Grandparent Expeditions

Hi friends!

I made the mistake of procrastinating the day of my repentance (email writing) this week, so we'll get a small email this week!

This week was super awesome and we had the blessing of a new friend to teach named Celenia Paz! Her granddaughter Caroline has also joined in and it's amazing being able to teach them! This Sunday Celenia came to church (Caroline was sick, so she couldn't) and it was amazing!  I'm so excited to be teaching them, and to be honest, my companion Elder Randall can probably testify to my eagerness to teach them because the days we have planned to visit them are the days I am most stressed out - because I want to make sure everything goes well!  So far it's all gone amazing, and I'm glad to be starting this month (and ending this missionary transfer) on a high note!  Please keep Celenia and Caroline in your prayers, that they may be able to understand what we teach them and they may be able to recieve a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel!

To quickly address the title of my email: At least twice this week (but more times these past few weeks) we've gone out visiting with one or more elderly folk to visit their friends!  It's a fun experience to be going out with the members and getting to know them better, but they've been kinda unfruitful so far with the people we've been wanting to visit with them never recieving us. We'll keep trying, but it's fun to leave with the members and see their enthusiasm for sharing the gospel!

We had divisions this week and I went to La Ideal with Elder Garcia.  It was a super fun experience, and I loved seeing the way Elder Garcia teaches.  Sometimes I'm jealous of the Latino missionaries because of how easily it is for them to communicate their thoughts and feelings, but it's also good motivation to learn more words and practice speaking so I can teach better and more like the Savior!

I got some cool advice from an ex-bishop this week. He told me and my companion: There are no good leaders or bad leaders, only leaders that are learning to love their sheep, and ones that love their sheep.  So learn to love your sheep now, so when a time of leadership comes, you'll be ready.

We also had a muslim give us a machete about how we're not children of God, he doesn't care about us, there is no reason as to why we suffer, and the atonement doesn't matter.  It's such a sad way to see life, but now I understand the largest religion in the world a little better (there are 2 billion Muslims in the world)

I've now hit one year in the mission, and that's kinda insane!  I'm surprised at how fast the time has flown, because I still remember how slow the first month felt.  It's like the first month of the mission to a year, and the first year took a month.  Weird.  Anyways, I've had many experiences and have learned many things.  Most important though, is that I'm learning to Love God, Love my Neighbor, and Love Myself in ways I've never thought about before.  There are still so many ways to improve that sometimes I forget about the things I've done/do well, but I'm still trying.  I feel like the motto of my mission has been: Just keep trying. And I sure will.  I'm excited to see what the second year will have in store for all of us, and I sure hope it goes by just as fast as the first year.  There's still so many things to experience and enjoy, God's torturing me by forcing me to learn patience first (I'll get there eventually).

Thanks you guys for all your love and support. It's really helped me get this far. Keep trying and you'll find growth. I'm excited to be able to keep talking to you and reporting on each week of my mission.  Keep on keeping on, I love you all so much!

- Élder Grant

...So this email may still be a little big