Sleepovers For Days

Family,

What an exhausting week! First off we had meetings for days, and I mean for days. On Thursday we had a zone meeting with President Leppard in attendance which was really awesome. The only thing we really had to worry about was making sure that everything was set up right at the chapel and getting lunch organized for the zone. I don't know if I mentioned that Nottingham just opened up its first ever Taco Bell! We thought it would be pretty awesome if we got Taco Bell for everyone, so we decided to do it. We were allowed to spend around 100£ so we decided to get 50 tacos and 50 bean burritos. Man that was a lot of burritos and they were actually pretty heavy. The nearest car park to Taco Bell is like a ten minute walk out of town and so we had to carried all of the food, and my arms were dying with that box of burritos! The Taco Bell was a big hit though the tacos did get a bit soggy. My stomach didn't really appreciate warming up the leftovers the next day for lunch...... After our zone conference we started an exchange with the Elders from Lincoln. They have changed the way we do exchanges and now instead of us switching places with one of the missionaries we just bring both into our area and take them out separately for the day. Our flat is not very big and it is definitely not big enough to be housing four Elders. Plus the more missionaries that you have, the more talking that you do and the less sleep that you get. The only other bed in our flat besides our beds is a hide-a-bed couch that we have. Being the charitable and loving person that I am, I gave up my bed to Elder Toshimitsu who is a new missionary being trained. So me and his trainer Elder Nogueroles shared the hide-a-bed. I did not get any sleep and was absolutely wiped the next day!

So we continued on and finished the exchange and drove the Elders back to Lincoln planning on doing a power hour of finding in their area but got caught in some traffic and just had to drop them off. We did however get to see the Tongan family with them for lunch before we left for Lincoln which was awesome! They gave us a Tongan snack to take with us called mango skins, basically it is a dried mango skin covered in Kool-Aid powder... They are nasty!! But Elder Tukuafu likes them. I don't know how but he does, ha ha. We finished the exchange with Lincoln and when I got home I was out like a light.

As well as the zone conference on Thursday we also had a Stake Presidency meeting that night. Basically it is a meeting that we have to discuss the missionary work and problems/successes we are seeing in the Nottingham stake with the Stake President and with the Mission President. It is always a good meeting, and I love the Stake President here he is an amazing man. Next meeting on the list we had the adult session of Stake conference Saturday night which was good. Then we had Stake conference on Sunday. I feel like we spent the whole week with the zone which was really cool cause we don't get to see them all that often. We also had another sleepover with some missionaries that couldn't get a ride to stake conference. So they came and stayed with us Saturday night after the adult session and we took them to conference in the morning. Needless to say another night of less sleep then I should be getting. Though Elder Tukuafu took the Hide-a-bed this time and actually enjoyed it. I think he will take it every time we have a sleepover from now on, ha ha!

Man oh man, it sounds like you guys are just having too much fun! I can't wait to drive through the canyons and the mountains and go fishing. Just some thoughts and ideas potentially for when I get home, ha ha. Did things work out with the housing? You never did really confirmed that me and Landon are actually rooming together.

Man I am definitely going to hit up an institute class with Spencer Hewlett! I would love that so much, those YSA's are really lucky to have such great teachers. You better watch out Dad you might just get called into the Stake Presidency!! I have read Elder Nelsons talk and it is way good. I'm sure that you will give a great talk on it. It's too bad that Emma is going to have to go to church alone though! I'm sure that the Tanners will adopt her. The Daines are in my prayers and I hope that all will go smoothly for them.

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

Love ya Bwtts!

Elder Kmetzsch

Just Keep Eating

Family!

What a week it has been. What a long week it has been! We don't have much going on in the area which just means that we get to do a lot of street contacting and tracting, like a lot. But we are pushing through and hopefully getting some new investigators soon who will meet with us more than once.

