July 18, 2012

Dear Mother Dear, What a wonderful week in England. So many things were happening and they were all just brilliant. I'll give an accounting of my week and then you can be the judge of it! Off we goooo... On Monday we had the Canterbury Olympics, but you already heard a tad about that because I emailed after it. Lets just say it was bomb though. I haven't been using my camera recently, but I'll get a picture soon. On Tuesday I had a work over with the Elder Tingey! Talk about the coolest lad. Stylish and humble. We tracted in the rain for about 2 hours and talked about many things... from Homestarrunnner to Ben Folds. It might have distracted me a tad... but something has got to keep you interested in tracting for 2 hours. We had a step in with a wonderful Born Again lady. She accepted the Book of Mormon and said she would read it. Often the Born Agains do not accept the Book of Mormon. It is the Bible of nothing. I've often pondered on the Bible Supremacy way of living, and why people are so drawn to it... the only conclusion that I've come up with is that it is there only source for some sort of authority. Therefore they hold to it with all that they've got, and are afraid to read anything else. Either way... I absolutely love the Book of Mormon. What a brilliant book. It is the crux of conversion. It solves all the concerns regarding Joseph Smith and the Restoration. I know that it is true. I really know it. I love reading it and being uplifted by its story, style and sermons (see what I did there... three s words for dramatic effect). Wednesday was a half half day. We drove to Canterbury for 10:00 to be interviewed by our new President. He took quite a long time... and by a long time I mean 8 hours. Sooo we left about 6:00pm, we were interviewed last... but he asked us to be there at 10:00. He was trying to get to know everyone... and therefore took his time. There are only 14 missionaries in the Zone... but it took some time. We did some street contacting in Canterbury, talked to Sister Jordan, and shined our companions shoes. It was good, but I always feel antzy when I sit around for too long. My interview was not actually that long. Once he realised that I was leaving in December, he cut the get to know you chit chat and just lectured me about working hard to the end. Thursday we just did major work. Friday we drove again to Canterbury to switch for a work over. Elder Paul came to Ashford with me for a surprise. Elder Paul was a missionary that I kinda trained in Grays. He was out already two weeks... but then he got emergency transferred to me. We had a great day on Friday, saw a Recent Convert that is getting married in September. We have secretly began teaching her partner the lessons. He doesn't quite know yet. Saturday was the awesome day. I wrote a letter to Hayleigh and Theresa about 3 weeks ago and mentioned that they should come to Ashford before the family Olympics at the new year and then they called and arranged to come for Saturday. I didn't tell Elder Paul they were coming, and I didn't tell Hayleigh and Theresa that Elder Paul was coming. Sooo when we met up on Saturday... everyone was surprised! I was even surprised because H & T brought Gloria and her daughter, which is another lady baptised while I was there. It was just brilliant! Such a great reunion. We walked to an American Diner close to the church and ate, then we came back to the church and had a tour and testimony meeting. I was so grateful to be able to be a part of their conversion, and it was great to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has helped them over the past year. Yeah... still really weird to think it was a year ago. I love them all so much. They are all just like family. The people have made my whole mission worth it. Every one is important to God. Every one matters to him. We are His Children. He is our Father. I know that. I know that we are physically like him, and now it is up to us to be spiritual like him. The Church is a brilliant framework for families and becoming more like our Saviour, Jesus Christ. It has rained everyday for the past week... but nothing can stop me now. I hope that everything is just wonderful in the sunny states of America. From what I hear it is pretty hot. I love you all very much and will see you in December! Love, Elder Krebs

