Elder Kyle LaBarre's Hawaiian Mission

UPDATES

2009-06-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

So I recognize that I'm a complete slacker! So for you faithful followers, this post will help you find out what has been happening with our dedicated Elder over the past few months! I will list the updates most recent to furthest away! Enjoy the read!!!

June 15, 2009:
well. the library computers were down so we had to use an alternate route at an inconvenient time. lee morse is his name. and the baptism recently was on friday and his name is james wilson. and it was super cool! hes really excited to grow in the gospel and hes been reading the teachings of joseph smith and cant seem to put it down!there was a slight glitch after the first week of being here with one of the members. a matter of misinterpretation but all is well now and were busy with the work! :D love you! kyle

June 8, 2009:
the baptism was great! we moved it to tuesday right before i got transfered to kona (big island) and last minute lee asked me to baptize him! he originally wanted bishop to do it but when they found out that i was leaving they asked me to do it last minute! so that was exciting, and it was my first i was present for (out of the people ive taught!)my new area is called waimea and i cover the 2nd ward there! the only problem was that in kaimuki it was hot and dry and here is cold (im on the north side) and it started raining when i got here and were in a bike area so i got sick from the weather! dang it! its a pretty bad cold and ive pretty much had it since thursday... :( but thats ok because the work here is doing awesome! we have a baptism on friday and another couple coming up soon in the near future! so thats awesome!but yeah thats my status for now and ill tell you how the baptism goes next week monday!love you kyle

June 1, 2009:

hey! haha sorry, but i didnt get any emails last week so i forget to send any out!im doing well!i just found out that im getting transferred again...off-island (i dont know which, but either maui or big island!) so thats exciting!our baptism is tomorrow at 6 so thats awesome too!im just kinda bummed because things are really starting to happen here and a few other people should be with a date soon!so thats the only downside...and i was just starting to get to know the ward...oh wellill go where the lord needs me!other than that im doing well! just getting everything packed :Doh well :Di love you sisterhave a great week!

May 18, 2009:

we just had stake conference and it was really great! our investigatoris excited for his baptism and we are too!we found a couple other investigators and have to contact some referralsso theres a lot of work to be done this week! YAY!thats the news so far! but i hope youre doing well!l yeah and i found out that some of the people ive taught in the other areas have decided to be baptized! so its really an awesome feeling to know that i made a difference!sounds like you are trying your best and just keep at it!and find some good stress relief tips (all i have is lie down and take deep slow breathes)also that audio is to the book 'an intensive course in tongan' by eric shumwaybut i gotta email pete so ill probably talk to you next week :D

May 11, 2009: (There was no real e-mail as we (as family members) were able to speak with Elder LaBarre for Mother's Day)!! I can't speak for the rest of my family, but my conversation with Kyle was great! I'm pleased to say that he is a rock solid missionary and he will be blessed for his dedicated service! As a return missionary I know how it feels to be out doing the work and it was fun to feel the missionary spirit beaming from everything he said. It was over a month ago, and I am unable to recall information that I would be willing to share with you all. This will be my entry to encourage all of you to write Kyle and you will see what I mean!!

May 4, 2009:

kauai is great! transfers are next week so ill send you my address next week if im staying and the week after if i get transfered!i dont have much time to tell you about everything but my comp is samoanfrom utah and hes been out about 3 months and we just started teachingpeople again (the whole transfer we havent had an investigator) askkelly about the one we had to drop. we dont get any referrals frommembers and its hard to get them motivated. really hard.no i didnt get a package but maybe ill get it this week! im almost out of time though and i nee d to email mom so ill write more next week and let you know about transfers! love kyle

April 27, 2009:

but i got transfered to kaimuki in honolulu, and i got to admit im really glad to be in the city! theres more people to talk to and more things to do on pday and stuff! im with elder higley and i had actually served with him in kauai the 1st transfer (in the same district) so thats cool because i already know and like him!i havent gotten mail but if you send it to the mission office through the specific carrier i can get it because the mission office is in my zone and we go there weekly for district meeting, so its not even a problem! (other than that i dont have the new address because i havent gotten mail here recently!but in good news me and e higley are working hard and are excited for the transfer!i love you heather and i hope things are well! kyle

April 20, 2009:

haha i found out im getting transferred off this rock! but other than that i dont know where im going or with who until wednesday my comps name is ioelu (samoan)its his 2nd transfer and hes pretty cool. but sometimes he seems to think hes hot crap and he tries to talk like he knows things. but i try to work past that. because it really doesnt matter but it still annoys me sometimes. hahabut thats the big news of the month. me getting transferred. so next week ill give you my new address if you want to mail more stuff to me!and its almost mothers day! YAY!i love you sister, kyle