Yes Elder Tukuafu is Tongan! His parents actually tell him all the time how skinny he is and that he needs to eat more, if only my parents would encourage me to do the same. But you are right he is probably the skinniest Tongan that I know, ha ha. Speaking of Tongans, turns out that there is a professional rugby player from Tonga that lives in our area. He is less active but is always willing to have the missionaries over. Elder Tukuafu knew about him because there is another professional rugby player in one of his old areas that is very active and told Elder Tukuafu to bring him back. So we called and he invited us over and told us he would cook for us. Well we went over to the house and it turns out that some of his family was there and so there were a lot more Tongans than we expected. They cooked a massive meal just for us!! They were all going off in Tongan and I was left to play with the kids. But once we started eating we weren't allowed to stop, ha ha. I would but down my fork to get a drink and he would just look and me and go, "You must keep eating!" I was happy to oblige, but after three massive plates I was about as full as it gets. I finally had to just convince him that I was really, really full and that I loved the food, which I did. But they weren't satisfied so they packed the rest of it up and told me to eat it for breakfast, ha ha! I now know the reason I am not serving my mission in Tonga! I would be huge!!! But they are an incredibly nice family and I am looking forward to seeing them a lot, even though I don't speak any Tongan. On a side note just highlighting just how nice these people are without us really even talking about it, he went upstairs and brought us down some rugby jerseys. One for a team Elder Tukuafu call the Tigers in Leicester and one for me that is an actually a jersey for the USA rugby team that was worn in some international games! They are way cool! He also included some of those nice rugby short shorts!

Happy Birthday Evie!!!!!! I can't believe she is already three...... I have been gone for way too long! But at least I'll be there when she turns four! I do believe I missed Kate's birthday or it's coming up anyway Happy Birthday Kate! Whenever it happens this month.

Emma needs to just stop going on dates! I would be perfectly okay if she just didn't go on any more until I get home and then she can be allowed to date again. But she is sure a cutie pie and I'm glad that she has a lot of fun. Valentine's is always a pretty chill dance. I don't know if it was worth a drive to Provo either especially for the boy who did all the driving! I hated being the driver for dances.... it scared me to death! But you are alive and that is all that matters.

I love the idea that by sharing our testimony our sins are forgiven, (D&C ). I am convinced that is the only reason missionaries have the spirit with them all the time! Because when I bear my testimony at every chance I get, I always have the spirit with me! Whenever I get into a rut with finding or am just having a bad day, I just make it a goal to share my testimony about the Book of Mormon with everyone. As soon as I switch my focus from trying to get people to meet with me, to testifying of the Book of Mormon my day always seems to go a lot better.

Not much happened this week that was too exciting in our own area besides a load of finding but we did have a zone meeting this week that went sooooooooo well! I honestly have not had as spiritual of a zone meeting my whole mission! All of the different training from the different missionaries just linked in together and just flowed so nicely. Me and Elder Tukuafu gave a training on what we want to accomplish as missionaries and how we need to be what we called, "Anxiously Accountable," for our efforts and how it really isn't about the numbers but the people that we are teaching. I was so happy with how it turned out and the Spirit was Soo strong.

The District!! 

Well I love you all and hope that you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Kmetzsch

 The River Trent right by our flat

Transferred to the Pacific

Family!

I will definitely tell the ward that you send your appreciation. I don't know if I mentioned but I shared the caramel that Mom sent over with some of the members and they went absolutely crazy for it. One member said that it had reached perfection! So good job Mom you made a lot of people happy! I am so glad that there are such great members here in Nottingham. It is really turning out to be one of my very favourite areas and I am glad that I get to stay here for quite awhile longer. Well unfortunately Elder Shaw has been transferred for his last transfer. He is gone off to Swansea to finish his mission. I have stayed here in Nottingham and my new companion is Elder Tukuafu (Tu-ku-auf-oo) and he is from Tonga!! I have loved getting to serve with so many Non-Americans and now my collection of foreign companions has branched into the Pacific Islands! We get along really great and are having some good laughs already. Why I say that I will be in Nottingham for a long while is because Elder Tukuafu is in the same group as Elder Shaw and will be going home next transfer. So I will for sure be here for another two transfers at least. 

My new companion Elder Tukuafu

My thoughts and my prayers are definitely with Kate and Cam. I am just so grateful for the gospel in our lives to help us through these hard times. Everything that is wrong about this life will be made up for and corrected by and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Loss is never easy in our lives but with Christ nothing is truly lost.

I must admit that the weather certainly has been better now that Elder Beckstrand has left the UK!!!! Maybe he was the one that has been keeping the sun from shining! But I am sure that the Scotland Ireland mission just won't be quite the same without a Beckstrand causing mischief. It is crazy to think that he is home though.

I hope that all went well for Dad and his new calling this week. I know that he has much to give to the Farmington YSA. I am sure he will be around people that I know from school. I did hear about Emma going on a date with a Senior boy!!!! I have already given my council to her in a private email, but she is smart and will do what is best! I am not excited about starting college and not being able to jump through the hoops anymore.... High school was just way too easy. I am glad that my mission has been teaching me what hard work is.

