¡Bienvenido a Ibiza!

Holy cow, can I just say how great it is to be in Ibiza, Spain! If you don't know where it is, it is an island out in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea!  Way cool!  But it is a lot cooler here so bundle up!  This will probably be my last area till I go home.  I am with my companion Élder Saunders from Terrassa!?!  He started his mission when I came to terrassa 3 transfers ago and we lived in the same piso, but now we are companions!  He is from Seattle just so you know.  I am living with 2 other elders too.  We took a plane from Barcelona and flew like 45 minutes to Ibiza.  Watch out.  there are a lot of rumors and crazy stuff that can, but not always , go down here. Of all the islands here, it is the partiest island in all of Europe, so I have heard.  But I am a missionary who loves the Lord and will not let the great and spacious building block me in my mission to bring souls to Christ.

Questions from dad:

   How are things going for you this week?  I hope that you are doing well,  and that you are still staying busy visiting your people.  : it was good, see remainder of the letter.

Are you getting transfer? if so, I hope that you are happy with the new place and your new comp.  There is always something good to learn from all those you get assigned to work with.  : yes, see above.

    Do the members have a regular date set to travel to the temple as a ward? How often do they get to go?  : yes, every stake in Spain has a week dedicated to them to go to the temple.  Terrassa is going this week to the temple.  AND our recent convert Ramón is going this week with the bishop!  It is too bad that i won't be there, but yes everyone can go to the temple.  They normally go in a bus or drive solo.

    As I have been doing some research about Spain and some of their customs, i have learned that meal times are a little later than we are used to here at home, like for lunch it is usually around 2-3 pm is that right? and dinner is usually around 8: 30 to 9 pm so that's why you get to stay out so late at night right?  : yes we eat lunch from 1-3, but we only have one hour to eat and one hour to study the spanish language.  Then we head out the door.  We do not eat dinner as a mission because that is prime time proselyting time.

   Do you guys get a break during the day also from 2-5 pm as the locals do or do you use this time to visit people when they are home for their break? We have 1-5 to do one of a few things but can be in any order. 1) proselyting 2) eat 2) study.  Only one hour to eat, president is very strict on this now.

  How easy is it to get around Barcelona?: very easy, just take the metros.

  do you use the bus? : only in Terrassa

are they very dependable?  

are taxis a better option to get around?  well, enough of all this stuff.  I have only used a taxi 2 times in my mission.  They are not reimbursables, but cost a lot

   So I was wondering what time of the day in Spain do you actually email at? Because it's like 10 o'clock here and I wonder when you do your emailing over there. :  we email at whatever time we have during our preparation day from 11-7.

Random thoughts:

We contacted a man with an orange coat and gave him a LDM

We finally got a visit with a woman named jack online who is from the DR.  had a good lesson with her and her daughter.

We saw a big rat run across the street and into the rain gutter.

I asked Élder Islas for a blessing

We are getting Hermanas in Terrassa

We have had lots of running to piso this week.

We watched the distinct videos again because as a mission we are doing the 12 week program.

We taught a Muslim this week named Abdul.

We cleaned up our area book.

We sat on a bench to study Spanish and we threw some rocks at a bottle for a few minutes first.

The stake pres was in church on Sunday and said "the less actives are waiting for an invitation"

We had a power pack Sunday.  I gave my testimony in sacrament meeting, a baby blessing, we also had a bunch of changes in callings too.

On Saturday night we talked to a woman who only believed in a merciful God, that there could be no justice about him.  The words of Élder holland " Talk about creating God out of our own image"

While on the plane today the flight attendants talked about the oxygen masks and I thought about the talk from Élder Anderson a few conferences ago.

Airplanes!

IBIZA!

Also in our noticias we saw the faces of the new missionaries that came in and one is from my high school, sister spencer!  She lives by the Jordan River train by arctic circle.

New address c/ San Cristofol 10,2,1  07800 Baleres, Ibiza España

Well family I have but one shot left in my last area.  It is a blessing to be here.  First because I have all of my bags, because the old rule was if you go to the islands you have to leave two bags in the office, but I have all of my bags!  Plus I have new hopes and desires to work hard and serve my God with all of my heart and soul.  I wish to use every minute I have to be obedient, hard working, faithful, pure, kinds, etc...  After seeing the world and what it has, Spain, the only that will save the world is the gospel says pres. Benson.  I know that we are engaged in a great battle with the forces of good and evil.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is at the helm and we are to work in his vineyard till the savior comes again Jacob 5:70-75.   Bear witness that this church is true.  I know God lives and that he loves us.  The Book of Mormon is the word of God, our evidence of the restoration.  Watch world, Ibiza, here I come!

Have a great week I love you!

Con demasiado amor que aveces es difícil a comprender porqué a recibido de una familia de casa,

Élder Gonzalez