Elder Jesse Kissell: LOADED week!

Hey folks!

Well, this week was 110% better than last week! Sorry i was so depressed and stuff in my last letter, but it was a really hard past couple of weeks. I really wasn't myself for those weeks and it just wasn't fun. I was always stressing and worrying about lost investigators. But, let me enlighten you on our super bomb week!

So Monday, the day i sent my depressing email, WE FOUND MARTIN!!!!!!! HOORAY!!!!! That night as we were planning, it'd been a while since we last tried to call him, and i figured why not call him? So, i hit the call button, and as many times as it was ringing, i expected to get his answering machine. But then, probably the last ring before the answering machine, he answered in his classic way, "Hello Kissell!" Best 2 words I've heard in a LONG time!!! But his story as to why he dropped off the face of the earth was he ran out of money to pay his cell phone and rent bills and so his phone was turned off for a while. He saw that we were calling but couldn't take our calls but could listen to our messages and stuff. But turns out I called on the day when his phone was turned back on and i called right when he got home from working. Luck? I think not. But now sadly he has to work on Sundays again and won't be able to come to church. He was able to come every other sunday and work afterwards. But the few hours he would take off on those every other Sundays added up and he ran out of money to pay his essential bills. So now we're back to square one again. He needs to not work at Wal Mart!! Lame place. He is looking for other jobs and doing all that he can to not have to work on Sunday. He is still just as golden and awesome as ever and faithful and God trusting as ever, so I know that the Lord will help him out and give him other work opportunities.

Also on Monday, we taught our new investigator Dawnette. She's way sweet. She is very smart and knowledged in the gospel. She has listened to the Book of Mormon on tape i think twice now and she wants to be baptized. She knows the church is true and is super. The catch, i think i told you this last week, is she wants to be baptized in a river! Well just for fun this week, we walked by a river and it's pretty darn frozen still. You can walk on it! So, we really need to find a way to tell her that she needs to be baptized ASAP and not wait for the river to thaw because satan is bad and can change investigating hearts in an instant and that could happen by the time the ice melts. But she is really sweet and nice. She's 58 and pretty blind. Legally blind. But she can still see things i think. She was found by our ward mission leader, who's a younger guy, and she absolutely loves him. It's kind of funny, she says that he has an aura around his face and that "he is a seeker of souls." She paints and told us she's painting a picture of him. I'm interested to see it!!

Our ward mission leader also told us Monday night that one of the recent converts in 1st ward, Bro. Ellisberg, found out that he had cancer in his spine, eyes, and lungs and had about 4-6 months to live. Elder Barker, my last companion, was one of the missionaries that had a big part in his conversion. He'd been investigating the church for 20+ years. But i just got to thinking how special life is and how crazy it would be to know that you only had 4-6 months to live. I also think it's super special that he was able to be baptized in November and recieve that saving ordinance. Now, the bishopric has made a request to the first presidency to see if he could go through the temple and be sealed to his wife. Converts usually have to wait a year to go to the temple. But this is a special case obviously and i sure hope that he'll be able to. But long story short, don't take life for granted. Live life to the fullest every day and have no regrets. I've been trying to do that this past week as a missionary. Time continues to fly by for me and i don't want to look back on my mission and think that i could've tried harder or been better in any way. So, try and do that. Be the best you can be every single day and be happy about life!

So Tim is doing good too. I think he's getting closer to knowing that he has a testimony. We had a couple lessons with him this week and both rocked. The first we had with him, we watched The Testaments and talked about Christ and his life and really the role and necessity of having a Savior. He loved The Testaments and cried at the end, as do I. It's a really powerful movie right there at the end and the spirit is mega strong. The other lesson we had with him was all about the Atonement. We brought a member with us who is super sweet with a testimony stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger. We watched the Lamb of God which shows the last week of Christs life and shows alot about the Atonement. Then we shared scriptures and the rest of the time, about 40 minutes, it was just straight testimony from me, Elder Roberts, and Todd. Can i just say that the spirit was there so strongly you could poke it? It rocked. We told him that this church was the only true church and that baptism in this church was truly the only way to salvation and a clean slate, and you could tell that he felt something in that statement. Still no date yet, but we're getting there, inch by inch.

