19 Months and Counting

Monday- Since we have Presidents and it's their day all of the libraries are closed so, today is just pro's Monday.  So we had district meeting then lunch we went on exchanges with the Oakdale elders. Elder Platt and I went less active's that was very interesting as always we then had dinner at our bishops house. Got home went to bed pretty standard day.


Tuesday-  So this morning got up did some yoga then went to the library to email that was fun.  we grab some food and then went to the church to play Nerf war with the district that was all fun and games until some people got whiny.  Then Elder Winn and I went and played ping pong until dinner time we had dinner with a member at a Mexican restaurant came home finish our planning studying and just kind of wasted time and went to bed.


Wednesday- got up, went to go help a member move a very heavy bath tub. Then study's and we drove up to Natchez, and on the way out of town it may have been the hardest I had ever seen it rain. (Probably not) but got there had district meeting then went on ex's with the Vidalia Elders. So Elder Cate and I walked all around trying to got get people to care. Then we had cal-zones, made by sister Blalock they were bomb then we went to go workout it was a dozy for sure then home to bed. 


Thursday- Loaded up our things into the truck. And one of our tires was at 8psi... So ya we went to go get air and then drove all the way to Pineville to get new tires😊. Got home then studies, planning and then a little church history. We went to five guys for dinner with some members. It was the best! Went to go see some members then went to go see one of our investigators and that was cool. Got home now it time to relax and go to bed. 


Friday- so the other day the (stake presidency) closed the Oakdale branch. So the elders that were there had to move so we got a member to help us with his truck and trailer. That was a blast on the way we got  bacon wrapped boudin and on the way home we for  deep fried boudin. We got home cleaned up then planned, studies, and then did weekly planning it was long but o well we then went to go see one of the members here and that was a blast. Got back in town then went teaching for a bit.


Saturday- what an odd day. Got up this morning went to run stairs it was killer. Got home and then went to move out a  senior couple because it's there time to go home. We then had lunch at Sam's club it was ok. We then laid around because of rain and we were going to help some family move in. Once they Got into town we helped them unload their truck, that was fun. We then had pizza at the Birchs and it was a blast got home relaxed for a bit now it bed. 


Sunday- We had church all morning and late into the afternoon, it was for sure good one of the speakers in the Alex's ward talked about backpacking, you bet I was listening! He was talking about how they had these heavy packs and he was hiking behind his brother and he would pick up rocks and put them into his brothers pack with out him knowing. By the end of the hike his brother put his pack down and found out that there was handful of rocks in his pack. His brother was quite mad about the fact he was caring more weight then he needed to be caring, especially dead weight like rocks. And then he went on telling us that we all have heavy packs on, in life whatever it may be. But he was telling us that we don't need to be putting rocks into others people's pack to weight them down. And the rocks in life are like, judgement, looking down upon others, not understanding their needs, not being patient with others and so on and so forth. So don't be weighing down other people's pack  especially when they are already heavy with life's burdens. Maybe you can help them by talking some of there burdens. Anyway we had a good night. There was a baptism of a 8 year old girl in our ward and I was super awesome. But thanks for all that take the time to read my letters. Love you all have a good week  


your sincerely,
 Elder Gordon
 




 
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5 More Months To Go!

Monday- so today was quite lame we hung out at the church playing with whatever, I got very bored after that we went shopping at Sam's Club, Target and Walmart. We got the things we needed. Came home had dinner then listened to church history and then got ready for bed and now I'm going to bed.

Tuesday- we had district meeting which took a long time because we had a senior couple come and talk to us about service work in our areas it was fun but long we then we to lunch with them all it was a blast. Came home planned and studied more, then went to dinner at our bishops house and we had a Mardi Gras dinner and a King cake. It was dope. Got home and went to bed early!

