The Church is True - Week 67

12/19/17

Hey everyone! 

This week has been a pretty crazy one! Coming into a new area is always new, fun, and exciting thats for sure. Its always a big adjustment for me because I probably am a little particular about how i get things done and organized as it helps me think things out and figure out what is the  next step for the area, but my new Companion is Elder Rymer! He is from Bountiful Utah, and he is 6'4

So you can add him to the list of super tall companions that I have had ahah.  He has been out for 17 months so he came out a transfer before i did. I am currently serving in the Meridian North Zone covering the Bristol Heights, River Heights, Banbury, and Boise YSA 3rd wards. Its going to be a fun area to serve in as there are alot of things to get done and accomplished. Elder Rymer will most likely be leaving at the end of the next transfer so I will be most likely leading the area next transfer? but hey.. you never know what happens!  This week we have our Christmas Conference on Wednesday and that should be a good time for all of us. I will most likely be playing a cello solo or something and then our zone was going to do some skits that we came up with about missionary work! 

As far as my thought for the week. My mind has been pondering and in a state of amazement the past week. Leaving Caldwell was strangely hard for me to do because i felt like there was so much that was still left to be done that in ways i felt as though I failed while serving in that area, because it seemed like I barely made a dent. And if I made a dent was it the right one? I ponder frequently about the Lord's Work and what that means for me, and all of us. Ultimately, I have come to the  conclusion that really because its His work we should always consider and include Him in our decisions. This is something that i have reflected on to check and see if im allowing Heavnely Father and the Holy Spirit to guide me in my life enough. Because of these thoughts my personal prayers have been centered on gaining more of this guidance in my day to day life. I can honestly say, this area in Meridian I have felt very strongly that this is where I need to be and this is has come faster than any other area I have served in. We dont have a ton of investigators but each one that i have taught this week I have felt like i have met them before and have talked to them before.  This all has come as an answer to my prayers in alot of ways. I can testify that I know that God loves us and he answers our prayers. It reminds me of this thought shared with me from the Book of Mormon in Mosiah. Chapter 22 and chapter 

Mosiah Chapter 22 we read about the people of king Limhi were trying to get out of bondage under the Lamanites. 

Mosiah 22 Versus 1-2; 5-8

" 1 And now it came to pass that Ammon and king Limhi began to consult with the people how they should deliver themselves out of bondage; and even they did cause that all the people should gather themselves together; and this they did that they might have the voice of the people concerning the matter.

2 And it came to pass that they could find no way to deliver themselves out of bondage, except it were to take their women and children, and their flocks, and their herds, and their tents, and depart into the wilderness; for the Lamanites being so numerous, it was impossible for the people of Limhi to contend with them, thinking to deliver themselves out of bondage by the sword.

5 And the king granted unto him that he might speak. And Gideon said unto him:

6 Behold the back pass, through the back wall, on the back side of the city. The Lamanites, or the guards of the Lamanites, by night are drunken; therefore let us send a proclamation among all this people that they gather together their flocks and herds, that they may drive them into the wilderness by night.

7 And I will go according to thy command and pay the last tribute of wine to the Lamanites, and they will be drunken; and we will pass through the secret pass on the left of their camp when they are drunken and asleep.

8 Thus we will depart with our women and our children, our flocks, and our herds into the wilderness; and we will travel around the land of Shilom.-- " 

We learn later that the people did indeed escape in the night going out the back pass and around the land of Shilom to the land of Zarahemlah and this was done with the help of making the Lamanite guards drunk so they could do so safely. 

Contrast this with a similar situation in the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 24 versus 9-20. This is where the people of Alma are also under bondage by the Lamanites but notice the difference in how they are freed from bondage. 

"9 For Amulon knew Alma, that he had been one of the king’s priests, and that it was he that believed the words of Abinadi and was driven out before the king, and therefore he was wroth with him; for he was subject to king Laman, yet he exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put task-masters over them.

10 And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.

11 And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.

12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.

13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

17 And he said unto Alma: Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go with thee and deliver this people out of bondage.

18 Now it came to pass that Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also of their grain; yea, even all the night-time were they gathering their flocks together.

19 And in the morning the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep.

20 And Alma and his people departed into the wilderness; and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their way in the wilderness."

