Week 15

"This week was a good week!  We set a whole new area record for contacts in a week....130!  We should get a couple of baptisms really soon so that's awesome.  I will be writing tons of letters today.  Today for P-day we are just going to chill at the apartment.  I'm almost 4 months out that's crazy!  I ate ghost chilli!!! HOTTEST PEPPER IN THE WORLD and I have a video of it.  Tell Kellen and Karlee to watch the mail, I promise to send them a letter in the next day or so.  I forgot my camera again.  I will probably fill up my SD card and then send it to you...more suspenseful that way.  We have a few promising investigators.  We are going to set a date with Diane Norton.  She has been investigating the church for 6 years and she's about to get dunked.  We witnessed a miracle the other day.  There is a lady named Vanessa and her brother is a member.  He has health problems and he went into dialysis last week.  He wound up on life support and was basically a goner for sure...he really was on his death bed.  Vanessa prayed and told the Lord that she would get baptized if he lives.  Shortly after her prayer, her brother snapped out of it and was just fine like nothing had happened!!  I got the Halloween package that Jayden and Karlee sent to me.  I basically had it eaten within 5 minutes.  If you would like to send me some more treats, I would love some goldfish pretzels, oreos, etc.  You know what I like and I would love you forever.  The ward members are so good to us.  They feed us so good it is ridiculous.  Who is playing in the World Series?  Ha ha ha....It's weird but I don't really care, I'm just curious.  I get to go golfing next Monday! Missionary work is not hard!  Living without the gospel is hard!  Love you all!  Till next week."  

A missionary bike????



A new missionary bike? Elder Hess seeing what it might be like to ride a bike.  Looks like he might be trying Pee Wee Herman's bike out.  Kyle had mentioned in an email that Anthony is really good friends with Pee Wee Herman.



Love that smile!

See you in Two!

Kyle and Caden are not only cousins they are best friends!  They are two peas in a pod and sometimes it is even scary!  This picture was taken at Kyle's farewell.  It was the last time these two would see each other for 2 years.  Today...Caden left to join Kyle in the mission field.  Kyle writes, "It's time to do the Lord's work and get it done.  The field is white and ready to harvest!  I am proud to be a missionary with my best friend.  Let's go build God's kingdom."  We are so proud of these boys.  I came across this quote, and I loved it.  "You had eternity to prepare for your mission and you'll have eternity to reflect on it.  But you'll only have two years to live it."  There is no doubt they will both be amazing!  We love you!

Mission Viejo

Heard from Kyle today and I am happy to report that he is doing well and that he is HAPPY!  "I'm in Mission Viejo now and I love it.  My companion, Elder Bufton, is great.  I love him and we get along so well it's like another Kaden Francis.  He is way easy going, played football in High School, rides dirtbikes, goes hunting and fishing.  This kid is a stud.  He lives in Payson, Utah.  I don't need a bike, we just walk and have a van on the weekends so I'm good.  I would love some food!  My comp is a man child.  He is 20 years old, 6'5" and 300+ pounds.  He is a big boy for sure but he is a stud!  Mrs. Cramner's (my Jr. High cooking teacher) family is in my ward now.  I saw Mrs. Cramner this weekend and that was really weird. We should have 5 baptisms by the end of the year.  One is setting a date and another one had a weird miracle happen to where she said she was setting a date also.  I really like my new area, it is a pretty wealthy area but the people are very humble with their money.  I will send you some pictures next week....I left my camera at my apartment".  Nothing makes me happier than when I hear good things and I know that my son is happily doing the Lord's work.

Trick or Treat




Karlee and Jayden put together a fun Halloween Package for Elder Hess this weekend.

 

Saying goodbye to Laguna Hills

Anthony - A very special ward member from Laguna Hills 2nd Ward.  "It has been a blessing to serve with Tony!  He has helped me through the last two transfers!  I am really going to miss Tony and his two girls.  They are my home away from home!"

 

Dinner at Tony's the night before transferring to 2nd area.  Elder Hess & Tony's Daughter, Lola.

The night before transferring to his 2nd area, Elder Hess went to a Harvest Fair with Anthony and his Girls.  This is Anthony's other daughter.

