11/3/10-12/15/10

12/15/10
Dear Family,
Well another crazy week!! I have just a little more time today. I read your email from the presidents Iphone and then the rest of it from his IPad because we were on the road and now I'm using his daughters laptop to right ha ha. Pretty much just squeezing it in wherever. It sounds like everyone has a lot going on as well. From Recitals to choir performances all over.
My week has been super crazy but extremely fun. First off we learned the haka (the dance that BYU does before there games) and we all performed it at an activity we had at one ward. To be honest we learned it in like one hour because we have no time to sit and learn something like that but the president wanted us to and so we did and it was awesome!! I messed up a lot but it was jsut super sweet to be screeming and hitting yourself and almost feeling polonysian. Then the next day they invited us to sing in a stake Christmas conference. We did alright but my voice was kinda gone because of the haka and then yesterday we were invited to a Mall to go sing at the mall. So we one of the zones together and went and sang in the middle of this huge mall. Again my voice was still horse but we did alright. I'll try and send some pictures. Just so you know the president was there for all of these activities so they were all good no worries.
Also this week we had four people decide they want to be baptised so we are working with a family and a soon to be missionary!! Its going awesome!! Please Keep praying for us and the family Mercano and Josue. Next week I probably will have very very little time to email but just to let you know the Christmas call is going to be a little different. We have to call from a members home so I will probably call you with their numbert and have you call me back. Or I could by a calling card. I just dont really know what is the best idea. Let me know if there is something specific I should do but what I do know is that it will be saturday around like 6 ish our time ( 3 your time )and it will be from a members house. So Just write me a quick email and tell me what time if that doesn't work. I love you all so much and thank you so much for the Christmas package and the Money. I really apreciate it all you are all so good to me. The chruch is true and talk to you soon.
Love Elder Knudsen


12/8/10
Dear family,
So transferes were today and they were super crazy but we had to work super hard to make sure it went well. Basically what I'm saying is I really dont have very much time. Thankyou for those encouraging letters they were awesome. This attribute this week on knowledge is awesome!! I have so much room to improve!! I love this gospel I love you all and hope your all enjoying Christmas as much as me!! Please pray for the family ramos and that we can find more families in our area, Less active/ partmember or investigators. I love you all have a great week.


12/1/10
Dear Family,
How is everyone doing?! Mom and Dad you are on a cruz!! What in the world ha ha I'm glad you are enjoying it!! It sounds awesome. Everyone was around for thanksgiving?! Thats awesome! Thanksgiving is so great. The President had us over to his house to celebrate with him!! It was pretty cool!! We had to help an elder out on thanksgiving so we were super busy. It was nice to just sit down and eat!! I feel like i dont do that too much anymore haha We have so much to do and this work is super important that I just feel like eating is a pain now. Its good because I'm starting to get back to my skinner self haha.
I hope everyone is enjoying the Christ like attributes!!! I LOVE THEM!! Right now is virtue and it says that what you do when nobody is around and you believe nobody is watching is a strong messure of your virtue!! What do we do when nobody is around and nobody is watching?! It is a great question for all of us to think about!! We have also been talking about how important it is to make sure you have control over your mind. Such as how a lot of missionaries or people think they cant do things so obviously they dont. We are trying to figure out how missionaries can better control their minds not to just be more virtuous but also to have more success and faith. I couldnt help but think about the book that Clint gave me for one of my Birthdays, "As a man thinkinth" and also the poem that Dad always says. "if you think your beat then you are. If you'd like to win but think you may not its almost a sinch you wont......"
The mission is awesome and right now we are looking for a HUGE change in Puerto Rico and my companion and I and the President are the ones who have to make it happen. We need to figure out the Lords will and put everything on the line to follow his will. Please pray for this mission!! It is doing awesome right now but still not to the point where we can have a temple here and there are SO many people here that need a temple!! I love you all so much!! Thanks so much for your examples! Thanks Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa for Always writing me. you all are super Great!! I hope you have a great week and I'll talk to you soon!!
Love Elder Knudsen

