freezing rain

Hello Everyone!!

It was yet again another amazing week this week in Omaha! Aside from the freezing rain, everything seems to be heating up! We saw some pretty significant and amazing miracles this week! We also had interviews and district meetings this week! It was awesome! This week we saw the hand of the Lord in so many ways. Our seatbelt on the driver side broke this week, and we couldnt buckle up, so we didn't really know what to do, as we were sitting in the car trying to figure out how we were going to get to our appointments that day, a line from a song came to my mind "did you think to pray?" I was like well...nope...so I mentioned it to my compaions and we said a short prayer asking Heavely Father for help. After the prayer Elder Donohue feldt impressed to take off the panel by the seatbelt and see if we could maybe see what was causing the issue. We did, and I reached my hand down inside to try and jiggle the mechanism, and I barely even touched it and Elder Donohue gave it a pull, and somehow it came unstuck! And it worked perfectly. It was pretty sweet, because previously we had pulled and tugged as hard as we could for about ten minutes...really awesome tender mercy. And then this week during our weekly planning session, as we were talking about one of our investigators who we hadn't been able to teach or really contact for about 55 days, we felt impressed to have a special fast for her this sunday, for a chance to have a meaningful spiritual experience with her. So sunday came, and we fasted, and as we were planning in the morning, I felt impressed to try her right after dinner. So we booked it over to her house after dinner, and as we pulled up we saw her and her husband outside!! So we prayed and jumped out of the car, and contacted them. They invited us inside for a lesson, where we were able to teach their whole family the message of the Restoration. it was really awesome to see the Lord answer our prayer, and place us where we needed to be. Lastly probably one of the coolest experiences of my mission happened last night as well. Again, we felt impressed to go to some new investigators houses at the close of our evening. We pulled up to the street. and got out. We tried their house,  and had no success. So we went next door, and again had no success. So we began to walk down the street to one of our other investigators house, and on the way I felt impressed to knock on a door. So I did, and oddly enough no one answered. Ready to move on, we exited the porch and saw a lady standing outside on the phone. We approched her, and started to talk with her. She wasn't really to interested, but as I looked around I noticed a man walking down the street. I stopped him, and asked if we could give him a card, he accepted but explained that he had to keep walking. So I asked if we could walk with him a little ways. He agreed, and we started off. I asked him some questions about his life and about his beliefs, and he went off explaining about the hard times he was facing, and how it had been a large burden for him. We got to the corner of the street, and he stopped, looked at us, and said "I was walking down this street feeling alone, and then you showed up and gave me a moment of clarity. And now im not alone." I was amazed, and then he continued saying "the street I was supposed to be on is one street over, but for some reason God put me here, and I know it was to talk to you guys. If nothing else, you accomplished your purpose by talking to me."  It was so amazing, and so touching to listen to this man thank us and Heavenly Father for just those few minutes of walking down the street. We got his address and gave him a copy of the Book of Moromon and he departed. As he left, I couldn't help but look up into the sky and smile. I knew why we were on that street. I know that the Lord is so aware of us in our individual circumstances. He hears us, he love us, and he will always lead us to the light. I hope you all have an amazing week, thank you for your sacrifice and support. I love you.

Love,
Elder Kirby

 Alma 26:37

know it and love it

Hello from Nebraska!

