April 18, 2011

Hello familia,

Before I forget, I got both packages!! Thank you very very very much, they were brilliant. The sour skittles are the hit of our 4/5 American flat. Elder Samueli loves them as well. Mother, I put your package right outside the missionary office... after I had removed the talks and letters. Therefore it was a box of candy... and someone stole it from the Chapel. It was so sad because I wanted those Reece Eggs so bad. Recces and Sour Skittles are my favourite. I guess someone needed them more than me. This week has been very productive. We have three investigators that are excited to progress toward baptism. Hoshar, Yordanos, and Lei. Hoshar is fantastic and from Iran.... he doesn't know if he believes in God but he wants to find happiness. It is great to see him not want to leave the chapel because he feels happy there. 

I love the Spirit! I am beginning to see how powerful it really is and how it can penetrate every aspect of our physical and spiritual bodies. Yordanos is quite golden, except her husband doesn't like her learning about other religions, but she knows that if its what she wants to do... he'll join as well. She is from Eritrea and can already recognize the spirit when she reads and prays about the Book of Mormon. Lei is from CHINA!! I love Lei. She speaks very basic english. I love asking for her to explain how she is feeling during lessons. She says the most pure and innocent things. For example, its like I have a chair back behind me to hold me up and support me, or it feels like my father is holding me berry tightly. Or its like a whoosh feeling that comes over me and calms my body. She took 2 pages of notes on three chapters that we invited her to read! She just wants someone to teach her about how she can get closer to God. She currently has a baptismal date for May 14th! We are praying that she makes it, and that we will be able to teach her all that she needs to know before that day. To teach her thoroughly, we need to have a member named Douglas come with us. 

I should spend more time on my language study. Lei has been teaching me some things as well. I love our lessons with all three of these people, I always feel the spirit and that builds my testimony that I am doing the Lord's work. I am proper excited that I have so much longer left! I am still learning loads from everyone around me. I am so grateful to be her in the center of London. How lucky I am to be doing the greatest work, it a great city. Today we are going to play frisbee and fly kites in Hyde Park :) its a cool 20 degrees and the wind is just right for kites in the sky. We made some lovely ham sandwiches on baguettes with honey dijon mustard and Nando's Peri Peri sauce. Life doesn't get much better than that.

We had some interesting lessons this week with some new people we've been finding. One particular lesson that stuck out was a man named Allen. He is a African from Ghana, and has so so so many questions about everything. He is confused and so confused, that when he hears an answer, he won't listen. I love him to bits though. Such a hoot. In the middle of the lesson, he said... "I don't get it... why would God put a Serpent in the Garden of Eden? Didn't he know that it would be up to no good? It makes no sense, why didn't he put a chiwahwah in the Garden. It wouldn't have caused any problems and we wouldn't have the sin of Adam and Eve on our heads." We were laughing way too much, but the enthusiasm he had and the general concern were hysterical. He was laughing as well... such a proper funny lesson. The sad part is, that he didn't want to listen when we told him about Adam and Eve, or that he could have his questions answered by an appeal to the Bible and Book of Mormon. The root of his problem was that he did not believe in Jesus Christ. He didn't think that we needed to have His help in this world, we would pay for our sins and that's the bottom of it. Nothing would change him and he no longer wants to meet with us anymore. My heart aches when I see someone that can benefit greatly from our message, but they won't listen. It causes my knees to get tired and sore. I want them to listen. This message is free, and gives us everything we need and want. Where do our true desires lie? In the things pertaining to God, or the things pertaining to this world. We don't need the world to be happy, but the world needs God to be happy. Peace and happiness are hard to achieve, but Jesus Christ set the way. The Book of Mormon provides a iron rod to follow, baptism is the gate to begin and prayer gives us the strength to continue and endure. I know this, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. I feel it burn in my heart each time I say it. I have no way to communicate my gratitude for my lovely parents who sacrificed everything to teach me how to find never ending joy. I will never have joy without my family. Thank you to everyone that helped my grow. And thank you for your continued support.

