You know you're a Missionary When...

You know you're a missionary when:

You still do service in over 100 degree weather...

You don't schedule lunch or dinner because you have too much going on (including interviews with President)

No bathroom breaks...gotta hold it

You get to meet an Apostle of the Lord

You whip together an Enrichment Night in under an hour out of thin air

You cry because you are so happy all the time

And then you cry because you are so tired

And then you cry when your investigators get baptized

To sum it up...You cry a lot

Wait, let me pull myself together. Hey!! Maybe I should actually explain myself!

This week was INSANE. There was so much to do and no time time to do it. So of course we did it all, but not without help and making more time. 

J**'s baptism was on Wednesday! It was sooooo good! So many from the ward came to support him. The talks were amazing, and Sister C** always sings so well!! The spirit was so strong. J** looked so happy! It was such a cool experience. I can't wait to hear when he and B** get to go through the temple next year and be sealed for time and all eternity:)

Flash forward to Saturday- The craziest day this week. We woke up at 3:30am (I thought I was in high school again) and drove all the way to Camarillo to hear...wait for it...Elder Christofferson! It was such a special experience. He talked about the Doctrine of Christ and how if there was no law there would be no God. If there was no law there would be no sin, but there would also be no righteousness. It was very interesting. My favorite part of the whole thing was when the whole mission sang our mission song (Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise) and when E Christofferson was bearing his testimony of the Savior. It was so powerful. These men are truly called of God and testify that the Savior lives. They are doing what the Disciples did during the Savior's time. I loved it.

After seeing him, we had to drive ALL the way back to Paso to get ready for O**'s baptism! Although we were running on no sleep, we had the energy needed to get everything prepared. O**'s baptism was also amazing. We had a ton of Elders from our zone, as well as ward members come to support, which was amazing. O** looked so happy. He has changed so much and has such a strong testimony of Jesus Christ.  

J** and O** both were confirmed yesterday. They were both beaming and the Spirit was so strong in the chapel yesterday. Sister C** and I are so incredibly happy for them and the steps they have made to be closer to the Savior. There truly are no words to explain it.

We were able to watch the world-wide devotional last night. I SAW PARKER [her brother, who sings with the Salt Lake Institute Choir]! It was so cool to see him. It made me feel connected to home even as I am out here. The devotional was very good as well.

Well, as you might guess from this letter that might not make sense (if it does, I'll be surprised haha) we are still a little tired. But it's such a good tired. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else and there is still so much to do. The field is white and ready to harvest. Sister C** and I are ready to work hard this week! Are you willing to put in time?

 

I love the talk Elder Cook gave in General Conference. "Foundations of Faith". It's one everybody should read!!

I hope you all have a great week this week and are seeking ways you can uplift those around you!

xoxo.

Sister G

...sometimes you need a laugh...from a dancing pickle

 

Elder Christofferson, Sister & President Felix, Elder Ren Johnson (area authority)

 

The upcoming week will be CRAZY

Hey!!

THANK YOU for all your prayers!

Last Monday for our activity my district went to the ocean and saw Elephant Seals! It was so fun! Probably the best P-day activity yet! Sister Felix describes them perfectly-Big Balls of Blubber. It was so fun to see all the green hills, the ocean, and the seals!

Both O** and J** had successful baptism interviews last week! So....we have TWO baptisms this week. J** is getting baptized on Wednesday and O** is getting baptized on Saturday! They are both really excited! We are so excited for them as well. It's been cool to watch the changes that have occurred as they have been learning. I think for me, the coolest thing has been to see, especially with O**, that I had nothing to do with their conversion. It has totally been the Spirit and I have just been the instrument used. Amazing.

Elder Christofferson is coming on Saturday! It will be the last time the whole mission is together before President and Sister Felix go home. :(  We are excited to be all together. But get this- The conference will be in Camarillo....over 3 hours away from Paso...and we have to be in our seats BEFORE 9:00am. Yep, we have to leave before 6 to get there! And then we have to come straight back for O**'s baptism! 

