Gainesville Zone Conference

GAINESVILLE ZONE

Gainesville is a college town, home of the University of Florida. This zone takes up the south west area of the mission. It a huge geographic area with college, city and country areas. You can see everything in this zone - especially conversions! The zone leaders are Elder Bennion and Elder Suttner.  The zone conference was held in the Institute Building on the UF campus.

Here are a few pictures I found on Elder Greenlaw's mission blog. 

Back standing: Elder Bennion, Elder Burgan, Elder Huntington, Elder Joseph, Elder Phelps, Elder Williams, Elder Herrick, Elder Jenkins, Elder Ball, Elder Green, Elder Solomon; 
Front standing: Elder Greenlaw, Elder Saynes, Sister Major, Sister Carlson, Sister McCann, Sister Carrigan, Sister Pettingill, Sister Toledo, Sister K.Jensen, Sister Hale, President Colvin; 
Seated: Elder Forsyth, Elder Tuft, Sister and Elder Foulconer, Pres and Sister Barry, Sister and Elder Troy, Elder Housel, Elder Rockwood; 
Floor: Elder Calder, Elder Moser, Elder Lee, Elder Hernandez, Elder Suttner, Elder Cancel, Elder Perry

Elder Greenlaw, Elder Ball, Elder Moser

                                    Left: Elder Greenlaw showing strength exercises.  Elder Jenkins is in the middle showing stretches. 

Feeling the spirit!

Here is a picture of Elder Greenlaw and Elder Jenkins with the Steve White family.

The Power of a White Shirt and Tie

Hello everyone!

The power behind a white shirt and tie! The other day I was going to do some service so I was in my tee shirt and basketball shorts. The woman we were going to serve ended up canceling with us so we decided to go knock some doors around her and see a potential investigator. Mind you that we were in the ghetto, so the people were pretty sketchy. For some reason I didn't feel safe, and realized that it was because we are some white guys walking through a ghetto and nobody recognized us because I wasn't in my white shirt and tie!

Wow! Can you believe that I've only been out three months, and I was called to be a trainer!? In only five days I have learned things about myself that I never knew before. This has been such an amazing experience, I truly understand my purpose now, and I have experienced the atonement in a new way! I love and miss Elder Jenkins, who is now in St. Augustine, but for some reason with him he made me very timid and shy at times. Now that he is gone I am forced to open my mouth more often because my new companion Elder Tubbs hardly says a word! We get along just fine though. 

Sadly, Elder Tubbs made the decision to go home. The third day in, after we do weekly planning, we have a companionship inventory, and this is when we talk about all of the things that we don't like about each other( which were none). But as a trainer, I have the gift of discernment where I can tell if something is wrong or not. I forced him to open up, and he said he's been really struggling and doesn't think a mission is for him. I know that God placed us together for a reason so I could get him to open up and try to understand his needs. He has been talking to President Barry everyday since, and this morning he finally made the decision to go home. I am not sure when his flight will be and who my new companion will end up being. 

There are miracles happening here! I have another baptism this Saturday! I got a phone call yesterday morning from an Elder in a different area saying they have been teaching a man named Chris and he is getting baptized into our ward! Best phone call ever right!! Also, I had an amazing experience with a black man named Ronald. Yesterday right before church. I felt impressed to knock on his door, and we ended up having an amazing lesson with him! Everything we taught him, he absorbed like a sponge and is truly an elect individual. He is searching for the truth, but didn't know where to find it! It was really spiritual for me because everything I said was strictly by the spirit. The spirit was pulling scriptures out of  my head like no other, and I honestly can't tell you what I even said during that lesson. I even made him tear up! ha ha Anyway, Happy Fathers Day to all those dads out there reading this, and I'll talk to you next week!

Love,

Elder Greenlaw

Saying Goodbye to My Companion and Trainer

Hello everyone,

WOW, This week has been an interesting one. I've been stuck on an emotional roller coaster! As I told y'all I got the call to be a trainer! Its crazy how the tables have turned and that only 3 months ago I was leaving the MTC  and getting ready to meet my trainer! There are times when I feel afraid to train a brand new missionary, wondering if I really have what it takes, and wondering if I can make this new missionary find the love for the work. This truly is a sacred calling that I have received, and this new missionary's experience out in the field will all be determined on how his first 3 months of training go.  By the Holy Spirit I have received a witness that everything will be okay, and the Lord will make up the difference despite my many weaknesses. Through the Lord I can do all things! And for with God, nothing shall be impossible! Luke 1:37 

As a way of numbers, this week was really rough, Elder Jenkins at times has gotten trunky knowing that he's been here for 6 months in the same ward, and now he's leaving. Last night on the Mission wide conference call, we found out that he is getting transferred to St. Augustine! He's getting way pumped! Gainesville, and St Augustine are the best places to be in the mission! As a companionship we have found a new love for each other. Realizing how good we have had it. Looking back at all of the fantastic memories we have had together, there are so many. I will be really sad to see him go! But at the same time I am so excited to get my Greenie! 

