Another week in the books. They really do fly by pretty fast, it's kinda scary. I always feel like life is gonna go way too fast for me after my mission. At least right now everything happens within this massive two year bubble I am in....

Any of you that are missionaries (and well I guess anyone, but especially for missionaries!): These scripture references SCREAM getting transferred, haha! Alma 17:13 and Luke 4:42-43. Read em. Pretty funny.

Also, my question for all the people that read this: So I have been having this thought in my head, so hear it out, I'd like responses! Haha. So we, as missionaries, teach a lot of people such a great message of joy and hope and all that, but how do you get someone to even WANT to have faith? Like for someone who Jesus Christ and God are honestly just like nothing to them, how do you get them to MATTER to the people?

Like all weeks, it was pretty interesting.... 

Well actually, in case I didn't say this last week, I ate goat tacos and they were pretty good....

OK ANYWAYS;

I was bad with journal writing this week which means my email might suck but last Tuesday I was on exchanges with Elder Markward in his area. It was pretty fun but really short. We had dinner with one of his Recent Converts and it was just.... interesting. Only word. Ha. 

Wednesday we truly did nothing. Elder Thurston was sick. We stayed home all day. 

Thursday was the LOOOOOONGEST weekly planning of my missionary life and I have no clue why. We have 3 investigators so like.... I don't even understand lol. When we finally got out of the house, Manuel (our investigator who gets baptized TOMORROW!!!!) picked us up and we went over the Baptismal Questions with him and he is all ready to go! We went over tithing also and no problem there! We then went by Luis Rios who is a member who has been coming on and off so we just shared the Articles of Faith with him.

Friday. Well my hair was a HOT MESS so we used our break time to get my haircut hallelujah. We then just walked a crap ton until we had dinner with the other Elders here at the Branch President's house. His daughter gave me a One Direction stick for my nametag, THAT'S WHAT'S UP!!! Manuel then had his baptismal interview and he did great... Well he passed so I assumed it was great. We then went by the Hernandez family because they are returning to activity and their son wants to serve a mission so it's really cool to stop by them! Going over there tonight for dinner:) 

Saturday. WALKED ALL DAY. MY LEGS DIED. We had a lesson at 8 AM yes..... 8 AM. That was weird. It went well though but the people said they'll schedule our lesson mas tarde next time because we were all so tired haha. We then walked seriously the whole state of Indiana and contacted this REALLY awesome homeless woman who is SO ready for the gospel. She is so knowledgeable of scripture and she is prepared. I hope the other Elders are able to get in contact with her (we passed her on as a referral, she speaks English). We then just had a really lame lesson with Priscilliano because we were rushed and it was just a mess. Haha. While we were walking home I saw these two black teenagers playing around and one kept trying to grab a huge rock and his friend was yelling at him now to do it, so I turn around and go "DO IT!!!!" and they both turn and look at me so I walk over there and start just messing with them haha. Then they keep talking about the rock and I was like "Man, y'all aint got time for that!" And I had a sucker in my mouth and so the one kid goes "You right! You got candy though? Cause I DOOOOO got time for that!!!" So I gave them candy.... Haha! 

Sunday was Sunday. Had lunch with Maria de los Angeles otra vez and it was nice. We had Pozole. I LOVE POZOLE. Like SO much. SO good. We then had dinner with the Lara family and it was MILANESA. That's ALSO my food! I was in food heaven to be honest...

SO, that's the week. Baptism of Manuel tomorrow and also Zone Conference, should all be really exciting!

Hasta la proxima!

Elder Groseclose

What a week. Holy wowzers.

I'll start off with a summary. 

Got transferred to INDIANAPOLIS. Yes, I made it to the city! Not what I expected, president finally fooled me. It is the White River Branch.

