After a very long travel day (23 hours) Kiefer arrived at DFW on Wednesday, November 7th. It is so good to have him back at home even if it is only for a short time.
He will be speaking in Church (Fort Worth 5th Ward) on Sunday, November 18th and we will be having an Open House for him that evening from 6-8 PM.
Kiefer will be returning to BYU for the Winter 2013 session but until then, he gets to hang out in Texas. He is adjusting to post-mission life quite nicely but will probably be more than ready to return to BYU in January. But in the meantime, Arizona, here we come for Thanksgiving...
Thanks for
the emails. The BYU scholarship thing is pretty exciting that will help a lot.
I'll have to see if I can find anymore. Thanks for that info.
I think the
whole travel process should be fairly easy honestly. I've basically finished
packing now and I just have to do a load of laundry and put in the snacks and
lollies that I'll be bringing home as well. It’s been an exciting week. It’s
been a fast week really. We worked pretty well until transfers on Friday and
since then it’s been pretty unreal.Friday
afternoon was funny because all the greenies were in the transfer meeting with
us and were able to hear our departing testimonies. That is not how it usually works since
they get really home sick. It was funny
because when we went into to have our departing interviews on Sunday; one
of the new greenies was having an interview because he was homesick, lol. In all reality the departing missionary’s testimonies
were very tame so all I’m saying is that it could have been worse,
lol.
Sunday night
we were at the mission home having departing interviews and we had
dinner with President and had another testimony meeting. It was a very
special experience honestly and it was something I'll cherish. “Departing” has been said a lot lately but it
feels like a dream and it’s not quite real. Last night helped it to all sink in
but it’s hard to rap my mind around it all. It will hit me as we're flying out.
That usually how it works. I'm excited to be home and to see you all. It sounds like you have the interview with the
Stake President all set up. Thanks for that. Dinner does sound nice. It would
be good to get some Mexican food somewhere I think. IDK though. To tell you the
truth I don’t have a long list of to-do's that need to be done as soon as I get
off the plane so we'll just play it by ear. As far as the welcoming home at the
airport thing I'd actually prefer no big thing.That’s just how I am. Lol.
Today is
P-day and tomorrow is Zone Meeting and saying goodbyes; that and trying to not
get yelled at for disturbing people's Melbourne Cup day. It’s a massive horse
race and the country stops for it. It’s annoying really but we'll work around
it. Other than that there is not much else to report. I'm looking forward to
the flight. Love you. Thanks for
everything.
It sound like
you're pretty ripped now Colin with all the work outs you've been doing. When
you leave the Y you're going to have a group of mourners following you around
for a couple of day before you actually leave. Thanks for the email it was good
to hear from you.
This last
week we really haven't had too many appointment but we have been doing heaps of
finding for the time we've put in we've actually got some good potentials out
of it which has been good. We’ll have to get them contacted and taught in the
next week. Yeah, it was a good week honestly.
The weather was nice and cool and it didn't rain on us all that much so
I'm very grateful for that. It’s been a good couple of days since we went to Temple.
The special training with the Zone was good and it was good to see some people
I haven't seen in a while. Stake Conference was this weekend and it was really
good. The Saturday session was good anyways. The Sunday session was a little
painful and the choir was kind of bad. It was interesting.
Other than
that not much else is happening. Next
week will be different with the transfer process being changed around. Tuesday
we have a Zone meeting then we'll be deep cleaning our flat, Wednesday will be
a normal work day and we'll get transfer calls that night to see who is
leaving. No surprises here, lol. Thursday will be another normal work day and
then Friday will be transfers. A new companion will be coming to Nerang and
I'll be chilling here in Nerang after transfers in a three way. On Sunday the
departing missionaries will have dinner with Mission President and departing
interviews. Monday will be P-day and Tuesday will be a normal day. We have to be at the Mission Home Tuesday
evening to spend the night there before coming home Wednesday. I think there
are 10 to 12 missionaries are going home at the same time but only one other
will be going to the states and once we got to LA, we will part ways.
That’s the
plan, I’m not sure how it will go but we'll make the most of it. Thanks for
everything while I’ve been out here on my mission. The support has been
fantastic. I couldn’t ask for anything better. Love you all very much.
I'll shoot you an email next Monday
sometime. Love you. Until then…
Good to hear
from you. It’s been a long week and it’s good to have the day off to go to the
Temple and do what we need to do. It has
been a fast week at times but then slow at other times. I can't really explain
it. Guess this is my “mixed mission” feelings kicking in.
The weather
has gotten warmer and summer seems to be here. We've been doing heaps
of finding and trying to find some new investigators to add to the
teaching pool. We've found a couple of good people which has been good. We talk
to a crazy lady the other day actually that believed the world would be ending
in a couple of weeks. That’s not a weird idea but it was more that she believes
that a planet with its own sun and a couple of moons would be entering our
solar system soon would end all life on earth. I ask her if the world was
ending what she reckoned we should do to prepare ourselves (hoping to get
some sort of spiritual response). She reckoned we should get a helmet,
fill it with lead and then go hid in a bunker 30 or 40 feet under the
ground. Not quite what I expected but that’s the blessings of tracting for you.
