tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50563304013398126502024-03-12T19:45:54.448-07:00Elder Kent Masulonis: Raleigh, North Carolina And Chesapeake Virginia MissionsElder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-72827426413432910842013-08-26T21:24:00.000-07:002013-08-26T21:24:58.242-07:00August 26th 2013 Pics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUSSU02WnFBU42op0O-gdrO-1-vkyNRPHyDYgASEysN6sllYM2auDpfb3_jPxS8sIpVygZ4uA7sajdf6-qbA0PVCEeMC5gccppjqgg138UiXHvQcoxfHYSdpY4efSm1BNuYpoTGrdH1s/s1600/IMG_2647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUSSU02WnFBU42op0O-gdrO-1-vkyNRPHyDYgASEysN6sllYM2auDpfb3_jPxS8sIpVygZ4uA7sajdf6-qbA0PVCEeMC5gccppjqgg138UiXHvQcoxfHYSdpY4efSm1BNuYpoTGrdH1s/s640/IMG_2647.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznlZEu7utI4yWHLAfSTBX5SD8Lbtmv-vPAvSUWRTtT02by-B0yxqXmHHpnCn8bHyXAXOPYN1PDXG0nOBV3-lfRLVMx3t7GxZHao1FMFE4bV48ZwHnsjnd0fL2dDmvWP-sJVEzW0CSNzE/s1600/IMG_2670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznlZEu7utI4yWHLAfSTBX5SD8Lbtmv-vPAvSUWRTtT02by-B0yxqXmHHpnCn8bHyXAXOPYN1PDXG0nOBV3-lfRLVMx3t7GxZHao1FMFE4bV48ZwHnsjnd0fL2dDmvWP-sJVEzW0CSNzE/s640/IMG_2670.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFuNPlAH_QHGh7gPGLLv7nw9C4E5l-89H6gBxiNngq4X_WU3yp9XUJXqM-t5C7iZkqy5KwNS9gv2iUHjoI80-kG8dAWpomVhd-7EemoUGwq8C5CC6zLYCq-Zt0vUrnK_s3EABmmShoWg/s1600/IMG_2681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFuNPlAH_QHGh7gPGLLv7nw9C4E5l-89H6gBxiNngq4X_WU3yp9XUJXqM-t5C7iZkqy5KwNS9gv2iUHjoI80-kG8dAWpomVhd-7EemoUGwq8C5CC6zLYCq-Zt0vUrnK_s3EABmmShoWg/s640/IMG_2681.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-49560805296753819502013-08-26T21:18:00.001-07:002013-08-26T21:18:27.571-07:00August 26, 2013<span style="font-size: x-large;">There are a few other things that i think i need to tell you... im not sure... but i wanted to tell you about this experience i had the other day. with this experience, i have to say that i have never in my life felt so much like the minority for such a long time in my life. Elder Brimley and i were going to contact some referrals we got and as we were riding our bikes down this neighborhood, i was realizing more and more that people started starring at us more and there were more and more Black people. so we kept of going and people were yelling stuff like, " hey white boys!" or "hey look! its the white boys!" i was baffled. i was like what in tarnation! this is crazy. well, ask we continued biking down the neighborhood, we heard some loud speakers playing and saw some smoke. once we got closer, we saw a huge block party. and everyone there but elder Brimley and i was black. there must have been a few hundered people there. it was crazy. and im not being racist or descrimanatory or anything, but that experience helped me see that the culture of white people and the culture of black people are different. nothing bad happened, but i have to say that for some reason i felt a little uncomfortable. they gave us some hotdogs and chicken though, that was nice of them. i wonder if that what balck people feel like in Idaho. :)<br />ya, conference will be great! with my luck all the speakers will all talk about getting married and stuff like that. i think it would be great to be with you and randy for conference. with this whole divorce thing, it makes it difficult to make solid commitments though. im not sure if there will be any problem for conference, but i hope you understand that its difficult for me to make solid commitments because im not sure what dad has in his plans. <br /><br />Dont worry, im not trunky. infact, its been fairly easy for me to not be trunky lately. i am working hard and i have agreat companion right now. so unless things somehow change before i get back i will let you know. but im pretty sure that is unlikely. <br /><br />i also think that we should try to make a visit out there in Tennessee. i think that would be great. and i was also hoping that that time would be around the same time as the sealing of the Ross family out here. they are some of my converts from Raleigh. i think i remember her saying that she would friend me on facebook. so if you go on my facebook, and see if you can contact her so see when they are planning on going to the temple, that would be absolutely fantastic! man, im sounding pretty needy too. that would be a vey important thing for me. i also have some things that i will be sending back to you. so dont be suprised if you get a few packages of stuff in the next few weeks. i hope that your weeks goes well. i love you very much and hope to hear from you soon. <br /><br /><br />-LOVE, ELDER MASULONIS </span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-86758594782808036182013-07-20T13:10:00.003-07:002013-07-20T13:11:21.134-07:00Pics for your pleasure. July 20-2013<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDWJtdLsE_Y3seNfNlFIdTuqjO_VWuMbnNZe21tedOUWVqaC0wvq8NJLvknkmH6AhAM3ARMd3TzE1IHqXrjFzCMqyEYIwAgKCh7rrUZ7_q-YAxDpDCd565p-OszEaPZYUIrNr_54H2R0/s1600/SANY6090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDWJtdLsE_Y3seNfNlFIdTuqjO_VWuMbnNZe21tedOUWVqaC0wvq8NJLvknkmH6AhAM3ARMd3TzE1IHqXrjFzCMqyEYIwAgKCh7rrUZ7_q-YAxDpDCd565p-OszEaPZYUIrNr_54H2R0/s640/SANY6090.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: start;">mission buddy of the NCRM who i came out with. Elder Hewlett</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FTniKbKZk52lDXFFZg1MAAJ-0E6Nz1K-F_2YrTK6kiZMyvq8eV-8C-xXZVpgpSkWccytxNnlkBfJv8NtluspVjhXliWyhdr1gnnKkNzjn2NLi5feWFllyvPTJSbMufe-1yxelV9b2J8/s1600/SANY6093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FTniKbKZk52lDXFFZg1MAAJ-0E6Nz1K-F_2YrTK6kiZMyvq8eV-8C-xXZVpgpSkWccytxNnlkBfJv8NtluspVjhXliWyhdr1gnnKkNzjn2NLi5feWFllyvPTJSbMufe-1yxelV9b2J8/s640/SANY6093.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: start;">mission buddy of the NCRM </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKq66wrZSqpJTl5rDkbB_UdzPyPW_lwqaZfHqs_ePpc0HrVteytfsom0AlmxB8duNQLtIVr_9YG9sfgdvVTQlChCV5dYdRNfPhovy1VkuHcxLKTW5i90WG9f56LYh45UasyABUefeFFzI/s1600/SANY6097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKq66wrZSqpJTl5rDkbB_UdzPyPW_lwqaZfHqs_ePpc0HrVteytfsom0AlmxB8duNQLtIVr_9YG9sfgdvVTQlChCV5dYdRNfPhovy1VkuHcxLKTW5i90WG9f56LYh45UasyABUefeFFzI/s640/SANY6097.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: start;">Elder stauffer and i on the beach together for our morning work out. Don't worry, its allowed.</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBRSTQokNWWmPNDt3okMFAge_cZalhyoxemPPm7CGJ6OBkLzXR4hGnEP6jn-PllIeFFeCWZoi-NYsMcapIizkLM-YIDKCUwVLnbbONpDU4k5dtkUP7rYZerL9ijzL2kB63ufZtr8xTEQ/s1600/SANY6100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBRSTQokNWWmPNDt3okMFAge_cZalhyoxemPPm7CGJ6OBkLzXR4hGnEP6jn-PllIeFFeCWZoi-NYsMcapIizkLM-YIDKCUwVLnbbONpDU4k5dtkUP7rYZerL9ijzL2kB63ufZtr8xTEQ/s640/SANY6100.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: start;">Bet you've never seen a crab that big before!</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: start;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: start;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-niFtq3UngY5Jh5Yd0CxGClTKPTrAWUCGCYAcNflpwAHGXAwq8YAf9iGg2BF1N_JfyIAtKXDovbbqDwzEVjfjDuFz1KHkYVz91CAtF-jbYD13Wh-DvTZ3HeSJmF5TX7xtvmoSH-qbiM/s1600/SANY6106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-niFtq3UngY5Jh5Yd0CxGClTKPTrAWUCGCYAcNflpwAHGXAwq8YAf9iGg2BF1N_JfyIAtKXDovbbqDwzEVjfjDuFz1KHkYVz91CAtF-jbYD13Wh-DvTZ3HeSJmF5TX7xtvmoSH-qbiM/s640/SANY6106.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: start;">
