WEEK # 61 - Colorado Springs Mission Office

Hey Everyone! good week

On Monday, we had a great Pday. We went to Manitou Springs with a group of Elders and Sisters. We were attempting to see a place called Graffiti Falls but the road to it was closed for construction. So we explored along a different path and found a cool bridge and cave with graffiti all around it.

 

We met with Mike and Randi and had an insanely spiritual lesson. Mike talked to us about some things he had struggled with and we were able to talk about it and help the spirit tell him that he is in the right place. Mike wants to be the spiritual leader in the home and he told us that he has felt a spiritual connection with the church. It was super great.

On Tuesday, We went to the office and helped the Vehicle Coordinators with some things and then went to the park to contact people. We went on a blitz with the Fountain zone leaders in our area. I was with Elder Ward for a couple hours and we had a great time! We were able to see a lot of people and found a couple of potential investigators.That evening, we went and had dinner at bishop’s house and then went to Greg and Shannon’s and had a great lesson about family. They had just gotten custody of their 2 year old daughter that had been taken away due to the bad way that they had been living before they met the missionaries. So they have been getting greatly blessed for their diligence in the church.

On Wednesday, we did our studies and then weekly planned for the next week to come. We had to take a late lunch slash early dinner because we had to monitor an emergency transfer that came from someone going home. It was a good drive to all of the places too. We drove to Pueblo and then from Pueblo to Canon City and then from Canon City back to the Springs. It was some good stuff.

On Thursday, we got to go to the temple with all of the missionaries who were hitting their halfway point in the mission. It was such a relief to be in the temple. I love being there and it is truly a place where we can feel God’s presence. We drove up, got lunch at Costa Vida, and then went to the Temple. After baptisms and the endowment, we drove to the Mission Home for dinner. There was a great testimony meeting at the end of the day and then we took them all back home.

On Friday, we had our district meeting at a member’s home in the Soaring Eagles ward for Sister Topham and Sister House’s Birthdays. We did the usual routine and had a great time and then afterwards had burritos and ice cream for lunch. Elder Stark and I played both of their favorite hymns on the ukulele as a duet for them too. After district meeting, we went to help Elder and Sister Mecham clean out someone’s apartment. The only problem was that this apartment was infested with cockroaches. So we showed up and the situation was worse than anyone had expected. There were roaches everywhere. In the stove, in the fridge, in the dishwasher. It was gross. So we helped vacuum for a little bit and then Elder Mecham told us to go home and shower. So we did and then went to go monitor another Emergency transfer. We had a lesson with Mike and Randi again and talked about the Word of Wisdom. Mike was all for it. He has seen the effect that harmful substances can have on the mind and is absolutely golden. Randi was there for some of it too and agreed to live by the standards. Later, we went and supported the Sisters in a baptism that they had that night. It was a great baptism and the nonmember husband really felt the spirit there. After the baptism we went to see Turner, one of the potential investigators we got from Elder Ward, and were able to meet with him and his friend. They are pretty cool people that need a lot of help in their lives. It was a great way to end the night.

On Saturday, we had a conference call in the morning where I got to talk about the value of companionship inventory. This skill is so valuable in missionary life but also in everyday life. It is where, as a companionship, we evaluate our effectiveness together and talk about any differences we may have. After the call, we met with President and Sister Rehm to discuss transfers. We got two media referrals that morning and after our meeting with President, went and contacted them. Both had requested that we deliver a bible to them and we were able to touch base with one of them. We had a good lesson with Anthony and asked him if he would be baptized once coming to a knowledge that the things we teach are true and he accepted! We then had a lesson with Jimmy and started teaching the new member lessons. He is doing wonderful and is enjoying the gift of the Holy Ghost. Dinner was at the Puzzos and we had a good lesson with the kids. It is hard to get the parents engaged but we keep going over to bring the spirit into their home.