The people of Alma relied solely upon the Lord. They had so much faith in the lord that they believed wholeheartedly that He would deliver them.  Can you imagine what that would be like? to gather all your stuff in the town square not knowing how God was going to do it but he would deliver you? And if he doesn't imagine what the Lamanities would have done to them if they tried to leave that morning and nothing happens! Ultimatley, They walked straight out of the front doors of the city. not the back pass. They relied upon the Lord. Not on things of the world or philosophies of men. This is a great example of the contrasting ways of how we can have success one with the Lords help and one with a little less of his help. My prayer is we can allow God to be a little bit more apart of our day to day lives. 

Keep smiling!

Love, Elder Gerrard

A Marvelous Work and Wonder - Week 66

December 12, 2017

Hey everyone! So I have been transferred and will be heading over to the Meridian North Zone. This is the same zone that I started my mission in so thats pretty cool! I won't be very close to that area but ill be talking with those missionaries alot that are in my first area! My new companion will be Elder Rymer I have served around him before so that will be fun! He is quite a bit taller than I am so that will always be funny haha. Things have been going really well this week in our area in Caldwell. We had 6 of our investigators at church and 2 of our investigators are progressing forward to their baptism dates that will be coming up in the next month or so. Im excited to be able to come back for those!  I was also able to play in sacrament this week and I have a rough draft of us practicing on p-day so check it out!​​​

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My thought from the week comes from a recent general conference talk by Elder Cook "The eternal everyday"

 Alma asked a question in his day that is pertinent today: “If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?”14 Alma continued, “Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, … that ye have been sufficiently humble?”15

Every time I read about Alma the Younger relinquishing his role as head of state to preach the word of God,16 I am impressed. Alma clearly had a profound testimony of God the Father and Jesus Christ and felt accountable to Them completely and without reservation. He had the correct priorities and humility to give up status and position because he realized that serving the Lord was more important.

Having sufficient humility in our lives to help establish the Church is particularly valuable. An example in Church history is revealing. In June of 1837, the Prophet Joseph was inspired while in the Kirtland Temple to call Apostle Heber C. Kimball to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to “England … and open the door of salvation to that nation.”17 Apostle Orson Hyde and a few others were assigned to accompany him. Elder Kimball’s response was remarkable. “The idea of being appointed to such an important mission was almost more than I could bear. … [I] was nearly ready to sink under the burden which was placed upon me.”18 Nevertheless, he undertook the mission with absolute faith, commitment, and humility.

Sometimes humility is accepting callings when we do not feel adequate. Sometimes humility is serving faithfully when we feel capable of a more high-profile assignment. Humble leaders have verbally and by example established that it is not where we serve but how we faithfully serve.19 Sometimes humility is overcoming hurt feelings when we feel that leaders or others have mistreated us.


I have just really found this whole talk to be quite profound to me, but i reflect quite regularly about the need to humble my self to carry out the most important work of all time... that is, the Lord Work. Its pretty obvious that to carry out the Lords work it really does require us to seek the Lords direction. But my testimony is that our loving Heavenly Father truly does lead and guide this work which i have been entrusted with. I recognize that im not perfect and have probably not been the best instrument in his hands but i know and am soo grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ that enables me to be better and to improve. I loved sacrament meeting this week as I was able to hear the exact things that I needed to know. May we all walk up to the sacrament with humble hearts to accept his direction. 

Keep Smiling, Love Elder Gerrard

#Lighttheworld - Week 65

December 3. 2017

Hey everyone! 

This week flew by just as fast as the rest of them do! We had a wonderful opportunity to be able to participate in the #Light the World Initiative this year doing the 25 days of service in 25 ways! On December 1st we had a opportunity as a district to give some of our time to do some service at a local thrift store called "Idaho Youth Ranch. " 

The next day on the 2nd of December was a pretty cool experience. I was praying the night before the second and while I was praying the distinct thought came into my mind that we needed to buy water bottles and give them out to people. I thought it was a decent idea so I told myself I would tell Elder Benavides in the morning about the idea. The next morning we talked about it and thought it was a good idea but who would want a water bottle when its 30 degrees outside at night? but none the less we decided we could at least buy water bottles and tie the light the world pass along card to the water bottle and hand them out to people. throughout the 25 days. While we were working on writing the scriptures on 50 pass-alongs and hole punching them. I had the thought to invite our Ward Mission Leader in the YSA, Preston, over. Again this was a weird thought because I knew that by the time that he would get here we would probably be done. I decided to invite him over to the church building we were working on and he helped alittle bit but then he mentioned that their was a parade going on in Caldwell that would have most of the public their. So we were super pumped about this because we had 50 water bottles to hand out to people and talk to about the Light the World! Our only regret is not getting 4 other missionary sets to join in and buying more water bottles, because it was a really big hit. There were alot of people that actually were in need of some water! haha I just thought it was soo cool to be able to witness how the Lords hand was in my thoughts and prayers to be able to accomplish the Lords design in that moment in time.  I would invite each of us to really think about the different days of service and think about which days you would be able to accomplish. Today we are planning on going over to talk with our neighbors! For Ideas check out Mormon.org/downloads. 

