Hi All,
Just got Kelbs first letter from Minnesota!! It appears that we need to send all mail through the mission office and they will forward it along.....still not clear on packages but will find that out in the next week or so.....at least before I send his St. Patrick's package!!
Here is the address.... it will be on the blog as well....
Elder Kelby Crandall
Minneapolis Minnesota Mission
5931 W. 96th St.
Bloomington, MN 55438-1715
If you haven't gone to the blog lately you might want to. There is a video of Kelby speaking Hmong and pictures of him when he arrived in Minneapolis!
Keep him in your prayers!! he needs all the help with that crazy language as he can get!
Thanks for all you do for him....and me!! This ridiculously emotional mother couldn't do it without you! and I know that he finds much of his strength through all our prayers!
Love ya!
Lorie
Dear family,
Well my first week is down! My companion is great he knows allot!! he started in my same area when he first was out here so that's pretty cool.
The flight here wasn't bad, a little bumpy but nothing to bad. The Minneapolis airport is huge lets just say that ha ha.. We went to our Mission Presidents house which was nice and ate lunch. I was starving wow!!
Anyways.... yes it's very cold here my first area is called Frogtown. Its pretty much down town St. Paul and it is for sure the ghetto. My companion said it's probably the most ghetto area in the mission but oh well, its funny I love it and yes indeed it is a bike mission ha ha it was only 12 degrees the other day and we were riding our bikes to an appointment which was about 4 miles away so it wasn't to fun being in the cold ha ha but we ride our bikes everywhere!!!
So yea I had my first hmong food. It was great. The hmong people are so so nice every time you come over or just find one they always offer you something to eat, but anyway my first day in the field I got my hmong name from a old hmong lady that lives by us her name is tiam tswv vaj she is so sweet ha ha she lives by herself all her kids are out but she only know hmong and not english!! Lets just put it this way....I don't know hmong at all!! They start talking and I can only understand like 3 words.... its horrible but it will get better!!
Anyway my hmong name is Tswv Feej Vaj. After her we went and visited another family a really, really great family! They actually just moved here from Thailand in November of 2010 so they know like no English!! The exciting news though is that we already have a baptismal date for them for the 24 of March so that could be my first baptism!!! It's awesome they're a family of 6!!
It's so hard to understand them they speak so so fast... ha ha... but guess what Mom I have eaten rice for every meal since I have been in Minnesota...... good thing I like rice!!
Anyway my first sunday was a fast sunday and there are over 100 people in the branch here. It is hmong and english mixed so there needs to be a translator... ha ha luckily it wasn't me or else I would have not been able to say anything ha ha anyway this one lady got up and was bearing her testimony for 20 min it was so long and I didn't understand anything ha ha!! but yea that's pretty much my week.
It's really cold but its better than the MTC!! Our area is the only bike area for hmong Elders in the whole world! But anyway I love you all and hope you have a great day!! Tell everyone if they want to send anything, to just send it to the mission office and they send it to us cause sometimes it gets lost in the mail and I don't know my apt mail box? And yes mom there are fast food places around just send pretty much anything!!
Love you all,
Elder Crandall
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Arrival letter and pictures from President Clements
Dear Brother and Sister Crandall,
On Wednesday afternoon, my wife, Julie, and I, greeted Elder Crandall at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport and welcomed him to this great mission. He was happy and excited to begin his mission. Thank you for all of your efforts to prepare him for the adventure that lies ahead. We understand what a great sacrifice you are making to support your son.
On our way home from the airport, we stopped at Normandale Lake to take a picture of the group. It was a beautiful, brisk winter day. We then drove to the mission home where we had lunch and provided a mission orientation. I also interviewed each missionary
.
Typically, we introduce missionaries to their new companions and have them working in their areas of service on the first evening. However, because of a winter storm, we kept all 16 missionaries overnight. This afforded us the opportunity to spend more time with the missionaries on Wednesday evening.
The following day, Sister Clements and I introduced them to their trainers, who greeted them with big smiles and bear hugs. After some more training, we sent them to their assigned areas. Elder Crandall has an outstanding trainer whom I carefully and prayerfully selected. In two weeks, we will bring them back to Bloomington for a day of training in finding, teaching, and extending the baptismal invitation.
Your son joins a remarkable corps of accomplished and dedicated missionaries. There is a great tradition of obedience and accomplishment in this mission. He will serve with missionaries who desire to build the kingdom and who are willing to sacrifice their all for the cause. We serve in a beautiful part of the Lord's vineyard where mighty rivers and beautiful lakes are plentiful. We are privileged to serve among faithful saints. The work is blessed and prospered by their faith and commitment.
Please encourage your son to obey all mission rules. He will become stronger, more mature, and more self-disciplined
as he faithfully follows the rules. Attached is a map of the mission showing his first area of service, which is Frogtown Hmong ; his companion is Elder Mearns . Also attached are some photos, which I hope you will enjoy.
If you need to contact the mission office, the number is 952-835-7788.
[scan0002]We send our love and best wishes,
Jordan W. Clements
Mission President
On Wednesday afternoon, my wife, Julie, and I, greeted Elder Crandall at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport and welcomed him to this great mission. He was happy and excited to begin his mission. Thank you for all of your efforts to prepare him for the adventure that lies ahead. We understand what a great sacrifice you are making to support your son.
On our way home from the airport, we stopped at Normandale Lake to take a picture of the group. It was a beautiful, brisk winter day. We then drove to the mission home where we had lunch and provided a mission orientation. I also interviewed each missionary
.
Typically, we introduce missionaries to their new companions and have them working in their areas of service on the first evening. However, because of a winter storm, we kept all 16 missionaries overnight. This afforded us the opportunity to spend more time with the missionaries on Wednesday evening.
The following day, Sister Clements and I introduced them to their trainers, who greeted them with big smiles and bear hugs. After some more training, we sent them to their assigned areas. Elder Crandall has an outstanding trainer whom I carefully and prayerfully selected. In two weeks, we will bring them back to Bloomington for a day of training in finding, teaching, and extending the baptismal invitation.
Your son joins a remarkable corps of accomplished and dedicated missionaries. There is a great tradition of obedience and accomplishment in this mission. He will serve with missionaries who desire to build the kingdom and who are willing to sacrifice their all for the cause. We serve in a beautiful part of the Lord's vineyard where mighty rivers and beautiful lakes are plentiful. We are privileged to serve among faithful saints. The work is blessed and prospered by their faith and commitment.
Please encourage your son to obey all mission rules. He will become stronger, more mature, and more self-disciplined
as he faithfully follows the rules. Attached is a map of the mission showing his first area of service, which is Frogtown Hmong ; his companion is Elder Mearns . Also attached are some photos, which I hope you will enjoy.
If you need to contact the mission office, the number is 952-835-7788.
[scan0002]We send our love and best wishes,
Jordan W. Clements
Mission President
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