Holy cow I can’t believe how fast time is moving. Only 11 days left here in Texas and it still doesn’t feel real at all. We also got a new mission president which is crazy. I’m sure he’s extremely overwhelmed especially with the new Preach My Gospel coming out. They seem super awesome though. I won’t really get a chance to get to know them super well but I’m glad I’ll be able to go to President and Sister Seitz’s homecoming.
After P-day last week we went and taught our friend Jose Cruz. He is a super nice guy and likes meeting with us. Our problem with him is like just about everyone else that we start teaching in Texas. They are more than willing to hear the good word but won’t do anything about it. Even explaining everything about the book of mormon and the importance of the sacrament, etc. etc. they don’t do anything about it. It sucks because we spend our time teaching them, which they appreciate, but don’t ever keep the commitments we give them. We can literally teach someone almost all the lessons and have super spiritual conversations, but at the end of the day they hit us with the: “but I’m catholic”. It makes no sense to me.
On Tuesday we had a dope lesson with Brittian. We’ve been trying for weeks to have a lesson with him AND his Dad & Step-mom but they always either cancel or don’t respond to us. We had a lesson with Brittian but nobody else stayed which was sad. But we talked to him about Temples and Eternal Marriage. We talked about the common phrase, “Til death do you part” and explained how it would be so sad to be in the next life without your spouse or family. The temple provides a literally sealing between you and your spouse that perpetuates beyond death. He really liked thinking about an eternal family and how he wants to be the Dad he never had, to have a spouse that can be the supportive and loving mother rather than someone who manipulates him. He still loves his mom so much and it just breaks my heart hearing that he still tries to call her everyday and she never answers him. Then when she did answer and Brittian tried to explain how going to church has helped him she pretended to not hear him and hung-up and didn’t answer any other calls when he tried to call her again.
On Thursday we went to Samaritan Inn for some service and as we were walking in this random lady asked if we could give her a blessing. She is a member and moved here to Mckinney to stay at Samaritan Inn. It was a cool experience to run into her and give her a blessing. Also crazy, THERE IS A NEW PREACH MY GOSPEL!! It came out while we were in the middle of weekly planning which definitely derailed us a bit haha.
We had a lesson with Omar on Friday and it was super cool! He was telling us that he kept flipping between the 1 Nephi, the testimonies of the 3 & 8 witnesses and also 3 Nephi 11! He asked us about the Priesthood and the importance of it and how we get it. So we talked about Joseph Smith getting the priesthood and explained how we have the priesthood too. We discussed the Aaronic Priesthood and Melchezidek Priesthood. It was a fire lesson and he said he would come to church! (Spoiler: He didn’t come to church ) sad day 🙁
On Saturday we had a lesson with Teresa and her family! (She’s the one from Chile that comes to English Classes with her daughter) It was a super good lesson and we had a member Hermana Prisbrey join us! Teresa was a little skeptical with some things just because she has a catholic background and what-not. Hermana Prisbrey was actually catholic before she converted to the church and helped explained a lot of things that we couldn’t really do in Spanish. We’ve figured out that the way in to this family is through their 9 year old daughter. She really likes our spiritual messages after English Classes and basically Teresa and her husband’s lives revolve around their daughter. So we are super excited to keep teaching them!
Saturday night we talked to this drunk guy for like 45 min telling us how he protects his family and how he would do anything for them. He said, “I’m Hell” we were like, cool, thanks for sharing. He explained that his family wants him to stop drinking but “they can’t change my attitude”. Hmmmm maybe you should listen to them! Then he went on this tangent about how you can’t be drunk and have a firearm with you. So that’s why he chooses not to carry. All he needs is “my 2 fists” he says. We were like, “maybe you should stop drinking and you wouldn’t have to worry about doing something stupid with a firearm or driving or something else”. We didn’t say that to him but we definitely thought about it.
On Sunday Teresa and her family came to church!!! It was so awesome! They have 2 daughters. One is 9 and the other is 11 months old! Their baby got really sleepy so they had to leave after first hour but it was awesome that they all came! Especially for her husband Sergio to take the sacrament again and be at church for the first time in like 20 years.
We decided to do some studies downtown since we there’s a lot people there that we could talk to. Downtown is always bad news… We said hello to one family and talked to them about Christ and the atonement. We read Alma 7:11-12 and they really liked it! But then the wife asked where the scripture was from and when we said the Book of Mormon she laughed and then rolled her eyes. She asked who wrote it and we both said prophets. We started to explain it a little bit more and she interrupts us by saying “Have a nice day”. We just stopped mid sentence and walked away telling them to have a good day. Some people can be so rude. THEN we were walking and these 2 women probably early 30’s walked by and so I asked if we could share a scripture. One of them turns around and says, “Do you swing?” I was like, “Do I swing?” her: “Yeah!” me, “No I do not swing.” And then she proceeded to ask me another question that I cannot put in this email but was very inappropriate and then laughed and walk away. Seems like there’s always something new that happens each week that would never happen anywhere else but here. So many times I find myself saying, “Only in Texas”
I bore my testimony since it was fast Sunday and it’s sad to think that’s probably my last time speaking in church as a full-time missionary. I testified of the Joy that comes from the gospel and testifying of its truthfulness. I love how Alma puts it when he is talking to his son Helaman and giving him council
“24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;”
I love this gospel so much and there is nothing that has brought me more joy than testifying of the truthfulness of the Restoration. There is nothing that compares to watching people soften their hearts and accept the divine truths of Christ’s restored church. As I said in my testimony; if you want to feel peace, if you want to feel joy, if you want to feel God’s pure love, testify. Share your testimony with others. There is no growth that can take place in your testimony more than bearing your testimony. I have had the amazing opportunity to testify for 2 years and it has been the best decision of my life..
This week I wanted to share this story I read during one of my personal studies, it says,
“By day and by night the shepherd is always with his sheep. … This was necessary on account of the exposed nature of the land, and the presence of danger from wild animals and robbers. One of the most familiar and beautiful sights of the East is that of the shepherd leading his sheep to the pasture. … He depends upon the sheep to follow, and they in turn expect him never to leave them. …
“… As he is always with them, and so deeply interested in them, the shepherd comes to know his sheep very intimately. … One day a missionary, meeting a shepherd on one of the wildest parts of the Lebanon, asked him various questions about his sheep, and among others if he counted them every night. On answering that he did not, he was asked how he knew if they were all there or not. His reply was, ‘Master, if you were to put a cloth over my eyes, and bring me any sheep and only let me put my hands on its face, I could tell in a moment if it was mine or not’” (George M. Mackie, Bible Manners and Customs [n.d.], 33, 35).
I love you all so much and hope you have an amazing 4th of July!! Please let me know if there is anyone I can pray or fast for! 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
