Psalm of Conrad

Mommy :)
Dangit I miss you too!! I don't care how long I’m out here, that will  never change. I still think about and pray multiple times daily for you and the family. I love you Mom, more than I can put in words by far!!
As for service, nothing huge yet. We walk or take pikis everywhere and I am still in training so our days are a bit short, or rather the appointments are limited because of time and that fact that they are so far apart. But I have a story! I had been praying for investigators last week, and on Thursday when we went out, a guy named Nolden at a shop became very interested. Then a guy named John who is usually drunk found us and we really connected. Then we went back home for a bit, and when we went out we randomly found a guy on an obscure route we don't usually take. His name is Werangai. He wants to learn everything, and even wants us to teach some others he knows. Then we met a Quaker priest named Moses, and we are going to follow up with him soon. The Lord blessed me BIG TIME that Thursday. He really is watching out for me in every way.
TANNER!!!! Oh my gosh!!!! I will pray super dang hard for him!!! We should fast for him as well!! Send me an update of his status in your next weekly email please ok?
Sister Mortensen - that touches my heart. I will write her for sure! It takes a while to get home but I will send one asap ok?
DEBIT CARD WORKS!!  By the way, I have a surprise for you all :) I may send them home or I may bring them in 22 months. Can you believe that I am nearing the 2 month mark? Time is really going to start flying momma :)
Laundry - all me. It’s ok tho, it isn't too bad. Extra garments, nah. I will be good for a while.
As for the emails, ya it's all good. I type fast....ish... :)
Ok cool things now. At one house we went to, I noticed a small white flower, very beautiful and it sparkled in the sunlight. I’ll take a pic sometime when we go again. But guess what? They smelled just like the perfume that you really like. Crazy huh?! It brought you close to my heart and I kept smelling them! haha it made my day. God's tender mercies huh?
Go to Isaiah 62:2, and think of the temple. Cool huh?
Can i get some piano music maybe? I want 3 pieces real bad. Jesu joy of man's desiring. that organ piece called "fanfare", and moonlight sonata, if it is convenient, otherwise, no stress :)
Oh and I encourage you to read alma 26. Focus on verse 16. That is really how I feel. Especially because the elders from a few miles away that stay in our flat had 7 baptisms this Sunday. Elder Munyoro asked me to give a talk on baptism and the holy ghost. The Holy Ghost really spoke thru me and I began to feel it! I spoke from the heart based on preparation and my former dreariness I had felt that day was totally wiped away as the Holy Ghost filled me :)
THERE'S NO MCDONALD'S IN KENYA!!!!!!!!!
So since I got here I have obviously been lonely at times. At these times I have drawn close to the Savior. And man, my testimony of Him is blossoming. He is becoming my greatest friend and I love Him! I wrote a psalm about him, here it is:

One was sent into the world,
Aware of duties giv'n Him.
"Agency," said He, "give them,
let them choose fate, be great or grim."

With hope that saved be siblings all,
He knew that some would not return,
But never faltered, never rested,
Every second still He yearned.

For we His brothers, sisters too,
As held the highest in His sight,
Are worth the labor He put forth,
Laboring in greatest might.

Exemplary adn merciful,
Miracles and charity,
Peace and love, the Son of God,
Loved in true sincerity.

Inevit'bly, Gethsemane
Would call Him forth to take our sins,
And whilst He always had a choice,
He suffered, there our souls to win.

O, how indebted, how diseased,
I tremble in my filthy soul,
When thinking of that sweetest Lamb
Whose pain and agony was full!

O Greatest Brother, so thou art,
How can i claim to love thee so,
When then i sin, against the light,
Make undeserved pain to grow!

When in my sorrow, in my fear,
Happiness seems ne'er to be,
I think of what thou truly didst,
And suddenly, my sorrow flees!

That act of love, of selflessness,
Redeemed me from such bitter pain,
I ponder and concludeth this-
"O Savior, thou hast love unfeigned!"

Made whole again, I'm comforted,
amidst the loneliness of Earth,
I think of thee, here by my side,
And know - i have recieved new birth!

