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.