New Transfer

Dear Family,
So we got transfer calls last night, and I thought that we were safe, but it turns out that my companion is being transferred on Wednesday, probably to Mesa where I came from. It's a bummer because this is his last transfer and we're both stoked about just working the Spanish branch, but the Lord has called him another way. He'll do well. And the assistants already let me know that my new companion will be one of the missionaries that's already in my zone. He's a really solid missionary, but he's only been out for like 10 months. I'm excited, he'll be a good companion.
So a couple weeks ago during a lesson, one of our investigators made the comment that my companion and I are both ignorant and naive. It stayed on my mind for several weeks actually. Just mulling it over. One of the things I've learned on my mission is that I'm not nearly as smart as I thought I was. Though I'm improving :) But in ways, the investigator was right, especially when it comes to current world events. And since last week we had stake conference, with a member of the 70 presiding. While he was speaking and since then, I've realized how much greater a role the prophets have. Because I know that there are definitely things that me in my own world am not aware of. Yet I can't be the only one. And God doesn't leave us clueless. His chosen prophets are very aware and have communication with God, avising us of the things we need to be watchful of, and warning us of dangers in the world. I realized that I need to seek knowledge as much as I can, but meanwhile, God's servants will help keep me safe. I'm very excited for General Conference in 2 weeks!
Ok, ready to be blown out of your seat? So last Sunday night as I told you we went and visited this family with a father and his 4 children, the oldest an 18-yr-old son. Well the following day we returned and taught the message of the Restoration, and when we invited them to ask God for a confirmation that this is the true church, the oldest son started to bear his testimony. "I already know that this is true. I felt it yesterday when you guys came over. It was something I can't really explain, but I just felt happy. And I know this is true..." Talking about that experience yesterday he said that he could sense something different the moment we came into the house. That was really interesting to me because we didn't do anything very different, but he recognized it. And he's thirsting for the Gospel. He came to church yesterday, talked with the branch president (a great man, by the way), and now is thinking to go on a mission. He was inactive a week ago! It's an absolute miracle. And all we've done is brought the Spirit. His family is happier and are taking steps of faith. It's so much fun and such a joy to see :)
Not sure if I have much more. Well, yeah, more happened, but those are the highlights that readily come to mind. I'll give you more next week. Thanks, I love you all. Happy Easter!!

Elder Gathro

To the Rescue

Dear Family,
It's starting to get toasty down here, almost in the 100s already. But every day is sunny and gorgeous. There's always people out and about; it really adds to the enthusiasm of our zone and gets us eager to work. The missionaries down here are terrific. We work hard and have fun.
So we got to visit a lot of families in the branch this week. It was mostly just first visits and we haven't gone to many for a second appointment but it's picking up. Some seem challenging but others that we are visiting seem like they are hungry for more. We had a really awesome experience last night for example. We set up an appointment earlier this week with a father and his kids for Sunday. Well the dad wasn't there but we asked if we could still come inside. It was our first time visiting them and we knew we better make it good or the 2 teenagers won't want us to come back just to be bored again. But boy did God give us some help. We went in and got to know them and tied in what they said with a scripture in Mosiah 5:2. After teaching a bit more and testifying, the 18 yr-old said, "While you were reading that I was thinking how it describes me. Just while I'm trying to change too." You could tell the Spirit was there during our visit, and we left them with a small section to read and asked when we could come back, they said Monday (today). The son even volunteered to offer the closing prayer. And while we were leaving he said, "I hope you guys come back tomorrow. Our family really needs this. We need something to help us out." It was incredible. There's not a feeling quite like the one you get when you know that you've done Father's will. And earlier yesterday we were talking to the ward clerk and we told him about the new assignment. He said that while we were talking to him he could feel and he knows that this is exactly what the branch needs. He was excited and grateful and filled with hope. It was remarkable.
We had an extra good lesson on Saturday with a 16 yr-old kid that we meet like 2 weeks ago in an apartment complex. It was actually really fun to teach him because he was asking so many perfect questions, and I felt like the answers were coming out simply but with power. It was really neat to see a youth who's dropped out of high school and kind of a punk still be really interested in doing what God wants. One of the coolest things was to notice how the Gospel could answer every question he had. God's plan is flawless. It's almost too perfect. Sometimes I think about how even super heroes, as good as they are with all the special powers they possess, even they have at least one weakness. And we're so used to dealing with people that have weaknesses. But Jesus Christ is perfect, no weaknesses. Any "it would be cool/perfect if" statement, is realized in the Savior and His Gospel. It's the best thing that can be.
Well, we'll see what this week has in store. I love you all. Good luck with everything. Enjoy life!

