Door to Door with Elder Warr

Utica

2010-07-26T20:25:00.000-06:00



date		Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 11:14 AM
subject		Hi

Yet another great week in Utica.

We have been getting ready for transfer planning and meeting a lot with President Bulloch because there's a new teaching curriculum that's being implemented into all the missions in the US. It's pretty much an extension to Preach My Gospel. We have to start changing the mission schedule a little bit to adapt to the new training change.

Yesterday we had another fireside in Elmira.. there were about 70 people there. President Bulloch is such a good speaker, i have really loved the opportunity to go around with him. He sets the stage so well for each song... all of his experience in church education and leadership has made him such a natural teacher. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to the Bulloch's.

Mom gave me the address of the church that i'll be speaking at on the 8th (9am). For all of you who asked for the address.

2290 Warm Springs Ave

If you have questions you can call her because you wont be able to get ahold of me.

(208) 761-0160 or 0161. i can't remember.

Another miracle happened this weekend. Long story short.... A random man named Paul came to church. He had been reading everything on Mormon.org and LDS.org... he is reading the Book of Mormon and he's through 3 nephi. He said that he's been in a spiritual battle with the Catholic church and he's made the decision. He told us "I'm here to stay... what do i need to do next?" We are pretty overwhelmed with all of these blessings. We'll be setting a baptismal date with him this Thursday.

We have one more fireside in Albany this Sunday (Aug 1st). It will be fun to see all of my peeps in Albany.

Tomorrow I'm going to Palmyra to see the Sacred Grove, the Hill Cumorah and then the Temple! I have wanted to see those things my whole life... and there have been times throughout my mission where we were literally 15 miles away. Finally!

I love you all. You'll hear from me next monday.

Elder Warr

Kyle Update

2010-07-20T10:39:00.000-06:00

Kyle is still a great as ever! He has sent some family letters about some more special experiences that he has been having. He also has informed us that his return home will be August 5th.

We just completed printing this blog into book form for Kyle to have when he gets home. It has been a fantastic way to share with friends and family. I encourage other families to blog and then print a book for their missionaries! The website we used for the book publishing is blurb.com. If you have questions about that, you can email me at myyellowbike@gmail.com.

I will post more word from Kyle as I get it!

Thank you for reading with us!

p.s feel free to comment here if you want to get in touch with Kyle and I'll make sure he checks it -- I'm not sure what his new email address will be. I'll post that ASAP too.

Using a little Spanish

2010-07-05T22:25:00.000-06:00

Hey guys,

Happy 5th of July! Yesterday was awesome for us....we have been working really hard day after day and it has been difficult finding new people to teach we have been pleading with the Lord and have been working hard to get out of his rut.... until yesterday. It was a normal day of church, there were some great testimonies borne in sacrament meeting and the classes were good. During third hour one of the members of the bishopric came up to us with a name written on a paper. He said a few minutes before he heard the church phone ringing and he answered it... there was a hispanic woman who was on the phone and had been trying to get ahold of the church for about two weeks. He asked her a few questions and after talking she really wanted the missionaries over to her house. She was ecstatic about their conversation and was really looking forward to meeting us. Immediately after church we went over to her house. This woman's name is Francis, she has lived in Utica for over 30 years but recently married Juan from the Dominican Republic. Her home is nice and well kept (which is always a great sign). Juan just moved with his children to live with Francis in Utica. One of Juan's children is Anny, she's 20 years old and joined the church 2 years ago. They got here 2 weeks ago and the transition has been difficult because they don't speak english. Francis is the only one that speaks english so she has to translate for everyone. Anny is really struggling with the move because she really loved the church there and hadn't found the church here yet. Anny's face lit up when she saw us, it was such a cool experience to see the comfort that she found when she saw missionaries from the church. For the past two weeks Anny has been telling Francis all about the church and begging her to call the church...which is ironic because Francis has been searching and searching for the right church for years. We sat down and started asking a few questions. With all three years of my highschool level spanish, i tried to communicate with Anny... i asked her if she likes pencils and how many backpacks she has.. (my spanish is limited to mostly school supplies and little conversational language). We started talking to Francis and she told us her background. She has had a tough past few years. She has prayed and prayed that God would guide her to what's right... and then Juan's family moved in. She said when she called the church, Brother Bloss answered and as she spoke to him this rush of warmth went through her body and she cried. We bore testimony to her that it was the Holy Ghost. As we said that she said she felt it again. Long story short.... we're going back to teach her the gospel and she loves us a lot. Anny is really excited to be able to come to church and Francis is coming with her.

This whole experience has really built me up. I have a lot of gratitude for the church... I can't really explain it, but wherever I go... when i see our church buildings it puts everything in perspective. This isn't our work... it's God's work. I put myself in Anny's shoes... and I think my first reaction to moving to another country would be to find the church.

We're getting ready to head off for zone conferences again. This week we have Albany and Utica. Elder Cook and i have been working late trying to get our trainings together.

I don't remember if i mentioned it, but i'll be doing two more firesides. One on the 18th in Utica and one on Aug 1st in Albany.

i love you all. pray for missionary opportunities!

love,

Elder Warr

Up and down the state of New York

2010-06-14T12:59:00.002-06:00

I have seriously been up and down the state of New York multiple times this past week. There was an emergency transfer that we had to take care of and that was really stressful because it all started with President Bulloch getting a phone call from a branch president down state who said that he had been hearing from members that the missionaries were out doing some bad things. President sent us down there to "figure out what's going on". We left early that morning and showed up to their apartment to hear rock music blasting inside.... long story short, we emergency transferred them out and put two solid missionaries in there . they almost got sent home.

There have been some great things happening in Utica. We have one man named Gary with a baptismal date of July 3rd. He has been coming to church and loves it. He has come a long way in his life, and his repentance is real. We're also working with the Glazier family. We met them last week because they wanted us to teach their 7 year old son to prepare him for baptism... and the dad (Cory) isn't a member and we have started to get really close to them. Cory says he's ready to really get into this.They told us yesterday that they think we were brought to Utica for them. I love these people. We have been talking with President Bulloch, and we have set up another piano fireside that i'll be doing here in Utica.. that will be July 18th.

We have been doing transfer planning this week. This has been such a cool experience for me because we sit in front of a huge board with all of the missionaries' picture and names, and then we start moving things around depending on each missionary's personality and skills. I love watching President Bulloch discern between different things and i have learned so much from him! After transfer planning the spirit was so strong we began talking about a lot of personal things. President Bulloch talked about his childhood growing up on a farm in Utah and the struggles he had there. We spoke about some of the experiences in our lives that have brought us to this point. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. The Lord has done so much for me and i have been given so many things that i can't really put to words my gratitude. My mission has changed me. I have been so blessed, and i love my life.

I love you all! I have got to go, we're heading out to work in Syracuse tomorrow!

love,

Elder Warr

Busy busy busy

2010-06-08T07:44:00.000-06:00

Hey guys, this week while we were up in Potsdam for zone conference i had the opportunity to see John Chapman get baptized! I got really close John and his family so it was a great experience his baptism. Missionaries have been working on him for quite some time, and we were so excited to be a part of his conversion.

We're keeping busy. Lots and lots of driving! We will be going to Owego then Syracuse this week and a big new missionary meeting here in Utica on Friday.

sorry, no big email this week, but here are some pictures!

love,

Elder Warr

Sicky Ky Ky

2010-05-24T11:49:00.000-06:00

Well, this week has been a roller coaster.

I have been sicker than a dog. Wednesday we went to Albany to work with the Elders there. It was so cool to see some of the poeple that i taught over a year ago. But Thursday night i got another fever, so i couldn't really do much, i just went straight to sleep, i woke up in the morning and felt a lot better. Saturday i ate way too much because we had two meal appointments back to back. Then at about 3 in the morning Sunday i couldn't sleep because my stomach was going crazy, and then i emptied everything out of my system. We had a baptism Sunday morning so i was literally fighting to stay awake and coherent. I had to play the piano... haha i seriously probably looked like i was on drugs... i don't even know how i managed to play anything. After church we went home and i slept for 7 hours. Then i threw up a few more times. In the mean time, i have been working on a training that i'll be presenting at the zone conferences.... and on top of that i'm learning the area and getting to know our investigators.

A few days ago, i got a call from John Chapman in Potsdam. He has decided to get baptized and asked if i would play a musical number at his baptism. I was a little overwhelmed because i worked really hard with John, and i am so happy that he has decided to follow the Savior. The miracle of the whole thing is that we will be in Potsdam for a zone conference the day of his baptism!

Through all of this, i have grown a lot. I guess i'm being refined. I really feel like i'm being stretched, and i'm only getting started.

sorry i don't have much time, but i love you all.

heart,

Elder Warr

The Office

2010-05-17T11:43:00.000-06:00

Hello Hello!

So, here i sit, in the mission office. My morning has been packed with filling out reports from the last week's statistics, counseling with President Bulloch about some zone conference ideas, figuring out if we're driving down to Binghamton tomorrow, and whatever else. It has surprised me a couple times when we get a call from President Bulloch with a problem or issue and then he tells us to come up with a solution and then report back to him with the answer. I'm starting to realize how much of an influence i have on this mission. These missionaries watch everything we do. I have spent a lot of time in prayer to the Lord to ask for inspiration and support.

Elder Fullmer is my companion. He's from Sandy UT. He's such a great humble guy. He's probably the most tempered person i have ever met. He also has a really funny sense of humor so we get along really well.... and there's an integrity in him that i am trying to absorb. I am really looking forward to serving with him and i am so grateful to be working and counseling by his side. I guess one thing that i don't have to worry about in being in Utica is if I'm going to have strong companions. haha.

I met the ward yesterday, it's a lot bigger than Potsdam was. We had meetings in the morning and then we peeked into the chapel for a second and the ward choir was practicing for a musical number that day. there were only about 8 people.... they begged us to help them out. Take note that i had just come from Potsdam which has an AMAZING choir. We helped them out. The song was "I Believe in Christ". We were basically just singing all four verses with the piano. I made a few suggestions of ways to alter the song and add some dynamics.... they were all really skeptical at first because they didn't think they could do it. We tried it out, practiced it, and they sounded great! Everyone was excited to sing it. I think that really opened my eyes for a second about music in my life. I noticed that i might have a future in something similar to that. But we'll see how it goes. The Utica ward is really diverse, and i don't know everyone yet, but i have noticed that they arent very personable with the missionaries... they see us as "the elders". Elder Fullmer and I are going to work on that and start to build some friendships with these members.

i love and pray for all of you.

Elder Warr

first day as AP

2010-05-11T14:45:00.000-06:00

Hey guys,

Well, i made it to Utica...i got here about 5 hours ago and now I'm here in the office with Elder Fullmer, and we have had a crazy day already. The life of an assistant to the president is yet to be defined.... i will let you know when i find a good way to articulate what i'm feeling. We were scheduled to pick up the new missionaries from the Syracuse airport at 2:00. We got to the airport to find out that their flight has been cancelled due to technical difficulties. Then President Bulloch was in contact with Salt Lake for about an hour trying to figure out when they could possibly arrive. Turns out they are going to stay the night in Detroit and will fly and arrive here at 9am tomorrow.... So we came straight back to Utica. In the car to and from Syracuse we have been talking about so much that has to happen in the next couple weeks. It's so different being in such a close proximity with President Bulloch... it's only been a few hours and i feel like i have already learned so much. I cannot believe how much trust he puts in me as one of his assistants. He will talk plainly and straight-forward about missionaries and problems in the mission. President Bulloch literally looks to us for answers and solutions. I am just trying to take this all in.... but it gets more and more exciting as the time goes by. I am really anxious to see what will happen within the next few months of my life.

I love you guys, i enjoyed talking to all of you!

Here is the email that President Bulloch wrote to us this week, i really liked it and i thought you guys would enjoy it because it doesnt only apply to missionaries. enjoy!

May 10, 2010
Dear Elders and Sisters,
       I hope there is a sense of optimism about the new transfer. The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favorable or hopeful view." The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense of the world, ultimately means one expects the best possible outcome from any given situation. To me optimism is captured best in the gospel principle of hope. Hope gives an assurance that “the desired blessing will be fulfilled in the future…” (PMG, 117) On the other hand, pessimism is the tendency to see, anticipate, or emphasize only bad or undesirable outcomes, results, conditions, or problems (see Wikipedia Encyclopedia). The most common metaphor to illustrate the difference between the optimism and pessimism is the one that asks if we view a glass of water as half full or half empty. I hope you have learned that how we view things has a dramatic effect on our attitude. And our attitude has a dramatic effect on our happiness.
       One of the great lessons of this life is that happiness is not the absence of difficulty, but the ability to see difficulty in the context of the gospel plan, and deal with it in a positive way. “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so… righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither… happiness” (2 Nephi 2:11). Opposition and difficulty are necessary elements of truly understanding and enjoying happiness. If my happiness is totally dictated by the circumstances and conditions around me, my happiness will in large measure be out of my control. When I understand that lasting joy and happiness are fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), I will find happiness in doing things that invite the Spirit. Have you noticed that it is very difficult to be pessimistic and happy at the same time? It is like trying to be happy and angry at the same time. It just doesn’t work. On the other hand, have you noticed how things change when we have an optimistic view? When we look at the bright side it invites light into our lives. As we learn to “submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord” (Mosiah 24:15) we will learn to find peace and hope, even in difficult situations. Hope and peace create an optimistic view that invites greater happiness. I invite each of you to look for the good in your life. No matter how difficult things may seem, I guarantee you it would not take me five seconds to find someone you would not want to trade places with. Life is good—enjoy it!

       May Lord bless and guide you always,
       President Bulloch

District Conference

2010-05-03T13:48:00.000-06:00

Hey guys,

All is well in Potsdam. We had District Conference (like Stake Conference) yesterday. President Bulloch came and spoke about murmuring. There were about 8 speakers... and one of the speakers was Sister Crump! It was really rewarding to see her speak because all the flashbacks of teaching her the gospel came into my brain... when i first met her she was questioning everything, and it was such an awesome thing to see her speaking with confidence. Right after District Conference we got to witness Brother Crump recieve the Melchizedek priesthood! That was rewarding as well. I really love the Crumps, they are planning a trip out west within the next year or so to see Salt Lake and visit Elder Fredericksen and me. Elder Killpack and I sang in the choir, so we were sitting on the stand the whole time. We sang three songs. One of them was "Cast Your Burden On The Lord" by Sally Deford, the words are beautiful, maybe i'll paste them in here.

Cast your burden on the Lord and he will make it light Come unto him, ye heavy laden, Find your rest in Christ. Bring him your sorrows, all your grief. Lay every weakness at his feet. He will sustain you, give you peace. And lead you into life

Cast your burden on the Lord and he will heal your soul. Place on his altar all your sin and he will bear its toll. Bring him your blindness born of pride. Give him your broken heart to bind. It was for this he bled and died: That he might make you whole.

Cast your burden on the Lord and he will carry you home. He will attend you and defend through perils yet unknown. Put your unwavering trust in him. Christ, your constant heavenly friend Hath graven you in the palms of his hands And ne'er forsakes his own.

Just so everyone knows.. I will be calling you guys on Sunday because it's Mother's Day. I'll start calling at 3pm my time... so you all should be expecting a phone call around 1 or 2 your time. I know you're all excited to talk to me, so maybe you all should make notes about things you want to tell me and how much you love me. :) I had an interview with President Bulloch, and it's looking like i am going to finish my mission in Potsdam, we find out for sure on Saturday. Yesterday a non-member came up to us and said that he wants to take the discussions and get baptized, so that's something to look forward to. we have 3 baptismal candidates, so there are definitely some things rolling here.

I love you guys. Talk to you Sunday!

Elder Warr

ups and downs in potsdam

2010-04-19T12:43:00.002-06:00

----- Original Message -----
From: Kyle Warr
Sent: Mon Apr 19 9:17
Subject: Fwd: Re: No Subject

Dear Everyone-

A lot of ups and downs here in Potsdam. I'll start with the downs. This week seemed like the Lord was testing our endurance. It rained for about four days straight. It was like we were out in the trenches hour after hour. No one really wanted to listen... we were wet, and tired. We prayed a lot. I tripped off someone's doorstep when we were knocking on the door and looked really akward... and then i couldn't stop laughing... so i wasn't able to talk. Street after street people said "No"... or "I don't need to strengthen my faith".... or "Oh...we're not Mormon." (duh)....or "We're Catholic".... or "I don't believe in Jehovah's Witnesses" (and then close the door before we can say anything). or..."We're agnostic, but God Bless You."....

