Getting Transferred

Hi Family

 

  Today is Tuesday and I'm writing this letter at a time that would much rather be out doing some work, but we decided that we'd better send some info to the families. We had zone p-day yesterday and then had some teaching appointments that we went to and had to finally get president email off last night but didn't get any time to email yall yesterday so we're doing that now.

 

  Crazy things are happening in the mission and around the church with the missionary work. There's going to be changes in missionary leadership within missions worldwide and just going to be a different flow to things then from the past. Tons of sisters are coming out and the transfer in June we have 2 elders coming out and 14 sisters........... Sucks to be the new mission president that has to put up with all that sister drama.

 

  I'll be getting transfered next week and go to a new area somewhere out there. I'm really sad to leave this place but President Jergensen said I'll be getting one of those "special assignments". Sooooo I'll just have to get my crap put together and get some work done for the rest of my mission. One of those elders coming out in June is all mine and I'm going to run him into the ground and then say "peace out yo" and head back to the 801 and get things done over there. Ames has been such a fun area and i've never been so close to the people that we've baptized while we've been here. On Sunday I gave the Aaronic Priesthood to Ben and he is going to serve a mission for sure. He is doing great and we're going to be getting things set up to get him to the temple and all the other recent converts as well.

 

  We didn't have a baptism on Saturday, but will have one on April 27, I won't be here for it though. Sam will be getting the dunk and he's doing great he's read the whole Book of Mormon in chinese and has just felt the spirit so strong and wants to get it done. So Ben will baptize him and we'll just have the pattern continue down the line where if you get baptized you will be doing the next one.

 

  glad that things are doing good at home and that Tony didn't die at work. He's under good care I don't think that God will kill someone who is converting his neighbor.

 

  College stuff I"m just going to be putting off until I get out of ames so that I have more time to get things all straightened out. For now we have some people to go teach and get going before ISU gets out.

 

  WIth much love   Elder Gonzalez  Ames 2nd

Spring is Finally Here in Iowa!!!!

Greeting Family

 

  It's been a great week and I'm just really excited to be a missionary at this time of the Lord's great gathering of Israel. Wow what an honor to be wearing a black tag on my chest like a bullet proof vest. The work is true, it's just true, it's all true and that's the best thing to know in this life. What a blessing it is to know that Jesus is the Christ, that we come from a loving Heavenly Father, to know that Joseph Smith really was telling the truth by saying that he saw a light and heard a voice, how wonderful to know that Priesthood keys have been brought back to the earth to move the work forward, for without priesthood keys it couldn't happen God is a God of order and must have organization to run things right and my goodness this church is organized and has things right. Now it's just time to get the message to everyone in the world.

 We had zone leader council in Iowa City this past week and we are all trying to get 100 baptisms in May and wow it's going to be a long shot because it should have been brought up a couple months ago. You can't just give a goal like that and not have the names necessary for a goal like that. Elder Herrin and I have really been trying to stay ahead of the game and doing what Peter said to do"see afar off" 2Peter 1:9. Forecasting and seeing into the future is something that I'm trying to learn. Preparation is what this life is about,For behold, this ^alife is the time for men to ^bprepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of ^cthis life is the day for men to perform their ^dlabors Alma 34:32.  Preparation and Organization is the life that God lives. He is prepared, he knows all things because he has organized all things and knows all things because he prepared all things before the foundation of the world. sorry for that rant

 

  Conference was good and we watched it with some investigators namely Sam,and Dave. It was good to hear all the shout outs for missionary work something that has taken possession of my soul. I love sharing the gospel, it's the best, it's great I love it and if you don't then that's too bad.

 

  I hope that Cali was great and that you all had a great time there and that you all got some much needed rest and leisure.

 

  So what think ye of my school options? I need some feedback here.   My mind has been on the future and what school I'm going to go to and wow it's knocking me off my feet. Is it ok if I just live out here and go rouge with doing missionary work,,,, actually I'll transfer myself to somewhere warm like Florida and get some good weather for once.

 

  Ya Brother Silva our Ward Mission Leader and I are always fighting about me being a true mexican and he had to call you dad. He's from Chile and is always making fun of me with Elder Herrin and so thinking I could prove my mexican heritage I said ok just call my dad and he'll tell you, and what do you do............ call me a gringo and I've been hearing that ever since then. thanks for backing me up dad hahaha.... when he comes to utah we need to have him over because he's a lot of fun.

 

  Rumor has it that the Masters are this weekend............ I might just roll over and die, I always get the golf itch over the winter and with the warm weather coming here again I'm itching all over............ Go Tiger!! Well if I have to use the home card this month I'm sorry and really don't want to use it but we're drilling through our MSF card really fast with needing to buy things for our zone and members for thank you cards.   Plus I really like the food here

 

A way that Elder Herrin and I are going to get new investigators is to teach english classes to all the chinese students here at ISU and have our chinese investigators help us with the teaching hahaha it pure genius and all the chinese people will be all over it.

