I FEEL LIKE A SOLDIER...IMPORTANT WORK TO DO

MOM!!
i’m a missionary. didn't set in till this week. ive been putting on that name tag for 63 days and just now it hits me. also today marks 2 months!!!! i thought for the longest time it was 3 months, man what a slap to the face. hopefully i can send more photos this time. 22 to more months to go....

all these mission calls are constantly getting me so hyped. we will have a tuscany ward young man on every continent w some exeptions. North America (joel), South America (jake, w honurable mention to dave), Asia (tim and i), Africa (seth), Europe (Ben and kyle.) all we need is connor or boston to get a call to the pacific islands or australia/new zealand and we are set!!!! also ben V in columbia. we need missionaries.

this area is pretty epic. good times this past week. i’ve been really into holding animals, ive managed to score pics holding; cats, kittens, puppys, chickens, ducks, a water buffalo. good times. theres like infinate dogs and cats and chickens here. also tons of weird cows, massive pigs and water buffalo. at shack church its hard to pay attention bc of the lack of tagalog on my end so i find myself looking through the bamboo walls at chickens and stuff, good times there. i often forget i’m the only white person in my area but i get reminded with the constant stares from just about everyone. oh we have a pet dog! not actually, but after every meal we throw our scraps outside to this dog and he is constantly on our porch so we became good buddies. i practice tagalog w him, his name is brownie. we are exploring new towns and going deeper into the mountains, getting me so hyped!! unreal beauty here which gets me excited. on thursday we will try to visit Banila which is an hour or so walk away into the boonies, cant wait!!

oh also, i truly am in asia. its super werid here and i cant explain it but im in this weird warehouse that has probably 500 vendor shops w anything you can name. so many items. the transportation is super fun. we go in motorcycles w a side car and i enjoy to hang out of the side car or the back of the motorcycle and take in the view. the lack of laws is a hoot too. weridest things down here. i see the canadian flag just about eveywhere which is cool. almost everyone has a relative in Toronto so i might have to stop by once i’m home. packages are super doable so maybe get into that if you want. tons of elders get them. use julie hess or the classic post. fedex and ups is way to expensive for you and me. also the atm isnt working and there is none in my area so that will be interesting. stay posted. i still find a chances to have fun, and see white people (once a week at district meeting) i did a splits in del norte and was able to bike!!! the best day of my life probably. met great people and interesting fruits that day. also went on a really neat cable suspension bridge thing, super springy.

the Shack church lifestyle is interesting. one of the most motivating things for me out here is the responsibilty i have for this branch. i spend any additional time in the apartment researching and studying on how to improve this branch. good times. this church really needs every body to go on missions. its hard to see this tiny branch of 30ish people meet under a tin roof, w very new and inexperienced leadership. the thing i miss the most from home is the dedicated leaders and strong churches we have back home. seth will have a very interesting experince w that in africa. i will probably be here 6 months and i am committed to make a difference here!! i know i can, i just have to figure it out. its also werid to hear chickens at church and for cats to run through sacrament meeting. i give a talk next sunday and i this will be a great oppourtunity to build the kingdom!!!

although these past 2 weeks have been the hardest and loneliest of my life, i feel determined to serve the Lord. i feel like a soldier everyday because i love this church so much and it is my responsibility to dedicate this challenging service to help build the kingdom that has meant so much to me and who helps other people around the world so much. 22 more months at times sounds incredibly discouraging but i got this. no need to worry about me. its going well, im adgusting and figuring it out. this work is more important than i ever thought back home and i am excited to work.

so hyped on the boys and hope everything is going well!!!! if you feel lonely just feed the missionaries, i think it will benefit both parties more then each other understand. member meals turn hard days into bearable days. things are picking up, im becoming less of a butt head. trying to make you and dad proud and serve these people.

              study hard, pray hard
              elder kurd

KEARL IS IN THE HOUSE

Some random person from the Philippines sent me this pic and caption. 

