Pictures from Chandler Area Ward Members

Week 14/104

June 13, 2016

Hello Everyone!

This week was crazy! We had someone call us three weeks after we
tracted into them, meet with us three times, then drop us this
morning. We had a final devotional with president Toone. And I found a
broken guitar in our attic, and fixed it using only baking soda and
super glue. I don't have a whole bunch of time, but I'll share a
thought from Preach My Gospel:
“Preach the first principles of the Gospel--preach them over again:
you will find that day after day new ideas and additional light
concerning them will be revealed to you. You can enlarge upon them so
as to comprehend them clearly. You will then be able to make them more
plainly understood by those [you] teach.” -Hyrum Smith (PMG, pg. 6)
This is true for all of us. The more we share the gospel, the better
we will be at it, and the more effective we will be as a tool in the
Lord's hands.

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

Love,
Elder Grover

Week 18/104

Hello Eberyone!

It's really interesting how missionary work is not the same each week
you do it. Sometimes there seems to be nothing going on in the area.
Then the next time you look, you're running from appointment to
appointment, not knowing where all the time went. I've really begun to
realize that every time I contact someone on the street, it's an
opportunity to teach. The Lord has said: "it is not needful for this
whole company of mine elders to be moving swiftly upon the waters,
whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief." (D&C
61:3) I took that to heart this week, and we found two new
investigators through street contacting! It's some of the most
nerve-wracking work I've done as a missionary, but I know that
exercising my faith has brought about miracles!

An update on the family we found: The father is out of a job right
now, but is currently waiting to hear back from a job that could
potentially be hiring him. He's really hoping for it to work out,
because it's a really good fit for them. But currently, because he
doesn't have a job, he's lacking a lot of funds that are necessary to
provide for the family; they can take care of house payments and basic
living needs, but that 's about it. They want to come to church, but
they said that they're working on getting clothes for the family to
wear to church. We brought up their need to the ward council, and
right away the elder's quorum president and the bishop set up a D. I.
order to get them clothes and a bishop's storehouse order to get them
food. The members also have been visiting them and introducing
themselves. This ward has got it where it counts!

The house we live in has also gotten a facelift. The housing
coordinators for the mission, Elder and Sister Peterson, are good
friends with some people who own an apartment complex, and they just
cleared out a model apartment. They gave the Petersons all the
leftover furniture, and they gave it to us. There's a picture below of
the front room. It looks pretty fantastic. :)

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

Love,
Elder Grover

1-3: Our house, and our shenanigans.
4: An Oreo that I stacked 5 thick. So much sugar!
5-7: District Bowling today!

Week 17/104

July, 4 2016

Heylo Eberyone!

Happy Independence Day! What a wonderful reminder of our freedom to
choose how we worship, and the great country that we have the
opportunity to live in. In the words of a Biblical prophet, "Choose ye
this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

We met our new mission president this week. President and Sister
Christensen are so awesome! We met them as a zone, and we each had
about 5 minutes to individually sit down with them. I'm gonna miss the
Toones, and I'll admit that I was worried I wasn't going to connect
with them as well as did the Toones. But that is not the case! I know
for a fact that they have been assigned here to administer and to
connect with each missionary who is in this mission. I am so excited
to work with them for the next 20 months!

We had such an amazing miracle this week! For the past month or so, we
as a mission have been praying every night for the opportunity to put
families on date. We have had multiple opportunities to extend the
commitment, but none said yes. Last Sunday, however, was the beginning
to a different story. We were waved down by a man driving past us as
we were biking. He told us he, his wife, and his family of seven
children just moved in to our area, and wanted us to teach them. A few
days later, we visited their house, and found out that he is a member,
but the rest of his family was not, and two of his kids were old
enough to be baptized. We taught them the Restoration, then asked them
if they would be baptized. They said yes, unable to hold back their
smiles. They are preparing to be baptized on the 27th of August! Like
I said last week, God is a God of miracles.

There's nothing like being put in a humbling situation like training a
new missionary, then being able to see the blessings that come from
the work we are putting in. I have felt so lifted and guided by the
Spirit of the Lord. I know it's because of my faithfulness, and
because of your prayers on my behalf. For that, I will be forever
grateful.

Love,
Elder Grover

1. Elder Pavlakos and I
2. An incoming dust storm. Prettiest thing I've seen yet!
3. The alert on our phone that warned us of the dust storm. It's
pretty melodramatic. :)

Week 16/104 - Transfer 2/17

June 27, 2016

Heylo Eberyone!

