September 24th

It’s going to be different for sure to say the least. Um Ya I’m not really sure where to start I’ll be honest. My area is the largest in the mission. I take up 4 counties so it’s really hard because they only give us a certain amount of miles for the month. So our apartment is in Versailes but most of our work is in Frankfurt. And so there are 2 English Elders that live in Frankfurt so we usually spend a few nights a week at their apartment which isn’t the best cause that means I sleep on a couch and we have no food in their apartment haha. There isn’t a lot of Spanish work out here either. They haven’t had a baptism in almost a year so that’s not to reassuring, but we have 3 people with baptismal dates, I think 2 will be getting dropped but I’m pretty sure this one guy will be getting baptized. His name is Pedro. He’s from Nicaragua. You’re never going to guess how he was found, so someone from the last branch I was working at ran into him at the airport and like got down his info and gave it to the missionaries so it’s kinda crazy. He’s really elect though.

Um I got to talk to Eufemia yesterday. That was really cool. She said her baptism was amazing and she loved every minute of it and she feels like a new person. Elder Warner baptized her and gave her the Holy Ghost. She said she really misses me and that the new Elder doesn’t speak Spanish at all so he can’t understand her at all. She was asking when I was coming back, I think she expected it to be really soon but then when I told her the earliest I could be back in the 5th branch would be probably in about a year and she was really sad about that haha

Um it’s going to be really hard I’ll be honest.... So Elder G, like I said has a rep for being a little lazy. He’s been "sick" most of the week and then the district leader has been pretty sick too and so I have been working with a greeny in an area that I don’t know at all. He’s been out about 4 weeks and he’s from Alaska. He’s afraid to tract and freezes up in lessons, so needless to say it’s been really rough. And so if it’s a Spanish lesson I have to do all the talking and then tracting I do all the door approaches and then in English lessons he just doesn’t know the keys of good teaching yet so he’s just kinda awkward. Also all 3 of them fight like every night because they have ADHD. Like my companion yelled at me because I forgot to remind him to grab some medicine for the elder from Alaska so then he made me drive back to the apartment and get it and stuff. It really bugged me. My companion and the greeny are really immature and like the greenie tries to boss me around. Like it really makes me mad haha but oh well. It’s going to be a really hard trial in my life.... this was the longest week of my life.... I really wish I could go back to Okolona....

It’s a really cool setting out here though so it’s really pretty. Very much country and farms and stuff. We actually worked on a farm this week for service haha. She has chickens and rabbits and then just grows a lot of stuff haha. I had to do stuff to prepare a chicken coop/feeder haha I’m not really sure what I was doing then I was pulling out all the corn plants from the ground cause there not growing anymore and then ya. It was really some hard work and I guess we work there every week. She fed us rabbit stew for lunch haha it was pretty good. With some lima beans and squash and homemade bread and stuff. We get feed soooo much out here haha I haven’t even bought any food since I’ve been out here haha I’m going to get fat!!! We went to the coolest house yesterday!!! It’s like out in the middle of nowhere and we had to take this like dirt path in a Toyota Corolla haha it’s such a sweet house. They are just in the middle of nowhere up in the forest with a cabin and some turkeys and chickens and stuff haha.

Um one of the Elders I’m serving around is from Murray so that’s kinda cool. He’s really apostate though because he only has 2 months left. And my zone leader is actually from West Jordan haha he went to Copper Hills but I didn’t know him before. He lives up by sunset ridge.

My apartment is really nice though. It’s like double the size of my old one and we have a washer and dryer and a dish washer haha so that’s nice not having to spend money on that stuff but ya. It’s pretty nice out here. I really hope my companion gets transferred at the end of this transfer but we will see. I really am trying to get along with him. He’s an amazing teacher, but just apostate and it’s been affecting me. Like when were in Frankfurt apartment the DL is very apostate too and so I’m sleeping on the couch in a different room and they don’t set an alarm so then I don’t wake up until like 730 and so I guess I’m going to have to bring my alarm clock to that apartment. It’s been a real challenge the last week. The members are great. The ward is in English but ya.... idk... I hope all is well down there.

There are a few things that I need. I need a GPS. You don’t need to buy one, but just send the one we have out. Cause really with how big our area is, ill need one once my companion leaves cause he’s the only one that has one. Um also... have you tried the white chocolate m and m's? Haha not that great! They pretty much just taste like frosting.

Um my new address is 139 Macey Ave. Apt X
                                   Versailes, KY, 40385

September 17th

Haha well its been the hardest last 2 days of my mission.... and probably not the reason you think! Haha so.... we have had amazing things happen this week, i dont really know where to start. Heck ill just give you the news. So.... Yesterday the Assistants called us at like 9 in the morning and then they said they wanted to talk to me. They are doing an emergency transfer (which is ridiculously rare) because an Elder is coming in tomorrow and so.... Im getting transfered..... Elder Warner is training again. I really dont want to leave this area.... Its so hard to have someone have to tell you your leaving 5 days before your first baptism.... So its been a really rough few days but im staying strong. I know that there is a reason in all things. Who knows maybe ill just be like  John the Baptist and just prepare the way for baptisms. But ya I leave tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM so I hope you havent sent anything to our appartment... cause I wont be there haha. Um im going to the boonies of Kentucky. Its called Versailles. Its about an hour away from here and the 2nd farthest spanish area. Its in a richer area, but its just hick country. Its the place I was describing when I thought I was getting transfered. Like they eat posum, raccoon, and rabbit out there haha so that should be fun. My companion is going to be Elder Granodos. He was Elder Warners tranier.... like I dont want to judge him yet and im not.... but everyone says hes the worst missionary. Hes really lazy and disobedient. Everyone says its the longest time in there mission when they are with him.... but we will see what happens. Im going in with an open mind and im not going to lower my standards for him. Im making him work!!! But it should be pretty fun out there. Im in a car so thatll be nice during the winter thats for sure!!! I think Elder Warner is kinda bumbed he is staying here. If he trains this kid all the way through the training program he will have been in this area for 10 1/2 months and then he will go zone leader for sure so his whole mission will have been right in downtown louisville pretty much, but hes being a trooper.