Address => 6001 Beachview Dr. #283

Indianapolis, IN 46224 

My birthday is March 18. Mark it in your calendars or your missionary planner if you're a part of that missionary gang yo! Totally feel free to send me so many letters. ;D #teamIWILLWRITEBACK

Companion se llama Elder Thurston. He is from Provo, Utah. His mom es de Argentina though so Spanish is his first language. He speaks them both (English Y Espanol) perfectly though. Sorry I am noticing this goes in and out of Spanish/English. Bear with me. He has been out like 2 weeks more than me. We go home the same day though. (May 19, 2015)

The branch here is like..... huge. Hahaha. 

Anyways, Tuesday was the last night in South Bend for Elder Birch and I and it was like totally super sad because they were shutting down our area and we didn't want our investigators to just get lost in the shuffle. Hmph. ): We pretty much just went around saying bye to everyone. One of our investigators is like he busiest women ever and we legit like hunted her down at work in Michigan to say goodbye to her. Ha. When we went to say bye to Ichy and Hna. Hernandez and just that whole household it was SO SAD. They had a cake made that said. "Goodbye Elder Birch and Elder Groseclose. We love you and we will miss you." Talk about heartbreaking. Ichy, our investigator, was texting us during transfer meeting "No se vayan!!!" which is essentially "DON'T YOU TWO LEAVE!!!!" hahaha. 

It's weird being out of South Bend so fast. I loved the gente there.... ): But I'm sure I will be back in that branch someday further down the mission road. Perks of a Spanish Elder. 

SO, I am in the city. I really feel like I am just chilling in San Francisco, it's awesome lol. I am currently on the 6th floor of the Library and can see across the city. Oh there's where the Colts play.... Oh hey the Pacers play in that fieldhouse.... Hahaha, weirdness!!! I have missed tall buildings! Columbus had none, SB a good amount, but here is just like home! 

I am obviously still new to the area so I actually don't have a clue of anything that is going on BUT, we do have a baptism next Tuesday of a guy named Manuel.... so that's pretty sick. Ha. He's super cool younger guy. That will be nice. :) OH, and we had a lesson with people I had never met before but I TOTALLY had dreamed of their faces and the lesson we taught them, LAST WEEK. Like I already knew what they were gonna say. TRIPPY.

Hmmm... what else....we played lots of sports yesterday for P-Day and we did Junior Comps vs Senior Comps volleyball match and we won (JC's) in a tightly-contested matchup. I still got it going, feels nice. Hahaha.

Once I know the area more and the people I will be able to talk more about them.... but until then.... Cuidense mucho! Que tengan una semana de diversion ;) 

-Elder Guapisimo..... PERDON, Elder Groseclose

The view out the library window 

Ichy and family :)

Maria y Rafael. We set a baptismal date for April the day before we left. :)

Pedro! Found him tracting in SB. Love him!

Cake from Sis. Hernandez and Ichy when Birch and I double transferred.

Jorge! Investigator.

BRENDA. Love her. amazing!

Elder Birch and I 

Elders in my South Bend Branch 

Some elders in my district (Do-It-D!)

Quesadillas!!!

Touchdown Jesus!

WHOOF. Brutal! Got calls last night, WE ARE GETTING DOUBLE TRANSFERRED AND THEY ARE SHUTTING DOWN MY AREA. Wow. It was definitely a surprise. It's so crazy......

This week was just crazy. We had two exchanges so our area kinda just stalled for a few days.

We did teach Maria though and it was an awesome lesson and she is doing AMAZING. I am absolutely BROKEN to leave her behind. UGH. ): 

Everything else I am just completely flustered by because of this double transfer so I can't really say much...

I will share something cool that happened though:

So on Wednesday I was going through former investigators and I came by one from 2008 (6 years ago!!!) I decided to call the number and ask for the person. The person answered and I asked for Cesar and a woman, startled, said to me "Why do you need to speak to him?"

I proceed to tell her we are missionaries and that we spoke with him about 6 years ago and we wanted to see if we was still interested in our message.

"Did you not hear the news....?" She tells us.

