WEEK #5 - Monticello Miracles

Hey everyone! What a great week full of amazing experiences seeing God's hand in so many people's lives :)

So close to Monticello!!

My mom told me that all her Monticello friends are teasing her saying they are only an hour drive away from visiting me haha, Heavenly Father definitely has blessed me with having an immediate connection with the wonderful people of Naturita! I love it here so much

Monday: August 19th

To finish off PDay we went to a members house and I shared a cool scripture, Alma 44:4, which is very powerful in telling us that so long as we are faithful to God and persistently turn towards Him we will be supported and strengthened through our trials we face! But we must have a desire to change things in our lives that are holding us back from the blessings of living a true Christlike life. :)

Tuesday: August 20th

Elder Gunson and I drove through the beautiful Uncompahgre Mountains to get to Montrose for District Council! (Which is when the neighboring areas around us get together,  report on how our week went, and how to become more faithful, obedient, and diligent disciples of Christ :) The key is to never become CASUAL in our relationship with God. To never be casual in our daily prayers or scripture reading because once we become causal in those things we begin to lose and degrade our conversion to Christ! 

Wednesday: August 21st

Woke up and walked outside my AWESOME trailer home ready for another day haha. :) I love just living in the middle of "nowhere" with my trailer home that has no wifi, and being able to just serve the people in this awesome town. 

The awesome view from my trailer home

For lunch I took up the courage to cook some chicken so I dawned on my awesome apron I got from my Aunt Mishaun, thank you!!! :) I swear there's magical powers in that apron because I should've burnt all my food but it turned out good haha. 

Aunt Mishauns magical apron!

We finished the evening by teaching a really cool member family and Elder Gunson and I taught really well together, he's a great trainer. I also love seeing the Milky Way and the stars when we get home each night, it's so cool trying to comprehend the actual size of the universe! I'm just so thankful God created this beautiful Earth, we just need to take time out of our day to step back and truly appreciate it sometimes :)

AWESOME sunset

Thursday: August 22nd

Today we got to drive to....... Grand Junction!!!! As a kid this place to me was only just a gas station stop/quick bathroom break before heading onward to Denver haha but we got to talk with President Rees and get a lot of cool advice on missionary work. Driving back through the Canyons was so awesome, in Nucla we went to dinner with some members and talked about how we can better remember Christ each day!

Friday: August 23rd

Today we visited a lady who first thing told us she wouldn't give up her "patch in the back" haha, we still shared a message with her that she was touched by so I'm glad her heart is open to the Spirit's comfortings.

MIRACLE: We drove down to 'Rita and felt like we needed to visit this one member but we didn't know why. Turns out she was recently diagnosed with colon cancer so she cant move around well and was trying to find someone to give her a blessing but no one was available till we showed up on her door not knowing why we were there! We were able to give her a blessing to help her deal with her pains and she was very grateful for us. Heavenly Father truly does watch over all of His children! What a wonderful miracle. We have to rely on the Lord with ALL of our heart, and trust in His direction and counsel even when we don't understand it and even if we don't agree with it. I definitely know this to be true!

Monticello Temple picture in the Naturita Branch building! 

Saturday: August 24th

Weird thing, this man we were talking to mid conversation turns to me and says "You have very interesting eyes... very hypnotizing" and then keeps talking to Elder Gunson like nothing happened haha! Lotta weird people but I guess I'm one of them though! Another cool miracle, we were visiting an old member who when he saw us told us that he gets "enough religion on TV" and if we were going to share a message then "do it now or don't do it at all." Dang. Haha, I felt like I needed to share Alma 7:23-24 and by the time I finished I could see his whole demeanor change and the Spirit softened his heart. We had a great conversation around that scripture and he thanked us for coming by as we left! Amazing to see people change their attitude so quickly when they feel the influence of the Spirit :)

Sunset number two

Sunday: August 25th

Church was great, I'm trying to improve on remembering Christ more often during the sacrament because we should be having a "personal experience with the emblems of Christ's suffering" for us as we sit in reverence.  Even if you don't go to church, look for ways and things that help you remember our Savior and be thankful for His Atonement that enables us to be freed from the guilt and pains we go through in our life. It may be hard to stop our busy schedules but I know that when I have relied on Christ I can see blessings come in my life because of it! We met a crazy man who went on this huge rant saying that he was a Warrior and Messenger from God and would kill anyone if God told him to but that he chose not to unleash the demon inside of him when people hurt his spirit...... I love Nucla! Haha :)

