Hello Everyone!
The Mac computers in my apartment club house weren't working earlier today, and Ii was really worried that I might not be able to write to ya'll for another week! But thank goodness everything is good now.
This week the Lord has really blessed us. We went from no teaching pool to 5 investigators we are constantly teaching! Oh how marvelous! Praise the Lord! Holy Ghost!
We met a retired black pastor riding his lawn mower this week. He is so enthusiastic about the Lord,and he says he feels so much love and peace when we come by! We are hopefully going to set a baptismal date with him tonight. The only thing that is holding him back from getting baptized is the understanding of the necessity of the Priesthood. Mind you that he has baptized many in his day and brought many people unto Christ. BUT tonight we are bringing a X quorum of the seventy member Brother Anderson to teach him with us... So the Spirit will for sure be there very strongly testifying to him that he needs to get baptized again. Along with all the other people he baptized previously. Potentially we could have 50 or so baptisms next month ha ha.
We have Mike and Megan who are in desperate need of the gospel in their lives right now as they are turning towards the things of this world for happiness. As we all know that doesn't get you very far. They are thirsting for the word and want us to visit them everyday if we could! Its wonderful!
Laurence Juett, is also struggling with the Priesthood and needing to be baptized once more, but he came to church this week and the fellowship we are giving him is mind blowing! He LOVES the church. Still working on him and his concerns.
Charlie and his little sister came to church also! He is a 19 year old college student that studies many religions, but he has a desire to learn more and is planning on coming to church again next week.
Here in the Gainesville 2nd ward, the Lord definitely tests your patience as ALL of the recent converts in the past three years are still struggling with the Word of Wisdom. It's easy to tell myself that we aren't doing anything good for these people and to stop focusing on them, but I know that this is the adversary and God is saying otherwise. It's really hard to see these people so often slip up and revert back to smoking. Many don't feel comfortable coming to church because of it because the whole ward knows they are struggling. The ward really struggles with fellowshipping these people. I wish we could do or say more to help...
Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers! I have truly seen them answered this week as we are filling our schedules with appointments and find ourselves not knocking on doors very much anymore. They say by the end of the year, knocking doors will be gone, and we will have iPads to organize our area books and teaching records. The work is changing tremendously and I'm very blessed to be out here witnessing it.
Love you all!
Elder Greenlaw