I answer back that we are new missionaries and we just found his record and decided to call it. She proceeds to tell me that he was murdered back in 2012 and left behind 5 kids and she just begins to cry and pour out her heart to me in grief and after a while I interject and start teaching her about Plan of Salvation over the phone and I manage to set up an appointment. Today is the day we will teach her. What a miracle!

what up! Wednesday is 8 months. That's weird. So anyways.....

I emailed y'all on Wednesday, so even though it's 5 days later, not much has happened. Saturday I was on exchanges in Goshen so nothing really happened that day except that I got to to go to their investigators wedding! So I guess I can tell y'all about Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday :D

WEDNESDAY: We had District Meeting in Elkhart and then afterwards we had some freaking DIVINE Taco Bell. Then legit like EVERYTHING fell apart. EVERYTHING cancelled. OH MY FREAK it was AWFUL lol. I seriously hate getting cancelled on. BUT IT WAS FOR A REASON, we decided due to all the cancellations to visit Rafael y Maria whom he haven't been able to see in a while and oh my heck she is HILARIOUS! She was asking us if there is a scripture that talks about a day when Hell will burst because she believes that Hell bursted and everyone stupid lives in South Bend HAHAHA. We then showed her the picture of Christ holding a lamb and comforting and we asked how it made her feel and she goes; "It's so mysterious, I love it! You see Christ comforting the lamb, but you know in his head he is thinking 'You little lamb are what's for dinner' " HAHAHAHAHA SHE IS HILARIOUS. She tells Elder Birch that he has a light that lights up a room, but then has the power to destroy all the light if he wants, like what? Hahah! Love her! We will get back to her on Sunday....

Thursday was fun! We did Service at the food bank like always and got a hispanic guy Timo who works there to give us his address so we will see where that goes! We then ate at Buffalo Wild Wings. YES is all I can say. We then got rejected so hard by our investigator lol. Like, oh my gosh it was hardcore. Haha. Then Elder Birch accidentally drove the wrong way on a one way road. lol. We then read Joseph Smith History with Ichy and it was great! Well received!

SUNDAY. We had church, no investigators came, but it was still an AWESOME testimony meeting. Love the testimonies that were given. POWERFUL. After church we went to eat with Goshen elders at the Romero's and I seriously ate EVERYTHING in sight hahaha. It was delicious and I couldn't stop. They thought I had to have been sneaking food to their dog, Cosita (means 'little thing') because I ATE EVERYTHING. hahaha. That's what happens when I fast.... We then had another lesson with Maria y Rafael and it was PERFECT. Maria was ALL OVER the idea of an apostasy and totally understands it and totally gets it. After we watched the Restoration movie about Joseph Smith's story she tells us: "I feel it. I can't explain it. There are not words to describe the inspiration I feel. It's such a humble story, he can't be lying." Elder Birch and I almost DIED of happiness. It was amazing. On top of being hilarious, Maria just GETS IT! So much potential there! We then taught Ichy that night using the 2014 January First Presidency Message about setting goals. It says "The Best Time to Plant A Tree Was 20 Years Ago, The Second Best Time Is Right Now." It was a powerful lesson also and so we helped her set some goals to work towards and I am excited for that too! 

That's the week! It wasn't too full of teaching at all, but the lessons were powerful and I am so thankful! I am loving it here, but I miss you all nonetheless! I am so thankful to be a missionary, I am SO LUCKY, or in the words of Sis. Nehring: there is no luck, only BLESSINGS, therefore I AM SO BLESSED.

Have a great week! Espero que tengan mucho exito y que sepan que les quiero BASTANTE.

Se cuidan mucho :)

Elder Groseclose

Letters from Arturo y Ana and family 

Ichy (an investigator) on the far left, then her BF Ivan (Less Active), Noel (Ivan Brother, active), Me Elder Birch, Sis Hernandez (mother of the boys, active).

South bend :)