You Get To Meet Kennan!

Hey Everybody!

How are you all doing? Things are going well here. We just got back from a hike and picnic with the zone. That was way fun. And we have played some basketball this morning so that was way fun too. And tonight we get to go to the Thomas' so I'm pretty excited for that.

Its been a really good week this week. We just got a new investigator named Grey Davis. He is a guy that was there when we went to help someone move because he is the friend of the member that wanted us to help someone move. Then he came to church last week and this week and he taught him the restoration on Wednesday and he loved it! He said that 80 percent of the truth isn't enough for him, he needs it all. And he totally agrees with the idea of the great apostasy so he is reading the Book of Mormon this week and we are gonna meet again this Wednesday and invite him to be baptized. I'm really excited about him.

And you guys know about Kennan. I am so excited for you guys! He does have a few pictures of me and him and also Elder Fuller and I think there is also a picture of Grey on there too. He is the big darker guy in the grey suit. But we talked to him about baptism last week but he said that he was going to take his time investigating and stuff but we are going to get him a calling in the ward and keep him active and everything. He is going to be baptized. Its just a matter of time.

Mom that letter was so weird. Did Kennan tell you to say all that stuff because that all sounds exactly like him. But I laughed so thanks. I'm having a great birthday, thanks so much for the package and everything it came on Saturday but I wasn't home to sign for it so I didn't get it until this morning. But thank you so much, I cant wait for my cheesecake tonight!

Well I love you all and seriously I am so so excited for you guys to meet Kennan, he is like the coolest person ever. You will all love him. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Spencer Grant Harbold

(Letter written 4/30/12)

Update from the slacker Mom: 
After a long period of negligence, I am finally catching up with the mission blog. I want to start with posting some photos of Elder Harbold, Elder Benner (his trainer), Elder Fuller and Kennan Blehm (his favorite investigator).

Elder Benner & Elder Harbold - March 2012

Elder Harbold & Elder Benner - March 2012

Elders Harbold & Benner - March 2012

Kennan Blehm - March 2012

Elder Fuller & Elder Harbold - April 2012

Kennan Blehm & Elder Harbold - April 2012

Elder Harbold - April 2012

Way Less Weird

Hey Everybody!

How are you all doing? Things are going pretty well down here. It's been 90 degrees the past few days, but it's supposed to start raining again later this week. I am liking the heat more than the cold. It's pretty good when it's warm.

Mom, you were asking about Elder Fuller, and it's going ok with him, but he has a hard time doing stuff. He still has 8 months left but he is already home mentally. It's a huge battle to get him up on time, out of the apartment by 10 and to not come back like 20 times a day. It can be so hard, especially with my naturally lazy personality, to keep on top of it and just not do anything all day. But I have been able to for the most part keep him out and busy all day, which is really cool for me because I'm proving to myself that I'm out here and I'm taking it seriously even when its hard. So this is probably a good thing for me. Besides, there is like a 95% chance that I am getting transferred in 2 weeks anyway. But ya we will see how it goes.

Kennan is doing well, it's actually been a while since we have been able to meet with him. He canceled our meeting on Wednesday because he had to work late because he is doing some training stuff at work and so he wasn't able to make it. Then he was really sick yesterday so he didn't make it to church either, but its no big deal, he is still on fire and we aren't worried about losing him. We stopped by his place to give him a Chinese Book of Mormon because he wanted to give one to his friend. I'm pretty sure that he knows that the church is true, he just doesn't realize it yet, so we are going to talk to him about it on Thursday.

A couple of weeks ago we were helping a guy in our ward named Volark move an older lady named Anna. Also helping her were some guys from her church. Yesterday Volark brought one of them to church and we have an appointment to meet with him and Volark on Wednesday! His name is Grey and he is super awesome. We were talking to him after church and asked him how he liked it, and he said that he really enjoyed it. He liked the order of things and it was way less weird then he thought a Mormon church would be. So we are pretty excited to meet with him.

So that's about all that I have for this week. Thank you all for every thing that you all do, it means so much to me. I love you all and hope you all are well!

Love,

Elder Spencer Grant Harbold

P.S. I don't have any of those mo tab cd's that you asked me about but you did send my not your mothers cd's. And if you could add one more thing, those red and green exercise bands that I got in jr. high. I'm not quite sure where they are but Joseph might know. Thanks so so much! And the reason we were at the mission office was to talk to Elder Boras, our vehicle coordinator about the car accident that we got into. Love you!

A New Car!

Hey Everybody!

 

So this will be my last letter that comes on a day other than Monday. Our library reopened today so it'll be on Mondays from here on out. And we got a new car today! It is a brand spankin' new Toyota Corolla. I love it a ton! Its so nice and new! It only had 10 miles on it when we picked it up from the mission office! I like it way better than the old Malibu we used to drive. This one is much smaller and has a way better turn radius (for making u turns when I get lost in this crazy California road system). And it is a super cool charcoal color.