Stake Conference was this past weekend. It was really good. President and Sister Felix actually spoke Saturday and Sunday. A lot of the talks were on conversion and being missionaries day to day.  I have two thoughts I really liked. 1- It is not repentance without the Savior. Isn't that so true? 2- You won't get out of being a missionary, even after you die...So you might as well start now and get good at it! (From Elder Ballard). Again, so true! Missionary work is what we will be doing in the Spirit World so we might as well practice now!

I hope you all have a great week this week! Please remember the whole reason for this life--to prepare and to become more like our Father in Heaven. Remembering the end goal can help us work through everything. Know that all things are for our benefit and as we turn to the Lord everyday in Prayer and rely on the Savior and The Atonement, we will be strengthened and our understanding of the love they have for us will grow.

xoxo, 

Sister G​​

 

Shoutout to Seminary....And fun surprises!

Hey!! I hope you all have had a good week!! My week was definitely super busy!

We have 6 investigators at the moment so life is crazy, but sooo good!! I've talked about J**, A**, and O*** before. Our 3 other investigators we started teaching more last week.

J** is doing so well!! His baptism was moved up to Wednesday May 3 instead of that Saturday (the reason why later). We are so excited for him. He has a strong testimony of this gospel and great insights on the things he reads in the Book of Mormon. He and his wife have already been talking about tithing and how they are going to pay it together and callings, etc. It's crazy! B** is so excited to also be one step closer to the temple:)

We are going to push O**'s date back just a little. He has been keeping all of his commitments and comes to church and everything. The easiest way I can explain it is he is textbook ready, but not testimony ready. It's so important to make sure you are always meeting their needs and treating them like a person instead of a number. Sister C** and I really want him to feel secure with what he believes and things like that. And we are still trying to meet his family...

I am so amazed with the progress that A** is making! We had a couple really good, spirit-led lessons with him! This is where my shout out to my 9th grade seminary teacher, Brother Santiago, comes in! And to all my other seminary teachers!! So, we had a lesson with A** and right before we left to meet him, I had remembered his question about Zion so I hurried and found scriptures to answer his question. Well, the lesson went from Zion to some history about Joseph Smith and the early saints, then to temples and why temples are important. It was not at all what we had planned but totally what he needed. As we were talking about temples and the sealing for time and all eternity, he asked how it was possible. GUESS WHAT POPPED INTO MY HEAD. One of the only scripture masteries that I know the location of.. I shared with A** the passage where Christ is talking about the keys of the kingdom of Heaven and what is bound on Earth is bound in Heaven. It's A**'s favorite scripture, come to find out!! But he never knew what it meant, so I was able to explain it to him. All because I went to seminary and scripture mastery scriptures!! I only remember that one because of the song that goes with it hahah!! Thank you Brother Santiago!!

 

Ever since that lesson A** has been changing. He is keeping his commitments and reading without us having to remind him every day. His faith is slowly building:)

Exchanges were this week. I was with Sister S**. I learned so much from her and I loved being her companion for a day!!

Ok May 6. We will be in Camarillo to hear Elder Christofferson speak!! He is doing a stake conference and asked President Felix if he could come meet us. We are soooooooo excited!!!! It's a surprise for sure! Especially because this mission just had Elder Ballard come in December. I can't wait to tell you all about it!!

I hope you all have a good week this week. I hope you all are continuing to look to the Savior every day. And no matter what happens, please oh please, do not get mad and turn away from our Heavenly Father. I saw this past week the effects of when that happens and I wanted to cry for them. Please remember the Plan and if you are ever discouraged and want to quit, remember that all you have to do is pray and ask for help. He is waiting for you always.

Have a great week!!!! Good luck on finals for whoever has them!!

xoxo,

Sister G

Sister C** celebrated 1 year!!

