WEEK #22 - Colorado Springs, Fountain Stake CHRISTMAS!

Hello family and friends! How was everyone's Christmas? Mine was great:)

On Monday, we went and played basketball and volleyball with the other missionaries at the stake center. It was way fun and Elder Tu'ifua rocked it. That night, we took one of the family history consultants with us to our lesson with Mitch and taught him how to do a little bit of family history. It is really cool to see how much he has grown and how excited he is to go to the temple!
On Tuesday, I went with our Zone Leader, Elder M. Smith, to the 18th ward. We had an incredible day together and were teaching the whole day. We ended up finding 6 new investigators just that day! It was really fun to have that happen. Elder Hawkins and the other Zone Leader, Elder G. Smith, found 2 new investigators for 3rd ward as well! It was a great day for both of us.
On Wednesday, I went on exchanges with Elder Stark in the Sand Creek area. Elder Tu'ifua and Elder Hawkins stayed in 3rd ward. I took my bike over there and said goodbye to the car for the day. Elder Stark and I biked around with Ryan Call, one of the guys going on a mission soon. We went and did some crappy service (literally) where we pick up dog poop around this lady's yard. It was disgusting. Then we went and taught the 3rd lesson to and active couple. We were going to have a lesson with a less active family, but they didn't show up:/. So for a minute, we practiced our wheelies on the street:). We then went and helped a family move furniture out of their house. Our dinner took Elder Stark and I out to Panda Express for dinner. We then got a call from a very confused Elder Hawkins and Tu'ifua. They had turned the wrong way at a road and were lost. They drove about 15 miles out of our area! So all of the miles that we have left for the month are used up now haha. This means lots of walking now:) we ended the night by playing volleyball with 3rd ward.
On Thursday, district meeting was held today because of the holidays. We had the Sister Training Leaders, Sister Marler and Sister Madsen, visit our district meeting for the day. After that, our Christmas Eve dinner picked us up and we helped get ready. Their family tradition was to have make-your-own pizzas for dinner and so we created some good pizzas:).

On Christmas Morning, we woke up and did some studies before we were picked up by Jeff (Gunga) and Bode Wolin to spend Christmas in Woodland Park. We made some fun mad-libs on the way up. Right when I walked in the door, Amy had my family on Skype right there waiting to talk to me. We had a good hello and then ended it to settle in. We had some good lunch with Elder Tallman and Davies and it was great to see them. I then called my family back and opened my presents in front of them. I got an electric blanket, slippers, cologne, a towel, and other sweet stuff. The best gift was to talk to my family though. It was so awesome to see everyone and to get to talk to them and hear their voices again:) It was sad to say goodbye, but awesome to see them.

I also got to meet Elder Hawkins' family, which was neat. We then had some delicious Chicago pizza for dinner and I stuffed myself. We hung out with the Wolins and then took a walk around Woodland Park in the snow. After we got back, we got to watch The Emperor's New Groove with Bode. I had forgotten how funny that movie was and Elder Hawkins and I were cracking up the whole time. Then we made the drive back to our apartment and had a good night.

On Saturday, since we want to keep our car, we walked all day in 20 degree weather with a strong wind chill that dropped the temperature even more. We were Popsicles walking around and at one point, we walked to the nearest member's house and asked if we could get a ride back to our apartment. Then, Elder Hawkins and I walked to a really cool Japanese restaurant where the cook everything in front of you and have fire going everywhere. It was the best Japanese that I've ever had! The place was called Musashi. We returned to our apartment after that and thawed ourselves out. The electric blanket came in handy that night!

On Sunday, we woke up, got ready, and walked to the church for our meetings. Church was really good, but there were a lot of people gone for the holidays, which cut our ward in half. After church, we took the sacrament to Sister King with Brother Ledbetter and then got a ride to go with Mitch to dinner at the Melvin's house. That night, I called everyone in my district and did call-ins to discuss the progress of the work in my district. We had a good night sleep, and a great week to reflect on.
I love you all and hope you have a happy new year this next week! Love,
Elder LaRose

Kyler.larose@myldsmail.net

CURRENT ADDRESS:

2605 Serendipity Circle E APT #251

Colorado Springs, CO

80917

MISSION OFFICE ADDRESS:

4090 Center Park Drive Ste 4

Colorado Springs, CO 80916

WEEK #21 - Colorado Springs Fountain Stake

WEEK #21

Hello Everyone! It's been a great week so far!