On Sunday, I had a bit of an interesting start to the day (like mom last week). At church, we were sitting by Mike and Randi, when Randi started to feel a panic attack coming on. So Mike went to grab her inhaler out of their car but was taking a little too long. Randi’s breathing was getting more struggled and Mike still wasn’t back. So I remembered that I had my inhaler in my bag and got it out so that she could use it. She denied at first but then took it so that she could open up her airway. Mike came a little later and she used her inhaler. I went and got a glass of water for her and she was shaking pretty bad. Mike was there going through it with her and she just had to wait for the meds to kick in. I don’t think anyone noticed it, probably because it was the primary program and all the kids were being too cute. Randi recovered well and made through the rest of church. It was a good meeting! After church, we went to stop by our referrals again, but they didn’t answer the doors. Dinner was on base with the McEchron’s and then we had a lesson with Mike that night. We talked about the Law of Chastity and the Law of Tithing. He accepted them really, without hesitation and knows that doing these things will help him. We picked up an elder that evening that is going home and then took call ins from all the zone leaders.

It was a great week! We have seen the Lord’s hand in our efforts and it is always very humbling. Just remember that God loves you and that this is the greatest work that there could ever be. Love you all.

Elder LaRose

MISSION OFFICE:
4090 Center Park Dr
Colorado Springs, Colorado
80916

kyler.larose@myldsmail.net

WEEK #60 - Colorado Springs Mission Office

Hello Everyone! Another great week
On Monday, we went to a couple of different stores around the springs to look at different things. Elder Stark was looking for a new suit to have as well. Afterwards, we went to the Aeroplaza building and played sports with a bunch of missionaries. We played some basketball and that was really fun. We had some good games in. We also played volleyball and that was great. Elder Stark played volleyball in High School and he is super good. I was on the opposite team trying to dig all of his spikes! For dinner, we went to a member's home that Elder Stark knew in the East stake.
On Tuesday, we were rushing to clean up the rest of our apartment because the housing coordinators were coming over to inspect the apartment. We did a pretty good job cleaning up. Afterwards, we went and helped a lady move out of the ward. We spent a good amount of time helping there and afterwards we went and had a good lunch with the Mecham's at Monica's Taco Shop. It's the same taco shop that Elder Schilling and I always went to when I was in training and it was still delicious:) We were given desks to have in our apartment because there weren't any previously so we got to build those. Our evening appointments cancelled so we were able to finally finish everything with the miles document for the mission.

 On Wednesday, we started the morning off by going to help some of our investigators move. Turns out they moved a lot closer to us! We could walk to their place. The move took a little while, but they greatly appreciated the help. We went to Memorial Park to contact some people and we ran into a woman from Samoa that knows a lot of LDS members. She told us that she felt that it was time that she start looking for something, so we got her information and invited her to some to church! It was great. We met with Mike and Randi again that day and we taught Mike about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it went really well. Mike is so prepared to be the spiritual leader in his home. We extended a baptismal date to him for October 15th. He totally accepted and Randi was super excited. She has been telling Mike about wanting to be sealed in the temple and was so excited to hear that he wants to be baptized. They are so incredibly ready. After that we went and monitored another emergency transfer to wrap up the night.
On Thursday, we did our weekly planning at the park. We got a couple of steps into when a guy on a bike stopped and came up to our bench. He first thought that we were people who worked for the city or something but after we told him that we were missionaries, he sat down and started asking us questions. His name is Jean and he is originally from France. He was really interested in what we had to say and we were able to get his information so that we could meet with him later. We talked with him for a solid hour and a half. After that, we went and got lunch and then went back to our apartment to finish weekly planning. My new camera also came today so that was awesomeJ We have been taking awesome pictures. Dinner was dropped off to us and we then had to go right away to Jimmy Avila’s house. We brought Elders Johannesson and Ulibarri with us so that they could give Jimmy his baptismal interview! He did really well and passed. We then got everything lined up for the baptism that week.
On Friday, we had a great district meeting. We were asked to teach again, so we taught on a couple of different things. No fear, trust in the Lord, being bold in promising blessings, and roleplaying baptismal invites.

Pay attention to #5 They liked how embarassed I was when we would do these as a fam

Afterwards, we went to the Mecham’s for lunchJ We met with President and Sister Rehm after that and talked a good bit about transfers. There are a good amount of missionaries coming in this next time and so we are looking for which new areas we can open. After we had our meeting, we stuck around to monitor another emergency transfer. We went and had a good dinner with Brother Arnold in 18th ward and there were some other missionaries that came. We then went over and had a lesson with the Fosters. They are doing alright. They just really need some friends to have in the ward. We are working on getting the ward more involved with each other. We talked about temples with the girls and also about eternal families.

