Cake is not a good breakfast

Hello this week has been one of heat and of rain. This week has been a bit crazy and again full of service and other opportunities. One that comes to mind is trimming someones rose bush in her yard which we were able to get a hold of because of our other service at hospice. She is on it and one of the nurses said that she needed some help and that she told her, the lady who is sick, about us so we called and what do you know more service, Other than that we moved somebody out of the ward and that was a neat little thing. Other than that a lot of tracting, so far i've tracted more with Elder Lake in Ozark than I have with any other companion. My goal is to get the entire area of Ozark south of 231 tracted, and so far i've got about an 8th done. Other than that we had an amazing miracle happen on Sunday where about 12 to 15 new military people showed up for church, most of them are WOC students Warrant Officer Candidate or AIT Advanced Individualized Training. so it's all the people who are learning how to fly helicopters or the people that are going to make the helicopters run or something. As missionaries we really can't talk to them because they are restricted on who they can see and what they can do. The military tells them what to do at all times. So from all these people that showed up that I and Elder Lake had no idea who they were we were able to get about 6 Book of Mormons out to them. About half were not members so it was definitely an awesome experience. Another little miracle is that a guy just came into church and was wondering if this was the right church he was supposed to go to. We had great members just take him under their wing and get things going for us. We have a lesson with him on Tuesday and that is planning to be a good little lesson. Other than that things here are about the same the work is starting to move forward as we, me and Elder Lake, along with a lot of prayers are starting to get a lot done. At least that's what i think

Love Elder Gillespie

Thad you were pretty close and i guess i left out a few details but the senior couple are working in Eufalla which is it's own area. and they come down for district meeting every Tuesday.

Robyn, yes the world is going to the pot but we don't have to and that's the great thing, like most of the people down here they are mostly god fearing people but of course you have those stupid party people who are up into the wee hours of the morning and who usually get into more trouble and get themselves out of the gene pool. but all in all nice people if your nice to them. Also way to use your resources.

Jethro, Keep up the good work, and yes it is starting to cool off for the first time. thanks to rain and clouds.

Ben you are just a travelin' man. do you ever play that song on your way home, or to the plane i think that should be your new theme song.

Love you guys my time is about up.

I'm a proud father!

Well doc. tell me....

He's a bouncing baby boy! and his name is Elder Lake! He's such a great guy I know that this is quite a different experience from what he's use to and what I'm going through, but a great experience none the less. Elder Lake is from Portland Oregon and did a year at BYU before he came out and he's missing his family a bit right now. Well I can't blame him he just left them so, but a great guy. and he doesn't talk a lot about it but he's just like every other missionary, scared nervous and doesn't know what to do. Which has gotten me out of my little shell of comfort which I know is going to be a good thing.

As for the week it's been a busy one. Monday we celebrated Butikofers B-day and had quite a good time doing it. We had a lot of fun with the other missionaries in the apartment. Tuesday started packing up everything and said our goodbyes to people in the ward. which was a sad day for Buti (Boo-Tee) and then wednesday morning bright and early we headed out for cottondale to meet the new missionaries. so we got there and waited and waited until about 30 minutes behind schedule the van showed up. It was quite a festive day for all of us with about 30 missionaries there. Which made some of the customers in the chevron which we meet at a bit nervous. In fact one of them was a bit angry that we were spreading the gospel and said that should be reserved for people that are older and he thought about coming out to "teach" us what the truth really is, and that the bible is the real and only word of god. So i laughed on the inside about that. I found my new comp. Elder Lake bright eyed and probably a bit nervous about the whole thing, which was very much the same on my end. I was worried that I was going to have somebody that either was completely anti-social or someone who didn't want to follow the rules which made me nervous. So we both felt really calm after our drive home.

Which leads us to Thursday, a day full of service and of getting things rolling and breaking him into the mission. I've heard that is one of the hardest things to do. He just took everything in stride and has been doing really good ever since he set foot on the ground. That day we had some drama in the ward which we were hooked into which again really broke Lake into the mission, but we had a good night after that. Now it's Friday, we get up, get ready and head out and it's going well and we get prompted to head to a service project that was going to happen the next day, and we showed up just in time to help out a lot with getting things ready for the next day. After that we had some good time just going with the spirit. Really this has been a good week. I just can't remember it all. I must say though is that finding stuff for us to do on splits is really getting hard when you don't have anyone to teach. So we're working on that.

Saturday we woke up early and headed to the service project where we helped out for 4 to 5 hours and by the time we finished with that I had only half of my shins dry on my pants. I'll send a photo out but to say it another way there was about 8 inches of me that wasn't wet from sweat. Again it's hot down here and it doesn't help that it keeps on raining every afternoon to bring the humidity up. and then went out after I crashed from service. I couldn't go any longer until I had a nap. So I got up and we started again which ended up being a great day again. On to Sunday where i finally had one of those ah-ha moments where things that were being taught all started coming together, and I felt really small but enlightened at the same moment, i can definitely tell a difference from the blessings of training and being with just a normal companion. It's been again an awesome day.

