Richlands and a very small branch--December 8. 2014

Hello Everyone,

Wow what a week it has been! It was really hard leaving Radford--I didn't realize how that place had become my home away from home! But I did it; transfers went well.  I only had to travel on the transfer train for about two and a half hours, But I got here and my new companion and the Branch President picked me up! My companion’s name is Elder Blaine! He is a cool guy; he has been out for three months, so I am greenie braking him! We graduated the same year, so it’s been fun.  He is from the Salt Lake area! The branch President’s name is President Donald Lines; He is from Arizona and a really nice guy.  I respect him a lot for what he has been doing and how hard I figured out it is to run a branch.

I guess I will try to describe the area a little better.  Richlands is pretty small itself, but has everything you need--all the fast food restaurants and a Walmart and all of that! It’s an old town and has a depressed look to it. It’s kind of sad to see all the poverty that is here. There are a lot of trailer parks and rundown neighborhoods. The big religions here are Baptist and Pentecostal, but the people are mostly friendly! The town used to support a lot of coal miners, but the coal industry isn't doing so good any more... People say the big thing and way to make money here is by way of making moonshine in the hills. So that was kind of funny! I really do like the mountains here. They are a lot bigger and they are more like the ones back home but still really different. I got up into my first hollers on the mission! They are crazy--some of these roads are insane! There are a lot of rivers too! It’s a cool landscape; it has just about everything! It has rained here the last 3 to 4 days, so it’s been really dark and wet. I'm still waiting for the sun to come out!

Well the branch here is like nothing I have ever experienced. My eyes were really opened yesterday when we went to church. They just got a new church, so that is really nice! But there was maybe 15 people there at church and one family was visiting. I have never blessed and passed the sacrament and only used one tray for water and one tray for bread. The members that are active are great, really nice and there are a lot of solid members that come every week, but there are over 100 inactive members. So I guess most of our work will be trying to get these less actives back to the church to re-strengthen it.  I haven't been fed by anyone from the ward. Like I said, there is a lot of welfare and stuff going on with the members. So that has been hard to not have dinners, but I'm getting used to it! Maybe my cooking skills will get better! 

There are some great investigators here! There are two young couples that we are working with that are amazing!  Chad and Amber Griffey are the first ones.  They are in their 20s and are really fun, Chad has actually been interviewed and passed for his baptism and is ready to go! The hold-up is that Amber is not okay with it, so he is waiting until he gets her approval. It’s a hard situation, but I think she will come around soon the more we work with her! It’s kind of funny, we went to her church last night to check it out. It was really funny! The preacher jumped on his electric guitar and spread the grace among the congregation. Haha - that's how he put it!  People do not know what the Holy Ghost really feels like! It is kind of sad. But we are going to keep working a lot with Amber to get her to come around!

Sam and Tuesday are the other couple! They are so solid. We have been working with and teaching them every single day since I have been here. They love us and the church! They want to get baptized, too, but are waiting on their divorcements from there last marriages before they can get married and baptized, but they are awesome. Sam is really into skateboarding and snowboarding so we connected pretty well! 

I'm getting used to it here, please keep sending the prayers this way! I really could use them! We watched the Christmas Devotional last night and it was really amazing. President Erying gave a really nice talk and it was really powerful! I missed not going to it with my family, though!  But I'm so grateful for a living prophet and his apostles! Being out here is really testing my faith and it is comforting to know that our church is true and that Heavenly Father still speaks to his children.

I love you all and hope everyone is getting into the Christmas spirit!

Keep the Faith!

-Elder Kaleb Bingham

New Address--December 5, 2014

Hey Ya'll! I am just sending home my new address so everyone has it.  I would love some letters!!! :)

171 Mill Ave
Raven, VA 24639

I can get mail directly to the house we are in but you can also send packages and letters to the mission office and they can forward mail to me also!

I love you all so much, can’t wait to email you on Monday! :)

Thanksgiving Week--December 3, 2014

Hello Everyone,

Wow, it’s been a while! I apologize that I have had so many problems the last couple weeks with emailing and sending pictures. These computers have been very rough! But I guess I can only be grateful that I can E-mail!

