LAST Message from Elder Keppner

And it came to pass, in the twenty and fourth month of my mission, nigh two years since the time that I did depart from the land of my fathers, I did wax old, and I began to ponder continually on the course of my days.

I here make an end of my record, and do offer it up unto all who will hear me:

Folks, it's been real.

This mission has changed me. I'm not the same kid that shuffled awkwardly into the MTC.
The mission is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I'm really not looking forward to leaving it. I've had more joy, pain, and awesomeness in two years than I have the eighteen years prior to that.

I LOVE THIS WORK!

There really is a God, this really is His church, and I really am His missionary. :)

To one and all, I wish I could let you know that you don't have to worry about it. THERE IS A GOD. You don't have to fake it, you don't have to deny it. You can know. I did.

No matter how were raised, inside or outside the church, we all reach a point in our lives where we have to make a choice. 

Will we:

1-Deny that there is a God

2-Pretend that we believe, and spend the rest of our lives faking it

3-Really find out that God exists

To those who deny it, may I suggest that it's because you haven't asked the right questions. If you want to know if there is a God, you've got to be ready to put it all on the table. You'll need to fully accept that there might be a God, and there might not be. When you have fully opened yourself up, ask God if He exists. Then, observe the world around you for some time (possibly days). I swear, you will start to see things just "work out" all around you. It will BLOW YOUR MIND. Things will arrange in perfect order, to bring you your answer. It could be the words of someone you talk to, a few words you read, a growing internal clarity, or perhaps (in a few rare cases) a divine revelation directly from heaven. Whatever form the answer comes, I promise that it will come, and it will come every time you ask.

I've discovered that there are so many poor folks who have been faking it for years. Trying to cover up the fact that they do not know by saying all of the right things, at all of the right times. They continue to try and not worry about it, while continuing to attend church, read scriptures, and do everything that a "good Christian" should. They stay active on the grounds that "the church has a great family program", "it makes me a better person", or perhaps "the doctrine makes a lot of sense". There are so many who are plagued with this hellish life, and I wish that I could just tell everyone: "It doesn't have to be like this!"

There IS a God. He really does exist. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK. He will answer. I promise. It works. And it works every time. :)

I know that God lives, I know that this church is God's Church, I know that we can get answers to prayer, and I know that this life is not the end.

God bless all of you.
Love ya bye, love ya bye!
-Keppy

Baptisms and Mini-Missions

Hey everyone!

Another amazing week has passed here in the good ol' Waspo, and I can't help but just sit back and smile at all of it. We had everything from Baptisms to Surprise Birthday parties, and everything awesome in between.

Brother H-- and us Full Timers

We started off by getting a legit mini-missionary, named Brother H--. He's from the Riverside ward, and he is a BOSS! We had SO MUCH fun with him, and had a lot of awesome lessons too! While he was here, he got to be part of our surprise party that we threw for our good friend Ch-- in the Singles Ward. It was planned out by her sister K--, and we got to be in on it. SUPER FUN! We prepped all of the birthday stuffs, and when she got home, BOOM! We jumped out and scared the crap out of her. In a good way though! We all had cake, laughed, sang songs, and had a grand old time!

Ch-- and K-- at the party! :D

Brother H-- stuck with us for three days, and Saturday, he got to participate in our weekly service project for the local homeless shelter. That is always an awesome experience, and he said it was one of the best things he'd ever done.

Waiting to Surprise Ch--!

As we had to let him go, we were pretty darn depressed after he left, but then, we had once again, an amazing experience! K--, after months of prepping, and a million and one miracles, was finally able to enter the waters of baptism.

Elder M--, K-- and me. :)

This has been an incredible journey for her, and it has been an honor to be part of her growth and dedication to Christ. 

Baptism selfie!

I had the honor of baptizing her, and Elder M-- got to confirm her the next day.

Bathroom selfie with the gang! :D

I still can't get over how strong the Spirit was, and I can't ever thank God enough for letting me be a part of this journey.

Ah!

I love my mission. :D Everyone, keep your head up! God is real. He loves us, and He's always gonna help us, no matter what.

