Just Elder W--- and Me!

Me and my new companion, Elder W---! Isn't he a BEAST?!?

Elder W--- is a STUD!

I was sad to leave St. Maries, and a piece of my heart will always be there. I miss those wonderful people more than I can put to words, and you can bet your fanny, I AM GOING BACK!!! :D

C-- teaching me and Elder H-- on my last day.

Me crushing Elder H-- at Chess...

These are two of the greatest men I have ever met: Brother S--, and C--. I love them both dearly, and I look forward to when I'll get to see them again! :D

Me and C-- were trying REALLY hard not to break down in front of the camera. I think we sort of pulled it off, but it's easier for him, because he can just hide behind that fantabulous beard. :'(

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my time here in Priest River, with my new companion, ELDER W---!!!

Ah! Where do I start with this guy?!? All I can say is that HE IS A BOSS!!! We get along VERY well, and the work presses forward! I love the people, and I'm so excited to be here!

Some artwork by Elder W---...

It's a bit weird being a trainer, mostly because I feel like I just got here, but, I guess the Lord knew I was ready. :)

I've learned so much, and I keep learning more each day! My testimony, and my conversion continue to grow, and bare fruit. I love this Gospel, and I know with all my heart, might, mind and strength that THIS IS THE TRUE CHURCH OF GOD. I know that, and I will defend that to my last breath.

Anyway, that's all I've really got this week. I love and miss you all!

Enjoy the pictures! :D

St. Maries

R--- (investigator), her daughter, and a bunch of little kiddilywinks running everywhere! :)

Well, transfer calls are in, and my fate has been decided: I am leaving St. Maries.

Sister L-- (the bishop's wife, on the left), and Sister N-- (on the right). Two awesome ladies! :D

I'm doing my best NOT to be depressed, or anything like that, but it's hard. I've been here for only a few months, and yet this feels like a 2nd home to me. I know pretty much everyone in town, and they all know exactly who I am too. I love everyone here so much, and it's hard to say goodbye. :'(

Brother Webb and his cute little daughter Amy. :')

BUT! I'm not going to let it get to me. I have every intention of coming back in a couple of Summers, so I have no need to worry about it. :)

So my new area is going to be: Priest River! Another boony town (which I am thrilled about. Small towns are my favorite places to serve! :D ), and apparently it's really pretty up there!

God works in mysterious ways. I know that I will learn, and grow, and come to appreciate this change, and so I'll look forward to serving in this new and wonderful area!

I love and miss you all, and I'll write ya same time next week!

-Elder Keppner

Baptism #5 is on the way! :D

Chillin' with Elder F--- on Exchanges. 

Hey Ya'll!

This last week, things have continued to press forward! And although things have started to get really rainy again, St. Maries is as beautiful and amazing as ever!

So, big announcement: S--- can finally get baptized! :D

He has been waiting for months, and now, he has gotten the green light to go ahead and get baptized! So, on May 10th, he will be entering the waters of baptism, and becoming an official member of Christ's Church!
S--- has been the most active non-member in the history of ever, and he has wanted so badly to be baptized since the first time me and Elder M--- taught him back in early January. He and his wife were some of the first people I met here in St. Maries, and they have flipped their lives around, and truly become converted to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are so excited for him, and we can't wait to see him and his wife M--- be sealed in the Temple, on May 10th, 2015.

My white chocolate cross I was given by a Christian well wisher (to hell)...

Stories from St. Maries:

So, cool story #1- 

I'M FORGING MY OWN FREAKING SWORD!!!

C---, our recent convert, is an AMAZING guy, and he invited us up to his place for P-Day last week. Little did we know, that not only is he a blacksmith, he is also a SWORD SMITH. So guess what we've been doing for the last couple of P-Days? You guessed it: We're making swords! Not decorative swords, oh no. C--- said: "I want you to be able to use these swords in battle. When you run out of ammo, a man needs a good weapon."

I almost cried.

Cool Story #2-

Also, we're now teaching a 15 year old girl. Her name is C---, and she is pretty darn awesome! Her mom has been inactive for years, but her mom is starting to come back to Church, and C--- is interested in learning more. We've given her, her very own copy of the Book of Mormon, and we wrote our testimonies inside the cover page. :) Hopefully, she too will soon want to join this amazing Kingdom of God! :D

What's left of my white chocolate cross...