This week was yet again an awesome week! We had a lot of great things happening, and were able to teach some amazing people, and see some awesome miracles! First things first, I had an exchange with Elder Brinkerhoff this week! it was so much fun, and good to be back with a good buddy. We saw some awesome miracles and worked really hard. My favorite was when we were at an apartment complex, and we couldn't figure out for the life of us how to get to the third floor. After some experimenting and exploring, we found our way to the top! And upon arriving, we knocked on the door of a sweet lady, who we were able to teach and set her for baptism. When we asked her to be baptized she said "yes...where?" it was pretty awesome! We also saw another cool miracle as we were finding in Carter Lake,  Iowa. We were getting ready to go and try an investigator, and we saw a couple of people talking, so we decided that we were going to go and talk with them. As we were walking across the street, she yelled " Hey Mormons!" So we were like sweet she knows us. Upon talking with her we found out that she had met with missionaries about 20 years ago. And that in that time she had read the entire Book of Mormon in a week! She told us that she didn't have much time to talk, so I asked her if we could share a 4 minute video about the restoration of the gospel. She accepted, and what started as a short video, turned into a 45 minute lesson. It was so amazing to be able to teach her according to her needs. It was truly a miracle. We also had a great lesson with R&S this week at the trail center. She is doing great, and is coming to church and loving it. We also had an exchange with the other Fontenelle Elders. I went with Elder Fullmer, who is a district leader in our zone, and we had a blast. We met a guy who sells grills and tatoos. We got to teach him! It was pretty legendary. Overall, it was a great week full of lots of fun memories, and amazing miracles. I am loving my time here, and I am grateful for every day I get to serve Heavenly Father. This is truly His work, I know it, and I love it. Hope you all have a great week! Thank you for all of your support and prayers!

Love Elder Kirby

 No idea.

 thug life

 Buddies

 Discs for decoration

Good things

Hello Everyone,

This week was awesome, we saw some really cool miracles this week, in finding new investigators, and also in contacting some former investigators who are now prepared for the gospel! On exchanges this week, I went with Elder Parker, and we decided to go to an apartment complex to visit some of our investigators. As we walked out the back door leading to the outside, we saw a man sitting on the stairs, so we sat down by him and began to teach him the restoration. Shortly after, a lady pulled up who happened to be his wife. She got out and said "whats up mormons" she later explained that missionaries used to come by her house when she was younger! She then invited us into their apartment. Once we were inside, we were accompanied by about four more people. So we taught them all the restoration! One of the men who was there was listening really intently, and afterward went off about how he believed that our message was true! We later found out that he used to meet with missionaries in Eagle Run quite often, and was close to being baptized. He told us that he knew God sent us to him that day, and that his desire to be baptized was renewed. I just thought it was a really cool tender mercy to be led by the Lord to be in the right place at the right time. In that same apartment complex, there is a family that are members of the church, and they have a friend living with them, who has two kids who are 13 and 10. We were able to connect with the two mothers on Facebook, and we have been able to keep closer contact with them. That led to them coming to a ward activity this week, and also listening to the Book of Mormon daily. At the ward activity, we went on a church tour just after, and when we were standing in the chapel, the 13 year old girl asked me if our church "saved" people. It provided an awesome opportunity to talk about baptism and the sacrament, she then expressed that she wanted to be baptized. It was definately a tender mercy from the Lord as well. And finally, just another small miracle that happened; we have been teaching a lady who is a single mom, and very active in her own church, due to her busy schedule we havent been able to see her for quite some time, but out of no where she texted us today with an update on how she was doing! It was awesome, and we are looking forward to utilizing technology to be able to communicate with her despite her busy schedule. Overall this week was amazing, and we are looking forward to more good things! Thank you for all that you do, I love you!

Elder Kirby

snow

Hello everyone!

This week was a fast and great week! We were able to get a lot done, and had a lot of fun in the process! It wasnt too cold this week, so we got to go out and talk to a bunch of people! We had a great zone conference to! We learned so much about how we can use our phones more productively. Overall it was awesome, but the highlight of my week was definitely continuing my study of the Savior. It has completely changed my life, it was interesting to read from Jesus the Christ about the Saviors trial. Everything about it was completely unfair, but an important lesson can be learned from it, We know that the Savior literally suffered for everything. All of our pains, afflictions, and temptations; he was also judged with the most unrighteous judgement imaginable so that when the end comes, he can judge us with a righteous judgement. I love just the little insights we can gain everyday from our studies. I love my Savior so much, and i am so thankful that he was willing to go all the way for us, so that we could have the strength to go all the way for him. I am loving my mission so much. Most of all, i am thankful for the changes its helped me make, and who i have become because of it. I have never felt closer to the Savior, and i am excited to continue to learn about him! Anyhow, our investigators are doing great, we had to move our investigators date to next week, because we werent able to see her this week. But we did have the opportunity to find a few new investigators, as well as contact a lot of referrals! It was really fun! I am loving Nebraska so much, and especially this ward, almost everyone in our ward is from Idaho! I am excited for the next few months! Thanks for all that you do! I love you!

