Gilmer Again!

Dear Family and Friends,

How is everyone doing? I love and miss you all so much! You all mean
so much to me and I'm so grateful to have each of you in my life. I
hope you all had an amazing week! This week was pretty great for me!
Transfer calls FINALLY happened! It's never taken this long on my
mission to do transfer calls so I was so anxious! But Tuesday morning
we got a call. When Elder Lindsay called I was almost certain I was
getting transferred, but surprisingly he told me I was staying in
Gilmer and Elder Holst was being transferred to Mt Pleasant! We were
shocked! Nobody expected that to happen. My new companion is Elder
Alkonis and we are the Zone Leaders here in Gilmer. Elder Alkonis is
from Claremont California (Los Angeles). He goes home at the end of
this transfer! It's a lot of fun being his companion. We get along
great and have lots of fun!

Tuesday was a loooong day getting everyone transferred. We drove to Mt
Pleasant in the morning and picked up those elders to take them to
Sulphur Springs so Elder Thomas could go with his new companion. We
then drove back to Gilmer for Elder Holst so he could pack. Then we
drove back to Mt Pleasant to put Elder Holst's stuff there. Then we
drove BACK to Sulphur Springs to meet Elder Alkonis and pick him up.
There is a Panda Express in Sulphur Springs so we ate there which made
my day. Then we drove back to Mt Pleasant to drop those Elders off,
then FINALLY back to Gilmer! It was a lot of driving. I was in a car
for a long time that morning. Thanks night was awesome! We were able
to teach a new investigator named Jan! She is the next door neighbor
to the Ibarra Family! She is so awesome! We taught her the Restoration
and she committed to baptism on June 25th! I get so excited every time
we teach her! She is just in the perfect situation to hear the Gospel
and we're very excited to watch her progress and learn and grow.

This week we were able to teach Aber again which made me super happy!
Aber is one of my favorite converts I've had on my mission. She is
doing really well and we've now done 4 out of the 5 new member
discussions with her. We committed her to go to the Temple this
Saturday and she's going to go! We actually get to go with so I'm
really excited! It's also two days before my birthday so it'll be a
nice little thing to do around my birthday. Aber also gave us her
graduation announcement and invited us to go. I don't know if we'll be
able to, but it would be awesome especially because my little sister
is graduating too and I won't be able to go to her graduation. Later
that night we taught Justice who is also doing well. He is set for his
baptism on June 11th! The next day we also committed Christa to go
with us to the Temple as well! I'm so excited for that.

Saturday was an interesting day, because we ended up doing a lot of
unexpected service. We went over to Wendy's house and her Aunt Mary
wanted help getting a pool put up. We had to get rid of all the grass
roots though, so we got some hoes and started digging up the earth! It
was hard work and it also was really hot outside. By the end of it, I
had blisters on my hands! We then ended up mowing the Stephen's lawn
which took awhile. That night we taught Brandon the 3rd new member
discussion. Brandon is so awesome. He reads the Book of Mormon every
day and has such a good heart. He always has the right desires and he
truly inspires a lot of people without even knowing it!

I'm so glad I get to be here in Gilmer another transfer. We were able
to teach 30 lessons this week and I love it! I'm having so much fun
being a missionary and teaching people the restored gospel. I love
Jesus Christ and I know He's real. He loves us and He did die for us
so we can find joy. So we can repent. So we can have help. And hope. I
love Him!

I hope you all have an amazing week! Thank you for always making me
happier. I'm so blessed to have each of you in some aspect of my life.

Sincerely,
Elder Joshua Needles

20 Months!

Dear Family & Friends,

I hope you all had an amazing week! This week was a pretty good one
for Elder Holst and me. We had a lot of good things happen!

