My Last Letter Home

I feel really weird writing my last letter home.  The first thing I wish to write is my gratitude for everyone who has made this mission possible.  I have no idea where the money came from month to month to have me here on the mission.  I have received so many cards and letters, mostly from family, to encouragement and love that have helped me to keep moving forward.  It has been a blessing to be here.  I know that if there is a will there is a way.  I have been blessed by so many who have helped me since the days of primary to get me here to this point in which I am counting my blessing to know that God does exist and that he loves all of his children, even those here in Spain.  I have been raised by goodly parents like Nephi and have been blessed to have the restored gospel in my home since birth.  Many people have no idea what they are missing by not taking a minute and listening to 2 missionaries from the Lord.  I know that this church is true through the struggles that we pass because of our journey through mortality.  The mission has taught me many things that I will never forget.  My mission has made me a more patient, loving, obedient, faithful, knowledgeable, worthy, spiritual, hard working, Christlike centered disciple of the Lord.  I give my hat off (if I had one) to those how have been the blessing of making this mission a reality.  I pray that the Lord will forever bless you for your sacrifice.

Random Thoughts:

Right now I am emailing from a computer store, claro, and downloading the pictures that I have on my ipad to my usb so I can take them home and show you all.

We were passing by one of the pueblos this past week we have in our area and we were walking during medio dia and there was no one out.  We passed by a skate park and it was CLEAN.  For spain it was clean and not even a leaf on the ground.  I have to avoid dog poop in the streets but I found nothing in this park.  

We walked through another pueblo this past week contacting but no one was there because they all work in Barcelona.  we walked past a fresh cut lawn.  I miss cutting the grass.....

We were in our piso and were just leaving to go proselyte/work and we got into our elevator and a woman was in it.  We live on the top floor and she lives on the 4th.  We go down the elevator and stop at the 3rd because someone rang the elevator.  The door opens up and an old woman with a big tray of spaghetti things gets in, but decides not because of the 3 of us.  Fun moments as missionaries.

We had a long hot week in the streets with no one listening to us, but we can´t say we didn´t try to warn our fellow men, like President Dayton would say.  We worked hard.

WE found the "Urim-Tummim".  It was a store we found in Cerdanyola, one of our pueblos, as we went knocking doors.

We were also in Cerdanyola when we walked past a building and heard a square dance song.  It was weird.

We were walking one day and we saw 8 spanish girls up the street coming down and I said " red rover, red rover, send 8 girls right over", but we chickened out in the end and walked around them.

Last week the YW president here in Sabadell lost the last of her brothers and had already lost her parents making her the last member of her family on earth.  To make it more interesting, she is the only member of her family to be a member of the church.  She said that she would have loved to see her family accept the gospel here on earth but she´ll have to do the work for them in the temple, something she is happy to do but would have rather seen them enjoy the gospel here with her.  She gave a wonderful testimony of the gospel and plan of salvation and that families can be together forever.

Well Family I am almost about up with time.  I love the blessing it is to serve here in Spain and be part of this wonderful, holy work of God.  I am without words right know.  I feel like my head is in the clouds.  I feel like I have another normal week next week, like nothing has changed, but it won´t.  My time is up.  The whistle is almost going to be blown.  I will have to say goodbye to the great memories that I have of this country.  As I have walked the streets of spain speaking Castellano I have come closer to dad´s side of the family.  At long last I can speak to Abuelo y concer más de Abuela por medio de las historias de la familia.  Estoy muy agradecido por este oportunidad para enseñar el evangelio de Jesucristo.  I know that God lives and answers our prayers.  I know that Jesus Christ is our savior and redeemer.  I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ and through Joseph Smith, the Church has been restored to the earth.  Our evidence to the world is the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. I know this book is true and that We can come closer to our Heavenly Father by reading and studying this book.

I love you all so very much and Hope you a happy week and I will see you very soon.

Con mucho amor de un misionero de la misión de Barcelona España,

Élder Gonzalez

I Feel Like My Head is in the Clouds Even in the Spanish Sun

Wow it just hits me little by little how much time I have left on my mission.  We had conference 2 weeks ago and it was too bad because I was thinking that it’s still a long ways away until I go home, but little by little things happen in the week that remind me that everything has its beginning and end.  For example there was a young woman who gave her farewell talk on Sunday because my last Sunday here in Sabadell will be hers as well.  She is going to serve in Uraguay and I was just thought to myself "what an adventure you will have".  My mission has taught me a lot of things that I must do to be more like the savior.  I don´t want to spill the beans now but the mission has taught me through obstacles and trials.  My mission was not an easy one for me, but I have learned what the Daytons have been campaigning since they got here last July that we are the creators of our own happiness.  We choose to be happy, sad, to be successful, to feel like a failure, to work, to not work, etc.  We have the agency to choose and we can´t let the world make that choice for us.

Random thoughts:

We had a big miracle last Monday.  we were tracting and we found a less-active family who before when Elder Olaso and I knocked the door the person said that they didn´t live there anymore, but we found this family from Paraguay/Argentina.  They are so great.  The 17 year old son opened the door and we taught him and then set a visit his family on friday and it was a blast.  I really enjoyed our visit because it was a miracle.

I said hola to a dog.  I was running on robot mode for a little bit.

We were walking down the street one evening and we saw these Ecuadorian ladies in their traditional clothing and my pants were longer than they were.  Had I served my mission with Sam, we would have been a giant to these people.

FYI, there are bats in Sabadell.  We see them fly around at night.  Small little things, and hardly make a sound.