On Monday we had a good time playing sports with the other elders in the mission. We finished up the day by going over to Mitch's and celebrating his baptism. Elder Stark and Elder Villaneda came as well.

On Tuesday, it was transfer meeting and our last day with Elder Villaneda. We hung out with them until the meeting. Elder Stark got the call to be a trainer so, We are going to have another brand new missionary in the District!! Elder Stark was assigned to be the trainer of Elder Tu'ifua who is straight from Tonga and is still working on his English haha. He is such a cool guy and we were all excited to have him in the District:) 

​Elder Hawkins, Elder Tu'ifua, and Elder Stark

After our dinner and stuff, we took Elder Stark and Elder Tu'ifua to Walmart to go shopping for the first time. Elder Tu'ifua didn't really know what to get and told us that he normally eats, cows, pigs, horses, and dogs! haha it was hilarious. This is also the first time that he has seen snow!

On Wednesday, We had to go to the mission office and turn in the baptism record for Mitch. After that, Elder Hawkins and I went to the doctor to get his foot X-rayed. He landed on it funny when we were playing ultimate frisbee and there was a bump on the outside of his ankle. We got the results back and there was no sprain or fracture and just some stretching of the ligaments. The bump was from calcium buildup too. We were there for most of the day because you know how doctors are. We went out to eat dinner with a member at a place called 3 Margaritas and had some good authentic food. Our coordination meeting was cancelled, so we played some volleyball and then retired for the night.

Some of our investigators

On Thursday, one of the recently returned missionaries, Brother Duke, took us out for breakfast and then took us to meet his neighbors that he had been introducing the gospel to! We were able to share the key points of the restoration and got 2 new investigators! Hopefully we can show them how much the good news of the gospel can bless our lives. We picked up one of the priests in our ward and took him with us to go and contact some referrals we had received and to visit some less actives. That night, we were invited over to the Allen's house to have dinner with them and to teach Kitana, our investigator there too. Kitana is actually the Granddaughter-in-law to the Allens too. Dinner was great and we had a wonderful lesson with Kitana and her husband. We taught about Eternal marriage and about the blessings of the temple. The spirit was so strong there and you could feel Kitana's desire for a temple marriage. So Elder Hawkins again invited Kitana to be baptized and she said yes before Elder Hawkins could finish the question haha. We are scheduled to have it on the 9th of January!! When we got out of the house and were walking toward our car, we were so pumped and happy for her.

On Friday District meeting started late because the Zone Leaders didn't show up until 30 minutes after it was supposed to start. We had a good lesson and after the meeting, and impromptu snowball fight broke out. Elder Tu'ifua was having a blast! We went and saw 2 members and then went with Mitch to teach Sister King. After dinner, we went and met with the Choate family. It was pretty wild and was hard to corral them all in.

On Saturday, It was Elder Hawkins' 19th birthday! I woke up before him and made him eggs for breakfast. Then, we dropped off a bike and a helmet for Elder Tu'ifua. We did some service and then went to the library to print off talks and stuff. That night, the members we had dinner with took us out to Texas Roadhouse in celebration of Elder Hawkins' birthday. It was a wonderful day.

On Sunday, we went to church and Mitch received the Aaronic Priesthood and was ordained to the office of Priest!! He is looking at going to the temple pretty soon and we are excited to go with him! We walked to Sister Beavers' house for dinner and she is an avid Broncos Fan. So when we got there, we got to watch a little bit of the Broncos Steelers game. It was a good one! 

That wraps up the week pretty well, and I am looking forward to this next week because i'ts Christmas!!! Special thanks to all who have given me gifts, it means a lot:) miss you all and Merry CHRISTmas!

