Blood Loss

Familia!

Mom you need to work on your football reporting skills. I need who they played and the actual score. If you could the national ranking that would be just great, please and thank you, ha ha. All you do for the ginger and garlic remedy is put some raw garlic and raw ginger in some water and blend it up. You drink that and then you'll regret you were ever born.... but it may have helped. 

I did get to meet Elder Dehaan a few times, but we never served around each other. He seems like a good guy and he is a great singer, just like his father. Now Emma you have to remember that Mr. Wright has a lot of very immature kids to deal with. If you are just repectful and don't do anything too dumb you will get on his good side. Looking back I thought that Mr. Wright was too mean and inconsiderate, but now I realize that he just expects you to be your best. In his heart he really just wants to see you guys succeed and learn some good old discipline. Don't take it too personally when he gets a little mad. 

So this week I had one of the scarier experiences of my mission. It was just a regular day and we were out on the streets talking to people. The sun was shining and everything just seemed to be going as per usual. We took a small break to sit down and have a soda. Elder Tsai was messing around with his can and it broke and he cut his finger on it. It didn't seem like it was too bad of a cut and he just put a napkin on it cause we didn't have a band aid. Well he sat back down for just a second to say a quick prayer cause he was a little hurt and frustrated by the little cut. I turned around for just a second and when I looked back he had been carried away by the spirit until he face-planted it on the ground!! He wasn't actually carried away in the spirit, but he did pass out. Turns out when he sees blood he passes out? That would have been good to know. But anyway I turn around just in time to see him fall forward off the bench and smack his head into the ground. It was in this stressful situation that I realized that I am just like my father. I got really quiet and intense and called some people over to help. He woke back up and we laid him down on the bench. One of the students that was with us called 999 (911) and I called my mission presidents wife Sister Leppard. The medic came and checked out Elder Tsai, good thing medical stuff is all free in this country. But he is absolutely fine, he just has some pretty cool scrapes on his face, which he is a little embarrassed about. But we convinced him it makes him look rugged and cool, ha ha! But I'm not gonna lie I was really scared, but we made it through and everyone is A okay. I'm just gonna be ready next time he sees blood. 

My companion and I with the zone leaders in the car

Me in front of the Aston Villa football stadium

That's really fun that Jessie put the picture on facebook so you could see. His name is Paul Cartwright and he did play Joseph Smith in the pagent this year. I heard he was the ward mission leader here, but the first time I met him was yesterday at church, seeing as he has been in America for the last few months. They share an almost equal love for Jessie and the Wadleys that I do and it was fun to see someone that was just recently so close to home. Speaking of someone coming close to home Elder Tsai's Parents are coming to Utah for general conference and to travel a bit and we thought it would be really cool if you guys could meet up! How often do your sons companion's parents come to Utah to visit from Taiwan. I'll hit you up with more details in a different email. 

This week I have just been marveling and so grateful for the simplicity of the Gospel. Especially in teaching so many Chinese students. This gospel is for everyone. It is for the scholar and it is for the humble working man. It is for the best of students and for those that barely speak any English. It all brings about the same feelings of peace and confindence no matter who you are or what your level or schooling or language is. It is for Every single person. So many people on the street tell me that, "It's just not my thing," or "It's not for me." But I would say that they are completely and dead wrong. It is for them, and I promise that there is something about the restored gospel that will ring true to anyone and everyone. It's almost like its God's church or something. 

I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week. 

Love,

Elder Kmetzsch

Sore Throats and Sour Candy

Family,

What I week it has been for you guys. If you think that you miss Torie's crazy kids you can only imagine how much I do. I know that someday I will have to wear BYU blue, but I don't think you will ever get me to cheer for them over Utah! If I have to I will take a summer class at Utah just so that I can say that I went there. Funny enough I already knew about the sad loss by BYU in the last minutes of the game. It is just too bad that they had to settle for a field goal on that second to last drive. And that they really lead the game by 10 for pretty much the whole time, ha ha! There is a member in the ward here that is from the States and he is a very big BYU fan so he has been updating me on the scores and how the games have been going. He doesn't like Utah very much, but he still kindly looks up the scores for me. 