We had an intercombio last week with our district leader Elder Tonks and we made a passby for a lady on the ward list that I don´t know.  We rang her doorbell on the street and she buzzes us in.  As soon as I open the door, an old woman was just leaving and just chews us out.  She asked us why we were here and why were we bothering people after a night of crazy fireworks and fiestas and knock the doors of tired people and just some really picky things.  I tell her, "tranquila" ,cool down, we are just going to the 3rd floor, first door to visit a friend.  And she fights back what door is it?  which floor?  who is it?  I repeat with some annoyance in my voice, 3rd floor, 1st door, her name is Veranica.  She just stutters, well, well,well.....and just storms out of the building.  I´m sorry but you are not stopping the Lord’s Work.

Death by heat and humidity.

In church a speaker said the three day más importantes, that are the most important.  yesterday, tomorrow, and today.

We got Luz to church.  It has been 10 weeks since I have had an investigator in church.  that streak will keep going because we did have an investigator come to church but we had a lot of less active in church!!

I had a funny story.  I asked Elder Gibson how to say "refrigerator".  He didn´t know.  So I used to the old spanish trick, ask a spaniard and I said " how do you say...and he said no, I don´t want anything to do with religion.  I don´t believe in God...I just want to know how to say refrigerator...

Well Family.  I hope that you have had a wonderful week like I did.  I enjoy the time I have to be here and enjoy the blessing of serving the Lord with all my heart.  I know that this church is true because the Lord in invested in our wishes and desires.  He wants us to be happy and wants the best for us.  I know that God lives.  Christ is at the head of His church.  I know that Joseph was a prophet of God and I know that families can be together forever.  I Love you all and hope the best for you.

Con mucho amor,

Élder Gonzalez

Hot Day In Barcelona

June 6, 2016

I don´t have a lot of time today because we spent most of our time in Barcelona and were visiting some really cool places.  It is starting to get really hot now and I need to buy some new shoe insoles because my feet are killing me and my knees.  I bought some last year in Pamplona and I´m sure I have put like thousands of miles of walking on them.  The shoes are fine and I just need to buy some insoles.

Well we had a few really good miracles this week when we went to this small pueblo near our city of Sabadell...on foot...and after knocking doors and contacting people in the streets we went to a store called Día and grabbed a quick snack.  I was waiting for my companion and a man comes up to me and asks if we believe in a Hell.  I asked him if it is a place of fire and devils with really long forks, then no;but a place for people who have done bad in this life then yes.  He said that he did not like what his church was telling him about doctrine. we were about to talk more when his friends called for him and he left before we got his information.  He was great.

Random thoughts during the week:

We gave two BOMs to two gypsie boys.  The book has the power to change lives.  However they tried to make us say a few bad words in Spanish thinking we were dumb.  Like repeating everything they say, but no, we are smarter than that.

I was ringing a doorbell of a building and next to doorbell box is a publicity box of random ads.  I picked one up and was randomly looking through it and quickly threw it back in the box with force because I ran across the underwear ads.  I don´t wants those!

We were on a metro to go to sant Cugat, a pueblo we have and the Tic Tac company bought the train we were on and placed large tic tac ads on the floor and ceiling, and it was scented with the new flavors of tic tacs.

We lunched with the smiths.  we ate a brazilian dish because the smiths served missions in Brazil and had an old companion over.  We spoke english, spanish, catalan, and portugues in the visit.

I missed a fate with destiny by avoiding a pigpen trying to go to the bathroom on my head.

We have a fecha with a woman named Rita who is from Nigeria.  She is really nice and said that she would love to be baptized, because she has never done so.  But the only problem we have is that she works of Sunday.

We found America!  We were doing some passbys and we met a woman while knocking doors named America from Ecuador.

We were walking one evening and we passed a bar.  some young adults were calling us over.  Normally I just ignore them because they are usually looking for trouble, but we stopped and talked to them. there were like 7 of them.  We answered a lot of their questions and were able to explain who we are and what we do.  It is just what missionaries are to supposed to do, inform and invite others unto Christ. Plus to help the rising generation to know who they are and what potential they have.

I was so tired the other day that I walked into a door frame of our piso.

We had a magical weekend by having our multi-stake conference.  It was a European conference because it was by satellite and we got to listen to Elder Christofferson and some other general authorities like sister oscarson, the presiding bishop, and another 70.  It was broadcast from Salt Lake from the conference center.  Cool.  We had the wards of Terrassa, Sabadell 1 and 2, and the branch of manresa.  I got to see Elder Montalbo, my old companion, and lots of old ward members.

We were walking to the metro this morning with a bunch of people and then the crowd starting running down the stairs and then I realized why, the train was leaving!  so we ran, with me and my long legs just flying by avoiding the ceoling so i don´t hit my head.

Well i love the mission because I wake up, work, speak spanish, and come home and sleep, contact and teach in my dream and speak Spanish too!  ¡Que Bueno!

Well family I know that the church is true because I see how sad peoples lives are without the gospel in their lives.  I wish I could just "download" the information I have into their hearts so they can just GET IT!  But that is not how our mortal life works.  We learn line by line.  I know that this work is true because I get out what I put in.  I find myself the creator of my own happiness.  I see myself a changed person because of the trials I have each day that test me to see whose side am I on.  Is it my will or the Lord´s will?  Thank you for everything you have done for me.  I hope you have a great week.

Con cariño,
Élder Gonzalez de Sabadell España

ps lots of people have complimented me on my acento(con la zeta), it´s
not american anymore. :)

¡¡¡Feliz dia de los padres!!!

