Elder Graden Reber: Youth Temple Trip

Kamusta Fam,

"Someone is sitting in the shade today, because someone else planted the tree a long time ago."

I read this quote this week and loved it. We have been working extremely hard in our area lately and haven't quite been seeing the success that we would expect. The last 2 weeks we only had a few people come to church, while other Elders in our zone aren't the most obedient yet they are getting 14 inv every week! Haha that is how every missionary feels at some point of his mission though. I am just glad with the progress we are helping in the future! No efforts are wasted in the Lord's work!

This week we actually did start to see the blessings in our area though. We met the DelaCruz family, which is a fam of 7! They didn't come to church this week because they had a funeral, but they did start reading the BOM! That is pretty rare to see someone read the BOM the first week you find them so we are super excited to keep teaching them! I have a secret handshake with the youngest girl and boy and they think it is so dope! Little do they know that Elder Reber was a genius 4 transfers ago and made 2 handshakes... one for little girls, and one for little boys:) Hahaha they all love it because they think it is specific for them, and it kind of is, but it helps me remember all of my "secret" handshakes;)

I had some of the best payment a missionary can ever receive this week! Last Friday, all of the youth had a temple trip in our ward. I got to see pictures of 5 of my recent converts standing in front of the temple together! Wow, what a rewarding moment for me:):) On Sunday one of them bore his testimony, 2 of them blessed the sacrament, and 1 of them was passing the sacrament. It is so fun to see the change in their lives. One of them almost committed suicide the week before we met him, and now he is blessing the sacrament weekly, has a calling, and wants to work with us whenever there is no school. I love my mission!

Alright... now for the funny story of the week. So I made a promise to myself at the beginning of my mission that whenever I see someone wearing a Utah Jazz jersey I would go and talk to them. So a couple nights ago, we were walking to an appointment and I saw a guy wearing a Jazz jersey on the other side of the street. So we went and talked to him. But about 10 seconds into it a crazy, mental, drunk 75 year old toothless nanay came up and started kissing Elder Richards hand! He was like ahhhhh okay maybe it is just cultural for her. Then she kissed mine as I was pulling it away she sniped it down and planted a wet one with her beautiful gummy smile hahaha. I just kinda scooted away and kept talking to my homie in a Jazz jersey. But the nanay turned and hugged Elder Richards before he could get away! She started dancing and kissing his name tag "PAPA JESUS DADDY." Her eyes were like rolling around like crazy... Don't do drugs kids. Anyway Elder Richards stiffed armed her away with an Plan of Salvation pamphlet and ran away as she started making out with the pamphlet hahaha. I was like "uhhhhh dapat kaming umalis." I went after Elder Richards and he was just dying laughing, just in aww of what had just happened. Then I said "What. in. the. hell. just happened?" hahahaha it was the first time I have ever sworn on the mission... but I repented, and it says that in the scriptures anyway sooo;) Hahaha idk it was a funny night though. Elder Richards was like "Geez she should at least buy me a meal before that."

Anyway this week was super fun! We are gonna work miracles in this companionship. Stay tuned...

Namimiss ko kayo! Ingat po kayo palagi:)

-Elder Reber