So much has happened in the last couple of days! I guess I will start with Thanksgiving! Well, I have definitely gained weight this week! Haha First off, my amazing mom and her awesome package was so great to get! I loved it; getting stuff in the mail and packages really does make missionaries so happy! My companions and I ate very well because of that one.  :)

We ended up getting invited to two different dinners on Thanksgiving Day! We first went to the Turpins, The Turpins are great; they always take us out to dinner or have us over. They are an older couple in their 60’s, so not too old, but they are as southern as it gets! Haha We had an amazing dinner. I have to say it--They put our Thanksgiving dinners out west to shame! The food was unreal super good and so much to eat! Just for example, they had five different kinds of smoked turkeys! It was too good and very fun!

We then went to the Bird’s house; they’re a couple from Utah with a few little kids and that was also fun! It was kind of sad; they are here for school, so brother Bird can go to  V-TECH, but they missed they’re family back home and so did we. . . But we still had a great time and their kids are too funny! It was a great day!

So one of our more promising Investigators, Kenny Harris’ brother was walking to the post office in front of our town home and got hit by a car. Really sad accident! His brother was kind of blind, so he shouldn't have been walking on the streets. We think he just didn't see the car... But the cool thing is that we were the first ones Kenny called. Kenny doesn't have a lot of family anymore and the Plan of Salvation has always been a big thing for Him.  It answered so many of his questions. But anyway, that night, he wanted to meet with us at the church, so we did. We went and I was really nervous. I didn't know what we were going to say to him or do. My companion and I just prayed in the car for a while and asked for help before he got there. He arrived and we got started and he broke down. It was rough and then I guess with all the trust we have, we put it in the Lord’s hands and we just told him with all of our hearts that we know he will see his brother again. It’s hard to explain these situations because they’re so powerful at the time they happen. We were able to give him a blessing. In the blessing, it told him that his brother is going to help him make covenants with Heavenly Father so they can be together again.  It was a very special experience.

I guess the next big news is that I am getting transferred! After six months in Radford, Virginia, I am getting transferred. My mission President called me the other day and talked to me for a while. He is such an amazing guy. He is so smart and intelligent! He released me from being a District leader and a trainer. I will now be a normal missionary for a while, but one of the reasons is because I'm going to a struggling area that needs a lot of work. I'm going to a small town called Richlands, Virginia! It is on the border of West Virginia and Virginia. It is a small town with a branch--not a ward, a branch. They say there are 15 to 20 members that are active and they have had big trouble with leaders such as bishops and branch presidents making bad decisions financially that caused a lot of people to leave the church. I'm really nervous. But I’m excited! My new companion is a young one; He just got done being trained. His name is Elder Blaine and that's all I know about him! Haha We will see how it goes!

I have been having a hard time leaving Radford. I had to say goodbye to what feels like my family now. All the awesome members that I have been so close with. The hardest people to say goodbye to was my convert Elias and his family; that was a tear jerker. It was hard to say goodbye to the Vaught family last night, as well. Sister Vaught was crying really hard, which made me tear up a little. She expressed so much thanks to me, for how she put it, rescuing her family. It was hard to say goodbye to them, but I can write them and I will be able to keep in touch with them the rest of my life, and continue to be a missionary to them. 

There is a Boy Scout saying that has always stuck with me.  Always leave your campground better than you found it. I am proud to say that I am leaving this amazing area better than I found it.  I sat back this morning and reflected on all the work my companions and I have done here and we did way more good than I realized. I have loved it here and I know that God puts us exactly where he needs us.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I love you all and Keep the Faith!

- Elder Kaleb Bingham

The Turpins

Sister Vaught

The Thornton's

Junior Stowers

The Mattsons



Richard and Melinda Fisher

(He is the bishop)

Brother Fisher (Bishop Fisher's Dad)

He is the Ward Mission Leader

The Blackburg District (Kaleb is the District Leader)

The Blackburg District (Kaleb is the District Leader)



Snow!

 

Computer Problems--November 24, 2014

Hello Everyone,

Well, we’re surviving the cold here...but barely! As a District leader, I’m supposed to go on exchanges with all the missionaries in my district, so because the transfer is winding down, I went on a few exchanges this week! 

I was in Blacksburg, VA, where V-Tech University is on both of my exchanges. V-Tech is a sweet place to be! It’s so big and there are people everywhere there! My first Exchange was with Elder Papenfuss. He is a new missionary being trained from Rexburg, Idaho. It’s pretty cool we have the same first name! But that doesn't really matter. haha  We had a great time; it was a super cold day and they have no cars in Blacksburg so. . .

