September 24, 2012

Wow this week has been great! Its been full of wonderful experiences.... some high and some low but its for sure has been a great week! This Tuesday we taught the young girl that was supposed to get baptized on the 29th but she said that she wanted to go investigate other churches. Me and Elder Abbott were so sad and discouraged that night we were like we did everything we could!! She said she will still come to church and still met with us just doesn't want to be baptized yet... it was super hard!! but we didn't just quit and give up... you know me I don't like quitting so we just told ourselves that we needed to have faith!!  I think God is testing our patience ha ha!!

On Wednesday the Zone Leader came and blitzed our area it was a good time!! Me and one of the zone leaders, his name is Elder Checketts, we were walking down this street and these two black kids get off a bus and one comes running up to us and takes his backpack off and mumbles something to us and then puts his fists up like he wanted to fight us. Elder Checketts said to him, "what did you say"? and the kid faked like he was going to punch Elder Checketts and then said something to him and ran off. It was super funny... and I was like "ohhh snap were going to get into a fight, sweet my first fight on my mission I'm pumped"! ha ha but it didn't happen :(  

After that we were tracking and we met this cool girl and we set an appointment up for Friday. A couple days later and me and Elder Abbott went and taught her and invited to the baptism on Saturday ( the other Elders had a baptism ) and she came to the baptism it was cool because we had just met her the day before and she came to church so we have high hopes for her. She doesn't know anything about God, she is still Shaman but we are excited to see how this all turns out!!

Well Im so grateful for all your support! Thanks Crystal for the Jimmer picture that you gave me! that's really awesome. Thanks Grandpa Hunt for all that you do and for your love!! Its starting to get chilly here ha ha we preparing for the winter!! 

I'm really excited to read all these stories of the ancestors your sending. I hope you all have a fabulous week!! 

Also, I'm really excited for Stetson!! Congratulations man that is really awesome!! I wished I was there for your wedding. I hope it is everything you expected!.......the Salt Lake Temple?...so proud of you! 

Have a wonderful week everyone! 

Love you all! 

Elder crandall!!
ps here are some pics 

Such a flattering picture of both Elder Abbott with a mouth full and Kelby with  creepy face!

Cool Chair!

Baptism for a women who they have all taught!

Elder Crandall...sure love this kid!

Winter is right around the corner....yikes!

September 17, 2012

Hello family!
Well another week has past away and another to look forward too!! This past week was a great week. The investigator we are teaching is progressing very well her name is (name withheld), she is still looking forward to the 29th of September for her baptism so we are excited for that! She is a very knowledgeable girl and has such a great desire to receive the gospel!

This week was our Stake Conference. Elder Payne and Elder Zwick of the 70's came because the Stake Presidency for St. Paul stake was getting reorganized. Me and Elder Abbott had to go translate for the Saturday night session. It was a great session, Elder Zwick is a great guy and a very good speaker. We got to meet him after so it was really cool! but the sad thing is....the Hmong Branch President (he is white) he got called to the new Stake Presidency so he isn't the President of the Hmong Branch now. It was super sad because I like him and I thought he would be there my whole mission, but I guess the Lord works in mysterious ways that's for sure... the Stake Conference was really good and very uplifting.

This week I have been thinking allot about family history work. I don't know why I just keep feeling prompted to study about it and thinking about it. It's an obligation we have as family... to do that work for our ancestors! It's been weighing on my mind allot and I am excited to come home and start working on that so that I can help my ancestors out! I wanna learn more about our ancestors as well, I really am intrigued by the ancestors of the family so if any of you have cool stories about our ancestors please send them to me! 

Anyway, we are teaching this young man who is 20 and he has had a hard time getting over drinking. He has never really came out and told us what his concern is and so we have been trying to find out what his concern was. On Friday we stopped by and reminded him to read and pray and we started talking about the gospel and stuff, he expressed to us that he really wants to be a computer programmer. I took that and told him that God is the programmer of this world and the things we need to do to live with him again are all programmed here (in the gospel) so that it can all work out for our benefit. He got really interested and really opened his heart up to us! It was a cool experience.

This week we were riding our bikes, we were running late and were about 7 miles from our house. We had to be back at our house in 30 minutes because a member was picking us up to go to another appointment. We started to ride home and we were going as fast as we could through the streets of north Minneapolis and this little black kid just jumped right out in front of me when we were going down a hill!! I slammed on my brakes and turned the bike sideways so I wouldn't hit the kid and I fell on the ground..... it was a funny experience.... little kids need to watch what there doing ha ha!!! Anyway that was my week love you all stay safe!

  Love,

  The Elder Kelby "Bron Bron" Crandall        

September 10,2012

Hey my fellow Family members!
Well this week has flown by, I still don't understand the concept of time. It goes way to fast that is for sure! Maybe when I'm in Heaven time won't matter right!!

This week I have been thinking allot about sacrifice, just because it really stuck out to me during Presidents training in Zone Conference last week. I was just thinking about myself and of the things I have sacrificed to serve a mission... and yes its been allot and not easy! but the Lord promises us a greater reward in heaven and its just been on my mind lately. 

I have found that the reward is not here in this life but in the life to come and I wouldn't trade anything in this world for the experiences I have gone through and for this opportunity to get closer to my Father in Heaven and to serve my brother's and sister's by giving them the most important message they could ever hear! 

