Hello Everybody!!!
well it's time for CrAzY UnClE Elder Gillespie's story time. this story takes place in a far off world in Ozark, a tiny little town where the people are nice the streets are clean and people take pride in what they do. well this was the first time that Mr. Elder Gillespie had ever been to this place, not only that he was with a great person. named Elder Kanis, now here is the sad part of the story, as what happens in the real world sometimes people just rub off the wrong way. but the great part of the story is that people always have the opportunity to change, and usually when these things happen both people change a lot, and for the better, which is what has happened, so now me and Elder Kanis are now working together towards being better people, now this doesn't happen over night. what it takes is patience, Persistence and love. which is the moral of the story for today. that while people might not like you and disagree with you, we have the chance to change who we are and from there become the person that the world needs or what God needs for it to be a better place. we have to push forward towards a righteous or healthy goal, and it works a lot easier and better when you let God in to help out where you just can't do it yourself.
Now here are a couple of people that we are working with, which is the most important part of missionary work, besides being in the right spirit. so we are working with a few couples Anthony and Victoria, a couple who just recently decided to get married, not that we told them but that they feel like it's the right thing to do. and all this comes about because of prayer and willing to act on a prayer. they prayed for peace in their life, and then we knock on their door, (well O'niones and Kanis did) and then they let them in. which is what prayer really is, it's a sincere desire for something and then going to go out and work for it, which applies in all things.
Another Couple is Junior and Lagina (sp?) another couple with the same problems, wanting to get baptized but need to get married. and they don't want to get married until Junior has a job which again we need to pray in faith, willing to go out and act, or trusting in God that he'll provide while we go out.
and finally Kimberly Vance who has made the final steps and is going to be baptized tomorrow, and then will be moving to Hawaii but what i've heard is that she taught herself the gospel and we missionaries have only been there to reassure her what is right. and in the process have reactivated the husband.
So the Moral of the story is to stay in the right spirit, to do the small things to let God into our life, by reading our scriptures, by praying and then going out to act, by being obedient to the commandments and covenants we have made and finally going out and helping others, weather big or small. it's the actions that will help us make a better world.
so I love you guys and next week I'll have some awesome stories to share with ya'll
Love
Elder Gillespie
Mom I love you SOOO Much, your words of wisdom are beyond me and my tiny little thick brain. which i'm very sure i have.
Jan How are you liking the heat now right now it feel like it's summer for me, and we really haven't even hit it yet... oh boy....
Thad, umm... i'll try that but i don't think i'm supposed to do that on a military base where i've been told not to do that, soo.... i'll answer questions if they ask them though. and we don't live on "post" that is the official term to use not army base it's a post
Ben, I wouldn't be to worried about it mostly because that happened to me quite a bit when i was younger, a lot of the time i would just be home without any supervision for 5-6 hours at a time and one time i just got scared when that happened so i called grandma and she came over and picked me up. so i think that anna will be fine nothing really has made me a crazy killer, maybe a little of my rocker, but who isn't plus she'll be in good hands.
Toni what are your thoughts about this whole thing going down,
Jethrobyn. Congrats on the master class being done but not so happy about the whole still teaching and having to put up with kids who are probably now not the easiest to take responsibility over.
Camille please keep me updated about anyother people and their missions.
Dad get better
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
The "Big" City of OZ
Toto i don't think think we're in Florida anymore....
So seeing how it's the first time i've been able to write about Ozark Alabama i guess it would be a good thing to do.
first of all alabama is actually a pretty place to be, which makes me want to see forest gump and o brother when i get back. but in ozark it has rolling hills and big green trees, which might just be the fact that it's finally spring. the other thing about ozark is that it's employed by the near by military base called fort rucker. which is a helicopter school where the army trains soliders on chinooks, blackhawks, and apache helicopters. while the city is run by the military the area i'm in actually covers the base and also has a ward. to which i spoke in this last sunday, like yesterday, where i bombed the talk but thanks to two other speakers it really didn't matter what i said, also the ward is extremely young everybody has kids that are under the age of 9 and has about 3-4 of them so this is a really really young ward which is so cool, also Ozark is mission famous for people feeding missionaries. so yes i will come back twice the person as when i left. and since reporting on that i'm now offically 150 lbs. a total of 15 lbs gained so far. while i don't see where the weight went, i'm now... bigger, i suppose.