On the up side of things. We have been teaching a woman named Amy. I mentioned her a few weeks ago. We've been teaching her for 4 months or so. She's now come to church 3 weeks in a row. She's reading the Book of Mormon or Ensign every day. She didn't really have a strong belief in God before we started teaching her. Her Husband is an administrator at a phsyciatric clinic... and she's looking to be a highschool principal. She loves President Uchtdorf. Her Husband doesn't believe in God and is starting to notice that she's really serious about this, so recently he has been studying philosophy and reading about mormons on wikipedia. Amy told us that she purposely goes and reads the Book of Mormon in front of him because she thinks it's funny that he goes to wikipedia to read about Mormonism. She is really impressed with the people in the church because she sees a sincerity in them. it's great! I think she's one of the reasons i came to Potsdam. We've developed a cool friendship.

I hope you are all looking for reasons to share your testimony with people, even if it's in subtle ways.

love ya

e.warr

Missionary skills

2010-03-30T16:50:00.002-06:00

Everyone-

We got transfer calls, and i'll be staying up here in Potsdam for another 6 weeks with Elder Killpack. That'll be 6 months in this area. I hope to stay here for the rest of my mission... that would be 9 months here. President Bulloch has been talking a lot about leaving missionaries in areas longer anyways.

The past couple weeks were a little slow because the 3 colleges up here had spring break. I don't really know what the word "break" means anymore. yeah... we take a lunch break, but we call it lunch hour. that's not even a break. But, it has been nice because a lot of families are together and are at home... so we did have some success in teaching quite a bit of lessons. The Crumps have been bringing a family to church and dinner the past few weeks, now we're teaching them. Hopefully you're all looking for families to bring to church or dinner with the missionaries too... i think the Patterson's are leading in that statistic. good job guys. Dad and Tammy had Robert Hunt over for dinner on his birthday (he's serving his mission in boise).

I have been sick the past few days,so i have been going to bed early. Sunday after church i wasn't feeling good at all so we stayed in for the rest of the day. I couldn't sleep.... so i read the book of Romans, and then i read a good majority of "Jesus The Christ". I don't think i have read for that many consecutive hours ever before. it felt really good because usually in my personal studies in the morning i am always upset that i don't have more time to study... we only get an hour of personal study. You RM's probably know what im talking about... the rest of you don't... haha im just kidding. anways. i have been feeling better lately.

I have started to notice something in my own missionary work. As missionaries, sometimes we get caught up in just saying missionary things or missionary phrases. As i have been a missionary longer, i have become really observant of how to talk to people. I have taken all of those phrases and words and put them into normal and casual language. I have learned how to read peoples' faces. I have learned to speak with more conviction because if there's no conviction behind anyone's words not only in missionary work but in any aspect of communication, then the listener won't be as effected. As i go on exchanges with other missionaries in our zone, a lot of my advice to them is about talking to people. What happens mostly to younger missionaries is that they just sound like a salesman without a personality, or a machine with memorized responses. I love pumping up other missionaries by saying stuff like "What do you want this person to feel? What do you want them to know? How can you show them that you love it? Are you excited to tell them about the restored gospel?" I think my favorite aspect of missionary work right now is just being out talking to different people. I love working with new missionaries.

welp, i love you guys, and i'm doing well. my mission is great.

love

elder warr

...qualify to be members of His church.

2010-03-17T07:33:00.003-06:00

Hello family!

It has been warm up here, and i don't think i have ever been so grateful to see grass... weird. We missionaries call this month "Muddy March" because all of the frozen ground starts to thaw out and it's just a big muddy mess. There's no use in washing our truck because mud will just get flung all over it.
Potsdang is doing great, there are people prepared all over this area, and since we arent in our area very often... the Lord sustains us with miracles. the past 2 weeks have been great because we have been pleading the Lord for more people to teach, and we have found 6 really strong people since. I am starting to understand a little bit better the phrase in the scriptures "Ask and ye shall recieve".
As you are aware, Glenn Beck is a mormon. Not too long ago he did a show in SLC called "An Unlikely Mormon" if you havent heard of it, you should get it because it's pretty funny, and it is a testimony of how this gospel can change people. We have watched it a couple times recently.

So, as we are sitting here emailing in the Potsdam public library, there's a girl sitting accross from us who keeps talking to us. She asked if we were the mormons, and she told us that her sister is a mormon in Liverpool. I served there.. and I know about her sister, but i didn't know her personally. I asked her if she is a member and she said no because she had her records removed from the church. I asked if she's a practicing member of any other church, and she said she's baptist now. She was baptized into the church when she was a teenager and i asked what motivated her to leave the church, she said "I wasn't committed in my heart, and i was just seeking my father's approval." Then she said that the church just isn't for her, and she found her faith in the baptist church. I have seen that over and over and over again. If our church doesnt meet someone's personal qualifications, then they come to the conclusion that it isn't true. The Lord isn't looking to make a church based on our qualifications, it's the opposite, we have to qualify to be members of His church. Many people think that the principles and standards in our church don't match God's will. To those people, i love reading the Savior's words "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether i speak of myself." (John 7:17) We didnt make these rules up, and there is always a blessing attached to every commandment that we are expected to live.."And when we obtain any blessing from God it is by obedience to that law upon which it was predicated." (D&C 130:22). I could go over to this woman and tell her all of this, and maybe i will, but regardless, she has to choose.
anyways, that's what's in my heart right now as i write you this email.

i love you all!

Elder Warr

Great stuff

2010-03-01T12:18:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kyle Warr
Date: Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 11:30 AM
Subject: Re: By the way

Hey guys, it's me, kyle.

All is well here in Potsdam, not much out of the ordinary happened. Elder Killpack is a fun guy... he likes to work so we have fun together. We both have a good grasp on missionary work so it's nice to just be able to get out there and teach. He's a golfer so we're pretty excited for spring to come so we can golf.

We gave an african woman a Book of mormon a few weeks ago and followed up with her this week. She had read 11 chapters of 1 Nephi in one sitting, and she said she couldn't put it down. She's originally from Texas and she has a really strong grasp on Christianity. Her whole life she has heard horrible things about the Book of Mormon, and has avoided it for a long time. Finally she said she doesn't want to be ignorant of it anymore and she loves it. She literally recited all of the details back to us even down to how many siblings Nephi has. She's awesome.. we'll keep you updated with that. She's studying to become a nurse, so she has a huge exam coming up soon and doesn't want to meet with us for a month. that was a bummer. Her name is Esther.

Mom sent me my acceptance letter from BYU-Idaho, that's good to know it's set in stone. The cool thing is that this morning i called President Bulloch to ask him if i can get some things done on the computer for BYU-I and he told me to go ahead and do that. Then he told me some awesome news. Apparently President Bulloch has two ecclesiastical scholarships that he can give to his missionaries... he gave one of those to me. It might not be a HUGE scholarship but a boost. He's awesome, i was really happy about that.

I love you guys! be of good cheer

love,
Elder Warr

We have to wait until Mother's Day to hear about the big miracle!!@?!

2010-02-22T14:17:00.001-07:00

Hola everyone, how are we?

Welp, I dropped off Elder Fredericksen and picked up Elder Killpack on Thursday, and then we had ZLC on Friday in Utica. ZLC was good, it was really great to see some of the new zone leaders that had been called, a couple of them i havent seen for a long time. Naturally, i make close friends. A lot of the guys that i have served with have gone home. It's a weird experience because when i came on my mission i just assumed that i would be here forever, i didnt really know how to guage how long two years would be. Seeing my mission friends go home has opened my eyes a little bit... and i'm working harder. Elder Fredericksen and i had a pretty incredible miracle happen to us recently, it's too long to write, so i'll probably have to tell you about it on mother's day.
We had great news when we first got to Utica. The mission bought two brand new 2010 Chevy Colorados, and we get one of them! It has 4wd and a couple other fixins. We love it. We kind of feel spoiled when we ride up to humble peoples' homes in a brand new sweet truck, so we try to stay modest by parking down the street.

Elder Killpack is a great guy, i am really satisfied that we will be serving together for the next few months. He's from Delta Ut, He goes home in June, so i hope i'll get to see him die here (when you go home from your mission, you die). I really could see myself dying here in Potsdam... and i hope for that too, i really like these people, they help us out a lot. Elder Killpack likes racquetball too, so we'll get along fine. He is a really funny guy... he doesn't really like any food except for pizza and potatoes. The texture of a lot of foods really grosses him out. The funny this is that his first day he got here, for lunch a member made us fish with the scales still on it. hahah. We're having fun, i tease him about his eating... but he dishes it back.

We continue to see blessings from the Lord, I can seriously say that the Lord has literally dropped us in peoples' paths because they were prepared to recieve us, it's an amazing thing to witness.

I miss you all, and you're in my prayers.

sparingly,
Elder Warr

p.s. i'll send pictures of everything next week.

Transfers and Baptisms

2010-02-17T17:12:00.002-07:00

----- Original Message -----
From: Kyle Warr
Sent: Tue Feb 16 9:32
Subject: Fwd:

Hey guys! a lot to update you with.

First off-- Elder Fredericksen is getting transferred, and ill be getting a new companion. We're a little bummed because we have really enjoyed our time serving together, but it's ok because we got to spend 3 months here in Potsdam together... plus the MTC. My new companion is Elder Killpack. So It will be elders Warr and Killpack together. that's a mean duo. I know Elder Killpack, he's a really good guy, i have seen him a lot around the mission, so it will be fun.

Second off-- We had a baptism this week! Alex Trudel was baptized. We have been working with him for about 3 months, it was really fun to see him grow and accept the restored gospel. He's a young father and he has a really sweet wife and a cute little daughter.

Third off-- We will be in Utica for a few days come tomorrow, so that will be fun to go to ZLC and talk about a few things going on in the mission.

Fourth off-- It seems like we have been teaching some really old folks lately. Last week we taught an 89 yr old man and gave him a Book of Mormon. He's a WWII veteran and he told us he has literally killed thousands of people. He was a bomber and dropped hunderds of bombs on Germany. It was so interesting to listen to his stories. He didnt believe in God, and he has a pretty scarred consciensce because of all the death he was exposed to early on in his life. The other one was last night. We taught a 93 year old man... this guy was an antique!! He was born in 1916 (around WWI)... and he told us the story of his childhood literally 10 times. Eventually we just had to say "Bob, you told us that you were born in Massachusetts 5 times already." He wasn't retaining much of what we were saying, so we left, but it was a good experience for me. It reminded me of the 81 year old man Art Monty who we baptized when i was in Liverpool.

Fifth off-- that's all i have for you guys.

i love you! here's some pics!

mom sent me a couple baby pics, i thought they would be funny for everyone. the other is Alex's baptism. and the other is us with the crump's downing some root beer floats.

on growing up a little bit...

2010-02-08T11:51:00.002-07:00

Dear my people... all over the country- Hello from New York!

The church updated their emailing system and they signed a contract with google so it's more convenient for us to email. I just wanted to let everyone know that this is my new email. the only different is a dot between kyle and warr.. so it's now kyle.warr@myldsmail.net it's pretty simple.

Since i am emailing all of you i might as well update you with what's happening in my life.

First i want to thank all those who sent me birthday stuff, i really can't believe i'm 21.... tomorrow. i still feel like a 16 year old... but when i look back on the past 19 months of my life, i notice a few differences in myself. i like to think that i have grown up a little bit.

I'm still in Potsdam New York.. i have been here for about three months. There are so many good people up here. I've experience a lot and learned a ton from these people.. a lot of them are humble farmers and barely scraping by, but they are willing to give so much. I see these great hearted people, and i have a better vision of the type of man that i should be one day. I've learned how to weld... i've helped build a donkey barn, I have split hundreds of peices of wood, I saw Canada for the first time in my life, I play racquetball every week, and i am fully satisfied that i could probably beat any one on my emailing list at a one-on-one game.... haha. But most importantly, through teaching the gospel, i have seen many people make huge sacrifices and realize that they are sons and daughters of God. Many people don't know their purpose in life, and are genuinely searching... but as they have humbly turn to Heavenly Father, they learn that God really does answer prayers and that it was their own pride that clouded their relationship to him... then they understand a little bit better what they need to do, and then comes the realization that God's plan is real. I have seen it time and time again, and with that many instances of people changing, it strengthens my own faith. One of my favorite scriptures says:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned."
-1 corinthians 2:14

It takes humility to feel the spirit. Faith and doubt are opposites.

Anyways... i'll get off my soapbox.

I love you guys, and i hope you know that i am loving my mission. I can't believe that it's coming down to 5 months. I'm so lucky to have the family and friends that i do... you have all had a huge impact on my life. Thanks for the support!

love forever and ever,

Elder Kyle Warrg

O.Y.M's

2010-01-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 9:24 AM
Subject: Hey Hey

Hey guys, this email is going to be a little shorter because we're
heading over to Malone to spend some time with the Elders over there.

Everything is going great. The weather has been nice, today is in the
50's so that's a relief... a little rainy, but better than 0 degrees. We
met with Amy again, she's doing great. She's the woman who's sister is
investigating in NYC. We have been really impressed with her
comprehension of the Book of Mormon, especially considering that she
doesn't really read the Bible. She said that she has become more
spiritual since we have been meeting with her. Her questions are always
really sincere and effective. Her husband isn't a big fan of religion
and she said "i need to work on him"... showing us that she's actually
looking into what we're saying and considering it in her future. she's
asks questions like "so if i was to join the church..." that's always a
good sign because she's weighing out the consequences. I always feel the
spirit when we go there, and i feel like she may be one reason i was
brought to Potsdam. She said something that made us feel really good.
She was a teacher for a while and she has met some really outstanding
kids, and she could tell the ones who were honest and competent. Then
she said that she had never met young men like us who were so upright
and cared to serve people so much and that it was a privelidge for her
to have us at her home. If Amy joins, she will be an incredible
Latter-Day Saint.

The Crumps have been coming to church regularly. We are getting really
close to them. They are looking to get sealed in the temple. They said
they might even want to wait, and then get sealed out west so that Elder
Fredericksen and I could be there. That would be great. Sister Crump has
had a big change of heart lately, and it's been sweet watching them
grow. This is missionary work!! The hours and hours of teaching pay off
when you see people exercise faith and come to the Lord.

We have a standard in our mission to talk to 100 people every week. We
call them OYM's (open your mouth). It feels good to do that. Most of the
people we talk to are students at SUNY Potsdam or Crane school of music.
Students are really skeptical and searching for knowledge.

I love you guys.

p.s. a Jewish lady told us to go to H-E-double hockey sticks yesterday.

Warr House

2010-01-19T18:35:00.001-07:00

Hey guys-

It's been a little bit warmer the past few days. A couple days it got up to the 40's, and it's surprising that i consider that warm. It was nice to have the sun come out for a little while and not just constant snow. Apparently it will get ugly again. I asked some members if winter was starting to slow down and they laughed at me. I think my brain still thinks that February is when it starts to get warm, but then i realize that not everywhere is like California.

Yesterday Elder Fredericksen and i were tracting and we came up to a house that had a sign that said "Warr House" on it. I got really excited. We knocked it and i pretended like i didnt see the sign. A middle aged man came to the door and said hello. I introduced myself with a little emphasis "elder WARR" and then he said "you've gotta be kidding me, is your last name really Warr??"i said yeah and then he told us that there are only 1100 Warrs in North America and the majority of them are in England. His name is Steve Warr. He didn't know any Warr's from Idaho, but he said that we are distantly related. I felt like we were instant friends... and i really wanted to teach him. We talked a little bit about the church and then he said that he and his wife are going to Florida for a couple months but we can come back in March. I'll probably still be here in March, but how awesome would that be if i were to teach him and bring him to the gospel? I imagine if the Warr's that came here from England were early members of the church? President Eckersley used to say that our family members on the other side of the veil are constanly praying that we will research them or find their living kin. Maybe someone in our family could enlighten me on that and let me know when the Warr side joined the church. Elder Fredericksen and i are going to go to the family history center in the coming weeks to see if we can find any links.. and then hopefully i could show him how we're related. I got a really good feeling as i talked to Steve, and i had never really felt like that before.

We had 3 investigators come to church yesterday. We are teaching an awesome woman named Amy in Canton, she's the woman who's sister is investigating in NYC. This past thursday when we came to follow up, she had read King Benjamin's address and retained most of it. She really liked it. We can't wait to meet with her again this thursday, and we'll invite her to church.

