An Invitation to be thankful

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, the Holiday season is upon us and the air growing colder and colder. It is a lot drier than it has been due to no real rainfall since I've been back in Phenix City. 

Car inspections..with no car

On Monday, we were at the church playing a good amount of football and I must say, I was getting pretty sore from everything we did. At 6, we had supper with the Phillips and had delicious tacos to eat! They are just like how my mom makes them. They were so tasty! I was able to eat 10 and Elder Buckley got 12 down. We then had small chocolate chip cookies for desert. Brother and Sister Phillips then took us home and we went out to street contact. We were able to talk to Jimmy in the parking lot at Piggly Wiggly. We hadn't been able to talk to him much, so this was golden! We got back to our apartment exhausted! 

The next day we had a mini District Meeting and helped Sister Lewis celebrate her 20th birthday. Later in the day, we pulled in to talk to Wesley and Jimmy, but we ended up talking to Wesley and Shane, their neighbor. Shane is a really cool guy. He loves Christ and he asked us some really good questions. He said we could come back and he has some good potential! That evening, after supper with the Woods, we went with Pres. Woods (Elders Quorum President) and his nephew Logan to contact some active and less-active members. We first visited with Dustin McClure and his family. We had a brief but short visit. We then visited the Thompson and reconnected with them. It was really good to see them and feel of their spirit. It was a real solid day.

The Columbus District takes a Selfie

On Wednesday, Elder Darrington, a new missionary came with me on exchanges. We went out trying to contact some new referrals and such. We in total biked about 15 miles, which doesn't sound like much, but a lot of it was hills. That wore me out, let alone Elder Darrington who doesn't bike as much as we do. That was a pretty busy part of our day. We were able to contact one, but he wasn't interested and another who moved. We then had supper with the Whitmore's and had Book of Mormon class to end the day. PHEW!!

The next day, we exchanged back after studies and we biked in the northern part of our area near Sis. Hearn and where Bro. Sullivan used to live. We tried contacting a member family but with no luck. We then went to the western part of our area. We were able to meet Sharon and get a good time from her to come back. We then got to a potential's apartment, Eric. We were about to knock on the door when a maintenance guy told us "No soliciting" even though we were clearly not selling anything. That really irked us for the next few hours. We then were able to talk with Nikki briefly about the Plan of Salvation since her sister had just passed from cancer. We then visited Sis. Stevens before meeting Bro. Goertzen at our apartment for a drop-off of Supper. All four of us Elders then formally said goodbye to the Cornetts. It was a good visit and we relayed some memories and thoughts from our time with them. 

Walking, Talking & doing the Dab w/ Logan Woods

Early Friday morning, Josten came and gave us haircuts before Zone Conference. The meeting went very well and it was quite cool when we got to the church building in Columbus. One of the training(s) was on introducing the Book of Mormon in 10 minutes plainly and sparking interest . The 2nd part would be to mark a copy with certain verses and passages circled. The whole purpose is to read it in 90 minutes and grasp the basic concept of the Book of Mormon and asking Heavenly Father in prayer if it is true. A very new concept to me, but I have faith it will work with the Lord's help and the Spirit guiding us. I really enjoyed the conference and I am looking to apply those principles taught. 

Saturday morning, after a great interview with President Grayson, we helped the Cornetts load up the moving truck for a few hours. Towards the end, we dove into Josten's supply of MRE's (Meal Ready to Eat). After changing, we visited Bonnie and shared the new method of introducing the Book of Mormon and she loved it! We then, all four of us, had supper with Sis. Brewer. Bro. Bush then picked us up and we had a lesson with Stan and Nikki. We had planned to teach the Plan of Salvation, but we were prompted to talk about the Word of Wisdom as well. The Spirit was really working on Stan and a lot is on him to help him and Nikki quit smoking. He even said that his co-workers notice a difference when he reads the Book of Mormon on his breaks. Absolutely no coincidence. There is a power that comes from the Book of Mormon that brings peace and guidance. We challenged Stan not to buy cigarettes this week and come to church to help quit smoking. It was such an incredible lesson and Bro. Bush gave some wonderful insights.