It has been fun. Yesterday I
went on my last trade-off and today I went the Brisbane Temple for the
last time. It is a weird feeling and
kind a little sad too, of course.
Thanks for
the travel details BTW. As it turns out the Mission Office mailed them to me
last Friday. I've been reviewing my fight plan a little bit and trying to
figure out how thing will be working. P-day the Last is Monday. As it
turns out transfers will actually be next Friday…ha ha. Anyways, it is normally
on Tuesday but the President has a Mission President Conference on transfer day
so I'll most likely be in limbo between next Friday and when I jump on the
plane Wednesday. The mission will find a place for us though.
General Conference
was good. We just watch it Saturday and Sunday the same we do back home. It’s
just on video, instead of being live. It was good and I really enjoyed it. We
have special training this Friday which will be fun I'm sure. Stake Conference
is this week and the rumor going around the Stake it that it will be split
soon. Whether it’s at this conference this weekend or if it’s in a couple of
weeks in November, regardless it’s pretty exciting all the same.
Alex (Key)
sent me an email. It sounds like he's doing pretty well and is enjoying the
dating game. It will be fun to see him and everyone else. Love you heaps.It is good to hear from you. I'll write next Monday.
Talk to you soon…
It’s been
good to hear from you. Your emails are good as always. I know that you'll have
a great time with Kay and Don there this week. That will be good. Don’t work
them too hard and plan some fun things to do like you said. It will be a good
week for you it sounds like anyways.
I loved your
email Colin.That sounds like classic
freshman drama there, lol. I bet your
just loving that one. Far out I'm kind of glad I'm moving away from all the drama
(younger Missionaries) before it comes
into the mission field. I can't imagine
having all those Sister missionaries incoming. The drama that that will bring will be
something I don’t really want to be a part of.Then again I guess I am going to school at BYU so it can't be avoided I
guess. Wow. Welcome home. I'm excited though in all honesty. It will be great
to see you all.
This week was
pretty good with General Conference and a Zone Conference thrown in there. It
was a spiritual week and exciting at the same time. General Conference was good
but it went by quickly.
The weather
this week has been great for the work and we even found a very promising
potential that we'll be going back to see this week sometime. It’s been good.
This coming week will be a long week. We have a Temple trip next Wednesday so P-day
won’t be until that day. So it will be a longer week. We'll find some good
things to do and people to work with to fill the time though.
Elder Lao is
a great cook and when we haven't had dinners he's been cooking some good meals
for us. It’s been great. Most are pretty easy too. I'm going to have to watch
and learn. I'm a hopeless cook so it would be a good skill to pick up. Colin if
you can put together a couple of easy thing you like to make do it. It sounds
like you got your sandwich situation worked out pretty good though so, you
know, as you do. Yeah, I hope you all have a great week. I won't email until
next Wednesday. Thanks for everything. Before I know it and you know it
I'll be packing and on the plane home (YEAH…from
the Mom!!!), lol. Thanks for all you do for me. Love you. Talk to
you soon.
It has been
good to read your emails. I’m glad to hear the renovations are going well but
it sounds like it been a lot of work for you. It will be good to help out when
I get home. At least that will keep me busy and occupied. The General Conference
news was exciting to hear (change in age requirements for Missionary service).
We got the news in church on Sunday; the Bishopric made an announcement. That
was cool to hear. I liked the little picture with the "amazed"
missionaries. It looks pretty funny. I can only imagine that the photographer
was just waiting for that moment. I'm looking forward to Conference. It will be
fun.
This week it
has gotten hot. It has not been fun. It was 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) the last
3 days but now it’s cloudy and rainy now. Summer is coming and it’s not that
nice. It’s been hot. Today it’s looking like rain but the Zone has planned to
go over near the coast and have a BBQ. Hopefully I'm be able to do a little
fishing while were over there. It’s been a couple of months since I've gotten
to go fishing and today seems like a good day for it. That will be good.
The work is
moving forward. We're working on going through our lists of former
investigators in our area book to see if any are interested in starting up the
lessons again and to get back into things. We found one lady that was
interested which was good so we're hopeful. Other than that not a whole lot
going on. This coming week we have Zone Conference and then General Conference.
It will be busy but will be fun I'm sure. Later this afternoon we're going Home
Teaching with one the crazy High Priests in the Ward. I just hope the families
we go to see are home.
As far as the
travel agenda goes just wait until the 22nd to send it. I'll get my own travel
agenda from the office the week of or something but I don’t need to worry about
that for another couple of weeks. Honestly. I'll make sure I have some money
set aside for food and luggage though. That shouldn't be a problem at all. It’s
exciting to be coming down to the end. It seems very unreal. That’s normal
though I reckon. Anything else I need to do or get? My mind is all over the
place. Has Colin got all of his travel arrangements and documents done as well?
Hope you doing well Colin at Uni. I bet the new change in missionary age has
made some waves there (at BYU), lol.
Have a
good one we'll talk to you next week. Thanks for everything. Love you
heaps. Let me know if I can do anything for you. Later…
