Week 54

 

Good Monday,

This week was sound.  Not a whole lot to report on.  Last Monday we had a water ballon fight with the district, I totally nailed my comp right off the bat haha.  We also played some capture the flag and had other fun at the park, it was a good day.  I included pics and a video.  I'm wearing a dark red shirt.  We've done lots of service this week, the Friday food drive was awesome as usual, they gave us cereal and Oreos to take home so that was sweet.  We didn't have any lessons this week so we spent a lot of time trying to contact people in our neighboring cities, most evenings we would drive out with notes and drop them off at people's homes.  We cover a large area, as I think I've mentioned, so sometimes we would drive out half an hour or more and drop notes off in a city and then double that distance in the opposite direction to another city, but it was fun!  Many of these people don't answer the phone and so we've had to make our presence known without actually tracting.  There was one house in the middle of no where we stopped by, it had a bunch of verses of scripture on the fence surrounding the property in Spanish so I took a Spanish elder with me in case someone tried to talk to us.  I have a picture for that too.  It made for some good evening drives with Elder Bramall, windows down when we'd blast down some old back road, and wave to the passing vehicles at intersections.  We played spikeball one night before we got ready for bed, we went to a nearby park and played, luckily the park lights were on.  There was a family gathering of some sort at the same park and eventually a lady and her daughters came over to ask what the game was all about and we talked to them for a minute.  We didn't get any contact information, but at least they felt comfortable approaching us.  Elder Bramall and I got the news of my departure this weekend, I'll be leaving back north to Turlock, the same zone as my second area.  It's been a wild ride in Selma, a good time.  Turlock will. Be interesting, I'm sure.  I'm excited to see what the work looks like up there and to get some done.  Elder Bramall has been a good comp, he's gonna train this transfer and he's going to have a blast.  Keep up the good work back home, everyone.  Life is yeet.

Love, 

Elder Gneiting 

June 28, 2021

 

สวัสดีเพื่อน

I only have a few of these left so I figured I'd better let you all in on the recent details.

I don't remember the last time I wrote home. These last few months have been the best of my life. Me and my last companion, who's been home for a few weeks now, had a lot of work to do. We found, taught, and baptized more people than I ever thought I would. We had conversations with others and each other that stretched my mind in ways I never expected. My testimony has grown deeper, and every day I look for new truths that can guide me back to Heavenly Father and make me more like Jesus Christ. I will forever remember the friends I made in the ward and the people I taught. I have a hard time writing in my journal, though, I think it's gonna be alright. 

My new companion, a reassignee, has been out a year. We have plenty to do. Sometimes I feel like I can't keep up. This transfer we took responsibility over another area, on top of the Kings Canyon ward. It's been fun and I'm learning a lot. I can't imagine the mission ending, but I have to admit it will happen. I'm not disappointed, and there's plenty I am excited to see for when I'm home. For now, know that the work is great. It's stupid hot out here. Like, averaging-triple-digits kind of stupid. Hopefully I got a good tan going. We've visited many members and friends this week. We have a couple friends on baptismal date that I hope I can attend before I go home. Time will tell, but I'm grateful to meet so many people. My companion is from Nephi, he's a load of fun. He's really good at basketball, and we play every p day. This morning we played some summer-sales guys at the stake center. A lot of them are from Utah, and they were a fun crowd. 

Our most progressing friend is a man named Gaurav. I might've mentioned him before. He stays busy with work but he attends church every week. He doesn't know much about christianity in general, so we're taking it slow. He enjoys studying the Word with us and taking the sacrament. He was at church yesterday, and we took him to his first full 2 hours! Another, a recent convert, was interviewed for the Aaronic priesthood. He and his wife were baptized with my last companion. He wants to baptize his son, so we're helping the whole family covenant with God to be disciples. All is looking up!

I hope the world you live in is steady. I'm aware that life has changed a lot since I've been gone. Even now, things aren't like they used to be, but that's okay. No two days are the same, anyway. Remember to say your prayers and be kind to someone today. Basketball has helped me with my emotions and my patience. When the blood & adrenalin are pumping, it's easy to lose your head. I hope to conquer some more "self" with my time.

ฉันจะเขียนถึงคุณในภายหลัง

Elder Gneiting

The baby is a friend of ours.

The table pic, I'm trying (and failing) to swallow a lot of a burger in time for the picture.

Our Zone Leader became Assistant and wanted a picture to say goodbye.

April 12, 2021

 

Hey guys, 

This transfer flew by, Elder Carpenter and I have been doing a lot. Haven't had a baptism since the last time I wrote but we have some friends on date. We've been teaching a lot. Had an exchange this last week. It's getting hot again, we bike all over the place. I been studying a lot. I really enjoy it. Teaching is great. Had a bunch of friends at church (in person!) and our members have been a great help. That's all. 

Elder Gneiting

Me eating chicken feet and other cool stuff

March 29, 2021

 

Hey everyone, 

Sorry it's been a couple weeks. I'm now in my second week at my new assignment. I'm in the Kings Canyon ward in the Fresno East stake. Last companion went to the mission office, we got doubled out of Modesto. My companion is Elder Carpenter, reassigned from Thailand, he came out a transfer before me, we're both aged. He's from Denver, played lacrosse at BYU, he's fun. We had two baptisms, one a week ago and another 2 days ago. It's great work we're doing here, we're trying to get to know the members better. There's plenty of people who want to be baptized within the borders of the land, but we want the members to feel like they're part of the team, part of the effort. I'm sure some feel they've given of themselves to help the work. I've been really happy to work so much and have a companion that's been out as long as I have, he gets it. We have good conversations. The field is white! It's been an answer to prayer. I don't have much else. Enjoy the pics! 