On Sunday, Stan didn't make it to church, which was very disappointing, but we can't govern his agency. We continued having a good day. We had lunch at the Bush's, visited Sis. Brewer, the Otts, the Newsomes, and Betty Rivers. It was a really good day!

Rectum Ripper Hot Sauce

Another cool thing or odd thing occurred this week. On Thursday, while we were eating supper at our desks, we saw a dark shape run into the kitchen. Elder Buckley and I just looked at each other with a stare and he asked me "What are we going to name this one?". We named him Ivan. So, Alberto has a Russian cousin, Ivan. Let the battle begin! He has evaded us so far, but he won't live too much longer with our efforts and traps. 

Since this week is Thanksgiving, I would like to invite everyone who reads this to think of something or someone you're grateful for and then tell that person. I'll start. I am grateful for this opportunity to be a representative of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for my companion, Elder Buckley. I am grateful for my wonderful parents and siblings who show so much support while I am away in the Lord's vineyard for 2 short years. I am grateful for my brother, Ben, who is out serving a mission in the Arizona Gilbert Mission. I am most grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that allows me to grow, learn, and develop those attributes so that I cane better serve my Savior. 

God Bless and have a great week y'all!

Elder Alexander Kestner

PS. We will be eating with the Goertzens on Thanksgiving and we will be digging into a smoked turkey and a fried turkey as well. YUM!!

Special Witnesses of Christ

A beautiful Georgia Peach Sunset

Dear Friends and Family,

This week has certainly flown by and a few things in particular occurred this week.

On Monday, we played football at the church with all 6 of us in preparation of the Turkey Bowl, Thanksgiving morning. We then had supper with the Longerbeams. As Bro. Longerbeam was taking us home, we found a bird sitting precariously on the road. It was really weird and kinda eerie looking. I'm glad I got a picture of it. We later pulled over and used his high-powered binoculars and searched the clear night we had. We were able to see the craters on the moon in spite of the lights coming from Columbus. We talked for a while, contemplating what we were seeing. That was our night. 

A weird bird

Tuesday morning we tried visiting a few potentials and formers without much luck. We were able to talk to Savoy briefly and he referred his neighbor to us as he came out of his house. We did that immediately but he wasn't too interested. He told us he was born in Germany and his accent certainly proved that. Savoy made mention of the Election and we went on our way back to have our lunch break. Ft. Mitchell came by later and picked us up so we could help them teach a particularly difficult lesson in a somewhat hazardous environment. That lesson ended up falling through anyways. We then tried Connie Eiland, a relative of Bug's. We then got dropped off on Sandfort Rd and we biked to the people we had planned to see. Most of the people weren't there and my chain was still giving me grief. We were able to see Sis. Stevens for a while and she gave us some delicious, home-made strawberry lemonade. We then biked home for supper. Our evening for the most part fell through but we were able to visit with Sis. Morgan and she gave us three bags of Ramen. After we dropped off the bags, we were biking out of our complex and some teenage/college looking guys called out "Why you going out this time of the night?" as we just rode past them. We had places to be and people to see! We then visited Sis. Hearn. We knocked on her door and rang the doorbell. About to go to Plan B, we checked the garage and her car wasn't there. Right as we were about leave, we saw a pair of headlights coming down the street. Elder Buckley said "Watch, that will be Sis. Hearn". Sure enough, it was! PERFECT TIMING on both parts! It was a good way to end the day. It was quite cool to boot.

