Dear Parents
Did you know that florida doesn't drain?
so over the past couple of days we have had a total of about 10 inches of water that has fallen, and being from utah i'm used to things just running off the road and into a pipe that will take it to some river or something, well here not so much,
on either side of the road it's usually just grass and a little bit further on each side they have grass ditches that run the entire length of the road, now there are areas where pipes are place in the ditch and they now can build a driveway from it. well anyways so when it rains a lot the water just stays. it doesn't really get absorbed into the ground and it really doesn't move anywhere, so we have the perfect spot for a swamp, which I guess is the reason why florida has so many swamps.
well anyways this week has been a very inspiring week for me and for those that i've been able to talk to.
most of the people when we enter a store look at use from a distance and then just divert their eyes just so they don't have to talk to us, it's kind of sad so when you see people who just look a bit out of place don't make them loners, it's ok to say hi.
well anyways this week we have been able to visit a couple of less actives in the ward, one person in particular was having a very rough week when we decide to visit him, we brighten his spirits and made him feel a lot better, then a couple of days later we could see that he was just beaming with joy, mostly because he was happy just to have the simple things in life, ex family, visits, scripture study, and prayer.
we had another experience with another less active, she just didn't seem as happy as she once was, so we stopped by while she didn't change to much i thought i saw just a little bit of her starting to brighten up after our visit.
while these aren't the average type of visits we get, most of them are people who barely crack the door, we get one sentence out and then they say something to the effect that they are busy but maybe sometime later. so when those two happened i felt very much more happy then previous.
one other thing that i think worth mentioning is that children are often times for me great mirrors of what we are spiritually, so when children are trying to master a new skill they often become discouraged because they can't do it right away. i feel the same way when it comes to developing Christlike attributes. so that is something else i've learned.
well that's about it for me today i hope that everything out in the world is going great, especially in Haiti.
well with much love i send out to you
Elder Gillespie
Jethroyblincophia
i've decided if you have another kid it's going to be really hard to put all the names into one name. but other than that it sounds like your happy and learned some from your talks.
Ben Gains
RUSSIA?!? holy cow that is amazing and a bit crazy also your words of advice were well placed and well timed so thank you, also one correction, while people may say "emcee" the correct term is MC or Master of Ceremonies, yeah i know Tech Crew will never leave me.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Transfer #2
Hello everybody
Today is a day later than normal mostly because we don't take holidays off, because that's when everybody else is off from work. so today was a great day to hear from all of you. and i hope that what i'll say can make your day too.
well this week was Zone Conference and it was really good and i enjoyed it thoroughly some of the things i learned is that you are responsible for your own salvation and you can't let others pull you down into the world.
second is that having the spirit is the MOST important thing ever, if you don't have the spirit than you won't be able to feel gods love, or as i describe it, it's like being in a hot tub. warm, encompassing, light, and happy.
third is that if you aren't following the commandments and being obedient than as soon as somebody calls you out on it you will not feel happy and the most likely will become angry with those who gave you criticism.
forth if you want to change then make the first step towards changing and after that the lord will help you finish what you want to do.
so these are just a couple of things that i've learned which all lead back into the principal of repentance. once you do change then you will feel the spirit and become happier, but it also will take sometime to get there.
well people are getting transfered around but i'll still be with elder jensen in
chipley florida 32428
hoyt str. apt #8
so i love you all and now i have to leave.
Today is a day later than normal mostly because we don't take holidays off, because that's when everybody else is off from work. so today was a great day to hear from all of you. and i hope that what i'll say can make your day too.
well this week was Zone Conference and it was really good and i enjoyed it thoroughly some of the things i learned is that you are responsible for your own salvation and you can't let others pull you down into the world.
second is that having the spirit is the MOST important thing ever, if you don't have the spirit than you won't be able to feel gods love, or as i describe it, it's like being in a hot tub. warm, encompassing, light, and happy.
third is that if you aren't following the commandments and being obedient than as soon as somebody calls you out on it you will not feel happy and the most likely will become angry with those who gave you criticism.
forth if you want to change then make the first step towards changing and after that the lord will help you finish what you want to do.
so these are just a couple of things that i've learned which all lead back into the principal of repentance. once you do change then you will feel the spirit and become happier, but it also will take sometime to get there.
well people are getting transfered around but i'll still be with elder jensen in
chipley florida 32428
hoyt str. apt #8
so i love you all and now i have to leave.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Freezing in Florida!?!
