sent this past week! You are the best family in the world!! I love you all! Have such a great week!

LOVE ELDER THOMAS KIRTON!! Here in Osky!!



 

 

 

 

Awesome News!

GOOD MORNING!!! FAMILY IN DRAPER UTAH!!

The first whole week in osky.. was super great! We’ve had a lot of little miracles in the area and have been able to connect with a lot of people. We’ve been working really hard to get to know a lot of the members here, since we don’t know anyone at all, but the branch here is so awesome and willing to do anything for missionary work!! This area is going to push me really hard for the next few months and I know that theLlord is going to help me grow a lot here. O ya osky... is the nick name that everyone here uses for Oskaloosa.. haha I will just go with the flow on that one as well.

I am glad that you got your package, I know that it isn’t much, but I hope you get a lot of use out of it.. Thank you as well for the package of sunshine.. I’ve been snacking on a lot of it already! as well as the other packages too:) The zone that we are in is very big and spread out, so it makes the drives great when I am able to snack on something.. :) So I sent it home because I haven’t used it since the mtc.. most places have pants that you can use anyway, so I figured I could save some room.. haha So where is that place that Conner and Bret are at? Looks like they are having fun, hopefully you guys can get something.. The weather here is very odd for Iowa right now.. as it is for most places it sounds like. Today is supposed to be very hot, but then it will start dropping towards the end of the week. Everyone here says that it doesn’t get really cold till after December.. I am excited about that.. the longer the summer the better I would like to say.. Everything is good here though, I have plenty of cloths for the winter and the rest of the summer, so I should be able to finish off with what I have left.:)

The B..... called you.. Awesome! So the story behind that is.. We drove to Des Moines for stake coordination, that we do with the mission president and the stake president here. We do it every month, which means all be down in Des Moines at least once a month.. it’s about an hour and a half drive! As we were waiting for the others to show up, he was in the hall way and I talked to him for a minute. Which ended up leading to where I was from, when he said he was from Draper I thought that was super sweet!.. Small world huh? .. I am glad that they were able to call you though.. I guess they are in Ryan and Tod’s ward..

The BYU game sounded awesome!! That’s great that the boys loved the game and that they won! ya!!

For the missionary work side of things.. We had an investigator come to church that we found and taught last week. His name is B...., he’s a great kid that wants to change his life and has been through a lot. Its been a miracle to get the chance to teach him and get him to church.. We’ve also been working with some people that the other missionaries were teaching before they left. Q...... is basically ready to be baptized, he just has a few more things to change and he will be ready! He knows that the church is true, the step of faith.. baptism.. is always the final and sometimes the hardest thing to help others do. It’s also the most rewarding and greatest experience ever!

This week we went on exchanges with the Elders in Knoxville! .. fun fact.. Knoxville has a huge sprint track there! for those that like love their racecars.. :) anyway.. Elder Firth my old companion from Mason City is serving there, I didn’t go out with him this time, but next time I will.. I went with a great elder by the name of Elder Underwood, he was born in Germany and lived there for a little while. He’s got such a great story! also he speaks like 4 languages.. wish I could to that.. I had a great time down there!

We’ve been doing a lot of service here in osky which is great! Since I didn’t get a lot of opportunities in Waukee.. We helped a member pull down a barn that got burned up, man I came out of that place with black ash all of the place, we had a great time with it though.. J... is such a funny and great guy!. that’s who we did service for.. The other service we did was right out in the back yard.. do you remember the grapevines that I took pictures of? well that’s where we were.. The L... are the ones that own the farm and the house that we stay at. We went and helped them pick a bunch of grapes and dumped them into a big smashers! It’s been a fun week and a hard one! Next week is going to be crazy, but you will have to tune in next Monday for the story!

I LOVE YOU ALL AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

LOVE ELDER KIRTON!!