I had this strange thought yesterday as I was getting ready for church and I thought when is father´s day?  And my question was answered in church by a member who was on his phone telling us about father’s day.  Felizes padre!!  Because of the mission I have become so appreciative of having a wonderful father who is a worthy priesthood holder.  I was at tibidabo today and there were quite a few tourists up there.  As I looked around I saw many men who were covered from their head to their feet in tattoos and I thought of how grateful I am that my father is a clean and honest man who loves the Lord and his family.  I am sure that these men were good and decent men, but only one holds true in my heart and his name is Dad.  He has a big mustache and wears glasses and at dinner time takes his hat off and tries to land it on the railing next to the kitchen table.  He knows how to teach his children.  He can bring sunshine into a person’s life with a joke or a kind act of service like working in the garden.  He travels the world and helps children with medical issues to gain their lives back.  He believes BYU is undefeatable.  He makes frequent trips to the temple on saturday afternoons that has left lasting impressions in their families lives.  He doesn´t leave his family behind or alone.  He is strong.  He is brave.  He is the family compass.  He is the mexican.  He still swings the clubs around and still makes belly putters a cool thing.  He still uses his youngest son´s backpack as his scripture bag.  He is a prized husband and father.  He is my Dad

Well this week was week of grinding in the streets and fighting the spanish finger and overcoming obstacles in our paths.  Adversity is the gas that keeps us going.  Without it mortal life would not be fun.

Random thoughts:

So we had our combined zone conference in Barcelona with the badalona zone and our mission president and his wife were doing a practica on how to use different contacting approaches with Athiests, catholics, people who believe that all churches are true, those who are not christians, etc.  President Dayton plays the role of the missionary and Hermana Dayton played the role of a person with prisa.  President starts off by saying that he is a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints and is sharing a message about Jesus Christ and if she had a moment to listen.  Hermana Dayton says "I am in a hurry but you have one minute".  This threw president off and said that this wasn´t what they had practiced and wanted to do a redo, but Hermana Dayton says " no you idiot this is my practica I´m playing the role of the investigator".  Everyone starts laughing and president was laughing too but he was bright red.  FYI our president is not an idiot. he is so smart, pulling all of these scriptures in the bible to trump all other religions and ideas that would try to trump us and his medical and vocabulary knowledge is just outstanding.

I got a text message this last week said that I just won 1,905.555€  Wow mom, i rich!!!  don´t trust everything you see.

Long week.

We sang a song in sacrament meeting as the 4 of us missionaries.  It was super good.  Elder Gibson was on the piano and did an amazing job and we sang "I Know that My Redeemer lives", my favorite song.  It brought the spirit so well and you could cut it with a knife.

Not a whole lot happened this week But I did enjoy this really cool idea I had on saturday while preparing for our gospel principles class on the holy Ghost.  I compared not having the gift of the Holy Ghost like a wifi box.  One who isn´t a member of the church can feel the presence of the Holy Ghost when they are around those who have the spirit.  THey can tap into a spiritual "hot spot" but without having that constant companion they are in a "dead zone".  When one receives the gift of the Holy Ghost by laying on of hands they are able to have 4G coverage for everywhere they go as long as they remain worthy of that gift.  Something interesting to think about.

Well Family i hope that you have a great week and that the Lord guides you in this wonderful world that Christ created.  I know that the church is true.  I have been around the block enough to see the different bells and whistles to see that Heavenly Father is mindful of his children and has given them what they need when they need it.  He speaks through his living prophets today and loves each and every one of us.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días es la iglesia de Dios ha sido restaurado aquí en la tierra hoy en dia.

Con mucho amor,

Élder Gonzalez 

I speak English, Spanish and understand Catalan

Well Family life in Catalunya is a fun adventure some days, and others just a blast, and others a grind.  But we did have a lot of fun little activities and miracles that happened this last week.

Random thoughts:

We had lunch on tuesday and it was super hot.  I was just dying.  And all of a sudden we were talking about our many blessings we have to serve here in this mission like 1)it’s spain 2) safe food 3) speaking spanish 4) my clothes still fit 5) etc.  It was super cheesy but it worked, counting your blessings really makes you feel better.

We had a family home evening with president dayton in the mission home.  We have one every 2 weeks and the mission pres and his wife set it up.  we just have to bring a less-active, recent convert, or an investigator to go.  It was a lot of fun.  The mission president talked about the word of wisdom and the law of chastity.  It was really good.  However our investigator was not the best person to bring because we was upset that we got home a little late on our way back home from the FHE.

WE had an awesome lesson with our part member family, less-active father with non-member son.  I was on an intercombio and taught this lesson with elder peay, from pleasant grove, the companion to the district leader, and it was a power pack lesson reading 3nephi 27:13-22;james 2:17-26 (didn´t use because of time but would have);moroni 10:32-33;and matt26:26-28.  Everything we do in the church is centered on Jesus Christ.  We show our faith by acting.  One way we show our faith is by "coming unto him" and following him and everything that he does and says.  We go to His church and partake of the sacrament which is a remembrance of his body and blood which were shed for us.  That through him we can become perfected.  "this is theway; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. (2nephi 31:21)

I heard a littler girl on a bus, but didn´t see her.  We got off the stop after and walked down to see if the mother needed help but said that she was fine.  I just want to help !!!!

We found 2 miracles by knocking doors this week.  We contacted a less-active named luis who was on the verge of tears because of how hard life is and because he is living away from his family and was super happy to see us.  We found another member who lives in Matorell on the other side of R4 the renfe train  and is just visiting her boyfriend but was surprised to find the missionaries outside her door.

