THE LAST EMAIL!! August 8, 2012

Sorry I didn't email yesterday. I am now safe in London. I will spend the day here in London and eat dinner with President tonight. Tomorrow I will go to the airport and get transferred to... I love you very much. Life is good. Love, Elder Krebs

July 30, 2012

Hello hello! Tis great to be here. Emailing my family for the 103 time... minus a few weeks I was "really" busy (aka... too much to do in London). I really do like emailing the family. It is fun to give a weekly update. Sometimes I don't want to after reading all the family emails... but once I get started... I just can't stop. Jojo! She was not baptised this week... but I think that it was really the right thing. I didn't feel right about it and when I prayed about it... I knew it wasn't the right thing. We had seen her every single day and she was stressed and just wanted to get everything over with instead of enjoying it. Sooo this Saturday at 5:00, Ashford Chapel. 110 Canterbury Road. Anyone want to come? She is ready... passed her interview... it was announced in church! All is good! I can't wait. It will be a busy busy week this week. Which is also good! Tues: Work over with Gillingham. Wed:District Meeting and football in the evening. Thursday: Workover with my Son, Elder Paul in Canterbury! And District Meeting in the morning. Friday:A well earned dinner in the evening (we helped their family gather and stack 300 bales of hay, my arms are still sore). Saturday: Zone Leader Council in the morning, District Leader Council in the afternoon and Jojo's baptism in the evening. Sunday: Tracting! I am really looking forward to putting in everything. President told me to get the runners kick! That is the plan. Sprint to the December finish! I love jojo because she gets it. Yesterday she told us... "look boys (she always calls us the boys)... I've already been baptised... the only reason I'm doing this is because of the Authority. So you don't need to worry about me." She is going to add some serious spice to the sleeping Ashford Ward. I can't wait! She will really help the Ward to blossom and grow. This week was Karma. My whole mission I can count the times I've done service on one hand. This week... we spent. 10+ doing service. I was beat. Plus it was hot here... well hot for the english. About 85 degrees in the sun! I can only imagine AZ. It felt good though. Gardening is fun... but just for all the Gospel Analogies. There will be some major fruits from it though... and I think it will really help the ward. How have I grown spiritually this week? I've been humbled this week. Sincerely humbled. Things that I feel I had learned and had command over... showed signs of re-growth. I think it was the Lord's way of saying... "yeah yeah, you've almost finished your mission and you've done the best you can... but I'm not finished yet young man... this is only the beginning." I'm grateful for it. God is great. Change is difficult. But possible through Christ. Something that really helped me was what President Monson said. "Be of good cheer, the future is as bright as your faith." We need faith to do good. To be clean. I know that faith can move mountains... even the mountains of personal weakness and sin. We can move away from sin... and into the light of Christ! I love you all... have a smashingly great week!

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

June 11, 2012

So the library could only give us 20 mins for email. But I shall get some more time later. It was a great week this week. As always... we are livin' the dream. But actually I had the most terrible dream last night. So I might stop saying that I'm living the dream. But I am living a type of dream. The dream to be a missionary. It was a very crazy week this week. Busy busy busy. Elder Vitorio left me for 2 days while he was on work overs. We had a meeting with the Stake President about goals and work throughout the stake. Stake conference was this weekend and Elder Teixera came from Germany and gave a brilliant sermon. He is the new Area President for Europe. I like him. He looks like dad. Heh. Well... I have one min. Write more soon!! Love, Elder Krebs

Proposed Return Itinerary!

