Questions:

Are you running?:  no but I'm doing a lot of push-ups lately and I'm
just loving it.  I'm addicted.  But my running shoes Have a wet tear when I pass by...

Does the power go off on a regular basis?:  no

did the members feel at a disadvantage when playing volleyball as you tower over them?:  yes, one member from chile keeps telling me to "hit with love". I tell her no way,  and just smile. :)

how is the iPad working out during the lessons?: we are in steps right now in using the iPads.  The first stage is going and doing the legal forms.. Stage two is setting up a plan of how to stay focused on our missionary purpose.  We can't use online proselyting yet because we are waiting for salt lake to give our mission the thumbs up so we can bring them to lessons, share videos and use the scriptures and that's about it.

are you still running in the mornings?: no, see question one.

are the members feeding you?:  not as much because the other
missionaries don't like eating visits and we had some problems with
ward calendars, so we have only a Few meals a week, like 2, which hurts because we are always recharging our bus passes every week to work and that uses a lot of our money.  For example, I'm out of money and it's the beginning of the week!  Oh well.

what has been your favorite dessert so far?:  my apple pie I made last week, but forgot the whip cream, but my favorite dessert is zucchini bread from mercadona  or a nepolitani.

have you made any pies lately?:  yes, see the last question.

does your piso have A/C? do you have a fan?: just a fan.  But the
nights are not too bad, just the days.  It is so hot this week.  Happy
4th of July!  As we melt in 100 degrees!!!

Random thoughts this week

I helped a lady throw some trash away when we were in Victoria.

My Spanish is getting better, but still needs improvement, had like
two straight days of all Spanish with my companion.

 

Got your letter mom, but my question is how did you know that Joseph smith is a prophet? What are your testimonies?

I was given caña on the bus by an old lady.  She hit me with her walking cane.

We visited a less active in the hospital and gave him some chocolate as a get well present.

I went on splits with a member on Friday, and I was playing good cop, bad cop with this less active family.  It was strange, but turned out to be a good lesson.  Went to the church and spent the last 10 mins at a ward party/dance.  Awkward as a missionary.

"Find the good in your family"- Antonio, elders quorum president.

Saw my first Honda Odyssey!  I was blown away.  Never have I seen a real mini van and not these vw's or the Mercedes vans.  Yuck.

Well with the rest of the time I have left I want to share a few
things.  First, as of tomorrow President and Hermana Pace will be
leaving for home tomorrow, and president and Hermana Dayton will be taking their place as the 15th president of the Spain, Barcelona mission.  A sad but happy moment.  I don't know when the paces will have their farewell, but I hope you go.  They live in. 2292 edgemoor drive. Holladay, Utah 84117 USA.  Use the church Google maps and see what ward they live in and see what time they start.  They are such wonderful people.  I hope you get to know them.

This week has been really good, too.  The Lord has been giving us some slow pitches to relieve some stress, and I am very grateful for that.

We did not have any baptisms for the month of June, but we worked so hard.  Our goal was for four baptisms, but it just didn't happen.  President says that this mission/ every companionship can baptize every week, and that is our new goal for July, four baptisms.  We have some that are so close.

The work is slowing down this month because of the world famous
holiday in Pamplona, San fermines, aka running of the Bulls.  We have already been yelled at by rude, drunk people who are getting ready for the holiday.  It's about 2 weeks long.  Depending on the transfer, I may leave.  Élder Dixon may finish his mission here in Pamplona.  I don't know what will happen.

Read the headline on the website about the church's stance on same sex marriage.  "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acknowledges that following today's ruling by the Supreme Court, same-sex marriages are now legal in the United States. The Court's decision does not alter the Lord's doctrine that marriage is a union between a man and a woman ordained by God. While showing respect for those who think differently, the Church will continue to teach and promote marriage between a man and a woman as a central part of our doctrine and practice."   My faith is in the lord, and he will guide us in these latter days with his living prophet, Thomas s monson.  We Would do well to do all we can to uphold "the family, a proclamation to the world".  The lord does not change his commandments to adjust to what we want.  We must change our view towards his will and plan for us.  I would encourage you to watch the new Mormon message about the
commandment from l Tom perry(a beloved apostle of the lord) called "Obedience to the Ten Commandments ".  I know this to be true in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Con amor,
Élder Gonzalez
Sent from my iPad

Finally Sunny Skies and No More Rain, I think...???