So what's the story? or what's the point? I don't know for sure but i'll tell you this that when you communicate with God you then have the most powerful being in the universe trying to help you understand and help you out whatever your problem or concerns maybe. So that's what I think is really helping me out because I don't know what I'm doing exactly but I know that God really wants to help me out. I just have to listen to what he's saying to me, which again I'm having some trouble doing, but I think it's getting better.

Mina Your awesome keep up the good work.

Sophie Lee: I got your missionary mail, funny story it got sent to a kid in france, Cutler something so that was neat, also what's your email/when are you coming back. and keep having fun in Cairo or as they say in georgia K-row

Robyn thank you for the question and i'll write you an actual letter shortly.

Jethro keep up the good work and I would agree with the doctor less sugar more exercise. and when I come back we'll have to do some more of that together, with ben so we can all get huge or lean

Thad I like the advice thank you for it i'm trying to be nice but at the same time working hard which is what i want to do. i don't want to kill myself or Lake before we leave.

Jan i don't know of any games that you could play with them, other than having a singing time with them, like we use to do on road trips. e.g., family toothbrush, bring back my neighbors, or I spy, guess what i'm thinking? etc.

Dad you're really ambitious, keep up the good work and I can't believe that you put in a new window, I'm not even going to come back to the same house that i left from. weird.

Mom Yes i agree dad does love you which is something that a lot of people I feel are missing in their lives. your such a great mom I can't believe I get you to be my mom.

Beetle 'Nuff said.

Love Elder Gillespie

A mouth full of cankers

Hello-everybody!

So this week has been kind of boring except for the fact that i've got 4 different canker sores in my mouth at this time. One on my tongue, one on my lip, one on the roof of my mouth, and the last one on the back of my throat. so for the last week the pain has changed places first from my tongue to my lip then the back of my throat which is where it has stayed most of the time. and has caused me the most pain, ex. trying to swallow is definitely a difficult process. so to say the least i've been building up my pain tolerance. you have to look on the sunny side otherwise you're just going to be miserable. Well enough about me, this week has been a week of service. Wednesday we mowed a less active's yard, and moved in someone on post. Thursday we destroyed a shed for someone at hospice. Then Saturday we were in a members attic fixing a leak/AC problem. and in all cases I decide to wear the same work-out uniform, which was jeans, and the Stevens-Henager college shirt that i have. which ended up being a terrible idea. By the time it was time to go to the attic i could smell myself which wasn't a good thing so enough about the nastiness of the life of a missionary, so far this has been a great week, most of the time not doing service for others we have been trying to find more people to teach/invite to church. which there has been limited "success" but we are still trying to do what we can and to help out other people where ever we can.

so other news I'm now staying here in Ozark for another 6 weeks where i am going to be a father. yes I'm going to train this next transfer which is going to be a definite learning curve for me and for my son, but it should be alright. after all it's not going to be that bad.

oh!!! cool experience SO!... the district that I'm in charge of we got a new addition to the group a lovely couple by the name of the Westscotts. they have a lot of experiences that they are willing to share which is always awesome. well their car broke down in the parking lot of the church when we were about to leave and we started to find out what was going on. so we looked at everything and then all of us looked at each other and then all knew that we had no idea what was going on. so we called one of the members in the ward who is an amazing car mechanic and he came out to the rescue found out the problem of a new starter in seconds flat and with a few magic moves was able to get the car going so they could drive over to his house where he could fix it in a jiffy... now this couple is so cool they just know that everything that the lord has done for them is a blessing and they were again able to find the good side of life. Had they gone to the other district where they had been going, no one there, that i know of, knows how to fix cars but since they came here they were able to get their car fixed and going on the way without a problem and for a lot less then if they had to take it to an auto place.

so there is a miracle of the day/week that God knows what needs to happen and is going to provide whenever we need the help that we ask for.

also Way to Be by Gordon B. Hinckley is definitely a favorite and a easy read, no more than 2.5 hours. and full of good stuff.

Jethro I hope that this is suffice for your expectations and it's just been a normal week

Jan, agreed the baby Myra is definitely a cutie and so are the rest of the kids.

Robyn I can't believe that you've got such a great sight on the milky way i thought being so close to the city would of destroyed that possibility.

Camille thanks for being a solid friend and you shouldn't stress to much that only leads to more problem ex. canker sores. etc..

Thad where did you go?

Ben agreed a good cleansing full of fiber and such, it's the best i know. but i also know what you mean, i've put on about 20-25lbs. so far. we'll have to get lean together.

Toni Keep up the good work, it's so cool you got to hang out with Rex he sounds just like a Clark/Thad mix. and have fun. but not too much

Beetle do you have any suggestions on training? it's definitely different.

Dad keep up the good work but don't be a mean hermit, people don't like that too much.

Mom your awesome. and i love you.

I love you all.

Elder Gillespie

Why was 9 afraid of 7...

Hello Everybody!