Transfers are now moved to Tuesdays now so this next week I won't be emailing until Tuesday probably I will probably be moving to a different area, and will be somewhere new for Christmas so just send any and everything to the mission office!

Keep Smiling,

Love Elder Gerrard

Parade in Caldwell

Cutest Puppy

Gingerbread Temple "Snowroni"

Gratitude - Week 64

November 27, 2017

Hey everyone!

 I hope you all had a really awesome Thanksgiving! We definitely had a good time! We played some football in the morning with our YSA ward and then we had 3 thanksgiving dinners in a row within 3 hours. I thought it was pretty crazy and also that I was going to explode with the amount of food that I was going to be consuming. It turned out to be not that bad so I was grateful that I survived. 

We are seeing our investigators move along which im really grateful to see we had 6 investigators come to church which was really awesome because coming to church is a difficult thing. Im really grateful for the scriptures this week. Its wonderful to be able to read them and liken them to our selves and gain answers and revelation pertaining to the things we are struggling with. We fasted earlier this month to hit our goals for baptisms this month and it was cool to see that for the month of November we hit our goal for 5 baptisms! I can testify that its true that prayer and fasting brings forth so many blessings down from heaven. 

Im sorry that I don't have much to add to his email.Other than everything is humming along we are teaching alot and it keeps us busy! There are to many miracles that happen that its hard to write about them. This work is a work of miracles so its kinda a side affect. Im grateful for my mission, my area, my wards and areas that I have covered, im grateful for my companion, and all of my past ones as they have all taught me things that I needed to learn, im grateful for Jesus Christ's Atonement, and how I can be forgiven for my faults and wrong doings. Im grateful for the love and support that I receive from everyone back home and here in Idaho. There is truly a great and lasting happiness that comes into our lives when we keep the commandments. May we all keep the faith.  

Keep Smiling,
Elder Gerrard

Do we know our Master - Week 63

Hey everyone!

I hope everyone had a really great week! Things are moving forward pretty good here in caldwell. We were able to take a few more of our investigators to the temple this week so in total we were able to bring about 7 different investigators I hope that we are able to continue them forward on the right path!  Now its back to the normal style of missionary work here with the Meridian Temple finished, but it was really a wonderful experience to be able to participate in it. 

We had a baptism with one of the investigators that Elder Pettijohn and myself had taught last transfer so that was really cool! I was able to play the cello at her baptism and im getting pretty excited to play some Christmas music!

My thoughts from this week come from 

Mosiah 5:13 For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?-- 

I really love this verse because In order to know our Master Jesus Christ we have to serve others and as we serve others and come to obey the commandments of God we will come to know our Savior even more! I would invite each of us to ponder what more can we do to serve the maser more in our daily lives. I know that as we do this we will be able to come to know our savior and have a stronger relationship.

Keep smiling!

Love, Elder Gerrard

Week 62 - Leaf questions and Root Answers

Man so you know how every once in a while you hear about how the missionaries are soo busy that they have to suffer malnutrition to survive? well that happened this week haha we had to cancel a dinner appointment eat at like 4:00 one night and then skip multiple lunches throughout the week. But I cant complain! The Lord for sure strengthens you and provides for you while you are doing his work. I think about the numerous times we were out in the cold winter and it wasnt that bad at all when you were talking with people and sharing the gospel you were filled with all of that warmth so it was pretty good! Right now we have 4 people on date in our are which is pretty awesome and we are working with about 10 investigators at the moment so we spend alot of time teaching. Which is really enjoyable but requires alot of prayerful pondering to ensure we are doing and teaching the right things to progress the work and to be spending the right amount of time with the right people. 

Elder Benavides is pretty awesome I have enjoyed being with him. I really have nothing to complain about. Im at that point in my mission where its just WORK HARD. Which is really nice. I can see that the Lord has definitely put people in our path because we are simply ready to receive them!

We also have a baptism this Saturday for one of the investigators that me and Elder Pettijohn taught in our Young Single Adult Ward. So that will be super awesome to see here get baptized. We also had the opportunity to see one of the investigators that I taught one time over skype in my last area in Meridian with Elder Hamel. So its cool to see the work moving forward! 