Cool Story #3-

Brother H---, a 74 year old member, somewhat less active, and a widower we've been teaching a lot recently hit rock bottom, and had started to lean back on his old addictions.

He had bought a can of coffee and two packs of Cigarettes, and had been drinking coffee and smoking all week. We came to teach him, and talked to him about overcoming addictions, and being worthy to enter the temple. I told him of my experiences, and told him, that to overcome addiction, you have to start NOW. 

Don't wait for the perfect day, don't wait for things to line up perfectly and things to magically get easier, do it NOW.

He was silent for a minute, and then looked me in the eye. He then told me: "I know what you've told me is true. I'll start now."

Brother H--- is a gentle and loving man, and being as old as he is, he usually moves quite slowly. But with a fire in his eye, he quickly rose to his feet, nearly leaping out of his recliner, and hobbled quickly to his kitchen calling out to us as he went: "Follow me Brethren!"

He went into the kitchen, and pulled out his boxes of cigarettes. He opened the boxes, turned on the kitchen sink, and rand them under the water. He then crushed the boxes in his hand. Then, bending down, he opened the cupboard under the sink, and pulled out his brand new can of coffee powder. He then quickly hobbled out his front door, telling us missionaries to follow. He went out in his back yard, opened the can, and flung the coffee out into the wind. He then came back in the house, but the crushed cigarette boxes into the can, sealed the can, and shoved the can into the bottom of the trashcan. Then, taking a deep breath he asked us: "Before you brethren left, could you leave me with a blessing?"

We said yes, and he then pulled an uncomfortable looking wooden chair out from under the table. Before he sat, Elder H--- asked if Brother H--- would rather sit on a more comfortable chair.

Sitting down, Brother H--- told him: "I am not in need of that kind of comfort right now."

He then turned to me, looked me in the eye, and said: "Brother Keppner, I would like you to give the blessing."

Brother H--- was the first person from St. Maries I met when I first came out here, and he is truly an inspiration. I love that old timer, and I can't wait to see him in the Temple, which is his goal right now. He wants to be worthy to enter the Temple again, and know that he and his wife will be together in the next life.

Thank you for everything you for everything you've done for me! I really do miss all of you, but I know, I will get to see you all again when I return home. In the meantime, I'm hitting the streets, and sharing this amazing Gospel of Jesus Christ, and this incredible plan of happiness to everyone I meet!

I love you all,
-Elder Keppner

Into the Waters of Baptism, and Beyond

C--- is getting dunked!!! :D

Hey ya'll!

This week was CRAZY! But, it was truly amazing. We have been working with C--- for a while now, and this past Saturday, he was baptized!

Me and Elder H--- had to do ALL of the preparations for the baptism because our ward mission leader is out of town, so, we're pretty well tuckerd out. But, it all worked out beautifully, and it was an AMAZING baptism! The Spirit was truly there, and everyone present could feel it. After he was baptized, he shared his testimony of the truthfulness of this Gospel, and of his conversion story. I swear, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Except mine. I'm to manly to cry. Yeah. *cough*

The work is EXPLODING here in St. Maries, and we now have the highest Baptism rate in the Zone. We are working hard to find more people to teach, because all of our investigators are getting baptized! One of our big focuses now however, is helping to expand our Youth program, so we're trying to put special emphases on the teens here in St. Maries. We're also working a lot with C---, and we are doing our best to answer all of his awesome questions.

Actually, for P-Day, we're heading up to his "Survival Camp", and he's going to teach us how to do Blacksmith-work, Leather-working, and a lot of really awesome stuff like that!

A new game: "DESOLATION: Wars and Rumors of Wars"

Anyway, we also had a lot of fun last week! I got permission to make board games on P-Day, as long as I get the idea for the game approved by the Zone Leaders first, I can make them! I've made two thus far, and even the AP's LOVE the games! P-day is pretty darn cool when you have four missionaries gathered around playing "Mission of Zion" or the new "Desolation: Wars and Rumors of Wars", and they are both quite popular throughout the Washington Spokane mission.

