Carlsbad YSA Week 11 - Temple Trip

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

This last week was really stressful, but went by crazy fast! So I got sick last week and I lost my voice. I could barely talk! (which makes my job a little hard) This last week I had to plan and conduct district meeting, went on exchanges to the Spanish ward, went to the temple, and had exchanges with the zone leaders. It was pretty crazy, but I really loved it!

Our investigators are doing alright. They have all been really hard to meet with and haven't made any big progress. We are still working with them and trying to figure it all out. Delshawn came to church on Sunday and we are going to have another lesson with him on Wednesday. We have him on date to get baptized on November 12, but I feel like we are probably going to push that back. We are only meeting with him once a week, so we are going to try to meet with him more.

Nathaniel is such an awesome kid, but he drives me crazy! I know he feels the Spirit and knows it's all true. I've even told him that! But he doesn't let himself progress! He has come such a long way since we met him, but I know if he really took it to heart and made it his first priority he would receive an answer and a ton of help and peace in his life. 

On Saturday I was with Elder Gull and their mini missionary, Elder Olsen, in O3. When we met up to exchange back, I felt like Elder Horton should come to our lesson with Nathaniel. We were maybe going to drop him and I just felt like it'd be good for him to come. Andrew Snell, our ward mission leader, came as well and played a great role in the lesson. Elder Horton shared a personal experience with Nathaniel that I think really made a difference. At the end, Andrew challenged Nathaniel to pray right then to ask if God was really there and if He loved him. The first 2 prayers weren't very sincere and Andrew helped Nathaniel pray. The 3rd time we felt the spirit crazy strong. I know he felt it too. It was a super powerful experience.

I love you all! Have a good week!

Elder Kapp 

                                             Elder Hadfield and I with Elder Horton

                                                         The Pier 

Carlsbad YSA Week 10 - Slow week... :(

Hey everyone! I have to keep this one short! This last week was a little slow, but it was good! Not a whole lot happened. We taught Delshawn and Nathaniel. They are both doing alright. They haven't really progressed over the last week. We went to pick Delshawn up for church, but he didn't come.

We had a meeting with some of the San Diego missionaries on Friday. We met them in Del Mar for an MCRD meeting. That was a lot of fun. It was cool for Elder Hadfield and I to go back to the area we served in before. 

We had zone conference on Wednesday. That was cool to see a lot of the missionaries I haven't seen for a long time. I really felt the spirit strong and received answers to my prayers. We learned a lot about how to have more fun with finding. That was interesting but helpful.

I got sick on Saturday. I woke up and I couldn't talk!! My voice is just gone for the most part. It doesn't hurt, but it's super frustrating because I need my voice in order to teach!

Edson has been a bit slower. Recruit Kerr is doing well! I taught him the plan of salvation on Sunday. He is doing good, except he won't pray when we meet. I know he prays a lot on his own. It's super strange and I am trying to figure that out. 

Alex Douge, a kid I knew at home from Syracuse showed up to Edson on Sunday. I guess he decided to become a marine. It's really cool seeing people you know from home.

I love you all! Have a good week!

Elder Kapp

Carlsbad YSA Week 9 - Get'n em on date!

This week was really good! Elder Hadfield and I are having lots of fun! We are having a hard time finding things to do, but we are finding and teaching. Elder Hadfield and I get along really well and he is good to work with. 

Last Monday we picked up a new investigator, Zack, that we met at FHE. The Sisters are teaching his sister and we taught him the restoration and set a baptism date for November 5th. He is a really cool guy. We taught him the Plan of Salvation on Saturday. That went really well. He is absorbing everything.

Friday we taught Delshawn. Last transfer we taught him he didn't want to get baptized. Elder Hadfield and I talked a lot about what he needed and we decided to teach about the atonement. It was great! He understood and felt the spirit. He committed to be baptized November 12! He also came to church Sunday.

I went on exchanges with the Spanish elders from Wednesday to Thursday. That was really good. I went to the Spanish ward with Elder Wockenfuss. He is such a nice and fun guy. I really admire him. 

We also had interviews with President this last week. 

A cool miracle... We were walking down the street and an LDS family from Arizona saw us and they took us to lunch. It was super cool! It has been Fall break in Arizona and Utah and we know it because of all the members that have stopped us and said hi.

Things have been slowing down at Edson. The groups are smaller and we don't have as many people to teach. 

Earlier today we went to LegoLand for our district activity. It was a lot of fun. 

I love you all! Have a fun week!