April 13, 2009:
i dont have much time to tell you about everything but my comp is samoan from utah and hes been out about 3 months and we just started teaching people again (the whole transfer we havent had an investigator) ask kelly about the one we had to drop. we dont get any referrals from members and its hard to get them motivated. really hard.no i didnt get a package but maybe ill get it this week!im almost out of time though and i need to email mom so ill write more next week and let you know about transfers! love kyle

April 6, 2009

2009-04-09T04:24:00.001-07:00

Here is the latest and greatest from the Hawaiian Islands! It's very exciting!!

so nothing really interesting happened this week...except zone conference and we focused on the atonement! oh and conference was AWESOME! i love conference now and im never going to miss it for anything again!

March 30, 2009

2009-04-01T14:52:00.001-07:00

So, I haven't heard from Kyle in awhile...and I suppose it is my fault as I have been so busy and haven't written him...hence the missing week! Anyway, this is the news this week!

this past week was the worst and best of my whole mission. the best near the beginning and the worst 2 days later. we got a referral from a member (you should always strive to give referrals to the missionaries!) and she was super solid with her 2 daughters and had been looking up lds.org and mormon.org and we taught the restoration and she knew it all already and at the end of the lesson we committed her for baptism in april and she said 'yeah of course!' and she wanted to pay tithing and even fast on fast sunday! but then we called her 2 days later to invite her to another ward's baptism and she said 'actually ive prayed about it and im not going to join so have a good day' *click* and we were like 'what the crap?!?!' so thats the news for this week... :/

March 9, 2009

2009-03-11T12:30:00.001-07:00

Here is the latest & greatest from our sweet Elder LaBarre:

haha good morning!
i hope march is a good month and i hope i find some awesome people to teach!but the baptism that we had planned for next sunday fell through because hewasnt ready :( It wasn't much fun , but oh well, it is his choice and I am here to teach.things in paradise are rainy! all week...but thats bound to happen on the wettest spot on the planet!
im glad the investigator came back and hopefully he becomes committed to live the gospel. were trying to work with ours but they never seem to like being home when we go there... :(

but we found this girl who is on our records as being blessed but not baptized and were going to go there tomorrow to teach her and were bringing the yw president and the beehives president so they can fellowship her! im excited!thats pretty much the news i have for youoh! and im staying here in kalaheo for at least another 6 weeks and i think my new companion is my brother (mission lingo) elder kaiser trained elder ioelu this transfer and i think ioelu is coming over to my area now so not only is he my brother, but im going to be his step-dad! haha (thats if hes coming over here!)
kyle

New photos

2009-03-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

Here is Elder LaBarre with a sister missionary on New Years
Elder LaBarre with a few other elders on New Years
In front of the Honolulu, HI temple
Some strange leg issue that hit all the elders...we thought it was more because of the drinks but they all have different drinks...I wonder what caused this?

A nice flower on a rainy day!
Zone Conference

Elder LaBarre staying proper! Good on ya bro!
Elder LaBarre at the beach...is that allowed!

Pinewood derby day!
Elder LaBarre with his new comp!
Thinking....

Pretty scenes in Hawaii!

March 3, 2009

2009-03-03T19:46:00.001-08:00

Kyle sent us another update...with photos!
haha well i actually gained 20 lbs before i had that bit of food poisoning, but after that i lost 10 lbs and ive managed to keep it off and actually lose 1 or 2 more! so im working my way back down to where i was when i started! and my whole plan to keep the weight off is to not eat as much lunch! (like eat a meal replacement bar and a v8 everyday) so i should be back to where i was in a transfer or 2 unless i go to a tongan ward... haha
concerning the baptism...it isnt gonna happen for the time being. he was all ready and then when he got to the interview he wouldnt go in and have it because he said he wasnt ready. and then he said that he tried to tell us that the day before but he really didnt. but thats ok because its his choice. and no where in my call does it say im to come to hawaii and baptize as many people as i can. i was called to preach and to invite. so as long as im magnifying my calling the Lord will bless me for it in some way or another!
but ill admit it felt like when you get dumped. so i wasnt too excited...but the Lord loves me and he wont forsake me so thats enough for me!
no i havent gotten my package yet but i think it should be here today! (everything on kauai is a day behind or something like that) so we get mail on mondays (but oahu doesnt because the office doesnt work on saturdays) but if you didnt send it usps then i wont get it until transfers because it will just be in the mission office!