now for the Apartment, there are four of us in one apartment which has 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, kind of small but not to small. so my companion is Elder Kanis who is from Davis County, he's a big kid who likes to play rugbee. and has been out for 3 months so it's his 3rd transfer. then the other Companionship is Elder O'ninies or Elder O he's from Colorado Parker area and reminds me of the twins, he's very athletic and has blond hair and is super sarcastic and right now is Training Elder Cox who is from around Hill Air Force Base. he's a greenie but is getting his head on straight pretty quick and is starting to understand what missionary work is. he's getting it, something that i don't get until well about a month ago now. so he's doing good.
as for what i've learned, it's that obtaining knowledge takes time and effort, it takes asking good questions, so we can find good answers, something i've been struggling with. but i'm trying to improve on. which is what we are supposed to do.
well that's the thought for the day. i'm trying to do my best, and that's all that matters.
Address is
79B Woodview Drive
Ozark AL 36360
I love you all.
that is all
Elder Gillespie
Monday, April 12, 2010
Moving on a fast day
Hi y'all
The Draft is up and Elder Gillespie is going to... Ozark South with Elder Kanis, i don't know what he's like or what the area is like but does it matter? anyway this means that all of today i get to pack up and get all my chickens in a line and everything to fit into two suit cases, by the way could anyone use two suits, i've got five and i think i'll only need three.
hey does anybody know when the best time to move is? yep you guessed it sunday afternoon during fast sunday, our posse of missionaries and priesthood leaders moved 3 people into their houses so yesterday was fun, it really was, it was the first time that i've gotten to do real service.
perfect timing too spring break is up and everything is going to start getting hot. and i'll be away from the gulf, about 2.5 to 3 hours north of where i currently am.
well this week we had another wonderful week with Zone Conference, where i learned that Satan does a very good job at what he does, and I've noticed that he'll often use truth mixed in with one lie, which completely destroys either confidence or trust with other people. Once he's done that he'll then start putting on a little weight at a time nothing that's yours but he'll put on those little weights and then once you have those he'll then put on more and more. that sounds like scripture, "and he'll carefully lead them down to hell." I know that once we repented that those things that we did aren't ours anymore nor should they be. when we then start putting those weights back on, it's just the devil doing it, so don't let him do it. drop the weight and move forward and upward. that is what i've learned this week.
the other thing which isn't really new, but then again no one has had an orginial thought, is that the spirit often teaches us and then requires us to do something to increase our knowledge, and then the choice is up to us to do it. to be defiant to the world and serve god or to just wait for something else to do. for example, if you get interested in a class and say you learn about the nervous system in class then next step to learn is to read out of a book and then once you've done that then you see how it works with all of the other parts of the human body, then you could go to a specialist and then study under them... and the process continues the more we put into learning the more we get out of it. wow i just taught "myself". the real teacher isn't here but is with us constantly if we are trying our best to follow the commandments.
so yeah another sad week has past with leaving the Beach one more time but who knows maybe in a couple of months i'll be back i still have 18 more months left. a long time but also a short time.
well I love all of you.
Elder Gillespie
Jethroybn. Lincon is so funny, I laughed so hard when i heard about jesus in the pool and when he started striping down. i'm suprised that you were able to swim in St. George i thought utah was still in snow.
Janben It sounded like a crazy adventure this past week which i'm glad that i wasn't a part of especially the car ride. and jan you are progressing you just can't see it yet, i feel the same way. everybody tells me that since i've been back but i don't see it, i guess you'll have to see it your self when i get back and i can tell you how much you've grown. deal? deal!
Toniben ben that was probably one of the best top tens i've ever seen infact i'm going to forward that to myself. toni keep up the good work.
Beetle it's nice to get out and to see the world that's what somebody told us this week while we helped them move, which was fast sunday, anyways enjoy it and i'll try to do the same.
love uplifts and i love you all.