 

It was the hardest thing to have to Eufemia that I couldnt baptize her this Sunday. She started crying at church and was just saying the Lord wont allow it to happen. But today she was more ok with it.... she started crying again today though. Its been really hard to just say goodbye to everyone I have grown so close to. Its worse when its so unexpected ya know? So im all packed up and everything. Like I guess the zone leaders really loved me.... like Elder Simms, I felt like we were on ok terms, but just like friends ya know and he like took me aside and almost started crying when he said he was going to miss me. Its been really rough to say the least.... but im sure its not the first time its happend to anyone so its ok. Um I actually have a letter from Eufemia to you all. Its in Spanish so I translated it and ill just type it on here!

 

"Dear Brothers/Sisters

 

I would like to write this letter to you all to congradulate you for the son so marvelous that God has given you. He is the most beautiful thing that has come into my path at my age of 55. I have been blessed to meet him and get to know him. The Lord has used him as an instrument so that I came to know the Gospel. And which I give thanks to God because I am sure that it is the true religion and that this is the true church. So my life has changed completely and I can assure you that I am ther person most happy now that I know the Gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In all my prayers to the Lord I pray for all of you and for all the missionaries. I ask the Lord everyday that he will continue blessing your family and their lives.

 

Love

Eufemia"

 

It was just so sweet. You dont know how amazing this woman is! She is so elect and is going to be such an amazing member of the Church.

 

Um we also had a really cool lesson this week with Darely and Amiley. They are investigators that have been investigating for almost a year now. We pretty much dropped them, but we see them every once and awhile cause they live right by Eufemia. We walked in and just started talking to Darely and then Amiley walks in with her Bible and asks if we can teach something. So we just taught a little bit about Baptism.... then at the end of the lesson Amiley asked if she could be baptized. That she thinks its the right time in her life. It was the most amazing thing ever! And Darely knows the church is true and so does her mom Marth, they just dont like going alone, and they are friends with Eufemia... so now they want to come to church.

 

So we had a party on Saturday for all the branch and all investigators and stuff with just a bunch of food and then dances from like the elders and the primary and relief society and things like that. Amiley and Darely and Eufemia and her husband and then all the kids of Darley and Amiley came to the party and loved it. Then on Sunday they all came to church too. So its looking like this area could have 6 baptisms in the next transfer. Cause Eufemia will be baptized sunday. Then Darley and Amiley and Martha want to be baptized and they have 2 kids that tell us they want to come to church and be baptized. So needless to say... we had a very successful week and so thats why its so dang hard to leave. But they saying is always leave an area better than when you got in it....and this area is pretty dang white to say the least!!

 

Um thats pretty much all I can remember with whats been going on this week just cause Ive been really caught up in just all of this thats just happened. Um If you could maybe send out my singulair and maybe some stamps that would be great but make sure you send it to the mission office and they will get it to me.

 

Love

Elder Knudsen

September 4th

Well this week has been pretty successful and really funny. Haha man do I have a story for you. But first I’m going to start off by telling you a story I don’t think I told you yet from like the first day of my mission. So we left the MTC Monday ya know? And so I get to Colorado and I sit my carryon with all of the other missionaries and go to make my phone call to you guys. I talk to yall for awhile and then decide to go get food ya know. I come back and ask the Elders where my backpack is. They told me security had taken it and my plane was starting to board at this point!!! So I had to run as fast as I can to find a security person... they tell me I have to go to this certain place. I show up and ask them for my bag and they said that no one has been able to go through it yet so ill have to wait. I’m freaking out at this point because like I really need to get on my plane!!! So the lady comes to check in and sees me in a panic and she was like it was left unattended and its really heavy and you didn’t have a tag on it so she asked if I could say what was in my backpack and I’m like scriptures and preach my gospel and just all religious stuff and so she opens it up and sees it and politely gives it back then I had to run 100 miles an hour to catch my plane.... hahaha..... ya... I forgot to tell you that in my first email out here.... SORRY CHARLIE!!!! haha

Well today was a pretty good week. I don’t really know where to start like always. Um let’s start with Vicente! Probably the classiest nicest guy I have ever met in my life! We had a really good lesson with him on... Friday?? Ya I think it was Friday. Like he had one earlier in the week with him, but it wasn’t very good because we haven’t really had a chance to teach his wife because she’s always gone so she was home that day and so she was asking questions and just getting off topic, but Friday was just great. We retaught him the Restoration and it was pretty good. We just wanted to review it with him. But before the lesson he was like hermanos (brothers) I’ve been reading like you asked me too... and praying... and just thinking about it wondering if it’s true and one day the thought just came to me that it’s true. And then with tears in his eyes he’s like I don’t have a doubt that this church is the true church on the earth and I know that the Book of Mormon is true too!!! Elder Warner and I were blown away. Then at the end of the lesson he brought up baptism. He’s kind of nervous because it’s a big step in his life and he really just wants to know all that comes with it, but we set his date for September 23. So he will be getting baptized in less than 3 weeks. Our goal is to get him baptized and then get him ordained a Priest and then he would be able to baptize his wife!!! I think that would be really cool. But he’s been amazing. He couldn’t come to church on Sunday because his son was sick and ya.

