Its been six and its been an awesome six months. We ended the cambio (6 weeks) yesterday so we are starting fresh again. Im staying in the same sector with the same companion but I still feel like I can start over again. Ill remember the last 6 weeks, learn from it, and then not worry about it because we worked hard! But, now its time to work in a smarter way and try to humble ourselves more so that we confide in the Lord even more.
Well, I could just say that it was an average week, share a message, and end the letter but that would be pretty lame! So, things are pretty normal to me but Ill try to dig a little beneath the surface to share in the letter. The thing is, is that things are pretty normal to me now but I know they arent to yall so Ill keep it detailed!
I had a mini cambio with a zone leader, Elder Lopez, this week and went to their sector for the day. Its been close to three months since Ive worked for more than a few hours out of the sector so I was really happy to switch out for a day! The thing I love about going out of your sector on mini cambios is that you can just follow the lead of the other missionary that knows the sector, follow his lead on teaching, and testify! I enjoy it a lot. Of course the zone leaders are great missionaries so we taught some great investigators that day. In the morning during study, Elder Lopez and I read a talk about challenging and testifying. What Elder Lopez talked to me about and from what I learned from the talk, Im really inspired to challenge everybody to baptism now! Of course they will be quality challenges and not on the street asking them to be baptized before I even get to know them but that is one thing that Im really trying to improve on. People cant be baptized if you dont challenge them! So Elder Stull and I are really going to work on that one a lot more.
The Spanish is coming along. Ive noticed that at this point in my mission and where my speaking ability is at, its all about confidence. I mean that in the manner that if I go into a house thinking Im going to mess up, I probably will! If I go in thinking that I can say whatever I need to say about whatever thing I need to say, then it is a whole lot easier! Of course there are topics that I have no clue what they are talking about but I know missionaries that are close to the end of their mission and they cant understand everything. Then the factor of how much slang they use and their accent comes in too. Overall, Im just glad with all of it that I have the help of the Lord or else I dont know how I would be able to do it.
I have a few pictures here of from the zoo a week ago and pictures we took as a zone this past week at our last district class. There is only one Elder changing and his name is Elder Keller. He is from California and a really humble Elder. I remember when I got here he was a junior companion and told me that he wanted to be junior companion for the rest of his mission! Two cambios later he was senior companion, district leader, and training. Now he is leaving to be a zone leader. The Lord really does make the humble into leaders!
Im pretty excited for the new cambio and Ill tie that into my message for yall this week. I have not been apart of record breaking amounts of baptisms or a great number of them but the ones that I have seen have really brought joy to my heart. I can see the renewal when they come out of the water. I can see their desire to do what is right from then on. Im really grateful for the blessing that we all have to ¨start new¨ again and again and again. There are tons of ways we can start new again. One of the most important is what we partake of every Sunday in memorial of our Savior. This is the sacrament. Thats why church is so important so that, with the true priesthood authority, we have the ability to renew ourselves again, and again, and again.
All right, love yall! (I still have the Texan in me by saying ¨yall¨ so much!)
Elder Gregory
Well, I could just say that it was an average week, share a message, and end the letter but that would be pretty lame! So, things are pretty normal to me but Ill try to dig a little beneath the surface to share in the letter. The thing is, is that things are pretty normal to me now but I know they arent to yall so Ill keep it detailed!
I had a mini cambio with a zone leader, Elder Lopez, this week and went to their sector for the day. Its been close to three months since Ive worked for more than a few hours out of the sector so I was really happy to switch out for a day! The thing I love about going out of your sector on mini cambios is that you can just follow the lead of the other missionary that knows the sector, follow his lead on teaching, and testify! I enjoy it a lot. Of course the zone leaders are great missionaries so we taught some great investigators that day. In the morning during study, Elder Lopez and I read a talk about challenging and testifying. What Elder Lopez talked to me about and from what I learned from the talk, Im really inspired to challenge everybody to baptism now! Of course they will be quality challenges and not on the street asking them to be baptized before I even get to know them but that is one thing that Im really trying to improve on. People cant be baptized if you dont challenge them! So Elder Stull and I are really going to work on that one a lot more.
The Spanish is coming along. Ive noticed that at this point in my mission and where my speaking ability is at, its all about confidence. I mean that in the manner that if I go into a house thinking Im going to mess up, I probably will! If I go in thinking that I can say whatever I need to say about whatever thing I need to say, then it is a whole lot easier! Of course there are topics that I have no clue what they are talking about but I know missionaries that are close to the end of their mission and they cant understand everything. Then the factor of how much slang they use and their accent comes in too. Overall, Im just glad with all of it that I have the help of the Lord or else I dont know how I would be able to do it.
I have a few pictures here of from the zoo a week ago and pictures we took as a zone this past week at our last district class. There is only one Elder changing and his name is Elder Keller. He is from California and a really humble Elder. I remember when I got here he was a junior companion and told me that he wanted to be junior companion for the rest of his mission! Two cambios later he was senior companion, district leader, and training. Now he is leaving to be a zone leader. The Lord really does make the humble into leaders!
Im pretty excited for the new cambio and Ill tie that into my message for yall this week. I have not been apart of record breaking amounts of baptisms or a great number of them but the ones that I have seen have really brought joy to my heart. I can see the renewal when they come out of the water. I can see their desire to do what is right from then on. Im really grateful for the blessing that we all have to ¨start new¨ again and again and again. There are tons of ways we can start new again. One of the most important is what we partake of every Sunday in memorial of our Savior. This is the sacrament. Thats why church is so important so that, with the true priesthood authority, we have the ability to renew ourselves again, and again, and again.
All right, love yall! (I still have the Texan in me by saying ¨yall¨ so much!)
Elder Gregory
