Lewisburg 12/29/08

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. It was such a treat to get to talk to my family on Christmas. They all seem to be doing well and I loved just hearing their voices again. I had a great Christmas. We spent Christmas at the Rawls and they were very hospitable and we had a great time playing games and running around with the kids. Of course not as fun as running around with my nieces and nephews but it was fun nonetheless. I hope you all were able to remember the Savior this Christmas and throughout the year. I know that it is only through the Savior that we can find true happiness. If our lives arent rooted in Christ then we will find our happiness to be very fleeting. I really like the ward we are in. They are so good to the missionaries and are just cool members. Me and Elder Norton have alot of fun together. This past week we worked hard. We had a baptismal date for one of our investigators but that will be postponed for a few weeks to have him clear up some stuff. His name is B so pray for him. We also had a person just show up to church who we had'nt ever met. He is really excited to meet with us and we have good feelings about him. His name is J. Also there are a couple others we are excited about. I am excited for a new year a chance to have a fresh start and improve in areas I am lacking. I hope you will all come up with resolutions and be determined to follow them. Make sure you make the Lord apart of your life and have him help you. The Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to all aspects of life and can be used to refine any part of ourselves. I am so grateful for it because I am far from perfect and its wonderful when you do feel it working in your life. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful new year. Elder Powell

Hey everybody how are you all doing. It was a good week for us. M was baptized on Saturday and it was just so cool to see the tears flow from her eyes. She had a great expeirence and for that I am happy. So it was kind of crazy we were supposed to have Zone Conference on friday but it ended up getting cancelled due to a storm we had. As a result we had P-Day on that day and had Zone Conference on monday. Zone Conference was in State College. It was way cool to drive through the city and see the campus and the Stadium. Both were huge. The Stadium is actually the 2nd largest in the nation. But Zone Conference was so great. You always just feel a new sense of determination and vision after Z.C. We were informed that are mission force would be cut to 88 missionaries in the coming months down from 132 missionaries couple months ago. So we have 1/3rd of the state of Pennsylvania with 88 missionaries haha wow. They are cutting down missionaries in the Northeast because of the lack of heed they have paid to the restored gospel. Its kind of sad but President Pugh talked about Gidians army and how the Lord kept cutting back the army. They were greatly outnumbered but they were able to win the battle as they had the strength of the Lord. President said not to expect less but to expect more. That we can do better then we've ever done before even with less. But many other great things were shared at Zone Conference that I might talk about. But what I am going to talk about is that I felt the spirit strong. That we need to remember the true meaning of Christmas and help lift the spirits of others. Make someone else's Christmas great. Sister Pugh talked about how we are always wondering what are we getting for Christmas but we should be wondering what can we give the Savior on his day. It won't be gold. or mirhh, or frankincense as the wiseman once offered. But it can be a contrite spirit and a broken heart a submission of our will to what the Savior needs us to be. I love my Savior and I pray I can give him myself. For that's what he wants most. I love you all, I hope your happy and that you can feel the Lords love for you. Thank you for everything. Elder Powell

Hey everybody!!I can't believe that Christmas is almost upon us. Did you get to watch the Christmas Devotional; I really liked it. The thing that really caught me was the prophets remarks. He made the comment of the innkeeper that had no room for the baby Jesus and what a great blessing he deprived himself of. He made the anology as if we were the innkeeper. He said do we have room for Jesus. Our house is full of common day items and common day activities but is there room for Jesus. That made me think. If we could all give Jesus the best room and the greatest attention. How blessed we would be for we would come to know him better and feel of his love in more abundance. Matieralistic things vanish away but Christ's love is always there if we will seek for it. My desire is that we will make room for the Savior and give him our best. I hope we can remember him this holiday season and always and do as he would do and be as he would be. Find those who need a hand of fellowship lift their spirits and have the spirit of giving this Christmas. Well onto the work. Its going pretty well. This week was particularly cold. The cold here just soaks through you. It makes it tough but hey at least I'm not up in Siberia haha. T is doing well. She came to the ward Christmas party which was the most unique one I've been too but I'll talk about that a little later. She also came to church. First time in like 20 yrs for her. Im proud of her because she really struggles with anxiety sometimes and I called her sunday morning and she was having one of her spells. But she said ya know what I'm going to church. She came and expressed how glad she was that she came. I love how shes always asking questions and her excitement bout learning. She is definetly growing but I think she's scared to get pushed. Sooner or later she will get wet. M will be baptized this Saturday. I feel like I haven't had to do much work with her because of a family in our ward. She's friends with the daughter and girlfriend of the son. She's got good fellowship and thats the key. We have had to drop alot of investigators because they just arent commitable. But cool exeriences foor me. Made some progress with the S's one of our less active families. We thought it be good to get them involved with the ward somehow besides church. Brother S has alot of Snakes thats basically all he talks about. So we set up an activity where he came and showed the young men the snakes. It went so good. The kids liked it and it meant so much to Brother S. It gave him something to look forward and to do. Plus him and his wife got good fellowship with some of the leaders there. I'll have to send you a picture of his python around my neck. It was pretty scary because the snake was tensing up on me as if it wanted to it could kill me. Haha but no worries all is well just probably won't put a snake around my neck again. But I'm doing good here. Transfers are coming up on the 21st. I have an inclination that I'm leaving we will see I guess.

