Mucho

Family!!
Hey a lot happened this week! The most exciting news I'll save for later on in the letter. But it's mostly for Ben. And before I forget, we ran into a member this week who happened to serve with David Holladay in Hong Kong. Her name then was Sister Lisa West. And I think she already sent David a comment on facebook. Small world eh?
B-Mac is now an RM. That's terrific news. Tell him I admire him. He's a good man :)
So Tuesday night (transfer meeting was on Wednesday) we got a call from the assistants informing us that we are moving apartments! Ten months in the same area and then I have to change apartments. Actually we already made the move this morning, and the house doesn't look very good. We're gonna have to do some cleaning today. But it does put us more central to our area...our English area! The call from the assistants was also to let us know that we now cover two English wards. So after thinking that our world had come crashing down on us, we realized that it's gonna be pretty sweet. Ever since I've been here, we have had to pass off to other missionaries any person that wants to hear the Gospel in English. But now we're the ones who cover that area in English too. It's a pretty nice set-up. I'm excited for that aspect, and, based on our interactions at church yesterday, our ward members are awesome. We were introducing ourselves to everyone at church and everyone gave us a warm welcome. I stopped one member of our ward and asked his name, and he asked for mine. Then he said, "Hmp. I knew an Elder Gathro once." Freeze! I've been waiting 14 months to hear someone say that, though he didn't give it a second thought. I said, "That was my brother!" The member didn't seem as sure and said he would text his wife to ask if the Elder Gathro they knew also had the first name Ben. Sure enough. The member is Eric Housel, one of Ben's converts from 11 years ago. Eric came back to me after his wife responded to the text and started thanking Ben for how much he changed this guy's life. He told me all about how Ben and Elder Gauke came to visit Eric and Eric told them, "You guys can come in. But I do not want to talk about church. I just want to get to know you." He said that they got to know each other really well, and Ben and Elder Gauke were absolutely hilarious, with random humor and all-around fun personalities. We also talked to the then-elders quorum president Scott Duncan who also remembers Ben. It was a priceless moment. I figure that's why God kept me in Chandler for so long. I'm excited to get to know this guy a little better. He had so many good things to say about Ben, and actually wants some way to get in contact with him. Ben, what contact information can I give him? He's eager to chat with you. Just let me know :)
So basically those are the biggest pieces of news and I'm out of time to share the rest. But things are going well. It's a bit crazy trying to coordinate with 3 wards but we're seeing success every day. I love you all. Thank you for being such a wonderful family!

Elder Joshua Gathro

PS- Thank you for the letter Jessi, I'm glad your birthday was a blast. Be sure to give yourself time to pray. Like really pray. Sounds like you could use a little more direction these days with so much to figure out about your future. You'll be ok :)
PPS- Mom, thinking about your lesson for Sunday, I started getting thoughts of following the prophet and keeping the commandments. One of the reasons that I treasure the words of prophets is because they teach us what and where our priorities should be, especially with regard to the family. And I know that all the blessings we desire as latter-day saints come because of our obedience. All the power and strength that we receive come by keeping God's commandments. It's not much of a thought, but good luck in your lesson! I love you!

