Hello from Colorado everyone! A lot has happened since I last wrote because of our trip from Utah to Colorado, but ill be sure to fill you in completely. It may be a little long, just saying:)
The address for my apartment is below if you want to talk with me through snail mail
2328 Washo Circle
Colorado Springs, CO
80915
First, we met with Miranda that night and felt that telling her of the importance of the blessings that come from being baptized and from making that covenant with God. These blessings help us to not be scared and give us comfort when things seem to go wrong. She has such a strong desire to follow Christ and is 100% willing to be baptized, she is just really scared at what her family may think and what they may do because of her decision. We then asked her that if her family was out of the equation, and she didn't have to worry about what they think, if she would still get baptized. Immediately, she said "Oh yeah for sure!" we then paused and then told her to think about the answer she just gave us. We testified that as she continued to read and study the Book of Mormon as she was, that her fears would subside and that her faith in the Lord would be strengthened. She was so appreciative of our advice, and knows that given a little time, she will have the courage to tell her family and move on with this so very important decision in her life. What a blessing it was for Elder Tallman and I to have taught her. This is only within the first week of the MTC too! We are sad that we wont be able to teach her anymore, but are making sure that we stay in contact with her.
On Friday the 7th, our zone was able to go through the Provo Temple. I was able to participate in an endowment and a sealing, which was a cool experience for us. On Sunday the 9th, we had our last walk around the temple and our last church meeting at the MTC. The presidency gave all of the departing missionaries some advice before we left and wished us luck in our areas. While eating lunch in the MTC cafeteria, this Elder came up to me and said "Hey! my name is Elder LaRose!!" Sure enough, he has the same last name with the same spelling and everything! I cant remember where he is serving, but his first name is Logan and has been a member of this church his whole life! I need to do some family history now because I had no idea about him and it was crazy to see someone with my last name because it isn't all that common.
In the same day, I ran into Elder McLane Keenan, who is a good friend of mine who I mat at EFY nearly 4 years ago. He is serving in the Kobe Japan mission and has been in the MTC for 9 weeks learning Japanese. We exchanged emails and took a few pictures:)
On Monday the 10th, we got our room all cleaned and packed up. Elder Bowler, Schoenfeld, and Gurnsey left at about 4 in the morning for their flight to Modesto, CA. Elder Tallman, Hagman, and I had some time to get breakfast and say goodbye to the sisters in our District. We loaded up on to a bus and drove to a train station that would take us to the Salt Lake Airport. There were around 14 missionaries in total leaving for Colorado Springs, and each of us had two to three suitcases to cram into the train and carry with us! It was fun to hurry and load and unload all of the luggage before the train left, and at one point, I got separated into a different car than most of the other missionaries. It was all good fun though.
When we got to the airport, we had time to make a call home and get some lunch. I saw a Cafe Rio and knew exactly where I was going for lunch. I ate there right before entering the MTC and again right after i left. The call home was a little disjointed and crazy because most of the time was spent listening to numbers beep and attempts to connect the entire world on the same phone call. I ended up just talking to Mom for a little bit, and then calling Dad, who was with Keldon and McKayd. I only got a couple of words with Londyn, and wish I had more time to just talk. We got on to a tiny airplane that had 2 seats on each side of the rows. The flight lasted only about 55 minutes, but after we landed, the pilot and the flight attendant had us missionaries stay and take a picture so that they could show their families too. They then told us to write our parents phone numbers down so that they could send it to each of them as well. I'm not sure if they actually made it though. Waiting for us at the airport was President Dennis Rehm and his APs. We still had to wait a couple more minutes for an elder who was flying in from the Mexico MTC. We loaded up in a couple of vans and went to the church, where we had dinner and were briefed on some medical stuff. The mission home was pretty cool and all of the Elders slept downstairs and had a good time.
On Tuesday, we found out who our first companion is and which area we would first be put in. Once all of the other missionaries who were there for transfers showed up, we got down to business. I was the second to last person to be announced where they were going, the last being my MTC companion Elder Tallman. I was chosen to go to the Fountain Zone, which is a part of Colorado Springs, and my companion would be Elder Schilling, the District Leader.
The church boundaries we cover are the Colorado Springs 3rd Ward and the Sand Creek Ward. Elder Schilling is a pretty cool person, he is from South Carolina, just turned 20 on the 15th, and definitely knows a lot about computers and likes to have things clean, I learned. He is very knowledgeable in his planning and has about 11 months left on his mission. I am going to miss Elder Tallman, but know that I will learn and grow with Elder Schilling. Because we cover two wards, we get fed dinner by a member every night, which is really nice, because I only have to worry about breakfast and lunch. After the meeting, we went to Walmart and bought groceries for the week. Having no idea what I was doing, I just bought a gallon of milk, a box of Apple Jacks, a loaf of bread, and some peanut butter and jelly. I seem to have survived so far haha.
Just some fun facts about Colorado Springs, it is one of the cities that sees the most lightning, which is true because it has rained nearly every day since I've been here. Pikes Peak, is over 14,000 ft in elevation and our apartment is at like 6600ft. Colorado Springs is also one of the least obese cities too haha.
This week, we have done a lot of visiting less active members of the church and just addressing their concerns. In our little open time, we visit active members and practice the missionary lessons with them. We had a district meeting on the 14th and the only other people in our district are the Zone Leaders, Elder Reimer, and Elder Liptrott. On the 15th, we went to a retirement home and talked with a member... or at least tried to fit a couple of words in. He would go off on all these tangents, telling us story after story and it was a little difficult to understand because he had no teeth! I'll admit, i was getting pretty sleepy, so every 3 minutes or so, I would slip a mint into my mouth in an attempt to keep my eyes open. This tactic worked, because I managed to stay mostly awake throughout the hypnotic experience. I was laughing about it afterwards. Again, because we cover two wards, we missionaries go to church from 10:30 to 4:30. The Sand Creek ward had me stand and they introduced me. Even on the little program they handed out had a little welcome message:)
Sorry for the incredibly long email, and to those who have made it this far, I congratulate you and apologize again:) All of the craziness is somewhat settling down, but I am going to keep on going as best I can:) I love you all and hope you each have a great week! Also I am secretly competing with Elder Barnes (He doesn't know) for the longest email. For those who read both, tell me if I win ok?
Love,
Elder Kyler LaRose
EMAIL: kyler.larose@myldsmail.net
MISSION OFFICE ADDRESS:
4090 Center Park Drive Ste 4
Colorado Springs, CO 80916
CURRENT AREA ADDRESS:
2328 Washo Circle
Colorado Springs, CO
80915
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