I'd like to share a miracle we had last night. We had a dinner appointment with some members. As we walked through the door, we noticed that they had brought another family there to have dinner and join in on the lesson! They are the Clark family, and Steve, the father, related a lot to me. For about an hour we talked about Motorcross and injuries and such. Wow did it feel good to finally relate to someone about that out here! His brother has recently passed away, and he is devastated. We talked about the Love of God and how families can be together forever. The Spirit was so strong in that home as people shared experiences and testified. I love this family so much already, and they said they want to hear more! What a miracle that was! As of right now we have very few Gators(investigators) and are really struggling in finding people to teach.

I had the most difficult night of my mission last night. Elder Jenkins and I were saying our last goodbyes when we arrived to the Stackhouse's. Remember this is the family that Elder Jenkins baptized right before I came. When we showed up, Darius was freaking out at us. Telling us how he is going to divorce his wife Marcella because he woke up in the morning with the kids gone. He tried calling her to find out what's going on but she had been lying all day about what was really going on. Roosevelt, Marcella's oldest son walks into the house, and they start to yell and curse and flip out at each other. We walk out of the house because we didn't want to be there and decided to drive away. As we were driving down the street, we stopped and looked back. They had taken the fight outside, so we decided to go help brake it up and have Elder Jenkins say his last goodbyes. We are both already heart broken at the time. So we broke them up and Elder Jenkins goes into the house with Darius and I stay outside with Roosevelt. We cool them down for a moment, and at that time Roosevelt was carrying around a knife, ready to fight again. I beg him not to use it and to take a step back and pray for help in this rough situation. Marcella pulls into the drive way with her 2 year old son Jeremiah sloppy drunk. She should not have been driving at all. Darius runs out of the house and starts yelling and cursing at her! They were both saying TERRIBLE things to each other that I cannot repeat until Darius takes the kids and drives away, telling everyone that he is never coming back.....   That day I looked the Devil right in the face through Darius and Marcella. It's amazing how much you can fall in love with people out here, and the Stackhouse family was definitely one of them. We are both just heart broken. What a wonderful way to say goodbye to a family, right?

Anyway... I can't wait to tell y'all about my new Greenie and the experiences I have with him. Until next time.

With Love,

Elder Greenlaw

Elder Jenkins and I in a photo shoot. Our 1 and only shot for the big leagues so we took it very seriously.

Hayden has his first baptism

June 3, 2013

Hello Family and Friends!

WOW! This week has been amazing! Steven was baptized!!! I can't tell you enough how happy I am for him. He has come such a long way in the gospel. Right after he was baptized, he bore an amazing testimony about the Savior and living the way that God wants him to. There was such a great support from the ward there, along with some investigators and all of the missionaries in my District. I will send the fabulous pictures out today! On Sunday during sacrament meeting, Elder Jenkins confirmed him with the Holy Ghost which was a very neat experience. He was so nervous, he was shaking beyond belief during the whole thing! ha ha I'm kind of bummed that Steven didn't ask me to baptize him or anything, but oh well. I'm so glad that Elder Jenkins and I had a baptism together, we were getting pretty nervous that we wouldn't. We have grown as good friends, and it's sad to know that I only have a week left with him. 

Some more big news..I got this week was a phone call from my Mission President saying IM GOING TO BE A TRAINER!!! I'm ecstatic, but also terrified. Elder Jenkins said that without a doubt, training a missionary right after your trained yourself is the hardest thing you will ever do on your mission. This has truly been a humbling experience because I didn't think I would ever train right away. I know that President Barry is an inspired man, and this calling is truly from God. I will not be able to do this by myself... These next three months will be very difficult, but I know I will learn a lot from it. 

This next week we really need to focus on finding new investigators. We have dropped many people because they weren't keeping their commitments and there are still so many neighborhoods in my area that I haven't even been to yet. I'm hoping and praying that we will be able to find the elect this week because we can't really do missionary work if we don't have people to teach. 

Right now is a weird time where our ward mission leader just moved, along with our ward missionaries. We have a total of two ward missionaries where other wards have about 9. Brother Chen moved in from Draper 2 months ago, and we were convinced that he would be the one to get the call, but he didn't. We are on hold as far as that goes. 

I just want to thank all of those that have been supporting me. Those who have forgiven me when I had wronged them and also for those that never gave up on me. I have been blessed with such great family and friends. Til next week!  God Be With You Til We Meet Again! 

Love 

Elder Greenlaw