Go Catholic Bro

Dear Family,

We got a phone call last night about transfers this week. I almost didn't believe it. I'm once again staying in the same area. This will be 8 transfers and a full 11 months. Good thing I love it here :) I was ready for a change in scenery but that'll have to wait another 6 weeks. My greenie companion and I are stoked to make some miracles happen.
Speaking of miracles, last Sunday after General Conference and toward the end of a zone missionary fast, we met a guy outside his house named Alvaro. Upon meeting him he asked where our church was and said, "I'll go next Sunday." People always say that, so I wasn't quite convinced. But he let us come by and teach him twice this week and sure enough he came to church! During our first visit he asked, "So how long does it take to get baptized?" He's so humble and wants to make changes in his life. He's also really smart, and answers questions so well. On our second visit (which ended up being in the laundromat across the street) we asked him if he had read 1 Nephi chapter 1 and what stood out from his reading. He said he had and then made a connection between Nephi killing Laban and David killing Goliath...that's not in chapter 1 :) This guy is good. For one, I know that fasting can bring us blessings from heaven. I know that the Lord hears our prayers. I know that He is preparing individuals and families for His prepared servants. When we met Alvaro, he said that he had seen me before, months earlier, one night when we had walked up and talked to his friends. When teaching another investigator, her husband said that he also saw me a few months ago and remembers it perfectly. It's neat to see some of the fruits from the seeds planted throughout my time here.
We got 6 new investigators in total this week. Each one is a miracle. One of the better stories is from a lady that we approached outside her house one night last week and she asked us to come by this past Wednesday. It was a really spiritual lesson. She doesn't know much about the Gospel or God's plan, but she feels and understands that God loves her. She has a lot of faith in Jesus Christ. She shared a story with us that helped teach her those things. It was great to then share with her a way to strengthen her relationship with the Lord. Toward the end of the lesson I realized that we had run out of copies of the Book of Mormon and didn't have any to give her. So I went out on a limb and let her borrow my personal copy until we could come back the next day with a copy of her own. Thursday when we returned, she told us that she had read the night before, Thursday morning, and then again before we came over. What?!? She loved it! She is a great lady, so humble. The Gospel will bless her life tremendously.
One afternoon this week we were locking up our bikes before going into a lesson and a car drove by with a guy who yelled out, "You should go Catholic bro, Catholic!!" So classic! It was hilarious, what he said and the way he said it. So now we're considering the idea :)
Thank you, Mom, for sharing that insight with me. I think you're right. And there must be so many more symbols in the scriptures than we realize. One of the saddest things to me is when people don't see us as representatives of Jesus Christ. We tell people every day that we share a message of Him and they say that they are already members of a church. They don't recognize the truth we share. I want others to hear the Savior's voice through me and help them draw closer to Him. I love you all and pray that you are well. Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Joshua Gathro

Great Conference

Mom and the gang,

Hey just to start, Mom, you can get rid of Abby's cage. It would be great if you could donate it to someone in the ward or anyone else, even little Evan. But do whatever you need to. Thanks for asking.
Yeah holy cow, what a weekend! I watched the Sunday morning session in Spanish which proved a little harder than I expected, but I'm listening to Elder Holland's talk in English as I'm typing this. What a powerful message. And what a powerful man. I left every session feeling new resolves to be a better disciple and Christian, more converted, more loving, more like the Savior. So many spiritual promptings and shouts to give a little more, to be a little better, to serve with more love. I feel like I always say this, but I want to be less selfish and more eager to reach out to others. I believe that we will become more faithful disciples through our selfless service to others than by any other means. I hope each of you have time to evaluate the words you heard and felt and set goals to make changes in your life.
And the new missionary age just made history. I'm all for it. The number of missionaries in the world will skyrocket! A bishop in Chandler got a text immediately afterward from a girl in his ward saying, "Ok Bishop, let's put my papers in." And my companion's friend from home is already decided that she's going to serve. Things like that probably happened all around the world. Jessi, I'm not sure what your thoughts are, but a mission will ensure that the right things happen in your life. You will love it, and will grow tremendously. You have time to consider more fully your options but the most important thing is that you are worthy and ready for whatever the Lord tells you to do. We serve because we want to do His will.
This week was a little rough but we saw a bit more progress with our investigators. It's so hard to get them to come to church. We fasted as a zone this weekend and now have some really good potential investigators that we're teaching this week. Things are moving along with more direction and faith. We had some fun interactions last night. The first one you guys are probably tired of hearing but it was a hoot. We were talking to a young couple on the street and after chatting a bit we told them that we usually just teach in Spanish, and I asked if they speak Spanish. When they sad yes, I started up in Spanish and the girl said, "Are you from Mexico?!" In my mind I was thinking, "We're standing right underneath a street light. How can she not see I'm white?" But just for fun I told her I was, and she jumped back while saying, "Whoa I would have never guessed it!" It was so funny! We told her the truth though afterward, no worries. Later on last night as we started teaching one of our investigators outside his apartment, a man walked up to my companion and me and said, "Are you guys Mormon?" I was thinking in Spanish so I said Si. Then he started up, "I speak English! And I gotta question for you guys! God is infallible! You think God forgot to call a 13th apostle? Why did you guys make that book?" He kept shouting at us and I could smell the alcohol so I told him so. "You think I've been drinking? It doesn't matter what you think! God is infallible!" It was a bit scary but I figured our investigator had our back if anything happened. And luckily one of his friends called for him so he walked away. Such a shame though what alcohol will do to people. He said a bit more that made it clear he wasn't thinking. Did I tell you guys that last week we taught a former member of the MS-13 gang? He is completely covered with tattoos, even a couple markings on his eyelids. But he had a come-to-God experience in prison so he's a fairly nice guy. I know Heavenly Father is watching over us at all times, just as the apostles testified yesterday. I know that true joy is found in living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that we may each feel and become closer to the Savior as we apply His teachings in our lives. I love you all! Enjoy your week and happy Columbus Day!