We had a visit with the Smiths again this week and they had some really good stories about their life and missions to tell us and testified to us how grateful they are for serving a mission.  They said that they would not be here if it wasn´t for their mission, literally they’re here in spain speaking spanish because they served in Brazil.  I was spiritually uplifted with something bro. smith said that we  all wish to sit underneath an apple tree eating the fruit of our labor but we can never truly see the fruit of our labor until after this life.

I ate pasta from a real italian man.  We had a visit with this family who speaks 5 languages.  The mom is from Barç and the dad is from italia.  The family speaks Spanish, english, catalan, italian and french.  They pass between languages like it is a game.  I was blown away.

WE had lunch in a bread shop called Girona and had some sandwiches and some pastries after a zone enfoque.  Elder Montalbo is in my zone and it was a treat to see him again!

WE walked passed a mini chinese factory the other day.  A window was open and we peeked in and saw dozens of sewing machines and lots of thread and fabric and fans blowing trying to keep the place cooled down.  It was a mind blowing experience.

The fireworks shops is up and the fire crackers sound like bombs.  Watch out!!!!

I saw a rainbow the other day on the metro to sant cugat.  It must have been the humidity.

So what is it that I hear about a shooting in the usa?  We contacted a man the other day and the gentleman said that if God existed why would he let this happen?  I said, if this life is the only life we have then we have a God that is very unjust.  BUT if this life is only a small part of our existence that we have much to live for, and that God is at the head of everything.  I read that this morning 4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

 5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

 6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 2 thess,1:4-6

So God is wise and will not let his children go un rewarded or un punished for their actions.

Well family I love you so much.  I have to go now to preach the restored gospel to the people of spain.  i hope you have a wonderful and safe week.

con mucho amor,

Élder Gonzalez

Last Transfer so let's Make it a Blast

It doesn´t feel like it but I have 6 weeks left in Spain as a missionary...  My companion elder Olaso is now gone.  We took him to the mission office yesterday and now he goes back home to Idaho mañana.  

This last week was really slow with the conference of President Dyches of the area presidency visiting our mission.  I wished you were there to listen.  It was really powerful.  We learned a lot about our usage of time and how well we should spend it as missionaries. Time =life, wasting time =wasted life, excellent time = great life.  We have planners and area books to help guide our footsteps to do that which is most important so we can be faithful servants of the Lord.  We also learned how to make origomi missionary shirts so that we can use them as cards to leave to those we teach in case we knock their door and they are not home, we can leave them with something to read knowing that the missionaries came by.  We used one last week to leave an apple pie to a member family and they just love the pie and paper missionary shirt.  We met in the big church in Barcelona with 5 out of the 8 zones of our mission because our mission is too big to do a mission conference.  the other zones met in Bilbao.  I got to meet a few old companions.

RAndom thoughts:

We are teaching a woman named Raquel who we met in the street a few weeks ago really quickly and now she is progressing really well.  Last week we were teaching her and she had a shirt that said RIVERTON on it.  She has desires to change and  come close to our Heavenly Father.

Crazy last week with Elder Olaso.  Lots of visits to members.  Lots of food.

The heat is coming in.

We helped a new family move into the ward.  the husband is catalan and the wife is ecuadorian.

I got a hair cut.

We had conference on thursday and we had some elders come from the islands come and stay over with us.  Elder Olaso and I were able to make it to the conference on time the next day while the others came late missing their train.

I have a new temple recommend, and president Dayton said that it may be my only recommend I will ever have in spanish.  It was made only valid for three months till I come home and get a new one.

We met a less-active last week who was baptized into the church after being in a coma for 19 YEARS!!!!  He knows that God has a plan for everyone, But he is looking around at other churches because he is losing his testimony.

I made 2 apple pies for our visits last week.

We had our 5th sunday lesson in church and we learned about the family services that the church has produced so that family can be more united and strengthened.

And Finaly the most important thing is that I have a new companion named Élder Gibson from Idaho.  He has red hair and came from Sant Sabastian, the most beautiful place in our mission to the not so good looking place in our mission.  He has about 1 year and 5 months on the mission.

I know that this work that we are engaged is true.  It is led by living prophets and apostles, and the chief corner stone is Jesus Christ (Véase Efesios 4:11-14).  Our adversity is but a small moment.  Dad sent me a scripture to read about a year ago and I read it in my new testament reading this week 2 Cor. 12:9-10.  I love the work that we get to do as missionaries.  Thank you for you prayer and love.  Have a great week.

Con Cariñó,

Élder Gonzalez

Last Week With Elder Olaso :(

So this is the last week of the transfer and I'm :with Élder olaso as he is hobbling along on his little can ( because he is closer to the airplane than I am, if you know what I mean, he leaves next Wednesday for home).  So as I finish the week with him, I push the trunky thoughts out of mind to remain focused for my next transfer.

Well today for preparation day we had a bbq at the church as a district and some members from sabadell 1.  I made a pie but our oven broke, so I had to carry the pie over by bus and cook it in the oven there.  I also got a haircut for our mission tour this week with president Dyckes from the area presidency of Europe.  He is a great man, I love him a lot.  So that'll be on Thursday morning and we are going to have elders coming out from the islands to stay with us overnight and go to conference with us for the next morning.

We had stake conference this week and it was a lot of fun to see members from Terrassa for the last time because  none of us expected to see each other. But I kind of got this look of " oh, it's you, haven’t seen you in a while, like 2 months".  It hasn't felt like I have been gone for that long from them.  So we had a member from the temple presidency speak to us about temple and family history work.  Something he said struck me.  We need the youth to get on with the
family history work because they understand the technology better than the older generation.  Plus they refocused the stake on our plan de Europa on our three main goals which is to bring a friend to church, become autosuficient,self reliant, both temporally and spiritually, and bring one name to the temple.  President Dayton talked about the importance of repentance and Hermana Dayton talked about listening to the spirit when she gave a great story about how she helped a young mother with a 9 month child and while pregnant to find food and work through the church's welfare program.

