Week 27
Date
March 13, 2017
Area
Second Area - Monmouth, OR
Companion
Elder Vega
Week 27
This has been a pretty slow week, even by my standards. :) It started off well on Tuesday; we walked all day in the hardest rainstorm of my life! We were out from 12:30 to around 6:15 for dinner, and it was raining so hard that we had to come back to our apartment and shower plus change clothes before dinner, otherwise we would have gotten sick from being soaked through! It was the wettest day of my mission so far. :)
Wednesday I woke up to a migraine, which was not fun. I think the rain and wind of Tuesday may have played a role in it, but I'm not certain. Anyway, Wednesday was spent sleeping, and trying to avoid the light as much as possible. I felt really bad for Elder Vega, since all he did was study and sit in the living room with me while I slept. I'm so grateful to be blessed with such an awesome companion.
Thursday, oddly enough, was the same as Wednesday. I woke up again, with the migraine—something that has only happened to me once or twice before. I thought it was a little strange, but decided the best course of action was again, to sleep it off. Most of what I remember from Thursday consists of sleeping and maybe a meal or two. Beyond that, is anyone's gues. :)
Friday was a lot better. I didn't have the migraine any more, and for the first time in a while, it was about 60 degrees outside, and not raining. The sun was shining, and it was awesome! We had district meeting, where some awesome trainings were given. Elder Eden, one of the Elders about to go home soon, gave a training I thought was particularly special. He focused on "Use the Book of Mormon to respond to objections", found in chapter 5 of Preach My Gospel. As a district we then discussed how we as missionaries use the Book of Mormon to teach people about the full, restored gospel of Jesus Christ found in our church. A quote from PMG stuck out to me as we read: "All objections, whether they be on abortion, plural marriage, seventh-day worship, etc., basically hinge on whether Joseph Smith and his successors were and are prophets of God receiving divine revelation." I realized more fully that the Book of Mormon is the tool that we use to find the ones prepared to receive the gospel in this time of their lives. That as we teach them, if they will turn to the Book of Mormon, all their questions and concerns will be addressed. It was a powerful witness to me that every investigators question is centered on the Restoration, and man once again having the authority to act in Gods name on the earth. I am so blessed to be a part of this gospel, and living in the last dispensation where I can share what I know to be true with everyone around me. After district meeting, Elder Vega and I went to a place called Wilamina to find some potentials and referrals in our area book. We were blessed with success and found a man named Carlos who was home at the time we passed by (usually in Spanish work, and missionary work in general, you have to time pretty well when people are home), and interested enough that he accepted a pamphlet and invited us to come back soon, and teach him! We're super excited to see where he goes. That night, we had a ward Luau, which doubled as our dinner. It was a super awesome time, and we had fun mingling with the members and wearing laie. :)
Saturday morning I woke up with the migraine again. I'm not sure what set it off, but it made a re-appearance! :) We did the only thing that works effectively against migraines: sleep. Elder Vega is so very patient. I'm so grateful to be his companion. I know being in the apartment for half the week would drive me crazy, so I can only imagine the kind of patience he has. As the day went on, I realized it was probably time to go to a doctor to get it checked out, since I've never had migraines last that long. So, we called the mission doctor, who finds clinics, etc for us to go to, tells us when to go, and everything like that. The result is we'll go to an LDS doctor in West Salem in the next day or two, and I have instructions to call him today and schedule an appointment.
Yesterday was still the same, with a migraine. I was actually doing a lot better, and feeling great! Then we got to church. :) I'm not sure if it was the lighting in the chapel (it's very bright!), possibly the off-white coloring in the chapel, or what, but during sacrament meeting is when the migraine came back. The rest of church was super great! We even had a correlation meeting with our brand new Ward Mission Leader right after church! He's an awesome guy named Brother Jackson. He's in his 60's I'd say, and super excited to do missionary work. He's going to be a huge blessing to us and the ward.
I feel like this week has been a struggle. It's been easy to beat myself up for not being able to go out and do what I am called to do. What I'm only going to be able to do for another 18 months as a full time missionary. I think the biggest lesson my Father in Heaven has taught me has to deal with patience. Really trusting in Him and His timing. I've come to understand that truly, His ways are not our ways, and sometimes it's hard to see things in a positive light when we want so badly that they go a different way. However, Heavenly Father gives us times like this so we can grow and change into who He needs us to be. I testify to the reality of a Father in Heaven who knows each and every one of us personally. He knows our struggles and challenges, and gives them to us for a reason. I know that all will be well, and all will work out in His time according to His Plan. I have felt of his love for me and I know with a certainty that He is with us in our trials and infirmities.
