7.17.12
Well as you know, I had changes and I'm in a new area with a new responsibility and a new companion.  I'm in Escuintla in a branch called Golondrinas. My area is considered coast and it is pretty hot here. The rain is also a lot more intense here than it is in the capital, so if you're not wet from the rain you're wet from sweat. My companion is Elder Varela. He is from Honduras and he 24 yrs old. He is a great companion and we get along great. He is a very hard worker and he loves being a missionary. We get along great, he's like a brother to me. The Lord knows why he does everything and even when we don't know understand why the Lord will bless us as we do what He says. The area is known to be a baptizing area and we have been working with a few people to prepare them for baptism and we are focusing on finding many more people to be baptised here in August. I know that if I apply the things that I have learned in my mission here in these last 6 weeks I will be able to see many fruits. The field is white already to harvest and I will be thrusting in the sickle to bring these people to Christ. 

That's great to hear about the activites that you all are doing. It's so nice to have summer vacation and to be able to relax a bit, but in some things there just can't be rest. I love being a missionary. How many more weeks until school starts? Are the boys doing any wrestling camps? How is work going for you mom? 

Something that was kinda funny this week happened last Thursday when my companion and I were knocking doors. Remember that my new area is hot and the people don't have the luxury of A/C and many of the houses have roofs made of sheet metal which makes a house of brick turn into an oven so many people go around with their shirts off and many others wear just the necessary clothing. We knocked the door and a lady came to the door and we began talking to her and then a few seconds later 2 little bald boys came running to the door butt naked. I just tried to hold my laugh in.

Love,
Elder Turner

7.16.12
Dear family of Elder Kasey Marshall Turner,

It is with appreciation that I inform you that Elder Turner, has been called to serve as a Zone Leader in the Guatemala Guatemala City Central Mission.  This comes as a result of revelation from the Lord. He has demonstrated diligence, hard work, faith, love and has obtained the respect of the rest of the missionaries.

As a Zone Leader, I will work closely with him to motivate and influence the rest of the missionaries in his zone. At the same time, Elder Turner will be expected to lead and exemplify every aspect of missionary work.

I appreciate having Elder Turner as a servant of God here in the mission field. I truly know that he is a special son of God.

Yours faithfully,
Mission President

7.10.12

This week was a great week and I have to say that the Lord has blessed me tremendously. I can honestly say that I have given it my all over the last 12 weeks and when I thought that I wouldn't see the fruits of my efforts, the Lord opened up my eyes and blessed me. On Saturday a young man entered into the waters of baptism and tonight we will be completing a family with the baptism of the wife. I'm so glad that I have been able to be sent to "tough" areas in the mission because that is what has shaped me into the person that the Lord wants me to become. I can't express what it feels like to help someone come to the waters of baptism especially someone who the missionaries have been fighting for months and years to help them make the decision to follow the Spirit. Tomorrow is change day and I will be leaving Panorama. My last 6 weeks will be in another area. At first I was a little bummed out because I won't be so close with the people in my new area, but at the same it helps me to focus on my purpose and to work hard so the the last 6 weeks will be the best 6 weeks. I'm excited to get out and go work in another area because that's where the Lord needs me to be. It may only be a few weeks, but I know that I will be the means of bringing God's children home to Him. 

We are continually working with Max to help him progress towards baptism, but we are working hard to help him overcome some of his habits so that he can live in accordance to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. He is coming along well and I know that he will accept the restored gospel and be baptized by the proper authority, I wish I could be there for it. We are working with a few other families here in Panorama that very well can get baptized in this month we just have to get some legal papers in order so that they can get married. The gospel is so great, it is all about the families and the joy that we receive being in the bonds of an eternal family. 