This is a proposed itinerary, please verify dates and airports. Tickets will be issued at least 4 weeks before travel. CHURCH TRAVEL CWT DATE 05JUNE12 50 EAST NORTH TEMPLE ST AGENT VH/MN BOOKING REF YMLAUQ SALT LAKE CITY UT 84150 TELEPHONE: 801 240-5111 KREBS/JOHN WILLIAM 205921-R FAX : 801-240-5115 MISSIONARY TRAVEL ENGLAND LONDON MISSION SERVICE DATE FROM TO DEPART ARRIVE _____________________ _____ ______________ ______________ _______ ______ BRITISH AIRWAYS 09AUG LONDON CHICAGO IL 1145A 215P BA 295 THURSDAY HEATHROW O'HARE INTL L ECONOMY TERMINAL 5 TERMINAL 5 NON SMOKING MEAL NON STOP RESERVATION CONFIRMED 8:30 DURATION AIRCRAFT: BOEING 777-200/300 AMERICAN AIRLINES 09AUG CHICAGO IL LEXINGTON KY 405P 615P AA 3986 THURSDAY O'HARE INTL BLUE GRASS V ECONOMY TERMINAL 3 NON SMOKING FOOD FOR PURCHASE NON STOP RESERVATION CONFIRMED 1:10 DURATION FLIGHT OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE AIRCRAFT: EMBRAER RJ140 RESERVATION NUMBER(S) AA/DMCDXY

June 5, 2012

Dear Mummy, So sorry for not emailing you yesterday. We had to be in London at 10:00, which meant we had to leave our flat at 8:00, for Zone Leader Council. I felt like a real Londoner yesterday. Except it was a Bank Holiday and the tubes weren't so packed. We had the meeting in the newly refurbished Hyde Park building. It has been under refurbishments for the past 8 months, and now it looks brilliant. The foyer has been turned into a Visitors Centre, and they have six Sister Missionaries working there full time. The building is in the best location ever. Right in the smack of London. On Exhibition Road, 5 mins walk from Hyde Park, South Kensington, Knightsbridge, and Harrods. 3 museums surround the church... The Victoria and Albert Museum, The Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. And Imperial College is right across the street (Right up there with Cambridge and Oxford). The have put a Christus facing the street, behind a wall of glass. Thousands of people walk by every single day. During the Olympics it will be tens of thousands. One day it will be a Temple. I know it. It is a wonderful building, and I feel very attached to it. Mainly because I served there for 5 months. At Zone Leader Council I was asked to give my departing testimony. Quite sad. I didn't like giving it. I don't feel as though I am leaving... and so I just bore my testimony of the Saviour. A couple of things that I have read recently gave me a study idea to complete. I read the story of Lazarus in Abraham's Bosom, and this scripture in Jacob 4:6... "Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea." My idea now is to go through the Standard Works that we have and record the characters and their testimonies of the Saviour. Then, I can have a list of close friends who knew and followed the Saviour. As I do this... I think it will help my faith to become a little more unshaken. I don't think I will have time in England to finish... because I am in the middle of a couple other studies. Too much to study, too little time. My companion is just great. No problems. Ashford is feeling better and better. We are working hard here... and it is beginning to pay off. We had a family come to church on Sunday. They are from Slovakia, but they lived in Switzerland for 2 years... and there are 3 or 4 members of the Ward that speak German. On Friday... Elder Fields is coming home from his mission. You don't know him... his family is in this ward. He has been serving in Switzerland... we are just going to send him over to teach and prepare them for baptism. They can speak their Swiss German together. Besides Tibor and his family, we are teaching Dorothy and Mikkie. Both friends or family of recent converts. Best place to get referrals... recent converts. The ward in Ashford is just fantastic. They are so loving and nice. On Saturday we had a ward BBQ. It was the best thing for Elder Vitorio and I because we don't quite know everyone. Now we got to meet and build confidence with the Bishop, members and Less Actives that were there. Unfortunately, none of our Investigators came, but we keep calm and carry on. There was a Disco, Bouncy Castle and food! All we can really do out of those 3 is food... but that is okay. We spent P-day today in London after our meeting. You wouldn't believe P-days in London. When more than 5 missionaries get together... it is terrible. Yesterday... we had about 25 missionaries all together. No one knows what to do, and everyone just wastes time. I honestly didn't care yesterday. I just like London P-days because you can chill with friends. So basically we took the tube from South Kensington to Green Park, walked to Oxford Circus, then walked to Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Jubilee, then walked to Big Ben (the bell) and Westminster tower and building, from there we walked to Tower Bridge (very long walk, but it was along the Thames and I love it), and then from Tower Bridge to St. Pauls, and then we walked to a Mexican Restaurant, but it was closed... so we went toooo... McDonald's. Not my favourite. I come alll the way to London, with some of my favourite restaurants... and we eat at McDonald's. I can't complain though... because I didn't really give any ideas. I just followed. I like following. I loved it. Just walking around London is great. It is a crazy city. For the queen's juby it was crazy... the Olympics are going to be mental. Absolutely mental. Elder Vitorio and I, plus the two district leaders in the Zone come up with goals for each months. To help everyone improve and grow. One of our "spiritual" goals this month is to "live the dream". If we do that, then every thing will be better. The way to implement this goal, or the plan to achieve the goal is easy. Every time someone asks you how you are doing... you tell them "I am livin' the dream". We are what we think, and our attitude determines our altitude. I am really excited for everyone to live the dream. I really feel as though I am. My whole life I've wanted to be a missionary and now I am. Now it is time to just dig deep and keep going. There are so many things that I still don't understand... and I still make mistakes and do not work the best I can. This life is a constant struggle, and I am so grateful for the enabling power of the Atonement. God is in charge. Our President's Wife, Sister Patch shared with us three things that Joseph Smith told Brigham Young in a dream. Be humble, Be Faithful, and stay close to the Spirit. It is sooo simple. We think outward, believe and be obedient... and all things will work together for our good. I love you all very much and miss you greatly. Love, Elder Krebs

