THANKS FOR ALL THE BIRTHDAY WISHES!

Dated:  July 22, 2013

So first off, thanks for all the birthday wishes. That huge card was awesome! Thanks to everyone who signed it. I love all the stuff you all sent me. The coconut pie is good too. Thanks for sending us stuff to make that. So on my birthday, we did a lot of tracting, but we were able to talk to a lot of people so it was fun. We then went to a members home for dinner and he gave me an ice cream cone with a candle in it. That was pretty awesome. On Sunday, we went to the Covingintons for dinner, and they gave me a Twinkie coated in frosting. I’ll send a picture. It was a great birthday. I'd say one of my favorites. I don't know why, but every birthday is the best birthday.

O, I ate four slaw dogs. O man, those things are just so good!

We were able to teach a few of our investigators. None of them are progressing though. They aren't keeping their commitments and it has been really difficult for them to come to church, because they all think they need to go to their church so they are all busy on Sundays.  We are trying to find the Elect, they are out there somewhere.

I am glad to still be in Gretna, I think this is going to be a great transfer, well I am going to make it that way. The Church is TRUE, the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Everything points us to Jesus Christ, and he is the way. We will all be together in Heaven someday with our Father and Jesus Christ.  Our joy will be full, and we will be with all those whom we love. Lets all stay on the path back to our Father in Heaven, and follow his son Jesus Christ who He sent to show us the way. I know that this is all true. All of my joy has come from the Gospel, and there are so many amazing people I know that are examples of righteous disciples of Jesus Christ. That is one of the greatest blessings God has given me. He has put amazing people, I consider them angels, in my path, in my life, and what a blessing that has been. In turn, I want to be a blessing to everyone that God puts me in the path of. I love this Gospel, I love this church, and I love Jesus Christ. The last 20 years have been the best years of my life! I look forward to the next 20. Lets live the GOSPEL!

Hope you all have a great week! Thanks again for all the Birthday Stuff.

Love,

Elder Joshua R. Spencer

This is the Twinkie covered in frosting - with the
only candle they had in the house.

Birthday stuff!  I forgot to put in the Hi-Chews.

Elder Snow's family sent me a gift - a tie clip.
They are so nice!

This is the pie you sent me.  YUM!

This is at a member's home on my birthday.

Thanks for the Birthday Card!

I AM SURE THERE ARE PREPARED PEOPLE HERE IN GRETNA

Dated: July 17, 2013

So, neither Elder Snow nor I are getting transferred. I am glad about that. I like it here in Gretna. In our district, three elders are being transferred out. I learned that Elder Thueson, (my MTC comp) will be coming into the Lynchburg District. He will be the first elder I will have seen that I came out with.

So this week, we did a Zone meeting, a District meeting and Exchanges. Man, it was a crazy week. Exchanges were good. Elder Snow went with the District leader and I went with Elder De Graff. It is so interesting to be with different missionaries.

I really enjoyed what you told me about the Ward Birthday party. That sounded like a lot of fun and I really enjoyed what you told me about how all the Bishops spoke. Man, I have had the best Bishops in the 24th ward. They are all just so great!

We don't have a very big teaching pool right now. We have been trying to find new investigators, but most people don't even want to talk to us, and if they do, it is a conversation that ends with them saying "you believe what you believe and I’ll believe what I believe, we both believe in Jesus Christ so we are both going to heaven." "The parallel path to Heaven theory is devil inspired false doctrine." Elder Oaks told us that when he came in March. So that has been a struggle. I am sure there are prepared people here in the Gretna area, we just need to find them or they need to find us.

I love being a missionary. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, but it is amazing. I wouldn't give it up for anything! The Book of Mormon is SOOO TRUE! Like Moroni says in Moroni 10:4, "ask if these things are not true..." The Gospel is just so amazing and so great, how could it not be true? It is touching the lives of millions upon millions, and more and more every day. We are in an exciting time. The gospel is rolling forth! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

I love you all, Keep up the good work in whatever you may be doing. Read EVERY DAY! :D

Love,

Elder Joshua R. Spencer

P.S. The Bullock family is just absolutely fantastic! They are just so great and I look up to all of them. Give em all a big ol' hug for me! :D

RIDING LAWN MOWERS ARE GREAT.

Dated: 7/8/13

Hello you fantastic people you,

First off, the wedding looked great! I love the Bullock family and all the people that are found in it. They are just so fantastic!  Thank you mom for the great letter. I really enjoyed it.

