Happy Mother's Day Everyone

Well this week has had its super ups and some downs too. You can´t have weeks without some kind of opposition or some stress. That would be a boring week. 

 So yeah, my week was not made by the conference that we had yesterday and stayed at a 5 star hotel the night before, or the other 4 star hotel we stayed at for our first, only, and last mission conference last week, but MOTHER´S DAY!!!!!! I got to talk to my mommy and family, who were eating WAFFLES in front of me. They don´t exist here in Spain. It´s kind of weird though. I haven´t seen them in 5 months, but their voices are so familiar and it felt like we just talked last month or so. It´s so weird how fast time flies here in the mission.

Question is what was the conference about the other day. First yesterday was about how to teach the restoration better and how to follow the Holy Ghost. I am so lucky to have such wonderful presidents. They are wonderful, exalted people. Then on Tuesday, we had the privilege to have Elder Dyches of the European presidency and Elder Allen from the head of missionary work teach us about our purpose as missionaries and how to keep on improving ourselves, to be sanctified missionaries, consecrated missionaries. It was really good, but no, we did not get ipads and we don´t know when we are going to get them, so sorry.

On Sunday there was a race in the streets on Pamplona. I was trying so hard to keep my mind focused on the mission, but they were doing warm ups and getting ready at the start line. I just wanted to run out there and take off my suit and just jump into the race.......but nope, not till I come home =)

We visited one of our investigators who has a baptismal fecha for next week and so we passed by the other day and the youngest daughter was so excited to go back to church on sunday that she threw a little fit during our lesson. We found 10 new investigators this past week!

Oh, the other day I did a fast to help with my Spanish ( see mom, caps because it´s a name of a language, yeah I still know a little of English grammar...). And we had a visit with this family and the mother doesn´t have any faults with her testimony, but likes to question things. And her daughter doesn´t have a super strong testimony, and she was just giving her a little caña for it. But the daughter knows English so I bore my testimony to her in English and the mother had no idea what was said, but everyone could feel it. I hate language barrios, but like in the steeple chase, we just need to jump over them, land in the water and keep on running to the finish line.

We were sitting at a bus station to go back to Pamplona yesterday and a man walks up and asks for food, money actually, so I gave him the sandwich I was eating because we are not allowed to give money to people. Also, I saw a man with a Utah hat, but he disappeared before I could say hi. Also yesterday we met a man who was from Holland and spoke really good English and took my photo in front of the big museum in Bilbao called the guginhimer or something like that. We handed him a copy of the BOM to his son.

Well family I don´t have a lot of time left, but I just want to tell you all that we have something that is of more worth than anything in this world. I should know. I saw mercedes and BMWs all day yesterday. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is of more worth than anything because we are becoming the people the Lord wants us to be as we read and pray about the Book of Mormon. The atonement of Jesus Christ allows us to progress forward in times of trials and allows us the knowledge/peace when family members pass on and that we can be with them in the eternities. Family I know the Book of Mormon is true just as I know that my name is Élder Gonzalez. Have a great week.

Con amor,
Élder Gonzalez