***Our computers have been having stupid problems--my big email I typed for half an hour didn’t work for some reason. :(   I tried sending it and it had a problem, so I tried saving it and logging off but it erased most of it. And it is not letting me send pictures.  I can’t wait for I Pads!

We actually do have Thanksgiving plans now! We’re super excited! We’re going with the Turpins. They’re so great; they feed us like all of the time!  Mom, you are the best for sending me a package!! :) I’m going to miss family Thanksgiving dinner, but I will be back before you know it! :) Transfers are not until Dec. 4^th, so I can still send mail up to the 29^th. :) It was great to hear from everyone! I hope Alyssa had an awesome birthday!

Not giving up--November 17, 2014

Hello Everyone,

What a great week it was! Things are going great here in Radford!  We have been very blessed to see so many great things this week in our area. Even though it has gotten really cold here, things haven't slowed down too bad.

We had a great lesson this week with one of our Investigators, Kenny Harris. Kenny is a funny guy we have been working with for a few weeks now. He is coming along great and loves all the lessons we’re teaching him. The hardest thing is getting him to church! We’re still working on that, but while we were teaching the Plan of Salvation, Elder Williams and I had a great idea to use the church building in the lesson. We used all the big rooms of the church to teach about a different part of the plan, for example, we used one half of the gym to teach the pre earth life then used the big sliding curtain in the gym to describe the veil and coming down to earth. We even used the baptismal font to teach the basics of the gospel. We then moved from room to room until we got through the whole plan and then had a recap about everything we had taught him and left Him with a few commitments. This was so effective for us and we feel like he understood the plan of salvation really well and we taught him at his own pace so he could grasp all the important points. After it made me realize how lucky we are to have such an amazing plan that heavenly Father has given us!  

The baptism was incredible yesterday! It was one of the best experiences I have ever had. We had the Baptism after church; Josh is the eight year old son of the Vaught family. His mom, Alicia, is a member but when we had found her she was completely inactive and knew very little about the church. Her husband, Shane, is a nonmember and isn't religious at all.  He is an intimidating guy to teach, but he is a great man. And Josh’s younger brother is Zach and he is 7. Anyway, it was awesome! The bishop of the ward conducted the service and one of the family friends baptized Josh. We was so excited--it was fun to see. All went well with the ordinance and we were back in the Relief Society Room when they were giving the talks on receiving the Holy Ghost. The man that gave the Holy Ghost talk was their old bishop when Alicia got converted. The bishop that was conducting felt prompted to ask the old bishop to confirm Josh and he did after he was through giving his talk on the Holy Ghost. Without hesitation he confirmed him and it was one of the coolest blessings I have ever heard. In the blessing he said that Josh was called here at this time so that he could help his parents in this life to be converted to the gospel. And that Josh one day will serve a mission and be very successful because of what his family has and is going through. It was so special. 

It was so cool to see the difference Elder Williams and I made to this family. The mom stood up in the end and thanked us for everything we had done for them and being so patient and not giving up on their family. It brought me the most satisfaction I have ever felt. I could feel that God called me here at this time to help the Vaught Family and help them receive the gospel.

I have really come to know in my heart that I am supposed to be here and that despite all my weaknesses and imperfections, the Lord is working through me to help hasten His work. This church is so true.

Keep the Faith!  

Elder Kaleb Bingham

Short on Time -- November 10, 2014

Hey mom and dad,

Super short on time--some stuff came up so I won't have a really long e mail today. I'm sorry. But the Vaught son will be baptized this Sunday--we're excited! I'm doing good still-- kinda sick, it's annoying but staying SUPER busy with being a DL and a trainer and working so hard in our area. I have no time for anything, it's stressful. But really fun too!

