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Sept. 06, 2016

Hello Eberyone!

        Apologies for not writing last week; I'm still trying to figure out
getting a new iPad. For now, Elder Pavlakos is letting me use his.

        The Miller kids got baptized and confirmed! The baptism happened on
Friday, August 26th, and because our stake had stake conference the
following Sunday, they were confirmed yesterday in sacrament meeting.
They and their family are so happy! They had so many people from the
ward at the baptism to support them, including Brother Miller's
parents and brother. His parents were so thankful to us for helping
Matt and his family make a change for the better; they are members of
the Church, and have been praying for Matt and his brother to come
back to the church. Matt's brother even went back to Phoenix and found
the missionaries in his ward right after the baptism! The Spirit was
so powerful there. Now the next goal for the Millers is getting them
married, so Lauren can be baptized. That's where the problem lies,
though. We had a lesson with them shortly thereafter, and they had
presented the date of June 10, 2017! After we recovered from the
initial shock, we asked them if they had talked with the Lord about
it. They said they hadn't, and agreed that they should. We'll be
following up with them tomorrow. There's hope for them yet!

        We also had an orientation for an incredible opportunity that's
coming up! This last Friday, we gathered as a mission to here from two
people: Eric Johnson and Kenya Jackson, who are committee chair
members for a choir called the Saints Unified Voices. Some of you may
or may not recognize Kenya Jackson's name; and if you don't recognize
her name, you may recognize the name of her mother, and the director
of the choir itself - Gladys Knight. Yes, the frontman (or front
lady?) of Gladys Knight and the Pips is a member of the Church,
directs a Grammy award-winning gospel choir, and is coming to Tempe to
host a free event, which they aren't calling a concert, but a "bold
declaration of testimony through music", available to everyone who
lives in the area! I am so excited! If you know anyone in the Tempe
Arizona area, member of the Church or not, let them know about the
event. There's a picture that I'll send that shows the information
that they'll need.

       This Friday will be my six month mark! I have been a full-time
missionary away from home for six months, which means I am 25% done! I
don't really like that thought. I can't believe how fast this
wonderful time has gone by. I've become such a different person in
this time. I've learned to rely on the Book of Mormon as a testimonial
foundation for myself and for those I teach, I've become much more
disciplined in how I use my time, and, most importantly, I have
increased my trust in my Savior, Jesus Christ. If it's only been six
months, and I've still got 18 to go, I can't wait to see how I've
changed by the end!

All is well in Zion!

Love,
Elder Grover

24/104

Aug. 22, 2016

Heylo Eberyone!

Apologies for the lack of an email last week. I was shopping, and left my cart for a few minutes, and when I came back, my iPad was gone. As you may have guessed, that threw me for a loop for a few days. I still have no iPad, but we're working on getting a replacement. All is well in Zion!

The Millers are getting baptized this week! Brother and Sister Miller are still prayerfully deciding on a date to be married, and they're almost ready to set it in stone! They are, however, moving forward with getting Brynn and Hunter baptized this Friday. This will be the first convert baptism this ward has had since January! Everyone is so excited. As an expression of that excitement, the ward is helping the Millers to plan out a beautiful wedding for absolutely no cost! There's nothing like a ward that loves missionary work. I love it!

We also found out that Hien, our other investigator that is preparing to be baptized, lives outside of our proselyting area, which means we have to refer him to the missionaries that cover his address. His wifes parents live in one of our wards, which is how we came in contact with him; they referred him to us. We thought that he lives at least in our stake, but it turns out he does not; he lives right on the other side of the mission boundaries! Not only will we have to give him up to another set of missionaries, we have to give him to missionaries in the Gilbert mission. We're a bit worried about that, since he has told us that we are the only missionaries he has met, of which there have been many, that he trusts. We're going to see if we can contact the bishop in his home ward, so he can go with the missionaries to visit him. I'll keep you updated on that. 

I've been thinking and studying a lot about faith these past two weeks. I have learned so much about what faith truly is, and how our faith in Jesus Christ is truly manifest. In Hebrews chapter 11, Paul writes about many examples of faith, and how the people of the Old Testament exercised that faith. In every example, they didn't know how things were going to work out, or what blessings would come from it. But because they put their trust and faith in the Lord, they received blessings after they accomplished that which God asked them to accomplish. This is something I am working on in myself right now. There are a whole truck load of things with which I must trust my Heavenly Father; and even though I understand the concept - I had to put my faith in Him as I prepared for my mission, too - it's still very difficult. I try my best in everything I do, and that is where I find my comfort. Knowing the Lord only expects my honest effort, no matter how perfect or imperfect I am at doing His will, I know that He will bless me for trying. According to Moroni, I should "dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6) It may not be easy, but I know that I have faith in Jesus Christ, for it is he who works the miracles that I have seen. 

Thank you all for your prayers and support! I can feel them every day.

ALL IS WELL IN ZION!

Love,

Elder Grover