Week 15: 11/28/2022 - Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Hello friends and family!! 

I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving! I apologize for not emailing recently, preparation days are always so busy! 

On a recent preparation day, we had the opportunity to go to a member's house who has a quite large wood/metal shop. The project was to refurbish the wood on our smoker. Brother Gorrell loved having us over. He told us several times how we are fast learners. Although we didn't operate any of the machinery, it was an amazing opportunity to get to know a member in the branch and see how to take raw wood and give it a new purpose. It reminds me of my purpose as a missionary:). 

This week we went on splits with the zone leaders! They are in the city and it is a Spanish speaking area. We knocked on a door looking for a member who they hadn't had contact with for a while. Apparently, he did not live there anymore but the woman who did live there only spoke Spanish! This was pretty big because I haven't had someone speak in Spanish to me since I was in Mexico. I was worried that I wouldn't understand anything that was going on, but as a matter of fact, I DID! The woman was speaking fairly slowly and the conversation was basic, but I am so grateful for el don de lenguas (the gift of tongues), I would never have been able to understand what was happening in that moment without it!

We visited a woman who we met through Facebook, she had some service that needed to be done around the property. After we were done helping her she said she had something to give us. She then opened the tailgate of her truck to reveal SIX boxes of food from a food pantry she works at. Our fridge and pantry is currently overflowing with fresh vegetables, bread (not the cheap kind), frozen meat, and more. There are eight bags of cranberries. Elder Watson figured out how to make cranberry sauce so now we will actually be able to use them.  When we were driving home with the boxes of food, a scripture popped into my mind from Malachi chapter three in the Book of Mormon, " ...open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it". This is exactly how I was feeling since it was so much food that I don't honestly think we'll be able to use it all! Luckily, we have been able to give many items away to others. 

Elder Watson and I have been busy in our efforts to find and teach. Recently we haven't been able to find very many new people to teach. It is a little discouraging and it kind of had me feeling down. At church this week, Sister Franklin, one of the new members in the branch, stopped and said, "It's always so nice to see your smiling face young man." Hearing this completely changed my mood! It may have been a small and simple compliment, but it was a big morale booster. 

1. "There’s surely somewhere a lowly place

   In earth’s harvest fields so wide

   Where I may labor through life’s short day

   For Jesus, the Crucified.

   So trusting my all to thy tender care,

   And knowing thou lovest me,

   I’ll do thy will with a heart sincere:

   I'll be what you want me to be."

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7. Hymn 270: I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go (verse 3)

-- Elder Kovacs

                                                                

                                                                 Thanksgiving dinner with the Olathe Zone!

                                                                

                                                                   One of Longhorn cattle at at members house 

                                                                

                                                                                                A horse friend. 

                                                                            Wood transformation 

                                                    Finished product of the smoker with Brother Gorrell

                                                        

                                                                The average Kansas lawn mower

                                                Elders Pack, Downs, Watson and I trying on felt hats

Week 12: Nov; 7. 2022 Is Week 5 'in the field!!'

 Hola!

This week has been so good, but also so stressful. We were able to find four people who are interested in learning more about the gospel! 

On Tuesday I had the chance to go on splits with Elder Thomas who is also in training. It was both of our first times being on splits. Since we were in my area, I was leading out which meant I had extra responsibility for remembering appointments and confirmation for lessons later in the day. Overall it was great! We found a woman who was interested in the Book of Mormon, as we were teaching her about the Restoration, a massive front loader drove over and began trying to move a steel plate that was on the road directly in front of the house. It was super loud and made it very difficult for her to hear us. We were still able to teach her even through raised voices. We saw it as the adversary hard at work. It was no match :)

This week there was a conference called Mid-Trainers, it is for all missionaries who are either being trained or are training. It was a great opportunity to hear from our Mission President and leaders. President Ames, my Mission President, spoke about Helaman 10:4-5. He taught about how because Nephi always declared the Lord's word with "unwearingness", The Lord blessed him with the sealing power(omnipotence). President Ames taught that if we are like Nephi in striving to preach the word of the Lord with unwearingness, we can receive that same blessing in our lives. 

We went out to visit a member in the branch that we hadn't gotten the chance to talk to much. He showed us all around his shop including a WWII era ceiling fan motor which he was restoring into a metal blade sharpener. He also has a fuselage for a 1933 Peitenpol Sky Scout, which is a ooold open cockpit aircraft. It was super cool!

3. "We’ll call in our solemn assemblies in spirit,

To spread forth the kingdom of heaven abroad,

That we through our faith may begin to inherit

The visions and blessings and glories of God". 

Hymn 2: The Spirit of God

Thank you all for your support! 

Elder Kovacs

Harvested Soybean and corn field

Samantha the smoker hard at work

Another P-day another fish