"Kearl is in the house....hello auntie don't worry Kearl is very fine here he is friendly many filipino like him....just because of her personality and he is confidently speak Filipino he is good....he said how are you he miss you so much"

FIRST AREA IN THE PHILIPPINES

oh it is so nice to write you!!! your update about dans wedding cheered my discourged soul right up!!! what a joyous occasion. i noticed Siegried right away and couldn't belevie it. glad the cabin is operating smoothly and see that caleb is killing it. what a kid. 

those mission calls are blowing me away!!! i deffs thought like europe for tim and USA for sethicka. unbeleviable. theres a girl from calgs (actually taber) going to zambia. english speaking which is nice. ive honestly been vibing on someone getting a Cauayan call but Tacloban is ok to...joke lang!!!! wow africa, good luck seth. about Tacloban, the MTC prez oh philippines mission prez'd there and im pretty sure its the highest baptizing mission in the world. double check that tho. Cebuan (pronouinced say-buwano) is interesting as well. thats so rad to have a Philli friend even tho we speak differnt tounges. 

so about the philippines MTC. super interesting and very nice. its brand new. filipino to white ratio being 20:1. pretty high masigla. you should hear the hymns. so loud. litterly all the flipinos go 100% hymn singing. probably bc of their rich history in kareoke. high masigla and good eats. manilla temple is rad but it closed before i went it. (side note: right now this lil filipino kid is sitting righ beside me and will not stop staring) ah the MTC prez, President Trask probly gave the most painfull devotionals ever given to man kind. one was scheduled for 2.5 hours which went a half hour over, another for 1.5 hours again half hour over and a third being and hour and half. those were all in a row as well. huge respect to the guy tho, he turned one of the lowest baptizing missions in the world into one of the highest. but 6.5 hours of devos in 3 days is excessive. guess he had alot to say. ultimatly great guy. made me miss the PROVO MTC.

oh when i left provo there were 3 missionaries coming in the the tagalog program but serving canada edmonton!!! how exciting!!!! also there was a tree there that smelt like orange cremesicle so i miss that a bit. but ever since that MTC the fight w the natural man has become alot easier. also heard from my harvard buddy that the MTC is harder than harvard. oh and idk why but everyone in the MTC just thinks they can beat box and sing, super strange. 

when i was in the Phillippines MTC i had the oppurtunity to proselatye in Manilla. oh man mom it was insane. the slums were like nothing ive seen before. super small and dingy and awfull sanitation. tons of naked kids and really poor people. Sean Freiberg would lose his mind b/c i never saw a smile not missing teeth or white. super depressing. my companionss later said "if my mom saw where i was...." very cool tho. i stoped by bishops tiny house and helped his wife kill a chicken and taught that reacently converted family about the Book of Mormon. good times. 

dad youd love the Philippines. well actually caleb would. no driving laws what so ever and everyone is either in a bus (jeepney), cargo van or truck or a little 150, 125, or 50 cc scooter. and those scooters know how to cut traffic!!!! super terriffying to be in and also a thrill ride, would reccomend. also the funniest adds. my fav being "look up young man! -God" they never make sense. 

hi mom,

ok its been 6 days in the field and what a roller coaster, you should read my journal. so my first area is Dupax del sur, Nueva Vizcaya. my tatay (father) is Elder Briones from Laguna in the San Pablo mission here in the PHI. i should really call him my Nanay (mother) hes teaching me how to talk, how to wipe my butt (w my left), how to shower (w a bucket and scoop), how to hand wash my clothes, how to eat and he even cooks for me!!! he says he loves to and hes good at it. wont shut up about how much he loves rice. ive had some major ups and some major downs this far but im holding on and growing w much paitence and long suffering. alma 7:23. the sanitation in our apartment would destroy you mom but im not sick yet and could only imagine how much stronger my immune system is becoming!!! no running water really, all we have is a dripping faucet and we collect that water to shower and wash our hands w. haven't seen a white person in a while and i go to church in this 180 y/o couples shack. it really is the jungle. its nice out in the province tho. people have decent sized houses for the most part and they are either made of brick or bamboo walls w a tin roof. decent tho. 

