17 Days

Randall comes home on March10th at 1:19 PM. He looks ready.

Pictures

Another wonderful week in the Acworth Ward

This past week was a bit stressful mainly due to all the events that we had going on, zone conference, broadcast, two exchanges, and transfers. Wow! That was a lot going on in one week! But we successfully were able to remain calm during the excitements of last week. 

The exchanges that we participated in were absolutely wonderful. I had the opportunity to learn from Elder Argyle and Elder Richardson. These elders are amazing examples of devoted missionary service. I was very happy to have had the opportunity to serve and to learn form both of them! 

Zone training went much better than I thought it would.  We spent a long time preparing for it so it ran very smoothly and we were able to cover all the information that we planned on covering.

I am excited for the opportunity that I have to serve for at least 6 more weeks in the GAM.  It has truly been a privilege. One thing that built my testimony this week is that our Heavenly Father wants to forgive!! 

 

Elder Gebauer

1st Update 2016

Great week!!!!!!! It was a wonderful week here in Acworth. It is starting to cool off, there is frost on the car every morning when we head out.   We found a bunch of new people to teach this week, so that was cool.  New Year's was fun, we went and watched a firework show at one of the parks near by.   Transfers will be coming up In 3 weeks, I will more that likely be staying in Acworth for the last 6 weeks of my mission, and elder Zavoral will more than likely be heading to a new area :(    We went on exchanges this week like always, it was good!   The mission department is having us do exchanges differently than we have ever done them before.   Instead of one swapping companions and working both companionship areas we will now be working in our area with the other companionship for 24 hours. It's an interesting concept to say the least, but we will see how it all plays out.   Other than that I am doing great!!!! just trying to stay as warm as I can:)

 

Love Elder Gebauer

      

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.