Well the main event of this week was transfers. We also had our MLC (Mission Leadership council). I really felt the spirit a lot as we talked about how we can help the mission change and grow in the best way. Elder Tukuafu has been settling in well even if it is just for 6 weeks and things are going to be great this coming week! I hope all of you are having the best of times and that you have a great week.

Love,

Elder Kmetzsch

The American Way

Family,

Oh Dad quit being a boob! Though it does comfort me to know that you actually kinda love me. I think I'll keep you as my father for now! I'm glad someone is teaching Emma how to drive in the snow. Because that is an important skill to have, a skill which absolutely no English people have. So when it snows here the whole town pretty much just shuts down after about a half an inch. Though after the snow a few weeks ago we haven't seen anything else and things have started to warm up quite a bit. Winter just might be over and we could get an early spring but you never know!

I must say I am not surprised about Dads new calling. He would get called into the YSA stake. It's just like Mom says he should have been a teacher cause he just has a way with the young people. You will do amazing things for the YSA that you are now serving Dad. Don't forget about the massive impact that you have had on the lives of our ward's young men. The young men's presidency/advisers have a huge impact on young men's missions and testimonies. I am soooo glad that Dad was one of mine. I thought that I had finally gotten rid of Bishop Daines when the ward split and now I am going to have to deal with President Daines!?!?! What is the world coming too! Ha ha, I know he will do a great job.

Thank you Mom for staying up and making sure that I have a place to live this fall. I very much appreciate all of your efforts for me. I noticed that I couldn't sign up for classes until I got the

endorsement from President. So I will let him know today, so he can get that taken care of. I filled out my half and now all he has to do is to do his. I am getting really excited to go to BYU and just meet all sorts of new people. Plus I have sooo many mission friends that are at BYU, it's gonna be good.

Well our week was a good one. Mostly because we spent it with quite a few Americans!! Actually we just had a few Dinner appointments with the Americans in the ward and man they were good. The first was a young couple who are here for work/research for a while. They cooked this pasta dish that had Bacon and obscene amounts of cheese and you'll never guess but they put brown sugar in the thing! Leave it to the Americans to but brown sugar in a pasta dish. Needless to say it was one of the best pasta casserole things that I have ever had. The second was dinner with Wanda who is like my adopted grandmother. The dinner was great and we had some really nice homemade pizzas with jalapeños on them, but the dessert was something else. She made a homemade key lime pie and I must say that it was the best key lime pie I have ever tasted. Wanda is known in the ward for her baked goods and she never ceases to amaze me. Dad would have loved to have some of this pie!

In other news this week we have really started to make some progress with a polish family that we are teaching. She is a single mother with 3 kids at home. We have been stopping by and kinda teaching her almost the whole time that I have been in Nottingham but haven't really made much progress until these last couple of weeks. The difference was all in who we took with us. So there is a recent convert in the ward named Michal who is from the Czech Republic and he just happens to speak pretty good Polish. So we decided to take Michal with us and man miracles have started to happen. It was so cool to see him bear his simple and sweet testimony to Beata. Ever since we started taking Michal with us she has been so much more welcoming and wants us to come back more and more. Hopefully things will continue to go up with her.

The rest of everything is still going good, ha ha. Not too much to report on but things are really looking up for our area and as always when things start to get good there must come a change. This week is transfers and me and Elder Shaw are not sure what is going to happen. It is less likely that I will leave Nottingham then him, but you never know what the Lord has in store for me. We will find out tonight what is happening. I really hope that I stay in Nottingham. I love the city and I really love the ward.

I hope everyone is doing well and you are having a blast without me!

Love,

Elder Kmetzsch

P.S. I like Ferraris!

I'm Legal!

Family,

Congratulations Papa I can't believe you have been at General Atomics for 9 Years! I still remember the day you took me to work, when you still worked on Hill Air Force base. I got to thumb wrestle with your boss. I remember nothing else about that day, but that I had a pretty epic thumb wrestle, which I do believe I won! I also remember the time that Dad took me and Brigham to the Air Show. We got to park in his work spot and eat lunch in his office. I am grateful that I have such a wonderful and hard working father who made my childhood pretty much as idealistic as you can get. I hope I can be as good a Dad as him someday.