</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">here is one of the people that i </span>interviewed<span style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"> for baptism.</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-22180464363959073192013-06-03T17:03:00.000-07:002013-06-03T17:03:18.283-07:00June 2 3013<span style="font-size: x-large;">Dear Mom,</span><div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">im in a district right now where the sister missionaries havent had alot of training. the reason that is, is beacuse the only time that elders can give training to sisters here is during district meetings, and zone meetings. which has caused somewhat of a problem. oh and elders can't correct sisters. there just isnt very much communication between the elders and the sisters because president bernhisel is trying to avoid any of the missionaries from having inappropriate relationships with eachother since there are so many more sisters coming out. some of the problems that the sisters have been bringing up are, disobedience, laziness, and lack of knowledge of how to do the work effectively. i dont know if its like that in other missions, but its common in this one. so i keep praying that jessi will be trained well and that she will be able to start off on the right foot. i know that she will be a very good missionary. one of the biggest things that i could stress to someone preparing to serve a mission is to commit to follow with exactness their leaders and the lord. obedience is such a critical factor in missionary work. i think that ive explained my thoughts about obedience before though. so, onto the next subject.<br /><br />shara was asking me about what names i thought were some good girl names, but i couldnt think of any because, well, im not really thinking of girls right now. but its good to know that i officially have a niece.<br /><br />so this week i was given a challenge that i will have to show you in a little while. elder packard said that i couldnt drink 2 eggs raw. so i had so show him that i could. ( i guess there is still a little bit of kid in me.) he thought i would blow chunks everywhere. but i was able to drink them and keep them down. mom, ill tell you what, it is so weird that my taste buds are changing since ive been out here. i think that my tolerance for food has deffinately increased. <br /><br />i cant remember exactly where we should be in reading the D&C backwards, but i know that im around section 129 too. i also found out that taybree is also going to do it too. i dont think she is going to read it backwards, but she said that she is doing it when i last heard from her. <br /><br />that was so great to see randys picture. i sure do love him. he is such a great kid. i love it when you send pictures. they are the best. and speaking of the pictures, tell jessi that in her picture, she looked really pretty. but once you tell her that, realize that her looks wont matter as much for the next year and a half. speaking of which, does that mean that she will be getting home on christmas eve of next year? that would be an amazing gift for her. also if that wouldnt make her trunky, i would know what would. just kidding. i wouldnt want to wish that on anyone. is jessi al prepared and stuff for leaving on july? does she need to get her own bike? the sisters out her are often times on bikes. how that works, i have no clue. but evidently it works because president has it happen all the time. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />today we are going to go to a light house out at cape lookout. ive seen pictures of it all over the place so im pretty excited to see it. i will have to send you some pictures. <br /><br />this transfer im going to be staying in morehead city. but surprise surprise, im going to be training...again. this will be my 3rd time training.its pretty crazy. i can kind of predict though that i will be getting transfered for my last transfer. i only have 3 left. so i will train for 2 of them, and then probably get transfered somewhere else for my last transfer. <br /><br />i love you mom, i hope that you are able to continue to feel the spirit this week and that your testimony will grow. i love the atonement. i love my God. and i love you and the family. <br /><br /><br />-LOVE ELDER MASULONIS</span></div>
Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-58984749248975809742013-05-25T12:07:00.001-07:002013-05-25T12:08:07.755-07:00Wildlife in Morehead City North Carolina<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFMxOGcAuqp0eaBqkiB_BhjwALzufRXAvJvcA33CBCH93euNveZEbmlR6CYlEhspOFMZoWP0ZRff9YAM4iwTtdAOBKo4vqeNE3JT_EGYbb3Kh5KPuUn8N0ZmNy-wa1sVCjU8rEFu_55Q/s1600/SANY0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFMxOGcAuqp0eaBqkiB_BhjwALzufRXAvJvcA33CBCH93euNveZEbmlR6CYlEhspOFMZoWP0ZRff9YAM4iwTtdAOBKo4vqeNE3JT_EGYbb3Kh5KPuUn8N0ZmNy-wa1sVCjU8rEFu_55Q/s640/SANY0024.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ke<span style="font-size: small;">nt and his companion hunted a rat down inside their place. I'm sure it was a great adventure, but from mom's across the world, we scream out NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBM3wiVcarLcL-blS7hhvlLW4YgjHMqRitZAUb5Gl2GJZ6j1Ny18IXqj2fROZ6Bl7P7HhWgACtczOGepajdMGqxf_wwB4-xJXUk1eLGQGiYRiaTP8rvXhYehHkmfGK84Qdr3j9fSCUHtE/s1600/SANY0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBM3wiVcarLcL-blS7hhvlLW4YgjHMqRitZAUb5Gl2GJZ6j1Ny18IXqj2fROZ6Bl7P7HhWgACtczOGepajdMGqxf_wwB4-xJXUk1eLGQGiYRiaTP8rvXhYehHkmfGK84Qdr3j9fSCUHtE/s640/SANY0025.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I think I will send them a care package so the rats don't look appetizing.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9svovONSBDQlwfyGwzGqiUustssNpUPZwTI7004ni-2rRnv9o6Od0RZZq6r0unYLBjr1yCLZukMfjQyHdv2-OTRzeF2XRin1Aq7ObGrK5DH79zfl_oxA_smrB_g6Rctj9soqUQ7w57Q4/s1600/SANY0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9svovONSBDQlwfyGwzGqiUustssNpUPZwTI7004ni-2rRnv9o6Od0RZZq6r0unYLBjr1yCLZukMfjQyHdv2-OTRzeF2XRin1Aq7ObGrK5DH79zfl_oxA_smrB_g6Rctj9soqUQ7w57Q4/s400/SANY0026.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is just,,,,,,yuck!!!!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-85029640245095676792013-04-13T08:15:00.000-07:002013-04-13T08:15:06.026-07:00April 12 2013<span style="font-size: x-large;">Elder Masulonis has reached another milestone in his mission. He has now valiantly severed for 18 months. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Kent is a leader and teacher to other missionaries and had been an example of obedience. We have watched him grow into a man of faith and integrity as he overcomes challenges and feels the joy of serving the Lord and the fruits of his labors. Kent has a testimony of the atonement and the reality and power it offers to all God's children. We are very proud of Kent and the example he is to the rest of his family. We love and miss him and are very excited to welcome him home in 6 months.</span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-79456281311634846142013-03-25T17:23:00.001-07:002013-03-25T17:23:29.802-07:00Baptism!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U_oQiEddDc28ZhLyAYjU30UIaiT0pfO4FWbmOUPkc9qyy33XIghieTC1hFDj0Mii3E3mpZ0UB6zjcQomWw0BV7HcjrNR9BPip5vtwvlDrSyyZG9TGUFukDlE0lPQGHPFtrYSDzP_HYw/s1600/SANY5607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U_oQiEddDc28ZhLyAYjU30UIaiT0pfO4FWbmOUPkc9qyy33XIghieTC1hFDj0Mii3E3mpZ0UB6zjcQomWw0BV7HcjrNR9BPip5vtwvlDrSyyZG9TGUFukDlE0lPQGHPFtrYSDzP_HYw/s640/SANY5607.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOj3tEc0T96hoqmUdlB2x7ifn3fBd-4NrtUOrqPvYFnM5e-wwvvPqVEQwgBXsAKYg2KeEjRVLQea7EnNYuUjj4EhH0frqEG_ThO7kseCpar_LYL5yv3f5Du3frr3jM0qaKDMoboOoxUNo/s1600/SANY5608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOj3tEc0T96hoqmUdlB2x7ifn3fBd-4NrtUOrqPvYFnM5e-wwvvPqVEQwgBXsAKYg2KeEjRVLQea7EnNYuUjj4EhH0frqEG_ThO7kseCpar_LYL5yv3f5Du3frr3jM0qaKDMoboOoxUNo/s640/SANY5608.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-12896185840559390092013-03-20T16:30:00.000-07:002013-03-20T16:30:04.718-07:003-18-2013<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Elder Pettitt and i have been trying our very best to find new people to teach with virually no success. this has been quite the trial for me. but we have continued to be faithful through it. and as we have done so, this trial has been like a fire. it has been painful, constent but also purifying. recently i have had alot of very uplifting spiritual experiencs. i can feel that good is on its way for both of us. i know that god is ever watchfull over us and loves us more than we can understand. <br /><br />Also on another note, let me tell you about the mission and how the mission is going to be changing withing the next few months. so by october, the NCRM will have a total of about 250 missionaries. a little over 60 of them will be sister missionaries. just so you can get a better idea of how big of an idea that is, before the new age change, there were less than probably 15 sister missionaries. also on top of us getting so many new missionaries, our mission is recucing in size by about 1/4th. we have 8 zones in our mission, but there will only be 6 zones after june. so there may be a chance that i will be going to the virginia mission. i will not know however untill the june transfer. so since there will be more missionaries and less space to put them in, that will mean that there will be an average of at least 2-3 stes of missionaries per ward. wow, that is incredible to think about. especially because in the ward im serving in and several others in the mission already have 3 sets of missionares in them. so i can only assume that in the future there may be some wards that have 5-7 sets of missionaries in them. crazy right? this will probably also mean that many of the zones will be split and there will become even more zones. all of this is so wild for me. i can easily say that in the future there will be new wards and even some new stakes made in this mission and probably even all around the world. especially since the mission i am in is one of the lower baptizing missions in the south east missions. it is truely incredible. my mind is being blown. its like the joking dreams that missionaries have about the work going so much better are comming true. its fun for me to play with the idea of how much this will effect the work. like just think that if each missionary in the mission baptized 1 person within the whole year, the total of people could just about make up a whole new ward. that being said, it is common for missionaries in this mission to baptize around an average of 5-6 people a year. meaning that within one year of this, there could very wel be many more stakes made in a short amount of time. i am so curious on how everything is going to work out.</span><div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Elder Masulonis</span></div>
Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-45918707117111845232013-03-03T14:17:00.002-08:002013-03-03T14:17:50.237-08:00Release date set!!<span style="font-size: x-large;">We just received a letter from Kent's mission president informing us that his release date is October 9th. I thought I would post this update for all those who are following his blog.</span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-42028831618676516052013-02-18T16:41:00.003-08:002013-02-18T16:41:36.436-08:00Feb 18-2013<span style="font-size: large;">Ok so here is some stuff that has been happening lately. <br /><br />this month we had a snow storm. this one was probably one of the biggest ones that ive had while ive been out here. there was only maybe an inch, so i bet you can guess how much it snows out here. i was trying to send you a video of the snow ans stuff like that, but the file was too big for the email. the snow out here scares everyone. and even though it only snowed like an inch, the next day, some wards canceled church and others like ours, combined and only did sacrament meeting. but of course i cant blame anyone for being scared about the snow our here. the roads are crazy, they dont have very much snow removal stuff, and everyone out here drive crazy any way. like it could be a hurricane and people would still be driving like theres not a cloud in the sky. so it makes me a little nervous to drive in bad conditions because of everyone else, but you do it anyway. looking back on it, its been so long since ive driven in snow that i probably have forgotten how to drive in snow too. speaking of driving, elder pettitt and i got a call this week saying that since elder pettitt doesnt have a drivers license, and there are going to be alot of new missionaries comming in soon, he will be getting a drivers license soon. the neat thing about it, is that i will be the one that will be teaching him how to drive. so i better do a good job if i want my son to live longer than me. hahaha:) <br /><br />i got the package that everyone sent from back at home. i thought the shirt was pretty funny. there is actually an interesting story that goes along with me getting that package. so the right before i got that package, i was a little concerned for elder pettitt because he was feeling a little down because we havent had an investigator for a while now and it seemed like he was getting a little discouraged. so in my prayers, i felt like i should just pray for him with everything that came to my mind. and one of the things