Random thought:

Our oven broke.  I learned that our life is full of imperfections and unloved delays.  Some times we make apple pies and stick it in an oven to come back 30 minutes later to find out that nothing happened.  We have to not just live with imperfections of mortal life, and not
just with live with what we've got but to also have hope for a better world in the life to come. This hope we speak of is a knowledge of our Savior’s resurrection, which brings about His infinite Atonement.

Man walks on bus with shoulder pads for FOOTBALL!

Hermana Lasson, from France, hurt her leg on Saturday and is on crutches.

We passed by a shop that sells BOMs.  But not Books of Mormon.

We were knocking some doors.  we knocked a door and a young woman opens the door with not much on, asks who we are then calls for her boyfriend and a man without a shirt opens up and we talk to him and gave him a Book of Mormon.

The hymns helped me this week when we're in a train and there were a bunch of women and men immodestly dressed.  Sang a few hymns and brought peace to my soul.

We were walking back to piso and a man named Gustavo from Brazil stops us and says that he was investigating the church in Brazil with a friend and is now living here in Spain.  He even had the Gospel library app.

I had an intercombio with Élder Jensen from my piso and we did some contacting and passbys.  We passed by a woman named Raquel and we talked a lot about how through Christ we can have a new life, because she was in places that she didn't want to be in anymore physically and emotionally.  We have a visit with her today.

We met a woman from South Africa last week who speaks English and we were able to talk to her about the church and has lot is interest to learn more.

I met Carlos Castro yesterday while I was on the  metro.  He is an investigator from Rubí.  He was super happy to see me and he just loves the missionaries.

We were walking down the street yesterday and we rang the door bell of a building.  I was standing by entranceway of the building and 2 women walked by and then like 15 seconds later  one of them comes back and asks us if we are Mormons.  We said yes, and she said that she is a Mormon but has been less-active for like 10-15 years and asked us if she could have a Book of Mormon.  Of course we gave her one.  So we'll pass by this week.

Well family this has been a better week for me.  I have learned a lot from my mistakes. I know the church is true and is being led by living prophets and apostles.

Con cariño,
Élder Gonzalez
Sent from my iPad

Cleaning Day Means Preparation Day

So today is a holiday and all the shops are closed so we couldn´t buy food today so we are going to buy sometime this week so we don´t starve to death.  We just stayed home for most of the day and took a breather and relaxed a bit.  The other 2 elders went to the mission office so they were gone for most of the day and my companion took a nap. I took the privilege of cleaning our piso.  Not because they told me to do it, but for me it helps to destress.  What destress?  For me I can put all of my thoughts and pains on one thing which can be cleaned, this stain off the stove or cleaning the dishes.  It puts me into a world where Ican clean my thoughts of the life of a missionary and the life of a normal person for a second, so I cleaned our windows, all of them, the stove and counter top, dishes, floors and mopping, cleaning our loft where we sleep on the second floor (super cool to have a second floor), wrangled up some dust bunnies, etc.  The weather has been getting warmer here in Sabadell and it is nice to have light all the way up til 9:30.

Random thoughts:

we had district meeting last week and we always do our recitations before the meeting.  we had the door open and a worker who was fixing the church walked by.  Must think we are robots or something.

It´s official, red lights are from the devil!

I saw a rolls royce, the british luxury car.

We were called a false church from a woman at the timbre, doorbell.

Bird climbs into heat exhaust of house.

Romans 15:24,28-29

 24 Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will cometo you: for I trust to see you in my 

journey, and to bebrought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.

28 When therefore I have performed this, and have sealedto them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.

 29 And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

Romans 15:24, 28. Did Paul Ever Journey to Spain?

Paul intended ultimately to travel to Spain (see Romans15:24, 28). Though it is notknown for certain whether

Paul ever made it to Spain.  There is some evidence suggesting that he did fulfill this desire: “Writing aboutA.D. 96, Clement of Rome said that Paul had reached the ‘boundaries’ or ‘limits of the west,’ a phrase far more appropriate for Spain than for Rome. The early Muratorian Fragment also says that Paul visited Spain,though its source of information is 

debated” (RichardLloyd Anderson, Understanding Paul, rev. ed. [2007],311–12).I´m fulfilling a prophecy!

We had lunch with the Smiths and we had a form of Taco soup with tortilla chips and cilantro.  Yum!  American family with a mexican soup!

So this week was a little rough for me.  It all started with being full of stress. Then my companion got sick so we stayed in piso for friday morning.  I did some cleaning and some organizing.  We live on the fifth floor of our building and have a laundry rack outside our window.  I was cleaning the bathroom and I took the rugs out to dry on the racks.  It wasn´t very windy, but the wind had blown the rugs off the racks and on to the roof of our neighbors who live next to us and 2 floors down.  And Now I had to retrieve them.  It isn’t really the fact that I lost the rugs, but it´s more the fact that my companion said something that put my on edge so I had this battle of trying to understand why is it that I try doing something that I feel like I can only get 70-80% done right but always falter a big chunk left?  I just can´t make par.  It took a lot of prayers and studying to realize that we are all imperfect people and have to constantly rely on a perfect person to save us from our imperfections and his name is Jesus Christ.  More things happened this week that just pushed me to my limits, but right now I´m trying to cool off and rest again, pero me cuesta mucho.

Rain

mom at church was helping a toddler blow his nose and the boy kept saying "déjame en paz"  or " leave me in peace!"

