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Striving to be 100% Obedient

AHHH! This week as been crazy! I have learned more this week than ever before. It is a relief to be able to communicate to you all in English. I have made a personal goal for myself to speak 100% Spanish this entire week except for person/companion study and to non-Spanish speakers. I made this goal after watching a devotional my Elder Holland (a video). It inspired me to do everything i can to serve the Lord. i have4 learned more Spanish this week and it is really starting to come the more I speak it. I must say, committing myself to only speak Spanish was very difficult, and frustrating to me, my companion, and my district. Sometimes I wanted to speak English so bad, but I had to have good self control and be a man of my word. Sacrificing a conversation was never a a though to me. Sacrificing conversation for God and for his work. Doing this has brought a lot of growth, just within these past four days. On top of that I am trying to be as obedient as possible and work as hard as possible. I can remember on Sunday night I walked into the Fireside with my backpack on. I then read the rule that says "no backpacks". I then turned to my companion and said "Can we run back to the class?" he said no, and that i wouldn't be condemned if i had my backpack; as long as it wasn't a bomb or was taking pictures i would be fine. I then said" Elder we have to be 100% obedient". He really did not want to go back to the class, so i then got up and asked him to come outside with me for a second. We then went right outside and i took off my backpack and threw it in the bushes. We then walked in the fireside and I felt the spirit soo strong. I know my companion learned something also and it felt great. Later that night, there was the Joseph Smith movie playing. It was getting near the end and we had to be in by 9:30. All the missionaries were still in the room and the movie was held by the MTC. The MTC would have been fine with us being 3 minutes late if it was because of the movie. I then looked at my comp. and said "we gotta run" he looked at me and said OK. We saw the last seconds of the movie as we ran out the door, ran to the class to grab some things, and sprinted to the Dorm. We ran as fast as we could. We made it in the room with 5 seconds to spare before 9:30. We were sooo tired. We ran all across the MTC campus. We were dead! I looked over at my comp. Elder Neubert and said "Elder... thank you so much for running so we could make it in on time." He then said "It was all for the Lord." That made me feel so good! I had never felt peace like that before!! I receive 2 letters in the mail the next day. One from MAMA!! and the other from The HARRIS FAMILY!!!! I loved them and knew i was being blessed. The Lord is really giving me the strength and energy to fulfill his commandments. I would not be able to do it without his help. 1 Nephi 3 "Prepare a way that they might fulfill the commandment". I love it here! I miss all of you, but I don't want to be anywhere else right now. I feel like it is going by too fast honestly. I don't want time to pass. I don't know why i love working, but it just makes me feel so great...... I forgot the mention in the last email that I got to eat dinner with the mission president, President Smith. He is great! He gave us some great advice as missionaries and talked about ther sense of humor all the apostles have, because he knows them personally!! it was way coll to talk to the man to sits on the stand at devotionals for a whole meal haha. Anyway, i get my flight plans in 1 week and i should be outta here in 3 weeks. I found out that I get to call home on the day i leave to AZ before and after my flight!! That will be awesome!. Anyway all is well. Thanks for the Dear Elders! I get them! and they are sweet. Mom i love feeling the imprints of our pen marks in your letters. Its calming to know that you wrote it. Idk anyway love you all. I'll write next week!

P.S. can I get Allis and Chris's address?

Wednesday March 17, 2010

HI EVERYONE!!! everything is going great here. I had the chance to hear Elder Cook last night at the devotional. It was awesome. It was incredible to feel the power in his words as he testified of my Savior. My mind goes crazy when I think that he is an apostle of my Savior, and thinking that has a personal relationship with him who died and suffered for me. What a cool experience it was! The Spanish is starting to skyrocket. Now that i have basically all the principles down i am now just mastering it and developing a natural habit of speaking. Next week there will be no English in class and we will begin teaching the gospel in Spanish. I cannot explain how much easier it is to learn in the MTC than in school. The spirit is with us constantly and the Lord wants us to learn this the best we can. Teaching is also getting a lot better. We are trying our hardest to teach to the investigators needs and always have the spirit in our lessons. Though all of our lessons are fake investigators, i know the Lord is preparing me well. "I will only love the people as much as i love my companion. this is so true! In the beginning we were not really friends and weren't really comfortable with each other. now we are way tight, which allows the spirit to be united with us in our teaching. ADAM! i want my plane to get delayed so we can see each other at the MTC!!! THAT WOULD BE SO RAD!! Anyway, I've learned a lot and am sleeping really well. showers are always a race to get the "celestial shower" (the only warm shower), however my companion and i have found out that all the showers in the downstairs halls are warm. We are keeping that secret on the Down Low haha. Thanks for the package MOM!!!!!! you are the best!. I remember when Elder Cook's wife spoke i couldn't believe how much she reminded me of you. I love you so much! more than you will ever know. Dad, i see myself doing some of the same stuff you do. its weird!!!!! hahaha, just like when you are trying to focus on something, i do the same face motions and body positions you do.... kinda hard to explain but its weird haha. however i know that if i am doing anything similar to you, i must be doing something right. Tell ryken to write me!! Going on a mission does not mean i am dead. i wanna hear from all the Battlecreek boys. i printed off some pictures finally and ill send them off today to all y'all. ALLIE AND CHRIS!!!! THANKS FOR THE MUFFINS!!!!! They were the bomb dizzle dizzle hahaha. Why was your name spelled wrong on the box (Alisson). And your last name was Harris instead of McKeen... ARE YOU CRAAAAAAZY??? haha chiste.( i need your address btw) anyway i should get my flight plans to Phoenix in 2-3 weeks. its coming up waay quick. anyway... my BC Balla skillz are coming alive in basketball. Ive been playing a lot of it in gym. I have HUGE blisters from playing in vans. its fun showing up in my vans and soccer shorts when everyone else has BALLA shoes and BALLA shorts. you should see the look on their face when they see that i know how to play hahahah. Anyways, i am putting a lot of my efforts into strengthening my Christlike attributes and trying to be like Him. i must say i am "a wretched man". However i truly am trying. This gospel is real everyone. Miracles happen through the priesthood of God by healing the sick. The power is real, i have seen it and felt it and i cannot deny that power and evidence that i have been given through the power of God and Jesus Christ. I pray for you all every prayer, and have confidence that thew lord will shower blessings upon you if you humble yourselves before Him and see your weaknesses, and realize your nothingness. his grace will change you and strengthen you as you become humble before Him. Time is out. GOTTA GO!!!!! i love you all Write me!!!!! Elder kyle harris (MTC ADDRESS) box #228. PEACE OUT and show each other that you love each other, don't just say it do something... peace!! (If you could post this on the blog that would be great! And tell the family to read it! Love you!