July 25, 2012

Dear Familia! Oh so sorry that I didn't email on Monday. Things have been very busy. On Monday we had an exchange with the Assistants and it complicated everything. I was planning on emailing on the Monday evening... but we arrived home late. And the next day I was with Elder Cena (a missionary from my group) and I wanted to be a good little boy so I didn't email with him here. But my son instincts kicked in and I decided to email my mother. You did give me birth. I owe you one. Oh... and you raised me for 18 years. Even though it took my mission to learn how to make my bed. We spent the day in London on Monday and it was just great! I will thoroughly miss London. Even though every time I go... by the end of the day I hate it. It is disgustingly busy. Especially right now. It is hot and you are pushed up against people that you don't even think about talking to. But it makes it easier to make friends. And you can tell if you need to teach the Word of Wisdom or not... because your basically touching noses. Oh but I love it. So busy. Everything you could ever need in London. Which is good... but for missionaries can be very distracting. I am grateful to be finishing my mission in Ashford. It helps keep me focused... because there just ain't much here. Except for Jojo. Oh jojo. She scared us... thus the reason why I didn't talk about her last week. We didn't see her the whole week. She hosed appointments and wouldn't answer our phone calls. And she has three phones... and we know all three numbers. We had a District Meeting on Thursday and we talked about Jojo, and if we should keep contacting her or just let her slip. They gave us some ideas... and we went on our merry way. One idea was that we just ran into her in town centre. So we prayed for it... and it happened. I was calling someone and these three little girls were waving their hands at me... so I had Elder Vitorio go and talk to Jojo and he set up an appointment for the same night at 5:00. We went by and she was all about still getting baptised on the 28th of July... so in the past 2 days we have taught her Word of Wisdom, Tithing, Sabbath Day and Follow the Prophet. Today we are going over the Baptismal Interview and tomorrow will be her interview. Then on Saturday will be the baptism! How exciting!! I really like her. She is very keen on baptism and very intelligent. She understands what we are trying to do and how we can help her. I am so grateful to have been a part of her teaching process. Recently I've heard about 2 people that have been baptised that I taught in previous areas! That is always so exciting to hear and be a part of... I love this work. Our Mission President is great and I am grateful that he is here. Things are going to change here in the England London Mission. Too bad I will not be here to witness it all. I have a strong testimony of Joseph Smith. He is a man... a mortal, imperfect man. He had weaknesses, he made mistakes... but he was called by God. Our testimonies are based on the Book of Mormon. A testimony that God is continuing to speak to His Children today... and now... and will always speak. God is our Father... and we are made in His image. He wants us to learn and grow. That is why we have challenges and trials. But he loves us... nothing can separate us from that love. "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." It is infinite and eternal. It is expressed through His Son, Jesus Christ. We have all fallen, but can rise again, just like the sun... everyday. I love you all... have a beautiful sunny day. Love, Elder Krebs

July 10, 2012

Dear family, Today we had a Zone Meeting and P-day! In which we celebrated the 2012 Canterbury Olympics. They were pretty epic. I don't think they attracted quite the crowd that the London Olympics will... but we definitely had more fun here in Ashford. We had four teams, many events (but we only got through 2 of them), and grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. The decorations were spot on and the cheers and team names were proper nice. I believe everyone enjoyed themselves. I think I enjoyed myself. I spent the whole time worrying. And that never helps you to have a good time. But I love all the missionaries in our Zone. It makes me so happy that we have so many young adults that want to spend their time doing the Lord's work. This is where true joy is found. I believe it. I have really felt it. This week has been mental. On Wednesday we had Zone Meeting with President Jordan and his Wife (we had apple pie and ice cream to celebrate our Independence). On Saturday we had a leadership meeting and Zone Leader Council with President Jordan. He is a different person and the mission is going to change. It is quite weird that it is changing and I'm still here. There is a very direct correlation between how hard I work, and how focused I am to how happy I am. If I lose focus, then there are so many things that I worry and think about. If I focus and work hard... then I'm just fine. President Jordan is spot on. He has great ideas and is really trying to help the mission be full of faith. I think he noticed that we were all faithless. He is going to tighten the reins a tad. He will keep to the WHB more. Zone Leader Council was awesome. We talked about how to help the mission have more faith... and.... whether or not we should get texting. The second one is still under wraps and we were told not to say anything... sooo don't tell anyone. It was really nice to council together. I liked it. Sister Jordan is just proper Utah. Opposite of Sister Patch. But loves cooking. It is weird because I will leave in a tad... and my departing interview and dinner will be with The Jordans. But... all is well. Jojo is progressing so wonderfully. She came to church on Sunday and is just like a normal member. We had another investigator there for the first time and we invited Jojo to go and fellowship her. Even though it was jojo's second time. Her children ran to primary and fit right in. I really hope she keeps progressing and can continue to have faith. Elder Holland really helps me. He gives a talk entitled "How ever long and hard the road". It is one of my favourites right now. It is my motto and creed right now. However long and hard the road... I will press onward and forward. There is sooo much in front of me. So many decisions and choices. I love you all. Have a great week. Love, Elder Krebs p.s. See you for the krebs family olympics! MMXII (2012)