Bubba, the American Bull Dog (across from Sister Stevens house)

Wednesday went by fast, but in the morning we walked down to the library for RMT. Ft. Mitchell then gave us a ride back for lunch. A little later, Carlos picked us up and took us over to Columbus to get our bikes looked at. One of the owners rode mine to figure out what was wrong and found that my front middle gear was completely worn down. He then replaced it. FOR FREE!! He also replaced the rear cassette gears. Now my bike is basically like new! It came to $34.56 for everything. A very good deal, considering it could have been a lot more. I was very grateful! Elder Buckley left his bike to get worked on. On our way back, Carlos got us some very good Frozen yogurt. After getting dropped off, we walked to meet Ft. Mitchell at CVS, trying to street contact on the way. We then met them and met Sis. Brewer and the Sisters at waffle House. One of the servers reminded me of one of my friends, Montana, at ISU. We then finished the night at Book of Mormon class. 

The speed limit in Sister Hearns neighborhood

Thursday was mostly spent in Auburn for ZTM. The training given really resonated with me, inspiring me to make my last few months richer. The AP's came to the meeting as well to go on exchanges with the Zone Leaders. Our Zone Leaders are now Elder Walker and Elder Allen, the latter from Pocatello! We also had supper with the Creech's that evening. It was getting a little late, but we decided to visit some investigators who lived in the area. None of them were home and we were startled by two dogs, one of them with eyes glowing in the dark. Kinda creepy. No one was out and it was kinda chilly. Bro. Creech a little later picked us up and took us home. 

On Friday we weekly planned and also planned extensively for lessons with Brad and Teresa and the Owens. The ZL's stopped by on their way back from exchanges to say hi and use our bathroom. Bro. Bush came with us to teach Brad and Teresa and it went very well. Later that day, Sis. Rowe dropped off some El Vaquero for our supper and it was very good! We then had our lessons with the Owens and watched the "Special Witnesses of Christ" DVD and asked them the importance of having modern day Prophets and Apostles. The lesson went very well and it does stir the soul to wonder that our Heavenly Father still reaches out to us by sending Prophets. Amos tells us "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets". We are truly blessed to have a modern Moses or Elijah in our day. It is evidence of a loving Heavenly Father reach out to His children in the latter days. 

Saturday was spent primarily helping the Creech's install metal roofing. It was a beautiful, breezy, cool day. We got home around mid-afternoon utterly spent. Bro. Whitmore picked us up for supper and we had a good time. We were also priviledged to help give their kids a blessing since they weren't feeling too well. It was a very long and very tiring day for both of us. 

Sunday after church we had lunch at the Eiland's home. We then visited with Sis. Brewer for a while. We then had supper with AJ and Malory Hussey. It was a very fun time! After eating and aJ showing us some card tricks, we dropped in on the Ashcrafts, changed a precariosuly positioed lightbulb on the ceiling, above the stairs. Sis. Ashcraft mentioned that she was going to get it fixed when Bro. Ashcraft got back from Africa. It was more than coincidence. We then finished the night with Rebel, who was baptized about a month ago. He showed us his knife collection as well which was very cool! 

Man, this Transfer is cruising right along and it is already Week 5! Well, this week is going to be great with Zone Conference and Interviews. 

I almost forgot to mention that I will be starting the D & C Challenge tomorrow (Tuesday). I will be reading a section a day my last 138 days in the field. I would like to invite you to do this challenge with me. I will be starting in Section 1 of the Doctrine & Covenants. 

Have a good week y'all!

Elder Alexander Kestner

"Be Blessed"

Elders with an Investigator

Dear Friends and Family!

Well, it is officially November! October seemed to have just disappeared! November has a lot in store. It's supposed to stay in the 70s this week and I am just fine with that! Let's jump right in!

Monday evening, after P-Day stuff, we went on lock-down due to it being Halloween. Hard to believe I was in Gray this time last year. Time has sure flown by! In case y'all didn't know, I have a Mission-itis list to do. It is: To read the Standard Works before returning home. For the lock-down and crunched through Psalms and started Proverbs in Old Testament. I plan to finish the Old Testament by New Years. Next week, on Tuesday, I will began to do the D&C Challenge, which is to read a section of the Doctrine and Covenants each day for the last 138 days. I am able to keep track of that thanks to my mom haha. The New Testament will be read as well. The Book of Mormon of course, will be incorporated into my studies as it has been. This list is certainly keeping me on track and motivated. 

