I'm Having a Boy!!

Great week got to talk to President at interviews and really get to know him much better. He said "Elder Gonzalez I've given you a tough assignment these last couple transfers but you're doing well Only you could do it" that made me really happy to know that he has some trust with me......

 

 

Dear President Jergensen

 It's been a great week to be able to get things done before Elder ___ leaves the area. He is sad to go and I know that it is hard to leave an area that has been so good to you. I'm very excited to be training this next transfer and I believe it is going to be such a great oppurtunity to start this new missionary off on the right foot.
  Interviews went well and I'm glad that we were able to straighten somethings out with Elder ___ and with the rest of the district. I'm really excited to have a new district this next transfer and to start things off fresh, and get everything back into working order.
  We met with a man named Josue and he is interested with learning more of how God can help him out in his life and how he can be free from what his guilts in the past have been. We are going to meet with him hopefully tomorrow and try to get his committment to church on Sunday.
  We had a lesson with Gio and his younger brother Marco on Tuesday night and they are both liking what we are teaching them, but their parents don't speak the best english and so I'm thinking that we are going to hand them off to the spanish sisters. Gio and Marco are doing well with the gospel, but we just need to get the parents on board.
  Sheri is set for her baptism on May 5, 2012 and Elder Steele and I were very excited to have her commit to that date. She seems very honest about how she feels about the church and is indeed excited for this new chapter in her life. Although they were not at church yesterday we are going to meet with them later on today.
  Brandon is not at the progressing stage anymore. We do have an appointment set for Tuesday and we will see what his current status is and then try to recommit him to a baptismal date and to coming to church.

  Again I'm excited to train and I take that position very seriously. I feel more prepared and ready for this one than before.  Send a Good One!
                        Elder Gonzalez Des Moines 2nd 

 

 So yes I'm going to train again and I do take that very seriously and I'm soooo much more prepared for this one and I hope that President sends me a good one and we can just tear it to pieces here in the Des Moines 2nd ward. There is so much potential here in this area and I know that if I keep working hard that good things are going to happen and that the Lord will bless us in our efforts. Something struck me this last week which seems so basic but so powerful at the same time.

 

If you keep the commandments you will prosper. If you don't then you will have challenges in the bad way. I know that President Eyring spoke about praying for challenges but the challenges that he prays for are the ones that the Lord is willing to give us because it will make us stronger. I don't why it had such a big impact on me probably because I was reading in the Book of Mormon and I can across a few scriptures that were complete jewels to me. The first is Mosiah 2:22 and it is King Benjamin speaking to his people and he gives such a strong promise in that verse. The next was when I was having some struggles with my district and with the effort that Elder Steele was giving me and it's Alma 26:27 and I'm not going to tell you what it says because I want you to look it up and have some more meaning to yourselves.

 

It's good to know that I have more hair then my Mom!! crazy...so do you have a wig or something or whats going on there?

So when you say you have poison in your body what the heck do you mean because it seems that having poison in your body is a definate bad thing.

 

Whitacker is going on a mission eh? God bless his companion

 

I've gotten a few letters from my friends in the mission field and also from back home. I do want to get Luke's address so I can write that crazy man hahaha Luke is so funny I love that guy he made the group what it is today. haha

 

So from a few letters that I've recieved it sounds like Pierce is having some troubles being all alone because I've left garrison left and so did John garrett and Luke.... so it's about time for him to cut his hair and get in the game.

 

 I love you all and i pray for your health everyday mom and I wish that I can continually keep to the straight and narrow path.

 

ELder Gonzalez

 

 

ps I won't be emailing on Wednesday because President wanted us to do it today

President Rebuked the Elders!!...Me, Not So Much (from April 9, 2012)

Hi fellas life is good in Des Moines......... Some of this presidents email was cut out

 

 