July 2, 2012

Dear Familia, What a busy week. We had a really slow start at the beginning because Sister Cordeiro was leaving... but towards the end of the week we were doing great things. The most exciting thing that has happened this week is a NEW mission President. His name is President Jordan and we are really nervous/happy and excited to have him here. I haven't spoken or met him yet, but we have a Zone Meeting with him this Wednesday. I am really really excited. On Saturday we have a Leadership Meeting at 10:00 in London, and a Zone Leader Council at 12:00. On Monday the 8th we have another Zone Meeting and Zone P-day, and then on Wednesday the 10th we have interviews in Canterbury at 10:00. It is weird that I'll only be here with President Jordan till December... but that is okay. I didn't get to have a departing interview with President Patch and I was really bummed about that. My temple recommend is expired and I tried to convince President Patch to renew it for me... but he just told me to wait till August. I can't go to the temple anyways. Which is super lame. Speaking of the temple. The highlight of our week was that Jojo went to the temple with the Gospel Principles class. They all went on Saturday and walked around the grounds and spent time in the Visitors Centre, watched the Joseph Smith movie, and had a picnic! So great. We didn't even go! We just spent the whole morning in the town centre, just thinking about how great of a time they were all having. She is progressing really well. We had a great member from the ward come with us that really related well with her. You sometimes think that you can do it alone... but members are always so helpful. It is so great to hear members bear testimony about when they were baptised and how it has benefited their life. Yesterday there was a young girl that didn't want to go into the Sacrament Room for our Sacrament meeting. She is a young recent convert... about 14. We asked her to come inside... but she wouldn't. Towards the end... she walked in and sat down though. We went by to her and her mums house yesterday and had a lesson in the garden (yard) because we couldn't find anyone to come with us. She was asking all these questions about God and Jesus Christ. The Godhead was really confusing her... and she wasn't quite sure who she was praying to. At the end of the lesson she opened up and said that at the beginning of church she was very angry and didn't want to go into the sacrament meeting because she had stopped praying and reading because they felt pointless and she didn't feel as though God was listening to her. But... as she listened to the testimonies from the Fast and Testimony meeting... her heart was softened and she came inside. It was great for me to see that God cares about every single one of His children. That poor girl was beating herself up because she didn't feel like she was doing enough... or that God was listening. But because she at least made the effort to come to church... she was able to be comforted by her Father. Out of all His children... he cared about that one... in Ashford. We have a wonderful God. One that is willing to forgive from scarlet to white, and debts of over 10,000 talents. We are never too far from the light that His Son Jesus Christ provides. It can reach us where ever we are, and when ever we need it. I love him... and am grateful to be working for him. Love, Elder Krebs

June 26, 2012

Hi mum, I am in Canterbury right now. Sitting next to my son... Elder Paul. He says Hi! He isn't technically my son because he was trained for the first 3 weeks by two zone leaders... and then he came to me for the next nine weeks. I feel as though I still had the greater impact on him. He is mine. My son... ain't nobody going to take him away from papa. We had transfers yesterday... and I am staying in Ashford with Elder Vitorio! It is weird to know my final destiny. Well not really my final d... because I'm coming home for the family Olympics. At this point... I just want to work. As I work... I will forget everything and it will all be just dandy. We had a week full of miracles. Jojo, who I talked about last week is progressing very fast. She is very smart and wants to understand everything at once. Her three little girls are full of energy and love trying to get our attention. They all three came to Church and loved it so much. The three girls all enjoyed Primary and Jojo was right at home in Relief Society. She related the Prodigal son story for the class and got it perfect. Or so I heard. I don't often sneak into RS... but I can't say I haven't. After church she informed us that the ward was having a temple trip on Saturday and that she needs four seats reserved. She doesn't even know what the temple is or what it looks like... she just wants to soak everything in. This is good for missionaries... but we have to be careful with how much she gets... because sometimes when you eat the whole cake in excitement... or in my case... 8 bags of sour skittles... you feel sick afterwards and regret it. She is spot on and really genuine and transparent. She tells you how it is and what she likes... she likes... and what she doesn't like... she doesn't. I really like her. She accepted the date of the 28th of July for baptism. We can hardly wait... and I will be here for it. I am oh so very excited. She slightly reminds me of another of the recent converts that I worked with in Grays. I feel so blessed to be a part of this great work. Who Am I? Who Am I to deserve all the things that the Lord has and is giving me. The new mission President is coming this week. That is proper weird to me. He is just deserting me... ahhhh. But the new mission president looks like a great guy to me. But who knows... we thought Elder Pike was 6'4''. I love you all. I miss you all. I really do. I forget about you sometimes... but it is always a big reality check to come back to think about you. See you in December! Love, Elder Krebs Two quotes of the week. Both from spectacular talks that really helped me in my progression and understanding of things. "The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but that—miraculously—we can feel at home there. If Christ did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change. Think of your friends and family members who have chosen to live without faith and without repentance. They don’t want to change. They are not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable with God. Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become comfortable with sin. If Jesus did not require covenants and bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, then there would be no way to change. We would be left forever with only willpower, with no access to His power. If Jesus did not require endurance to the end, then there would be no internalization of those changes over time. They would forever be surface and cosmetic rather than sinking inside us and becoming part of us—part of who we are." "His Grace is Sufficent" by Brad Wilcox "You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands. His work is to bless His Father’s spirit children with the opportunity to choose eternal life. So, your calling is to bless lives. That will be true even in the most ordinary tasks you are assigned and in moments when you might be doing something not apparently connected to your call. Just the way you smile or the way you offer to help someone can build their faith. And should you forget who you are, just the way you speak and the way you behave can destroy faith." "Rise to Your Call" by Henry B. Eyring