Greetings to all
So what's new in the life of Elder Gillespie? Just another week and i feel like i'm back at home... why you might ask well for the most part it hasn't been getting above 50 degrees for about 2-3 weeks and what's really interesting is that the "real" part of florida or what everyone thinks is florida is that they have gotten snow just the past week. now it hasn't snowed here in the pan-handle but i wish it would just so it would have a reason for it to be cold.
so mental picture look outside, now flash-forward to about end of February to beginning of march and how the trees are still all dead and the only thing that's green are the pine trees, and you can still see the dead leaves on the ground from last year, well now you know what florida looks like. Now what does florida feel like well it's kind of like walking into a walk in refrigerator but the sun is out occasionally, but dosen't do any good to warm you up.
and here's the punch line, so while that isn't bad for me who is wearing a sweater, yes i know i'm wearing a sweater but i look good in a sweater i'll send photos to prove it. so it's not terrible but going into a members house they will have the heater going full blast the entire time, mostly because they don't really have insulation in their houses. well any ways you walk into the houses and it's like it 75 80 degrees inside and they are still bundled up in hoodies and snuggies, yes people do use snuggies, and they are watching there TV with either cable or satilight, so it's interesting to see that no matter where you go everybody is the same.
So now on to the more important part of the messages. what did i learn this week, well first of all I'm not incharge and it's hard for me to accept that but one thing that i'm going to have to continue to learn, and from this learning experience bring the joy of happiness for some strange reason. maybe it's the fact that i'm trying to do what god wants me to do rather than what I want to do so that's why i think i'm happy.
another lesson is that the gospel isn't really based on logic alone or emotion, you need to have both, for example when reading the book of mormon you could say that it could never happen because there isn't enough ruins to prove it, but the emotional side of yourself says that it must be true because it makes you feel good. but you need both so in moroni it says to study it out in your heart and mind, and then pray with real intent to know if these things are right, and god will answer you with the holy ghost. but the holy ghost doesn't answer your question by talking to you face to face, but he does it through your emotions, while it's hard to explain the best way to describe it for me is a sense of lightness both pulling me up and making things brighter.
right so just to let you guys know i'm doing much better and i'm feeling like a healthy ox ready to go, or a race horse, or a racecar, or a rocket. anyways you get the picture.
finally the thing that has really stuck out to me the last couple of days is that god does answer our prayers and he does really care about us as individuals, and he really does want us to come closer to him and the only way to do that is first faith in Jesus Christ, second Repentance, third baptism, fourth laying on of hands for the gift of the holy ghost and Fifth Enduring to the End. and I'm so Grateful for God and letting me "discover" these principals for myself and for the opportunity to share it with other who are searching for the truth.
so with that being said my last words for the week are those of the prophet and with that being said the lord "stand ye in holy places" if you do that than you will be in a better place then standing in the world.
Jethro I'm so glad to hear from you and your wall is pretty dang cool please continue to write i love hearing your view point.
Roybn your amazing plain and simple. and you do deserve a little nap but i don't think your kids will allow that
Jan I'm so sad to hear about your adventures with trains and potties.
Ben F. don't get too frustrated, but you probably aren't
Ben G. You use a lot of big words and for the most part i Don't understand but i'm glad your doing well and i hope my brain can start working soon
Thad Yes I'll try to take as many pictures as possible
Beetle I miss you and i hope your doing well.
to all others thank you for your prayers and i would love to hear more about what's going on in your life.