I love ya all! Keep it up! :D
-Keppy

Week One With The Youngsters

Hey ya'll!

So, one week down.

YSA work is so weird! Like, we have stewardship of all of Spokane, which is a big difference from being in tiny Moran Prairie. It's good though. The ward members that I've met so far have been AWESOME, and there is a LOT of work to do. I love it though!

Under the freeway- "SKETCH!"
(Anyone know what this means? I need a missionary translator...)

The week started off crazy. P-day, we went under the freeway for an adventure... Super sketch...
On Tuesday, we dropped Elder G- off in Spokane Valley, which was SUPER SAD! I love that guy.

Saying goodbye to Elder G.

Right after that, we rushed to the temple to make it to M-'s endowment session with the M--s.
It was amazing! So flipping happy for her! (She has been called on a mission to Japan!)

M- and us at the Temple

Guys, the temple truly is the most amazing place on the planet. Even our tiny Spokane temple. ;)

After that, it was appointments, lessons, service and just flat out missionary life.

I love it!

At work.

At night.

Not a whole lot else to report... I have a bunch of pictures for ya'll though! :D (The photos in this post.)


This work is amazing! I love every second of it, and I thank God for the opportunity to be here.
God is good! And so is working for him.

Love ya'll!

Transfer Calls and Miracles

Hey ya'll!

This week was, well, amazing.

We went about and taught tons of good peeps of course, and we had a blast while we did it as per usual. But God blessed us with a real miracle this week.

We were teaching a young woman named K--. She is a single mom, and her son is just turning 3. Her Grandma, Mom, and sister are all recent converts, but there was a lot keeping her from getting baptized. She has had such a hard life, and it's amazing that she has made it through so much.
She had some big Word of Wisdom things she was dealing with, and a LOT of it. Her friends did it too, and it was just a nasty trap for her. We had mentioned baptism in the past, and she said that when she wants to head in that direction, she'll let us know. But until then, back off.

So we did.

We taught, and shared Spiritual messages, and bore testimony, but we never pressured her. (I'm not a fan of the whole "pressure people into baptism" crap. :-p)

Then, this week, we showed up there for the last lesson of the day, taught a message, and bore our testimonies. She listened, and then she started crying softly. She told us that she wanted desperately wanted to be free, and come closer to God. It was beautiful.

When we got home that night, she texted us, and said that she wanted to be baptized. She went on to tell us that she had quit EVERYTHING. She was clean of everything. After years of craziness, she told us that she wanted to have a better life for her and her son. She said that she knew that the church was true, and that she wanted to be part of it. 

Elder E-- and I just kinda stared at each other in shock. It was so surprising, but folks, I can't tell you how good it felt.

The next morning, she texted us and gave us the date: June 13th.

We are SO PUMPED!!!

She has been through so much, and now, she is coming to the light, and fighting hard to get there.
The war is still on, and withdrawals are fetching BAD, but she worked a system worked out with us. Whenever things are getting crazy hard, she calls us, and we talk things out. It's been good. She is six days and counting sober now, from EVERYTHING! We're so proud of her!

Now, for transfer calls........................................................................................

WE'RE BOTH STAYING!!!

Elder E-- feeling under the weather

Elder M-- is staying too which is sick, but Elder K-- is leaving, which SUCKS! Oh, and my old companion Elder F-- finished his mission today, which also SUCKS! I'm gonna miss him so bad! 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CHANGE! WHY?!?

I guess it could be worse, but still, transfers are NOT my favorite.

Anyway, I love you guys! Keep the faith, stay true to who you are, and come to Christ.

Love you all!
-Keppy

Last O th' Transfer

Ohhhh shunk.

This is the last week of the transfer already. Well shoot...

Well, I hope I stay and that I get to keep Elder E--, but I always hope for that, so, I guess whatevs. I hate change.

Elder M-- (Right) and Elder E-- (Left)

But this week rocked. We worked our butts off, and had a grand old time. I think I'm starting to see how this mission thing is supposed to pan out.

