Party in the Quad Cities!

December 8, 2014

Well the title says it all we are PARTYING IN THE QUAD CITIES!!!! This last week was one of endings and beginnings. To start with as many of you have now heard, I have a new companion... Elder Christian Baxter of Herrimon Utah.  For all of us who have no idea of where that is, it is right beneath the copper mines on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. He is SUPER dedicated and just came from an area that is FULL of BASHERS and Catholics so in other words he is perfect to help me finish out STRONG and to help-- not hope-- our investigators to baptism! And, by the way I LOVE HIM!!! Yeah God knew what we needed here!

Well now to the MIRACLES OF THIS WEEK! 

The S*****r’s are on route to be baptized by the end of the Year! Except for D** unfortunately, we don’t think anyway, because he did not stop smoking in time to be baptized on the 20^th.  We haven't asked yet-- that is tonight.  So we are working with him to help him stop and really think about his family so that he can see the big picture! We are really working with him to get baptized by the end of the year, if not this next Saturday. EVERYONE PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM TO NOT HAVE THE DESIRE TO SMOKE!!!

The S***tt Family is doing amazing.  They are BY FAR the BIGGEST MIRACLE I have ever SEEN OR HEARD ABOUT!!! Here are some quotes from them in our last lesson (it was with Elder Baxter) "You guys have come at the only time that we would have accepted this as a family and we know it is a 'God thing'". Or "So we knew each other and loved God before this life that just sounds so... Right... or feels so right to me." and another one (we talked about temples and Sealing in Gospel Principles last Sunday) "I love the people that are in the church. For example the teacher in the second hour, he was telling me that I needed to learn the basics before I could learn the advance stuff so nicely.”  It was GREAT! oh oh oh here is another one "This plan that you guys have presented, it really helps me fill the rest of the circle that I have been building for my entire life! Thank you for teaching us!"

Now last week i said that their oldest son Simeon we hadn't meet yet and they didn't think he was interested. I had that wrong, his name is Sebastian and we meet him Saturday evening and all we really talked to him about was College Football and then he was there when I set a date with the family for the 17th of January, with the option to move it up to the tenth. That setting of the date and following the spirit to do it on the 17th IS the HARDEST THING  I have EVER DONE IN MY LIFE. This is how i phrased the question "Now I am going to take a huge humility pill and ask you guys a question..." quiet "Will you all prepare to be Baptized on January 17th?" then they started to jump up and down and be super excited all except Z***.  He looked at me and said "why was that so hard?" and i looked at him and said "Because i won't be here. I will be home and wishing i was here with you guys." that kinda ended the party but the energy was still there and then i added "but if your ready we can have it happen sooner like the 10th of January!" I am going to miss this family SOOO MUCH!  

When i cry on my way home it will be because i wont be able to see them baptized or i wont be able to see them be active in this ward. They have become a second family to me it is SO AMAZING!

OH and their son S********... we are meeting with him on Wednesday at 6:30 to teach him about "what we have taught his family" Oh man i am about to start to cry as i write this letter. ugh. 

Let me take a quick break and watch Erika and Ashley slide down the snow hill on their tummies so i can be happy again (thanks for the videos mom!)

Alright... feeling a little better now. 

one more thing there is a guy in our ward that he is from Carroll Iowa and he was a Pro golfer and is now coming back to activity and we had the opportunity to teach his girlfriend and him at a members house yesterday and invite her to be baptized! that was pretty fun too!

so, after all was done and counted we have 7 dates in our area and we had 8 investigators at church yesterday! it was a truly GREAT OCCASION!

Well i hope that your guys week has been as splended as mine, 

love, Elder Daniel Keeley

Jacob 6:12