Monday, June 25, 2012

I Have LOVED my MISSION!



Hey Everyone!!



Well, this is it.. my last email home from the mission field.. I really can't believe it. The first paragraph of my journal entry on Sunday (yesterday) pretty much summarizes how I'm feeling: "My last Sunday as a missionary in Jamaica was today.. I'm so excited to see my family on Thursday, but a big part of me feels like I'm leaving my family.. I've come to love the people here so much, an its gonna be hard leaving."  


I have LOVED my mission.. It has meant the world to me.. I'm so grateful for the change that I've gone through and helped others to go through.. I have a very personal testimony of the changing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  It is real, and truly does transform you.  Words can't express the gratitude I have for these two years, it truly has been incredible.. It's by far been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but I've never done anything that has been more worth it.. These have been the best 2 years for my life, and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.  


One of the things that I'm really excited for when I get home is first off to hug my mom!! :)  BUt I'm also super excited to be a member missionary.. It really is so important, and I'm excited to continue to share the gospel as a normal member of the church.. It's going to be incredible.. 


Well, I'm at a loss for words.. but I will continue to finish these last few days strong and when Thursday come, I'll be happy to say as Paul, "the time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith"


For the Last time, 

One Love!

Elder Dustan Kraus

Monday, June 18, 2012


Hey Everyone!!

This week was pretty awesome.. Did some service (painting), worked on transfers with President, did a trade off with the Spanish Town zone leaders, and did some awesome teaching.. :)  Saturday and Sunday were especially awesome.. For Sunday, we held a fireside with all the members announcing an open forum that we're putting on this coming week Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.. It should be pretty awesome and we're excited for it.. We gave all the members fliers to spread throughout Kingston and to give their friends.. It should be really good and clear up a lot of confusion about who the "Mormons" are.. :)  


Saturday was a pretty cool day as well, and I think for the rest of this email, I'll just share my Saturday journal entry: 

"During studies this morning, I read "Mountains to Climb" by Henry B. Eyring.  It's an awesome talk, but a line in there really stood out to me: "It is serving God and other persistently with full heart and soul that turns testimony of truth into unbreakable spiritual strength.."  I definitely have a testimony of that.. As I've served with all my heart for these 2 years, I feel like I truly have developed the "unbreakable spiritual strength" he's speaking about.. I also know that to keep that strength, I need to continue to serve after my mission as well.. :) Right now, I'm super excited to continue to be a member missionary when I get home and serve others.. 


Kai and Louis Bernard fed us dinner this evening and we arrived ten min. early.. So rather than waste the ten minutes, we went to the beach nearby to talk to some people and we ended up meeting Bob Marley's cousin, Alex Marley.. :)  Pretty cool.. :) 


We had a cool experience tonight as well... Our lesson with Jackie finished at 8:30 and we were back by our house at 8:40.. Well according to the white handbook we use, our proselyting day doesn't end til 9.. Our neighborhood was dark and it didn't look like anybody was awake, and it would have been really easy to rationalize going in a bit early.. But I made the decision at the start of my mission to be 100% obedient and serve with all my heart as did Elder Randle.. So we parked the truck and walked down the street to call at a gate and just as we got to the gate, the lady and her sister who lived there pulled up in a van to come home for the night.. We talked to them and they said they were interested to learn more.. Perfect timing! :)  I know the Lord blesses us for being obedient.. Especially to the "small and simple" things.. :)  "


Well... I'm excited to go into the last full week of my mission.. and I'm definitely going out working hard!! :)  Love everyone and talk to ya for the final time next week!


Have an incredible week!!


One Love 

Elder Kraus

Monday, June 11, 2012


Hey Eveyone!!


Short one this week, because I don't have much time.. BUt things are going great!! We're working really hard and have found some incedible new people that we started working with this week.. :)   I'm lovin the work, and can't believe that i only have 2 weeks left!! Dang!!  I'm super excited to see my family again.. but also am really gonna miss everyone here that I've come to love so much.. but as for now.. I'm just gonna be working my tail off for these last 2 weeks.. :)  


P-day today was pretty cool.. We went to ochi and played football on the beach.. and made some jerk chicken.. :)  so good!!  IT was an awesome day!  But.. like i said.. time is short.. everyone have an awesome week!!


