Before I forget, we had a really funny moment this afternoon. Our mission president took us out to lunch with another companionship today, but he wanted to go to the nearest Ihop which is in the Mesa mission. So we went there and were walking up to the door when a car of 4 Mesa missionaries drives past slowly. President Howes just waves and says, "Hey elders!" before we walk in. They looked so confused. It was classic :)

Whoa, so weird to hear that Brandon is now a married man. I'm impressed he managed to pull it off, haha. And Brad too. YSA wards talk about that stuff a lot. But otherwise its pretty sweet being in YSA wards as missionaries. We're getting to know the members really well now. In Gospel principles class I was meeting the person in the seat next to me and she said, "Oh yeah you guys are new. In ward council they said you're super solid missionaries." Sweet! What's sad is that we might get a new ward when the mission splits. But wherever we're needed. "The kingdom of God or nothing."

So we had a really powerful training this Wednesday with two reps from the Missionary Department who came down to train us. Dad might recognize their names. It was Tracy Watson and Lee Donaldson. Absolutely fantastic! They addressed the fact that our mission is splitting and prepped us so that the handover between mission presidents doesn't result in a drop in the work. Tracy shared a lot of general advice as well. He is the director of proselyting for the church and used to be the Mesa mission president. He said that missionaries do best when they focus on just 2 or 3 things that they're working to integrate into their teaching and lives. And that when we set our focus, we must be loyal to it. Do not give up until you achieve what you set out to do. Hit it again and again until to get what you want. It inspired me to focus more on the most important and to be diligent in my efforts. The same counsel goes for anyone. Stay focused always and stick with it. Ask and ye shall receive. 

One more quick thing, and you can ask me more next week. But those reps from the missionary department also came down to initiate a test in one of the districts in our mission for electronic area books and planners. Those missionaries are 8 of 44 in the church now using ipads and iphones, and who are instructed to proselyte on Facebook! It's wild, but apparently President Monson's reaction was this: "I don't see any problem with that. Do you?" We got to go to the training to witness it. Things are changing. God is hastening His work. It's a blessing to be a part of it. 

I love you all. Stay safe, work hard, and have fun. Happy summer!

Elder Gathro

Dear Family,
Boy oh boy, what to say. The only thing I got are recent experiences
and insights. And I know that Dad is already filled with insights so
there's not much new that I have to offer. But, this week Elder Perez
and I went on exchanges with two companionships in the Yuma zone. It
was nice to be back down there for a little visit :) I actually went
with a companionship down to the little border town of San Luis. We
had a great time and it was really uplifting as well. We worked hard
and had fun. All the missionaries in that zone now are Spanish
missionaries so I tried setting the precedent that we speak Spanish.
That's one of the things on my agenda for the mission. President says
us Spanish missionaries have to "get [our] swagger back." Well, we
better start speaking the language more then. Honestly, I feel that we
slip out of speaking our mission language because it's just gotten so
common. In gospel principles yesterday I made the connection that
often that's a reason we give in to sin. The adversary tries to
distort our perception of what is right and wrong in an effort to
hinder our ability to make righteous decisions. How wonderful is the
gift of the Holy Ghost, available only through baptism, which aids us
in forming an eternal perspective, like that of Heavenly Father. It's
a valuable gift we ought to appreciate.
Oh! I've been meaning to offer this update. So do you remember the
story of the family in Yuma who's son was living a bad lifestyle and
felt the Spirit during our visit, then came to church and wanted to go
on a mission? Well I didn't tell you of the events that followed. The
week after his deciding to serve a mission he slipped back into old
habits and old friends and we lost him. His family as a whole suffered
during those few weeks; honestly one of the saddest experiences of my
mission discussing the situation with his dad. Well, a week ago, I got
word that the elders got ahold of the young man again and his WHOLE
family came to church. He was like a totally different person, just
like he was in those early visits we made with him. It's a miracle and
an answer to prayers. The family is back on the path. I know that God
hears us and works even harder than we do to make good things happen.
Never lose faith and always trust that when we do our part, Father
does His. Keep on keepin' on and have a great week!

Much love to all,
Elder Gathro

Relaxation

Hey Fam,
So good to talk to headquarters yesterday. Send my apologies to the other
agents for not utilizing visual correspondence to communicate with them :)
It's been a wild week. On Tuesday we were with the new missionaries
all day long which was a blast. One of the funnest days in a while. In
addition to the normal amount of missionaries, we got 8 elders and
sisters who are temporarily here as they wait to receive their Visa
for Argentina. Everyone was so excited to be in the mission field
finally. We took them to different areas to do some street contacting
and basically just dropped them off in companionships after giving
them a few pointers. They came back with their own adventure stories
and really loved it. Wednesday transfer meeting was crazy! Just with a
lot of changes in prep for the mission split. But we got through it
all.
Hmm, I'm trying to think what you would really want to hear about the
week. I shared most of it with you guys last night. It's been a
stressful and tiring week, but a fun one too. I like change. New
experiences help us grow. I know that the Lord is the one who opens
doors in our lives when we just follow what He says. He will bless us
as we exercise our faith. I love you all. Be safe, work hard, and have
fun. Hasta luego!


Elder Gathro