Sorry

Sorry about last week's email blunder. I realized that I typed in "sm" to send it to your email which usually pops up right away, but hilary's email popped up and without looking out of habit just hit the enter button. I'm sorry, luckily i don't have to many opportunities to make that mistake again. 

Thanks for the phone call! 

It is always great to hear the voices of those I love so much. The Lord really has blessed us with eternal families, and of course kenny. But truly as I talked with you all I could feel the amazing spiritual connection that the Lord has allowed me to have with each of you and I'm grateful i  might help others learn to make that connection. My new amazing companion elder Fonnesbeck (from Preston area Idaho) just listened in and laughed because everyone asked how much i weigh... I weigh about 250lbs and my arms can only lift about the weight of 2 books of mormon! but that is sufficient as a missionary so I'm happy!! 

This last week has been a work crazy week. We truly are going to the edge and jumping off without hesitation. We were able to see so many great miracles. 2 of which came as we met 2 new investigators. Our first week together we just started, as you know, running and working and trying to find investigators because our last investigators got baptized. This week we were able to see some fruits as in getting 5 new investigators and out of those five we were able to set 2 baptismal dates in the first lesson. The numbers are good and all but the miracle came in the spirit as we taught these people. We opened our mouths in boldness and spoke the words that the Lord needed us to speak. Both times I was able to recite the first vision, and both times the spirit bore testimony to me and the investigator of it's sanctity. After stating it, both the investigators paused and were just in this awestruck state. They didn't know of it's truthfulness right away, but the spirit was upon them and it planted the seed of faith. I love this work so much. I can't tell you how much this means to me. I feel as if I can never stop doing this. I know that my time to return is coming but I don't know if I have the heart to return. I love you all so much, but these are my people and I love them!! 

Thanks for all you do, I love you all!

Love,

Elder Kaufusi

Short Sorry

Well its my last p-day with my companion who i had for 7 months. 

SO we have to head out but this week was great! I figure I'll call you all soon enough and that will make up for the lack of emails. 

But this week was amazing. It included a mission tour, which meant spending alot of time with elder scott d whiting. and it was absolutely incredible! To be in the presence of a servant of the Lord was incredible. I truly felt like I gained so much revelation. My new and final companion is elder fonnesbeck from preston idaho and we are gonna run run run! Well I love you all and I'm happy to hear you are all great! Continue to be true to the faith and be favored of the Lord.

I'm back...just went bowling and rolled a 155 and a 133...I guess Korea is a lucky place! Sorry for the short email, I know how  you dislike them Mom....But just know that I love you and that the Lord is blessing you my momma! 

HELLO

Happy Easter! In Korea it's called 부활절 which literally means the season of resurrection. Mom you won't like this but I forgot that it was Easter....I was at church and after church we had our baptism for our recent convert's girlfriend an everyone was eating hard boiled eggs, and I just thought, "huh, that's interesting...wonder if there was a sale on eggs..." Then after the amazing baptismal service a man that I met a week ago that lives 2 hours away in a different area was texting me. He asked what I was doing for the "holiday." I asked, "what holiday?.;."  Then I asked the bus driver on the way home for dinner if today was easter and he confirmed it...So I forgot about easter, but I didn't forget the Savior, which is the most important part. You should all watch the video on lds.org called, "because of him." I love it because it shows progression. It made me think of what the Saviors atonement enabled me to do and what it allows me to do now. What an amazing gift. Truly the atonement does more than we can ever imagine, but I can testify that from all that it does do for me now, never has using it resulted in anything but joy and happiness. I love you. Sorry for the long emails, but Here's a miracle that we had that I'll paste.

Study is going great. I love the Book of Mormon and I'm gaining so much more out of it then ever in my life. Something I'm doing is setting some last transfer miracle goals that I can work towards. One is getting rid of anything that would keep me from the spirit. I feel that on my mission I've taken pride in the idea of being obedient, yet the more I ponder and pray about it, there's so much more to be obedient about. 

A miracle this week was both exchanges I went on this week. I went with Elder Hone and with Elder Van Orden. Going with Elder Hone is something I've wanted to do my whole mission. We were very close in the MTC, yet we have been in very far away parts in the mission field. However, finally, we were able to do an exchange, and the Lord really did allow us to see miracles. One of the miracles we saw was when we were on our way to 신촌 in the subway there was a kid. We were walking and talking and of course saying hello to everyone that we passed, but when he said hello back we felt like maybe we should stop and turn around and talk to him so we did. As we turned and began to talk we had a good conversation. During the conversation we felt the need to sit down and continue talking so we invited him to a coffee shop and he accepted and right there in the subway we sat down and began to teach. We testified of the importance of strengthening faith, and he began to tell us his story. During highschool he felt like a reject. He had friends, but he always wanted a "pretty" girlfriend, yet never had one. He talked about how he felt that he didn't measure up to the standards of the world and so during Highschool he became suicidal. He then found God through praying and it has helped him to come to the point he is at now. His faith still wavered, and even now he is not sure about himself, but he wants to believe and become more. We heard this story and were able to tell him of the hope that comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We taught the 3rd lesson and committed him to be baptized. He lived in the seoul south mission so while elder hone explained the book of mormon I called the elders in the south and set them up to meet with him later that night at 7. It was amazing to see the spirit light up this person's countenance as we testified of the Saviors redeeming love and the gospel of happiness. The Elders in the south did meet him and hopefully he repents and is baptized to start a new life in the gospel. Anyways being with elder Hone was like living the 26th chapter of the Book mormon. Reuniting with  a Brother in the Lord truly brings unimaginable joy and happiness. 