Oh, and I gave my first District Meeting since being here in the ghetto. All of the companionships in my District are Sisters, so it's been a bit different than I'm used to. But it was really good.

They said they liked my training though, so I guess that we'll have to see.

It was super fun! I trained on the three top things I've found we need to be as a missionary:

-Obedient

-Hard Working

-Real

So, that's my rant for the week.

I love and miss all of you!

This mission thing is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love this stuff folks. I'm just ticked that transfers are coming up.

Love ya all!
-Keppy

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

Short. Again... Sorry

Me and Nightwing

Hey everyone!

Once again, I'm out of time, but I wanted to let you all know that things are going SUPER well here! We've been teaching a LOT of lessons, and having some great success.

We also found two kittens alone and dirty, so, we took them home, named them Nightwing and Shade, and got some formula for them. We then called up a bunch of people in our ward, but none of them wanted to keep them, so, I got in contact with Sister J-- from Chewelah. And she, her son I-- and her daughter H-- came down and claimed them. It was great to see them again, and it was good to know that they were able to get a good home. Just another day in the mish.

I'm really gaining a testimony of hard work. It is SO REWARDING!

Me and Elder E-- are getting along great, and I really like hanging with this kid.

There has been a lot of trials too though. But you know, even as I watch people slip away, it has only strengthened my testimony that I'm doing the right thing. I'm here to help people come home, and be fortified safely through Christ.

It's amazing!

I get to go forth and seek the lost, the broken, and the hurting, and do my best to help where I can, and point them to the one man who can save them.

I love this. I really do. I never want to stop.

Love you all!
-Keppy

Improvement and Progression!

Serious selfie...

Heck yeah!

It's a new week folks, and there is a lot going on here in the not-so-frozen-north. For one, it's not frozen. Yup. This time last year it was blizzarding, -15 degrees and cloudy. Now, it's sunny with a high of 55. It's so fetching hot! I'm out and about in rolled up sleeves and tryin' to stay cool while walking around. I don't think I'm ever going to be able to deal with Arizona heat again. :P

Aside from that, the work has been great! We're able to be up and about and people have become a little less reclusive. Now, whether that means they want to talk to us is a different deal altogether. People have been pretty responsive though, which we're A-OK with.

We've been working a lot with our investigator B--, and she's really been making some great changes in her life. She came to church for the first time yesterday, and it was super awesome!

Now, yesterday was Stake Conference, and good grief was it interesting. It started fine; Elder S-- and I were at the Honeysuckle building with B--, watching the Conference on the big screen. About 45 minutes in, BOOM: the internet died.

There was a five minute pause, and then our Bishop went up to try and fix it. Fifteen minutes later, it came back up, and we watched the next five minutes of it in peace. Then, BOOM, it crashed again. Once again, Bishop went up to fix it and called someone over at the Stake Center, but after ten more minutes of trying to fix it, he announced over the pulpit that the server at the Stake Center had crashed, and that it wouldn't be possible to fix by the end of Stake Conference. So, a new solution was presented: Bishop had a guy at the Stake Center call him, and put the phone next to a speaker at the Stake Center, and then bishop plugged his phone into his computer, which was hooked up to the church speakers.

We heard about every other word.

Super interesting stuff that. :P

Also, getting back to B--, She's quitting smoking next week! We're super pumped, and we're praying like crazy that she will be able to make it. Keep a prayer out for her!

Well, the rest is the same old same old.

Teaching, finding, tracting, praying, laughing, crying and being a missionary.

I should also mention that Elder S-- has been an amazing help at this point in my life. It's amazing all of the different things I've learned from each companion.

Guys, this mission has been the best thing that's ever happened to me. I am not the same scared little kid that stepped onto the plane in the Phoenix airport more than a year ago.

God is real, folks. He really cares about us, and no matter how many times we screw up, and no matter far we fall, He'll pick us up and save us from ourselves. He has changed my life, and I've seen Him change hundreds of lives around me.