Eufemia... man where do I start with her. So this week is the week she’s going to quit her job. She always brings it up and so we're really hoping she will go through with it. We’re just trying to get her spiritually jacked and increase her faith so she will do it so she can come to church and then be baptized on September 23 also. We have applied at places with her so were going to try and apply at more places just to give her some optimism that it will be ok if she quits her job. So everything is going well with her. Now I have to tell you a story about her. She feeeeeds ussss soooo much food like it’s not even funny. She’s makes us a feast for 6 and expects us to eat it all and if we don’t she’s like appalled!! It’s always grey rice, some sort of meat, a huge pitcher of juice, a salad, and then something else usually. Like the rice not even kidding is probably like 4 lbs of rice. But anyway ya she wants to feed us like every chance she gets and she won’t eat.... she just makes it for us and sits back and watches us eat its awful. It was also her 55 birthday on Sunday so we went over there and said happy birthday to her. She said they had moved her party to Monday and that we should stop by so we said we would. So yesterday.... Elder Warner and I decide to go to Texas Roadhouse (yes I got grandpas gift certificate!!! Thanks) and so we went there at like 430 because it opens at 4 out here. We eat until we are stuffed and get done at like 6. Then Eufemia calls and tells us to stop by at 7. We stop by and she has made sooooo much food! Elder Warner and I were already stuffed beyond belief. And her husband is kind of crazy. That’s a story for later on in the letter. But she made so much rice and then ribs that were over cooked by like 5 hours without any sauce, yucca marinated in vinegar (YUCK) and then a salad with a bunch of juice... Elder Warner and I just start trudging along eating it. Like we’ve eaten a lot and she’s just like eat more and more and more and we're like hermana were full. And then she gets all mad asking if we don’t like her food. So I take another rib and she’s like no elder and gives me more ribs!!!! Ahhh like I really wanted to throw up with every bite. I finally finish that and I really felt like the food was up to my throat. And then I made the mistake of telling her I haven’t been feeling well.... so....she goes and grabs Alka-Seltzer..... (awful way to end a meal) and like I had to drink that. THEN!!!! She starts like criticizing my faith saying if I had enough faith the Lord would have healed me by now and like yelling at me!!! IT WAS CRAZY!!!! Like I really don’t even know what happened. Then she gave us like a ton of leftovers.... we just threw it away..... and we were trying to get the dog to eat our food while she wasn’t watching haha.

Ok back to her husband. So we show up and he’s like come in. We could tell he’s a little drunk cause we see some beer and stuff (don’t worry eufemia doesn’t drink) but then he starts like offering us beer, Were like no sir we can’t drink it and he’s like I know you’re not supposed to but just have 1 just to refresh yourself and we were like No haha and so we had to get Eufemia to finally tell him. Then.... he starts karaoke. He’s kind of deaf by the way so he turns it up as loud as you can and so you can’t hear anyone in the room. He starts singing this romantic song (all Hispanics love the romance) and he starts like serenading me!!! Elder Warner was like on the ground laughing. He just was like looking at me and pointing at me and it was so awkward.... I wanted to laugh, but like I couldn’t and like I couldn’t just look away and finally when he stops looking at me I look at Elder Warner and he is just like crying his eyes out!!! It was soooo funny apparently haha but then he started dancing like a machine by himself and then Elder Warner thought it would be funny to tell him I want to sing.... good thing we got out of there before that happened, but anyway.... yesterday was crazy!!!!

We also have started teaching a guy from Brazil. It’s really sweet. His name is Dijonio and like he knows enough Spanish that we can communicate pretty well, but like Portuguese is crazy!! Good luck Preston haha. It’s pretty much Spanish with a French flare. It’s a way sweet language and I don’t think it would be too much harder than Spanish but ya. He’s doing well. Actually the English Elders are the one that found him and taught him for like 2 weeks and then finally asked if he would rather have Spanish elders come and he said yes so they turned him over to us. He’s been to church 2 with them and had a bap date, but it got dropped. But we will probably be setting one with him this week for October 7. He’s super legit though. He’s only like 24 and just the nicest guy too!!

We also have been super busy with this lady named Micaila the last 2 days. So she just decided to come to church on Sunday. Like she somehow got the numbers of the Zone Leaders, but she’s in our area and she came to church because she really needs help. She’s from Guatemala and apparently she’s supposed to be getting deported this week. So she asked if there was anything we could do. She gave us like no time to work! She’s known for like 3 months but she had just found our card and she was crying in church because she really felt the spirit and really wants to stay. So there is actually a member that is an immigration lawyer, so she met with her today so we're going to see what’s going to happen, but really we need a miracle. But if somehow she stays.... she will for sure get baptized. So that’s been really hectic the last few days.

Um Rolando and Yasmin have kind of fallen off the deep end. He’s started drinking again and they just don’t return our phone calls and so we haven’t "dropped" them, but like there is nothing we can really do with them. We see them like 1 a week now and it’s just like there not keeping their commitments. Same with Ronal. He says we can visit him and then he’s never home and so he’s been really hard to get a hold of, so this week we really have just been trying to find new people to teach and try and get some new solid investigators.... it hasn’t really happened yet.

