Partial letter from Greg 11/20/07

Well I got one package, the greenie one which was awesome! on thanksgiving I will only have 2 weeks left in my first transfer! how crazy is that? it also marks my 8 week mark! what the heck?! haha where did it all go? I dont know. but im loving it. I rode a bike for the first time eysterday! and it was sooo sweet. I got honked at too! haha i was loving every minute. its a lot better because you can stop faster and talk to more people, you get to know the area better and you are more in the action. plus the exercise is really great too. but it makes talking to people that much better when you ride 4 miles to get to their house. but the people here are so awesome. I meet new members all the time and they are soo into missionary work and they have people waiting to hear the gospel. thats the best way to get someone converted is member referral. 98% return appointments made are kept. and 30% are baptized. alot better than 2% for tracting if we find them. so really think and pray about who you can introduce to the missionaries. if everyone in the church invited someone to church we would build more buildings and imagine if 30% of them got bapitzed! thats like...4.5 million people or so! wow!

love you lots, love Elder Malone

Letter to Mom 11/13

Well I went to an authentic baptist church! it was the coolest thing in my life. haha so it was a clapping and praising good time! seriously they would sing soooo loud and clap too! and the choir would get into it and the people would stand up and shout and clap. the piano player would go nuts and just bang on the piano so hard it almost broke. then the drummer would just go crazy too. its all about their emotions and not spirit in it really. but it was awesome. then some preacher guy gets up in military uniform and prays for the people to have the spirit shouting "in the name of Jesus!" like 30 times over and all around me people are crying out amens and hallejuahs. and praise God. instead of saying umm they say amen at the end of every sentence and praise God when he changes subjects. it was awesome! oh an investigator is a minister there so thats why we went by the way not just cause.
umm i do a lot of tracting. IM thinking about joing the navy or army when i get home. this one Elder tells me stories and I love it. And this guy in my ward is in the navy so he flys and I love his stories too. Not any super amazing experiences really. I have just found that my knowlegde and stories about worldly things helps me when I talk to people. which is why I think I would be a good counselor and why I had so many trials all the time. I had pears and cream cheese last night. i heard its amazing but its ok. the ward is really doing well with missionary work. they are all getting into it. this one family has a baby just born with heart defects so its going to die soon. :( but it was only suppose to live a couple mins and its going still. its been over a week so good news there. prayer works. but hmm....thats it i think. i like that scripture you gave me and I love this new one i cant remember it. its like matt7:24 with Christ on the sermon on the mount about faith is not the only way to salvation. not just praising his name but acting in it. its good to read the scriptures. its better to study. but its best to live them. thats my words of wisdom for the week. read from the scriptures everyday for at least 30 mins. do it as a family too. it will help. i promise. love, Elder Malone

Letter from Greg 11/6/07

well another week has come and gone. but still the work is tough. I have a new quote:

"if missionary work gets easy, then you're not doing something right."- Elder malone

i really love the talk that President Eyring gave at conference in 2002 called Rising to your call and I would have anyone who gets any type of call to read it. it really is amazing how this gospel works. I went on an exchange with the zone leaders yesterday and actually learned more from him then I do my companion, sad as it is. but we taught a bunch of people and they all seemed really interested in the gospel. but they have to make the change and put forth the effort themseleves. and thats probably the hardest of all. especially when some guy chooses football over the word of God. Im wondering what he will say when God says, "as a matter of fact I DID send my gospel to your door. Rememeber those guys in ties and suits? that you said you were too busy to listen to becuase your football team was playing?" But Rita is struggling with the gospel. she invites us over to teach but she doesnt show up for her appointments so thats tough. especially on elder rappleye. But I keep the right attitude and look at every door as a new chance to help them. not the effects of an old door. Charles is a back-up baptist minister and he goes to his church over ours. so we are really hoping to get him to church. this sunday is fast sunday so we are probably going to his congregation then taking him to ours. im excited because I love going to those churches where they "praise the Lord! and sing hallelujah!" but im really hoping on those people we talked to at their door to call us. And we are also putting a ton of emphasis on the members and getting them going on a ward mission plan to help them reach out to their non member friends. so we are counting on referrals there too. OH! the sweetest thing happened. this little girl named tara richio ran up to me and said "elder elder! here!" and she handed me a drawing she made of me! it was the cutest thing in the world! and im mad we cant hug little kids so all i could do was giver her a piece of gum. :( but she is only 3 or 4 but still it was awesome, and I carry it with me all the time. but it helps me know more that I am a missionary because everyone calls me elder and I do the missionary work. its nice to be in virginia right now when everyone loves the missioinaries. especially when the world needs it soo much.everyone read up on bill carpenters conversion story. its truly amazing! love to all!
Love, elder malone