Even the mission President likes my Mission of Zion Game, and there are rumors that it may be used in Zone training sessions in the future... But hey, if my talent can be used to help the missionary work, than I couldn't ask for anything better. :D

For Easter Sunday, we had an awesome church service! We usually have about 60 people in church on Sunday, but yesterday, we had 110 (we have the exact amount because we talked to the ward clerk... ;) )!
After Church, we went over the the O---'s home for dinner. The O---'s are an AWESOME old couple, and they call us missionaries their "sons". Also, there is a part member family living with them, who we have been teaching a lot recently. Sister W--- is the mom. She hasn't been to church since she was a teenager and she just divorced her husband. 

It was a big mess, and we missionaries did the best that we could to help out. She has a 15 year old daughter, C---, who has not been baptized, and has never been inside an LDS church.

So, at the O---'s home, we had quite the party! In addition to the O---'s, us missionaries, and the W---'s, C---'s friend L--- was there too. We had a HUGE feast with a full turkey and everything else you could think of, and then we played piano, laughed, joked, and sang together for hours! After that, we missionaries taught a lesson about Jesus Christ and his teachings, said goodnight, and headed home.

A St. Marie's sunset

I can't tell you all how much I love this work. I'm a missionary, a representative of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and I am so happy to be a part of this wonderful work. 

I KNOW that the Lord lives. I know that Jesus Christ took upon himself all of the pains and sins of the world. I know that this Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is God's Kingdom here upon the Earth.

I love my Savior, and I love all of you.

Smell ya later,
-Elder Keppner

Transfers again?!?

My haircut! :D (C'mon and smile, Elder!)

So everyone, it's that time again! TRANSFERS!!!

So, here's what happened: NOTHING!!! :D I get to stay in St. Maries, which, to be honest, is what I've kinda been praying would happen. If I could spend the rest of my mission here in St. Maries, I would be SO FLIPPING HAPPY. But, I'm sure that the Lord will only send me to the places he wants me to be, so, I"m really not TOO worried about it in the future. Anyway, me and Elder H--- are REALLY getting along now, and serving a mission with him, in this awesome area is, well, the best time of my life! :D 

We had an awesome time watching General Conference, and we managed to get some of our investigators to watch too! How grateful I am for the Lord's Prophet and Apostles, and I'm so glad that we get to hear their divine council at least every six months!

Fishing in St. Maries! :D

Also of note, me and Elder H--- went to the H---'s, a member's home for P-day today, and we had an AWESOME time! We went fishing, played music, got music/singing lessons from Brother H---, and got haircuts from Sister H---! We didn't catch anything, but we had a good time, and we talked about the gospel with Brother H--- ALL DAY.

Anyway, I don't have much more time, but I wanted you all to know how much I love you, and that I know this Church is true. I grow in that knowledge every day, and I will continue to do so every day of my life.

Love ya!

-Elder Keppner

BAPTISMS!!! :D

M--- was baptized! :D

This last week was AWESOME!!! :D

Our investigator M--- was baptized this past Saturday, and she had an AWESOME baptismal service! We are so happy for her, and for her choice to take those first big steps towards Christ! :D

She came to us and told us that she really does feel that gift of the Holy Ghost, and she was so happy when she came up out of the water!

Now, behind the scenes, things were going crazy. It takes our baptismal font about two and a half hours to fill, and so we went to clean our car while the font filled. When we came back about two hours later, the font was almost full, but the water was FREEZING! We decided that we had to refill it, but the problem was, the drain plug was in the drain... At the bottom of the font...

SO, we went back to our apartment, Elder H--- changed into some shorts and a T-shirt, and we went back to the church, Elder H--- got INTO the freezing water, pulled the plug, drained the font, put the plug BACK in, and REFILLED the font. The font was filled just in time for the baptism. 

Yeah, so, I included a picture of the baptism, and of Elder H---'s font diving. ;)

Elder H--- is baptized! :D

I can't believe I'm heading into my third transfer next week! Once again, I hope I can stay in St. Maries, but I'll "go where the Lord wants me to go". I'm excited for the future, and I'm so happy to be here! :D

Every day out here in the mission, I feel, well, like I'm being filled with light. I feel Christ's love, and his aid in my daily life, and I see it in those around me as well. I am beginning to be more sensitive to the still small promptings of the Spirit, and I'm finding that the little things, like prayer, and scripture study, mean so much more to me now. Things that once seemed so hard are now made easy with the help of my Savior.