Elder Kirby

D&C 121: 7-9

miraclesatwalmart

Hello everyone, 

This week was so amazing, Elder Clayton left us, but we got Elder Wangsgaard! So we have been hyped. This week was so awesome full of great miracles, and lots of fun. We got to do a short exchange with the Sioux Falls Elders, who came down for MLC. It was a blast, I went with Elder Perkins, he is the man, we had a ton of fun, and found some really sweet people. I will share a couple miracles from this week!

Elder Donohue and I, were walking through a trailer park, and both of us got the impression to knock on a certain house. As we knocked a young man came to the door, we introduced ourselves, and asked if we could start with a prayer, he agreed, so we taught him the Restoration. Since then we have met with him 4 days in a row, and had an amazing tour at the trail center. I know that the spirit touched his heart, because it touched mine. He expressed to us that he had jumped around to different churches, and that he was really looking for the truth. It was awesome and touching to see that tender mercy from the Lord.

Another miracle we saw today, actually starts when I was serving in North Platte. When I was there we started teaching a young family, but due to some complications, they had to move to Omaha. So we helped them load up there stuff in a trailer, and that was the last we saw of them, but this morning we were at Wal-Mart, and I had just gotten out of the car, and I noticed a car that had pulled in behind us. The crazy part was that I recognized the driver and passenger! It was the same young couple that I had taught in North Platte, and we just happened to be in the same place at the same time. We were able to get their address, and they expressed that they would like us to start coming by again! It was an awesome miracle and answer to our prayers to always be in the right places at the right times. I know that Heavenly Father has His hand in this work, and he will always lead us to those who are prepared.

This work is so much fun. I have been learning a lot about the Savior, I started a study recently going through scripture suggestions in PMG that all testify about the Savior, and I asked the question, "What does the Book of Mormon teach about Jesus Christ." It has been the most influential study I have ever done, and I have only done it for 2 days now. I would invite each of you to try it out. The list of chapters can be found at the beginning of the Plan of Salvation section. I testify that the Savior lives today and that He loves us. He always welcomes us with open arms no matter where we have been, or what we have done. I testify of the sanctifying and enabling effect of the Jesus Christs Atoning sacrifice. He is the Healer, and the Prince of Peace. I bear witness of the reality of his divinity, I know that His gospel is in its fullness on the Earth, and that it its the pathway to eternal life. I love the gospel, and I love being a missionary. I love all of you, thank you for all of your support and well wishes. I hope you have a great week! Keep an eye out for tender mercies!! 

Love,

Elder Kirby

awesome

Hello everyone,

This week was a truly amazing week! I was so thankful for the opportunity to watch the announcement of President Russel M. Nelson. I loved his testimony and the words he spoke to us, if you haven't gotten to watch it I would strongly suggest doing so! I have a testimony that God has prepared him for this calling. I testify that he is truly a prophet. And I know that as we take heed to his words we will always be guided towards truth and light. I dearly love President Monson and I am forever grateful for his faithful service, and for his testimony as Gods chosen representative on earth. And just as I sustained him, I sustain President Nelson as well. What a wonderful time to be on the earth, to have prophets dwelling among us! I am truly grateful for that blessing, and to have continual guidance from the Lord. I am so grateful for the priesthood keys that have been restored to the earth that blesses our lives in numerous ways. I know that this church is true, and I am so thankful to be apart of it, and to be able to proclaim it's truth everyday. What a time to be alive.