We also had something really cool happen with a lady named Mora. So she’s been having a rough time financially and she’s a member. She asked for money from the church, but they wouldn’t because she’s kind of inactive and doesn’t pay her tithing and we have caught her smoking. So we show up at her house and you could just tell something was wrong. We start talking and she is like "I decided I’m leaving the church because no one can help me and no one comes to visit me and stuff like that" At this point I’m freaking  out not really knowing what to say, but Elder Warner handled it like a beast. We pretty much just showed her that she has a testimony and that she knows that its true and by the end she was feeling pretty good and asked if we could read something with her in the Book of Mormon. So we will see what happens with her. She said she was going to come to church, but then she called and said she was at the hospital, Elder Warner thinks she has started going to a Catholic Church. Because she told us she had gone a 1, but we think that’s where she was and not the hospital.

I think thats about all that has happened with  me haha.... ya...

Love

Elder Knudsen

August 27th

Well honestly there is not much to tell you this week. It was a really long weird week. I honestly don’t really know what happened so ill just try and throw some stuff out just so you know kinda what’s going on. So Saturday is when we get transfer calls and Elder Warner since he’s a district leader finds out first. The whole day he would just keep acting like he was getting a phone call and then just keep telling me something different. Needless to say... one of the times he really was talking to the zone leaders haha. So.... can I get a drum roll please..... I’m staying in Okolona!!!! And now for the verdict on Elder Warner.... Another Drum roll please..... HES STAYING TOO haha. He’s actually pretty rare to stay with a companion out here for 3 transfers. We have some mighty goals and lots of things we need to do this transfer. That means I'll probably be here till around December. Cause he will probably for sure leave next transfer then I’ll have to stay at least 1 to show the other Elder where everything is and then we will see if I get transferred after that or not. So either ill have 6 months or 7 1/2 in this area. So either ill get transferred like right before thanksgiving, or sometime in January, so we will just have to see with that.

Um we did get the package and thanks so much! The jacket is perfect. Elder Warner loved all that you got him haha he was really appreciative. He’s such a dork, so he forgot to grab quarters this week so he only had enough for his wash load... so... needless to say all of his clothes are just hung up all around our appartment. He also only has 5 dollars to get through the week haha. I don’t know how he goes through it so fast cause I have plenty of money haha.

  

All of our investigators are pretty much in the same boat as they were last time. All of them bailed on us yesterday and so we had no one at church so president is not going to be happy with that one. Um we did have some progress with Eufemia though. So her only problem has been work and so she can’t come to church. Like she really can’t even wait to be baptized and so this week we set another bap date with her for the 23 of Sep and then we also set a date with her for sep 8 that if she hasn’t changed her schedule or her job... that she will quit. She was actually totally fine with it and very accepting. Like we pretty much just drew it all out and just plugged in the dates, she’s the one that said she would quit and everything so that was really good on her part. We haven’t really been able to teach Rolando y Yasmin or Ronal this week. Ronal just keeps bailing on us and then we were at Rolando and Yasmins house and we were just sitting down to read and her brother had gotten there and he lives like an hour away so we just shared a scrip and left so that kinda sucked. Vicente is doing great. We think we’re going to set a bap date for the 16 of Sep with him. We would have last time but his wife was in the lesson and it would have been weird to ask him to be baptized and not her, so we’re just waiting for the right time and were pretty sure that that will go through.

Um we found someone really cool this week. I forgot her name.... but she was a referral from the English elders and we go over there and one of them is actually a member. She’s from Cuba, baptized in like 88 in Puerto Rico, but hasn’t really been able to find a church here and so were going to try and get her back to church, and also her friend is really interested, but she’s been really busy this week so we haven’t been able to teach her but were really excited to start teaching them.

Elder Knudsen

**Elder Warner with the package mom sent to him.  Kyle said he loves Waffle Crisp, trail mix, and one of Kyle's cool ties...so you can see what she sent him!  **

August 20th

Well this week was the week I was supposed to take over as senior companion just to see how much I have learned so that was kinda stressful, but it was a good indicator on how I am doing. Like I had to do all the planning and then I also had to initiate and plan for all of our lessons, but all went well haha nothing too disastrous. It’s crazy this is the last week of the transfer. It honestly could be me getting transferred. So pretty much it will be either... Elder Warner going to Shelbyville Indiana and then Elder Granodos here, or Elder Warner will stay here one more transfer, or I’ll be headed to Versailles or Clarksville Indiana. Those are probably the things that could happen, but we will just have to see. It’s not uncommon for the trainee to get sent out first, but who knows. I’m really nervous to work with Elder Granodos though. He’s originally from Guatemala and he was Elder Warner’s trainer and I guess he is just the hardest Elder in the mission to really get along with and also he’s really disobedient. Like when he was training Elder Warner he would sleep in until like 12 and then just wake up and be ready to leave while Elder Warner just did all of his studies by himself, needless to say I’m thankful for the trainer that I had. I’ll find out Saturday if I’m getting transferred or if Elder Warner is. Then I’ll just have to let you know on Monday. But ya stop giving people my 508 Markwell address because I might be getting transferred, and if I’m not, were still probably moving apartments just because it’s an awful one. It’s the most hood one in the mission haha but we will just have to wait and see. I guess Versailes is just out in the booneys of Kentucky. Like *Hick Country* for sure. Elder Simms (my zone leader now) that was his last area and I guess he just saw crazy things, like a man getting stabbed with a pitchfork, a guy getting shot outside his appartment, they ate rabbit every week, one time they caught a squirrel and then cooked it and ate it haha but I guess it’s really fun out there but who knows what will happen.

