Tuesday Journal Entry

I've been pretty awful at writing in my journal lately; we are just so busy, running from place to place, sun up til long after the sun is down. But last Tuesday was noteworthy so I made sure to record it in my journal. I don't have much time but I'll share with you my entry for that day.

"Every day of my mission I have been blessed to have the privilege of driving a mission vehicle, up until today. Elder Carranza had to borrow it for exchanges with the Fort Wayne elders (side story- that exchange cost 400 miles that we later found out aren't going to be reimbursed to us. that's a third of our miles for the month gone in two days and the joke is one me and Elder Gibb. Not excited about it but we are going to become more acquainted with public transportation this month haha). So, today we were left with using the buses. And where the bus routes stop, the foot paths begin. After teaching C... in the Puebla tienda (Hispanic store), we boarded the bus until the closest stop to our next appointment, E... and her kids, including recently baptized Jo.... The distance, 2.5 miles. At a brisk walk we made it to their trailer home in 45 minutes, just in time to meet Jo... and Ja..... stepping of the bus. We met them and walked with them inside where E... had a delicious warm dinner of potatos, mac and cheese, and grilled fish waiting for us. We had a good dinner and shared funny stories, usually about how Elder Gibb gets to listen to me snore all night. Jo... and Ja... are really good- natured kids, and little 2 year old C... is a ball of endless energy.

   After the meal we sang a hymn and shared a lesson about the Sabbath day. After the lesson, we bore testimony that this is Christ's church and we wanted to do everything we could to help the rest of the family be baptized. E... shared her desire to be baptized, but explained that she needs to get a divorce from her old husband so she can marry her current companion so she can be qualified for baptism. She is faithfully living every commandment she can, but just needs help with the legal complexities so that she can be living the law of chastity. We closed with a prayer and left her the promise that we would do everything in our power to help her, and we will. I know Heavenly Father is going to open up that opportunity for E... to be baptized. I also know that the adversary will do everything he can to complicate things. But Elder Gibb and I walked out of their home feeling tremendously blessed. E... and her family are really special people that are humbly doing their best to follow the Savior. It is so satisfying to see the gospel become an honest desire for their family.

   By the time we began our trek back to the bus stop it was dark, but our spirits were as bright as ever. Though completely whipped from a big day, we offered a prayer of gratitude on the side of the road and sang our way back home. Two guys hiking along in their suits must have been a funny sight to see for the cars passing by. I had brought my large over coat because I thought it would be much colder than it was. I quickly learned that hiking with a backpack full of thousands of pages of scripture in both the Spanish and English language keeps you plenty warmed up. I threw my big overcoat over my shoulders as we walked through the night. In that moment I thought of the picture of the Savior with the lamb over His shoulders. I couldn't help but think of my overcoat as being a symbolic lamb. I felt the spirit bear witness to me that I had pleased my Heavenly Father this day with my efforts to bring souls to Christ. I felt I could imagine angels walk with us. I really grew in my conversion this day."

 Even the bus ride home allowed me to see people with all sorts of different backgrounds, and it emphasized how truly merciful the Lord has been to me. I am truly very grateful for the family and faith that I have.

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS A MI QUERIDO MADRE!!!!

Elder Kevin Graf

P.S. if anything doesn't make sense, please forgive my typing but this keyboard doesn't like "T's" or P's or "K's"

What a Thanksgiving!

Wow, can't believe it's December! It really hasn't snowed here that much so it doesn't feel like it's that time of year. I think I'm the fifth oldest Spanish elder (in time out on the mission) and there are about 20 Spanish elders. Pretty crazy. We're a young mission. Elder Fivas was called to be a zone leader in English work. I don't know how he feels about it but I think he was excited.

Well I don't even know what to say, I love my mission and Heavenly Father is blessing us. I'm learning a lot out here and it's a lot of fun to work with all sorts of people, especially the Spanish culture.

We got a new elder in the branch named Elder Shifler. He's from Portland Oregon and he's super clean and healthy. So he's a nice addition to the apartment that now has 4 of us.

Christmas: We will be spending Christmas together as a district because Elder Carranza's apartment complex had an electrical fire. No real damage happened to their room, just some smoke. But he and his companion Elder Shifler can't stay the night there until the apartment complex gets recertified. So for the next couple weeks they'll be with us in our apartment, lots of fun, lots of distraction. I'll have to help everyone stay diligent. But we just might put up a Christmas tree pretty soon, there's one stuffed in one of our closets.

Seriously, I have no complaints. Good area, sweet branch, and a good companion. We are having some sweet experiences with less actives and investigators. We are helping to reactive several people. M... has been coming to church again. And a guy named N... (Spanish for Nephi) came to church for the first time in who knows how long! N... also has a nonmember wife :) So that could be a conversion in the future. Elder Gibb and I are also teaching well and we're finding several new investigators each week. We're healthy and happy. I think we're being blessed simply because we are working hard and have been patient. We are doing everything that we know we're supposed to be doing. We're honest with ourselves on where we need to improve, and we constantly look for ways to progress. We're being humble and obedient and diligent. We're far from perfect, but we are learning and applying everything we learn and Heavenly Father has blessed us in simple but significant ways. 

I know that a critical part of our success has been because of the members. They are doing what they can to help us. They also showed Heavenly Father that they are sincere about their desires to grow the branch by creating a branch mission plan. They've got the goals to baptize 6 new families in the coming year and I know it is 110 percent possible with the Lord's help. It's exciting to see the branch participate more in the work. Members are learning their callings, less actives are reactivating, and investigators are feeling the spirit. I know that this is Christ's church. I know that the spirit can really help people change. It's helped me change. I know that missionary work is full of the spirit and that it's inspired. I love my mission. It makes me sad to think that it will come to an end. These past 10 months have flown by.