Well family, the mission is like a refiner´s fire, because it is, especially in Europe.  We have our ups and downs, but we just have to endure to the end, and like Neal A. Maxwell says, we have to endure it well.  We can be better or bitter so I´m trying to make the best with what I have and like Joseph B. Worthlin said " come what may and love it."  After all the conflicts we have in the streets, the book of mormon is true and this is THE church of Jesus Christ.  I hope you have a great week, and God bless you with happiness and love.

Con amor por el día de preparación y por zapatos que no son rotos,

Élder Gonzalez de El Faro, España

Happy Mother's Day and Hola (two weeks' worth of emails)

 It was a treat yesterday to talk with my family.  Wow, the weirdest part about it all was that it felt like I just talked with you last week or something.  Time flies by when you are teaching the gospel.  

Well today for preparation day we played volleyball in the rain as a district at the church. I destroyed some old garments found in piso by old missionaries and cleaned piso.  Today is a festival.  The stores are closed so we can´t buy food.  It was fun to play something for once and have a change of activity.

Random thoughts:

We had a lesson with a less-active woman and a cat scratched me and jumped onto the computer modem where it´s nice and warm.

I made 2 apple pies last week to hand out to less-actives and have some kind of excuse to pass by.  An apple pie is like an atom bomb being dropped in Japan.  YUM!

I was eating cereal one morning and blew my milk as if it was hot...awkward.

We were contacting last week and came across a mexican woman who is a Jehovah witness.  We did our best to testify of the basic points of the gospel to have the spirit present in the lessons, but some people (not her) like to bash with us with bibles, but we have gotten better at not bashing, just defending the faith and leaving when contention becomes a problem that the spirit is driven away.

Question of the week asked by the people in the streets:

If God exists, why do bad things happen good people?  Why is there so much bad in the world?

My answer is that God does exist and that He is our loving Heavenly Father.  Also "all things denote that there is a God" (alma 30:44) and so we have to have the faith that He is all knowing (2 nephi 2:24).  So why do bad things happen to good people?  We read in Alma 14 about how Alma and amulek are tied up and watch as those who believed in their testimonies were thrown into the fire and killed.  Alma says this it is to stand as a testimony against the wicked (Alma 14:11).  God has also said that we are to be tried and tested of faith in him to see if we truly will walk where His Son Jesus walked and do that which is right in the sight of God and Endure well (Abraham 3:25).  Lehi explains it well. without the opposition, there is no growth (2 Nephi 2:11).  To summarize everything we live in a fallen world, Adam fell that we might have joy (2 nephi 2:25) but the fall created a way for God´s Children to come to earth, be tested, gain a body and return to his presence.  I read last week that Paul stated that Christ died and suffered for the sins of the world and answered the end of the law, we are joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17).  Why is there so much bad in world?  Easy, we live a world where people have received their agency and have been given this chance to prove themselves worthy to enter in God´s presence.  Some people have used their choices wrongfully and have in result hurt others.  We must remember that life is like a battle ground.  Without a firm foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and especially in the plan of salvation, this life in not all.  We lived with God before and if we are faithful now we can return to live with him, as "Joint-Heirs with Christ".  Elder Duncan said this in this past general conference:

"I am convinced that most of us want to forgive, but we find it very hard to do. When we have experienced an injustice, we may be quick to say, “That person did wrong. They deserve punishment. Where is the justice?” We mistakenly think that if we forgive, somehow justice will not be served and punishments will be avoided.

This simply is not the case. God will mete out a punishment that is fair, for mercy cannot rob justice (see Alma 42:25). God lovingly assures you and me: “Leave judgment alone with me, for it is mine and I will repay. [But let] peace be with you” (D&C 82:23). The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob also promised that God “will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction” (Jacob 3:1).

As victims, if we are faithful, we can take great comfort in knowing that God will compensate us for every injustice we experience. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin stated: “The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. … Every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.”1"

Our life is full of Challenges.  We must find what is true to hold on to and endure with faith and hope.  I know that this church is true and that God does live.  He loves us and wants all of his children to follow the safe road back to his presence.

I love you and hope you have a great week.

con cariño,

Elder Gonzalez

 preguntas:

So, next week is Mother's Day.  What are the details?:  Well our wifi in the chapel is broken so we can´t skype with our ipads, so we are thinking of going to a member’s home like old school times.  We are planning on skyping around 7:30-8pm here which is like 11:30-12 in the great state of UTAH.  sooo yeah.  We had mother’s day yesterday here in spain.  the primary sang.

Sooo, tell us about Elder Olaso....details please.:  He is from Boise, Idaho.  His last name comes from his grandfather who is Basco, yes the north of spain, and he speaks really well in spanish and a little in Basco.  He wears glasses...  is about 6 foot...is funny,  we remember the good old days of Pres. Pace and we feel like old farts sometimes with these whipper snappers running around with them ipads and playing futball.  Back in our day was a no no.

How are things going for you today the first day of May?:  warming up.  it was really cold the past few days with our catalunya cold humid days and now the weather is starting to get better.  An investigator of mine got baptized a few weeks ago from Terrassa.  We had 2 baptisms of primary children from the ward on Friday.

  How is your new area?:  Big and boxy.  I feel like I´m in Utah, the grid system.  The people are the same, but I think a little more open than from the Islands or terrassa.  Lots of spanish members.  We have a real chapel, haven´t had one since Castellón, but not as big.  It is a cookie cutter chapel i have seen it in vitoria, and Palma.