So this week was interesting. It went by so fast! On the 4th of July, some members went with us down to Chatham, and we worked in that area for a while, then we went up to their house and they made us steak, potato salad, cucumbers and onions, and beans, and we had a feast. It was really great! We drove back home and saw a few fireworks but other thea that, that was our 4th of July.

This week we helped Brother Smoot replace a post that was holding his barn up. Another member just had his gallbladder out, so we went and mowed his lawn for him. Riding lawn mowers are great. Everyone out here has a riding lawn mower.

So I was reading the war chapters in the Book of Mormon this week. They were so fantastic. Moroni is just the most amazing person ever! But I have been reading it a lot and I am now on Helaman 6. The Book of Mormon is great and true. It is evidence of the restoration of the Gospel. Reading it's pages has brought me closer to Christ and I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Jesus Christ's Church. It is His, run by him. Everything that is done in the Church is done by revelation. We can receive this guidance as we receive the Spirit. The spirit is an amazing blessing and gift. I have been really striving to recognize it's influence in my life this week, and I am noticing the great blessing of having the spirit. Everyone on earth should have this gift because it is so amazing. I love the Gospel!

I hope you are all well, keep up the greatness that you all are. I love you!

Love,

Elder Joshua R. Spencer

P.S. A couple of funny things that happened:

So, Elder Snow and I were standing outside, it was sunny and there were a few storm clouds in the distance, and we were quoting Lord of the Rings. I said the quote "On top of everything, it's raining" (I am not exactly sure if that is how the quote goes in LOTR but o well) and as soon as it came out of my mouth, rain started to pour down on us. It was funny.

Another thing that happened, Elder Snow and I were driving, and I accidentally honked the horn, and I looked and there were people walking on the sidewalk. They looked at us and I just gave them a big smile and waved like I meant it to happen.  It was pretty funny too.

Just wanted to share this with y'all. Have a great fabulous time in whatever you are all doing!

Elder Snow and I testing the theory of GSUSP.
(You know, Gospel Study Under Spinal Pressure.)

THIS BRANCH IS REALLY GREAT AT HELPING PEOPLE FEEL WELCOME.

Dated: 7/1/13

How's yall's doing out there?

I think my English is getting worser... Hehe. Well this week has been a good week. It was a crazy week too.  Everything seemed to fall through or be changed around, so Elder Snow and I have been running around. We had a district meeting on Saturday. We had a BBQ. It was really good, and we had a lot of fun. Then with the learning part, our district leader had one Elder come up to the front, and we went over the story in Alma 46 where Moroni rips his coat and makes the Title of Liberty. Then he asked the Elder to demonstrate, so the Elder grabs his shirt and rips it off.  We all were shocked that he actually did it.  Then we saw he had another white shirt on underneath. We all brought our own white shirts and wrote on them to make our own Title of Liberty. It was pretty fantastic.

Elder Snow and I had the privilege of speaking in sacrament meeting. I enjoyed it. We spoke on Temple Covenants. I had to extend my talk extra time because we would have ended way early if I didn't. I kind of thought that this would happen, and under the sacrament table there was a Preach My Gospel. So As I walked past the sacrament table, I swiped it and had it up there with me in case I needed to use it. I didn't, but I wanted to be prepared anyway.

We had an investigator come to Church. That made me sooo happy. We have been having a really hard time getting investigators to come. But, he asked us at our last lesson to get someone to give him a ride and he would come, so we did, and he enjoyed church. The branch is so great, they are really good at fellowshipping. There is one lady that investigated the church for a long while, she hasn't joined yet, and is currently not investigating, but we talked to her the other day and she said that she has never felt so welcome anywhere in her life than when she came to the Gretna Branch. This branch is really great at helping people fell welcome.

For those it may concern, my mission president’s son just finished serving his mission in the Maryland Baltimore mission, and he came to our mission for a few weeks to spend time with his parents before heading home. I went up and asked him, at Specialized Training, if he knew Elder Martineau.  He said he did and that he is an amazing missionary. That made me happy. I haven't heard from Kent in a long while. It's a small world.

At the Covingtons yesterday, we had Slaw Dogs for dinner. O man, they are soooooo goood! I am never going to be able to eat a regular hotdog again. Onion's, slaw, chili, corn relish, mayo, catsup! That is how to eat a hotdog. I'll send pictures. :D

I love you all, I am glad to hear that you are all doing well. Keep up the fantastic greatness that you all are. Never forget your perfect potential and rely on the strength of God. With him, all things are possible.

Love,

Elder Joshua R. Spencer

Elder Snow tying his shoes before we go do emails.

Slaw Dogs!

My tie collection is growing.  I also found a Three Stooges tie.

This is a pizza we made - ham, pepperoni, sausage.  It as really good.