 

Thanks Dad for that info that you sent me, we have a lesson with Kennan tonight and we will share that with him. Hopefully he will be baptized before I have to get transferred, but if he doesn't I will still be able to come back when he does get baptized. Yesterday he texted us to reschedule our appointment from yesterday to today and was really apologetic that he wasn't able to do it yesterday, and I told him, "its ok the church is still true" and he said "Amen!" I'm pretty sure that he believes most of if, he just for whatever reason can't get all of it quite yet.

 

Easter was really great! We went to our ward mission leaders house for creamed eggs right after church. Those were super good! As far as I could tell it was boiled eggs mashed up in a white roux kind of sauce. Super, super good. Then for dinner we went over to the Nidu's house. They are a really awesome Indian family, and they made some super delicious curry. Then after dinner Sister Nidu's mom shared her testimony, and it was probably the best testimony I have ever heard. She basically asked her son who was also present to start going back to church, and he said, "you know I left the church Momma," but he had tears in his eyes and he didn't sound too convinced about having left the church. It was super awesome to be able to share that experience with the family.

 

So that's all that I have for this week. Thank you all for you love and support and prayers! I appreciate it so so much. And also a huge thank you to Susie and Michael. You will be getting another thank you letter from me soon, but I wanted you to know in the mean time that I really, really, really appreciate the stuff that you sent me. Thank you so much!

 

I'm not sure if I said this already but I think I remember that Mom had an extra set of hair clippers, and if you could send those to me for my birthday that would be awesome! If I am remembering wrong and you don't have any extras, then don't worry about it, I can bum some off of others. More than half of the missionaries have some. Anyways I love you all and hope you all are well!

 

Love,

 

Elder Spencer Grant Harbold

Surprise Photos

I just received these emails and photos from the mission secretary. It's nice to have an eye witness account that he's well. The second photo was taken and sent after I responded to the first email. I'm glad I got the email in time to respond while he was still there.

The Mom

Hi!

This is Sister Withers, mission  secretary.  Your son is in the office right this minute and I just took this photo of him.  I thought you might enjoy it.  He says “Hi”  and that he loves you!.......8-)

All the best,

Sister Withers

He is still here…but he can close his eyes and imagine your are giving him a squeeze….  He was waiting to see if you replied…..8-)

Easter

Hey Everybody!

How are you all doing? Sorry my letter is late again, yesterday we had a 6 and a half hour zone conference and went straight to an Easter concert at the Stanford Memorial Church. That was super awesome! We took Kennan with us, and it was just great. President Watkins spoke and it was kind of a music and the spoken word thing. It was just great. And ya transfers are a week before Mothers Day, and I don't know if I'm gonna be getting transferred or not, but I probably will be. Hopefully I will still be able to skype with you. But I have a super awesome mothers day present that I will send to you, but its gonna be a few days late. Sorry. And thank you so much for the package, its awesome! Joseph, I would have enjoyed those pictures more if you weren't wearing my shorts and my shirt. Please, please, please don't destroy them so that I have something to wear when I come home. Kennan is doing super well still. We talked about baptism, and we finally got him to tell us what his concern is and its the temple. He loves the idea of a holy place where you can worship with the most devout members of your faith, but he doesn't understand the need for the ordinances. So we are working on that. Any advice? Well that's all I have for now, I love you all and hope to hear from you all soon!

Love,

Elder Spencer Grant Harbold

(Letter written 4/11/12)

Temple Trip

Hey Everybody!

Sorry the letter is late this week, but we didn't have p-day until today because we were able to go to the temple to do a session today. That was way awesome! I really like the Oakland Temple. It has the biggest endowment room I've ever seen! And the member that took us up hasn't been a member of the church very long and doesn't have a recommend, but he drove us up there and just waited for us because he is super awesome!

I think Kennan had a good experience at conference. He watched all of the sessions except for priesthood because he had something else going on, but that's okay. He said his favorite talks were Elder Scott, Elder Oaks, Elder Holland and President Uchtdorf, which happened to be my favorite ones too. Particularly Holland and Uchtdorf. Those were so awesome! I can't wait to get the Ensign and go over all the stuff that I may not have picked up on!

Elder Fuller is pretty cool. He is from Wisconsin and has been out 16 months. He suffers from middle child syndrome (just like me)! Our new district leader is a Tongan elder named Elder Mu'amohaleva. He is way sweet.

In other news, you guys remember Ashley, right? Well she is working on her mission papers now! That's pretty awesome. I'm way excited for her, and I'm excited for Garrett too! Tell him I said 'hi.' Anyways I have to go, but thanks for writing me and for all your support and for everything you do! Love you all!

Elder Spencer Grant Harbold

P.S.  For my birthday if you could send some hair clippers, that would be awesome. I've been cutting my hair myself with Elder Benner's clippers, but since he's gone now I can't do that. Thanks!