My thought from this week comes from the Jacob 5 (one of my favorite chapters honestly)

Our mission president shared a story he heard in a mission president meeting. It talked about Elder Neilson and how when raising his girls he was approached by questions from his daughters that consisted of Can I do this? how long does my skirt need to be? Can I hang out with these friends? etc. Elder Neilson calls these questions "leaf" questions. Instead of answering these questions with "leaf" answers such as yes or no. He decided to answer them with a root question. Such as tell me your relationship with your Heavenly Father? Tell me how you feel about your Savior Jesus Christ? etc. By asking these root questions we begin to help all of us answer these leaf questions. I love this because we find ourselves asking these leaf questions all the time when it comes to living the gospel. Should i listen to this? Should I watch this? Is it okay to eat or drink this? Is it okay to do this with my family on the Sabbath? All of these questions tend to be asked over the course of our lives whether we ask them or someone asks us these questions. 

It reminds me Jacob 5:21-25

21 And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard.

22 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit.

23 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Look hither; behold I have planted another branch of the tree also; and thou knowest that this spot of ground was poorer than the first. But, behold the tree. I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit; therefore, gather it, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self.

24 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said again unto his servant: Look hither, and behold another branch also, which I have planted; behold that I have nourished it also, and it hath brought forth fruit.

25 And he said unto the servant: Look hither and behold the last. Behold, this have I planted in a good spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the tree hath brought forth tame fruit, and the otherpart of the tree hath brought forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like unto the others.-- 

We all want to be able to produce the fruits that are good when the Master comes again. and no matter what kind of person we are (what type of soil)  as long as we are able to nourish our roots we will be able to bring forth that good fruit. Although if we allow pride to creep in like the last tree we will find ourselves with Good and Bad fruit because we couldn't allow ourselves to answer our root questions the way we should have allowed us to. 

Keep smiling!

Love, Elder Gerrard

Tender Mercies - Week 61

This week was a really quick one thats for sure. We were able to fill our truck bed full of pumkins twice. So we had a total of 64 pumpkins. We have been giving to others. Its been really fun! We had some tender mercies. It amazes me how the Lord really does put people straight in our path that are soo prepared. Its really that simple. We just need to talk to them. We have some people lined up to go with to the temple open house which should be a really fun time! I know this email is kinda lame this week. 

Catch you all next week.

Charity more than just service - Week 60

October 30, 2017

Hello Everyone,

I hope we are all doing well! Today is a breezy fall day in Caldwell Idaho! Pretty soon im sure we will start to see the first snow of the year! It blows my mind to think how quickly everything has gone! The year of 2017 has truly flown by! Transfers were today and I found out I will be staying in Caldwell for another 6 weeks (Dec 5). Im sad to see that Elder Pettijohn will be going to Nampa South Zone, but my new companion will be Elder Benavides! He is from Connecticut. I'm excited to learn from him and see what the Lord would have us do in this area. We have had a wonderful and busy week as it seems to always be. We were able to take 4 investigators to the Meridian Temple Open House! One of my favorites was our investigator Abdullah. He is from the Middle East and he doesn't speak English much better than an elementary school student, but he knows enough to be taught the lessons. We took him through the temple and he said," I wish you could speak my language so I could tell you more than simply Im very very happy" The temple reminds me how powerful the spirit can be in places that aren't dedicated or blessed. In all reality we can have the same spirit of the Temple Open House in our own homes we just have to allow it! We have almost given out 80 pumpkins in the last 3 weeks. Its been wonderful to see the light in peoples eyes when they register that its for them! 

This week we were also able to set 3 baptismal dates with some of the people we are working with and hopefully we will be able to see them move forward so they can be prepared to make that promise with God. We have also been reaping the reward of diligent service. We taught two new investigators that we found in one of the nicest parts of our area at 8:45 at night. We walked around the corner and found the wife working outside in the dark, and she has been prepared by God. All of her questions about church and religion and the purpose of this life are all essential questions we invite our investigators to ponder and pray about! So it was fun teaching them:) 

My thought of the week comes from my study of charity in the Book of Mormon. 

I was reading in 2 Nephi 33:9-12  

9 I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation.

10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness.

