One Year This Week . . .

I really can't start to comprehend that Saturday was my birthday and now this week is my hump day.. can someone tell me where time went? I really need to find out. Especially this past week. It went somewhere..  

It is starting to warm up, and luckily we don't have to wear our suit coats anymore!  So that's a blessing.  We had some really good experiences this week. I don't remember days, I just remember experiences.  One day we were driving through the back country trying to find this place called "LAX".  I was curious.  So driving up towards it, we saw the county line change, a big house on the left with a lady outside picking up cotton on her front lawn area.  Now that we were out of our area, we flipped around and stopped to help her.  She was hesitant at first, but as we talked with her, we just slowly started to pick up pieces.  That took about 30 minutes. it was a good time though.  She had a huge house and a huge yard....   Her daughter knew a member in high school that's on his mission now, the daughter was off to college at Valdosta State.  So they knew about the church, but when we asked them if we could come share a message about Jesus Christ with them, they said, "Oh, we're baptist." and that was the end of it.. haha. kinda funny. but it was a good time.  

Another time we were going to a neighborhood to recontact some people.  We knocked on a door and a teenage black guy answered it and was super nice, invited us in right away. Come to find out, he had met with missionaries before and been to church!  It was nice.  As we were talking, we became good friends.  He had a metal can in his pocket.  He said  "Oh sorry about that, I just am paranoid right now."  He had a can of pepper spray on him....   I dunno what happened but I guess he was nervous.... and as we were talking, his mom came in and come to find out, she is a less-active member!  Crazy.  It was good though. We are excited for them.  

Another fun experience, we went to contact a less-active and he was out working on a big truck.  He used to drive trucks and pull mobile homes.  That was cool to talk with him.  He has a couple views he doesn't agree with, but really nothing against the church..  I don't understand some people like that.. ya know?  It comes down to faith and understanding that this church truly is true!  

Saturday was just a party.  We had a spring clean at the church, a lot of people came and we deep cleaned. it was fun!  It definitely is a new old feeling of being in a big ward.. kinda felt like home. it really did.  It was good.  We had dinner and a lesson at our investigator Kiel Pittman's house.  He is such a good guy!  I am excited for him. they got pizza for us, and then things called 'smallcakes', they are big cupcakes!!  So good!  

For being my first birthday away from home, it wasn't too bad at all :) I mean come on, silly string makes anything better!  I'm sure I'm leaving a whole lot out of my emails.. sorry!  But yeah.  Mom, DO NOT look at all  the photos, I just have to send the one you will hate :)

I love you all! 

Elder Bodily

He received our birthday package . . .

Including the things Trevor included!
No birthday is complete without Silly String and a princess wand!

Local inhabitant.  

Too late.  He tried to warn me, but I looked.  Gross!

A Great First Week in Pearson!

With transfers come a new experience. I am so excited to be in my new area! I went from about 15 members to about 120! Even though we won't actually have a church meeting till next week, I can already feel the love from the ward. It definitely is a new experience. I am excited though! 

My new companion is Elder Hillier from Sacramento California. We are excited to work together! He has been in Pearson about 6 weeks, so he is the veteran of our 4 elder district/house.  The 4 of us live in a house right next to the church, its pretty awesome. 2 english elders and 2 spanish elders. It's a different feeling being a district leader.. its weird to think that I am the oldest and most senior missionary..  

But this week was great.  We were out walking a bit and meeting new people. We had a couple neat experiences. We helped a less active tear a tin roof off of a trailer. That was fun! Haha. Hard work but a lot of fun!  We were walking around a new area and talking to everyone. We met a lady that was hesitant at first, but then she opened up and we talked about how she lost her father, and then the JW's met with them and confused them a lot, so we talked with her and she talked with us. Ya know. Then we talked about her husbands Mustang that is the fastest around and still street allowed.. It was great. 

General Conference was amazing! I really took everything to heart and it helped me grow a lot. It truly is amazing when we can hear the living voice from prophets of the Restoration. It was comforting though.  

Sorry, I am just short on words this week..

Just know that I love this gospel and am so happy that I am a missionary. 

Here's my new address, if anyone wants to send a birfday love card by Saturday. :)

Elder Bodily

336 Pearson St.

Pearson Ga 31642

I love you all!

Elder Bodily

What Happened?

Wait a moment.. it's Monday? daggum.  This week has been full of great moments and some not so great moments, but those made some great journal entries.  This week has really been off the wall. I'll start with transfer calls on Saturday. 

I am being transferred this week, I am training a new missionary, becoming a district leader, and whitewashing an area. Someone has a lot of trust in me, but I understand my purpose. I kind of knew I was going to be transferred.  Friday night I was praying to know how to help one of our investigators, one I have really come to love and become close with, and I heard something in my head say, "You've done your part."  It was really powerful. I had this overwhelming feeling of peace come over me.  Even though the task at hand is kind of a big one for me, because it's new, I know that through Christ, all things are possible. 

