July 29, 2013

Dear Mom and Dad and Family,

I am doing great here in Kansas City. It has been raining some this week. The weather has been awesome, nothing hot yet. Our week has been very busy. We helped move in 3 different families this week. We did some lawn work at a less active member’s house. Saturday we had a ward party at a park and we, the 4  elders, had to cook pancakes for the whole ward.

We have taught lots of lessons this week. We only had a few appointments fall through. We have 4 new investigators and like 6 other investigators at this moment. David is doing great he hasn't relapsed on smoking yet which is good and he is reading and last night we got him to pray out loud for the second time. He lost his keys and he prayed to find them. I hope he finds them to help him gain a testimony of prayer. Bro Pervis a friend of David went to the hospital this week. He thought he had food poison but it was his appendix and it is enlarged and the doctors have to decide if they can remove it because he has some cancer in that region that they are concerned about. He had only our number when he left so he has called us about 8 times a day to get people’s numbers and to talk to us. We have another investigator named Dewy. He has been chatting with sisters at the Hawaii visitor center and they called us to get us to visit him. He has been reading a Book of Mormon and knows lots of things about the church. The only problem is that he is in a mental hospital and it is fun trying to see him or get him to come to church.

We are still teaching Buddy an 8 year old kid that wants to be baptized. He and his family came to church for the first time in about 3 years. He knows lots, we just need to make sure that he know the things he needs to get baptized.  Donzell is doing great he is about to be baptized. He was excommunicated from the church a long time ago. He has realized that the church is something he need in his life. He has changed and stopped doing the things that got him kicked out of the church. He has been coming to church but he can't take the sacrament or give his input into the lessons. He is glad that he can still come to church.

Bro Hails is our ward mission leader and he is going with us to see Yandira. She is from Bolivia and she is here going to school. She is learning English but she speaks in Spanish most of the times. Bro Hails and his wife knows Spanish because of missions so they are helping us teach her. She understands more than she speaks.

I am still learning how big the area is.  We keep on finding more house and apartments that we haven't been to. It has been nice to have a car full time. We are using it also to help the other elders out.  Like last night we had to pick up the other elders in our ward at 9 at night because one of the bike tires popped.  The members are so nice here. We have had members fed us every day but one.  We have had some good food from members. Tonight we are going to a less active member for dinner. He and his mom are going to feed us. He drives semis, so he is gone on Sunday and can't come to church. He is trying to get a local run so he can come back to church. 

I love the weather that we are having at this time. I am glad that I wasn't here last year. I hear the summer was horrible because they had very little rain. Elder Weatherford was told that he is going to leave for India at the end of August so we are going to have a trio next transfer.  We get to go to Independence on the 10th of next month to see a investigator get baptized that just moved out of this area. I am loving my mission and learning lots. I am almost being eaten alive there are so many bugs here. I miss all of you and I love you all.

Love

Elder Benjamin Allen