Elder Joshua Gathro

A lot of alone time

Dear Family,
Wow I have a lot to say today. It was a fantastic week and the most interesting weekend. Just a funny anecdote, one day this week when we were at the gym we asked the Hispanic guy behind the front counter how to say "to scan" in Spanish. He said, "It's the same: scan." I said, "Seriously, in Spanish?" "Well there's another word for it but we're right by the border." It was hilarious! Spanglish is pretty common down here. Another time this week we pulled up to a stop light, and my comp looked over at the car next to us and said, " Hey he's a member." So I figured they knew each other, so I rolled down my window and shouted out, "Hey I'm his new companion, my name is Elder Gathro!" He said, "What?" So I shouted back the same intro. And then I hear my companion starting to laugh, which is when I pieced it together. My comp confused the other drive with someone else, but he was just a random stranger. We just bust out laughing and luckily the light turned green :) Ok, one more story. We were talking to a lady on her porch in Spanish and I was explaining what we do as missionaries, and I said "We help others to learn and apply" but it came out funny and the lady immediately stopped me because she thought I said "we help others to learn to sin." Kinda embarrassing but super funny. It was classic :)
I also had some neat experiences this week in our visits. I was in another elder's area on Wednesday and he had been given an assignment from the bishop to visit a lady in the ward that no one really knew anything about. So we went by, and from the first impression(s), she seemed absolutely nuts. She had coffee in her hand and broke into a hysterical laugh every minute, literally. But toward the end she opened up a bit and said that she has really missed the family feeling within the Church and has been thinking about returning. So I said, "Well here are two brothers calling you back to the fold." You could tell her eyes started to get a little watery and before we left she thanked us sincerely and said, "You don't know how timely your visit was." It was really neat, and I believe the power of our visit came from following the assignment of the bishop.
Speaking of assignments and less active members, here's where it gets interesting. We had interviews on Saturday with our mission president, and before meeting with our zone he met with the stake president down here. President Howes asked the stake president what he could do to help, and they started discussing the needs of the Spanish branch that we're serving in. As their discussion developed they came up with a plan. At the end of zone interviews our mission president sat down with both me and my companion and told us about their discussion. He will be releasing us from all of our assignments, except that of zone leader, and wants us to be 100% dedicated to help strengthen the branch and branch president. In two weeks when the transfer ends, we will no longer have a "proselyting area," but will cover the entire valley visiting branch members and helping out in any way that the branch president desires. As if we were his counselors but not, because it's a stake not a district. We met with the stake president yesterday too, and he wants us to make sure that every member of the branch - single, married, family and kids, active, inactive, even the branch president's family - receives the 5 missionary lessons, ideally within the next 3 transfers. We're aiming to transform the branch, strengthen the members, help everyone receive the ordinances that they are missing. We're kind of like investigators too, finding out the situation of every family in the ward, and helping to bring to the surface those who may have fallen through the cracks. Elder Sawyer and I are absolutely stoked about all this! It's never been down in our mission before, and it was not thought of prior to their meeting on Saturday morning. So it's still very fresh and we're shaping it as we go along. Probably be having Family Home Evening every Monday night, helping people in their callings, in home teaching assignments, being very much involved in their lives, even in ways that we honestly don't want to. It's a heavy load, but Elder Sawyer and I feel really privileged and we recognize how much the Lord is trusting us in this. Our faith and obedience and that of the members will be the driving force I believe. I'm not sure if I've explained it all very well, so feel free to ask questions about it. My life for the next few months will be different than what I've gotten used to. It's exciting!
Well I've used up all my time. Thanks for everything! I love you all so much! You're the greatest!

Yours truly,
Elder Joshua Gathro

Howdy

Dear Family,

First of all, pass the message along to the firstborn in the family that I wish him a very happy birthday! I hope it results in cheesecake loaded with cherries and a crazy activity with no one hurt :) Thanks for all you do, Ben!

The photos you saw, Mom, are probably accurate. This is a great little town down here. I remember telling people 2 weeks ago that I might be sent here and they said, "What did you do wrong??" But for the missionary lifestyle it's a blast! The weather is absolutely perfect by the way. It's a pretty old city with a lot of history it seems. Yeah it's got a slight western feel, and about half the population is Hispanic (score!). I went to California this week too! A portion of my area extends to a small indian reservation town just across the border. I'm hoping I'll be down here for the rest of my mission. My companion finishes his mission after the transfer following this one, so in May. I'm hoping I'll just stay for my last 2 transfers after that. Oh, you may have noticed in Church News recently that there will be 50+ missions created this year, and two of them in Arizona! Our mission president talked to us about it a few days before it was published. They will be creating the Arizona Gilbert and Arizona Scottsdale missions on July 1, which will naturally affect my mission, Mesa, and Phoenix. So for the last month of my mission I will have a new mission president and possibly be in a new mission. That'll be crazy. But back to the area, the members are terrific. I forgot to tell you that I'm in a YSA branch as well, which is kinda different. But we had a baptism in that branch this past weekend. It was for a 20 yr-old young man who had been invited to church and over several weeks recognized the difference it was making in his life. Just one invitation and the Spirit did the rest. (By the way, how did it go with inviting Clem to that church concert? I forgot the name of the singer.) But after his baptism Saturday night when everyone left he wanted to play the piano a little bit, and he's really good. We started our fast all together as well. Neat experience overall.

We took all day Thursday to drive up to the mission home, have a meeting for the zone leaders, and drive back. It was a long trip, and we had to find someone else to do the driving. I hate asking people to make so much sacrifice, but we found someone who was terrific. He just talked the whole way about life, telling us stories from his experiences (some funny some spiritual). He took us to grab a bite to eat on the way back down, and by the end of the day, we had all really enjoyed ourselves. Our meeting was actually worth having as well :) Though it seems like there's always so much to work on. "Little by little the grandma paints the coconut." Apparently that's a Guatemalan phrase which means it takes time.

One more thing, the young man that got baptized and confirmed this weekend shared his testimony yesterday and said that hard work is kinda deceiving. Because there's no guarantee that the result will be a success or not. But he said it really doesn't matter, because we still worked hard, and grew along the way. We should just work hard all the time. I'm trying to get better at that. Just an idea for the road. I love you all so much. I'm kinda jealous that over the next few months you guys will be together so much as a family. I'm with you in spirit :) Thanks for your tremendous examples of love and faith. Keep on keepin' on. Hasta la vista!

 

Love,

Elder Gathro