Elder Powell

If you want to send a package during the holidays email me at kimri@live.com to get information so that we can make sure he gets them for Christmas.

Hey everybody, I am doing well. Had a good thanksgiving. We had the 28th annual turkey bowl and it was a slippery battle. We ended up tying but it was alot of fun except for the soreness I still feel... haha. We had two dinners so we were fed really well. This week was a good one. I think the highlight of the week was the experience with T. We met with her two times this week and she is growing so much. She takes the pamphlets we gave her everywhere. She has read everything we've given her. She asks so many questions and just is so eager to learn. She gave her first vocal prayer of her life and now she asks if she can offer the prayers. She tells us how she prays by herself and her days have gone much better due to that and the things we've taught her. She just said how much her life has changed and improved since we have met with her. She now knows she will see her mom again something that had devastated her. Its so cool bringing hope into peoples lives. She said she would give up coffee by the new year. She is not ready to be baptized but in due time I feel she will be. I am thankful to the Lord for the blessings he has given me. The people I teach our not of my own making but the Lord's. I pray that you all will be happy and that you will feel your lives with the things that matter most. Have a good week. Elder Powell

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey family and friends, this is an E mail from one of my recent converts. It made me so happy I thought you'd like to read it. " Elder Powell. I hope all is going well with your mission. I have been doing well. I received the Aaronic priesthood and blessed the Sacrament two Sundays ago. I also invited my youngest daughter to attend with me and she seemed very excited and interested in learning more about the restoration of the Church and Gospel. She came back again last Sunday. I am attending priesthood advancement class given by President Russell; this is a six week course and so far I have attended two sessions. The priesthood advancement class is very interesting and I am learning much.Barry S has been asked to bless the sacrament this Sunday and he is coming over tonight so I can help him prepare. He will do fine!I just wanted to thank you again for teaching me and having patience. My life has changed and is continuing to change as I study the scriptures and attend classes. I know that what you are doing may not always be easy and requires sacrifice, but you are helping to change lives. May our heavenly Father Bless You!" D..... Thats what makes a mission so worth it. I'm doing great. Happy thanksgiving, love you all. The gospel is true and it brings true lasting happiness. Elder Powell

Hey everybody, hows it going? We just had transfers today. I am staying in Williamsport but Elder Welker got shipped out. Elder Vincent is my new companion. He actually served with my old companion Elder Knecht and Elder Knecht had pretty good things to say about him. I'm excited for a fresh start. We have M who I believe will be baptized this transfer. Plus the area just seems to be picking up. We have a good ward for Pennsylvania standards and It's been nice to serve in strong wards. The leaves have all fallen here and its starting to cool off for winter. Don't worry though, I received my package so I won't freeze this winter, haha. I'm glad to hear the family is doing well. I love you guys so much. We had Stake Conference this sunday and it focused on the temple. How a temple is a refuge and how it can provide such a strength in our lives. It is essential that we go. I so wish I could go but I cannot. I would encourage you all to live so you can go to the temple and go often. It's cool seeing new people come into the church and have them go to the temple. We had a couple people go for the first time last week and they were touched by the experience. I want you all to know that I do have a testimony of the gospel and am so grateful for all the aspects it contains. I often neglect to be grateful for all the blessings the gospel affords. I love you all pray for you. Love Elder Powell

