Went to the Nauvoo Temple with Bishop Clay to do a session and then vacuumed the spiral steps, all six levels!!  Got a tour after from top to bottom, even touching the bell.

 Always a Utes fan, even when they just plain stink.

Finally, I found "my mission field."

 Just hangin' out.

Drill team practice?

Freezing cold and it's October... I'm going to die!

Well ya that's basically what has been going on.. That box that you sent with all the candy and basketball shoes and socks and gloves has saved my life. Today we are going to play some ball with the high school kids after they are out of school and that will be amazing fun except that there is no 3 point line so ya just have to attack the rim like THE BLACK MAMBA IN OKC HAHA.

 

Umm no but really it has been a good week and there were a couple of days that were freezing cold, then it was back to normal. I'm so glad that I had those gloves and coat cuz I woulda died. We still don't have anyone that is considered a progessing investigator because we find someone and teach them and aren't really able to get a next appointment or they aren't home when we show up next time. 

 

  It's frustrating at times, but it's also really cool when you meet someone on the way that is interested and then teach them a lesson on the spot. There is a mexican family listed above and we will meet with them this next week hopefully and be able to have a more formal lesson and get them to be a progressing investigator. I think that they have so much potential and I relate so much to them because of the family back in cali and stuff, but I feel stupid when I can't speak spanish and I know that the wives don't speak as good as the men. 

 

  I think that something bad is happening and it's the young women out here.... they like me ha I know it sucks I can see it in their little eyes when we go to church or to a family's house for dinner and I feel kinda weird cuz they know that I'm fresh out of high school and they are seniors and juniors so they have an eye for the prize haha.

 

 When I went to the temple it was with only 4 of us and with Bishop Clay and his wife in the mini van. Yea it was one of the coolest things I've ever done and no I hate to vacuum but when it's the spiral staircase it's amazing especially when there's like nothing to vacuum so ha.

 

I'll be sending home my picture chip and that will have some cool pics and a movie at the end that you must see. 

 

 well all is well in the good ole Bloomington Illinois and good things are about to happen. 

 

I love all of you and will try to write more on paper today.... and I love Zoe     ya!!

           Elder Gonzalez 

Have You Ever Seen the Sunset in the Fall on the Mississippi?

Ok so that was that and it's just freaking nuts out here...

Well this week was good and all that I mentioned in the letter is basically what happened mission wise.

 

Probably the highlight for the week was on Friday we went to the Nauvoo temple and was able to do a session and I actually did some sealings for the first time which was cool I suppose. So it's a pretty long drive to Nauvoo like probably .........3 hours almost just because there's no good route to drive and its all just dust fields all the way there cuz all the corn is cut down and the soy beans don't grow tall anyways.

 

So the Nauvoo Temple... It's basically the bomb.com we were there for the 6 o'clock session and then after we had to clean and that was soooo cool. So I was assigned to vacuum the spiral staircase which is like gino and I about cried when I saw the size of it from way down in the basement ya my jaw dropped. So people I don't know about you but if you have ever vacuumed stairs it is tough but if you have ever vacuumed spiral staircases the vacuum is really awakward for the purpose and isn't quite shaped right for the job and when there are 7 floors it takes forever. When we were all done cleaning it was like 10 and and janitors took us on a sick tour of the temple and showed us everything. The assembly hall is so cool and the rumor is that we may have a mission conference in it and then we got to go up to the tower which is so high and we could see the whole city and I got to touch the bell ha ya champion. ... ya we didn't get to our apartment till like 1;30 and up in 5 hours which felt like we got hit with a pile of bricks.

 

so regarding your questions ummmmm ya thank you so much for the package and for that box it is so cool and I love the pictures that you put on it. The basketball hoop is so much fun except you didnt put the ball with it so no ball ya sillly!!!!  um ya I will be getting a bike this week I think and so I don't think that i will need one. Oh my %$$#@ why are the utes losing?????!!! yes yes yes the gps is a must out here and you just need to look on google maps at bloomington to get what i am saying. I'm running out of time so lets see.... I hope all is going well at home cuz its all good in the neighborhood out here and we are just going to work hard and pray for some miracles. 

 

the workouts are awesome and im going to get jacked so that's pretty good 

 

I love you all and I pray for all of you and I do need some prayers out here cuz times get tough

 

      Elder Gonzalez

Serious Golf Withdrawals are Happening!!!!! (from October 10)

so things here in Bloomington Illinois are just fantastic.  Thisi past week we have had some good weather like low 80s which I'm going to miss so much.  We are working hard and have been riding the bieks a lot and even breaking the bieks at times.  This one bike that I was on the pedal broke and I was using the piece of metal that the plastic was attached to pedal on home.  then the other bike that is at the apartment has the worst gears and I couldn't even get it out of the parking lot without the chain falling off and the tools we have can't fix it.  So we took off the pedals and switched them and it worked out.