Questions:

Have you had any stake conferences during your time there in Spain?:Yes
how about ward conferences?:Yes
Which stake do you belong to?:  Victoria stake or estaca de victoria.
Are all the apartment ceilings that low? : well....yes but it depends if I say they are low, or if a short South American person says they´re short.

First I´ll start off with what I have been writing down in planner to write to you all.

The other day we were sitting at a bus stop and there was an ad for the new iphone 6 and on one of the apps was the built in maps app and the picture was a road with i280 on it.  I don´t think anyone here in spain gets it  because that’s an american road sign. 

Next at a different bus stop there was a big ad for a lady in a bikini!!!!These ads are all over the place.  Summer is here and girls are starting to strip the coats and jeans and go for the short shorts that are more like underwear because they block nothing.  lock your heart, ( talk given by President Kimball that the whole mission read when we got to Barcelona).

We were contacting one day and we met a lady who has a niece in Utah on a foreign exchange and we talked to her about it.  She says that her niece loves it in Utah!!!  However, the aunt is a super core catholic and has no desire to change to the mormon side, but would like us to pass by some time and talk about Utah with her niece when she comes back this summer.

I saw another man with a Salt Lake City shirt on, but could not contact him because we were in a car and on the road.  I love Utah!!!!

We had lunch on Saturday with these members from Bolivia in a small, really small town an hour away from town in these deep foresty mountains.  Don´t worry I took pictures.  It was really good.  We had a lot of chocolate and desserts.  With american treats too!  I have come to believe that my favorite south american people right now are Bolivians ( claudia from Castellón who´s in Galicia right now), Ecuadorians, and Peruvians.  Really good visit, but mostly it was for them.  They are a strong family, but live in a quiet town with nothing much to do, but have the gospel in their lives.  They told us of a great miracle that happened to them when they were living in Bolivia.  They said that they were on a bus going to Chile to go to the temple for the first time and they had a day lunch, but when they came to the Chilian border the guards were taking all the food from the people on board.  But when they came to this family, they said they were on their way to the temple and they were able to keep their lunch.  What a miracle.

We had a deep clean at the church and me being so tall was called a lot to help the other member clean high places like the girl´s bathroom, the kitchen, and windows.  I didn´t even need a chair!

In the Barcelona Spain mission, right now we are doing a mission wide preach my gospel program for this entire transfer.  We are studying pmg together as a mission and this week we are studying chapter 2.

A return missionary came home last week and we got to listen to him in church.  He served in Malaga and is about 4 feet tall.  He was baptized a year and a half before he left on his mission.  He is such a good missionary.  I have a lot to learn from him.  He wants to have his family baptized, which helps when our baptismal goal for this week is 4.  We are going to baptize every week because that´s what we do here in Barcelona, Spain!

In the 5th Sunday class yesterday we learned about emergency preparedness and personal finance.  I don´t have to worry about that for another year, but it still worryies me sometimes.

Last week a member named Juan Carlos lost his son dew to a motorcycle accident and left during sacrament meeting because he was just in tears, crying like a baby.  I would if I received news like that.  Luckily a member drove him home, but yesterday he came back to church as if nothing happened.  He is a tough cookie.  The gospel is true and the plan that God made for us is perfect.  There are no loopholes or any errors.  When we die we will live with our family again IF we make sacred covenants here on earth and repent of our sins.  This is why were are here on a mission, to invite others to repent and have them be able to live with their families.

I love you all and hope you have an awesome week, even though a year ago I graduated from high school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That´s so crazy to think about!!!!!!!!!!

con amor,

Élder Gonzalez