Um Elder Golden from the 1st quorum of the 70ty came this week. Pretty much the only words I can say is.... MIND BLOWING!!!! Like it really was ridiculous what he was teaching us. I’m not really sure how it will help us with our investigators, but like dang haha he’s actually from South Africa. I’ll just share a few of the things I had never thought of before that he told us. So the 3 kingdoms of glory ya know? So we know that our Heavenly Father ministers only in the Celestial Kingdom, Jesus Christ can minister in the Terrestrial Kingdom, and then the Holy Ghost is the one that can minister in the Celestial Kingdom. Many churches today are leaving out the father. They are thinking that Christ is God and that the trinity is one person, this is something that Satan has done that is sooooo devious. So let’s put it this way, if you get the Father out of the question, you also get rid of the Celestial Kingdom, because we know that everyone will receive what they want/deserve, many people will only receive the Terrestrial Kingdom because they only believe in Christ, so in essence Satan is getting rid of eternal families, true happiness, and just everything just by that little thing.

So he told us that when Christ was on the earth he was 100% human but also 100% God. He literally was so much like God, he would say, do, and think, the same exact things that God would. Also you would not be able to tell them apart if you saw them. They have the same physical features as well. And so with Christ being 100% God, he had no sense of time. That is why he knew exactly where the donkey was and told his disciples to bring it to him. Also that is why he knows each and every single one of us perfectly. While he was in the garden of Gethsemane, he pretty much lived out every single person’s life on this earth. Because when you think about it, the things he went through in the mortal body, honestly wasn’t uncommon. Crucifixion was something very common back then. And there are things that have happened to other people that are worse, and how would he know how it feels to have cancer or something like that. It’s because he has lived it and knows us perfectly. *MIND BLOWN* Um what else did he say that was just so profound. Like he pretty much was just using Romans (which is one of the hardest books to understand) and he was just talking about how he could prove any religion wrong using their own Bible. He was way cool haha. Pretty dang ridiculous to say the least. Oh one more thing he found. So he’s on like the scripture committee or like the head of it, and one of the Joseph Smith Translations of the Bible in John 2 (I think) Joseph Smith changes like 3 words and many people were saying that he was wrong by doing that and so he wasn’t a prophet, but...... they just found the oldest set of scriptures yet..... and it uses the same wording as Joseph Smith did!!! CRAZY RIGHT!!! And then he talked about how pain and sin work hand in hand. That many people sin because of pain. That’s also why Christ had to go through so much pain, just so know what it feel is like to go through something so hard and be so tempted to sin, but not.

What else happened this week? Haha ya... I crashed on my bike this week. Haha I’m totally fine I was just being kinda careless and wasn’t paying attention and just hit the edge of the curb, I was going way slow and so it didn’t hurt, just kinda embarrassing haha. I was trying to go my whole mission without a crash, but that didn’t last long haha oh well. Um Yesterday at church was probably the worst day of church you could possibly ask for. Um so Vicente and Ronal came yesterday and so we were happy about that, but Gospel Principles, ya is so being changed! So it’s the class that all the missionaries bring our investigators and a man named Joel teaches it. Were at the end of the book so were talking about kinda a little bit of weird stuff and then Joel even makes it weirder. Like yesterday we were just talking about Eternal Marriage. For Gospel Principles pretty much it should be like, marriage is a man and a woman, was like that since the beginning, we can be married forever in the temple through the priesthood, but.... no... that’s not what happened. The teacher started talking about becoming Gods and then that Angels are the people that aren’t married in the temple and just things like that (like a lot of our investigators aren’t married or their spouse isn’t interested) so that’s not what they should be talking about. Then a member perks up and is like I have a question, and she was like Well I know this answer, but I think it’s a common question and I want to know how the missionaries would answer it. SHE ASKS ABOUT POLYGAMY!!! Then like all our investigators are really confused and then another person pipes up and was like ya... I want more than 1 wife (just as a joke) but like it was really getting out of hand so either were teaching it from now on, or were making them start back from the beginning of the book and get to the basics that they can’t mess up. Members are just the best or the worst.

Then Ronal the whole time was just asking about the Book of Mormon and why we needed it. We had like 5 different people explain it to him, but we think he was just trying to make us doubt our religion. Like he’s never had a religion and so really he just wants to know, but he literally was asking questions all through Priesthood, Gospel Principles and then after church. He’s like the Bible has everything, the Book of Mormon doest talk about the creation and stuff (but really it does) and so were going have to really work with him. Then his friend Vicente ( soooo legit) is like RONAL.... You read the book of Mormon and pray about it that’s all they ask... then Ronal is like "Vicente don’t you have this same doubt" and Vicente is like "No!" haha so Vicente is pretty much ready to be baptized. The only thing now is him accepting which date. He honestly could be baptized this week if we taught him everything and got him interviewed by Sunday, which could happen. Like he was asking about what his duties are once he becomes a member and things like that. Even Ronal was asking about baptism too which makes me thing he likes it, but just wants to know.

