Wk 23: This Week Was Amazing!

Hey everyone!

This last week was truly amazing.. as it is every week. We have been truly blessed with the lessons and people we are now teaching. I'm so grateful for all those who have prayed to help further the work in Kentucky and look for more missionary opportunities here! 

This week we have been honored to put two more people on baptismal date for next month. Solomon is a 9 year old boy and is an interesting character. He knows so much about spiritual things already. It blows my mind. He is really grasping gospel principles and it is wonderful to see. He surprises me each time we talk. I will have the privilege of confirming him on July 7th!!! I'm so stoked. I'm also going to be baptizing Morgan, a 15 year old that same day. He is awesome and I'm so excited to see him take one of the biggest steps of his entire life. He is so ready to follow Jesus Christ and devote his life to him. His brother Brayden is seriously thinking about being baptized on the 6th with his brother. We took him to a baptism and showed him how it took place. We also have Rylee who will be baptized July 28th!!! So we are really really working hard to keep these people safe and on track so they can take this step with God. So in total... 4 baptisms most likely next month!!!! WHAT? THAT'S CRAZY! I can't explain my joy and love for these people. 

Elder Heaton and I are working really hard and starting to open up to each other. It make the work more efficient and fun.  My time in Lexington might end soon. I've been here for 6 Months!! Time flies by. We finally have the ward popping! We have found a groove in working with members which has been one of the hardest thing in this area. We are building stronger respect for the bishop and his way of leading the ward, and know he has been called as the bishop for this time. 

We gave talks on Sunday and it was on our favorite topic, The Book of Mormon. We shared our favorite BofM story and how it relates to our life. I'm not the best public speaker and I was nervous speaking yesterday. It went well and we introduced our plan of handing Book of Mormons out to everyone in the ward. We asked them to put them in their car and homes so they can look and pray for opportunities to place them with people they feel prompted to. It is awesome to see everyone finally coming together and have a desire to do missionary work. I see many miracles coming from this one small act. 

Overall, this week has been good. It has rained a lot, which I love. It keeps my allergies down. They haven't been bothering me as much lately which is good. I want you guys to know I think of every single family member and friend I have back home and pray for them individually. I know the Lord is watching over you and helping you every day. I want to hear from all of you! I may not respond right away, but I do listen and read all the letters I receive. I love to hear what's going on in your lives. I love you guys and miss you. 

God love you and I hope you will strengthen your relationship with Him each day. Talk to you next week!

-Elder Greenlaw

Wk: 22 - Mission Life is Amazing!

This week has been amazing! The mission is amazing.. my life is amazing.. and the LORD IS AMAZING! I'm over filled with joy and the Spirit. I truly understand what it's like to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. I'm grateful for that opportunity I have in my life to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. It wasn't until I was truly converted to the Lord that I realized the wonderful blessing I have received from doing so. 

We had the opportunity to put a young man by the name of Morgan on a baptismal date this week. He is such an awesome kid. He's 15 and told us he really has been feeling the Spirit in his life. We gave their aunt a blessing and he said that he felt it the strongest he ever had. I can't wait until he receives that gift of having the constant companionship his knowledge and spirituality will only increase more when he does so. This will be my first baptism on my mission. I'm very humbled to be this boy's missionary when he makes this covenant with God. Every convert I've met so far after years and years always remember their missionary that baptized them. 
The lady we have been teaching Priscilla was baptized when she was 12 and she's like 70. She stopped going to church right after baptism but still remembers those missionaries names. I thought that was amazing. So he's probably going to remember my name which is very humbling. 

It's hard to think I've already been out 5 months to the day. And to look back and see the wonderful growth that's taken place in my life and everyone around me. I hope I can hold the light of Christ that has changed my life and keep it burning strong. He is everything to me I wouldn't be alive or standing here where I am without His help. Mosiah 27: 29 is my favorite scripture because that's how I feel when I think of my Savior. I am not perfect and I've made many mistakes to those I've loved in the past. I wish to say I'm sorry to anyone that I've hurt and only wish the best to them. 

Lately I've been really contemplating families and my eternal companion. Not in a distracting way but an uplifting way. I'm so excited to be able to kneel across the altar to my beautiful companion someday. I wish I could just tell her right now how much I want this blessing in my life. And tell everyone how important family means to me and how badly I want to be able to love, comfort, and council with someone every day. It's one of the most important desires in my life ever since I can remember. But for now, I'm serving the one person I love with all my heart, mind, and soul.. the Lord. He always comes first in my life and the lessons and things I'm learning on my mission are truly preparing me to meet God once again. If we all just look down and put our shoes in Christ's footsteps we will eventually will live with God some day. 

I'm grateful for everyone in my life. I know there's a purpose to everything and I wish everyone the same joy I feel at this time. The love I feel. All of it. Serving a mission is awesomely powerful. It is also the best time to grow in someone's life. Do it.. it's worth it. 

But yeah this week has been good and I love all of you. Please pray for the mission field for this area and others that we can find some prepared people to teach. There isn't a whole ton of people here who are interested. We need some softened hearts so all your prayers will be appreciated. Have a good week y'all. Share the gospel with everyone and share your favorite scripture with them as well.

Talk to you next week,

Elder Greenlaw

Kentucky! 

Love our missionary! 

So much greenery. A tree fell after a rainstorm

Street view! 

Going for a run! 

Beautiful houses in Kentucky!

Week 20: You Gotta Have Faith

Hi everybody, 

I love all of your beautiful faces. This week has been really good. We have had some ups and downs this past few week, but things are mostly good. I'm so dang exhausted. Missionary work takes a lot out of you physically, mentally, and spiritually. It's so amazing to see the growth in myself and also in my companion. We have been really working hard to make sure we baptize this transfer, but it just hasn't been the right time. We are working really hard in our area and have some amazing great potentials. We are finding some really humble people lately, but at the same time they are very interesting people that have some significant obstacles to over come. We are praying to be able to find some one who is just waiting at the door for the restored gospel. We are navigating our way through a jungle of people to find them. 

Please pray for the area and also for the ward. They really struggle with missionary efforts and we are trying to help them help us! Haha. We love everyone so much and know they can accomplish this task. There are some amazing wonderful people in the ward! Please pray for Tim and Pamela. Please pray for Nina, Triva, and their daughter Shianna. They are the people we are teaching and we wish all of them can progress, be  humble, so they can receive the gospel in their hearts. Also, please pray for the Lunas family. They are less active. She struggles with some questions she has and we hope she can find the answers to them and resolve those doubts. 

I'm so glad I've learned how to resolve my questions and concerns. I have been studying, praying for answers to my questions, and what I have found is they always come. I testify that we need to have faith that we can figure things out for ourselves. We do not receive any witness until after the trial of our faith. Ether 12. I love this gospel and I love my Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ with all my heart. I pray for miracles every day. It is hard out here to have success. I would appreciate it if you could help pray for the people in Kentucky to want to be baptized. It seems like everyone isn't ready yet or is not feeling the truth enough to want to change. I will just keep loving them. 

I love all of y'all and pray for you to be watched over. Talk to you next week!

Love, 

Elder Greenlaw