Dad: Its starting to get cold here they are calling for snow this weekend and its really dropped down. I decided I don't like the cold as a missionary, it's pointless when I can't snowboard! That's awesome that you got the lights up!  Life as a DL has been actually pretty good but sometimes I do feel like that I have been humbled, that's for sure. It's hard sometimes but I wouldn't trade it for anything! Hopefully I can get a better grip of it soon! Im so sorry I haven't been able to write you a letter back, I have had no spare time on my p day--I feel really bad. But thank you for the letters; my favorite letters to get are from you and mom, they help more than you know! I love them and thanks so much for the gift card! We really enjoyed it! It was awesome and nice to get out. Thank you so much for the advice too, it's amazing to have a dad that knows what I'm going through and can give advice and help! I can't wait to Skype as well, I love you so much Dad. 

Mom: We went back and talked to Don. He was still kinda stubborn but we taught him about the B.O.M. and He told us he would read it through and then call us after, so it's a waiting game! Definitely planting a lot of seeds though! Good find on the table! Good luck at your relief society dinner, I bet you did a great job of planning it! I love you so much thanks for being such an incredible mom! You don't know how much I appreciate you and all you do for me:) I love you so much! I hope you have a amazing week:))

Five Months! -- November 3, 2014

Hello Everyone,

This week was a great one! We had a really busy one with a lot of meetings! We were able to listen to Elder Renlund and his wife from the seventy—they came and spoke to us. It was a very uplifting experience! I learned a lot from his talk. He talked on faith and true conversion. My favorite part of it was when he said that the Prophet personally asked Him to tell us that he is so thankful for our service and commitment and that He loves us more then we could know. That hit home for me! It was a great meeting! We did that on Halloween. Halloween as a missionary isn't very fun--we didn't really do anything but work. 

On Halloween night, I was lucky enough to interview an investigator in my district for baptism. It was a cool experience. I thought it went well and he passed! His name was Arthur Wang. He is from China. He had a cool story and a strong testimony of the church. He said that it only makes sense that God would still give us prophets and apostles! 

We have been doing a lot of knocking on doors lately. We have had a hard time finding new investigators, but we had a couple awesome experiences that came from all the door knocking! 

We found a lady, her name is Diana. We knocked her door, she answered and after giving her the whole spill about who we are, she said, yeah I know your church.  I am actually reading the Book Of Mormon right now! We were blown away! She has been reading it for a while. It turns out that her sister up north just got baptized and she went up there and the missionaries met her and challenged her to read the Book of Mormon. Pretty cool that Heavenly Father has prepared her for us! We have an appointment this week with her; we will see how it goes! 

Another cool experience we had this week was from tracting. We went up to a really rich part of town in Radford.  After about an hour into it, we knocked on a door and a super nice family answered and invited us in. They had eight kids and called us the Mormons and sat us down. They were being super nice and bringing us drinks and candy and homemade goodies, and then suddenly everyone pretty much disappeared. It was just Elder Williams and I and the father of the house, named Don. We were sitting at the table and the first thing he said was, “Listen, you’re not going to convert me, but I’m going to convert you.” Elder Williams and I looked at each other and started laughing and we said good luck! We went on and he is super Catholic. He just started firing off reasons why we were wrong and how our church isn't right. We did our best to keep it under control and we stuck to our testimonies and continued to bare them to him. After about an hour of this, we were getting nowhere, I thought. We were running out of time and we were all a little upset. I looked Don in the eyes and somehow, as bold as I could, told Him that I knew His church was not true. Then I told Him that Jesus Christ has restored the true church back to the earth and if he ever wanted to learn about it, he knows where to find us. We left after that and were pretty torn up. I felt bad that I may have been rude and judgmental. We went on with our day and shook it off. The very next morning we received a text from the church in SLC. It was a media referral from someone in our area that got online at Mormon.org and requested the missionaries to come visit. We got the text and it turned out to be Don, the guy we saw the day before. So we called the number from the media referral and I talked to him on the phone. He said, “I would like for you missionaries to come back by and give me a Book of Mormon so I can read it.” What a change of heart?!? We have an appointment to go back this weekend. I guess our testimonies hopefully got through to him! 

Marcus Cunningham is still in a coma; we’re waiting to hear more about his condition. Please keep praying for him! 

The Vaught Family is still doing awesome! Josh, one of the sons, is going to be baptized on the 16th of November. We’re still working on Sister Vaught's husband. I hope he will see his son get baptized soon and want the same for himself! 

It’s been exciting here! I have been having so much fun and learning so much still about the Gospel and about the work! I know this church is true!!! I love you all and Keep the Faith!! 

-Elder Bingham