Tuesday was Zone Conference in Tyler, Texas! I love Tyler it's such a
good place! It's kind of the "main hub" for East Texans. The meeting
was really good. We talked a lot about our current goals and how we
are refining them so that we can shoot a more concise target. Our
mission is really doing some incredible things right now and we are so
excited to see where all of this goes!
Hopefully we see some incredible miracles in the near future! We got
quite a few new investigators this week. We taught a 9 year old named
Justice. It was a very good discussion and it ended with him
committing to baptism! The rest of his family has been baptized and so
they are all supportive of his decision. It's going to be awesome to
teach him. He is so full of life and makes us laugh all the time!
We're so excited for him!

Friday was an interesting day for a lot of reasons. Elder Holst has
been teaching Spanish people up in Mt Pleasant and Pittsburg. Well,
you can't be the person to do the baptism interview if you teach the
Investigator, so Elder Holst asked me to do the interview... The only
problem is that he only speaks Spanish! So I gave a baptism interview
to Felipe who only speaks Spanish! It was definitely an experience
I'll never forget Haha! Elder Holst was there to translate when we
weren't able to communicate well. I was able to do it and it was a lot
of fun! I really enjoy speaking Spanish! I need to learn more because
it's so much fun! After that, Elder Bair came to Gilmer with me for
the rest of the day. It was a good day with him here. We were able to
have a few lessons so we could teach together!

Saturday was awesome, because the Sisters had a baptism! The person
getting baptized was Lily Adcock. Elder Westover and I found her and
taught her the first discussion and committed her to baptism! It was
awesome to see her progress and get baptized. She asked if I would
baptize her and I was honored to! It was a great service. Sister
Howell & Sister Van Den Berghe sang "I am a Child of God" and it was
amazing! There were a lot of people there who could really feel the
spirit as they sang. I love that we are all children of a loving
Heavenly Father. He truly is our Father and loves and cares about us.
Sunday was Ward Conference and it was a good Sabbath Day! I love
Sundays! I love taking the Sacrament and feeling closer to Jesus as I
do. We also had a small miracle that night! A member referred us to
someone who needed a blessing. Well, she didn't know EXACTLY where she
lived so she told us the general direction. We got there and just
began knocking on doors asking people if they know who she is and
where she lives. We went and knocked on one door and the guy said, "Oh
hey... That's my daughter!" And he sent us to where she lives! How
ironic we knocked on her father's door looking for her. We went to her
home and gave her a blessing. Afterward, we were able to teach her
husband and invite him to take the missionary discussions! It was a
very fulfilling night!

Well, tomorrow marks 20 months since I left on my mission! It also
marks Brianna's 20th birthday! Happy Birthday Brianna! Holy moly! I've
been a missionary for 20 whole months. It's crazy to think I've been a
missionary that long. I'm so grateful for all of the experiences I've
had and for how much I've grown. It's been truly incredible! We are
still waiting to hear about transfers... I'm stressed about it, but I
know whatever happens is right! If I get transferred then I will miss
Gilmer so much! I'm so glad I've gotten to serve here! It's been so
much fun and the time I've spent here has flown by!

I hope you all know how much I love you! I can't express in words how
grateful I am for each and every one of you. I apologize to the people
I wasn't able to personally respond to. This day has been pretty
stressful! Just know that I care about all of you. You always make my
days better! You're such a blessing in my life! Keep trucking along
and I will too!

Elder Joshua Needles

Mother's Day

Dear Family & Friends,

It's another day here in good old Gilmer Texas. I'm happy to be able

to write y'all about my week! It's always so much fun! I had a pretty

darn good week! Can't complain too much especially because I was able

to Skype my family on Mother's Day! I love my family so much. I was

able to meet Keaton (my nephew) over Skype which made me so happy.

It's crazy that it's over. That was the very last time I Skype home

before I'm ACTUALLY home! My mission is flying by and it's only gotten

faster and faster! It was my companion's last time to Skype home as

well before he goes home so we were able to relate about how weird it

is and how close to the end we are.

