Families are Forever

(Sent 5/15/17)

Heyo People!

Trainers and Trainees

This week was pretty exciting. It is my first FULL week with my dear son, Elder. I named him after myself. jajaja (that's Spanish for hahaha).

Elders Jimenez and Greenwood

We have been working hard and loving life here in Cuauhtemoc. We have a special family where the dad is working on leaving behind his smoking addiction. My comp and I talked to them about the power of prayer and fasting and we decided to fast, all 4 of us together, so that we could have a little bit more of divine help.

The awesome thing is that the parents were fasting and they told their kids later that they weren't going to eat dinner with them because they were fasting. AND THE KIDS (WHO ARE 9 AND 11) DECIDED ALL BY THEMSELVES TO FAST WITH THEM FOR THEIR DADDY. There must have been so much love in that house that night.

Also, in that very same night, the mom was reading the Book of Mormon, when her kids came in (these kids always have told her that the Book of Mormon for them was boring), but they came in and said, "MOM! We want to read with you!" And they all sat down, with the dad too, and they read the Book of Mormon as a family.

It was an amazing testimony to me of how the gospel really and truly brings families together-- and sometimes in very unexpected ways. It is something really special.

Families are Forever in this Church, and in no other. And it brings me so much hope and excitement to do everything I can so that I can be worthy to have an eternal family in the celestial kingdom.

Have a great week everyone!

Elder Greenwood :)

Changes! Busy, busy!

Note from Landon's Mom:

New Companion

Farewell to Elder Calizaya

Elder Greenwood had "Changes" this week and wasn't able to write a group email. He is in his same area training a new missionary. He's always wanted children and is very happy to now have three "sons." We will learn more about his new companion when we Skype on Mother's Day.

Farewell to Elder Radichel (Friend from District)

The work is progressing in the area. They had several investigators at church and have seen many miracles in contacting people who are looking to change their lives. One investigator commented this week about the difference he can feel in his heart when the missionaries are at his home.

Part of Zone at "Changes"

Another is working on quitting smoking and even drank a concoction of milk and cigarettes put into a blender. He then tried to smoke and had to run to the bathroom to rid his body of the sickening mess. A little extreme, perhaps, but he really wants to be done with the addiction he has had since age 13.

Investigators

We are praying that the baptisms scheduled for the end of the month will work out. Mission policy now is that investigators must attend church at least 5 times in addition to being worthy before they can be baptized. It has made a big difference in the dedication level of converts.

Thanks for your continued support of our son! Hard to believe that he will only have one more cycle of changes before he is headed home (12 weeks). We are so grateful for your prayers! Keep 'em coming!

-The Greenwood Family

English as a Second Language

Heyo! This week was pretty awesome!

Training Meeting Object Lesson

P-day Paintball

We are helping the father of a family stop smoking. The poor guy has been smoking since he was 13 and lights up a lot of cigarettes every day. But, he is making a real and true effort to get over it now so that he can get baptized. We called him the other day and he had dropped 4 cigarettes from his normal amount daily! What a stud! Little by little this guy will be ready for his new life. :)

P-day Paintball Pain (Hope it was worth it!)

Speaking of a new life, I got to do some interviews and help a couple of people get baptized this last Saturday, and it was an especially special service. Aside from the fact that it was in Anahuac (MY BIRTHPLACE), it was special to have seen the progress of those people as they prepared themselves. And now, they are down and ready to continue on and learn more!

(I don't even know...)

Yup, The mission is great. And I'm learning invaluable things here. Love it!

Elder Greenwood :)

(Mother there are a couple of spelling errors here. I don't know English. Hahaha)

[Don't worry Child, I've got you!]

Hot 'n' Spicy Miracles

 How y'all doin' folks? Hope this week of yours is going well. :)

Wow. Landon has really grown since he's been away.

This week was pretty awesome. It has gotten REALLY hot here in Cuauhtemoc. But, we've been seeing many, many, MANY miracles here, even with all the heat!

Gecko in Mexico

One of my favorites from this week was when we were teaching a new family. Present in the lesson were a father, mother, their daughter, and their daughter-in-law (who is a less-active member of the Church). We taught them the powerful lesson of the Restoration and how Joseph Smith set a very good example of HOW we can find the true Church of God. And, tying into that lesson, my comp began to talk to them about our vision that we have for them. Finally, we ended with an invitation to get baptized.

