Testimony Builders

I had a great week this past week, and a couple of great testimony builders. 

As a mission we have a goal of 1200 baptisms this year. And it's all about "The Power of One". One baptism per companionship per month. And the goal is 100 per month, 300 quarterly, and 600 halfway.

We got a call out last night from President Gelwix that said we had achieved our goal and got exactly 100 baptisms in the month of January! It was awesome! It is just a strong testimony builder to me that this is the Lord's baptismal goal for us, not our goal. Now we are working on setting dates for February and March.

We also had an amazing Zone Conference last week in Fresno with President Gelwix.  It was pretty intense. And something crazy happened that strengthened my testimony that he is an inspired mission president.

During the entire zone conference I noticed that President Gelwix was looking at me. Seriously like the whole time. But he has told us before that lots of times at zone conferences is where he learns who we really are and makes transfer decisions on it. But in my heart I did want to just have a talk with President, just to make me feel more uplifted and stuff. But I told myself I wouldn't just waste his time by doing that.

At the end of the Zone Conference we stood up to shake his hand and leave. And when I went to him, he gave me a big hug and said, "Son, I'd like to talk with you after this."

So I was just like, "Oh no, what did I do now?!"

President is the best at interviews.  He knows exactly what you need, and he gets you to answer things yourself. I sit down and he's like, "Now tell me why you're here." And I’m like, "What the heck, you called me in here?!" But I didn't really say that, I just thought it.

But anyways, it was an answer to my prayers. We worked out some companionship issues and he helped me know how I could be a better missionary. But most importantly I learned that President Gelwix is our inspired mission president. But not only for all 224 missionaries here in Fresno, but for Elder Gygi personally. He listens to the promptings of the spirit just to talk to 1 out of those 224 missionaries. That president is crazy in tune to the spirit. No joke. I love that man. I can honestly say that I’m a better missionary after that.

But back to the missionary work here in Los Banos. I'm still not over the fact that I’m in a town called "the bathrooms".  Well, we are teaching an eternal investigator named Jose. He's been taught for a loonngggg loonngggg time. But he came to church two weeks in a row, and he is on fire. He is seriously doing exactly what a member does. He knows all the doctrine and everything. But we finally convinced him, actually the Spirit convinced him to be baptized. So he is going to pray to see if he should be baptized of the 11th of February.

And if all goes to play, he'll recieve the preisthood and baptize his 9 year old son, and then his wife will see how amazing it is and be baptized later as well.  So we got some pretty solid baptismal dates right now. 3 to be exact. And missionary work is just joyful and fun.

Elder Luna leaves Feb. 22. He lives in Garden Grove, CA. It's down by Anaheim.

He has a farewell thing the day before so I’ll be with someone else on an exchange for a couple of days in Merced most likely.

Yesterday we were at Jack in the Box and this worker asks us "Why are you always so happy? Mormon missionaries are always smiling and I don’t get it?"

It's cuz the true happiness is only in living and obeying the gospel. The ONLY way. Done deal. And I straight-up know that is true, right there.

Keep a smile on your face :)

Stay classy Mesa,

Love,

Elder Gygi