  How is your new piso? : Dirty!  I spent our preparation day cleaning for 3 hours.  I like cleaning because I can put my stress out on a dirty dish or floor.  Plus I got to listen to some G.C. CDs I found in piso.  I got to listen to the voice of a 10 year younger Pres monson and Hinckley and the rest of the gang from 2005.  I think I´ll make a fit for the 2004 CASETTAPES!!!  who on earth uses those?!   But yes mom...I know what they are.  It was interesting what the leaders were saying at that time because I was just 10 at the time not really paying attention to conference, but the leaders  gave great advice to the members about missionary work, protecting home, and kindness(elder worthlin).

 Do you have anybody in your area preparing to be baptized soon?:  not yet, we are working with some people who have some problems that are keeping them from completing some commandments.

  or is this a new area you are opening? : no it is not a new area, just new to me.

 I noticed that it is not far from Terrassa.  are you in the same zone? :  yes it is quite weird that I am so close to terrassa.  We have stake conf in two weeks and so I´ll get to see some members again.  I am in the same zone, Barcelona.

Random thoughts:

A random boy asks us for a piece a paper.  I ripped one out and gave it to him.

We saw a father and son playing sword fight in the street.

We were knocking a building and a woman was dumping 2 buckets of water out the window from the first floor.  Weird people sometimes.

Gotta love the reaction of people when I stand up from the bus or bench.  😱😨🤔  I´m like a spanish godzila.  I eat pan and olivas.

We were having a bench lesson and were ending with a prayer when a woman with her son comes by shouting out that we are false and devils while walking away.  gotta love the mission.

We were at church for the baptism of the two primary children and a mom with her 2 year old walked in the woman´s bathroom saying enter and the boy says "okay".  Childlike obedience.

We were waiting for a bus for about 25 minutes and we had 2 bench lessons.  Miracle.

Mom can you send me a copy, digital or hand copy of my baptism.  and other pictures that you would like to send.  They make me smile :)

I gave my testimony in a very crowded  testimony meeting.  I was waiting for the line to thin, but the people just kept on going.  A sister got her mission call for July 14 to go to Uruguay.  That will be a fun sacrament meeting, me going home and her going.

The primary gave cards and flower to the moms yesterday.  Happy mother’s day next week!

We had a weird visit last night with a less active couple who were offended by other members of the church and haven´t returned back since.  They know the church is true, temple endowed and everything.  We shared the talk from elder duncan from this past GC.  Really good.  There is no excuse for not going to church.

Well family I have to run.  I wish you a very happy week and we shall talk face to face on sunday... I hope.  I know that the church is true and God lives.

Con cariño,

Élder Gonzalez

From the Island Iziba

OSHA approved?  I'd be on my butt hugging the wall.

Finally, a Gonzalez in Mexico!!

Pamplona, the city of the Running of the Bulls

Well, it's transfers and our investigator died

And I´m not joking.  Our investigator Julio was hospitalized last Sunday and died on Friday.  He was battling with lung cancer.  We passed by in the evenings when we didnt have much to do and when there wasn´t anyone in the streets.  He passed away on Friday night, so yesterday we had the funeral in a catholic church called La Santa Cruz.  We had a catholic mass for 30 minutes then the priest sprinkled water on the coffin and that was the end of it.  We sang "How Great thou Art" and I was conducting the choir of us missionaries and a few members.  It was a spiritual experience to know the difference in how we as a church think about the afterlife.  With our knowledge of the plan of salvation, we know "that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.". Alma 40:11  We must remember that this life is not the beginning, neither it is the end.  We lived with God before this earth and will live with Him after this life.  However, the key to this is the atonement of Jesus Christ, but we cannot fully understand the atonement unless we first study the fall, and we cannot understand the fall without knowing the meaning of the creation. see "the atonement", Elder Nelson .  In one year Julio´s temple work can be done for him and then he can have the ordinances done in behalf of him to enter to the kingdom of God.

Also this week I got transferred...  I´m a little bummed out to leave my island, but the Lord has other plans for me here in Sabadell, Catalunya.  My new companion is Élder Olaso from Idaho.  He has one transfer left and he was in my district for two transfers when I was in Terrassa.  Speaking of terrassa, I am like 15 minutes away from terrassa by train.  It is a little weird to return back to the same zone and be so close to my last area.

When on the airplane today, I sat next to a man who was on his way to Barcelona for a business trip.  BTW my knees where JAMMED up into the seat in front of me.  I was squirming around to find a comfortable position for the next 45 minutes of the flight.  Plus it didn´t help that the man in front of me was leaning back in his seat.  Anyway, we started talking and he said this to me "what is it that your church teaches that is different than the other christian churches?"  I said we believed that Christ established his church with his power and authority, then after the death of him and his apostles the church was lost.  God then called Joseph Smith to be a prophet in these days and restored the church of God here on earth through the power of God, and that the evidence we have of this restoration is the Book of Mormon.  We talked a little bit more and then went to sleep.  However, the three girls that were sitting behind us were making comments about us, how we were apostles... So as I was exiting the plane I talked with them for a minute and handed a card we had with mormon.org on it so they can find the church because they were curious.  And now I am here in Sabadell.  I hate lugging luggage across city from bus to plane to bus to train to train again to bus to piso.  Lots of stuff to carry.

questions:

how are your fast and testimony meetings? do you get to share your testimony often?:  good.  many people here in spain share their testimonies and sometimes I don’t have enough time to go and give my testimony.

You met yourself?  But only in name.  You're not gay and wear women's makeup.  Btw:  Were you able to give him a BofM?  :  yes

Random thoughts:

Julio in hospital.

we were doing some passbys last week and we made a trip around the bay in sant antonio on a cloudy, cold day, which was perfect that way so we don´t see any bikinis. it was a long walk, but they were not interested anymore.

we had a nice rainstorm this past week.  Cleaned the streets and air.

we had district meeting.  We learned about using the scriptures by:

1)introducing the scripture with history, background, etc.

