Work, work, work!

October 25, 2010
Dearest Mommy,

So If I could describe this week in one word, it would be work. Work, work, work, work! The best part about it: I LOVE IT!!! Ah it's been such a busy, exciting, stressful, and satisfying week I absolutely love it. We've been teaching up a storm as well as finding new people! Let me give you the down-low for what all we've been up to. Last Monday you already know all that excitement of playing soccer as a Spanish zone and then buying a freakin' sweet jacket which I happen to have on right now :-). After that wonderful day, we set off to work.
Tuesday, we had to go to the doctor to have a follow up with the CDC down in Salem, so we were all stressing that it was going to shoot our day, so we planned to do it during language study (10:00 am), take our lunch hour, and then only have to sacrifice one hour of proselyting time, and it paid out in spades! We got there, got 'er done, and got back in time to teach seven lessons and do an hour of finding! Wh'bam! Technically it was due to the divisions we did, but it was still amazing! The best thing about being in a trio is that if you can find members to go with you, you can triple your work load for a day. So Tuesday racked up our member-present lesson stats for the week, and then the following day, we scheduled a triple-blitz with the English elders here in Woodburn because they're also in a trio... it worked out really well!
The thing that's funny about this is that we were planning on having a pretty crappy week because we had to shoot basically three hours for the doctor on Tuesday, plan on thursday for three hours, have district meeting on Friday which takes quite a bit of time, and go to the doctor again on Saturday. In spite of all of that, we had one of the best weeks we've had in the last month!
The thing that makes me even more stoked about it is the fact that our investigators are doing well as well as our recent converts. We had a lesson Thursday with Ivelisse where she set November 7th as her goal for getting baptized, we had a lesson with Adan & Rahab on Friday where we talked to them about getting baptized on the 14th where all they need to do is get married, and we also had several lessons this week with a lady named Bertha Hernandez who has been investigating the church for more than a year, but has not gotten baptized because she's married in Mexico and lives with someone else here... oops haha. Luckily, we talked to her, and it turns out that her sister is now in the process of divorcing her in Mexico so she can marry her...umm.... partner Martin (pronounced Marteen). Anyways, exciting stuff right now.
Aside from those three, we're working with a couple whose names are Leonel and Cristina. They're progressing very well, and I think we'll be getting them baptized (married first though!) towards the end of November. We are also teaching a lady named Laura who has come to church for the last four weeks in a row and she is really liking what she's learning... We're hoping to set a baptismal date with her tomorrow night!
One other sweet thing that has happened is that Rahab's family has taken an interest in the church. Like her mom says when she finds out its true she wants to be baptized! Holy crap right? For example, she had a question about baptisms for the dead the last time we went over (yesterday), and we ended up teaching her the entire plan of salvation in depth. I'm talking IN DEPTH. Like we were talking about the pre-existent state of spirits, the council in heaven, the veil, the foreknowledge of God and how it played into the fall of Adam and Eve, the millenium, etc.. A really exceptionally intelligent woman who soaks up information like a sponge! If she gets baptized, she'd probably be like a relief society president or something... we've just gotta pull the rest of the JW doctrine out of her head first haha.... I'm a little scared to teach her that Jesus is Jehova.... Oh boy for that I've got a nicely marked up bible :-P.
Speaking of bibles, I bought the coolest one ever!!!! We were wandering around on Front St. in Woodburn, and we found this little tienda called 'El Nuevo Jerusalen', so we decided to stop in. Turns out it sells grocery-type products in front, and blasphemous Adventist materials in the back... along with a whooooole bunch of different bibles. I found one that is fuhreakin SWEET! It's a little pocket bible that isn't just the new testament... it contains ALL of the old and new testaments and it's teeny tiny! Anyways, since I found it, all I do now is carry around my book of Mormon with a bunch of pamphlets stuffed in it and then the bible in my pocket in case someone tries to give me crap for not having it.... then I can smash them with it :-). Naw I'm just kidding I don't bash. But yeah, I love having that little guy with me it makes it super fun :-).
So on a little bit more serious note, I had a super sweet personal study the other day, and I kinda wanna share my "revelation" with you guys haha. So right now I'm working on reading the book of Mormon again, and I'm in Alma. What I was reading that called my attention is in Alma 12. To explain a little of what is going on so you have a point of reference, this is right where Alma and Amulek are laying it down on Zeezrom and they call him to repentance and he sees the error of his ways. From there, Zeezrom asks to know how he can know for himself the things of God, and this is what happens:

9 "And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction."

The key to all of this is found in verses nine and 10... where it says God grants the portion of his word according to the HEED and DILIGENCE that we give to him. Not only that, it says that he who hardens not his heart is the one who will receive the mysteries of God in full. So, in order for people to become converted to this church, they must not harden their heart to the message, and show diligence and really try to listen to get an answer. Anyways, I thought it was cool.
So for my last thought, now that I've got the spiritual stuff down on the page, I've gotta share with you something really, really funny that happened last night. So we ate dinner with the Wetzels, and they're awesome... they kind of remind me of a slightly younger version of Grandma and Grandpa Dayton. They actually have the same vintage house and cook very similar foods I love it! Anyways, they're kind of the same caliber of members as well. VERY awesome people! Super spiritual giants, humble, kind, willing to share the gospel, etc.. So we got to the end of dinner and we were fixing to head out, when brother Wetzel says hey I have a note I would like you guys to read, but not until you're out of the house and in your car, okay? We all said okay and took the note. Once we got out in the car, this is what we found:

Who are the 5 most constipated men in the Bible?
1. Cain - because he was not Abel
2. Noah - Passed nothing but water for 150 days
3. Moses - took two tablets and went into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights
4. David - no power on earth could move him
5. Solomon (David's son) - sat on the throne for 50 years

Maybe it's highly inappropriate, but coming from a guy like brother Wetzel, we were about on the floor crying when we opened it up! Ah he's such a sweet guy and he always has a subtle joke like that to pull on us.
All right, well that's the excitement for the week here in Woodburn (or Boorbun as I heard it called the other day haha), but I love you all so much, tell Katie Jo that I am so sorry I didn't get my card off to her in time, but I'll be sending her one today in the mail. I love you guys so much, and I all is well! I pray for you every night, so I hope everything is good!
Love today, tomorrow, the day after, yadda yadda yadda,
-Elder Kurt Kay Mooney

PS: I do play the piano in district meetings from time to time, so your years of tooth-pulling with me was not wasted! I love you mommy! Tell those Larsen kids to get their butts in gear or I'm gonna kick 'em when I get back next year!