Let trials come, I know they will,
And still i know that thou dost care!
For in the 4th watch thou didst come,
Arrive, and help my burdens bear!

My joy exceeds my pain by far!
Like Alma, how i feel renewed!
With new desire kindling
To follow perfect, follow true.

To all who wonder, question still,
a place in heart for doubt they give,
I add these words to Joseph Smith's,
To all of Earth and Heav'n, "He lives!"

What do you think? Feel free to share it with anybody, but don't give me too much credit. The Holy Ghost wrote it thru me. Those are truly the feelings of my heart. Mom I know God is my Father, and He is so near me. Literally He is watching and protecting me. So is the Savior, and they, with the Holy Ghost, are my greatest sources of comfort out here. When I am down, they are there :)
I sleep with the blanket you made me every night. And guess what? Now that the little kids in the branch know I am not going to eat them, they love to play with me! They are so cute and funny. They don't speak English, but I am learning to speak Kiswahili.

Momma, I love you. Time will fly. Cling to the Savior and be thankful for the support our incredible family provides. Eternity is not far away, and 2 years is not long. Talk to you soon (Mother’s day!) and I love you forever.
Love, Your Son Conraddie :)

Dad!
Dad, you are the best Father I could ask for. I really and truly use things You taught me EVERY DAY of my mission!! God is shaping me into the man He wants me to be, and I have my basis from you. Thru eternity, you were my first and lasting example :) as for my worthiness, yes. I am staying as worthy as I can possibly be. When the other elders are breaking a rule or two - no. I am doing my absolute best to be exactly obedient to the white handbook and to what you have taught me. Rules are a must, and I would never challenge my Father on Earth or in Heaven by breaking rules. Like Gordon B. Hinckley said - Permissiveness never produced greatness. Likewise, disobedience never produced a Saint. I am able to give Priesthood blessings wherever I need to. I don’t say any of this to brag, but to reassure and praise my God for His mercy to me, His son. I have given 2 healing blessings to Elders out here so far. Both were solemn. 
As you know, I have been strengthening my relation with Father and Jesus Christ. And especially seeking and striving for the leadership of the Holy Ghost. and today, as I gave the second of 2 healing blessings, I literally felt the holy Ghost speaking thru me. I finally recognized Him!!! This, I feel, is god's direct answer to prayer, for I prayed that He would help me recognize and work with the Holy Spirit!  Anyway, I gave the blessing and just cried as I did because I knew Heavenly Father was right next to me, giving me the words. It was incredible. I then went into a room alone and thanked Him, and I have never felt Him so close. Even now, He is watching me. It is so comforting :)
Dad, we will be together soon enough. Can you see how fast the weeks fly by? Let me tell you - fast. DUH!! Look up this talk by Holland "An Ensign to the Nations". And guess what? WE can live like the apostles!! We can live the "Higher law" as taught by Jesus Christ and as mentioned in the white missionary handbook!!
Questions: Read Matthew 22:14 with JST too, What is the wedding garment? And read John 21 whole chapter. Look at verses 17 and 25. Doesn't that sound so real? It is a testimony that a man really wrote those words! One who actually knew Jesus. That is so cool to me!
I also bought some orange marmalade at the store. just cuz it reminded me of you. I don't even like it that much haha!
Well I love you dad. you are my bestest buddy. You are always my dad, for eternity and I love you with all that I am.
Love your Sonny boy, Conrad

Letter to Young Men's President

The Young Men's President in our ward wrote to Conrad and this is Conrad's response.

