Dear Family!


How the heck is everyone doing?! Wow what a crazy week I've had! I cant believe you guys are already back in school!! Time flies so fast sometimes. Thanks for all the e mails and all your prayers! They really do help me more than you know. I'm grateful to know your all doing great and just busy enjoying life.


Well this week I was with another elder is his area for a couple of days and then I transferred into my area with my companion. When I was with Elder Petty I was driving the car and we had a missionary cell phone. The reason why is because Elder Petty's companion is our zone leader and he was just up in Auckland for a couple of days. It was kinda hard to get used to driving on the road with a lot of traffic (left side of road) because in Niue there isn't anyone really. I'm really good at driving on the left side of the road now and I'm sure I'll get better. Well know I'm in the Fairy Springs ward with my companion Elder Faka'i. The area is really nice and its next to a beautiful mountain in the country of NZ. The ward is really cool. Our flat is right next to a house of very strong members. They are so nice and give us a lot of things. I ride bikes in this area and its FREEZING cold some days. We ride our bikes in the rain and wind and sometimes I just think of Niue's hot humid weather. I am the senior companion but we just work together heaps because I don't know the area. We get along very well. He is 22 years old and is Tongan but from Sydney Australia. He has 11 people in his family, and he has 3 other siblings on missions right now! CRAZY huh? He is a great obedient missionary. We work good together and teach great together, he is just awesome. He is a pretty big guy too. Its funny because I'm so skinny and he's big. Our flat is nice its just really cold. But luckily my companion gave me an electric blanket. We have quite a few investigators but we are trying to find heaps more because some of them aren't progressing very well. We teach, teach and find, find. No service here in NZ hahaha.


Wow we have seen so many miracles from the hand of the Lord. We have been seriously lead by the spirit to so many people. We just pray, qualify, be exactly obedient , and have faith. I know that the Lord truly has prepared people that will accept the gospel and its up to us to qualify so we can find them. In the other missionarie's area, I met some really amazing recent converts. They just have a testimony so strong you'd think they'd be members for years. The church is growing and many wonderful people are being saved into the kingdom of God. Our whole mission baptized 172 people this month! That is a new mission record for this mission. Its incredible because the Lord is using us as instruments in his hands to bring many of his children back to him and his church. I have taught many lessons since I've been back in NZ. We also have been lead a lot by the holy ghost. Just the other day I got prompted to go talk to people near some shops in our area. So we did and we met a lady late Saturday night and she said she would come to church the next day. Most of the time people never follow through like that but she came! It was incredible and she said she loved church. We are going to start teaching her this week. The members and the bishop in this ward and really nice and cool. I guess the bishop in our ward served a mission in Salt Lake City and was an AP. I love my zone leader Elder Christensen. Oh yeah guess what?! We are going to our zone conference this Thursday!! I am so excited to go to zone conference. And then after zone conference we are going to the temple as a mission. So all us missionaries will be at the temple! Awe I cant wait. I am also excited to see President Porter.


Okay yeah I'll probably just send all my Niuean things home and I'll send some pictures also. Mom I thought you were going to freak out when you heard I ate horse. It tasted like I don't know....I really cant describe it very good. Kinda like cow but had a more weird taste...to tell ya the truth it wasn't that bad. Oh yeah I was really glad to hear you read my testimony and people felt the spirit. I hope everyone that reads it....it will help them and strengthen their testimony. Wow that was crazy to read about Devan Rich! I cant believe he's in their ward and met Grandpa Smith. Wow what a small world sometimes!


Dad that's awesome you went fly fishing again. You seem to really be enjoying that as your new hobby. Now you need to come to the exotic country of New Zealand to go fly fishing. You asked what we did for our first P day. We just unpacked, cleaned, and just did some random stuff because I just had barley gotten here. Today I don't know for sure what we are going to do. My companion has been in Rotorua for 4 months now. I hope I answered your questions and told you a little bit about my new area.


Well it was cool to read what everyone is up to. Your all really busy and having fun. Its still crazy to think your all back in school and its starting to cool down. You know what that means!! It's going to warm up here! YAY! haha. Oh yeah guess what! I asked some missionaries and leaders and in our mission President Porter has allowed us to e mail our family. Like extended family also. So I can e mail grandma, grandpa, aunts uncles, and cousins. I really feel so bad I haven't even made contact with some of them. Its so sad. I think I only have time to write back some of my friends and maybe some cousins. So I would love it if you give my e mail to them so they could e mail me next week.


Everything is good with me. This mission is changing my life. I love it so much. I know this church is true. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than serving the Lord. I'm safe and well no worries about me. The Lord protects me and gives me strength. God bless all of you. Be safe and stay busy. Be good and say your prayers. Just do whats right. I will just be thinking of my wonderful family in the celestial room of the temple and just know if we just keep the commandments and repent we can live together as a eternal family forever in Gods presence. I love Heavenly Father so much. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. And I hope everyday I can become more like them. I know God gives me blesses because of your prayers. So thank you mom, dad, Ryan, Jami, and Kaylee. Tell the dogs hello too haha. I love you all.


Love Elder Kitchen