Wacky Elders Not Wasting A Minute

Hi family!!! I'm here in the computer lab with about twenty minutes to write. Everything is going great! I am pretty much used to the mission life and loving it. At first it was really hard and tiring. The interesting things is that when I got the courage to work as hard as i possibly can, I started having MORE energy and I am truly loving the work here. Monday was the first day where i woke up and thought to myself "I love this work!" I felt so happy to be here and felt an overwhelming feeling of joy. i know that is because I have decided to commit myself, and ALL of my time to the Lord. I am finally feeling the joy that losing your life in the work brings. I am always thinking to myself "I have no right to waste even a minute of the Lord's time" The harder I work, the happier I am here, and the more love I have for missionary work and the Savior. My companionship is getting better. The more time we spend alone together the better things get. My companion has been getting a little lazy during personal study. On Monday he was trying to read the Ensign and kept falling asleep. I gently tapped him on the shoulder and woke him up about three times. After the fourth time falling asleep in personal study, I grabbed the Ensign from his lap, rolled it up, and began whacking him over and over again on the head. While whacking him on the head with the Ensign I was yelling in the classroom "WAKE UP ELDER!!!!!! ITS PERSONAL STUDY TIME!!! NOT TAKE A NAP TIME!!!! STOP WASTING THE LORD'S TIME!!!!!.....He then was up and alert and began diligently reading the scriptures. That experience made the whole district laugh and actually brought us together as a companionship. Honestly, i am trying my hardest to always be productive and never waste a minute of the Lord's time. Our district is being blessed for doing this and striving our hardest to keep every single rule. We are picking up Spanish FAST and we feel the spirit in every class. We have a great group of elders in our district........ My whole room is going to Phoenix (Elder Sheets, Elder Falconer and Elder Neubert (My comp.)) Everyone in our room has a great voice and we get AWESOME quartets going. Our best song as a quartet is "I Need Thee Every Hour". It is so fun singing with these Elders..... It has been really hard loving my companion. I'm not to sure if he likes me to much. We just have way different personalities and I might get on his nerves sometimes. But everyday is getting better, especially after whacking him on the head with the Ensign..... i don't really know what else to say. We have a new district coming in today so we won't be the youngest n the Zone. Spanish is coming great!!!!! i love speaking it!!! I honestly did not think it would come so fast but it is really cool to see the gift of tongues in action, as well as the interpretation of tongues. i only have 5 minutes left!!! AHH. K well the food is really good and i am gaining weight hahaha. I'm trying to stay healthy. i am able to do everything related to learning and everything is great. I wouldn't want to do anything else..... Adam!! you are going to have a really hard time the first week. Everyone does. You will have thought of coming home.. Everyone does. Don't let it bother you. Cast out ALL negative thoughts and just think about the positive. If you work your hardest, you will love it and love being here. you just have to commit yourself. But ya, expect those thought of coming home because they will come. Just ignore it and remember what i said. Commit yourself and the Lord will make you happy. Anyway, i really would like letters and a package maybe. Love you all! Elder Harris

Kyle's first letter from the MTC

Hi family.. i dont have much time. i only have 3 minutes. I
love it! The MTC is great! Please send me mail. Look up the
address for thr MTC and our box# is #228. I really would
love some letters. Ill get a better email out next week now
that i am registered. please write me!!!! with real letters.
Dear elder is ghood too!!! sign up for that. District is
great. Everyone is very spiritually mature. learning a lot.
Spanish is coming. i love you all and wish i could write
more. You should get a lettewr in like 3 days from me. My P
day is wednesday. Im really busy all the time and im doing
well., Love you all Bye!