Habanero Salsa!

HOLA MI FAMILIA!!!

First thing. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL!!! It's crazy to think how much everyone will have grown while I'm out here. Sounds like it was a fun birthday. Love You! Also, thanks for your letters this week!

 Oh boy, the library is busy and so I might have to get off in 2 minutes but I'll get back on later if we can...

  So nothing too crazy happened this past week. I did manage to lock ourselves out of the car while it was POURING. So that was pretty sweet.

  Poop. got to go

Okay, I'm back once again! Elder Brown and I are doing well together. I eat constantly throughout the day, even as we're going tracting I munch on granola bars. For lunch I eat like 4 PB and J sandwiches and a couple tacos and have only gained a couple pounds the whole time I've been out here. In Elder Brown’s diabetes check up the doctor told him he needed to lose about 15 or 20 pounds, which would basically be my weight. So I think he tries to plan our day so that there's minimal amount of time to eat meals just to spite me haha. Here I am eating all the time and I don't gain wait while he eats hardly nothing and needs to shed a few pounds. It's kinda funny. I just try to enjoy my metabolism while I have it! We had a zone activity (we basically played a one verse all version of dodgeball) and we had a teaching appointment so my Pday is a little mixed around today. 

So like I was saying... Not too much happened this week, but getting locked out of the car (until the Vehicle coordinator drove down and saved us) turned out to be a blessing. We turned lemons into Lemonade by knocking doors around where the car was parked. We ended up having like one of the best first lessons we ever have had. They were already so humble. They committed to read the Book of Mormon, to pray, and to be baptized when they know it's true. BUT, they were an English family so we turned them over to the other Elders. EVERY Spanish Investigator we have is Catholic (which means you go to church once a year on Christmas and you have a Bible in your house but you don't know where it is haha) And the Hispanic population works like crazy. So they work on Sundays, which is what is keeping several of them from coming to church :( Also, they generally can't read very well, which makes gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon a little more difficult. But they really are great people and I'm learning to love them tremendously. I often find myself bearing testimony to my friends (that's what I'll call them, not investigators but friends) and begging them in my heart that they will accept this message of the restored gospel. I want them to have it so badly. I pray for them and hope to see some of them progress because I know how it can bless their lives. The mission has already truly been an incredible opportunity to feel of the love that the Savior and Heavenly Father has for his children - Especially the Spanish ones in OHIO ;) I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH! So I continue to work hard and be patient :D 

Random thing of the week - Me and Elder Brown tried "DA BOMB" it's like one of the hottest habanero salsa's in the world. Elder Brown took the smallest drop on his tortilla. He nearly doubled over crying from pain. The quote that says, “wise men learn from their own mistakes, but Wiser men learn from the mistakes of others" apparently doesn't apply to me. After Elder Brown's episode of tears and hyperventilating I promptly followed suit and took the SMALLEST drop of salsa and consequently suffered similar pain. Luckily it was just dinner at a members house and so we were comfortable with looking like pathetic Gringos. But honestly, I love the people here!

Last note, apparently I might be training right after I'm done training. It's a real possibility. The number of missionaries is going to almost double by the next few transfers! This work is so crazy and I love it! The church is true! Love you all and have a great week!!!   -Elder Kevin Graf

**Kevin also sent a handwritten letter and said to let everyone know that he is grateful for all of the letters he's received from friends and family. He doesn't have time to answer everyone, but he really appreciates the support. He also mentioned that if they come across an English household, they teach them the first lesson and then refer them to the English Elders. But if they find an English household in Huber Heights (where they live) they keep them and continue teaching them. They end up teaching about half in English and half in Spanish. 

