Elder Kyler Powelson: April 2013

April 29, 2013

Hello All!

I have been transferred. My new area is a place called Redcliffe. It is about 30 kms north of Brisbane city. I love it here. It is great. It is on a pennisula, so the whole area is surrounded by the ocean. It is pretty darn cool! The weather is always really good because of the breeze. It is a perfect 25 degrees Celsius daily. I think that is somewhere in the 70's for Fahrenheit. My new companion is Elder O'Connor and he is from Idaho Falls Idaho! It is a great area. I am in a Zone again and have missionaries all around. I like being around more missionaries again. Its better than just being around only 3 other missionaries the whole time. We live in a flat with two other missionaries and their names are Elder Malifa and Elder Sualefai. Elder Malifa is from Samoa and Elder Sualevai is from American Samoa. They are pretty cool and we all get along great!

ELDER DALLIN H. OAKS CAME TO BRISBANE AUSTRALIA.

Elder Oaks on Friday came to talk to all the missionaries and we all got to shake his hand. So it was really cool. He gave a really good talk to us and it was very inspiring. On Sunday he also came to speak at our Stake Conference! We were waiting outside and a van pulled up and Elder Oaks came out. He came up to us missionaries, shook our hands and had a conversation with us. It was really darn awesome! I can now say that I have had a conversation with an apostle! He acts just like a normal person and is really humble. He is pretty much the man! He is really funny as well. I didn't expect him to have as many jokes as he did because he usually seems pretty serious when he speaks at General Conference. It was a really good experience and it was really cool to feel of his spirit!

We have a couple of investigators who are progressing and are going really well. One of them is a 75 year old Lady and her name is Valerie Powell. It is really close to my last name, but it is even crazier because I also have a sister named Valerie. I thought it was pretty cool to see that my investigator has a really similar name to one of my sisters. She has a baptismal date for the 11th of May and she has a really good testimony. She knows it all is true and I am really looking forward to that day.

Chrissy is also another investigator we have. She came to the stake conference with Dallin H. Oaks and she really enjoyed it. She also got to shake his hand as well. She said that she knows it is true. She doesn't want to be rushed into baptism and she set a goal for herself to be baptized in July. She has a partner names Yohanne who we are also working with. Our goal is for them to get married and then to be baptized.

This week we also did a lot of tracting to find some new people. We had some success, but we don't really know until we follow up with them.

The ward is very missionary minded, and the work is just awesome in this area. I am really looking forward to what is going to be happening here, and to see what I can do here. We are working really hard, and I love being a missionary. The work is going great and I am having a really good time. I miss you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love
Elder Kyler Powelson

April 22, 2013

Hello All,

Today is my last day in Townsville. I am flying back down to Brisbane this evening and I will be finding out my new area tomorrow. I am going to miss Townsville a lot. I have worked hard and the fruits of my labor are starting to pay off. I am leaving after setting 6 baptismal dates for people to be baptized in May. 2 of them are still Bryan and Tyler, but this time I am certain that they will be baptized. We worked with them a bit more and they really are excited to be baptized. the other four are from a family where the mother is a member, but her husband and children are not members. Joeseph Sagigi who I talked a little bit about last week is getting baptized on the 11th of May and receive the priesthood and then he will be baptizing his 3 kids on the 18th of May. It is really exciting to see that family grow. They are already planning their temple sealing as a family for next May. I will still be on the mission and I will be able to see them be sealed as a family in the temple. That will be really exciting!

I have worked with a lot of people in the 6 months I have been here. I baptized 1 person in Townsville and brought many less active members back into the gospel. This work is truly great! I am going to miss these people and families very much. I really am grateful for my chance to be a missionary. It has been a great experience, and it is something that I encourage everyone else to do. I will let you all know how my new area is next week. A mission is worth it. The mission field is growing. When I first became a missionary here there were less than 150 missionaries in the ABM and now there is over 200 and there is estimated to be over 250 within the next 6-9 months. Sister Missionaries are coming in at bigger numbers than Elders. Missionary Work is moving forward all over the world. It is really cool to see the increase in people willing to serve and the increase in Sister Missionaries. It is cool to be a missionary during this change and to see everything that is happening. The Church is growing a lot here, and it is most likely growing all over the world!

My week was good and I am looking forward to new challenges that I will be receiving these next couple days. I miss you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love

Elder Kyler Powelson

April 15,2013

Hello All,

Above are a few of the photos of me at the zoo. I got pictures with many other animals but I decided to put a few with kangaroos and Koalas. It is pretty cool!

My week went really well! We were able to set a baptismal date for a part member family! The wife is a member but her husband and kids are not and they are really keen to be baptized. They are the Sagigi family. Joe Sagigi, the father stood up in Elders Quorum and told everyone that he is going to be baptized, and he did this before we even started to teach him. This week we taught the Restoration Lesson and the spirit was really strong! He knows it is true and they will be baptized on the 11th of May. I might be leaving here, but it has been really exciting to see them progress!

Bryan and Tyler came to church again and their baptismal dates have been reset for the end of the month. This time they are 100 percent sure that they want to be baptized and they are really excited and it will be a great day for them. They are getting baptized at the end of this month!

Those are the most exciting things that happened this week! I will find out if i am staying or going on Friday. We tracted for over 20 hours this week as well, and were able to find a few good potentials, but we will be following up with them this week to see how interested they really are. Things are going really well with me! I love being a missionary and doing his work. I have had some hard times the last 6 months, but the work I have done is starting to pay off. I might not be here for the baptisms, but it is great to have helped change these peoples lives and truly make them happy knowing the truth of all things.