On Saturday, we did a new missionary conference call with everyone in training and I got to conduct that. Then, we met up with Elder Constantine and he and Elder Stark got to go to the temple with someone that both of them had taught in a previous area. So I got to be with Elder Lester and Elder Briggs for the day! Both of them have only been out for like 3 weeks. So we went and had a great day! We stopped by Anthony and Deborah’s house and had a good lesson. It was Anthony’s birthday and so it was good timing for us to stop by and wish him happy birthdayJ We went to the park and met this crazy German lady that told us to pass out these pictures to everyone. We talked to her about the gospel and asked if we could meet her at the park again. Going around the park is always fun. We run into all kinds of different people. There was a drunk man that came up to us and started talking nonsense so we humored him for a little bit and then drove to the church to fill up the baptismal font for Jimmy’s baptism. Around 7:00 everyone trickled in, Jimmy had gotten there early to change and stuff. We were still waiting on Elder Constantine and Elder Stark to get back from the temple. They had gotten stuck in some traffic and showed up just in time. Elder Constantine was the one who performed the baptism for Jimmy and that was great. Jimmy was telling us how grateful he was for us and how at peace he felt. It was a great way to end the Saturday.

On Sunday, we had ward council in the morning and then went to church. Jimmy was confirmed in sacrament meeting and I had the honor of doing that for him. Mike and Randi also made it to church and we got to sit by them tooJ they got to meet a lot of people from the ward and start to build friendships there. After church, we went and met that lady at the park again and were able to give her a Book of Mormon! She seemed interested enough and was not at all against having something to strengthen her faith in Christ. Afterwards, we went and taught Tyler Shumway about service Dinner was with the McAllisters and they are in the Sand Creek ward. They loved both Elder Stark and I and were super happy to have us over again. It was good to see them again too. Our evening appointment cancelled so we were able to prep some documents that needed to be emailed out to the missionaries. We ended with taking call-ins from the zone leaders and then getting a good night’s rest.
What a great week! Thanks for all the letters and emails that all of you send. It’s great to be out here serving the Lord.
Elder Kyler LaRose

Elder LaRose

MISSION OFFICE:
4090 Center Park Dr
Colorado Springs, Colorado
80916

kyler.larose@myldsmail.net

WEEK #59 - Colorado Springs Mission Office

This week has been great:)
On Monday, we went to watch the annual Colorado Springs Labor Day Liftoff. Tons of hot air balloons were at memorial park and we got to watch them fill up, take off, and float away. Some even touched down onto the lake.

We celebrated our Labor Day by going on a good hike. Now this wasn't going to be just any hike. We were going to do a summit hike. After some investigation, we concluded on hiking Mount Rosa. We were selective in the missionaries we took with us because we knew it would be a hard hike. So we took Elder Pexton and Elder Ward with us. They are our zone leaders. The trail head started at about 7,000 ft. elevation and we set off a-hiking. We used a lot of the same trail that we took to go to St. Mary's Falls and got to a point where the trail split and the one way went to the summit of Mount Rosa. It was a hard hike for sure. I was packing an extra 20 pounds of water in my backpack and we sure needed it. As we climbed higher and higher, the oxygen in the air got thinner and thinner. That's why it's so crucial to have water because you'll need the oxygen as well as the hydration from it. We took occasional breaks for rest and at some points near the end, our legs were cramping up. My thighs were cramping towards the top but we were all able to make it to the top resting at 11,500. The view was incredible from up there. Clear blue skies with not a storm in sight. To the east, we could get a great view of the springs and beyond. To the north, we saw Pikes Peak now only 3,000 ft. above us. To the west and south, we saw beautiful ranges of mountains both near and far with a lake down below us. We also played the song "High on a Mountain Top" and unfurled the American Flag at the summit:) we thought it was pretty funny.

