Last Two Weeks in Training

May 27, 2013

Hello everyone! 

Things are going very well here in Gainesville! These next few weeks are my last weeks in training, and I get to take over all the planning and teaching that goes on. I'm very excited to do this! Its amazing how far i have come in only a short time.

This last week the mission did an Atonement week to prepare for Zone Conference. It all started off with a day of service. To serve your companion, a member, and an investigator. As I did this, I was filled with the pure love of Christ. There was no contention whatsoever with Elder Jenkins and I and I seemed a lot happier! We then had to repent one day, sacrifice on another, and then do everything we can to prepare for the sacrament on Sunday. I have never had such a great sacrament meeting since the MTC. This was a great experience because I came much closer to my Savior and experienced the Atonement in a new way! 

Sadly... Steven was not baptized this Sunday. It changed to this Saturday!! It seemed like our whole ward was against us this last week. In order to resist contention and potentially ruining the relationships with the future  missionaries and the ward, we rebuked the ward and then backed off and let them decide about the silly details of the baptism. Elder Jenkins and I are not very happy with our ward right now. The most important thing is that Steven doesn't care when the date is as long as he gets baptised soon. 

I had the chance to take a tour of the University of Florida's football field! It was an amazing experience! I can't imagine coming here to play though because it gets so hot and humid! I was running in the morning, and I could barely breath! Maybe that's why BYU decides not to play here..

I don't have too much time today I'm sorry. I'm out here in a different part of Florida called Ocala spending time with the other Elders! Love you all and thanks for your support!

Elder Greenlaw

"LOVE" Bug season

May 20, 2013

Hello everyone!

I walked out the door this morning, and I immediately started sweating... Yes you know what that means... THE SUMMER HEAT IS COMING! Today is definitely the most humid day I've had here so far. Thank goodness Elder Jenkins had a hurt back which led us to a car! We thought that we were going to get it taken away from us this week since Elder Calder is my District has a hip injury. He's been going to a physical therapist, MRI's taken and seen about 8 different doctors. They still don't know exactly what the problem is and there is a chance he might go home. Its really sad... Instead they got a bran new Toyota Corolla, 2013 with 145 miles on it. Those miles were from the drive over from Jacksonville! It has all the latest and greatest in it, super jealous if you ask me! ha ha

Anyway, Steve Strunk is getting baptized this Sunday!!! Our district hasn't had a baptism in three months! We are all very excited. I might even have the opportunity to give him the Holy Ghost during sacrament meeting. I'll let you know how everything goes next week! In a few hours I'm taking a tour at the SWAMP! The University of Florida's football stadium if you didn't know what that was exactly so prepare for some AMAZAZING pictures next week!

Right now is also "LOVE Bug" season. These stinking bugs are everywhere! They were a science project gone wrong at Florida by some professor and now these bugs latch together and multiply by the millions! Gotta Love Florida! The other night I was fed by a member real southern food also. Fried Okra and Collared Greens baby! Not the biggest fan of the collared greens though.. Here in Florida they also have an amazing thing called a Roo Cup. Kangaroo gas stations are on every block is seems, and they have a cup that you buy and then refills are only 25 cents! We drive past one everyday and so off course we have to stop by AT LEAST once a day and get a cold or frozen drink! 

Training ends for me in about three weeks which is exciting, but at the same time really sad. Elder Jenkins and I have come closer than ever before this last week, and we have been a lot more unified in our teaching! I love Gainesville and I love him, so its a bittersweet feeling. We both have been getting hunches that he will stay here in Gainesville 2nd ward and I will leave.. But who knows, I will go wherever the Lord wants me to go. 

Steven is solid, but other than him we don't have anyone that is really progressing enough for baptism this month. Finding new people has definitely been a trial of our faith, so we are hoping for some miracles to happen soon!

I'm very grateful for your love and support. Talk to ya'll next week!

Elder Greenlaw

Mission Pictures

May 19, 2013

*Here are some pictures Elder Greenlaw sent me from his mission.

May the force be with you! 

Elder Greenlaw and Elder Jenkins at a barbeque festival. They tried lots of different things including crawfish. 

Elder Greenlaw and his district. 

The Sister Missionaries in Elder Greenlaw's District

Elder Greenlaw and Elder Suttner

Elder Greenlaw and Elder Bennon

Missionaries are really just boys in suits.

Elder Jenkins and Elder Greenlaw - Companion love! 

Teaching investigators

Sporting the missionary part.

Elder Calder, Elder Greenlaw, Elder Jenkins and Elder Gebhard. 

Elder Jenkins and Elder Greenlaw Serving the Staber Family

May 19, 2013

*I have mentioned before that Elder Greenlaw and his companion visit a woman in their boundaries that has stage 4 bone cancer. Here are a few pictures of Sister Staber's son and his wife. They live in Orlando and were up visiting his mother for a few days.

Elder Greenlaw and Brother Staber

When I was emailing with Brother Staber, I told him to give my son a big hug when he saw him again. This picture warms my heart. 

The Staber's took the missionaries out to dinner. 

Happy Mother's Day!

May 12, 2013

This last week has been great! I had an exchange with my Zone Leaders who are just amazing. Elder Bennion has about a month left of his mission, so there's not much that he hasn't experienced out here. He gave me a lot of really good tips on how to be a better missionary. 

