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

"With all that is going on in the world, with the lowering of moral standards, you young people are being raised in enemy territory."- pres packer.

Sometimes when I wake up and go to preach the gospel I feel I have gone back in time and I'm in the 1940s during world war 2.  I am in enemy territory on my little island with spiritual land mines and traps to ensnare young missionaries.  Those who live outside of the commandments of God are living on a sinking ship.  We cry to them to jump into the lifeboats but they would rather dance the night away.  It is hard sometimes to help someone who doesn't want you, someone who wants to live life on the edge, without restrictions, without God. However, Moroni 7 says we should pray with all our hearts to be filled with this charity which is the greatest of all.  We went shopping this morning for preparation day and we walked by some shops that could use a good reading from the " For the Strength of Youth" ( by the way I bought these awesome shoes).  If I am to walk away from my mission having only gained a stronger testimony of this church, I would be a "rich" man.

Random thoughts:
We set a fecha with our investigator Gustavo, but he lost it because he didn't show up to church.  Inv

estigators have to go to church at least twice before they can get baptized and we have district conference this week, because we live in a district and not a stake. He is a great man though.  He says he wants to change his life and come closer to God, plus he had really good questions and a hunger to learn more.

A member named Ana went to Nigeria for six months and we had a farewell snack with her at the church on Monday night.

We saw some kids playing in a pond last week with a fishing net trying to catch fish.

We went contacting for 15 minutes before our district meeting via Skype and we met a man named Cesilio from Paraguay.  His girlfriend is a member and he was very interested to learn more about the church. We met with him the other day and had a good first visit with him.

While on a bus I talked to a Pamplomian!  I talked with a woman who was staring at my chopa.  She got very interested in what we taught but got off the bus before we could get her number. I think her name was Camilla?

We taught a French couple this week while on an intercombio.  It was all in English.  They were visiting and we got them to think about the church and met them again in the streets the other day.  I hope they visit with the missionaries.

We met a 98 year old ibizinco man who turns 99 this month.  He was deaf and was super Catholic.  Bless his soul for keeping on moving because he was like a 45 degree angle almost with his Spanish cane.  I felt bad because we had to practically yell at him to communicate.

We have this apartment building in Sant Antonio that we found that is just a Gold mine.  We spent 2 1/2 hours just knocking this building and finding golden people.  We met a woman named Maria and her husband who are old Spanish folk from the peninsula ( that is what they say if you are from off the island.  And we gave her a Book of Mormon to add to her three bibles collection.  As we were knocking the next door, we heard the daughter who is like in her 40s was reading the book out loud starting from the introduction and it was a miracle to me to hear someone actually read the Book of Mormon and not just place it on their shelf and let it sit there for years.  We also met a terrific family from Colombia.  We accidentally left our phone in piso and they tried calling us to cancel but we went by anyway.  We had a quick first
lesson with them talking about the Book of Mormon and they loved it.  It just complements the bible.  But the daughter was in the shower because this family lives in a one room apartment, and in the middle of our lesson she walks out and with only a towel on walking and grabs some clothes and walks back into the bathroom, super awkward.  Luckily our backs were towards her, but as soon as we turned we quickly went back to the lesson.

It was Élder Saunder’s birthday, he turned 19... He's young.

We went to an evangelical church this last week because we were contacting in the street and a man walked up to us and wanted to listen.  He invited us to his church which was across the street and so we went for a few minutes.  They rented out an old theater and had drums and sound systems and it was just a different environment.  We were respectful.  Élder Merrill put, our district leader, it like alma in alma 30 and the apostate zoramites. They were really nice though. It gave me a new perspective of what an investigator feels like going to church.

We were protected this past week as we made some attempts to go tracting near the castle because it is filled with gypsies.  We go in during the daytime and knock some doors.  We found some success though.

Only the humble are converted.  Those we teach become converted with true intentions and with humility.  Those that believe listen.

We helped a French member couple, different French couple, find a hotel.  They call them hostels here.  They are going to be sealed in the London temple.  He served his mission in Switzerland.

We were in Sant Antonio doing some tracting and some Michael Jackson music was playing from a soccer stadium.

Fast Sunday.  We had visitors this week from France and Germany.  The German member gave his testimony in really good Spanish saying that he was met by the missionaries 33 years ago and got s Book of Mormon and read it and got an answer.

I hit my head on a lamp while exiting an elevator.  The plastic bulb fell off and I thought it was glass, but luckily it was plastic because it hit hard.

Well family I come to know in real sense that this work we are engaged is the work of the Lord.  He is at the head of this church.  I know that we must follow His commandments to find true happiness and peace in this life.  "We have weaknesses, as everyone does. We may not
speak the language very well or be able to answer every question you have, but we have been called by a prophet of God to share what we know. We know that our message is true."-pmg ch.10. I know God lives.

