Apparently, according to my mother's email, I'm Elder Super Cool. So apparently there has been some court case in which the last name Gadberry was changed to Super-Cool and rightfully so. I'll be sure to get that change into the mission office as soon as I can so I can get an Elder Super Cool name tag made. The sad thing is that I don't think most of the Filipinos will think its as legit as I do.. #TagalogIsADifferentLanguage
Howdy kid, how are you doing?
Also, much to the surprise of my mother's family, she's now a full blooded midwesterner. I'm so proud of her. A hardy, darn-tootin howdy to you to mother! And all of you reading this email! #MidWest4LYFE haha But this week has been another awesome one! It had everything from 5 baptisms and no confirmations, to a 42 year old less-active with 10 kids, to an 82 year old lady that topped him with 15, to a very young naked child that threw a fit when his dad got baptized, to a guy thats read almost all of 1 Nephi in a week or so, to seeing a 4 day old baby, to hearing lots of news about Coron, to the Spirit helping me better understand where people are coming from, to us missing the opportunity to eat some more wild boar, to unknowingly wandering unto the property of the ex-mayor, all the way to the highlight of the week... hearing my toddler-hood favorite song.. Achy Breaky Heart... haha My aunts better have read this email.. if not you better tell them that I heard that song and thought of them.. haha
I bet it feels good to have people accept the Gospel and to be an instrument in God's hand!
There's pretty much nothing that feels better than knowing that you were an instrument in God's hands! President Monson always says that he knows no better feeling than knowing that you were used as an instrument to answer the prayer of someone else. And its so true! There really is no better feeling that seeing the Lord's hand in your life and knowing that the Lord placed you there to help someone. Like for example, I had exchanges this week with Elder Caliao. And while we were studying he asked me a couple questions and raised a couple concerns that he hadn't yet been able to find answers to. And when he asked me the questions it was just really cool to see that the Lord had helped me find answers to those questions previously not really for myself but also that I could help others and in this case Elder Caliao. One of the answers came like over two years ago... and another one stemmed from something insignificant that Elder Handy said about a week ago that I just happened to remember. While I was answering his questions I remember thinking to myself that the Lord gave me those answers so that I could help him and I was like whoa! Cool! He was impressed and thought I knew like everything but if he had asked me anything else I probably didnt know the answer.. haha
So is the rainy season over? What is the weather doing for you?
Yeah! Oops.. Let's not jinx it.. I think/hope so.. haha It only rained once this week! And sure enough we were caught in it without an umbrella cuz it just out of nowhere started pouring.. haha but all is well.
Yeah mom! 3 Nephi 19:9 rocks! I feel like I've felt the Spirit a lot recently. And I've LOVE it! Its something that I'm reallyyy grateful for. But like I said last week. Feeling the Spirit absolutely rocks but its even better when we follow what its telling us to do. Still trying to get better at that part! But I've had lots of cool spiritual experiences this week. Especially with the scriptures! I've only read like the first 10 verses of 2 Nephi 2 and I felt like received oodles of new insight for myself. Its been really awesome to study that. Another really awesome thing I've started studying was about Captain Moroni! So a couple weeks ago I was thinking about it and the scriptures teach that at the second coming/millennium, Satan will eventually be bound. But the scriptures and living prophets also have said that Satan won't be bound because Christ binds him, but he will be bound because of the righteousness of the people (1 Nephi 22:26). So I was like well.. how are we so righteous that we bind Satan? So I thought about Captain Moroni who, "if all men had been and were and ever would be like unto Moroni...the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men (Alma 48:17)." So I thought that thats the key! We gotta become like Moroni! or at least acquire attributes that he has. So I've started to do an in-depth study on his life and characteristics. Which so far I've found mostly isn't anything out-of-reach for the normal person. As Elder Hales said two conferences ago, "You may say that sounds like just being a faithful Latter-day Saint! You are right. The standard for temple recommend holders is not too high for us to achieve. It is simply to faithfully live the gospel and follow the prophets." Elder Hales was talking about holding a temple recommend but really most of the attributes that I've found in Moroni so far "sounds like just being a faithful Latter-day Saint."
So yeah.. I don't know if I have anything else too exciting to tell you about.. haha Oh and about the baptisms.. The sisters in Manda 3rd came here to do their baptisms so they could do it in the ocean. So we joked that they were our baptisms.. haha We spent a lot of time this week working with our guys with baptismal dates. We should have a 2/3 more getting baptized this upcoming Saturday! Woo! But I'm really excited still for Brother Arthur. I'm still trying to figure out whats softened his heart and told him that its time to seriously listen to the elders. He's almost made it to 2 Nephi and is really enjoying it! He's asking us like legit questions that actually matter and you can just tell that he's committed. Its really exciting. Right now we're projecting I think 4 baptisms of guys that will get the priesthood and thats really exciting for me. Well.. I better get going I gotta get a lot of stuff done on the computer this week so this is a short one. Sorry! Ask me questions and you'll get better responses! haha
Well have an awesome week!
Love
Elder Michael Gadberry
Mom! Tell Andrew King Happy Birthday for me on Tuesday!
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