Kyler.larose@myldsmail.net

CURRENT ADDRESS:

2605 Serendipity Circle E APT #251

Colorado Springs, CO

80917

MISSION OFFICE ADDRESS:

4090 Center Park Drive Ste 4

Colorado Springs, CO 80916

WEEK #20 - Colorado Springs Fountain Stake

WEEK #20

Hello everyone!
On Monday, we went and played ultimate frisbee at a park with a bunch of other Elders and Sisters. The weather in Colorado has been gorgeous lately! It reminds me of California winters, just without the snow. But yeah! We had our lesson with Mitch and he is so excited for his baptism.
On Tuesday, we went to the library to create the baptism program for Mitch. It was nice to get everything laid out and in order. We had our 2 lessons cancel on us, which was dumb, because we were left with nothing to do and it was already dark out. Our dinner was with the Williams, where we had some good chicken soup.
On Wednesday, we had our Zone Conference with the Fountain stake, Colorado Springs stake, and East stake. We showed up and had to line all of the vehicles up for inspection and a rating. We got a rating of great on the interior and good on the exterior. We all piled in the chapel and got to hear from President Rehm and a couple of other missionaries. Then we moved into the gym for lunch and pictures, when the vehicle coordinator came in dressed all up like Santa and made us sing Christmas songs haha. So all of the cool kids went and got a picture with Santa too.

 We got to hear from Sister Rehm, the Assistants to the President, and all of the departing missionaries. It is really cool to hear the testimonies of those who have served The Lord for the past 2 years or 18 months. I still have quite a while to go:) the overall theme of Zone Conference was to be a shining example to those around you. Also, to remember Jesus Christ our savior and his birth and what that means for us. After zone conference, we went to dinner at the Robins house and they invited Mitch over as well! We Had really good ham and potatoes. That night, we had coordination and volleyball. Elder Stark and Elder Villaneda came to play as well.

On Thursday, the Zone Leaders called, asking for a ride after they dropped off their vehicle for repairs, so we met them at the mission office and got to do that. At 2:30, Mitch came for his baptismal interview with the Zone Leaders. We showed him the program and pointed out that I had made a typo!! Good thing we caught that. We filled out all the paperwork with him and then Elder Smith took him in for the interview. It took an hour for them to do the interview! But Mitch came out just grinning and excited for the baptism:) We had our dinner cancel on us, so we called the Keyes family and they told us to come over for some pizza. We had another lesson with Kitana and taught her about obedience. It was a really good lesson, but we still need to set a baptismal date with her. She is progressing well though.
On Friday, we had district meeting and I taught the lesson on utilizing the gift of the Holy Ghost as we teach others to come unto Christ. We then went to the library to fix the baptism program for Mitch. We were going to have a lesson with Sister King, but she has just not been doing well. We are keeping her in our prayers and hope to see her next week. After dinner, we were going to meet with a less active member, but guess what, he cancelled on us too. So we went and printed a bunch of copies of Mitch's baptism program off. We met with the Choate family too and taught them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The youngest, named Helaman, gave Elder Hawkins and I some sweet Christmas ornaments that he made in school. They are all so excited to get baptized and I can't wait for them either. :)
On Saturday, we woke up at 5:45 and drove to the church to fill up the font for Mitch's baptism. After 2 1/2 hours of watching it fill, we ran home, grabbed breakfast, and came back to the church to get everything set up. Mitch arrived at about 9:30 and he seemed pretty nervous and excited:) we were planning on having everyone in the baptismal room, but so many people showed up to support Mitch that we had to go into the chapel. I thought that was pretty awesome. The beginning hymn was "How Great Thou Art" and then I gave the opening prayer. Then, Mark McConkie, son to Bruce McConkie and former Stake President, gave a talk on Baptism for Mitch. Then we went ahead with the ordinance and Elder Hawkins and I stood as witnesses. It was so good to see Mitch get baptized and the spirit was there, touching each of our hearts. Afterwards, former stake president Richard Savio, gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. It was a wonderful time:) 

Later in the afternoon, our Ward Christmas party started at 3 and went until 5. We had turkey sandwiches and pie and then there was a video presentation done in remembrance of Christ's birth. We had a lot of less active members show up and they all seemed to have a good time. We are working with them all and hope they feel our love for them.

