Week 2 in Uruguay

8/22/17-8/28/17
Hola mi familia y amigos!!!

Tuesday

Today we had to change up our P-day because our zone got the chance to go to the Temple.  The temple is the best!  It’s been awesome to be able to go to the Mexico City Temple and now the Uruguay Temple.  There is no better feeling than being there.

Wednesday–Thursday

Well, to start I got spit on, lol.  I am just like Alma in Alma 8:13, he got spit on.  A huge loogie on me!  I was so freaking close to stopping!!  I hate kids that think they are all that, lol and there seem to be a few here that do no like the missionaries. We have a Fecha/dara for the 16th of September for 3 baptisms.  I am so excited! It is the greatest feeling to see people feel the spirit and know that it is true.  We taught this family and I got the opportunity to explain the book of Mormon to them. After I invited her to be baptized and she accepted!!!  It was the coolest thing ever!   She was 2 years being an investigator and because the spirit was so strong when hearing my words about it, she is being baptized!!! My comp asked this one random house if the girl’s dad was home.  It turned out it was the wife!  She looked so young! She got so mad lol.  She told us to leave.  I died laughing.  He was so embarrassed, it was so funny! Then we met some kids.  They were a little rough and so we taught them!  They made fun of me for my Spanish but it was chill.  I gave them a Book of Mormon and a mint.  They thought it was so spicy!  Everyone here has like 3 dogs, 2 cats and like 4 chickens, its crazy.  The dogs are some times really scary. Mold is everywhere, which is gross, but I‘m honestly loving it!  Haha.  It rained all day and it is so wet and so cold here. But when it rains, miracles happen! My comp is like my little brother, always talking in his sleep!  It’s hilarious.   The food here is both good and rough at times. I eat dried oats in the mornings and bread is one of my favorite and sometimes the only thing to eat. We get lucky somedays and get to eat at the home of some families.  The appetizers here are a full pizza haha then for dessert oranges for of the most homes. It is awesome!

Friday–Saturday

Well these days were crazy!  I invited this girl to be baptized and then we met this older lady.  I shared my first lesson with her and it was awesome! She is the funniest person.  I bore my testimony and after she asked me if she could be baptized, it was amazing!  The best feeling!!! She has a date for the 23rd of September! Ahh. I am so excited for that. There was this kid we taught thats about fourteen years old that I guess was super mean to his mom.   We taught them about repentance and the kid began to cry and saying how sorry he was to his mom.  The mom was really mean towards but she finally after like an hour of teaching her about forgiveness she came around. Her and her son are happy and hopefully will have the relationship they need to have.  We were also caught in a nasty storm.  It was pretty scary.  School was canceled and we were just hauling back while it was raining, lightening and super windy!  I love all the little kids here, its awesome.  I love it!  I also had the opportunity to give my comp a blessing and it was way spiritual.   He needed some extra strength for our long bike rides that are really hard and uphill. He is a great companion.   

Sunday

Well, we went out to our first Stake Conference.  It’s about as big as a normal ward, which is crazy.  We both broke our bikes, lol . It wasn’t the best day for us haha.  The lady that fed us gave us so much food.  It was awesome!  They are super nice but you also get the people that hate you.  We went to this house and they had 2 puppies so cute.  Sunday was a chill day.  Now its time for freaking P-day…ahh the best day ever!!  I love you all and all your love and support!

Elder Knelly

First Week in Uruguay

8/14/17-8/22/17
 Hola familia y amigos
 Well! haha culture shock from the get go!  This place is definitely a 3rd world country!  It’s hard without a doubt.  My house is so small, and its nasty, and we have one light.  It’s going to humble me real fast.  We have to drink from a filtered water bottle but when we teach a lesson or go in someone’s home we have to drink their water because it would be considered rude.  It’s a whole new level of faith. I am a bike mission for now and I bike like all over the area. It’s so hard, lol!

Monday – Tuesday
Well, we left for the airport at 4am and caught our flight.  Landed in Panama that was sketchy and we couldn’t find our flight.  It was just like home alone!  So funny!  We got on the plane and it was so long.  We finally got to Uruguay and met President Eddy. He is so cool.  One guy is the AP, Elder Mecham, I played against him.  It was so good to see a familiar face.  We slept in the mission home, which had no hot water, lol and so I knew it was about to get real.  I met with the family of President Eddy and they all knew me, it was awesome!  Haha I love it.