Sister S** & Sister Groneman

Ward Chili Cookoff

Shared by a member where Eliza is serving:

"Our ward has an annual Chili cook-off. It is a great way to invite community members to learn more about the church and see what normal people we are. Last night was the big night- over 150 attended. Judges are community members. Sister Coleman sang the national anthem and Sister Groneman was a suspect in bribing the judges. I believe they named her bad breath Bertha in the court case. Lots of laughing and fun times. Judges were also given a family history- they were impressed and appreciative."

Easter

Thank you so much for the Easter package!! I loved it!! I love all the scriptures tied to the items! I loved the mini Christus, I didn't even know they made mini ones! Thank you so much!!! The pillow cases are adorable! I chose the one with the pink. Sister C** loved it as well and she says thank you:). I got the other package as well, thank you!! :):) The GPS is wonderful as well! We don't get lost anymore haha so thank you so much!!!

HAPPY EASTER!! I hope you all had a great Easter. What a perfect time to reflect on our Savior and what He has done for us. I hope you all had the opportunity to watch the Easter video, #PrinceofPeace as well. It is so powerful and such a great reminder that through Him we can find the true peace each of us desires.

Happy Birthday Jeff! And Happy Birthday Sophie coming up!!

This past week was good! We had a lot of lessons with investigators and Less Actives which was good! We are seeing the area growing every week and it's so cool!

O** is still progressing and is on track for his baptism on April 29. He loves learning and how happy and peaceful everything feels. We are so excited for him.

B** and J** are progressing as well. We are so happy he is making it to church now! He loves coming and is so happy to have his lunch break at the same time Sacrament meeting is. (In this area there are so many who have to work on Sunday to be able to support their families so they come to church as much as they can).

A** is a little behind. He is struggling with taking that step of faith. He also took up smoking again so we are trying to help him with that. We had a really powerful lesson with him this week with one of our members who knows A** very well. He gave A** a very powerful priesthood blessing to help him. We are trying to help him in any way we can. We know there is some progress because he stayed for all three hours of church which he never does. We are hopeful for him.

Our ward had what they call a Chili Cook-Off on Saturday which was fun! (No, I did not have any chili. I can't even tell you how many people feed us beans though...I eat them but I still don't like them haha). People make chili to be judged. It's a huge ward and community get-together. There is music and entertainment. There were many nonmembers there and some LA so it was nice to go around meeting people! Such a great idea to get to know neighbors and friends who aren't of our religion. It reminded me of things like our ward's Halloween Party and 4th of July Breakfast.

I hope you all have a great week. Keep trying to see the good in every day:)

I just want to end with a quote Mom sent me this week that I really loved--"We know not what lies ahead of us. We know not what the coming days will bring. We live in a world of uncertainty. For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much of rejoicing and gladness, good health, and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorrow. We do not know. But one thing we do know. Like the polar star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith." -Pres Hinckley

xoxo,

Sister Eliza Groneman

My new district--They are great!!

[Notice that Sister G is on her tiptoes and Sister C is bending her knees so they can achieve the same height!]

We also enjoyed the foot soak:)

Sister C** and I painted the Easter eggs. We had so much fun!

A new Transfer...with 3 baptisms?

Hey Everyone!!

I've loved getting emails from you and seeing how you are doing! I'm glad everyone is doing well!

This week has been crazy, full of ups and downs and at the end, some crazy miracles!

Transfer calls were this week.....I am staying here in Paso!...with Sister Coleman!! We are both so excited to stay, especially since we thought we were going to be white-washed out due to different things that happened (Nothing we did wrong, I promise haha). We are happy to be here another 6 weeks:)

Before I share about our new investigator, I want to share something that really hit me this week. I  was studying about family one morning and just touching base with a lot of things about family. I decided to read an article in the Ensign about my Great Great Grandpa, Joseph Fielding Smith. It was exactly what I needed to read. I loved learning more about him and the type of man he was. Two phrases stuck out to me that everyone remembered about him. He was a "defender of the faith" and "True and Faithful". He always prayed he would be True and Faithful and that the people of the church would be as well. He is part of my family and I am proud to be. Learning about your family history is amazing. There were things that I found similar between us two which I loved as well. Family History really connects you to the past and, to me at least, makes me feel closer to them and the veil because I know they are real and they know me. Just something I loved this week.

