General Conference and Headcolds

Spring in Washington!

Hey everybody!

This week was ALL OVER THE PLACE. The week started normal enough, but then... I got a cold from Elder E--. Since then, it's been an interesting trip.

The weather was beautiful though! It has warmed up quite a bit, all the leaves are coming in, the animals are up and about, and the flowers are in bloom.

We taught a lot earlier in the week, and then when Thursday rolled around, it got slower. Thursday is weekly planning which needs to take up hours of our day, Friday was a Zone meeting which also ate up a bunch of our hours, and Saturday and Sunday were General Conference days.

Dat Conference, though! For anyone who missed it, you gotta go back and watch all of the sessions! I loved all of the talks, and it really felt like each one spoke to me personally.

Oh, and Elder E-- is a convert, so this was the first time he's seen all of the sessions of General Conference. At the suggestion of President Mullen, he went with a question he wanted answered about marriage, and holy moly did he get an answer. Almost every talk hit on his question, and he and I laughed every time it came up.

"I'm never going to come with a question again." He told me afterwards.

Saturday was super fun though! We met up at a members house, and watched the Conference, had breakfast, lunch, and played some games between sessions. It was super fun! :D

But, we got sick which made everything a LOT harder. I had a moment after conference was done that I really just wanted to stay in and do nothing because of how crappy I felt. I sat there for a minute debating which, I would do. But then, a nagging little something reminded me: "You don't have a lot of time bro."

I grabbed my stuff and hit the streets. It was crappy, but I didn't regret a second of it.

And then, we woke up this morning to help a pastor move, aaaaaand, it was snowing.
o.O

Spring in Washington?

God is so good guys. He always helps us in the way we need it most. We have some investigators with unique needs right now that are severe, and it has been weighing on me heavily recently. I don't have the right to give details, but it's been HUGE stuff that has eternal consequences. The crazy part is that everyone turns to us missionaries, and expects us to know the solution.

"You're the Elders! What should I do?" is a common phrase, and it's terrifying. What always ends up happening, is me and my companion pray, squirm a bit, and then tell them to the best of our ability what will help them. And the crazy part: if we really answer through the Spirit, it always works.

Guys, I can't stress enough that we're dumb 20 year old kids. But neither can I truthfully say anything less, than that God works through us to do what no mortal could ever hope to achieve; no matter how strong or wise they may be.

This Church is true guys. And this mission is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Love you all!
-Keppy

A Week of Service

Me and Elder S-- at lunch. :D

Hey ya'll!

This week was great! We busted some buns and got a lot done.

I just wanted to start off by saying that I've never been happier! This mission thing is so darn cool. To all ya'll getting ready to serve a mission get ready for the best time of your life!

This week, we taught a bunch of lessons, and got a lot done!

We were doin' some crazy awesome work with the M-- family in our ward (they ROCK by the way). We were doing a bunch of work on the house, which taught me a TON of useful skills for when I'm trying to fix up my own house.

Elder S-- workin'!

Anyway, we were tearing up carpet, foam and tackstrips, patching up holes and then putting in new carpet, painting, and cleanin' up the mess we made.

Taking a break.

It was super fun to help, and we had a blast working alongside this awesome family!

Doin' studies with L--! :D

It was hard work, but the final product looks great!

We also hauled a bunch of logs up a vertical hill for a part member less active family, which was SUPER hard, but they fed us steaks afterwards which we were A-Okay with.

Man, thinking back on it, it felt like we were in service clothes more then proc.

Ah. Here's my challenge to ya'll: Find a service project. Working to help out is the best feeling in the world!

Not a whole lot else to report... But! I love you all, and I'm so glad to be a missionary!
Love,
-Keppy

Work, work, work!

Chillin' on Exchanges in Colville

Hey Ya'll!

Things rockin' here in the mission as usual! We have recently been going crazy trying to get our investigators to actually show up to church, and even though we talk to them every day, and even the morning of, at the last minute, they find excuses to skip church. Why people?!? Is it so hard to sit, feel the Spirit, and do nothing but listen? Is that so hard?!? Ah! Why do people have to use their agency? ;P

Oh well, as far as me and Elder F-- go, we're great! Never worked harder, and we are constantly on the move. We've been doing a TON of service recently, which actually has been helping people soften their hearts a bit. We do somewhere within the 50-100 hours a week area, and it's been great! I'm getting SUPER good at cutting wood, raking, mowing, and moving furniture.

We love it! 

The Hand-Of-God-Chair I be chillin' on.

Oh, and it's gotten RAINY here in Chewelah. It's been raining for nearly two weeks straight, and I love it! The other Elders (including Elder F--) don't like the rain at ALL, and so they get REALLY weirded out when I'm out singing and dancing in it with a Shunk ton of energy. The cold, the rain, the trees, the mountains, I love it all! God sent me to the perfect place!