A Week's Worth of Awesome

 Hola mi querido familia en Utah! Upon request, this is what a typical day is like for me: Wake up and pray at 6:30. Exercise for 30 minutes, shower, and eat half a box of cereal (and an apple if there's time). From 8 to 9 we have personal study. From 9 to 11 we have Companionship study (normally only one hour of Comp study per day but because I'm training I have 2 hours Comp study a day for the next 9 or so weeks). 11 to Noon is Language study (something Elder Brown and I have neglected recently because of random chores we've had to get done). Noon to 1 p.m. is lunch hour. We also try to clean during lunch and do various things like that. But after lunch we get to work! We generally have 3 towns as our hotspots: New Carlise (a smaller rural town that Elder Brown loves because it reminds him of home. It's actually where some good potential investigators are) Dayton- Dayton is a bigger city (downtown Dayton there are some big buildings like Salt lake. But we stay in the more suburban/ slums parts of Dayton) and the third area is Huber Heights where we live. We don't actually like to spend much time in Huber Heights because there aren’t a lot of Hispanics. So that's a brief summary of what we do. We talk with everyone. We knock doors, which is actually something that I don't really mind because anything can happen haha. We go to teaching appointments. We talk with Mexicans (who are always so willing to feed us!) It's quite wonderful. No one is on track to baptism right now but we're finding new people almost every day. As a mission we found 354 new investigators last week! a new record! This is a great blessing to be a part of this work. I love it. I never realized how much the missionaries need the help of members. The work is seriously handicapped without member help! So be nice to the missionaries in your areas! Be prayerfully looking for someone you can share your testimony with, and then when the missionaries come asking, whenever that might be, you'll have someone for them to teach. And if the missionaries don't come around then fell free to take the initiative and teach your friends, neighbors, coworkers what you know. The gospel is for everyone. 

Time is always my enemy. I'm realizing that there is just no way to tell you all about everything I'm doing. 90 minutes of email time isn't enough to cover a weeks worth of awesome. But I'll continually try to pick a few things and do them justice with my frantic typing on this sticky keyboard. I email from a public library.

   Biggest thing that happened last week started with Wednesday. We drove down to Cincinnati area (about an hour south of my area in Dayton) to do a 24 hour exchange with our Zone leaders. The first part of the exchange was awesome. Wednesday evening we switched companions and both groups had a lot of fun with cool teaching experiences. Our zone leaders are the coolest. We stayed in their apartment that night. They are hilarious. They wrestle and pin each other down and scream at each other "Tell me you love me!" Quite Entertaining.

   But after Wednesday’s fun, things went south and it turned into a lot longer than a 24 hour exchange. Elder Brown is diabetic and his Blood sugar shot through the roof over night (which we later found out was because he hadn't set his pump in properly so he wasn't getting the insulin he needed). But he woke up feeling awful and was throwing up throughout the morning. I gave him a blessing, said good-bye to the zone leaders, and drove him to the E.R. We checked in expecting to be there for only a few hours. We learned that hospital protocol for a diabetic reaction as bad as his called for us to stay the night. And so we did. Elder Brown was monitored back to health throughout the night while I eventually got to sleep around 3:30 AM on a creative arrangement of hospital chairs. By 2 p.m. Friday he was well enough that we checked out and left. We've taken it a little easier the past couple days and Elder Brown is doing well. So far I've had to drive both of my companions to the E.R. and I'm awfully worried for my next companion, haha.

   Overall my testimony of the priesthood continues to grow. I had several other opportunities to give other blessings last week as well. One blessing was to a member's nonmember mother in the Hospital on our way to the 24 hour exchange. By the end of the blessing the older Spanish lady was in tears. The spirit works amazing emotions inside people.

   We also met another lady in Walmart who we ended up travelling to her home and giving her a blessing. Long story short we were confined to give the blessing to the lady on her porch where it was cold and windy. But she said she felt warm throughout the blessing. Go figure.

  Another blessing was given to a less active lady who had pain in her side from gall bladder or kidney stones. We gave her a blessing and next time we followed up with her she said that the doctor couldn't find the stones anymore and she no longer had pain. How Cool!

   If it sounds like I'm rushing through these stories it's because I am. Time is up. But Heavenly Father is A God of Miracles and He continues to work miracles in our lives today. We just have to look for and recognize them.

   Random thing of the week: I tried Cow tongue in a taco. It was fabulous. Just like a chewy steak :D

   LOVE YOU ALL! HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

-Elder Kevin

Small Miracles

Okay, prepare yourselves for a bunch of random stories. 