No fear

Up to this point, the father had really not talked, and did not look interested. So, when the invitation was given, there was a moment of intense silence (at least for us hahaha). Then one of the family members spoke up. The father said, "Well, I think that we should go for it." And the whole family accepted and were also part of the people who made it to church this last Sunday. It was awesome. :)

I love the Spirit and I know that it can touch all the hearts that open up to it. Whatever you feel like you need to do in life right now, if the Spirit tells you to do it, then "GO FOR IT!"

Love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Greenwood :)

Happy Easter!

 Happy Monday after Easter, Everybody! Hope that you all enjoyed your Easter.

Farewell to Sisters in District

This week was awesome! Thanks to our dear Elders quorum president, we could find another new family to teach. But this family is really something special. The mother is less-active but her husband and 2 of their kids are not baptized. This week we were able to pass by and explain the plan and vision that we have for them.

Easter Sleepover before P-day

We taught them about the importance of the temple and how, through the covenants that we can do in the temple, they will be able to live together as a family for all eternity. And then we taught them about how baptism is a necessary step in order to reach that big goal. And they are all down for it! They are really awesome! The power of members and missionaries working together shines bright.

Zone Activity

Also this week we were able to talk a lot about the Easter video and the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without that sacrifice, the plan of God would not work, and we would be stuck here sinning and unable to progress for eternity.

Jesus Christ came and paid the price for us to be able to repent and be forgiven of our sins. He satisfied the demands of justice and gave us the opportunity to receive mercy and grace. But it only works if we do our part to receive it. And trust me, life is a lot better when we do our part. :)

I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Greenwood :)

GO MAKE SOME MIRACLES!!!!

Hello Hello Hello!!! What is up people! Life is moving down here in good old Mexico!

We got all the missionaries together from our branch and we sang a primary song for the branch. That was really fun! We are starting to make it a tradition now.

We had a lot of good stuff go down this week. One of my favorites was a certain person who made it to church this last Sunday. We met this lady in Alsuper (it's a store like Walmart, but it's not Walmart). And we talked to her for a bit and she seemed really cool and interested. Unfortunately, she didn't live in our area. So we passed the reference and said whatevs.

Then! We saw her the next month in Alsuper again. And, she said that the missionaries had called her and they were going to go by her house at 12 one Friday. She was at a friend's house until 11:30-11:45. Then she got back to her house at 12 to wait for the missionaries. BUT! She got home and it turns out that the missionaries had passed by earlier and didn't find her. And from then on, they never called.

And now SHE MOVED! She is now our neighbor. And we saw her, talked to her, and she was down to go to church! (But, we weren't able to teach her because she always gets home late and stuff.) So we thought that it would really be a long shot to see her go without teaching her stuff.

BUT, we knocked on her door like 20 minutes before church started (after going for other people to take to church) and she answered in her pjs and said, "Just let me get ready and I'll go" AND she got ready in 10 MINUTES! Like What!?!? And she came to church, loved it, had to leave early to go on vacation with her family, but said that she gets back Saturday night and that she wants to go to church again the next day! It was crazy awesome to see :) True miracle.

Love you all!

GO MAKE SOME MIRACLES!!!!

Elder Greenwood :)

Conference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elders Nicoll (CCM Amigo) and Greenwood

What is up!

Happy Conference weekend everybody! Hope that you all enjoyed it!

That was a very special Conference. President Monson may be old, but his words are powerful. His words were few but they said so much.

Passed out invitations to General Conference every time the stop light turned red.

Elders Nicoll, Rojas, Greenwood, and Calizaya

Upon reading the Book of Mormon daily, we will receive the following blessings: 

• we will be able to resist temptation, 
• overcome doubts and fears, 
• and you will receive Help from Heaven! Who doesn't want that?

Elders Calizaya and Greenwood with Sisters and Food!

I know that what the Prophet said to us is what we needed to hear in order to be better prepared to enter in the war against Satan and the world for these next 6 months.

May you apply what you have learned and may we all learn more in order to apply more from these talks!

Must be a Lucky Day!

You guys are the best! 

You are sons and daughters of God. 

What greater title can you ask for?

I love you all!

Elder Greenwood :)