Elder Kapp

                                                       Selfie with a raccoon

                                                                     Dinner with Kai 

                                                          LEGO LAND with the District! 

Carlsbad YSA Week 8 - Blessings poured down on Kapp and Hadfield

Hey everyone!

This last week has been a great one! It's been full of miracles and success.

The first miracle was Delshawn. We taught him my first week and a half being here. I didn't know the area at that point and I didn't even know where Delshawn lived. We felt like we should go stop by him and see how he is doing. We went to his apartment complex and started praying. We started around the complex and came to a door that looked right. We knocked and Delshawn came to the door. We set up a lesson with him and taught him. He has opened up a lot. He is doing well. He is going to Snow College in January, so we helped him send some of his stuff in. We are excited to teach him again on Wednesday.

On Thursday we had to do weekly planning because I had MLC on Friday. We cleaned up the apartment and had institute that night. After institute we had a lesson with Nathaniel. We had Andrew sit in on the lesson. They really clicked! We taught the plan of salvation and it went great. It was one of the first times Elder Hadfield and I had taught together and we were able to teach pretty unified. He did a really good job explaining the atonement and when we taught about the celestial kingdom we asked him if that's what he wanted. Then we committed him to be baptized!!! We haven't set a date yet, but we are excited.

Friday I had MLC. That was really long. It was good though! I enjoyed it and got to see a lot of missionaries I have missed. 

Saturday we went to a funeral for a member in our ward. That wasn't fun. Her mom asked us to go. That night we had dinner with our Ward mission leader, Andrew, and Franky Hunt, my investigator from TOV. He is doing well. That was really cool to talk to him. I asked him why he hasn't gotten baptized yet and he said he doesn't really have a reason. So then I told him to do it this month. During that conversation he asked me to baptize him. That was cool. I love that kid. He has become such a good friend. 

Sunday was the greatest miracle of the week. I was really banking on Recruit Filener to get baptized. When I met with him he wouldn't do it. He is ready and everything. He didn't get baptized. While he was getting interviewed by another elder, I met with Recruit Oviat. We started talking about how he hasn't been getting an answer if he should be baptized. That led to us talking about how he already knows and he isn't waiting for anything else. He told me he didn't want to get baptized down in San Diego for the last stage of boot camp. I told him we were having a baptism today. He got baptized 5 minutes later. It was awesome. I got to confirm him and it was sweet! I am super excited for him!

I love this gospel so much. I am so lucky to be a missionary. I love E. Hadfield. Have a good week! Love you!

Elder Kapp

Carlsbad YSA Week 7 - General Conference Week

Hey everyone!

This last week was awesome, but very slow... You have to have the slow weeks, but MAN I HATE THEM! 

This week I got my new companion, Elder Hadfield. We are getting along great! He is a cool guy. I am hoping to see a lot of success with him. 

We had a couple lessons with Nathaniel this last week. He is doing well. He came to one of the sessions of conference with us. He is slowly progressing. We just need to get him to read and pray every day. I feel like he knows the church is true. He just needs to want it.

General Conference was great though! We got to watch it at the Stake Center! Except for the last session. We went to a members house with Nathaniel to watch it with the YSA. That was super cool! I loved how much they talked about missionary work. Being on a mission I have realized what a blessing it is to share the gospel. My testimony has grown SO MUCH from sharing it with others. Even when we are rejected, it still grows. 

I also loved how much it talked about prayer. Our relationship with Heavenly Father is something we too often take for granted. Being on a mission I have sometimes forgotten the importance of building that relationship and turning to God in all things. Our relationship with God is like any other relationship. If you put in a minimal effort, not giving time or sincerity, the relationship weakens. We forget the feelings we had and focus on the negative. Over time, we start being repetitive and insincere, yet still expect Heavenly Father to give a greater effort. But the thing is God is not variable. He doesn't try harder to bless and help one person and less with another. He is constantly trying to bless and help us. We need to open that communication and listen with our hearts for His love and guidance. You can't say, "I don't have time" or "I'm so busy". But, let's be honest when in life will you not be busy? It isn't a matter of time in the day, but of priorities. When we set a priority of putting the Gospel first in our life, we experience the abundant blessings Heavenly Father has to offer. 

I know the gospel is true. I know President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and that he leads and guides Christ's church on the earth today. How blessed we are to have a living prophet that gives counsel for us in our day!

I love you all!

Elder Erik Kapp

                                                                   Sea Lion

                                                         Saying goodbye to Conrad!