We ate our lunch at the top and then had to book it down in order to get home on time. It was easier going down because our momentum carried us. Again, we took small breaks to rest our knees and made it back to the van. Overall, we hiked a total of 14.4 miles, climbed over 4,500 ft. in elevation, and did it all in a little over 6 hours. Needless to say, we were BEAT. But that doesn't stop us from being missionaries. We went straight to a dinner with a part member family where they grilled us some great chicken. Their names are Mike (nonmember) and Randi (member). A while back while I was with Elders Buxton and Constantine, we were walking down the street and this car pulled over to the side and gave us their address and told us to come and see them. This is them! We had been trying throughout the month to contact them, but they were both having hectic schedules for a while. So this dinner was the first time we were able to meet them officially. They are super great people too! Both are in the military and they don't have any kids yet. Randi was talking about getting Mike on board with the church and he seemed slightly hesitant about that. However, when Randi stepped inside for something, Mike leaned over to us and said, "I've really been thinking about joining the church. I know it would mean a lot for my wife and I want to do the right thing." It was music to our ears. Holy cow how do things like that happen? haha. So we talked about that and then just had fun talking about different things. They are such amazing people that the Lord has led to us. They also recommended an electrolyte drink that is amazing with soreness and it totally worked. It was a great day.
On Tuesday, we had a specialized training with the zone. This one was a little different. It was only for mission leadership and so President Rehm did some training and it was great. We saw Elder Pexton and Elder Ward and they were so darn sore haha. We were feeling it too but not as bad thanks to Mike and Randi. For lunch, we went to Cici's Pizza and had a pizza buffet. And guess what. They did NOT welcome us with a big "welcome to Cici's." Lame. After that, we got to email and everything. We then went to the office to work on the miles. That evening, we went to Applebee's for dinner as well.
On Wednesday, we had MLC for most of the day. This makes my 9th MLC and countingJ We had some great discussions and we were able to discuss what needed to be discussed as a council and we actually finished before lunch. Afterwards, we collected miles from everyone and got to work on that for a little while, figuring out different conflicts. Then we had dinner and afterwards, we felt that we should stop by Anthony. When we showed up, Anthony was there but he was feeling sick. But his wife Debra allowed us in to teach her! She was talking to us about how a lot of her family has been passing away due to different things, so we taught her about the Plan of Salvation and of the comfort it gives us regarding where we came from, why we are here on earth, and where we are going after we die. It was a great lesson and we were able to set up another time to come over and teach. We then had to go to the office to let some missionaries in so that they could grab a couple of things. While we were there, Elder Stark stopped in the storehouse where one of the people from his first area works and got to catch up with him.
On Thursday, we did our weekly planning at Memorial Park and then got some lunch. We then went to give a blessing with Brother Ramos. We had dinner on the base with General Taylor and his wife and they made us great shepherd’s pie. We taught our lesson about forgiveness and they really liked it! We went over to Mike and Randi’s again and Randi was recovering from a doctor’s visit so we just taught Mike. He is such a cool guy! We taught the Restoration of the Gospel and he accepted it really well! At the end, we asked him if when he knew these things to be true, he would be baptized and he said yes! We were super excited about that and promised him that he would see miracles and blessings come his way for doing so. It was a great night againJ
On Friday, we had zone training at the Broadmoor building. We got to be instructed by Elder Pexton and Elder Ward and from Sister House and Sister Topham. We learned about diligence and about setting goals in faith. Afterwards, we went to lunch and then had another Lesson with Anthony and Debra. After that, we went to Monument to get free haircuts from a guy Elder Stark knew up there. We then went and had a lesson with Jimmy and finished our final message for him. He is so ready to get baptized!!! After that, we came down and had a good dinner to celebrateJ
On Saturday, we started the day by going down to Fountain to help Mason Mismash with his eagle project of restoring trails. So we went down there, helped them out for a couple of hours and then grabbed some muffins and took a picture next to Drury lane haha.

We came back and had a great lesson with Jose Rodriguez and then got to teach Jesse and his wife! Jesse is another person who just walked into the church, saw us, and asked if we could teach him! What wonderful blessings. The lesson went really well! He has come to church now a couple times and that is awesome. After that we went by Joe and Ami’s and had a good lesson there. They weren’t coming to church previously but we asked them again and they said that they were making it a priority to go. After that we cooked dinner and made bacon wrapped chicken breasts. What was a downer was that there was a youth broadcast that was being held at the Aeroplaza building (which is like a mile from where we live) where Elder Rasband and Elder Gong of the Twelve and of the Seventy met with the youth and had a fireside. Unfortunately we didn’t get to go meet him.
On Sunday, there was a special stake conference so we went to church early to get seats. Elder Gong was going to speak to us that day. We had a great turn out too! Jimmy came and loved it. Mike also came and he really liked it too! It was great to hear from the leaders in the stake and they even had an 8 year old go up and bear his testimony to the congregationJ It was really cool. After church, we went and saw Anthony and Debra and taught a little more about the Plan of Salvation. They really enjoyed the whole concept. We then went to the park to talk to people and then headed to dinner. We had a great meal and message with the McEchron family and then booked it over to Mike and Randi’s. Randi was at work all day and missed the lesson. So we taught Mike about the Plan of Salvation and he really liked how easy it is to grasp. He also fed us hamburgers while we were over there and we had a great night. We finished by getting key indicators from all of the zone leaders and then heading to bed.
What a great week! We were able to find 5 new people to teach and have a new person willing to be baptized! The Lord is truly gathering in those people into His true fold. I know that this church is true and that we are led by the same authority that governed the earth in the days of Moses, Christ, and Joseph Smith. I love you all and wait for it… HAPPY BIRTHDAY LONDYN! Love you lil sis!