 

 

  1  Elder Gonzalez   Ames Iowa   

April Fools (from 4/1/2013)

What's good Gonzalez Family?

 

  So today is April fools day, and Elder Herrin and I spent the night down in Ankeny so that we could help them with some struggles and I brought my air horn that I got from who knows where and once the alarm went off in the morning I let that puppy go and everyone was shocked as ever hahahaha it was so loud and sooooo funny.

 

  I'm super Jealous that yall are in Cali........ that's just eating me up right now. TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Iowa is great and all but there's a reason that the pioneers left this miserable place and went out west to paradise. I'd rather be preaching on the west coast then working here in Iowa or in Illinois, the same state the Brigham Young put a curse on........... it's all making sense now.

 

  This past week was great but also had some struggles. We where on exchanges with the Marshalltown elders and also went down to Newton to help them out and to see what's going on. There's an elder down in Newton that's just having a terrible time and doesn't want to do anything.........so I gave him a little talking to and it just didn't go anywhere. He just doesn't want to be here and is bring down his companion all the time so we are having to babysit that situation. We also have some elders in the ames 1st ward that are just bringing themselves down because they don't want to follow the freaking book. Makes me so mad and they just bring it all on themselves.

On the bright side Ben was baptized on Saturday and it was one of the best baptismal services that I've been to. He is really excited to be a member and after sacrament meeting on Sunday and after the confirmation he said "wow I can't believe it,well i guess it's official, I'm a mormon". He's so good and he'll go on a mission I know it and he'll continue to learn and convert.

 

  So as I was looking at some more schools this past week to possibly look at when I get back, and BYU-Hawaii is now an option. They have a golf team and they are in the same conference that Dixie State is in and that would be amazing. I would get to play against my good friend Kenny You, who went to Alta and is now on the team at Dixie. I'll just put all that on hold for now but I'll see where it goes when I get back but I just wanted you to know what's on my mind and to help me find some options..... BYU-Idaho is out of the picture(no sports).

 

  I'm so excited for conference this weekend. We had 5 investigators to church and they are all looking forward to hearing the Prophet of God speak this next weekend. I'm especially excited to see how Jared Veach and Ben Turbes do at Priesthood Session when they get knocked on their butts by the spirit when they walk in that night. General Conference is like Christmas for us missionaries.

 

 

    Here's a bit of info from President Jergensen about some exciting future events....

  "Sister Jergensen and I have some exciting news to share with you.  On May 4th the seven stakes that are part of this mission will have a Priesthood Leadership Conference (PLC) at the Iowa City Stake Center from 1-5 PM in the afternoon.  All of the stake presidencies, the bishops and branch presidents will be in attendance to be trained and taught by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as well as a member of the Presidency of the Seven Presidents of Seventy.  

    Sister Jergensen and I are not exactly sure who will be in attendance for the PLC; but Elder Reall, our Area Seventy has informed us that the member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who will be here would like to have an IDM Mission Conference earlier in the day.   All of the missionaries throughout our mission will be invited including all elders, sisters and senior couples.  Further details will be forthcoming in weekly letters.  Please watch each week for updates concerning which General Authorities will be attending this All Mission Conference.  Once it is confirmed I will let you all know.

   The meeting will begin at 9:00 AM and conclude at 10:30 AM.  Each of you will need to be in your seats at the Iowa City Stake Center by 8:15 AM quietly preparing for the mission conference and inviting the spirit to reside with us.  Prelude music will be played during that time to assist in helping the spirit direct the meeting.  Please come spiritually prepared to meet with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and member of the Presidency of the Seventy.  They will certainly look forward to being with you.  This is a once in a life-time experience!  It is a real honor to have both of these great men attend.  More details will follow  about driving and being in Iowa City that early in the morning.

   Recently it was asked of me about teaching Muslims.  Generally speaking we don’t teach Muslims.  We can if they request to be taught or if we meet them while finding.  However before they can be taught a member of the mission presidency, me, President Jeppsen or President Johnson has to interview them to determine if they are citizens of this country or here on a student visa.  If they meet these conditions and there is no threat to their lives as they are taught and might join the church then we can proceed to interview them and teach them.  Before a Muslim can be baptized they have to be interviewed again by me or a member of the presidency to determine if their lives are in jeopardy as well as their family back home.   Under no circumstances should we search for outreach programs to find Muslims and teach them.  We only will do so as mentioned above".  

 

  I'm excited to meet this apostle and get to feel "virtue' leave his body and come into mine when I shake hands with him and with the Seventy guy.   Last week President Jergensen told us in our coordination meeting that it will possible be Neal L. Anderson and Elder L. Whitney Clayton.

 

  Well I really don't know what to say except thanks for the Easter package. There were some really useful things in there and um well I really ummm enjoyed some of stuff in there and still don't know what to do with some of it, but thanks though.

 

   With all my LOVe   Elder Gonzalez  Ames 2nd Ward