Slow week, but much progress

Family and friends,

This past week has been slow as not a lot has happened, teaching and lesson wise. Our focus was on finishing our Branch Testimony DVD project. A member named Brother Butts gave up his time this past week to help us create and burn copies of the dvd. I am happy it is complete, as this week we can focus more on the members and investigators and help them all to progress towards baptism or Temple, etc.

Tuesday in the South area is the day we do service at a place named CRR, or Careers and Recovery Resources. It's a place that provides free services to help those who cannot find a job. It has a department that focuses on the deaf and we volunteer there. A year ago when I was first transferred South, we would enter a room with computers and helped the deaf go to different websites such as sears.com, walmart.com ,etc and show them how to apply for a job online through those websites. Often we would go through the full process and explain concepts they didn't understand. Then as time went on, we shifted and have been in another room where the deaf learn English and have been helping them with basic English understanding.

However, ever since the leadership in CRR changed last year Spring, the activity has started to decrease and it's become less and less busy. We go there and haven't had a much to do. So hopefully we can find a way to help them receive more activity, or find a new place to do service. I'd rather the former, since our Branch and them are affiliated very well.

Wednesday was a great day for us, as we took Brother Brown with us to see Sister Mendez, a recent convert of a year ago. After teaching her, and teaching and dropping him off, we headed down to Galveston. This is an island that's connected to SE Houston. It's literately in the ocean! We had a deaf referral the Missionaries found there, and so we went down to meet up with them. It's so cool seeing a different area than city or country. Beach. Hearing seagulls, seeing the beach and sand, and smelling the water. Elder McGill gets trunky as his home town in LA is the same.

Friday we had an excellent Zone Meeting taught and lead by Elder Mitchell, who is doing a great job as a Zone Leader. You may ask, what did he teach? Good question. I can only remember something about goals, being productive and depending on the Lord more. Why? Because I was interpreting, haha. We had a new member recently moved in the Branch also there, helping team interpret with me.

Sunday was good. We were able to continue to teach our ASL classes at church and they have been going well. I teach the grammar and culture, more advanced class. I have been explaining the difference between ASL and SEE, as well as deaf culture and the difference with hearing culture. We had a good Sunday School lesson and Priesthood was good. We have a member, whom President Skidmore recently interviewed and found worthy to soon receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. We are excited by this milestone and will be working with him to help prepare him to become worthy to receive it in the next month or so.

Our member, Brother Vasquez,  has been stuck in a care center for a few months now, due to his age and his body's reaction to food that wasn't good. He's doing well and is studying his scriptures every day. I'm very impressed because he's deaf, and don't know English too well, but still takes the time to study. We attempted to provide him with the Sacrament Yesterday, with permission from President Skidmore, however Brother Vasquez was asleep and we didn't want to disturb him.

Anyway, our Branch is doing great and we are excited for what happens this next week.

Missionary wise, we have recently been given information on our new Mission President, replacing President Pingree July 1st! His name is Mark A. Mortensen. He's from California and has a wife and 6 children. I may or may not have the chance to meet him, as June is when my release date is, however I'm going to guess that he will arrive early to be trained.

We still don't know who is replacing Elder Mitchell and I, or who the ASL Sisters will be, but I will update you as soon as I find out (on PDay, of course!).

Anyway, that's about all I can think of sharing for this week!

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Gardner