MISSIONARIES!!

The Missionaries were the most important part of the Emergency Expo on Tuesday October 17th. They reminded us all to be spiritually prepared in all things. -Sister Eadie

Dear Family & Friends,

This last week was good. The weather is cooling off and I am grateful for it. Being from Idaho, I do not like this Georgia heat. The trees are turning red and brown as we speed through October. September and October have gone by so fast! I love feeling that crispy air when we go home at night. Two things I am looking forward to as Fall continues; Skyping home and egg nog!

This week was a long one. We worked hard and met many of our goals that we set during weekly planning. We met some of our potential investigators and a few of them are starting to pan out. One of them is Melissa. We first met her when we were biking past here house when she called out "Missionaries!" We promptly turned around and introduced ourselves. She told us that she sees us all the time at her work. She is a manager at Little Caesar's in Milledgville, GA. The reason to that is that there are members in Macon and around Augusta that will give missionaries free food if they come into their stores. I took advantage of that when I was in Thomson and last Tuesday when we had District Meeting in Milledgville. Anyway, we talked to her and she would like us to come back by to talk. We tried a couple times a week after that but couldn't meet with her until lat this last week. We had a great porch lesson on the Book of Mormon. We read with her the Introduction page and she said it makes sense. She then told us that what she has heard about our church makes the most sense to her. She had an issue with her Baptist church passing the tithing tray around and then again when the pastor didn't see enough money in there. She likes how we pay our tithing. The Spirit was there and we saw it confirm to her that what we taught her is true. When my companion and I got back in the car, we were excited about how ready she is to hear the Gospel. We have an appointment with her this evening. 

Another potential that we met up with is Reese. Reese was a music major and football player. My kind of guy! When we knocked on his door the first time, he came out and started talking to us about Christ and that he has seen us ride our bikes all the time. He told us his dad is a pastor up in Atlanta and that he loves talking about Christ with people. We left him with a pamphlet of The Restoration. We met up with him briefly this last week. He told us he had looked over the pamphlet briefly and he liked what he saw. We also have an appointment with him this evening.

My emails may seem skimpy at times, but I learn something or experience new things each week. One thing I experienced yesterday was Indian food. The members, the Weyands, who fed us,were amazing. Sister Weyand is from Trinidad. Later in the day after seeing some less-actives with Brother Griswold, we went back home. Let's just say that neither myself nor my companion felt too good. Elder Palmer had been sick anyway with the flu. The food was good but did not quite sit well with me nor does it even now as I type. 

I see better weeks ahead in this area. I hope and pray for a long  stay here in Gray at least through Christmas. The Eadie's (ward mission leaders) and Sister Tillman have been looking out for us and are so willing to help us out. I feel so blessed to be in this area with these wonderful people I am growing to love. 

This area hasn't had a baptism in 3 years. That was when Brother Griswold got baptized. Brother Griswold is a chiropractor and gives us adjustments when we come in, free of charge. We also go to his home and help him with his garden. After working, he and his wife will feed us lunch. He then will go get fresh milk from one of his clients and he gives us a gallon. That is some good milk!

A member just came into the library and will take us to lunch when we are done. I just love it here!

Thank you for everything . 

Love you mom, and have a great week!

Love, your son,

Elder Alexander Kestner

Work of Salvation and Struggles

Dear Family & Friends, 

This week was a long one. Being in a car share area, we don't have the car some weeks. This was the week that we were biking. My thighs and calves were killer this week. Some days we biked 12 and others 10. Uphill and downhill. At least it wasn't  Phenix City where there are a lot of hills and everything is spread out from our apartment. 