that came to my mind was that he would get some mail from home. and surely enough the next day to my amazement, he actually got a package in the mail that had letters from his family and everything. and in that same day, i got the package from you guys. so i found that the principal to be true that you cant help someone else without helping yourself. i also relearned that the things that are right for us and that we pray for will happen. <br /><br />prayer has been one of my best friends lately. i have been praying harder this last week that i have in a long time. and its not just that we are going through a hard time. the big part of it is just that i feel like praying alot. its like the more you have faith, the easier it is too keep it going. i hope that things arent too crazy back at home. im not sure on whats going on. but i will be prraying for you and the family. again, i really liked the pictures. and i hope that things get better from whatever is happening back at home. i love you so much and i hope to hear from you soon. :)<br /><br />-LOVE ELDER MASULONIS</span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-44216388418906678412013-02-18T16:39:00.000-08:002013-02-18T16:39:25.536-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagtswtzi3mYmhTzByWmUMEkmbFpKGnqLB-ekEU9phLsxnXHmAXNH3sUtCwzkfoucyz3Hd6-_IvnVcv6LhXBVkD6L7B6KT3CE4KNPRotq6ult9atRS6zPdOH1H2wtbXAysKKwep46qvWM/s1600/SANY5542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagtswtzi3mYmhTzByWmUMEkmbFpKGnqLB-ekEU9phLsxnXHmAXNH3sUtCwzkfoucyz3Hd6-_IvnVcv6LhXBVkD6L7B6KT3CE4KNPRotq6ult9atRS6zPdOH1H2wtbXAysKKwep46qvWM/s640/SANY5542.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwXFnPf7PjHYxlav7cWjgFAm7ZJo71D4P6tqbZPIcl30t12bNLAu8qGLrzUDQsxGX0LqVEpvplX5yDGfeyZO_cvHbsQOsN43aoJRRiYnf-Jc14oL8DTOOlNihvkdDlV-QRtLKwS5ng3w/s1600/SANY5579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwXFnPf7PjHYxlav7cWjgFAm7ZJo71D4P6tqbZPIcl30t12bNLAu8qGLrzUDQsxGX0LqVEpvplX5yDGfeyZO_cvHbsQOsN43aoJRRiYnf-Jc14oL8DTOOlNihvkdDlV-QRtLKwS5ng3w/s640/SANY5579.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi mom "look I'm a missionary"!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-79946092432201290912013-02-18T16:36:00.000-08:002013-02-18T16:36:20.171-08:00Mission Pics<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUqUnBgK9IBEgNrO3Wm7X41G_y_ntU09FpmaBXYE-kUy3NNjdIHD8A7g3ruDoVv98XbS7qjiQOLGJj7iWpJYrRVZB8RHQjvh3wHQSRQ-2_kW6IcY_N9YSv1SidsKXal9CCT3e-dqsdUU/s1600/SANY5563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUqUnBgK9IBEgNrO3Wm7X41G_y_ntU09FpmaBXYE-kUy3NNjdIHD8A7g3ruDoVv98XbS7qjiQOLGJj7iWpJYrRVZB8RHQjvh3wHQSRQ-2_kW6IcY_N9YSv1SidsKXal9CCT3e-dqsdUU/s640/SANY5563.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder Petitte</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYC62HTcLWa187UEZLGuGlkDRPKuJuEIE8QU8XMwPUbrN0RwxChJICk6q8N1WlGpkUdj6SqJRPeS69RE4i51rGKQaW8K4hLYTf6fJQZwDCRcwMj1bE-eb3Ih7DqUU7ax8Yx7d1kUxWBi4/s1600/SANY5554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYC62HTcLWa187UEZLGuGlkDRPKuJuEIE8QU8XMwPUbrN0RwxChJICk6q8N1WlGpkUdj6SqJRPeS69RE4i51rGKQaW8K4hLYTf6fJQZwDCRcwMj1bE-eb3Ih7DqUU7ax8Yx7d1kUxWBi4/s640/SANY5554.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder Masulonis & Elder Petitte</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOzvGrWm3o5jN9O7xhwiJjBBei56foMq5pgTt4N6xag0IaaLEexSq-88Kt6p4jjQ_MrGiEWwhEPqsXDCRwNAABRJi1VQPtwB5fhpyQGH-K3na94aP6XmQO4vgkra5o-su0xwlGlYvBLM/s1600/SANY5556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOzvGrWm3o5jN9O7xhwiJjBBei56foMq5pgTt4N6xag0IaaLEexSq-88Kt6p4jjQ_MrGiEWwhEPqsXDCRwNAABRJi1VQPtwB5fhpyQGH-K3na94aP6XmQO4vgkra5o-su0xwlGlYvBLM/s640/SANY5556.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look what the "Spirit" does to your face!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJskwaVQ-hyey6txl4NYDvu6UocQJZ4sOW04MY9QTGDahf6nSVWTlpTbWJ9dflX0aqAtMSCXsgYsi_pQCtGFjuyg24YHWVrCINy3ttcWSN4q5TiFAhbggNbBLVJ-E09EDTiemO5i9LcSg/s1600/SANY5567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJskwaVQ-hyey6txl4NYDvu6UocQJZ4sOW04MY9QTGDahf6nSVWTlpTbWJ9dflX0aqAtMSCXsgYsi_pQCtGFjuyg24YHWVrCINy3ttcWSN4q5TiFAhbggNbBLVJ-E09EDTiemO5i9LcSg/s640/SANY5567.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elder Petitte's paper talent</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-17418313882316884022013-02-18T16:29:00.001-08:002013-02-18T16:29:22.752-08:00Feb 11-2013<span style="font-size: x-large;">Dear Mom,<br /><br />so training so far is going really really well. well... kinda. my new companions name is elder pettitt. it looks like petite, and he is pretty petite, but its pronounced ( pet-it) like what do you do with a cat? you pet it. or you take it out to the middle of now where and leave it.;) oh and before i forget, yes i have gotten the package. i also got someting else that was really neat. it was a pillow case from people back at home. it didnt have a letter on it so i was a little confused, but it was really thoughtful and nice of everyone to to that for me. i put it on my pillow once i got it. oh back to the reason i said, well... kinda. so we have a great companionship together. it even reminds me of my compaionship with elder stauffer. which if you remember me telling you, was great and probably one of my very best companions. infact, i would say that he is my favorite companion that is still in the mission. my follow up trainer though, had a profound effect on me. anyway, the reason behind (well...kinda) is i feel like we are suffering the results of significant disobedience. since my last companionship went so sour, elder petitt and i are kinda rebuilding our area and we just had probably one of the worst weeks i have ever had in my whole mission numbers wise. we are working hard, but nothing seems to be working really well for us. that being said, we are working very hard, we are very unified, we have a good number of appointments ahead of us, and we have been striving to continue to make diligence and obedience and faith more of a part of our companionship than ever before. so, what good luck, what bad luck hahaha. its like the opposite of last transfer hahaha. i know things will get better though. because it was very similar when i was with elder stauffer. we stuggled at first, but i had the most successfull time with him by the end of out companionship. so, the way i see it, we can only go up. <br /><br />story time.