To anyone who doesn't know if they want to serve a mission, all I want to ask is: Are you happy with where you are? The mission will change you. It will make you the best YOU you can be. You will grow so much. It will hurt. Sometimes you'll break down and just scream because of how hard it is and how much it hurts, but no matter what, if you keep on keeping on, you'll find a weird energy helping you on, and guiding you.

That energy is God.

Guess what, no matter what you believe or don't believe, God still is there, and he loves you. Deal with it.

Peace out guys,
I love you.
-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

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

New Area, New Companion, New Opportunities!

Elder Keppner's in the house tonight! Read it.

Hey ya'll!

I'm sorry I missed the last couple of emails. Things have been CRAZY around here! But now they've cooled down a bit, so, that's good. :)

Goodbye to Elder W--. :'(

Now, my biggest announcement is... I've been transferred! :D I was SUPER sad to leave Elder W--, and I'm gonna miss Priest River like CRAZY, but I'm glad that my new companion, Elder F-- is a stud! We get along super well, and man, are we getting stuff done! We upped the numbers like crazy, and now we have an on-date, and five new Investigators! We're working our butts off, and it really is paying off.

Me and my man Elder F--! :D

Man, I love mission life.

There are challenges for sure, but God helps out a LOT. No matter what happens, I know that it will always work out in the end. I've just gotta be patient, and it'll all be worth it. I am of course, looking forward to returning to my loved ones in about 15 months, but I'm for sure, THIS is where I need to be. Ah! I have so little time left to serve the Lord! So little time left to learn, grow, and bring others closer to our Savior Jesus Christ!

My mission is awesome! And I'm just happy to be able to be here, and I'm looking forward to more missionary awesomeness!

o.O Camels... In northern Washington...?

This church is so true. People may not be perfect, but that's why we belong to this Church, and why we turn to our Savior Jesus Christ, BECAUSE we're not perfect, we try to learn from our mistakes, grow from our experiences, and become more like the people God wants us to be.

Goodbye to the Wild Bison! (My old District. :'( )

I can't say it enough, and I won't ever be able to express it fully, but this Church is truly Christ's Church. That's why I'm here. I'm not here because of what people have told me to do, or because it sounded like fun. I'm here because I felt God touch my life through the Holy Spirit, and EVERY time I ask, I get the same answer. THIS IS THE TRUTH.

I know that, and I've bet my life on it.

I love you, and I'm excited for when I can be with you again!

Keep the faith!
-Elder Brennan Keppner

P.S.- This is the Mom. Elder Keppner did forget to let us know that he was transferred to Chewelah Washington. He would still LOVE to receive letters from family and friends, but he's in a tiny town, and would prefer that his letters be sent to the mission home. They get them to him swiftly (It only takes ONE extra day!), so just go ahead and send them to this address: 

Elder Brennan Keppner
820 S. Pines Rd. Suite #101
Spokane Valley, WA 99206

Priest RIVER!!!

Hey everybody!

This week has been a bit slow, but we are SO PUMPED for this next week. As a district, our goal is to teach 100 lessons! Me, Elder W---, Elder C---, and Elder W--- are READY FOR THIS!

We all see each other every day, and we all ride to P-Day and meetings together, so we are all aware of what everyone else is doing. 

Our firework show with a member... :D

All of that aside, this week was good too! We saw some CRAZY firework shows, some crazy wildlife sightings, and lots and lots of lessons learned. Also as general news, one of the Sisters I was in the MTC with went home this month. The announcement said Medical Release, but me and the Elders that came out with me are kinda worried about her. She was kinda the big sister of the group, and so we're all praying for her.

One of the 500+ eagles I've seen while on my mission.

Me and Elder W--- have done a lot of talking recently. Elder W--- and I are both dominant personalities, but I tend to back down rather than let it come to an argument. (Don't act so shocked mom. I really don't like to argue. ;P) President Mullen, our Zone Leader, and our District leader all gave us some advice and suggestions on how I can take the lead more, and how Elder W--- can submit more, and we are both working hard to follow their direction. Elder W--- and I are close friends, and so we talk about everything openly, and we help each other out. Man, I love this guy. :D

Priest River beauty! :D

I LOVE THIS WORK! I love being here, and seeing all of these miracles! I love the people I meet, and I'm so glad that I came out here! This is the BEST DECISION I've EVER MADE! This Church is true, and I would die defending that truth. I would also live my life to show my faith, hope and knowledge. IT'S ALL FOR REAL!!! I promise! With everything I am, I KNOW that this is true! And I'll praise God every day of my life! :D

More of this amazing area!

