HELLLLLOOOOO MY FAMILY

Well Thanks for the Emails, great to hear that no one is hurt and what not. Sister Christensen (president's wife) said that she saw that a Kaufusi in salt lake died in the paper last week or something. Do you know who it is? 

The work is going great, We have had a great week of zone conferences but also proselyting! I went to the east coast and walked along the ocean with president and my companion one morning. It was so cool. We stayed in a hotel and it was like a family vacation! It's about a 3 and a half hour drive so we packed into presidents car and went over there. The conference went well, I'm so grateful for the misssionaries that I get to serve with. THey are inspiring.  THat night we drove back. I of course grabbed a whole lot of sea shells and a bottle of sand. 

A miracle we had this week was yesterday, sunday, we had some appointments and they all went well. That night I went to my old ward's mission leader's house and had dinner and shared a message using some of the sea shells. But the big miracles came when during the dinner my companion just let out a "YES!" and it was a text from our recent converts girlfriend. She is great and we were teaching her the lessons and she had a baptismal date but then her uncle said a lot of bad things about our church and her parents banned her from coming to our church. It was heart breaking. She was doing so well. Well the text she sent during dinner was that she persuaded her parents and from now on she will be able to go to church! HUGE MIRACLE! The Lord truly softened the hearts of her parents and strengthened her faith to be bold. Also we were on the way home last night and I saw this kid just smoking off the side of the road and I just got that feeling that he needed to be talked to. I went and introduced myself and started talking. we came to find that he had been to our church with his friend but because of work and things he was unable to continue. We asked him if he attended a church and he said, "yeah, yours, i used to go every week." Then he told us that he wasn't baptized. Now we will start meeting with him and help him to progress to baptism and lifelong membership! It was such a miracle. All it took was just the smallest hesitation and I would have missed talking to this prepared kid. But I know that the Lord was leading us. Im so grateful for this work, it is the greatest! 

I LOVE YOU ALL.

If there's anything that I can do for you let me know. 

Love,

ELder Kaufusi

Quick

Momma,

This one really will be short! We get a P-day today and I MUST WEAR the clothes you sent me for christmas! I Love them soooooo much and just everything. Such an amazing year of christmas. I believe the whole mission had a good time both temporally and spiritually at our big conference. Anyways, I loved hearing from you all. Continue to be the amazing perfect family that I love so dearly, and I know the Lord will bless you!

Funny experience of the day: I broke another pullup bar....it hurt...

Spiritual experience: I was able to go to a ward i served in and see to little girls that I originally picked up as investigators get baptized. It was such a spiritually uplifting time and I cried so many tears of happiness for them. Seeing the ward members and that they remembered me was also a sweet blessing. 

I Love this work. !!!!

Love, Elder Kaufusi

Off to the Airport

Going to the AIRPORT! 

Not because I'm coming home right now MOM gosh....don't get your hopes up, but because we are going to get the new missionaries right now! Just thinking about them and the MTC spirit that fills korea when they step off the plane is making my heart beat so fast! I love the opportunity I have to take part in the first moments of these new missionaries' missions. It's such a blessing to me, if they only knew how much they mean to me, our mission, and most importantly the Lord. 

Anyways, I'm sorry to hear about the death of grandpa. I didn't know him very well, but I know that if he didn't exists I wouldn't have the amazing Mother or life I have now so I'm grateful for the role he played. I often think about the idea of forgiveness and as the scriptures say we must forgive others if we are to be forgiven. 

A random thought I had early in my mission was, "had I forgiven everyone?" As I was praying I thought of Grandpa Illyn and realized that even though I didn't know him or what not, i held this grudge in my heart against him because my grandpa was not like all my friends grandpas. I remember that night I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to forgive me of my hardened heart, and as the Saviors atonement took over I was able to feel that sweet peace that comes from turning my will over to God. I pray that in the next life Grandpa Illyn will find the mercy and love of the Savior again.

 

This week has been busy with transfers and everything. Slept in my suit last night. Greatest feeling ever!!!!! Love seeing the Lord's work move forward here in this part of the Kingdom. 

Sounds like the family is doing well. I pray that you will all seize the opportunities this Christmas to testify of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Nothing brings the spirit quite like missionary work! 

Love you Family and I will call sometime... on Christmas...our time is always...changing so I can't tell  you exactly when yet. 

Thanks for everything I have my box sitting under my little christmas tree that I found in an old missionary house. Love you!

Elder Kaufusi

PS

Tell Jared that he can live at our house in 6 months with me and we can continue our missionary work together!!!! really though tell him that he better wait for me. If another one of my brothers gets married while I am on my mission then i might just stay here and be a missionary forever!!

메리 크리스마스‏‏

Hello Family! 