I'll keep you updated with our peeps and everything. We have been spending hours and hours out on the streets talking to people hoping to find people to teach. We meet so many funny people, i wish i could tell you all about them.

love you guys,

Elder Warr

p.s.
we had a "Primary MTC Day" at the church on saturday, we got to give some valuable training to the primary kids. we did some fun stuff.

In small town Potsdam...

2010-01-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 8:59 AM
Subject: Happy New Year!

Happy 2010!

I can't believe it's 2010. This is going to be a big year for me. and
it's weird that i can say i'll be home "this" year.

I recieved the news that Boise State won the Fiesta Bowl!! sweet! in
celebration i am wearing my Boise State sweatshirt to racquetball today.
(we have been playing every week...)

We have P-day today because it's transfer week. Elder Fredericksen and i
will be staying together for 6 more weeks... thats awesome, we don't
want a change, and they said they are probably going to leave us
together for a while. Our zone is changing a lot, we're getting 2 brand
new missionaries, and it will be cool because new missionaries always
bring faith and miracles to areas. we call it greenie fire.

The work here in Potsdam goes good. We are working a lot and
fellowshipping with part member families because the non-members in part
member families already have exposure to the church, so they are more
prone to feel the spirit and understand. We are working with a canadian
guy named alex.. he's 22, and newly married to one of the girls in the
branch. they havent been to church in months, and we got them to come on
sunday. Tomorrow we are going to set him with a baptismal date. pray for
us! we are really working up a lot of momentum up here in the north
country. It's funny because Elder Fredericksen and i have both served in
the biggest and most populated areas in the mission, and they brought
both of us up to this tiny little town of Potsdam... but i love it.
Being a zone leader is nice because you don't feel monitored, and you
can be an example. Also, i told you guys about Brother Crump. He has
been less active since he was 17... has really been opposed to the
church. Well, we've been working with him really closely by playing
racquetball on mondays and teaching him on sunday nights... and because
he has been reading the Book of Mormon, something is growing inside of
him. he told us on sunday that he's ready to come back. yes!! you dont
understand how happy that makes me. I feel like a lot of my mission has
been going to find the Lord's lost sheep in upstate NY. A ton of
success on my mission has been with less active members of the church. I
love meeting people who lost their testimonies or have concerns. I love
making them laugh and then teaching them the gospel... when they feel
your love they will take anything from you. I think it's so amazing to
watch someone rekindle a fire of testimony that they once had, and then
see them change. Someone re-activated into the church is just as
successful as a baptism. that's a principle i've learned on my mission.

it's snowing a ton. we have a little grill on our back porch, and
there's probably 2 feet of snow piled on that thing. it has been snowing
nonstop for 4 days now. Snow is beautiful, but it's to the point where
it hinders us. Stomping through 2 and a half feet of snow for hours can
get old, but it makes me feel like i'm making more effort to bring the
gospel to people.

i love you guys!

Elder Warr

Expressions of Awe?

2010-01-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009 9:05 AM
Subject:

Apparently because i talked to everyone on Christmas day, you all
neglected to write me an email this week. i'll keep this email short.

hesitantly,
Elder Warr.

Im just kidding. I'll tell you a little bit about my past 3 days.
Yesterday Elder Fredericksen and i spoke in church. They asked us to
speak on topics in Preach My Gospel. Elder Fredericksen spoke on the
restoration and i spoke on The Book of Mormon. I think i was really bold
because there were some funny expressions in the congregation, but maybe
those were expressions of awe. It was fun, and we had 2 investigators
there so it was a great opportunity to teach in more depth.

Up here in Potsdam, there isn't a stake. it's a District... the District
President calls this area "the far reaching corners of the vineyard".
The Massena branch 15 miles from here only has 5 active members because
the majority of them have apostasized. I have also forgot to tell you
all that there are a TON of Amish people up here. I had no clue until a
couple weeks ago when i randomly saw a bearded man driving a horse n
buggy by us on the road. I am so interested in those people, they live
such a different lifestyle. Did you know that Amish people can shop at
Wal-mart? It's funny when we're getting groceries because sometimes they
will be there, and they all look at the magazines. Part of our area is
only a couple miles from Canada. It's tempting to go over there... i
have never been out of the US... why not now? anyways...

I have been reading the past conference edition of the Ensign, and there
have been a lot of times that i have thought of you all when i read it.
i want you to look through that Ensign because it can help with a lot of
your situations and problems.

welp, i love you guys more than you love me.

Elder Warr

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-21T13:19:00.002-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, December 21, 2009 9:17 AM
Subject: Merry Christmas!!

Hello Hello--

We had an awesome Christmas program at church yesterday. Since we are in
the choir we had a mighty performance. We sang about 5 songs, and the
director is awesome because he taught music a Crane for about 40 years
and a couple years at BYU as well. My favorite was "What Child is This?"

I think this has been the most meaningful Christmas of my life. i have
learned so much more about the Savior and his mission, but i also
realized that my Christmas experiences growing up were not special
because of presents, but because our family was together. The hymns have
been more meaningful this year.

Elder Fredericksen and i both have stockings hanging by the tree, and
we're both constantly reminding eachother that we hope santa comes to
fill our stocking... it's a little weird because we're both wondering if
we're going to buy stuff for eachother, but we dont talk about it. and
the fact that we're toghether 24/7 makes it even more interesting. On
Christmas morning it will be interesting to see if santa came.

On Christmas day we have some good plans. Of course i will be talking to
you guys... but for breakfast we will be going to the La Barge's home to
eat. Brother La Barge was a gang banger for the majority of his life and
has tattoos all over his body. He nor his wife have any teeth, and their
kids are really homely. They are sooo excited that we're coming over to
eat with them, and their normal behavior is entertaining to us. My first
time going over there, they offered me a can of beer... so i went along
with it thinking they were joking... he got 2 cold beers out of the
fridge and started driking one... he insisted that i open it, so i
opened it to find that it was full of candle wax and a wick. They all
roared with laughter, and it made their day. For dinner we had
spaghetti... the sauce was really sweet... then he mentioned that he put
maple syrup in the sauce. haha... that's why we like going over there,
because something interesting always happens. After the La Barges, we
want to go to an old folk's home and spend time with the elderly. We're
hoping they will have a piano so i can play some christmas songs for
them. The rest of the day we'll probably just study and ponder a lil
bit.

well, i love you guys, and i hope you have a great Christmas! ill talk
to you on friday!!

love,
Elder Warr

Brother Crump

2009-12-14T15:24:00.003-07:00

Some great things have been happening the past couple days! It has been way cold, but out of the kindness of the Lord's heart, he has allowed me to be in a car during this winter season... maybe it's because of the collateral i put up to him by walking for the majority of my mission.

We spent a couple days out of our area. We drove to Lake Placid (home of the 1980 winter olympics) to train a companionship that has been struggling with the work. We just hit the streets with them in hopes to build up their teaching pool a little bit. We call it a Blitz when we hit another companionship's area with them.

Racquetball is one of my new passions, we have been going over to SUNY to play a couple times a week, and it's a blast. so, if any of you want to challenge me to a racquetball game when the time comes... be prepared to be humbled....

Last night we had one of the most spiritual lessons i have had on my mission. We have been working with a less active couple for a few weeks, and on P-days we have been playing racquetball with the husband (brother Crump). They both fell out of the loop and basically forgot what the fruit of the gospel tasted like. Brother Crump said that he wasn't blessed with the "gift of faith" and after reading alma 32 with him we pressed upon him that in order to believe it has to begin with desire. We committed him to read the Book of Mormon. After a week of reading...he is already in Enos, and he has had legitimate questions. He also explained that he is beginning to feel bad about some of his sins. We explained to him Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life, in that the fruit represents the love of God or the Atonement. We read many passages about Christ's atonement and bore testimony from deep within our hearts. Tears came to this man's eyes as he began to merely taste of the love of our Heavenly Father through the sacrifice of His son. Brother Crump began to repent without even realizing it... we pointed out to him that he already realizes his sins, and he is feeling godly sorrow. He now has a desire to come to church, because he understands the meaning and importance of the sacrament. This has been a defining moment in my road of testimony.

Christmas will be great. I am looking forward to talking to you guys! just so you know, i will be calling in the afternoon on Christmas day, so that means i will probably call you guys around 12 or 1 your time.. keep your phones by you because i dont know who im calling first.

i love you guys!

merry christmas

"I can't even touch my toes."

2009-12-14T15:18:00.003-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 10:16 AM

Happy December guys--

I'm still getting in the flow of things here in Potsdam. I think
sometimes my mind is overloaded with things being a zone leader now.
Sometimes it's hard to balance my thoughts because i have to think about
our investigators, our zone, and then myself. I'm being stretched a lot.
Speaking of being stretched.. i am not flexible at all.. i cant even
touch my toes. i dont know if it's genetic... can any of my siblings
touch their toes? can anyone in our family touch their toes? anyways...
There are some awesome music schools here in Potsdam-- Crane School of
Music is one of them... so there are a ton of lds students at this
branch who are really musical. it has been awesome! We are in the Branch
Choir.. which is lead by a non-member who taught for 40 years at Crane,
and he also taught at BYU. We are trying to teach him.. Brother Stephan
is his name. I met him and talked to him earlier in my mission when i
came to potsdam for a fireside... his wife is a member of the church. I
have been loving the music up here.

We had a baptism on saturday, two little boys who's parents went less
active a few years ago. They were so excited to get baptized, and the
elders had been working with them a couple months before i got here. We
have been finding like crazy up here. Last night we found a family of
four. The Yaketta family. they were a really humble family, and i loved
teaching them the gospel so much. I kept hearing in my mind.."they have
been prepared.... they have been prepared." One of my favorite things as
a missionary is seeing peoples' reaction to our message, whether it be
positive or negative..epecially people who have never heard it before...
some people grasp onto it right away, and others just have no clue or
desire to understand what we're saying. I have learned lately that some
people have the "gift of faith" to believe when they hear truth, and
others have a really hard time having faith because they don't possess
that gift.... but they can. Many people struggle with faith their whole
lives until they learn the recipe of developing faith. There has to be
desire backing their faith. One thing i tell people often is that no
matter what we do in our lives.. we cannot avoid the truth of why we're
all here. there may be thousands of different beliefs about God... but
truth is absolute... and there really is only ONE answer...how do we
find it? by asking God. I think i am one of those people who was blessed
with the gift of faith. i have never doubted this gospel once in my
life... but if we dont have that gift then is has to be given to us just
like any gift that you recieve from someone. anyways... i just felt like
i should tell you these things.

I love you all, and you should be expecting a christmas card from Elder
Fredericksen and me in the coming days!!

openly,

Elde Warr

Hello Potsdam!

2009-12-03T08:00:00.002-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 10:02 AM
Hello Potsdam!

Happy winter everyone
I had an awesome thanksgiving... i actually spent it in Utica at Presand Sister Bulloch's house. I drove up to Utica on Wednesday, and met upwith Elder Fredericksen, and then we stayed with the assistants for 3days. We couldnt go back to Potsdam because we had Zone Leader Councilin Utica on friday so there would have been no point to drive 3 hoursback for thanksgiving, and then 3 hours back for ZLC.
Thanksgiving was awesome, we ate at about noon, and it was fun becausethere were a few other missionaries there with us. President Bullochgave us a discourse after we ate, and then we all went around the tablesaying what we're thankful for. There wasn't one missionary in that roomthat didnt say they were grateful for their family. It caused me toreflect deeply on my blessings. I just wanted to tell you guys howthankful i am for this family. I cant believe how much my love for ourfamily has grown. I am who i am today because of Mom and Dad... theyworked hard to provide and teach me righteous things. Emily and Masonhave had an amazing impact on my life because of their examples.. and iam so grateful for their friendships. Blake, im really glad we becameclose before i left. I feel like Blake and my relationship over theyears was training for my companions on my mission. I have askedHeavenly Father repeatedly over the years why i am so lucky to have suchgreat blessings in my life. i feel like my mission is collateral toheavenly father for what he has given me. I am so lucky guys, and i wasthinking about you a lot during my thanksgiving time. thank you for thelove.
I also feel really blessed because i am serving with Elder Fredericksen!i feel like i am serving with my best friend... he's a stud, it has beenan awesome reunion since the MTC. We are having a blast, and ourteaching is really unified... and because we're both seasonedmissionaries, i feel like i dont have all the weight on me,he doesnthave to look at me for all the answers. it's a relief. I attached apicture of us in this email. We just took that picture as we areemailing.
Potsdam is great. The people are much more friendly than the people inSyracuse. The people are a little bit more homely up here in the northcountry, it's funny. Most people dont have teeth. But the students atSUNY Potsdam bring youth to the Branch so it's fun. This Branch also hasan awesome choir and they are really musical!
I gotta go but i love you all.

Sternly,
Elder Warr

Breaking records

2009-11-24T18:46:00.001-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 9:44 AM
Subject: Goodbye Syracuse

Hey guys!

a lot has happened....

We got transfer calls, and they are sending me wayy up north to Potsdam,
NY to be a zone leader with Elder Fredericksen who was my MTC companion!
I love that guy so much. he's seriously a stud. ill be spending
thanksgiving and christmas with him, that will be fun. I am sad to leave
Syracuse, but my sadness is drown out by what i have to look forward to.
and on top of that, i will be in a car! someone told me that i have the
record for longest time walking-- 16 months. I'll be rolling in a 2009
chevy malibu. I guess it's really cold up there.

My buddy Nate is coming home from his mission in New Mexico today.
that's crazy how fast that was, i miss him a lot.

Yesterday at church because it was my last Sunday i was asked to do a
musical number, so i played "This is The Christ" with a Sister John. she
has an awesome voice, it was fun. Bearing my testimony when leaving an
area always makes me realize how much i have grown in that area. The
Lord has changed me a lot.

I decided that the thing i hate the most in life is saying goodbye to
people, im just not very good at it. I have this thing inside of me when
i meet people, i just want to be friends with them. I have realized how
many friendships and people i have come to love here. Im sad because i
have worked hard for these people here, and i love them, but im also so
excited for the coming months... that's called a "bittersweet" feeling
for those of you feel sad and happy but dont know how to articulate it
into words. I'm going to Utica in the morning to meet up with Elder
Fredericksen and then go up to Potsdam.

well, i hope you all have a thanksgiving full of laughter and love.
During your thanksgiving feast, reguardless of how large or small it be,
you should all go around the table and say how much you miss kyle, and
your favorite thing about him. that will add to the joy of the holiday.

benevolently,

elder warr

Things are swell in the 'Cuse.

2009-11-16T12:18:00.002-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, November 16, 2009 9:15 AM
Subject: Peeps-

Hola--

Had stake conference in Liverpool yesterday, the Palmyra temple
president came and said some really cool things. President Bulloch spoke
as well, he's so awesome.

I'm about to go play some basketball for our P-day activity.. im
excited, i havent played basketball in a while. One of my missionary
buddies, Elder Fowler has a grampa that knows Grampa Warr. I guess they
used to call Grampa "Buckshot". Elder Fowler's grandparents own
Starlight Theater in Idaho, so it was funny that we got to talk about it
and stuff.

Transfer calls are on Saturday, i have a feeling im leaving Syracuse. I
shall update you all when i get the chance. Everything is swell here in
the 'Cuse. :) adios!

with much supplication,
elder warr

veterans

2009-11-09T12:37:00.002-07:00

Good morning

It snowed on thursday here in Syracuse, and today it's 70 degrees. it's been a roller coaster in trying to decide how warm to bundle up. We bought bus passes because it's going to start snowing, so we are going to have to learn how to work Syracuse in a completely different way... it will be interesting because the bus schedules here arent nearly as good as Albany's.

Well, Elder Dandridge and i have three investigators with baptismal dates right now for the end of November! A woman named Admiria, and then two sisters named Nikki, and Tiffany. The Lord has blessed us a lot lately by leading us to prepared people. the only problem is that these investigators arent seeing the importance of coming to church, they know that baptism is good... but in their minds baptism doesnt link to coming to church. If you could all include them in your prayers that would be great.

I spent a day in Cortland this week, it's about 40 minutes out of Syracuse... there's a new missionary that i exchanged with, and helped him with some struggles he was having. we had a good time. Yesterday we got a call to visit a man in the Veteran's Hospital, he's severely depressed, and he was becoming abusive to his family. He's a convert of 10 years, and he just wanted someone to talk to. He spoke about seeing men killed right in front of his face... i cant even imagine. I have met varieties of people... everyone has a story, and they're all different... the guys in that hospital experienced things that most of us wont experience in our lives. There's a sign on the front of the Veteran's hospital that says.."The Price of Freedom can be seen here".There are some veterans who were interested in learning more so we're going back tomorrow to teach them.