May 28, 2012

Hello family, It feels great to be a missionary. This week has been the most sunny of my whole mission. All week it was roughly 26-28 degrees, that's about mid 70's. It has been oh so glorious. My brazilian companion has just been soaking in all the sun, and is much darker than me. Our darkness is, I think, more dependent on the whiteness of our shirt in which we compare. Mine are maybe not as white... since I've been out longer. Elder Vitorio is great. He always expects to do the right thing... and being lazy or disobedient doesn't even enter into his train of thought. I'm sitting here dying in the heat... and he just looks at me like I'm weird. I'm thinking... aren't you hungry? hot? tired? I'm all three. But he just keeps on going. It is great to have a companion that pushes you. Granted... this week I was quite ill. Just all gunged up. Snot coming out of my nose, throat, and ears. But Elder Vitorio just dragged me along. The Ward here is very very excellent at taking care of the missionaries. I think maybe too good. We pretty much have a dinner appointment every night. Yesterday... three people invited us over for dinner... but we already were going to Sister Fields... so we had to decline them all. I think it is mainly because we play the "we are new missionaries here, and we don't know what we are doing exactly, we don't even know where the closest Tesco or Asda is to buy food" card. Heh. We are tricky. There are problems with too many dinner appointments... one, it cuts into our proper work. Some families expect you to stay forever and talk and play games. The second problem is that my belly gets bigger and bigger. Before I know it... I'll have a pizza box in there and you won't recognise me anymore. Oh the woes of being a missionary. I do think that I will be in this area awhile. At least three months... probably more like six though. I feel like there is a lot of good that Elder Vitorio and I can do. So think that we will both stay next transfer as well. The ward boundaries are quite large... but we mostly stay in Ashford Proper. We don't venture out to the other areas unless we are visiting members, or potentials. There are 3 beaches in our area... I'd quite like to visit them soon. Maybe today! Tis P-day. Should be a great day. As for our Investigators in the area... We are mostly working with Mikkie and Dorothy. They are both referrals from Recent Converts. Mikkie is a 20 year old sister of Shaunnie. Dorothy is Robert's friend. We plan to give them both Baptismal Dates this week. Dorothy is probably 60 and reminds me of my Grandma Hancock. She is from Zimbabwe and is wonderful. On friday she commented that she already knows that Joseph Smith is a Prophet because our church sends out missionaries to teach people... and that is a good fruit. We only need to dunk her now. My only desire rigth now... is to do my best. To secure good habits and to act. Not be acted upon. To not let others determine my actions, or thoughts. To be completely content in only pleasing my God. Life is good and I am living the dream. Love, Elder Krebs P.s. I have the best family in the world.