I love the people in St. Maries, I love this work, I love my companion, and I love my Father in Heaven.

This Church is for real, God loves us, and peace out ya'll.

-Elder Keppner

Techie Work on my mission!!!

Guess who are now companions?!?

Hey Ya'll!

So, a lot happened this week, and I have very little time to write it all down. BUT, I wanted to start with the biggest stuff first. This past Saturday, me and Elder H-- did backstage work for a Talent Show. The show was to raise money for a family in the Ward so that they could retrieve their adopted children from Africa. It was a BLAST! And literally half the town came out to support it!

I ran curtains and props, and Elder H--- was in charge of the lights. We met and talked with A LOT of people there, and people really came to understand that we missionaries are here to help, and that we're real people too. I never thought I would be doing Techie work on MY MISSION, but hey, the Lord works in mysterious ways I guess!

We also have a new investigator! His name is C---, and he was a weapons smith and trainer for the U.S. army for about ten years. He spent that time in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has seen a lot of stuff in his life, but he told us that he had served with two Mormon boys for a couple of years, and he said he decided back then, that when he returned to the United States, he would join the Church! He came to Church this week, and told us he is here to stay! It's been so awesome to get to know him, and he truly has been prepared by the Lord!

(He also told us missionaries, that if the world goes to pot before we get home from our missions, that we are to go to his house and he would take care of us. And trust me, if anyone could survive an apocalypse, it's him!)

Temple trip!

We went to the temple today, and had a wonderful experience! The Spokane Temple is small, but it's beautiful!

Oh, and M--- is getting baptized on Saturday, and that is REALLY exciting! I was there when she and S--- first started being taught, and I'm so grateful that I get to be here for this awesome day for her!

Anyway, I gotta go. There is a member here who is feeding us tonight, and he is, well, kinda an Elderly rock star... He has a recording studio, a BUNCH of guitars, and he and I get along REALLY well. lol He wants me to come back up here after my mission and record and album in his studio, which, I really think I might do.

Godspeed! And I love you all!
-Elder Keppner

St. Maries grammar:
Rig = any motorized vehicle
Crick = Creek
A couple three = a few

St. Maries quote of the week:
"If they come for my guns, they will die in my yard."

Sorta-kinda-almost Irish Pride! :D

The snow is gone! The Rain has stopped, and Spring has begun! :D

Hey ya'll!

The world is turning green! Speaking of green... Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! :D

To celebrate, I wore a green tie, and.... That's about it. ;P (See picture below)

The flooding stopped, it washed away a few roads, and everything is incredibly muddy, BUT, everyone is okay! (As far as I know...)

Me and Elder H--- have figured things out for the most part, and St. Maries is booming once again! We've been working hard, and we will continue to do so! 

R---, our new investigator, has been really interested in our church, and she is doing an awesome job! The ward is very supportive, and they are truly missionary minded! There were some ups and downs, but we have done our best to overcome all of our challenges, and we're improving every day!

Me and Elder H--- actually have a lot of similar interests, and we have to make sure we don't stay up later than 10:30 talking at night.

Overall, it's been a great week, and I'm so glad to hear from everyone who has written me!

Thanks for everything, and talk to you all next week!


Love,
-Elder Keppner

From the mom: 

If you'd like to write Elder Keppner, I know he'd LOVE to get some mail from his friends and family! 

Elder Brennan Keppner

325 Main St.
St Maries, ID 83861

I lose a friend, and gain a new one...

Elder M---'s "Goodbye face"

Hey ya'll!

Things have been CRAZY this week!

It started with me and Elder M--- setting some lofty goals, and we were doing a good job of reaching them, when suddenly, on Tuesday at 8:30pm me and Elder M--- got a call. We were sitting in our car with our recent convert S---. We had just got back into town, and into cell phone service. We saw that we had two voicemails. As we listened to the first one, we kinda sat there in disbelief.

Elder M--- packing, and telling the families in the ward that he's leaving.

"Elder M---, this is the Assistants to the President. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, you are being transferred to Spokane Valley, and you will be serving with Elder F--- (my MTC companion). You will leave tomorrow morning at 11:00am at the Stake Center (an hour and a half away from St. Maries)."

