Baptismal Dates on the way

Hey Fam Fam

 

  So I was considering not writing a letter today because we are now on exchanges with the ames 1st elders and they are having some internal issues so ya glorified babysitting is what we do. We take raw elders and shape them into baptizing machines, if they are willing to get their minds off of home.

 

  So to answer the question that mom has Ames Iowa is home to Iowa State University and that has about 30,000 students enrolled there.. Iowa City is about 2 1/2 hours away to the east and is home of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.

 

  This past week was crazy and we didn't have a p-day and it took it's toll on us physically because we just work ourselves to death.

 

 We are now teaching tons of people and we have 4 baptismal dates Sara for febuary now along with Jared for the 9th and 2 people for 16th of march.

 

Sipho is a worker for ISU here and is from south africa and he will be gone for a couple of weeks so won't be able to teach him for awhile but he has had exposure in the past to missionaries and is willing to change his life and get things ready to get rolling.

 

  So the word is out and the whole ward knows that Hillary and I have dated in the past and oooo wow she was looking good on Sunday and it was really just trying to keep the focus. maybe we'll have to have her sign up to feed us hahaha we'll make it a dinner and a lesson eh?

  It's so bone cold here that I can't take it. I have still yet to go tracting because we have so many referrals coming our way and it's great and we haven't even started to take a hit at the less-active list because we are just to busy. I'm hungry because we have to skip meals due to our crazy schedule. Please if you have any love for me don't send me candy. I hate candy. I'm so sick of people thinking that all we missionaries want is candy... NOO we want food good down to earth food. . so please don't send candy I do love Beef Jerky and nuts and good healthy food like some good nature valley bars!!

 

  So tomorrow at the university they are having this thing called Club Fest. It's basically where all the clubs have like these stands/booths set up for people to see what clubs are available and we'll get to be representing the Church and the Institute on campus from 11-4 tomorrow. I might just drop over and die from during the event because I just can't take all the good looking daughters of Heavenly Father all over the place. I will stay strong though.

 

  I have such a testimony of doing the right things and letting the Lord bless you for your efforts. We met a man at HyVee(the harmons out here) and he wanted to learn more about the church and we're teaching him and due to his hours and the convenience of his schedule we taught him at 10:30 at night and didn't get to bed until like just after 1. I'm just flat out tired.. don't be worried when I get home from my mission if I just hybernate like a bear for like a week trying to get my strength back because at the rate we're working it's just crazy.

 

  the indian family is still  being taught.... the mission is doing well.... I'm getting some serious wrinkles and bags under my eyes... I still look good though... I'm in need of some new baller shoes though, and running shoes because from all the service that I've done mine are beat to pieces...All in all life is great except for the freezing cold weather. Elder Herrin and I are great together definantly the best comp that I've had, he's a champion.

 

Good luck this week because I'll need it  Elder Gonzalez

 

We are all over the place! My mind is all over the place! My heart is all over the place:)

Hey Family

 

  It's been such a good week and we have been able to see many miracles just come into our lives and into our areas. On Monday we had Zone Leader Council in Des Moines and talked much about what action needs to happen now and what will be the biggest causes for us to achieve our goal of 550 baptisms this year. It's weird to think that besides the assistants, I with 2 other elders have been in the council longer then anyone else that is there. I really just want to be back at a year again. time is going be so fast that it's not even funny. We are already halfway through the month and before you know it the real spring will be here and then the 4th of July and then my bags will be packed and I'll cry my whole way home........... but for now I'm on cloud 9 ( whatever that means) and I'm just loving life in the college world.

  Wednesday: We were on exchanges with the elder in Newton and they are 2 of the most humble elders that I've ever seen. I went out with the district leader Elder Allan and we worked for the entire day out in a town know as grinnell. It is full of old people and that's just about all that lives there and we helped bring aid to the lonely and sick and just felt the spirit very strongly with those people who are preparing to kick it back in the spirit world. We did teach a family that they are working with named the Thompson family. It was an insane appointment and the kids were off the walls the whole time so reeeaaallly hard to teach, but we busted it out.

  Thursday: we were on exchanges out in Marshalltown with the spanish elders. I love the spanish people that they are working with and I feel so stupid that i don't know how to speak my own native tongue..... it's just pathetic, but the food they had was amazing and that's why I'm a bit heavier now then when I came out. We did teach while we were in Marshalltown a young couple from India. I had taught a lot of Indian folks while I was out in Bloomington so I took over that lesson and just straight up told them that if they can't except the concept of Christ then we have nothing to say to them. The husband did go to a catholic school over in India and remembers to peace that came to his soul when they talked of the Bible and Jesus so then the lesson changed gears fast. We taught and testified of the Restoration of the Gospel and it was very spirit filled. I felt very prompted to have the wife instead of the Husband give the closing prayer and she accepted. We taught her how to pray and she said it, and the spirit was so strong that she began to cry. Moments like this make missionary work so successful and rewarding. We invited them to follow this Jesus Christ by being baptized and they said "Yes we will follow". I may not have seen any success in Bloomington teaching the Hindu people but in Marshalltown of all places with spanish elders, we taught Hindu's and they are now preparing to be Mormon!