There are actually quite a few missionaries from Viewmont serving in the Manchester mission right now. I think it is up to 4 or 5 if I am right, but there is only two of us holding strong here in Birmingham! It blows my mind that Elder Beckstrand will be going home, I am sure Scotland will miss him greatly. Tell Spencer Christensen that I love him and congratulations for me will ya? That is so awesome! He will be a great mission president and I am jealous of the missionaries in the Arizona Tempe mission. I was thinking about it though and I realised that if he reports to his mission this coming June or Early July then I won't see him for 5 years!! That's crazy!

Yes it did snow, but only for a couple of hours. Just enough to give us almost an inch or so. By the end of the next day it was pretty much all melted and ever since then the temperature has started to get higher. I think we have made it through the coldest of winter but I don't want to jinx it! I don't know about Six months to Salvation but I think we will stick with Six months to sexy or there will be know point in us taking a courtship and marriage class at BYU!! Speaking of BYU, do I need to do anything in terms of signing up for classes and anything for housing? I am pretty sure it is getting to that time of year and would like to have a say in what I am taking this fall. If Brigham or someone with the knowledge of BYU could inform me of what I need to do or help me out with this that would be wonderful.

Well then on to our week. Yes we did get to watch to World wide Missionary Broadcast, which was really amazing! I thought for sure that they had some really big announcement that they wanted all the missionaries to hear about at the same time, but I was wrong. The devotional was really simple and focused on repentance and the Holy Ghost. I really loved that quote that Dad sent me how Elder Oaks was just really bold with how he said we are not called to make exceptions or teach the things of the world. But instead are called to teach the doctrine of Christ. Simple but very powerful. One of my favourite quotes was from Elder Anderson's talk and he said, "Repentance is a change of attitude, the beginning of a Mighty change of Heart." They really counseled us to teach repentance better and not just skip over it on our way to baptism. It was a great meeting over all though.

The rest of our week was fairly normal. We went on a work-over with one of the teams in the zone to help them find some more people and had an exchange with the Elders in Boston. Which is the farthest east you can go in the mission. I stayed in Nottingham with Elder Stout and Elder Shaw went out to Boston. The reason that I stayed is because I can drive now!!! I passed my driving test with only three minor faults and they let you have 15. So I am officially legal and should be getting my license soon. I don't have a picture of it yet, but I do have a picture with the pass certificate that I will send. I am so relieved that I got it on the first try so I don't waste the churches money taking the test 5 times. Plus it is nice to be able to drive instead of just sitting in the passenger seat!

We did have a miracle on Saturday night though. We got this random call from a number we didn't recognize and they left us a message. Turns out it was some Elders in the London South mission calling to give us a referral. Anyway we called them back and they told us that one of there recent converts had a friend that lived up in Nottingham that she wanted us to teach. We got some info about him and they told us he wanted to come to church in the morning and to call him them. Sunday morning we called him and he was like yeah I want to come to church and what should I wear? Anyway long story short he just came to church on his own accord and seemed to have a great time. We are going to start teaching him this week which is going to be awesome!

The Zone

Other than that not too much happened, ha ha. Well I hope all is well in good old Centerville and that no matter where you are that you feel Gods Love for you today!

Love,

Elder Kmetzsch

Sunshine and Snowfall

Family,

I agree with Mom when she says January isn't her favourite, and without skiing and masses of snow there just isn't much to keep me going! Just cold and grey all the time. It isn't the nicest but it has it moments especially this week. Well this week we had the rarest of occasions happen and it was three straight days of blue skies and sunshine! It was flippin cold but at least the sun was shining. And then to top it off, after the wonderful sunshine, Saturday night it SNOWED!!!!!! AHHHH, it only snowed an inch the whole night but at least it snowed. Me and Elder Shaw ran outside last night and had a pretty epic snowball fight and got it on time-lapse. If my iPad lets me I will try and send it too you. On Sunday morning we went for a nice romantic, (ha ha), companionship walk in the freshly fallen snow. We mostly went because Elder Shaw has never really seen real snow on the ground so he really wanted to go and walk around. Honestly the sunshine mixed with it finally snowing has just made me sooooooooooooo happy and recharged. Sunshine can make a big difference in someone's life. I have decided that I need to live in a place with more of it than England has.

Well as you consider whether or not you are coming to good old England I hope you know that I don't mind either way, it is completely and totally up to you. I have no preferences or suggestions for you, but yes you should respond to the mission home very soon.

Man oh man I love Solo and Ensemble. We had the attention span of well teenagers, Ha ha. You know that you loved us Mom! But you guys should film it and send it to me!?!? Because I would love to see my little Sister singing and hear them. I love emails, but pictures and or videos make my day and that goes for all of my family immediate and extended. I love all of you and would love to hear how you and your families are doing so feel free to email me! My email is  jacob.kmetzsch@myldsmail.net. That goes for brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts and uncles and friends. I don't have a lot of your emails or I would email first so don't be strangers and when you read this act now!