11/24/10
Dear family,
Uh oh I think i beat you to the email this week ha ha. Anyway how is everything going? Is everyone preparing for thanksgiving? I totally almos forgot ha ha Everyone here is already preparing for Christmas!!! we took a stand. We're not singing Christmas songs until december 1. But today we're making sure to play a Turkey bowl!! Our president is super funny about P-day. Even if we have a billion things to do he makes sure that we have a good P-day and enjoy it. He just makes sure we have fun as we work. Like last night Sister Alvarado invited us to come and eat with them for thanksgiving dinner but I expalined to president that that is like a perfect time to find families and he said just wake up early go and work and them como enjoy dinner with us. He really take care of us.
So this week was AWESOME!!!!! Wednesday or thursday president told us he needs a report and powerpoint to Present to Elder Martinez of the 70 by saturday. The report had to be about thinks going on in the mission and how we're following the vision of the first presidency and the area presedency. we had to have all types of specifics and everything so we were up to our necks getting that done and as well making sure the family Ramos is ready for baptism. We were able to balance it enough to the point were we could work in our area and on the report and we finished just before his presentation. It ended up amazing. We werent there but elder Martinez Loved it and said that everyone should be doing reports like that and now all the stake Presidents are using it and everything. It was a huge Relief.
The real news is that the familia Ramos all got baptised!! All 4 of them and it was amazing. I dont have loads of time so I'm just going to have to copy and paste from my letter to presidente. You might have to have chris and Justin and stacey help you translate sorry. (sorry for the bad spanish too)
Primero el obispo bautizo a la mama. Cuando ella estaba entrando en el agua ella tenia mucho asthma y el agua frio no la ayudo pero ella nos explico despues que nada iba a pararla de entrar en el agua!! Ella ha querido ser bautizada hace como un mes ya. Despues el papa se bautizo por Hno Nelson Vasquez. cuando el salio de la agua yo pense que algo mal paso porque el subio y se quedo alli con sus hombros levantados y por fin se viro para salir de la pila. Al ver esto yo fui al bano para segurar que todo estaba bien y el estaba alli sonriendo mirando sus hijos ser bautizados. Despues que los ninos salieron de las aguas, el papa los coloco y les abrazo, los dos, a la vec y les dio un besito en la cabeza con lagrimas en sus ojos. Yo estaba alli entonces despues que el Miembro les junto en esta abrazo yo tambien les abraze. El papa miro a el miembro y le dio un abrazo diciendo gracious.
Al hablar con El papa despues, yo lo pregunte si habia mucho frio y el me dijo a lo contario. Hacia un calor emenso. El compartio eso con Los miembros despues como su testimonio. Fue una experiencia marvillosa.
We're being blessed to find more families too!! Please pray for the families to progress and to find us. Also if you could pray for my spanish still.
How is the studying of the Christ Like Attribute going? The Charity and Love section. I love it!! Its awesome!! Charity makes you feel SO good!! We were totally ment to serve other people. That is how we found the Ramos familia. They were cleaning there Patio and we asked if we could help but they said no so we just did it anyway and now they are all super happy in the chruch. They showed up on sunday with all white shirts and ties and the father and the oldest son recieved the Preisthood!!
Anyway I love you all so much and pray for you about a billion times a day!! I hope you all have a great week.
Love elder Knudsen

11/17/10
Dear Family,
So it sounds like everyone is battling with all the kids and everything ha ha sounds fun. Thats what the church is about is families. I have learned that these last few days as we have studied the restoration. I'm glad to hear everything ended up okay with Patrice. They just keep getting unlucky!! Dont worry I'll pray extra hard for ya haha oh yeah and it sounds like BYU is back on track. Is Mendenhal the defensive cordinator as well still?
This week has been crazy!! We have been around the whole Island. We had to go do zone confrences but luckily we only have five zones right now. Still Elder Zenger and I have been driving this huge 15 passanger van all around. Its awesome!! We had about 2 and a half days to get all our goals in our own area this last week and the Lord really blessed us, We were able to do it and then some. The Zone confrences were on the Restoration and they were awesome!! I got the chance to talk at them and I'm super thankful that Joseph Smith Sacraficed so much so that we can all be together forever! We watched "Joseph Smith: the Prophet of the Restoration" and it was awesome!!
These coming weeks before Christmas We're doing and activity as a mission and I want to invite you all to do it too. Its about becoming more like Christ and studying the Christ like attributes. Here in Puerto Rico the Christmas season doesnt stop until like the 16th but this is what we're doing:
Nov.15-21 Hope
Nov.22-28 Charity and Love
Nov.19- Dec.5 Virtue
Dec.6-12 Knowledge
Dec.13-19 Patience
Dec.20-26 Humiliy
Dec.27-Jan 2 Diligence
Jan 3-9 Obedience
Jan 10-16 Faith in Jesus Christ
In Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel you can find all these and in that same chapter it has a section on the best way to study each attribute with a bullet list. We are going to study each atrtribute doing all the bullets so we can become more like our Savior. So anyone who wants to do it with me is totally invited! 3 Nephi 27:27 "What manner of men ought ye to be? verily I say unto you, even as I am."
But that was basically my week!! It has been super busy with SO much stuff to do.
I love you all and want you to know that I know this is the True chruc, I know that Joseph Smith saw our heavenly father and his son and if we study it we can see that so many events in history lead up to that point when the father and the son finally appeared. I know that familys are the basic unit of Gods plan. I put my testimony along side Darwin Knudsens when he quoted that faith is a hope for things that are unseen but that are ture, and then said I hope and long for an eternal family and this is the only gospel that makes that possible for me.
Love

