After all is said and done, does it persuade you to do good?

Choir for conference with visiting Elder Christensen

 

I have had a wonderful week here in Terrassa.  Lots of walking and door knocking and fired visits, but a very positive week indeed.  I am finding the joy of missionary work.  I hope it isn't that "click" that you get when you finally get missionary work and then you blast through the rest of your mission and the next thing you know you’re on a plane going home.  Élder smith is my district leader who goes home next week at the end of transfers.  Yes, next week is transfers because we only had 4 weeks in this past transfer to prevent a transfer and mess the week of Christmas, so next transfer will be 8 weeks long.  Fun...

 Random thoughts from the past week:

We contacted a man named victor who is from Ecuador as we were making our way back to piso last Monday.  It was a miracle for us.

We had specialized training last Wednesday and we learned a lot of stuff.  The church in Barcelona had most of the electricity cut off and so we had to meet in a cramped room on the top floors with 2 zones.  We learned a lot.  I got a flu shot too jst like last year except that the people who were giving the shots were doing it really fast.  1...2...3 in and out and done.  Lots of the elders were scared while the hermana did theirs really quick, but not me.  I just looked the other way, poke and done.  Plus I got a bunch of letters from family!  Thanks guys!

We saw meet the Mormons as a ward activity!

We visited a less active and his nonmember wife who had knee surgery last week he was in the hospital.  It was nice to build our relationship with them.  We brought chocolate turron to share with them because all worldly problems can be solved with chocolate, right?...

We knocked a door last week and a woman named Eva and her daughter named Gicelia answered.  Well, we knocked the door and the daughter asked who was it, stuck her head out of the second story building and we got them to open the door.  The mom wasn't very interested because she has the " i believe in God in my own way" syndrome, but we were able to talk to them and hand a copy of the Book of Mormon and the girl was super excited to read the book.  If all else fails, the girl is going to read to book and later in life she'll want to get baptized, but we hope we can change that soon.

I am thankful for the Holy Ghost that gives me comfort.  One day we were walking and it was a cold, humid night.  I was humming a hymn and the spirit touched my heart.  I was filled with warmth.

We had thanksgiving at the Johnsons, an American father who served here in the Barcelona mission many years ago and now lives here with his family.  We had turkey with sweet potatoes and homemade stuffing, but no mashed potatoes.  But we had pumpkin pie and I made an apple pie too!  It wasn't the same, but still a great lunch!

The other elders had a baptism last week and I helped Élder smith get the family to the church in sabadell, another city south of terrassa, with a nice chapel with a font, because we don't have one.  We missed the bus and so we had to walk to the church, and the pregnant mom was huffing and puffing but with faith made it to the church.

We got on a bus that night with someone who threw up on the bus floor and it smelled bad.  One lady almost slipped and hit her head, but I caught her arms.  The old ladies were getting mad at the bus driver.

 

In the fifth Sunday combined class on Sunday we, the elders, helped the bishop hand out copies of the Book of Mormon to members to hand out to their friends.  Also, our bishop always has a copy with him where ever he goes in his work bag to hand out.

Well family I love this work every day a little bit more.  At first I didn't because of the stress of missionary work, but the table has turned and I am facing life with a little more spring in my step.  In my last interview with president he asked me what is my favorite thing about being a missionary? And I said the time I get to spend one hour reading from my scriptures.  It is such a blessing to have a little bit of time meditating over the scriptures and really getting to know about Jesus Christ, especially in the New Testament.  Something hit me while I was studying for gospel principles class on Saturday.  We were chosen before we were born, found in the gospel principles book in chapter 2.  it says "The scriptures teach us that the prophets prepared themselves to become leaders on earth while they were still spirits in heaven (see Alma 13:1–3). Before they were born into mortal bodies, God foreordained (chose) them to be leaders on earth. Jesus, Adam, and Abraham were some of these leaders. (See Abraham 3:22–23.) Joseph Smith taught that “every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was [fore]ordained to that very purpose” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 511). However, everyone on earth is free to accept or reject any opportunity to serve.

We were not all alike in heaven. We know, for example, that we were sons and daughters of heavenly parents--males and females (see “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). We possessed different talents and abilities, and we were called to do different things on earth. We can learn more about our “eternal possibilities” when we receive our patriarchal blessings (see Thomas S. Monson, in Conference Report, Oct. 1986, 82; or Ensign, Nov. 1986, 66).

A veil covers our memories of our premortal life, but our Father in Heaven knows who we are and what we did before we came here. He has chosen the time and place for each of us to be born so we can learn the lessons we personally need and do the most good with our individual talents and personalities."

A little long, but some brain food to think about for a while.  I reread my patriarchal blessing like 4 times this week and after the course of my mission I should have that thing memorized because I have read it so many times.  I love this work that we are engaged in doing.  The powers of the gathering of Israel are truly at work.

I just want to let everyone know that there is a new Christmas video on Mormon.org and that I think you should watch and share it with a friend.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful post thanksgiving week and jump into the Christmas season with a happy spirit of giving and service.

Con cariño

Élder Gonzalez 

Ps put more family photos on family search.org so I can use to show investigators or stories please if you have nothing else to do.  Thanks Erica for the pictures and letter.