On Tuesday, after District Meeting, I went on exchanges with Elder Glenn in Ft. Mitchell. It was a really good exchange, despite the allergy flare up that has plagued me for the last week. We were able to teach one of their investigators and answer some of her questions. We had supper with the Clarks and talked with their neighbor, Sandie. Overall, a good day.

The one and only Carlos!

Wednesday morning we taught Nicole, which went well. We then met with Bro. Whitmore and we taught another one of their investigators. We exchanged back and I was not feeling too well at this point. My sinuses were keeping me up  the night before. We also got a call from Elder Ray to get my bike fixed and another call from Sis. Finlinson saying that Dr. Nickel (missionary doctor) ordered another prescription of antibiotics for my toes that are acting up again. So, we went with Carlos to drop my bike off at a shop in Columbus called '' Ride On Bikes ". Just looking at my bike, the guy said he's surprised I'm still riding, because my chain was in sore need of being replaced. He also said my front derailleur was completely shot. My original intent was to get my alignment and brakes fixed so I'm not riding my brakes without applying them. That kinda stressed me out...

The new & improved bike!

 Thursday morning on the way to RMT, we met a guy named Eric. Elder Buckley gave him a pass-along card and he told us that his father had recently passed. We shared a little of the Plan of Salvation and gave him a Book of Mormon. We also got his info so we could stop by and share more. We continued on and Elder Buckley continued to find pennies and other small coins on the street and he looked at me and with the biggest grin related the correlation between finding change and talking with people and how that can 'change' people's lives. It certainly is a different perspective on that. We need to have that same excitement for finding these children of our Heavenly Father. After RMT, we went with Ft. Mitchell to study the Book of Mormon with the McClure's (older couple). We then walked around trying to contact some people. We then went to CVS to pick up my prescription. As we were leaving, the cashier wrote me a ''love note" on my receipt saying "Be Blessed". We thought that was pretty nice of her. We continued on and we ended up meeting Grady. We shared some of what we believe with him and he likes to visit other churches. So, naturally, we invited to attend with us sometime. We kinda chuckled together at that. We offered a prayer and he started, then looked at Elder Buckley to continue. He did, then Grady finished. A very interesting contact. People do pray a lot differently down here... We then started heading back up to our apartment to meet Bro. Goertzen for supper. My legs and feet were completely sore and felt like tempered steel!

On Friday, we did some weekly planning, had a lesson with Brad and Teresa with the Worthingtons. There they told us that they were now committed to quit smoking. Woohoo! We also taught about temples and that very much applied to the Word of Wisdom. We then got dropped off and Carlos picked us up to go to Columbus to pick up my bike. As it turned out, it ended up being $25 less than what was expected. We got back and I rode it around and it was so smooth!!! New chain, new derailleur, new brakes. Gotta love it!! We then had a quick supper and visited the Owens and watched '' Finding Faith in Christ ". 

Mormon Hill

Saturday afternoon we rode out to visit people. So glad my bike is fixed. Only problem is that my chain is a little 'sticky' and needs to be greased a little to smooth it out. Any-who, we were able to talk with BJ, the Rivers' nephew for a while. We then got a call from Sis. Brewer asking us if we could help her move some boxes. We then biked back home and left with her and her grandson. Ft. Mitchell came to help as well. We got it done pretty quickly and I talked with Sis. Brewer's son-in-law about his experience in the military. We then had supper with the Worthington's. Afterwards we visited Nicole. We get back, set our clocks back an hour and we were completely wiped. 