Brother Barnes!!!!
Man!! Itis good to hear from you!! Excuse the grammatical errors please i am typing fast. But thank you for your testimony. Preach on my friend. I am feeling the same way, and that confirmation that the Lord is there for real, and that prayer works is becoming known to me. I have given a few blessings out here and i am finally, thru the grace of Almighty God, recognizing the Spirit and learning to follow. 4 times already, the power was out, and the power of God thru prayer turned the power on. Insane huh? 4 times!! Thank you brother barnes, i love you and hold you in highest respect. I can see you were and are still a real live missionary - what every man hopes to be.
As for my fellow young men - OH YEAH!! You guys better be spiritually ripped by the time i get back. Just because i left doesn't mean i don't think of you. i love you all so much, and i want you to know this- the Savior of the world is more than on object in a book we worship, or a name we say. He was a man, like Brother Barnes. He loved each of you as He suffered for you. He is nearer than you would ever imagine. I plead with you, follow the counsel i gave my brother Benjamin - seek to gain an undying relatuionship with the Savior. He is the only one who can be with you when you are in a foreign African nation, sitting in a mud hut, teaching a toothless man who speaks Bukusu and no english. Ya, He is real. That i know. 
i love you all, thank you President Barnes. Please tell Jacob to write me. preferably not email, a letter. i love him so much, he is my best friend and i want to hear from him too. Love you guys,
Conrad!

Momma!!!
Ahhh i am so happy to always see emails from you. Has it seemed like a long time for me? Ha, YES!!!! It feels like three months too. But now the time is beginning to fly and i think it will fly by for me and for you.
My companion is Elder Vincent Motaung. He is from South Africa, and he is from the Sutu tribe. He is about two or three or four inches shorter than me, he likes to eat, and he is awesome. We get along so well, and he is training me greatly, especially how to bargain with the piki drivers (we don't have a piki, we hitch a ride). He is very nice, can teach very well, very funny, makes people laugh, has a great personality, and speaks pretty good Kiswahili where i lack. I am being trained well, and he says i am progressing great.
The village is tiny. But there are many people and lots of kids. We can't give anything away so don't worry about sending stuff for them unless i ask specifically for maybe a kid in the branch. But that's so sweet!! Aw!
In our flat we have food. I always find food to eat and i always take my doxicycline. We have electricity, a fridge, running water (we have to purify), we wash by hand, i sleep well at night, and as soon as i can i am going to buy cleaning supplies and clean up the place a little - LEAH STYLE!!! Oh ya, some deep cleaning in p-day. Food tho, it's fine! We eat alot of spaghetti and ugali (maize cakes) and chapati (pita, kinda) and beans. And rice and mince. It's all good mama, staying healthy :)
A typical day: Up at 6:30, workout, get dressed, breakfast, study personal for one hour, companion study one hour, two if we are training, get out and find people to teach or go to appointments (we walk alot and i will be getting pics for you to see of the INCREDIBLE scenery here! It is so beautiful. Huge fields of sunflowers :) and beautiful mountain ranges). We arrive home at around seven cuz we can't be out after dark. Shower, study more, journal (every day), bedtime!! It's nice and the day goes by fast.
You all should always read each other's emails if you want, cuz sometimes i put in community stuff into one person's. Like this!
6 things I have learned so far:
1. You, Conrad, are establishing a foundation whereby you can structure the rest of your life.
2. Obey. Obey, obey, obey. And just see the blessings.
3. Daily direct your thoughts and attention to this sacred Gospel.
4. Constantly direct your thoughts toward the Savior.
5. Love your family. Have charity first for them, then for all.
6. It is not, nor will it ever be, about us. It's always about them.
Music!! So guess what? I played for the mission tour and all the district meetings and stuff, and Sister Beecher is going to give me her whole collection of acquired music when she goes! She loves me and i am also given a responsibility. My branch, the Naitiri branch, doesn't have a keyboard. Nobody played!! But sister Broadbent is getting me one, with the charge that i have to give lessons as part of my weekly schedule!! AWESOME HUH?!?!?! So i am shooting for teaching at least 3 people by the time i leave Naitiri.