Wednesday- I got up at 5:30 to workout and get ready we left the house at 6:30 for Baton Rouge. We got there and then had a really long MLC (missionary leadership Council) meeting. We talked about a ton of things and the needs of the mission. One of those things is about our mission and how it is expanding in July 1st to take over the Jackson Mississippi mission. We had lunch then and more meetings we finally got out of there around 5... drove home and then went to go play basketball at a church for Wednesday night ball of course. 

Thursday- had a slow morning our lunch app cancelled us so we just planned then studied.We went to go see our referral that was 30 minutes away and then we drove to our appointment. We had dinner with Joe and Tori Stock. It was fun we talked about a big problem here and that is, the focus that members have and there focus is not always church or the gospel. So make sure you focus it always towards the gospel. After that we came home and now it bedtime. 

Friday- So the whole day I was under the impression that today was Saturday. But no just good old Friday. I got up kinda stick this morning so we took it slow. We did all the things we need to like planning studying and area book updating. We had pizza for lunch. We then went to go see some member and then had dinner at the Sanders. And we talked about how you and everyone is saved by grace. But works determine the glory on which you are saved. Meaning the level of heaven you will be going to. 

Saturday- (wow) OK so this morning we got up and went and ran stairs, got home and went straight away to the food bank with the stake presidency to do service that was fun, we were there for about an hour and  president Deford....asked us  if we could do splits with him and Elder Thomas from the area of 70. Wow so I got to go with President Deford and Elder Thomas to go see a Less Actives and wow that was a blast we talked on the way there and on the way back. We then came home had lunch then went on  exchanges with the Natchez elders and I was on a bike for the day but it was raining quit hard, so we walked around seeing members and it was dope. But the coolest thing yet was, I was about to go to bed then I get a call from  President Varner and we talked about the split with Elder Thomas and then he asked us about this 14 year old girl that we meet at the  Pentecostal church. She had came to stake conference and she meet the sister missionaries and wow.... it was a good day for sure! 

Sunday- the morning we had interviews with President Varner, it was awesome, we then had stake conference. And that was cool there is a story that Elder Thomas told us 

Elder Thomas was a bishop, and he was interviewing member in a Spanish branch, now Elder Thomas did not speak Spanish he had a major in French, but he had tried his hardest and we was reading the interview card and the member on the other side of the table was crying about how her family is falling apart how they have not read the scripture they don't want to come to church and Elder Thomas again was trying his hardest. He did not know much of what he told her but he felt it was helping. 20 years later this member came up to him and had brought up this interview that they had 20 years ago  (she now speaks English) and she had asked him (Elder Thomas) if he had remember what he told her. Elder Thomas did not remember it was a long time ago and he did not know what he was telling her in his broken Spanish, she was not worried and she told him what he had said to her. And what Elder Thomas told her was to "go and read the book of Mormon evey day" she answer "they (her family) won't come" Elder Thomas "well then sit at the kitchen table and read out loud to your self! And she told him about the experience. She had started to read by her self and after a while she had a kid sit with her and soon after the hole family was at the kitchen table reading the book of Mormon. And how all the problems they were having were no longer there and that is what he told her and it was through the power of the book of Mormon.  

The rest of the day was good for sure. But I want to leave you with my testimony of the book of Mormon. I know it to be the most correct book on earth. I know it will bring any one person closer to God then any other book. And I know if read and study daily the problems you have will go away throw the power of the book of Mormon. I know own it to be true and I know it's a testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Love you all have a good week. 

Love Elder Gordon

 

 

February 13th letter

• Tuesday- Alright so we had P-day and we played ping pong and I was indeed sucking! I did not win many games. We then went to the church to play  basketball and kick it with some other missionaries. We then had dinner at the Greens and every transfer the greens invite a ton of people to say goodbye to the missionaries that are leaving so there were a ton of people there. We then went home. And one of my old companions elder Anderson was going home early because of some health issues. And so he stayed then night. 