May 21, 2012

Shalom, What a busy and wonderful week. It has been so interesting serving here in Ashford. It is very different than Watford... but obviously both in their good ways. I haven't been this tired in a long time... which I believe is also a good thing. We had a Zone Meeting in Canterbury today. I loved it. The two district leaders in the zone gave just brilliant trainings... and we had a better than normal musical number by Elder Tingey and Elder Polo. It was a bluegrass rendition of one of the Primary Songs. Elder Tingey is magical with the guitar. Afterwards we went to an expensive Indian Buffet. It is a great buffet... but just a tad out of my missionary budget. Thats okay... everyone else seemed to like it. After that.... we went to the Canterbury Cathedral! Oh it was soooooo amazing. It was built in th 14th and 15th century, but it is just smashing. A cool note about this area. When President Hinckley came and established the area of Kent a stake... the stake centre was in Gillingham. All the other stakes in our mission... the stake is named after the area with the stake centre. President Hinckley came to Ashford to organise it all... but made a special note that it was to be called the Canterbury Stake. The head of the Church of England is Canterbury. President Hinckley was making a statement... and I like it. The is a stake of Zion... organised in Canterbury. Ain't that right! Ashford. Our flat is nice. Two floors. It is busy right now. Aka... a tad messy. Not quite my fault. But a little. We have two toilets... but no hot water since I've been here because the boiler is broken. We either boil hot water. Cold shower. Or drive to the Dover Elders and back. The Ward is legit. Our recent converts seem to all be single females with children. It makes it a little more difficult... but a challenge is always welcome. The town centre is very nice... but can be difficult sometimes. On Saturday we were street contacting for 6 hours and didn't as much as set up a potential appointment. BUT! I like it. It hasn't really been like this on my mission. I am excited to investigate how we can overcome and have more success. Today we had a training on the definition of success. The main sentence states "Your success as a missionary is primarily measured by your commitment to find teach and baptise." Not how many you baptise... or how many Dinner Appointments you have... but our commitment. I really love this work. Getting transferred has been a great blessing. It has helped me once again... to take a step back and evaluate. Am I doing my best? What thinks Christ of me? Always when I ask the Lord what improvements I can make... I get an answer. That prayer always seems to get answered. The Lord loves to help us change. He sees so much is us. I love what I am doing. My whole life... the mission has been the goal. I'm doing it now. And it is everything and more than what I was preparing to experience. My companion is spot on. Humble. Diligent. A tad quite in new situations. But a firecracker when comfortable. I love him and love all the missionaries in the zone right now. It is a steller zone... let me tell you. Miracles will be happening in the Canterbury Stake. Straight up miracles. I know that this is the right path. Not the easiest path... but the one less travelled by... and I know it will make alllll the difference. I love you all. Have a great great week. Smile. And if you can't smile... make someone else smile. Think outward... never inward. The Atonement will make all wrong things right, and it will enable us to always do the right things. Love, Elder Krebs

May 11, 2012

Hi! I will be transferred tomorrow to Ashford in Kent. I will then serve with Elder Resolme for 3 days and then he will be transferred and I will get a new companion. Our area will get "whitewashed"... and I am nervous about how it will all go down. I hope that it will not negatively effect our investigators, recent converts or ward. It is for sure keeping things exciting and new. I have always wanted to serve in Kent. It is beautiful and I can't wait. I really like change. Maybe I shouldn't just be a dentist. I might get bored. I love you very much mum. P.s. I have talked to Elder Resolme in Ashford and he is going to arrange for me to be able to talk to you on Sunday at 8:00pm my time. Will you give me a call in Ashford when you wake up on Sunday to make sure that everything is still kosher? Our number is 07800614304... I think that if you are calling from USA it is +447800614304 . I've never done it though. Talk to you soon. Very soon... 2 sleeps.