When i get back, i want to go to a Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert. Please!!
Here's some spiritual candy now. In my patriarcahal blessing it says something completely related to this time: "...and know you are truly blessed to be part of a family that have the blessings of eternal marriage and family. These are the things that will bring you the greatest happiness throughout all eternity." And is that not true? It is. My patriarchal blessing is fulfilling even as i am righteous :)
I asked Sister Cook before she left what would be the most comforting thing i can tell my mother is. She smiled, and thought, and said, "Tell her you're happy, you're healthy, and you are being safe." So here it goes. truthfully, i am happy, i am healthy, and i am being safe :) I love you mom. Time flies when you're having fun!! Onward, ever onward. Oh and read verse 3 of "How Firm a Foundation". That is God talking to YOU.
Your loving, happy son,
Conrad

Daddio!
Guess what? I asked President Broadbent what the most conforting thing to hear as a father was and he said, "Tell him you're happy, healthy, and you have the Spirit." I am happy, i am healthy, and i have the Spirit. Truly, and IT FEELS GREAT!!!
Man, i miss you dad. But guess what, you are always with me because i am your son. I even tell people stories about my dad :) 
I told mom, but when i get back - MOTAB CONCERT!! PLEEEEEASE!!
Check out that patriarchal blessing thing too that i sent mom ok?
Here's some spiritual stuff i learned recently.
Go to Hebrews 12:6-7, and 9. Hahaha that is what an earthly father does too! Share with ben and dan :)
Also, as i have been trying to develop charity for all, i have noticed something. Stereotyping is a noxious weed. We all HAVE to eliminate the very concept from our minds or we will never have charity. I am not singling you out, i am telling our whole family cuz it is so hard. I just want us all to progress together. We as missionaries are commanded in the White Handbook to "live the higher law" as taught by Jesus Christ. And i thought, as i listened to Elder Cook of the Seventy (again), The General Authorities live the higher law all the time. So why can't we? We as a family can live the higher law that Jesus Christ taught. The Bretheren and Jesus Christ teach us with the expectation that we will accomplish what they tell us. We can do it!! I know that for a fact, or else we wouldn't be commanded that!  Dad, you have been my role model. You taught me the value of work and of the Gospel and it is invaluable out here. I don't get tired! 
Also, out here there is some crazy cool souveniers. I want to send stuff home to you but it is expensive. should i just carry it home in my suitcase instead? What do you think?
Dad i think about you all the time.  I am totally planning on climbing Long's Peak in two years. We will do it together :)
I love you so much Dad, we are never far as Priesthood holding father and son.
Your loving son,
Conrad

Email to his Mother

Mommy :)
Man!!! Yes we have internet but we are being chraged by the minute. But it's ok it's cheap. So everything is very cheap out here. But my darn card still isn't working. It needs to be Visa or something i guess. Maybe? It ain't working, that's what i'm saying. I have extended one baptism invitation (accepted), taught many lessons, and another guy (Daniel) just asked to be baptized!!! I wrote a big long letter to you all and i have sent it and it says a bunch in there about the investigators. Basically tho, i have 2 baptisms on february 5 and it's my first week. the Lord has truly blessed me and loves me more than i will ever know!! He is always watching over me.
My apartment:
the nicest in Naitiri. But everybody else lives in mud huts, sooo ya. They are tribes here, but they dress like Americans. We wash all our clothes by hand. We cook our own. We purify our water. I sleep in a mosquito net. i watch geckos crawling around a bunch haha. Overall, the Spirit is in our flat and i love it. It is home to me and my testimony has sky-rocketed from all my studies!!!
I saw Zebras!!!! Out in a pasture, like horses!! Crazy, huh? No other animals yet, i'm not in wild animal territory here (dangit).
I saw a hotel called "Saddam and Sons". just thought i'd share that haha!!
We ride piki piki's everywhere. they are motor bikes. we only ride them long distances. we usually walk and i get diiiiirty and sweeeeeaty. but i have the time of my life.
Little African kids call me "muzungu" (white man) and follow me around everywhere. for most i am the first white man they have ever seen! Your son, a pioneer of Africa!!
my address:

Elder conrad Schneider
Kenya Nairobi Mission
Upper Hill Road
Next to citigroup
P.O. Box 46162-00100
Nairobi Kenya