Nothing else big has happened, but I've got a bunch of pictures to send home now!

I love and miss you all,

-Elder Keppner

Six Months, and I'm stayin' here with my bro!

My man, Elder W---

Hey ya'll!

Transfer calls are in, and I'm staying in Priest River with Elder W---! Actually, our whole district is staying! We're excited to have another transfer together, and we are going to ROCK our District!

We've had an awesome transfer, and we've learned SO MUCH! For the last week of the Transfer, Elder W--- and I made a goal to teach 70 lessons. We only made it to 50, but that was still a HUGE success, and we are seeing SO MANY blessing from it! 

We have several new investigators, and a couple of new children of God preparing for Baptism! Ah! How could I ever hope to describe missionary work? How could I EVER explain the feeling you get when someone changes their entire life around to follow Christ? It can't be done!

I can honestly say that this has been the best six months of my life, and I fully expect that the rest of my mission will only get better! Every day has new challenges, but the good ALWAYS outweighs the bad.

I am so happy, I can't even put it to words! I know that what I'm doing has meaning, purpose, and importance. God truly guides and directs our lives, and I get to see it first hand EVERY SINGLE DAY! I am in awe of how much he loves us, and how willing he is to help us in every step of our journey through this life.

I know this church is true, and I am so happy to be a part of this work!

I love and miss you all!

-Kep

I forgot to mention baptism #6...

The Baptism! :D

So, I totally forgot to mention, that last week, was my sixth baptism here in the mission...

Yeah, I can't believe it slipped my mind. :P

Anyway, her name is E---, and she is 9 years old. Her father was inactive, but part of our mission is to find the lost, so, we brought him back to church! We taught him the lessons again, and he found his testimony again! We were teaching him and his daughter together, and E--- said that she wanted to be baptized! So, we taught her the lessons, just like any other investigator, and she got baptized! That day was super stressful though with getting everything set, but we made it through. (See picture below)

STRESSSSS!

As far as THIS week goes, things have been pretty much just us missionaries, doing our missionary thing. 

We teach lessons, see miracles, give blessing, talk to random people, and stay up until 10:30 talking at night.

 Speaking of nights, me and Elder W--- had an interesting night this week. You see, he accidentally over-dosed on his sleeping pills, and, well, he was high as a kite that night, before he finally crashed, and crashed hard. He doesn't remember anything from that night, and he woke up with a killer headache.

*cough*Hangover*cough*

Aside from that craziness, and the fact that I met S--- H---'s GRANDPARENTS UP HERE, things were pretty tame. :D

Anyway, I love and miss you all! And keep writing!

-Kep

Rocking the new area

I always thought it would be bigger...?

This week has been amazing! I don't have much time to put it all down, but the work is truly pressing on here in Priest River! As to our progress here, it's been great! Elder W--- has a bad leg, and has been sick for the last bit, but we still go forth in faith each day! Elder W---, in spite of all of this, has been cheerful, and willing to learn! He is a great trainee, and I love working with him!

We recently were at dinner with a ward member, and we were determined to get an investigator that day.

Before we left dinner, we talked to the waitress, and asked if she would be interested in talking to missionaries. She said yes, and now, she's our newest investigator!

So many little miracles have been happening every day, and I can't believe how much we are being blessed for our efforts.

My testimony has grown so much these last two weeks. I've been learning to study more in-depth, and my knowledge of the Gospel has increased dramatically. I LOVE studying the Lord's words, and I truly love learning!

Jesus is the Christ, this is his true Church, and I will teach, and preach, and defend that to the very end.

Love you all,
-Elder Keppner

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