Love,
Kyle

February 23, 2009

2009-02-23T12:34:00.001-08:00

More news from the island of Kauai:

well im not in a polynesian ward but if tongan is a thing president wants me to do then i will be in one! haha my ward here is predominantly hao le (white). ive gained about 10 lbs so far on my mission (most of it is muscle because of my first area) but im trying hard not to gain anymore!!!
im so glad amelia is healthy! i pray for her and lily pretty much every night!
i think we might have a baptism coming up in march with this guy! (all we were waiting for was for he and his fiancee to get married) so now they are and we can get him ready for baptism (he's ready for it) we just have to do a recap on the lessons and commitments! but im excited because its my first baptism. but ill try not to count my chickens before they hatch!
no i didnt get a package yet but now i know i need to look forward to one! maybe ill get it today!

i love you sister!
kyle

February 9, 2009

2009-02-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest and greatest from the Hawaiian Island of Kaui:

its hard some days with my companion ... so i just lead by example and try to be the best i can be...but its hard and it can be discouraging sometimes...:/ oh well i know that God loves me and will bless me for my efforts!
we found a potential investigator this past weekend and we have a return appointment with him on saturday! hopefully he is receptive!
also we found this woman who tried to bash with us and we destroyed her doctrinally and all she could come up with is 'why wont your church let the hill cumorah be excavated and how come there arent any bones or armor from that battle there?' and then she said that a friend of her mother in law apparently 'dug up some false documents in the church records and because he found them the church sent him a mail bomb!' wow. thats so believable! haha and then she sent my companion some anti stuff that claims the church contradicts itself on several points so we just told her to check out lds.org and mormon.org to find out info on our views as a church. i used the anology of you dont go to a foot doctor for open heart surgery. (further clarification about the "bashing"):
we didnt really bash. she just raised the questions and we answered them with true doctrines. (she couldnt get a comback to those) and it wasnt an atmosphere of anger or anything, but she sent the anti stuff and its kind of runny because the guy she used as a source is an ex-mormon atheist. and yet she views him as a viable source of info on our faith! haha she did ask us how joseph smith died and i told her and bore my testimony of the divinity of his call and work and his death sealing his testimony in blood! and the Spirit was very strong in that moment (for me at least) and it renewed my testimony!
i dont know if that is his case but i know i havent had many opportunities to teach and i havent baptized anyone so far! but thats ok because im not here to baptize. im hear to invite!
hopefully she finds real truth and stops being an enemy of truth. :D
i love you sister and i thank you for your prayers and support!
kyle

February 2, 2009

2009-02-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

Kyle has been transferred as we all know, and he is doing GREAT! Here are some words from our missionary!

the letters (in Tongan) are a,e,i,o,u,m,n,ng,t,k,f,l,s,p,v

haha im already learning some tongan words and i know how to pronounce it already so that has helped me!
i have a tongan preach my gospel book and im gonna be getting a tongan learning packet for effective teaching! As far as i know ill be on kauai for the rest of my mission... or maybe ill go to big island or maui! haha but who knows? ofa i api (i's are pronounced as an e sound) that means love at home!im super excited to learn the language though! and i cant wait till im fluent!haha
town called kalaheo. with the area were teaching 3 people and we plan to commit one for baptism at the next appointment for march (she has a word of wisdom problem) the area is pretty big! i went from covering like 1/3 of a town to covering about 5 towns! haha half the members are less active over here... oh also we email a whole lot earlier than in mililani! we usually email around 8-9 am so thats fun!
my comp isnt as bad as i had been prepared to deal with. im working on him subtlely because i want the end of his mission to be good and i want him to work hard. so i just suggest things (and i drive) and he is cool with what i suggest (i present it in a way that makes it desireable to do!) and ive also learned to pick my battles. some things arent worth fighting for. like if he doesnt get up in the morning to exercise then im not gonna fight him over it because thats his time. so thats a valuable lesson ive learned... pick your battles!
haha other than that things are great and im excited for the transfer!

i love you

kyle

January 26, 2009

2009-01-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

heres my news!

so ive been on a water diet for the past 2 days and the only food ive had since yesterday is a thing of ritz crackers...yes i am getting transferred on wednesday and guess where im going?!?! im leavin on a jet plane! thats right baby! im going kauai! hahaha im so excited to go off-island! and my mission president called this morning and told me hes sending me to a dying missionary (he goes home after this transfer) and that im to push him hard everyday and make him die strong! and that while im there im to learn as much tongan from him as i can and judge on my abilities after the 6 weeks will determine if i become a tongan speaking missionary! haha so cool! he said 'elder labarre this is a chance for you to really step up!' so im excited!
yeah i hope mirna moves up her date too! that would be cool! but im kinda bummed wont get to see her get baptized... but thats alright. as long as she does get baptized ill be happy! yeah thats all my news for the week so :D
i love you!
kyle