We also had interviews with president this week. That was kinda fun. Like when we’re getting interviewed by him and Sister Woodbury the Assistants give us the training. It was really powerful. Like the mission is probably one of the hardest working missions, but we focus too much on working hard and not enough on the spirit, so they really just encouraged us to take more time in our planning and going by the spirit and just doing a lot more things and praying like a lot more just to know what you should teach them. Elder Warner and I took it to heart and really have started to apply it. We had our 2 most powerful lessons this week, one with Rolando and Yasmin. It was good, but like not at the same time. Yasmin pretty much told us she’s not going to get baptized just cause she’s been catholic so long, but Rolando said he really wants to know if it’s true so he’s going to read and pray (and if you get the head of the house doing it, she will do it too) so we were really excited about that. Like and Yasmin had said that before we really just brought in the dynamite (THE SPIRIT) like Elder Warner and shared some really powerful things and we were really teaching in unity. Like he said he almost cried while I was sharing my testimony. Like it was so strong and I know they felt it. The other one was Vicente and Ronal. We watched the Joseph Smith movie and it was really powerful. Vicente loved it and I think Ronal did too. After he watched it he went home and started to read the book of Mormon so that was really good! So were really trying to change all that we do.

  

President is really getting hard on Elder Warner and I because he knows how close we are to getting so many people in the water. Honestly he was getting on our whole zone, like our numbers are higher in everything else, just not baptisms and he wants to know why, but really there is only so much we can control, but who knows. Elder Warner and I are going to just work that much harder. We should have a few in the water next transfer.  Um that’s pretty much all that has happened this week. Nothing really too exciting. I’m probably going to send off a package to you all today with the recorder and then with some clothes that I don’t really need. I really hope I don’t leave this area though. Like I love the people and our investigators, but I know it’s by revelation and so If I’m supposed to go somewhere else it’s because I’m supposed to go there, so all will be well, but we will just see what happens I guess next week.

Oh ya and we found one of our bikes. It was Elder Warner’s. We knew exactly where it was and then our investigator took a picture of a bike that was next to his appartment and then sent that pic to Vicente and then Vicente showed us. So we walked over there and stole it back haha. They had really trashed it. It might not be really worth fixing because they bent a lot of stuff and just really destroyed it. Hopefully we will be able to find mine this week. But it kinda looked bad when 2 missionaries were riding 3 bikes home haha everyone kept asking if we were stealing bikes and stuff, but there was no other way to get them home.

Well I hope all is well in the SOJO. All is well in Kentucky. It’s really cooling down that’s for sure. I hope it stays that way. I really don’t want it to get hot again haha, but then again, if it’s already getting cold, it might mean were going to have a really cold winter which I don’t want if I’m going to be on a bike all winter haha.

Elder Knudsen

August 13th

Where do I even start this week haha. Like it’s been a really funny week, you just have to laugh when everything goes completely wrong haha. Um let’s start with... Tuesday haha that’ll be a good place to start. So Tuesday.... we were doing our own little thing and all and then we decided to try and get in contact with a man named Ronal. He’s a friend to Vicente and Dinely and he was a referral from the English Elders and so we really needed to get in contact with him. He lives in the same area of Vicente and Dinely, it’s like the scariest part of our area. But anyways, we knock on the door and he’s home. He’s probably the most legit Cuban man I have ever seen/met. Like if you didn’t talk to him you would just think he’s a  way classy black man. He’s been here in the United States for under a month and speaks pretty good English. He’s probably in his late 20's and he was a dentist in Cuba. He wants to become one here too, but it will just be a lot of work. But something really cool that happened to us when we were in his lesson, we did the message of the restoration, and I shared the first vision and when I said how Christ responded, like how he said that many honor them with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him, he stopped me and was like what did you say, so I repeated it, he said it doesn’t really read in the bible very much, but that day he decided just to open it up and read a bit of it and he actually read those same exact words in Isaiah (Spanish has destroyed  my spelling I’m sorry) but like he was really blown away. So we were in there a little over an hour, we walk out and look to where our bikes should be.... to our surprise.... all we see is our helmets. Like first thing that came to my mind was... did we lock them to a different pole or something.... then like elder Warner and I just sit there in shock for a few minutes, then I finally say "Are you kidding me?" So.... ya.... our bikes got stolen  this week :) SURPRISE haha so that was something bad that happened, but on the bright side at least the people who stole them didn’t believe in safety so we saved 40 bucks there haha. Um so Wednesday, the mission office had bikes that missionaries that went home didn’t want so we went up there to see what they had, they had 2 decent bikes so that’s what were using right now. Elder Warner’s is really nice, mine.... not so much. 3 and 5 gear doesn’t work haha and I think the crank is going out but we will see what happens. But ya so that happened. Then were up at the mission office and the bikes have flat tires so we can’t ride them, the bus had bikes on it, so we had to walk like 3 or 4 miles down to the next bus stop, then all those buses had bikes so we had to take a bus that would like take us half way to our house and walk another 3 or 4 miles, so to say the least that wasn’t a really good day either and I wasn’t in my good walking shoes haha, but all is well in Zion.

Oh and you know the one guy that I told you about that like broke into our house pretty much, ya he always does it now. Like we will open the door and he will just barge right in and start playing with our stuff and things. Like were really getting sick of it. He comes to us for any problem he has and he’s not interested in the church at all or anything like that so that needs to change. He really just kinda creeps me out.