Needs and likes:
Pictures of my family!!!! Just a few, but of you guys. and a pic of christ. besides that, i wouldn't mind some gum. bubble gum :) and i need you all to know how happy i am. I am having a fantastic time and the time will surely start flying. Mom, i love you so much. You may never know how much i miss you. Oh wait, yes you do!
Can you do me one small favor? At albertson's there are some albertson's cookies in a purple bag. i promised i would send some to tanner. Could you guys send him that for me with my love? that would make me happy :)
I also would like letters. To those i can respond better and with more thought. you must know tho, i love you so much mom. I pray and think about you daily and multiple times even. You are my beacon of hope because i know you are praying with your whole soul for my success. I feel your blessings even now as i write this. You must know that God and Jesus Christ are watching over me closely. I am following your inspired example and i am trying to be exactly obedient. I wrote more in my letter that's coming to you too. I serve these people knowing that the promise in Matthew 19:29 is happening because He has promised it. This is my home for a while. But you know what? It's all the same Earth governed by the same Father and He is focusing on YOU, OUR FAMILY, and ME!!! This chruch and this Gospel are the truth!!! I could NEVER, nor will i ever, deny it. Jeffrey R. Holland has been a focus of mine out here. In a devotional io watched he said: "A mission is not easy because salvation is NOT a cheap experience!! How could we EVER think it would be easy for us if it was NEVER easy for Him?" And i agree. I will take and bear any hardship my Father gives because He is shaping me into a man that will help bring His children to Him. I pray with every piece of my soul and body that He will help me find those people ready to come unto Him. Mom, I am well and happy. My Spirit soars at the very thought of our family. My testimony - unbreakable. And still growing. i'm eternally in your and dad's debt for raising me how you did. you are the ultimate parents (besides my heavenly parents) and for it, i have just another reason to love you :)
You'll be great in school!! Pray and seek the Lord's help (typical missionary answer). But really, his help is real. Prayers get answered like phone calls, sometimes we just need to have faith. I love this work and i will talk to you very soon!! Mother's day is just around the corner :) :)
With every possible particle of Love in my dirty, sweaty, happy body,
Conrad, son of Candy Rapper

YES! Email from Conrad this morning! To Dad

The BEECHER'S!! I love them so much. i always give him a big hug, and he says it's from you :) Man dad, i have to tell you, this is hard. no lies, this is very difficult. but i have the Spirit of God with me at all times and steadily i am learning to recognize and follow Him. it feels so incredible and i am seeing the fruits of the Spirit. 
Dad i's so happy. this is hard, and at times discouraging. But i think of how you are right behind me. I know you all miss me, i can feel it!! but i can seriously, seriously feel your prayers. the whole family's!! It is so encouraging to have Father and the Holy ghost testify to me that my family is safe and behind me every step of the way (which is alot of steps, might i add). Is there anything i can do for the family? I want to help Spiritually.
Here is some wisdom for you. "I don't wanna get paid to lose. I WHANNA WHIN!!!" and i'm going to!!! Dad i have you and every specific member of our family in my prayers and i am shooting as many blessings over your way as i can. Tell me some blessings you guys have recognized :)
No temple here :( so you guys better go for me ok? That's proxy work, right? Eh? No? ya ok it doesn't work like that. 
Funny story. Alot of people appreciate it if you try and speak Kiswahili to them (it's called Kiswahili, not Swahili by the way). So we're on a bus and i start talking to a guy in Kiswahili saying "Sisi ni missionaries tuna toka katika kanisa la Jesu Christo la watakatifu wa sifu za mwishu" which is we are missionaries from the...etc... and as i'm saying it this old guy pops out of nowhere and angrily goes "We understand English!!!!" i recoiled like Nacho when he sees the dead guy wake up cuz it was a scary old man. hahahahah and i was like "oh.... right uh ok.... " and then shared the message. The Lord is blessing me to be able to learn Kiswahili rapidly!! It is phenomenal. At this rate, i will be fluent in a month man. not even a joke either. 
Basically - I'm happy, i'm healthy, i'm trying to be like Jesus. I love God my Loving Father, i love Jesus Christ my watchful Brother and Savior, and i love the Holy Ghost, my companion. i also love my companion that is a human... ha. you are in my prayers and in my heart and in my testimony. Love you to life (eternal, that is. )
Your Humbly Proud Son forever,
Conrad