Zone Conference with Elder Marcus B. Nash was a great experience. And transfers and Boo at the Zoo are coming.

     We only have 1 progressing investigator right now her name is Sarah Groth. She is an older woman and was a referral.  She saw the first session of the Sunday General Conference and has taken some of the lessons.  She came to church this last Sunday.  I was a little worried because a friend of hers in the church wasn't able to make it to church and she had told us before she isn't comfortable around people she doesn't know. So I said a little prayer that she would be comforted during church today and she told me after that she loved every moment of church. After church there was a potluck and I saved a spot so she could sit by us, after she had got her food I waved her over. All she did was smile and pointed to some members saying I'm sitting with them. When I turned to the members they gave me the thumbs up saying we got it. My prayer was answered that day, she was comforted by the members.  She loves everything about this church. She is a big supporter of Mitt Romney. And I'm pretty confident that she will be baptized. We just need to go over a few more things and then we will set a date with her the next time we see her.  The rest of our investigators we are just trying to figure out a way to have them progress. But the Church is true, so very true.
   Monday, October 15th, we had a Zone Conference and we had a General Authority come and teach us. His name is Elder Marcus B. Nash of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He actually spoke at this last General Conference during the very last session. I felt the spirit so strongly when he taught. I learned a lot from him, we all did. I also got to meet with him after and he checked up on me and asked questions about you guys and everything. It was a very humbling experience to meet with him and I also received a blessing from the mission president and Elder Nash was in the circle with him. It was a great experience probably a life changing experience for me. I love this Church so much!!!
     This week was a slower week. We saw a couple of our investigators.  I think I've mentioned Clint before but he isn't really progressing.  He's hard to talk to about the gospel.  He's a big Mitt Romney supporter well, so are a lot of people here in the south but all he wants to do is talk about how Romney is better than Obama.  But hopefully we can start to get him to progress. Then we are going to start working with the less actives. We have a ton of less actives so we are going to try to get them to come back to church.
     Sarah wasn't able to come to church but we do have an appointment with her tomorrow at 3:45 and we are planning to set a date with her for the 2nd Saturday in November. I might not be here for her Baptism.  I have been in Monroe for 3 transfers now and I'm not quite sure if I will be here for another.  I would like to stay at least 1 more transfer but we will see this coming Saturday when we get calls for the coming transfer.  This will be my 7th transfer and I will hit my 9th month mark very soon, that's way exciting!
     That is insane about the flooding in the basement. I'm not going to lie I will miss that bed if you have to get rid of it. I've missed it while I've been out here on my mission. I would like to see some pictures for sure of everything that's been going on.
     It's going to be an exciting week. We have trunk or treat this Wednesday and then Saturday they're having something called Boo at the Zoo and we will be helping with that. It will be an exciting week for sure.  It is nice having this cooler weather but the Saturday we had General Conference it was so cold to the point that it hurt our skin to ride our bikes. It was crazy.  We also share a car now so one week we'll have it and the next we will be on bikes. We can just get so much more done with a car.
     Oh and tell Sister Reynosa and the Young women thank you!  I got a package with a bunch of different letters with their testimonies. I thought it was sweet of them to do that so you will have to say thanks to them for me.  Also, I did receive grandmas package and I loved all the treats, the hot cheetos and M&Ms are already gone, haha.  I need to catch up on my mail so sorry if I haven't replied to anyone yet. Tell Grandma Sharon I hope she had a wonderful 75th birthday!  I'll have to write to Brendon. I think mainly what helped me not to be so homesick was just time and making friends out here. It just gets way easier every transfer. I think it will just take time
     Well, I should end for now.  I hope everything gets better with the flooding.  I love ya and miss ya a ton.  Your son,  Elder Kerr.

Stayed District Leader in Monroe, had my 2nd Baptism and we'll miss our friend Johnny!

     Well, transfers came and went and I stayed District Leader in Monroe and my new companion is Elder Criswell from California/Arizona. He's been out about a year now.  He came out with one of the sister missionaries in my district, Sister Van Roosendall.  He graduated High School in 2009.  We have a lot in common and are getting along just fine.  I've now had 4 companions in my 8 months out and so far I've gotten along with everyone of them (more or less).  Elder Crockett was transferred to Gulport, Mississippi which is awesome.  It's one of the cities on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in my mission and one I would like to serve in at some point.  We now have a 3-some sister group with the addition of Sister Harding who I served with in Meridian. 
      I had a scary experience a couple of weeks ago when my companion and I went to donate plasma.  A lot of the missionaries here donate plasma as a service but also to get a little extra money.  Well I received a letter from the place saying that I had a test result on my plasma that they wanted to talk to me about. And so I went in and they told me that they ran 2 tests on my plasma, the first test said that I had HIV and the second test which was a confirming test came back Negative meaning I don't have it. They said that they're pretty sure I dont have it because there are a lot of false positive tests on that.  Missionary Medical is pretty sure I dont have it and the same with President Pena but they are going to have me do a HIV blood test just for my own peace of mind.  It was hard to focus on the work after they told me that, it freaked me out big time, but the Zone Leaders gave me a blessing and it brought me some peace.  I know God gives us challenges to make us stronger.  I have a strong testimony of that. 
     So I just had my 2nd baptism last Saturday. Lavell Whitty was Baptized and Confirmed a member of "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints".  It was an amazing experience as always to see someone enter into the waters of baptism and have that desire to follow in Christs footsteps.  Especially, because I have that same desire to follow in Christ's footsteps even though I mess up a lot.  I love this Church and I love my mission.  
      I've mainly been trying to introduce Elder Criswell to everyone. We had a couple of crazy experiences at the end of last week.  I took Elder Criswell over to one of our investigators that wasn't progressing but we would visit with him anyway and try to share a message. Out of nowhere he was angry saying that Elder Crockett brought devils into his home, cussing him out, and telling us that we aren't welcome anymore. I'm pretty sure he was drunk! Or antied. Anyways, it was way random. . . . but just another average mission experience.
     Do you remember Johnny Moore? He was one of the first member's to greet me when I came to Monroe.  He was baptized almost a year ago last November.  He would always feed us missionaries and take care of us.  He even paid to have my biked fixed when it broke down.  He became a good friend to a lot of missionaries. . . . . . . He passed away at 8 o'clock on Sunday. The medics said, probably due to heart failure. It's hard to believe that he is gone but it was his time and now he is on the other side of the veil!  He wasn't in contact with any of his family.  Really, Johnny's family was the missionaries and the Church but mostly the missionaries.  We went to his viewing and graveside services.  All of his family acknowledged that we were there for him and his family. It was just a crazy sad week. I have been telling people that knew him that he has passed away pretty much the entire week.  This has been an interesting 8 weeks of my mission.
     Thanks for the BYU shirt I love it!  And thanks Connie for all those pics of the places I used to hang out at when I was home.  That mud race looked like a ton of fun too.  And congratulations on your engagement!  I'll have a new uncle when I get home.
     I got the your burrito recipe mom, thanks.  I can't wait to make them for my district for General Conference weekend. Well, I'll end there.  I sure do love you and miss you.  Hope all is well.  I love you so much!
                                                                    Elder Kerr