Love,

Elder John William Krebs

April 11, 2011

Hello Family and Friends,

Well, today has been another interesting week for the Hyde Park Area. We have a new companion :) Elder Samueli! How fun it is to be the closest Elders to the mission home. It is that reason why there is never a dull moment. Any extra Elders and they get put with us! I do like threesomes though... they allow you to work much more effectively. You can do double the work. He lives in a place called Hayes... which is west London, and in our mission. He has already be out on his mission for a year in Kiev, Ukraine. He came home for a year and now is going back to a different mission in Ukraine. His passport is not quite ready yet and therefore he is hanging out in our mission for a bit and then rolling on to Ukraine. He is originally from Armenia, but grew up in London. I love Armenians and he is not exception. They are hard working people with big hearts. His humour is very English... i.e. dry and sarcastic. He just makes me chuckle. He could be gone next week... or in two weeks or in a month. We do not know. He is sleeping on a mattress on the floor and living out of his suitcases... so its not the best hospitality.. but the best we could manage.

 This week was also filled with cleaning out a flat here in London because the lease was up. We spent a lot of time clearing and cleaning. I have never lived there... but Elder Zarian has been sick this week and therefore I got to do most of the dirty work :) I enjoy it though. I have found that service always makes you feel better. When I am frustrated with anyone or anything... I find ways to serve them. As I sometimes force myself to serve... I can have my heart expanded and my love will increase for the situation or person. We had interviews with President this week as well (I passed... phew)! It was my favourite interview yet!!! I wish we could have them every transfer like they used to do it... but now we only have them quarterly. Tear.

 This week I was able to really share some of my feelings with President and got to know him quite well. I drilled him and it helped me understand some doctrinal questions I had. Afterwards... I got to talk to his wife while my companion Elder Zarian was being interviewed. I asked her about how President and her met... and she shared with my that it was her cookies that she made for him that sealed the deal. It reminded me of an Apple Pie that played such a crucial role in my parents relationship :) I think it was an apple right? I love Sister Patch. She has great energy and is on top of things. I love the way President and her interact. President Patch is an inspired man of God. He love numbers and equating everything to a numerical value to evaluate effectiveness and efficiency. Slowly but surely this mission is becoming more and more diligent and productive. I can see the inspiration that he receives help the mission. He firmly believes that we can baptize once a month in every area. I believe it because he believes it. I want to baptize every month. I want to help people receive this wonderful message so that they can be happy and hopeful in this dreary world. I want to baptize thousand... but how can I?

 I think a scripture in Alma 26:22 clarifies it for us. "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance." That is pretty plain and simple. I know that if it be the Lord's will... we CAN baptize thousands. Why not? Why would people not want this brilliant and perfect message in their life? To bless them and their posterity forever? And why on earth would we not want to be a part of it? Put your shoulder to the wheel... push along. We live in a exciting world... with gadgets and media... but nothing is more exciting than to see someone we love... find the gospel of Jesus Christ. No iPad can compare... no tournament can compete. I am happy from my head to my toes doing the Lord's work daily. I feel that I have the right to the Holy Ghost to be my guardian and scepter of truth as I do His work. He promises to be on our left and right as we share this great message. I know that Joseph Smith saw two personages. Not one... Two. I know that they did speak to him. I know Joseph Smith was a mouthpiece to bring opportunities for Eternal Life to all men. The Book of Mormon is more than a book. It is a source of guidance and peace. I know this with all my heart. I know that God gives us comfort through the Holy Ghost. I know that Jesus Christ forgives us of our sins as we have a broken heart and contrite spirit. Let us sacrifice or put our sins on the alter and have no more desire to do evil, but strengthen the desire to do good continually.

I want to share an experience I had with a new investigator named Horsar from Iran. We were teaching him that God was there and gives us feelings of peace and comfort through the Holy Ghost. I knew that this was true... but I couldn't remember a time when I needed comfort and received it. I remembered small instances of relief and peace. As the lesson was growing to a close... I asked Horsar if he felt the Holy Ghost right now. It was a scary question for me to ask, because what if he didn't? As I asked it... I knew that I had felt to Holy Ghost in the lesson, and if he were paying attention than he felt it as well. I was still doubting as I asked it... but I had faith... that's why I asked it. He paused for a second or two and said... yes. "Its something I've never felt before... it is like a new sense. I want to feel it and experience it more" WOW! My heart was full of love for the acceptance to the Holy Ghost that Horsar had enabled. He had his mind open enough to feel the Holy Ghost and then recognize it. I loved that he explained it like a sense. What a great way to explain it. Something that can be felt and improved as we have more experiences. Line upon line, here a little, there a little.