Dear President Jergensen

   Much of our time is finding and that has been a reason for Elder ____ low motivation to go out and work. We have been knocking doors and contacting people on the trails and streets. We met with some folks who aren't yet new investigators, but within a week or so they will be on their way to becoming investigators.
  We met with Sheri who will be married to Chris on May 1st, and she has a 12 year old son who wants to be baptized as well. We are really excited to begin teaching him and letting him in on the conversations. Chris read through the entire Book of Mormon and says that it trully is the word or God. Sheri now has a study guide and they are going through it together.
  Brandon wasn't ready for his baptism and he doen't have a date now but we will be getting things figured out and get him reading the Book of Mormon more frequently so that he can have that spiritual conversion more fully.
  I'm glad that we are having this Book of Mormon only focus because it will bring Elder Steele and I closer in unity as a companionship as we study and teach from it. It's something that he is not happy about but it will do him good.
  The district is in a bit of a slump right now and I know that Elder Hanna and Mckeon have been struggling and we will continue to work with them on that. Sister Thompson and Neville are having some trouble finding others to teach. I'll going to do some phone calls during the week to see how everyone in the district is doing. I'm glad that the district meetings are now layed out in a more spiritually focused way. That will help keep the mood strictly on the work.
 Thanks for everything and I'll talk to you some more at interviews.
                                Elder Gonzalez   Des Moines 2nd

  So I'm so glad that we were able to have Easter with some investigators at church.  My talk had to be shortened because by the time I got up to talk it was already 11:58 and so I took about 12 minutes and didn't include some of my stories about "Feed my Sheep".  It was good and so hopefully the members of the ward will take an extra step in helping us out as missionaries.

  We had a fun p-day and we played indoor football and kickball and even a bit of basketball. I was way tired after all of that and it didn't help that we had to walk all the way back to the apartment and my legs were done.

  So the work here has been tough mostly because I have a companion who wishes he was home and with his non member girlfriend. It is tough to try to drag him out the door and to get him to talk to people when we walk be them. I'm not trying to complain but it's hard to do something that takes to 2 people and get it to works with 1-1/2 people. I'm definantly putting prayer to the test here and I'm trying to be as obedient as possible so that I can get every blessing that I can. This past district meeting was alright and it doesn't help when you have Elders goofing off and not trying or paying attention as they should. So after that President Jergensen had us ( Elder steele, Hanna, and Mkceon) show up to the mission home and he gave them a talking to and it wasn't pretty. He told me that I needed to be there for these Elders but assured me that I was placed in a tough situation and that he expected much more from Elder Hanna who's been out 18 months and has been a problem missionary for sometime. I do take responsibility for what's been going on but I know that it is ultimatley their decision to do what is right.

 

 

  Ok so enough with all the complaining... some of the cool stuff that happened this week is that our investigator Sheri has a 12 year old son who wants to join in the conversation and since Chris is already an Aaronic Priesthood holder he can do both baptisms.  During our lesson he already was talking about how he was going to plan in a year or so a trip to Salt Lake to get sealed in the temple and I was like DO IT!!

 

 That's cool that you got Justin address I'm not so sure how much it will cost to send a letter to the Dominican Republic so you may want to tell me that one before i load it with 4 stamps. 

 

For sure you will have to send out more pictures because people want to know my past life and the stories aren't doing as much justice without the pictures to go ahead and send whatever you want out as far as that and go aheaad and include any dance pictures with that.

 

FYI .... I cannot email back and forth really fast anymore... it is not allowed because it's just like texting with a computer and like Nephi... I must obey   because i could really use the blessings and it is going to suck but that's the sacrifice that I must make.

 

I love yall and I think that I'm starting to see how Tony has long emails... he uses lots of paragraph space... or he is just a typing demon!!  So i[m finally going to be able to send the memory chip back to ya and get that in the mail since we actually have a car this week with miles.

 

Something cool that we did is a member took us out to the woods and we had a bbq and it was awesome to have smores and hotdogs on the fire.

 

I love you all and I hope that you continue to recover from your chemo and that God will continue to bless as I know that he is.

 

                      One Love   Elder Gonzalez    Des Moines 2nd ward                                Go Bubba hahaha!!!

Conference was Bomb (from April 2, 2012)

Howdy yall it's been a great week and I'm excited to take all the new information from conference and apply it into the teaching. so here's a letter to president

 