We sat there for a minute stunned. Transfers had just happened LAST WEEK, and we had made plans for the new transfer together. We then listened to it again, and then listened to the second one.

"Hey Elder Keppner, this is Elder H---. I've been assigned to serve with you in St. Maries, and I'm looking forward to getting to know you, and our new area."

Elder H--- ! :D

It turns out, that emergency transfers erupted all over the mission, and only two zones weren't effected. So, we dropped S--- off at home, packed Elder M---'s bags, and headed out the next morning. He left on the Transfer Bus, and my new companion Elder H--- got off. It was so fast and crazy, I was in shock for a couple of days. I didn't know the area that well, and suddenly, I had to try and tell Elder H--- where everyone and everything was, and how to get there. But, Elder H--- has been really kind and patient, and we've already figured things out. Elder H--- is an awesome Elder from Orem Utah, and he actually is good friends with Elder H---! (My MTC companion!) He's quiet, and he is really rooted in the Gospel. I'm so excited to work with him!

We also have a new investigator! Her name is R---, she's eighteen, and on Saturday we invited her to Church. She said that she might come, and so we didn't think she'd show up. But low and behold, she came to Church the next day! She enjoyed Church, and after that we had a Church Tour with her. Afterwards, we taught the Restoration, and she said that she was interested in being baptized into the Church. We are being a bit cautious (we don't want her to get converted to US, so we're trying to make sure that she really is joining for the right reasons), but a lot of the Ward Members know who she is, and so she is getting a lot of support from our awesome ward.

S--- and M--- have stopped smoking, and drinking coffee this last week completely, and now M--- is working towards baptism! We are so excited for them!

Here in St. Maries, it went from 12-22 degrees to 50-59 degrees, and it's raining like crazy! St. Maries is starting to flood, and the rain isn't supposed to stop for another couple of weeks! So, things are getting pretty exciting around here, as we watch the river and lake start to overflow... :/

Anyway, I love and miss you all, and I'm so happy to be here on my mission!

-Elder Keppner

Not much time, but awesome all the same.

My new bedroom decor.

This mission is the best!

The snow is coming down in HEAPS, and there's so much of it now, that when it melts, they're predicting that it's going to flood, so, that's fun. :/


Anyway, St. Maries has had A LOT of success recently! Me and Elder M--- have worked our rear ends off, and a lot of good has come because of it! We love it here, and we work very well together!

I told you Elder M--- and I are working hard.

 We recently committed M--- to Baptism! She's working hard to overcome her Word of Wisdom issues, and we know that she can do it! Thank you so much to those who have written me! I haven't gotten any letters this week, but I had quite a few emails, so, that works out just fine!

I'm the last one awake on our roadtrip with a ward family!

Cutest kids this side of Mount Baldy!

I wanted to mention, that with transfers, there are now a lot of new Elders and Sisters here in our Zone, and it's been awesome to get to know them all!


I love serving a mission!!! :D

-Elder Keppner

Transfers!!!

S--- getting a marked Book of Mormon for his birthday from us missionaries.

So, this last week was AMAZING! We had two weddings, and two baptisms.

Me and S--- right before he got married/baptized.

S--- and A--- (the newest members of our ward. :D ) were baptized right after their wedding, and were confirmed this Sunday! It has been such a miracle to see just how far S--- and A--- have come! When we first came over, A--- wouldn't even look at us, and S--- was only slightly curious, and after more than a month of teaching, fellowshipping and testifying, they have made the decision to follow Christ, and be baptized.

As far as transfers go...

...

...

...

*Drum roll*

...

...

...

Awesome Elders!

I'm staying in St. Maries! With Elder M---!

Elder Keppner selfie: Looks like the snow has melted!

To be honest, I'd kinda been praying that it would be that way, and I'm so glad that it was! These people are the best, and I'm so glad that I get to stay for another transfer! I'm sending a bunch of pictures, because I don't have much time to write today. :(

Love you all! And I can't wait to hear from you all!

This Church is truly Christ's Church, and I am so blessed to be a part of this work.

God bless,
-Elder Keppner

My latter days in St. Maries?

Snowy St. Maries

Hey everyone!

First, I just wanted to say how AMAZING being on a mission is. This is the best thing I've EVER done in my life, and I'm happier than I've ever been out here, serving the Lord.

