Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Some Grateful Points

June 4, 2014

Hola!

How is it going? Things are good here in the big apple. Time is flying, so I am buckling down and trying to make the most. Next week is transfers, so we will see if there are any changes here. Today we are heading down to the city, so I am limited with my time to write you, so to give you a good idea of some of the happenings of this week, I am going to write down the things for which I have been grateful (I write down at least one a day, sometimes more, to keep an attitude of gratitude. It is a refreshing practice that I would recommend to anyone).

Wednesday- 1. Garren said hey- he is our recent convert and it seems like he had been going through the motions because of his mom, so we hadn't had a personal relationship with him too much, but he went out of his way to say hey to us as we were walking by a store he was in. It was sweet! 2. Gatorball- we played a super fun game called gatorball for pday and our whole district really enjoyed ourselves playing that. 3. Good contacts in camino. We were able to teach two lessons on the bus and train, even though it was pday. We consider a bus or a train contact a lesson if we can teach a principle, extend an invitation and have e expectation of meeting again (aka get their contact info). It was cool doing that in a pday- preparation day is still the Lord's time.

Thursday- 1. good uplifting trainings! We had a mission conference as a part of a mission tour done by Elder Snow of the seventy. He talked along with the leadership of the mission. He also did a little q/a session with some of the leadership afterwards, and one of the biggest things that I got out of it is that when we are leading others, we should have a vision from God of where they can go and help that become their vision as we love them and minister to them. I love conferences- they are great! 2. Sister McLoud, Garren's mom, brought us some Chinese food for dinner. I am always grateful for a good dinner!

Friday- 1. We did service at a members house, Sister Burke-Kaalund, and she fed us hamburgers and hotdogs and ribs- I loved the ribs! We helped clear out her yard of weeds and other unwanted things (there are people in the Bronx with yards believe it or not). It was fun being out in the sun and doing service. 2. Found a lot of needs of others. We had the opportunity to talk to a lot of the zone members through various interactions and we were able to find out some of things they are going through and working on. The problems aren't solved, but it gives us a better idea of how to minister to them. 3. Finished the map! We have been working a map of our area with all the media referrals, active members, less actives, investigators, people we don't know on the ward list, etc. That will help us to plan more effectively and have specific back up plans. When we plan, God blesses us. When we plan specifically, God blesses us abundantly.

Saturday-Sister Phillips- went to visit her and it was good- she is a great member. She has a great testimony and a heart full of love. She is the gospel principles teacher, so we get to work with her at church

Sunday- 1. Rafael got sustained to be ordained to the office of an Elder! We had Stake Conference and he was there since I am obviously in the same stake as Concourse. Now we just need to get him to the temple, hopefully soon so I can go too. Being able to see the full circle of things is such a blessing. 2. Stake Conference was help up in Ossining, which is getting up to Newburgh (outside of the stake- needed a big building since a Seventy was coming to call a new Stake President). We rode a bus up and I got to sit by my buddy Elder Richards (lived with him for my first two cycles in Concourse). He has always been a great influence for me so it was great sitting together, having some good laughs and building  each other up in our trials. I love him and am grateful I had that opportunity.

Monday- Good zone meeting. We planned on talking a lot about goals and accountability. We had hoped the zone would come together and talk about an awesome unifying goal to help each other stay on top of things. Instead, we talked about how unity needed to start at the companionship level, which is exactly what the zone needed. We set stuff up to gain that comp unity and also reemphasized the importance of companionship inventory and open and honest communication. It was awesome, and rather than setting some goal that a few people were on board, we set up to build a great foundation for the future. Open and honest councils always bring the best results.

Tuesday- 1. Mexican restaurant- we went to a Mexican deli. I got a torta, Mexican sandwich and it was good and cheap. Can't go wrong with a good dinner! 2. Elders Lewis and Nelson- we went to drop off mail for Concourse, but the district leader wasn't home, so we dropped it off with Elders Lewis and Nelson, both former companions in Newburgh. They live in the apartment in which I lived when I was in Concourse so it was an all around good reunion. Elder Lewis and I have lived in all the same apartments, except he hasn't lived in the one I am in now. Fun fact! 3. ARP- we invited a couple of people to the addiction recovery program that we have every Tuesday night. One of them came, a guy named Javier, so I sat in on the class. It was good and uplifting- I love that program. It is very inspired. 4. Humbling French experience- got on the train heading up to do some media referral look ups. There was a lady there speaking French so after making a resolve to speak as much French as possible, I started speaking. Usually they speak a little bit of English but she spoke no English. I got a little out, and got a little back, but not enough to make too much of a difference. But more reason to practice! Good humbling experiences help me to be motivated. Today I also tried to talk to some people on the train heading down to union square, but they spoke English and helped to clarify a thing or two that I had questions about.

So yep. Those are some of the things for which I am grateful. Didn't really cut down on the email, but hey it kept me focused! Things are going well! Life is good! Thanks for the love and support and have a good week!

-Elder Griffiths

No comments:

Post a Comment