Another week has passed I am now on the last week of the transfer. This week we were able to teach M and she wants to get baptized. So we will set her with a date in a little while, in the meantime we will work to build her testimony. Actually our first lesson with her went really good. We watched the Restoration DVD and it was a spiritual expierence for everyone there. Her boyfriend J made the comment that it was the first time he'd felt the spirit in a long time, that was cool. I don't know if I told you I apologize if I have already but you know the Webers that live on grandpas land. Well their grandparents live in Williamsport in my ward. They are a really nice and they told me how J.C is serving in Toronto so thats a cool small world I say. But I really don't have alot to write. C is actually moving out of the area so we are a little bummed about that. We were unable to meet with M this week. I pray that you all are happy and living the gospel. For by living the gospel you are happier and are able to have Gods guiding hand in your life. Love you all

Williamsport-Week 5

It was a week to be remembered. Time does not permit me to write all the things I would like to but I will share a little of my week. Going to the Aaronic Priesthood Restoration Site was such a wonderful spirit. Truly that is sacred place there. We looked where the Smiths and the Hales homes once stood learned a little more about them and the history of the area. We went to the graveyard and saw the Hales and Josephs son buried. We saw the large monument and other things as well. But the greatest part was taking the quiet walk thru the woods to the Susquehanna River. We passed Josephs creek the place hed fetch his water every day. We stopped at the edge of the river nestled next to an overhanging tree. President Pugh adressed us he got quite emotional and so did the rest of us. He read a little of Josephs story and told us how privleged we were to teach the gospel in Josephs backyard. That hit me strongly. I feel so blessed to be serving in the land of the Restoration. Joseph Smith was and is my hero. Sitting there in the hushed reverance of the whispering trees and trickling river the spirit once again strongly testified to me that the work that Joseph Smith did was true and valid. That he was a prophet, that the heavens arent closed that heavenly father loves us. It was very neat looking where the Prophet was baptized and where John the Baptist stood. President Pugh let us have some time to ourselves. I walked down to the river and just observed the beauty and reality of these events. I offered a Prayer and I felt a wonderful feeling of peace and love. Although on the outside I was shivering inside I felt warm. The spirit was there it was tangible. Not in the sense you could see it but you could feel it. How grateful I was to walk where Joseph walked and think of the marvelous events that occured. These things I know to be true. We can all have these feelings where the spirit touches us strongly. We dont need to go to a sacred site to feel it. We can feel it within our own homes, and in our own lives. You have to be humble, and you have to be patient and worthy then the Holy Ghost can have room to feel your hearts. Afterwards we had a testimony meeting which was quite touching everyone seemed to have been affected by that wonderful place. The rest of the week was not filled with alot of success; at least compared to last week but we had some great news. So M is doing well she also had a friend listen to us and she wants to learn more. We had a ward member who referred us to a very solid contact. She has actually been attending church for the past year with her boyfiend but has not been baptized her name is Me. Us Elders got to sing Called To Serve with the primary in their primary program that was fun. We also got to teach the priests quorum The Restoration and talked to them about misionary work. I hope we can inspire some of them. The men out here arent as apt to go on missions. Missions are blessings Im doing well; got to go my times up I love you all I hope to hear from ya soon
Elder Powell

Williamsport-Week 4

Wow what an amazing week. We were so extremely blessed this week. We taught so much and found many new people. Just to give you an idea the last two weeks prior we taught 28 other lessons and 4 new investigators combined. This last week we taught 20 other lessons and found 12 NEW INVESTIGATORS. What a blessing and I believe it came from our obedience to a particular principle. So we have weekly planning every Friday which takes on average 3 hrs. In the past I really didnt take weekly planning that seriously and didn't plan out very effective weeks. The last two Fridays we have made an increased effort to plan every hour of each day and feel it with effective plans. That way we are showing the Lord what we want to do and where we are going to be. I have gained a testimony of weekly planning. The Lord placed many opurtunities in our path. And why? We were willing to excercise our faith and let the Lord take control. I believe this applies to every aspect of the gospel. If we will do what is asked of us and excercise our faith (even if we dont know why in the world we should be doing it) then that invites the Lord into the equation. He wants us to trust him and obey his gospel and in his own time blessings will come. Remember you recieve no witness until after the trial of your faith. (Ether 12:6) So often we dont work smart and try to do things ourselves and we neglect the helping hand of the Lord. We have two people we are really excited about. M who I already discussed and C whom the Lord put in our path. We had such a spiritual lesson with him. He was so eager to learn and when we gave him a B.O.M to read he was so grateful and excited. So those are the two main people I would ask that you would keep in your prayers. I really like this area sure there are some people that really test you but thats ok.On Wednesday we are going to Susquehanna to the Priesthood Restoration Site, I am so so excited. Joseph Smith is perhaps the strongest point of testimony. People try and denounce him and try to paint a false picture about him. But I cannot deny that I know he was a true prophet. The restored gospel hinges on that fact. If he was which I testify he was then this is Gods church and if not then this is just another Christian denomination. I feel very blessed I love you all and I pray for happiness and success. Love Elder Powell