May we all look for Veterans to uplift this week. Maybe go and play board games with them at the nearest VA hospital... or put a flag up in the front yard.

Freely,

Elder Warr

p.s. in the picture with the fishing pole... we were learning how to become "fishers of men"

"breaking peoples' chairs"

2009-11-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, November 02, 2009 9:47 AM
Subject: Hey

Another week has passed on my sojourn through NY.

Elder Dandridge and i are getting along well, he makes me laugh. He's a
drummer, so he's always banging on things.. sometimes i just have to
tune it out... especially when im studying. but i realized a while back
that it doesnt make life better if i make a deal out of little things...
because regardless, i still live with this person 24/7. No matter who
you are... there is NEVER going to be someone who does things exactly
the way you expect them to, they are always going to eat loud... or
leave lights on... or breath loud. i came to this conclusion- if we are
critical of others' ticks and habits, and if we let them bother us, it
will drive us crazy to the point of unhappiness. Think about Heavenly
Father... i think he's really patient with our ticks and habits... we
all do some things that you think would drive Him crazy. I've learned
that ALL people do things that arent normal... except for me.. because
what's normal to me, isnt necessarily normal to someone else.

The work is going good. We found some cool investigators this last week,
and we are hoping they are promising. You never know what could happen
before the second visit. After the second and third visit you can get a
good idea of how quickly someone can progress. sometimes people will
really surprise you though.. so that's where prayer comes in.

We have one with a baptismal date right now- Admiria, on Nov- 21st.
she's a little shakey, but we're working with her.

funny experience- on Tuesday we went teaching with a member- Brother
Kirkland... he came to teach a girl named Kelly with us. Brother
Kirkland is a 67 yr old, 280 lb black man from mississippi. He joined 2
years ago so he's still very baptist in his church language. Well, after
we taught her, we bore testimony and said the closing prayer. and then
Brother Kirkland was about to get up, and his chair broke, and he fell
to the ground. He was so embarassed, i ran over to help him up, and
after some intense lifting, he got up and said to Kelly "im so sorreh, i
come ova here and eat yo food, and break yo chair... im embarassed... my
face is probably blacker than it always is." haha, we all started
laughing

may we all look for ways to make bad situations light by laughing, by
smiling, or by breaking peoples' chairs.

i love you all.

Elder Warr

subtle advertising in this email!

2009-10-27T12:38:00.002-06:00

From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 9:05 AM
Subject: Good Day

Hello peepo's... it's a beautiful day here in Syracuse this morning.

The zone leaders are coming over this afternoon and we are all going to
carve pumpkins... we arent going to be allowed to proselyte during
halloween hours because it doesn't seem logisitic.... last year we went
to a restaurant on halloween night and people complimented our
"costumes"...

anyways, it has been ridiculously beautiful lately, i attached a sweet
picture of Elder Dandridge and i in the forest.

Rob (the police officer we've been teaching) dropped us... he said he
doesnt think the church is for him.... that was like a dagger to my
heart. But, it's ok... because i just saved a bunch of money on my car
insurance by switching to Geico. We're still teaching Sunny, and she's
doing well, she brought her husband to church, and we were glad to see
them. there was a primary program yesterday... probably the most
interesting one i have ever seen. Another bike was stolen this week....
it's no surprise considering we live in the bike stealing capitol of the
nation.

Well, i love everyone

-elder warr

Pictured: What to wear?

2009-10-19T11:15:00.002-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

]
Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 9:21 AM
Subject: Hey

Good morning guys, so much happened lately...

Marlin K. Jensen is the man! I had such a cool experience at our mission
conference. It was really good to see everyone in the mission as well.
Elder Jensen is the church historian, so he had a lot of cool facts and
percentages about the church that he told us about. I felt like we were
hearing things that arent announced to the entire church... some of the
privileges of being a missionary. He spoke about experiences with
President Hinckley and the quorum of the twelve, i think that was some
of my favorite parts of his training. He trained for a good 3 hours...
and i felt in tune with everything he was saying. It was almost like his
sermon was a spiritual journey that we went on. im grateful for him
because it really put my mission in perspective of how i can impact the
lives of the people of new york. He has had so much experience and
gained so much wisdom, that everything he said was worth writing down.
anyways, i could go on forever about it.

During conference weekend, Elder Dandridge and i were stopped on the
street by a woman in her car, she said she wanted us to come to her home
and teach her. We went about a week later.. and taught her the first
lesson, and committed her to pray about it all. We went back a couple
days ago, and she had prayed and knows that everything we're teaching is
true. As we taught about Adam and Eve and how we all have personal
agency, something in her mind clicked, and it all made sense to her. She
said that while we were teaching she would ask a question in her mind,
and then before she could put it to words, we answered it. She cried and
said, "Do you feel that warmth in the room?" it was so awesome. we bore
testimony one after another. it was a really cool experience. Her name
is Mira, and ill keep you updated with her.

This last saturday we got a call to do some service for a woman in
Liverpool. She's a nonmember, and she rents out homes to people.
Apparenly she evicted the tenants at this particular home because they
werent paying rent, and they decided to thrash the place. The basement
was FILLED with trash and the most disgusting things you can thing of...
we spent 5 hour cleaning out this basement. There were 6 of us. That's
not even mentioning the broken walls and vandalism in all of the other
parts of the house. As i have learned more about life on my mission, i
understand what happen to people when they arent taught correct things
whey they are young... a kid will grow up to be the person he was taught
to be... some of it being choice. anyways..

im grateful for my mission. Im grateful for the everyday opportunities i
get to help people, to make a difference in their lives, and to teach
them a thing or two... even learn a thing or two from them.

i love you all!

elder warr

Stressed out and losing hair

2009-10-13T17:03:00.002-06:00

The transfer call came, and i will be staying in syracuse with Elder Dandridge for another transfer. I will also be District Leading here as well.

General Conference was last week. that was so awesome. I loved it all. but by far my favorite talk was Elder Holland's. If you know anyone that is doubting the Book of Mormon.... make them watch that talk! it's powerful. and i remember thinking to myself "now that's what an apostle's testimony sounds like". I also really liked Elder Christofferson's talk about Discipline.

Elder Marlin K Jensen (church historian) is coming to speak to our mission this Friday for the whole day... so ill let you know how that went!

I got a fun visit from Gramma and Grampa Warr this last week as well! They came through Syracuse because they finished their mission in Nauvoo, and i was so happy to see them. Thanks guys :) We went out to dinner, and laughed a lot. it was great to see them. I'm proud of their service in Nauvoo.

Im stressing a lot lately and losing hair. I cant help it. Shannon didnt end up getting baptized on friday because her mom decided that she couldnt be baptized 3 days before the baptism. I ripped some of my favorite slacks on my bike chain the other day. and I constantly have a headache. maybe it's just winter. BUT... we're having fun. and we have grown a lot the last couple weeks. I find comfort in knowing that it has never been easy to preach the gospel. All of the thousands of missionaries that have preceded me im sure had headaches and ripped clothes... lost hair.....and had unfair things happen... it's the refiner's fire right?

It's also beautiful because of the trees. It has been cloudy lately so i havent got many pictures... but i will try to get some pictures of the up-state NY fall this week.

I hope everyone is loving life in your dry and warm homes.. in your 200 hp cars...and with your loved ones that surround you.

i needed to get that out.

i love you all, and im still working hard.

love, elder warr

I love the Lord

2009-10-13T17:02:00.000-06:00

Sister Warr,

My name is Laura Hansen and I live in the Syracuse area where Elder Warr is serving. My daughter, Jenica, had the opportunity to sing Elder Warr's favorite song "I Love the Lord" as Elder Warr accompanied her. They practiced for 2 hours the night before and I recorded the last song of their practice for the night. The next day Jenica woke up with a cold and was worried about singing but they went forward anyways. They practiced 3 times before sacrament meeting and I could tell she was congested. When they performed everything cleared up for Jenica. Elder Warr and Jenica's dynamics and everything came together so beautifully. The spirit was very strong and it was beautiful! Last Monday, we scheduled to get together to record it in the chapel. Elder Warr's grandparents were able to be here to listen to them as they practiced for us to record it. Jenica was still recovering from her sore throat but we wanted to get it done before transfers came. It all worked out. Jenica had a few struggles but it is still pretty good and we were able to offer our home to Elder Warr's grandparents and help them out some.

You are blessed with a wonderful son and he is doing a great job out here! Grandparents were awesome too. Anyways, I finally got the video put together and have posted it to youtube so both our families back home can enjoy it also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kRPH_lvHDw

So enjoy,

Laura Hansen

"Humourously, but seriously" -- nice spelling

2009-09-28T20:55:00.002-06:00

Fall is arriving! It's really cool because the sky here has totally changed color, it's like a pearlescent blue, it is beautiful. I cant believe how some trees can just change colors like that.

Elder Dandridge and i were able to go up to Onandaga Community College to go to a "Faith Fair". We set up a table and decorated it with pamphlets, cards, etc... and we had some cool banners up. The picture will describe. We weren't able to proselyte, but because we are two attractive young men, the people came to our table. :) It was great because we got to talk to a bunch of people from different faiths, and we noticed that the best way was just to find common ground and then expound about the things we believe. We are teaching 3 people that we met at the fair, they are students. I think it's so interesting to see the difference in peoples' views on why we are here. Many people make up their own opinion throughout their lives... whether it's a great spirit, or an unknown god. There are a lot of Christians.. namely Roman Catholics, Baptists, Methodists etc.. but they just dont understand the doctrines in the bible or the reasons for them... it makes me think of 1 Nephi 15:14..."wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very POINTS of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved."

I'm grateful for truth, in that it's unavoidable.

I have been in Syracuse for 4 months now... it's all a blur. It feels like i just left Albany.... i realize why they call the 2nd half of a mission "downhill" because the days just fly by. I think that my mind is just so overloaded with information, that i dont have time to think about time. But there are some slow times as well.

Shannon is going to be baptized oct 9 at 7pm. we are excited for her, she's loving church and young womens. Elder Dandridge is going to baptize her... it will be his first! sweet! and ill be conferring the Holy Ghost on her. sweetness.

Humourously, but seriously,

Elder Warr

"I Love the Lord"

2009-09-21T09:29:00.003-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 9:18 AM
Subject: My Peepo's!

Hey guys! sorry i didnt get an email out to everyone last week, i was
thus engaged in the work of the Lord.

Last week the Hansen family in the ward asked me if i would like to do a
musical number in church with their 16 year old daughter Jeneka. I said
yes, and they wanted me to pick a song for her to sing to. I chose a
song called "I Love The Lord" (you should google it) and it's sung to
the tune of "Be Still My Soul". Jeneka has such a beautiful voice. we
practiced before church, and then played it in sacrament meeting
yesterday. it was so cool, my companion recorded it when we were
practicing before church. Everyone enjoyed the song because the lyrics
are so powerful. it brought a strong spirit to sacrament meeting. Some
members came up to us afterwards and emotionally thanked us for the
song. I just love music!(if you couldn't tell)

Shannon (the 13 yr old investigator) came to church again yesterday. She
loved it so much, the young women fellowshipped her so well, and she
told us she is just so happy when she comes to church. She has also been
going to mutual on wed nights. She's so cool. I get so excited because
these few moments in Shannon's life where she has felt the spirit at
church are shaping her into the person that she is going to be forever.
Our teaching her the gospel has lasting consequences. She'll be baptized
oct. 7th!

General Conference is coming up! i seriously cant wait, it will be a
plentifully spiritual time. haha

i love you all, and know that i am toiling and sweating out here for the
cause of zion. and it's only because it's true.

sweetly,

Elder Warr

HERE IS A YOUTUBE LINK TO THE SONG HE MENTIONED:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrld1qQTd38

squirrels

2009-09-09T10:55:00.002-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 2:45 PM
Subject: Everyone

Hey guys,

I got my boy, his name is Elder Dandridge from Mesa, AZ.. he's a really
humble guy who is out here for all of the right reasons, we get along
great. I am loving training, it has reminded me of the beginning of my
mission, and i can see how much i have grown. I especially lately have
noticed a big difference in my teaching, and ablility to listen to the
spirit. I find that am now seeking after obedience rather than just
obeying because it's the rule. The days seem to be going by too fast. i
dont know where the last 13 months of my mission went. We are loving our
work here in Syracuse and we really have seen miracles. The Lord has
literally dropped people in our paths and we know we have been guided.

There are devil squirrels here in Syracuse, they are the scariest things
i have ever seen. i attached a picture with this email..

thanks for all of your support! i love reading your emails and letters.
I gotta go!

love, elder warr

last week's letter (sorry)

2009-09-06T21:04:00.001-06:00

----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2009 9:24 AM
Subject: Welcome Greenie!

Hola,

On Saturday morning I got a call from President Bulloch. He told me that
he has been impressed with my missionary work and he asked if i would be
willing to train a new missionary... i told him i would do anything he
wanted me to do. So i'll be training a new missionary here in Syracuse.
I am excited because i remember the fire that i had when i first got in
the field. There are some things that i wish my trainer would have done,
and now i can do those for my "boy". I am excited for the next transfer.
I will meet him Wednesday morning in Utica, and we will have a new
missionary meeting with the other new missionaries and trainers. I hope
he has been exercising because we bike a lot!

We have been so blessed lately. I feel like my teaching has improved,
and sometimes i just get so full of joy because of the changes and
commitments our investigators are making. This week was awesome. We set
a girl named Shannon with a baptismal date, and we have 4 other
prospects who want to enter into the strait and narrow. I have had fun
with Elder Slater, he'll be transferred to Corning, NY.

Thanks for all the support and encouragement. you are all saints.

with all the love that i possess,

elder warr

The Jets will have to wait.

2009-08-24T19:55:00.002-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 9:35 AM
Subject: hey- Good morn, This weekend we get transfer calls, so i'll keep you updated with that. I'm assuming that i will stay in Syracuse, considering i have only been here for 3 months. I went on an exchange to Cortland, NY last week, it was fun. The NY Jets from the NFL have their training camp there, so the whole town was decorated with Jets attire. We wanted to go see them, but they were on the road. maybe we could have converted the whole Jets team... but it's just not their time to hear the gospel. haha. We are teaching a few new people, there's a man named Rob who's a police officer here in Syracuse.. he's doing really well. He came to church for sacrament meeting but had to bounce out for work after that. He has a lot of potential so we'll see how that goes. We're workin hard!! I'm going to get going but i hope you all press forward with a steadfast faith in Christ. The church is true. love, elder warr

Pride

2009-08-17T20:16:00.003-06:00

What a great time i have been having recently on my mission.

We had a zone conference in Auburn this week, and it was amazing. President Bulloch trained out on not "looking back" Luke 9:62 and "pride". I could write many paragraphs about it, but for sake of time i will just tell you that i had such an awesome spiritual experience. I have realized that many, if not all sins hinge on PRIDE. My mission has changed. My life has changed. I am a different person because of this realization. i wish i could go through all the scriptures and detail that President did, but maybe when i come home we will all have a training by me.. and i will teach about how to be stripped of pride and how we can apply that principle in our lives. I feel like that was exactly what i needed to hear at this time in my life. I think that zone conference was for ME. but that was a prideful statement so i will agree that the zone conference was for all missionaries. Since President Bulloch has come in, there is a spirit of unity spreading. it's great!

In those pictures that i attached.. there's one where i am holding some shrubbery... well that is in fact a weed. I have never ever seen that big of weeds in my life... we had an investigator's yard that was going crazy, so we got to spend some time doing it for her. The other picture is Terry Davey.. he's the from Watertown, and he's now out of the hospital after suffering a stroke and is back in watertown. We blessed him on the day that they didnt think he was going to live... it was amazing to watch him come back after we gave him that blessing. the doctors couldnt believe it. The priesthood is real.

I have a deep love for you all, and "my soul delighteth in the things of the lord" 2 Ne. 4:15 May we all watch out for those "shafts in the whirlwind" Helaman 5:12 that the devil sends at us.

fondly,

Elder Warr

Riding Wheelies

2009-08-10T18:03:00.001-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 8:49 AM
Subject: People people

I am trying to think of meaningful things to tell everyone... so this is
what i got.

My Trainer Elder Bench became an assistant to the president recently...
so it's really nice because i get to call him whenever i want and talk
to him about everything... He is such an awesome guy, he gives me really
good advice on some questions that i have had about some investigators.