This Sunday, we find out if either me or Elder M--- is getting transferred. I hope it's not a sin to pray that I get to stay here in St. Maires, because I kinda already did... ;P

Anyway, I've really fallen in love with St. Maries, and all of the people in it. It's a quiet, beautiful town, and the people are kind, understanding, and truly searching for God.

Elder M--- in the snow

This last Sunday was Stake Conference, and we missionaries had seven investigators there with us. Our newest investigator, R---, is a young mother who lives with her boyfriend. She actually came and found US because she had some questions for us. Her first question, which was totally sincere, was:

"So, I don't want to go to Hell. How do I not go to Hell?"

So, we taught her and her boyfriend about the plan of Salvation. She believed every word we said, and told us that every church she had been to, had told her that she was going to hell because she hadn't been baptized into their church. She had a bunch of questions, and we were able to answer all of them through the Spirit. She has been coming to Church ever since, and she is working towards getting baptized! Whooo! 

A Wedding for S--- and M---!

Last night, we had a wedding for S--- and M---, two of our investigators who are working towards getting baptized, got married in the Church building. As soon as they heard about the law of Chastity, they said they wanted to get married, and now that they are, it won't be long until they're baptized as well. :D

AND tonight, S--- and A---, two of our OTHER investigators, are getting married, and then baptized, all on the same night! We're filling up the font now, and all of the decorations are up! They're so excited, and they are so ready.

The Brides!

Me and Elder M---'s goal here in St. Maries has been to ensure that those we baptize are truly converted, and that they wont leave the Church later on down the road. You see, there are two hundred and fifty members in St. Maries, but only about sixty are active (ten of those are because of me and Elder M---!!! :D).

It's the worst feeling I've ever felt, as I see all of these wonderful people, who partook of the fruit of the tree, and then cast their eyes about, listened to the mocking of those in the great and spacious building. If I could do one thing on my mission, it would be to help everyone here be fully converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and help them see the importance of Enduring to the End.

I love these people, and it hurts when they lose sight of what is truly important.

Anyway, before I "Sign Off" I wanted to testify of the power of the priesthood. It is truly the power of God. I've used it to give blessings of healing, which saved a life. I've used it to cast out devils. I've seen and been a part of the miracles that can happen when we truly seek to do God's will. I'm so grateful for God's trust in me, and I'm so honored to be able to help my brothers and sisters through this incredible power. It reminds me every day that I must be worthy, and prepared to do as the Lord directs through his Holy Spirit.

The priesthood is truly God's power, given to man to do his well, and I thank God every day for this opportunity to do miracles in His name.

I love and miss you all. ;) 

-Elder Keppner

The Snow Deepens...

Cool Elder K

SNOWWWWW!!! The snow is going NUTS up here!

We now have about three feet of snow, and it's still coming down! Wedding plans and such continue, and there is A LOT of paperwork we've had to fill out, but, it's all so worth it!

We have two new investigators: L--- and R---.

L--- is a funny guy, and he is a BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN. I mean, he is NUTS about Jesus, and says "AMEN!" to everything we say that he likes, and he is constantly telling us how much Jesus means to him. He went on a Church Tour, listened to our first lesson on the Restoration, and then said he'd pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true.

R--- is a different case altogether. She told one of her Less Active LDS neighbors some questions, and he told her to talk to the missionaries. So we met her and her boyfriend, and the daughter they had together at their apartment, answered her questions, and taught the Plan of Salvation. Some of her questions were: "I'm terrified of dying. What happens when I die?" "I don't want to go to Hell. What do I have to do so I don't go to Hell?"

She also came to church this Sunday, and she really liked Sacrament meeting, so, we have another lesson with her later this week! Yup! She was so sincere with her questions, and she has always been extremely honest. After all three hours of Church, we asked her what she thought of church. She told us that the second and third blocks of Church were "Long, and kinda boring. But I liked the first meeting a lot!"

Also, I wanted to note, that Elder H---, one of my best friends from the MTC just had a family tragedy. His brother committed suicide. Please pray for him. He was crushed, but he gave an amazing testimony about how this is the true church, and that we can't be held back from our calling by ANYTHING. He told us, that no matter what, God will allow us to fulfill our mission. Because of this, and having talked with him, I can truly say, that we have NO excuse to complain or give up on our missions. If he can wade through ALL of this stuff, we can carry on through our small daily challenges.