Tuesday we had a meeting with the Stake President. For this meeting,

we have to make a report with our whole zone and present it at the

meeting. It takes hours and hours on the phone and at a computer

trying to get it done in time! By the end of it, I was so ready to be

done. We were very relieved to have the meeting and finish the report.

Our Stake President was pleased with the report and was very happy

with Elder Holst and me. We increased our average number of lessons

taught a week a lot! We went from 22 to 33! It was awesome and we are

so blessed to be in an area where it's possible to teach so much!

The next day, we were able to go to Dallas for Mission Leadership

Council! I love Dallas and am always happy when we get to go. Brother

Spencer (our Assistant Ward Mission Leader) drove us again so we were

super grateful for that. The meeting was great! Elder Holst and I had

a little scare though. We have a recent convert who has really been

struggling. During the meeting she sent us some texts that scared us a

lot. We had to leave and call so many people. It was very scary. By

the end of it, Elder Holst, Elder Bunker, and I got on our knees and

prayed for her. We all just started crying as we prayed hoping that

God would intervene and help her. We just love her and her family so

much and were very concerned for her emotional state. Everything

turned out okay which was a HUGE relief to us. After the meeting, we

stopped to get some food at In-N-Out Burger. It was nice to eat

somewhere we don't typically get to in Gilmer.

The next day we taught a lot of lessons! We were running all day long

trying to teach all of the people we hadn't seen in a while. We were

able to set 3 baptism dates in the Sisters' area and 1 baptism date in

ours! We were happy to have such a successful day. The next day we

went on exchanges with the Mt Pleasant Elders which meant I served

with Elder Thomas for the day! It was a really good day! Elder Holst

and I realized that night that we were supposed to be giving a

training the next day for all of the Ward Mission Leaders and Ward

Missionaries in the Stake the next day and we hadn't even thought

about it! Being on a Mission, you tend to learn how to last minute

pull something together and still make it look good. We traveled to Mt

Pleasant the next day for the Ward Missionary MTC and gave our

training! It turned out pretty well so we were happy. Afterward,

Brother Pilcher, Wendy, Brother Jones, and Brother Spencer took us to

a "Tex-Mex" Restaurant. It was a lot of fun! Elder Holst and I were

hyped up for some reason so we were laughing and talking the whole

time. Our Ward Mission Leader and Ward Missionaries are just amazing.

We truly love them so much and it was a ton of fun to be with them!

Not a ton happened this week, but I'm very grateful still to be

serving here and serving a Mission.  The teacher for our Gospel

Principles class on Sunday didn't show up so I ended up teaching the

lesson. It was awesome. I loved teaching. That was last minute as well

Haha. Today we got a text from the Recent Convert who has been

struggling and she said that the lesson helped her so much and that

she just wants to read from the Book of Mormon every day and fill

herself with light and truth. It made me so happy! I love my mission

so much. I love all of the blessings God has sent my way and all of

the amazing people I've met. I can't wait to see you all again in 19

short weeks. Transfers are next week so pray that I stay! Haha! I hope

you all have an amazing week. Shout out to Kara Larsen who has a

birthday this week. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Also, I got my little sister's

graduation invitation in the mail this week. MEGAN YOU ARE TOO YOUNG

TO GRADUATE. ;)

I love you all. Joshua 1:9

Elder Joshua Needles

Sick on the Mission :(

Dear Family & Friends,

It's Monday again! Happy Preparation Day! I hope each of you had an
amazing week this week. I also hope each of you know how much I love
you. My life would not be the same without you! This week was a pretty
good one... For the most part! Obviously, life isn't always a cake
walk and it's the same for a Mission. I got pretty sick this week
which was no fun at all, but it didn't stop us from having a
successful week!