Sunday went by fast! Church was really good. William and Nadia bore their testimonies, as we challenged them to. Sis. Foster(Bro. McClure's wife) bore hers as well. It was the first time she was at church since her stroke about 2 months ago. No lunch at the Bush's since Sis. Bush is still recovering from her surgery. We instead visited Carlos. we beat him there, so we did some tracting. We met a guy in his 20's by the looks of it. We gave him a pamphlet and taught him most of the Restoration. He said he would look into it. Maybe it'll go somewhere. We had a great visit with Carlos, then Sis. Brewer, the Newsomes, and the McClures( same as mentioned before). Phew! It's been a jam-packed week! 

Well, the weeks are running together and soon it will be Thanksgiving and seemingly right after, Christmas. Someone needs to tell Father Time to chill out!  I fully intend to use next summer to lose this mission weight. I might just sweat grits and fried okra for the first few weeks haha. We'll see who looks better come August. The Sibling Rivalry is back haha. Thanksgiving Plans..The Goertzens are having all the missionaries over and we are having smoked turkey! 

Have a good week y'all!

Elder Alexander Kestner

A trip in a Police Car and a Mouse in the House!

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, things are going well as can be expected in Sweet Home Alabama! we've had a roller coaster of things happening this week. 

On Monday after P-Day stuff, we were picked by the Flowers and went to a place called Zeb's. Elder Buckley and I downed 30 wings (half mild, half hot). They were so good and they didn't give you the reaction you often get after you eat wings, if you catch my drift!

Tuesday morning we had District Meeting. After that and lunch we biked over to see some investigators that we and the Sisters joint-teach. We were able to talk to the daughter of Teresa, Brandi. We talked with her outside for a while until Brad came home and then we could go in. In that setting we taught and testified of the Book of Mormon and the power it has in our lives. I loved it! We then raced the 5 miles to our apartment to meet Bro. Whitmore at our apartment for supper. On the way we were waved at by Melanie Eiland (member). As we were coming up the hill to our apartment, Elder Buckley's back tire tube began to bulge or something. So that slowed us down a little. We get to our apartment, and have a great meal with the Whitmore's of ribs and potato salad. YUM! Afterwards, Bro. Whitmore got Elder Buckley a new tube and Slime, much to Elder Buckley's slight objection. It was kinda humorous to watch, to be honest. 

Who's Who?

Wednesday went by quickly. I wasn't feeling to good at all for most of the day, so it was basically a blur. Fast forward to AJ picking us up in his cop car and we head to the Ward Trunk-or-Treat. But before that, we swung by and picked up Malory and had a delicious tater tot casserole. So, we were in the back of the cop car. I really hope I don't turn into a criminal because those seats are not meant for 6'5 guys. The trunk-or-treat was pretty fun. The Goertzen's had a 'Haunted Van' and the Cornett's were Star Wars characters.

Thursday morning, the Ft. Mitchell Elders came over and we had lunch. We then all went and did RMT. After that, we walked around due to a hole in the new tube Elder Buckley got. Very unusual. We were able to talk with Greg for a bit and he gave us donuts, chips, and water to fuel us. We also tried Deoran, but asked us to come by the next day. We then met Bro. Goertzen at a CVS and had a great Supper with them. A very long and tiring day. I think I got a little sun-burnt but I wear that as a badge of honor! 

Friday morning we weekly planned, had lunch, and planned some more. Around 2:30 we walked over to see Wesley and we were able to talk a little more about the Book of Mormon and the Restoration. we then followed up with Deroan but he wasn't home. We also tried Stan but to no avail. We then tried Shirley and Anthony, but we ended up talking to Keandre, their son. We then got picked up by Ft. Mitchell and had supper with the Cammack's. After that we met with the Owens and gave Sis. Owens a blessing, since she has been sick for the past week. We get home and I notice that my toes are particularly sore and a little red. Oh boy... 

Saturday morning started good. We walked around Idle Hour Park and talked to a guy named Robert for long while. Apparently he has been taught by missionaries and he said we could come by and see him later on. A little later while at our apartment... I was sitting on the couch and I saw a shape move across the floor. It kinda startled me. I then caught a better glimpse a few minutes later. A MOUSE!! Not in our house!! We then quickly bought some mouse traps and some stuff to help my feet. So, we set some traps in the hopes of catching 'Alberto'. Later on, all four of us had supper with J.T. and Melanie Eiland. We had deer meat spaghetti and fried Oreo's! Elder Buckley and I wrecked them! 

