Hey Everyone!
My new companion's name is Elder Evans. We actually came out together, and we haven't even served in the same zone until we became companions last Thursday! We get along great and I can already tell this will be a great transfer! I'll do a day by day summary because of the short week.
Thursday - We went to transfers and I got to see some mission buddies! I also got to see all the Sisters I came out with go home one last time. Still can't believe that time has come already. Anyways, I said goodbye to Elder Reynolds and picked up Elder Evans. Once we got home, he unpacked and we did studies. Then, the Westerville Elders picked us up to go do more service at My Very Own Blanket. We then walked around the top of our area, seeing Potentials and doing some street contacting. We then got Chipotle (mmmmmm tasty) and did more work before getting a ride home from Brother Richardson.
Friday - This was the start of the stomach flu. Haha I had some leftover Chipotle in the morning and Elder Evans thought I got food poisoning from it. I called Sister Daines and she said the stomach flu had been going around as well. It was basically aches and pains and all that crummy stuff. We weekly planned and saw several people around the apartment, but had to come in a little early because my stomach was brewing up something gross. I didn't throw up or anything, but it got close :)
Saturday - The sickness worsened and we were inside up until dinner with the Moarfedousts. They fed us chili which was REALLY good, but probably didn't help my digestive system out. Haha Brother Moarfedoust wrote my whole name in Persian! Their family first had to guess my first name and middle name and that alone took around 10 minutes. Haha it was a fun dinner appointment. We then got dropped off at Jonathan's home to remind him about church. Sadly we learned later that his family wasn't home and that he would be working all day today and Sunday. So that means he wont be at church :( went home and got some more rest so that my sickness would hopefully fix itself. I am thankful for Powerade and Sprite!
Sunday - We had Ward Council in the morning. Our ride to church, Brother Dowling, had PEC in the morning, so we woke up at 6 to be ready for him to pick us up. While he was in PEC, we just sat in the chapel doing some studies. Since I had a very small breakfast, my stomach groaned from pained and lack of food for our six hour church day. Jonathan confirmed that he wouldn't be able to come so we had church without an investigator there. We got home, rested some more so I could continue recovering. We went to dinner with the Ames, which was another great dinner appointment! We then went to Jonathan's again, this time he was home with Kelly and Riley! They got to meet Elder Evans and we got to talk a little bit about the Gospel and their moving plans. They'll be moving to Pickerington this Friday, so we'll be helping him with that and handing him off to the STL's over there. Its sad I wont be able to teach him after this Friday, but I know they will continue to feel the spirit in rich abundance as they continue to keep their commitments. The mission is a great thing. I have created a lot of long lasting friendships out here.
Now today! I am feeling WAY better now. P-day was well needed and now my body actually feels normal. Hahaha
Love you all! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! I know that is a reason why I have recovered as quickly as I have. Some other missionaries have been sick for weeks on end and I am glad this was only a few day stint. Have a great week everyone!
P.S. - No pics or vids from me this week. I am so used to Elder Reynolds doing all of that, so I'll have to crank out the crappy quality iPad pics again :)
Elder Galbraith
The Great OCM
"Don’t count the days; make the days count." Muhammad Ali
**CONNER'S HOMECOMING WILL BE SUNDAY, AUGUST 13TH @1PM.**
Monday, February 27, 2017
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Weekly Email # 81 - Punching Life Back In The Face!
Greetings!
We had a good long week! My subject line comes from our investigator Jonathan. I'll give you the context here down below.
We all know that adversity tends to come at times when we least expect it. Sometimes, we are prepared for it and yet, it comes much more powerfully and we don't expect to be pushed back by it! That was the case this week. During the first few days, we had several return appointments to go to and yet every single one of those fell through, even though we felt confident that at least a couple of them would keep their return appointments.