I was reading in the Jesus the Christ book by James E. Talmage (yes mom its surprising I know.. I'm reading ha ha) but he talks about sacrifice and it says that for us to receive the kingdom of God, God requires sacrifice and there is no progression in life without sacrifice. Its been great learning more about this gospel and gaining a stronger relationship with my Father in Heaven. 

This week I went on exchanges with my District Leader. He came here to Minneapolis and it was a great exchange. I really love him! He is from Las Vegas, Nevada and he speaks Karin so it's pretty cool. I learned allot from him and we had a great time here in my area. 

I feel like this transfer I have grown the most as a person and as a missionary, I have found and sought for the spirit more and I have changed by becoming more bold in my actions and words. If your a representative of Jesus Christ we have to be bold! just like the wonderful apostle Elder Holland, I have become a man and not a boy, I have found my strengths and definitely my weaknesses but with God my weaknesses have been vanished but are there to humble me. 

 This week we taught the 20 year old lady who we have a baptismal date with. She is so awesome and prepared!! she understands allot she is always 1 step ahead of us and she asks deep doctrine questions and we are like, "you don't need to know that right now lets get you prepared for baptism". Its been great! We went to the YSA fireside with her it was the CES broadcast that Elder Holland spoke to the YSA. It was a great fireside and great words of wisdom. I have learned to love the people I'm teaching and the people I meet everyday so much!! Its been a wonderful experience....I have never loved so much in my life... its been great.

One of the members in the ward, they have a little girls who is 3 and she is the cutest girl ever! She is so hyper... its funny.. she is in one of those pictures I sent home last week, she is the far left one of the three little girls. Every time she sees me she gives me a hug, its so funny she is just so cute! I love little hmong kids! I'm going to adopt one lol!!

Anyway, that was it for my week! I hope you all have a great week.

Love you all! 
Elder Crandall

P.S. Congrats Cami! You should have named her after me!! but that's okay cause Courtnie will pull threw for me lol!! 

September 4, 2012

I am not attaching the pictures as Shawn and Bishop Anderson can not get them so just go to his blog and enjoy them!

He "gently" told us today to not send pictures of the BYU games as it makes him a little homesick....made me a little sad as I knew this time of year would be a little struggle for him, He is his mother's son and this is his favorite time of year too! but I am very grateful he was BOLD enough to express his feelings! :)  

Well, well, well, its been another week.... my week has been fantastic! How about all of yours? Anyways, I don't  know where I should start..... as you all know we went to the Twins game this last Thursday and it was sure a blast! Seeing some baseball. They played the Mariners from Seattle so it was fun! There were about 100 missionaries there and President and Sister Clements. It sure was hot but it was great! I loved everyone's reactions when they saw all these people in white shirts and stuff.... we got allot of weird stares, but I'm use to that by now! We talked to President there for a bit, he wants to take us to a Vikings game and a T-wolves game but the tickets are just too expensive.

But anyway, about the people I'm teaching... well this week has been great. We had Zone Conference. It was great Zone Conference..but it is always great! 

Me and Elder Abbott received allot of revelation for our investigators we are teaching. We learned that we aren't here to be peoples friends but we are here to help them receive the gospel and to tell people that this lifestyle requires allot of sacrifices and that we are asking them to repent and change there lives. He also wanted us to be more lovingly bold to them.... now you all know me it's hard for me to be mean or really bold with people, but I took Presidents challenge in and decided to do it.
This Sunday we had a lesson with one of our investigators her name is (name withheld) and she is 20 she really wants to be baptized but she is scared of her father so we took Presidents advice and we taught her about sacrifice and opposition. It was the most bold I have ever been! and yes mom you would have been like, who is that kid? I don't even recognize him!! ha ha... but anyway I told her that I wanted to make her a promise and that I know that she was a daughter of God and that God loves her more than anything and that you know, sometimes the Lord tries our faith to see how dedicated we are and he tries our faith through us making sacrifices and that we know that its allot of sacrifice but that the blessings will out weigh the sacrifices!!! We then invited her to get baptized and it was silent for like a solid minute and she started crying and said yes I will be baptized. In that moment, I have never felt so much happiness, so much joy in my life than at that time! I was just so happy for her, that she wants these blessings I truly have found real happiness and lasting joy and I know that it's through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I feel that my testimony has strengthened of how the lord requires us to get out of our comfort zones and to be bold men of Christ. I was scared I pushed her a little to hard but I know I did it in a loving way and the Lord backed me up as it touched her heart. I'm so grateful for the feelings and experiences I have felt so far I always want the happiness I felt that night. My heart is so filled with the love of God and I can truly say I love the people I am teaching and all I want for them to do is taste of Gods love!

This week we had a pizza party with a family and some investigators it was really fun, they are a great family and we had allot of fun. The family has two cute daughters that are like 7 and 3 years old they are the cutest things in the world! They love playing with us missionaries because we are like there big brothers. They call us big brother too it's so funny but it was a great week. I hope your week went well. 

I love you all and wish you the best. Enjoy the pictures.

Love, 

Elder Crandall 

Twins vs Mariners 

Elder Abbott and Kelby at the Twins game

Gonna fill them seats with 100+ of the Lord's finest!

Elder Ly, Elder Thao, Elder Lor, Elder Crandall, and Elder Abbott

Baseball.....this kid LOVES his Sports!

Hmong Elders again and a native Hmong Sister.

Elder Crandall and Elder Dalrymple one of the AP's

YSA group! These YSA kids are a HUGE part of the Missionary work being done!

Kelby LOVES the little Children!