Williamsport

Well I have so much I could write but not enough time. So I will do my best.
Williamsport has been great thus far. I love the fact that we can teach so much
here. Just last week we taught 23 lessons which is alot more then I would teach
in Ephrata. I love it because it helps me to become a better teacher and have
more opportunities to help people. Although I bike like a madman I do enjoy
biking alot. I'm sore every night I come home but Its funner to be on bikes and
its getting me in better shape. As I mentioned before it is so beautiful here.
Although our area is very small and just consists of Williamsport it is
surrounded by mountains and the Susquehanna river. The colors are starting to
change and it just a few weeks its going to be gorgeous. I think the coolest
teaching experience I had came yesterday right before we were about to turn in
we taught a 16 year old boy named D. He listened intently and was excited
at the prospect of there being a prophet on the earth. He asked where the church
was and he said he would be coming this sunday. We commited him to read about
Alma the Younger as he has been in a similar situation. I have good feelings
and I believe that he is ready and willing I guess time will tell. But I wanted
to comment on conference. Boy how I loved conferece. It was full of powerful
stuff that boosted my xcitement, determination,and love for the gospel. I
learned many thing from it. But a few thing specifically stuck out in my mind
that is the message of the reality of a living prophet and what a blessing that
is, the need to stay out of the world. How we must keep our standards and the
commandments. We must not sink and decay like the world is very apparently
doing. We must have hope and have a love for life. Things probably will get
harder but that doesnt mean we have to be mesirable and worrisome. We need to
love life and follow the prophet and the commandments. If we do that we have no
need to fear and we will be strengthened to overcome the things that life throws
at us. I believe the second coming is near I got that vibe very strongly from
the prophet and apostles. We must prepare and get our lives in order. We must
not wait, we must do it NOW. As long we are headed in the right direction we need
not fear. We must unite with the church and our family and stay away from Satans
evil influences. A few quotes really stuck with me. "In the midst of
winter we find an invincible summer." "Faith is not just a feeling it
is a decision" "Meekness is not weakness its Christain courage."
"The lord doesnt ask us to walk across a continent he asks us to walk
across the street and talk to a neighbor about the gospel" "Find Joy
in the Journey" "If we feel our lives with a pile of tommorows we
might find alot of empty yesterdays." Many more amazing things were said.
But I learned that we must make the most out of our lives now. Stop wasting time
and focus on whats important. Gain a testimony and rely on the Lord. We are
nothing without him. I have a testimony this is the only true church on the face
of the earth. We have a living prophet. How greatful I am to have a prophet in
these troubling times. The Savior died for us and he wants us to have a strong
relationship with him. He wants to help us if we will but humble ourselves and
ask. Ask and ye shall recieve knock and it shall be opened unto you. I love you
all I hope life is going well and I hope to hear from you soon.