Monday: August 26th

Today we drove over the awesome Umcompahgre Mountains again to meet up with other missionaries in the Montrose Zone for some zone sports like basketball! We'll get to do our shopping today too, we're out of snacks haha 

Thank you everyone for all the emails, I love hearing from you all about your week, also thank you to everyone who sends packages to the abyss of Naturita :) 

I love it here and I love you all,

Elder LaRose 

NEW ADDRESS: Aka middle of nowhere :)

P.O. Box 821

Nucla, Colorado 81424

EMAIL: keldon.larose@missionary.org

WEEK #4 - FIRST AREA!!! You Won't Believe It...

OH. MY. GOSH. You will all NOT believe where my first area is!!

I was literally FLIPPING out when I got my assignment because I INSTANTLY knew that God called me there specifically! 

HOLY COW, I cant express in words how much I wanted to explode with pure happiness that made me want to run up and down the streets outside the Mission home shouting and jumping for joy for where my first area is!!

BUT... I have to tell you about Tuesday and Wednesday first! Haha...

Tuesday: August 13th

We woke up at 4:30 to say goodbye to those in our district leaving. That was sad but exciting to see them start their missions! Elder Bethers and I went to the Provo Temple and I had a very powerful experience inside, I love the peace and joy we can feel in there :) We went to our last devotional in the MTC which was really great, I even got to see off a few people before I left including Anziano Barnes, haha. Imma miss all y'all for two years but what I am kidding, this is going to be so fun!!! Haha.

Wednesday: August 14th

Finally got all packed and rushed out to the travel office at 8am. All 19 missionaries who were going to the CDSM were there! I barely could contain my excitement but we got our fat ton of luggage on different trains and headed up to the airport. After a short 55 min flight I was in Denver!! President Rees (The mission president over Denver South) was there to greet all of us and we drove to his home in Denver and stayed the night. Whatta crazy day, but I'm glad to finally be out of the MTC and eager to get started wherever in Denver South!

Thursday: August 15th

Basically the whole morning was training for all of us new missionaries and instructions from the President. We don't find out our first assigned area until tonight so we got to go around with local missionaries for the day, I was the only one assigned to a bike which was actually pretty awesome to skirt around Denver and help people around there. :) Around 9pm when we got to the mission home President Rees FINALLY sat down all 19 of us and one by one told us who our trainers would be and where our first area is! Of course I was told last.... I was exploding with excitement and nervousness but finally President Rees told me that I got assigned to the.....

Naturita Branch!!!!! Yessssssss!!

Now hold up, before you're confused, let me tell you. This area is about 7 HOURS away from Denver and is the FURTHEST area in the whole mission, haha! And to rock my world even more where I'm living is 10 miles away from Paradox and literally 50 miles away from my hometown Monticello!!!! Are. You. Kidding me?!?! The Naturita Branch covers Highway 141 from Bedrock down to Telluride and literally borders the Monticello, Utah Stake. Dannnnnng. :) 

Map of the Naturita Branch right next the the Monticello Stake!

I truly see this as a blessing from Heavenly Father, everyone who's known me knows how hard it was on me and my family moving out East but I know it was worth the 5 years of experience and trials. Now Heavenly Father is like "Here you go Elder LaRose! You're home now. But you're not back there for yourself, you're there for others now" :) I'm so glad and excited to help others come closer to Christ and serve my people as a missionary now!! Also the Naturita Branch is in the Montrose Zone/Stake.

Cool skull pic by my trailer home...