I gave a talk on Sunday. My topic was the Work of Salvation. Fitting, right? I focused mainly on how members and missionaries can work together to help change the lives of those investigating the church. Like the song 'Glorious', we all have a part to play. Performing this work is not a 2 year contract and it's over. It is a life time of reaching out those who need the Gospel in their lives. We as members and missionaries are the means by which investigators are brought into the true Church of Jesus Christ. Elder Bednar said it best and I will paraphrase his words. He said that the whole purpose of bring people into the Church is to get them to the Temple to receive their endowment and be Sealed as a family for Time and Eternity. That could not prove to be more true being out in the field. The temple is one of the key Gospel principles that we bring to the table in this flurry of religions. The others are the Book of Mormon, living Prophets and restored Priesthood Authority, and that Jesus Christ leads this Church through His Prophets. The end goal for each convert needs to be the Temple and the ordinances performed there. 

I have realized this week how much I truly lack yet. I am struggling right now to understand my companion's needs and what I need to learn from him and what he can learn from me. He and I don't have much in common. He was home schooled and was a wrestler when he went to high school part time. I consider myself a geek and in many regards, he does not enjoy what I do. We don't talk about much. He has a little 'greenie arrogance'. I am fresh in the area but I am still trying to break down some walls so that I can feel a part of the companionship. I am trying to help him realize that I also know what I am doing as a missionary. This companionship is very humbling and at times frustrating. I want to make it better but I am struggling to find something we can talk about. He knows how to work hard and I know he is impatient with me, especially when we are on bikes and he is in much better shape than I am. At times I do feel insufficient. There are Elders nearby that do see my struggle as well as Elder Palmer's. The District Leader, Elder Bartholomew, and his companion Elder Rodriguez, are both leaving for home this December. I want to learn from them while they are here in Gray. 

That said, I do love this area and I love being a missionary. This must be where I learn something important. Sorry to end on a sour note, but I needed to get that off my chest. Love you all and have a great week!

Your son,

Elder Alexander Kestner

Macon Zone Training Meeting

October 8th, 2015 
Macon Zone Training Meeting
Pictures taken by the Eadie's

He won one of the Cadbury caramel chocolate bars. He was thrilled!

I really hope y'all did too!

Dear Family & Friends,

I am in Gray, Georgia in the Macon Zone. This is the closest area to the Mission HQ thus far. My companion's name is Elder Palmer, from Utah. This area is a car share area, which means they get the car every other week and vice versa. That set of Elders not far from us. The church is literally 2 minutes away from our apartment. The apartment itself is great, it being a townhouse. I love this new area and I know that I am supposed to be here. My goal for this transfer is to help Elder Palmer as much as I can by 'Greenie Busting' him. This week was quite long and we biked a good portion of it. We met some great people. When Elder Palmer came in 3 months ago, there was almost no one to teach. Since then they have developed a small teaching pool. The area of Gray itself is small compared to Phenix City and Thomson, which are both large areas. We are looking to find and teach those who need to hear the Gospel. The few members I have met have a missionary zeal as the ward has 3 missionaries serving missions as well. 

The few days we were biking made for a good cardio workout. I may lag behind, but I soldier on! haha. I am definitely getting stronger in my legs the more I bike and I feel that since we are biking and do not have the car, I hope to start losing some weight I have gained in the last 6 months.  

The week was topped off beautifully with General Conference as I was able to watch each session of it and loved each one! I felt so blessed to raise my hand and sustain the three new Apostles; Elder Rasband, Elder Stevenson, and Elder Renlund. I know that these men are called of God to lead and guide us in these latter days. What a great opportunity for us to hear them share their testimonies with the whole Church. Fun fact: Elder Stevenson is only 56! He will be in the quorum for a good long while! I know I'm not the only one that felt moved when Elder Bednar of the Apostolic ministries of those that have passed on since he has been an Apostle. I loved President Monson's last address. I had some concern when President Monson started to struggle physically, but the Lord sustained him as he delivered his message. As it was said earlier in the Conference, the apostles are not exempt from frailties from age and illness. But the Lord knows His servants needs and will support them in their addresses. 

Nephi says this perfectly, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." 

I know that the Lord helps and supports His servants. General Conference is truly a blessing! It gives us time for us to truly become the student and learn from our leaders what the Lord wants us to know. I really hope y'all did too! I love each of you and I hope that you find strength in the Gospel and in the Atonement as I have.

