May 6, 2019 Short and Sweet!

This week will be short again! After a while you get in a rhythm of things and not much different happens. This week, we did receive a referral family and they are super nice! We aren't sure how interested they are but they will listen for sure. It was super cool going over there and getting to know them. The youngest daughter is 15 and is pretty much a professional cello player. They set up a time for us to come do some more service, as well as a BBQ for all those that helped. We also had a lot of great dinner appointments. We shared a message about being a member missionary by thinking of 30 second questions that people might ask you and simple answers that you might tell them. It really can strengthen your testimony and help you be prepared to share the gospel and bless others lives. We also had a lot of crazy things happen. Haha we will send some videos and pictures and hopefully next week will be longer! Love yall! 

Broken Vent

Cleaning up

Elder Babcock playing Speak Out

Bored Elder Babcock

Falling Vent

Repairs

Jacob Playing Speak Out

Elder Elgaaen & Babcock

Moldy Food

Poop Deck

Looking one legged

April 29,2019 Fish and Unplanned Oppertunities

This week was another quick one. I again will be fishing with the ward mission leader (Brother Hall) for the whole day so this will be a little shorter. So this week we had some awesome experiences and saw many blessings come our way.

One great blessing was a service opertunity we had. One of the members had a friend who was moving from over in Orange Park to Fleming Island. We were asked to help and try and get people there to help if we could. We called up some other missionaries in the area that they were moving from and were able to get a total of 8 missionaries. It was super cool to be able to help someone and really show them what our church is all for and about. They also fed us a ton of pizza. They bought 15 pizzas for 13 people. We had lots extra! We then had a ward BBQ and it was fun. They grilled burgers and hotdogs and there were quite a few people there. We had a awesome experience after. So we were reporting some things in our area book at the church and just about to leave. We waited a few minutes and someone drove into the parkinglot and got out and was looking at their car. They said their car was pulling one way and so we checked their tire pressure and did our best to help them. We were able to talk with them about the Book of Mormon and give them a copy. It was great. Right after, JL pulled into the parking lot. We were able to talk with him and make sure we were still good for Sunday and we also shared a scripture with him.

Another cool experience was after dinner at the Shaws, we were leaving and just had left when I realized my tablet was still at their house in the garage. We texted them and went back when we got there, we heard his car playing music so we thought he was in it. He wasn't and for some reason it just started playing the radio. He had a big project the next morning and was greatful that he didn't wake up to a dead truck. It was cool to see how the lord places us in different places and sometimes places things in our life so we can bless someone else. It was great.

Transfer calls also happened and I am going to be the district leader again and my new companion is Elder Babcock. It should be fun! Elder Kesler is going to Kingsland GA. 

Pday was awesome. We went disc golfing in the morning and Elder Kesler threw a disc into the palm meadows. They have saw like stocks and pointy sharp leafs. We went into them to find it and I was standing on top and fell. Haha. It was fun though and we ended up finding 2 extra discs. I went fishing and got fried! I was able to catch a ribbon fish and another flounder. It was super fun. That was pretty much my week.

I challenge each of you to think of what you would say in 30 seconds if someone were to ask you about something you believed in. What's your 30 second testimony on simple truth? (what's the Book of Mormon, who is Christ to you, what makes your church different...). Love you all and hope your weeks are spectacular! 

Elder Kesler at disc golf course

Crab in shell

Rock Fish

Elder Kesler Disc Golfing

Disc Golfing

Elder Elgaaen & Kelser disc golfing

Flounder

Jacob with Ribbon Fish

Ribbon Fish

Sticker bushes

Ribbon Fish

Attacked by bushes fetching a lost disc

4-22-19 Happy Easter

This week was great. My email will be a bit shorter this week because I am fishing and so don't have much time to write. This week one of the great experiences we had was going over to a family we had previously taughts home and having lunch with them. We were able to have a super good lesson and JL was super supportive of our church and really loves it. His dad is a traveling pastor and he doesn't really like his dad's church and was fending for our church. It was pretty great! Besides that it was a pretty avarage week. We had a great tradeoff midweek and saw some great mrialces. We went over to a less active part member family and we had a great dinner and lesson with them. We were able to help the parents rekindle the feelings they had at baptism and when they first got into the church. It was cool to see how the spirit came when they recalled what the church had meant to them and what it does now.

We had a great Easter and got a lot of good food and had a lot of good times with the members. We also got to call home which is always a plus.

Today was probably the highlight. We met up with Grandpa Girard and had a wonderful day. We were able to go to St. Augustine and go to the lighthouse and then go fishing. I caught 2 flounder and kept them to cook. Should be a good eat!

It was a great week! I am so greatful for the wonderful blessing of Christ and all he did for us. Easter is such a great time. I know christ died for each of us and conquered death so we can live again! I am greatful for the gospel and hope that you all can feel the saviors love. It truly does mean the world! 

Canoe

Light house

Elder Kesler, Grandpa Girard, Elder Elgaaen

Jacob Fishing

Elder Kesler and Elgaaen

Elder Kesler, Grandpa Girard, Elder Elgaaen

Elder Kesler

Fishing Sign

View from lighthouse window

Fishing

Zapped knife

Elder Kesler & Elgaaen

Light house stairs

Lighthouse

Crazies

View from lighthouse window

April 15,2019 Member Referral

This week was super interesting...

So first off, we stayed really busy this week with 2 tradeoffs. My first tradeoff I stayed with Elder Hendricks in Fleming and we had a great time. We were able to find Marie, find a dead squirrel, and set up a few great lessons! Elder Hendricks is a 6'4" guy and so lots of people were confused when Elder Kesler wasn't there. Haha we had a really good time together. We also walked over 15 miles going around to people. We then traded back at district Council the next day and then went on a tradeoff with the zone leaders! I went to a Spanish area this time and was with Elder Peterson. We also had a great time. At dinner, the Spanish member feeding them along with 2 other Spanish missionaries said they would speak in English so I understood. That lasted about 1 minute so I spent most of the dinner confused. Haha Great Times! Before we traded back, we had a lesson with Devonte a person who is preparing to get baptized next week. He is so so so awesome! He is probably 6'6''-6'8''and is 16 years old. He graduated high school last year and is looking to get into a few collages and has already had offers for scholarships some colleges. He has an awesome testimony and really has his feet planted on the gospel path and involves God in every part of his life! He is going to go places!

Besides 2 tradeoffs, not much else happened this week. This week was very stressful but prayer and faith really made all the difference. One miracle this week that happened was we went out with a member, Brother Barker. He is awesome and took us to a lesson with Rick who we haven't been able to see in a long time. Then he took us to a recent convert and we were able to share a little message with her. After he took us to Hardies, he told us about a friend that he was going to have over to his house for us to meet the next day (Sunday). We were able to go by and have a great lesson! I am so greatful for members who truly understand Member missionary work! It makes missionary work so much more effective. Danny is also so awesome. He has Brother Barker as a friend that he trusts which makes it so much easier for us to teach him. What a blessing! 

Besides that, we went disc golfing on Monday at a huge disc Golf course. It was legend! We also had a few amazing lessons this past week. It was a great one. I listened to a few general conference talks again and one thing that stuck out to me was the idea of being riveted to Christ. I love the idea of being firmly fastened to Christ. How we can do that is through living the gospel every day. I love you all and hope you have a great week! 

Cool Clouds

Dead Squirrel

1/2 of a golf course

Iguana

Iguana

Leopard Gecko