Wednesday - Thursday
Today is the day I met my new dad.  He is my trainer!  His name is Elder Bailey from Texas and he’s awesome.  This will be his last area before he goes home.  He is 10000% obedient so the mission is going be fun.  I met him by having him surprise me outside the temple, it was awesome.  He then took me to our new area in Aeroparque which is in the county with lots of weeds.  Oh my gosh, our house is TINY!  It’s a cement shack, no lights except one, 2 rooms and a small studying area.  The shower is nasty lol. There is also no heat and we are in the end of winter so its still cold.  So its been, not going to lie, hard.  Its definitely going to require a lot of faith.  I am really trying.  We knocked on our first couple of doors, actually you clap outside because everyone has a gate with 5 mean ugly dogs.  It’s crazy!  But our first day we met with investigators and got 3 lessons.  It was awesome.  I have no idea what anyone ever says!  So that’s going to be another trial, but hey what’s a mission without being humbled and have some trials.  All I know is Mosiah 4 and D&C 121 serve others and your trials will be, but small moments.  Its helping me through this.  One guy threatened to call the cops, it was funny.  We played futbol with little lads, it was awesome.  I also work out every morning so that’s good!

Friday – Saturday
We taught a family that changed my whole mission.  Michael, Phobiana, Brandon, Rosilianna, and Erina.  They are awesome.  We knelt on a dirt floor and I bore my testimony and invited them to be baptized.  The spirit was so strong and it changed my mission forever!  I love it right now because of that one example.  Our bikes are rough at times because the chains keep falling off. We figured out that our trash bikes have lights, so that is cool. A lady shook our hands and apparently, it’s been years since she has seen a Mormon!  She lit up! :)   

It rained on Saturday.  Let me tell you bikes, mud and rain are hard.  but when it rains it rains really hard but miracles happen to help you get through.  We also taught this other lady and I bore my testimony to get her baptized.  She got cheated on and she knew our gospel/message was true.  I started crying in my testimony.  The spirit was so strong to see someone change their life for the better.  These people are so poor but are way nice and humble. 

Sunday
We went to “groupo” our ward of 15 people. We have a goal to make it a branch soon.  I got asked to bear my testimony, then came the curve ball, a talk.  LOL.  It was hard but good.  We then were able to bless a lady.  We are also the people who prepare the sacrament, bless the sacrament and pass, haha.  It’s awesome.  The people are awesome.  We’ve got two baptism dates and taught kids not swear.  I know this mission is going to be hard but I already know that I am supposed to be here. I already love the people and my testimony grows every day.  I love you all and love hearing from everyone.  

Elder Knelly

Week 5: Preparing for Uruguay

8/3/17-8/10/17

Elder Knell leaves for Uruguay on Monday 8/14/17

Hola Como esta?? Como es su dia?

   Mi semana fue muy bien. El espiritu santo es real y muy importante por todos las vidas y personas.

    Well this week was by far the best week in the MTC!! I had so many experiences that im so excited to share!! I feel beyond close with the spirit and i know its real and lives if we seek for it! My testimony has grown so much over this past six weeks!! Yes can you believe its been a whole six weeks i have been out a month and a half already and i leave for Uruguay on Monday!! Its crazy!! I fly to panama city then Uruguay!! I am so excited to serve the people there and really hit the ground running!! Just have to endure a 14 hour plane ride hahah Im excited for the field!

    Friday-Saturday
       Friday was good. My companion is either super awesome or I want to kill hahha but other days is good! its teaching me a lot to have patience and look for the good in each day. Saturday we taught kids!!! If you havnt seen the "Lion" go see it! i'm teaching kids and people that look just like the people in that movie! one kid was about five years old it is so amazing to share a quick message with these kids. the kid was tiny and he was so scared of a 6 5 white guy hahha but I was able to make him smile and laugh a little bit! it was pretty cool! Spanish is coming along! We played ultimate frisbee for my comp and it was actually fun hahaha good to get running again!

  Sunday-Monday
     Sunday was the best day ever! I bore my testimony in Spanish and it was amazing to feel the spirit in the room!  As soon as I sat down I felt the spirit so strong.. my dad will make fun of me for this but I started to cry. The spirit hit me like a truck! It was amazing and I needed to feel it that day so bad! I read in ether 12:27 How weak things will become strong! I KNOW I can do this through Christ that strengthens me. later that day I watched a video it was the best thing to watch a video hahaha but it was about Joseph Smith and his life. I started thinking how is this church not true????? Why would he suffer so much if he didnt believe with all his heart it was true! I know this is the true church and im supposed to be here where I am! Then I got thinking why would God let him suffer so much! so i read this.. D and C 121:7 might be one of my favs!! Talks about how our afflictions will be but a small moment!! I know this is hard but its a small moment in our lives! whatever we are going through we can get through it!! I was able to fast all day! I have the biggest testimony of fasting and the power it brings!! Lastly I had the opportunity to give two blessings to sisters in my district! They were both struggling with a lot of personal issues and a lot of stuff they needed desperately to hear from our heavenly father! I know that they needed a blessing but I also know that i needed to give them one! They chose me and I know heavenly father knew I needed the chance to exercise my priesthood! I got to talk through the spirit and it was the best thing ever!! the spirit was so strong and once i finished they began to cry. They feel a lot better and I know i was talking by the spirit! it was so amazing!!