I miss you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love
Elder Kyler Powelson

April 8, 2013

Hello All,

I have not been on a computer where I can send the photos of me at the zoo, but I will try and get those to you as soon as possible. You will see pictures of Elder Powelson and Kangaroos soon enough.

My week in the new area of Townsville West has gone really well. Elder Pickett has been a good short term companion. He is my 5th companion. Every one of my companions have been from a different country, so it is kind of cool. I wonder where my next companion is going to be from. I was told by the mission president that I will most likely be transferred back to the Brisbane area in 2 weeks. Missionaries only stay in North Queensland for 6 months so it will be my time to go. I love this area and it will be sad when I have to leave. The week has been good though

A less active member I had been working with since December finally came to church this Sunday and she said that she is going to keep coming back. She loved it. She has been less active for 20 years and she loved coming back to church. We found Cassandra tracting back in December and she told us that she was a member, but less active since she was a teenager. So it was exciting to see her at church! Its good to see that some of my hard worked payed off.

We tracted for over 20 hours this week and we were able to get quite a few potential investigators. Good things are going to be happening in this area in the next month of so. Elder Pickett is excited to see what happens. We have been visiting less active members and part member families this week and we are hoping to progress with some of them soon.

The week hasn't been too interesting, but I have loved it. I love being a missionary and helping people grow. I miss you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love

Elder Kyler Powelson

April 2, 2013

Hello All,

This week has been pretty interesting. On Sunday there was a conflict with some missionaries so I was involved in an ET (Emergency Transfer) My area didn't change too much. I was transferred from the Townsville East area to the Townsville West Area. So now I am working on the other side of Townsville. It is pretty interesting to change, but I will by going back to Brisbane Area in 3 weeks. The Mission President told me that much. So I will only be in Townsville for 3 more weeks. I love it here. My new companion is Elder Pickett. He is from Idaho Falls, Idaho and we will be together for the next 3 weeks. He has only been in the area for 3 weeks so the West area pretty much has gotten whitewashed. He is a newer missionary. It is going to be an interesting experience. We get along really well, so things wont be too bad.

Our P-Day was made a day later because of Easter, Monday was a holiday because the library was closed.

Today we went to a zoo where I pet and fed kangaroos, koalas, and all other types of animals. I don't have time to send the pictures this week, so I will make sure to do so next week.

That is basically how interesting my week was. I have some new things I have to do.

I miss you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love

Elder Kyler Powelson

March 24, 2013

Hello All,

My week was great! Bryan and Tyler are progressing really well! They are ready to be baptized on the 30th of March. We just have to visit them and wait for that day to come. Everything is going well with them and I am excited for the day they are baptized!!

We were able to teach a lot of people this week, but none of them are progressing. The hardest part is to get these people to come to church. We are going to keep working with them and hope that things will change soon!

Yesterday we drove 2.5 hours South of Townsville to attend a branch down in a small town called Bowen. There were 15 members at church and it is a very strong close branch. Most of the people there are Tongans, so there was a massive delicious feed afterwards. It was great because I have been missing Island food since I finished serving in Raceview Ward.

A miracle happened today. We received a referral and it was from a member of our District Presidency and when he was visiting a Branch 1 hour west of Townsville he met a guy who is ready to receive the gospel and lives in our area of Townsville. We gave him a call and he wants us to come by later this week. It is pretty cool and it is great to know that we will be able to start teaching another person who is ready to receive the gospel.

We all set a goal to tract for 14 hours this week. And we achieved it. We were able to find some good potentials, but we never know how solid they are until we follow up with them.

Everything is going well with me. That was all the exciting things that happened this week. I miss you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love

Elder Kyler Powelson

March 17, 2013

Hello All,

We all set a goal to tract for 14 hours this week. And we achieved it. We were able to find some good potentials, but we never know how solid they are until we follow up with them.

Everything is going well with me. That was all the exciting things that happened this week. I miss you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love

Elder Kyler Powelson

March 10, 2013

Hello all!

My week was really good! The Piper family came to church this week! That means Tyler and Bryan also came to church. The first time we have had investigators come to church in a while! If they come to church next week they will be baptized on the 24th of March! It is very exciting! They are progressing really well. The Branch President told us that when Tyler went to Priest Quorum he actively participated like he was a member. He showed excitement that he really wanted to be baptized and Bryan enjoyed Primary as well. Things are going really well and I am looking forward to the day they are baptized!

Transfers happened and Elder Sio and I are going to be together for another 6 weeks in Townsville. I will most likely be transferred back to somewhere in Brisbane after that time. Elder Field from the other companionship in Townsville is going back down south and Elder Pickett from Idaho Falls, Idaho will be coming up. I don't know who he is, but he was trained by Elder Davis, who I was in the MTC with. Hopefully he will be a good addition to the Townsville Area.

The Townsville West Elders had the Wedding and Baptism on Saturday with Meteria and her now husband. It was a good experience. We spent the whole day at the chapel helping get things ready and then cleaning up afterwards. It was a good experience. You could see the changes in the lives when they decided to get married and then have Meteria baptized. They are going to grow in the gospel and they will be sealed in the temple in about a year.

All of our other investigators just don't want to keep commitments and they don't want to come to church. We are going to keep working with them and we hope that things will start to progress with them soon!

That was all the exciting things that happened. The church is true! I miss you all and I hope you all have a great week!

Love
Elder Kyler Powelson