12 And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.

I have been striving to understand what it means to have charity. It's soo much more than just doing acts of service. As I have begun to learn more its also about seeing others as Heavenly Father sees us. And that requires us to hope for us to stay and enter in the gate of Eternal Life. We need to see all of our Brothers and Sisters as striving to be on that path to have joy and to be able to repent. The beginning point for all of this is Believing in Christ. For those that are not of our faith and allow that to be the divide between us, Nephi explains it simply that if they believe in Christ they will come to know his words (The Book of Mormon) to be true also. May we also do the same and establish with all those around us that we are disciples of Christ and it is He that we obtain a forgiveness of our sins!  - Elder Gerrard

Elder Gerrard and Elder Benavides (From Connecticut)

The Beautiful Meridian Temple 

Finding our way through a corn maze

Pumpkin - Pumpkin Pie - Week 59

This week was a really quick one thats for sure. We were able to fill our truck bed full of pumkins twice. So we had a total of 64 pumpkins. We have been giving to others. Its been really fun! We had some tender mercies. It amazes me how the Lord really does put people straight in our path that are soo prepared. Its really that simple. We just need to talk to them. We have some people lined up to go with to the temple open house which should be a really fun time! I know this email is short and sweet...

More to come next week

Keep Smiling,
Elder Gerrard

Do we have Charity for ourselves? - Week 58

October 16, 2017

Hello everyone!
This week was a pretty crazy week for us! We went on a hike last P-day to a place called Jump Creek. Which is just a short simple hike to a pretty neat waterfall! That was pretty fun to enjoy the Wilderness haha. We also had zone conference this week. Which unlike most zone conferences.. We just did fun competitions all day with all of the missionaries. So we began by running a 5k. I got 27th place with a time of 29 min 50 sec. Boy was I not ready for that 5k haha I was SOOO sore the next day haha well.. I'm still sore. Its funny because most of the missionaries that beat me are the missionaries that just got here in the mission. So next time they run they will probably feel the effects of being a missionary. But for the weekend we spent most of the time in the hospital because one of the missionaries in our zone had to go to the ER.

I am pretty darn exhausted from this weekend that is for sure. We had another pretty good week however! We found another investigator. 4 came to church. We set another for baptism on November 18th which should be pretty awesome! 

Our mission president extended a challenge for us to read the Book of Mormon in 3months so I will be studying the Book of Mormon with a lens of all the examples/ teachings of Charity throughout the next three months of the mission. 

My thought about charity from the past couple weeks comes from 1 Nephi 18:9-21

9 And after we had been driven forth before the wind for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and also their wives began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, yea, even that they did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.

10 And I, Nephi, began to fear exceedingly lest the Lord should be angry with us, and smite us because of our iniquity, that we should be swallowed up in the depths of the sea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began to speak to them with much soberness; but behold they were angry with me, saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us.

11 And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with much harshness; nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his word which he had spoken concerning the wicked.

12 And it came to pass that after they had bound me insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work.

13 Wherefore, they knew not whither they should steer the ship, insomuch that there arose a great storm, yea, a great and terrible tempest, and we were driven back upon the waters for the space of three days; and they began to be frightened exceedingly lest they should be drowned in the sea; nevertheless they did not loose me.

14 And on the fourth day, which we had been driven back, the tempest began to be exceedingly sore.

15 And it came to pass that we were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea. And after we had been driven back upon the waters for the space of four days, my brethren began to see that the judgments of God were upon them, and that they must perish save that they should repent of their iniquities; wherefore, they came unto me, and loosed the bands which were upon my wrists, and behold they had swollen exceedingly; and also mine ankles were much swollen, and great was the soreness thereof.

16 Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praisehim all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions.

17 Now my father, Lehi, had said many things unto them, and also unto the sons of Ishmael; but, behold, they did breathe out much threatenings against anyone that should speak for me; and my parents being stricken in years, and having suffered much grief because of their children, they were brought down, yea, even upon their sick-beds.

18 Because of their grief and much sorrow, and the iniquity of my brethren, they were brought near even to be carried out of this time to meet their God; yea, their grey hairs were about to be brought down to lie low in the dust; yea, even they were near to be cast with sorrow into a watery grave.

19 And Jacob and Joseph also, being young, having need of much nourishment, were grieved because of the afflictions of their mother; and also my wife with her tears and prayers, and also my children, did not soften the hearts of my brethren that they would loose me.

20 And there was nothing save it were the power of God, which threatened them with destruction, could soften their hearts; wherefore, when they saw that they were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea they repented of the thing which they had done, insomuch that they loosed me.