I got an email from one of my companions who got home in March and he told me that he is getting married in December. I feel like the whole world is gonna be married when I get home! haha I'm glad that everyone is finding their match. I'm super excited for Andrew although at first it was rough for me because I wanted to hang out with him when I get home, but he's helping me more by getting married because that will help me focus on marriage once I'm home :)

Life is great. I'm glad to hear about your experiences with your family in Utah. Like I said, the gospel is all about families. I know that our family is eternal and that we will be able to enjoy eternal happiness in the world to come if we are obedient to the commandments. I love the gospel and I love the Savior. Let us put on the whole armor of God and be protected as we are among the temptations of the world. I love you Mom and I thank you for your support over the last 22 months. I'm going harder than I ever have because this is over time and as my Father continues to work I will too.

Love, 

Elder Turner 

7.3.12

The gospel is real and God loves us so much. I have learned throughout my life and especially here on the mission that like you said commandments can become either stepping stones or stumbling blocks depending on how we use our agency and act accordingly. I love the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Savior.

I'm so glad that I'm from the United States. I have grown to love Guatemala for the people but the country just isn't the same as home. A few weeks  ago I was with my companion talking to people in the street and in the bus stop and I saw 2  military officers standing as security and I thought to myself how normal that is here but if I were in the states and saw that I would think that something seriously bad is going on. Like I said, I love guatemala. The people here are so special and each day I learn to love them even more. I love talking with them in the streets, in their houses, and wherever I find them :) I'm working hard and I know that for that same reason I will continue to have challenges, but I am armed with the strength of the Lord. I'm doing what I need to be doing and no matter what happens the Lord will always provide. I'm glad that I have been able to have challenges that make me feel out of my comfort zone because as I look to the Lord for comfort He strengthens me against the challenges I must face. 

The rain is great. If I weren't a missionary I'd probably hate it. On Saturday when my companion and I left the house to work it was nice and sunny, but at noon the clouds came in. It started raining while we were with Max and it didn't really stop raining till 7pm. Because it was sunny I didn't bring my umbrella and Max lives kinda far from our house but we had to leave because we had another visit to do. Within 10 seconds of being outside I was soaked from head to toe and remained that way almost all day until we had time to go home and get my umbrella. Life's great. I love having the experiences I'm having here in Guatemala :)

I  know the gospel is true and I know that the Book of Mormon is true.

Love,

Elder Turner

2 years has flown by and Elder Turner is coming home in 7 1/2 weeks! He will be released on August 22 and his homecoming talk will be Sunday, August 26. More details to come! We are so excited and proud of his service. He has done some great work and has shared his great stories with us. Great job, Elder Turner!

6.26.12
Thank you for all of the prayers and the support that you have given me in the last 22 months. I know that you have to take time out of your day to be able to write me, so know that your sacrifices are greatly appreciated. 


Haha I can't remember if you told me about dad's truck, but that's rough that the excursion and the truck both went out, but when trials come we need to look to the Lord. I love that we can communicate with an all knowing, all powerful being, God the Father, through a simple prayer and He is willing to speak with us and give us guidance and direction because He loves us. Something that I have been sharing with the people that I talk to is how God knows us and loves us personally. It is so true and I have come to know that though prayer and scripture study. I began reading the Book of Mormon again and my goal is to finish it before the 22 of August but in the short time I have begun reading it again I have found answers to prayers and guidance I had never before known. I love the Book of Mormon.

Max is doing good. We continue to work with him and help him receive answers to his prayers. He wasn't able to attend church this Sunday because he had to visit with his lawyer concerning a job deal that he is working on here. I pray that this next Sunday he´ll be able to make it. He is such a great guy. On the even better side my companion and I are getting along a lot better and we are working better together and due to that we were able to invite a young man on Sunday to be baptized on July 7th and he accepted. His siblings are all members, but he was the only one that still hadn't gotten baptized and we passed by Sunday night right before going home and we invited him to show his faith and take the step to be baptized.

