Sweet Week in Marquette

Howdy everybody!!

Well, it was definetely a sweet week in my world. It is always great getting letters from you all, as always, and yeah, they're awesome. Keep it up!
So yeah, this week was pretty cool, but it was quite the roller coaster ride sometimes and not too fun. But like at the end of most roller coasters, you think you’re gonna be sick, but you were glad you did it. That’s how this week was! So I’ll just start off from the beginning and rattle it off.

Tuesday is our district meeting day. We usually have it in either Iron Mountain or Escanaba. I don’t know why because Marquette is the most central place and those places are about 2 hours away from us. Anyways…this week it was in Escanaba. On the way back up with the Houghton elders, we stopped by and visited a lady who lives in a town named Gwinn about 45 min away from Marquette and gave her the sacrament. She is the sweetest old lady in the world. Unfortunately, she’s been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and has not been able to come to church because of that. She was a very active member of the church and came every week but has not been able to due to this. Pretty sad. But she is the sweetest lady in the world. She’s in her 70’s and has just recently lost her hair due to the chemo. But we called and just confirmed our being there and when we got there she greeted the 4 us with brownies! So cool. So we sat and talked with her for some time and just gave her some company and then we gave her the sacrament. She was so grateful, but I could just tell she wanted/needed something more so I asked if there was anything else we could do for her. At first she said no and then I said “are you sure?” And then she said that she really wanted and needed a blessing but was too afraid to ask. Her eyes were already filling with tears as we gathered around and started giving the blessing. By the end of the blessing, the front of her shirt was covered in tears. The spirit was so strong and so real. The priesthood is so amazing and is back on this earth today. It almost felt like something was going through us and into her. It was so cool. Then she went around the circle and gave the 4 of us nice big hugs. It made my day, maybe even my week, maybe even my mission so far. The spirit was so strong there and it was just a sweet sweet experience. Those are just the kind of things a missionary lives for.

The next big event this week was that we started teaching Zach’s ex-wife Jen. To my understanding, they still have a good enough relationship, he didn’t object to us teaching her or anything and he just kind of laughed and said good luck. But the lesson went really well. She has part custody of the kids and so they were all there which was really good. We brought Pres. Compton (2nd counselor in the stake presidency, lives here in Marquette and is flippin cool) and he helped us teach. She listened really intently and had good questions and we have a return appointment with her. So I’m pretty excited. So this was eventful yes, but not the main thing I was going to talk about. Chelsea, Zach’s oldest daughter, she’s 14, acted like she wanted to tell us something right from the start when we got there, and she finally asked us. She asked “what happens if somebody gets baptized into your church after they say they don’t smoke and drink anymore but they’re still doing it and lying to you and telling his kids not to say anything?” That pretty much just crushed us. We knew exactly who she was talking about, Zach, and we were kind of just speechless for a couple seconds and Elder Turney said something, I dunno what, but it was too the effect that repentance was available to everybody and that he wouldn’t get kicked out of the church or anything. But yeah. That was really hard and not too cool at all. The next day we had an appointment with Zach, and bishop was going to be coming with us. We were going to teach about priesthood and auxillaries but both felt that enduring to the end might be a better topic to teach. So that’s what we did. It went really well, shared a few scriptures, and just talked a lot about endurance and repentance, something we all need. And again, you could tell that he had something on his mind and something he was thinking about and wanting to tell us. He mentioned something to the effect of what happens if you slip up, and bishop jumped on that and asked what he might be afraid of slipping up on. By the way, we told bishop about this so he knew. And then Zach told us that he had slipped up on the word of wisdom and had smoked and drank a few times after he was baptized. He was really sorrowful and sorry and felt terrible. Bishop talked with him and gave him a lot of encouragement and it was just really awesome. Zach is an awesome guy and is totally honest. We didn’t even have to pry it out of him, and he just told us straight up. He’s a great guy. So yeah, bad situation made good again! Elder Turney and I were pretty crushed though for that day. First time I felt something like that. And unfortunately, probably not the last.