21 And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm.

I found it pretty interesting when we look at this example in the scriptures and put ourselves in the place of Nephi being the one bound upon the tempest. Sometimes we are the ones that cause our very own issues and dilemmas in stumbling blocks in our lives. We bind ourselves to the tempest due to our own actions and thoughts like Laman and Lemuel. And we read that the pleadings of grandparents, spouses, and even little children can't soften the hearts of Laman and Lemuel. Can you imagine someone not having compassion on a child that is crying for their father to be released?  What I love about this example is that sometimes the only way we will remove ourselves from what we are going through will be us having charity upon ourselves. This is sometimes why we go through hard times, because the Lord is softening our hearts to see and have charity on ourselves to allow ourselves to change and repent. And we see that like Nephi, when we are released we will immediately turn to the Lord and we will receive peace and comfort. I Love being a missionary and I love seeing people change!:) 

Love you all,

Love Elder Gerrard

Beautiful Site

Hike - Jump Creek 

Elder Gerrard and Elder Pettijohn

In the Zone -P-Day Jump Creek Hike

You Got this Rocky

Elder Gerrard and Jump Creek Falls

"They Labored Exceedingly" - Week 57

October 9, 2017

Hello! 

This week has been a really great week for us! We are able to see the baptism of Kiera! she is the coolest 9 year old out there haha she got baptized this Saturday and it was awesome to see her whole family come and the best part is she even invited her teacher to the baptism who wasnt a member and he came! I love being able to sit in a baptismal service.. Me and Elder Pettijohn taught the restoration after the baptism and they were getting changed into dry clothing. It was really cool how powerful the spirit was when Elder Pettijohn talked about the 1st vision experience of Joseph Smith. This week we were also able to gain 6 new investigators to work with. This has been such a huge blessing! We have been working with some of these individuals for the last 6 weeks. And finally they are coming around to being investigators. Most of them are actually referrals from members that are their co-workers and stuff so its great to see the members of the church obeying and heeding to promptings of the Holy Ghost. Many of them are alot more prepared to meet with us then what they expected! I love being a missionary and enjoying the spirit that accompanies each and every day that we allow it to accompany us. Its crazy how fast time is flying with Elder Pettijohn we were able to invite some of his family that are not members of the church to go to the Meridian Temple Open House with us and they accepted! Its going to be soo awesome!

My thought for the week comes from Mosiah 23: 1-5

1 Now Alma, having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them, and having made it known to his people, therefore they gathered together their flocks, and took of their grain, and departed into the wilderness before the armies of king Noah.

2 And the Lord did strengthen them, that the people of king Noah could not overtake them to destroy them.

3 And they fled eight days’ journey into the wilderness.

4 And they came to a land, yea, even a very beautiful and pleasant land, a land of pure water.

5 And they pitched their tents, and began to till the ground, and began to build buildings; yea, they were industrious, and did labor exceedingly.

I just really loved these short versus and how many amazing principles and examples of faith it shows of a people that heeded the warnings of the prophet and after fleeing for their lives for 8 days they got to a new land labored exceedingly. I thought this was cool. that when we encounter "new lands" or circumstances in our lives are we going to labor diligently and do our best to make the most of what we have? The lord already promised that he will strengthen us! I love the promises of the Lord!

Have a great week!

Love you all,

Love Elder Gerrard

We  will Go and Do

Kiera's Baptism

Beautiful Sunset here in Caldwell

Peter on the Sea of Galilee - Week 56

October 2, 1017

This week was a really great opportunity to be able to work with some other missionaries in the mission. Me and Elder Pettijohn went on two exchanges this week. I went with one of our District Leaders in Nampa and then with one of the Assistants to the President in their area as well. It was alot of fun. There is nothing quite like a solids day of missionary work. We were able to find a few new potential investigators, teach some lessons, and to top it all off a dollar shake at the local burger joint to top of the night. With General Conference this time around it seemed like everyone was on the same page with the idea that you treat General conference like the Super Bowl. We were able to watch each session with a different family and some investigators this go around. The only problem in this is each family feels the need to go all out for us. Saturday sessions of conference I ate a 1/2 pound burger, mac-salad, fresh honeydew, We then headed to the next session where they had cinnamon rolls, sliders, meat tray, veggie trays, and expecting us to eat it all. I don't know how it happened but i did it! The only side effect is I when it came around to dinner time it was impossible to eat any more haha. 

My thought from the week comes from the account of Peter on the Sea of Galilee. I was pondering a talk that was given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf to the new mission presidents called in the year 2017. President Uchtdorf states: 

It was Peter who, when he saw the Savior walking on the Sea of Galilee, called out, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." While the other disciples were content to remain safely in the boat, Peter somehow knew that with the Lord's blessing, he too could walk on water. So when Jesus said,"come," Peter boldly stepped out of his boat, and for a few steps he had such great faith that he could walk on water! But " when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me." (
Matt. 14:23-33) immediately, impulsively, automatically, Peter reached out to the Savior for help.