I had a nice long list of letters I was going to write last week. But before I sat down to write I went to the bathroom. I flushed the toilet, and then Tragedy struck. Apparently when I flushed, a little mechanical lever in the back of the toilet seat decided to get jammed, thus creating an endless flow of water. The Toilet overflowed, causing a minor flood in the bathroom. Water dripped through the vents to the downstairs bathroom as well. Needless to say, after getting emergency clean-up crew guys on the scene, the rest of my P-day was spent on sanitizing efforts. I decided God must have a good sense of humor. The Flood occurred just two minutes after I had decided that "today there isn't time to clean, I need to write letters."

Mom, here's some quick answers to your questions:

     Yes, we get plenty of dinners, one day we actually had two dinner appointments. It was fantastic. I eat quite a bit, constantly actually. I love the Mexican food the members give us.

      I only have one branch that I attend but they're great people. Quantity over quality :D

      Yes, it's just me and Elder Brown in our apartment. 

       Yes, I'm completely comfortable driving. I'm getting to know the area pretty well. We don't bike much, only when we're low on miles (we have assigned miles per month.)

       How do we find Latino people? Good question. We teach about half and half, half in English and half in Spanish. We have a few talents for recognizing the Latino homes. It's not stereotypical. It's culture, ha, ha. Sometime we just knock a door and ask if there are any Hispanics in the area. We make sure to identify ourselves as missionaries, not as some immigration enforcement organization (which is why we believe some Latino people don't answer their door, a little frustrating).  

      

 Time is running out... AGH...

    The status of our area is improving. Elder Brown and I agree that changes are in the works. One of our less-active families was less-active because they had to work most Sundays. But now the Brother doesn't work Sundays and he and his family will be able to attend church each week!

      I'm learning not to believe in coincidences, but to recognize those special occurrences as small miracles. A few days ago while Elder Brown and I were tracting, we met a father working in his front garden. Turns out he's from Russia and only speaks enough English to say that he doesn't speak English but speaks Turk. Now here's the "coincidence". Elder Brown and I, two Spanish speaking missionaries, happened to have a couple copies of the Book of Mormon in Turk. (We had ordered them a few days earlier because one of our member's had a Russian friend that they wanted to give a Book of Mormon to). So we told the guy in the garden that we'd back in two minutes (using an eclectic mix of finger signals). We went back to the car, grabbed the Turkish copy and returned to the guy. As we began inviting him to read it, his son came out and met us. The guy's son could speak English so he acted as an interpreter for us. We learned that they were Muslim but they agreed to take the Book of Mormon and study it. BOOYEAH. Seed planted. 

     

      OH, Thank you for the cookie ingredients!** I love that you sent all those ingredients. We made some yesterday morning. They were a bit of a science experiment but still tasty, sugar is sugar. We delivered them to a few investigators. It was thoughtful to include a letter to Elder Brown, he's been homesick and has been thirsty for letters. We are also working well together. 

    I thought of you all during conference! Dad I thought of you especially during the Priesthood session, thank you for being an example of a faithful and strong priesthood holder throughout my life. I've been able to participate in several blessings out here in the field. They've been great experiences.  We watched the sessions in English (thankfully), with the exception of one talk by Elder Fallaba of the Seventy. He had such a strong accent that Me and Elder Brown decided it would be easier to understand the Spanish translation broadcast. I am surprising myself at how much I'm able to understand now. I’m far from fluent but I'm making strides each week. Church is true. Thank you and I love you all!! Got to go. Have a good week! Read your scriptures and pray EVERY DAY. Adios! LES QUIERO!  

**(Lest you wonder why I'd send cookie ingredients and not the actual cookies to Kevin, you have to know that Kevin bakes really good cookies. He learned years ago when he realized that if he made them, they would get made more often, and he could eat them more often. It all comes back to food. I figured they would be better hot out of the oven than cold out of a package. They must have been a science experiment because of Ohio's lower elevation and its effects on baking. We are suffering at home with no one to make good cookies. Krysta tried yesterday, but accidentally left out the butter leaving us with cookies that no one would eat. Erin makes great banana bread; Camille is Kevin's heir apparent in the cookie department.)