Love, 

Elder Gneiting

Just the baptism 2 weeks ago, my comp is in the jumpsuit 

Feb 22, 2021

 

Here is the latest update from Westin's mission adventure in Modesto.  We appreciate his humor, the ability to laugh and find joy and purpose in the seemingly mundane as he continues to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  ;) 

An epistle to the nations:

Good week.  Found a new guy.  Had an interesting conversation in the street with a man and his friends, they go by Peter, Peanut (he doesn't like his government name), and KK.  Peter was telling us about evolution, and how when you're way up in the air and can see everything, and then he lost his train of thought.  I expounded the scriptures to the gentlemen while Elder Strobel discussed cultural taboos within the church to KK.  I really thought we were getting somewhere when I began talking about Joseph Smith, but KK has seen a documentary and asked about "the crystals" (?) and "face hat" (!?) and then a lady across the street invited all of us to have some tacos.  She was the mother of 2 recent converts, she's not a member, and her kids are kinda less active.  It was her daughters 19th birthday, but we didn't get a chance to say hello.  So we discussed more theology with Peanut and gave him the book of Mormon and the YSA Elder's phone number.  Elder Strobel and I then proceeded to speak as much Spanish as we knew over the sound of Tyga and Kodak Black.  Elder Strobel asked for green sauce, thinking I was mad to choose the red.  Turns out the green sauce was hotter (duh).  We did a lot of service this week, a member in the Spanish ward asked all the missionaries to come out to Empire to throw their junk over their back fence.  Empire is in the ghetto.  It's ok, because the next day, we threw the junk again, but this time into a trailer dump thingy a friend had driven over.  I didn't understand what was going on for most the time, I just carried and threw stuff until someone said otherwise.  Our district leader threw a tire over the fence, but it caught one of the boards and snapped it, we thought it was hilarious.  The members, not so much.  But it was ok, because the DL doesn't know enough Spanish to apologize. We went to Lula's after, it's this awesome burger place I haven't been to since last time I served here, I got a blue cheese burger with bacon and cheese and all sorts of stuff.  It was awesome!  Pictures are included.

Keep the Faith! 

Elder Gneiting 

Feb. 8, 2021

 

It's groundhog day. 

Just kidding. I'm not in the loop as far as local news goes, but I'm guessing the 6 more weeks of winter stuff doesn't apply in California. Did you hear? We might be allowed to go back to church in the coming weeks! Apparently it's unconstitutional to bar people from attending church. Best to stay healthy though! Been an eventful week. My new companion is Elder Strobel from Idaho Falls. I finally have a companion taller than me! He showed up just at the right time, too. We had plenty of lessons this week. Had a chance to do some service, laying pavers down in a members backyard. Been getting lots of food, had pizza the last couple nights. Saturday, our friend Shadman was baptized. I have some pictures from that. He's awesome, his wife and kids came. He's doing really well. Otherwise, not a lot to report. Hope you guys have a good week. 

Elder Gneiting

Feb 1, 2021

 Hey guys, 

Sorry it's been so long. The days just recently caught up to me. I've been in quarantine for 2 weeks, per President's orders, in preparation for transfers. Tomorrow is the day, I'll receive another companion. I'm staying in Modesto, which is great, because I have a friend being baptized on Saturday, and another we hope to baptize the following week. I got lots of stuff I want to do here before I leave, and I thank God he kept me around. I also baptized a friend in the Spanish ward, I had taught him a year ago. He's super cool, we usually go over to visit him every once in a while because we're homies. His name is Gabriel, I have the pics from the baptism below. Life is good. Elder Shapiro did our best to stay busy during our lock down, we managed to teach a lot of lessons over video call, and we found people by calling old friends and phone numbers. I'm excited to get back outside and visit in people's homes, I haven't biked for a while so I'm sure I've lost a bit of the endurance I was building up over the last couple transfers. We picked up some baseball equipment from members during the quarantine and we played a few mornings, it was awesome to go out and smash some pitches at a nearby park. One morning we did service for some members, because we were allowed to do outside service with masks on, we just helped a member clean out his gutter. It took probably ten minutes, and then they brought out a small table with sandwich stuff and I made this bomb hoagie, lots of meat and mustard and jalapeños and stuff. My former companion, Elder Wayment, is moving into my district this upcoming transfer, and that's got me excited. I'm sad to see some other Elders I like go, but now I have the house back to myself and my companion again. It's the small things! A couple Sundays ago I gave a talk in church. I felt good giving it, I talked about the Spirit, and the nature of disciples of Christ. I'm okay not being perfect, for now. Sometimes I feel like, at this point in my mission, maybe I should be more changed. Maybe I should have learned more. Maybe I should be in leadership, or had so many baptisms, but I've let go of that. This is a small chapter in my journey's volume. What's important to me is the impact I made in the communities I served in, and my ability to feel and follow the Spirit. During my talk, members we visit and teach took a picture of their young sons listening. It was cool. They don't pay that close attention when we go over, but they recognized us and for church. Not bad.  

Take care guys, 

Elder Gneiting