With much love
Elder Gillespie
So what's new in the life of Elder Gillespie? Just another week and i feel like i'm back at home... why you might ask well for the most part it hasn't been getting above 50 degrees for about 2-3 weeks and what's really interesting is that the "real" part of florida or what everyone thinks is florida is that they have gotten snow just the past week. now it hasn't snowed here in the pan-handle but i wish it would just so it would have a reason for it to be cold.
so mental picture look outside, now flash-forward to about end of February to beginning of march and how the trees are still all dead and the only thing that's green are the pine trees, and you can still see the dead leaves on the ground from last year, well now you know what florida looks like. Now what does florida feel like well it's kind of like walking into a walk in refrigerator but the sun is out occasionally, but dosen't do any good to warm you up.
and here's the punch line, so while that isn't bad for me who is wearing a sweater, yes i know i'm wearing a sweater but i look good in a sweater i'll send photos to prove it. so it's not terrible but going into a members house they will have the heater going full blast the entire time, mostly because they don't really have insulation in their houses. well any ways you walk into the houses and it's like it 75 80 degrees inside and they are still bundled up in hoodies and snuggies, yes people do use snuggies, and they are watching there TV with either cable or satilight, so it's interesting to see that no matter where you go everybody is the same.
So now on to the more important part of the messages. what did i learn this week, well first of all I'm not incharge and it's hard for me to accept that but one thing that i'm going to have to continue to learn, and from this learning experience bring the joy of happiness for some strange reason. maybe it's the fact that i'm trying to do what god wants me to do rather than what I want to do so that's why i think i'm happy.
another lesson is that the gospel isn't really based on logic alone or emotion, you need to have both, for example when reading the book of mormon you could say that it could never happen because there isn't enough ruins to prove it, but the emotional side of yourself says that it must be true because it makes you feel good. but you need both so in moroni it says to study it out in your heart and mind, and then pray with real intent to know if these things are right, and god will answer you with the holy ghost. but the holy ghost doesn't answer your question by talking to you face to face, but he does it through your emotions, while it's hard to explain the best way to describe it for me is a sense of lightness both pulling me up and making things brighter.
right so just to let you guys know i'm doing much better and i'm feeling like a healthy ox ready to go, or a race horse, or a racecar, or a rocket. anyways you get the picture.
finally the thing that has really stuck out to me the last couple of days is that god does answer our prayers and he does really care about us as individuals, and he really does want us to come closer to him and the only way to do that is first faith in Jesus Christ, second Repentance, third baptism, fourth laying on of hands for the gift of the holy ghost and Fifth Enduring to the End. and I'm so Grateful for God and letting me "discover" these principals for myself and for the opportunity to share it with other who are searching for the truth.
so with that being said my last words for the week are those of the prophet and with that being said the lord "stand ye in holy places" if you do that than you will be in a better place then standing in the world.
Jethro I'm so glad to hear from you and your wall is pretty dang cool please continue to write i love hearing your view point.
Roybn your amazing plain and simple. and you do deserve a little nap but i don't think your kids will allow that
Jan I'm so sad to hear about your adventures with trains and potties.
Ben F. don't get too frustrated, but you probably aren't
Ben G. You use a lot of big words and for the most part i Don't understand but i'm glad your doing well and i hope my brain can start working soon
Thad Yes I'll try to take as many pictures as possible
Beetle I miss you and i hope your doing well.
to all others thank you for your prayers and i would love to hear more about what's going on in your life.
With much love
Elder Gillespie
Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy New Year
Oh-la, Ya'll
so the new year is upon us and a old year has gone. soon I'll be saying the same thing but another year will be gone. As I look back upon last year there are a few things that I've done, and now here is a list.
1 finished a year of college
2 Visited Jan and Ben back in San Antonio
3 Got a Job
4 Saw my sister leave on a mission
5 got my own call for a mission
6 Went to the MTC
7 Got to the Mission "field"
8 had my first Christmas by myself.
so while these are just a few of the things that i've done this last year i can't wait to see what is in store for me this next year. and i would love to hear what you have in store for your next years plan.
So!... what have i learn from all of this is actually comes from my brother Thad, who is a very wise person, he told me that the lord can't direct a missionary who doesn't plan. So what i got out of that is that while he is in charge you still have to plan what you would like to do, and while you might not achieve that goal you still need to plan for it. Thanks to my Uncle and aunt who gave me a lovely book full of quotes, one of them said something like that while your dreams will be fulfilled the only thing stoping you from achieving them is what you think your dreams are. So what I'm trying to get across is that there is nothing that you can't do, and while you might put a ceiling on your dreams i would tell you that above that ceiling there is so much more to see and be.
well anyways this last week has been kind of cruddy, mostly from the fact that i got the "death" this week right after P-day, so for the last couple of days i've been sleeping around 14 hours and while i know that i shouldn't be doing that, i even called the Mission Doctor who then said do what your body tells you, so i've found the loop hole, not that i want to be sick or sleep for that long it's just i've done it. so that's about all i've done for this week.