So we progress to Thursday and Friday. The highlight of those two days was us being able to see how Jonathan and his family are coming along. We got to be a part of their game night and just do an overall evaluation of everything. He said he hadn't read but he felt guilty that he needs to get back into the Book. He said he would come to Elders Quorum basketball on Saturday and come to church the next day!! So that was a great way to finish off the day. We also weekly planned and contacted quite a few people near our apartment.
Saturday comes along. Brother Dowling picked us up so we could come to Elders Quorum Basketball in the hopes that Jonathan comes too. As we finished the first game, Jonathan showed up and was the life of the games! I have to say, my shot surprisingly has gotten a little bit better haha but that's because maybe I got open shots due to having a black 6'3 dominant basketball investigator player ⛹🏻⛹🏿🏀. hahaha Jonathan's so awesome. Afterwards, we had a chapel tour with him as Brother Dowling fellow-shipped! It wasn't the best tour due to us being in gym clothes, but it was still a great experience to feel the Spirit in the Lords Home. That was a big thing for me, just being able to realize that. Jonathan then took us home, bought us lunch because he's just great, and we went about our day. We did service for Brother Hemingway. He was taking out the tile in his whole house (there was only one floor of it, but STILL!) and we got to help him destroy all of it! Haha man, combine that with basketball and contacting the rest of the day, I was SUPER SORE for the next couple of days. Haha
The big day. Sunday. Jonathan came!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!!! My first investigator at church in a LONG TIME!!! I was so pumped. He picked us up and we arrived a few minutes late to Sacrament Meeting which actually worked out. We sat in the back and as the meeting ended, everyone FLOODED Jonathan! Hahaha it was so great, he was surprised by how many people talked to him over the course of his stay. He was able to stay up until the end of the general priesthood meeting and he said all these wonderful things about the church. When we went over to his home to help he and his wife pack stuff up to get to his storage unit, he said he was very impressed and related very well with the people and the lessons that were taught. Man, it was so great to see that.
On Monday, we helped Jonathan move more storage stuff. The sucky thing was that we took two 5 minute trips to the storage locker and both times, he forgot his locker key. Hahaha he wasn't too happy and hence he told us, "When Life gives you a bunch of crap, punch Life back in the face!" So what we did is after we got everything moved, we all got Big Gulps a bunch of food for our dinner later that night. Hahaha
When I look back at all the different experiences I've had out here, I cant help but know that God puts us where we need to be when we are doing the things He needs us to do. I'm so very grateful for all the wonderful people I have come in contact out here; missionaries, members and nonmembers, EVERYONE. Its a wonderful thing and I have a firm testimony in the fact that God loves me and loves the people that we come in contact with.
With that being said, surprisingly, I will be staying in New Albany, while Elder Reynolds will be moving on to his 4th area. It was a great three months together, he's one of my favorite companions and has helped me with a lot of things. I'm excited to meet my next companion tomorrow morning! Love you all. We'll talk next Monday!
Elder Galbraith
The Great OCM
"The best way to have the spirit of revelation is to listen to and study words spoken under the influence of the Holy Ghost. In other words, we obtain the Spirit by reading the scriptures or reading or listening to the talks of inspired leaders.
As we devote ourselves to the Lord’s work, we must be involved in the hard work we call preparation” - Dallin H Oaks
Pics And Time lapse!
1. I'm gonna miss this..... dinosaur wearing person.
2. Us destroying Brother Hemingway's home.
3. Good freaking times. Us and Jonathan in the U-Haul.
4. Time lapse of some of the destruction.
We had a good long week! My subject line comes from our investigator Jonathan. I'll give you the context here down below.
We all know that adversity tends to come at times when we least expect it. Sometimes, we are prepared for it and yet, it comes much more powerfully and we don't expect to be pushed back by it! That was the case this week. During the first few days, we had several return appointments to go to and yet every single one of those fell through, even though we felt confident that at least a couple of them would keep their return appointments.
So we progress to Thursday and Friday. The highlight of those two days was us being able to see how Jonathan and his family are coming along. We got to be a part of their game night and just do an overall evaluation of everything. He said he hadn't read but he felt guilty that he needs to get back into the Book. He said he would come to Elders Quorum basketball on Saturday and come to church the next day!! So that was a great way to finish off the day. We also weekly planned and contacted quite a few people near our apartment.