I love you all, and hope you have an amazing week!
Love,
Elder Kehl
Wednesday I woke up to a migraine, which was not fun. I think the rain and wind of Tuesday may have played a role in it, but I'm not certain. Anyway, Wednesday was spent sleeping, and trying to avoid the light as much as possible. I felt really bad for Elder Vega, since all he did was study and sit in the living room with me while I slept. I'm so grateful to be blessed with such an awesome companion.
Thursday, oddly enough, was the same as Wednesday. I woke up again, with the migraine—something that has only happened to me once or twice before. I thought it was a little strange, but decided the best course of action was again, to sleep it off. Most of what I remember from Thursday consists of sleeping and maybe a meal or two. Beyond that, is anyone's gues. :)
Friday was a lot better. I didn't have the migraine any more, and for the first time in a while, it was about 60 degrees outside, and not raining. The sun was shining, and it was awesome! We had district meeting, where some awesome trainings were given. Elder Eden, one of the Elders about to go home soon, gave a training I thought was particularly special. He focused on "Use the Book of Mormon to respond to objections", found in chapter 5 of Preach My Gospel. As a district we then discussed how we as missionaries use the Book of Mormon to teach people about the full, restored gospel of Jesus Christ found in our church. A quote from PMG stuck out to me as we read: "All objections, whether they be on abortion, plural marriage, seventh-day worship, etc., basically hinge on whether Joseph Smith and his successors were and are prophets of God receiving divine revelation." I realized more fully that the Book of Mormon is the tool that we use to find the ones prepared to receive the gospel in this time of their lives. That as we teach them, if they will turn to the Book of Mormon, all their questions and concerns will be addressed. It was a powerful witness to me that every investigators question is centered on the Restoration, and man once again having the authority to act in Gods name on the earth. I am so blessed to be a part of this gospel, and living in the last dispensation where I can share what I know to be true with everyone around me. After district meeting, Elder Vega and I went to a place called Wilamina to find some potentials and referrals in our area book. We were blessed with success and found a man named Carlos who was home at the time we passed by (usually in Spanish work, and missionary work in general, you have to time pretty well when people are home), and interested enough that he accepted a pamphlet and invited us to come back soon, and teach him! We're super excited to see where he goes. That night, we had a ward Luau, which doubled as our dinner. It was a super awesome time, and we had fun mingling with the members and wearing laie. :)
Saturday morning I woke up with the migraine again. I'm not sure what set it off, but it made a re-appearance! :) We did the only thing that works effectively against migraines: sleep. Elder Vega is so very patient. I'm so grateful to be his companion. I know being in the apartment for half the week would drive me crazy, so I can only imagine the kind of patience he has. As the day went on, I realized it was probably time to go to a doctor to get it checked out, since I've never had migraines last that long. So, we called the mission doctor, who finds clinics, etc for us to go to, tells us when to go, and everything like that. The result is we'll go to an LDS doctor in West Salem in the next day or two, and I have instructions to call him today and schedule an appointment.
Yesterday was still the same, with a migraine. I was actually doing a lot better, and feeling great! Then we got to church. :) I'm not sure if it was the lighting in the chapel (it's very bright!), possibly the off-white coloring in the chapel, or what, but during sacrament meeting is when the migraine came back. The rest of church was super great! We even had a correlation meeting with our brand new Ward Mission Leader right after church! He's an awesome guy named Brother Jackson. He's in his 60's I'd say, and super excited to do missionary work. He's going to be a huge blessing to us and the ward.
I feel like this week has been a struggle. It's been easy to beat myself up for not being able to go out and do what I am called to do. What I'm only going to be able to do for another 18 months as a full time missionary. I think the biggest lesson my Father in Heaven has taught me has to deal with patience. Really trusting in Him and His timing. I've come to understand that truly, His ways are not our ways, and sometimes it's hard to see things in a positive light when we want so badly that they go a different way. However, Heavenly Father gives us times like this so we can grow and change into who He needs us to be. I testify to the reality of a Father in Heaven who knows each and every one of us personally. He knows our struggles and challenges, and gives them to us for a reason. I know that all will be well, and all will work out in His time according to His Plan. I have felt of his love for me and I know with a certainty that He is with us in our trials and infirmities.
I love you all, and hope you have an amazing week!
Love,
Elder Kehl
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