We had an amazing lesson with another one of our investigators, Betty. She is just so amazing. She lost another family member this past week, and we have been talking about the plan of salvation with her a lot. I think it really helped her out. She prayed that she will continue to have "added knowledge of the Mormon faith".  Wow.  It was so powerful.  She says she really wants to get into this, while softly rubbing the Book of Mormon.  And another lesson with Jermaine Dawson. He also lost a family member and he had some questions that were answered word for word with the Book of Mormon of how our spirits are taken to God after we pass away, and that we keep our memories.  It was so powerful!  He was loving it.  Alma 40.    

All of these great experiences, really outweigh our moment of meeting The Curles family. Now when I tell you that I haven't met someone that has been more anti, I aint telling a story.  They straight up told us that they have taken classes with their church, and have been prepared for when we come around.... Wow.  I was just laughing as we walked away. they were so shocked that we actually believed the things we did. and we bore our testimony and stood our ground and then walked away. 

Sunday was amazing. We got a call early in the morning from an Alabama number, we were still half asleep and not really understanding, but story kept short, waiting for church to start, and for this person to show up, we saw a mini van come around the corner, that was the first clue, the second, 4 bikes on the back.  I was so happy.. and when they got out, the mother and father and then 4 kids under the age of 6 got out.. it was so happy.  But they were just on their way back to Talladega from the Ft  Lauderdale temple open house.  But it was no coincidence.  They knew the Bodily name.  They met at USU and got married in the Logan temple! and they know a Bodily in the Talladega stake! crazy.. it was so good to visit with them and all, ya know?  

Saturday and Sunday were difficult though, saying goodbye to the people I have come to love here in the big city of Cordele.  For not being strong in numbers, they are strong in love and charity.  I will never forget Cordele GA.  I have never felt so much love.  It doesn't make it easier to leave when I am given a free DeMarcus Ware jersey (#94) for the Cowboys.. even though he is a Bronco now. We will forgive him for that though. He is just confused by the wisdom of men. 

Yesterday we spent dinner at a members home who lives on the lake here between the two areas. I loved it.. So beautiful. too bad it was Sunday, I was about to go fishin!  

I saw these signs and had to get a picture of them.. We're in a Republican state.  haha

And meet Estella Kinchens. One of my moms out here, and a diehard cowboys and Celtics fan!   :)

Till next week. a new home, a new story, new testimony builders. 

I love this gospel!
Elder Bodily

Busy Week!

Looking back, i really don't know where this week went. and the past 4 days i have been totally wiped out by the end of the day that i missed the first couple days of writing in my journal.. but I'm going to make up for them today and write.  Its crazy.  

Thursday we had President Cooper's chickens come in. all, 22,700 of them! and we moved them all in a record time.. 35 minutes.. its impressive. Last time we had the record, and it was 45 minutes, and then Thursday 35.  None of president coopers family are members, but they are so impressed with us and how hard we work haha. its a good feeling to be out of the suits and doing hard farm labor. it helps when there is a cooler with mtn dews. and then Saturday, we laid tile in his kitchen and cleaned out a back room of his house. so much stuff!! It was great fun! we found some missionary gold!  The branch made Mormon Helping Hands shirts a few years back when a tornado hit Americus, and we found them and so we grabbed a couple ahah. and we also found an electric griddle thingy. so president said we could have it! so awesome! and then yesterday we had to swing by to get some collard greens and so i hopped on the tractor :) 

But i suppose as a missionary i am supposed to have spiritual experiences too, huh?  On Tuesday we had Terrance with us and we were driving around between lessons and he saw a guy outside shooting hoops that we met a couple weeks back playing basketball, his name is Tay. So we flipped around and talked to him. strange thing was that he was at the house of former gators. come to find out, he is their son! crazy small world. but we are excited for him, he said he is interested in learning more! Its awesome to have a member who is around our age, and can connect with all types of people!! Terrance has given us a ton of referrals, we cant keep up with them all! Its just awesome! 

On Friday and Saturday we had great lessons with Betty Griffin. she is on date for April 26th. she is really excited. we pulled up on saturday afternoon and her and a couple friends were playin spades, her friends were drinking, but she doesn't. but the neat thing is that she told them all to hold off for a bit so she could talk with us! it was wonderful. We had a quick, powerful lesson on the plan of salvation and helped her recognize the spirit and help her realize that she will need to make a decision when she comes to know the truth. She understood that before we even had to tell her. she is awesome!  and yesterday, Sunday, after church, the elders in Americus had a baptism! it was amazing. It was a special experience, because only her grandma is a member. we've been working with the family for, well, since 7 months ago, when i got there. crazy how time flies.. 

Well, off to another adventure of a p-day.  hope all is well! i love you all.

Elder Bodily

I can't even really begin to express the emotions felt throughout this week!  Saturday was just a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the font was filled! 

Elder Bodily and Velda Davis and his companion

We turned it on hot water and filled it, but apparently it got cold after awhile.. but we didn't have an outburst like Trevor at his baptism. 

(Note from mom here:  When Kevin's younger brother, Trevor, entered the font for his baptism, it was cold and he chattered, "I CHANGED MY MIND!  I CHANGED MY MIND!"  He did go through with it, thankfully, but that will always be a family favorite story!)