Saturday comes along. Brother Dowling picked us up so we could come to Elders Quorum Basketball in the hopes that Jonathan comes too. As we finished the first game, Jonathan showed up and was the life of the games! I have to say, my shot surprisingly has gotten a little bit better haha but that's because maybe I got open shots due to having a black 6'3 dominant basketball investigator player ⛹🏻⛹🏿🏀. hahaha Jonathan's so awesome. Afterwards, we had a chapel tour with him as Brother Dowling fellow-shipped! It wasn't the best tour due to us being in gym clothes, but it was still a great experience to feel the Spirit in the Lords Home. That was a big thing for me, just being able to realize that. Jonathan then took us home, bought us lunch because he's just great, and we went about our day. We did service for Brother Hemingway. He was taking out the tile in his whole house (there was only one floor of it, but STILL!) and we got to help him destroy all of it! Haha man, combine that with basketball and contacting the rest of the day, I was SUPER SORE for the next couple of days. Haha
The big day. Sunday. Jonathan came!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!!! My first investigator at church in a LONG TIME!!! I was so pumped. He picked us up and we arrived a few minutes late to Sacrament Meeting which actually worked out. We sat in the back and as the meeting ended, everyone FLOODED Jonathan! Hahaha it was so great, he was surprised by how many people talked to him over the course of his stay. He was able to stay up until the end of the general priesthood meeting and he said all these wonderful things about the church. When we went over to his home to help he and his wife pack stuff up to get to his storage unit, he said he was very impressed and related very well with the people and the lessons that were taught. Man, it was so great to see that.
On Monday, we helped Jonathan move more storage stuff. The sucky thing was that we took two 5 minute trips to the storage locker and both times, he forgot his locker key. Hahaha he wasn't too happy and hence he told us, "When Life gives you a bunch of crap, punch Life back in the face!" So what we did is after we got everything moved, we all got Big Gulps a bunch of food for our dinner later that night. Hahaha
When I look back at all the different experiences I've had out here, I cant help but know that God puts us where we need to be when we are doing the things He needs us to do. I'm so very grateful for all the wonderful people I have come in contact out here; missionaries, members and nonmembers, EVERYONE. Its a wonderful thing and I have a firm testimony in the fact that God loves me and loves the people that we come in contact with.
With that being said, surprisingly, I will be staying in New Albany, while Elder Reynolds will be moving on to his 4th area. It was a great three months together, he's one of my favorite companions and has helped me with a lot of things. I'm excited to meet my next companion tomorrow morning! Love you all. We'll talk next Monday!
Elder Galbraith
The Great OCM
"The best way to have the spirit of revelation is to listen to and study words spoken under the influence of the Holy Ghost. In other words, we obtain the Spirit by reading the scriptures or reading or listening to the talks of inspired leaders.
As we devote ourselves to the Lord’s work, we must be involved in the hard work we call preparation” - Dallin H Oaks
Pics And Time lapse!
1. I'm gonna miss this..... dinosaur wearing person.
2. Us destroying Brother Hemingway's home.
3. Good freaking times. Us and Jonathan in the U-Haul.
4. Time lapse of some of the destruction.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Weekly Email # 80 - Noticing More Spiritual Stuff/Valentine's Day
Greetings!
Man this week, I've tried a little better to notice promptings, blessings, and any other positive things that happen under the direction of the Spirit. Sometimes, I have become complacent and literally go through the motions as we knock doors, see potentials, see members, etc. At times its hard to see the blessings in repetition and especially being out for a while. But hey, I noticed some awesome ones! Let me share a couple with you.