This week we said goodbye to Elder Hemsley. He was such a fantastic
missionary, and I couldn't have asked for a better trainer. The Toones
are also leaving in a couple days. They're coming to our zone tomorrow
to say goodbye to us, and of all the things I knew were coming, I
think this is what I'm dreading the most. Saying goodbye to my trainer
was hard enough, but also saying goodbye to my mission president and
his wife only a week later's going to be hard. I have grown to love
them so much. I'm really excited to meet President and Sister
Christensen, though. I know they will be fantastic leaders of this
mission.

With the send off of one companion, I obviously get to welcome a new
one. And in this case, he's brand new. Elder Pavlakos just got here
from the MTC this transfer. I'M TRAINING A NEW MISSIONARY!!!
When President Toone called me to be a trainer, I couldn't speak for a
few seconds. I was sure that I would have someone who's been out for a
while, so I could continue learning for a bit, but the Lord feels that
I'm ready to train. I feel so humbled, and my desire to work hard has
grown more than I ever thought it could. I have already seen that this
companionship is going to thrive. We're still in my first area, and
we've already found three new people to teach in our first week, where
we haven't been able to find anyone new in over a month.

Elder Pavlakos is from Detroit, Michigan. He's turning 19 in a few
days, and he's so ready to go! He's got the "greenie fire" (don't tell
President I said that). Because we've been working hard this week,
we've been blessed with so many miracles. One of the new people we are
going to teach literally pulled up right next to us while we were
biking and asked us to take down his address so we could come by to
teach him, his wife, and his family of seven kids! The other two
people were people we just contacted on the street. They were really
interested in what we had to say; one had even been to our church a
couple times! God is a God of miracles. This is truly going to be a
blessed transfer. Expect to hear more miracles that Elder Pavlakos and
I experience; I know there'll be so many.

We also moved into a new house this week. I'm no longer living in a
barn with cows as next door neighbors, but an actual house! It's truly
a blessing to not have to stress about getting four elders showered in
the morning when you all have to use the same shower. I don't have any
pictures of the new house, but when we're settled in, I'll send some.
There's actually a really funny story behind that house. Carrie, one
of the members of our ward, was looking to move into a new place a few
weeks ago. She said that she had found a house nearby, there was one
other offer for it, and the renter went with the other offer. So until
she finds a new house for herself, she and her son (who I've written
about before) will be living with a friend of hers. When we told her
that we were moving in just down the street, she realized she knew
which house we moved into, and she was not happy for a few minutes.
Then we laughed about it after she was able to explain the entire
floor plan to us.

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

Love,
Elder Grover

1-3: Pictures of my old house. Mine was the third desk and the bottom bunk.







4: Elder Ward, one of my former roommates, with a tie that I skinny'd
for him. Looks good, huh?

Pictures from Week 14

Week 15/104

June 20, 2016

Heylo Eberyone!

This is the last week of my second transfer, and I've learned one
thing: The thing that makes a missionary's last transfer the hardest
is the nonstop reminders that he's going to be home from his family
and friends, and the members in the ward in which he serves. Elder
Hemsley and I have been serving really well together for the past
three months, but that aspect of this past transfer has been hard for
him. For all of you that have missionaries coming home soon, help them
stay focused by not reminding them every day that they're almost done.
They'll be so happy.

Because this is President Toone's final week, we've been spending
quite a bit of time with him as missionaries. He came to our zone and
did another round of interviews. And with this being my last week of
training, all of the new missionaries had a meeting in Tempe with him.
I absolutely love him and his wife. They have left this mission better
than it was three years ago, and I know that because of how they are
leaving this mission. They have been working so hard these past few
months to pass the baton on to President and Sister Christensen. I
know the Toones were called to this mission because of the people they
are. I love them so much!

Even though my training period is over, I know that there is still so
much to learn. Even though I don't feel that I know everything to lead
out the area, I have learned how to put my trust in Heavenly Father,
and how to let him guide me. I'm continuing to improve my ability to
follow His council, but I know that my God will lift me through the
struggles I may encounter. In the words of Ammon, who was a great
missionary in his own rite, "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my
strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will
boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold,
many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will
praise his name forever." (Alma 26:12) It's only been three months,
but I know that this scripture is true. It has become my testimony.

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

Love,
Elder Grover

1. What happens to a scorpion when you shine a black light on it.



2. The Mendoza's, an awesome family that Elder Hemsley taught last
time he was here in this area.



3. Bro. Crow, the Grove 3rd ward mission leader.