On Sunday, we began by slipping and sliding all over the freshly powdered roads to church and then sitting in on our Ward council meetings. While we were waiting for the meeting to start, a lady walked in and said that her church was closed due to the weather and so she decided to walk across the street to our church! She had a great time at sacrament meeting and also went to Releif Society meeting. There is a potential investigator that simply fell into our laps. What a blessing. In church, we were able to stand in for the Confirmation of the Holy Ghost to Mitch:) He seems so ready and we are so happy for him. It was such a good day and such a good week. Love hearing from all of you and thanks for everything!

Elder Kyler LaRose

Kyler.larose@myldsmail.net

CURRENT ADDRESS:

2605 Serendipity Circle E APT #251

Colorado Springs, CO

80917

MISSION OFFICE ADDRESS:

4090 Center Park Drive Ste 4

Colorado Springs, CO 80916

WEEK #19 - Colorado Springs Fountain Stake

Hey everyone! It's been a great week.
On Monday, we got our Subaru back from the repair shop and it is so much better. When it snows, we have fun on the corners:) we went and played basketball at a different church building with a gym the size of a tennis court haha. It was fun though.

Delicious Tucanos

On Tuesday, we had lunch at Tucanos and had some incredible food. That place is soo good! Then we brought Elder Stark and Elder Villaneda with us to help a family move out of our ward and into their ward. That took up the whole day because they didn't get a U haul to load everything in. So we had a bunch of people with their trucks loading stuff in and driving to the other house to unload it.
On Wednesday, we had a good lesson with Brother and Sister Larson. It is always good to meet with them. They are very generous to us :) we tried to meet with brother Suydam, but he didn't show up to our appointment. Our dinner was with the Fullers and Munns. After our dinner, Elder Hawkins and I were trying to teach the little kids the hand signals for the 10 commandments and it felt like we were trying to herd cats. I love their families though:) we had a good coordination meeting with Brother Springer and Brother Munn, and then suited up for volleyball. Elder Stark and Elder Villaneda came to play as well.
On Thursday, we did our studies and planned for the next week. We then had a lesson with Brother Brown that lasted 1hr 45min!! All he does is talk and talk and Elder Hawkins almost fell asleep haha. That night, we had a lesson with Kitana. Her husband decided not to sit in on this lesson. We are really trying to teach them both. We taught about the 10 commandments and even did the cool hand signals to go along.

Elder Stark and I

On Friday, we didn't have district meeting because of Zone Training. This zone training we learned about humility, charity, and obedience. It was really cool. They applied the Elder Nash style of teaching and asked "what did you learn?" And "what are you going to do?" After zone training, our appointment with sister king cancelled again which is a real bummer because we love going there. We had dinner with the Choate family and finally taught then our second lesson. It was really hectic. We set a baptismal date for the 4 children, but they are really flaky so we are praying for a miracle.
On Saturday afternoon, we went downtown with Elder Stark and Elder Villaneda and got haircuts at Paul Mitchell. They took a really long time and we got home in time for dinner.
On Sunday, we announced Mitch's baptism at sacrament meeting! There is probably going to be a huge turn out. He is already so well integrated into the church that a lot of people are likely to show up and support. That night we had dinner with Sister Woods and her husband. He is a WWII bomber pilot and is 92 years old. She is a very spiritual person and it was really cool to be with them.
It was a great week! I love hearing from you all, talk to you next week!!

it's going to  be a white christmas

Elder LaRose

Kyler.larose@myldsmail.net

CURRENT ADDRESS:

2605 Serendipity Circle E APT #251

Colorado Springs, CO

80917

MISSION OFFICE ADDRESS:

4090 Center Park Drive Ste 4

Colorado Springs, CO 80916