June 1, 2015

Elder Grondel's Zone

This week was alright. we had alot of freakin sun, but its nice because its already gone by 5 oclock. ill get back super red.  We had a zone conference with president and it went really well.  We made zone shirts! everyone was pretty excited. Elder Smith will go home this week and so will Elder Inman my my last two comps.  Today starts my last transfer on the mission. But i will work until the last minute, in my interview with president it finaly starting hitting me that my mission was coming to an end. Next freaking month i´ll be home. You can be sure that i will leave it all on the field!    My comp was transfered but i will stay and die in this area with my new comp Elder Cheney! 

I loved that talk that president uthcdorf gave! we got the Liahona from the conference this week, and it was the first talk i studied, i did a study of it together with my patriartical blessing. it was wonderful!  

I heard that L Tom Perry passed away this week, He looked so good in conference, it surprised me alot. He was a wonderful apostle and left a wonderful example for all of us.

Well I love you guys! Have a great week!

-Elder Grondel

May 25, 2015

Goodmorning fam!

This week is the big week, we are hoping for every area to have a baptism, so far things are looking pretty good, we just have a few that dont have one yet, but they have possibilities so we will pray, excersize our faith together with our works!

Ive gotten alot better, i got sick near the beginning of the transer and ive just started getting my forces back now, i havent let up, its just been a harder battle because of the sickness. An integration night is basicaly like a big family night!  We had even more people this past week as well! 

The members are helping a ton! we had a miracle this week, our elders quorum president wanted to visit an investigator of ours with us and so we tried everything to mark with the invetigator but he said it woulnt work, and we tried to think of others to pass by to take advantage of having a membrer and it didnt work out, and then we almost called the member and canceled the visit then my comp remembered a man we havent passed by in a bit, he is the husband of a member and has been going to church off and on for over 12 years and never has accepted a date for baptism. But he said we could pass by and teach, and so we went there with the elders quorum president and the man said he had some questions, and we asked him what it was, and he said it wasnt anything about the book of mormon but he wanted to know, how does someone get baptized in the church....and there fell a great silence in the room....my comp and the member both looked at me...and i was just as cabobled as them, but i just started talking trying to not scream of excitement, and the words came out of my mouth, and we started reviewing the baptismal questions, and after finishing, we told him, "alright, according to the requirements that Jesus established for someone to be baptized, you are ready..."  and then we invited him, and once again a great silence fell in the room along with a really strong spirit for a few minutes as he looked at the ground thinking....and after a little bit he looked up and said..."what time will it be?"  we said whatever time you want, and he said " alright lets mark the baptism"    the whole ward, even members from other wards are super excited about his baptism! the bishop went there this week, i went there on a division with the second counselor of the stake and he is super excited and progressing really well.  His wife was bapptized 12 years ago on June 15 and his date is marked for the 13 of June, to make it even more special. Everyone is saying, "MIRACLES CAN HAPPEN!"  It was such a great experience!

Oh, and the recent convert who lost her job got a job the day after being confirmed last week that is for mon-fri and pays way better! she was sooo happy, and we were too. "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and its righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" what a true promess.  Milagres são reais! 

Well have a great week family!!!

Love you guys!

-Elder Grondel

May 17, 2015

Hey fam, This week was pretty good.  We worked our tails off.  I am sooo exhausted.  My body is reaching an unbeleivable level of tiredeness that i didnt know existed.  But our baptism from the other week got confirmed this week.  It worked out pretty well cause she would have had to work this sunday and wouldnt have been able to get confirmed again but she lost her job.. ha. the lord works in mysterious ways! its good that she thinks this way as well.   We had an integration night here this last week at the church and it went really well!  the bishop liked it so much that he marked another one for this week.  the members here are on fire! our ward mission leader is a boss! and another guy was called to be his assistant and so now we have even more help. the missionary work is progressing very well here. We have a goal in our zone for all the companionships to have a baptism on the 30th, please pray for us! Its great to see you guys running the jog a thon! I bet you gave mom a run for her money Bells! ha oh dad, do you have the book, "The Great Apostasy" ?  i wanna read it after the mish, Ya, its best to avoid having a girlfriend before the mish, just jang out. ha tell jake to study preach my gospel and read his scriptures, learn to love the scriptures bro!  Jake! Just hang on a litte bit longer. I decided I´ll be coming home July 16th... and then we can kick it and catch up on things! im gonna need your help to catch up with your life and the times bro! maybe we can even head out fishin like the good ol´days! love you bro! ha, thats good for Bryson, he gets to make goals and plans and all that good stuff all over again! woohoo!  But im sure he´ll do a great job. Well have a great week guys!   I love you Tchau! -Elder Grondel

May 11, 2015

It was great to see you guys as well!  you all look like you are doing well.  everyone looks so happy.  Its amazing to see the promises of the Lord being fulfilled.

im cheering for you Lex!

Thanks for the spiritual thoughts in the emails.  They have all been really inspired.  Last week your spiritual thought was exactly what i had read that day in personal study.   

marissa got married?!?! what?  but shes in high school still isnt she?

wow bella is dancing like a professional!!!  atta girl!

well i dont have much to say becasue we talked yesterday...but one thing i forgot to tell you guys is that we had a baptism on saturday! a lady really great.  the Elders had been teaching her a bit before i got here.  but we went there the other day and she had this crazy desire to be baptized! it was so cool, she works on sundays quite a bit, but she is doing all she can to get a new job this week.  now we are working on the husband, for him to accept baptism. hes a little more difficult.   but this week should work out.

well i love you guys!