Oh and our bikes aren’t the only things that got stolen too. Elder Warner’s mom sent 2 packages and they were both stolen. One of them had his new credit card in it and they went and tried to spend 500 dollars on it. They red flagged it though, but she had sent like home made cinnamon rolls and his grandma and sent some stuff in the other package, like that kinda sucks. Were thinking it was the people that live across the hall, like one of his friends (he’s the drug dealer) but were not really sure haha.

So what else is new in Kentucky haha. Our investigators are doing great on the other hand. Vicente and Dinely are progressing really great. Were pretty sure Vicente will be baptized soon. His wife just got a job on weekends so she can’t come to church, but he’s reading in the Book of Mormon, like he read up to 1 Nephi 6 in like 3 days and right when we get there he just is like alright lets study. He’s such a great guy. He accepted a soft bap date, like he accepted to be baptized, we just haven’t really set a date yet, but we will be doing that this week. He came to church again this week and really felt the spirit and just loved it. I really feel like I know him from somewhere though. Like he looks so dang familiar and I don’t know where from, it bugs me haha.

Rolando and Yasmin are doing great too. We had a really good lesson with them.... Friday I think it was. Ya Friday. They are the nicest couple ever. I love their family so dang much. Like they fed us hot dogs and corn and stuff. It was pretty good. Hispanics eat there corn with mayo and hot sauce (it’s pretty great) They also gave Elder Warner and I each a tie. Like mine was brand new and it’s a really good looking tie. They are so nice. They came to church too and I think they are really starting to feel comfortable. They’ve been to church 3 times now and are living all the commandments and stuff so pretty much there ready and eligible for baptism, they just have to accept it. We tried to extend it with them and we had a really good lesson about the apostasy to show that our church really is the same one that Christ established and they understood it, they were just like we’ve been Catholic for 30 years and it’s just hard to change. But then they started asking if the water is cold in the bap font, so they are a lot closer then they think they are haha they should be baptized next month I’m guessing.

Eufemia.... we haven’t really been able to get in contact with her this week because we’ve been so busy and so has she. She wanted us to come by yesterday, but we were stuck in a meeting all day and then she wouldn’t answer our phone call. She is still trying to change her schedule so she can come to church, but it hasn’t happened yet. She knows the church is true and we're really trying to go and see her this week. We might ask if she will quit her job and look for a new one, she said she would the other day because nothing is going to come in between her and baptism, but we will just have to see when.

So at church yesterday we had 4 investigators there so it was really good. It was Vicente, Ronal, Rolando, and Yasmin. They really liked it. Members are just so stressful though that’s for sure. We were in priesthood and Vicente and Ronal were making comments about how they felt when we came in, and Jose (crazy Cuban man) was just like then why haven’t you been baptized!!!! YOU NEED TO JOIN JOIN JOIN!!!! Like, I love him to death, but he’s crazy that’s for sure. Like the zone leaders have taken him to lessons before and he like commands the investigator to repent and then goes into temple work and just random stuff haha he’s way funny though. But something Ronal said at church was really sweet, in sacrament he felt the spirit really strong and he leaned over to Elder Warner and was like " It wasn’t a coincidence that you showed up at my house was it?" And he was like "No Ronal, It wasn’t." Like it was a really cool experience.

Elder Warner and I decided that Louisville is just a wicked city haha, great city, but really wicked. I love it, but it’s really great. Like the other day Elder Warner stopped to help this old lady and she just started rebuking us saying they don’t need 2 books and how were wasting our time and how really Joseph Smith saw the Devil and she saw the same thing when she was in a store one time. She said a huge light came into the room and was trying to persuade her not to buy something. Like she was just a crazyyyyy person. She also enlightened us that it is getting hotter outside, because God doesn’t want people outside either preaching the gospel or doing anything else. That He wants them inside reading the bible and so that’s why it is so hot... haha Soooo great!!!!

Well today we went and ate at Buffalo Wild Wings with a member. It was Elder Warner and I and then the 2 elders in Arcadia because they have endless wings from 11 to 2 so we had a competition, Elder Warner had 23, Damien had 28, I had 35, and Elder Howard had 50!!!!!!! It was more than the waitress has ever heard of, needless to say, he’s regretting it right now haha. It was way fun though!!! Oh by the way, I think we’re moving apartments at the start of September, so you might want to send things to the mission office from now on until you know, but I’m not sure. It’s just our landlord is a jerk and were in the ghetto so they are trying but we will see.

Oh haha one funny thing that I just thought of. So.... apparently cough drops are candy for Hispanics. I was really confused like Yasmin was like oh do you want a piece of candy, so I said sure, haha it was a cough drop and Elder Warner said its way common. Um about elder Warner and the orange tie.... like that’s his favorite tie he’s ever seen, but you could get him just a different cheap tie, or really just anything if you want to. Just whatever. Like he would just be happy with waffle crisp haha like that’s what he asked someone to send him on his year mark but he never got it haha oh and he loves trail mix!!! Like beyond belief haha.

Well I hope all is well in the SOJO

Love

Elder Knudsen

August 6th

So this week has been just fine. I was kinda sick yesterday, like I had to walk out of sacrament for a little bit, but I’m doing ok today. Um nothing really too exciting this week like I really don’t know what to tell you guys anymore haha cause it’s just the same old same old down here in Okolona. Our investigators are doing great. We had a new investigator come to church yesterday so that was exciting, he’s from Venezuela and just the classiest man you’ll ever meet. Like nicest guy and just shook everyone’s hand saying thank you so much and I really am pretty much positive he felt the spirit.