Elder Powell

transfer

What a great week it was. I'd say a great week to end my stay in Ephrata. The
greatest thing that happened was the baptism of DT; what a great
experience but I will talk about that later. You know how I said I would eat
23 slices, I actually exceeded that and I ate 25 slices and yes I won. I got pretty
chunky after that so I don't think I will try that again haha. We ate dinner at
the K and ate pig stomach, cow stomach, snapping turtle soup, chicken pot
pie, and whoopie and shoefly pies. All in all it wasn't too bad and the snapper soup
was pretty good. Well on to the baptism. The baptism went so good the spirit was
definately there. I had the oppurtunity to baptize him so that was neat. Before
the baptism we asked him if he was ready and he said "absolutley".
After the baptism he said he felt good. I think the coolest part about this
experience was the confirmation on sunday. After he was confirmed we sat down
and he leaned over with a smile on his face and said "that was
powerful". He went on to explain that he felt a power come into him and I
explained to him indeed that was the Holy Ghost. As it was fast and testimony
meeting he later got up and bore his testimony. What a powerful testimony it
was. Short and simple but strikes you too the heart. He said that this baptism
was life changing for him and he wants to continue to learn and grow. I have
grown to love D as he has grown so much and he has become a new person. As for
the rest of the people I met I developed many good relationships with people. I
had a good ward and had alot of good memories here. Ephrata was a good place we
we were blessed with success and I grew alot. I feel I did what I needed to do in
Ephrata and I was ok with leaving. I was a little nervous as this would be my
first transfer to a new area. You get butterflys and excited as you await your
name to be called on the board. So are you ready to hear where my new area
is......................
WILLIAMSPORT. I was excited you might know it because thats where the little
league world series is held. I am in a bike area so I am going to freeze haha.
My companion is Elder Welker he is a very nice guy you can just tell hes very
loving. He is from Provo, Utah. Well I'll write next week, I kind of need to get
unpacked. I hope your all doing great let me know how your doing. Love you all.

Transfer 3-Week 6

Haha, crazy how much difference a week can make. Last week we found 1
investigator and this week we found 9. I have some very good news D told us
that he still wants to go through with the baptism, and AM as well so I
think we will have two baptisms this Saturday. I have been so blessed in this
area, especially with solid investigators who will stay strong in the gospel. I
would rather have two solid baptisms then 100 not solid investigators. Baptism
is just the first step and we need them to be converted so they can endure to
the end. I don't know if I told you but J is struggling right now so pray
for him. The work has been rolling; it seems like everything is starting to fit
together as the transfer is about to come to a close. I believe that I will be
getting shipped out. Ephrata has been a great place. We've had quite a bit of
success the ward members are strong, and its just so cool being around this
different kind of culture. This week shold be great we have alot of dinner appointments set up including
one with the Kramers. Guess what they are feeding us. Tripe, pig
stomach,snapping turtle soup,chicken pot pie, and whoopie pies talk about an
interesting menu. Today for P-Day we are going to play ball and go to CC's
Pizza. I got myself into a predicament so the sisters in the district had been
boasting on how much they could eat so I challenged them to a contest I said I
wopuld eat 23 pieces of pizza so we will see how that goes. Me and Elder Knecht
get along well; we complement each other nicely. He's kind of the bold and says what he
wants and he has the brains. I'm more of the tender one but not the brains.
He's great and has helped me alot and I have learned alot from him. So we met
some very interesting people on Saturday.

So we have the Ephrata fair coming up this week and I guess its a really big deal.
They close off like a a mile stretch of road on main street for a whole week. Im
sure we will have plenty of chances to talk to people. It will definately take me
out of my comfort zone. I'm sure there will be many people annoyed at us but if
we can just find some poeple searching it will make it worth it. Saturday
is the Day I am so excited, we have been blessed. I have seen the gospel change
lives. It is true it brings greater happiness. I think we myself included take
for granted the gospel at times. But there are people are searching for
something that can feel their souls and we have what they need. When we have the
gospel does that mean that everything will go well in our lives, no it doesn't.
But it means that we can be supported in our trails, we can recieve answers to
prayer, it means we can have understanding of the whole eternal scheme of
things. When we have an Eternal perspective it makes us plow through the trails
with greater strength. So I want you to know that we belong to the true church I
KNOW THAT. Well I neglected to tell you about Zone Conference which was amazing.
The spirit was so strong and I learned alot. If I were to wirte you everything
I learned It would take up another four pages. I think the thing that was really
stressed was to build a strong foundation and then you can be strong enough to
endure the winds and storms that come. Also they streesed alot about obedience
that God can raise us to a higher plane but only if we are willing to sacrifice.
I loved what Rusell M.Nelson had to say. He said "The only thing we have
that is truly ours to offer is our will." That is so true everything else
was given to us by God. So let us be a little better and stand a little Taller
as President Hinckley said. I love you all I pray for your happiness and
success

Hello

Hello to all who reads this.
This week not a whole lot happened. We didnt have too much success but hey some
weeks are better then others. I think the highlight of my week was yesterday. We
went to the Hershey Theatre for Stake Conference. What a neat and ornate place.
It did have a different feel then a normal church building. I
sat up on the balcony. It was a good conference I think the themes that were hit
the most was member missionary work and not getting offended. They talked about
how members shouldn't worry what people think and that there are people want to
hear the message but we aren't willing to open our mouths. Yes, I understand that
many people will scoff at us and totally reject the message but it makes it all
worth it if you can bring one person in. If people only could get past the
misconceptions of this church they would find the greatness of this gospel.
Elder Zwick was the General Authority that came to visit. What a kind and
gracious man. After conference we drove through Chocolate World which was
pretty interesting. Last night was great; we ate dinner at the Fitzsimmons home
and had an awesome testimony meeting in their home. What a great spirit filled
room. It reaffirmed to me that this is the true church. I hope all is going
well you are in my prayers.