January 20, 2009

2009-01-20T21:45:00.000-08:00

Here is the note from Kyle this week:
haha its alright! you have to worry about more things than me! that stinks about amelia but good thing its just her baby teeth! things out here are good! mirna has a baptism date in april (that will hopefully move up to feb before she goes to OTS) and mari should get baptized in feb (she wants to go to relief society before getting baptized because thats what it will be like the rest of her life) so thats understandable. and were helping jen quit smoking and she said shed read the bom once a day everyday! i dont know if she came to stake conference but she wants to come but has some trouble because of her son (severely handicapped)
this sunday we find out who gets transfered so monday ill be able to let you know if im going!
i love you sister!
kyle

January 12, 2009

2009-01-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

Kyle sent this e-mail to our mom:

well we havent been able to talk to mari for the past 2 weeks because the timeschanged for the meetings and she has to drive about an hour to get to church soshe hasnt been able to make it...but were going to suggest the 24th for her (ifits not too late) and hopefully shes ok with that! things are going good!transfers are coming up on the 28 so the night of the 25 ill know whats happening! i dont really have any stories right now haha but ill definitely let you knowwhen i get some! haha i love you mom! have a wonderful week!also! thank you so much for not letting us as children watch the filth that is on tv. because of that i never really watched much tv that everyone else seems to watch. it has always been cartoon network, history channel and disney channel, and if not those i wouldnt watch tv! so thank you for your stirctness in that because if you had let us i would have been de-sensitized and would have been sucked into it! so thank you!love you :Dkyle

January 5, 2009

2009-01-09T11:38:00.003-08:00

We didn't hear about any crazy missionary New Year's celebrations this week, maybe next week! This is the word from Hawaii this week (as you can see short and to the point):
we just have to schedule the date for mari and then she will be set! so we'll give her a call this week to see what she decided! im superexcited and i seriously hope that it goes through! :D love you

December 29, 2008

2009-01-09T11:36:00.005-08:00

Okay, so I have been really slack getting updates on here for the past two weeks. No excuses, and I will attempt to be better!
Here is the letter from Kyle:
so guess what happened on friday? we had an island wide thunder/lightning storm (very rare in hawaii) and because of that we had an island wide black out! and it lasted from 7pm friday night to saturday noon! we were about to start cooking at a members house when it happened and so we whipped out the camping stove and cooked on there! i make schweineschnitzel! it was sooo good! haha and then on sunday we talked to mari and shes ready to get baptized!!! in january!!! woot! shes looking over the saturdays in the month and will let us know which one she wants to do it on! and we had a lesson with mirna and weve taught her everything and i told her so, and that we feel that she would be ready for baptism but its her choice and we dont want her to feel pushed but we asked her to pray about baptism this week and also about the truthfulness of the book of mormon. i told her that if the bom isnt true than joseph smith was a liar and we dont have the authority to baptize but if it is true then he was a prophet and we do have the authority from God to perform saving ordinances. so she said shed pray about it this week and we have a lesson with her this coming weekend so itll should be good! so we very well might have 2 baptisms this coming month! woot!
other than that i just talked to you less than a week ago so i dont have much else to say :D love kyle

December 22, 2008

2008-12-23T09:18:00.001-08:00

Elder LaBarre informed me that his new companion is Elder Stoddard who is from Clearfield, Utah. That was the extent of the information since we will be talking with him on Thursday! I will have more updates after that! He did say though, that if you e-mail him to please e-mail him at kyle_308@myldsmail.net because his hotmail account isn't working right. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

December 15, 2008

2008-12-15T19:28:00.001-08:00

Transfers are occuring this week and Elder LaBarre's trainer has been moved. We do not currently have the latest information on the new companion, but Elder LaBarre is extremely excited to have a new companion and someone new to learn from! This is what Kyle said about his trainer and the things he learned from him, "from him ive learned that i want to be a really hard working obedient missionary. also with him ive learned patience, humility, and love."
Kyle finally sent some additional photos, so here they are!
Here is the Hawaii temple

We are guessing that this is the missionaries on Halloween...
Elder LaBarre with one of the elders in his flat

Elder LaBarre wanting to make something...
Elder LaBarre burned his toothbrush as a 3 month mark celebration...why I am not sure...but whatever!
Elder LaBarre sweating...profusely! He needs a fan!

Here is a bit of scenery for your enjoyment!