Week 2 in the field

The above pictures were taken while still at the MTC but sent from Ohio.

Kevin usually writes in response to my email, writes his President and then writes another email home. Sometimes we get time for a quick question in between. This time I asked if he had pictures from Ohio. He hadn't taken many but promised to send some next week.

Mom,

  Spanish is coming slower than I'd like. It has been a tad discouraging, knowing that I've had 4 years of Spanish and still can't communicate fluently. But thank you for the words of wisdom to keep working hard. I know I just need to be patience and diligent and it will come. It's comforting to know that Elder Fivas has been experiencing similar trials. A trio must be difficult. 

  That's funny about Josh's camera. I can't believe it was in our car the whole time! I'm glad you located it before he left for the MTC, even tho he's not taking it with him.

  Sounds like you all had a good time in southern Utah. that's great. Yes I'd like to do Angel's landing sometime. That's one thing I miss about Utah, the Mountains! It's flat as a pancake here.

  Thank you for the East package. It was fantastic. Me and Elder Brown have already eaten through almost all of it. And yes I'm excited for Conference. You know you're a missionary when you look forward to conference more than a holiday haha. Unfortunately I can only write on Pdays. BUT I can read letters any day of the week. SO feel free to send a letter with your questions so I can think about them throughout the week.

I need to email President now. I'll try to send out one last email in about in about an hour.

-Kevin

Alright so there's not time to write another letter so I'll just copy and paste the letter I sent to President Nilsen. haha Enjoy. 

President,

     I'm getting more immersed in the area and the Spanish culture, I love it. I'm getting to know the area, the people, the branch, and the language a little better. I have been making progress in my ability to teach and speak, but at the same time it's not as fast as I'd like. Truth is, I've had four years of Spanish classes and I feel like I should be able to communicate better than I can now. This has been a bit frustrating and is maybe all part of the Lord's plan to humble me so He can build me. I know I need to be patient with myself. I'm recommitting my faith and I'm going to make a more conscious effort to actively learn the language throughout the day.

    Our area hasn't been meeting all of the mission standards. It's been in a bit of a slump lately.  But the members of our small branch are incredible people. This is something that me and Elder Brown could improve on - Do everything we can to involve the members more fully in the work. Now that the English ward is going to help provide meals for us, I think it would be okay to ask more of the Spanish branch (more member present lessons, more referrals, etc.)  One thing that has been going really well is an increase in Less Active Member attendance. Two less-active families have been at church the past two weeks, and both have offered and provided us multiple dinner appointments.

    Me and Elder Brown can clash a little bit but those moments are few and far in between. And we both get over it quickly. We are both realizing that we've got plenty to learn from each other. This work isn't always peachy, but I know it's inspired and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

-Elder Kevin Graf 

Well. There it is. My weekly letter to president. Yes the Spanish hasn't come as fast as I'd like but I'm really not as discouraged as I may sound. I do notice that I'm improving and I just need to be patient. Yes, I'm in a Spanish branch so all our meetings are in Spanish, good jolly fun. Unfortunately I can only write on Pdays, but I can receive and read letters/ packages any day of the week. FYI, I think it takes about 3 days for stuff to get here if you forward it from the Mission home, not too bad in my opinion.

Random!

Ate a jalapeno, it scorched my throat. But I love the Mexican food we get fed, I'll have to buy some and send it home sometime. Thanks for the Easter goodies, I've gained a couple pounds. When It snowed here, I thought of a new door approach for tracting: Build a mini portable snowman, knock on doors, ask people for raisins/chocolate chips for the eyes. It breaks the ice and then you get talking about Jesus haha :D we actually got a couple return appointments. Good Stuff. Well, got to go, I'll take some pics and send them next week. Thank you for being the greatest family in the world. LES QUIERO. 

  -Elder Kevin