2)reading it

3)applying it

We were contacted last week by a man named Matthew from Preston, England.  He likes to talk to the missionaries about how there is a monument of the first baptism outside the US there by a river.  We asked if he was interested to learn more, but he declined, meanwhile as he is rolling up a cigarette...

we talked to 2 american military pilots on the bus to sant antonio who knew members from back home who are on missions.

Julio died on friday, a full moon.

We were walking last week and passed a bar.  a man was kind of pushed out of the bar and bumped into us because his friends were watching from the other side of the glass.  His name was Luis.  He is from sinagal(a country in africa that i don’t know how to spell).  He was really wanting us to drink with him and was pulling my arm to make us go in.  Luckily we had a visit we had to go to so we politely declined and quickly went to our next visit.

a new thing I´m going to be doing now is write about the most frequent questions that we are asked or an interesting question we receive here in Spain.  this week our winner is "are you amish?"  No, we are latter-day saints.  We believe in electricity and we have normal lives like everyone else.  

We had misa on Lunes.  Monday mass.

I almost got besos, kisses, from an investigator. But i got a hug from a primary girl last night in our farewell activity with the branch.

We had a big farewell activity with the branch last night.  It was fun and we got to hear a lot of testimonies from the members of how we have helped while serving with them.

Well family I love this church.  I know it is true.  I know that the family is ordained of God.  I know that the commandments keep us safe and not constrict us.  God lives and he loves us.  Live worthy of your temple recommend and you will find greater happiness.

Con cariño,

Élder Gonzalez

sent from a computer from a local internet shop because we live way too far away from our church and the wifi doesn´t work there.

3 day weekend in Palma de Mallorca!

Yep we had our interviews with our mission president in Palma de Mallorca.  It was a blessing to be able to talk with our wonderful mission president.  He really helped me to feel good about myself. Missionary work is tough, but the Lord is always on our side.  We just have to look for the little miracles in our lives in order to enjoy our mortal experience.  Little pebbles will make our wagon trip a little hard, but we have help from both sides of the veil.  We flew
out on Friday morning and came back on Sunday afternoon.  We had our district conference too. We are not a stake so we are under the direction of our mission president.  He does the temple recommend interviews and all of that.  He makes frequent trips out to the islands.  We met all together in the small chapel in Palma for the adult session on Saturday and then we met in a school auditorium on Sunday morning.  We didn't stay long on Sunday because we had to catch our plane.  During the weekend we were on splits with the other Élders in Palma helping them in their visits.  We met a lot of crazy people.

Random thoughts:

My companion got another package from home.  2 times or 3 times as many as I ever got.  But I get mail!

A man stared at our chapas and nothing.  It's funny how much effort people go out of their  way to look at our name tags, then quickly duck for cover from the Mormons.

We found a grey cat in a stairwell while knocking doors.  It was blocking our path.

I saw an ad on a bus for monument valley.  I've been there!

A less-active we are helping is studying marketing  and she said:  pensar es creer, hacer es invocación.  Y si no van, no crecer.  To think is to believe, to do is innovation.  If you don't move you don't grow.

A drunk man asked us if we needed a lift to the airport on Friday morning as we waited for the bus.  No thank you.

I got orange juice on my shirt right before interviews.  How embarrassing.

Hermana Dayton talked about how we are to be a Christlike mission.  She talked to us right before interviews about how we are to keep this missionary glow always, now and after the mission.  She says that a mission schedule of daily life helps us keeps that spirit and glow for
after mission life.  I want the glow and I want to take advantage of the time I have to grow and mature. She just radiates with light and happiness.

I helped a drunk man on Saturday who wanted nothing from God but to die.  It was really sad to see him in a bad state, but we helped him get on his feet when he fell over the wall and gave him some tissues to wipe his tears from his eyes but mostly testified of God's love for everyone.

Heat in, sweat out.

I saw a child without hair while riding a bus, and had the assumption, cancer.  Right before I was thinking of Christ's infinite atonement mentioned in 2 Nephi 9:6-7.  All of life's unfair problems will be made right in the day of our judgement.  Keep an eternal perspective on like the fog lights on a car to see outer and up.

I met myself this week (name).  Jared is a man from the uk, and he's gay, and wears women's makeup.  We have a visit with him tonight to give a copy of the Book of Mormon.

I got my hair cut in a Chinese peluquería, hair store.  They also do nails and massages too.

Well family I want to say that the Lord is good to us.  Adversity is part of our mortal life.  I love learning from the scriptures here in the mission field.  I’m in acts 10 and loving the stories of the apostles.  I am learning more and more each day how true this church really is.  I know that God speaks to man as He did in ancient days like Adam and Moses.  President Dayton spoke in the adult session of conference and said that " God is not an energy, nor a spirit" (that's what most people think he is here in Spain, an energy). He is a real person with a body of flesh and bones, glorified with power.  He knows each of us and knows how we can find true happiness in a difficult time to live in.  There are many paths to take in life, but in Christ we find freedom and lasting peace.  We had a fun companionship study this morning with all 4 of us in piso introducing a scripture, reading it, and applying it.  I shared 3 Nephi 27:33.
Straight is the gate and narrow is the way.  Read this scripture and think of president monson's talk from conference on our choices in life.  We all need a guide to make it back to our father’s presence.

Con gratitud que tenemos la iglesia restaurada de Jesucristo,

Élder Gonzalez



Sent from my iPad