Elder Joshua Gathro

Thank You

Hey family,
Thank you Dad for sending me your story. I don't think I would have appreciated it as much had I heard the entire story before my mission. It's very interesting to me that the real motivator and witness is the Holy Spirit. He's the One who helps us realize the truth, and then gives us the courage to act on what we know and feel. I heard a story from a man a week ago who said that after years of being married to a member, he had zero interest in the Church, even still as he was walking into his son's baptismal service a year ago. He had been invited to learn and his wife had talked his ear off about the Church, but he had no desire to make a change. And then as he watched his son get baptized, he felt the Spirit so strongly that it all changed. Suddenly he was a lot more open and interested. Now he is a member of the church as well. And it all changed with a feeling from the Spirit. 
Well this week we had a lot of lessons but no one significantly progressing. One of our investigators seemed to be getting closer to baptism but didn't come to church yesterday. And another couple (the one who gave really spiritual prayers in our first visits, who loves the difference that the Gospel has been making in their lives) just  had an adjustment to their work schedule that kept them from coming yesterday. And then this morning the wife called us to say that her husband was picked up this morning by Immigration. It was devastating news but we know that the Lord is in charge. We feel a bit that things are at a stand-still, but we're willing to make sacrifices to bring about the greater blessings that God has in store. We talked a lot about it yesterday, identified some things we can change, and we feel that there are great things soon to come. The couple who just got baptized a week ago has 37 people who live in Chandler that they want us to visit and invite to General Conference or church or to receive the missionary discussions. That's a ton of people! We're excited to get to work and watch God's hand among His children.
I'm really excited for General Conference. Last night at dinner the whole conversation was about how amazing it is to receive revelation while we watch and ponder about the things the prophets share with us. Just like Mom told me in her email, answers come as we listen and learn. I hope that each of you are able to give some time to listen to the Lord's servants. I know that God is always mindful of us and is diligently helping us to become better as we strive to help others become better. I don't have a ton of stories from this week but I know that prayer is a source of spiritual strength and direction. Trust the Lord. Have a great week. I love you all!
Elder Joshua Gathro

Invite friends to baptismal services

Saludos!
The baptism on Saturday was one of the most spiritual and rewarding moments of my life! We had a great weekend. We took care of everything in advance so on the morning of the baptism we were relaxed and at peace and things flowed flawlessly. The husband and wife were so thrilled, and they had their Mesa member friends come participate in the program. Before the closing hymn and prayer, they each briefly shared their thoughts and feelings and both started to cry. It was such a happy moment, like almost nothing I've felt before. They have made and still are making changes in their life and feel so much happiness. And it's incredible to thing about how much this young family will be eternally blessed. This has been one of the greatest miracles and blessings of my mission.
Well we had companion exchanges twice this week with our zone leaders and the Spanish assistants. It was fun, learned some good things. We also had a transfer temple trip and interviews with President. I've got heightened vision and my companion and I are full of faith. We've got to do some serious finding to be able to keep things flowing in our area, and we're confident that the Lord will bless us for our diligent efforts. 
We want to have several non-members watch General Conference with us in two weeks so we'll be inviting everyone! For the sake of my companion we'll probably watch it in English, but I think the building that broadcasts it in Spanish also does English, so we could work something out. Invite your friends to watch conference with you for a session. Think about how strongly you feel the Spirit when you are listening to the words of prophets. They can feel it as well, only good can come from it. 
I'm sorry to hear about Dad and the sister who fell. Take your time, Dad, no worries. I'm excited for the Deckers' new home and thank you for your fun, colorful letter this week :) It's cool that you're so involved, Jessi. I'm sure it's a good experience for you. Mom, you can send it to my apartment this week, we still have 3 weeks before transfers on Oct 17. Sorry this email is a bit short, the best part of the week was the baptism by far. I'll send photos when I can upload them or something. I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Joshua Gathro