December 8, 2008

2008-12-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

so not much has been going on...weve been teaching the same people. we got geoff to come to church though!! thats exciting! thanksgiving was good! we just chilled at a members house, had a lil zone activity and ate...a lot! were going to commit mirna and mari to baptism hopefully this coming sunday! christmas is almost here and it feels like i just left! i burned my toothbrush this past wednesday because it was my 3 month mark ;)
what else? i dont know what else :D
so until next week :D
love kyle

Kyle's Protest

2008-12-01T17:28:00.001-08:00

So, Kyle is protesting sending any information over the world wide web because he wants mail...so.............I too am guilty for not sending a handwritten heart felt memoir to my little bro...so let's get to it!! Hopefully he will lighten up this protest when he starts receiving the letters he is requesting!

November 17, 2008

2008-11-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

Remember to send him some snail mail...he doesn't usually have time to answer all the e-mails that he receives as he is only at the library for about half an hour or so to respond to e-mails where he can respond to your handwritten letter much easier. Plus, who doesn't like getting mail in the mail box?? I know I do! Okay, enough on the subject from me...here is what is going on in our missionary's life!

"So today I woke up to 75 degrees, a slight breeze, dew from last night and minimal humidity. Then I went for a run with Elder Walker (he's the new elder in the pad and he's been out for one transfer more than me, so that's cool!) But I wish I had woken up to snow :( "
"I'm a lil sick because my ZL got me sick. So I'm trying to beat it up! This week we went tracting a lot via my request and found 2 new investigators because I basically promised the Lord that I would work harder and I knew he would bless us because of my willingness to do what we had to do. The ward doesn't ever give us anybody to teach, they just act interested in the work but don't really help us out much. One of the new investigators is more than likely going to be baptized in 3 weeks!! She came to church and we had only started teaching her the day before!"

November 10, 2008

2008-11-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

Once again, a plea for handwritten letters was sent out from our dear elder. Last week he did not receive any mail. So...let's get writing!!!
He was not transferred and he and his companion got another companion (Elder Walker). Elder Walker has been on his mission one month longer than Kyle.
He was a bit down this week because of the lack of love received from family and friends in the written communication type. Hopefully we will all step up and get some mail out to our wonderful missionary!!! Get writing!!

November 3, 2008

2008-11-04T20:44:00.000-08:00

I asked Kyle if he needed anything and he mentioned that he would really appreciate having some mail. He is only able to check his e-mail once a week, which is great...but nothing like receiving a letter in the mail on another day. So...all...let's pull out the paper and pen and start writing!! His address is listed on the right.

October 27, 2008

2008-10-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest from our missionary!! I did ask him how quickly he will get packages...obviously I'm a bit late...but here is some great happenings on the Hawaiian mission front!

i dont know how quickly because i havent gotten any packages. but it takes about 5-10 days for me to get letters.
we gave him foundation for his prayers. and i didnt know that d&c 134 was all about that! i should let him know! because i couldnt find much about it. i just told him d & c 132:45 where it says God reveals all things and restores all things in due time, but now i can really help him if thats the section for sure! he doesnt have a problem with joseph smith or the book of mormon. just that it seems like the church changes because of social pressure. and with polygamy i told him that it has always been off and on throughout history (abraham had it but nephites didnt)
but yeah. he said that our answers were better than any he had recieved before and that he would definitely pray about it!
i dont have a family pic, or any thing and i still need my priesthood line!
thats cool about amelia! i cant wait to see her growth! thats cool that youre a ward missionary! and we found a new investigator this week! her name is jennifer and she has a husband in the military and she has a 4 year old son with extreme special needs. so we taught her the restoration last week and wednesday were teaching her the plan of salvation which will be especially good for her because of her son! so i think that this will really be good and she'll get baptized!
thats cool that youre doing the work too! but i gotta check more emails now! haha if you could let kelly and mom see this email that would be cool so i wouldnt have to write everything out again! thanks sis! i love you too

kyle

Letter from the Mission President

2008-10-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

All - Here is a letter that was sent by the mission president. Please be courteous of his request and understand that it is for the benefit of Kyle so he can be the most productive missionary he can be!

Dear Sister LaBarre,

Aloha! We are grateful to have your missionary in our mission. We have had several situations recently that have prompted me to call your attention to a most difficult and delicate matter. My strongest desire is to help your missionary succeed as a missionary. Consequently with great love and sensitivity, I need to discuss with you the issue of visits to Hawaii by family and friends.

Our missionaries face a difficult challenge. While many may half jokingly remark that a mission in Hawaii is a prolonged vacation, the realities are that the beauty of this place is both a blessing and a burden. The streets are filled iwth people in recreation apparel and the atmosphere is often one of distraction. Our Elders must face this in white shirts and ties and our Sisters in dresses. They work diligently to bring the message of Eternal Life through Christ to souls caught up in temporal pleasures. If they lose focus in their calling, they frequently turn their thoughts towards their home and friends. They become discouraged, sad and unproductive.
We love our missionaries. We spend many hours strengthening them, counseling them, and providing encouragement which will lift their spirits and give them courage to continue in the work of the Lord. You can help us in this effort to strengthen your missionary.