LOVE YOU ALL! KEEP LIVING THE GOSPEL! This week we have general authorities visiting so we are busy but If you want a sneak peek at transfers (next week). I'll tell you that.... I will probably get a new companion and I will stay in the office. Sad to see my beloved edler Sol go but he has bigger and greater things to do for his last run in the vineyard. 

WITH LOVE,

ELDER KAUFUSI

Not A Lot of Time

Sorry, there's not a lot of time left but thank you all for your wonderful E-mails! I truly am the most blessed person in the world. 

This week was a whirlwind! We went on a 3 day exchange to the east coast! the 10 hours of travel total was killer! but the lord really watched over us and gave us great opportunities. One was this man who had gotten into a car accident 10 years earlier. He is paralyzed and has a little bit of a mental handicap. His life was really good as a translator before the accident. His parents took him in and now the missionaries teach him english as a service and also teach the gospel. I was only on exchanges but as I met with this man I could see and feel the deep sorrow he had because the consequences of the past. The accident has left him in a very severe state, and even though it is 10 years later, he struggles with self-confidence and hope. During the lesson I talked to him of hope. I spoke of the hope that comes by talking with our father in heaven every day. I bore testimony of the divine fatherhood of God and our great privlege we have to call on his name. I saw his heart soften and he looked up, and for a second i could see that this man realized that hope was still there. 

I'm grateful that our heavenly father gives us these moments to interact with his beloved children in spiritual ways. I would ask that you always remember that there is hope. Christ came and did what we couldn't so that there would always be hope. If there is someone that doesn't see this great hope, or has lost it continue to reach out and share you light which is merely a reflection of the saviors light. 

I love you all!

Love, 

Elder Kaufusi

Hi - Short but Sweet

Sorry for the late email, we had to change a meeting so yesterday wasn't our p-day. 

This week has been so full of miracles and just great things. It's weird to think you can be this happy all the time! It's not only because I'm doing the greatest work in the history of the universe, but jut waking up everyday and choosing happiness, love, and peace over sadness, despair, and fear dispite all the distractions and temptation that could bring us down. I wanted to finish this email but we have to go to the temple! Gotta keep up the work of salvation! I'll try and find some time to send you another email with a miracle but if this is it. Just Know I LOVE YOU

Love, 

Elder Kaufusi

Hi Family

So time is pressed as always but I loved all the emails. Little Marley Holladay is gorgeous! Can wait to meet her in person! Everyone sounds like they are doing good. Know that you all are always in my heart and prayers. 

Miracle:

Miracle this week was on our way to stake conference as we were riding the bus. 

We were in the very back and there was an awkward one seat in front of the last row that I basically had to just squat down on the ground to talk to the man that was sitting there. He was really nice, and was polite but after talking for about half of our bus ride he didn't have much interest. Sad that he didn't want to meet but grateful I was able to sit comfortable back in my seat I scooted back. Then I looked ahead to see that there were some men with open seats next to them. Immediately the first thought was, "you have to try and talk to them!" But then the rationalization came, "your back hurts and you just spent a long time trying to talk to the last person, that single 전도 should be sufficient for the bus ride. plus if you move and get up it will be disruptive and everyone will think you are weird.

Well I'm grateful that the Spirit nudged me enough because sure enough I got up and awkwardly made my way up the bus a couple rows to sit down next to a college student, even when there were clearly spaces for me to sit alone somewhere else. He was reading a biography about michael jackson and I couldn't have asked for a better way to strike up a conversation! We talked and it was great in fact I made an appointment to meet again. As I got off the bus I felt so humbled and grateful that the Lord was mindful of my weakness, and the things I lack, but he always lets the spirit push and encourage so that I might be uplifted in some sort of way. 

I love this work. 

Keep working hard, and Loving others even more!

Love,

Elder Kaufusi Love you all!

I love you hearing about my amazing family! 

Truly is such a blessing to have an eternal family. My testimony of that principle of the gospel is undaunted and I know that we will all be together forever! 

This past week was really great, full of miracles! One of which was a baptism! Our recent convert's friend was baptized by our recent convert and the Baptismal service was absolutely wonderful. To see the gospel spread from one persons heart to another's through love and compassion brings about such a special feeling of the spirit. It's interesting how koreans bare testimony, prayers and give speeches because at one point or another they always state that they will work hard on something, or they make a statement that they will do something more to change. It was a tender mercy for our recent convert to stand after his baptism and state, " I will live more faithfully for the rest of my life." What a blessing to see the gospel of happiness filling lives with that unbelievable joy. I thought to myself, "How often do we make those kinds of statements? 

How often in our prayers do we show faith, and assure our father in heaven that we are committed to do more and follow the given path? God knows our hearts, so why should we have to tell him that we are committed to do more?...Well when we say it in word we put our integrity on the line. Integrity, our word, is what changes a mere desire to an action. Integrity is what our nature is based on." I hope that you will all strive to be the Children of our Father that are based off a foundation of integrity. That not only are your thoughts are honest and pure but that all your actions follow accordingly, and your word is unbreakable and unchanging. 

I love you all so much. 

I give you my word, that I will sprint to the finish with all the energy I have! 

Love, Elder Kaufusi