Elder LaRose

MISSION OFFICE:
4090 Center Park Dr
Colorado Springs, Colorado
80916

kyler.larose@myldsmail.net

WEEK #58 - Colorado Springs Mission Office

Hey Everyone! It seems like last week started forever ago!
On Monday, we drove up to Monument to play some volleyball with some missionaries. We only played for a little bit because we had to go back down to the Springs to pick up the new missionaries from the airport. We got them all picked up and shipped off to dinner and everything and then headed home.

Tuesday, I turned 20! and also it was the crazy transfer day. Things went mostly well with the travel arrangements but there were a couple of people that could have been more diligent in following the directions we gave them. I got to instruct the new missionaries and trainers in the final meeting and then we took the missionaries that were going home to the mission home for dinner. We stayed the night there and got to hang with the departing missionaries.
On Wednesday, we got to spend the day at the temple and that was awesome. I always love the feel that comes from being in the temple. It just motivates me even more to help the people I teach eventually get to the same place and experience the same joy. I was able to learn a lot and it was great. We went back to the mission home for dinner and then we sat in on the departing missionary testimony meeting. Afterwards, we stayed the night again so that we could wake up early the next day.
On Thursday, we woke up early to take the missionaries to the airport. After that, we headed back to work and got things moving again. We also conducted and taught a conference call for all of the new district leaders that morning. We started finishing the miles stuff for August and then went to Peterson AFB to help with the monthly dinner that Elder and Sister Mecham set up. The dinner was great and we got to talk to a lot of people on base.
On Friday, we had to take a missionary to the airport who was going home early. It was sad to see him go. He was struggling mentally and couldn't take the rigor of missionary life. We had a good district meeting with the new district leader Elder Johannesson and his new companion Elder Ulibarri. We set some good district goals and then had a great lesson. Lunch at the Mecham's was great too. Afterwards, we went and taught our 9 year old investigator Tyler. As it came time to go to the appointment, we reviewed what we were planning to teach. We were going to review the Word of Wisdom, but when time came, we felt that teaching about the temple would be better. The Spirit definitely led us in the right direction because come to find out, he and his family had just gone to see the Fort Collins temple that day and had loved it. We got to hear all about their experiences and were able to build upon that with our teaching. It was really great to see the Spirit work with us to change our plans so that they matched God's will. We continued to work on the miles for the mission and then had a good lesson at dinner.
On Saturday, we had appointments set from 1:00pm to 8:00pm. We were excited! We had great lessons at almost all of them (some cancelled), and It was great to be teaching. We went and gave Ami a blessing. She is an investigator we have who is going through some pregnancy issues. We had a good lesson with the Wheelers and Jose Rodriguez too. Dinner was with a family that Elder Stark knows from his first area and it was good.
On Sunday, we had a great day. Not many people came to church because of Labor Day weekend. However, we had a great time! We had a good lesson with a potential investigator who said that she would come to church next Sunday! We visited Joe and Ami again and had a great lesson. We also went and gave Jimmy's mother a blessing. She had just gotten out of the hospital for falling. She is 94 years old! We had a good dinner at the Ramos home with a lot of people form the ward there too. We then went to the Work of Salvation Fireside and got to hear from a lot of cool people about their conversion stories. It was a great way to end the night.:) Great week!
Love you all!

Elder LaRose

MISSION OFFICE:
4090 Center Park Dr
Colorado Springs, Colorado
80916

kyler.larose@myldsmail.net