Friday: August 16th

We woke up at 5am and left the mission home to go to the "Transfer Train" haha! We got to the church building and all the new trainers from the Denver Metros side were there (The area before the Eisenhower Tunnel) but no trainers for anyone going to the Western Slope were there because it was too far away to drive (The area past the Tunnel). President Rees announced the new missionaries and their trainers so they could meet up. When I got up and he announced that I was going to the Naturita Branch and the ENTIRE chapel of trainers all went "oooooooh" because Naturita used to be seen as an exile area as if it was all bad like haha. Little do they know how AWESOME of an area it is being only 50 miles away from Monticello!! President Rees kinda rebuked the trainers by telling them that I was a last minute change so I wasn't originally going to Naturita but he felt really strongly that I needed to be assigned there for some unknown reason without him knowing that I'd have an immediate connection with the people here! I know the Lord needs me in this awesome area so close to home :) We drove to Grand Junction through many tunnels I've grown up passing through, what memories haha. There I met my trainer Elder Gunson! He is very cool and we drove right by the Dolores River until we got to our trailer home in Nucla, Colorado! It's a very small town and I love our run down trailer in the middle of nowhere haha. 

Dolores River selfie

Saturday: August 17th

My first full day with Elder Gunson. FUNNY STORY: We were teaching this man named Matt who's had a rough life and he would only meet us by the bench near the Catholic Church so we taught him about the Book of Mormon and he sits down with a bag of nacho cheese chips and a plate full of straight weed. Haha! Awesome enough he really loved reading Moroni 10:3-8 and we had a great discussion. The plate of weed was like 12 inches away from me but he never even touched it during the whole lesson and was really touched by the message we shared so he bookmarked that page with a cigarette box he tore in half... haha, I love this!! So crazy but I just love helping people feel Gods love for them and ponder the scriptures in their hearts! :)

Me and my trainer Elder Gunson!

Sunday: August 18th

We went to church in the Naturita Branch with the other 45 people who showed up haha. The branch is actually in the Monticello Temple District so they had a picture of the Monticello temple I drove past a million times as a kid in the very church building that I now go to! *Mind explodes* I love seeing such cool miracles each day, even getting flashbacks of roads I've gone down with my family to turn down towards Dove Creek, woah. :) Elder Gunson and I taught a great family about Christ's teachings to have faith in Him and return with a full purpose of heart. Meaning we have to humble ourselves and have a desire to change things in our life that are holding us back from being like our Savior. Going back to my awesome little trailer home at night is so cool seeing the stars and the actual Milky Way in full detail. Beautiful. 

The Glorious Trailer Home in Naturita

Monday: August 19th

P-Day is now Monday!! So email me whenever today, I don't have wifi at my trailer home which is fun to be so secluded but I still want to hear from all of you! Today Elder Gunson and I went on an awesome hike but more on today in next weekly. 

NEW ADDRESS: Aka middle of nowhere :)

-- P.O. Box 821

Nucla, Colorado 81424

EMAIL: keldon.larose@missionary.org

I love you all, cant wait for more crazy weeks!

Love,

Elder LaRose 

AREA #1 - NATURITA - 8/16/2019 - 1/30/2020

 COMPANIONS:

MEMBERS:

MORE MTC PICTURES

WEEK #3 - The Final Countdown!

Hello everyone and welcome welcome Sabbath morning! Haha :)

Classic

This week was bitter sweet seeing how everything was the "last time" with doing stuff as a District. I love my district so much, they have all taught me and we've grown together  spiritually. I'm going to miss them but I wish all of them the best of luck in Washington, Utah, and Arkansas!

Tuesday: August 6th
For the rest of my Pday I got to Facetime some of my family and that was awesome!

I played basketball 2v2 and let's just say that anyone in my family with basketball blood would be proud of how I played, haha. After I schooled them they asked, "Are you sure you're not just a wrestler?" Haha. In choir I got to sing Praise to the Man which was really powerful. I've got so much more to learn here but the MTC is such a blessing.

Wednesday: August 7th
For class we got to go to one of those one way window rooms and watch from the other side as our teacher demonstrated teaching a lesson. That was so weird but cool to see a room like that. A cool quote we talked about was "we must walk by choice rather than obligation" which really ties into how we all should choose for ourselves to live high standards which if we do we can be blessed for our willingness to be obedient, not because we are told to. This has helped me already so much at the MTC! My companions pulled a prank on Elder Miller in our dorm by putting Junior Mints and M&Ms in all of his shoes, pockets, pillows, and in his bed. Elder Miller yelled, "WHY DOES IT ALWAYS SMELL LIKE JUNIOR MINTS IN MY BED!" We were laughing so hard, haha.

