HIYA!!

 Hiya!!

The most exciting thing here is the member missionary work that's been happening--we've been trying to make Durango a self-sufficient ward, so even if there are missionaries in the future who don't want to do anything, the ward can still do pretty well on their own. So far, we have one family doing a weekly discussion night at their home (shoutout to the Hugentoblers!), a frequent (every couple of weeks) dodgeball night for the ward to invite friends to, an entire sacrament meeting coming up in April devoted to missionary work and the ward mission plan, which is one of the best I've ever heard. We're trying to help the entire ward pray nightly and fast monthly for missionary work and specifically for the opportunity to invite others to hear the message of the gospel. So yeah! The fire is really starting to catch here, which is awesome sauce. 

As far as companions, I have 2! This is Elder Longino and I's 4th transfer together; we'll have been together 6 months by the end. He's awesome, and we really get along great. We also work together great, which is good. He's also working on handstands! My other companion is Elder Waite. This is my second transfer with him. Elder Longino and I love him!

In other news, this week was supah dupah exciting!!! We've been working with Mike Kehn quite a bit; he's our recent convert with a new wee little one who's been keeping him and his wife up until super late at night... the amount of progress he's made since we first started meeting with him has been incredible... he still has some issues he's working on, but he know's the power of the atonement, and nothing is going to keep him from making full use of it. I also made mom's wheat berry salsa, and it is ahhhhmazing. Can't believe I went 10 months without that stuff... Oh! And we got a tandem bicycle to use from the bishop!! Durango is super bike town, so it's a great tool for greater visibility and getting out among the people (kinda hard to talk to someone about the gospel when you're driving a Tacoma....) See attached pictures, but it's been so fantastic. To inaugurate the new transfer, and the bike, we may or may not have shaved our legs as a tripanionship this past Monday (no pictures attached, for good reason. Worst mistake evah.)  We also helped set up the Pinewood derby and weigh cars in! And I thought wrestling weigh-ins were intense... Got the chance to give a few blessings! Durango is kind of the medical hub for the surrounding area, so we get called in to give blessings relatively frequently... This week we had the chance to give a blessing whilst wearing rubber gloves and masks! (the recipient had a mix of pneumonia and the flu... If I don't email next week, you all know why XD). I've got to be honest, giving blessings is one of my favorite part of being where I am... It's incredible to have revelation work in such a way that you know what the Lord needs the recipient to hear... And that's been my week!!

To close, here's an excellent parable told to us yesterday by our rocking ward mission leader: 

Once there was an apple tree. All of the apples were happy until one day, one apple said o another apple on the other side of the tree: "Hey! You're hot!" From that point on, all of the apples tried to look just like that apple; polishing themselves, beefing themselves up, slimming down, etc. etc. Time went on, as it tends to do, and winter came. All of the apples fell off of the tree and died. Spring came, and the seeds from within the now rotted apples (even the shiniest apples rotted) began to grow into something more. They became apple trees. It was at this moment that the former apples realized something--in all the time they worried about looking like the ideal apple, they lost focus on who and what they were destined to become. Trees! You were meant to be more than just an apple. Be healthy and temperate in all things, but don't lose focus of why you're here. You have the seeds of divinity within you. Cultivate your divine nature. Never forget your eternal identity, and recognize that even the worst looking apples have the seeds of trees within.

I love you all!!!

Have an incredible week. 

Elder Kraus