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!