Sincerely, 

Your Son

Elder A. Kestner

6 months today

A IM recieved on FB:

Hi Sister Kestner, My name is Sarah Cornett, and your son served in my ward (phenix city) about a month and a half ago. I saw you were friends with someone in my ward and I recognized your last name from your son and thought I'd send you some pictures we got while your son served here. Your son was a great missionary in our ward and worked hard. We enjoyed having him in our home frequently. Our son Josten especially loved him (he's 2 and called him "Elduh Keshnuh"). Thank you for raising a good young man who works selflessly to bring the joy of the gospel to others!

Goodbye Thomson..Onto Area #3

Dear Family & Friends,

This week was a long one. On Monday, P-Day, we went as a District to Ft. Gordon and bowled. We had a lot of fun and I could use some improvement in bowling. 

On Tuesday, I was with Elder Lowe in Harlem, a green missionary from Las Vegas. He is 18 and very enthusiastic about missionary work. We taught a few people and tracted a neighborhood. We walk down this dirt road and we two men sitting and talking. We approached them and introduced ourselves as missionaries. One of them asked, ''What have y'all got for us today?''. Without hesitation, I said, "Our message is that God has called Prophets today just like Abraham and Moses in the Bible". They sat up straight and paid attention as we taught an amazing Restoration lesson with that principle in mind. I have found that being bold and direct with contacting proves fruitful if we lose our fear about rejection. It is a fact that I have had doors slammed in my face. I strive to have a positive attitude even though I may have the temptation to be sad or angry or judgmental. I hope to keep my attitude like that my whole mission.  

A couple days ago, Elder Thornton and I were tracting. We had some luck with one lady who invited us back. We knocked on a few more with no success. We then approached a door with Alabama, "Roll Tide" porch decorations. I knew how we could break the ice since Alabama was my last area. We knocked and a man came to the door and I broke the ice by saying, "I see you're the only Alabama on this street while everyone else are Georgia fans". He laughed and he told us that he knows Becky, one of our investigators. Before we left we asked if we could come by and he accepted. Another example of why I don't need to be nervous when I'm out tracting. 

On Thursday, a funny thing happened. We were coming back from RMT at the library. We were almost home when Elder Thornton noticed that the driver of a red van was waving at us. We were confused and a little concerned at first. As it turned out, it was Becky! She followed us back to our apartment and asked us if we have had lunch yet. We hadn't yet, but she said she was hungry and doesn't like eating by herself. So, long story short, we met her at Taco Bell 15 minutes later. We had a good meal and a good visit about how she is doing and how the rest of her family is. After our visit and meal, went back out to do missionary work. 

Elder Kestner & Jeremy

Later that evening we went to visit Jeremy and Jamesta, two of our investigators. We were there for about 15 minutes when Jamesta asked us, "Be honest know, have y'all had dinner yet?" We hadn't, so we were fed for the 2nd time that day. They picked up some Pizza Hut and it was good!

On Wednesday, we were in Lincolnton. We got there and biked around. We visited Barbara, an investigator and talked to her about Joseph Smith. After that visit we biked around to see what the area looked like. We got chased by some dogs, which is pretty funny and entertaining for us.We were coming back down a hill when we saw a van pulling out of a driveway. I noticed on the front driver side that the tire was flat. We stopped and offered assistance. The driver of the mini van, Teresa, who is from Mexico, was happy to see us. 20 minutes later we had the flat tire off and replaced it with the spare. We got her information and she wanted to see us again. This was such a rich experience that I hope to remember. 

On Saturday, we helped our Ward Mission Leader, Bro. Carlsen, clean the church before our weekly Ward Mission Meeting. During our cleaning, we listened to the transfer call over a conference call. They made some announcements and read off the names of missionaries that are being transferred. My name was called, much to my dismay. I was shocked I was leaving after only being here for 6 weeks. After our cleaning and meeting, Bro. Carlsen treated us to Subway and took us home. That put a damper on my day. That evening we visited and had dinner with the Klekotka family. The dad, Rick, is the only member and they all love us and have similar interests and hobbies as I do! After dinner and some visiting, we took some pictures. I love this family and will be sure to visit them when I go on my mission tour after my 2 years as a missionary. 