Well another week has flown by and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. This week was full of tracting and of sweating and of a lot of different types of people who for some reason are just the same as everyone else but are completely different. So this week has been a week of finding and of more finding, so this will probably be what is going to be the line of this week and next weeks letters. umm... other than that we are now trying as missionaries to do some practice teaching with members so they can then give us some pointers and so we as missionaries can stay relatively sharp on teaching. which should always be done with the spirit. which is some thing I'm trying to work on this week, I've found out that i've got a little bit out of practice with that and it's something that I really need to try to focus on. But yeah this week has just been another week. Kind of slow and hum drum. but it's something that just goes on. No new stories other than people in general are nice as long as you are respectful to them.

Love

Elder Gillespie

Congrats to Myra you'll have to send photos when you can. also Jan take it easy this week, it'll be alright.

Congrats to Bret and Michelle and you'll have to send photos too.

Toni Way to go your doing such a good job with the PT and you'll have to put that up as a blog post.

Lincoln you are awesome for your enthusiasm, keep it up and be nice to your parents they love you and want the best for you, for example, bed time.

Beetle I'm always a week late but keep it up. You're awesome and time is just flying by.

Mom you're awesome and i couldn't be happier with a different mom.

Dad Keep up the good work, just stay out of trouble.

Time flies like an Arrow...

Fruit-flies Like A Banana.

Hello to all readers and writers. This week has been a good week, it's hard to tell when one week starts and the next one ends. So if i repeat myself, my bad. So we have had quite a few influxes of people coming to Post, and also quite a few leaving. It's always sad to see families leave that you have really grown close to, but it's great to introduce and make new friends with people who are looking forward to working with you, not only as a missionary but also as a individual. One family that is leaving is the Dyer family. They were actually the first people i had a dinner appointment with and it was so great because it really did feel like home when i was there. So much so that i almost told brother Dyer "thank you so much thad" not only because he acted like thad but that he also looks like thad. But on the other side of things we moved in a new family on to Post and they are the Henrettys. They are pretty new to the gospel and are really happy to see us missionaries and really want to do the right things, so we want to help them get as close as they can towards temple which they are going to soon which is so exciting to hear. They are going to be here for the next two years which is so exciting because they have the opportunity to grow so much being here. I'm excited to serve them.

so other exciting news. I went to another church this sunday and it was a very interesting experience, we went because someone at hospice, one of the nurses invited us. It was a non denominational church so it was a different experience. They really had a great organization with all the small children going to nursery and they would even change diapers and feed them and anything else that needed to be done to keep them happy. Then they had a group of kids a bit older who had their own area where they could play games, have a lesson and interact with each other. They then had the adult room or sanctuary where they would give their sermons. So as we sat down we saw three projection screens up the wall with a count down till the service started along with that they had four or five cameras so those that couldn't see the stage could see it up on the screen. They also had on the back of the stage cyce lights with at least 5 different gels or colors which would flash according to the music. It brought back a lot of memories from tech crew. I really wanted to see the sound board and light board that they had. Well anyway I had a really great time watching the performances and to see the nurse perform her dance number with her group. All in all a fun experience.We then went to church where it just felt different and it was just a great time in a different sense.

As for what i've been learning this week it's been focused on "Who Am I" which started out with Mosiah 2-6 and then a couple of general conference talks and today was on Alma 5 and what i've learned is that I am only with christ if i am completely with him and I need to get rid of all the pride that i do have so that i may come closer to him and receive his image in me. This can only happen if i have a might change of heart. I have the key to my heart and i have to open it up to God so that he can then change me not only spiritually, but also physically and emotionally too. This is what i love about the gospel is that not only do we have more scripture to understand more but we have living prophets who have been given revelation about each subject that I have, and if it doesn't make sense i can then go to the source where we can then learn all things. which is the unique message that we share and which one of our investigators is starting to understand.

Well that's about it for me. Thank you so much for all that you have done for me. I couldn't have gotten this far without all of your help.

Love Elder Gillespie

Robyn Happy birthday and I'm glad that you had an enjoyable time at Longhorns and yes the Steaks there are SOOOOoooo good. and lincoln is such a funny little camper. and sophie definitely is going to be a clown.

Ben Gains I can totally understand what you mean when you don't want to go out when it's a festive occasion. but you don't want to be crazy and not celebrate that would just be unfair to all of us and that cake is also one of the tops.

Ben Francisco or should i say Dr. Francisco haha just wanted to throw that one in. Sad news about the car but great news about one year left in school. and a new father soon. hurray. along with a great birthday.

Camille you sound like a missionary here in ozark it seems that either someone moving out or in is asking for help, which i love to do because i actually get to move. and i really hope you are feeling better.

Jethro I don't give good advice i just speak my mind which i usually don't realize till after it's been said which ends up with foot in mouth disease which people don't have a cure for yet.

Jan Poor car I'm so glad that you guys are doing alright though that makes life a lot easier.

Beetle way to go on transfers back to your old stomping grounds while i've really got a clue where that is compared to where you are now i bet your going to do great and it seems like time on both our sides is going so quick, like you've only got a few months left.

Dad i agree with what you said about D&C 121 it's a bit selfish but in the end it all works out, in fact that's one of the thoughts that came to my mind when i read it when i got here.

Mom you are awesome and i love you I hope your ready for your flight and make sure clark and eva get a big old hug from me ok.