A couple more details about this last week....

What a Thanksgiving! Every member invited us over for Thanksgiving, but we only had time for two, and both of them absolutely filled us to the brim with food.  It was ridiculously painful to finish the last plate. Hispanics are big on food and Thanksgiving was no exception!

We had a really good American dinner (The husband is from Utah but his wife is from Mexico. He served his mission in Spain). We ate ourselves full and then went directly to another members house and had a second thanksgiving dinner, but this time we ate Hispanic style. I now realize that my branch in Dayton was pretty Americanized, so the food varied a lot. But the branch here in Kentucky is more true Hispanic, so we eat beans, rice, and tortillas every meal but I don't get tired of it. They cook so well here! but don't worry I'm not going to get fat. We exercise hard every morning and Elder Gibb And Shifler are really health conscious. I know I'm spelling everything wrong but I can't remember how to spell any more. When I get back to Utah State and have to take a junior level college English class I'm going to struggle really hard.

Okay I'm actually going to have to cut this one short because we've got to run!

Have a good week!

Elder Graf

Thanks to these good members for feeding my son Thanksgiving dinner!

Few Things I've Learned on My Mission

This week is transfer week but Me and Elder Gibb are staying here in the great Kentucky! There are two other elders in our branch. Elder Prach, who has been here for 2 weeks, and Elder Carranza, who has been here for a year. Who is getting transferred? Elder Prach of course. It's crazy that Elder Carranza is staying here, pretty unheard of to be here for this long. He feels like he's worked and done everything he knows how to in this area but apparently there's still more for him here. I'm super happy to stay here. We have a sweet apartment and are one of the only remaining Spanish elders to have a car. The mission has been swelling and there aren't nearly enough cars to go around. Most areas share a car. But more than anything I really love the members. They are so fun, such incredible people. They are all pretty new to the gospel as well. As I've mentioned before, almost every single one of them are recent converts. So we have to basically teach the branch how to run church meetings and fulfill their callings. Lot's of work but lot's of rich blessings.

I feel like I'm saying the same thing every week but we really did have another good week again.

The nature of our work is basically morning schedule (exercise, shower, eat, studies for 4 hours: Personal study, companionship, 12 week training program, language study), afternoons (afternoons are hard - no one is home because Hispanics work hard non stop) and then nights, (which are super busy because that's when everyone finally gets home). We spend most of our time in trailer parks and apartment complexes.  There are 3 member families in our area that we see a couple times throughout the week and a couple less active families as well. We haven't had to do too much tracting because we've been working out of the area book, a book of records of the history of the area. We are learning that basically EVERY Hispanic is related to each other. So the trick here will be to just convert one of them and then all of them will convert :) We're working on building up our investigator pool and we've been doing well finding new gators, the trick is just finding the ones that are going to progress in the gospel. Yeah, we're doing well.  Elder Gibb is a good elder and we're working well together.

Dad requested I list a few things I've learned on my mission; here are a few!

Basic Survival: Ironing clothes, washing clothes, cooking. I wish I knew how to sew better :(

Revelation. There are several different ways we get it (scriptures, prayer, church...) but it always stems from the spirit. That's something I began to learn in the MTC, the spirit is a real guide that can give us counsel and comfort in the form of impressions upon the heart and mind. As we follow those impressions of the spirit, we can recognize God's hand more fully in our lives and revelation becomes easier to recognize and more clear. But we have to take the initiative. Notice the pattern of the scripture "ask, and ye shall receive, knock, and it shall be opened unto you".  Heavenly Father is anxiously waiting to bless us and direct us, but He is waiting for us to first act and "Ask' and "Knock". The Bible dictionary also says some interesting things about Prayer, how it is a channel of revelation and certain blessings are only revealed through prayer.

That's another thing I've learned: Prayer and Fasting are powerful. I don't have time to expound on all of these right now but I've come to love praying and fasting.

Temples truly are Houses of the Lord. I haven't been able to go on my mission so I'm grateful I went as many times as I did before I left. Memories of the temple burn in my mind like a spiritual punch to the face. Mom and Dad, I vividly remember the sealing room with you the Saturday before I left.

My first few transfers in the field I learned of the importance and blessing of the Priesthood. Priesthood Power is real and amazing. I certainly have a testimony that it is God given authority for the blessing of His children. How blessed we were and are that dad always lived worthy of the priesthood so that we could have it in our home.

Gift of tongues is real. I know Heavenly Father has helped me learn Spanish. I still have lots to learn but a year ago I never would have imagined that I'd be speaking another language like I am.

There is a beautiful chapter in Preach My Gospel called "Christ like Attributes". I feel like I've particularly been learning Charity, Faith, and Patience. Throughout my Mission I know Heavenly Father has and will continue to provide me the companions, members, and experiences I need to be molded into a more Christ like Disciple.

I've learned that God wants everything you have - heart, might, mind, strength, faith, choices, thoughts, words, time, talents, and desires. He created us, and He knows what He wants us to become.

I sure am grateful for the home and family I come from. I know I don't have to worry about you. You have the gospel in your lives. Things won't ever be easy all the time but you have the foundation of spiritual truth you need to overcome anything. I love that I'm here, with the opportunity to dedicate all that I am to bringing peace into the lives of the people here. I really feel blessed, really, really blessed.

Well have an awesome Thanksgiving!!! Elder Gibb and I will celebrate all the holidays together (My birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years!). Elder Gibb is already singing Christmas songs. If you think for one minute that we're not going to do some serious caroling this December you're wrong!

Love, Elder Kevin Graf

Not many pictures this week....

But here is one of a banana that we've had in our apartment since our first week of the transfer! It's our third companion and we refuse to get rid of him.