The week of meetings!

I had a good week, it was full of meetings! I had district meeting on Tuesday, where we learned about how to really help people have the desire to come to church. They already know it is a good thing to do, but they have to feel that it is a way to show their love for god. Then I had Zone Conference on Wednesday, it was fantastic! Elder Arnold and his wife were the special guests. I learned about loving ward members and leaders, planning more effectively, having good goals, not choosing selective obedience, and many other things. It was a very spiritual meeting. We are doing an important work, and we must do everything we can. Then I had exchanges on Thursday, I was paired with an Argentine named Elder Rearte, it was the best! He is "older" than my trainer, and we were able to do very well together. He was able to talk to Spanish only speakers, which was nice as well.

Elder Rearte and I found two ladies in a park, Chastity and Adriana, who were very prepared to hear our message. They felt the holy ghost, and were very receptive to the book of Mormon and the Atonement. They both committed to being baptized, but we haven't been able to contact them again at all.

Friday we had a Trainer Trainee meeting, with all the new missionaries that came in with me. That was pretty good, I learned to not worry about things I can't control. That is something that I am still working on, but it was a good meeting. 

On Saturday most of my district, plus a missionary who's companion is sick, went to Kingsburg and did two service projects back to back. It was a little too much service for one day, but it was interesting. We helped a lady move her things into storage, and prepared for a Swedish Festival.

The biggest thing I learned this week was the importance of choosing exact obedience over selective obedience. That makes all the difference. 

The baptism that we had planned for Sunday had to be moved back, because Abel had eye surgery. I still think he will be baptized. 

The bishop of my ward has just recently become very excited in missionary work, both with inactive and new converts. His goal is 300 active members in 5 years, so that the ward can be split. I felt the inspiration of his goal, and it will help us as missionaries a lot. I bore my testimony about priesthood keys, the Book of Mormon, and the Atonement on Sunday. It was good.

Also, I had my birthday this week, and Zone Conference was a great gift. I also got lots of candy and good food. I'm one of the older missionaries that I am with age wise, but not in mission time wise. 

Probably the best way to prepare to be a missionary is to share the gospel with your friends, and read the preach my gospel over and over again. All of you priests should go on a mission.

Elder Keeley

We play a lot of Futball here. It's serious business, I'm pretty good, but I'm no Argentine. Elder Perkins is wearing Elder Rearte's Jersey.

 

​Here's what the area is like. It's very dry, but grapes are everywhere. This is where about 95

5% of Raisins come from. 

Thanks for all the letters from everyone. My mailing address is just the mission home.

Elder Keeley

Week 2

I have had a good second week out in the Lord's Vineyard. My companion and I set up a baptismal date with a man named Abel. Abel is a cool guy, who is willing to serve the lord. He has had two strokes, and has a speech problem, but he is really cool to talk to. His date is this Saturday or Sunday. We still need to clarify that. 

We are also working with a girl named Lia. We found her through her mom's boyfriend. She is friends with a member of our ward, and that has helped her a lot. She loves to hear about the gospel, and she is solid with her commitments. The only thing holding her back is that her mom didn't let her come to church. Hopefully we can meet her mom, and teach her as well.

The coolest story of this week was with a lady named Kim. All of her kids are baptized, but she couldn't be because she was living in the same apartment as her boyfriend. However, this week her boyfriend stole her dad's truck, and drove without a license into a hit and run. He was also on parole at the time. The truck was destroyed, but he jumped into a black car. Hopefully, that will keep him out of the picture, but at the moment, he is hiding out in the apartment again. Kim's father will press charges once the police find him. It was really good, and we set a baptismal date, but then it was disappointing when we found that he was hiding out at the apartment. 

It was fun to play soccer on preparation day with all the elders from Argentina and Mexico. They are really really good. I scored two goals, but I am really bad in comparison to them. Here's a better picture of what my hair really looks like.

Here was my whole MTC district:

I don't really bring my camera around all over the place, and it's batteries don't last very long. I am already out of email time for this week. Tell all the priests that are left to go on missions. 

I love you all,

Elder Keeley

PS: Sister Crowther say's that she will be able to go on a mission during October. That's fantastic.

First week in Fresno!

Sorry that there have been so few emails from me, In the almost 3 weeks I have been out, I have only had two preparation days, counting this one. 