I am loving being independent on my mission. I am learning how to cook and clean and be a respectful person in society. I cook a mean pasta with a homemade meatballs and sauce. Curry and Mexican food are great favourites to cook as well. On Sunday morning, one of the AP's was making a tie, I was sowing on buttons and the other was ironing, while my companion cooked breakfast. I found it quite entertaining that four 20 year old boys were doing that when the majority of 20 year old boys were hung over from Saturday night. How lovely the gospel is and what light and independence it brings. So many great blessings are being poured out upon me as I serve and I am very grateful for them. I can feel the power of Heaven as I faithfully do what my Father wants me to do. No unhallowed hand can stop me from doing this work.

 

I love you more than the absolutely BEAUTIFUL 22 degree weather we've been having :)
-- 

Elder John William Krebs

England London Mission

64-68 Princes Gate

Exhibition Road

London, SW7 2PA

April 4, 2011

Hi family,

I have had a great and inspiring week. Conference was brilliant and I was able to have answered some of the questions that I brought to conference. My missionary mind was all in a muddle, but conference was able to sort it out. We were able to go to the Zoo as well today and that was fantastic. Expensive but great fun. We have a very eccentric zone. 3 of them are from the UK and let me tell you... the UK boys are crazy. The mission is great fun because there are people from every where and you are able to learn so much from them all. The mission is about to change completely. By August... about half the missionaries now in the mission will go home. And they will be replaced by new missionaries. It should be a exciting time... but sad. I have made some really great friendships with the older Elders and now they are going to leave me here. I will be in the second oldest group of missionaries!! How crazy is that? Only 7 Elders will have been out longer than me! And I feel like I just got here. I am so grateful that I have time to work here! I love missionary work and the fruits of our labours.

Conference was great. The talk that motivated me the most was President Uchtdorf in the Priesthood Session. He talked about living below our privileges. As a missionary... I have been given so many great privileges. I have been promised the Lord to be on my left and my right! I know that if I am obedient that I can teach with the power and authority of GOD!! but am I using that power and authority to it fullest potential? am I relying on the Lord enough? do I think I can do it on my own? am I depending on the Lord with my heart, might, mind and strength? If I am not... and if you are not? Why are we denying ourselves the blessings of heaven? God is willing to help us, it is just dependent on us asking for that help. Something that has really helped me is as I'm praying to have a notebook by my side so I can record my thought and feelings with our investigators. Which are fantastic... some are progressing faster than others... but all have an interest to learn. We are focusing this week on finding more people to teach and expanding our teaching pool. This will include some brilliantly spirit filled preaching in the streets of London. I have full faith that the Lord will answer our prayers and that we will find the elect. We will be placed in their paths. Conference taught me to serve as well. To never let a day go by that you haven't served God's children. It taught me that it is the little things that matter. As we serve, we forget ourselves... and it humbles us. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve daily in some of the greatest work on the earth.

My companion is a great old missonary! I am thrilled to work with him for the next six weeks. To see what I can learn from him and to become better missionaries together.

If anyone is itching to send me a package... a big bag of sour skittles sounds great for Easter. They kinda look like Eggs.

My life is going fantastic. I am really struggling to become the missionary I know I can be. I really want to use the Spirit more in my activities and to be more patient and trusting in the Lord.

I hope everything is well at home. I will be able to send a great long email next week. It'll knock your socks off.

Love,

Elder Krebs.

P.s. Will someone tell Ethan Pike hi for me:)

-- 

March 29, 2011

Three emails in one week... You're spoiled.

I have got bad news... Elder Avanesyan is moving to Romford. So sad. I love that man and did NOT want to get separated. He has been packing his bags all morning and our flat is in a right muddle. There is stuff everywhere. I will be staying here and will be companions with Elder Zarian. He is a great guy from Eagle, Idaho. He reminds me of my daddy, Elder Young. They both have the same tendencies. We were in the Norwich Zone together for 4 1/2 months and he was my District Leader the last transfer. The reason we are now companions is because our areas are combining and both our companions are gone. I am really excited for it. He is dying soon, so he better not be trunky. Either way we will work hard. Therefore... life is good.

