Transfers

January 21, 2013

 So like I mentioned last week we had the possibility of transferring the both of us to put sisters in our area, four of them. Yeah that happened. We helped prepare the other house and that was stressful, along with leaving our house spotless. Making sure the area book was good and that our investigators would know we were leaving. It was a good area with good people, I will miss it dearly. Last week felt so long, I didn't sleep to much at the end for all that we had to do. President had told us Thursday that we would both be leaving and then Saturday let us know where we would be going. 

     I am now in El Mante, Tamaulipas with Elder Allsup from Herriman, Utah; we are in barrio Monterrey. His Spanish is so-so =) haha this will be fun. So far the area seems good and we have all the necessities and it will just take a little getting used to for a while.

     Elder Lima came here with me to another ward, barrio Morelos.

     We worked a lot and had some good times. 

     I never know what to say, especially right now. I can't remember what I was doing two days ago it is all a big jumble. I just remember cleaning and meetings with our ward mission leader, a capacitative meeting with a few of the ward council members (all were supposed to be there), and lessons. We walked a lot and did some street contacts, I'm getting better at it now. 

     Time is going by so quickly! I know you all have it counted, but I don't even think about it even though everyone always asks. The only reason the time matters for me, is if I'm wasting it. I have learned to love this time so much to learn how to use it better and better every day. Thinking about it now, all of the church commercials, ''family, isn't it about, time.'' What a great way to think about time, like the saying for many families, to spend these two years from my family, to give others the hope, the understanding, and to show them the way to be with their families for eternity. What an absolutely great use of time. THAT my family is what the work of salvation is, our examples ought to be that of going out of our way to help others come to know and remember this great use of time we have to learn and make the covenants with God, and the relationships with our families that will last for all eternities. 

     The fact that I am writing right now means nothing, just that we didn't have time yesterday. I always appreciate your messages when I get them. As of yet I have not gotten the Christmas package. These are the updates of my week. 

     I love you all. I know that I am changing into what my Heavenly Father needs me to become, I can feel His love oh so powerfully and His warm arms as He lifts me when I feel faint or am falling and will be eternally grateful for such truth in my life. 

     Until next week my dear family. I wish to hear from all of you. There are not many weeks where every single one of you has written. But I don't mind, I understand that you are too busy. 

Love

Elder Gonzalez

     -Warrior for the Lord-

Jacob 3:1-2

New

January 6, 2014

Yeah new years here is weird, maybe cooler maybe not, I don't know...but there are tons of fireworks and more of just noise!! Try staying asleep with that, I think not!  Any way, still with everyone out of town the week was a fairly good one. Still working on the preparations for the Sisters that will be sharing the ward with us. 

     With the new year and the new hour for church there were plenty of people at church yesterday, and it's weird to think that we really can have a better relationship with less active members than the active ones who have known them forever. With five minutes of talking we are already having them offer us help, when not ten minutes before they were making excuses to not have a home teaching assignment. Slowly but surely these things will change! New people, not too many to talk to, they all get bundled up and lazy me with my measly sweater thinking the the weather is great! Haha =) it's all good. 

     It feels really good to be helping future Elders prepare to enter the field and also just prepare them to prepare for a mission, them and their families. They look to us and we know it, so we have to be, not just good, but better if not best; in all aspects too.

     I am pretty sure all of the taxi drivers in Madero and Tampico have had contact with missionaries. And sad bunch of liars they are, giving us phony addresses....=( it feels rotten. And even those houses, if they exist, the people don't accept us.

     This week we had our zone meeting, and it really helped. One Elder, Elder Cutler W. said something that really helped me in context of street contacts, ''it´s not getting over your fear of talking to them, it's remembering and helping them to realize that what you have will change their live for the best,''  something like that, and I liked that, I realized that I think about myself too much and that's really my problem right now. The choices I make need to be for others. I have spent about three hours, these past two days, now focused on how to better understand and teach Endure to the end to everyone and I have been able to tear apart several scriptures to put them in perspective. They are amazing and I will never again think of enduring to the end the same way. I listen to the conference talks every other morning and find something new for me or for those we teach every time, I love it. Part of my patriarchal blessing mentions the importance of daily scripture study and so do many other resources I have found this week. I realized i haven't been truly studying, not the way I ought to have been all this time. Now I feel so strangely peaceful, so still. Clear minded. Focused. That's what it does for me, and I need it. I love Nefi and his love for clarity and the plainess of the scriptures, and now I understand it. 

     I can't think of anything more right now, but I love you all!!

 Suzette Happy birthday on Sunday!! Love you!

MAma-The Introducction to the pearl of great price in spanish uses the word Asequible =)

Elder Gonzalez 

     -Warrior for the Lord-

Mathew 10:22