June 18, 2012

Hello and good morning, I'm in the church. Life is good. We are heading to Canterbury later today, probably play football and frisbee. We've already been to the Cathedral twice and I love the Cathedral. One of the Sisters in the zone is going home in one week, and she has told us we have to come and chill today because it is her last full P-day. This week was a great week full of miracles. We had two really great first lessons and we will hopefully be teaching them again this next week. One is 16 and from Nigeria, his progression will really depend on his parents. Another is a single mum from Nigeria and has been to many different churches and feels they are all lacking truth. She says she is on the search for truth. She is a really funny and personable lady. We met her two weeks ago in Town Centre and got her phone number to set up an appointment later. Around that time we had the impression to tract Herbert Road, but never got around to it because of appointments and others things that got in the way. It is quite easy to find other effective things to do instead of finding. Last week we saw her in town and just said hi, but she was squirmy and avoided setting up anything. The same day we decided to tract Herbert Road and it happened... and guess who lived at #48 Herbert Road? None other than thee JoJo. Now she is a new investigator and we are going around on Wednesday to help her build an Ab Work Out machine. She loved hearing about the restoration and that we are a non-paid ministry. There are so many stories out about Pastors and their Unrighteous Dominion and basically how they are called, but they set their hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world... and Amen to the priesthood of that man. Even though they never really had any priesthood. Just their testimony of Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost. So she was fed up with that and with churches, but she is coming on Sunday to ours. We had a Zone Meeting this week and President Patch came to say Goodbye :( It is most likely the last time I will see him. It was a really powerful meeting. One of the Sisters in the zone gave a training on the Doctrine of Christ and then Elder Vitorio and I gave a training on how and why we invite people to be baptised. The Zone is quite new and many of them have not been able to practise giving crisp, clear and powerful invitations to follow Christ. We gave them all Calendars that end the 28th of July and invited them to fill it out with their investigators and give it to them so they can be prepared to be baptised by the 28th. Sister Patch gave the advice to "always keep your head in the heavens". Basically to always have the eternal perspective. If we retain that perspective, we can prioritize much more effectively and do the important and eternal things first, like family, Kentucky Basketball and following the commandments. President Patch gave thoughts on always having a vision. If we don't have a vision or a goal, we are not exercising faith. By having a vision, we can get through the drudgery of day to day actions. If you have a vision of an eternal family, then you will not mind changing nappies and sacrificing pretty much everything for your children. But if you don't know why you have a family, or it is just an accident... then when your child gets in the way of something YOU want to do... then you'll never give them the sufficient love they need. Happy Father's Day. Do we all say something we love about Dad? Or do we just leave him in Kentucky and go have a party in AZ? Sorry dad. I love dad because he always had a great vision for our family. He knew what he wanted the final score to be, and so he didn't have to decide in the moment if he was going to go to work... or to our boring vocal, cello, piano, and violin recitals. He came home at six and had dinner with us. One of my absolute favourite quotes for missionary work and life is "The Fellowship of the Unashamed" by Henry B. Eyring. I think that it is something that our Father has exemplified his whole life. I will dedicate it to him. "I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made; I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tinted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am lifted up in prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed, will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table with the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the case of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me and when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me”. - Elder Henry B. Eyring My favourite line is this one "I no longer need preeminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity." We don't need anything in this life. We are filled and saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. Now it is up to us to give back to Him. We need to press forward with faith. I love my mission and decided that to save myself from being trunky, I've decided to mentally go home at the New Year. So I'll see you then. I should be home for the family Olympics. Can't wait! Love, Elder Krebs P.s. The picture is of our MTC group about 1 month ago.

June 13, 2012

Sorry that I am being a rubbish emailer. I still love you and will set some good quality time for this upcoming Monday. Love, Elder Krebs P.s. livin' the dream