I will see you on FRIDAY!

Hey Mom, 

This week was great I got to be Kegans escort, do another session with President Riggs, we made a really funny "American Missionry Idol" video, I bore my testimony in church, and then we went over and made food all day on Sunday with the Bodines. There parents really have turned around and are so much nicer to the missionaries. The mom even offered to have me stay with them at there house if I ever visit this area again. That is a big change for them! I dont have much more to say that I will be able to discuss on Friday other than, saying goodbye to Kegan was the hardest thing I had to do on my mission. He started to cry when he was hugging me and told me that I was the example for him and that we was going to use that on his mission. I love these people so much and am so eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for the chance that I have had to serve. 

I am saddened that this is coming to an end. I am ready for the next phase of my life and it will be great to see you all again, but as a missionary here once said "It was hard to leave home, they just never tell you that you have leave home twice on your mission." This is going to be so hard to leave. But I know it has to happen. I am so glad that I chose to serve. I cannot even imagine where I would be if I decided not to go. There is a lot in store and I am ready for it. I love you and am so thankful for all your love and support. 

I love you so much!  And Mom, I can finally say this now, I will see you on FRIDAY!

Love eternally,

Elder Casey Powell

Well I have work to do and time left to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Mom!!!

So this week was seriously awesome! The only thing is that I have a sinus infection hahaha. But other than that it was so awesome. Here are the highlights:

1) Elder S. Gifford Nielson came to the mission and we had a full mission conference. He is such a great man. He was animated and still was saying exclamation point and it was just such a great meeting. We had a 3 hour MLC (mission leadership counsel) with him after and it was awesome to be able to meet with him on a more personal level.

2) Later that night Melissa was Baptized!!!! So basically a year ago her Brother Douglas was the only member and he was trying to come back to church. His family was not supportive at all BUT we began teaching Melissa in like June. Well after I was transferred out and then herd from the Wakefield missionaries that the Ritchies ( as senior couple that do YSA work in our mission) were working with Douglas and his parents. Then one night some experience happened (the family is Catholic) and Douglas had just recently been ordained an Elder and they asked him for a Blessing. He gave the parents blessings and that night they felt the Spirit so strong and were Baptized by Douglas in October. Melissa was still holding back because she was well caught up in the world, but finally committed because she started reading the Book of Mormon and said at her Baptism "it was legit and I just could not stop reading, I knew it was true". So she was Baptized by Douglas on Saturday night! It was so awesome to see that!!!!!!

3) We found 2 new investigators. It was awesome because it all happened with in 15 minutes of each other. They are both Hindu men. We had previously talked with them on the street on separate occasions. We went to ones house and he said come back in 30 mins, so we went and stopped by the other, taught him and then went right back to see the first man. He let us in and we taught him. It was a sweet experience and pretty cool how it was all within like 15 mins of each other.

Now this week is going to be so awesome! Tomorrow Elder Jake Cannon and I are going to the temple with Kegan!!!!!! Kegan asked for me to be his Escort which was really humbling to hear. I am so excited for him and he is so excited to serve a mission! Its just crazy to think how far he has come in the last year!

Then on Wednesday I am going to the temple again with the other 2 missionaries going home this transfer and with Pres and Sister Riggs. That is going to be way awesome. 

It is getting hard out here. I never thought about how I would feel right before I went home. One thing that keeps coming to my mind is how much I am going to miss the people I met and befriended out here. I just didn't anticipate how much I would miss them. The good thing though is that through technology I will be able to stay in contact with them. Its just something that recently has hit me and I have been thinking about all the people I have been blessed to know and love and..... well im just going to miss them all! But I will try and visit if I can hahaha.

Well I have work to do and time left to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love you!!!!

Elder Powell

Elder Cannon and I are going with Kegan to the Temple!!!!

Hey Mom!!!!!

This week was weird. So Elder Fink had surgery on his mouth and his Gums got infected. Then as soon as I got rid of the Flu I got a cold in which I still have hahaha. But I received some great news. Remember Melissa from the Wakefield ward that I was teaching? She is being baptized this Saturday!!! The Annandale Zone leaders called and were like "guess who we just got done interviewing for Baptism" and I said "there is no way it is Scott hahaha" and they said your right its not but guess who? So I thought about it and then I remembered Melissa and sure enough she is being Baptized this Saturday!!!! So we are driving down there on Saturday. Speaking of Saturday, we received a text from the Assistants that we will be having a whole mission conference on the 25th (Saturday). Elder S. Gifford Nielson the awesome one who spoke in conference recently about the Lords game plan and said "Exclamation Point" a ton will be coming to our mission to talk with us. We are super excited about that. 

But anyways we were able to talk with Brian (the man who said he would never receive an answer from God) on Sunday. He said that he skimmed over the Book of Mormon. We taught him the Plan of Salvation. It went really well and he had a lot of really good questions. He accepted the invite to read from the Book of Mormon and gave him a specific chapter to read, so he should actually be reading not just skimming. 

We also saw Brian and Brandelyne this week. They are doing great. Unfortunately we had plans to go to the Temple to do Baptism but the quorum of the Twelve just changed the policy and said that we cannot do Baptisms and more at the Temple. That was sad. They wanted to go with me before I came home. They also said that in a year they want me to be hear for when they are sealed. Ill start saving now hahaha. But the handled it well when we talked about how we are not supposed to go with them anymore. Brian is still reading a ton and it was so funny he was telling us how he saw an advertisement for Mr. Mac and know has bought a ton of clothes from them and how much he loves the stuff hahaha. 