everyone stares at me and calls me "harry styles" anyone who has seen your photo says you look like a movie star. apparently this is the hardest area in the mission and also the most beautiful. cant wait for you to see the photos. its insane pretty. the heats not a big deal. but our apartments super hot all the time. but if u have a fan on you you are fine. i dont complain or critizie but im super bad at comparing. how nice does the provo utah mission sound rn. i miss the suburbs and wards but i know im here for a reason and am hyped to serve this branch. 

the foods all good, no one understands me really, and i certanly dont understand them but im really learning and adgusting quickly so dont worry. im doing just fine. this is certaninly is a test tho. even though church is in a shack the branch is strong and there is a great community. this one lady Nanay Nori feeds the missionaries every wensday, friday and sunday and such big nice meals w candy!! shes pretty wealthy and the crew there is the best. she has seriously been such an answer to my prayers. idk if theres much more to say other then im really starting to figure out what everyone means by "hardest and best time of my life" im sending like 110 pictures or something so bear w me. 

work hard, pray hard,

elder kearl 

ELDER KEARL HAS ARRIVED

PHILIPPINES CAUAYAN MISSION

78 Burgos Street

3306 Cauayan City

Isabela, Philippines

August 3, 2016

Dear Family of Elder Kearl,

We are happy to let you know that your son arrived safely today as a missionary in the Philippines Cauayan Mission.  After his arrival we had a welcome luncheon and orientation meeting.  I also had the opportunity to have a wonderful interview with him before he met his prayerfully selected companion and trainer.

Elder Kearl will be serving in the Bambang  Zone.  Enclosed is a map on which we have marked the zone of his first proselyting area.  He will be working with Elder Briones who will carefully train and introduce Elder Kearl to missionary work in the field.  We encourage you to write your son every week.  Please share positive, uplifting messages that will support and help him stay focused on this sacred work.  Such contact from home can build a great foundation for a successful mission.

This is a wonderful mission and we are grateful to have Elder Kearl here.  The new missionaries always bring with them an exciting and special spirit.  Please know that we will watch over him with great concern.  We have been praying for him for several months now and have looked forward to serving together.  We know that with your support and encouragement, he will progress and strengthen beyond your expectations and develop a great love for his fellow missionaries and the precious people he will serve, teach, and bless.

May the Lord bless you for all you have done to help Elder Kearl prepare for this mission.  If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to email me at carlton.hiatt@ldschurch.org.

With warmest regards,

President C Russell Hiatt

Sister   Sulet Hiatt

ELDER KEARL'S TRIBUTE TO DAN

Jordan Mulholland read this tribute from Scott to Dan at the wedding reception.

BROZ!

Elder Paulsen (one of my companions) says this will go down in history so he rubbed his hands all over the page.  Great kid.  Hey Dan, how is marriage so far?  It’s too bad I couldn’t be reading this out loud in person but it is just the way it goes.  I’m bummed to be missing out but I know this is where I’m supposed to be and also what you are supposed to be doing.  I am extremely proud and happy for both you and Natasha.

Huge shout out to Natasha for agreeing to may you, jokes of course.  Man Do I love her.  Great pick brother.  You guys are going to have a great eternity together.  Super excited for you two.  Congrats!  We are going to have a lot of good times in the future as a family.

I would like to now share what my brother means to me.  Dan, We may not have been the best of friends always, but I have always been proud of you.  I have always looked up to you and thought of you as a great example to me.  You have gone through trials that I couldn’t even imagine myself going through and I know that has made you a better person and you will be able to handle anything life throws out to you.  You always shown me you could do hard things.