Hawaii is among the world's most sought after vacation spots. The families of many of our missionaries plan vacations to Hawaii. We regularly hear from parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, acquaintances, friends of relatives, ward members, former ward members, school chums and others requesting addresses and phone numbers of missionaries so they can "just say hi" or take them to lunch, dinner, church meetings, sightseeing, meeting companions, meeting former companions, visiting members, new converts, investigators, former ward members and countless other "activities" always for just a few minutes or just an hour. Experience has proved these visits to be uniformly adverse to the best interests of the missionary. The missionary frequently loses the Spirit in his or her work. The companion of the missionary is also adversely affected somtimes even more dramatically.

Many parents request an "exception" for excellent reasons. however, the visit by family or friends always is communicated through the astonishingly effective grapevine and every missionary who wants to see family or friends on their vacation trip reminds us that "so and so" got to see their family, why not me?

We urge you not to plan any vacation trip to Hawaii while your missionary is serving here. If you do plan such a trip to Hawaii, we strongly urge you to avoid any contact with your missionary. Do not plan to meet up with them, attend church where they are laboring, request they have meals with you or arrange any contact whatsoever. Please inform all other family members of this request and discourage friends likewise. We plead with you to not write your missionary and ask them to request permission for family or friends to visit. All such requests have the potential to create tension and disappointment in the missionaries that we love so much.

We know of your love for your missionary. Please join with us in protecting your missionary so your missionary can obtain the fullness of the Spirit that comes from dedication, focused service to the Lord.
Sincerely,

Stephen N. Peterson
President

Comments

2008-10-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

All,

Now, I know that a lot of you may be blog illiterate and not know how to place comments...so this is going to teach you how to do that. Elder LaBarre comes on here periodically (i.e. yesterday) and there were no comments for him to see! So...take out a pen and paper...or better yet, as you are reading follow the instructions:

1. Click on the link that says "Comments", this can be found at the end of any of the posts (currently all but one say "0 comments")

2. Type in your comment in the "Leave Your Comment" box (be sure to sign your name at the end so Elder LaBarre knows who left the comment)

3. Click "Publish Your Comment"

See how simple that is? Also...we have a "followers" section that you can add yourself to. No, you do not need to worry about adding a photo if you don't want to...but that is another way to show Kyle who is coming on here and following his mission! So, lets get going!!

October 20, 2008

2008-10-21T08:26:00.001-07:00

Here is the e-mail from this week:

this week has been slow. we didnt recruit or baptize anyone, but we finally found out what the hold up is for geoff and tiffany in their progression! they have a problem with like the whole polygamy thing and black suddenly getting thepriesthood, like why the church decided to change their doctrine (and to him it seems like they did it under the pressure of the world movements and should have held their ground to keep the doctrines) obviously we tried the
easiest answers but he wants more written proof i guess so were gonna call the mission president and ask for his advise! or just talk to him tomorrow because its zone conference tomorrow!
I miss the snow :( and cold :( and the need for hot chocolate :( but yes, elder kaiser and i get along just fine haha my bike works again. a member fixed it for me (got me new bearings and put them in for me!) so that was cool! no bike accidents and im healthy! well im running out of time again so until next week captain planet!
love kyle :D

Handwritten Letter - October 18, 2008

2008-10-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

I received a handwritten letter from Elder LaBarre today...that would be why I didn't get an e-mail to share with all of you last Monday. He had sent a couple of handwritten letters to our sister, Kelly, I was feeling a bit left out (I get the mail)...so I complained (I know I'm a terrible sister) so he sent me a snail mail letter and no e-mail. I think there needs to be some sort of balance between e-mails and letters seeing that I am giving his fans the info they desire! Needless to say, his letter was pretty entertaining since he is seeking forgiveness for not handwriting letters to me...so enjoy!!
** Note** This letter is partially written in cursive!

My Dearest Sister Heather,
I hope that thou canst forgive the folly of not hand-writing you a letter, because I am truly sorry for my neglect! I guess I just figured it would be alright because you write me e-mails a lot and Kelly doesn't as much as you do. So I'm sorry! ... There really isn't anything new to report this week besides that we taught Christine the first lesson from Preach My Gospel and she received it well! So that was good! Other than that I've just been gaining muscle and losing fat! Our dinner calendar is full all the time which is good! I don't have much food between dinner and dinner most days (I guess breakfast I east some oats).

Love,
Elder LaBarre

PS. No matter what you see yourself as, you're always at "10" in God's eyes!