We went on ZL exchanges this past week on OSU campus again, which was a party! I was with Elder Bangerter, which is funny because we have gone on three different exchanges in three different areas! Haha he's a stud and it was a fun day of contacting as we got to talk to more college kids. A quick reflection involves us walking around The Shoe (for you non football watchers, that is the nickname for Buckeye Stadium.). I was feeling very nostalgic as I tried getting as many solid pictures of the stadium as I could. As I was doing so, we walked by a younger girl on her way to class and I felt my mind be directed towards her way. Okay, quick disclaimer, it was not because she was cute. Haha but it was the Spirit and I stopped what I was doing and said, "Hey! Could we give you a card about Jesus?" She kindly accepted a card and proceeded to talk to us about finding a church and her background in several religions. She accepted a church invitation and said that the Elders could meet up with her to give her a Book of Mormon since she was in a rush to class. That was a nice gem of the day!
Later as Elder Bangerter and I were going over the day, I felt gratitude for not only noticing the blessing of coming in contact who needed to hear our great message, but I was also humbled by the great leaders we have in this church. We have 80 year old prophets and apostles, loving bishops, leaders of auxiliaries, and so much more. But in this instance, I was grateful for awesome Zone Leaders that I think of as great friends, people that I can trust genuinely and whom that I can ask for advice. Its been a great blessing to see positive, focused and loving missionaries around me, and I aspire to be one myself.
Another experience I will relate to you was the awesome Plan of Salvation lesson we had with Jonathan this week. We've struggled to maintain contact and we weren't really sure what to teach him this time around as we finally got a return appointment. We go in, and sit with him at his dinner table. The first several minutes of the lesson, we were catching up on how things were going. Disclaimer, Jonathan is such a great guy, along with Kelly and his little daughter Riley. We talked about the importance of keeping commitments and asked him why he thinks we keep coming back by, and several other really deep questions. One of those questions, specifically, was how do you apply the Plan of Salvation in your own life?
Well Jonathan decided to twist it back towards us and he asked Elder Reynolds and I that question. "Man, that's a deep question. I mean, how do you guys see this plan in your life?" Well, lets just say I had no doubt of what experience I would share with him. I told him the story of my aunt Katrina and testified of knowing of the truthfulness of the Plan of Salvation. Its become more than just a plan though. Its a belief that my family and I will see her again. Jonathan was very surprised by that answer and you can tell he felt the Spirit. I'm grateful that the Spirit was able to show him the truth in the Plan and it has helped Jonathan continue to progress. Sadly, he did not make it to church, but I think he is slowly coming to understand the importance of being ground in Christ's Gospel. He'll come along.
That's it for me today. Thanks again for being awesome peeps! Life is good and the work is moving along. Another transfer has almost ended so I will be emailing next Wednesday instead of Monday so we'll talk more then! Have a fantastic week! ✌️✌️🤘
Elder Galbraith
The Great OCM
"The best way to have the spirit of revelation is to listen to and study words spoken under the influence of the Holy Ghost. In other words, we obtain the Spirit by reading the scriptures or reading or listening to the talks of inspired leaders.
As we devote ourselves to the Lord’s work, we must be involved in the hard work we call preparation” - Dallin H Oaks
Pics!
1. ZL Exchanges with Elder McMullin, Elder Bangerter, Elder Reynolds and I
2. The Shoe!!!
3. Us at Sloopies, an OSU Campus delicacy.
4. We had a bonfire at Jonathan's to celebrate the 18 months! I also burned my slacks but can't send the video cuz its waaayy too long. Haha guess it'll have to wait!
Man this week, I've tried a little better to notice promptings, blessings, and any other positive things that happen under the direction of the Spirit. Sometimes, I have become complacent and literally go through the motions as we knock doors, see potentials, see members, etc. At times its hard to see the blessings in repetition and especially being out for a while. But hey, I noticed some awesome ones! Let me share a couple with you.