Sunny Jiminez (one of the latina women that we're teaching)... she
invited us over for dinner the other night, and it was awesome. They had
an awesome house... i still think it's so beautiful here in NY. I love
the homes out here... some of them have backyards of just nature and
forest. There are literally deer just walking around these peoples
houses. We ended up teaching her husband as well! his name is Eddie. He
has some questions about life... and says he needs proof. We read
scriptures and told some experiences, and now he's praying about some
doubts that he has.

My legs are getting bigger every day... biking is no longer a hindrance
to us because i dont even get tired anymore.... I'm probably the best
biker here in Syracuse. i can do sweet jumps all the time, and i can
ride a wheelie for quite some time.

Last night there was a lightening storm that went on for about 4 hours.
The lightening was seriously non-stop and it looked like strobe lights
coming in through the clouds. I had never seen anything like it before
in my existence.

Well, i love you guys.... stay cool fools.

amor,

elder warr

Rules Rules Rules

2009-08-03T12:54:00.000-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 8:48 AM
Subject: Yo

Greetings,

The spirit of our mission has changed a wee bit. We got trained out on
agency in our mission. President Bulloch is a different person than
President Eckersley. He has a testimony that people gain testimony of
principles by applying them into their lives and gaining a witness that
they are true through experiences. Missionaries have been asking so many
little questions to President Bulloch about the rules... so he has just
said that we are agents unto ourselves and that he's not going to
command in all things. He quoted from Jacob saying "O be wise, what can
i say more?" President Eckersley liked to handle all of the little
things, but President Bulloch wants us to discern the little things.
He's giving us a lot of trust, and i hope missionaries dont abuse it.
but we'll see!

The ministry continues... because of the Hill Cumorah Pageant a couple
weeks ago, we got 17 referrals this week, so Elder Slater and I have
been working our tails off to get to all of them...it's been fun.

I hope you are all having fun living your worldly lives....."But as for
me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15)
:)

love, elder Warr

Maria and Sunny

2009-07-27T12:40:00.000-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, July 27, 2009 8:13 AM
Subject: Hi

Syracuse is great. We found some awesome investigators this week, and we
have a lot of fun teaching them... they are latino ladies, Maria and
Sunny... they are hilarious. Maria is a member and Sunny is one of her
good friends. It's funny because i talk to them in a hispanic accent
sometimes, and they improvise with me... we have a blast when we go over
there.

We heard that President Bulloch is making some changes in the mission,
and we find out about them this wednesday. I will update everyone next
week.

I'm workin hard out here, and it's so awesome to see how the Lord can
just pour out blessings randomly sometimes... maybe that means hard
times are coming. haha. ill just stay humble.

I love you guys!

Elder Warr

Compassionately,

2009-07-21T20:22:00.002-06:00

Welp, i will be staying another 6 weeks in Syracuse with Elder Slater. We got the transfer call on saturday night. I cant believe i have been in Syracuse for 6 weeks already.... it has been weird because i am seeing a lot of missionaries go home, and it's a weird feeling.

So i had the opportunity of going to the famous Dinosaur Barbecue yesterday, it was so awesome... apparently they won the "best ribs in America" award. A young guy in the branch took us because he was amazed that we had never had it. Those were probably the best ribs i have ever had in my life... but just so you all know... Because my life includes intense bike riding everyday... my metabolism is still balanced out, and i am a healthy man. My legs are rock hard too.

So about a month ago we got a call that a man named Terry from watertown NY needed a blessing. He had a stroke and he was in critical condition in Up-state Medical hospital. They said that he might not live... We went over and gave him a blessing the next day, and we have been checking on him about every 3 days for the past month. For our first 7 or 8 visits he was still in a coma, and they said that IF he did wake up, he wouldnt be able to talk or move or anything. sometimes he would open his eyes a little bit and look and then slowly fall back into unconsciousness. Well last week he came out of his coma, and started mumbling a little bit. Yesterday we saw him again, and he is doing So well. He is such a hilarious guy. He loves having us come to see him because he only joined the church a couple years ago, so he has always loved the missionaries. He is so funny. We asked him if there was anything that he wanted or any questions about anything... and the first response he had was.. "Are there any Mormon Nudist colonies anywhere?" he was obviously joking... but i think he likes to lighten the mood with his humor. he has no use of either of his arms... but he's talking and moving his legs a little bit. I love this guy... i get so happy when we get there because i love listening to him... he inspires me so much. anyways...they said he might be able to make it into assisted living within the coming weeks. Priesthood blessings are real everyone.

We are building up our teaching pool here in Syracuse. we have a woman named Taundaleah that we are teaching. She saw a tv spot for a free book of mormon, and requested a missionary visit... so we have now been teaching her for about 4 weeks now. She is so cool.. we are going to teach her tonight. She has told us that she knows the book of mormon is true and that there is a living prophet...but she doesnt understand that she needs to come to church. she says she's comfortable with her Catholic church. I understand that people may go 40 years attending the same church... and i bet it's a big change to all of a sudden leave that type of responsibility and community to join another church. We are patient with her. but she said she's really moving towards joining the church. We just bear testimony that the Lord is ready for her to receive more blessings... blessings that she can't receive in the catholic church. She's probably the most solid person we are teaching right now.

that's pretty much what has been going on with my life here in NY. I hope you all have been edified by my message for this week. i love you all...

compassionately,
Elder Warr

Stealing and poetry

2009-07-16T07:24:00.001-06:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr'
Sent: Mon Jul 13 9:17
Subject: Fwd: To my peeps.

Hey guys, a lot happened since my last emailing session.

First off... a couple weeks ago, my bike was stolen... it was a nice bike that a member gave to us. It was tough because we had a back-up bike... but it's the heaviest bike ever and has no brakes.. so it reminds me of my first week in the field in liverpool when i had to stop my bike by grabbing on to shrubs and trees. We even locked our bike up, but it was a really ghetto area of town.. and they clipped the lock and took my bike. Long story short. We were with a member in the car.. we saw the bike, and Jason stole it back. so now we're back to our normal biking situation. yes!

I met President and Sister Bulloch. they are so cool... President Bulloch knows the scriptures inside and out.. i felt the spirit really strong when he was teaching us, and i am really excited to have him around. I know im going to learn so much from him. He's a completely different person than president Eckersley... so i couldn't compare them.

yesterday i spoke in church on member missionary work, and i had such a cool experience. i learned from the spirit as i was teaching. that's one of the coolest experiences as a missionary.

I was studying this morning, and i came across a poem that really got to me. It reminds me not to judge people because of the potential that we all have. People are all at different places in life... and we all have strengths and weaknesses. here's the poem. you may have heard it before, but read it again.

'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile: "What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?"
"A dollar, a dollar"; then, "Two!" "Only two?
Two dollars, and who'll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three—" But no,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, "What am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,
And going, and gone!" said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand
What changed its worth." Swift came the reply:
"The touch of a master's hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine,
A game—and he travels on.
He's "going" once, and "going" twice,
He's "going" and almost "gone."
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.

I'm grateful to be here in New York... i meet so many people. i get to share something with them that's special to me. Some people listen, some dont even care, some yell. but im just doing my best. In Preach My Gospel it teaches to "find them that will recieve you". Not everyone recieves us.. but it's so cool when we find someone that will.

i love you guys! have an awesome week, and look for someone that you can offer a strong arm to.

love, elder warr

New MP and Jokes

2009-07-06T20:47:00.003-06:00

Good Morning Guys.

i hope everyone had an awesome Fourth of July, and that no one blew themselves up. We really didnt have anythin exciting happen... some little kids played with sparklers outside of our apartment... so we watched them. yay.. and we also bought some steak and barbequed for ourselves.. there was also watermelon, chips.. and root beer. we were proud of our little meal.

Well, our new mission president arrived this week. President Bulloch and his wife... they have been going around the mission to district meetings meeting all of the missionaries. I'm grateful to be able to have two mission presidents...We get to meet them on saturday at our district meeting. I had a dream about them last night. In my dream they drove up in a van, and they werent even in missionary clothing, they were in civilian clothing... and they were both over 7 feet tall. i introduced myself, and they were both really nervous, asking me how to do missionary work, and then i woke up. I think it's so funny that my brain put all of that together.. dont ask me where it came from in my mind.

I attached a couple pictures to this email. We took a guy we're teaching up to a golf course, and we related golf to the restoration of the gospel, while i dominated in a putting contest. I love it up there because you really get to see the geography of up-state New York. In one i am jumping in the air, and that means that i am jumping for joy because the gospel has been restored.

Well... i will end my email with a couple jokes that i remembered...also because i know that mom is going to laugh at them.

What flies... and helps people at the same time??

A HELIDOCTOR! hahaha.

What is a cat's favorite color?

PURRR-PLE... hahaha

welp, i love you all, and i hope those jokes brought you the same joy that they brought me at the time that i heard them.

The church is true.
love,

Elder Warr

Scared of lightening

2009-06-29T13:14:00.002-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 10:12 AM

Dear Everyone--

I just wrote a huge email to everyone, and then the computer froze, and
i lost everything.... basically, i want everyone to read the last 2
chapters of the gospel of John, and pay attention to Peter.

also- a member put a video of me on youtube... go watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9AxsrCk9tg
PAUSE KYLE'S PIANO MUSIC BEFORE CLICKING LINK ------------->>>>>

love, elder warr!

Craziness in Syracuse

2009-06-25T06:22:00.000-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 11:18 AM
Subject: Dear Everyone

First off, HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD! i hope you had a joyful day full of
gayness and splendor!

It's been crazy in Syracuse. There was rain, drama, and baptisms.
I arrived in Syracuse last week. My companion Elder Slater and i get
along great. We have been riding bikes like crazy (which is killing me)
i have been sweating so much... but it feels good to work hard. It's
been kind of difficult because Elder Slater isn't very comfortable with
the area yet, and i have only been here for about 2 weeks, so we are a
little hindered because when we want to work hard, we have to be really
creative and work smart... but for some reason the Lord always gives us
productive things to do.

We did have a baptism on saturday, two little girls.. Stella and
Scarlett, they are so cute. There was a ton of drama if they were going
to get baptized or not because thier mom is not as supportive, but their
dad wanted them baptized, so we didnt know if the baptism was happening
until the morning of. It was good though.

No one in the branch here can play the piano, so i accompany during
sacrament meeting, and they have already had me play 2 musical
numbers.... I didnt even tell them that i played, but because of my
firesides, they knew who i was. It has been different adjusting to my
new home, but I have recieved a lot of strength through prayer. We have
just been really busy.... But because we're such amazing missionaries
everything just seems to work out fine. After church yesterday something
funny happened. In the last hour of church a member of the branch came
to visit, and he has a degree in music in England and he used to play
the piano for the branch. well after church him and i were talking, and
Toby, one of the members of the branch Insisted that we "Battle" on the
piano. We just laughed... but before we know it, they rolled out 2
pianos into the entry of the church, and they were facing eachother. I
didnt really want to battle a guy who has a degree in composing music
because i just play whatever i hear. But it ended up being kind of fun.
Everyone told us different songs to play, and we ended up playing
together. it was pretty fun. I liked playing with someone who could
improvise.

Welp, im going to go clean the apartment, the zone leaders want to
inspect it tomorrow, and we have to make sure they are pleased with our
living conditions.

i love you all!

Elder Warr

Goodbye Albany, NY!!!

2009-06-09T10:16:00.002-06:00

Hey guys,

Transfer calls came, and they told me that i'm being transfered to Downtown Syracuse... that's about 5 miles away from my first area in North Syracuse. The past few days have been a little hard for me but it's a bittersweet feeling... but as of right now it's a little more on the bitter side. I have lived in this place for the past 8 months, and i just started believing that this is where i live, and my life is here. It's hard to part, because i have experienced so many things and grown so much here. I have walked these streets day after day in rain, ridiculously cold snow, and heat... reaching out to these people in love. I have seen miracles. I have watched numerous people literally turn thier lives around for righteous purposes. I am changed, and i wont be the same because of these saints. The members of the branch here have brought me to a new definition of service. I have been amazed at how willing they are to give. Missionary work never felt stagnant because we had so many people who assisted my companions and i in our efforts. I have made so many friends here. It has been awkward walking the streets these last couple days because the reality of me leaving set in. I have heard so many kind words and goodbyes. But i am grateful for the opportunity that i have had. I can point out specific reasons why i was put here in Albany... and that's why i know that it's wisdom in God that i am going to Syracuse. I never thought that i would feel like this....and i dont want to sound like a weenie. I was able to finish off really nicely with a baptism of 3. Erika and her sons Chad and Trent. They are an incredible family and i have watched the light grow in them, i watched them feel the spirit for the first time, and i have grown with them. We Confirmed them on Sunday for my last Sacrament meeting. Their countenances have changed. Trent made me a clay cup, and drew me a picture that said "BY Elder Warr, I will Miss yo."

I am looking forward to going to Syracuse, and i know that i will be fine when i get there. My new companion will be Elder Slater. I have heard really good things about him. He lost his father in the first few weeks of his mission, and he's a stud. I think he will be an inspiration to me.

We will also be getting a new mission president in 2 weeks... that's also bittersweet. President Eckersley is a great man, and he's helped me through a lot.

So now... i will say farewell to this place... it has been great.

Goodbye My Beloved Albany!

I'm a fighter, not a lover.

2009-06-03T12:57:00.001-06:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Mon Jun 1 9:32
Subject: Fwd: People.
My dear beloved friends and family. I had good week. Let me tell you about some of it. On Tuesday We took a bus out to Renssalaer. that's about 5 miles away, but it's across the Hudson River so we take a bus. We were looking for a little street called "grove street". We found grove street and it turns out that the reason it's called grove street is because it's under a beautiful grove of trees. I had to take a picture, so i took out my camera... and because of my excitement, my camera went flying away from me, and landed directly in a deep puddle of water. As my camera bubbled in the water i quickly took it out, only to discover that the screen is destroyed, and it doesnt take pictures. Man! I dont know what im going to do. but ill figure it out. I chose not to get mad. On Wednesday We gave a man a blessing. His name is Luis Richardson. he's an old man from the Dominican Republic.. he has diabetes, and his body is skinny, and his balance is bad. His mannerisms reminded me of Dad. he is such a happy man, and he's really funny. So he told us about his aches and pains, and some of his problems. I felt prompted to give him a blessing. So we did. After the blessing he said that an awesome warmth came over him and he said this- "I feel like Jesus Christ is here with us". The spirit was really strong, and he told us that he felt great. Those kinds of things happen all the time. I'm always sure to write them in my journal because those little moments increase my faith. On the way to church, we were in our suits, and a guy came up and started getting in our faces, and asked us if we were better than everyone because we can wear nice clothes, we calmly walked away. Normally, i would probably get back in his face because i'm a fighter, not a lover. haha. but because we're missionaries, we turned the other cheek. i think he felt stupid. but then church was awesome. We are having a baptism of 3 this weekend, and we're really excited. We are also getting transfer calls this weekend too.. so ill let you all know what the outcome of that is. keep the faith people... lift up some weak hands this week. Take out the trash. listen to the spirit. spend time with people you love. laugh uncontrollably. eat whatever you want... dieting is over-rated. i love you guys! :) p.s. emily- i have gained a testimony of flossing every night.

2009-05-28T04:49:00.001-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 11:07 AM
Subject: hello

So the other day, Elder Pereyra and i were walking down the sidewalk,
and we were behind a group of 4 teenagers and a maybe 3 year old girl...
they were dark skinned. We handed them mormon.org cards and told them to
check out the site. The little girl had ran up about 15 feet and then
she spit 3 or 4 times on the sidewalk in front of us and she yelled
"WATCH OUT FO MY SPIT PEEPO'S!!" We laughed really hard.. and then i
thought of a little analogy.

Sometimes when we are doing something good, or attempting to do good, or
even improving ourselves... Satan will spit a nice loogey right in our
path to try and dirty the path a little bit... that's pretty gross
right? Well luckily Elder Pereyra and i recognized the spit on the
sidewalk so we could avoid it. Sometimes it's difficult to see Satan's
loogeys in our path... so we end up stepping in filth. If we can all try
to recognize those loogeys, then we will continue to walk on more
righteous paths, void of filth and loogeys. (For the complete analogy
see "Discourses of Elder Warr" pg. 7)

Sometimes i will think of little analogies like that and use them in my
teaching.