May 15, 2012

Hello again, It was brilliant speaking to you on Sunday! I was so grateful to the family that let me use his computer. He thought it was amazing... and said that we had a great family. I love my family. Everyone is doing the right things. There are so many righteous examples around me. It makes it easier to choose the right because I know it is possible and real. Now my goal is to be my own person as well. Getting "youre just like your brothers" all through high school makes you wanna be unique. I am going to be me. I love my mission. I am living the dream. Livin' the dream. Thank you for everything. My new companion is Elder Vitorio and is from Brasil. He is a new zone leader and I am pumped to get to know him more. I like him a lot already. I cleaned the flat today and it is looking nice now. Next is the car. The boiler is getting fixed on Thursday. Oh bother... I have to exercise before I shower. That way my heart doesn't stop. I love you. Elder Krebs

May 9, 2012

Today was a busy day. I have a love/hate relationship with the city of London. I don't like being there for too long. It gets you down. We arrived about 10:00 in the morning. Elder Cameron bought a new suit to go home. He looks quite posh. Nice and slim fit... black... simple... with a bit of shine. He will dazzle the ladies. He watched The Lion King with about 14 other missionaries. They loved it. I can't believe it was a year ago that I watched it. Absolutely crazy. Yesterday... I talked to soo many people that just didn't like the Book of Mormon. One person randomly called and started off the conversation like this... "I read the Book of Mormon and I can't find anything that has to do with the Bible" I thought for a moment... then responded "Have your found anything to do with Jesus Christ?" He quickly answered. "Of course I have... the whole book is about Him."! I didn't even attempt to connect it anymore for him. I don't know how he got our phone number... but he wasn't interested in learning anything more about the Book of Mormon. I think it frustrated him that I was from America. Most people don't like that. The four people I talked to... all were too stubborn to even attempt to read and pray. They all four cited physical evidence to support their belief in God and the Bible. I strongly dislike physical evidence. The physical is deceiving, temporary and cunning. The spiritual last forever and cannot be copied, altered, or faked. I know God is real. I know He will always answer us. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. The only reason I will ever give to anyone for that... is that God has shown me by His spirit. God and Christ are separate beings... with exactly the same purpose. If we see Christ... we have seen the Father. Just as a Father wants everything and more for His children... so does our Father which art in Heaven. Life is here for us. We are to take it and learn from it. This is only the beginning. I love you all. Talk to you soon! Love, Elder Krebs

May 7, 2012

So... we are not taking a P-day today. It will be on Wednesday. Elder Cameron goes home in 9 days... so he is going into centre london to watch The Lion King. I have already seen it... so I will go work with the assistants for the day. Grab lunch with them. Glad you enjoyed your present. I REALLY miss your cooking. I think that I am getting fully frustrated with English food. I need Yellow Curry and Sour Cream Enchaladas. Stat. I will write a proper email on Wednesday. I love you and wish you all the best. Truth will prevail... it is one of our mission slogans. You are doing brilliant about not talking about coming home... but I don't know who is coming home? Chuck already came home. As for Google Hangout... I will try and talk to my host family about it. She is physically handicapped... but hilarious and well cheeky. I could use my own google account if all else fails. I love and miss you! Love, Elder Krebs

