Small World

Elder Gebauer and Elder Pace in Atlanta. Their Mothers were best friends growing up in Mesa. Now separated by a few states fate still found a way for our families paths to cross once again. 

Wonderful Week

   What a wonderful week it has been in the Acworth 1 area! The week was full of finding some amazing new people who have been prepared by the hand of the lord. This week we also worked with some of the investigators that we have been teaching for a bit longer, K**** for example. K**** is a really great person, he actually found the missionary's a week before I arrived in Acworth. He is on date for baptism for the 19th of December, and get this he has read all the way to mid Alma in the BOM, in just 3 weeks!!!! K**** is truly prepared by our heavenly father and we are so excited for him!!!!

    We had a finding frenzy this week in the zone. there was a goal maid for each companionship to find 7 new investigators as well as have one person attend church. Every time a companionship found a new investigator they would text us there name and something about the person. We would then send it out to the whole zone, that way we could all rejoice together.

    I love and cherish every second of this precious time that I have to serve a mission!!!!

Elder Gebauer

Temple Visit

   

This week we had zone conference. My companion and I had to host a 1 hour training session to all the elder and sisters in the zone. It went well I guess, we passed out all the candy that I found in the apartment when I reassigned. We focused on "working with members", "teaching with the BOM", "asking good questions" and "becoming more powerful teachers".

We had the opportunity to go to the temple and that was just fantastic!!!!! 

 

My companion is struggling with a shoulder injury, may need to go home and have surgery on it soon. That bums me out because I really like my companion:(

       

This week was not the best teaching wise, but we managed. We are working with a  mother and her son who live in an apartment complex. They actually requested missionaries from Mormon.org.

 

We are getting all geared up for the holidays!!! We will be having two thanksgiving dinners this week, so I am expecting to be completely in a food coma by the end of the week:)

 

But yeah over all it was a great week!!!!

   

Transfer and Zone Leader

Well I am in Acworth Georgia, serving over the Cartersville zone of 28 missionary's.

My new companion is Elder Zavoral, he has been out for about a year and some change. He is a Spanish speaking Elder but is in the English ward as a zone leader. 

The area is a lot like Peach Tree City. Being a zone leader is interesting, it is not as stressful as I thought it was going to be. But, we haven had a zone conference yet so we will see. I'm loving the new area, as zone leaders we get a car all the time so that's great.

I love my new companion and am enjoying everything:)      

 

Read My Tag

Well this week was interesting!!! 

We started off with 3 days of biking around which wasn't too bad. Then on Thursday we had zone conference with a member of the 70. It was 4 zones all together at the JB building. It was great, I got to see lots of my old companions such as elders Levet and Hollingsworth who are now companions. It was just so great to see everyone again. The conference lasted about 8 hours!!!!!! Then we had a two hour break where all the missionaries where instructed to go out into the area and just do some finding!!!!! Just think of 150 elders and sisters all being unleashed at once in one area. It was so cool and we have so many people to teach now!!!

This story happened as Elder Lindquist and I where out finding. We where walking down the street when these people ask us from there porch if we are Jehovah's Witnesses, we reply "no we are the Mormons". This lady's face go's stone cold, she then yells out "No no no y'all don't believe in anything. Jesus saved me, y'all don't believe in Jesus" at this point im just confused..... We reply with a question to prompt her thought "do you know what the real name of the church is".? She replies with her previous statement. So this lady is not hearing anything that we are saying she is far too caught up in her Jesus saved me rage. Mind you that this whole thing is taking place with her on her porch and us on the street so she is just yelling.

Long story short she is not willing to hear anything that we are saying. I asked her to come read my tag and see if we believe in Jesus, half to prove that we do and half to get her close so that we can top yelling across the street. She just walks inside and we go on are way...... Just another day on the mission.

So I guess over all it has been a good week M***** will be baptized when he comes back from school in a week, though I probably will not be here. We picked up a few really cool investigators this week so looking forward to that.

I'm doing great and staying alive and happy!!!

Love you all soo much,

picture: dinner at the simians family:)

Soggy Days

Dang 5 months.......... This is going stupid fast!!!!!!

 

Well, as for good stories I don't have any that particularly stand out. Just normal tracking situations, such as people pretending not to see me even when they can definitely see me through a 7 feet tall glass door or people answering the door in nothing but a towel?

 

We did however find one great family though, They invited us in and we got to explained the whole first lesson. The weird part is that even the kids where interested, I’m talking like really interested!!!! We had to cut off their questions so we could get to our next appointment!!!!