  
  

  Wednesday- got up we ran errands all morning long got home went out to lunch met some other missionaries there, it was fun to see them and then we went home did studies. Went out to see some people and one of the guys we saw, one of our investigators, we taught him the plan of salvation. And then we gave him a priesthood blessing because he was quite sick. Got home got changed went played and basketball. Now we will go to bed!

  
  

  Thursday- work out, it just about killed me! Then we studied and planned out our day. We then had lunch we listen to church history for a little bit.

   Then got on our bikes and biked to Pineville to go see one of our investigators and we got there and no one was home 😐 so we biked home because no point in going tracting at 2:30 in the afternoon when no one is home we stopped and talked to a member for a min then we got home and went to our other teaching/dinner appointment. There we helped him move a ridiculously big piece of furniture into the house. Had dinner then had a long frustrating lesson with this guy. He is an amazing guy and knows a freak ton about the Bible we tried talk to him for a long time but in all actuality didn't get very far. Next time. Then home to bed! 

  
  

  Friday- what a day we got up I cooked some jambalaya then we went to a meeting that lasted 5 hours. And in that meeting we learned how to use facebook and the new planner aps it was fun😑. Then we got home and I had a  roaring headache so I took a quick nap before dinner. Then we went to the Sanders and sister Sanders got us some yummy fried fish. Then home to bed I go.

  
  

  Saturday- this morning we got picked up by probably one of the funniest members I know Bobby Green. We went and redid the bathroom for member in the Alec ward and that took all day. But I was the one that got to go under the house (trailer) to fix all of the plumbing and wow that was fun-ish i got all kinda dirty. But it was indeed service. We then had dinner at an Indian guys house (not a member and not and investigator just some guy) and he cooked Indian food for us and it was the bomb. We then had a lesson with Brad and Alli it was fun as always then home I did some yoga (because I can) and then to sleep😥

  
  

  Sunday- ok so church for us started at 7:30 we had meeting then Alexandria ward was first, it was good for sure then we had meeting for Pineville ward and there reg church it was also good bit just long, we left church 30 mins early. And we went straight to a Mardi Gras parade. And there we had some bomb food, we saw a huge high school party where most the kids were drunk we had beads thrown at us. It was way fun to see that! We then came home did some study's and then had dinner at the Sanders. It was a good long day!

   

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  

   

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February 6th

Monday- got up worked out, went and played 18 holes of golf then we got lunch at Chick-fil-A. We went to email for quite a while at the library after lunch, once we left the library we went to the Fernandez, and played some killer ping pong. We left there went home got cleaned up and then went to the Msngums for dinner, and wow that was so fun. Then went to a members house and we talked with this super cool guy about life. We finally got home I studied read some things and now I'm going to bed!!

Tuesday- we had a super slow morning, but had good studies, super dope lunch! Then we went to the new library up in Pineville so we can do the safeguard for technology thing! And once we're through we went tracking went to a complex and we went  to go see 3 people. But we did indeed get three strikes. We ended up tracking the rest of the complex and not a single soul was home. And then we went to a neighborhood near our dinner appointment, and there we met the weirdest person I've had ever met! So this guy answers the door and all he was wearing was a button up shirt and that's it. So me being myself start the conversation off with just a casual/usual, door approach. And once I was done talking the guy said "what" so I  repeat myself, same thing "what"... so I again repeating myself and the same thing happened "what"... and this time I was like alright let's do something new.  I knew there was a package slip from FedEx on the front door so I'm mention that and still nothing. So thankfully my companion elder Winn was like alright we got to go, so we left this man that had no pants. We had dinner with the Smiths and that was always a blast I got talk trucks with Chuck. And then we went to the Birchs boys baseball game, and that was fun we ended the day at the Greens helping them move some things around.  I am now glad to be home!