Sunday was pretty usual. Had lunch with the Eiland's, visited Sis. Brewer and such. We later had a Halloween supper with the Cornett's. We also set off a dry-ice bomb and burned some old pants due to me being out 18 months (as of tomorrow 19 months). Josten took us home and we discovered that Alberto ate the peanut butter on the trap without setting it off! This means war!! 

Burning my pants for my 18 mth mark

Dinner at the Cornetts

Halloween Dinner

Well, like I said in the beginning. A very interesting week. Happy Halloween Y'all! We will be spending it in our apartment!

Y'all have a good week now!!

Elder Alexander Kestner 

At the Cornetts

Always a good meal at the Cornetts

Hair cut by Josten

Happy Fall Y'all

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, another week has gone by and it was certainly better than previous weeks. 

On Monday, we got haircuts by Josten Cornett, said goodbye to Elder Munn and Sister Farmer. Not much else happened.

On Tuesday we biked around a good bit and tried a few potentials and less-actives. We were able to meet with the Rivers and give Bro. Rivers a blessing.  We then had supper with a family that just moved in, the Whitmores. We ended our night with the Owens, a family we are working with to bring back to church. A pretty decent day!

Donning the Sweaters

Wednesday morning we tried some old potentials and former investigators. We talked to Savoy whom Elder Stewart and I tracted into. He said it had been a long time since missionaries came by. He wasn't too interested this go-round, but we left him with a spiritual thought and a prayer that he offered and of which was the Lord's Prayer. That was a good start to our day. After lunch we visited Sister Melson, who lives in a care facility. She doesn't get too many visitors and both her and her non-member roommate enjoyed the visit. We then tried a recent move-in Bishop Zeh asked us to contact. As we were at the door, the neighbor across the street threatened to call the cops on us and have us arrested since she was at work. Very weird and it was in a good neighborhood too! We then biked down RailRoad st and talked to Deorun. We were both filled to testify of the Book of Mormon and the impact it could have on his life. We committed him to read it and pray about it. A very good discussion. A little later Bro. McClure(a different one) picked us up and we had a great meal with them of cheeseburgers. we then finished the night at Book of Mormon class. 

On Thursday, Elder Buckley was a bit under the weather. After RMT in the early afternoon, we visited Sis. Stevens and she gave some soup mix to Elder Buckley to help him out. we then met up with Bro. Bush and had a great lesson with Stan. In the lessons, I had a very surreal moment. For some reason, I imagined Stan in white and I believe that was a glimpse of how Heavenly Father sees him. We left with another appointment for Sunday evening. We then had supper with the Longerbeams, a part-member family. We're starting to get somewhere with Bro. Longerbeam, JUST GOTTA HAVE FAITH!

At the Longerbeams

Friday was pretty solid. We broke out the sweaters that day! We did some weekly planning, visited with the McClures(parents of Adrian, whose husband is in Ranger training). We then met Sis. Stevens as she dropped off some home-made soup and cornbread. I LOVE CORNBREAD! We then visited with the Collins, a part-member family. Sis. Collins hasn't been to church in a very long time and no longer claims it as her church. We talked with husband, Patrick who is the baseball coach at Columbus State. We had a good discussion with him and talked about what we do and why we do it. We then visited Sis. Hearn for the remainder of the night. It was quite chilly but felt very nice! The only downside is that Olivia dropped us... Such is the missionary life. We hadn't been able to meet with her for several weeks. 

Saturday morning we did some service with Bro. Bush and he afterwards treated us to Smokey BBQ, which was delicious! Not much happened the rest of the day. Tried visiting with Billy in our complex and walked around our part of town with no luck. A decent day at least. 