11/10/10
Dear Family,
Sounds like the cougars are back to there old selves. what do they have to do now... win seven straight? Anyway about the baptism this week. We have been out of our area a lot and haven't had the time to teach the Family a bunch and so we have had to move it to later on. keep Praying for the Family Ramos!!
This week was pretty crazy. My companion had to go get to know the Islands with another missionary who knows them so I went on a trade off with a brand new missionary! It was awesome!! We had to get like there whole week goals in just 2 days because they had some troubles at the beginning of the week but the Lord really blessed us after a lot of fasting and prayer. This missionary is from England and keeps saying things like boot for trunk and flat for apartment and trousers for pants. Its so Funny!! He lives like 20-30 minutes south of Londan.
It was really cool because neither one of us could be in our own ward on sunday but the members stepped up and took charge of being with our investigators.
This week we're going everywhere!! It is zone confrence week and so we will be around the whole island by the next time I talk to you. It is really cool because we are watching "Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restouracion" movie and it is so powerful. This church is so true!! I know it!!
Sorry I really dont have too much time but I love you all. I hope the baby boom isn't killing anyone!! I pray for you every night ha ha
P.S. Patrice and Clint I think there is a missionary here from your ward. Elder Curtis is his name. He says he knows you two!!


11/3/10
Dear Family!!!
How is everyone doing?! It sounds like everyone is doing good!!! Especially Craig who is getting married tommorrow!!!!! Thats so crazy!! I love hearing about the missionary work that your all doing!! Its SO COOL RIGHT!!
This week we had a lot going on! Missionaries leaving and Elder Zenger and I had to direct some senior couple this weekend and the familia Ramos and the zone leaders council and everything else!! It has been a crazy week. I cant even begin to say all the things we did. Anyway the zone leader councel was awesome because right in the middle President just stopped and was like okay who wants to take some of their P-day today? And I tried explaining that we had somethings to do and all that but then he got my companion and I and two other missionaries to go play basketball with him and some of the senior couples. I was still a little reluctant but he just said Elder Knudsen you have done a lot this week and men are that they might have joy.. Its your decision. So we went and played against all these older missionaires and it was awesome! !! One of the guys was 72 and would move so slow but he could still beat me!! It was super humbling! They were all really tall but were like the all stars when they were young. Anyway they beat us twice and we beat them twice and then the third game we decided that its hard for them to bend down hahaha so we beat them with the strategy of keeping the ball low. Anyway it was a good time but even better than that was when Nelson (the father of the family) came to us and said I think My wife and I and the kids will be ready for the 13 of november to be baptised!! it was so cool he has really been thinking about it hard. Please pray for them to get ready. We also want to find another family if not today than at least this week but we'll see because we have some more things to do this weekend! I love this work family!! It is awesome. I go the biggest fire today just to go out and do it all when I was studying but I understand that we all have to lift where we stand and its not where you serve but how. Family the Book of mormon is true!! pray about it everytime you ready and meditate what you are reading and then remember that it was translated by a young man! I love you all so much and am so grateful for your great examples!! I have to go and not worry about anything except the people here and binging them unto Christ by whatever means I can. I love you all so much and have a great week!
Love elder Knudsen