Saying Goodbye to friends from the Laguna Hills 2nd Ward

I enjoyed some nice email exchanges today.  For one....I got emails from Kyle in such a timely fashion it was definately a breath of fresh air.  He is being transferred to his 2nd area today.  He is overly excited yet very nervous and also very sad.  He made friends with a member in the Laguna Hills 2nd ward named Anthony.  He states that Anthony and his girls have been his home away from home and they have really helped him get through some difficult times during the last 3 months.  Kyle doesn't know where he was being transferred to, he will know around 4:00 today so I guess we wait until next week when we hear from him again.  He had a baptism scheduled for October 26.  I asked him if he would still be able to attend.  He said that he does get to still attend the baptism but only if the guy stays clean.  He also mentioned that he has been teaching Lola (Anthony's daughter) and that she asked him to baptize her but Kyle says she isn't quite ready yet.  Kyle said that he received an email from Caden today.  He was so excited to hear from him.  He was also very excited that Caden would soon be joining him in the mission field.  I asked Kyle today how he was starting to feel?  Was he getting used to things a little better?  Was he happy?  He replied, "I'm ok...I still struggle with the worldly stuff.  I have not yet witnessed a spiritual conversion in myself so I'm going to fully read the Book of Mormon by Christmas.  I'm still working on obtaining a couple of Christlike attributes such as loving and patience to be specific.  I also am striving to be 100% obedient to everything and I still struggle with that.  Now that I am leaving my first area, I am kind of feeling stressed.  It's like starting all over!  I often find myself counting the days until I come home cause I am excited for that and that's when I work ten times harder cause I don't want to go home.  I'm pretty good...just trying to gain more knowledge and opening my mouth to talk to people...  D&C 33.  Ya Mom, I'm good!".

Transfer

Yesterday afternoon we were all taking a Sunday nap when I received a text message.  The message was from a number that none of us recognized.  We opened the text to read that it was from Tony (A member of the Laguna Hills 2nd Ward).  The text said that Kyle was being transferred on Tuesday and so we wouldn't hear from him today, but would likely hear from him on Tuesday around 10:00 a.m.  It also said that he would most likely need a bicycle in the new area that he was being transferred to and he would need some funds for the bike.  It also said  tell my Mom that I love her!".  Upon hearing that he needed a bike, lots of thoughts came rushing into my head.  My first thought was on the Missionary who was just recently killed riding his bicycle in Southern California.  My second thought turned to the movie Rich and I just watched on Friday called The Saratov Approach.  This movie was about two missionaries who were kidnapped for ransom money while serving in Russia in 1998.  Although this movie was very difficult to watch as a missionary mom, it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.  There were so many examples and lessons that could be learned from the story.  So when I received this text yesterday, my thoughts turned to the movie and I immediately knew and understood that this was God's plan.  My final thought was funds....where and how were we going to come up with money for a bike?  When there is a will there is a way, and I know that all will work out.  A little later in the evening, we received yet another text from Tony.  This time it was a picture of Kyle and his companion.  I love receiving random pictures of Kyle while he is serving.  Kyle's smile is what sees me through.  Knowing that he is happy and that he is doing our Heavenly Father's work is exactly what this Mom always needs. 

Elder Fetterman & Elder Hess

3 Months

Tomorrow marks 3 months that Kyle has been out serving.  Seems crazy...some days it seems like he has been gone forever and other days it seems to have whisped right by.  With the holidays approaching, this Mom is trying hard to keep everything in perspective but I am human and I do find myself missing Kyle alot.  On Monday I was worried and sad that we didn't hear from Kyle.  I kept telling myself no news is good news but in reality I just wanted to know how he was and so it was hard not to stress and worry. To my surprise....I received an email from Kyle last night at 4:00.  I didn't get the email until this morning though because he sent it to my work so I didn't get to talk back and forth with him but I am thankful to just hear from him.  He sounds so much better than what he has sounded for the past couple of weeks.  He still doesn't say much, but I got enough to know that he is happy and that put a smile on Mom's face.  He said that his P-day was moved to Tuesday for this week only because they got to go to the Newport Beach temple and do a session.  He says that the new Temple movie is awesome and that he loved it.  He said that he watched conference at the stake center and that it was great.  His favorite speaker was Brother Bednar.  He says that he has a new favorite scripture it is 2 Nephi 26:12 and that it corralates with his other favorite scripture.  "And I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God;". He says that he will have his first baptism on the 26th of October if the guy he is baptising stays clean.  It will also depend on if he doesn't get transferred next week.  He will know on Saturday if he is getting transferred.  Kyle says to tell everyone that he loves them and that he loves the letters, emails, and packages.