Dear President Jergensen

  I'm so grateful for the weekend we just had and for the words that were spoken and the spirit that was felt.  Elder Steele and I are going to apply all that we learned into our proselyting and teaching efforts.  Something that has stuck out to me inparticular is when Elder Bednar spoke on the power of the priesthood and the responsibility that comes with it. It never really occured to me how much the Lord has entrusted us with. Elder Bowen helped teach me more of who I am and what the priesthood means, but Elder Bednar just stuck me to the heart to know that this cause which we are all engaged in so much greater then what we see with our natural eyes. For just a moment in the priesthood session I felt some remorse for not being as productive as the Lord has need of and so I recommitted to being as obedient as possible and to be a more Preach My Gospel centered missionary as possible.
  The visits this week went very well. We have a new investigator named Gio and he is very open about religion and to our message. We are meeting with him tonight and are going to try and teach his whole family the Plan of Salvation. His older sister, Violeta, actually helps out with a babysitting job that the Mulhern's have. She has seen missionaries before over at the Mulhern's and was very willing to pray and learn more when we were at the end of the lesson with Gio. He accepted a baptismal invitation and I'll have Elder Steele extend and date tonight so we can have him working towards a goal.
  I was able to go on an exchange with Elder Mnkeon this week and that was a good experience. We did some service and then went and hit the streets trying to find some people to teach. We can across and lady who is a less-active member and is moving soon and so the 3rd ward elders are going to help out with that. Elder Hanna and Elder Mckeon are doing alright as a companionship, but I do notice some disobedience that I'm going to address and also bring up with the Zone Leaders.
  I do feel sorry for Sister Neville who is having some back problems. She was able to get a blessing from the 3rd ward elders and she said that it helped out. They do have some new investigators and I'm going to keep checking up with them to see how they are doing.
We had Brandon at priesthood meeting and Chris and Sherri at the Sunday morning session of conference with a member. They are all progressing nicely especially Brandon who has a date for the 14th. Chris and Sherri are going to have a Justice of the Peace perform and civil marriage on May 1st for them. So anytime after that she is good for baptism.
                      Elder Gonzalez   Des Moines 2nd

 

Conference was the bomb I took so many notes and I"m trying to put together a talk for this upcoming Sunday in church.. My subject is "Feed my Sheep" So it won't be very hard because that's just about all we do all day everyday. The only hard part is trying to get started haha and if your a true Gonzalez you know the old Tony motto " I'll procrastinate later' haha what a classic, but for reals now it might be true.

  So I'm glad to hear that your doing alright mom and that Dad is taking care of you. I have but one question... how are we going to pay for all of this?? Does this mean that I don't have to go to college and can just work and climb a latter just like Bishop Smith did?  Ah I love the guy he's a great bishop. you should tell him that.

  This past week was a good one and I even got to do some golfing in the morning before studies while I was on an exchange with Elder Mckeon. They live on a par 3 course and so I just took the 9 iron and SW out and some beat top flight and made that course look like childs play. I did stick one to about 6 feet and it looked like it only missed the cup by about 3-4 inches...Imagine that a hole in one to start the day off.... I can still dream right?!

  So this Gio kid is actually a Gonzalez and his parents don't speak the best english so I'll have to enlist the spanish sisters help with this one if I'm to get the whole family in the pool. Gio is the middle child and is a sophmore at Valley High which is the school to be at out here in Iowa. I really like how he is interested to learn more and we have an appointment tonight which I'm soooo excited for because we may be able to teach the whole family and how sweet would it be to have Elder Gonzalez baptize a Gonzalez family out in dirtville Iowa??/

  So the time is getting short and my emails are a complete embarrassment when compared to Tony's because he might be more time... I don't know but these elders I'm with just want to go waste miles running around town and playing basketball which I don't mind because I get to break some ankles and make them mad by hitting some 3's from places that Jimmer couldn't even touch.. ( that's a stab at you dad!!)  but seriously it's a joy to make them look like the Lady wolves from back home. 

 

I want you all to know how much I love you and how much I love mail!!  thanks for the pictures from John's farewell and Drew's baptism they were awesome and I can see how without my presence there some of the guys are starting to look like a bunch of bums.... Pierce especially.. haha so ya send some more pictures from my childhood back home and please send some pictures from my high school dances because Hillary who I went to Prom with goes to Iowa State and she wants a picture and the rest are for braging rights....

 

Dad I need you to send a Letter or something fast before sunday to me about the conversion of Grandma Gonzalez and how she became a member... I don't want your simple answers of " she met the missionaries" but I want you to call Abuelo and talk about how she became an member and then to tell me the story. 