But it was wonderful. Velda Davis is on her way to eternal life. She had us nervous on Friday.. We went over and she told us she had a bad dream.. she told us that she heard a voice tell her "don't do it, don't do it!" then she woke up.. But it didn't affect her.  She understood that it was Satan trying to stop her happiness. Then on Sunday for her confirmation, we had quite the crowd! It was wonderful! We had a record people there, for me. We had a couple nonmembers from a big part-member family come so that was good. We are working with one of them. He is really promising. Teaching will be hard, because he can't read or anything, but he knows the spirit when he feels it. The work is really progressing here, i love it. 

On Tuesday, we had district meeting, and then we went on trade-offs with the District Leader. Elder Lynch came to Cordele with me, and we got roped into a service project for our hispanic gator. That was quite the project, but the best part, I was finally able to get Chico to calm down for a picture.. this dog looks all nice and cute, but it could jump at least 5 feet in the air if it wanted.. Such a beautiful dog. 

Elder Bodily and Chico

Today is 11 months.. wha..?  i swear just last week was 10 months.. crazy.. oh and apparently its St. Patricks day? cool.. haha. 

Well, till next week y'all! Have a good one. I reckon that someday I will be able to express my emotions more fully in an email. maybe next year.. oh wait..  

Have a good week y'all. 
Elder Bodily

A Baptism on Saturday!

Bodily, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Bartholomew our brother, unto those abroad, my dearly beloved and fellowl abourers. and to my beloved family and friends, our fellow soldiers and to the church in the land: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers.

So i was a little bored and reading the Pauline Letters.. But i love the bible! 

This week was a good one. We have been working with an investigator for awhile now, Velda Davis, and this saturday, she is entering the waters of eternal life! We are so excited. Its been a process of teaching her and helping her understand, but she is ready to make this step in life!  She has had medical problems in the past and when we invited her to live the word of wisdom, it just made sense to her. We followed up with her and she told us that she had a knuckle-length amount, and it made her sick and so she got rid of it all! It was amazing! We are just so excited for her!   

This week we have also been visiting two of our sisters who had surgery. One of them is doing really well, the other, a lot of pain.. Its a wonderful feeling to just be there and talking with them..  

On Wednesday we combined lunch and dinner and went to Golden Corral.. man that was wonderful. never gets old.. and then on friday we had Zone Training Meeting up in Columbus. Being with all the other missionaries was a great feeling. to get out of my area and actually be around other people! But afterwards, half the zone and most of the elders all went to a hibachi grill and buffet place.. man. i cannot tell yall how much i love buffets..  until one elder leaves and then the others pour salt into his mtn dew.. and no it wasnt my dew! i had water, thank you very much.. hahaha.  

yesterday was a long day. apparently too long for my companion, we were driving into our apartment complex and then he waved to a cat.. haha. it was kinda funny.. but i guess i have no room to talk, i have been sleep talking, throwing my shirt at my companion in the middle of the night and telling him its the scripture he was looking for, then he threw it back at me, i put it back on and then fell asleep. and then another night, he had to switch over his laundry, and apparently i went down with him, waiting, and came back up stairs and didnt even know it..i knew i was different. oh well. 

we were bored and so we redid our chessboard.. its pretty dope. 

well, have a good week yall! i hope you all enjoy the tender mercies of the lord in our days. 

Elder Bodily

It's March! And some hoop time . . .

This past week was a good one!














We had district meeting and then a Zone Leader came down to Cordele with us. That was a good time. Elder Faleao is awesome. I'm so grateful I have been able to serve around him for 5 transfers! It's crazy.. we had some good lessons with him, put one of our gators on date, played some basketball, and got him to play the guitar. 3 of his favorite things!  Me and him have been on more exchanges than him and any one of his DL's and I aint even in leadership haha. I love it.  

On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to go to a family and friends night with one of our gators at her church. That was a fun experience. When they say this is the bible belt, they aint jokin. They played a bible trivia game.. wow.. some of the most random, pointless facts, and they knew almost every single one of them! But it was a fun experience, their pastor recognized us and gave us an opportunity to speak.. I had to bite my tongue and all I could say was, "Love God."  yeah.. stupor of thought is real. My tongue was bound then.  

The weather was beautiful this week and so we were able to walk around some neighborhoods and get contacts.  Sometimes I like government housing, other times I don't.. oh well.  

On Saturday we planned on playing basketball with some gators. so we went to the court with our 12 yr old member Jermaine and met a 22 yr old member there and kinda played around and waited.. Terrance, the 22 yr old, saw some buds drive by and yelled to come play.. Luckily they did, but wow. I need to work on my basketball skills, or my skin color.. and I did both.  I got home and my neck was burned, my face was burned, I had a wicked burn line on my arms and legs from my socks and shorts.. It was funny haha.  

Sunday was amazing. I just love sacrament meeting when its fast Sunday.. the spirit is so strong.. I bore my testimony, and really the spirit touched me yesterday.. with our 10 members or so, I come to church to strengthen them, but ultimately, I go so I can partake of the sacrament and renew my covenants.  I love this gospel so much. I wouldn't trade being out here for anything.  

A shout out to Aunt Bea! I love you and stay strong! 

Elder Bodily