Isn't he a good brother?!?! Gotta love him! Until next time!

October 13, 2008

2008-10-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

So, today's e-mails were full of nothing!!! Pure NOTHING!!! So, he got a bit of torment. I do suppose we should feel lucky that we got photos this week...so...no worries...hopefully next week! Love to you all!! Mind you, this would be the perfect opportunity for you the humble readers to leave a comment so we know who is scoping Kyle's site! Thanks.

Some Photos To Enjoy

2008-10-11T22:03:00.001-07:00

Kyle finally sent some photos! So, here is a brief highlight of his time at the MTC and his beginning days in Hawaii!! Enjoy!!

Elder LaBarre and Elder Buhrley.

Climbing on walls...I think this is where he gets the nickname "Spider"??

Elder LaBarre's District visiting the Provo Temple

Elder LaBarre enjoying a game of pretend basketball?

The great plan of salvation! I love the kits!

Elder LaBarre and his MTC companion, Elder Buhrley pointing to Hawaii on the map (can you see it??)

Elder LaBarre's MTC District with a teacher.

Oh the mischief elders get up to in the dorms!!

Here is Hawaii!!!

Oh sweet! Elder LaBarre's "dad" (Elder Kaiser) made him a sign! In the mission field, when a missionary trains another missionary we refer to the trainer as a dad or a mom (mom is for sister missionaries) of the new missionary and they have their mission family tree.

Bored on the first day??
Is he trying to tell us something?

I am guessing this is Elder LaBarre's apartment decorated for Halloween!

October 6, 2008

2008-10-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

This is exerpts from Kyle's e-mail today, mind you I didn't remove anything of relevance. I'm trying to get information out of him. If you want a question asked and answered, just put it as a comment to any of the entries and I will be sure the question is asked and answered! Also, we'd love to see who is following Kyle's mission...so leave comments!! Love to you all!

"The investigators that I've met are Tiffany and we just got 2 more on Saturday by referral, Christine and her daughter! She wanted a chinese Book of Mormon because she's a linguist for the army and wants to learn her chinese better! And learn a lil about our church and beliefs and her daughter is 11 and interested and familiar already with the church! So thats cool. Tiffany and Geoff Browne. Geoff is less active but we're working on him too! So that's good and Tiffany is pregnant and they have 2 others (younger than 8). Mililani is on Oahu and it's about as far from the ocean that you can get on the island! ha ha My companion is Tyson Kaiser and he's from Broomfield, Colorado! So that's cool!"

More Info...from Kendra Kaiser

2008-09-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

So, let's just say that Kyle is not the most informative person...so luckily we have others that are willing to give us some further information! Kyle's trainer is Elder Kaiser from Broomfield, Colorado. He has been on his mission for 14 months (which is great because Kyle has a seasoned trainer). Our mom received an e-mail from Elder Kaiser's mom giving us some of the information! Where Kyle is serving is on the island of Oahu (you can see on the map below the zone break down). Kendra (Elder Kaiser's mom) indicated that the people of Hawaii, members and non-members of our church, are friendly. She said that the members feed the missionaries very well and send left-overs home with the missionaries. Good think Kyle is in a biking area...lose some of the added lbs.!! Anyway...until next week! Hopefully Kyle will start to open up a bit more and give us the goods!! Until then...

September 29, 2008

2008-09-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

Here is the e-mail I got from Kyle today...if I get more e-mails from others I will add them to this!! I had asked him about his street contacting and how it went.

"well it was good! we gave away our copies of the bom and got numbers for follow up! but thats not my area. im in the mililani zone in the mililani 1st ward! the members are super awesome! and we have 3 investigators and hopefully one about to be baptized! ill be mailing home my memory card probably next week cause its almost full!!"

HAWAII OR BUST!!!

2008-09-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

On September 23, 2008 Kyle left his stay at the MTC and left for Honolulu. He attempted to call our mom, who forgot her phone...so we didn't really get to hear from him prior to his departure from Utah to Hawaii. We haven't heard from him personally, but we received an e-mail from his mission president and his wife. Here is the contents of their e-mail (they included photos):

Aloha LaBarre Family,

Elder LaBarre has arrived safely in the Hawaii Honolulu Mission, has done some street contacting in Honolulu, been assigned to his first area and companion and is off and running. He looks fabulous and we are excited to have him in our mission. We will take good care of him over the next 2 years--he will truly become one of our sons.

Attached are a couple of pictures taken shortly after he arrived.

Mahalo nui loa and much aloha,

President & Sister Peterson

MTC Comp

2008-09-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Kyle in his quick e-mail on 9/17/08 indicated that his MTC companion is Elder Blake Buhrley, who is from North Ogden, Utah. That is pretty much it...perhaps one day we will receive pictures!! When we do, it is promised to be posted!