On a happier note, I can't believe I'm getting close to the end of this transfer! I'm about one seventeenth of the way done with my mission already! It goes by so fast! I really don't want to be transferred out of St. Maries! I love it here, and I feel like I just got here! I hope it's not wrong to ask God if I can stay here for a few more transfers. :-/

I LOVE hearing anything and everything from you guys.

-Kep

(Mom's note here: I am including a picture Brennan sent that shows a REAL road he found called "Kidd Island Road." Those of you familiar with the Keppner Family Game Brennan created will understand! :-D )

Who knew that Kid Island exists in Idaho???

Now things are getting a bit crazy...

Elder Keppner in a Winter Wonderland

Hey everybody! How are you all doing?

I was so happy to get letters from Susanne, Daniel and Valarie this last week, and I'm writing back today. I LOVE letters, so, if you send me any, I'll write you back as soon as I can.

So, here in St. Maries, we now have TWO baptisms coming up, and now, TWO WEDDINGS! You see, in St. Maries, a lot of people have trouble with Word of Wisdom (Smoking, mostly), and/or Law of Chastity. So, once they learn the gospel and accept it, they have to quit smoking and/or quit breaking the law of chastity. SO, this means, that we ended up with two weddings and two baptisms!

Yeah... they call us the "hitching" Elders around here. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, planning two weddings at a time as a missionary, SUCKS. We have so many calls to make, so many things to oversee, dresses, rings, decorations, food, punch bowls, lists of things they are allergic to, cakes, pictures, and guests... AHHHH!!!

It's all good though, and I love and miss you all! Sorry the Email is short, but I have to go get four new tires for our car. (We popped one, and all of them are balding. :-p )

Love you!

-Elder Keppner

Beautiful Narnia-- er, St. Maries

PS: I'm serving in Narnia! I don't know who put it down, but tell them that I'm serving in flipping Narnia! :-D

Weddings, baptisms, and haircuts

My quilt! :D (Made with love by Granna Williams!)

Our apartment!

Hey everyone!

Things have been CRAZY here! My one baptism has now become TWO baptisms and a WEDDING!

Ice Scraping! Every morning! And guess what?
I LOVE the FREAKING COLD!

Here's the story:

S--- was getting set to be baptized, but in our next lesson about Temples with him and his wife A---, they asked if they could be married in the temple if they weren't married legally...

Both me and Elder M--- just about cried.

You see, they had told us that they were married, but it turns out that they CONSIDERED themselves married and that they weren't LEGALLY MARRIED.

When we calmly told them that they would have to be legally married to proceed with the baptism, A--- (the wife) started crying, and saying that they couldn't do it.

When we asked why, she said that they didn't have any money.

We told her that the wedding would be free, and completely provided for by the Church.

She then said that her one and only relative, her grandmother, lived in Florida, and would not be able to afford a plane ticket to see the wedding. She refused to be married without her grandmother.

Me and Elder M--- stopped for a bit so that the spirit could guide our next words, and then we told her that she would have to receive the answer to this problem herself from God. She hadn't prayed up to this point, but she promised that she would pray to know what to do.

The next day she greeted us, and told us to "get in gear for a wedding"! She said that she had received an answer, not only that she needed to get legally married, but that she should be baptized, and that she should work towards being married in the Temple next year. S--- and A--- both then asked to have the wedding, and the baptism on the same day, and we said that we could do that.

So! Now after only a couple of weeks, I'm staring down planning a wedding, AND two baptisms!

I can't tell you how happy I am. For once, I can honestly say that I've "Done some good in the world today". I've been able to be an instrument in God's hands and even if I never got another baptism, I will still feel like I served a successful mission, because God, through me, has made an impact in the lives of these two wonderful people.

My hair before getting it cut...

So, as far as everything else goes, things have been both busy, and productive. We now have five investigators who come each week to Church, and we have taught a LOT of lessons. Everyone knows who us missionaries are here in town, but they all also know that they can trust us, and if they ever need anything, they can "Just ask the missionaries! They can help you!"