Sounds like you had another great week! I love hearing the great stories and experiences that you send! Here in Korea, things are going on! The season is getting very busy. 

We have transfers next week so we spent about 7 hours in president's office today. I'm so grateful to labor with such a spiritual leader like President Christensen. 

As for a miracle that happened this week. I was doing something called "passoff/language progress program," It's just a language program that we have all the missionaries go through to help them stay focused and progress faster. The last thing they do before they "passoff" is meet with us here at the office and we go over things and do some roleplays and evaluate them. It's not only a great opportunity to help these elder's in the language but also to come to know them personally and spiritually grow through sharing testimony. I was with an Elder that I actually have been pretty close with, I was his first exchange when he got to korea about 5 months ago. Anyways, I was able to talk to him and ask him some questions. He began to tell me of some concerns and I had the opportunity to give him a small training, share some things I learned in personal studies and bear testimony. It was interesting, Everything that I had studied and had been pondering about lately seemed to fit this situation. As I talked to him his attitude changed. I bore testimony of his sacred calling, the Savior, and the Love that is required to overcome difficulties and walk in meekness and humility. When I finished talking he looked at me and with great humility thanked me, and presumed to tell me that he had been pretty worried lately but that the things I said were an answer to his questions and his prayers.

 I was and am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be put in situations were I can be a tool for the Lord. I know like Ammon that as to my own strength I am nothing, but to be strengthened and led by the Lord is one of the most humbling and joyful experiences. 

How I love the Lord. 

At this time of celebration I hope that we all might look for opportunities to be tools in the Lord's hand. Be worthy and prepared to seize these experiences and feel/share of God's Love.

Love,

Elder Kaufusi

PS: I got out of President's office and to my great surprise there was this massive box on my desk!?! Thank you so much! Most blessed missionary in the World!!! 

Week of Miracles

Hello my beloved family! 

I'm so grateful for your Love, Prayers, and Faithfulness. I Love you and Pray for you often.

 This week was a great week in the service of the Lord. (just like all the other weeks)! But we didn't have any big meetings to prepare for and so it was a full week of doing normal missionary work! It was such a blessing. 

We hit the streets hard talking to as many people as we could! Met some great people and were able to pick up a great new investigator. I'm so grateful to be serving right here right now. One miracle was that we were teaching our recent convert in preparation to teach his Girlfriend. He has great faith and a great desire, but he was a bit nervous about his girlfriend and her finding her own faith instead of coming just for him. Sunday we met with them together during church. We started talking and things were going ok. But just were a bit off to me. Then finally I realized that i wasn't praying for my companion in my heart! So In my heart I fervently prayed for the spirit to guide my companion and myself so that we could help this Daughter of God  learn of her divine heritage. The lesson went really well and ended with us giving her a baptismal date. 

My companion Elder Sol is an amazing teacher and I'm so grateful to be with him and learn from/with him. There truly are prepared people. All we have to do is find them! I hope you all are finding those friends of yours who are in need of the gospel! Elder Scott (i believe) challenged each member to have someone prepared for the missionary lessons by Christmas. I hope that you are committed to that commitment! I love you so much. You are the BEST ETERNAL FAMILY EVER!

Love,

Elder Kaufusi

Hello Momma!

I will go ahead and answer your questions first. 

1)Yes I got the package!! thank you so much. It was greatly needed and now I shave and look like a real missionary again. Thanks!

2) Yes, I got the primary card and I love it so much. I put the picture with all the primary kids under my desk glass so i can see their smiling/shining faces everyday! What a promising future the Lord's church has in the youth and primary. And the pictures of Devin and Daryl were awesome! I love them so much. If you have any other family pictures please send.

3) It has been busy so I will finish up what I have to do on my end of the Drivers license. I'm really excited to drive in korea! especially because it's turning to winter! Pray for my driving ability! 

4) I don't know about the dates.... What do you think is best? A key to revelation is to study things out, so I need all information that would affect me when it comes to my return date. I haven't thought about it since I emailed you last, but I will need to ponder and pray on it. Here our my choices one more time: May 2, June 13, July 25.

So glad to hear everyone had an exciting week. It's always to great to get E-Mails from everyone, and it's such a blessing to hear that everyone is safe and healthy. 

Devin: Congrats on State, and growing tall and skinny, I'm doing the same thing here. 

Daryl: Congrats on basketball! work hard and just remember to have fun! 

Brons: Congrats on the Pick 6! So sweet, a RM that I stay in contact with told me he was at the game and how awesome it was. 

Alexis: Congrats on the new puppy! you need to take a family pick so that I can show my members and investigators my nieces and nephews! 

Mom and Dad: Thanks for being Amazing and being the rocks on which our family is built. 

Here in Korea we have had just an incredible past week that has been busy and full of miracles. 