Funny enough this last Saturday we were getting on the bus again and you'll never guess who we bumped into. Yes you got it the Gold Tooth lady!!! And I can tell you I have never felt so much fear in all of my life when she gave me one of the Iciest and Coldest glares that I have ever received! But she held her tongue and wasn't brave enough to say anything to me. But that was an extremely long bus ride.... 

Well this week I got one of my infamous sore throats complete with a head cold. Nothing serious enough to keep me from going out and working, but just enough to make me nice and uncomfortable while I was doing it. I thought back on all those years of me being just the absolute worst sick person in the whole world, and how much patience and charity my dear sweet and absolutely wonderful mother had for me as her horrible and miserable child. Thank you Mom for loving me. I also thought back to all those times that this same cold decided to hit me right before the musical started, and those nights of loading up on Airborn and drinking a lovely mug of Lemon and Honey tea. I was loading up on all that good stuff and more this week. I even tried a remedy that an investigator back in Aberystwyth told us to do. Which is to blend RAW garlic and ginger into some water and drink it strait.... Oh my goodness it was Vile! But I'm feeling pretty good now so maybe it worked?? There was also some menthol chest rub in the flat so I put that on before bed, man it took me back. All I needed to complete my sickly childhood was a humidifier by my bed. 

I am really loving the candy you guys sent and so is basically the whole Harborne Ward. I find great happiness and joy in sharing good stuff that I have with others, especially sharing extremely sour War Heads with unsuspecting English people:) I even tried to get President Leppard to eat one at Zone Meeting but he wasn't having any of it! He said that he has seen all the tricks from his kids and has had all the sour candies, ha ha! He is a very wise man. One of the Elders from Jamaica was not as wise and his reaction was priceless. I'll try and get the video for you guys. 

Yes I did get your video and yes it does play on the iPad. Thank you and everyone for the Birthday wishes. I still feel like it wasn't actually my Birthday but I'll try and get over it. 

Luna didn't end up being baptized this week, but shortly she will. Please keep her in your prayers. 

Well I love you all and hope you have a great week.

Love,

Elder Kmetzsch    

Smoking is Bad For You Kids

Family,

What an exciting week you guys have had! I'm jealous of all the time you are having to get James to love you more than me. When I get back I'm going to move straight into the favourite Uncle status. So watch out. 

I would like to express my disappointment in my father. He has stooped to a low level in wearing BYU apparel... But because someday I will probably have to go there myself I will forgive him just this one time. If it happens again Dad I won't be pleased! 

Well yesterday was a pretty exciting day. I opened my package, yes Mom I waited, and in it were soo many sour candies that I just couldn't control myself. I may have eaten a few too many and spent last night with a bit of a tummy ache.....  But it was really fun to give out warheads to some of the other missionaries and members! They just couldn't handle them, Priceless.!!! Other than opening the package it was a pretty typical Sunday. Church was really good and focused on personal pray, you know how some days church just seems to have a theme the whole time. Well yesterdays was prayer and in one of the talks I realized something that I hadn't before. We always talk about how prayer is such a strength and so relaxing but she talked about how the Lord tells us that prayer is work. How he commands us to think before we pray and not offer up thoughtless prayers. I've never thought of prayer as work but I know that when you put more effort in before your prayer then you get a lot more out, so cool!

So we have a really amazing investigator named Luna from China. She chose Luna because her name in Chinese means moon, I think its pretty cool. Anyway Luna is extremely smart and is here at Birmingham University and she is only 16! Crazy I know. She is so prepared for the gospel though, and it has been super fun to teach her, with her parents permission of course. During the first lesson she started taking notes, and asking us to define gospel words and she would write them down. After we taught her the Plan of Salvation we asked her if she thought this was Gods plan for her and her exact words were, "No, I think this is Gods plan for everyone!" And just this last Sunday I counted at least three pages of notes during the Gospel Principles class. These are just a few of the many examples of Luna being amazing. Hopefully if all goes according to plan she will be baptised this Sunday. 

Well I had an interesting experience on the bus. So we were just minding our own business sitting on the top half of the bus and this women came up at one of the stops and this women, I'm not gonna lie, was scary! She was large in stature and to top it off had a gold tooth right in front. She came up to the top and starting just going off. She was yelling profanities and then started to smoke, yes on the bus! There was a 12 or so year old kid near the front of the bus that started looking back and she went off at him again with her profanities and she began to threaten him. That was it for me. I couldn't just sit there anymore so I didn't. I stood up and turn around and was a bit loud, but I told her to be quiet and that she was gonna have to go through me before she got to the kid. Then I just turned around and walked away and took the kid downstairs to the bottom of the bus. It was flipping scary, but I'm really glad that I stood up and did that because I felt really good after! Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in guys. Even if they have a gold tooth!