So guess who came to Milwaukee on Thursday? Well, you'll probably never guess because it's so unexpected, so i'll tell you! Elder L. Tom Perry!!! Sweet!!! The Madison zone WAS invited to attend, but there has been too many missionary car accidents this winter that President Barrett told all the other zones invited to attend to stay home and watch it be broadcasted at the stake centers. Dang!! So only 2 zones, about 50 missionaries, were in the same chapel as Elder Perry. I was so pumped to go! But President is an inspired man, so i'll listen to him. There were other cool people there too like Elder Hansen (area authority), Elder Hallstrom (presidency of the Seventy), and of course Elder Perry. All there talks were super great. President Barrett spoke on inviting with faith and love, investigators to be baptized. Elder Hansen spoke on diligent service in the work of the Lord. Elder Hallstrom spoke on that too in addition to how amazing it is to have priesthood authority and one of the most experienced and knowledgeable apostles in the room with us. And then Elder Perry gave a super talk on priesthood authority. Super awesome and spiritually packed 2 hours. It truly is amazing to think, and know, that there really is a true, real, prophet on earth today. 5000 years ago it was Moses, today it's Thomas S. Monson! So cool. Elder Perry is a funny guy though. He was talking about and telling us how a new prophet is called. He told us that it was always the senior apostle that was called. Elder Perry is second in line to only Elder Packer who is getting up there. He told us "I watch Elder Packers blood pressure like you wouldn't believe!" I guess being a prophet is pretty tough work! He sure is an awesome guy though and has lots of wisdom and good analogys and stories. Every time i hear a general authority speak, i just know that the church is true. The thing that i love most about this church is that it just makes sense. That's all there is to it. I'm a guy who doesn't think too deeply and when i have a general authority reaffirm the fact in many different ways that the church is simple and just makes sense makes me feel better about myself and my way of thinking.

Friday was sweet too! We started teaching some old investigators who are good friends with a member family. It was a sweet lesson, although kind of hard to teach when there are 6 kids under the age of 10 running around! But awesomely enough, right when I started talking about Joseph Smith, it got quiet and the spirit came flowing into the home. So sweet! But that lesson rocked there the last 20 minutes. This couple, Derek and Tessa, really opened up to us and expressed concerns that they had not previously expressed to past missionaries and we were able to address those concerns. It was a super awesome lesson. And right after this lesson, we had one with Martin!!! This lesson was sweet!! We gave him a bunch of stuff just in case he disappears again. We gave him articles about Ghana mom printed off for him a long time ago, Ensigns, Ghana temple picture, and the quad!!! So we gave him the articles and Ensign first, he was pretty happy about those, excited to see what the articles were about Africa. Then we gave him the temple picture, he was significantly surprised and excited to see that! Then we built up the suspense and excitement about the quad for a few minutes and then pulled that out of my backpack. Martin shot through the roof when he saw that!!! Man!! And then, he saw that his name was on it... Holy cow!! He was so excited. He was clutching it to his chest, flipping through the pages, raising it high up in the air, and everything. He LOVES it. He asked who got it for him and what he could do to thank them. I told him it was all Mom but she was in Washington. He then promptly asked for your number mom and wrote it IN HIS SCRIPTURES so he could call you and thank you for them!! Did he call you?!?! But after the excitement died down a little, we had an in depth discussion on faith to overcome trials. His trial right now obviously being work. It was great. He'll get a good job, we know it! And so does he.

Sunday was good, 3 of our 5 investigators were there. Tim, Dawnette, and Tessa. Martin and Tessa's husband Derek are the only ones who didn't make it out. We'll work on that!! They'll be able to overcome trials and worrys here in no time and sooner or later, will be baptized and brought to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Transfer calls came on Saturday...I'M STAYING!!!! So i'll be here in Mad-town for at least another 6 weeks, but then i think i'll be out of here. Who knows though.

But i just wanted to thank all who have been praying for me and for my investigators. I've absolutely needed those prayers and faith to stay and become happy once more and to be able to work harder. Martin is back, thanks to prayers. Tim is getting closer to baptism. Dawnette is awesome. And Derek and Tessa have been brought back into the teaching pool. I'm going to keep the momentum we have rolling on through this next week and the start of this transfer. It'll be rockin here in Mad-Town!!

Love you tons and tons!

Elder Jesse Kissell

pictures!