Well, we had a great week. we had 6 investigators come to church. yes!
We're having a baptism on June 6 of Erica and her 2 sons Chad and Trent.
It's awesome.

We had such an awesome Memorial Day... The Albany Stake put on a picnic
at Niskayuna Park in Schenectady. We were able to wear regular clothes
because there were games and races. We ate burgers, socialized, and then
played ultimate frisbee! it was so much fun, i havent played frisbee
with a big group of people since before my mission. I am exhausted today
because i was dominating the game so much. We probably played for 3
hours, and then there was a softball game going on... and i decided to
play. I went 2 for 2... hitting 2 home runs and 7 RBI's. I am
considering playing Division 1 sports when i get home because i decided
that might be the best path for me. The picnic was a blast, and it was
really fun because there were 12 missionaries there, so it was fun to
have some time with the guys.

welp, that's all... continue to be faithful, and avoid the loogeys on
the sidewalk of life.

i love you guys!

Elder Warr

2009-05-19T08:44:00.002-06:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Mon May 18 8:54
Subject: Fwd: Dear peeps..

Twas a glorious week in Albany. yes!

Elder Pereyra and I were blessed this week to find 9 new investigators. yes! we just "gel" when we work together, we're always in agreement with our decisions and the work just goes really smoothly.yes!

We went to the stake center yesterday to watch a broadcast from Salt Lake to the Eastern States... it was awesome, and we had an investigator named Erica there, and she was in tears.... yes! (they were happy tears) We set her and her 3 kids with a baptismal date of june 9! yes!

After stake conference we attended a baptism a few miles away because they asked me to play the piano. it was a hispanic man named Eduardo, and that was one of the most spiritual baptisms i have ever been to. yes! Even though most of what was said was in spanish, the spirit has no language barriers, and he was so happy. it's awesome to see the light in the recent converts' eyes after they are freshly dunked in the water. haha. yes!

President Eckersley and his wife finish thier mission next month, so it's kind of sad, i love my mission president, he's done a lot for me. but it's ok, because we keep hearing great things about our new mission president and his wife the Bulloch's....

i love you guys thanks for everything!

love, elder warr

yes!

Most recent letter:

2009-05-15T14:25:00.000-06:00

It was awesome being able to talk to the family yesterday! thank you for the kind words and laughs. It gave me a little bit more fuel to do missionary work. It was an overall great day.

We had 5 people come to church yesterday, and we found 9 new investigators this week! Elder Pereyra is a funny guy, we have a lot of fun together. The Lord is blessing us, it's great.

we're going to do some fun P-day activities. I need to buy a new journal, and i am excited to get a new box of cereal. i think i am going to get cinnamon toast crunch... but i also really like fruity pebbles.

That's all.

love,

elder warr

Albany, Albany, Albany!

2009-04-28T11:01:00.002-06:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 9:07 AM
Subject: HEY

Good News- and a lot of stuff that happened this week.

I am staying in ALBANY! this will be 7 1/2 months of this beloved
residence. I am stoked... and i really had a feeling that my work here
was not yet done. I am getting a new companion! his name is Elder
Pereyra, he's from Texas, and he speaks spanish! I am going to be
awesome at spanish by the end of these 6 weeks with him. I have met him
multiple times around the mission, and we're friends and he sings, so i
was excited to get the news.

I had a piano fireside in Fulton, NY last sunday, and it was fun. It was
a little different travelling there because my mission president is the
one that picked me up, and i got a few hours of just 1 on 1 time with
him! Not many missionaries get HOURS of 1 on 1 time with the mission
president.. so i was lucky. we talked about temples.. music... a bunch
of stuff. I almost just wanted to take notes while he was talking to me.
We have become friends through these firesides, and it has been fun. The
fireside went well. The piano was brand new, so i could really add
dynamics to my songs, it was wonderful.

New York just never stops getting greener. This week was a great one. it
got hot.. and humid, but the trees and flowers made up for the heat.
and.. i am getting a tan... a horrible farmers tan. but i guess it
doesnt matter. i feel akward wearing t-shirts though.

Today we're going to the Clarks to jump on the trampoline again! we'll
probably play some frisbee and football.

i love you all, and i am always accepting packages.

I'm a lumberjack

2009-04-22T13:33:00.002-06:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Mon Apr 20 9:19
Subject: Fwd: I'm a lumberjack.

We had a busy week! but we got a lot done. We taught 31 lessons, and talked to a ton of people. Our branch building's basement level flooded because there was something wrong with the sewage...so yesterday at church we got to meet at the beautiful stake center, it was great. On Saturday Elder Tanner and i got to go crazy on a tree stump for about 4 hours... it was a good variety to our work because we hadnt gotten out of our proselyting clothes for a few weeks, and then they took us out to Outback for dinner! I decided that after my mission i might take up professional wood cutting. Not only will it include cutting down trees and stuff, but also carving, staining, and hardwood flooring. I will make little coffee tables for everyone that i know, but i wont call them coffee tables, they will be called Celestial Tables. anyways.. We met up with Asad from Iraq last night. I am becoming good friends with this man. he calls me his brother. We taught him the phrase "hang out" and he uses it all the time and says "Warr, do you want to hanging out with me tonight?" Even though Asad may not except the gospel, at least we get to teach him english. He has told us all about the culture in Iraq, and how it's different than here. Today for P-day, we are probably going to jump on a trampoline at the Clark's house. It's funny that we get so excited to do such insignificant things... but a trampoline sounds great right now. I hope that you're all having a splendid spring. I am. The colors are amazing. Spring is awesome because you really get to see God's creations at thier fullest. The first things to blossom were these huge yellow bushes, i think they are called ..for- veronica... or for-cynthia or some name like that. i hope you all take a moment to appreciate these things. with endless love, elder warr

Happy Easters

2009-04-14T11:31:00.002-06:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Mon Apr 13 9:13
Subject: Fwd: Easter and some more Easter

Dear Everyone,

This Easter was a good one. Probably the most different one of my life. This is what it consisted of.

6:30 am... wake up... stumble to turn off the alarm, pray.

6:32 am... jump on my companion and yell happy easter!

6:35 am... do a million pushups, and then stretch a lil bit.

7-8 am... get ready

8-9 am.. study and write the progress record for church

915 am... walk to church, have meetings

11am-2pm.... awesome sunday at church

3pm... No one signed up to feed us, so we got a phone call from our branch mission leader, and he decided to feed us. He
picked us up, and then we made a bunch of random food at his house... rice, macaroni, peaches, toast.. etc... (he's a college
student)

4pm... go to the Pettigrew's house, and bless their sick baby Emily, and then do a lesson (they are less active)

5pm.... Walked to Bro Ramos' (he has the transvestite boy/girlfriend.) do a lesson with them.

6-8pm.... walk around and talk to 50 people, and find 1 new investigator.

8pm... go to Asad's house, and teach him english.

9pm... come home and plan for 30 minutes

930-10pm... relax and go to bed!

that was my easter sunday of 2009

It has to be my most memorable. I would say that my second most memorable easter was one year growing up, we came
downstairs easter morning, and there was a huge tent in the living room! and inside there were easter baskets, and a new
mini tv! we watched the movie "Ever After" about 5 times that day.

i am grateful for memories.... im grateful that our minds can remember things.

When we were talking to people outside during easter, we would ask them what the resurrection was, and it's amazing how
many people dont understand what it is, but yet we had many people say "happy resurrection brothers!" The resurrection
was the most important thing that happened on this earth since it was created.

i love you guys, and thanks for all the support!

love forever and ever

Elder Warr

Superbowl Conference.

2009-04-06T20:31:00.003-06:00

This was an eventful weekend!

i'll start at the beginning of the week. so after i got done emailing last week, my comp wanted a new suit, so we went to men's wearhouse, and turns out there was an awesome buy one get one free deal, so i got one too, i just split the original price with him. I am attaching pictures. right after that, we met a man who started speaking in tongues to us... and grabbed our hands. he said that he spoke in the perfect angelic language... whatever.

We had zone conference in Schenectady on tuesday, and then this weekend there was General Conference!

I loved conference, for missionary life.. it's like superbowl sunday.. every word that comes out of the apostles mouths is like gold. I always connect with President Eyring, and Elder Uchtdorf was on fire, i loved it. I noticed a theme throughout it, and i heard the phrase "fear is the opposite of faith" a few times. i think they want us to not fear this economic fall, but have faith through it. The Lord will take care of his people... if they are taking care to his gospel. I loved it.

I am grateful for the support of family and friends, you guys keep me up.

i love you guys!

Most recent letter (thought I posted it... oops)

2009-04-04T07:05:00.001-06:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Mon Mar 30 9:28
Subject: Fwd: Dear People

Albany is great-

There was a lightning storm last night, we were about 2 blocks away from our apartment on our way home, and when it
rains.. it seriously dumps buckets. we got soaked...

Twas a normal week in albany. We have just been teaching a lot and talking to a lot of people.

for all of you who dont know--the church is putting out some awesome videos on the computer. they are called Mormon
messages.if you go to youtube and type in "mormon messages" there are some really good videos. the one with Gordon B.
Hinckley is my favorite one. or the one by Uchtdorf. go watch them! a member showed them to us the other day, and i was
glued to the computer.

We dont have very much time this week because we have to get going to an appointment.

but i would like everyone to read 2 nephi 4. that's how i feel about my mission so far.

i love you guys!

elder warr

The goofiest missionary.

2009-03-25T21:10:00.000-06:00

Bum Island

2009-03-25T21:07:00.001-06:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Mon Mar 23 9:39
Subject: Fwd: I am such a great companion.

Saturday was my companion Elder Tanner's birthday!

I made him a cake, and i sang to him. Then i blew up 25 balloons while he was getting ready and threw them all over the
apartment... it was a great day.

So yesterday after church we came back to our apartment for lunch. while we were eating we heard loud yelling outside,
right outside of our apartment there is an island of grass that separates two roads, it's called "bum island" because all the
bums hang out there. We ran to the window to see the commotion, and one bum Frank was yelling at another bum that
looked dead on a bench. We ran out, and Frank was yelling was crying and drinking a bottle of Vodka. The other one just lay
motionless on the bench. We shook him a few times, and he didnt move or do anything. after some attempts we decided to
call 911.. in the middle of dialing, the bum moved his foot a little bit. We hung up. Then Frank started to tell us that this guy
is his brother and that he cant give up on him... Frank decided to go a pour Vodka in his brothers mouth to wake him up.
The guy groaned a little bit, and we went and told a cop that wasnt too far off.. so he took care of it.
it was just another day in Albany!

We have been really enjoying the weather, some days it's still in the 30's.. but it's sunny.

i can see little sproutlings on the trees, and i cant wait until they bloom.

Everyone that is within the sound of my voice. have a great week!

i love you.

elder warr

a picture treat

2009-03-17T18:17:00.002-06:00

The Albany Parade

2009-03-17T17:45:00.000-06:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Tue Mar 17 9:34
Subject: Fwd: Albany Oh Albany

I am pleased to announce that i will be remaining in Albany for six more weeks!
This place has become like home to me. I love our 10X10 apartment with our paper thin windows that don't insulate at all. I
love the sounds of drunk fights and honking cars (I think people in NY learn that honking will solve any problem). I love the
mice that run underneath the stove when you turn on a light. I love the man accross the street that sells indian newspapers
for 12 hours a day 7 days a week. I love our hobo friends frank, spider, cyrus, and bill.

I hope i stay here for 6 more months. that would be grreat!

So Sunday night was another fireside! this one was here in Albany! there were 140 people that attended, it was so awesome.
There were 30 non-members that showed up, so we were glad. We were also surprised to see Asad and his family! They are
the Iraqi refugee family.. Asad is such a good man, i loved to see them. This fireside was my favorite, because i knew most of
the people there, and the piano was really nice. We have a couple more firesides in April.. and we have done about 8
firesides so far. It's great.

Saturday morning was an interesting one, we headed out of the apartment at 10:00am, and it came to pass that around
11:00am we saw thousands of people that had gathered in front of our apartment on Washington Avenue for a St.Patrick's
day parade! There were bagpipers about every 10 minutes, and they were awesome because they played the "praise to the
man" tune. I thought it was hilarious because most of the college kids came to the parade, and they somehow associate
"parade" with "beer" so there was a lot of beer everywhere. We met some really interesting people that day. Some people
called us "Hey Jehovahs!" An old man tried to fight us in the park.. it was a good day.

Sometimes it's amazing to see what types of people the Lord will place in our path. I love seeing the people's personalities
come out as we teach them. The light that goes off in thier head when they find out that they have a "loving" heavenly father.
That's why missionary work pays off. The weather is getting nice here, the last week has been in the 50's so we have been
wearing short sleeve shirts.

Emily and mason, i ended up buying a yellow towel...

i love you guys :)

Elder Warr

The towel dilemma.

2009-03-10T07:42:00.000-06:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Mon Mar 9 9:28
Subject: Fwd: hola

Good Morning from a icy/rainy Albany NY.

The last few days have been pleasant because it has been in the 40's, so it's almost to a short sleeve time.
it's still really barren, and all of the trees still look like skeletons.. but i can't wait for green!

Last night i had another firside, it was in Schenectady NY. There were about 90 people who attended, and it went really well.
It has been so awesome because i have gotten to know President Eckersley so well, and i'm lucky beacuse not many
missionaries get this much interaction with the mission president. I would love to serve another mission later in my life... I
would have no reason not to.

I need to axe a favor from everyone who reads this email. Please pray for David Bernacki, he is one of our investigators, and
he has a baptismal date.. but it has been pushed back a couple of times because of some struggles. I have an awesome
connection with him, we're buddies, and he could use some prayers. He's the man who has taken us out to some really nice
places to eat. we have been working really hard to get him to commit. We just need him to wax strong in the Lord. I really
love this man. prayers would be great!

Besides that.. everything is going well. I am really excited because we are going to target soon, and im going to buy a new
towel. i dont know what color to get, im thinking maybe tan... or black. ill let you know what i decided.

I really cant believe how much i have been blessed on my mission. everytime that i study hard and work hard, i see miracles,
and i know that's a pattern in life too.

The gospel is the only thing that will unite us as the human family.. and everyone has a part in this process.

Indivisible.... with liberty and justice for all.

love, elder warr

HAMburgers

2009-03-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 9:34 AM
Subject: Wonderful things

The mission is Wonderful.

We drove up to northern New York for the weekend, and we had 2
firesides... one on saturday night, and one on sunday night. it was
awesome going up north because we got to drive through the adirondack
mountains. There were frozen waterfalls, and people climbing them, and
then we got to drive through Lake Placid, where the 1980 winter olympics
were held, that was cool, and then we had the firesides.

These were my favorite firesides yet, the people up in the north country
are very interesting.. most of them are really "homely". but they are
very humble people.
The saturday fireside was in Potsdam NY, and the sunday fireside was in
Plattsburg NY. Plattsburg was awesome because after the fireside there
was a kid who couldnt decide if he wanted to serve a mission, and he
came up to me crying and just thanked me. he said he's getting his
papers in as soon as he can. I can't say how grateful i am for this
experience and for these people in NY.

I had a funny experience the other day. So we have become pretty good
friends with a man named Asad. He is a refugee from Irag. Al-Quaida
members chased him and his family out of Iraq because he worked on
military tanks. Now he got put here in Albany NY, and he has had some
struggles. We get to teach him english once a week. it was so funny...
he had a bunch of questions about certain words, and we laugh so hard
sometimes because of what he says.

This time he said this to us.. "When i go Mcdonalds... I tell the
worker, i want 2 BEEF-burgers... and they say HAMBurgers?? I no like
ham!"

he is muslim so he can't eat ham or pork. it was so funny beacuse how do
you explain to a muslim that HAMburgers are made of beef? it really
confused him, and it took 30 minutes of explaining until he understood.

I love you guys!

Elder Warr... some peeps call me (warrior) in the mission

Party for the birthday boy!

2009-02-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

important pictures.

2009-02-24T07:34:00.001-07:00

A splendid letter.

2009-02-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Mon Feb 23 10:00
Subject: Fwd: who what when where why

Hello people. this was a splendid week in Albany.