 

2108 Grand Ave #5  West Des Moines IA 50265

 

I love you so much that it hurts... The church is true and this family is eternal and that's all that matters

 

 Elder Gonzalez 2nd ward

 

 

Looks Like We Caught a Fish (from March 26, 2012)

Hey there everybody read this

 

Dear President Jergensen

  It has been a great week with the work here in the 2nd Ward. Elder S and I have been spending much of our time still searching for people to teach and that has been the hardest thing for us so far. We have been knocking a lot of doors and are starting to fill up our potential sheet. Now it's time to start seeing who of those potentials can become investigators.
  The highlight of the week was actually yesterday when we extended an invitation to baptism to Brandon. He said that he had been pondering it over the past week and had been thinking about something that his son brought home from primary class and it was a colored key which read "Covenant, The Key To Salvation". It had just enough influence to get him thinking about how he needs to make that "Covenant", and get baptized. It may have struck him in the heart when on Thursday we were reading with him in the Book of Mormon in 3 nephi chapters 9-11. It talked much about baptism and it's now set for the 14th of April and he had a big smile on his face when he accepted the date. We will continue to teach him the rest of the commandments and get him on his way.
  Elder Fenn and I had a great exchange on Wednesday and I learned from his example that I need to plan out my days a little better so that I always know where we need to be and what lesson we are going to teach at the end of a dinner. I'm going to try and focus more of my studies like he is, which is to dig deep into a chapter of the Book of Mormon and see what hidden treasures and there.
  The District is going rather well at this moment. I'm going to go on an exchange with Elder Mckeon this week and see how he and Elder Hanna are doing. I know that at this point in time the Sisters are also having some tough times trying to find people to teach so this next district meeting we are going to take some time and brainstorm different ideas for teaching opportunities.
  Elder ___ and I are doing great we have had a few different ideas at times, but are getting out and working as much as possible and we have already seen improvements in the work here. Sometimes I have to get his motivation to work going but he's doing great.

                       Elder Gonzalez  2nd Ward 

 

So things are going great here in the area and Elder Steele and I put a ton of miles on our shoes this week because it wasn't our time to have the car, but this week we do.  Something cool that happened was we had dinner with the Knight family here and I told them where my family is from and mentioned that I have a ton of family in Indio and they said that they just moved from there and then Sister Knight said "oh no don't tell me that you are related to Jaime"? and I said yes and we talked about how she knows everybody down there and the Jaime was her Bishop for awhile and that he helped change the lives of one of her daughters and that he's a great man with the little Gonzalez eyebrow raise!!

I had to bring some of the pictures that you sent me to sacrament to show them Erica's wedding and it was pretty cool.

 

So if you're sending a package some of the things that I would love to have is still a role of quarters because laundry is a Killer to the MSF   Missionary support fund  aka missionaries starving ridges account. Also while your on the package deal how about some beef jerky I sure love a nice piece of cow to chew on during studies....

 

 So I''m glad that you are having the treatments done because I know that if you listen to what the doctors say and pray with faith then you'll be just fine. Good to hear what's going on with that but not good that we have to talk about that.

 

 I'm so glad that drew got baptized I mean he was the one who only went to one hour of church his entire life and that was when he was at Sam Butterfield's farewell and that's almost 2 years ago and he said that it was the most boring hour of his life. Crazy to know that he had that happen I wish I could call him and tell him that his life is now changed forever.  I can deffinantly see Drew being a good Bishop one day he just has such a good work ethic and once he starts to notice the good looking mormon chicks he'll be sucked in forever. If there are any of those in the Chairforce!!!

 

So yup I'm starting to get a taste of what summer is going to be like and it's going to be hot and it will probably kick my %$# but that's ok I'd rather burn my knuckles on doors then have them frozen there. I don't understand how Iowa can have both of the extremes..... Just a messed up place I'm guessing.

 

I want all of you to know that this gospel is awesome yes awesome because that's what a less-active said in his prayer this week and it truely was awesome and that as Bishop Smith always puts it " the sky is blue, the church is true". He's a good man and I hope that he is Bishop when I get home..... wow home that's forever away..... not really because Des Moines is my home and this is where I belong.... After thinking long and hard about why I'm here in one of the most difficult missions in the world/US I remembered a part in the Movie "Pearl Harbor" when the men are lined up and are given a hard and top secret assignment and are told that many will probably die and then the sargent says." if you choose this path step forward" and I think that back in the premortal life we all stepped forward with our brother Jesus Christ and said " I will go" and here we are.

 

I love you all and I hope that all goes well with the Chemo and I know that questions will be answered durning General Conference.

 

                                            Elder Gonzalez  2nd Ward