Staying in San Angelo and insights from the garden with Adam this week...

“Can't Stop, Addicted to the mission”, - Red Hot Chili Peppers “Can’t Stop”

One more week down here in San Angelo, Texas and the news is in! I am staying here for another six weeks and Elder Severson is leaving. I am livid! Haha I am going to miss him. It was so rad serving here with him no joke, one of my best friends.

This week was sweet, our investigator couple came to church this week which was rad! They said it was different. We asked them if that was good or bad and they said they didn't know...it was just different than anything they had ever experienced. So we talked a little bit more and we came to find out that they had felt the spirit so strong in the meeting, more than they have ever felt in their lives they couldn't even comprehend it. Haha it was awesome.

Also raked some leaves for a lady in our ward who just had surgery during a rain storm. (I think the leaf raking was in the rain, not the surgery J). It was so fun haha. I never knew how hard it was to rake stupid wet leaves! Haha but it turned into a leaf fight between me Sevey and Maxton, the lady we were raking leaves for 5 year old son. It was an all-out war haha.

I think I have learned more about how to have a successful marriage this week through the scriptures and it was incredible! Check this out. So it took me a while and I have a lot more insights than this, (so if you want to know them I would be happy to tell you just send me a letter:). Okay I was studying about Adam and Eve this week a lot, and their whole purpose in the garden and how they were given two commandments. 1 to multiply and replenish the earth (make babies) and 2 to not partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As we all know in order for Adam and Eve to have children they had to partake of the tree, so they could learn and further progress because before they took of the fruit they were essentially children and children do not know how to have kids. Anyway as we know Eve partook of the fruit. I tried to put myself in the garden with them this week and in Adam’s shoes as I was studying. Eve partook of the fruit without first consulting it with Adam. I bet that hurt Adam’s feelings. Eve went and made this massive decision that would ultimately kick her out of the garden and leave Adam. And she didn't even talk to him about it first. I thought about it a lot, and I believe that Adam had the same ultimate goal as Eve did, but if Eve would have talked about it with Adam first the hurt would not be there.

So for all the couples out there, just like my investigator family I taught this week, I leave you with a challenge. Set goals together as a family. I am willing to bet that if you talk about it, your goals will be the same. And if you talk about it, pray about it and become unified as a family working together towards the same goals, it will only bring you closer as a family. It is absolutely incredible how this is. I shared this with my investigators this week and I have already began, as well as they have, to see a difference in the love they have for one another and the understanding they have. When we all really know what we are doing together here on this earth, working together as a unified family because nothing in this world is more important than Jesus Christ and families, there is a difference. I promise you that…idk why I was prompted to share this with you today, but I promise as you do this your families overall happiness will increase.

I love guys and I am here for you :)

Love elder c

An Apostle of the Lord...

"No Matter where you are going it starts from where you are" - High School Musical 2

I thought that was fitting quote, because it truly does not matter where we are right now. We could be miles behind the rest of the team (like I feel like I am most of the time) or we could be in first place on this path of life. What truly matters is what direction we are going from where we are right now. I know that after this week, after seeing an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ speak, I know my next step is going to be for sure in the right direction :-).

So this week as I said we saw Elder Bednar, it was probably the most intimidating, awesome experience of my life! The reason I say intimidating is because he truly is an apostle like Peter, James and John on the earth today for those of you who don't know. And I truly know he is with everything that I am.

Okay so everyone in the mission was kinda joking around before he came into the room, how he was going to call everyone to repentance and when he looks into your eyes he is going to see everything bad you have ever done and everyone was a kinda joking but kinda serious at the same time. So we all go into the chapel to await his arrival and everyone was kinda nervous and anxious and afraid and excited. Then he walks into the room and everyone stands up. Immediately the spirit came into the room. He is a short man, so I could not really see him yet over the crowd of missionaries, but I could feel him come into the room. It was incredible. Then he went and took his set on the stand without a smile. Just looking into the crowd and the meeting begins.

Then I see him looking over into our general direction. I thought okay, he is probably just looking over here in this direction checking out all of the missionaries who need to repent and when he stands up he will call them out at the podium. Then the opening song begins and I see him staring in our direction, so I look up and see if he is staring at me and I smile to give him a gesture and IMMEDIATELY he smiles tight back. Haha. I thought oh my gosh he thinks I am a bad missionary. I am trying to do my best I promise, I am doing all I can to be an exactly obedient consecrated servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. So he continues to stare right at me through the whole song. Then the conductor of the meeting says it is his turn to speak. So Elder Bednar stands up to the podium, puts both hands on the sides of it and with a firm voice says "I am so proud of you, and the Lord is proud of you as well." I started to cry, that was the confirming evidence I needed to know that what I am doing is right and that this work is true. He went on to say many great things that I will share with you next week when I have more time. But for now I would like to leave you with a Batman quote.

"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me." Bruce Wayne.

Really think about that.

I love you all.

Love, Keegan

Rocking with other Christians and Elder Bednar is coming to town...

Here we are, we have made it everyone, we have made it together we have reached my 18 month mark on my mission this week, it is so weird to think I am now 3/4ths of the way done with my mission. Time is flying by and we got a pretty cool surprise for my 18 month mark. I found out that Elder Bednar is coming to Lubbock to have a conference with us the day before, so I am so stoked to be able to meet an apostle of the Lord. Then a member of the 1st bishopric is coming down to speak in my Stake Conference, so I get to be blasted away by the spirit. It is cool.  This is the first time an apostle has come to my mission since it was formed.