So... Eufemia... She’s just the greatest. She couldn’t get work off again yesterday so she couldn’t come to church. We went and had a meeting with her yesterday and it was really good because we had a member named Damien come with us and he’s from Cuba too. She’s really upset at her work and she’s going to quit because she needs to go to church. She just has so much faith and knows the bible so well like its really incredible. So Damien is taking her today to apply at the place where he works and if she gets it, it’ll be a lot closer to her house, easier work, the same pay I think, and she will be able to come to church on Sundays so she’s really progressing. She’s can’t wait for her baptism. We’re really excited for next transfer, it’s weird I’m already half way done with this transfer. I’m kinda sad because it’s pretty likely that Elder Warner will be getting transferred, so if you wanted to send him something in the next few weeks it would be pretty great. He’s loves like everything haha Waffle Crisp haha he has really missed that, but ya just an idea just cause he’s been so great with me. But she’s also been reading a Liahona like one of them with all the General Conference talks and stuff and like she’s just really amazing. She’s going to be a ridiculous member I can’t wait. Elder Warner and I are kinda nervous to tell her that we won’t always be in this area haha I think it’s going to break her heart, but she will get over it haha.

Um Rolando and Yasmin are doing really good. They still haven’t accepted a bap date, but they’re getting really close! We had a family home evening at pablo and fabiolas with them and they had a lot of fun. A lot of their doubts have gone away haha like now there questions are more like... am I allowed to dance.... do I have to dress like you guys.... haha so just little simple questions. They couldn’t make it to church yesterday sadly, but we will be seeing them tonight. Yasmin just got a job at a taco stand and she works from 4 in the afternoon until 3 in the morning on the weekends, so it’s going to be hard for her to come to church, but I think she will. Like Rolando was like, well if she can’t, I still will. He actually wanted to take us out to eat and have a guys night on Saturday, but we were in an appointment haha he wants to take us to Buffalo Wild Winds (so great) and so were going with him on Saturday haha he just loves us so much. He’s so dang funny and they just have the greatest family ever. Like honestly they could be baptized in 2 weeks, but it probably wouldn’t happen. Like he used to drink beer 2 or 3 times a day and he hasn’t drunk for 2 weeks and so They only have to come to church 1 more time and they could be baptized, but they just say it’s hard to change cause they have always been catholic, but they believe it’s all true and it all makes sense, so we are pretty positive they will be baptized here soon;.

Then we have Vincente and Dinely. They are really the nicest young couple ever. Like more polite than anyone I have ever met. Vincente was the one that came to church. Dinely is from Cuba. Like Vincente had gone to our church before in Venezuela, but Direly didn’t really know anything about us so it’s been really good. They have been in the United States for 1 month haha like it’s the best when we find them right when they get here just so people don’t brain wash them and stuff like that. Like she had a really good question about why bad things happen to good people and suffering and stuff like that and we shared a few scriptures in Alma and then gave her 2 Nephi 2 to read and she was really touched. Like right in the middle of reading she almost started crying so she’s had some really cool experiences with the Book of Mormon already. They are the greatest couple! Like she didn’t come to church just cause they have a kid and she didn’t want to interrupt the meeting and so she wanted her husband to go first and see if it would be appropriate for her son to come so they all 3 should be there next week.

We have had a lot more changes in the mission this week. President is really excited and is just really holding us more accountable and making it a lot harder on the missionaries, but it really is for the better. We think we will really see the mission grow in the next little while so we’re really excited about that. So while Elder Warner was in that meeting I was out with an Elder and really no body was home.... It was really stressful because he doesn’t know the area and like none of our investigators were home and we just had nothing to do. We rode so much and then he got a flat tire haha it was kinda a rough day to say the least.

So Saturday haha oh Saturday... So we had a lunch/dinner appt at 4 o clock with a family. There not really investigators, but they just love what we do so they invited us over to eat and we taught like 10 people haha it was kinda cool, but they live in the trailer park too so... when we started to get on the freeway... the rain just started coming down!!!! Like it hurt it was raining soo badddd haha like we were drenched, we had pools in our shoes. My shoes have been drying since Saturday afternoon and there still not dry. My planner got destroyed with like everything, just like smeared everywhere. My scrips got wet even inside my covers, (probably the thing I’m most mad about) like there fine, but I just have had them out drying the last few days, and I pretty much like ruined a tie cause I was wearing a silk and they just don’t like the rain haha it was pretty ridiculous haha. But we had Carne Asada and it was so good. I think that my favorite meal now. Like the meat they buy is really expensive, like for us 10 people... they probably spend like 50 bucks or maybe even more on meat. Like its really expensive and they had a really good salsa and just tortillas and corn and beans and just like a feast haha its soooo good. I’m really getting accustomed to spicy. They were like is it spice for you, and I was like no, and there like he’s becoming Hispanic haha he’s a man!!! It’s really funny. Everyone says I don’t look American haha like Elder Warner there like your typical American but they always think I’m from Spain or Cuba, haha then they hear my Spanish and definitely know I’m  not from Cuba. The Spanish is coming along really great though, like sometimes I just forget I’m listening to Spanish and it just seems natural, but when I’m with like Eufemia or ALberto, there just straight from Cuba, I can’t understand them really. Like they just speak really fast and have lots of other stuff.

Well I’m sorry I had other stuff to tell you but I have to go because the zone leaders are here to pick us up for a zone party.

Love you

Elder Knudsen