I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I'm so happy. I just want to say the Spirit here is truly amazing. I had no idea.
Wednesday
I started out by saying goodbye to the family and I think everyone can agree, it was a huge relief. I was ready for anything to come my way.
Elder Greenlaw's first day in the MTC
Elder Greenlaw and Elder McBride
"It's official. I am a missionary!"
We went through the lines and someone took my luggage so that I could grab my tags, all the paperwork, and keys for all the places I needed to go. We dropped off my luggage and I was the first person in my residence to show up. i was expecting to meet my companion there but it didn't happen. I then was directed to my classroom. Again I was the first person to get there, SO I got to meet one of my awesome teachers, Sister Sable. She is from Oregon and is going to BYU. She got off her mission about a year ago. She is literally the coolest, everyone loves her. I met people in my district. Every one is going to a different place then us - Birmingham, Alabama, Ohio and Texas, San Antonio Missions. We felt a little lonely, but way cooler than everyone cuz we are the only ones going to KENTUCKY, LOUISVILLE BABY WOOOOO! haha My companion is 6 foot 7 and played basketball through high school and had a scholarship to go to Washington, Vancouver! He decided to not take it and go on a mission instead. His name is Elder McBride. We had classes and did all sorts of fun stuff to get to know everyone in the zone. We also did some role plays. I thought we did really good but Elder McBride was really quiet, so I've been trying to get him comfortable with everyone. We went to sleep... ELDER CROUSE SNORES SO BAD!!!!! We didn't sleep at all the first night it was rough. haha
Thursday
We woke up and had a very very long day. We had classes, workshops and meetings. We also had SO MUCH FUN!!! We met our Mission President and Zone Leaders. We made fast friends with everyone. There are so many people here. All different sorts of people but it good. It was hard adjusting to the sleep schedule each day but i can say I'm finally feeling good about it. I've learned not to stay up late but be obedient to the 10:30 rule because it's there for a reason.. to bless us. As I keep that schedule, I have more energy and my body and mind feel better. Today was just another day of adjusting. It already feels like the first few days are meshed into one. I don't know how to describe it. All I know is the spirit I feel here has truly changed me. I love being a missionary especially an obedient one because I have way more success throughout the day.
Friday
This was our first day with the normal schedule day. The first two days were to accommodate all the new people and for the adjustment period. We got to teach each lesson today which was so amazing. I can't even tell you how much I've learned already. We had our first work out sesh and we had a blast. I made like 20 half court shots behind my back and everyone has been talking about it for days! hahahahha It was the coolest thing they've ever seen. I have learned a lot about personal study, companion study, and it has really helped me with that. I love to have a purpose all the time behind my reading, it's great!
I asked for a picture by the map. Instead I got a bum pic. Not surprising!
Going to Kentucky, Louisville Mission February 4th, 2019
Saturday
I had headaches all day today.. it was awful. I also have a really bad cough, but it didn't slow me down. I did everything I needed to do and more. I feel like I am meeting the Lord's expectations and that is the best feeling in the whole world.
Sunday
We had meeting after meeting today and a sacrament meeting with the zone. We are randomly chosen to talk so we have to prepare a talk every week with given subjects. Everyday I grow more and more. I couldn't be more grateful. We also had a devotional. The director, Mitch Davis, spoke about how everyone we teach are potential Gods and Goddesses. I never thought of it that way, so that was cool. BUT THE BEST PART OF ALL MY WEEK was the film we watched. It was called "The Character of Christ" by Elder Bednar. He taught us what the Character of Christ was and how just having a testimony is not enough to keep us in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Character of Christ is how He always looks outward and never at His own affliction. Christ atoned for our sins, all while serving and administering to others. He gave outward, freely.
I've had a lot of time to think of this because we as humans truly look inward all the time and we need to strive to look outward even in our hardest times. Elder Bednar shared a story about a close woman friend who found out about a car accident her daughter was in. 1 out of the three girls had died and the others were in critical condition. She was on the phone with the nurse and Elder Bednar at the same time trying to identify who these girls were. She wanted Elder Bednar to go to the hospital and find out because she couldn't go at the time. The nurse confirmed the dead girl was her daughter. In that split second, with no hesitation, the mother asked Elder Bednar to contact these other moms and let them know about their daughters. Her own daughter had just died and she was worried about how the other mothers would feel and they needed to know that their daughters were safe. This is the true Character of Christ. Elder Bednar shared more stories about this same woman and how she told Elder Bednar she had seen her daughter before the funeral. She was badly disfigured in the accident and Elder Bednar saw her as well. She wanted him to see her daughter after the morgue had done an amazing job of putting her back together. She wanted him to see her one more time so that his last memory of her wouldn't be of how badly she looked but for how beautiful she was. She was worried about Elder Bednar and not herself. On the way to her daughter's funeral, a sister in the ward was complaining to her about how she was sick and how no one had brought her food. Doing her duty as the Relief Society President, she brought the woman food, went out of her way, instead of going to her own daughters funeral on time. This is the true Character of Christ. Most of us would feel sorry for ourselves. Christ looks outward and we should strive to have that same character. This woman was a single mother and this was her only child. Truly amazing story. Elder Bednar talked about how the Savior was betrayed by his Apostle. He was being taken by the guards to be crucified. Peter cut off the ear of a soldier. Christ healed this guard's ear. This was right after he had suffered for us in the garden . On top of that, Christ was betrayed by an Apostle. It would have been easy to focus on Himself, but Christ still healed the guard that was there to take him away. I love this talk. It truly has changed me. He told us that if we learn and apply the Character of Christ, we will never FALL away from the church. A simple testimony is just not enough. We need to be built up through Christ and deepen our conversion so we will never FALL away. Truly amazing.
Monday
We taught an actual investigator of the church. His name is Rodrigo. We had the opportunity to teach him three times. He's so amazing. His wife is Catholic, they are living in Chili. He is just visiting for a couple weeks for business and is staying with a friend. He has lost two children because his wife and him have same blood type. Basically, they can't have children. He is interested in how families can be together forever and he believes he is going to Hell for some reason. It was a train wreck the first time we taught him. He didn't understand the concept of why Christ suffered for our sins. Why couldn't we just repent and be saved without that sacrifice. That was really hard for us to teach him. We have been preparing and hopefully we can answer his questions better next time we meet.
Well I love you guys! Talk to you next week.
Elder Greenlaw
Elder Greenlaw's District - (From left to right)Elder Anderson (He's hilarious. I LOVE him. Elder Greenlaw, Elder Burke, Elder Udall, and Elder Henderson (taking pic), and Elder McBride. The sisters in my district are Sister Denaghul, Sister Wysler, Sister Cutler, and Sister Thompson. My zone leaders are Elder Wiseman and Elder Meckam (not shown). They are so cool.
Snow Blizzard in Utah - January 2019
Elder Greenlaw says he loves the food in the MTC except the chicken. It makes him a little sick. He had chicken and waffles the other night and he said that was good. Maybe I should send him this candle and get him ready for Kentucky. :) He also told me he forgot his tennis shoes so wore slippers all day today. This boy still needs his mom.