Hope you all have a great week and stay safe.

Love,

Elder Kmetzsch

The Daily Life

Family,

Sounds like the week was good for y'all. This week was pretty normal for me. Just your regular Tuesday with a few lessons and our ward coordination meeting. Wednesday was pretty chill with quite a few more lessons and an exchange. It was actually pretty cool I got to go on exchange with a new missionary named Elder Miner. He just got out a few weeks ago and it really got me thinking about the good old days back in Coventry when I was on one of my first exchanges with an older missionary. I was think about how old I thought the other missionary was and how much I was just trying to take everything I could from him and his experience. Then it got me thinking about how now I was that missionary for him. I am his Elder Rutter, his Elder Summer like they were for me. It gave me a totally new perspective on the example that I need to be in order to help him. I know when I was where he is I needed all the help I could get!

Thursday was a pretty cool day. One of our investigators Stephen is moving from Birmingham and he took us out for dinner for some hot pot! It was sad to see him go but I was very grateful for the free hot pot. 

Me and Stephen our investigator

Hot Pot!

Friday was just your regular Friday with some good old weekly planning and just a few more lessons. Nothing too out of the ordinary happening there.

Saturday was a fun one as always cause we have a sports day at the church. We get to play some awesome ping pong and chair football.

Sunday was pretty sick with quite a few people coming to church. The ward here just turned the meeting schedule around and so sacrament meeting was first for the first time in like 20 years so it was a weird one.

But that was my week, ha ha! The daily life of Elder Kmetzsch in Harborne.

Love you all,

Elder Kmetzsch

Planting and Harvesting

Family,

What a week is has been here is Birmingham. The Tri-companionship has ended and Elder Lam is now happily training his boy. Elder Tsai and I are settling into the area and really starting to get things going. The next few weeks are looking really promising!

But before I talk about me and I must congratulate my amazing little sister! Congrats EMS!!!!! That is sooooooo awesome that you got a part in the musical and I am so proud of you. I always told you that you were going to be the most talented Kmetzsch to go to Viewmont. Is Susan the choreographer? Is anyone I know a main character? How did you guys do for getting the boys to try out? Also Emma don't worry about the Juniors and the Seniors. Some of my best friends came when I was Nicely Nicely in Guys and Dolls. I was a little nervous that the Juniors weren't going to be too happy with me, but just be yourself and they will love you!

Well I had a pretty cool experience this week. So we got a media referral from mormon.org and we went to stop by. The night before when we were planning I kept noticing this extra large Book of Mormon in our flat. The next morning before we went out I noticed it again and was like okay I'll take it with us even though its flippin heavy. So we traveled out to the referral and when she answered the door I realized why I brought the extra large book. Turns out she is super old and having trouble reading right now. Good thing I just happened to have an extra large book of mormon. I'm very grateful I followed a seemly small prompting. 

This week I also had the opportunity to baptize someone. His name is Jesse and he is from China. Around a month ago Elder Torres and I found Jesse on the street. We taught him a few times, but then found out that he lived in the Sisters area so we passed him on for the sisters to teach. I'm very glad we did cause the sisters are much better at teaching then I am. After a few weeks he decided to get baptized, and asked if I would be the one to baptize him. It was a great experience I always love getting into the water for baptisms. From this experience I gained a better understanding that yes we are called as missionaries to harvest and not to plant seeds, but you should always be planting seeds along the way. Also that we are put into specific areas for a reason. The sisters have a great connection with Jesse, a connection that I probably wouldn't have been able to make and that is why he lived in there area. I'm really grateful that I got to see the progress he made and not only plant the seed but also help in the harvesting.

Jesse and me at his baptism

This is a member here who is from Oregon 

but has some cousins in Centerville and guess who

they are. The Craig's down the street from us! What a small world.

Well I don't have loads of time, but I'm glad all is well and hope everyone has a great week.

Love,

Elder Kmetzsch