Mormon Miracles

Dear Family,
Well I feel like this week kinda took us for a wild ride. The mission is more exhausting emotionally/spiritually than physically. We had some issues with the new zones that were brought into our mission upon realigning our mission boundaries. Tuesday we did exchanges with the two sets of zone leaders in Phoenix and worked through some of their concerns. And at the end of the exchange, President Toone called us and said he wanted to talk to us about some things he read in the weekly letters from Phoenix. He was alarmed and not sure what to do but was really comforted when he heard that he had just finished exchanges with them and discussed those same issues We saw it as a miracle that in the moment when our mission president most needed it, the Lord had already prepped two servants to be ready with insights. So we had a zone conference with the Phoenix zones that did lots to improve the communication and spirits of the missionaries, as well as the little frustrations over new mission rules. We had a really uplifting experience in each zone we visited. As part of the zone conferences I did a training with each group trying to teach how to sustain one another in becoming more powerful teachers. The plan for  the first day and a half was to have the missionaries do two role-plays on their own, but something on day 2 told me I was doing it wrong, and that I also needed to demonstrate to them the principles I was trying to convey. So I put myself on the spot, made myself a bit vulnerable, and asked them which concern they would like to see addressed in a role-play in which I was the missionary. I was a bit nervous before each one, especially because they could pick any concern they wanted the investigator to have, and I've got zero prep. But it made the role-play seem much more real and constructive. I noticed that God really did strengthen me in those teaching moments this week and gave me the words I needed in those role-plays to be an example to the missionaries. I could sense that He was using me beyond my natural abilities. It was a neat feeling, one of the most rewarding that someone can have. I'm excited for the other zone conferences this week. We're driving down to Yuma this afternoon actually. Road trip!
So Friday night a member took us out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant and when we walked in the manager spotted us out and said, "Buenas tardes." Then after we ordered our meal, he brought out an appetizer we hadn't ordered, for no charge and just to sample. Then after our meal he sent the waitress out with a fruit dessert. We stopped him and after saying thank you several more times we discovered that the manager's wife is a member and he just wanted to be nice to the missionaries. I was a really nice surprise, our member liked it too :) Then we went straight over to the Visitors' Center for a lesson and after an awesome teaching moment we ran into 4 people (in 2 separate groups) from the Spanish ward that I served in while in Mesa, including one sister that my companion and I had helped reactivate. It was such a nice evening, and very rewarding. We had a great week!
I love you all, keep on keepin' on!

Elder Gathro