This week was a short week with Pday on Wednesday. But we got to go to the temple! It was so fun and very needed. We went to the de la Cruz’s for dinner and she made us her infamous tortas!!! They were DIVINE to say the least. She also said I don’t sound like a gringo. LETS GOOOOOOOOO!!
Stupid joke from the Hermanas:
“Why do missionaries only use bowls?”
-Because Moroni hid the plates!!! ba doom tshhh
Thursday we had dinner at Canes with Hermano Avalos. We had a super good conversation and he told us his conversion story. It was really cool and really spiritual for Elder Reed and I. Elder Reed opened up a lot and shared his testimony about the mission and everything. It was really good and Hermano Avalos helped put some things in perspective.
Saturday we had MIke’s baptism!! I was super excited because Mike asked me to baptize him! It was an experience I’ll will never forget. Afterwords, Mike shared a few things that made me really happy. He said, “Is it bad to say that I feel holy?” It was a really awesome service and I’m super excited to see Mike one step closer to the temple. The baptism was honestly super stressful to plan. There were so many little things to plan like the programs, music, find jumpsuits, figuring out who can preside, do the comfirmation, etc. etc. I was very overwhelmed to say the least haha. But going in the font and being a part of Mike’s journey was so rewarding. So it was definitely all worth it. The water was also 110⁰ and we couldn’t change it haha.
That night we had dinner with the Seguras who are a young couple that just moved in. They made us salmon with this super good mango sauce on top. We drove over to Rockwall for a few lessons which didn’t go as expected… First we had a lesson with Francisco who the night prior said we could come by. We go over there and the 2 guys say they have no idea who Francisco is. I’m 98% positive one of them was the guy we talked to. But we shared a quick scripture and then left cause they weren’t too interested. We hopped in the car and sat looking at who we should stop by next. All the sudden this red chevy avalanche going like 5 mph hits our front end of the car and scratched up the side. One guy jumped out and seemed pretty upset with whoever was driving. I hopped out cause I thought they were just gonna drive off. Apparently this dude (lets just call him Dave) was trying to teach his 13 year old daughter how to drive. We drove over to Dave’s house to get his insurance info. Dave’s dad owns the vehicle and the insurance, but Dave doesn’t even have a drivers license. So homie is already driving illegally and then tries to teach his 13 year old daughter how to drive. Also decides it’s a good idea to teach her to drive on a super narrow road with cars parked on both sides. Anyways, there wasn’t very much damage to the car and nobody was hurt and that’s what matters most. It was just so annoying having to fill out all the paperwork and reports.
Sunday we had Stake Conference!!! It was soooooo good!!! Saturday night the zone leaders asked me to type up a little cameo about Mike for Sister Seitz to read in conference. I said,
“Our friend mike was first introduced to the church when he started dating a member. She started inviting him to church and he would join her off and on. He then began to go come more frequently and enjoyed the meetings. After coming to church and becoming familiar with the ward, he recognized that he felt the spirit. Soon after, he decided to meet with the us. He always had a very strong relationship with God and had a testimony of his love and plan for him. After a few lessons Mike said if he gained a testimony he would certainly be baptized. Mike soon came to realize the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and saw how it could change his life. A little less than 6 months later, Mike was baptized and confirmed a member of the church yesterday. Even though he had been happy 6 months prior, after his baptism he felt as a though he was made whole and even mentioned that he “felt like a miracle”. Mike is excited to continue down the covenant path and come closer to his Savior. His journey wouldn’t have been possible without the constant encouragement, fasting, and prayers of his now fiancé, as well as support from ward members at church and accompanying us at lessons.”
So that was super cool to have Sister Seitz read that in conference and then give us a shout out
But Conference was really really good and all the messages were so powerful. President Pauga shared a really cool message. He talked about his trials in his family and things they have gone through. He said, “I believe that our rewards will match our trials”. Meaning, as we are given difficult trials that may seem impossible to bear, Heavenly Father will bless you just as much if not more than what you experience.
President Seitz shared a scripture from D&C which basically says faith doesn’t come by signs, but signs come after faith. It was really cool because I had shared that exact scripture with a struggling missionary at the beginning of the transfer. President also shared an experience he had the night prior. An elder in the mission had been struggling with his faith a lot and was seeking help from President. President promised him that if he focused on his prayers, trying to come to know Heavenly father and strengthening his relationship with him, that all his doubts and questions would be replaced with feelings of love from Heavenly Father. That resonated with me so much because I have seen that in my own life. I’ve realized I have had questions and doubts but it never bothered me because I turned to Heavenly Father and felt his love. I never really knew how to help people or missionaries struggling with their doubts, but President helped me see a different perspective that I hadn’t thought about before. I know that President gives counsel inspired by God. I also know that his counsel applies not only to missionaries but to everyone. So if you are struggling with your faith and have many doubts and questions about the gospel or the church or church history or doctrine or literally anything, I know that as you turn to your Father in Heaven, he will helpl you work through these doubts. He will help you see his infinite love more abundantly in your life.
Thanks for reading through my little adventures! I hope and pray that the spirit touched you or taught you something as you read about my experiences. Something that the spirit has taught me this week is that you may not always see it, but your actions are always observed. Every member of the church is a missionary. It is everybody’s responsibility to help gather Israel. This is His work. If you seek to do His work, he will provide an opportunity to share His gospel. Christ said, “Feed my sheep. Feed my lambs”. Always be prepared. Because Heavenly Father will lead his sheep to us, and it’s our job to feed them and help them enter into the fold of God. I love you all dearly and pray that you will see the Lord’s hand more abundantly in your lives. This is His gospel and we are His children. Never forget your divine identity as his beloved child. Muchos besos! And remember, God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good
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All my love
Elder Grubbs
