Much ado about nothing

Good day everyone. Good day.

Just a little nighttime cathedral action

Hope all is well wherever you might be reading this. Shoot birthday
to McKayKayKayla on Wednesday! The big 19. One more month til I join
that club.

Well my friends, it has been a good week! Not a ton of things happened
but it was just a solid week and I have no complaints. If you're
wondering, no tears were shed over missing Vigo this week hitting my
stride and moving forward because it does no good to look backwards.
That's something I've learned for sure, we need to constantly look
upwards and forwards! Looking in the past does us no good and we have
so much good to do in the future! Look not behind thee. Don't be like
Lots wife. I think she was diabetic because she needed more salt 
yikes that wasn't a good joke. Anyways, move forwards.

Like I said, nothing too important or big happened this week but any
week on the mission is a good week to be alive. Any week in general is
a good week to be alive! We met with a less active 19 year old,
Richard, like three times this past week because he likes spending
time with us and we always have way deep conversations about life with
him. Again, I'm glad for the challenges we have in life because after
we overcome them, we can use them to help other people and that's what
I've been doing with this kid. He hasn't been to church in white some
time and he came yesterday! 30 minutes late, right in the middle of my
talk in sacramenet meeting but he came! Hahah Sunday school was
awesome. A RM from Germany taught it and it was all YM and YW and it
was such a good discussion, it wasn't a lesson because we literally
discussed Lehis Dream the whole time and had a really good discussion
about the teenage life. It's awesome to give some somewhat adult like
advice lol. It was super spiritual and I think it helped Richard a
lot(: he called us Friday and was like "hey can we have a FHE with you
guys tomorrow?" Uhh what's happening with this kid? He wouldn't talk
about the gospel two weeks ago but now he's asking for
FHE...repentance works my friends!

My talk yesterday was on missionary work. Weird right? What was weird
is that I dint know the members here yet and I don't necessarily have
their trust quite yet. So I should have picked a nice, calm subject
right? Sike. I felt inspired to chastise them. So I did it! Right
before the meeting, a member of the Stake Presidency starts talking to
me and said he'll be speaking right after me. This is when I
considered changing my talk because I wasn't about to chastise the
congregation in front of this guy. But I went through anyways. And
wow, it was incredible. I hard,y said a thing I wrote down and just
followed the Spirit. I did in a loving way I feel like and afterwards
it was just dead silent as I sat down... Honestly I don't remember
what I said. But the Stake Presidency guy gets up and basically
testified of my words for 10 minutes then sat down. "How inspiring it
is to have a bold, excited, dedicated missionary like this among you."
And when it was all said and done, the members didn't say a word to me
after so maybe they got offended. Idk. But the missionaries were
stoked for what I said so I guess it was good

I just want to testify of the Book of Mormon. How lucky are we to have
the Fullness of the Gospel in our lives? In one book we hold all the
keys necessary to have and live a successful life. I had the
opportunity of finishing the BoM again this past Thursday. I got down
in my knees and asked our Heavenly Father if this truly was his word.
I sat there in silence for a few minutes as this warmth and peace came
over me. I got the chills and it was just this comfortable warmth I
felt. I knew before, I knew during the process, and I know without a
shadow of a doubt that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Joseph
And Hyrum Smith died for this book, among many others who died for it
and this religion as well. They wouldn't lie in front of God in their
last moments of life on a book if it wasn't true. I invite you all to
watch the Mormon Message "Testimony of the Book of Mormon" by Elder
Holland because it's something else. So powerful. I'm grateful for
this book and the opportunity to preach it's word here in Toledo. It's
so simple that a sunbeam can understand it, and we can change our
lives through it.

Much love amigos.

I've got soul but I'm not a Soldier,

Elder Gearig

Enjoy this portrait of a man from the bishopric. Notice the BoM