Love Elder Powell

Transfer 3- Week 4

Well Hey Everyone!!
What an interesting week it was, I will talk about it in a little bit. I am wondering how you all are doing. It sounded like the funeral went amazing and that things went as good as they could. I know that the pain still might linger for awhile but in time all we will remember is the sweet memories we had withGrandpa and how we will have more with him in the next life. You all remain in my prayers I thank you for your prayers and support. I have honestly felt at peace with this whole situation I think in large part to your prayers. Rely on the Lord and he will give thee strength. And when you do recieve that strength dont forget to keep praying and doing the things we are supposed too. It's easier too pray when we have things that we need but its perhaps a bit harder when things are going well and we don't feel as much of a need to pray. I know this is something I need to work on and I pray you will all stay close to the Savior. Well enough with my councel; I'll comment a little on my week.....Brother Clodie took us to Shady Maple again; oh my I love that place. News on our investigator J is doing well. He likes what we are teaching. He made the comment so what is expected of me if I become a member of your church I thought that was pretty cool. We then proceeded to teach tithing Haha and he accepted. We actually found out that J is a member of a band back in Ecuador called Prophecyas and I guess they were pretty popular in their country. J says hewill come to church this week. D is doing well he still said that the 27thwill work. He still has to finish the B.O.M but he's almost there and when he does finish I am very confident that he will be baptized. So Ive got a funny story so I tried cutting my hair for the first time. It was going well until the very end when I was going up my head the glide fell off and took a HUGE chunk out of my head. Elder Knecht tried to fix it but its still very visible. Not to mention a general authoruity is coming in two weeks I hope my hair can grow faster then it ever has Haha. Well I wanted to leave you with a story that I really liked its called Arabian Stallions. Many years ago in Arabia there lived a man whose name was Ben Yussef. He and his son were very wealthy. Their wealth came from breeding and training Arabian Stallions that were famous for their speed, beauty, and sturdiness. Each year the horses were trained and sold. They were always in great demand, but eachyear Ben Yussef and his son kept the very best for themselves. Training beganwhen the horses were very young and they were trained so that each one answer tothe call "Kyama,Kyama." When these words were heard there was athunder of hooves, swishing of manesnd tails as the horses obediently respondedto their master. One day Ben Yussef turned to his son ans said that the time hadcome for the sorting of the horses-the time for testing. These horses which hadbeen given the very best, now gradually had their luxuries cut off. Their feedwas cut down and barely enough to keep them alive and they were turned out oftheir satbles into stubby fields. Their coats were neglected and became dirtyand ragged. They were not given enough water, and they looked wild and thin.They no longer looked like the thouroughbreds they had once been. After severalmonths Ben and his son and several stable hands, reigned up the horses and ledthem to a field. Beyond its gates lay another field that everything the thehorses ever dreamed of-bran and hay,clear water, thick green pastures.The horsesshined and pulled against their reins to get to the field.Finally Ben called"Open the Gates!" the way was clear. There was nothing to stop themThe horses began to gallop, and then came the call. "Kyama,Kyama." Thehorses pricked their ears, some rushed straight on, and some looked back, then galloped on. But some stopped, turned ever so slowly, and walked back to BenYused. As Ben Yussef looked at the stallions in front of him, he said with emotion and pride-"These are my Chosen." I loved that story i think itdirectly relates to us. Their are temptations before us that look very appealingsuch as those green pastures. But the Lord calls for obedience and those whoobey him and come unto him are his chosen. I Pray we can all be his Chosen I love you all take care. Elder Powell

NOTE-Elder Powell's grandpa Blane Hendricks passed away on August 28th & that is what he is referring to in his email.