Ask me some questions for next week to answer. In answer to dad's questions... not too much hype about the royal wedding. Everything here is related to the Olympics. Which I am very very excited for :) Who knows if we will be helping. I hope we get to do some service for the community.

I love you all.

Love,

John

He is a great young man and well prepared missionary.  For his relative youth he is far advanced up the learning and spiritual curve.  Great to have had him in our home.

Sid Bassett
Stake Presidency, Hyde Park Stake

March 28, 2011

Hello hello,

Tis transfer week! We find out tonight about what is happening :) I am nervous because I have no idea what is going to happen. Since we live with the Assistants we get a little insight but not much. We have found out about who the new assistant is and where Elder Jacob is going. Our third companion... Elder Seljaas is actually already been moved. He left on Saturday :( I was very very sad. He was a great guy and we were working so well and very hard together and now he is gone. I guess life moves on... sad. Welp... I could be gone in 48 hours as well. We never know. I love love love this area. I honestly do. I am just starting to get to know the ward members and can tell who is actually in the Ward and who is visiting. There are so many people that visit each week. I think they should just make a visitors ward :) We had four investigators at Church and they all enjoyed it and want to come back! That is the Spirit at work for you. I love being able to help people realise what the Spirit feels like and then helping them to always have the Spirit to be with them. The Spirit is the way that God is able to work on the earth. It has so many responsibilities! It teaches, testifies, comforts, strengthens, and enriches. How important is it to receive the Spirit in our life and to follow its promptings. Our perfect Mother wrote to me about Pride, and how when we think of what we want (inward) then we are prone to be proud, but as we think outward we will not be able to be proud. As we follow the Spirit, how ever gentle it may be... then it will show us what to do, where to go, and what to say. I can see in my teaching that my words and most importantly questions are guided by the Spirit. I have the ability to take a very disastrous situation with an atheist and turn it into one where we are both uplifted and touched. As I walk away from the situations... my heart is full of thanks because I know that I would not be able to do that by my own power. My mouth had been filled and the Spirit was present. 

This mission is a very interesting one. It is a huge melting pot. I have never experienced such diversity. I thought Lafayette High School was diverse. LHS ain't got nothing on London. Let ME tell you. We met people from just about every where. I want to start making a list of all the people I meet and where they come from. Tis brilliant. The picture is the four Hyde Park Elders at a Philippino flat. They all live together because it is a lot cheaper. Yesterday I had mussels and squid, today I have tempura shrimp sushi, and prawn avocado sushi with gyoza dumplings (then i said "eat the doggy mess"). Actually, I have been using tons of Japanese. Elder Avanesyan said, "you basically speak Japanese". Not quite, but better than most missionaries. I pray to meet them in the morning so I can say "o hio gizymos!" I butched the spelling, but spelling isn't my strongest skill. I am learning great things from all the different cultures around the world and it helps me be a better person. By the way... I couldn't really be bothered by the squid. It was too chewy, but the mussels we quite lovely. I am really beginning to find a love and a focus for missionary work. It is very easy in this big big city to be focused on things other than Inviting Others To Come Unto Christ. Focus is vitally important for our success in life and in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we keep Jesus Christ as our focus and not ourselves... then we will be happy. As we prioritise our busy busy lives to put God first... then we will find a peace in this scary world. I hate this world. I see terrible things every day that honestly make me nauseated. The world is infested with negative images accepted as the norm. Through all this, It is a blessing to have a hope in Jesus Christ. To know where true happiness and peace come from. Those elusive concepts both captured in a single belief. I am thankful for a Prophet that leads and guides us, and I am thankful that I will be able to watch a session of conference at the same time as my family. I love you all. As they once said... "near and far, always together" ;)

Love,

Elder Krebs

P.s. Go Cats

P.s.s. Sorry it is short. My fingers are too fat.

March 21, 2011

HI mum,

I was thinking about how much I miss my mother this week. I miss puttin' the dishes in the dishwasher as you washed them. I miss when it was passed 11:00 and you would start being really funny. I miss getting back scratches. I miss serving you while you had your cast on, and I love that you got a purple cast :) I have the best momma in the world and I hope I can marry someone that emulates you.

