Andrew's Baptism!!! :D Super Service and Hiking Adventures‏

Hello loved ones!!!

Sooo these past few days have been absolutely insane. Let's start with the week's highlight: his name?

Andrew Lindbloom.

Andrew is somewhat of a legend. I've had the blessing of teaching him since I first came to Durango in November. He's been steadily learning and living the Gospel for such a long time (he's literally been a full tithe-payer for over a year) and this past week, (the 4th, to be exact :)), he was finally baptized. The spirit there was indescribable. People like Andrew remind us every time the absolute joy that comes from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Andrew included on his baptismal program the following words from Boyd K. Packer:

"If we could only understand

All we have heard and seen,

We'd know there is no greater gift

Than those two words-- "Washed clean!""

I know that that statement is true. There's nothing that brings greater peace or consolation than the knowledge that, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and through the Ordinances and Covenants of His Gospel, we can become clean. Clean from our mistakes, and comforted through the mistakes of others. All that is unfair in this life will be made right through Christ. I love that!

On a slightly less serious note, Andrew makes the greatest Reuben (king of sandwiches) that I've ever had. Ever. If you're ever in Durango, go to Bart's Deli (across from Walmart). It will be one of the greatest food choices you've ever made. :)

In other news, transfers happened! Annnnd (drum roll please) I'm staying in Durango! :D this'll be 9 months here... I've been blessed with 2 of the greatest areas in the mission (Kayenta and here), and I hope never to leave.

Anywho, it's been a long time since I've sent any pictures, sooo here's pictures of some of the adventures from the last few weeks! We hiked with the Red Mancos District last week in Vallecito, and the Cortez District this week in Mesa Verde! At the risk of sounding somewhat elitist, I must say we have the most beautiful Zone in the mission. And this last Saturday, before the baptism, we got the opportunity to help Brother Monie clear some ENORMOUS trees off of his property. We're not able to use power-tools, but that didn't stop us from being the greatest lifters and clearers of logs and brush there ever was! Enjoy the pictures :) 

Exchanges, Meetings, Memorial Day, and other general craziness‏

Hello hello!! :)

So this week flew by so quick.

Last Tuesday, had an exchange with Elder Thalman in Farmington. Twas wonderful seeing how to better help those in my area to improve and come closer to Christ. After that, went straight into an exchange with Elder Erikson in Red Mesa. It's interesting to see just how much of a difference in culture can exist in communities less than an hour away. Even with those differences though, we are all children of God, with the same basic needs, wants, problems, and weaknesses. What's incredible to see is just how universal the Gospel and Atonement of Jesus Christ are in meeting life's challenges and transforming them into areas of growth and progression :)

Saturday, Andrew got interviewed for baptism (passed with flying colors, of course :))-- He has come such a long way in his life to reach this point, and we couldn't be more excited for him!! 

We've been in the process of developing a plan with our Ward Mission Leader, to supplement efforts of the ward council to reach out and rescue those who may have fallen away. We'll be helping the members to take responsibility for the social conversion of those we've been teaching, and it seems like it's just going to be wonderful :)

Also had the opportunity to test run the new pamphlets this week and present them at a meeting in Farmington yesterday. My favorite one is entitled Families and Temples. This is essentially the "Why" of the Gospel. God loves you. You are literally His child, and were a part of His family before you came to Earth. He's provided a way to be happy in this life, to have the most joy in our own families, and a way to bind your family together forever. That way is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, found in His church. There is no better way to have lasting joy or peace. That's our message. Simple. Wonderful. True. And the greatest part is, this isn't something we expect anyone to accept on the merits of our word alone. You can know for yourself. 

Out of time today, but I love you all! Please email or write if you have any questions!!

Elder Kraus

P.O. Box 4252

Durango, CO 81302

Return of the Trio :D‏

Hello loved ones!!!

This week was crazy. And Phenomenal. Mostly Phenomenal. :) 

Some big things happened this week. 

Like, really big.

We got another companion!! Seems like Durango is really the place for tripanionships, and I love it. Elder Mowrey came to be with us Wednesday morning, and it has been an absolute blast. Put together 3 missionaries who love the people, the gospel, and the area, and life is awesome. Plus, he was at BYU before he came out, so that's pretty cool too. :)

Zone Training on Thursday went wonderfully! Many great trainings, many great resolutions for improvement in the future.

One of the biggest things to happen was Andrew Lindbloom! He's been waiting to get baptized since I came here, and finally the roadblocks holding him back are gone gone GONE! :D I've never seen someone so prepared or ready for making this covenant with God. 

