Yuma!

Dear You,
This week was a blast! We had our Spanish training down in Yuma on Thursday so we left from our mission home Thursday morning about 22 of us Spanish missionaries from the valley. I got to drive the "Action Van" 12 passenger beast. It was a little awkward to get used to but I had hundreds of miles to get comfortable with it, which turned out to be pretty fun. When we got down there we had a training from the Yuma zone leaders, the mission president, and the local Spanish branch president. They focused a lot on serving the members and building their confidence in us so that we can then rely on them as sources of missionary work. President said that the fundamental principle of leadership and influence is serving others and gaining their trust. Think about the Savior too. I think he's right. So after the training and dinner (lasagna!!) we split up with different companions in different areas with a member of the branch. A group of us went down to San Luis, a hispanic community on the US-Mexico border. The member I was with said that the only white people in that town are the missionaries. EVERYone speaks Spanish. How crazy is that! It was my first time being out of the valley and being so close to the border. Kinda cool and way fun. It was a good learning experience as well.
Back home at the Table (mesa), things are going well. Our English ward is building up more and putting plans together to improve the work. Our Spanish ward hasn't had a ward mission leader in 4 months, so we've been pleading with the Bishop constantly. And finally, after some intensity about missionary work in our priesthood meeting, Bishop says we will have a new ward mission leader next week. We really need it. But at the same time we're starting to work better with members to help them be better missionaries and participate in the work. We've been presenting families the idea of making a "family mission plan," in which they strive to have the Spirit tell them with whom they should work and how to work with them, in a missionary light. We've been inviting them to also consider including our investigators in their list, and to brainstorm ideas that will help them to fellowship those that we're already teaching. So far it seems to be going pretty well. We'll be doing more follow-up this week.
Oh! So we started playing soccer as a way of finding people to teach and to help members bring their friends to activities by the church. And this past Saturday was our first time. It's been my dream since the beginning of my mission to play soccer with some Mexicans, and it finally came true. Their was just me and my companion and 4 young men, but it was also raining, so a lot of people didn't show up for that reason. But it was a blast!
I love you all, have a great week. Stay righteous and keep the faith!

Much love,
Elder Gathro

Warming Up

Hey Family,
Happy Martin Luther King Day! The weather is perfect! This morning I went running with an elder I live with and we just had running shorts and a T shirt. This week went pretty well too. We're having some trouble maintaining contact with all of our investigators, but thats not really something new. We did pick up several new investigators as well. And one of the single mothers we're working with is progressing really well. A member told her that she wasn't ready to be baptized and she told us later that she was thinking, "You don't know me!" Haha. She is really seeing the blessings of the Gospel. She says that before we come over she often feels really stressed and life challenges weigh her down a lot. But when we're there and teaching about the Gospel she feel relief and at peace. Now she wants to be baptized Feb 9! The Gospel is gonna continue blessing and transforming her life. It's so exciting to witness. And it's a thrill that she has changed is trying to keep making changes.
So we got home one night this week and there was water all over our study desks and in the bathroom and kitchen. We started freaking out and called the emergency maintenance line. The upstairs neighbor's washing machine broke and had flooded her house as well, so the water seeped through into our apartment. We ended up staying really late because they had to call a guy to come and clean up the water asap, and he brought in some super loud industrial fans to dry out the carpet. This morning we just had some guys come back and replace the stuff underneath the carpet. Kind crazy. And I finally figured out a couple weeks ago how to use the video on my camera, so I took some videos :)
Well I don't really have much to say. Oh, my companion just reminded me that this Thursday all the Spanish missionaries are going down to Yuma for a training and to do some less-active work with the Spanish units down there. We're carpooling down there and the assistants told us this week that I'm the only one who will be allowed to drive the big 12 passenger van :) It's gonna be sweet! We're staying there overnight as well, so it's kind of a big trip. Oh, and we had a fireside last night that Elder Hdez and I translated for. It was kinda tricky. But a guy told me at church yesterday that I speak perfectly. And actually, that guy will be a new investigator this week. He just moved in with a member, he's from the Dominican Republic, and he used to play for the Kansas City Royals. Pretty legit. So we have some good things coming up this week.
Well, I love you. Have a great week. Choose the right!

