Happy 20th Birthday Elder Greenlaw

Hey y'all,

It's been another fabulous week! Thanks for all the birthday wishes it meant a lot! Birthdays are pretty weird out in the mission though. Just preparing me for my later years I guess. Just another day of work and focusing on others and not myself haha. I didn't even sing or eat cake!  I did 7 hours of service that day. We spent 3 hours helping our Chinese investigator Tina install her cabinets. Then we helped a family in the ward move and it was pouring rain almost the entire time. All their furniture and boxes were soaking by the time we got them into the house. 

I think the best part of the week was right after the move. We went to go drop off a microwave to a friend who was in need of it. He lives in the most ghetto part of our area and Gainesville in General. All four of us, white boys from Idaho and Utah, in our "normal" service clothes still, walked through the neighborhood and no more than 5 minutes of being there a law enforcement officer pulled over and said to us.... " You know where your at right?" Hahahaha it was so funny. Without even realizing what we were doing, we were still in the missionary mode even though we didn't have our white shirts and ties. All of sudden it hit us that we weren't protected. As soon as the officer drove away, all the people came out of their homes and started to smoke pot again. Haha. It was like a swarm of cockroaches coming out from beneath the couch when you lifted it up in broad day light.

We're pretty sure our Chinese investigator Tina will get baptized soon. She came to church for the second time yesterday. (btw is the first time that happened since I've been here). The members swarmed to come and fellowship her. There were 6 families that went and said hello right after sacrament meeting. She said we were much more friendly than her Chinese Baptist church haha. That church preaches anti- Mormon doctrine too! They say we worship a different Jesus and that we're not nice people. She realized that wasn't true, considering we fixed her cabinets and she has lots of Mormon friends now. 

Sundays at church, Tuft and I divide and conquer. We separate and visit with almost every member in between classes. By stepping out of our comfort zone and by simply loving the people, we have noticed a huge change in the ward in just the past month. We're finally comfortable in bringing investigators to church, knowing that the members will go and meet them and make them feel loved and included. Our dinner calendar for the month is filled up by new families. :) This week we will be baking brownies and door bell ditching a large group of member families and leaving them a note saying they are being thought of by another family. Leaving everyone to think of who it might be. Never guessing that is was actually us haha. Hopefully it will catch fire and the love will continue to grow!

Our new finding technique is contacting in the grocery store parking lots. We call it a " Publix Party" haha. Again we divide and conquer talking to as many people as possible. Hundreds in fact! We introduce family history and our nearby center and then it leads into a great conversation about their faith. We've found 10 or so new investigators, taught 2 lessons right then and there, and found many less active and part member families we never new about and have invited them back to church. I even got us two dinner appointments by doing it :) Too bad we've been kicked out 3 times, but there are about 7 Publix stores in our area. I guess we have to run a little faster so they can't tell us to leave huh? ;) ooooh it's a blast. It gets me pumped and helps me get in the mode to talk to everyone.

I forgot to tell y'all. A few weeks ago I got my stolen bike back!!! As we were driving down the street we saw a hoodlum on my bike. We stalked him for a mile or so and then he rode right into our apartment complex! He left the bike on his door step and so all four of us went to the door and tried to talk to the guy. But instead he chickened out and had his terrified girlfriend answer and lie saying she doesn't know him. So I grabbed my bike and went home with it! Haha definitely carrying it into my apartment each night from here on out. Then last week Elder Lane got his bike stolen too during the 15 minutes of using WiFi in the clubhouse. Yesterday he "followed the spirit" and drove through a different ghetto neighborhood in our area and found his bike leaning up against the building. He approached three brothas surrounding it and asked to get his bike back. They said the brotha that "owned it" wasn't there and so he ended up giving them 20 bucks and left with it haha. Gotta love Gainesville :) 

Anyways I've talked your ears off, but things are going well here. I get to go to the Orlando Temple in 3 days! Praise! Talk to y'all next week.

Love E.G.

Team Tracting with Elders Lane, Baldwin, and Tuft

Soaked riding bikes in the rain! With Elder Stuart and I on a trade-off

Just for my mama!

Happy 20th Birthday Elder Greenlaw!  

Birthday dinner with the White Family

Elder Greenlaw and Elder Tuft

Brother White and Elder Greenlaw