 

We have been biking a lot, which is potentially problematic, seeing as it has been raining for 3 days straight!!! We got completely soaked and covered with mud the other day. How I would describe it would be, we looked like we had just finished a downhill mountain biking course then jumped in a pool then showered in dirt. Funny part is the look on Roberts face when we showed up at his front door:) lol

 

But I’m doing good!!!! Got my bike fixed up so now I’m on my way. Still staying healthy and having the time of my life :) its hard but it’s fun if you are doing it right:) 

 

Love You:)   

Never Alone in Sierra Leone

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/09/never-alone-in-sierra-leone?lang=eng

Missionary Olympics

This week Elder Lindquist and I spent almost the whole week working the crap out of the bikes. We went about 20 miles in one day.  We calls this the tour de Jonsburrow:)

 

This is elder Lindquist after we biked all day to get to an appointment and them they where not home:) 

Yeah and there are no sidewalks in the whole area so we did all 20 on grass...... 

#fun 

 

This is after 20 miles and we got home:)

 

Our triumphant return!!!!

Growing The Church & Muscles

Dad,
Are you really getting that huge? I've noticed in pictures over last couple weeks. How are you doing it? A lot of supplements or good old hard work?

Randall,
A lot of hard work, I wake up 30 min early so I can get a full hour in, by the end of it I cant even do a push up!!!! For leg days I push the car up a hill:) And I eat like every 30 min!!!! Plus abb's and core at night!!!

Twisted Ankle & A Weight Bench

It's still really hot here but I think it is starting to cool off a bit.

Transfers will be next week, my companion go's home so I will be getting a new one next week. I should be staying in this same area.

Over the last month I have acquired some work out stuff for the apartment, best part is I didn't half to pay anything for it.

I may have twisted my ankle last p-day but good news is I am all good now. 

Man emailing seams shorter every week. I got to go, I'll send pictures and stories next week 

Love you all!!!!

-- 

Elder Gebauer

Another Wonderful Week

Another wonderful week has come and passed in what I may say is the best ward in the mission!!!

We had our two investigators attend sacrament, but one of the coolest things happened after sacrament meeting. Two investigators, gave us a call and asked if we would be willing to come over and give them a priesthood blessing.  They have been attending the Wednesday bible study classes and had heard about the priesthood and its power to heal trough faith.  We had the opportunity to bring one of the members of the congregation with us to administer the blessing.  The spirit was so strong, and I don't know if I have ever seen them so happy.  We will be seeing them again soon.

This week has also been extremely successful in finding new people to teach.  A cool experience we had while knocking doors as it was just about to rain so we where trying to finish up.  On our way back we see a woman trying to move some tables and things into a moving van, so we offer to help....... You would have thought that she had just won the lottery with the look on her face!!!   We help her move and then her natural curiosity comes through and she asks the question we knew was coming, "who are you and why are you so kind??"  We reply that we are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She then breaks down.  She tells us as a story of how two young men just like us had helped her years ago get over some addictions she was having.  She never knew their names or who they were till that day that we came to help!!! She had been prepared at that time for us to be there and for us to bring the gospel into her life.She is now intently reading the Book of Mormon and she holds it dear to her heart!!! 

-- 

Elder Gebauer

Transfer to Jonesboro

I’m now serving in Jonesboro, just by Peach Tree  City and Atlanta.  My new companion is Elder Crowther.  He is great and will be finishing his mission in a month. 

I am in a car share so we have a car every other day, and we have bikes every other day.

I am in a 4 man apartment with Elder Levet and Elder Johns. I love it and am working my butt off.  Over the last 4 days we have found 20 new investigators and taught like 20 lessons!!!! We are killing it!!      

 

We were knocking doors this week, and we had been knocking for about 20 min when a woman and her daughter opened the door.  We felt impressed to say this, "We come as representatives of Jesus Christ.  He has heard your prayers and has sent us to you.  What can we do for you?" She just broke down. She told us that not even 10 minutes before that she had been praying for help.  We were able to say a prayer and bless her and her daughter. We have an appointment with her on Wednesday.

 

God hears payers!!!!!      

Sierra Leone Connection

Elder Gebauer and Elder Hamilton together at zone conference.

Nice surprise from Queen Creek member visiting Atlanta.

"I live in queen creek and I am in the stake presidency there. I am visiting atlanta and ran into these two elders who are of course working very hard!!!!"

No CPR Needed

It has been interesting.

One of the new elders in the apartment passed out on Wednesday morning.I checked his pulse and his breathing. There was no pulse and he was not breathing.  He was about seconds away from CPR.  He he started breathing after being out for about 45 seconds, he was only at about 50 bpm so we got him to the hospital and he spent the day there.  They did not come back with any conclusion on why.  He is now back home for more medical attention.

 

We had a great experience this week.