One Love!!


Elder Kraus

Monday, June 4, 2012


Hey Everyone!!

This week was awesome!! I had two really cool experiences... But I'll get to those last.. First off.. I had some Jack Fruit again this week.. :)  It's definitely one of my favorite fruits.. I'm really gonna miss it when I'm gone.. .. Thats what the pictures are of.. (You eat the yellow fruit after you pick it off the alien pod and remove the seed haha.. SO GOOD!!)  

As for missionarywork... Things are going much better.. We had a really good weekly planning and goal setting session on Friday and realized that we were just spreading ourselves too thin.. We have so many things to do with leadership responsibilities and less actives to work with, tons of people to call.. the list could go on and on.. But long story short, there is so much to do, that it just isn't possible with the time we have to be able to complete it all.. So we prioritized the things we are doing, and set some good goals that could really allow us to focus our time on those who are prepared to make important steps in their lives.. It helped us get a really good direction, and this week should be incredible!!  :)  I definitely have a really strong testimony of the power of planning and goal setting... It's so important!!

Now for the cool experiences.. We've been working with a really nice lady named Jackie since January, and she's been at church every single Sunday since then but up til now hadn't accepted to fully work towards a baptism date.. Well, Friday, we had a really good lesson planned for her in which we were planning to extend her June 23rd as a baptism date.. As I was thinking about Jackie throughout the day.. and really pondering what could help her move foreward and take the next step.... a question to ask her popped into my mind.. I don't really recall what the question was.. but as we got the lesson, I asked the question, and she opened up to us and let us know the concerns she had, and things she needed to overcome before she could be baptized.. It was a really cool experience, and as we expressed our faith and confidence that with Christ's help she would be able to overcome those things.. she accepted the baptism date and committed to do everything she could do overcome her concerns by that day... It was a really neat experience.. We may not know all the thoughts and things that people are thinking and struggling with as we share the gospel with them.. but the Lord does.. and as we listen to the promptings that come from the Holy Ghost and act on them.. It opens hearts.. :)  I love it!!

Second cool experience was with a man named Peter..The story really starts a while back though... A companionship serving in Junction made a really cool song (guitar and vocals) that they recorded in a studio on P-day and sent the CD our way so we could put it on the office computer... Well..  A few Tuesday's ago, we were at Chilitos eating lunch, and had a sudden "urge" to go to the truck and get a copy of the CD to give to the resturaunt to play while we were there.. (they always play music here..).. So, me and Elder Luke went to the truck to get the CD, and as we reached, a young man was passing by who asked us where the church was at.. We told him and Elder Luke took down his number so him and Elder Conder could give him a call and start teaching him.... Well this Sunday, the same young man, Peter, at church bore a powerful testimony of the truthfulness of the restoration of the gospel and is working towards a baptism date for June 23rd.. He said that he is in Kingston for a while and usually takes the bus to his sport practice.. but on that Tuesday.. he had a strong feeling that he needed to walk instead.. So he decided to walk and miraculously we got the feeling to go get the CD at the same time that he was walking by where we were.. :)  And even cooler.. His father is a recent convert in Montego Bay, and it was Elder Conder who baptized his Father!!  and now is teaching him.. :)  So COOL!!!  Why did the junction elders really record that song?? why did we really go to the truck? :)  I love the promptings of the Holy Ghost.. Its so cool to see how Heavenly Father prepares the way for everything... :)  

I love this gospel, and I love doing missionary work... and I love following spiritual promptings and seeing the results.. :)  Well.. time is shot... but everyone have an awesome week!!  and share the gospel with your friends!! Its such a precious gift, and we have a duty to share it... We can't be selfish!! 

One Love!!

Elder Kraus