Uncle Brian and Aunt Trea
Thank you so much for the book and the Christmas card it will be a great booster for me during the hard times.
Uncle John and Aunt Jody
Thanks for the Family updates it makes me happy to know just a little bit about what's going on in the outside world.
The Swift Family
Thanks for the Christmas card it really boosted my spirt when it came.
The Scofield Family
The talk that you gave me was a really good and it really puts the reason for the season and what i should be thankful for.
Dad
I'm glad to hear that your doing well and that you have a new calling, i hope you can whip those boys into shape.
Mom
Everytime i hear from you, you inspire me to be a better person and show me how to do it, thanks again for all that you've done for me.
Roybn
I must agree your children are adorable and the only thing i would suggest for you to read is from Elder Bednars talk about being concerned at home. And your doing a great work even if you aren't feeling like your doing the best
Ben
Work suck, I know. but you can do it and you'll do fine you just need to put things that of worth before things that aren't
Thad
I hope i didn't offend you in my letter to you, you really have been a great influence in my life.
To Everyone else I love you and you are all a great influence in what i do and say to all those i meet.
With much Love
Elder Gillespie
so the new year is upon us and a old year has gone. soon I'll be saying the same thing but another year will be gone. As I look back upon last year there are a few things that I've done, and now here is a list.
1 finished a year of college
2 Visited Jan and Ben back in San Antonio
3 Got a Job
4 Saw my sister leave on a mission
5 got my own call for a mission
6 Went to the MTC
7 Got to the Mission "field"
8 had my first Christmas by myself.
so while these are just a few of the things that i've done this last year i can't wait to see what is in store for me this next year. and i would love to hear what you have in store for your next years plan.
So!... what have i learn from all of this is actually comes from my brother Thad, who is a very wise person, he told me that the lord can't direct a missionary who doesn't plan. So what i got out of that is that while he is in charge you still have to plan what you would like to do, and while you might not achieve that goal you still need to plan for it. Thanks to my Uncle and aunt who gave me a lovely book full of quotes, one of them said something like that while your dreams will be fulfilled the only thing stoping you from achieving them is what you think your dreams are. So what I'm trying to get across is that there is nothing that you can't do, and while you might put a ceiling on your dreams i would tell you that above that ceiling there is so much more to see and be.
well anyways this last week has been kind of cruddy, mostly from the fact that i got the "death" this week right after P-day, so for the last couple of days i've been sleeping around 14 hours and while i know that i shouldn't be doing that, i even called the Mission Doctor who then said do what your body tells you, so i've found the loop hole, not that i want to be sick or sleep for that long it's just i've done it. so that's about all i've done for this week.
Uncle Brian and Aunt Trea
Thank you so much for the book and the Christmas card it will be a great booster for me during the hard times.
Uncle John and Aunt Jody
Thanks for the Family updates it makes me happy to know just a little bit about what's going on in the outside world.
The Swift Family
Thanks for the Christmas card it really boosted my spirt when it came.
The Scofield Family
The talk that you gave me was a really good and it really puts the reason for the season and what i should be thankful for.
Dad
I'm glad to hear that your doing well and that you have a new calling, i hope you can whip those boys into shape.
Mom
Everytime i hear from you, you inspire me to be a better person and show me how to do it, thanks again for all that you've done for me.
Roybn
I must agree your children are adorable and the only thing i would suggest for you to read is from Elder Bednars talk about being concerned at home. And your doing a great work even if you aren't feeling like your doing the best
Ben
Work suck, I know. but you can do it and you'll do fine you just need to put things that of worth before things that aren't
Thad
I hope i didn't offend you in my letter to you, you really have been a great influence in my life.
To Everyone else I love you and you are all a great influence in what i do and say to all those i meet.
With much Love
Elder Gillespie
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