We went on ZL exchanges this past week on OSU campus again, which was a party! I was with Elder Bangerter, which is funny because we have gone on three different exchanges in three different areas! Haha he's a stud and it was a fun day of contacting as we got to talk to more college kids. A quick reflection involves us walking around The Shoe (for you non football watchers, that is the nickname for Buckeye Stadium.). I was feeling very nostalgic as I tried getting as many solid pictures of the stadium as I could. As I was doing so, we walked by a younger girl on her way to class and I felt my mind be directed towards her way. Okay, quick disclaimer, it was not because she was cute. Haha but it was the Spirit and I stopped what I was doing and said, "Hey! Could we give you a card about Jesus?" She kindly accepted a card and proceeded to talk to us about finding a church and her background in several religions. She accepted a church invitation and said that the Elders could meet up with her to give her a Book of Mormon since she was in a rush to class. That was a nice gem of the day!
Later as Elder Bangerter and I were going over the day, I felt gratitude for not only noticing the blessing of coming in contact who needed to hear our great message, but I was also humbled by the great leaders we have in this church. We have 80 year old prophets and apostles, loving bishops, leaders of auxiliaries, and so much more. But in this instance, I was grateful for awesome Zone Leaders that I think of as great friends, people that I can trust genuinely and whom that I can ask for advice. Its been a great blessing to see positive, focused and loving missionaries around me, and I aspire to be one myself.
Another experience I will relate to you was the awesome Plan of Salvation lesson we had with Jonathan this week. We've struggled to maintain contact and we weren't really sure what to teach him this time around as we finally got a return appointment. We go in, and sit with him at his dinner table. The first several minutes of the lesson, we were catching up on how things were going. Disclaimer, Jonathan is such a great guy, along with Kelly and his little daughter Riley. We talked about the importance of keeping commitments and asked him why he thinks we keep coming back by, and several other really deep questions. One of those questions, specifically, was how do you apply the Plan of Salvation in your own life?
Well Jonathan decided to twist it back towards us and he asked Elder Reynolds and I that question. "Man, that's a deep question. I mean, how do you guys see this plan in your life?" Well, lets just say I had no doubt of what experience I would share with him. I told him the story of my aunt Katrina and testified of knowing of the truthfulness of the Plan of Salvation. Its become more than just a plan though. Its a belief that my family and I will see her again. Jonathan was very surprised by that answer and you can tell he felt the Spirit. I'm grateful that the Spirit was able to show him the truth in the Plan and it has helped Jonathan continue to progress. Sadly, he did not make it to church, but I think he is slowly coming to understand the importance of being ground in Christ's Gospel. He'll come along.
That's it for me today. Thanks again for being awesome peeps! Life is good and the work is moving along. Another transfer has almost ended so I will be emailing next Wednesday instead of Monday so we'll talk more then! Have a fantastic week! ✌️✌️🤘
Elder Galbraith
The Great OCM
"The best way to have the spirit of revelation is to listen to and study words spoken under the influence of the Holy Ghost. In other words, we obtain the Spirit by reading the scriptures or reading or listening to the talks of inspired leaders.
As we devote ourselves to the Lord’s work, we must be involved in the hard work we call preparation” - Dallin H Oaks
Pics!
1. ZL Exchanges with Elder McMullin, Elder Bangerter, Elder Reynolds and I
2. The Shoe!!!
3. Us at Sloopies, an OSU Campus delicacy.
4. We had a bonfire at Jonathan's to celebrate the 18 months! I also burned my slacks but can't send the video cuz its waaayy too long. Haha guess it'll have to wait!
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Weekly Email # 79 - 18 Months Baby!
Hey Everyone!
18 Months! 6 more to go! We are going to go burn a pair of slacks at Jonathan's house (our investigator) sometime this week, so you'll get a picture of that next P-day! But lets talk about this week.
We had Zone Training Meeting this week, which was a good Spiritual meeting to kick off the rest of the week. We also had exchanges with the DL finally, after rescheduling twice. Haha and in the coming days, we will have ZL exchanges as well, which should be fun!