Elder Gathro

Chilly Willy

Hey Mom and family,
About carpet vs hardwood, I'm more a fan of carpet. I think it's easier to teach in a carpeted home because the noise doesn't echo as loud, or something that has to do with the sound effects of hardwood.
Well this was quite a week. We had transfer meeting on Tuesday and there was only one Spanish elder in the mission who got assigned to serve as zone leader, so it was pretty easy to figure that one out. He's from Canada, but his parents are both from El Salvador,so he grew up speaking Spanish and English. He's only got 2 more transfers in the mission before it ends, and I really hope to stay with him the whole time. I never really knew him except from what I had seen at meetings and such and he always seemed like a big goof-off. But he's actually one of the best missionaries I've met. He's incredibly effective at pretty much everything he does. He teaches with power and he's smart too. I know I can learn a lot from him. I have realized that I'm not as smart as a led all you to believe before the mission :) But it's like he just jumped into this area with a lot of enthusiasm and the know-how to get things done. The work is going well and we're finding more people to teach. Last week I told you about a family, specifically a mother, who we visited when she was going through a really hard time in her life. Well over the weekend she talked with her best friend, a member in California, and when we saw her again on Monday she told us that she wants to be baptized, and her 13-yr-old son wants to as well. It was a miracle to see it all unfold; I feel like I was just in the right place at the right time. She still has things that she's struggling with, like smoking and coming to church, but God led us to find those who he had prepared. Two other new investigators this week came from two different members who have befriended people and invited the missionaries over to meet them. It's really amazing to see how God puts different people in our path, and He makes the best of the path we're in.
Well, the car thermometer said 37 degrees this morning, and I'm freezing! Once my hands get cold it takes a lot to heat them back up, and at nights it's pretty chilly. A couple times this week I saw ice in people's yards. I thought this was Arizona?? I definitely prefer heat to the cold. It's fun though, and we're doing what we can to keep God's work moving forward. I hope you all have a great week and that Ben gets home safely :) Adios!

Elder Joshua Gathro

Puchica!

Dear Family,
Holy cow! What a crazy week! So like I told you, my companion Elder Morris finished his mission this week and flew home Friday morning. It was an early release because of school starting today, and transfer meeting isn't until tomorrow. So I've been companion-less for the past few days. I live with two English elders who have helped me, and the members have too, so I've always been with someone but it's definitely not the same. In some ways it's liberating not to have a companion, because whatever I do in my area is up to me. But mostly I'm realizing what a blessing it is to have someone at your side who can help you out with the so many things we have to do for our area and ward and zone. It's crazy. But it's been a good learning experience.
So speaking of experiences, we've had a few crazy ones this week. Starting this out I'm not sure how many I can squeeze in with the time I have, so if you want to know about all my stories you'll have to write me a letter and ask :) Friday afternoon I was with a priest in my English ward and we were driving to see a potential when we started approaching the house of a former investigator (that I hadn't met yet) and I told the priest to pull over so we could visit her. When we knocked the door the 13yr old son answered and said, "My mom's a little jumpy right now but I'll go get her." Moments later she came to the door balling and crying like crazy. Whoa! "Eve what happened?" Then she started to unravel some issues with her 17-yr-old son that she had JUST found out about. We went in, comforted her, shared a scripture and prayed. But before the prayer, in walks the 17-yr-old....it was intense. The mom said that this is the second time the Mormon church has reached out to her in the exact moment that she needed it. It was really a miracle that we had stopped by and it was a new experience for me to learn how to deal with a situation like that. They committed to coming to church and want to start taking the lessons. We're supposed to be having an FHE with them tonight.
Another cool short story was Saturday morning when I was with an English elder. We went to visit a referral, but it was like the 4th attempt and so far no one has yet to answer. So I decided to knock the Hispanic house two doors down, hoping that they might know eachother and could help us out. Turns out that the neighbor is a former investigator from so far back that we don't have her record, but she still reads in the Book of Mormon, has been to church and the temple grounds before, and is willing to have us come back. It was a crazy encounter that I know God lead us to have.
Thanks for everything, family. I gotta go. Have a great week!

Elder Gathro