This week was great for us here in Fontnelle, we have been having a lot of great success lately. We took Rue and his mom Sheila to the trail center this week, and had an amazing tour and lesson. The spirit was so strong, and it was touching to see a mother and her son totally embracing the gospel. She came to church this Sunday, and it was awesome, because Rue was able to answer a lot of her questions! I am so happy for them, I know that the Lord has prepared their hearts. We also were able to do a lot of finding this week, on account of the good weather! It was nice to get out and just walk and talk to people. We also have been able to meet with quite a few of our investigators, and we are starting to see a lot of great things!

It's been pretty cool to have phones, they have been a huge help and a blessing to us; we have been able to contact a lot more referrals. And we have seen a lot of success in finding! We did a lot of training on them this week, and we are excited to start using Facebook a little bit more! It's so cool to see the work hastening like it is, and it's even cooler to be apart of it! I'm excited to see how the Lord will continue to open doors for us to share the gospel even more!

I had a spiritual thought this week, and it comes from Preach my Gospel. I was studying under the missionary work section, and I loved what it said about missionary work. It goes as follows: "Members who share the gospel, experience joy and have the spirit of the Lord more abundantly."(PMG 84)
The Lord doesn't expect us to go and knock doors all day, all he asks of us is that we are always willing to share, that when we are prompted or when we have an opportunity to share, that we don't shy away, but that we try our best. Sharing the gospel can be simple, sending a scripture over text, volunteering for service projects, saying hello to a stranger, or bearing a short testimony. By doing these simple things , we connect our brothers and sisters to the Savior, to His atonement. There is a quote from a movie about the restoration that i love. The scene portrays a group of men splitting wood for an elderly woman, the woman then approaches Joseph Smith and says: "I don't agree with you religion Mr. Smith, but I do appreciate your kindness." The Prophet Josheh responded saying: "I guess you could say that that is our religion ma'am" sharing the gospel can be simple. And I testify that as we do, we will be more joyful, and the spirit will continue to guide us to those who are prepared. Thank you for all the support, well wishes and prayers. I love you! Have a great week!
Elder Kirby

changes

Hello everyone, just a little note for you all, our mission has been approved for Facebook, so we will be able to use it for prostelyting purposes. Unfortunately I couldn't access my account from home, so I have created a new page. Feel free to add me as a friend, but please note that if you send me a message, I will not respond, all communication will still be through email. Also if you post or tag me in anything innapropriate, I will have to unfollow you. I am looking forward to using this great tool that Heavenly Father has prepared for us in these days. And I would encourage each of you to look for ways in which you can use your devices to further our Heavenly Fathers work.

This week was a great week, full of fun lessons and lots of finding. This week we have been able to help a couple of our investigators progress. We took one

to the trail center this week for a tour, and it went great! We were able to teach him afterwards and set him for a baptism date! Another awesome miracle from this week; a recent converts mom was admitted to the hospital, so we went up to visit them, and we were able to show her the gospel library app, because she had shown interest in learning about the gospel, but we hadn't been able to teach her. So we pulled it up on our phones and gave her a brief description about what it does, and some of the different features that it has. We also took advantage of the opportunity we had to teach the restoration ! It was awesome, because while we were showing her the different features, we taught the restoration! She loved it, and accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and invitation to read and pray! We were pretty excited to start teaching her! Apartment inspections were this week as well, so we spent a little time cleaning so that we could pass lol. Elder Clayton even cleaned the drip pans on our stove. However it was not good enough for Sister Hafen. But we still sweet talked her into letting us pass...and also giving is a bag of "inspection cookies"
Thursday we had our Zone Training meeting, but because of the weather conditions, we had to shuttle everyone in on the transfer van, and in the senior couples cars. We spent basically the whole day there for training and interviews with President Gardner. All in all we spent about 7 hours at the mission office. We received a lot of great training, and they also cooked ribs for is!

Elder Clayton and Donohue and myself are having a lot of fun together! Being on a trio is the life. Anyhow, the rest of the week was good, we are continuing to work hard and we are having a ton of fun! More to come next week! I love you all! Thank you for your support and prayers!
Love,
Elder Kirby
Jacob 6:5