This is Communism I tell you (from July 8, 2013)

Hey Family SO there are certainly some crazy changes with the new mission. Some things that I like and some things that I despise like the plague. So President and Sister Fenn are both from Salt Lake City and have always lived there. President Fenn is the CEO of Century Link which used to be Quest. He is a very cutthroat business centered guy. He's all about the numbers if you know what I mean. Sister Fenn is the daughter of Bruce R. McConkie. She never says anything.... just a really quite person. So on Tuesday the came to Peoria and talked with us and the Assistants came. For 3 hours we just got yelled at about obedience and other stuff on his mind. He's a great guy just a different philosophy about certain things. They have a 19 year old daughter and a 16 year old son living with them in Naperville. So Elder Clark and I have been working hard getting 3 people to church and setting Gerber's Baptismal date to July 20th now.... he's ready. We picked up an investigator this week while walking around at night who used to date a member back in the day who is now on a mission in Mexico. Michelle is her name and she writes him like every week..... that's a good foot in the door. We taught her at the church on Saturday and then had her to sacrament meeting with us on Sunday. She's going to do great. SO on Friday we woke up in Peoria after driving there on Thursday night, and we woke up at 3:30 in order to get 5 of us ready and out the door to be in Naperville by 8. It was a long drive with all of us packed in a ford fusion. the meeting was ok not the best in my standards really. the missionaries a very casual and just not the same. President Fenn wants 300 baptisms between now and the end of the year. That's not going to happen. He is expecting that to take place and the mission just isn't near that logistically and there's a pricetag to be paid if that is going to work and it's the faith and spirituality of the mission, and from what I saw it's just not going to happen. I'm not trying to say that I don't have faith but that is 50 baptisms per month and in june they had 15..... not looking good. I was a little frustrated with what was discussed... lets just say that this mission is behind us Iowa missionaries by a ways. So I'm getting a bit excited of what life will be like on the homefront be please be assured that I have full attention to the mission field. Hillary Chaney is her name SO yea the new mission will be cool. we are getting sisters in the ward tomorrow and that will throw a wrench in things for us. The zone is splitting and I'm going to die off as a DL which is good because I can institute some good fixed principles into some heads before I head out. Hey take care a do some good work. Elder Gonzalez Bloomington Illinois Chicago West Mission