Tuesday was so much fun this week, because Elder Holst and I hosted
interviews with our Mission President here in Gilmer. It turned out to
be a really great meeting! President & Sister Taylor inspired us to be
better just like they always do. We also had a lot of missionaries
give trainings. Elder Holst and I closed the meeting with our
training. As a Mission, we have a goal called "The 1-1-1." Every day
we try to get one Gold Member Referral, teach one Gold Lesson with the
Right Member Present, and have one Gold Baptism Invitation to someone.
We try to reach that every day as a companionship and we text
President Taylor every night with how our day went! Elder Holst and I
trained on "Faith & Motivation in getting the 1-1-1" and "How to
involve Christ in your day in order to reach the goal." It turned out
to be amazing! I was so pleased with how our training went, it was
exactly how we envisioned it to be. We know the Lord was helping us
with that training and it seemed to help a lot of people. A cool side
note about that day, we have a Recent Convert who has been struggling
emotionally lately and decided to come to the church to calm herself
down. Well, she didn't know we were all there, but we were able to
talk to her a little bit and ask if she needed a blessing. She said
yes, so we were able to have President Taylor give her a blessing. It
impacted her so much and we're so grateful that the Lord provided an
opportunity for President Taylor to be able to give her a blessing.

That night, we were able to go on exchanges with the assistants to the
President! I went with Elder Westover of course! He was so excited to
be back in Gilmer for the night. I was happy to serve with him again
as well. We went to see Wendy & Little John and they showed him the
cat that they named after us (Weedles, Westover & Needles combined).
Well, Elder Westover was really sick that day and he was happy to see
me so he hugged me for I think it was a whole two minutes. I'm pretty
sure he got me sick... Uuugh. Haha. We dropped Elder Westover and
Elder Huber off at a hotel that night where they would be staying.

Friday, we went on exchanges so Elder Holst could go teach Spanish up
in Mt Pleasant. Well, I woke up that morning feeling AWFUL. Luckily,
we have had Stake President Report to do all week so we were able to
take it easy that day and work on the report. The weather also started
to get really bad. The Gilmer Zone got hit pretty hard with storms and
tornados. Elder Bair and I were teaching Aber when it started to get
really bad. Gilmer itself wasn't too bad, but it scared the people
enough to get inside and take shelter. We went to the church and the
sisters were there too. By this point I was feeling so sick that I
could hardly think. I had a sore throat, I was very congested, and my
body ached all over. I was so happy that night to get home and sleep.

The next morning I was feeling even more sick. I couldn't really rest,
though, because we had two Baptisms that day! We went to the church to
prepare for the baptism. Tanner and Austin were getting baptized that
day. It has been a long time coming with them so we were so happy they
finally were able to get baptized! Elder Holst came back just in time
for the baptism and it was a good service. We weren't able to find
someone to play piano, so I ended up being the Pianist. Luckily, I was
able to do it and it didn't sound bad at all. The boys were excited as
well to get baptized so it was a very good day. After that I could
hardly walk, and I really needed to rest. We went back to the
apartment and I slept for the rest of the night.

This week really was a great one. We had two Baptisms and we were
still able to teach a lot of lessons! I'm grateful that God has helped
me through this sickness. I'm grateful we were still able to feel
successful by the end of the week. I feel exhausted, so we must be
doing something right! At church on Sunday, Elder Holst pointed out to
the Relief Society that he only has three fast Sundays left and that I
only have 4! What?! I only have 4 more opportunities to bear my
testimony in church as a missionary. I love being a missionary. I love
Jesus. I love all that He has done for me. I love each of you as well.

This week is Mother's Day. It's my last time skyping home before I
actually see you all again. I can't believe it. In the spirit of
Mother's Day, I hope you all know that my mom is the best mom in the
world. She has taught me so much I cannot even explain. I'm the man I
am today because of her. She is kind, charitable, loving, hilarious,
selfless, inspiring, and humble. She is incredible. I am so lucky to
have the most amazing mom. I love her so much.

I hope everyone has an amazing week and a happy mother's day. I know
I'll have one ;)

Love you all! D&C 6:36

Elder Joshua Needles