<br />so this week has been an adventure for my bike. so, i got the bike tires you sent me and i was working on switching them one day. so i took off the old tires no problem. but as i was putting on the new tire, i found that somewhere inbetween the time of taking off the old tire and putting on the new tire, my tube acquired a hole in it. so, i waited untill the next preperation day to buy a new tire. so, i bought the new tire from walmart and when i tried to pump it up, i found that it had a different kind of valve than a regular bike tube so i either needed to get an attachment for the new tire or a whole new tube to replace it with a correct valve. so we called up a near by bike shop and found out that they had all the stuff i needed. they had the right kind of tube and even the attachment. so i ended up going to the bike shop and bought a new tube with plans to return the walmart weird tube. and i also bought the attachment for future use if i needed it. so we got back to the appartment and started to put on the new tire and tube with the normal valve. and once i got everything on, and started to pump up the tire, i heard a hissing sound and found out that i must have done something wrong while putting on the tire. luckily i had the weird tire from walmart and the attachment to go with it. so this time i carefully put on the new tire with my last tube. i pumped it al up and no holes. thank goodness. so, now for the back tire. nothing went wrong and i was relieved that it pumped up and everything with no holes or difficulty. so, the next day we started biking outside and it was actually a little cold outside. and since it was cold outside, and i pumped my tires up inside where it was warm, it seemed like my tires needed to be pumped up a little bit. so we got out the bike pump, bought it outside down the 3 flights of stairs to our appartment, and pumped up my tires outside. and everything worked great. so, we worked hard that day and when it started getting dark, elder pettitt and i went home for some dinner and to plan. and as we were doing so inside the appartment and while we were talking, we were both startled by a loud pop sound following a long hiss. we were both confused by the sound and then realized, it was one of my bike tires. because i pumped up the air outside in the cold and brought it into the warm house, the air inside the tire expanded and my tire exploded by the valve. of course. so we quickly released alot of the air out of the other tire that was still intacted and saved it. so long story short, i went through 3 bike tubes in 2 days. and all that without trying. so today we will be going to get me yet another bike tube. if anything else, i am learning the hard way about bikes. i thought you might get a kick out of that.<br /><br />i hope you like this lettter. and thanks so much for your encouraging comments. i love you so much and you lift me up and make my day every time. hope to hear from you next monday. <br /><br />-LOVE ELDER MASULONIS</span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-35726034496551551182013-01-26T12:32:00.000-08:002013-01-26T12:32:07.413-08:00BAPTISMS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgRi9wYzGn3Y9QMGFnckKNpUD3dvu-E4xDv1Nq8sYjOisiJVMxplRSkRDOwn8KoICbTC4-i8nFbQHW3Ec7YZb6rcRR2TPSIcBvYwOGbJiFKmEf9ab3mZdJXLhd9o8uoOS0uKpVaIY9r4/s1600/IMG_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgRi9wYzGn3Y9QMGFnckKNpUD3dvu-E4xDv1Nq8sYjOisiJVMxplRSkRDOwn8KoICbTC4-i8nFbQHW3Ec7YZb6rcRR2TPSIcBvYwOGbJiFKmEf9ab3mZdJXLhd9o8uoOS0uKpVaIY9r4/s640/IMG_1327.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNMI0Akcdw-rDBGJRRuBGADD3RI6vj1Zl5axnx6SRo8KJeWlUyiWA3Mm82IAkhcCqDg6lWZVM3iBmmuSIOkEZIMc0Xp1F_quEMicmlubRvDYOfOx69FQGfvfWTVthrXh9TtgFYuEmmNQ/s1600/IMG_1336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNMI0Akcdw-rDBGJRRuBGADD3RI6vj1Zl5axnx6SRo8KJeWlUyiWA3Mm82IAkhcCqDg6lWZVM3iBmmuSIOkEZIMc0Xp1F_quEMicmlubRvDYOfOx69FQGfvfWTVthrXh9TtgFYuEmmNQ/s640/IMG_1336.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5_hFaAevSdqLdrJa7GQEQ1lOvO5oFrRAJe09UHBT36LlZrTHFunKeSe-we3yA97cWAD9B3BUrLEmzmpK6L_LoBFweGiOmC8q2MbXXz4GUjiJtAGkPpEloBTrJmeG2xl7g8vZvw2NWeo/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5_hFaAevSdqLdrJa7GQEQ1lOvO5oFrRAJe09UHBT36LlZrTHFunKeSe-we3yA97cWAD9B3BUrLEmzmpK6L_LoBFweGiOmC8q2MbXXz4GUjiJtAGkPpEloBTrJmeG2xl7g8vZvw2NWeo/s640/IMG_1330.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-59070661610072427372013-01-26T12:27:00.001-08:002013-01-26T12:27:42.481-08:00JAN 20,2013<span style="font-size: large;">Dear MOM,<br /><br />i love you so, so, so, much! i dont know what it is, but you have this tendency to be able to touch my heart even though the most simple things you say. like the ending of your email, when you reminded me about how everything that i will go through will be for my experience and good. that really touched me even though it was something that i already knew. in fact, its something that i tell investigators all the time. see mom, i did learn something from you;) things are a struggle right now, and i often focous on the burden more than the blessing. that being said, i am anxiously anticipationg transfers which are comming up. they will be the first week of February. im anxious because that will be the time when i find out how long thhis particular struggle will last. it a change happens this transfer, it could be really good. but if not, then i will have this struggle for another 6 weeks. we will just have to see what god has in store. if you havent read this talk , read it. its called mountains to climb. its one of my favorites. its from president henry b eyring. . i love you.<br /><br />all of what i have just said in mind, we had a great week numbers wise. infact probably one of the best weeks i have had. the reason being, we had 4 baptisms. and that really neat thing was that i was able to do do two of the baptisms. and there is an ironic thing about the ages of the people i baptized. one was 13 and the other was 8. so one was the age that randy is, and the other is the age of the primary children that i taught. what do ya know. ill make sure to put on some pictures for ya. <br /><br /> this morning i finished helaman chapter 1. so i guess that means that you and randy will have to put the peddal to the metal. although, it sounds like you are recieving alot of revelation and inspirtaion read just where your at. i really liked your (Big picture thought) i agreee with everything you said. its probably pretty wierd to talk about, but i love to talk about that kind of stuff. <br /><br />i love you so much. i cant wait to come back from after my 5 year leave. ;) <br /><br />-LOVE ELDER MASULONIS</span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-83363226983593164852012-12-30T09:16:00.001-08:002012-12-30T09:33:23.251-08:00December 23, 2012<span style="font-size: x-large;">Dear Mom,<br /><br />ya i dint even know there was a name for us talking and sharing stories on christmas eve. but i cant deny that we do it every year. and i love it. i got the package yesterday and i loved all that stuf inside it. i really like the tie that you sent me too. i have a name for it that is an inside joke between elder fogle and i. (elder fogle is the one thta lives in sugar city. he also took my spot as district leader in Raleigh. he is one of my favorite elders. you will probably never meet him though) i loved the video that you put together. and where on earth was that i jump place? that looked like a blast! i thought it was way funny when dad jumped in the foam pit and had to try and swim out. that was hillarious. it was crazy seeing everyone