Wednesday- so we're out tracking me and elder Wise because we are on exchanges and we are walking back to the car and we hear this "is it the Jehovah Witnesses, no mom its the Mormons get inside" I just think that is funny!!! That was the highlight of the day we got a cool new investigator just before that. We then went to the church to play some basketball and it was a party. We went to Dairy Queen to get some food and some guy wanted money so he can buy drugs. That was the day!

Thursday- this morning was a little different we had Pop (brother Green) come and inspect our apt and that's always fun. And right after he left we get a call from brother Green (Bobby is the son) and he needed help moving some wood so we drove over there and once we got there brother Green (Pop) shows up... It was pretty funny. But  we helped brother Green with his wood. Then went to Best Buy to get somethings for all the elders then we went to Pops for lunch and he cooked jambalaya for us it was bomb. Later that day we went out tracting and found 4 new investigators it was pretty bomb! Came home and worked out now bed!

Friday-  In the morning we got up and then went to district meeting,  district meeting was fun but a little long if you ask me. We then went to lunch at Walk-Ons with the Vidalia elders that was a party!  We then when tracking for second got shut down every door we had dinner at Nancy Williams it was interesting as always. There are two boys that are difficult to say the least! We went back home for a second and we went tracking again.  Elder Cate and I (we are on exchanges) started talking to this one girl she invited us in and told us we had 5 minutes. 20 minutes later me and elder Cate leave her apartment very confused! She was slightly drunk and couldn't quite piece together what were telling her it was indeed very fun we then went to go burn elder Cate's Tie because because he's been out 6 months (and that's what you do) got some ice cream went home played cards and now I'm going to bed!

Saturday- so got up this morning and went to Zion Hill Baptist Church, for prayer and breakfast. It was fun for sure my companion said that the food was extremely decent at best, and the Minister there was from Seattle Washington shout out! It was for sure different and interesting then what I'm used to. There was a spirit there, it was a raw spirit though not quite complete. After that we went to my church to do some work. It was real interesting when we walk into our building the spirit came on me so purely it confirmed that I am in the right church! Rest of the day was just another day it rained a lot we had, dinner  at the Sanders house and that was always super fun. Brother Sanders gave us some cool ties and it was awesome now it's bedtime excited for fast Sunday tomorrow.

Sunday- got up went to church it was bomb as always! Got home studyed for a quick min, then we had a lesson with Ali Sanders, we taught the plan of happiness to her and it was awesome! After that we went to the Burchs to brake our fast and to kick it for a sec. Ok so the other day we were at Wal-Mart with 2 other missionaries and some guys come up to us and start talking to us about church and it ened on them inviting us to come to there church, (today). So after dinner round 1 we went to the Pentecostal of Alexandria (church) and wow what an experience that was. It was fun and very different. But we meet some good people and got to talk to this young girl (14 teen) about what we do and it was dope. We were on our way out and this guy stopped us and talked to us and he told us that we "can't recruit here..." and we was giving us a hard time and I just flipped it a round and was like hay man we were invited here and we are here to learn about other faiths and ya ya ya it was fun. Then we went to the sander's to eat dinner round 2 it was just a good day!

Monday- Alright, Since it's transfer week today was a pro's  Monday which means you go proslighting (instead of it being P-day) and pro's Monday are always hard because no one is home. But was had a good day planed out  for the most part we have lunch with the Verchers and dinner with a sister in Pineville ward. But we had nothing in between so it was yet another long pro's Monday. Also on pro's Monday we get transfer calls and if you get one of them you are most likely to move to another area, or get a new companion. Which elder Winn and I did not want. But thank the Lord we are both staying and I'm very excited to do another transfer here! The rest of the day was whatever, we went tracking in a gated complex and some person yelled at us and said the F word many times and it was very interesting she was very angry for no particular reason. But whatever. I am very exited for tomorrow!

Hay thanks for reading my emails, I did this one a little different, let me know how you y'all liked it. I want to say I love all y'all so much and everyone that sent me  birthday wishes/ cards thanks so much. Please have a good week and do some good in the world!

Love Elder Gordon