I had a fireside in Owego, NY last night. it was awesome! I always have a lot of fun road tripping with the assistants around
the mission. We play trivia, and road games in the car.... or should i say.. i play trivia and road games in the car and they just
tell me to go to sleep. haha! we do have a lot of fun. There were 160 people at the fireside last night, 30+ investigators, and
it was one of the most spiritual times of my mission. It was so awesome getting to talk to these people who are investigating
the church, and hear their stories. I have met a lot of professors of music at these firesides that people have invited, and
they all have asked me what i want to do with music, i have had some good conversations. i just tell them that i am just
focusing on my mission, and that i just love to play.
I am attaching a picture of me and a moses statue, and ill explain. we like to stand by that statue when we have some time to
talk to people. it's a good conversation starter, and i think it's funny because it's just a giant moses in the middle of
washington park.

this week has been a really successful one... we worked really hard, and saw a lot of outcomes. I have become really good
friends with a refugee from Iraq, his name is Asad. he calls me his brother.

welp, thanks for everything. i love you guys

love,
e.warr

a picture of his cake.

2009-02-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

the 5 piano dudes

2009-02-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Wed Feb 18 9:41
Subject: Fwd: Life in Albany--

Hello Everyone, i just want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes, and the support.

I had such a good week. and i dont know where to start.

So most of you may know who the 5 Browns are? they are 5 mormon siblings who travel the world playing 5 grand pianos?
All 5 of them went to Julliard school of music, and they are incredibly talented.

The 5 Browns were scheduled to come to Albany for a concert this last weekend, and the Stake President asked them if they
would want to do a fireside on Sunday night. Well Sunday morning right as we are about to leave the apartment for church, i
got a phone call from the Branch President telling (not asking) me to speak in church because one of the speakers was sick.
I quickly thought of some experiences and scriptures. right when church was about to start, the 5 Browns walk into the
branch for church. I got up and spoke, and it went really well.. probably one of the best talks i have given.. the spirit was
strong. after that i talked to the 5 browns for a little bit, and they are awesome! Then come to find out, the family who
signed up to feed us invited the 5 Browns too! So next thing we know, we're eating dinner with them too. some people in the
Branch had told them about my firesides around the mission, and at dinner they were asking me all about it, and they were
excited for me. One of the members ended up giving them one of my CD's... and then after dinner they didnt know how to
get to the stake center so they followed us there. they played their fireside... and of course they played really well. After the
concert, they thanked us for hanging out with them all day and said goodbye. It was awesome getting to know them, and
they are just such good people. It was such a good experience. i wrote it in my journal that night. now it's stored in my
precious corridors of memory.

It was good times! i have to get going... but i love you guys!

Love, Elder Warr

Pictures

2009-02-09T17:23:00.004-07:00

Birthday reflections

2009-02-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Mon Feb 9 9:55
Subject: Fwd: I am 20

I am 20.

Thank you thank you everyone for all of my birthday congratulations.

I have now surpassed the teen years of my life. wow... what a beautiful time to finish that period of my life. in Albany New
York.

The work here is going so good. Victor Przedpelski (Sheh-pel-ski) is getting baptized tomorrow! he's such a cool guy. he's a
mailman, and his conversion story is awesome! ill have to tell it to you in person when i get home... if i ever come home... ill
probably be a missionary for the rest of my life. Vic buys us doughnuts and chocolate milk everytime we do lessons with
him.

My new companion Elder Tanner is a really funny guy. he doesnt care about anything.. but he's a great missionary. I have
been leading out in this area, and i love the responsibility. i feel like the salvation of Albany is laying in my hands...haha im
just kidding. He reminds me a lot of my friend Ian Hunt.

So today for my birthday, a member Ryan McGreevy is going to take us out to lunch, and then his parents made a cake for
me tonight. The other day Elder Tanner and I sung hymns at the mcgreevys house, and by the end of our singing .. they were
in tears... we had just watched a powerful movie about the prophet.

I am loving my mission more and more every day. We walked into a members house the other day, and we saw a clip of a
plane that emergency landed in the Hudson.. that was about 2 hours away from me (just so you know) apparently it was a
really big deal.. and we didnt even know.

well.. i love you guys..

have a good week!

love.. E. Warr

'twas a dead mouse

2009-02-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Tue Feb 3 10:00
Subject: Fwd: Hi-ooh!

Everyone, this has been such a glorious day-

First off-- we got transfer calls and im staying in Downtown Albany! Elder Grover is going to be a Zone Leader about 5 miles
away. I am getting a new companion, Elder Tanner, he has been out 19 months, and he's from CA. I met him at the christmas
conference, and he's a really cool guy. I am excited to stay in Albany, because i really love the people, and because the work
is going so well. I have made some awesome friends

The Turners got baptized on thursday(3 black women).. at the baptism they had some friends come, and they all started
clapping and hooting after the baptisms... i laughed... i tried not to laugh, but it was such a joyful time. we confirmed them
this sunday, and that was one of the times in my life where i felt most guided by the spirit in my life... i cried. it was
awesome. The work is going so well. we have another man- Vic- he's getting baptized this week (he's an awesome hockey
player).. he's a mailman. and then on the 21st of feb we have another man named David Bernacki getting baptized! he's the
one who took Elder Grover and I out for a $200 meal. I love that man. We have been seeing so much success lately, and the
branch here is growing! because it's growing so fast they want to make it into a ward, and that might not happen for about 3
years.. but still! i think anytime a branch or ward is getting too big, that's a good thing.

I had my second fireside in Utica, NY this last sunday. Twas' awesome! I had a lot of compliments, and im just so happy that i
get to do that. the next fireside is in Potsdam in norther NY.. so i'll keep you updated on how that goes.

Just so you know. there is a mouse in our apartment... or should i say there "was". yesterday Elder Grover and I endulged in
buying 2 mouse traps... this morning we woke up to a dead mouse that got smacked! we were exceedingly glad. i lost my
camera cord, so i will get pictures of the dead mouse asap..

love, elder warr

Finally...

2009-01-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 9:18 AM
Subject: Everyone and your mother

Dear peeps,

So last week, i was deathly ill, and i threw up all over the library
bathroom, i didnt feel like emailing, so i am sorry you missed out. i am
feeling a lot better now! this last week was awesome, we have 3 people
getting baptized this wednesday-- the Turner family, they are 3 black
women, and they are the funniest people i have met in my life. They are
the "Halleluia!" kind of people, and they are just full of Joy. they
LOVE Joseph Smith. everytime they see a picture of him, they pet the
picture and say how cute he is. haha.

So last night was my first Restoration Fireside! it was in Syracuse. so
the Assistants to the president came and picked me up from albany after
church, and we drove straight to Albany, and got there just in time to
do the fireside. i had served in Syracuse so i got to see a bunch of
friends, and rejoice with other missionary friends. There were some 80
people there, and it was awesome. I played 5 songs of the restoration,
and the mission president spoke. we have 5 more weeks scheduled all over
NY, so it will be really fun. we got back to Albany at midnight last
night, and this weekend i will be staying with them in Utica, to drive
up to Potsdam. I am grateful that i get to use music on my mission... i
just love it.. somteims i feel like i can express things better on the
piano, than in my own words. This is the last week of the transfer, so i
could be leaving Albany, but i think i will be here for a while, my
companion elder grover has been here for 10 1/2 months... so he's most
likely leaving.

I am loving my mission, it's foreign to me to think about anything other
than this.. i will probably just be a full-time missionary for the rest
of my life.

i love you guys!

elder warr

more fun from kyle's camera

2009-01-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

What a big helper!

2009-01-13T21:36:00.001-07:00

----- Original Message -----
From: 'Kyle Warr' <kylewarr@myldsmail.net>
Sent: Mon Jan 12 16:35
Subject: Fwd: Helllooo peeps

Good morning everyone, it's a beautiful Day.

My week was good, ill tell you about it. but first i want to tell you that i got news that my friend robert hunt that i grew up
with. he got his mission call to the BOISE mission, haha! it's awesome because his older brother served in the Pocatello
mission, and when i get off my mission ill be in boise... anyways. he reports april 15th.

So there's a woman who's a less active named Patty Mckormick, she joined the church about 15 years ago and she LOVED it.
she was an awesome member. then a few years later she became Skitzophrenic (spelling?)
So she basically became crazy. Patty is someone that we talk to just about every day. She calls us really early in the morning
to tell us that she doesnt want to be mormon anymore, but then about 3 hours later calls us back and says nevermind, and
that she loves the mormon church. sometimes she'll call us and tell us that we're decieved, sometimes she will tell us that
she is moving out of the country, but sure enough she calls us the next day and says nevermind. We usually reply with "well
that's great patty, im glad you still want to be mormon" but there's not much we can do because she changes her mind every
5 minutes. I thought i needed to tell you about patty because she's just such a big part of my mission. Albany wouldnt be the
same without patty mckormick.

It snowed a lot the last couple of days, but today is sunny. We are teaching a guy from africa that lives right above us, he
wants to be baptized, his name is Juarez, he speaks french, his english is getting better. welp, im almost out of time. i love
you guys!

Reminder: packages are accepted at all times in the New york Utica Mission. :)

Love Elder Warr

P.S. Elder Grover sprained his ankle on weds... so i was helping him out a lot too, i gave him a musical tie, and whenever he
needed anything he just pushed the button, so when i heard the music, i came running and i took care of it. im a great
companion. i made him a tuna fish sandwich too.

Knowledge

2009-01-05T11:09:00.002-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:36 AM
Subject: Happy New Year!

It is now 2009! Do you know what that means?

That means that 2009 will be the only full year of my life that i will
be out of the world. wow....

New Years was fun! we stayed out until 9pm and then went to sleep at
1030pm. we set the alarm for midnight, and at midnight we woke up and
said "happy new year!" and then went back to sleep. haha! it was great.

So i was thinking about the first 5 months of my mission, and it has
been great, i have gained so much knowledge that i am grateful for.
Scriptural knowledge, social knowledge, physical knowledge, mental
knowledge, spiritual knowledge... just a bunch of knowledge that i
wouldnt trade for the world. while we're on the topic of KNOWledge...
did you KNOW.. that in the early 1900's some scientists did a study on
vegetables and how they are healthy for you... and when they did
spinach.. they accidentally recorded it wrong.. so they thought that
spinach was extraordinarily good for you... that's why the cartoon
Popeye always eats spinach! ... you learn something new everyday.

we really had a great week, one of our investigators took us out to
dinner and he spent like 200 dollars on us, and then he was trying to
pick up on the waitress the whole time. it was hilarious.

i love you guys, and i'm workin hard out here.

love, elder warr

Christmas letter

2008-12-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 9:37 AM
Subject: Christmas Christmas Christmas!

Dear Everyone-

It is Christmas. Let me tell you what life is like as a missionary
during christmas time in the winter.

We are outside all day everyday from 10am to 9pm... if we dont have
appointments.. we talk to people or Tract. last night we helped 8 people
get thier cars un-stuck from the snow... that was awesome, i wish we
could do that all day. it's fun when we can give any kind of service.
everyone laughs when i say im from California and they ask me why i
would come to New York in the winter.

We had a half mission conference in Utica last week, it was awesome!
they had me play "O Holy Night" for the musical number, it was really
fun.. there were 60 missionaries there. They have asked me to play the
musical number at all of my zone conferences so far on my mission...
it's fun!

We got transfer calls saturday night, and i will be staying in Albany
with Elder Grover. we have a lot of fun together so we're excited.

Christmas will be awesome! Christmas eve we arent supposed to proselyte,
so we are going to a young couples house from utah, and we're going to
play "settlers of zarahemla". Then christmas morning We are going to the
zone leaders house to have christmas with them, and we will open
presents etc...then we are going to play basketball for 2 hours and then
we get to call home! I am excited to talk to my peeps. I want to say
thank you to all of my people that sent me packages! they are awesome,
and i cant wait to open the presents and stuff. Well i love you guys.

Elder Warr

German pancakes and a scary face.

2008-12-15T13:49:00.002-07:00

Kyle now uses the word, "Glorious".

2008-12-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Everyone-

Tis the season to all :)

It has been a glorious and freezing time here in albany!

the last couple days there were some ice storms, and trees were breaking left and right landing on homes and power lines etc... about a 5th of albany was out of power, but i think they are getting it under control, we were lucky and still have warmth.

So last week, i was asked to play a musical number at a christmas party, it went well, i played O holy night, and it was fun. it turns out that there is a world renowned violinist Ben Chan that lives in our stake. he was there, and he had his violin, so we put a song together and played! it was awesome, he's amazing. the people loved it, and it was a great experience.

It actually feels like christmas here... i thought it would be weird being away from home for christmas, but then i realized that there are a bunch of other guys my age who are away from home, and they are my family.

The event of the week.... elder grover and i were walking back to our apartment on lark street, and we discovered a man in a speedo and a santa hat running down the street.haha! it was 15 degrees outside, and then we come to find 100 more men running in speedo's. haha. apparently there was a santa speedo fundraiser. it was hilarious.

welp, im about out of time. i love you guys

E.warr

p.s. pictures--

I have gained some weight...
we made german pancakes.. they were Deelish.

Weird... I mean, NEW pictures.

2008-12-08T15:31:00.001-07:00

Tis the season!!!

2008-12-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

Sent December 8, 2008

Merry Christmas everyone :)

It is freezing. I bought some sweet new 1980's ear-muff things, and they work great, i endorse them to all who get cold ears in the winter.

Albany is great. We had our branch christmas party this saturday, and elder grover and i played a "Christmas Medley" with elder grover on the saxophone and me on the piano. It was so much fun, we had a couple investigators there, and they loved it. everyone wanted an encore after we played it. it was a blast, we recorded a video of it, so i will try and get that emailed this month for christmas.

On my mission--- i have noticed a difference of peoples' personalities during the holidays. it seems like now that it's Christmas... everyone is holding doors for everyone, and they are more receptive to us. we still of course get the occasional people who seem to have a break down if we even mention the name Joseph Smith. it's hilarious... sometimes if we even say Joseph Smith- they just turn off and start twitching or even run away. it's hilarious.

anyways... during this month of our savior's birth, it's awesome because we get to carol! I am blessed to have a companion that can sing parts so it has been fun stopping random people in downtown albany and singing silent night. it's awesome.

The Gospel is TRUE.

Everyone read 3 Nephi 17 it's my favorite right now :)

i love you guys :)

E. Warr

Latest pictures

2008-12-01T16:12:00.002-07:00

Just turn and walk away.

2008-12-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Sent December 1st, 2008:

It is now December of 2008

Elder Grover and I had a very eventful week.

We had thanksgiving at the Branch building with a bunch of single adults and older members of the ward, and that was great. Sadly, we didnt get to play in the turkey bowl because we couldnt leave our apartment until 10... but it's ok because after the thanksgiving dinner, we all went into the basement of the branch building, and there was a pingpong table and some other stuff, so we played ping pong. I was undefeated. I went 8-0... yes i was very proud. after i beat just about everyone in the room, i had everyone call me KING PING... haha! good times. Thanksgiving was great, and i was very thinkful for a lot of things. i was mainly thankful for my family... and the opportunity to serve a mission. When i study the plan of salvation, it makes me realize how important family is in this life.

The day after thanksgiving we had a very unusual experience... there are some weird things in Albany, but this one was especially weird. We decided to go to a less-active members house to check up on him-- Brother Ramos. Brother Ramos has a girlfriend named Taresa, but apparently Taresa is a man...with feminine qualities.. We went to knock on the door, and we heard obnoxious laughing and what sounded like "men" trying to sound like women. They answered the door, and we saw two of them... Taresa, and another boy/girl friend. Brother Ramos was no where in sight. I have a hard time calling her Taresa... i would rather say Terrance... or Terry. They were both obviously drunk, and immodestly dressed. We asked where brother ramos was, and he was passed out in the back room. they dragged him out, and he looked up and mumbled for us to say a prayer for him. so we prayed. and then we just wanted to get out of there, my emotions were so mixed up... i really didnt know what was going on. They wanted to shake our hands, and i had gloves on. Taresa asked me to take my glove off so she could feel my skin, and we just turned around and left. We didnt know if we should laugh or be upset... so it was just akward.

anyways.... it was pretty disgusting. but other than that... we found a new family we're teaching this week, and they are awesome!

I love you guys, thanks for everything :)

love, elder warr

he's freezing in AL-bany

2008-11-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr [mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2008 9:22 AM
Subject: Everyone!

It is FREEZING cold here in albany. and it's not (AL-bany) ... it's (ALL-bany). some people made fun of me for saying ALbany, and i fixed that little error.

The cold here is a different kind of cold, it's not an Idaho cold... this kind of cold is the cold that slowly freezes you down to your bones. about every 15 minutes we have to go into a store or somewhere to thaw out. and take note that we're outside among the children of men for about 11 hours a day. it's freezing. Besides the freezing... it's going well.