Elder Harris and Elder Jewett of the Normal ward went to leadership training on Wednesday and left me with another greenie, Elder Hunsaker.  That day we had 2 visits with investigators and in the morning we rode out bikes across town, which took forever, and met with a man namd Ted.  He is a Normal investigator so I'd never seen him before and we tried to teach him about the Plan of Salvation but it turned into if God loves us, why does he let terrible things happen to us discussion.  I bore one of the most powerful testimonies I've evern given andw e were both in tears and he wanted to do what is right and start to read more and to pray at times when he feels God has forgotten him.  At the end of the lesson he asked how tall I was and I said ya know 6'2" and he said taht he ahs a bike for me which is awesome.  He is a rich man and said that he will give me the money to put new tubes and tires on it so when I get the chance I will have a new street bike to get around on!!

I have not gotten any box with my coat and so you might have to call the mission home and ask them if the box is there and if so just find out a way to get it to me cuz winter is coming and I want to be warm. 

Yea, when we were in Nauvoo at the Stake Center just north of the temple.  I will send the memory chip home today and you can see the pics I took.  I only got to be by the temple for pics for about 15 mintues then had to make the 3 or some odd hours drive out to Bloomington trash town Illinois haha no it's a great place I just hate how depressingly flat it is.  Oh, if you can cram my baller shoes in the box, as for the candy...I'll take it cuz I need some snacks.  Elder Harris and I have started to do P90X and it's a killer workout and we have to wake up at 5 to get that puppy started so my day is reallllllly long now.  So I'll send ya the pics of when we started it and over time you'll see the P90X transformation occur and I'll be doing my laundry on my washboard abs ha...true story though.

Ok, I want answers.......WHY ARE MY UTES LOSING!!!!!!  now I'm really mad.  I might bit my companion in the back one night to revenge that loss.

I seriously think that it was a joke when Jesus made the earth to make it this flat out here, he probably said to adam "hey look what I did but father says it okay, so whatever".  I think I can see the curvature of the earth with all the corn cut down.  I'm sorry for saying all that nonsense, but no one is online so I'm just going off about whatever.

The streets are absolute madness and finding someone is down right nuts, so could you send me a GPS.

Well, I love you all and can't wait to hear from ya next week.

(song 249 and I love to see the Nauvoo Temple hahah with Monday night football...I miss football :(.....

Elder Gonzalez

First Full Week

well it was a very busy week and lots has happened and lots to talk about so here it goes. On Monday we got to meet with a kid named Kalob who is my age at the Barry home and he's had some of the missionary discussions but thats been over a year ago and so we taught him the importance of the the gospel of jesus christ which was amazing. At the end of the lesson the spirit was really strong and you could tell that he was interested and so as the greenie, I extended the invitation to be baptized and he accepted! which will take place on October 22. He's so cool and we will meet with him again tonight and teach him about the commandments and stuff maybe even the first vision stuff again.

 

  Other than that we have been studying a lot and have been trying to meet with the less actives in the ward. I would seriously say that we have 100 less actives or part member families just in the ward. Everytime that we meet with them or try to meet with them we end up finding someone on the street that is interested in learning more about it all. 

 

I'm learning so much everyday and our extra hour of study a day helps so much. I've been spending alot of the evenings meeting the members of the ward, particularly the ward council people and have been sharing with them the family mission plan. 

 

The highlight of the week was definantly on the weekend with zone conference on Friday in Nauvoo.  We had to wake up at 4 and be out of the apt at 5 in order to get to the peoria  stake center to meet up with the zone leaders and stuff. At the conference we learned about the restoration a little better and had a 70 speak to us but he's like a 6th quorom of the 70 guy so not that high up. we did spend the rest of the evening there and took some pictures of the place and the elders that were there.

THE SOONER YOU SEND BACK THE MEMORY CHIP THE SOONER YOU GET NEW PICTURES!!!

 

Conference was the best conference that I've ever listened to.  The Saturday morning session we watched at the stake presidents house with his family, and he's really young for a stake president like prob not even 40. So that was cool and then the rest of the time we were at the church setting up the projector and helping the deth with the other tv with the subtitles. I'm so out of food like it's nuts so shopping today is going to be huge.... I'm going to die from starvation. The members feed us good but its the breakfasts and lunches and the meals before bed that are taking out the pantry and fridge. 

 

I now appreciate all the food that I had back at home.... ya sorry I didn't appreciate it as much as i should have.

 

umm ya i haven't received any package yet, but i might get it on friday when President Jergensen comes through for interviews.

 

You should look up where I live it 41 Yoksonot drive #5 bloominton illinois

 

oh ps the leaves out here are changing and its absolutly incredible, but it's as flat as the squirrels that we run over here

 

I love you all and wish ya the best week ever>)   haha chinese man smiling ha

 

           Elder Gonzalez