Transfer 3 week 2

Hey Family and Friends
How is everything going?
DT is doing really well. Its so cool to see his testimony growing. He has all positive stuff to say about the church, and he asks questions, and gets into the lessons. And we interact well with him. Its amazing to see his tranformation even over the years. I guess he has a daughter
and his ex-wife that are members. Anyways he used to be so against the church
and even prevented them from coming. He truly wants to know if our claim of the only true church is correct. The whole experience he has been sincere. He's firmly committed on his own to finish the B.O.M this week. When we were leaving at the end of our last visit he
said." Im excited to see you guys next time I come, and who knows maybe I'll
have some exciting information before then." I'm pretty excited; I'm pretty
sure we will get him baptized.

Another cool experience was with J. as you know it has been very difficult to see him. In fact we hadn't seen or heard from him in over a couple weeks. We were wondering what in the world is going on. Well as we were coming home one night we got stuck in traffic and it was pretty
annoying. Well it took awhile and then we stoped for Gas. Guess who was there
J. We talked to him found out that he had been working two shifts lately. We
gave him some chapters to read. We set up a time with them. That was a miracle.
The Lord controlled the traffic so we could be in the right place at the exact
right time so we could talk to Javier. Kinda crazy but awesome.

We found a cool dude named R. He was very nice and we are excited for him.
Well AM's baptism keeps getting pushed back due to scheduling
problems. So we now have him swcheduled for the 27th of September.

A little sad news two people in our ward are in the hospital so if you would pray for Brother
H and Brother B that would be awesome. It is crazy how many
blessings we have had to give lately. Well the work is going good. Difficult but
rewarding. I'd love to hear from you all; take care and God
Bless you. This is the True Church.

Week 6 transfer 2

Wow, I'm almost done with my second transfer; it is amazing how fast time flys out here. I hit my three month mark on thursday. This week has been filled with highs and lows. Do you remember when I told you about J my first weekend how I had high hopes for him; we were finally able to teach him. The lesson went amazing and he was so receptive and willing to listen and do what we asked him. With that in mind he then proceded to miss three appointments in a row and that was pretty dissapointing. I don't get it; he really seemed sincere, I honestly feel though that things just popped up that got in the way and that he still isinterested at hearing our message. DT has been VERY busy with work so we haven't been able to meet with him these last two weeks so pray for those two people especially. We found four new investigators this week which was good. I would say its been a pretty good week and I'm excited we have another baptism coming up this saturday. It's for AB; she is a 12 year old girl and then we have another one coming up the following week. The weather here has been very nice; its been like 80 the last week so perfect tempature.

July 28th Email

The Lord has blessed us so much this week. We had B's baptism on Saturday and the spirit was strong. There was such a reverance and peace there. As I looked into B's eyes I saw a sparkle that I didn't notice before. Ya know B really doesnt show that much emotion but I truly think he enjoyed the baptism and felt the spirit. Elder Knecht was telling me how B kept thanking him for Baptizing him. The wonderful thing was that DT came to thebaptism and it looked like tears were in his eyes. He came to church likewise and after church he commented that he liked the feeling he had church. I want him to get baptized so bad, he's so close. He just wants to read the whole B.O.M first. Yesterday in sacrament I had the oppurtunity to confirm B a member and give him the Holy Ghost. I was grateful fo that oppurtunity. Along with these things we've recieved 4 referals this week which is amazing. Considering me and Elder Mitchell had like 4 are whole transfer. We set someone with a date for the 23rd of August and we will set another person this week. Hopefully we can set DT with a date sometime in the next few weeks as he finishes the B.O.M. I really hope I can stay at least one more transfer so I can see DT get baptized I have a great hope that he will. The other day we were driving out in the country and it was gorgeous with the blazing red sunset. Unfortunatly I didn't have my camera.

Blessed

Elder Powell's latest email...I'm using ititials for the name for privacy purposes.

