Elder Kitchen has had a great week

Hello Family!!
Wow its good to read all your e mails and get the chance to write you again. I love how every P day I get the chance to e mail you guys and let you know how my mission is going and to hear everything that is happening in your lives. Thanks so much again for everything you do and all the e mails you send me.

How are you family? The weeks go by pretty fast out here on a mission. I have had some really incredible experiences this week and have felt the spirit so strongly. I already feel like I'm changing into a man and I've learned and grown so much. Its hard being away from you guys but it makes me realize how much I care about my family and how much I love you guys. I'm doing really good out on my mission and everything is working out really well. My testimony has strengthened like none other and I have witnessed many mighty miracles from God already. My relationship with the Savior and My Heavenly Father has strengthened and my faith has increased. I have been trying to do all I can to strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ. He should and is the center focus of everything we do. I've been studying the Atonement of Jesus Christ and its touched my heart and my love for the savior has increased. I would just encourage all of you to study, ponder, and live the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is the most important thing in the universe. It was the perfect, selfless, best thing Jesus Christ could have done for each one of us. I would encourage each one of you to use the Atonement in your life everyday. Repent of even the small things you do and focus of the cleansing power of the Atonement.

Well this week has been absolutely amazing. A lot of our investigators are progressing very well. We have also gotten 6 new investigators this week and a lot of potential ones. We have been talking to everyone and teaching a lot of lessons. Galvin and Kristina are doing so well. They really are golden investigators. They have came to church every week, they are reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and they are setting goals to get married. And also this week we had an incredible lesson on the word of wisdom! (Galvin smokes and Kristina drinks coffee) Well guess what! That was on Tuesday and Galvin hasn't touched a cigarette since!! Kristina hasn't drank any coffee either. Galvin told us its so hard and he has to pray his guts out every time the urge comes to smoke. They really are amazing people and I'm sad I wont be here to witness their baptism. Graham is also doing very well. He is still set for baptism on March 6. I wont be here for that either.

The members in the Claudelands ward are just unbelievable. They come to so many lessons, give us referrals, and do so much for us. They are awesome cooks and some sacrifice a lot to feed us meals. Well on Thursday we had zone conference. Elder Neilson (from the seventy) and his wife put on the zone conference. President and Sister Porter spoke to us too. Wow it was the best zone conference. I heard missionaries say it was their favorite one they have ever had on their mission. The spirit was SO powerful!! It was breath taking how incredible the talks were. I learned So much. I took so many notes. I cant even describe how amazing the zone conference was so I'm not even going to try hahaha. He bore such powerful testimony about the church and about the Savior. Those general authorities are extremely powerful men. They have unshakable testimonies and have the power of the spirit when they teach.

Well Saturday was AMAZING!! Yes Shelley, Danielle, and Kieran Boyd were baptized. Brother Henderson (their next door neighbor that has been apart of their conversion the whole way) baptized them. The program went great and the spirit was powerful. The speakers were perfect and there was some really cool musical numbers. I cant even describe my feelings as I watched them be baptized. Just to know I was apart of helping them enter into the Kingdom of God was unbelievable. I was SOO happy and I got really emotional. It is really the greatest sight to witness an entire family be baptized. It was my first family to baptize and it was awesome. They all were shinning and smiling so much after they were baptized! They said they felt so clean and amazing. It was an experience I will never forget.

Well Sunday we confirmed them members of the church and gave them the gift of the Holy Ghost. Brother Henderson confirmed Shelley, Elder Sessions confirmed Kieran, and I confirmed Danielle. Wow! it was my first time giving someone the Holy Ghost. It was so cool. It really was a sacred experience and I'm glad I have the priesthood and am worthy to do that for Danielle. This week has been incredible. Thank you so much for praying for me and for the investigators, I've felt your prayers.

It was so good to hear your responses to me telling you I'm going to Niue. I was so excited and couldn't wait until today so I could read what you all thought. I bet you were all so shocked and were so happy. I sure was and I am still overwhelmed. That's so cool you all got to read it together at the Pugmires house. I am still so excited to go to Niue. It really is going to be a once in a life time opportunity! I cant wait but I am really going to miss this ward. I said goodbye to a lot of them yesterday and they were all so sad. They have been amazing ward! I really hope I can come back and see them someday.

I cant believe I'm going to Niue!! Its so crazy huh?! There isn't very much people there at all. I am probably going to be teaching a lot but also doing a lot of service for the people. I don't know what day exactly my p day is yet. Well I have heard about the hurricane that hit Tonga. I don't know about Niue either, hopefully I don't get hit by one! I will take a lot of pictures and write in my journal. This really is a once in a life time opportunity! I am so excited and blessed to go there. I am still way shocked. I bet I will have a huge culture shock. Well I will keep you all undated every week.

Well my new flat is so cool. Its really nice and really big. I'm sad I didn't get very much time to live in it but this is where the Lord wants me to go. I'm pretty sure Elder Sessions is staying in Hamilton and getting a new companion. But we don't know yet because transfers are not until Thursday. I'm like the only missionary that knows that I am getting transferred. My companion is happy for me. He said I'm so lucky and is jealous of my call.
Oh yeah I am going to be there during my 20th birthday!! Cool, I'm going to be living on a tropical island. Wow its like my dream come true. And I thought of something. I had summer in Utah and then came to New Zealands' summer and then I will miss New Zealands winter and be in summer in Niue and then when I come back to New Zealand it'll be their summer!!!! WOW I will have like a whole year in summer, maybe even more than a year.

Well about the pictures, I am going to try to put all my pictures I have taken so far on a DVD and then send them to you. I hope I can do that otherwise hopefully in Niue I will have a little more time to e mail you. I will hopefully send a bunch then! sorry I haven't yet, its just so hard...no time.

Tell Grandpa and Grandma (both sides) hello and that I love them so much. I will write them soon. I love you mom and dad heaps and heaps! I miss you both so much. You mean everything to me. I'm so grateful to be your son.

I love you all so much. Your the best family I could ever ask for. You mean everything to me and I pray for all of you every night. Thanks for everything you do. I hope all is well with school and work. I miss you all. Let me know whats going on in your life. I hope your having some fun times. Well it was so good to e mail you again.
I love you
Love Elder Kitchen