This week I have really increased my faith in finding new people. As a zone we are really focusing on finding the elite, so he have dropped many of our investigators because they were not progressing. WE DONT HAVE THE TIME when investigators don't keep their commitments. It is a waste of our time and also theirs! As missionaries we only have such a small part in someone's eternal progression. We could keep teaching these people until our faces go blue, but nothing good would come out of it. I'm still learning to be patient and realize that the Lord is constantly working on them, so we have to understand that its in the Lords time that these people's hearts will be softened and not in our time. 

I have also been focusing on Christlike Charity and Love. When you learn to truly love someone, your desire to share the gospel with them increases. 

Steven is getting baptized! This will be the first baptism we have had in our District in about three months! His date is set for the 25th, and I'm pretty sure Elder Jenkins and I are going to "double baptize" him. Meaning, we both dress in white and get in the font! How amazing would that be! I didn't even know that was possible! ha ha 

Miracles are still being wrought each and every day and so I'm feeling confident that this next week we will find the people who are ready to just cannonball into the font this month. 

Love you all! Talk to you next week!

Elder Greenlaw

Things Have Been Slow

May 6, 2013

Hello everyone! 

Things have been very slow here in Gainesville the past couple weeks. This week, there was a flu/strep virus that has been going around. I was out of the swing of things for three long, hard days. The day I really started to get better, Elder Jenkins got the exact same thing. Elder Calder from my District, who I'm not sure if I have told y'all or not went to Alta High with me, got the same thing. Church was more empty than normal because I'm assuming a lot of people got it as well.

It has been very difficult In Gainesville lately. The District has not had a single baptism since January. The wonderful Elder Gebhard went home to Colorado this week and Elder Jenkins was called to be the new District Leader! We have a lot of faith that baptisms will start to happen this month. At this moment we have two baptism dates set for the 25th and the 30th. Last week at church Gabriel, a black man, stood up in Elders Quorum to be introduced and he said, "You will be seeing a lot more of me! I have made my decision, and that this is the true and only church!" It was fantastic. It's only a matter of time until he gets baptized. The other progressing investigator named Steven stood up and said, "I'm just here to see if this is my calling in my life." Right after he said that a member stood up, mind you that Steven is Southern Baptist, and he said I was raised southern baptist but this is the true church!! It about knocked Steven off his feet ha ha. Elder Jenkins and I just know that he has a testimony of The Book of Mormon, he hasn't quite come out and said it yet. 

This week, my whole outlook on missionary work has changed. The way I teach and the way I contact has changed because I understand how important The Book of Mormon is in conversion now. Before I would teach in order, the lessons in Preach my Gospel, which are great! But they DON'T DO ANY GOOD if that person doesn't have a testimony of the Book of Mormon first. All I am teaching to everyone right now is the Book of Mormon! Over and over and over and over again until people realize that it is the keystone of our religion! It supports everything we do and the book will teach them everything they need to know, answer any question they have, they will feel everything they need to feel in order to realize how important baptism really is. Once they have a testimony of it, nothing else matters. No matter if they struggle with the Word of Wisdom or the Law of Chastity, or if they have a concern with if there are really prophets on the earth. It does not matter, after they know if the book of Mormon is true or not. Elder Sutner, my amazing Zone Leader, who has baptized more people than any other missionary in the mission said he never once taught anything after the restoration to anyone until they had a testimony of the Book of Mormon. He never once taught the Plan of Salvation (the 2nd lesson) until they knew for sure if they were getting baptized. 

The new missionaries came out this week, and I realized how far I have come only 8 weeks ago. Elder Jenkins and Elder Calder were sick together and so we went on trade offs so the new missionary and I could go get some work done still. This was a great opportunity for me because I felt like a real senior companion in a trainer's shoes. I caught a glimpse of how training would be like, and I loved it! I loved saying, okay Elder this next door is all you! Then sit back and watch the new Greenie go pale white in the face! ha ha 

Its weird to think I'm 2/3rd's of the way done with training already! Time is flying by and I'm trying to make the best of my time because I realize 2 years will go by way too fast. Love you all and I'll talk to you next week!

Love,

Elder Greenlaw

Last week we didn't hear from Elder Greenlaw, but got this letter from the son of one of the woman he has been visiting. It meant a lot to us.

Hey Elder Greenlaw and family,

I had the honor of meeting and sharing lunch with your wonderful missionary son and his companion today, Tuesday April 23, 2013. He and his companion gave my mother Sister Doris Staber a special priesthood blessing yesterday at the hospital near their apartment. My mother has just been diagnosed with stage four bone cancer and is undergoing radiation treatment. I live in Orlando, about a two hour drive away, and am unable to be with mom as much as I would like. But she loves the daily visits from the missionaries, and it brings me a measure of comfort knowing that your son is there to share his special spirit with my mom even though I can't be with her daily. I only spent a couple hours with Elder Greenlaw but I felt his spirit and love of
the Savior and desire to serve and love the people here in Florida... Thank you for raising such a fine young man and for sharing him with us here in Florida! I also found and enjoyed watching him open his mission call with your family... Thank you for sharing that special moment with us. And know that your son is already off to a great missionary start touching and blessing those around him, and my family and I are humbled and grateful to be numbered among those whose lives he's touching and helping... 

With deepest appreciation to Elder Greenlaw and to your family,

Brother Rick Staber

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