Teaching in Gainesville

Hello everyone!

 

I've been here in the Gainesville 2nd Ward  for about 7 months now. Call me an old timer! I have come to the point where I've been working with the same people, in the same neighborhoods, knocking the same doors. I have truly loved my first area and I will always have a sweet spot for Gainesville, but I really need to get out of here already ha ha. This last week was very difficult. 100% Finding. You can't do missionary work, until you have people to teach and we are searching high and low for some solid investigators. We are really focusing on building the foundation of Member Missionary Work in this area because there is none. We received 1 referral in the last 3 months. He ended up living in the 3rd ward area, so we handed him off to them.

 

Its wonderful being the District Leader because we have the opportunity of going on a few trade-offs throughout the week to get to know other missionaries and work in different areas. I love it!

 

One miracle that has happened over a span of 2 weeks, is with a man named Brother Mott.( I call him applesauce) One day Elder Andersen and I were having serious bike problems which forced us to postpone our plans for that day and go to Sports Authority to buy some parts. As we were doing so a man walks up to us and says... "Hello Elders! I'm a  Mormon!"  We were like, umm okay what can we do for ya ha ha. He says he's been in the marines and now been here in Gainesville for a few weeks looking for a job and also for the church! He had no idea where it was and he really wanted to make it there on Sunday. He has been less active for months but recently him and his wife, who seems to hate Christianity from past experiences, have been coming back to church! All because we had terrible bike problems one day. The Lord truly micromanages our lives without taking away our free agency. He places certain people into our paths that are in need of help and we get to sit back and watch miracles like these happen!

 

 Oh how I love missionary work. This is only 1 of hundreds of experiences I could share. This is truly the Lord's work and I could not be doing anything better with my life at this moment. Joseph Smith is a true prophet who was called of God to restore original truths that had been lost. We are now very blessed to have the fullness of his gospel in our lives today which is led by a living prophet. We have the amazing opportunity to listen to his voice this next weekend in General Conference. I swear its like Christmas for us out here on missions. Let us all go into it with a sincere heart and real intent having faith that we can receive answers to our prays. Talk to y'all next week!

 

Elder Greenlaw

Test of Patience

Hello Everyone!

 

This week went from very good, to very bad. Our most solid investigator, Charlie, was planning on getting baptized this Saturday, but he decided to go to a huge party at a castle in Tampa last weekend (basically a rave) and slipped up with the Word of Wisdom. He still made it to church on Sunday, but right after the meeting he told us that he doesn't want to get baptized anymore. This was very hard to hear. He has come such a long way since we met him. He bore a powerful testimony on fast and testimony meeting, he committed on living the law of chastity and word of wisdom, but then he got involved with his friends and now he doesn't want to make that covenant with God anymore. This has been a huge patience and faith tester for me this week. I have been submitting my will to Gods and understanding that it wasn't meant to be. He still needs some time. I cant walk away from this experience with my head down and tell myself I'm a failure. We have planted a SOLID seed in him and I know that the gospel has changed his life. One day, probably after he moves out and gets away from his friends he has now, he will be harvested by some other missionaries.

 

Sadly I have seen this in my own life, being dragged down by my friend group. I truly believe you are or will become just as those that you hang around with. Hopefully this week we can be obedient and work hard so the Lord can place an elect person into our path. I have a strong testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ. From this missionary experience, and I have come to have such a close relationship with him and my Father in Heaven. It breaks my heart when I see people use their free agency and turn away from him and his teachings, because I know how much it can bless their lives. Love you all!

 

Elder Greenlaw

Pictures of Elder Greenlaw

Celebrating 6 months out in the field

Elder Anderson, Elder Greenlaw and the White Family

Elder Greenlaw Serving in Gainesville Florida as a District Leader - Sept 2013

Elder Greenlaw's Zone in Gainesville Florida

Gainesville Florida Zone

Biking Adventures in Gainesville

Hello everyone!

What an adventurous week here in Gainesville. As y'all know we are on bikes now and oh my goodness does it suck. I've gotten use to the constant sweat all over me I think. People keep saying September is when is starts to cool down, but I haven't really seen that yet. ha ha We have had so many bike problems this week its unreal. First Elder Andersen's bike tire went flat on our way back home from the church. Which ended up being a 3 mile walk back home. It didn't help that our phone was dead so we had no way to contact anybody either. Then we get a member to take us to a bike shop to get a new tube. We later find out that to fill it up it requires a specific European made nossle. So we had to go to a different bike shop to get that. THEN, as we were riding I looked back to see where Elder Andersen was, which always seems to a ways back, and then the metal shaft holding my seat snapped in half and I tumbled to the ground. Only minor injury but that was not fun riding a bike for a day without a seat.... Feel the Burn!