   Tuesday-Wednesday
      I got my sticker to resemble my last week it was so awesome haha its something everyone here like wants more than anything its pretty funny! Then I got flight plans!! Its so crazy I leave into the field so soon!! I got my filtered water bottle and then I realized seeing that, that it just got real hahah no water except in that thing for two years lets go hahaha then I thought about the souvenirs i will bring back!! so excited hahah I also played ball for real cuz I was tired of people thinking they can and want play me in one on one so we played a 5 on 5 game! I shot the ball so well! no joke 15 for 15 and I dunked it! its awesome haha my team killed!! I shot 3s and I had the habit at pointing to someone when I shoot so it was pretty funny cuz the person wasnt there to point back. Well my next email I will be in Uruguay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you all and remember to set goals, look for the good in every day, and love the time you have with your family!

           Elder Knelly


Elder Trevin Knell

Misión Uruguay Montevideo

Dalmiro Costa 4635 Bis

C.P. 11400 Montevideo

Uruguay 

One Month Mark!

7/27/17-8/3/17

HOLA! Como esta?? Todo lo puedo A Cristo que me fortalace!

   Well on Thursday, it was a pretty amazing day. I was able to go the temple and put down my first name in the blessing box! It was the most powerful thing I have ever felt. I know that person will be ok and her son is doing something that will bless their family forever! If you don’t know who I’m talking about its Parker Hamby!! I also put in some other names and I know everything will be ok! The temple is a place to get away from the stress and craziness of the mission! The spirit is so strong and so amazing. Sleeping wise it was a little rough idk if a truck driver got mad or what but he laid on his horn for no joke 5 minutes. It was the longest thing of my life!!! I ended up falling asleep in class and the teacher of course called on me!! I was so mad. I had no idea and so she just kept doing it! I was so mad the rest of the day but it was also pretty funny! Later that night I read the Book of Mormon and it was so amazing. It’s the book of answers without a doubt!! Sitting outside under the stars reading and gaining truth!! That book has helped me so much have faith in myself and be here to the end and do the Lord’s work! I know that He answers our prayers!!

  Saturday-Sunday
   
     I ate my favorite cereal lucky charms!! Ben and I have lucky charms for breakfast while others eat fruit loops hahahah but they were the best thing I have had! sad right haha! We finally taught little kids and you wouldn’t have guessed the kid I taught was in love with basketball! I connected with him way fast and I asked him how ball was and the position he played. The kid goes I’m a shooting guard and my shot is nice hahah. He starts to do like moves in the room and going between his legs step back. His favorite player is Lebron! The kid was awesome!! Then we got to teach this other kid and his sister who just got baptized and he wanted to learn more! He was like 12 and so so so shy!! It was so cute. The spirit was there and the kid asked me about prayer. Oh my gosh, I was overwhelmed the spirit was so strong!! I bore my testimony on how prayer has helped me so much with being here and in my entire life! I asked him to say a prayer and he said a way spiritual powerful one. The spirit was so strong in that room! Sunday was amazing and the big man upstairs heard your prayers so thank you! I didn’t have to give a talk!!!!!!!!!!! I was so happy hhaha it’s so scary to be honest!!

  Monday-Wednesday

      Well we are starting a trend that every Monday is ugly tie day!! so I stole my companion’s ugly grandpa tie hahah. I’ll send a pic next week of when we do it! It’s so funny but everyone is now starting to do it in the CCM, its awesome! So I am 10 for 10 in finding a giant old ancient fossil ladies hair in my food hahah.It’s so gross!!! Alright well now time to lay down the law! haha the president came into our house and got so mad! Someone snitched saying we were playing games and having too much fun at night and not going to bed even though we were in bed and our rooms when we were supposed to! Anyway he ended up splitting up our whole house! So stupid but funny! We all split up and now we live all over the place its funny! I think we are the first missionaries to get kicked out of our house! My companion’s cousin died so he asked me to accompany him in a blessing! How powerful that room was and the spirit was there. It was so amazing!! It was seriously so amazing!! I hope you guys can feel how strong the spirit is and if you are having a hard time knowing if it’s the spirit or not STOP worrying about it! The spirit guides you and leads you! trust it and everything will be ok! Jacob 3:1 read it and see what stands out to you! A special someone sent it to me! It has helped me a lot!

     I love you all!!!

             Elder Knell