Welcome Home BEAU!!!

Endlessness

Dear Family and Friends,

This is my last week here in the Missouri Independence Mission and my beloved home of Kansas City. What a whirlwind of adventure. Friends have been coming out of the woodwork from all over the mission to come and see me as my sojourn comes to a close. And people have been shoveling meals down our throats every hour. It couldn't be an update from me without some mention of food, right? It's been wonderfully painful.

Elder Spencer, who served in St. Joe near me, and I had the most exciting of exchanges this week. I took our small town boy through the daunting skyline of KC. We ate pupusas, Arthur Bryant's BBQ, and Bulgarian breakfast casserole. Good thing my hill-billy friends can handle a stomach beating, huh?

I've been saying a lot of goodbyes to all of my family here in the city. The Kwe-nation (Marshalese members of the branch) held their traditional coronation ceremony and crowned me "King of the Kwe's" yesterday and made me cry. The Branch Presidency had me pray in sacrament, translate, and bear my testimony on Sunday to bid farewell to Riverview. There are so many things that I'm going to miss here. I'm going to miss the people and the connections I've made and their love. I'm going to miss putting Christ's name every day on my chest. I'm going to miss the sky here--the sense of endlessness as you gaze at mid-west horizon. 

This is a sad moment, a time of change, and I've been so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the brief time He's given me to serve here. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and that He lives and loves us. It's been an amazing two years sharing that knowledge full-time. I'm grateful for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the blessing of knowing that I can be with my family forever. I'm sad to see my mission come to an "end", but I know like the endlessness of the sky and horizon here, that none of this actually does "end"--it's a part of who I am, it's eternal.

I love you all so very much and will see you this week!

For the last time--MUCHO AMOR

Only in the Riv

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was interesting....

 I got bit doing service for a senior sister by a wasp the size of a hummingbird so my hand swelled up like a boxing mitt for most of the week. Lesson learned, don't do service for old women because giant wasps will eat your hand. I was actually surprised that I didn't feel that much guilt eradicating their colony with spray afterward. It was like the righteous fury of Christ cleansing the temple of money changers and livestock. That and whenever I got bugged by my companion I could just whack him with my giant meat-fist.

We had a Pionner Day celebration on the 25th as a Stake and took a giant photo in a the middle of the afternoon in a heat advisory. Some of the more round Elders had "sw-ants" on, where their entire pants were wet from perspiration. It was super sweaty and funny to see everyone scatter after the photo after the grueling afternoon of heat and humidity and run back to their cars and air conditioning. Man, the pioneers were champions.

One of elderly sisters in the branch called us and very casually informed us that her best friend and caretaker passed away about an hour before we were supposed to come over and eat his famed BBQ (seriously, it's the best barbeque I've had ever in my life) with them that night, but that it would be fine to come and take a to-go plate. After trying to politely decline, she insisted that we come, saying that some of his final words were to get the ribs in the oven around 4 because the Elders were coming at 5. How great is that? The interesting thing about the experience was that when we went over to have a prayer with them and see how we could help, we could see their spirits lift up as they talked about their recently passed away friend and his talents with cooking. If it makes sense, they were comforted as they provided a service to us, sending us home with too much food, in their time of difficulty. This was one of the bittersweet moments of the mission, but one that has stuck out to me in it's inherently sad/awkward/hilarious/spiritual nature. Only this would happen in the Riverview Branch. 

Also, yesterday, my main man and best friend, Hermano Morillo from the Great Kaw River ward surprised me at church and stayed with me for the whole block. Man, I miss him so much and it was great to see a friend before I head home. 

I'm sad seeing how I'm heading home next week and I might not see some of my friends and family here in Kansas and Missouri again in this life, but I do know that we will see each other again because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a blessing to have this time to testify of it and our Savior! 

No Better Gig

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been action-packed for sure! And luckily I've survived it all unscathed. It's funny because I'm actually starting to recognize some of the cops in our area now. If only there was someway to talk to them because I'm sure they'd make great Mormons.

Last P-Day we went to the Federal Reserve thinking that it would be interesting/fun/exciting, but it ended up being a waste of time/boring/uneventful. I got a 15 minute background check to see a bunch of old coins and fake money. I wouldn't recommend using your P-Day to go there.

Brodi Elwood (my old companion for those who skim) and Melissa Villanueva came on Saturday to treat us to some Oklahoma Joe's BBQ as they toured the mission. Kansas City barbeque is almost as life changing as the gospel. It was such a trip and delight to hang out with some besties and catch up seeing how it's been three long weeks since Brodi left. My friends are just the best.