And the Lord did save him, and as Peter followed Jesus, he continued to show remarkable courage, mixed with a  good measure of human weakness. he was always willing to take risks, to open his mouth and say what was in his heart. At times this led to blunders, but more often it led to precious learning experiences not available to those who held back." 

I really loved this description of the experience of Peter. It makes me think about who would I be? Would I be the one to step out of the boat and draw nearer to the Savior? Or would I be one of the disciples that wanted to remain safely in the boat where I would feel comfortable?  

I loved hearing the words of our modern day prophets and apostles. Elder Holland talking about how we all aspire to be more Christlike. So we should see one another as human beings striving to progress forward to help each other. President Uchtdorf talking about how much light do we have and allow in our lives?  Are we allowing comfort and habitual routines to hinder us from obtaining more light?

May I add my testimony to the ones in which we have already heard this weekend. The Book of Mormon does and will add more light into our lives as we not only read it, but ponder the message it contains and then to ask God to open our understanding.

Love you all,

Love Elder Gerrard

Elder Pettijohn has some kicks!

The Enabling and Strengthening Power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ - Week 55

9/25/17

My dear friends,

What an amazing week every week can be thanks to the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we have. This week was full of very interesting and bizarre events haha. We had to move back into a different apartment so my new address till.   There is only a slight ant infestation in this apartment so the lord has most definitely showered us with more blessings from above! I can say that im in winter phase 1 as we are hitting temperatures of 60 at the highest. This is not that cold, but when thats the "winter" temperature of las vegas. You can't blame me right? We got pranked by some of our investigators this week as they recorded us to try and catch our reactions. But being the old prankster that I am.. I spotted the hidden camera haha. Can't say i have ever been recorded before though. We also got a brand new 2017 Toyota Tacoma to drive around ahah it had 60 miles on it when we got it so that has been fun to drive around haha. 

My thoughts from this week come from a few different sources and insights. Over the course of the week I realized once again how much I am under utilizing one of the greatest gifts our Heavenly Father has given us. That is the enabling and strengthening power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I would say that many of us are quite familiar with the redemptive power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. But do we as latter-day saints and children of God utilize the enabling and strengthening power?

I love 1 Nephi chapter 17 because Nephi was asked to do alot of different things in this chapter that I would add.. weren't exactly the easiest things either. 

in verse 3 we read about one of the most stressed and talked about principle in the Book of Mormon.

 "And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness."

We later read in verse 51:

 "And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?"

We can take that verse and change "that I should build a ship" to any commandment of our Heavenly Father that we are struggling with. The key is are we accessing that enabling and strengthening power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ? 

In Elder David A. Bednar's talk " In the Strength of the Lord" he shares a powerful example:

"Examples of the enabling power are not found only in the scriptures. Daniel W. Jones was born in 1830 in Missouri, and he joined the Church in California in 1851. In 1856 he participated in the rescue of handcart companies that were stranded in Wyoming by severe storms. After the rescue party found the suffering Saints, provided what immediate comfort they could, and made arrangements for the sick and the feeble to be transported to Salt Lake City, Daniel and several other young men volunteered to remain with and safeguard the company’s possessions. The food and supplies left with Daniel and his colleagues were, to say the least, meager and were rapidly expended. I will now quote from Daniel Jones’ personal journal and his description of the events that followed:

“Game soon became so scarce that we could kill nothing. We ate all the poor meat; one would get hungry eating it. Finally that was all gone, nothing now but hides were left. We made a trial of them. A lot was cooked and eaten without any seasoning and it made the whole company sick. Many were so turned against the stuff that it made them sick to think of it. . . .

“Things looked dark, for nothing remained but the poor raw hides taken from starved cattle. We asked the Lord to direct us what to do. The brethren did not murmur, but felt to trust in God. We had cooked the hide, after soaking and scraping the hair off until it was soft and then ate it, glue and all. This made it rather inclined to stay with us longer than we desired. Finally I was impressed how to fix the stuff and gave the company advice, telling them how to cook it; for them to scorch and scrape the hair off; this had a tendency to kill and purify the bad taste that scalding gave it. After scraping, boil one hour in plenty of water, throwing the water away which had extracted all the glue, then wash and scrape the hide thoroughly, washing in cold water, then boil to a jelly and let it get cold, and then eat with a little sugar sprinkled on it. This was considerable trouble, but we had little else to do and it was better than starving” (Daniel W. Jones,Forty Years Among the Indians [Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1890], 81).