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN FANTASTIC!! We have been able to work double as hard since there are three of us. We went on permanent splits with a member from Jerusalem named Baruch. He isn't working at the moment and he is a Recent Convert... and he loves doing missionary work with us. He is also the one that takes us on tours of London for P-day. I love him! He is just a funny guy. He has a house in Jerusalem that he said I can stay at anytime :) it has a spa in the back that you can go and get massages when ever you want. Maybe I'll go study at BYU Jerusalem and live there. Therefore this week we had accounted 40 hours of street contacting (Baruch calls it Outreach) and 17 lessons taught! I love being able to see people progress at a faster pace now that we have more man power. This work is happening! God is putting us in peoples paths so that we can reach out to them and invite them to the path that provides everlasting joy and never ending happiness with God. How wonderful will that be? Unlimited progression with God. One thing is for certain though. I would not be in Heaven if my family wasn't there. 

Daddy wrote me a email talking about how family is a part of God's plan and that is truer that true. "God has established families to bring happiness to His children, allow them to learn correct principles in a loving atmosphere, and prepare them for eternal life.The home is the best place to teach, learn, and apply principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A home established on gospel principles will be a place of refuge and safety. It will be a place where the Spirit of the Lord can abide, blessing family members with peace, joy,and happiness." This is what PMG says and I love it. The home is the best place to teach, learn, and apply gospel principles. I feel so blessed to have been brought up in a family that showed me love and care and taught me the way to be happy. To give me a place of refuge and safety. I love family. People often have broken families. And that is what is wonderfully about having a knowledge of God and His true nature as our Father. Everyone has a wonderful family that they are a part of and they have parents that care about them. Our Heavenly Father and Mother are working as hard as they can to help us achieve immortality and eternal life. We have brothers and sisters all around us. If we understand that... if we truly understand that then we will want to help all that stand in need of any help. And if we truly truly understand that they are our brothers and sisters... then we will see that if they do not receive the gospel now... then they will be lost. We will have a desire to reach out to them and share this perfect message with them. It can only help them. They are our siblings. They need this message now and forever. I would invite you to spend sometime to study our relationship with God and understand more how everyone that comes to earth is our sibling. And that will increase your desire to do missionary work. Missionary work is a work that need to be done now. We can not wait. We have a responsibility to invite others to listen to a living Prophets voice and read of ancient Prophets. Let us all press on. There is an urgency in this work, we must work harder and smarter :)

Lets seeeee hereeee! The picture attached is of our treo :) I love these two Elders. They make me laugh all the time and they work very hard as well. Play hard. Work hard. I am struggling very hard to be more reliant on my Heavenly Father for guidance and help. The ward is putting on a Broadway musical thingy and they want me to sing, but I don't think i'm going to do that. I am going to do the sound and lights for them instead. I was up on a ladder the other day working on some 19's and switching films and focusing lights! It is great fun.

Our investigators are great. I'll share more about them next week because we have found some great ones and we are really excited for their progression.

I love you very very much and I hope all is well in America.

I wish I could be in Palmyra with you looking at the stars by the sacred grove.

 

Love,

John

 

-- 

Elder John William Krebs

England London Mission

64-68 Princes Gate

Exhibition Road

London, SW7 2PA

07800614405

More from March 14, 2011

Welll... I have a new companion :) So now I have two!! Crazy. His name is Elder Seljess. He is from Utah and is a foot taller than me! He used to be in the Hayes Area. but we received a missionary from the Siberian Mission and he moved to Hayes. So we get the leftover rubbish :( just kidding! I love it. He is so great except for one terrible terrible fault. He is a dUKe fan. Oh how close I was to calling President and telling him that there was a mistake. I will trust in the Lord's will and plan... and hopefully learn a ton. I am in the War Chapters right now... so maybe I will learn not to follow that traditions of my fathers :) We are very excited for this next week. We will be doing splits all the time with the ward and therefore we will be able to do double work in the area. That will be great for this every pressing work. We must step it up a notch and do the work quicker and more effective. The other pictures are:of me in Picadilly Circus and Elder Avanesyan and I on the lion :) The last one is the Hyde Park Elders in front of China town :) I love it.