One miracle that we had was Elder Evans and Elder Whiting of the Seventy came and visited, so we had a combined mission conference with the seoul south mission. It was a bit of a scramble because it was held in the south mission but we were asked to put it on so we were just running around trying to keep everyone in line. I thought that the meeting would turn into a "just find and talk with your friends that you have in the other mission" meeting but the Lord had a greater plan for us and it was one of, if not the greatest mission conference I had attended. 

One of the reasons came because the night before when I was saying my personal prayer I felt a prompting that in order to prepare for the meeting tomorrow I should fast. Of course rationalizations started to creep in to keep me from fasting such as: "if you fast, you won't have the energy to stay awake during the meet" or "you don't want to have to turn down food if someone brings you some because that will make you look self-righteous." I felt like I was wrestling with the spirit just like Enos! Finally I cleared my thoughts and immediately I just knew that I had to fast. 

The next day during the meeting the spirit was so strongly manifest and it was poured out upon us, but upon me. My testimony and faith was strengthened, and the questions that I had prepared were all answered. I had been fed spiritually and my heart was full with my testimony of the Savior. I know that through fasting I was able to have one of the greatest spiritual experiences I have had on my mission. It is a commandment of God that allows us to draw upon the powers of heaven and be guided by the spirit if we will but listen. 

If ever you are in need of greater spiritual strength or desire closeness with the Savior, Fasting and Prayer is what you must do. However, Not just mechanical fasting but truly offering up your heart and desires, and having awareness of your spiritual nature will do more than you can imagine. I love this work. I love the Gospel. I love Korea. I know that the Lord chose me to build his kingdom here. The Spirit is working on everyone right now, please look for the opportunity to be a tool in the Lord's hands. 

I love you All so much,

Elder Kaufusi

Time Crunch

Hello Family. 

First of all I just want to express my love for all of you, and how grateful I am to be in our eternal family. I pray for you often and hope that you will use the enabling power of the atonement everyday.

 That is one of the greatest truths I have come to learn and experience is how everyday, using the atonement allows me to be led by the spirit in humility and meekness. 

This week has been busy with transfers, but had the opportunity to go to the airport and pick up the new missionaries. What a blessing to bring these new spiritual warriors out into the battlefield! 

One of the bigger things this week is one of my favorite companions, (if not my favorite), Elder Pete Jackson Coats finished his mission. On his last sunday (yesterday) he had the choice of going to anywhere to visit members or past investigators, he even had the opportunity to go to the South mission to see people, but he chose to come and spend his last day in Korea with me. It was an amazing experience to be around him and just feel how he has changed into such an amazing son of God. We have been really close our entire missions and I look back on our time as companions with so much happiness. He was my greenie-breaker and we served in the "gotham city" of our entire mission. We served only 1 transfer together, but that 1 transfer changed mine, and his mission. To close his last night we had dinner with him and president at presidents. As I left I got to hug my companion goodbye and we both just couldn't hold back our tears. he's not a crier, and I'm not too much of a crier, but the moment was to much for both of us. (I felt like mom when she say's she is trying very hard NOT to cry) As Tears streamed down both of our cheeks we looked at the lights of the city and he said, " this is it, this is our mission!"  Those words had a profound affect. I was watching one of my best friends go forth into the rest of his life, armed with the spirit and a deep testimony of our savior. As I walked back to the office, tears just kept streaming as I thought of Elder Coats being gone. It was hard, but they turned to tears of joy as I thought of how his life has changed. He has become so much more because he turned himself over to the Lord. I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to watch the Lord take this Elder and make of him something great. It is always said that your companion is your #1 investigator, and here I was watching my investigator enter the temple, aka the rest of his life with faith in Christ. How great is my Joy!

MOM DAD! I told Elder Coats that He HAS to go visit our house. I told him that my mom will cook for days for him. I gave him our address and stuff and he should come by in the next coming weeks. Please Please Please take good care of him, as I know you would. He has done so much for me and means so much to me. 

I love you all! I pray that you will continue in the faith! 

Love,

Elder Kaufusi

ALEXIS'S HAIR IS AMAZING! I LOVE HER NEW HAIRCUT IT'S SOOOOO PRETTY! 2 of the 3 MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRLS IN THE WORLD (where's daryl).  LOVE YOU 

PSS:

Hi Mom, Kind of random but  my companion brought up my return date and talked to president about it and extension and stuff but I just wanted to see what your opinion is on my and what not. So our transfers have been majorly moved around and right now my possible return dates are may 2 june 13. I started on may 16 but because the transfers got messed up everything changed. If I were to extend I could go till july 25 or even August 2. What are your thoughts. I'm not trunky at all but if there is a thought of extension president would need to know now. THanks (I know you are freaking out right now...ha ha but consider it and give me your answer next week) I love you MOMMA