The Paddington Project

 

When Elder Gibb (Mitch) was a baby he had a stuffed Paddington Bear in his crib that followed him throughout his toddler years.  As he got older he said he wanted to save it along with his Paddington books and movies.  He and Paddy were quite the pals growing up.  When his dad and I had the opportunity to visit London we couldn't help but notice all the "Paddingtons" there and bought him a small Paddington souvenir.  As Mitch prepared for his mission he informed me he would be taking his Paddington along for the adventure.  Paddy was in his suit coat pocket at his farewell and with him as he entered the Missionary Training Center.  I love seeing these pictures of Paddington enjoying the mission with my Mitch.  Can't wait to see how they like Australia!

 

 

I Love The People In Anaheim

So apparently not only do they have me only email ya'll for a few minutes yesterday, but as soon as I log off my time - they're like " LOL you have your visa!!!!!!!!"

 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I HAVE MY VISA!!!!

 

So when I found out my visa was here we were talking to a potential investigator. She was sharing a really deep emotional thing, and I was trying so hard not to start laughing and dancing and smiling.  Basically I probably just looked constipated!

 

On the bright side -  WAHOO!!!!  I leave on the 10th of February. Just enough time to try and get a couple more baptisms in 'MURICA!

 

Then the night came and it was a crushing blow when I started to realize what I was going to leave behind. I don't understand it, but in just these few weeks, I have come to love my area. To leave them flat kinda sucks big time. It's like the book I read at my farewell coming true! I don't wanna leave, I love the people.

 

My hope is that Facebook will be getting to the Sydney North mission soon and I will be able to reconnect with them quickly and figure out how they are doing!

 

Anyway there is my 2nd weekly update.
 

Love,
 

Elder Gibb

Holidays Just Aren't Fun Anymore!

So basically if we have a holiday on Monday like Martin Luther King Day, the libraries are all closed, and then the next day is like really, really busy, and I only have 20 minutes on a computer and AHLKSDHGAOWIEHGAOEJ!!!!

 

Alright so this last week, was pretty awesome! I had something called pho for the first time. (This would be a good one to ask Ping about) It's a Vietnamese food that is as popular out here as Wal-Mart. It's pronounced fur... I think it's either that or Fu... you pick. I don't understand when they speak. But it was SUPER good! It's got like beef and some weird rice noodle and some broth, and like some green stuff, and like, some... well actually I kinda took a don't ask don't tell policy. But it tasted really good with a little lemon!

 

Ha Ha!  I really thought Anaheim, California wouldn't be a foreign mission but I was SOOOO wrong. I have people down here trying to teach me Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Tongan, and Samoan, so I pretty much just sit and nod a lot.

 

There was stake conference this week and I'll talk about that more when I have more time because we heard from President Eyring, and the whole topic was member missionary work. You got to love it when life works out like that.

 

Any who I've only got thirty seconds and really wanted to send you something so......

 

Love you!

Have a Wonderful Week!

Elder Gibb(y)

 

 

Golden Grove

Jan 13, 2014

 

Well seeing as not much happened this past week, I figured we would just take a moment and talk about my area, because it's the best. Area. Ever. Just so we are clear, BEST AREA EVER!!!

 

Ok so if you have never been down here in Garden Grove some of the nicknames are Garbage Grove and Gangster Grove. If you spend some time down here, there is some validity to those nicknames, BUT soon you start calling it Golden Grove or Salvation Grove!

 

The members here are so cool!!! We don't go a night without a meal. They actually ask us what they can do to help us move forward in the ward and we even have members who are on standby to go to lessons with us!   Like I said BEST WARD EVER! (well until Australia that is) 

 

We might be moving apartments soon because as of recently the tenet below us has picked up a nasty smoking habit, and it is starting to rise up leak up to our apartment.  We just got a candle but when our Zone leaders walked in it was UNACCEPTABLE.  Watching a Texan freak out about us not telling him our apartment was starting to smell was pretty entertaining! 

 

We had one of our investigators drop us this week. He sent us a text that he was going in a different direction but we could feel free to come and visit him. So as in typical missionary status we went as soon as we could to his home, we should up, and found out he had moved, and no one knew where he had gone. Apparently we scared him away from Garden Grove.... WHOOPS! 

 

All is still going well. The work advances and I love being out here every day! 

 

Love Elder Gibb

 

P.S. I lost my note book a while back and just got a new one, don't be offended if ya'll haven't had written notes for a little bit, I've got to catch up quit a bit, Family first of course...

 

I Might Break Out In Thriller

Jan 6, 2014 

 

Hey family and friends!

 

This week was pretty awesome! Our ward just got a brand new ward mission leader! His name is Brother Price and he is going to be incredible! As soon as he was called he made sure we set up a night every week to meet with him and discuss our progress, made sure we had vitamins to take every week (it's like theater all over again) and made sure that his wife made us brownies to eat! He has some really good ideas for helping the ward to improve their missionary work and I'm excited to see how it works!

 

Man the weather has been pretty rough this week, we dropped down to the 40's and it's been a blazing 83ish degrees! (Yea, I'm talking to you Elder Curless) Ha Ha! It's actually really fun in the mornings lately because the fog is so thick! By the time we get out and going it has dissipated but it's kinda like a horror movie when we ride home at night and it is starting to seep out of the big fields, and yet all I want to do is THRILLER!

 

New Years was all fun and games, except for the whole, sending your companion away to Brazil thing. That was kinda a bummer, but other than that we had some Martinellis and at 10 o'clock went to bed! Better than your celebrations I'd bet!

 

Hope all is well wherever you are!

 

Elder Gibb(y)

Once A Gibby.....Always A Gibby

I totally thought that once I got out here to my mission the name Gibby was going to die, I would only see it in emails from home and that would be that. Yet here we are, it took 6 weeks but it's back! Half the zone just calls me Gibby now, and it feels just like home ;)

 

Well it is transfer day, but I'm not moving, pretty exiting huh! Elder Peterson is off to Brazil this week though. He finally got his visa after waiting for eight months here in Anaheim. Found a fun connection last week. Sister Gillette who is in our zone was in Elder Curless' zone back in Provo. She said, "You're Conner's friend - yea, I can see it.  It makes more sense now." Not gonna lie. I felt pretty dang cool!

 

Eleanor was confirmed in church this Sunday and her mother came up from the Philippines. She's a very devout catholic, but she came up to us missionaries and was grateful that we had rescued her daughter.  It was a nice compliment, but was totally awkward. Like really awkward.

 

Last week was kinda slow.  No one really wanted missionaries over during the Christmas holidays, however a couple of them had us over for family parties. Let me tell you, I know some people in this ward a lot better than I did before ;)  I had tons of fun. The best Christmas present was of course the tie that the ward gave me that plays music... HAHA JK I got to see my family! All seemed to be well with them.  Loved listening to Stryder tell me about every present he got!

 

Feeling a lot more comfortable out here now, it's getting easier to teach and to talk to people in the ward.

 

Hope all is well wherever you are in the world

 

Love,

Elder Gibb(y)