Goodbye Elder Toney and Elder Miller!

Thursday: August 8th
Today the unthinkable happened. But let's be honest it was bound to happen sooner actually, haha! I took out my retainers and put them on my tray at lunch... do you see how this ends? Haha. Basically I threw away my retainers on accident, dang it. What a way to start the day! It got better when I was reading 2 Nephi 31 and I realized that as we have faith in Christ, then repentance can mentally cleanse us from all our guilt, baptism can physically cleanse us from all our pains, and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost can spiritually cleanse us from all our sins! What a beautiful realization and message to anyone struggling with guilt, pain, sin, and along with many other trials that we face they can ALL be healed through APPLYING the Atonement of Jesus Christ and by LIVING the Gospel and Doctrines taught by Christ! :) I got to play volleyball with my district, that was wicked fun!

Friday: August 9th
Somehow, some way I got obsessed with toast today. I think on your mission you get a new craze and appreciation for certain foods. Mine was toast. :) I had to get one slice with butter and the other with jam separately, and my whole district can testify of my addiction, haha. I'm so random, but I like it haha.

Toast!

Our teacher sensed that we were all tired in class so she had us go run stairs! My wrestling instincts kicked in and I ran down all SIX floors of stairs and back up just cause, haha! TRC, Elder Bethers and I taught a random girl about prayer and Gods love for her! Really powerful and simple lesson, the Spirit was definitely there!

Saturday: August 10th
For class we learned Lessons 4 and 5 which basically talks about Commandments and certain promises that we can make with God to lead a better, more happier life as we come closer to Christ. My basketball skills have actually got pretty good if I might add... haha, you better watch out Dillon and Anziano Barnes! (Cousins)

Sunday: August 11th
Definetly one of the most powerful days here at the MTC. I got to teach a powerful lesson on Recognizing the Spirit with Elder Bethers! And coincidentally (not haha) the Spirt was there to help testify of truth. Go read Isaiah 30:20-21 and go see how applicable it is to your life Right Now! We had a quick testimony meeting and I boldly testified to everyone of Isaiah 41:10 and how we must truly become CONVERTED to Christ and His Gospel or else we will fall in the last days where truth and righteousness is forgotten or disobeyed. Tough stuff, simply just choose the right!

Monday: August 12th
Realization that today was the last day with my district was tough. But I'm glad they are all committed to serving the Lord! We got some last group photos and I got to say goodbye to both my teachers Sister Pugsley and Brother Read along with my awesome cousin Anziano Barnes :) Great worth lies ahead for that Elder! We had a last District Study together and shared fond memories and funny stories, we also shared why we all chose to serve a mission. I chose to serve a mission because I know there are many blessings I've seen in my life through the hand of Heavenly Father and I owe it to Him and all the love He's shown me at least 2 years to fully devote myself to helping others as Christ would! :) Plus I love all y'all, haha.

 President and Sister Tuttle

Tuesday: August 13th
We woke up at 4:30am to say goodbye to literally everyone in our District. It was so sad but yet also a joyful sendoff :) Its just Elder Bethers and I for P day today so we packed a bit and went to the Provo Temple! That was a wonderful experiencing the sacred peace and joy found within the temple walls! I also facetimed my fam, yes they are still crazy if you were ever wondering if they weren't. ;)

Provo Temple with Elder Bethers!

Sorry for late email, got a ton of packing to do!

Love and miss you all!!

-- Elder LaRose

EMAIL ME AT: keldon.larose@missionary.org

SEND MAIL TO:
Colorado Denver South Mission
ATTN: Elder Keldon LaRose
999 E. Tufts Ave.
Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113

WEEK #2 - MTC, The Spirit Works in Wonderful Ways!

Hello everyone!!!