My hair AFTER getting it cut. (Today)

Oh, we also get fed by members EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. The ward LOVES us missionaries, and we certainly won't starve out here. We spend WAY under our budget because the members give us tons of food. I now have about $200 dollars on my card, and I'm only given $80 per two weeks. I also wanted to let Mom and Dad know, that I eat EVERYTHING the members serve me!

I now actually quite enjoy Lasagna. :)

Our district pet! He was next to a trash can with a tear under his arm. We patched him up with plastic wrap, and placed him in our living room. :)

I love and miss you all, but I'm safe in the knowledge that you'll all be there when I get back, so I'm far from trunky. (Which is good because I've only been out a month. ;) )

Please continue to write me! Letters are the best gift ever get from home here in the mission field, and I treasure each one!

Love you all!
-Kep

I'm in the Mission field!

Elder Keppner with his trainer, Elder M.

Hey everyone!

Well, it's official; I'm in the mission field!

I'm sorry I haven't written in so long, but my P-days will be on Monday from now on.

The last few days in the MTC were crazy! We had meeting after meeting, and we had spiritual experience after spiritual experience. I got to go through the Provo Temple with the other missionaries in my district (which was amazing by the way), and we had a lot of lessons with investigators.

So you know that investigator A--- I mentioned before? Well, it turns out he is the Ambassador from Haiti. He was in Salt Lake and kept hearing about the "Mormons" so he went to find out what they believe. He showed up at Church headquarters and asked them what they believe, so Church headquarters sent him to the MTC to find out from the training missionaries there.

Right before we left, the other two missionaries who had been teaching him got him to commit to baptism! It was amazing, and all of us were pumped. (Pumped is a word used by missionaries A LOT, so, you can expect me to use it from here on )

Anyway, we got up at 4:00am on Monday morning and took a bus to the airport. We waited around for a bit and called home, and then we all flew together to Spokane. After meeting with President Mullen (He's awesome by the way) and going through some training, we were sent to different homes to sleep for the night.

On Tuesday, we got our new companions, and were assigned to our new areas. Being separated from my district was almost harder than leaving home. I'm really going to miss all of them, and I hope I can serve in the same district as them somewhere down the road.

SO! The big news!

My new area is: St. Maries Idaho!

Look it up on Google maps! It's a small hick town, and it's in some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen.

My first day's impression was this:

-80% of the people here are over 60.

-80% of the younger people have some form of mental disability

-100% of the people that aren't LDS smoke like a chimney

But at the end of that first day, I was feeling like this was the place I was meant to serve.

Oh! My companion! His name is Elder M_, and he is an AWESOME trainer. He also has nearly photographic memory, which helps when you're trying to find the houses 50 miles away from town which are still in our ward boundaries.

After the first day though, a really grew to love this area. I love the people here. Most everyone is so humble, and EVERYONE knows who the missionaries are, and when there's a new one. We've taught a LOT of lessons to investigators, but most of our work is helping inactive members back onto the path.

You see, there are 250 people in our ward, but less than 60 show up to church on a regular basis.

Oh! I've got my first baptism on February 8th! His name is Shane, and he is AWESOME! When I asked him to be baptized, it came so natural and easy, I was worried that maybe I had done something wrong. When he said yes, me and Elder M___ calmly finished the lesson, and then we did and interesting dance once we were outside.

I LOVE missionary work. I feel like I was born to do this, and I've never been so completely happy in my life. This is God's work, and I'm so blessed to be a part of it.

Love you all,

-KEP


Stories:

So, cool story #1. Elder Lohan (He refuses to tell us if he's related to Lindsey Lohan) was going to play Ron in Harry Potter! No joke! He is from England, and he made auditioned to be Ron back when he was eleven. He made the part, but then something happened out of the blue that made it so he couldn't take the part. He told us about how it had been one of God's mercies that he didn't make the part, because if he had, he never would have joined the Church, and he never would have been able to serve a mission. Talk about cool!

Cool story number two. In the MTC, we were assigned to clean the Bathrooms in one of the buildings. The brother in charge split us into two groups and called us Team Rocket and Team Squirtle Squad (ask Lliam, he'll be able to explain it all). Anyway, I was in Team Rocket, along with Elder F___ and Elder H___. While scrubbing, me and Elder H___ recited the Team Rocket theme over and over and over again, and then we would passionately break out into the Pokemon theme song. So, awesome times.