Sunday was pretty good. Bro. McCoy gave a great talk and in his talk he mentioned that Jon Schmidt's(of the Piano Guys) daughter, Annie, went missing in Oregon. Please keep the Schmidt family in your prayers. One of his daughters served in this mission. We ate with the Bush's, visited the Otts and Sis. Brewer. We then had a shortened dinner with the Sjostroms to make it to our lesson with Stan along with Bro. Bush. We get there and ring the doorbell twice. Nothing. No lights. I then get the impression to knock and a few seconds later Stan opens the door and invites us in. What a relief! Fist-bumps between us and Bro. Bush! It was a great lesson on Tithing and Fast Offerings. The Spirit was strong there and it was clear Stan was feeling the Spirit strongly. We left and all 3 of us had the confirmation that Stan would be okay. What a way to end the night and week!

Well, this week was amazing and the coming one I am looking forward to. 6 supper appointments this week which is very awesome! 

Have a good week y'all!

Elder Alexander Kestner

Chickens, Goats & Chili

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been crazy and quick. First off, Transfer came and I am staying in Phenix City with Elder Buckley! Which means I will be here until the last week of November which is the week of Thanksgiving!

Tuesday after emailing, we biked quite a bit. We tried quite a few people but many did not answer or were home at all. We briefly talked with a lady on a motorized chair and she asked us if we were in school, which is an odd question in my book... Towards the end of the evening, we were looking for a less-active family and we found them! They didn't have time to talk, so we moved on. We get about halfway up 40th st when Elder Buckley's chain gets jammed between the frame and the gears. we got it fixed, tried another potential, and visited Sis. Hearn on her porch for the rest of the evening. 

Wednesday was pretty good. We tried some of the old potentials from the beginning of my mission. The weather was cool and breezy. Just the way I like it! after lunch we talked with Wesley who had been reading the Book of Mormon since we saw him last. Awesome! we then met Terrence, whose mother is a member who had recently moved. Not sure if he's a member.. We then visited with Sis. Stevens, a less-active Sister until we met up with the other Elders to go to the Woods for Supper. We then had Book of Mormon class and Bro. Prudhomme took us home. A really tiring day!

Thursday was ZTM. It was very insightful and helpful for me. Later on, we had Supper with the Goertzens. After we ate, they showed us their newly arrived livestock of additional chickens and goats (pics below). They then found out that their rabbits had babies and Bro. Goertzen found the head of one and another one still alive. Very odd. Bro. Goertzen then dropped us off and Bro. Bush picked us up to give a blessing to one of the Sisters' investigator who is having a hard time. we talked briefly and set a time to come back the next day at 1 o'clock. 

Friday was relatively uneventful after our appointment at 1 pm. we later did some weekly planning, met with the other missionaries and Sis. Brewer at Waffle House. We planned with the expectation of one of us leaving the area or both of us. 

The Cornett's and Missionaries

 Saturday was busy busy busy! We helped set up for the Fall Festival and there was a great turn out. I had decided to enter the chili-cook off and I was shocked that mine won Really was not expecting it. We had Transfer calls later on. Sister Farmer and Elder Munn transferring out and Elder Glenn training. 

Sunday was pretty usual. Bishop Zeh and Sister Harsh gave incredible talks about compassion and love like the Savior showed. After lunch with the Eilands, where Bug busted out some Arctic Circle Fry Sauce Bro. McCoy brought back from Utah. It was so good! We then visited with Sis. Brewer, the Newsomes, had a delicious Supper of tacos at the Harsh's and visited with the McClures for the rest of the evening. Another thing, Elder Buckley and I both had a strong impression we would have a Baptism this Transfer. 

Keep us in y'alls prayers so we can make this happen!

Well, that's it. Have a good week y'all!

Elder Alexander Kestner

Peanut Butter, Baptism, & Blessings

My District

Dear Friends and Family,

The days are finally starting to feel like Fall! Believe me, it is a welcome sight down here!