My first ever District Meeting went very well surprisingly. Getting up and talking to people seems to come more natural to me now that I've been out here for 6 1/2 months. Elders say this is only the beginning of Leadership callings...

Charlie is very solid. He should be getting dunked here pretty soon. He has such a remarkable testimony and he has now come to know if the Book of Mormon is true. Of course there are other concerns he has, Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity and such, but now that he has read the Book of Mormon, prayed to know if its true along with Joseph Smith being a prophet and received an answer, everything else is a piece of cake. We are planning on September 28th with him.

We had a miracle with a man named Craig. As we were riding bikes on the sidewalk we stopped and talked to him. We taught him a lesson right there on the side of the road and got a return appointment with him. We visited him and his whole family of six at their home and they all seem to be incredible nice and interested. We actually went to his North Central Baptist church Sunday morning hoping that he would come to ours afterwards.... but he had some last minute things come up. So lets just say he owes us a little favor sooner or later.

Being a District Leader over 14 people has really stretched me and given me great opportunity to love and serve others. I tend to focus on what my wants and needs are and so it has been really good for me to strive and overcome that.

Things within the ward are getting better. I have never had such a good relationship with our Bishop as I do now. He has asked us to go and visit every member and help them with their family mission plans. We do this and tend to find service and receive dinner for it so its going wonderful. The southern food they cook for us here is SOOO good, even on bikes I haven't lost weight yet..

God lives and knows each and everyone of us. How wonderful it is to know that we have a loving Father and friend who wants to hear about our day and wants to help us so that we can eventually become as he is, glorified and perfected. He has created a plan to do so only through our loving Savior Jesus Christ. We find lasting happiness as we strive to be like him and live his Gospel. The Book of Mormon testifies of Him and allows us to find answers to our daily struggles. Prayer is the resevoir for power. I can testify that God truly answers our prayers and speaks to us through scriptures and words of the modern day prophets. I love my mission and opportunity i have to share this wonderful message to other who are searching for truth but do not know where to find it.

Love,

Elder Greenlaw

The Call to be a District Leader

Hello everyone!

This past week has been very stressful. With the recent call of being the District Leader, the stress of helping missionaries and making sure things are going well. It was also transfers last week and we both thought that because of certain events that happened in the ward, we were going to be transferred. We had to stay up late to receive a call from President telling us if we were going or not. Ends up I'm still here for another six weeks with a lot of extra struggles within the ward and the relationships with all missionaries. We had to drive 2 hours to Jacksonville to drop off our car, and then hitch hike back home. Very sketchy in redneck country. Luckily some missionaries were able to later pick us up and take us back ha ha.

The famous Charlie Blankenship is progressing very well towards baptism on the 28th of September. Through him we are reactivating his best friend who happens to be a less active member. Our recent converts are all really struggling right now. None of them have been coming to church and they aren't keeping the Word of Wisdom. Our ward mission leader wanted us to get rid of the Book of Mormon class we hold every Wednesday night at the church, but instead we have changed it to the B.O.M.M.! The Book of Mormon Marathon! We have created a plan to get the recent converts and members who are struggling to read to get through the whole book in less than a year! Its very exciting and I believe it will help many of the problems these people are facing in their lives. That is how POWERFUL the Book of Mormon is! As we are praying and reading it individually and as a family, we will have the Spirit more abundantly in our lives. There will be more love and happiness within the home and less fighting, contention, and stress of everyday life. We can find answers to our prayers and learn so much from it! I can see such a big difference in my day if I sincerely ponder the scriptures. Everything seems to go so much more smooth.

I know that God lives, and he knows us individually. He knows each of our struggles and our weaknesses. He doesn't just sit back and watch us have a hard time, He weeps with us and micromanages our lives without interfering with our free agency. I see his hand in this missionary work, and I see miracles each and everyday. We learn and grow from these trials and we gain experience and great joy when we overcome them! God will never give us something we can not handle. I know that to be true.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement! Talk to y'all next week.