Elder Matthew Gillespie
The Draft is up and Elder Gillespie is going to... Ozark South with Elder Kanis, i don't know what he's like or what the area is like but does it matter? anyway this means that all of today i get to pack up and get all my chickens in a line and everything to fit into two suit cases, by the way could anyone use two suits, i've got five and i think i'll only need three.
hey does anybody know when the best time to move is? yep you guessed it sunday afternoon during fast sunday, our posse of missionaries and priesthood leaders moved 3 people into their houses so yesterday was fun, it really was, it was the first time that i've gotten to do real service.
perfect timing too spring break is up and everything is going to start getting hot. and i'll be away from the gulf, about 2.5 to 3 hours north of where i currently am.
well this week we had another wonderful week with Zone Conference, where i learned that Satan does a very good job at what he does, and I've noticed that he'll often use truth mixed in with one lie, which completely destroys either confidence or trust with other people. Once he's done that he'll then start putting on a little weight at a time nothing that's yours but he'll put on those little weights and then once you have those he'll then put on more and more. that sounds like scripture, "and he'll carefully lead them down to hell." I know that once we repented that those things that we did aren't ours anymore nor should they be. when we then start putting those weights back on, it's just the devil doing it, so don't let him do it. drop the weight and move forward and upward. that is what i've learned this week.
the other thing which isn't really new, but then again no one has had an orginial thought, is that the spirit often teaches us and then requires us to do something to increase our knowledge, and then the choice is up to us to do it. to be defiant to the world and serve god or to just wait for something else to do. for example, if you get interested in a class and say you learn about the nervous system in class then next step to learn is to read out of a book and then once you've done that then you see how it works with all of the other parts of the human body, then you could go to a specialist and then study under them... and the process continues the more we put into learning the more we get out of it. wow i just taught "myself". the real teacher isn't here but is with us constantly if we are trying our best to follow the commandments.
so yeah another sad week has past with leaving the Beach one more time but who knows maybe in a couple of months i'll be back i still have 18 more months left. a long time but also a short time.
well I love all of you.
Elder Gillespie
Jethroybn. Lincon is so funny, I laughed so hard when i heard about jesus in the pool and when he started striping down. i'm suprised that you were able to swim in St. George i thought utah was still in snow.
Janben It sounded like a crazy adventure this past week which i'm glad that i wasn't a part of especially the car ride. and jan you are progressing you just can't see it yet, i feel the same way. everybody tells me that since i've been back but i don't see it, i guess you'll have to see it your self when i get back and i can tell you how much you've grown. deal? deal!
Toniben ben that was probably one of the best top tens i've ever seen infact i'm going to forward that to myself. toni keep up the good work.
Beetle it's nice to get out and to see the world that's what somebody told us this week while we helped them move, which was fast sunday, anyways enjoy it and i'll try to do the same.
love uplifts and i love you all.
Elder Matthew Gillespie
Monday, April 5, 2010
Yes Miracles Do Exist
Hello Everybody!!!
Well the highlight to anybody's week this week must of been conference, and one of the best ones i've ever seen. Now the sad fact maybe that until this time i really didn't care about General Conference. now some of my favortie talks this conference would have to be and in order with 1 being the most important.
1. President Packer's, about the priesthood and how the earth needs to understand that we do have power in the priesthood.
1. Young Men President Beck about how all of us have a duty and how to understand what that is through making a plan, following through with it and then sharing what you did with others.
1. Elder David A. Bednar showing us the warning signs and the precautions to stop and to be safe in such troubled times that are going to be coming soon.
1. Elder Jeffery R. Holland about Pornography and the root cause of it and how to get rid of it.
1. Elder Dallin H. Oaks about the priesthood and again the power it has and how to give a blessing.
1. President Eyering about being diligent
1. President Uchtdorf about being patient and being his hands.
1. Prophet Monson of course going through the "for the Strength of Youth"
Last of all
1. Elder Neil L. Anderson to simply talk about Jesus, what he did, how he did it, Tell me the Stories of Jesus. and the power that comes from knowing about the stories.
now these are just a couple that I truly did love hearing about and will spend more time studying about what they mean and what the spirit wants for me to know, and also to answer the questions that I've got and these are just a few of my favorites this conference.
I learned this week that you won't get an answer unless you first have a question. now should i've learned this earlier, yeah, probably. but thank goodness that i can still learn things as I grow older and hopefully wiser.
oh yeah Miracles still happen, i hope you know this, because i do. God loves us so much that he will put things together well before we get into a hole and as soon as we fall in there is a ladder there ready for us to climb out. usually it's nothing particularly big, ex. an angel appears in your room. but it's usually somebody's kind word or a smile, even a letter, one that you didn't expect and just talks to what you need. so thanks to all of you for your prayers, kind words and letters. because i know that God is in charge of all and is making all of us better, he just asks that we follow the commandments, and keep our covenants to the best we can. the gospel is simple, we as men make it more difficult and clutter the way.
