A Tough Week With Some Roses at the End!! (from April 30, 2012)

Hey Family it's good to be an Iowa native today........ mostly because nobody cares about Iowa but hey it's all good

 

Dear President Jergensen

  It's been a great week and the work here in the Des Moines 2nd Ward is starting to get underway. Yesterday at church the 3rd hour was combined with Priesthood and Relief Society. The focus was on the ward mission plan, and it was so wonderful to see the ward get excited for the work. Elder Pope and I slipped a Mormon.org card into each program at church with our number on it and they enjoyed that. I really like to ward's mission plan because it is so simple.
1) Pray- for oppurtunities to share the message.
2) Visit- see oppurtunities to strengthen and encourage members and non-members.
3) Share- Let others know about activities and our basic beliefs.

  It was so nice to see the ward get these steps into action and to tell the ward that we are always available to help them. Elder Pope shared with the ward what an invitation to learn can do to a person and he shared how if he never was asked to go to church, he wouldn't be on a mission right now.

  We are meeting with Sheri tonight and are going to be getting the last preparations set up for her baptism this Saturday. Chris still needs to get interviewed by the Bishop to see if he's on good standing to perform that baptism. Sheri's son Quentin will be there and we are going to extend the invitation for him to begin learning.
  A miracle happened yesterday. Elder Pope and I have been trying to meet with a family that just had a baby for the last week and yesterday to oppurtunity came. We taught about how we are all God's children and how the gospel is for the family and how it not only blesses us here on earth, but also in the eternities and that really hit home with Eric and Heather. Elder Pope did a great job with teaching and giving a sincere testimony and extending the baptismal invitation. We are having dinner with them on Wednesday and then teaching.
  Elder Pope did hit the wall this week with the realization that this is not easy. I knew it would happen because it just happens to everyone who comes to this mission. We had a good talk about finding those that are prepared and really putting to test the "trail of your faith". He is doing a great job and it all payed off for him with the lesson with Eric and Heather.
  It's been a rough couple of weeks with teaching, but the future looks great and I see many converts on the way.

  The district is a little down on the teaching appointments right now so that's going to be a focus for district meeting. I'll brainstorm again different ways to share this message. The Sisters are doing good, but they're having some problems getting their Branch Mission Leader to follow through with the Elder Zwick Questions. Elder Mckeon and Elder Knight are still having some issues with teaching. I'm going to go on an exchange with them and help get all the junk out of their appartment.
  The Doctrine of Christ is real and I'm excited for Leadership this week. Elder Gonzalez Des Moines 2nd

 

Sooooo like the letter above stats things aren't to bad in the area right now. I'm so excited to be teaching a brand new couple who just had a baby like 3 weeks ago. We orignally knocked into them on the night that they brought the baby home and it's just been a miracle to hear how they have been prepared. Eric's stepmom goes to the spanish branch in town and so he already knows a little of what's going on. Heather has had some talks with Eric's stepmom and she said that everything that she says about the church just makes complete sense and that its a lot better sounding then her old baptist church.

   I got a new bike because i had to leave my old one back in Bloomington boy do i miss that place it was so much fun the ward there was great but this ward is just so close nit that man it's going to be tough to leave this one because I just enjoy it so much. So this week we'll be biking all around this place which has many hills which wouldn't seem typical for Iowa but hey to me they are mountains.

  St. George........................ I love that place and will live there if I don't live here in West Des Moines... I have the picture of me and the gang on the steps of the St. geezy temple like a week before i left on my mission. It's cool to think that 3 out of the 4 are on missions and the other got to baptize Drew which would be Devin.

  I did get a letter from Drew this week and he's doing good and is dating a girl THAT I HOOKED HIM UP WITH. It may be a mistake but hey she's Mormon and Drew is starting to internalize the change already in his heart. He has been called as a ward missionary in his AFA Ward. He's going to be something big in the church I just know it because he's got a very intelligent mindset and has the gift of leadership.

  So the current news from the Prison in Provo is that John is getting ready to leave and Taylor is leaving this next week and Luke is starting to get homesick. He'll be fine I sent a letter to him that will make him stay.

  So i want to hear from Jared because i sent him an email and didn't get anything back ;(   

 

  I hate this I get to the library and don't know what I want to say............ The weather ain't to bad.......... I stepped on a weird bug in our apartment today....... It's the end of the month and I'm broke as ever hahaha i feel poorer then a Med student at DMU hahaha those suckers are going through some tough tests right now........ Elder Pope is a good missionary...... the peeps are all gone and the redvines vanished in a day......... the jerky is good but peppered jerky is even better.........  I"m scared of bugs in my apartment now and that really makes me mad because there's spiders out here that make spiders in utah look like Zoe next to a Tiger.......... Ah a miss Zoe with her little meows and the way she just falls on the ground when she's ready for a good pettin........ and i miss a fridge full of food........ I don't miss however the NBA playoffs though well actually I do but I'm not obsessing over it like I have in the past...... I'm still looking good....... my hair looks good........ my shoes are falling apart......... I need more pink ties........... the water here tastes like death....... Elder Pope is from Belt Montana and Virginia which makes no sense.... This letter is going to end because it makes no sense

 

WEll everyone I love you like the fat kid in Mitilda loves chocolate cake all is well in Zion.... just let me know where it is when you find it