We have been so blessed the last few days. We had four investigators out at church. We had B who is getting baptized this saturday, we had DK who came to the church for the first time in 31 years, we had DT, and we had AM who is a youth who has not been baptized yet. It's so amazing because combined I think weve had four investigators combined come to church my previous two months of the mission. Everything just worked out yesterday. The messages in Sacrament and in the classes were seriously meant for our investigators. They all seemed very attentive and seemed like they were touched by the spirit. I know I was church yesterday really gave me a boost. Saturday we taught D.T and he is so sincere. He really wanting to know that this is the true church. We committed him to give up coffee which he did without hesitation and he committed to finishing the B.O.M in the next couple weeks. Keep him in your prayers that he will recieve his answer me and ElderKnecht are going to fast for him next sunday. I am confident he will recieve the answer that yes this is the true church of God. Once he recieves that answer I know he will be a strong member of the church because of his puredesire. I really am starting to grow in love and friendship towards the peopleI teach and offer service too. DT is a great guy andI love B too. I am so excited for B's baptism this saturday at 2. There is quiet a bit of preparation we will have to do to make the baptism happen. I feel so blessed to be having a baptism in my first area especially because Ephrata is pretty set in their ways. The Lord is also blessing us with new referals and opportunities I am certainly not deserving of all the blessings im recieving....... I have a testimony that God loves us and that this life that we live is bigger then anything we can imagine. My testimony of Joseph Smith and the restorationis sure it did happen I testify of that help us grow. Stay close to the Lord. It is through him that we can have the most happiness in our lives. I pray for you all and love you all so

Transfers

Elder Powell wrote...

I am doing pretty good, I can't believe my first transfer is over. My trainer Elder Mitchell has been shipped out. He was a good companion. He taught me how to serve your companion with love and obedience. I am a liitle anxious because it is up to me to show my new companion Elder Knecht around the area and introduce investigators, and ward members. So that will make me grow. ElderKnecht is from Sothern California. He seems really cool just relaxed and a nice guy. I'm excited for an oppurtunity to start fresh and make this transfer even better then the last one. I'm excited because we set one of our investigators for baptism on the 26th, hopefully he will continue to follow through with his commtitments.

Glimpse into Elder Powell's most recent email

I have to say this was a discouraging week. Appointments fell through left and right, people didnt want to listen to us. Anti-Mormon stuff all over around here. You really have to put on a courageous face at times with all the rejection and rudeness people bestow on us. But hey the Lord is giving me an oppurtunity to grow in ways that I couldn't grow anywhere else. I had a cool experience yesterday had been a long day until we came across two Columbian people. Elder Mitchell started speaking Spanish with them while I just watched and acted like I was helping since I truly am not since I know little spanish.I thought of Cory during this and for a second it seemed like I was in his mission. Anyways it was so cool cause they actually asked if we would come see them and not the other way around which NEVER HAPPENS. We were blessed by the Lord when we needed a blessing.

Chanse wants your testimony

Chanse wants everyone to send them their testimonies. He wants to know how you came to know the church was true and how you became converted. You can send these in the mail or to his email address.

Notice that his email address is different then before. He changed it and will not be getting mail at the other address.

Things are going good....

On a letter written to his family (although this is good advice for all families) he says "I just want to let you know that my family is the most important thing to me, and I would encourage you guys to do all that you can to build memories, and be closer, and just get to know each other better. Because those are the experiences that I cherish. I am so grateful for all the support you guys give me, I'm so grateful for all the Lord has given me."

On Tuesdays & Thursdays Elder Powell helps out at a Nursing Home. They play bingo...it sounds like tough work to me:)

Here are some pictures of his Mission President & Companion Elder Mitchell.

Write Elder Powell a Letter

Elder Powell will leave the MTC 6:15am Monday Morning. We'd love to have lots of letters arrive to greet him. He's doing great & excited about the work. Here is his permanent address....always send it to this address. All packages need to be sent by US Priority Mail so that they can be forwarded to him.

Elder Chanse Powell

Pennsylvania Harrisburg Mission

3903 Hartzdale Dr. Suite 303

Camp Hill, PA 17011

Two Companions

Elder Powell has two companions; Elder Baker is from Draper, UT & is the District Leader and Elder Childs is from Bountiful Ut. He said they are both great & that he is learning to rely on the lord. He'd love to hear from everyone. His email address is EPHarrisburg@myldsmail.net

Change of Address....

When Elder Powell got into the MTC they gave him a different address.

Elder Chanse Eugene Powell
MTC Mailbox #224
PA-HARR 0526
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

He wants lots of letters so start writing now:)

We'll update this with his new address when he leaves the MTC so keep checking back.

Elder Powell goes to the MTC

Chanse (now Elder Powell) entered the MTC today! Mom and Dad were so proud of him, and how he handled the whole experience! We will all miss him so much, but it's exciting to see how enthusiastic and ready he is to serve.