Elder Parker Kikel: Kikelmeiser!

Hello everyone! Back again for some more news!

Oh man were to begin, so much to say but so few time!

So I guess I will start off with the work.

So this week has been a little bit slower because of the Mission Tour taking up a whole day. We were still able to get a decent amount of lessons in and teach some people. Honestly, it has been tuff. Elder Maiz and I have been just tracting/OYM day after day. It's very tedious and it is hard to have that drive and enthusiasm through out the day when you just get rejected over and over again. We are finding new investigators but they are having a hard time progressing, I am constantly evaluating myself to see what I can do to truly help these people increase their faith and keep their commitments! I always told myself, " Man this area is so much harder then my last" but then a missionary told me in an e-mail that there is no such thing as a hard area, its all about the attitude you have and trying to improve the area. Which I truly believe to be true, I have really been trying so hard to really get this area to have some success, it had been proving difficult. I still have a lot to learn, and I am grateful for this challenge in my mission because I am learning so much from it. I am doing my best to not get discouraged and just keeping on working. I know there is a reason for why I am hear.

So now for the exciting stuff! yay! The Mission Tour!

So the Mission Tour was absolutely amazing! We just literally got spiritually fed from on high! Elder Nielson is a really cool guy, and his wife is really funny. Elder Neilson is a Area President, in the Quorum of the Seventy, and a General Authority! It was so cool to be able to shake his hand and talk to him face to face. Our Mission President made this event a very big deal and now I know why! Just thing things he would talk to us about were so inspiring and I learned so much, and I just kept getting thoughts and feelings as to what I could do to help my area! He also went into very deep doctrine on some topics which just absolutely blew my mind, and you know its true because a General Authority is telling you it. He also did a thing where we can ask any question we wanted too, and he would answer them. For two hours we spent asking questions, and most of them deep doctrinal questions that people always want to know. It was really cool. Just was nice to see the we were able to have a discussion with him and participate then just sit and listen to him, which we also did. Then it was funny to see him talk to our Mission President like he was a missionary or something, because you know, our Mission President has a lot of power and authority so we are always scared and nervous around President. But, to see someone with more power and authority speak to him was funny. It was truly an amazing experience and I will always remember it. I learned to much about the Enabling Power of the Atonement, it help me to realize the I always need to study the Gospel, as well as all of us. We can always continue to learn and grow in this life.

Living in my apartment is a blast, the other Elders just love to work out, so we do crazy work outs everyday and just love doing it together. I have a new nickname here in the mission which I have never heard before. People are starting to call me the Kikelmeizer, haha I don't know where that came from but hey it works. I am starting to really open up and just get to know everyone! It is a lot more fun the way and you just start to enjoy your mission when you are comfortable around everyone! Even though the work has been difficult I am just really enjoying my mission right now and I am just so grateful for everything that I go through and everything that I am learning! Man I am changing so much it is so weird.

anyways thats pretty much all I can think of right now. I want to send you guys a attachment of one of my absolute favorite talks. It is a talk by David A. Bednar talking about the Characters of Christ. When I first heard this talk it blew my mind, and I just wanted to be a better person. Please take the time to read it and study it. I promise you by the time you are done readying you will want to improve on your Christlike attributes. It just makes you want to serve.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I can't believe Christmas is all ready coming up!