I know He answered our prayers.  I know this church is true. I love you all and hope you have a great week.

De un misionero de España,

Élder Gonzalez


Sent from my iPad

Happy Conference Weekend

We still haven't watched the Sunday afternoon session yet, but we will sometime this week.  Our schedule went like this: Saturday at 6pm we watched the Saturday morning live. Then on Sunday at 11 am we watched the priesthood session, then at 2 we saw the Saturday afternoon, at 4 the women had their session, then at 6 pm again we saw the Sunday morning live. We did all of this thanks to our iPad in the church.  When president Eyring or uchtdorf says by satellite or Internet, that was us. We hooked the iPad to a projector and projected the video onto the sacrament room wall.  Meanwhile, we the missionaries and one Nigerian member watched the rest in English in a separate room.  General conference is just spectacular.  Our church is truly God's kingdom here on the earth.  My thoughts go back to when I was at Montserrat and I was in the Catholic Church on top of the mountain.  We believe in continual revelation from our Heavenly Father through his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7, d&c 1:37-38).  We live in a very busy world and if we are not in tune to the spirit, we will be choked like the parable of the sower.
     "7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
     "22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful."- Matt 13:

When I think about this I think about an old seminary video about being in tune with the spirit given by Élder wirthlin called" Sensitivity to Spiritual Communication, Part 3". Copy and paste the title in lds.org and find it and listen to it.  I know as we heed the promptings of the spirit we will live lives more virtuous, and if we are in holy places the spirit can speak to us and direct our path if we let him.  General conference gives us the chance to reflect, what are we doing in our lives?  Is it within guidelines that the leaders of the church urge us to do?  We can find greater light in our lives and know what the savior wants us to do to come unto him.  Let us repent of our sins and errors and do as sister Christianson, wife of one of the presidents of the presidency of the seventy, said a few months ago as they visited our mission to wash our garments in the blood of the lamb of God, quoting Isaiah.

16 ¶Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Random thoughts of the week:
We were walking this week and a random person honked at us, gave us a thumbs up and shouted " ¡mormones!"

I have seen a lot of hummers here, or maybe the city is so small that it's the same one passing by...

We were walking down a street one night and we walked passed a bar with inappropriate music and dancing and my companion touched the wall and said " this is the closest the spirit will have to this building."

It officially getting hot, 22 degrees C and sweaters!

We had a zone enfoque in Palma.  We flew there in the morning, had our normal studies in the piso of the other elders before the meeting, and I made the elders’ beds and took out their trash, very messy piso.  We had dominos pizza afterwards too!

I forgot my pin for my church card last week.  A big old brain fart came up and attacked me and I forgot my number.  I hit the PIN number wrong a few times and locked my account for 24 hours.  I had to call the mission office for my number.  I was super embarrassed.

On the flight back to Ibiza from Palma I saw little tiny boats out in the Mediterranean Sea, with long sails.  They looked like ants from the sky.

We went contacting with a member last week and I walked passed a young couple thinking that they weren't going to listen, and the members contacted them. Min fact the man knew the church and the missionaries from his country in the Dominican Republic, and the woman talked to the other elders just before.  I learned to talk to everyone.

We talked to another Italian man who spoke English.

We had a few sprinkles this week.

We went to a beautiful pueblo to go tracting.  It was a typical Spanish town with small yards and old people.  Beautiful, but they need the gospel more.

I ripped my pants while putting clothes in the washer, so today I bought some thread.

Guess what!! Go to the sustainings from this General conference and look up this name MARK L. PACE!!!!!  My mission president is a 70!  It was a jaw dropper.  I knew that he was a holy man and that he was going to become a general authority some day.

We had conf. In our small chapel. we had a few show up for conf.

Our branch prez told us a great story about how he was trying to get the members here to a district meeting ( because we are not a stake yet here in the islands, we are trying to become one in 2020) and they didn't have enough seats in the plane So he called the district
leader and said all 21 of us are going or none.  Within a few minutes the president got all the members to the meeting and back.  What a big miracle.

Well family I hope that you have enjoyed this wonderful weekend as I have.  I know as we heed the warnings of the prophets and not treat them as restrictions we will be blessed by our faith and obedience.

May the Lord bless you in your activities this week and counsel as a family in all your plans and goals. I'm still here too, only just thousands of miles away on an island in the Mediterranean Sea!  I hope you have a great week!

Con mucho amor por nuestro profeta, Thomas S. Monson,
Élder Gonzalez

Sent from my iPad, from Spain!