So some rad things happened this week. First off we are allowed to go to other churches now if someone like invites us or just to go fellowship with other Christians in my mission. So on Wednesday we went to TLC. (TheLifeChurch.) It was so groovy no joke. We were kind of afraid to go in because of all of the preachers in town that like to try to bash with us from the Bible…obviously they don't win and then they get even more mad. But we were hoping to just go and enjoy the service and worship together with our brothers and sisters. And then we walk in. And we got some bad looks at first, but then we started talking and then the entire congregation started to love us. Then we went into the sanctuary for the service. This is where it begins..... The lights then begin to dim. The stage lights up with a ray of beautiful color backgrounds. And a spot light comes down. Then the Christian rock show worship began. It was so much fun. Everyone was singing along, and I really could feel the spirit. We were making friends with everyone. Like I said before when it is cold outside we have no one to talk to. But because we did this we had hundreds of people to talk to and people to later go and teach more!

The service began and it was really good, it was about fasting. It was weird though, I could feel the spirit a lot, but when the pastor would say something that wasn't entirely correct, the spirit would just go away instantly. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true because I have never had a feeling like that in church. I think that is why some of our fellow Christians down here like to say the phrase "I can feel the spirit with that." I think that is because they are so used to only feeling the spirit with certain things their pastor says and not the exact gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful to be able to be a member of the restored gospel. I know how lucky I am to have found all of the teachings of Christ and be able to feel the spirit always. But the coolest part of that experience was at the end of the worship a man came up to us and said, "I used to question your motives whenever I would see you guys, but know I see that you are just true followers of Christ and you are welcome at my home anytime”:)......it was so cool.

Okay so story number two. So we are teaching this family who the father is not a member and mother and 16 and 14 year old daughters are very less active. We have been meeting with them for a couple weeks now. They have met with missionaries a lot in the past but have never gone anywhere, but Elder Sevey and I both felt like we were the missionaries to help bring the spirit into their homes. So we did and they said they would come to church (side note they are hilarious and like big jokers) but they said they would come. And when they woke up that next morning, he, the dad, the one who is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ was like, okay honey are you ready to go to church today? And she was like, no I don't really feel like it....... and he was like well you’re going to hell haha... and she said, no I will probably just go to the terrestrial kingdom… you know the sun, moon and stars thing? And he said honey there is no such thing as the sun, moon and stars...and the second, literally the second he did that, his child’s space toy that you had to push the button for it to turn on above his bed, turned on and their dark room ceiling lit up with the sun, moon and stars...(if you don't know my scriptural reference look up 1 Corinthians 15:40-43 I believe). Then after that he started jokingly screaming "that Mormon cult is messing with our lights! I bet it was Christensen!" :) they literally received a full sign from God that the plan of salvation is true and they could not deny it because they prayed literally the night before they went to bed to know if what we had just taught them was true.... that was an amazing experience. I am kind of jealous cause I have never really seen or had anything like that happen to me. And I’m pretty sure that doesn't happen to most of us. But I do know that if we sincerely pray about the plan of salvation, God will give us an answer 100% that it is true. I know the plan of salvation is true, I know it is true because first I have prayed about it and the Holy Ghost told me, and second because it answers every question, literally nothing is left out. It is a perfect plan that answers all of life questions. And if you don't know it I challenge you to learn and study about it because it has changed my life and I dig it:).

This is a long letter I know and I’m sorry, but I love you guys and I want you to be out here with me having a good time! If you ever need anything please let me know. I love you all so much, be safe.

Love Elder Keegan

New Years and no one kissing in the freezing rain...

Finally got cold. I was praying for it to feel more like Christmas time down here.......bad idea. It was freezing rain most all of this week which was way fun for us, but no one was outside to talk to :(… no one was even kissing in the rain! Come on!

But I probably had the most crazy New Year’s party I’ve ever had hands down, with me and Sevey in the apartment...things go a little out of hand.......but worth it haha, pictures included you better be ready…It’s all fun and games till someone shoots silly string on your face…Oh ya and the giant red bruise on my nose isn't from Sevey don't worry. I just got punched in the face.

Okay so way cool week this week though. So we have been teaching this couple who has been less active for 15 years or so. She recently was in the hospital for a long time and almost didn't make it. She was bit by a brown recluse and almost lost her leg. And he had lost his testimony when they lost their loved one. He couldn't understand why a loving God would do that… we need to realize in our life nothing belongs to us. Our Heavenly Father’s plan for each of us is perfect for us. In our life though you might think it is unfair that God would do that to you... I promise God is taking care of everything. Faith is the biggest part of it all. But that is a summary of what we told them.

They said they would come back to church. But on Sunday morning we got a call from him that they woke up late and were not going to be able to make it. I was kinda sad from it, but I knew we had helped. Then we walk outside after sacrament and see him sitting there…and he came up and said “I just felt like I had to come. I know I need to be here. I haven't set foot in a church in ten years, but I know this is where I need to be. Thank you for everything”…It was incredible. It changed my life. I believe that a missionary is not only sent to an area to baptize but to strengthen the ward family they are in. I also believe and this is a bold statement that without the missionary force in world doing what they do, the church would not be the Church of Jesus Christ and I am so blessed to be a part of this great work.

So ya that was a good week. I have a lot of pictures to send but here is the one to sum up my Christmas/New Year’s break. (The one of them on the floor)

I love you all so much be safe out there…