  Saturday: we had a big meeting witht the whole zone and had to Assistants present and they gave a training and then we role played and we had actual investigators there for them to teach. Jared one of our new investigators came and was taught and touched by the spirit, as well as a lady named Bobbi who is also from a part-member family.It was the highlight of the weekend and everyone was very impressed that we had investigators not to just role play with but to teach hahaha. Our ward mission leader was also there and he gave to spanish elders a run for their money with his ghetto spanish since he's from Chile and is a convert himself.

the ward here loves us and is giving us referrals right and left. with school now in session we have the blinders on hardcore. It's getting so hard to keep the eyes straight forward that I'm going crazy here. Girls are the devil. The Institute teacher is the Bishop of the Boone ward and is a sweet guy. We are going to be putting a ton of fliers all over the campus advertizing the institute and the free Friday lunch that they have there. Walking around the campus during school hours is like surfing during a hurricane, it can be hazardous for your health, but don't you have to worry mom i won't get caught up in the worldly things of campus nope there's not a snowballs chance in hell that i'm going to get distracted from the work of the ministry.

 

  I love you all and I can't give my street address because I live with a member and all mail is to get forwarded through the mission office. love ya  Elder Gonzalez!

I Love Being a Missionary!!!!! (from January 7, 2013)

Hey good family

 

  It's been such a great week with 2 exchanges and having interviews on Friday with President Jergensen in 2 districts and having to work in our area more effectively with the little time that we have been there.

 

  Elder Herrin in from South Jordan and actually chose to go the Jordan High School where he played soccer and football. He stopped going to church back where he was about 13 and was actually really against the church all growing up. His family for the most part is less-active and is trying to get back to church. He live down by the haricut lady and right next to one of my ex-girlfriends house which is really weird and he won't leave me alone about that. I've just been having girl problems my whole mission, and being here in Ames is not helping with my other ex-girlfiend is my ward for goodness sakes. She's going to get us a ton of referrals though! Elder Herrin has been out 1 transfer longer then I have and is 22 since December 3. This is his 2nd transfer as zone leader and we are having a complete ball. We did set a baptismal date with a 16 year old girl named Sara and she is set for the 26th of the month and she comes from a part-member family. Our first week at church last week was the first time that Brother Rogers has been to church on like 20 years and now we're going to be getting Sara ready for the 26th. The Lord is already getting things here ready for us and the ward keeps giving us referrals and we'll be hitting them up this week for sure. I haven't  had to knock a single door since I've been here and that's been a blessing because in a college town you never know what is coming out of that door.

 Hillary is the girl that I went to Prom with. She lived in Tremonton and moved to San Antonio for her Senior year of high school. She is extremely smart and doing a double major in Statistics and Math so ya she's got a lot of knowledge on me, but i'll be a pro golfer so no worries :) She's just  amazing that's all I got to say and all the other YSA students that are here are jealous of our previous hook up. I'm telling ya there's going to be a lot of YSA work going on here and Elder Herrin and I have no fear and we're just going to rock the place and use the Institute as our hot spot... I did tell her that I was going on a mission to Iowa because she knew that she was going to Iowa State long before I got my call. I talked to her for like an hour on the phone the night before I left to the MTC and then the first day that I arrived in Des Moines, at transfer meeting I met an elder who was serving here in Ames 2nd ward and i talked to her there telling her that I was going to Bloomington and that was the last time that I'd made contact with her up until now. There's so many  missionaries here that know about this now and I'm getting a ton of crap from them saying that It's ment to be and I'll end up getting married to her, which is actually a possibility since my previous marriage date is thinking of serving a misison now......... it's just way complicated and so whatever enough chick talk there's enough girl drama going on in my life right now and I'm a missionary for goodness sakes. I'm going to lose my mind when I get home.

 

  SO this upcoming week we have zone leader council tomorrow which is going to be awesome I can tell because we hit our baptismal goal spot on and we'll be talking about a lot of goals and how we're going to reach them. I guess with what president said at our interviews last week that we'll be getting more then 250 missionaries from our 184 that we're sitting at right now, it could be as high as 284 now..... It's going to be maddness for that new mission president. I feel that I need to be in the business world now that I've had a taste of running somewhat of an organization, but this is the Lord's business and it's all about harvesting as many souls as will listen to this wonderful restored gospel and come to the gentle Christ that is standing with arms outstreched waiting to give his healing touch. "Wherefore, as ye are agents, ye are on the Lord’s errand; and whatever ye do according to the will of the Lord is the Lord’s business". D&C 64:29. This is not something to mess around with and I'm going stronger and harder then I've ever gone.

 

  I love you all and i hope that things continue to improve on the home front. I love the current events from back home so keep sending them.

 

One Love Elder Gonzalez   the tall, dark, and handsome one