We were in an apartment complex and as we pulled in we saw in front of us a young man riding a motorcycle.  Well seeing that me and elder Hollingsworth both have a love for motorcycles, we decided to follow him and talk to him (creepy we know, but we just had to talk with him!!!).  Well as we are following him we lose him so decide to just knock around like was originally planned.  So about a minute later as we are knocking doors, guess who pulls up to his house.  Yup, the young man on the motorcycle.  We go and talk with him.  We ask him if he has a minute.   He replies with "yes.”  We all go and sit down at a table that is out in the woods and this place literally looks like the First Vision!!!! We get to know him and deliver the message of the restoration.  When we were reciting the First Vision, a ray of sun light broke through the trees and bathed the three of us in light.  After that it was a game over for him, he accepted a date to be baptized and will be coming to church.

Love you, 

Talk with y’all soon!!!

LDS missionaries to return to Liberia, Sierra Leone this summer

SALT LAKE CITY — The LDS Church is making plans to send missionaries back to Liberia this summer as the World Health Organization prepares to declare the nation free from Ebola.

“New mission presidents have been called and will begin on or about July 1 to supervise the process to reestablish full-time missionary work in Sierra Leone and Liberia,” said Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Chocolate Easter Blob

What did you DO to that bunny!!!! He was fine when he left here.

Birthday Brownies

Randall turned 20 on Friday. The sister missionaries baked him brownies.

Busy In YSA Ward

I have been doing good! The work In the YSA ward is progressing very fast.  We have about 20 investigators that we will see each week.  This Sunday only one of them came to church.  That was disappointing to say the least!! For me, I am doing great and staying healthy. I feel like I know the Book of Mormon like the back of my hand! Other than that, the week was a normal mission week.  We have interviews with President Harding tomorrow.  It is warming up in Georgia and it’s not going to stop but that's ok with me, I didn't really like the cold, it doesn't mix to well with mission work:) Started running in the morning.  It is so hard to wake up at 6:00 am and just go out for a run but that's what we got to do or I will fall asleep during personal study!!! Birthday is coming up I will be 20!!!!! 

Love you all!!!

Good Week Teaching & Celebrating

This past week has been great!  We are still teaching M____ and he is doing great!!!!  Elder Thompson had his birthday yesterday he turned 20!!! We went to go eat at the Sundial with a member.  It  was great. I wish I could send pictures this week but I forgot my adapter, so I guess I will need to send them next Monday. Today for p-day we are going to do something, I don't know yet, probably at the park. I have been slacking in working out in the morning but I started going really hard in the mornings again!        

Taste of Africa

Having a traditional African dinner in Georga.

Speaking Krio Again

There is a less active family that we have spent the last 3 weeks just trying to get a hold of.  The contact name is A**** J****. Well that name caught my attention because it is a popular name in Sierra Leone. 3 days ago we finally tracked him down to his home, so we went to to his door and his Mom told us to come in.... As soon as I stepped in the house I knew they were from Africa. There is just a smell, not a bad smell, but a smell:) So we start talking to A**** and I finally asked the question of his dad "Where are you from?" He answered with the exact words I was hoping to hear "Sierra Leone". I then replied to him and started speaking in Krio.  Man was he surprised:) We talked some more and I found out that they lived in Kissy, that is 5 min from Allentown where I was serving!! It was just a great time with them and I know I was sent to North Point YSA to find them:)

One Night at the Station

We were on are way home from something and we were taking MARTA (bus/sub way). We are the only ones in the whole station and its about 8:00 at night. We did not have anything planed for that time because we were just going on the wings of the spirit.:) So in walks this girl and we could tell that she was a YSA. We decided that she was the reason that we were there at that time. We start off the conversation talking about the rain. Then we get into the message of the restoration and she sits back in her seat and tells us that when we told her that there was a prophet called on this earth again today she had felt something tell her that it was true. She then told us that we where creepy because we where answering every question she had been asking herself for weeks. We got her name number and set the next appointment and she accepted a baptismal date of the end of next month!!! Overall it was just a great experience!!!

Elder Gebauer

Wet With a Smile

Well it has been a while since I have given an update so here you go.

I am still serving in Peachtree City, Georgia.  For how much longer I will be here I don't know, transfers are coming up next week so we will see if I am going or staying.

It has not stopped raining for almost a full week. That kind of makes it hard in a bike area. We go out for as long as we can stand the rain and then we pop in on a member and warm up then back to the work. I just can't imagine having two soaking wet missionaries knock on your door with big smiles on their faces and saying no or just shutting the door, but some how people were able to do it:) 

This past month we have been working with the young men in the ward.  We take them on splits and knocking doors and we have a great time, just this week two of them started their mission papers so hopefully we will have them prepared to do this full time.  But that's what's going on with me. 

I appreciate all the Christmas gifts!!!

We now have more food and candies and cookies than we know what to do with:)!!!!!

Love you all,

Elder Gebauer