Happy 21st B-day floured!!, Put away the pride & think of the bigger picrture!

Hey everyone!!

This week was pretty incredible.. and full of adventure and spiritual experiences!! :)

Last Friday, we were praying about a baptism date to extend to Sabrina (a lady we've been working with for a while now... who is incredible!!) and we both felt that the 25th of February was the day that we should extend to her... Well, we had the lesson with her on Saturday, and it went amazing!! :) Great lesson, and at the end, we extended the baptism date to her... Her response was, "It's funny you should say that, because thats the same weekend I was feeling.. somewhere from the 23rd to the 25th ... " :) It was awesome!! When we seek the Lord's guidance, he will let us know the best way that we can help Him bless His children... It was really cool that He revealed the same day to us and Sabrina... :)

Brother Brown is still doing awesome, and his baptism should be coming up this weekend as well.. :) He's such a good man... Everytime we go over and have a lesson with him, he gives us something... whether it be dinner (his wife is an incredible cook!), or coconuts... or natural chocolate.. he's just a very generous, good hearted man... and I'm really excited for he and his wife (who is already a member).

Venice is doing great, and feeling more and more each day that this really is Jesus Christ's church again on the earth... Each lesson is so exciting with her!! :) She's been searching so long, and is just soaking it up still.. She should be coming to church this week (its a long long ways away for her... )... so that sacrifice should really help her feel it in her heart.. :)

I wish I had time to write about everyone that we're working with.. but long story short... we're definitely being blessed with many people to teach right now who are prepared to receive the gospel.... The only problem that we're having is just not enough time to get everything done that we need to.... :) What a blessed problem to have haha.. I love my life!!

We made transfer calls this morning, and me and Elder Hoffman are going to be staying the same.. .. :) This is his last transfer, (he goes home in the start of April).. so we're gonna continue to work like dogs so he can go out with a bang!! :) Leave it all on the line and get carried home in a stretcher haha... (Not really)... It should be an awesome transfer.. :)

oh and story of the week ..a member invited us for dinner yesterday.. so we got there.. and as soon as we got inside her gate, her son (about 28 prolly)... immediently told us to get out of his yard.... (he hates us for some reason)... i told him no, that his mother had invited us for dinner, so we were staying.. and i asked him what was wrong? and why was he being so rude and didn't like us when we've never even met? .. well.. he didn't like that very much.. and picked up a brick..... i held me ground.. stood there looking him in the eyes waiting for a response... he eventually put down the brick, and stormed off... and.. we walked the rest of the way to her house.. when she saw that we were there said she'd go up and prepare the dinner.. .. when we walked over to the stairs with her.. the son came back, and amidst a bunch of Jamerican cuss words told us that he wasn't letting us turn his mom into a slave.. she slaved away all day in the garden... and now he wasn't gonna let her slave away some more to fix us dinner... .. she tried to explain to him that she invited us and stuff.. but... he just would not let us pass... so i asked him once again what his problem was with us... and next thing i knew my head snapped back as he open palm punched me in the mouth.. ... the next minute that followed was intense!!! i was shaking i was so mad...... but resisted my first instinct to hit him back.... .. Elder Hoffman said my fist was clenched and my whole arm was shaking though..... i stared him in the eyes for a solid minute with my jaw clenched and my whole body tense.... but... remembered that I wasn't representing me... I was representing Christ.. and He went through a lot more intesne things than that.. and He never retaliated... ... so I politely turned to the member and asked her not too worry about it... we could just come a next day... and asked her if there was anything we could help her with... We walked around to her garden with her and she told us how sorry she was and that she was so embarressed and furious at her son... but we comforted her and just told her to continue to pray for him.... and shared the example of Alma the Elder praying for Alma the younger in the Book of Mormon and the difference that made .. the prayers of parents are powerful!! :) We said good bye and parted ways.... My pride definitely took a shot.. but it turned out for the best... first off.. everyone in the yard who saw that definitely respects us a lot more than her son now.. and if i'd hit him back.. it wouldn't have been that way... So who knows.. maybe it'll make somebody curious about the message we have...I was able to maintain my identity as a representative of Jesus Christ.. :) and second off... he was a lot bigger than i am... and a very bad man.... so if I'd hit him back... he prolly woulda literally killed me.. haha. So... it turned out for the best... Lots of life lessons learned for sure... Sometimes its best just to put the pride away and think of the bigger picture... I'm thankful that I was able to do so in this situation... :)

Oh and I almost forgot.... Thursday was my birthday... I'm 21 now!! woot woot!! :) It was pretty awesome.... Christina (a recent convert) has the same birthday as me... and we had a lesson scheduled with her at the church.... :) she was a little late getting there... and the zone leaders showed up and brought up a bag that said "chocolate dreams" on it... so i was thinking like... cool... how nice haha... ya.. well.. the bag was full of flour... and the chocolate really was left to my dreams for a minute as the flour hit me in the face haha... It was pretty funny though... and they did give me some chocolate afterwords... :) Well... Christina showed up for the lesson and thought it was pretty funny that they floured me.... But... she got it next!! :) haha it was pretty funny.... We blew out candles on a birthday brownie together... and ya.. definitely a good birthday... we had some amazing lessons later on as well (despite me not having time to shower and teaching covered in flour all day haha but thats like a tradition here ... so everyone just laughed and asked how old i was..)..

But... I'm kinda out of time.... and sadly i don't think i did this week much justice.... it was amazing!! :) I'm really excited for this coming week, and everyone be sure and make yours amazing as well!! :) In a di lata!!

One Love!

Elder Kraus