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
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