from home and i could practically feel like i was at gramdmas house when i was just watching everyone talk. it looks like taybree has really gotten into the hair cutting thing. something that i thought was wierd was that it looks like all the boy cousins are going through puberty. because it seems like everyones voices has dropped. what the world? i've gotten over the trunkieness factor of the mission for the most part. but now i have a different struggle. i told dad about it, and im calling it my "Funk." i think its just me subconsciously missing Raleigh. i think that while im in an area, i don't see how good things are. i kinda miss Raleigh and the District that i was in there. even if i had to correct missionaries there, i still miss it. i think though, i will end up missiong this place a lot too. mainly because its already seemed like an amazing place. right now we re teaching 2 good sized families and they are both on the way towards baptism. they are amazing. the ward here is great too. i don't think that elder mortensen and i have actually eaten at our own house for dinner since i have been here. which is ironic because the members here are really charitable and they give us so many left overs. which is great because then we don't have to go shopping for nearly as much stuff. elder mortensen is a fantastic missionary. he is such an example to me of how a charitable person looks like. which is such a huge blessing for me because i have been striving to me more and more loving towards other people. and when i saw love i mean, really love them. that is something i've decided i want to come home with. the thing for me is though, love is so hard for me to feel for others. i can do things that are nice for others, but its kinda difficult for me to be able to sincerely say to myself that i genuinely feel a tender and real love for anyone i see at any time. it may seem like an impossible feet, but if i have learned something one my mission, its that the atonement changes people. i have learned that from experiences in myself that you are well aware of, but it is the focus of missionary work. i love how i have gained such a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. even if i don't live it 100% all the time, i love how it is something that i can always fall back on and get the help and love i need from him how loves me and wants to help me. <br /> i want to make sure that i tell you that i love you. you are the greatest mom in the whole wide world. i cant think of anyone that could do a better job at being a mom than you. since ive been striving to become more loving, ive often thought of you as my example. i can hardly think of anyone that has loved me more than you. i love you.<br />-LOVE ELDER MASULONIS</span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-42161568122789750252012-12-15T07:53:00.000-08:002012-12-15T07:53:27.084-08:00December 10, 1012<span style="font-size: x-large;">This week was a busy and very eventfull week. i have been really tired and really happy. this week we had 3 baptisms. on for a guy named jim pommerenke, one for sister jennifer ross, and one for dylan ross. that story is amazing. and brother ross was a less active that we helped get active again and he baptized his wife and his son. wow. along with this, i found out about someone that i taught that lives in morehead. his name is ashton maynor. im not sure if i ever told you about him while i was in morehead, but he just sent me and email this morning that told me that he got baptized on nov 11. so within this week, i have been able to see some of the fruits of my labors. it makes me feel really good. </span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-15996445018591812342012-12-15T07:51:00.000-08:002012-12-15T07:53:53.893-08:00December 10, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8eF0PwhmhsM4EtAn-SDFhaACvtl3XOxPPiwDrFftMkbgOoDCETeCVqDQ5FI7xok_v3_R3oUSRbJpi0dDduEnxRZbpF6GnB71vvVBh8h_lKgDYsiptSB-_ODGM67ebMQF6bfKjlHX4zI/s1600/SANY5510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8eF0PwhmhsM4EtAn-SDFhaACvtl3XOxPPiwDrFftMkbgOoDCETeCVqDQ5FI7xok_v3_R3oUSRbJpi0dDduEnxRZbpF6GnB71vvVBh8h_lKgDYsiptSB-_ODGM67ebMQF6bfKjlHX4zI/s400/SANY5510.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3vXtIbIE2y9RnL_ssXZEVnGUPB8r_bND_ijInWDDCuU13_M56E_ln4JUkU4P7s5Ph__ATw_Jwfb2AGe-jDFumwN6pzGKC5Cpr0vgFcGPMe-7aFBO-pBbZIvNa3J7UBbWAt-62JUNTS8/s1600/SANY5513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3vXtIbIE2y9RnL_ssXZEVnGUPB8r_bND_ijInWDDCuU13_M56E_ln4JUkU4P7s5Ph__ATw_Jwfb2AGe-jDFumwN6pzGKC5Cpr0vgFcGPMe-7aFBO-pBbZIvNa3J7UBbWAt-62JUNTS8/s400/SANY5513.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FQ5xdWboE6SbDJB6_JXa-UmdTP07OJiwi18zzw7RaytZs_kRPHM7NeBF7j38As9Mfpw6auHhE1cdVNFbKFHgareUJ1Ie8KAl6lycjqxsTYR4IgzDgvOvEkks4UqZn0vZimIw1r6aeCQ/s1600/SANY5518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FQ5xdWboE6SbDJB6_JXa-UmdTP07OJiwi18zzw7RaytZs_kRPHM7NeBF7j38As9Mfpw6auHhE1cdVNFbKFHgareUJ1Ie8KAl6lycjqxsTYR4IgzDgvOvEkks4UqZn0vZimIw1r6aeCQ/s400/SANY5518.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-92098444312039875742012-12-15T07:37:00.000-08:002012-12-15T07:37:41.308-08:00December 2, 2012<span style="font-size: x-large;">Dear Mom<br /><br />Alright, time for my rambling. i cant help myself. so right now, is an exciting time for me. i am figuring a few things out and we are having a few baptisms this week. i think i have mentioned these people in my past letters but if i have time i will tell you more about them and their conversions. but here is something that i learned that i absolutely loved. we have a leadership meeting recently and there was this meesage that has stuck with me. and its all about the doctrine of christ. when i say the doctrine of christ, this is what i mean. these principals are the way back to heavenly fathers presence. the atonement of jesus christ is at the center of these principals. so the principals are, faith in the lord jesus christ, repentance, baptism/ordinances, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. now that i have told you things that you aready know, this is what i learned about them and what effect they have in our lives. here are 3 of the effectls that the dotrine of christ that really stood our to me. so the more attatched we are to the doctrine of christ, the more focus, enthusiastic, and effective we will be. there are so many more things that the doctrine of christ does, but these are some of the things that it does for me. now, im not sure on how much sense this all makes, but here is another principal that i am learning all the time. the gospel of jesus christ is what makes people happy. so i have often asked myself, what can i do to more fully live the gospel and be more happy? the answer to this question could be different for just about every person. some people will need to repent for serious transgressions, while some need to trust god more. whatever the next thing that we need to do to come closer to chrsit is, whenever we do that thing, we will be more happy. the thing that i have found that i need to do better is to rely upon the holy Ghost more. these kinds of thoughts have been rattling around in my mind and it is wonderful, wonderfull to me. i dont have much time left, and im not sure on how much of what i said makes sense, but i love you. i hope you know that.</span><div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />-LOVE ELDER MASULONIS</span></div>
Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-29832185041696199292012-12-14T10:27:00.000-08:002012-12-14T10:27:16.012-08:00Fun Photos <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_s-NRhOAC8GlMt8tlxwjG_dTWSsi4MGWstKKkSHT3JNpWGEfXdqElORFOwH5y5-a89Ll2G9v5rhg7CyWvWgt0ENei7sS2B9HldVWQ21V_VVPHAAPC0vP4nWXszq1MBfbKoQGdtLCPM_c/s1600/Mission.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_s-NRhOAC8GlMt8tlxwjG_dTWSsi4MGWstKKkSHT3JNpWGEfXdqElORFOwH5y5-a89Ll2G9v5rhg7CyWvWgt0ENei7sS2B9HldVWQ21V_VVPHAAPC0vP4nWXszq1MBfbKoQGdtLCPM_c/s320/Mission.tiff" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkE7dG-UrU-Sfj6rRsYsez9pPe1HQ6_MH91_ZNFn0qaMAI1pq3mJEQlLeirruJ7BXXqcUfc3Z6syquIawYB_PHFhzim-OsZ_sHJWRt-olVirfZpg5gPTrrzSkBvORv9ZRESk6bF594ez4/s1600/mission1.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkE7dG-UrU-Sfj6rRsYsez9pPe1HQ6_MH91_ZNFn0qaMAI1pq3mJEQlLeirruJ7BXXqcUfc3Z6syquIawYB_PHFhzim-OsZ_sHJWRt-olVirfZpg5gPTrrzSkBvORv9ZRESk6bF594ez4/s320/mission1.tiff" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPDBrO13RB_AiB9yGFqo5cZbWGrt5GKSapN7RUFzJ-uy44WAr24JNqUxEKM_p7PDl7enkpB8QBWVurK-IxEbddmckbEXTjCjKgqJaWcJpVnL_SPEtZ3IZgfcwjKJtMneiuBEEjlPiXPc/s1600/mission2.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPDBrO13RB_AiB9yGFqo5cZbWGrt5GKSapN7RUFzJ-uy44WAr24JNqUxEKM_p7PDl7enkpB8QBWVurK-IxEbddmckbEXTjCjKgqJaWcJpVnL_SPEtZ3IZgfcwjKJtMneiuBEEjlPiXPc/s320/mission2.tiff" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-36815548648905161722012-12-01T12:06:00.000-08:002012-12-01T12:06:00.166-08:00November 25, 2012<span style="font-size: large;">Dear Mom,<br />Before i get into things too much let me give you an update on whats happening out here. right now we are teaching a good amount of people and 2 of them are lined up to be baptized on december 8th. (which is coming up pretty fast. but i am confident that they will be ready by that time.) <br /><br />im way excited to hear that you have been making the video for a while. i was thinking abot what the video would be like and i could only imagine everyone just saying hi and acting all awkward because they were on camera. but hey, either way, its a great gift!</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div>
<span style="font-size: large;">I had a dream that you and Randy were in it and we were all at gary's office. it was kinda crazy because it was like i was hiding from everyone.<br /><br />I found out recently that there is a chance that i will be with Elder Gillespie for the longest time i have been with a companion. this is because with president cotterell, it was very rare to be with the same companion for 3 transfers. but now with president bernhisel, its become more and more of a common thing. does it seem like im getting new companions all the time or what? <br /><br />oh i got my very first piece of chick mail recently. chick mail is mail from a girl that isnt related to you and is old enough that i could date when i get back. it was from someone that knows jessi. and it was kinda interesting to hear from her because she was just a friend of one of jessi's friends. anyway, regaurdless of who it was from or what it said, i felt pretty neat getting my first piece of chick mail :) <br /><br />Today i am getting my hair cut and usually on preparation day, we just play basketball. but the gym at the church is being used so we are going to use this day to do some christmas shopping. i hope i can remember everyone i need to get stuff for. <br /><br />what is ijump? i guess i will find out when i get the video for christmas. oh which reminds me. im not sure if you remember last christmas and how everything that worked and stuff, but for this christmas, our mission president wanted all of us to give everyone back at home our personal addresses. so i will give you my address, but just remember that it may or may not change on the 18th. but my address right now is 4900 Edgerton street # 311 Raleigh North Carolina 27616</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Love Elder Masulonis</span></div>
Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-34701110240062903972012-11-13T19:32:00.002-08:002012-11-14T18:01:47.321-08:00Nov 11, 2012<span style="font-size: x-large;">Dear Mom,<br />i got the pictures of you crazies all dressed up. those are some good costumes! elder Gillespie and i were having a hard time thinking of what we could do for halloween the would be missionary appropriateso we switched our name tags... pretty crazy right? at least we got bro henderson to let us wear those blow up suits for a picture home. im starting to think that since the age for a mission has gone down, im gonna get back and every one is going to be gone. thank goodness randy is much younger than me. that way, we can actually do stuff together. i hope that when i get back i wont be too boring for him. i bet im gonna be much more different than when i left. which is a good thing. im not sure if i mentioned this in last weeks letter, but i had a few dreams that i was a home and when i would go to talk to someone, it would be so awkward because im not trying to convert them or anything. its like home is the land of unlimited preperation days. which was another thing.yesterday was preparation day and we decided to play basketball. it was really fun, but i realized that if you dont work out very often, your body gets out of shape. i played way hard, and then got super exuasted from it. right now im getting over this dumb head cold/cough. <br />oh hey, i wanted to challenge you to something. our mission is doing this book of mormon thing where we read the book of mormon at a rapid rate and highlight a select few things. like how many times it references christ or when a prophet is speaking and stuff. and i will be starting tomorrow.and i was kinda hoping that you or dad or randy or someone would race me in reading the book of mormon. if anyone wants to race, then let me know and tell them to go ahead and start when ever they would like. i will try to let you know when i finish.