Elder Devin Kirk

Elder Devin Kirk
I am blessed to be the messenger that is permitted to bring this joyful message to those who are in great need. I have authorization from our Savior, Jesus Christ, to represent Him in this part of the world. I am given the ability to work miracles in the lives of the people. I am guided by His Spirit in all that I do and say. I am given power to testify boldly to all who will listen that Jesus is the Christ and that He has restored His Gospel in these days and that all can be forgiven and receive the blessings of living this Gospel. I cannot begin to express the gratitude I have to be called to this position and be blessed with this assignment.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Arizona Week 24 - Construction

Hello,

It's been a pretty good week. We just had transfers but my companion and I are staying in the same place. It was a really good transfer meeting though. We (my companion, Elder Tarr, Elder Krueger, and I) sang an arrangement of "Silent Night" and got a lot of compliments on it. I am sad about the transfer though because Elder Van Meeteren got transferred to a different zone, but I know that he'll do great things there and it's likely that we'll work together again in the future.

It was really neat this week. We started teaching a young mother and yesterday was our second time meeting with her. What shocked me a little was that she started taking notes! She's so interested in learning and, more importantly, remembering the things we say that she takes notes and reads all the things we give to her. She comes with questions and a great deal of understanding from the things she has read. It caught me off guard a little because I've never experienced that. Usually we can see people 2 or 3 days in a row and they remember very little. It's rather refreshing to be meeting with someone that truly wants to learn.




So, over the past few weeks I've gained a bit of a putation for my building abilities. Everyone knows that I can make pretty much anything out of cardboard and duct tape. 

I would say the most impressive of which is the bookshelf that I recently completed.





I learn something really neat this week from another missionary. He talked about the ten lepers that Christ healed. It says that all ten were healed but there was one that turned back to express gratitude and, of him, it is said that he was "made whole". There is a substantial difference between being healed or cleansed, and being made whole. Through Christ's Atonement, we can all be healed and cleansed from our mistakes but to be "made whole" we must show gratitude for that sacrifice He made that makes forgiveness possible. 

I love and pray for you all and I hope you have a great holiday.

Elder Kirk

Monday, November 18, 2013

Arizona Week 23 - From the Rooftops


Hey everyone,

I have had a great week. It's nearing the holidays and there are many opportunities to serve others and brighten their day. Also, we were able to host a Baptismal Service for a woman we have been teaching. The service was wonderful and there were so many people there to support her. She shared a few thoughts in Sacrament Meeting after she was confirmed, and I along with many others, was impressed by the strength of her testimony. 

There is a family that recently moved into a neighborhood that we cover. They first met us at a home of a member that we were going to eat with. About 10 minutes after we left their home, they called us to say that the family that moved in had invited us to their Open House party. So, we went and got to know them and it was a really good experience. The couple that lives next to them puts a large Christmas light arrangement on their house each year. The husband was out there working by himself and, after 10 minutes of trying to convince him to let us help, he finally gave in. So, we were climbing up ladders and getting on the roof and hanging a bunch of lights for him. All the while, we had a good conversation with him, and he was so happy that we were able to get so much done so quickly.



Later that day, we went to the home of member to help him install his security cameras. Up to the roof we went again. But this time we goofed off a bit. (attached is a picture of us preaching the Gospel from the rooftops). But we had an enjoyable day of giving service and meeting new people. Sorry this week’s is short, but I hope you enjoy the picture.

Elder Kirk

Monday, November 11, 2013

Arizona Week 22 - Consecration

Hey everyone,

This week we had a zone training meeting and our zone leaders introduced a new idea to the zone. They had already counseled together with Elder Van Meeteren and me about it, and we were very excited. They talked about being "consecrated missionaries" as it is mentioned in the talk "becoming a consecrated missionary" by Elder Callister. They concluded that everyone wants to be a consecrated missionary but it is a hard thing to tackle on one's own. They pitched the idea of a "consecration week". Seven days where everyone in the zone will help and encourage one another to be consecrated and giving all their time and energy to the Lord and His work. 

To open the week, we had a little ceremony where we had a "consecration box" and everyone took turns placing things that they would not use into the box. A few hobby items were placed in such as knitting materials and puzzles. Unapproved articles of clothing like boots were put in. Music and movies that don't meet the standards were put in and many slips of paper describing specific actions or behaviors that missionaries would avoid made it into the box. Then I went up. I placed in the box the activity of making videos with my apartment mates because it has become a time wasting distraction. I also put in my lock-picking utensils. That caught everyone off guard. Those that were not paying attention suddenly looked up with puzzled looks on their faces. This includes a visitor that we had; the man in charge of all the keys to facilities in the stake...So, thus I consecrated my homemade lock-picking things for the week.

On a more serious note, the consecration week is bringing great miracles to everyone who is fully participating. The first official day, Elder Watson and I extended 2 baptismal invites that were accepted and set for specific days. We taught many people, and we are seeing great progress in all of them. We are so pleased with how everything is going. We are finding new people to teach all the time. 

Things are going well for me, and I'm happy to be serving and to be consecrating myself and everything I have to the Lord. I love you all and pray for you.

Elder Kirk

Monday, November 4, 2013

Arizona Week 21 - Exchanges

Hey everybody,

I had a good week. Our ward had a Halloween party that was HUGE. It was crazy. We put fliers advertising it on everyone's door and many people came to it. 

I went with Elder Van Meeteren to a hand therapist for an appointment...I didn't even know that there was such thing as a "hand therapist". It was pretty funny. We got there and there were a bunch of machines for all the different types of physical therapies. I leaned over to him and said, "I bet they'll put you in a corner somewhere, and you'll use a tiny little machine that could fit in a large fast food cup." And that's exactly what happened. We were having a good time and joking around as usual. 

I conducting my first District Meeting ever and it went pretty well. I had others tell me that it was one of the most spiritual District Meetings they've attended in a while so that was nice to hear. 

I went on exchanges with our Zone Leaders so Elder Krueger was with me for the day to evaluate how I'm doing as a missionary and as a District Leader. It was a great experience. I began to realize some important principles about obedience. We are counseled to talk to everyone we can, and I've tried to do that a few times before, but I never saw success from it so I stopped. With Elder Krueger, we did talk to everyone and, although no one we talked to listened, we had other people approach us later in the day. For almost every person we talked to, another person came to us. I realized that obedience does not always bring blessings by way of the act; the obedience itself is what brings the blessing. Showing the Lord that you are willing to do all the He asks of you is what invites the Spirit into your actions and you are blessed for it. This is something that I am grateful to have learned early in my mission. 

I also will have the opportunity to conduct companion exchanges with the Elders in my District, and I'm looking forward to that privilege and opportunity. 


I hope you all had a good Halloween and that things are going well for you and your families. I love you all.

Elder Kirk