This past week has gone by SO fast! And there's been so many instances where I've seen  God's hand help guide me this week. :)

Awesome plum tree pic

Tuesday: July 30th

Seeing how this was my first p day, after I sent out my first weekly email I was able to facetime my brothers Kyler and McKayd! Ky, my fellow Colorado Elder, was doing awesome but then Mc had a BEARD coming along!!! *Mind explodes* haha, savage. Don't worry I survived my laundry trip, and I got two packages from my family! One was a box of donuts spelling ELDER haha and the other was literally a loaf of bread.... haha! Thank you! I got to talk to my Dad and that was super awesome to talk again. For the evening we listened to a devotional by Sister Craig who's apart of the General Womens Presidency! (They are a couple of awesome leaders that help direct and organize stuff in the Church) I got to sing More Holiness Give Me in the ~700 strong choir, that was awesome!

 The whole District

Wednesday: July 31st

Class in the morning was great and Elder Bethers, my companion, taught Jessica again in TRC about how the Book of Mormon is the word of God and its purpose is to strengthen our relationship with God and Jesus Christ! Every Wednesday a new batch of missionaries come to the MTC, my group was 353 but this new one was 720 missionaries!! Glad to see so many Elders and Sisters eager to serve! Also Happy Anniverary to my parents! :)

Thursday: August 1st

New month! I met an Elder who's been to Monticello many times, that was awesome to connect with him :) Elder Bethers and I were in class talking when all of a sudden we both switched from English to just talking straight gibberish like we understood each other and we died laughing, haha! That about sums up the relationship Elder Bethers and I have... :)

We got another TRC and taught Elizabeth, who is awesome and is learning English. We actually got an email about her bio but it was all in Spanish! Haha. We taught her of God's love for her and invited her to pray later to feel God's love and she did! He really does love you all! 

Awesome Moses Mural with the Elders

Friday: August 2nd

Today was awesome because for class I got to role play as a person being taught by two Sisters in my District (Sister Cornwall and Sister Laufiso). I basically was playing a person who lost care for God because I had prayed for my mom to get better when she was sick but she ending up passing away... and as the Sisters asked me more questions to try and figure out my concerns and needs they helped me open up about my "mom" but as I talked to them about how I prayed for her to get better but then she died I began to cry as I placed myself in the shoes of this person I was supposed to portray. Someone who had lost their mother, and was so pained and angry towards God at why bad things happened to good people. But as I talked with them, the Holy Ghost bore record of Gods plan for all of His children that our lives do not end at death, but through Christ and following His true church we can live with our families forever. If any of you need comfort feel free to email me and I'll try my best to answer you're questions. Powerful. Just a little shout out, I love you mom! :) 

They were too fast......

Saturday: August 3rd

Today we got to teach Elizabeth again, but we taught about The Plan of Salvation which is the Plan God created for us because He loves all of us and we accepted the challenge to come down to Earth and receive bodies and go through trials in our life as we tried to lead a life following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ! The Holy Spirit was definitely there with us testifying of the truthfulness of Gods plan for us :) I felt so warm throughout my body, knowing that Gods love is real for each and every one of his children, including YOU! Elizabeth was very happy to be taught of God's Plan and I could see the joy and relief in her eyes that she can be with her family forever and it's because God loves us and through following His plan we can be joyfully reunited with those we've lost. We must humble ourselves and seek the truths of God through the message of the missionaries. What an amazing day here at the MTC! 

Sunday: August 4th

Elder Bethers and I taught the lesson in District council about how we can better focus on our missionary purpose, which is simply to invite others to come unto Christ! For Sunday sacrament meeting I got up and bore my testimony encouraging my fellow missionaries to lead a FAITH-Based life instead of a FEAR-Based life and I extend the same invitation to you all :) After, we had a great mission conference with all ~2500 people at the MTC! Crazy, then I sang again in the choir with now ~1000 missionaries! There is definitely a power and strong Spirit when singing with so many missionaries

Cool flower pic!

Monday: August 5th

Today was tough physically, my body was feeling terrible but I trudged on :) Elder Bethers and I were reading as a companionship in our room but then I just started to rap Alma 37 out loud while he did the beat...haha! I love reading the scriptures, they fill me with so much joy!! :)

We got to teach a new TRC named Trevor who was really awesome, we three all connected instantly he even runs track for BYU! He is eager to learn more about the Book of Mormon!

Tuesday: August 6th

Finally p day, where I get to wake up and do my favorite thing now...... laundry. More about what I do today will be in the next weekly :)

Feel free to email me anytime:

keldon.larose@missionary.org 

Love,

Elder LaRose