<br />thats really neat that randy is into power tools. <br />its good to hear about the contacts, i hope the y come soon. <br /> i wonder what life is ggoing to be like. because i have always had the subconcious thought of once i go on my mission, life is over, thats the end of the story. when in reality, its only the begining. sounds like im going to be getting alot of mail soon:) that makes me really happy. i got grandmas letter the other day and she sounds like she is really busy. im glad that she cam fill her time with meaningfull activites. mom, im 13 months into this thing... thats carzy!!! its real wierd to think about it. i have to go soon, but i wanted to ask you this. and you dont have to respond in the way that people usually do, but i just was curious about this. so, other than an example, have you seen anything good happen in result to me going on a mission family wise? ive always wondered about that. anyway, i love you very much and am super excited to hear from you and everyone soon.:)<br /><br />-LOVE ELDER MASULONIS</span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-44309234442244120732012-11-13T19:26:00.005-08:002012-11-13T19:26:51.339-08:00Oct 28, 2012<span style="font-size: x-large;">Well the disrtict in which i am serving in has finally started to blossom. i have a disrtict leader binder that has been in the raleigh 1st area for a year or two and the disrtict leaders in the past have written all of the disricts numbers for a while now. and it made me so happy that this week we broke the record for baptismal dates as a district. things are kinda looking like they were when i was with elder stauffer. things started really rough but now they are looking forward. now the trick is to get those people that have a baptismal date to progress and get excited about missionary work. <br /><br />man, i really miss every one back there. tell everyone hi for me. <br />-LOVE ELDER MASULONIS</span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-28884080643073488392012-11-13T19:26:00.000-08:002012-11-13T19:27:30.655-08:00Oct 22, 2012<span style="font-size: x-large;">I got the package you sent me. and when i opened it up, it was kinda crazy. and let me tell ou, i am very excited to see the family when i get abck home. being a trainer has been an interesting experience. the person im trainings name is elder gillespie. so now there is elder masulonis, and gillespie serving under president berhisell. how much more crazy could it get with names?:) elder gillespie is a little unorthodox, but in a good way. he isnt like most elders. he is about 6"1 and alot bigger than me. he is a big fella. but thats not what makes him different. he has a way different out look on missionary work. he measures his success in a good way. and that way is by how happy he feels. there have been some experiences in his life that have molded him to be the person he is right now. the biggest one that he has told me about is some struggles with depression. he doesnt have those struggles now, but it has been interesting to see the end result of what he has gone though. before my mission, i admittedly measured success by baptisms related to how difficult the area is. its kinda silly, but that how i measured it. i thought that all those people that didnt get alot of baptisms were just people that werent very good missionaries. but i have found that that isnt the case. i have found that baptisms or any of the other numbers that we report on are gifts from our heavenly father. now there is a connection between diligence and obediance and faithfullness and the other principals of the gospel, but it is not a direct connection. meaning that even if you are the most diligent missionary, you might not even get 1 baptism. its hard to think about for me. something else that i have been thinking about, is what to focus on. my focus changes all the time. my focus is always besed on the doctrine of christ, but it often times switches around. </span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056330401339812650.post-38982999584384688462012-11-13T19:17:00.002-08:002012-11-13T19:17:48.160-08:00Oct. 1, 2012<span style="font-size: x-large;">Dear mom<br />Things are changing all around me. today is the day before transfers and elder balckwell is leaving. and a few days ago, i found out that i will be training a new missionary. so i will be a district leader and a trainer at the same time. this makes me nervous. i hope that my experience training will be different from the experience i had being trained. i just wrote a letter to my mission pres. and expressed to him that same thing and then i realized that all god wants me to do is my best. which can be something that is difficult, but its do-able. <br />someone else that was in my district was also called to be a zone leader and another is going home( because his 2 years is up) so the district is changing all over the place. <br /><br />on another note, this week i went to a baptism in knightdale for one of the people elder stuffer and i taught. her name is lynn barker. we knocked on her door and began to help her change her life. she has a son that i really hope gets baptized. he is about 12 or 13 years old and is a really sharp kid. the problem is, the mom and dad are divorced and the dad isnt too into having his son be mormon or religious. ive noticed that when people turn to religion and things dont work out and things become hard, they give up and claim there isnt a god. thats the case with johnathan. i really want to just be bold with him and help him see what blessings come from living the gospel. it comes up in our companion studies alot because elder blackwell is from indiana and he has alot of non-member or less active family members. and let me tell you, being a missionary with less active or non-member family drives you crazy. <br /><br />so to answer your question about inviting people to be baptized, we are really encouraged to invite them to be baptized during the very first lesson we have with them. when we do that, it does alot of things. it shows the people that we teach, we are not messing around and neither is god. he and we want them to be happy. so why would we wait? infact, i just got out of a meeting the other day that 2 members of the missionary department of the church talked to us. and the thing that stood out the most to me, was the doctrine of christ. namely, the atonement, faith in jesus christ, repentance, baptism and other covenants, recieving the holy ghost and enduring to the end. these things are what all of the rest of the gospel point to. everything points to jesus christ. even the name of the church. i have seen that my motivation and happiness as a missionary ( and probably a member of the church) comes from how grounded i am to the gospel of jesus christ. <br /><br />Things are improving here in raleigh 1st. we actually have some people that we are working with. i would tell you all about them, but you would probably forget it all by the end anyway. hey, so this is going to make you kinda trunkie, but just as a reminder, i am going to be able to talk to you soon over the phone. christmas is coming up. has alex left on his mission yet? i feel like ive kinda blipped out of exsistance for a little while. as a missionary you have to wonder sometimes, "i wonder who actually remembers and thinks about me." thats pretty self centered though. and it doesnt really matter. </span>Elder Kent Masulonishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06001763028066713825noreply@blogger.com0