New Tongue

Family, 
I don't think my Caucasian descent has ever been questioned as much as it has this week :) My Spanish is the best I've had. Several times this week people have asked me where I learned Spanish. One day we were talking to a lady and after a few minutes she asked me, "Where are you from?" "Florida." "But your parents, are they Hispanic or gringo?" It was awesome, because I totally look gringo but I'm starting not to sound it. Again last night we were talking to some teenagers and I started speaking Spanish because they did, and then one kid said, "Are you white? Cause you don't have a white accent." It's incredibly exciting, and I know that the Lord is blessing me with a greater ability to speak the language. We're having a lot of success. This week was terrific!
My companion is pretty much my new best friend. He's hilarious and yet really committed and came to the mission well prepared. It's been a blast this week. He brings a lot of good input to the table and works hard without ever making a complaint. I've been thinking about ways to help him more and I think I just need to give him more opportunities to put into practice the things we're learning. I feel that the Lord is giving me greater abilities and I know that if I don't share my talents, I'll lose them. I want to start doing less for myself and more for others.
The couple that prayed to find us about 3-4 weeks ago will be getting baptized this Saturday! They are such a wonderful family and are so excited to be baptized. We found out this week that about 3 days before meeting us, they were at the point of separating from one another. The husband was ready to move out. And then one of their friends came over with a copy of the Book of Mormon. They found us that week and their lives have changed drastically. Now the husband is like the best dad in the world (except for my old man, of course), and their goal is to be married in the temple. They eat dinner together, read in the Book of Mormon together, pray together nightly, and are so much happier. It's the greatest miracle ever. And a blessing to be a part of. 
Another couple that we've been visiting for about 2 weeks now came to church yesterday for the first time and loved it. The husband is the more interested one and she is mostly just supporting him. But they are great people. They hit their one year anniversary this Thursday so we decorated a poster saying "Happy Anniversary" and drew stick figures of them holding hands. We brought it by the house and has just finished taping it to the door when we heard someone unlocking the door on the inside. We took off but she still saw us. She burst out laughing :) It was worth it.
Thank you Mom and Tyler for sharing those stories with me. I really appreciate it. And I hope to hear from Dad a little bit about his conversion story, if he has time. Have a great week everyone! I love you!

Elder Joshua Gathro

Que oso! = how embarassing!

Hey we got transfer calls last night...I'm staying again. The same area for going on 9 months. My greenie companion is leaving me here and I'll be with another greenie that will arrive tomorrow from the MTC. To be honest I was really disappointed that I'm staying again, but I feel a lot better this morning and am looking forward to correct all the mistakes I made as a trainer the past 3 months. I'm excited to train again. Maybe I'll get a native English-speaker :)

Sounds like life back in Florida is as busy as could be. I'm praying for you all and hope that you each have success in all that you're involved in. No I didn't know she's from Alabama, and I didn't have to write an essay for USU.

This week was super busy and miraculous as well. For starters, after visiting a potential investigator on Monday evening that wasn't home, we were walking back to the car and I looked down the street. My companion saw me and said, "You just thought about walking didn't you?" We both had the idea, so we followed it and ended up passing a house where we had talked to a kid before. He said he had been waiting for us one day and wants to meet with us, so we sat down right there and had a really spiritual lesson. It was just really neat to see how the Spirit had spoken to both of us to help bless Heavenly Father's children. And again on Friday we had a similar experience. We got out of a lesson at 5pm, when we had planned to eat dinner, but we were with some members and wanted to take advantage of their willingness to make another visit with us so we went to visit the same kid as in the previous story. We wasn't at his house, but his aunt drove us and told us that he was at her house. So we went there - no one answered. But down the road we saw a potential investigator outside and we talked to him for a few seconds and my companion asked to use the bathroom. So we went inside his house and a man was seated on the couch, so I introduced myself and asked his name. To make a long story less long, it turns out to be the same man that I had spoken to on the phone as a referral from February. We never knew his address and he never had time to meet, but I remembered his name and I felt bad that we never progressed with him. It just seemed so obvious to me that God had led us through those series of events in order to walk through the door of the house and meet this man waiting on the couch.

Those are the best two stories of the week. I'm excited for this coming transfer and excited that the summer is coming to an end. Best of luck in everything and let me know when big news comes along. I catch word when a hurricane blows through Florida. Be safe and trust in the Lord at all times. He has a plan and if we do our best, He will lead us along. I love you all!

 

Elder Joshua Gathro