The last week at the MTC was good, but we had two health incidents in my district. The first was one of the sisters in my district, Sister Crowther. She was having bruises for no reason and had to go to several doctors to have her blood drawn and tested. She had to go home and be released the last day of the MTC, so that was no bueno. The second health incident was a seizure by Elder White. He went to the ER and was tested, but he was okay, and is in the mission with me. I wasn't able to go to the last Tuesday devotional because no one in my district or zone wanted to go, including my companion, and I couldn't go all by myself. We were taken to Salt lake on a bus, and then flown into Fresno on a small plane. There were 18 missionaries, only one of them was a sister.

My first day in the mission field was good. We went through office work, and then went outside and did something called open your mouth. I was paired with Elder Withers, my current zone president. We taught some members that we found, and then taught some ladies that were drinking. We also got yelled at by some satanists, so that was cool too. We invited one person to be baptized and they said yes. 

We ate dinner at president Clark's house, and then had a testimony meeting type thing. We slept at the assistant to the president's house. They parted our hair, that's the official hairstyle of the mission.

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 We went running in the morning and then went back to the mission office.

We did some more office work, and watched some safety videos, and eventually we got our trainers.

My first real companion is Elder Perkins. He is from Colorado.

​please excuse the bad picture quality, I haven't been using my camera very much.

My companion and I are in Selma, a fairly small, mostly Hispanic town. A lot of people here only speak Spanish. I don't speak Spanish much at all. We are the only English missionaries in the area.

We don't have very many investigators which are progressing, but we have taught several lessons and are trying to find new investigators. We are also helping recently baptized members to stay strong. Selma is an awesome town.

It is pretty hot here, and the air quality is terrible, because of the largest wildfire in California. Selma is "famous" for its raisins. Most of the people are catholic. It might rain here today, for the first time in months. 

I have learned a lot on my mission, but the biggest things that I have learned is the importance of being a good leader, being obedient, bearing testimony, making lessons personal, asking for referrals, and working hard. I am practicing talking to potential investigators, and helping them become progressing investigators.

The food situation at my apartment is pretty bad. I opened a "new" box of oatmeal, and then ripped open a packet and poured out maggots. That was fun. I am helping improve the situation though.

Elder Keeley

Elder Keeley Zone Pic

Here is my zone

Pictures

Here are the elders from my district.Here are some sisters from my Zone, only the far left two are in my district.I don't have pictures of the other 2.

Here is my companion.

I have ran into Elder Caiden Brown a couple of times.

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The first week of the MTC

My email address is andrew.keeley@myldsmail.org In case you want to send me an email.

Here is my address if you want to send a letter or package: 

Elder Andrew Paul Keeley

SEP09  CA-FRE
2005 N 900 E Unit  30
Provo UT 84602

My first week at the MTC has been incredible, I've loved it. My bishop told me that the MTC would be the worst part of my mission, and while that might end up being true, I have been having a great time here. 

I spend most of my day in my class room with my District, role-playing and learning how to be a better missionary. We have 4 sisters and 6 elders including me. Half of us are going to Fresno California, and the other half is going to Houston South. 

My companion's name is Elder Gardner, he is a rancher/ farm boy from a small town in Idaho. He is pretty good to be with, but sometimes he is a little quiet. I am already great friends with my district, with all the Elder's and Sisters. Sometimes things get a little bit off topic, but it is generally not my fault.

The food is here is either pretty good, or pretty bad, usually the former for me. It isn't always very healthy though. 

My best experiences here at the MTC so far has definitely been the devotionals and teaching our research training center personal investigator. 

The first devotional I had was with Charles W. Dalquist II. He gave a great devotional where the Holy Ghost was very strong throughout. After his devotional I was able to watch Elder Bednar's The Character of Christ Christmas devotional. It taught me about how Christ turned outward instead of inward, and more importantly, that we need to remember times when we can feel the Holy Ghost. He taught with the Holy Ghost. We need to always try to become better, and learn about something new. 

For the second devotional I sang in the Choir, Lead Kindly light, you might see me if you watch the devotional. The speaker was none other than Elder Oaks and his wife, sot that was pretty cool. During the beginning of Elder Oaks talk I wasn't able to pay much attention, and I wasn't feeling the Holy Ghost as much as during the last devotional, so I felt like I should pray. I prayed that I would be able to feel the holy ghost, focus, and to know which direction I should take my next lesson with my RTC PI, between the Book of Mormon and the Plan of Salvation, and all my prayer was answered. Elder Oaks taught that we need to lay down the plan of salvation as a foundation, I felt the Holy Ghost very Strongly, and I was able to be awake and pay attention. 

It's been good. I'm not even that tired yet.

Elder Keeley