Transferred to Monroe, Louisiana (a bike area), 108 degrees and made district leader.

                                                          My new address is:
                                                       1401 Erin St.  Apt #177
                                                          Monroe, LA  71201

     Monday, June 25th - Well, I will email the rest to you tomorrow but I just wanted to let you know that I'm getting transferred and will be leaving tomorrow.  I'm either being transferred to Vicksburg, Mississippi or Monroe, Louisiana and I'm going District Leader.  Yeah already, I'm going district leader after only 5 months of being out. I'll be getting a lot more responsibility.  When President told me that I was just like, wait what???  Hahahaha!  I was really surprised!  I'm both sad and happy.  Sad because I'm going to miss my district and Meridian and happy because the President felt I needed more responsibility.  I'm also a little scared about it but I know the Lord qualifies us for His work so I'm confident that I'll be alright with it.  I will email you more tomorrow.

     Wednesay, June 27th-  Well I'm in Monroe, Louisiana with Elder Crockett who just got done with his training.  He's showing me the area and having me meet the members and our investigators.  Well I guessed pretty good. 

     Tuesday, Elder Ison and I headed to Clinton which is one of the transfer points.  I'm going to miss serving with Elder Ison and I'm really going to miss Meridian and that district we had a great time together.  We met up with the rest of the missionaries in Clinton (which is near Jackson half way to Monroe) and waited for the transfer van.  This will be the last time I see President Tucker and his wife.  The new mission President arrives this Saturday.  It's going to be crazy. 

     Finally, the van arrived.  I said goodbye to Ison and we headed west.  I got to sit and talk to Elder Whitehead again (from the MTC).  We talked about where we had served last and where we thought we were going.  He's probably going to Texas.  We stopped in Vicksburg for a bit to get gas and I got to see the Mississippi River for the first time when we crossed the bridge.  The drive actually didn't seem that long we got to Monroe fairly quickly it seemed (Meridian to Monroe is just over 200 miles).  They told me I was getting off here.  I met Elder Crockett and a member named Johnny.  Johnny apparently likes to feed the missionaries all the time and will be feeding us anytime we don't have a place to go.  I also found out that this is a bike area, no car now.  And guess what it's 108 degrees here and has been for a while. Hot!!!!  I'm probably going to die out here.  I'm not used to riding bikes so it's killing me!  Hopefully I'll get to lose some weight with all this biking! Hahaha!!  We got to play some basketball with a bunch of different missionaries.  And I'm already known as the beast for my post moves . . . hahaha!  It was a lot of fun.  I have a feeling I'm going to like it here a lot well except for the whole bike riding in 108 degrees thing.  I get to play a lot more basketball, a bunch of different missionaries get together every Monday and play.  So I'm pretty excited about that.
     I got to meet the Zone Leaders and the two sister missionaries here.  Sister Jenkins just got out of the MTC and sister Vanroosendall is training here.  I also got to meet the Stake President, President Pena.  Great guy, always seems to be in a good mood, and he takes his calling very seriously but in a good way.
     So this morning there was a baptism in West Monroe that we went to.  It's always a good sight to see someone enter into the waters of baptism.  Her name is Carolyn.  It was wierd because right before she was suppose to enter the font the power went out and the lights started to flicker like crazy.  It was crazy!!  But we got in done and had a good service.  After that we had a lunch apponintment with Sister Wear.  She's Chinese and I had a hard time getting her food down into my stomach but I got a lot of it.  She's a sweet lady but really worries about her son, who is at scout camp right now.  For some reason she has a really hard time not having contact with him.  I felt bad for her so we gave her a blessing.
     And now we're here emailing.  I hope I can survive this heat!  I'm sure I will love it in time.  I hope all is well.  And I hope you all have a good time celebrating grandma Ivy's 80th birthday.  Hopefully she got my card.  I love and miss you all! 

                                                      Your son, Elder Kerr

P.S.  I did hear that Miami won the Championship.  I was very happy about that and will want to get their championship stuff if I can find it out here.

Made the family tacos for my district, funnest exchange yet, and a transfer is in the air.