All that I have read thus far is a preparation for the next line from Daniel W. Jones’ journal. It illustrates how those pioneer Saints may have known something about the enabling power of the Atonement that we, in our prosperity and ease, are not as quick to understand: “We asked the Lord to bless our stomachs andadapt them to this food” (Jones, Forty Years, 81; emphasis added). My dear brothers and sisters, I know what I would have prayed for in those circumstances. I would have prayed for something else to eat. “Heavenly Father, please send me a quail or a buffalo.” It never would have occurred to me to pray that my stomach would be strengthened and adapted to what we already had. What did Daniel W. Jones know? He knew about the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He did not pray that his circumstances would be changed. He prayed that he would be strengthened to deal with his circumstances. Just as Nephi, Amulek, and Alma and his people were strengthened, Daniel W. Jones had the spiritual insight to know what to ask for in that prayer. “We hadn’t the faith to ask him to bless the raw-hide, for it was ‘hard stock.’ On eating now all seemed to relish the feast. We were three days without eating before this second attempt was made. We enjoyed this sumptuous fare for about six weeks” (Jones, Forty Years, 81–82).

The enabling power of the Atonement of Christ strengthens us to do things we could never do on our own. Sometimes I wonder if in our latter-day world of ease—in our world of microwave ovens and cell phones and air-conditioned cars and comfortable homes—I wonder if we ever learn to acknowledge our daily dependence upon the enabling power of the Atonement."

I know this power is real. May we use it. May we also prepare ourselves to head to the words of our modern prophets and apostles to hear what commandments the Lord will ask us to accomplish. We aren't alone in this life! we never are!

Look to the Lord, He will guide your Path! -
Elder Gerrard and Elder Pettijohn

Working the Car Wash!

Grey Means More Wisdom..Right? - Week 54

9/18/17


Hello Everyone,

Man oh man. It seems like the weeks are each one crazy whirlwind after the next! We just got transfer calls again! And I will be staying in Caldwell for another 6 weeks! So thats exciting because this is where I will be when the Temple Open House comes along! Its going to be soo cool to be able to take investigators through that temple! Its just one of those things that will completely change their perspective. This will probably be where I will have to go into hibernation mode also for the winter time. its comin. not sure how i feel about it all ahah!

I do have a announcements to make.. This week I came across a astonishing realization. This week I discovered that I have not 1 not 2 but 4 grey hairs! I really thought i would live longer than this... but I guess you just need to trust in the lords timing right? Everyone has to start looking like their old man (aka Dad) right? 

We had some really awesome tender mercies this week. We are still meeting with a man who is a shama (someone who dedicates their life to the pursuit of knowledge.) So he knows all sorts of stuff. But within his family he has his own version of the brass plates pretty much! the first couple of pages are made out of animal hide but he is currently debating whether to be baptized and leaving behind some of the traditions of his family! We had a really neat experience walking up on a lady moving a couch out of her apartment so we helped her move it down the stairs and bringing the new one into her place and we got to talking with her and she accepted to meet with us this Saturday so we are super pumped! We also have begun teaching this man from Central Asia so we are teaching him out of a Urdu language Book of Mormon which is crazy haha. 

I can definitely look back and see all the things im learning right now from my experiences with Elder Pettijohn and in helping and encouraging other missionaries in our zone. I would encourage everyone to really make the Book of Mormon a serious study to allow the power of the book enter into our lives. It truly will make us happier:)

Love you all,

Love Elder Gerrard

Lords Timing - Week 53

9/11/17

Hey Everyone!

This week was a incredible and blessed week. I had the unique opportunity to witness one of the people that I taught in my first area 1 year ago get baptized. Her name is Shirley. The spirit was very strong. I always knew that she would get baptized back into the church. But once she left back to Tonga I thought I would never see them again. But the Lord showed a Tender mercy as she moved back to that area right before I was transferred, and one year later she has prepared herself to make promises with God. There are just so many wonderful experience that we have on a weekly basis. We got a referral from a member about a  man named Khan. We began teaching him yesterday we talked about the Book of Mormon and how we need to pray about it. His response was," Why do I need to pray about it when I already believe it to be true." Its wonderful to see how the Lord prepares people through Members, Non-members, and missionaries to hear the Restored Gospel. I feel very blessed and fortunate to be a missionary here. I love teaching the Gospel, becasue I know its true. The lords timing is always the perfect timing. next week I will include my talk from this Sunday on faith. 

Love you all so much.

Elder Gerrard