My companion elder grover has been out for 8 months, and we get along very well. we have so much fun. one thing about albany is theres so much poverty here, it's actually a dirty city. of course it's nice down by the capitol... but living conditions are crazy here. no one has teeth... that's how we tell if someone is accountable or not.. if they have teeth.

Our mission president gave elder grover and i permission to play a musical number at our branch christmas party. Just so you know.. Elder Grover plays the Saxaphone, and he is amazing! he's majoring in music performance at BYU-I and he got a saxaphone the other day and played for me. We are so excited to do a number, and we're going to record a video of it to send out to our fams. I have been able to use music here and there on the mission, and the mission president told me next month we will be starting a tour around the mission for my restoration fireside!

i got to go.. but i love everyone. :)

love, elder warr

Livin the vida loca!

2008-11-17T09:28:00.002-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 9:23 AM
Subject: Everybody

My Dearest friends and family.

This week was one of the coolest/craziest/amazingest weeks of my life.

I'm in Albany New York... We live off of Washington and Lark... we are
directly in the heart of Downtown Albany. Our apartment is this little
tiny townhouse above a bar, and throughout the night we hear sirens, and
drunk people cussing eachother out... sometimes i just break out
laughing because we can hear every little detail of the arguments, and i
cant help but laugh. we dont take our trash out.. we just throw it out
the window in bags...We talk to literally everyone that we see. this
week we talked to 600 people, and that's amazing compared to the 100 a
week in North Syracuse

My first day in Albany, we were talking to people on the way to an
appointment, and we came up to this black guy who looked really mad.
take note that he was carrying a hammer. we asked him how he was doing,
and he said "not too @&#^$*& good." and he continued to walk on. the
funny part of the story is that we will never know the tail end of that
story or what happened.

My companion is Elder Grover, he's awesome! It turns out that his mom
was Emily's teacher at BYU-Idaho so it was cool to find that link. He is
seriously amazing.... i think Elder Grover will be a General Authority
someday. he's a really powerful teacher, and he works really hard.

There's so much history here, the buildings are all from the early
1800's and it's beautiful!

i am about out of time so i have to go, but i love you all, and ill
write more next week.

love, elder Warr

The sneaky missionary

2008-11-12T11:22:00.001-07:00

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Warr mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 2:02 PM
Subject: Elder Warr

BIG NEWS--I have been in North Syracuse for 3 months now, but that's
about to change --They are sending me to downtown Albany! i will be in
the heart of the capitol of NY, i am really excited. I will be with
Elder Grover from Idaho Falls. Everyone says albany is awesome, so that
will be cool.

I will miss North Syracuse but i am excited for my mission to change a
little bit. From what i hear, whenever you go to a new area, it's like
you go to a whole new mission. I hear in albany we'll talk to 600 people
a week, and teach a bunch of people all of the time.

Cool Experience-
There's a family here in North Syr.. the Van Wies... They are an
awesome family. Jake Van Wie is 19 and he's getting ready to go on a
mission, he has turned his life around in the last year, and was
involved in drugs and anything you can imagine. i have become good
friends with Jake. His mom is really nice and a great lady. Jakes dad
used to be the ward mission leader and a great man until about 5 years
ago when he fell off of their roof. he hurt his back and is now addicted
to pain killers. he lost most of his teeth but recently got a new set of
teeth. for 5 years he has avoided everyone in the ward and runs upstairs
whenever anyone comes over. For 12 weeks i have felt strongly like i can
help him... it was frustrating because i would try and try to hurry
inside before he ran upstairs... but it just didnt work out. Last night
we spontaneously went over there and he was outside doing yard work. I
told my companion to follow me, we called jake and snuck in the back
door so we would be in the house when his dad came in. his dad came in
and was very surprised. I stood up and shook his hand. and next thing
you know we're in the living room laughing and talking. He has a
powerful testimony, and i was in tears when he started talking about his
conversion story. I was so happy i cant even explain it.... Jake and his
mom were crying and they thanked us so much for coming around that day.
Now im leaving North Syracuse so i wont see what happens. I felt like
that was one of the main reasons i was brought to this area. i love the
Van Wies, and i am so grateful because that is what missionary work is
all about.

i love you guys!!

love, Elder Warr

Pictures

2008-11-03T18:58:00.003-07:00

yeah, right.

2008-11-03T18:56:00.001-07:00

From: Kyle Warr mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 10:01 AM
Subject: Everyone, E.Warr update and pictures

Wow..

Did everyone have a happy halloween? great.

Halloween night, we had to go into our apartment at 6 because i guess
in the years past, people dont believe the missionaries because they
think it's just another halloween costume, and some missionaries were
getting egged etc... anyways, we decided to stop by this haunted house
at a neighbor's on the way into our apartment. These people went ALL OUT
on the haunted house. It was amazing. In the middle of us walking
through the haunted house, i was innocently walking, and the next thing
i know.. i'm on the ground! Someone had completely pushed me on the
ground. I couldnt find my companion, and i thought i saw him running
away. The next thing i know, some people are trying to take my backpack.
i was trying my hardest to get out. Finally i get out, and i see some
people messing with my companion... they were taking his backpack and
told him to give them money... i finally convinced him to just give it
to them. and we left. My shirt got ripped... my tie ruined, my pocked
ripped... it was horrible. We took off to the apartment. isn't that
crazy? i bet it would have been crazy, because i just made that story
up. anyways.

On Saturday, Hannah Bockus was baptized! She's the one in the picture. I
performed the baptism, her last name used to be Skinner, and now it's
bockus, so in the middle of the prayer i said BOCKER. i had no clue i
said it like that, so when they told me i said bocker i just couldnt
stop laughing. but anyways, it was a beautiful baptism, and i have
become really good friends with hannah. Her family was there, and some
of her siblings went, and they said they felt the spirit.

Everything is going awesome here in NY, and i miss everyone.

I love you guys, hope you like the pics

-E. Warr

Finally, a word from Kyo

2008-10-27T12:23:00.000-06:00

From: Kyle Warr mailto:kylewarr@myldsmail.net

Sent: Monday, October 27, 2008 9:57 AM
Subject: Hello world

hey everyone- it's elder warr- Tis the season!

It's getting cold here in NY. but it's ok, im staying warm.

As missionaries, we're grateful for everything, and with thanksgiving
coming up... we are especially grateful for everything.. but we're not
grateful for people who go around slashing bike tires. yes, someone
slashed our bike tires. it was horrible. My comp was pretty angry, but i
took Elder Wirthlin's advice, and just started laughing. before we knew
it, we were both laughing. now it's just a memory.

So recently, i decided that missionary life is exactly like the movie
ground hog day. every single day we wake up at 630, run around the
apartment for 30 minutes, and then get ready and study for 2 hours.
everytime we leave the apartment, we see the same exact people, and
pretty much say the same exact things to them every morning. but we do
our best to mix life up a little bit. so lately, whenever we get a
phonecall at the apartment, if my companion answers, whatever room he is
in, i start vaccuuming right by him. he gets frustrated, and then i get
frustrated because he shouldnt be on the phone in the room that i just
so happen to be vaccuuuming in.

We have a baptism coming up on saturday! her name is Hannah Skinner, and
she's seroiusly awesome. She's 21, and has the cutest little 9 month old
girl named Hope. she asked if i would do a musical number at the baptism
on the piano. i called another missionary in Auburn who has an amazing
voice, and we're going to do "Come Thou Fount" at her baptism. im
excited. I've gotten close to Hannah, and she's the best.. and Hope
loves me... but it's sad because we're not allowed to hold babies.

We're working hard, and bringing more souls to the gospel.

i love you all!

love,
E Warr

Oh brother, where art thou?

2008-10-08T20:07:00.002-06:00

Apparently, Kyle is having some technical difficulties, so, no letter yet this week.

Bummer.

On a good note: The latest General Conference talks are available now!

LDS.ORG

Interior Decorator

2008-09-30T18:43:00.001-06:00

Sent: Tue Sep 30 20:35
Subject: Fwd: People around the world

My dear family and friends-

So things in North Syracuse have been really wet, and at the same time, Red, and yellow, and orange.

The Fall hit really fast! but i love it. and in about 2 more weeks, you will be seeing some amazing pictures of upstate new
york.

So, 2 days ago, my companion elder bench and i were knocking on a door in a apartment complex... so there were doors
behind and to the sides of us. we knocked on the door, and all of a sudden, the door behind us opened, and a woman said,
hello come in. We had a member Brother May with us, so we could go in. We went in, and it smelt like incense, and moldy
cardboard. anyways... she said her name was rose, and she told us she was 'Wicken'.... apparently these people are witches,
and they do chants and things. she said they believe in a mother goddess rather than heavenly father. so we told her a little
bit about the nature of God... and a couple minutes later she says "well im glad you guys finally showed up." and we were a
little confused, and she said "i knew y'all was comin... i had a vision. i had a vision of 3 men in white shirts comin' to my
door, and i let them in." we set up a return appointment, and when we were saying goodbye she told me that her and my
spirits had met before.

i smiled and we left.

We called back for her appointment, and she was sleeping... so we still have yet to go back. anyways... we found 6 new
investigators this week. and we were given an awesome couch. i re-arranged the apartment. it looks awesome!

I have finished my first transfer, and i am excited for the 2nd. im getting a new companion!

i love everyone.

elder warr

Enhanced Vocabulary

2008-09-22T19:02:00.002-06:00

Sent: Mon Sep 22 15:49
Subject: Fwd: Everyone

Hola my peeps.

The trees are changing, and it's amazing.

As a missionary, we live some of the highest standards of obedience, morality, and discipline in this day and age. This
includes appearance, language, and manners.

I have now found that when im talking about my parents, i now say 'Father' rather than Dad, and 'Mother' rather than Mom. I
am changing everyday, and my vocabulary is enhancing itself as i deepen my education in the gospel, and quicken my
understanding of my knowledge of the Diety in heaven. I suppose my recent alteration of language will better my mental
ability to live these standards.

Last week, we talked to a Born Again Christian, and he started telling us that all we have to do is accept Christ and there's
nothing more that we have to do. i asked about the purpose of the commandmants, and he said they were "guidelines" and a
teacher. So i asked why heavenly father didnt just call them Guidelineamants. My companion started laughing, and we had to
leave.

As missionaries, our sense of humor changes, and we get excited about the smallest things like the orange scented
dishwashing soap we got... that was an event in our apartment.

i love you all, and the work is great. i learn more every day.

:)

love, elder warr

latest photos

2008-09-15T21:32:00.003-06:00

pictures from the missionary's camera.

2008-09-15T21:05:00.003-06:00

Kyle wrote "New York is beautiful" on the back of the top one. (apparently he isn't hard to impress.)
He sent the bottom one and wrote, "I should be a photographer."

Sleep

2008-09-15T19:40:00.001-06:00

Sent: Mon Sep 15 15:39
Subject: Fwd: My Peeps

People around the world,

It is as humid as ever here in New York. My skin is getting nice treatment because i am in a constant sauna...

But the work is going forth!

On Saturday, Art Monty was baptized, and i had the priveledge of doing it. it was such an awesome experience to be able to
use the priesthood in that way. When we walked down into the water, he told me "Don't drown me." It was incredible to see
this 81 year old man's desire to follow Christ. I played a version of "When i am baptized" at the baptism, and it was really
spiritual because i had flashbacks of my baptism when Emily and Mason sang that same song. It has a tender spot in my
heart.

As missionaries, when we are called to serve, we are called to love God. it's amazing how much he will help us when we just
reach out to him.

Last night was a trip...
It was really windy, and i was exhausted beacuse the humidity just takes all your energy. So we went to sleep, and i woke up
a couple times because a tree was hitting our window... and then around 1:30 i woke up to my companion's voice saying
"Elder........Elder..... i cant sleep." so then all of a sudden the light flicks on, and he says, "lets study" He threw Preach My
Gospel at me, and he started reading.

i thought he was joking, and said "um.... seriously?" i couldnt believe what was going on so he told me to read, and we were
reading about how we can gain strength through faith. whenever it was my turn to read, i would throw in sentences like
"Faith in Christ can strengthen us when were trying to fall asleep" and " we will be blessed in allowing our companions to get
a full night's rest" he told me that we are supposed to wake eachother up if we are awake in the middle of the night, and i
just said... why don't you just go back to sleep? so after about an hour, he said that he was tired again.. so we went to bed....

i am still figuring it out but, i love him!

i love you guys, stay faithful :)

love, elder warr

Old man and the basement.

2008-09-08T19:33:00.003-06:00

Sent: Mon Sep 8 15:39
Subject: Fwd: EVERYONE

TIS THE SEASON!

So over here in New York, the trees are beginning to turn yellowy... and the weather is amazing. yesterday there was a type
of fog, but it was more of a mist, and it was the weirdest thing i have ever seen in my life, i didnt know if it was sprinkling..
or fogging?

anyways, the work is going great!

This coming saturday, ill be performing my first baptism!

Art monty, the 81 year old man is being b-tized. he asked me to play a musical number on the piano at the baptism... so
that will be a great experience, considering that ill be playing the piano, and baptizing him. the Lord has blessed me with
these opportunities, and im grateful. A member asked him if he had a big day coming up, and he looked and me and said
"yeah, he's gonna drown me!" it was hilarious, we all joined in with some glorious laughter.

Lately i have been enthralled by pictures of the savior, and i like to ponder and imagine if i were to see him. As i have worked
on developing christlike attributes, i have come to know him in a more literal way. I know what he wants me to do, and im
exactly where he wants me to be.

Also, just so everyone knows.... hand written letters are openly accepted here in New York. the laws are the same. As
missionaries, hand written letters and pictures keep us going. i love the emails... but Hand letters are even better. :)

I love you all, and you're in my prayers

Love,
E.Warr

p.s. pray for Art Monty... he's an amazing man. we were in his house the other day, and we went into the basement to find
some family info, he told us he hadnt been down there in years. we saw a bunch of model ships, and he gave us one, so it's
now displayed on my desk where i study.

Handy Man

2008-09-02T21:32:00.001-06:00

Sent: Tue Sep 2 19:19
Subject: Fwd: EVERYONE

Dear all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people

I am still laboring away in North Syracuse New York! the work is awesome and we have been seeing a lot of miracles. We
have a man named Art Monty who is going to be baptized on the 13th of sept. pray for him. he's 81 and he's such a nice
man. we love him. he's hilarious, we asked him if he would be baptized, and he said "i guess, i dont care" it was funny.

We are also teaching a woman named Jamie Squadrito, she's been to jail 3 times, and she's really progressing. but, we just
found out that she's a stripper... so we have to take care of that first.

Just so you know, i fixed one of the brakes on my bike because i am such a handy man, i was really proud of myself. so dont
be concerned with my safety anymore.

The lord has really blessed my companion and i, and we work hard. My legs are loving riding 20-30 miles everyday on the
bikes.

The next email i will attach some awesome pictures of new york, i just forgot the cord to my camera. but i love you all, and
you're in my prayers.

love, elder warr

Pictures

2008-09-02T08:39:00.005-06:00

Liverpool Speedway

2008-09-01T17:24:00.002-06:00

Sent: Mon Aug 25 15:33
Subject: Fwd: Elder Warr's report to everyone

Dear Friends, family, and all who read this,

I have completed my first week in the mission field!

We talk to everyone we see. So just with my luck i got the bike that doesnt have any brakes. Sometimes we ride full speed, and have to stop quicly to talk to someone, this is a process im still working on, sometimes i have to grab on to tree branches to slow me down, or hope that if i ride on some grass it will stop me, but it doesnt always work out, hopefully we can get the brakes fixed!

My companion lets me teach just as much as he does, so i get better every day. We run into a lot of italian roman catholics, and sometimes they arent very happy to see us. Yesterday we knocked on an old man's door, and he started yelling and told us he was going to karate chop us if we didnt get away. Our mission president pointed out that we will recieve some of the same persecutions that Joseph smith did just because of being in this area.

In the mornings to be obedient we exercise for 30 minutes, and it's hilarious. My first day in the field, the first morning i was expecting to go outside and jog or something, and all of a sudden my companion started running in a 10 foot circle around the kitchen... i waited for a minute to see if we were going to get outside, but nope, pretty soon i joined him, and we ran in that circle for 25 minutes. we do this every morning. and we call it the Liverpool speedway.

The gospel is true, and im so glad that i get to be a part of this work. I have been able to use my music in some lessons and at church, im working on getting trained before i focus on my music. My mission president told me that he could use my music for some stuff after im trained.

I love the lord.

elder warr