The last letter you sent me is a testament of the great things you can do.  Let me explain for those of you who don’t know.  My brother was called to the Micronesia Guam mission, English speaking.  We went to the MTC in the English program.  He got to Guam only to find out the Lord wanted him to learn the language of Chuukese all on his own.   Over the next 9 months Dan studied the language so he could teach the people on the island of Chuuk.  The craziest part is you learned it while never hearing it in person.  The only way you learned this language is by reading pamphlets and other books.  You didn’t even have a fully translated book of Mormon.  That’s even more impressive to me now that I am learning Tagalog and that’s with multiple textbooks and plenty of teachers who speak both English and Tagalog.   Danny used these skills and translated General Conference in Chuukese.

I’ll always remember growing up with you in the basement and the times we have bonded.  Do you remember getting the WII?  I’ll explain.  I remember you and I decided to pool our Christmas gifts together to justify getting this top of the line gaming console.  It really was top of the line at the time.  I remember we would try to convince mom why it was so epic and why we had to have it.  She said she would think about it.  A few weeks later it was Hook, line and sinker, she said yes but they were very hard to get a hold of one, they sold out very quickly everywhere.  Then one day she shouts down to the basement “market mall game store has one, we have to go right now”.  We raced in the car to go buy one, we bought it and the rest is history.  WII tennis was our game.   Good times playing on that thing.

I also remember at Emily’s wedding after Eric and Em departed, you and I made a bet.  The first one to get married gets $100 from the other person. The day I went to the MTC on June 15, you and Emily dropped me off.  I had to make sure I held up my end of the bargain so I gave you the only $100 currency I had on me.  So I gave you a $100 philippino peso.  I did the math and that’s about $2.30 American.  Whoops!  That conversion bites.

I would just like to say in conclusion that you are one of the contributing factors of me being on a mission right now.  While this is being read, I will either be in the air flying or in Hong Kong airport or landed in the Philippines.  I am excited to meet one of your old Filipino companions at the Manila MTC.  I’ll send a pic over to you.  Mahal Ako Kayo.   I love you guys so much and am excited to hear about your experience together as husband and wife.  Natasha, keep an eye on hi for me.  BFL’s.  We are separated by an oceans but connected through love.

Work hard, Pray hard

Elder Kearl

DAN AND NATASHA'S WEDDING

sidenote:  Dan and Natasha were married on July 29th, 2016 in the Salt Lake City Temple.  It was a wonderful day.  Scotty was on the other side of the world but we made sure he was not forgotten on that special day.

MANILA MTC

hi mom,

made it to manila, what a journey. werid place thats for sure. heard a rumoured stat its like most populated city in the world or something idk but you should see the traffic. such a thrill ride!! and like so many asians which makes a lot of sense. got some good pics ill have to send out next wensday!! (your tuesday).

so from provo MTC to this MTC it took something like 30 hours of travelling. and w 22 narries. got hectic but sunny days in the end. crazy views of hong kong from the airplane and great memories from the flights. the best flight i have ever partaken of was from hongkong to manilla. 2 hours, crazy high tec, chicken adobo wraps as a snack and a great row. oh and mooched an insane amount of candy from the sisters, too typical. oh werid drinks down here. idk how to explain the taste but most excellent. 

also ran into and befriended dannys old companion elder garcia!!!! it was so funny, i was like "yeah dannys doing great he gets married..... today!" it was funny. idk what year it is anymore bc of destryoed eternal clock but my masigla is red linning it. great food in here. ngl its anoyying being new again to the MTC. just 5 more days tho. tmrw i get set loose on the streets of manila for like 4 hours!! (w an experinced narrie of course) and im hyped. the heats a thing but its not actually heat its just slime. so if you can handle being moist at like all times youll be fine so im cruising. everyone smells terrible. my teeth havent been brushed really (srry sean) but ill just embrace. ya boy out in asia is happy.

sending love from the south china sea, 

elder kearl