Yesterday, we went to church and broke the news to the

Elder Kestner, Bryant Koschene & Annabelle

members. I took some pictures with some members and we had dinner with the Koschenes. Fun fact about them. They have had Tillamook cheese and they agree it is the best cheese and ice cream! The Koschenes have their oldest son serving his mission in Seattle, WA. Small world! We got a couple pictures of them and we went home. 

When we got back we visited Jeremy and Jamesta and said goodbye, talked a little football, and got a picture with Jeremy. 

Austin & Elder Kestner..see ya later!

After church we taught Austin, a recent convert and his mom, a non-member. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and Stacy, Austin's mom had some good questions. My hope is that she will want to join the church and receive the blessings of the Gospel. She then sent us off with a picture, a bag of homemade cookies and 2 space bags. I have been spoiled this week!

The last 6 weeks here in Thomson have been amazing. I have grown to love the members and investigators here. They are all great! I will miss this area, but I am excited for my next area. I am hopeful that my next area will be the one I will stay in for Christmas. Thank you for everything and I look forward to this week of changes!

Your son,

Elder Alexander Kestner

Exchanges, Seminary & Extreme Couponing!!

Dear Family & Friends,

This week went by quickly. We went on exchanges twice this week, since Elder Thornton is the District Leader. My first exchange was with Elder Hunsicker. Elder Hunsicker is training Elder Lowe and will be going home at the end of next Transfer. Elder Lowe and I were in the same boat with trainers... anyway, most of our exchange was made up of biking... A LOT! We biked up hills, coasted down hills, out ran small dogs looking for something to chase. All part of a fun time! At the end of the day my legs felt like steel and I was exhausted. The next day we exchanged back. on Thursday we had another exchange. I stayed in Thomson with Elder Wells whose area is Grovetown, GA. We had a good exchange and we visited Becky and others.

That morning we had a chance to teach a Seminary class. The class is held at the church and we taught the Juniors and Seniors, which is different than Idaho Seminary. We were in Genesis chapters 20 and 21. The story was about Abraham and Sarah going to the kingdom of Abimelech. Abimelech takes Sarah, since he thought she was only a sister to Abraham. Close enough, though, Sarah is actually the daughter of Abraham's brother. Weird stuff in the Old Testament. As the story goes, the Lord warns Abimelech that he will be struck down unless he returns Sarah to Abraham. Abimelech heeds the counsel and returns her to her husband. The focus of the lesson was that the Lord will send us warnings to help keep us safe from spiritual and temporal harm. As President Packer said that each member of the Church will always be warned of danger by the Holy Ghost. It us up to us to heed the guidance of the Holy Ghost. 

Augusta Zone Conference September 11th, 2015

This weekend was the Augusta Stake Conference. It went well and I learned how to have a meaningful Sabbath Day. Other talks were on Religious Liberty as well as family unity. On Saturday we went and did service for the food pantry in Appling. We were there for 2 hours and we loved being able to help out those who help hundreds of families. After that we went straight to a wedding of two members in the ward. It was a short, simple wedding. We got back to the apartment and I was not feeling well. After my little snooze we went to Stake Conference. 

Yesterday we taught Austin, who was recently baptized a couple weeks ago. His mom made us cookies and apple cinnamon bread and also joined in on the discussion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After the lesson she said that she is an extreme couponer and buys a lot of bulk. She then said for us to take some of her stuff home with us. We couldn't stop thanking her as she sent us off with laundry detergent, shampoo, body wash, shaving supplies, toothpaste, toilet paper, and paper towels. We are set with that stuff for several months. All we need to buy next month is food when we get more money. 

It was a good week overall. Transfer calls are next Saturday and I will let you know if I stay or go. Most likely I'll stay. Have a great week and I hope to hear from you soon! Love you all!

Your son, 

Elder Alexander Kestner