I went on two exchanges this week. One with Elder "Silent" Myers and Elder Taylor. Elder Myers is notorious for being a quiet guy, but I couldn't get him to stop gabbing on our exchange. He goes home with me and is heading to the U. How nice it is to find another Ute amongst this sea of missionary Cougars. Elder Taylor is a stallion of righteousness, like his trainer and one of my former companions, Elder Sjoblom. 

It's been a great week and the work is progressing. Noami is getting closer to her baptism. We've started working with some other Part Member Families and hopefully we can help them as they come closer to Christ. The mission is seriously a dream. I can't think of a better gig than that of dedicating myself to helping others.

--Elder Beau Hart

Mini Missionary Michael‏

Mini Missionary Michael: July 13th

Dear Family and Friends,

Not much to report on this week seeing how I just emailed ya'll last Thursday.

Friday we received a "mini missionary" named Michael and he chilled with us until Sunday night. It was a party for sure. A part of me thinks that he might have been shocked a little about the mission (especially our area), but he was fun to have around for a while to keep Elder Fullmer and I from becoming one person. We get along too well.

Highlights include, but are not limited to:

Another Marshallese Party. This one was to finish some New Member Lessons for some recent converts. How great is that? We brought McDonalds to Brother Dinteru as a joke because he always wants to take us out on Sunday to get some. It's not a sin if it's drive-through, right?

Service in Independence painting a school. Cool, huh?

Yesterday's drama-fest at church. Sacrament was a musical testimony meeting where everyone would bear their testimony and include a hymn and then we would sing two verses of it. It was awesome. That and it drowned out the sounds of crying babies. Win win!

We also found a Hello Kitty Story in Independence. Hahahahahahh Satan is everywhere! Guess, we have to keep up the fight.

Well, love ya'll. Make it a great week. 

MUCHO AMOR,

Elder Beau Hart

(Very poorly lighted with the Dinteru's. #ILOVEIT and Satan's Store in Independence)

Culture Reviews‏

Culture Reviews‏: July 9th, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

This week...wow....

Last Monday we went to the Community of Christ temple and had an interesting tour and they said pictures were allowed, including selfies (nice), and we ended by receiving origami Peace Doves that
now decorate our car and keep me from raging at our lovely future wife impersonating Tiwi when it says, "check your speed", when I go 5 over the limit. (That's a rough, run-on sentence, huh?)

The Fourth of July was a bummer. All we ended up doing was ushering for a concert and then tucking ourselves into bed while Canadian smoke blocked any view of fireworks in the distance from our apartment window.

Today we went to the Nelson Atkin's Art Museum with Ivan (recent convert) and Areos (recent move in/future missionary) here in KC. My summary: I didn't know that any time I'm naked in the shower that I'm considered Greek and Roman art. Too much genitalia. Also, if logic flows, Hooters is just a renovation of ancient statues techniques. Finally, modern art is so bad that I thought the stairs leading to the exit of the museum were part of the exhibit. 

I've gained a testimony of how the Lord provides whenever we ask. I'm not going to lie or try to sugarcoat it, but this past Monday I was kind of bummed that we weren't "P-Day-ing" and was not in the mood to
tract after our appointments fell through. I was just begging the Lord for something to do.

So He sent a tornado our way.

Elder Fullmer and I, keeping our cool of course, scrambled for a place to hide. We asked for a safe place. We got the Wong/Huesca's house. We were hungry. Sister Huesca's gave us more Mexican cheesy cauliflower than we could handle. We wanted to help out. We got to help prevent flooding in the basement. We didn't ask for it, but somehow we got a laugh out of their "rescued" baby raccoons. So there I found myself sweeping water to a drain bit by bit, my stomach super happy and full of food, listening to the screams of baby raccoons and Brother Wong chattering in Spanish with his cholos across town, super grateful for the adventure and memories of the mission which my giving Heavenly Father has given me. And glad I didn't die in the tornado also.

The temple was great this morning. Elder Fullmer and I get along almost dangerously well. We have the exact same interests so we oft get carried in the spirit of talking about non-mission related tangent. 

Mucho amor,

Elder Beau Hart

(Us judging art and Us at the museum)

Temple Week‏

Temple Week‏: July 6th, 2015

Dear Family and Friends, 

This week we are attending the Kansas City Temple, so our P-Day has been moved to Thursday. Talk to you then! :) Have a great week! 

Mucho amor,

Elder Beau Hart

(Happy Fourth of July, I got to spend some time with my favorite family Los Huesca/WONG)