April 30, 2012

Dear Mum, It was just one of those weeks where we were working super hard and trying our best... but it seems right now that we were just planting seeds. We haven't seen any huge testimonies peak and sprout yet. It kept me in check that sometimes you've just got to work and work. It reminds me of my Grandpa. He just worked and worked. I am happy to work and work, but as long as it is not all in vain and it is for the right thing. There is no point in working hard... if you are working stupid. That is why I love being a missionary... because I know that every small thing I do will make an eternal difference in someones life. I know that if I track and contact in the rain for 3 hours and it seems like a waste of time... that it is not... and small seeds are being planted. Saturday was that kind of day. As we were walking back to the car... all wet... Elder Cameron stopped a lady. He had a fifteen min conversation with her while I ran into a investigators that we have been trying to get in contact with for ages. I sat down and had a lesson with him, and Elder Cameron said that the lady he talked to had been taught all the lessons about 2 years ago in Malawi, Africa. She can't wait to have them again. Why did the Lord wait to the very end? It is all a test. Prove me now herewith. Joseph Smith was in liberty jail for so long before the Lord comforted him. How much are we worth? What is our price? How much are we willing to sacrifice? I have some great and wonderful success stories to tell, but unfortunately they are not in the Watford area. Song is our only real investigator that is properly progressing right now. She loves the spirit she feels as she reads the Book of Mormon. As she explained it to us, she felt as though God was speaking to her through the words. On Friday she came to a missionary activity at the church and brought a friend along. We did an activity to follow the spirit and we all had a great time. The sad news is that we helped her load all her belongings into a van today because she is moving to Weymouth. It was a brilliant morning that we had together. It was Elder Cameron and I, and Sister Hally and Sister Ritchel. We shared a scripture about the Lord providing the way for us (1 Nephi 17:3), and then gave her a blessing of comfort. Afterward... she got up and said she felt so good. Her hands and body were all warm and she went around the room and shook every ones hand.so they could feel it as well. We will really miss her. She called the missionaries down in Weymouth, and I talked with them for about ten min about the whole situation. It is two sister Missionaries and they can't wait, they are going to meet her at three pm today :) I love the church and its ability to support people know matter where they are and in no matter what situation. The Branch President's name is David Levi. Do we know him? He mentioned to Song that he knows me, and he is from America. She will be baptised soon and I can't wait. I wish I could go to the baptism. About a month ago, the Sister Missionaries and us were talking outside the Library. We had an appointment in about 5 mins, and they were street contacting. A man approached all of us and said "are you mormon missionaries?". We all put on our battle armour to defend ourselves and said "Yes, yes we are". He continued to tell us how he was researching the church and really enjoyed what he was learning. He had hit a really low point in his life and got fed up with all organised Christianity. Now... about 4 years later he wrote a list of all the things he wanted in a religion. And what do you think? We hit 95% of the points... the most important for him being a lay ministry. He had been listening to General Conference online and was excited to watch the new one. He didn't want to meet with missionaries yet, and he lived in South London (ahhhhhhh!!!!), but we got his email address. I sent him a email and he wrote back saying that he had been to the Temple Visitors Centre and really loved it. He asked us if we could meet at the church on his way home from work. We agreed and met him on Monday. What annnn amazing and brilliant lesson. He talked about how he completely agreed with the doctrine and how it all made sense, he had the Book of Mormon all tabbed up. He read the entire Gospel Principles Manuel, and loved it. At the end... he noted that he hadn't prayed for 2 years... after going to many many churches and attending a Oral Roberts theology school in England. One morning he prayed to meet mormon missionaries... and that day is when he met all four of us. Just standing there talking. The Lord is so careful with all of his children. He loves us. I know it. I began reading the Book of Mormon over again and let me tell you... it is an inspired book. I recently picked up on the fact that they were in the wilderness for over 8 years. That is a long time, I would definitely have been complaining. I would complain when dad would take 8 mins to get off the computer (btw... I apologize). The only way Nephi survived is because he received his own personal revelation and direction. If we are going to survive without complaining... we must build our own bedrock of personal revelation, centered on Jesus Christ. Keep praying, Keep reading. These are the small things, but at the end, the Lord will reward you. I love and miss you all. Love, Elder Krebs P.s. Lets do the May 13th convo Christmas style. I will be able to find a computer. Hakuna Matata. P.s. The Sisters had a baptism :) It was very spiritual. I love baptisms. Elder John William Krebs England London Mission 64-68 Princes Gate Exhibition Road London, SW7 2PA