On Thursday and Friday, we visited some new people and started working with some others too. Back when Elder Young and I were together (my last comp, which was almost three months ago. Crazy.), we performed service for Steve and Kathy, an older couple who was in need of lawn help around the house. I guess when Elder Young knocked on the door, they initially weren't interested, but when he offered service, they set up a return appointment to come back, when Elder Young and I came and did service. They were awesome and we lost contact for a while. Then, this Thursday, Elder Reynolds and I went over and talked to Steve. He read the pamphlet we gave him and told us he would read the Book of Mormon as well! He said he would tell Kathy to read it too! Big bummer, though. They are leaving for a cruise this next week and they wont be returning until beginning of March! :( He was pretty committed though, and told us to check up on them before they left and to go by the house every now and then while they are gone to make sure no one had robbed it. Hahaha so that was quite the day. Oh, and we also invited them to church, where they said both of them would be able to go. But on Saturday, we received a LONG voicemail from him, explaining that his granddaughter is under their care for the next few days and wont be able to come. We'll continue to help them out!
We have been reading the Book of Mormon together as a mission again, which has been great! I read Mosiah 28:3, and that basically describes our current situation with the multiple investigators we have that aren't progressing and for those that we have not found yet.
3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.
That's it for me this week! Love you all. Thanks for your continuous thoughts and prayers. They have been needed these past few weeks. Both the investigators and I greatly accept them! Have a fun next several of days!
Elder Galbraith
The Great OCM
"Information leads to Inspiration."
Pics and Vids!
1. Brother Peterson, our Ward Mission Leader and Elder Reynolds playing the piano together. Very impressive, eh?
2. Us after Coordination!
3. Post Zone Training Meeting Pic!
4. First Bruh Video! For those who don't know, Elder Reynolds makes bruh videos where you say bruh while doing something. I was in his last one, but this is our first full one together. Enjoy!
18 Months! 6 more to go! We are going to go burn a pair of slacks at Jonathan's house (our investigator) sometime this week, so you'll get a picture of that next P-day! But lets talk about this week.
We had Zone Training Meeting this week, which was a good Spiritual meeting to kick off the rest of the week. We also had exchanges with the DL finally, after rescheduling twice. Haha and in the coming days, we will have ZL exchanges as well, which should be fun!
On Thursday and Friday, we visited some new people and started working with some others too. Back when Elder Young and I were together (my last comp, which was almost three months ago. Crazy.), we performed service for Steve and Kathy, an older couple who was in need of lawn help around the house. I guess when Elder Young knocked on the door, they initially weren't interested, but when he offered service, they set up a return appointment to come back, when Elder Young and I came and did service. They were awesome and we lost contact for a while. Then, this Thursday, Elder Reynolds and I went over and talked to Steve. He read the pamphlet we gave him and told us he would read the Book of Mormon as well! He said he would tell Kathy to read it too! Big bummer, though. They are leaving for a cruise this next week and they wont be returning until beginning of March! :( He was pretty committed though, and told us to check up on them before they left and to go by the house every now and then while they are gone to make sure no one had robbed it. Hahaha so that was quite the day. Oh, and we also invited them to church, where they said both of them would be able to go. But on Saturday, we received a LONG voicemail from him, explaining that his granddaughter is under their care for the next few days and wont be able to come. We'll continue to help them out!
We have been reading the Book of Mormon together as a mission again, which has been great! I read Mosiah 28:3, and that basically describes our current situation with the multiple investigators we have that aren't progressing and for those that we have not found yet.
3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.
That's it for me this week! Love you all. Thanks for your continuous thoughts and prayers. They have been needed these past few weeks. Both the investigators and I greatly accept them! Have a fun next several of days!
Elder Galbraith
The Great OCM
"Information leads to Inspiration."
Pics and Vids!
1. Brother Peterson, our Ward Mission Leader and Elder Reynolds playing the piano together. Very impressive, eh?
3. Post Zone Training Meeting Pic!
4. First Bruh Video! For those who don't know, Elder Reynolds makes bruh videos where you say bruh while doing something. I was in his last one, but this is our first full one together. Enjoy!
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