     Dad, I'm glad you enjoyed your Father's Day card.  I'm not going to lie I got teary eyed while I was writing it.  I don't remember if I told you but I made the family tacos for my district after district meeting.  It was my first time making them and I did burn a few and they were a little too greasy but none-the-less they were pretty dang good!
     Transfers are coming up on the 26th and the time has flown by.  It helps when you have a companion you get along with.  Elder Ison and I get along great so I'd rather not be transferred but I know if I am it's for the best because the Lord knows what's best for us.
     We were in Buckle the other day so that my companion could get his watch fixed.  The store manager was from St. George yet he didn't know much about the Mormons.  I was surprised.  And the lady that was working there used to live in the very apartment that we live in right now, 303 Deer Run.  Small world I guess ha, ha. 
     The sister missionaries have been visiting a less active sister, Carolyn, who was in need of a blessing.  She lives in these government trailer homes. I'm not sure what they are called but they are extremely poor.  She's been suffering with some ankle injuries.  And she had alot to talk about for a whole hour before we could give her a blessing.  We blessed her that she would be healed.  And she was at church the next day walking in heals!  Miracles happen all the time out here it seems. 
     Another cool thing that happened last week.  When we went to see Dominic he wasn't home so we tract on his street but didn't find anyone.  Then a thought came to me to go to Myrna Cole's (remember her?)  Well, we got there and she wasn't home.  Hmmm, why did I feel impressed to go there?  So we decided to tract on her street and I felt impressed again to head to this other house and we met a man outside along the way and was able to leave him with a BOM and set up a return appointment.  So maybe that was the reason, we will see.
     We got a chance to use the new approach President Tucker suggested on a new family in the ward, the Smith's.  They had invited us over for dinner so instead of the spiritual thought we asked if we could give them a blessing.  We blessed Tim and his wife Jamie and their 5 children, Kimberlyn, Kelsie, Hayden, Julian and TJ.  We blessed them to be safe, to have the Spirit in their home and to help move Christ's work forward.  It was a cool experience!  I love that family!
     We also had a lady scare us.  When we were tracting and went up to a house and just as we were about to knock a lady opened the door.  She didn't realize we were there and when she did she screamed then shut the door saying "I don't have any clothes on."  We were just like "Sorry mam".  We explained who we were through the door and asked if she was interested, she wasn't but we left a Book of Mormon on her porch for her.  It was kind of funny and scary.
     Last Wednesday Elder Ison had a leadership meeting so I went on exchanges in Petal with an Elder Whitlock.  This was my funnest exchange yet.  We got along great!  In fact, I hope that I get to serve with him at some point on my mission.  And in Petal I really liked the area.  We tracted and got some return appointments.  The only downside of this exchange was that an investigater told us she doesn't need the Book of Mormon so she doesn't want the missionaries to come anymore.  We tried to convince her otherwise but she said no.  So we left her with our testimonies that if she really wanted to know if the BOM is true she must do it with a sincere heart.  I could tell she felt the spirit because she got a little teary eyed and said she wanted to go get some rest.  You could tell she wasn't use to having the Spirit with her.
     Well I'll end for now.  You better send any future mail to the mission home until after this transfer.  I don't want to miss any mail.  I Love ya and miss you all and hope all is well.  Your loving son, Elder Kerr.

P.S.  No, I didn't hear that the ward might be moving to the building across the street from our house.  Why would they do that?
    
 

Four months out and I got to fly in the Navel Air Base Meridian's official flight simulator! So AWESOME!!

     I can't believe that I have been out for 4 months already.  It seems like it's going faster and faster each transfer and each month. February and March went by way slow but April and May went by so quickly and this month will be even faster because Elder Ison  and I are getting along so well that it's going to be fun to serve with him.
   Last week I had my 2nd Zone Conference, my last with President Tucker, and he gave us a new tool for missionary work.  It's a new approach when introducing ourselves to people.  Instead of explaining that we are missionaries and have a message to share with them.  We say instead, "We are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ and He has sent us here to leave his peace and blessing in your home.  May we leave that blessing?"  After President Tucker gave us this new approach I felt the Spirit very strongly so I'm way excited to use it! 
     I think I told you that Meridan has a Naval Air Base (Naval Air Base Meridian) well we have a member who is training there who invited us to dinner.  He took us on a tour of all the planes and he let us fly the official simulators of the base.  It was so cool!  We got to be in the actual cockpit part of the simulator!  It was SO AWESOME! 
     I'm really starting to like different foods out here.  We had shrimp for dinner at a members house last week and I tried it and decided I liked it.  It was pretty dang delicious.  I meant to tell you, a few weeks ago we were invited to the Matheson's home for an amazing dinner.  It was roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, w/vegetables.  It was one of our usual Sunday dinners when I was home.  It was so delicious and reminded me so much of home. 
          This genealogy that you found is pretty exciting, Mom.  The Kerr's dating back to 1000 AD and the relatives in Croatia! 
     Well, of course, I accidentally deleted all of my pictures again like I did on our family trip to Moab.  But I remembered most of what I had taken pictures of and was able to retake alot of them but I better have you send me my USB cord so I can start saving them on a flashdrive.  Well I'll end for now, I love you and miss you all!              

                                                            Your son,

                                                             Elder Kerr

May Zone Conference in Hattiesburg

May Zone Conference luncheon