 Have a great week!

-Elder Grondel

May 4, 2015

Hey fam!  my new area is really cool!  We have a new chapel that was dedicated a week and a half ago, so basically everyone in the area has heard about the church or seen it.  It´s super pretty.  I went back saturday and was able to watch the baptism  of one of our investigators from my last area.  It was wonderful!  She was so excited to finally be baptized, and her son who baptized a couple months ago was in tears from happiness as well.  

Well we have been working like crazy here to find some new people that can progress, my zone leader comp has been here for almost 7 months now, and has done a great job and knows the area very well.  He is super excited, i can tell hes a little stressed because the size of his zone has doubled! ha. But he is from chile! my first hispanic companion. hes super awesome. Since we are in a tri-panionship we did a divison yesterday and i went with a kid from the ward, it was really weird to be without another missionary, but it was great! This kid invited someone to baptism in our second visit! and the guy accepted! he lives right next to the church and wants to help out a ton and prepare for a mission. His brother plays soccer for Barcelona! pretty coool huh?

well i love you guys! have a great week! Talk to you Sunday!

-Elder Grondel

April 27, 2015

Congratulations on the missionary work! Thats great you guys are particpating in the greatest humanitarian work that exists!  

thanks for the pictures, its nice to see whats happening there.

 

They are in the championship?! Thats what im talkin bout bro!!! você é o cara mano!  Arrebenta!!!

Thats great to see the pictures of addi and landon! Landons looking like an old guy...hes rockin that that Brigham Youny beard tho.... haha

EEEESSHHHH...   i hope it all goes well for lex and maddy. that could be a really great thing for them both.

Thats awesome lex is doing so well! Mayeb i could take some managing skills from her to help our zone to be #1  ha

Caleb is looking pretty tall!    wow. gerr and levi are looking like pros out there. is olivia able to keep up with the track and dance?     

Im pumped to hang out with jake when i get back! maybe we will be able to even work together at the valley.  Im gonna prepare him to be the best missionary for when he gets out in the field.  I brag about him alot and how he is graduating early.

Well, like the title of the email said, it was my last week here in this area.  The zone i will be transfered to another area but will continue as zone leader.  It will be my third area in this zone!  I will have two new comps, Elder morales, an Élder from Chile and do you guys remember the Élder that came and stayed with us for a week out here?   ya, i will be in a tripanionship with him again there.  Maybe the presidente is giving me a chance to redeem myself??.. ha    But i heard that my old comp, Elder Smith is a new assistant!  Hes super cool and has for sure deserved it, if he is, then he will be in my zone. Thatll be tight to work with him one more time before he goes home. Him and my comp, Elder Inman will both go home in 5 weeks.  Well we had a baptism kind of scheduled for this week, she said she would pray and ask God, and then tell us, but we couldnt get ahold of her until friday night, her cell phone got robbed, but we taught a lesson and she decided to be baptized the next day.  but she was called into work so we had to reschedule for this week.  And a mom of a recent convert that we have been teaching, since i got here, will be baptized this week, after the transfer, But because its in my zone i think i will be able to come and watch it!  They were both at church sunday and loved it, and are really excited for the baptism.  Im gonna miss this area a ton! i loved it here. the members are wonderful! there are so many elect people in this city.  today for lunch, a part member family will make fried fish for my "goodbye lunch".  

Well i love you guys! have a wonderful and safe week!

-Elder Grondel

April 20, 2015

This week was alot better!  We got our goals and marked a few baptismal dates and had some great people at church!  The zone did alot better too, and ever compnaionship has at least one date for this saturday, please pray that all goes well and 6 more souls can come unto Christ this Saturday. 

There is a family, a mom and two kids that went with us to church this week and really liked it, they were a reference from member.  The members here are awesome. we have, a great bishop here!  His wife called us lastnight and invited us to eat dinner with them, but unfortunately we had alot to do and they said "thats ok, we will bring it to you"  Score!   ha. we have been getting offered so much food lately that we have been like forcefeeding because some people have got offended that we dont wanna eat there food. not because its bad, but because we have like no room in our tummies! haha. its awesome.  

We have an investigator, she is the mom of a recent convert, who has been to church a ton of times, and Sunday she came up to us at church and told us she will get baptized and marked here own baptismal date! It was so special to see the seed grow within here little by little. they are wonderful people.  Her son was the first one to be baptized in Senador Canedo by my comp before i got here. I have to give alot of credit to my companion, he found some amazing people and did some great work to help the machine get running here.

Wow, i love that thought. i just finished reading Lucas this morning.  I have been noticing alot lately in my study of the importance of works combined with the faith. Every day in comp study i have a new scripture or story to share with my comp about the importance of works.  i think hes kinda gettin annoyed by now! haha. but i love this topic.

ya they have some great parties here!

Well have a great week!  I love you guys and i can feel your prayers, thanks a ton.

- O Elder Grondel