This week is a big week for me. It is the week that I will hit the mark of 6 months left in the mission field. In the mission we have what we call, "Six Months to Sexy." So I like my father and sister will be eating healthier and working out much more than I have been, cause I gotta get fit or I will never get MARRIED!! Ah..... so me and Elder Shaw will be pushing me to be better.

Yes we have an investigator named Marvellous and he is truly marvelous. He has so much real intent and really listens when we are speaking that it just makes it so nice to teach him. There isn't too many exciting things to report but he is doing really well and progressing nicely.

Oh Robin hood!

Things are continuing to look up for our area and I am really feeling the Lords hand strengthening me in all that I have to do and my desires are ever increasing. To answer Moms question on average we travel around 300 miles in a week but that is if we don't have an exchange or have to go to the mission home. I actually have my driving practical test tomorrow if all of you could pray for me that would be wonderful! I am a bit nervous because I haven't really been behind the wheel too much in the last few months but hopefully I will pass!

Also about the email you forwarded. I do know Sister Price and we made the connection that she knows Fran Luczak a few weeks ago! It is really cool that we ended up in the same zone though and it is always nice to have common friends with someone. Sister Price is a cool cat, ha ha!

I love you all and hope that you are doing well.

Elder Kmetzsch

A New Year

Family!

Well Dad I'm going to have to agree with you about the whole perspective thing. Life as the Lords servant is really never boring but some weeks are more eventful than others. Last week just happened to be one of those less eventful weeks. But I am really learning that it is the little things that matter most. Especially when it comes to keeping the commandments and just being an active member of the church. If you don't do the little things or if you do them grudgingly then it in the long run it will profit you nothing, but if you do those little things slowly but surely they will change your very nature.

I was way excited when I saw that, "Press Forward," was going to be this years mutual theme. 2 Nephi 31:20 is one of my very favourite scriptures! I have shared it over and over again with those that are just about to or have just been baptized. It is actually a scripture that I have used in every single one of my baptismal interviews. Needless to say I really like that scripture and the picture that it puts into my mind. I strive always to have a, "perfect brightness of hope," hope just drives me and that scripture says is so well.

I am really glad that everyone made is home safely and that they are back into the regular schedule of things. I hope and pray that everything goes well with the move for Torie and Craig and am really excited to get to go and visit them in there new home.

Great pictures Dad, but man, that hair!!!!!  You never cease to amazing me Father. But that is way cool that you got to talk to an old mission buddy. I love how exchanges really help you get to know the others missionaries that you serve around more than just your companion. It is nice to have someone who knows the bible well and can back up what you are saying. I like my Father have the gift of gab and sometimes get myself into a bit of trouble because I can't always back up what I am saying with exact references and then my point becomes invalid, ha ha. So a good companion is necessary. I hope that I will be able to stay in contact with old mission friends and hopefully like Dad be a good example and light to them.

On to the week. Well this week has been great. Our investigators pool is beginning to really pick up and we have found some cool people. We are also seeing a LOT of miracles in the zone which makes up for where we fall short in our own area. I love seeing other people succeed, I honestly like seeing and helping others do well more than actually doing it myself. So I am happy to see the zone doing so well and staying happy. But back to our week. Well the main and coolest thing was that we started teaching a man by the name of Marvellous. Marvellous is from England and Sweden but we have our suspicions that his parents are either from Nigeria or Ghana. He is a student here in Nottingham and

we found him on the street. He is really just trying to strengthen his relationship with God and he isn't sure how he should do that. Well it's a good thing that we can help him. It was a really great first lesson and I am excited to continue to get to teach him!

I also got to go on another exchange to Lincoln this week. This time I went with Elder Chugg and Elder Riesen because there is a trio in Lincoln at the moment. It was a fun night. Elder Riesen was in the MTC at the same time as I was and we roomed together. It was cool to catch up on each other's missions because we haven't really served around each other until now. He is from Switzerland which is way cool and he is just an all around cool guy.

Oh yeah, we also had zone meeting this week which was slightly stressful but we made it through. Me and Elder Shaw did a training on the Holy Ghost and how we can use the Spirit more in our missionary work to really find those who are prepared. It was good enough, ha ha!

Well that was pretty much our week. I hope you enjoyed the email and I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Kmetzsch