Love Elder Gillespie
Jethrobyn Snow still in march? it's like last year out like lion as well as in as a lion. i'm glad you could enjoy conference
Mom I love you SO much I just can't quite show it to you right now but i'll try my best out here for you
Dad the Play by Play was awesome and it felt like i was back at home.
Ben, I'm excited about the phone call i just need to know what to call and i'll get back to you about when to call.
Mina Hello!!! it's so good to hear from you and to hear about your life, isn't crazy how much life can change in just a few moments or even weeks. like i'll probably be gone never to see Panama City Beach in a week. but the great thing is that if we just keep truckin' it's pretty much just endering to the end. I hope your doing well and feel free to write back anytime.
Ameri Mexico!?! that's so crazy but at least it's free, i've heard that there is some crazy stuff going on down there so i hope you aren't going to any of those crazy places along the border or the mexican mafia areas that would not be safe
Courtney it's so good to hear from you it sounds like you've got a plan i hope you stick to it and the gospel.
I miss all of you
Love
Elder Gillespie
Well the highlight to anybody's week this week must of been conference, and one of the best ones i've ever seen. Now the sad fact maybe that until this time i really didn't care about General Conference. now some of my favortie talks this conference would have to be and in order with 1 being the most important.
1. President Packer's, about the priesthood and how the earth needs to understand that we do have power in the priesthood.
1. Young Men President Beck about how all of us have a duty and how to understand what that is through making a plan, following through with it and then sharing what you did with others.
1. Elder David A. Bednar showing us the warning signs and the precautions to stop and to be safe in such troubled times that are going to be coming soon.
1. Elder Jeffery R. Holland about Pornography and the root cause of it and how to get rid of it.
1. Elder Dallin H. Oaks about the priesthood and again the power it has and how to give a blessing.
1. President Eyering about being diligent
1. President Uchtdorf about being patient and being his hands.
1. Prophet Monson of course going through the "for the Strength of Youth"
Last of all
1. Elder Neil L. Anderson to simply talk about Jesus, what he did, how he did it, Tell me the Stories of Jesus. and the power that comes from knowing about the stories.
now these are just a couple that I truly did love hearing about and will spend more time studying about what they mean and what the spirit wants for me to know, and also to answer the questions that I've got and these are just a few of my favorites this conference.
I learned this week that you won't get an answer unless you first have a question. now should i've learned this earlier, yeah, probably. but thank goodness that i can still learn things as I grow older and hopefully wiser.
oh yeah Miracles still happen, i hope you know this, because i do. God loves us so much that he will put things together well before we get into a hole and as soon as we fall in there is a ladder there ready for us to climb out. usually it's nothing particularly big, ex. an angel appears in your room. but it's usually somebody's kind word or a smile, even a letter, one that you didn't expect and just talks to what you need. so thanks to all of you for your prayers, kind words and letters. because i know that God is in charge of all and is making all of us better, he just asks that we follow the commandments, and keep our covenants to the best we can. the gospel is simple, we as men make it more difficult and clutter the way.
Love Elder Gillespie
Jethrobyn Snow still in march? it's like last year out like lion as well as in as a lion. i'm glad you could enjoy conference
Mom I love you SO much I just can't quite show it to you right now but i'll try my best out here for you
Dad the Play by Play was awesome and it felt like i was back at home.
Ben, I'm excited about the phone call i just need to know what to call and i'll get back to you about when to call.
Mina Hello!!! it's so good to hear from you and to hear about your life, isn't crazy how much life can change in just a few moments or even weeks. like i'll probably be gone never to see Panama City Beach in a week. but the great thing is that if we just keep truckin' it's pretty much just endering to the end. I hope your doing well and feel free to write back anytime.
Ameri Mexico!?! that's so crazy but at least it's free, i've heard that there is some crazy stuff going on down there so i hope you aren't going to any of those crazy places along the border or the mexican mafia areas that would not be safe
Courtney it's so good to hear from you it sounds like you've got a plan i hope you stick to it and the gospel.
I miss all of you
Love
Elder Gillespie
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