Love, Elder Greenlaw

Pictures from Elder Greenlaw's Mission

Here are a few pictures from last week.

THE SWAMP! This is Gator country fellas!

Rainy day once again! Time to put on the rain jackets! Elder Greenlaw says he hardly even notices the humidity anymore.He also thinks it is weird when it's not raining. "This place is so beautiful!". 

Elder Greenlaw and Elder Anderson

**Note from Jill

While I was in Florida last week, I had the chance to visit the Orlando Florida Temple. It is absolutely beautiful. I wanted to share a few pictures here on Elder Greenlaw's blog. 

Orlando Florida Temple

Elder Greenlaw - 6 Month Mark

Hello everybody!

Sorry to freak yall out from not hearing from me yesterday. It's transfers! So today, Tuesday, is our P-day.

Wow! Where do I even begin with this week. This week has definitely been a wild one. Last night we had our transfer call, and I'm STILL here in the Gainesville 2nd ward ha ha. I'm still training Elder Andersen and I also got the call to be the District Leader here. I was shocked! The Lord definitely calls the weak and inadequate because that's exactly how I feel right now. My 6 month mark just came up and I cant believe it's here! Time is flying by! 

My favorite family in Florida, the Whites, who I seem to always send pictures of me with, threw me a party! We did the annual burning of the tie, along with fireworks, delicious food, and especially Sis White's famous home made mac'n'cheese! MMMMmmmmmm SO good ha ha.  

Elder Greenlaw and Elder Anderson at the White family home.

Celebrating 6 months on Elder Greenlaw's Mission. 

Burning of the tie. It looks like Elder Greenlaw is burning a lot more than that. 

This transfer we received 37 new missionaries plus senior couples. Most of them are Sisters and so the Mission President asked a lot of Elders to sacrifice their cars and give them to the new comers... Yes... that includes me.  I look at it as such a blessing though. As much as I love AC in my beautiful Ford Fusion, we miss a lot of opportunities to talk to people on the side of the road. Now we won't have to worry about it. Also... I've gained 32 lbs as of this morning here so far and I'm about to bust through my suit pants so I am for sure going to lose some weigh here very soon. Luckily the hottest times of the year are almost over and it will be cooling down to about 80 with not as much humidity as 70-80% as it has been recently.

We set a baptism date with a kid named Charlie! A kid who people say is the furthest thing from a Christian. At first he only wanted to learn for simply more knowledge. He is a very smart kid. Almost too smart for his own good. As soon as we answered ALL of his questions and taught him the lessons, he knows it is true! He has learned on almost every kind of denomination and religion there is and now he is begging his less active friend to come to church with him, reminding us to leave with a prayer every time we see him, he even got up and bore powerful testimony in Sacrament meeting this last week. He had members crying and people coming up to him and hugging him afterwards! Oh he is so solid!!! But the only thing is.... He lives about a mile out of our ward boundaries and so we were asked to turn him over to High Springs Elders... UGH!!!! It is so hard to get rid of him because we have such a close relationship with him. But, it's the way it has to be I guess. We know we will be blessed for it. It's a very humbling experience too.  Roosevelt Watts his best friend came to church this Sunday for the first time in 10 years. Such a miracle! He is very depressed and almost suicidal.  We are making huge steps with him. As far as the rest of our teaching pool, It has dwindled and we are back to finding more people. WE have a huge area too so we are not limited on how far away from home we can go because of bikes. BUT, I know the Lord will bless us greatly.

There are many ways that Satan tries to bring us down, and he will never give up. When he reminds us of our past, we must remind him of his future. I've also learned that it is simply up to us if we are going to be happy or not. There are so many decisions that have to be made each day and we have the opportunity to act just as the Savior would. We have the choice to be happy or not and sadly I've learned this the hard way recently. God will never give us a task that we can not handle. As long as we keep our faith strong, nothing wavering, we shall not fear and he promises us so many blessing if we do. Most importantly, when it comes to the Spirit, I know that the Savior's Atonement is real or else I would not be out here right now. He strengthens me everyday and I love him, along with my Father in heaven very much. In this life, we need to figure out how to be happy.... and only through the gospel of Jesus Christ can we find the most lasting joy. I know this to be true by hard life experiences and trials I face each and everyday. I love my mission very much.. It is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to go through, but I can't imagine myself without being out here right now.    I love you all.

Elder Greenlaw