September 10, 2008

2008-09-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

This was our first e-mail from Kyle after he entered the MTC, as soon as we receive photos we will get them on here!!

i just set up this account for the next 2 years and also tell kelly and family and what not that if they want me to get their emails day of (this applies to you too!) so i thought i wouldnt have as much time to type all thats been happening (by the way thanks for the shot records!!) so last night we had a devotional with president uchtdorf and he gave an apostolic blessing to the missionaries and
their families and ill send it word for word in a letter! but he was talking about missionary work. and he told us to work our heels off and to never forget the weight of our calling and that we are the extended arm of the apostles and we're doing their work! and the spirit was so strong when he said that we would bless the lives of generations to come, after he shared how thankful he
was of the missionaries that converted his wife;'s family!
we've been learning so much! i wish i could share with you all the lessons ive been learning (in detail) but ive had lessons on humility (these are personal spirit taught and not a class lesson) patience and notetaking! president scott said that if you write down your thoughts and notes and such the lord with bless you and cause those things youve written down to come to you
in a time of need and you recieve a better chance of getting more revelation and deeper insight!
i now love taking notes! and its awesome to look back on my study journal and see my spiritual progression and see the thoughts i have while studying and how they still apply! its so awesome here! i cant wait to go out and bless peoples lives!

love
elder labarre

MTC Day

2008-09-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

On September 3, 2008 my mom, my sister Kelly, her husband Jason, Rob, Amelia and I took Kyle out to lunch at Tucano's in Provo and then took him to the MTC. It was a sad but great day! Kyle will be gone for 2 years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii. He received his mission call the day of his high school graduation and we were all there that day too! It has been a joy seeing Kyle grow up and now going on a mission. He is a great kid and will do great things for the people of Hawaii! I love you Kyle and am proud of you!! Here are some photos of the day!
Here we are at Tucano's waiting for the food to come!

Here is Kyle taking his luggage to the MTC...what's with the white sunnies?
Kyle and Kelly getting ready to cross the street from the parking lot to the MTC.
A quick family shot before going inside, including from L-R Me, Amelia, Rob, Jason, Kelly, Kyle and my mom!
Because Kyle had a brand new suit on, he hadn't used his pocket, so Kelly was very helpful and helped unstitch the thread in his pocket!
Although Kyle was set apart as a missionary for over a week at this point, but going into the MTC he received his name tag with the famous "Dork Dot". For those of you who have served a mission and gone to the MTC you know exactly what I am talking about...for those of you who don't know what it is, let me tell you! When a missionary goes into the MTC they receive their name tag. On their first name tag is a bright orange dot that shows that it is the missionaries first day at the MTC. Basically those that have been at the MTC for a week or so give them a bit of a hard time (thinking they are cool because they have been at the MTC for a week). It is pretty funny! Anyway, the mom is the one that gets to put the missionary's first name tag on. So that was cool for my mom!
Here is my mom with our Elder LaBarre!

Here is Kelly & Jason with Elder LaBarre

Rob, Amelia & I with Elder LaBarre
Kelly, mom, and I with Elder LaBarre
Elder LaBarre and I right before going into the meeting room...where we will say our goodbyes.
Amelia with her uncle Elder LaBarre. When he comes home Amelia will be 3 and walking and talking! I can't even imagine!!

After all these photos were taken we went into a meeting room where the missionaries are welcomed by the MTC president and given a bit of instruction on what will happen in the MTC. It is a pretty hectic schedule but the most spiritual and uplifting time a person can ever have. I'm excited to hear from my brother! I will try to keep people updated on his mission! Love you Kyle!!!

The Call to Serve

2008-09-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

We went to Colorado on the last weekend of May to see Kyle graduate from high school! His graduation took place at Red Rocks Amphitheater, which was an amazing venue. After graduation we went to lunch at Olive Garden and then went to our mom's and checked the mail. In the mail was Kyle's mission call!!! We all ran inside and started making phone calls to our sister Aaron, our brother Peter and Kelly's husband, Jason for all to hear where Elder LaBarre would be sent. Of course we gave Kyle rules, such as he was not to jump ahead and read where he was going before reading it out loud, and he had to read every line. As Kyle began reading the spirit hit me so hard that here my baby brother was going on a mission, something he has been preparing his whole life for. Kyle is called to the Honolulu, Hawaii mission and reports to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on September 3, 2008. Kyle will be English speaking. This is so exciting!! I am so excited for Kyle! Since he received his call, he went to the temple in preparation for his mission. Rob was his escort and it was a wonderful day. It was a very filling weekend!