On Monday after P-Day activities we drove over to the Cornetts to help cut their grass. All four of us were there since Josten was out of town in Atlanta doing National Guard duties. After finishing, Sis. Cornett fed us a delicious roast for Supper. She then sent us off each with a jar of peanut butter with her signature and the time on it. It was pretty funny and a good way to end the night.

Sister Grayson and some of the missionaries in my District

Tuesday after District Meeting we had Interviews with President Grayson. It went well and we heard from Sister Grayson news about the hurricane going along the coast. The entire Savannah East Zone was evacuated, where I have previously served. Not much occurred after getting back from Columbus. We did some street contacting without much success. 

On Wednesday afternoon we were looking for a potential/former investigator when we found his father-in-law, Vincent. We talked with him for a while and he had some great questions. We moved on and we met with the Rivers and BJ. We later met up with Stan after about two weeks with no contact. He told us he had been reading the Book of Mormon everyday at work and he saw the impact of doing so helping his shifts at a chicken plant become less-stressful. He and his wife were planning coming to church when Stan got called into work. Bummer... He really wants to come and he is searching for another job that is more flexible. We then biked home via shortcut by means of the freeway. (There was a large shoulder to ride on, don't worry!)We then cooled off and had Supper. Bro. Bush then took us to Book of Mormon class which was a very good session. 

Thursday afternoon we went to see the Longerbeams and we ended up talking to Sister Longerbeam on their porch, since her husband wasn't home. Before we left, she invited us to come back later for Supper. As we were leaving, I noticed by means of pain in my legs and on my bike that my front tire breaks were squeezing the disc brake, thus riding with applied brakes. We came back a little later and had Hawaiian Haystacks. bro. Longerbeam then loaded our bikes on a bike rack and dropped us off at our apartment. There I fixed the problem and we the biked and finished our evening visiting with Sis. Hearn. 

On Friday we weekly planned, but Elder Buckley wasn't feeling too well, so he slept. I felt a little down that day when we got in and a little discouraged. Feeling prompted, I knelt in prayer at my bed for strength and to have an additional blessing of the Spirit with me. No sooner had I risen did I feel the love of my Father in Heaven. Elder Buckley cheered me up in his his natural funny way. A lot of what I felt was the Adversary getting at me for what would be happening the next day.

Bonnie's Baptism

Saturday morning, Ft. Mitchell picked us up and we went to the church to prepare for Bonnie's Baptism that night. I was honored to be the one to Baptize her. Elder Buckley assisted me and the Spirit was overpowering and we both felt out of ourselves.After the Baptism and as were mingling we talked to Jason, Bonnie's son who will be taking the missionary lessons. There is never a bad time to share the Gospel, especially after a Baptism! We got home that night feeling like we just went to the Temple. What a marvelous day!

Sunday came and Bonnie was Confirmed. Bro. Bush, Bro. McCoy, Bug, Bishop Zeh, and the four missionaries were in the circle with Bro. Bush as voice. Right after there was a baby blessing and the Spirit was so strong. After church we were waiting for the other Elders to meet with Bishop when a guy named Randall walked in. We started with some small talk and eventually the Gospel was brought in and Bonnie began testifying of the Book of Mormon since she was there on the couch. Sister Culpepper was there as well and I could tell he was there because the Spirit directed him. He came seeking help financially, but we left him with more than he bargained for. He had also roofed the church a few years back. We exchanged information to meet with him later this week. We then had lunch at the Bush's and afterwards brought the Sacrament to the Otts, Sis. Brewer, and Sis. McClure. What's more is that Sister Otts let me borrow a bigger Crockpot so I can make chili for the chili cook-off at the Fall Festival next Saturday. 

So, yesterday was Columbus Day and the library was closed which explains why send this on Tuesday. We golfed a little, got Sonic, and relaxed a bit. A good P-Day!

Well, this week had a lot of highlights and lessons learned throughout. I am starting to realize a few things concerning what it means to be out here and why I am out here. What a Blessing indeed!

Have a good week y'all!

Elder Alexander Kestner