Monday, June 29, 2015

I went back to Vergil!!!



This week was a really good week we found 2 really great families, we had 9 investigators in church and I was able to go back to my first ward to see that one of my converts is going to go to the temple in a few weeks.

This week we had zone conference and I was able to see Elder Call so that was really cool. We were trained on how to work with the members better.  The meeting was in the chapel I was at when I started my mission so I was able to see some of the members there which was really cool.

But anyway the two families we found were old investigators from like July of last year and we decided to run by there to see if they would listen.  The Dominguez family was there with their aunt and it was really cool how eager they were to learn more. The aunt invited us again and she brought her family. Her husband said to us "I have listened to a lot of different churches and this was the first one to sound and appear like the church I have always heard and read about in the bible." so it was super cool to hear that, we have so many prepared people and families here.

Sunday I was able to go to Vergil and attend the meetings there while my companions were in meetings with the stake president and the other zone leaders. But it was weird it felt like I had never left in a way everyone still remembered my name and called on me in the classes more the missionaries who were actually assigned there. I saw one of my favorite families the Gallardos and their little boy Pepe was super pumped to see me they told me when I left they bought him an inflatable tiger and Pepe named the tiger Keyes haha.

Also changes came again, they mixed my sector with another and both my comps left and I and another Elder from the other sector are now with a district leader so I’m still in trios!!

Love Elder Keyes
Austin & Ryan at Zone Conference

Austin & Dinner

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Big Ol' Fire

May 25th



This week started off pretty slow, but some interesting things happened too.  But first I have recovered from Chikungunya and now Elder Colfack has it.  It’s kind of funny its supposedly transmitted through mosquitos but Elder Colfack uses his mosquito net, takes anti mosquito pills and wears bug spray and still got the sickness so I guess all of that stuff doesn’t even matter to the beast mosquitos they have here!

Anyway one crazy and sad thing that happened was Nelsons house got burned down.  We were in the middle of a lesson and then we just seen a huge black pillar of smoke coming from the direction of where Nelson lives.  After the lesson we ran over there and it was raining ash, luckily he wasn’t inside.  The fireman were not sure if someone started it or if was faulty wiring (he wired it himself by taping wires he found on the street together) so it’s a toss-up which one it was.  But this experience has helped him come back to Church and apply the principles we have been teaching him more in his life.  Please pray for him this is the second time in a year that this has happened to him.

My MTC Comp Elder Olsen was transferred to my District
On a little bit lighter note, we had divisions with Elder Scanlan and Elder Gonzalez, I went with Elder Gonzalez.  He is way cool, it was kind of funny we started talking about music and found out that we like the same rock groups.  He is way cool and was actually in a band before he came out on his mission.  We found some really good contacts and found a new smoothie shop that was awesome.  It makes a really good smoothie with fruit you have never heard of like the Guanabauna.
Kind of slow week, love you all!!
-Elder Keyes  






Garcia Family






 June 1st



This week we had a meeting everyday but Saturday.  President was here for interviews so we had two days of training with him and they were really good!  The new AP’s we have did a really good job putting training together that really helped improve our training.  One in particular was about using the scriptures and relying on them more than yourself.
We finally moved all of the desks and stuff like our dressers out of our old apartment into our new place so it doesn’t feel like we are living in a hotel anymore because we have a place to put our clothes.  We gave a Nelson a few of the really old desks that were in our old apartment and he was able to sell them for some supplies to help rebuild his house.  I lucked out when we had Divisions because Elder Olsen had to help Nelson carry these huge wood planks up to his property so he could start rebuilding his house.  Elder Olsen said it was the hardest service projects of his mission.  So I was able to dodge that bullet. Ha Ha   The division was way cool we had a super good lunch, some good ol fried fish with rice and beans.  The member where we ate was excited to show us this new electric massager the he had just bought.  It worked by shocking you with these suction cup things you put on the area you want to massage.  Elder Jeffery put one on each wrist arm and then grabbed each others wrists to see how high we could go.  We got to 8 out of 15 and then it started to feel like a taser  so ya we stopped.
We have an investigator with a Baptismal date!!  Fernando is this really nice guy who has a strong desire to become a member of the church, so pray that he keeps progressing and growing his testimony.  We also rescued  (helped reactivate) a member who used to be in the Bishopric and then who fell into inactivity.   It is great to see him back at church and he is now our Mission Leader.
Love Elder Keyes