This week my companion and I were able to work a lot better and have much more unity. I've been learning a lot about humility and patience as I strive to serve the Lord and please my companion. We come from cultures so different that it has been really hard for me to accept some of the mannerisms of my companion, but as I have prayed and asked the Lord to strengthen me so that those things don't bother me so much He has blessed me. It's hard to not get upset when someone spits on the floor of the house, but to correct that behavior you have to teach them that it's not ok to do that. Like I said patience is what is getting me through my hard times, and a good eye to make sure that I don't step in the spit haha. I love being a missionary because it exposes you to so many different things, but you learn how to trust in the Lord and rely on His divine help. I find peace knowing that I will have the blessing to choose who will be my eternal companion and that I will be able to love her before I make the decision to be with her. I'm so glad that I have had some tough companions because I've learned to rely on the Lord so much more even for the "small things" in life. I know that I'm going to look back on these hard times and laugh. I've already begun to do so.

The gospel is so real. I'm blessed to know that Christ payed for my sins and that all I have to do is be humble enough to fall on my knees and ask forgiveness and He is willing to forgive me. I'm blessed to know that the Book of Mormon is true and that as I prayerfully study it I'm guided day by day. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God called to restore the truth in these latter days. I know that Thomas S. Monson has been called of God and is guided and direct by the Lord daily as to how he must guide the church. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's kingdom here on the earth and through baptism we enter into God's kingdom. Faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end are key to our salvation. What a blessing it is to know that repentance is still available for us even after we are baptized.

Love,
Elder Turner

6.19.12

Life is great here in Guatemala and the work continues to progress. I must say that miracles happen in the Lord's time and that things don't have to happen quick to be a miracle. I have been working hard for the last 9 weeks in my area and have seen, in my opinion, very little fruits for the amout of work being done but I do know that here soon many people will be more prepared to accept the gospel. Max is doing great! He came to church on Sunday for the second time and is anxious to learn the truth. Getting Max a Book of Mormon in chinese is quite the task and will probably take months to arrive here, but the miracle here is the internet. Max looked up things about the church and found for himself the Book of Mormon  on the church website in chinese and began reading. He says that it makes him feel good but isn't sure that he has received an answer from God that it is true. We are working with Max to help him receive an answer so that he can get baptized here soon. In our mission people who are investigating the church have to attend sacrament meeting 3 times before they can get baptized so this next Sunday will be his 3rd time. He has some challenges that we are helping him overcome, but I know that Max will soon be able to take the step to be baptized. I love the gospel and in all reality it is the thing that makes me happier than ever. It's true that I am far away from home and family and friends, but sharing the gospel is a feeling that can't be compared. Many people are out there working to find happiness, searching for what's right but for me I was fortunate enough to have it placed in my lap being born into a family who lives the gospel. Now I'm working to help others receive the same happiness that I have received. I love the gospel and I know that it is the road to happiness.

That is so great to hear about your experiences with the Sorensens. I love that family a lot and I'm excited to be able to see them again. The friendship that Alexia and I established 5 years back has brought families together who will be friends for eternity because the gospel is being shared. With faith miracles will happen and the steps that they are taking although small to the human are great to the spirit because they are beginning to reconnect the dots that were connected in the premortal life. One day that family will be a strong family who loves and lives the gospel. We as members have to do what's right and share the restored gospel applying it to the needs of those who are searching. Thank you for sharing the gospel with the Sorensens mom. It's something that I needed to do 5 years ago but never realized the importance of it until I was here in Guatemala. I'm glad that things are done in the Lord's time and in the Lord's way because I missed my shot, but yours is right there mom. We have to pray like everything depends on the Lord and work like everything depends on us. They may not want to hear much about doctrine, but if they want to feel more peace and love in life they will achieve it through the Book of Mormon. I know that, because I live it. Let them know that I'm praying for them and that I love them. They have helped me in ways they may not know but they will soon receive many blessings for all they did to help me get on the mission.

The work will continue and as Elder Maynes taught me on Tuesday, we must teach people of the Celestial traditions that we do in the church. Although you might be super busy you ought to invite the Sorensens over for a family home evening. 

I love you so much Mom and all those we read this. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is God's Kingdom here upon the earth and that is where true happiness is found, in God's Kingdom.  Never Give Up. Never back down.

Love 

Elder Turner