Ok, so get this. We have two investigators with a baptism date and we are hoping to set a third one this week!

We received a referral from the Elders this past week about a young man named O**. He just walked up to them asking questions. A couple days later we met with him and were astounded to see just how prepared he was by the Lord. He was already halfway through the BoM that the Elders had given him and he knew it was true. He wanted to know more and be baptized. We had a lesson with him yesterday before church (He came to church after!!) and he is working to be baptized on April 29!! He is so excited and we are too!

Then! Remember B** and J**? He made it to church yesterday! He came to sacrament mtg during his lunch break and wished he was able to stay, but had to go back to work. We met with them last night and he is working towards May 6 for his baptism!

And then! We are meeting with our third investigator A** this week and hoping to set him working towards April 22. We are so excited for them!

It was a good week despite the downs we had this week. We are excited to keep working here in Paso and continue watching the members getting more involved and watching our investigators progress.

Oh wait, I forgot...The Book of Mormon challenge we did with the youth? They won! haha so Sis C and I had pie in our faces. I'll include pictures haha. It was fun and the youth loved it.

I hope you all have a good week and that you remember that you are loved:):)

-Sister G

[posted by a member]

I like that boulder...that is a nice boulder:):)

Remember the little things.

Hey!!

Ok can we just take a moment to reflect on conference? SO GOOD. The leaders are so inspired, aren't they? I hope you all had questions answered and that you have a desire to be better and to draw even closer to the Savior. I know I do! It's interesting to see just how similar the messages are. I loved how many of them talked about the little things (prayer, scripture reading, the every day things). I'm all about the little things! (it works because I am little:)) When we stop doing the easy everyday things, that's when the spirit leaves. Doing the little things is what strengthens your faith and reminds you to always look up towards Heavenly Father and the Savior.  As we do the little things we will continually have the Holy Ghost to lead and guide us--The Holy Ghost is vital to our spiritual and temporal safety.  AH it was just such a good conference and I could go on for days!!

Other than GC, the week was good. I had my first Zone Conference. It was really good. Everything was so inspired as well. You could feel the testimonies and spirit that all the missionaries had. I loved it. You could say Sister C** and I had an overload of the spirit this week with all of our meetings;)

 

Have you all checked out the Easter Initiative!? If you haven't, go do it! [go to lds.org] I love the video. I actually saw it in the MTC so you can imagine how excited I am to share it with others! Christ truly is the Prince of Peace!

 

We had a lesson with B** and J** last night. Let me tell ya, last night was a miracle. Sister C** and I honestly had no idea what we were going to say (We spent all of comp study trying to figure it out and couldn't). We had invited a member to come that we were inspired to ask and we felt like he could relate to J** with crazy work schedules and how he makes it to church. Long story short, Brother W** was exactly who J** needed. He was able to bear testimony and help J** see the importance of the sacrament and how it's so important even if that's the only part of church he can make it to. J** had never thought about taking his lunch break and using it to come to church. That's what he said he was going to do! and it was Bro W** who helped him get to that point. Members bring the spirit and experiences that investigators need! It was just so cool! I don't know if any of that made sense, but just know that it was a miracle :)

 

I hope you all are doing well and that you are looking for the Lord's hand in your life every day. He is there constantly, you just have to be looking.

 

Remember the little things.

 

xoxo,

Sister G

San Luis Obispo Zone Conference

Lunch at Zone Conference

Our thinking pose.

We literally see hundreds of cows...everywhere. And chickens.

Cute Sister C** making chicken.

I've discovered Biscoff Cookie butter spread:D