Apart from that, Durango is progressing forward magnificently. The members are growing in their desires to do missionary work, the people we have the blessing of working with are growing closer to God and recognizing it, and the missionaries in this area are growing in their love for the Lord and His work. I've never been happier :)

I love this Gospel. This is the way Heavenly Father has provided for us to grow, to become better, and to truly be HAPPY. Not the fleeting joy that comes from key lime pie, or finishing a race, or falling asleep after a long day, no matter how wonderful those things may be, but TRULY happy, regardless of circumstance. The peace that living the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings passes all understanding. Try it, find new life, new opportunities, and a greater joy than any ever felt.

I love you all,

Elder Kraus

Hello All! :)‏

Hi family! This week was pretty great! Here's an excerpt from my letter to the President:

Hello President Adams!!

This week was a pretty great one. We've really been working with the members here a lot, and it's beginning to come to fruition. We had the blessing of 4 new investigators this week, and 2 of those 4 new investigators came from member referrals! So that was wonderful to see :) We also had the opportunity to take Elder Vineyard on an exchange this week--he's doing so very well! His teaching skills have grown so much since the time we were together, and he leads with purpose, direction, and charity in his district. Physically, I've been feeling pretty good... Elder Gray and I have been trying to run a little more in the mornings; hoping that will help my body composition improve in the future. Spiritually, I feel like I'm doing pretty ok... Personal prayers offered this past week weren't the greatest; I have goals to improve that in this coming week. Emotionally, I'm missing home a bit right now, with family friends getting married, birthdays, new jobs, etc. etc.... It's a little bit difficult not being able to be there and be a part of that, and sometimes it feels like they're all progressing in life while I'll come home outdated and a little stagnant, but I know this is what I need to be doing at this time in my life. It's not about me, it's about those whom I have been called to serve, and I have been called to serve and bless and uplift and help everyone I come into contact with, the way the Savior would if he were here. So this week, I'm going to do my best to completely shift my focus to what I can do to help those around me. Hoping an improvement in outlook and attitude will come as a result :)

Elder Gray and I had a great Zone Training planning session, and we're super excited for it this week! And Stake Vitality looks like it should be good as well; we're hoping to discuss implementation of Phase 2 in the wards with President Johnson, to see what the missionaries in the Stake can do to best help it really get started.

Anywho, have an excellent week! Let us know if there's anything we can do for you :)

So yeah! That kind of sums up this week.... In terms of crazy cool happenings, we've been riding the bikes a lot more, and meeting tons of people! We even got to slackline with a kid named Nash and talk about the Gospel with him! We'll see where that goes in the coming weeks :) I've been loving how teaching is going with Elder Gray, and we've had quite a few opportunities to give blessings in this last week... It's been really cool to feel Heavenly Father talk through me... There's definitely been a difference since I first came out on the mission, I feel much more in tune, if that makes sense.... 

So yeah! This week was rockin :)

Oh! And a Less Active gave me some cowboy boots. They. Are. Wonderful. Best service boots I've ever owned. And they fit just about perfect (with a couple of insoles on the inside XD).

Annd adventures of P-Day. We stopped in to the local Crossfit Gym to visit a member. Got the chance to play with the rings and kettlebell for a bit. Not where I want to be yet, buuttt I didn't do too bad :)

Have a fantastic week everyone! :) Love you!

Meetings, Miracles, Mother's Day :D (And Bikes and Kettlebells)‏

Was attempting some alliteration in the subject line; couldn't figure out how to do that with bikes and kettlebells... 

Anywho,

This week was AHHMAZING! First off, shoutout to my incredible mother--twas so good to see your face and hear your voice. I apologize to any other mothers out there, but mine is numbah one :)

