Hello family and friends, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY LONDYN:) it looks like you had a fun bday:)
So on Wednesday, Elder Schilling got ANOTHER flat tire:/ so we had to drive to a central location and walk around everywhere. It’s weird when we are walking around, because you notice things like people getting into their cars, pulling out their phones, going into their house, doing something in order to avoid a conversation with us, and it’s so sad to think that people now avoid the opportunity to meet someone new and potentially have a new friend. We in this world are too content with where we currently are. I have learned that there are so many ways to better ourselves each day and that we can learn so much about ourselves from a genuine conversation with a stranger. Later in the afternoon, we went and had a lesson with Lorena, who is a referral we received from a member. She is a single mother who is currently battling cancer for the 2nd time. She said that she is "spiritually shopping" and is interested in what our message is. Golden. We taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel through Joseph Smith and she was very receptive and interested in that principle. At the end of the lesson, we invited her to pray and to feel for and answer from God of our message. We also asked her if she would be baptized as her knowledge and testimony would increase and grow. She told us that she couldn't answer that question just yet, but was still interested in what we have to say. What a blessing it is to bring joy into other's lives.
yeah our toilet overflowed:/
On Thursday, our weekly planning was interrupted when we realized that our toilet had flooded and there was water all over the bathroom floor (luckily it was ONLY water). We threw down every towel in sight and even an old blanket to soak the water up. I then had to scoop the toilet water out of the toilet with a cup and pour the water into the sink. Luckily my lifeguard experiences with poop in the pool had battle hardened me for this moment:) So because Elder Schilling still has the "cripple bike" we set out on foot and walked for the entire day. Although it took forever to get to places, It was a very productive day, As we were walking, we had a good conversation with this old guy who was a little crazy and all over the place, which made it a little fun. We talked about the importance of church and a little bit about the Restoration. SO, after that, we were walking near the stake president's house and we saw a funny looking car deriving toward us. It had a pole sticking out of the top of the car and at the top of the pole was a ball. As it got closer, we realized that the ball was a bunch of cameras and that the car was covered in Google Maps logos! The one day that we decided to walk everywhere was the day that we made it onto Google Street View! I don't think the pictures are updated yet, but if you ever want to check, we were at the WEST intersection of DESERT VARNISH DR and GARDENSTONE DR. You should see Elder Schilling and I on the NORTH side of the street. I keep checking every Monday, but it hasn't been put up yet. After that happened, nothing else that happened that day could make me not smile haha.
On Friday, the whole day just felt unproductive. I felt that we weren't doing enough to help bring others unto Christ. We set up a few return appointments and did some small service for the Schlosser family. Dinner was earlier than usual and we got home at about 6:15 with no appointments later that night. So we whipped out the cripple bike and tried to fix it one more time. We took out the tube and after close examination, we finally found the leak. So we patched it up and now we can finally use our bikes! Then Elder Schilling went up to his bed and sat there. Still feeling inadequate and unproductive, I decided I needed to take charge and do something. So I went into our study room and cleaned out, rearranged, and organized the whole room, and after teenage boys have been living there for multiple years, the room looked super dirty. I spent the rest of the night making that area a more spirit-friendly environment, because a clean space to study is the best place to receive clean and inspiring revelation from the Spirit.
On Saturday, we drove straight to the Zone Leader's apartment to get a ride to the Fountain Stake Day of Service at Garden of the Gods. In each of the mission vehicles, they have a device called Tiwi, which tracks speeding violations, aggressive driving, and so on. The one in the Zone Leader's truck is broken, so, Elder Reimer was speeding and driving like a crazy man haha. We also had Elder Gutierrez and Elder Buxton with us but there weren't enough seats so Elder Buxton rode in the bed of the truck all the way there.
First selfie with Elder Gutierrez and I
When we got to Garden of the Gods, we got a Mormon Helping Hands T shirt and met up with the other missionaries in our zone to get some tools.
Fountain Zone
What we did was tear up the "wayward trails" which were branching off the main trail and seeding them with the natural vegetation of the area. We had nearly 175 people show up to do service, and they are only used to having groups of 50 or 60. So we went to work in the sun and had a fun time with Elder Gutierrez and Elder Liptrott tearing up the trails with pickaxes.
Garden of the Gods service
As I was doing this service, it reminded me of my purpose as a missionary and the purpose of each of us. There are many people who walk these "wayward trails" that might seem fine, but can lead us to injure ourselves spiritually and even hurt others around us. As a missionary, my job is to bring those people off of the trails and then destroy that trail so that we are not led to walk on it again. I thought that this was a cool physical representation of my purpose. I know that as we keep pressing forward and never letting the adversary gain ground, the Lord will bless us to no end and will be there to press forward right beside us. This mission is so dear to me already and is shaping me into the man I have always wanted to become.
I love you all!
Elder Kyler LaRose
EMAIL: kyler.larose@myldsmail.
CURRENT AREA ADDRESS:
2328 Washo Circle
Colorado Springs, CO
80915
MISSION OFFICE ADDRESS:
4090 Center Park Drive Ste 4
Colorado Springs, CO 80916
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