Friday was temple day!! Well, leaving for the temple day…we left at 5 p.m. Friday and got there at 1 a.m. Saturday! It’s like a 7 hour ride from Marquette to Chicago. It was crazy. So be thankful that temples are so close to the rest of you guys!! But it was a really fun bus ride, talked to everybody on the bus, got to know them better, talked and chilled with the youth, watched movies…if they were “appropriate” for us. Missionaries have pretty strict rules for what we can and can’t watch. Kinda lame. But it was a lot of fun. Saturday at the temple was amazing. I wasn’t too sold on the picture of the temple on how pretty it was, but in real life, man it was pretty. I loved it. Just the way all those spires and things are all over the place and the granite/marble/whatever it’s built with, just looks cool. I loved it. But it was quite the day for us there. We were witnesses for the youth baptisms (the font was really cool), did initiatory work for several people, and did an endowment session. It was super fun and amazing. I love the temple so much. Afterwards, we went out and took some pictures and stuff and then got back on the bus and headed home. It was pretty funny, elder Turney saw some people from his last ward he served in and we talked with them for a bit. One lady when I shook her hand she screamed and I kinda freaked out. I started apologizing but I told her I didn’t know what I did! She said that I had the strongest handshake out of anybody she’s met and said that I’d better not do that when I get home with the girls I date or I might scare them and break their hands or something. It was pretty funny. So she taught me how to shake a girls hand, now I know. Phew. But bus ride home was fun, got to see Milwaukee again and the Wisconsin countryside. Quite pretty. It was still super muggy and nasty in Wisconsin and Chicago too. I’m so glad it’s not like that up here, I would not be happy.

Then on Sunday, we visited quite a few people after church, but the coolest one we did was again going with the bishop and visiting a part member family. It was actually a couple, but whatever. But Pete Judici and his wife Dusti, are awesome. Pete is dying of throat, mouth, and tongue cancer and is a less active member. Sad and crazy thing is, is that he has never smoked or chewed tobacco in his life and he has all those cancers! I would be pretty frustrated. But they were both super happy to see us and gave us all hugs and we sat and talked with them for a while. Bishop is a doctor, and Dusti is one of his nurses, so she is very good friends with him and his family so she knows about the church. Bishop feels that she’s ready for the gospel so he took us with him this time to meet them. It was awesome. Bishop just shared what he believes and why he loves this church so much, so basically just his testimony. A very strong one too. Then he asked us to share a brief restoration lesson and share our testimonys as well. By the end of this, Dusti was in tears, with a Book of Mormon in her hand, wanting to learn more. It was so amazing. She is totally ready and willing to listen to us, yet another lost sheep found. But, we have to keep that sheep with us and not let her run away again, so we need to start teaching her and teaching her now!! But yeah, it was very amazing and wonderful. I love doing this so much.

And another cool thing we did was we stopped by another less active guy, his name is Gene, and we finally caught him home after trying to catch him since I have been here. He just got a total hip replacement and is recovering well. His wife is a technical member but went anti after learning about polygamy and stuff…lame. But he still has a very strong testimony and loves the gospel. But we talked with him for quite a while and he mentioned that his friend had just recently passed away. Although he knew about the plan of salvation, he still asked us a few questions and I felt it would be good to share my testimony about dad and my experience and views about the plan of salvation. I am glad I did. He seemed really touched by it and it always helps me to feel the spirit and grow stronger in my knowledge and faith. He then asked for a blessing and so I gave him one. It was so cool. It was one of those things where you are talking and talking, and then when you’re done, you have no idea what you said. That’s because it wasn’t you talking. It was the Holy Ghost. It was so cool. I know this church is true. I love it so much. I know I have said this before, but every week, every day, my testimony and faith in this church just grows stronger and stronger. The priesthood, the authority to act in God’s name, is back on the earth, never to be taken away again. Same as this church, it ain’t goin anywhere. I love being a missionary and teaching these great people, investigator or less active, it doesn’t matter. In last months Ensign I think it was, Pres. Monsons story about the sugar beets explains it perfectly. If you don’t know what it is, read it. It’s in the Ensign with the African painting on the front. He just says that there is as much worth in less active members as there are in new members and all need to be helped out and saved. So I just encourage all of you, whoever is reading this, to read that article and to help those people out who are having a hard time in the church. Also, be a missionary!! This is FUN!!! In case you can’t tell, I love it. It may seem hard, but just do it. You will be blessed so greatly and you will help so many people. And you in turn will love it too!

I love you so much and I hope this week goes amazing for you all!!

Love
Elder Kissell