So, this week was pretty incredible! Tuesday was Elder Gray's first MLC; that went so well! We were pretty tired when we got back home, but still managed to have an awesome lesson with Cody on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's been really cool to see him grow in faith as he continues to read and act. Terry and Isaac are also doing so well!! We were able to teach them about the process of gaining an answer through the Book of Mormon at the Hugentoblers on Thursday, and Terry's been feeling something as she reads! We're so excited to teach her and him again later this week. We also received an outpouring of referrals from the members here! Annnd every one we've been given so far has been ridiculously promising. Teaching many of them again this week. Miracles are happening in Durango, and I couldn't be more excited to have the opportunity to be here to be a part of that process :) Friday and Saturday, we took Elder Erikson on an exchange, and rode bikes all day on Saturday... It's definitely a change for an Elder, coming from just driving to riding, but he did really well :) We committed to talking to everyone we could see, and it led to some great potentials! There were some pretty awkward conversations, with people who weren't quite interested, but it was still a great growing and learning experience for us all :) Probably one of the coolest and most unique things to happen was the kettlebell guy. We were riding up main, when a hailstorm started. we went for a little bit of shelter underneath some trees in the park, when we saw this guy throwing 2 18 lb. kettlebells up behind his back with one arm and catching them. With his eyes closed. For those of you who don't know, I LOVE kettlebells, sooo we went and talked to him. He now knows who the missionaries are and what we do, and I now know how to do a 720 kettlebell swing to a catch (swing the kettlebell up, hit it so it spins around twice, then catch the handle with the other arm). Twas wonderful. I love this gospel. I know this is the Gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ. He is at its head. God lives. He loves His children. He's provided us a way to progress and become more like Him, eventually coming back to live with Him and our families forever. That way is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Have a phenomenal week!!

Pics: Remember the Macho's Challenge? We think someone beat it. And then needed the ambulance...

Annnd looks like a bit of a rainstorm hit the mountain. I love Durango :)

Oh! And I arrived at the MTC one year ago... Feels like it's been one month. Time is flying wayyy too quickly...

ransfers; Elder Cook; Elder Cook Round 2, annd general happiness‏

Hello my favorite people!!

This week was phenomenal. Difficult at times, but phenomenal. Tuesday, we said goodbye to Elder Longino. It's been a little weird without him, but change is good. Tuesday night, we got a call from President, asking if Elder Waite would be willing to transfer to Bayfield! He was ready and willing, so Wednesday we dropped him off. He's doing so well there!!! Elder Gray has been doing so well here. We've been riding bikes quite a bit more, which is a bit of a change for him, but he's getting used to it! :) Meeting many fantastic people, and investigators are progressing so well!! We've been teaching by the spirit more and miracles are happening as a result. Sorry for lack of details; time is shorter than I am. Saturday and Sunday we saw Quentin L. Cook... oh my lanta. Talk about a powerful experience! I know more than ever that God lives, as does His son Jesus Christ. This is their gospel. Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. You can know this through reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. Anyone can, as long as they have real intent. 

Expect more detail next week, but have a phenomenal one this week!!!

Love you all!! 

Stay strong in the faith. 

Elder Kraus

Durango for another 6!‏

Hello family, friends, loved ones!!

This week was pretty great!! It also flew by.... 6 investigators came to sacrament meeting! Twas a miracle!! 

We also got the opportunity to have a Zone Training this week. It went so well! Meetings with the missionaries always are a testament in and of themselves that Christ is at the head of this Church. What other place in the world could you have about 20 young adults, meeting together and training each other on how to better represent Jesus Christ as they find those prepared to receive His gospel, then teach them how to change and make promises with Him? It's phenomenal. 

In other news, we got transfer news this Saturday!! (drum roll please)..... I'm staying in Durango for another 6 weeks! So is Elder Waite. Elder Longino is getting transferred to my first Zone, Tuba City. It's going to be a little surreal serving here without him; we've been together 6 months, and we've just about become each other's counterparts. We literally finish each other's sentences much of the time. Regardless, I know that this transfer is what the Lord wants and needs for both of us at this time, and I couldn't be more excited to be here. Elder Gray will be coming in on Tuesday, so next week I'll have an update on that :)

This Saturday Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles will be coming and speaking to all of the missionaries this Saturday morning!!! Along with Elder EchoHawk of the 70! And then they'll both be coming to speak to the Durango Stake on Sunday Morning! This is most definitely going to be a spiritually enriching week. I know these men are called of God to lead His church.

I've been thinking a lot about sanctification recently--laying it all on the line in the service of God. In learning about it and in trying to live that law more fully, I've discovered 2 things. In Christ's service, it's really not about you. The only effective way to serve is to turn completely outwards, to direct your heart, might, mind, and strength to helping all those who are around you (even and especially your companions and family members). In doing so, Christ will change us. This change is so much greater than anything that could be accomplished by focusing inward, on ourselves. It's easier to find ourselves as we lose ourselves in the service of God and man because there's so much more of us to find. 

I love this Gospel. It is true. God lives, as does His son, Jesus Christ. Follow Him, find new life through His Gospel. That's our invitation to all.

I love you all!!!  Have a wonderful week!

Elder Kraus