April 23, 2012

Goodness Gracious, It has been a fun fun fun week. I spent 2 days with my companion and only 3 days in my area. So things were always changing and being interesting. The week flew by and is now over. The next week is looking good. Pretty much our investigator pool is empty... people have been interested to listen... but not as interested to act. In my prayers... I am praying for people that are willing to listen and willing to act. I know if anyone listens and acts on the message we share... they will have a positive experience and will choose to follow God. I have so much confidence in the power of truth and its ability to set up free. There is so much rubbish in the world... and we are given the daunting task to sort through it all and find the truth. I know that truth has been restored... truth will prevail... and truth will go forth boldly nobly and independent. I love having a message filled with truth... I never have to worry if someone will rat me out and my secret be exposed. The gospel is pure. On Tuesday... I spent the day with Elder Young. We had fish and chips in the evening, and a chocolate fountain. I didn't eat the fountain... but the chocolate coming off of the fountain. Strawberries are my favourite. Magically delicious. Wednesday... I spent with my companion. Thursday I spent in London with Elder Solomon (one of the assistants). It rained all day... I haven't been that wet my whole mission. Friday morning my shoes were still wet... let me tell you. A terribly rubbish way to start off the day. I went straight from London... not to my area... but the Aylesbury... to have a 2 day work over with Elder Pollard from Utah. I came home Saturday night and spent the sabbath with my companion. After 3 days of not seeing him. He was stressed for having taken care of the area for three days all alone... but nonetheless happy to see me. I have been thinking alot recently about motivation. There are many types... but the most important type is love. We can do things because we have to do them, we can do things because it is our duty. But when we do things with love... it will be the most effective and efficient. If we truly love our family and Heavenly Family... then we will always be doing the right thing. As soon as we forget about the love God has for us... and the love we have for him... we will begin to fail. We cannot do anything without God. And Christ can help us to do everything. He is the way. If we love God and want to live with him... we will follow that way. In Aylesbury... we saw the most incredible miracles. First... we were able to set a baptismal date with a brazilian lady and her son. She doesn't speak much english... and I don't speak much Portuguese... but by the grace of God it worked. She knows the O livro de Mormon is true and she loves it. The restoration makes sense to her and she is really excited to keep investigating and to be baptised on June 1st. Goooo Brazilians. Second... ohhhh man. I don't even know where to begin. Ellie... she is golden. She is about 25 and from England. Married with one kid. Husband a complete atheist... but doesn't mind what she is up to. They taught her for the first time on Thursday. She accepted to be baptised on the 12th of May. She read half of the Book of Mormon. She has been praying for the right path. She found it... she loves it. Her twin sister on the other hand... only knows the mormons from big love and documentaries... which are not good. She took the mick out of Ellie all Thursday. Elder Pollard and I were teaching Ellie on Friday and in walks her sister Mel... guns a blazing. She was ubber uptight about the whole thing and was trying her best to prove us wrong. She is a Protestant... but doesn't really know what that means. She hasn't read the Bible... but believes the basics. As the lesson went on... she calmed down. She realised we were genuine and not trying to attack her sister. She began listening... and by the end... she was crying and knew it was the spirit. It was just brilliant. It was an answer to Ellie's prayers because she wanted her sister to find the way. It was the fastest on my mission that I have seen the spirit work. Ellie was testifying the whole lesson and it all culminated in an outpouring of the spirit at the end. They both came to church on Sunday and they loved it. How grateful I am to have been a part of it. The spirit was definitely the Senior companion though. wow. Just amazing. I am happy and well. Sleeping well. Wearing my retainers every night... my bottom permanant retainer keeps gettin' loose... so I decided to wear my temporary retainers more. Some of my goals right now include: Reading 5 pages of the Book of Mormon everyday... to finish by the time I get transferred in August. Being able to touch my toes. Never Praying in my bed. And reaching outward not inward. I hope I can acheive. I love you all and miss you very much. Love, Elder Krebs P.s. Still gathering to send your package Gfunk. It is a good intention that is making itself into a reality. P.s.s. I love sitting in my flat and reveling in all the glory that illuminates from my national champs shirt. No one else understands... but I do. I truly do. Tammy had a picture of the team celebrating and I didn't recognise a single face... that is a calipari team if I know one. This morning a really awesome senior missionary called and talked to me about it. His son went to duke... so they are big duke fans. He appreciates my situation. We also talked about some missionary oriented things... but the majority of the conversation was centred on College Basketball. Heh. Good thing its P-day. I wouldn't say I missed anything... I just get to appreciate it without worry or concern. Life is good.