We had another lesson with Wanni and Tracey Hanynes. It was...decent. The problem was we had 3 things trying to go on at once. 1) We the missionaries were trying to teach 2) Brother Haynes was trying to teach 3) A member was with us and was translating certain parts but did not say what he was translating hahaha. Elder Fink and I thought it was a brutal lesson and the member thought it was awesome hahaha. We are going to talk with the member before we go into the next lesson and make sure we are all on the same page. 

An awesome member in our ward the Bean family, called us one night and said that he needed our help with service. So he picked us up and took us to the Grocery store and said that the service was for us to pick out fruits and vegetables and what ever else we needed. They wanted to make sure that we were eating enough and that we had healthy food to eat. It was  a huge tender mercy. The Bean family rocks so much!!

This is pretty cool. So we went to Washington DC yesterday and as we were leaving the Capitol we took a public tour there) we were walking back to the Metro and all of a sudden all Cop cars cut all the traffic off and cops went out into the streets and a Helicopter came flying over and then motorcycle cops came down the street and then all these armored cars and then theses Limo's with American flags drive. They were transporting the President somewhere. It was so cool. Everyone started waving at all the Limos and people were pointing and saying that they saw him. It was a pretty cool thing. Thats the second time the President has been transported when I was in DC. The first was when the 2 Airforce one Helicopters came flying over the bay by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Pretty sweet. 

The week was ok but from here on out its going to be awesome. Melissa in being Baptized, Elder Gifford Nielson is coming to the mission and then next Tuesday Elder Cannon and I are going with Kegan to the Temple!!!! It is going to be so awesome!!!!!! 

Love you!

Elder Powell

Kegan got his mission call!!!

Hey Mom!

Most exciting news!!! Kegan got his mission call! The Richardson drove up to my area and we met up at a Panera bread and he opened his call. He is going to the........Mexico Veracruz mission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was such a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to see him open his call. It was so awesome. He is so excited to go!!!!! He kept saying how he didn't want to go "Domestic" hahahhaha. He is just so ready and so excited to go to serve a mission. He reports to the Provo MTC on April 16th. Man I am so happy for him! 

This week has been really interesting. Basically I have been sick with the flu. So for the last couple days I have been down. But Elder Fink went out working with one of our roommates and they were able to see some of the people we are teaching. Tracey and Wanni were at sacrament which was awesome!!! Also Peter has come a long way. He really wants to know the truth and he is reading and praying everyday. His intentions are to be Baptized and he really wants to marry his wife in the temple. He just has not received a confirmation in his heart yet. But he is putting in a lot of effort and we know it is just a simple matter of time before he receives his answer. 

My birthday was fine hahaha. Thats all it really is on the mission. Still another day that you devote to the Lord. We went over to our Elders quorum presidents house for Family Home Evening. That was pretty fun. They have this little girl that was running around like crazy it was so funny. Other than that it was just a normal day. 

Oh ya. Brian received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday!!! We gave his testimony as well in Elders Quorum. He is so awesome and they are doing so great!

Funny story time. So yesterday as I was still not feeling that well at all from the Flu, I come to find out that our Ward Mission Leader went home early form church. Well our Gospel principle teacher was out of town as well and he texted us and said that there was no teacher. So we go in and the class tell us we are teaching. It was not the situation I would of liked to be put in when sick. The funny part is we were suppose to teach about chapter 15 "The Lords Covenant People". It was a definite "oh you gotta be kidding me" moments hahaha. 

We officially are going with Kegan to the temple on the 28th and he asked me to be his escort. Man I never would of imagined it all would of worked out so well at the end of my mission. Im so excited for that day!!!!

Love you!

Elder Powell 

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The work is progressing and I love the ward I am in so much!!!!!

Hey Mom!!
Thank you so much for everything!!!!! This week was so great!!!!! Brains Baptism was one of the most spiritual baptism I have ever been to. All the members that went were really talking about how much they loved the baptism and how much they felt the spirit. 

New Years Eve was great. We had a great lesson with a husband and wife named Brian and Jenny. They met with the missionaries briefly before but it didnt go anywhere. Basically Brian feels lost and that he will never receive an answer to his question of who God is and if He exists. He has come to terms with that thinks he will never receive and answer. Jenny is Presbyterian and is really happy with her current religion. We had a great lesson and at the end when we were inviting him to read, pray and be Baptized, Jenny was like "Oh Im really happy where I am at" and Brian explained how he doesnt think he can receive an answer. We responded with promising him that IF he read the Book of Mormon and prayed to ask God if it was ture he WOULD receive and answer. We said "if you had the Real Intent, A Sincere Heart, and Faith in Christ, as Representatives of Jesus Christ we Pormise you will receive and answer." We then asked "Brain will you read the Book of Mormon and pray and ask God if it is true" He looked at us and said "I will". Oh man it was sooo awesome! We have been praying that he will read and pray. His wife would totally follow him if she saw that he actually received an answer. There is a lot of potential with them!

On New Years Brian was Baptized and Married!!!!!! Bishop Roney (who will be in cali in Feburary and will be at my homecoming talk) texted President Riggs and told him that the Baptism was for someone that wasn't your normal investigator. So he showed up. The service was amazing. Brian shared his testimony and it was super powerful. He is seriously a future leader and it has been truly amazing to be able to work with him! The wedding was awesome! It was nice and short and some of there family and friends were there. Overall it was such a great day.

On Thursday we had an all day meeting and then on Friday we had interviews. President just asked me stuff about going home it was funny. It has been cold and miserable out here hahaha. But the work is progressing and I love the ward I am in so much!!!!!

Love 

Elder Casey Powell