Recently, I've been feeling a bit down though. Me and Elder F-- have been working our BUTTS off, and yet, our numbers are lower than we'd like them to be. I've been asking my leaders for advice, and what they keep telling me that numbers don't define success, and to keep doing what I'm doing, so, that's what I'm going with. 

Man, I can't describe how good it feels to just go out and work hard from 10:00am to 9:30pm. It's been great! I'm so fetching happy all of the time, I think Elder F-- gets bugged by it sometimes. Especially if I get to singing at the top of my lungs. He's a bro about it though! A lot of the time, we both just kinda laugh at my antics. When you're shredding "Praise to the Man" on the guitar at 6:32 in the morning, and screaming the lyrics like a 70's rock star, Elder F-- tends to poke his head into the room with a look that's just screaming "are you for real?"

This mission thing rocks! Especially considering the fact that, IT'S ALL TRUE!!! This message I'm sharing 24/7 is something I am able to personally able to apply every day. The Spirit is a real guide for us as we go out and work, and he has led us to some amazing miracles! We see 'em every day, and they always seem to come up just in the nick of time too! Every day, I'm able to rediscover what I'm doing, and realize: I'm doing the REAL GOD'S WORK!

Every once in a while, I'll get done with a lesson, walk down the street a ways, and stop. I kinda shake my head and realize: "I'm a fetching missionary!"

It's still barely starting to settle in, but I'll have those moments a lot, and when I do, I get that awkward smile of mine, and lift my hands to the sky, usually yelling something like: "I'M A MISSIONARY!" Elder F-- then usually face-palms.

Our front yard. :D

Oh man, I love this stuff! And I love all of you! How are you doing?!? Write me! I don't get any letters/emails these days. :( 

Anyway, love and miss you all, and I hope to hear from you soon!
-Elder Brennan Keppner

Another Foggy Day in Chewelah

Foggy day...

Hey ya'll!

This last week was great! We have worked our BUTTS off, and we just keep on going! We have two more people scheduled for baptism, and we are sometimes missing meals because we are so fetching busy. We've been doing a lot of service recently, like, 100+ hours a week, and some of it is truly back breaking stuff. However, I have a new found love of splitting firewood with an ax/maul. I really enjoy working hard, and I hope to do more of it when I get home. ;P Sorry mom and dad! I never realized how awesome work is until now!

MY LIFE IN A NUTSHELL! :D

We also have been working a lot with the members. The previous missionaries REALLY did a number on the work here, and even our ward council has told us that they have really appreciated the fact that they can trust us missionaries, and that they would do whatever they could to help our efforts in this area. It's so flipping awesome! The members are REALLY doing a lot to help us out, and we REALLY appreciate it!

Elder Keppner at "Uncle Daddy's" house

The highlight of the week was probably when our ward mission leader invited us to stay at his house for a couple of nights so that he could take us around to people he knew in a distant corner of our area. Our area is HUGE! And so we don't get to see most of the people that actually live in our area because of our limited miles for each month. We agreed, got permission, and worked our butts off for those two days. We were fed well by his wife in between, so, that was good. :) 

With Elder F--

Anyway, I'm out of time, but all of you have an AWESOME day, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Love you bye, Love you bye!
-Elder Brennan Keppner

General Conference AWESOMENESS!!! :D

Me, Elder F--, and some of the awesome J-- kids watching conference.

Hello all you wonderful crazy people!

So this week was a bit slower than last week. We had a LOT of meetings, and of course, General Conference. We also did a bunch of service for some folks, which was SUPER fun!

Our focus (in addition to talking to 65 new people a week), is to gain the trust and support of the members here. Missionaries in the past seem to have really dropped the ball on the members here, and we are working overtime to get it back. 

Brother and Sister J--! :D

On that note, we actually got to watch General Conference with some of our favorite members of the ward, the J--! They are an AWESOME family, and they said that they love having us over! They're super fun, and really musically talented. After dinner and before lessons, we like to jam on our guitars with them. We have so much flippin' fun!

Saturday afternoon session selfie!

Anyway, General Conference was AWESOME! Holy cow, I've never enjoyed conference back home NEARLY as much as I've come to appreciate it on my mission. I'm really able to see now that every single talk can, and should be applied to my life. We have LIVING prophets teaching us the revealed word of God, and it's all for us! I'm so grateful for it! It's really made an impact on my life, and it always seems to come just in time to help me through hard stuff that life likes to throw at me. 

Conference on the big screen!

Anyway, the work continues to hasten, and we continue to work our butts off! As my good friend Elder W-- says: "Life is good in the mormon hood!"

I love and miss you all, and I'll be seeing you before you know it! :D

-Elder Brennan 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."